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Wash sighed. The guy who had been hassling him about being gay was back. Again. He had come in everyday of the week. Wash hoped he’d be done after today because it was Sunday, and Wash really didn’t want to deal with him for another week. He couldn’t really do anything. He worked at the gym. The guy wasn’t really doing anything worthy of being kicked out, and if Wash wanted to keep his job he couldn’t really yell at the guy or punch him, which he really felt like doing. The guy met eyes with him and smirked, casually strolling over to the treadmill, where Wash was currently working out. He didn’t really have to do much during his job, and it paid well, so he really didn’t want to lose it. He’s a personal trainer, but the people he trains don’t come in on weekends, but Wash was still required to be at the gym, so he uses that time to work out.
“I can’t seem to figure out why the gym hires fags to work. It makes me a bit uncomfortable working out here. I don’t want you checking me out. It’s creepy.” The guy started, voice low. He was giving Wash a glare mixed with a smirk, and it was the most annoying expression Wash had ever seen, and he’s dating Tucker, so that’s saying a lot. Wash just grit his teeth, turning the treadmill up. He really wished he had brought his headphones. “Can you not speak faggot? I’m talking to you.” Wash ignored him, continuing to focus on his training. The guy was still talking lowly, not drawing any attention to them, which Wash was kind of glad for. Tucker works out here too, and Wash could see him out of the corner of his eye, using the weight machine. “God you’re so fucking stupid. I can’t believe you’re even allowed in here. All you want to do is creep on other guys working out.” Wash continued ignoring him. The guy would usually give up after awhile and walk away. But he didn’t. “Are you trying to get in shape to impress the other guys here? You faggots are so pathetic. I don’t understand why you prissy boys are allowed to live. Only fucked up people would choose to like the same gender. Did mommy kick you out? Did daddy not love you?” The guy was laughing and Wash clenched his jaw, stopping off the treadmill, going to get a drink. “Go cry in the bathroom pussy. Wait, I’ll call you dick, because that’s what you like.”
Tucker stopped for a minute, taking a break to rest. He used to work out next to Wash to bug him while he was working, but Wash told him to stop, and for once in his life Tucker listened to him. He looked up to see some guy talking to Wash in a low voice, smirk plastered on his face. Tucker watched closely at the way Wash’s jaw clenched, and the way he kept his eyes straight forward, completely ignoring the guy beside him. Tucker frowned, still watching them. Wash stopped the treadmill, leaving to get a drink and the guy called after him. “Go cry in the bathroom pussy. Wait, I’ll call you dick because that’s what you like.” The guy called quietly after him and Tucker let out a noise of anger, getting up slowly, taking deep breaths to calm himself. He walked over to the guy, keeping his face as neutral as he could. The guy was off the treadmill, and turned when he heard footsteps approaching. He looked at Tucker, smirking. “Can you fucking believe that guy? He’s a fag and he works here. Works here and works out here. Why the fuck is he allowed in?” The guy laughed. Tucker always had a quick temper. Everyone that knew him knew that. “He should just fucking kill himself. It would make the world a better place.” Tucker punched the guy in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. Tucker didn’t wait for him to say anything else. He punched him again in the jaw, and then in the stomach. Tucker was furious. He kicked the guy in the knee, causing it to buckle and he fell backwards. Tucker was on top of him in an instant, punching him in the face.
“Don’t. You. Fucking. Talk. About. My. Boyfriend. Like. That!” Tucker yelled, slamming his fist into the guy’s face.
Wash sighed, running his fingers through his hair. The comments didn’t get to him. They never did. He just found them really fucking annoying. Wash took a deep breath to control his feelings of annoyance and rage, and left the locker room. When he walked out, he was greeted with a fuming Tucker on top of the guy, punching him in the face. Wash let out a noise and rushed over, grabbing Tucker’s shoulders, and pulling him off the guy. Tucker lashed out, but Wash pinned his arms back.
“Tucker. Stop.” Wash whispered into his ear and Tucker did, still seething. The guy staggered up, clutching his face. He looked up and Tucker glared at him, Wash having to stop him from lunging forward again.
“Get out. Get the fuck out and don’t ever come near him again.” Tucker said harshly, and for once, the guy had no words. “Get. Out.” Tucker commanded, and Wash swore he would have to put Tucker in a choke hold just to stop him from attacking the guy again. Wash was surprised that the guy did so, heading towards the exit, but not before turning around to yell something.
“You’ll burn in hell. The both of you.” Tucker grit his teeth, pulling away from Wash. The guy’s eyes widened and he hurried out the door, slamming it behind him. Tucker knew he had made a huge scene, but he didn’t fucking care. Wash did. He gave everyone an apologetic smile and pulled Tucker into the locker room.
“What the hell was that?!” Wash screeched at him, and Tucker clenched his fists.
“He was fucking talking shit about you Wash! He said you should kill yourself. That you shouldn’t be allowed in here!” Tucker yelled back, throwing his hands up in the air, pacing around the room.
“Look, Tucker. You should have just ignored him. It’s what I’ve been doing the whole week.” Tucker dead stopped, going completely still. It scared Wash. Tucker looked at Wash, and Wash didn’t move.
“You’re telling me he’s been doing this all week.”
“Yes, Tucker, but-”
“AND YOU DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING? ALL WEEK AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THIS? YOU’VE PUT UP WITH THIS ALL FUCKING WEEK WASH?!” Tucker was screaming, shoving Wash against the wall. Wash remained perfectly calm. He learned the hard way that this was the best thing to do when Tucker got riled up.
“I was being the bigger person Tucker. He’s just some idiot who’s making comments.”
“BIGGER PERSON? ARE YOU SERIOUS?! YOU LET SOME ASSHOLE TREAT YOU LIKE THAT FOR AN ENTIRE FUCKING WEEK AND DIDN’T BOTHER TELLING ME?!” Tucker shoved Wash harder against the wall.
“Yes Tucker. Because I knew this would happen if I told you.”
“WELL WHAT THE HELL ELSE WOULD I HAVE DONE? YOU THINK I’D LET SOME SHITHEAD TALK TO YOU LIKE THAT?” Tucker yelled, pushing Wash harder against the wall, hands fisted into his shirt. Wash’s back hurt from hitting the wall, but he knew Tucker had to let out steam. He’d eventually calm down. “YOU LET SOMEONE SAY THOSE KINDS OF THINGS TO YOU? FUCK BEING THE BIGGER PERSON WASH! IT’S CALLED PUTTING HIM IN HIS FUCKING PLACE! PEOPLE LIKE HIM DON’T DESERVE TO BE HERE WASH! YOU CAN’T JUST PUT UP WITH THAT KIND OF SHIT!” Wash looked into Tucker’s eyes that were filled with fury, and a small part of something Wash couldn’t detect.
“Tucker. People like him want to get a reaction out of people. It’s better to just ignore him.”
“WELL HE GOT A REACTION OUT OF ME! DID IT LOOK LIKE THAT WAS WHAT HE WANTED?” Tucker let go of Wash, pacing the room again. He was furious. Furious at the asshole for treating Wash like that, and furious at Wash for letting the asshole treat him like that.
“Yes Tucker. He wanted me to yell at him or something. Those kinds of things you just have to let go. He probably has his own issues and needed to take them out on someone.” Tucker turned to face him, and Wash froze. He had never seen Tucker this angry, and they’ve been dating for almost three years.
“IF HE HAS HIS OWN ISSUES THAN HE CAN TAKE THEM OUT A PUNCHING BAG OR ANYTHING BESIDES A FUCKING HUMAN BEING WHO ALSO HAS FEELINGS! YOU CAN’T LET THOSE KINDS OF THINGS HAPPEN!” Tucker was screaming, completely furious. He slammed his fist into a locker, and Wash cringed as it caved in. Tucker breathed deeply, trying to control his anger. “YOU, You can’t let those things go Wash.” Tucker said, completely defeated. He had run out of steam, and now he just collapsed onto the bench, head in his hands. Wash sighed. It wasn’t healthy, and he knew that, but there was no other way to deal with it. Tucker refused to get help for his uncontrollable anger. He got ticked off easily, and when he got angry, he would yell and break things. But the worst part was when he blew off the steam and just deflated, completely defeated by whatever had gotten him angry in the first place. Wash walked over to Tucker, sitting down on the bench beside him.
“People like him just want a reaction Tucker. You just have to ignore them. He wasn’t getting to me, and you know that. People just need to take their issues out on other people sometimes. And when that happens, you have to ignore it.” Wash cringed at the way he sounded. Tucker hated being talked to like that, like he was some sort of child incapable of understanding.
“I KNOW THAT!” Tucker yelled, but he stared at the ground. “I know that Wash. But you can’t let people do that to you. You just can’t okay? You can’t always be the bigger person, especially around dickheads like that! YOU CAN’T LET PEOPLE WALK ALL OVER YOU LIKE A DOORMAT WASH!” Tucker was yelling again and Wash sighed, grabbing Tucker’s waist before he could get up and pace the room or break something again. Wash would have to explain to Carolina later why one of the lockers was pretty much destroyed. Tucker pushed him off, but Wash held on tight, refusing to let Tucker get up.
“Tucker…” Tucker glared at him, but the anger had dissipated.
“Don’t. Don’t tell me to calm down. Don’t tell me I’m wrong, because I’m not. I’m not wrong on this Wash. I’m wrong about a lot of things, on most things, but I’m not wrong about this. You can’t let people treat you like that, I can’t let people treat you like that.”
“Look, you’re right Tucker. But beating the shit out of people is never the answer. Violence is not the answer to these kinds of problems. It’s almost never the answer. You just need to ignore them or just talk to them about it.” Tucker looked up at Wash from where he was held captive in his arms.
“It is the answer to these kinds of situations!” Tucker was yelling again, but it wasn’t filled with as much venom and anger. “You really think you could have talked to him? Huh? Had a little tea party and talked about your feelings while braiding each other’s hair? Yeah, that would have gone fucking fantastic! And no, you can’t ignore that. Okay, maybe for a day, but when it happens for a week, A WHOLE FUCKING WEEK WASH, then it’s not okay to ignore!” Tucker was shaking slightly in anger, and Wash could feel it against his chest. Wash sighed, hugging his boyfriend tightly around his waist. Wash knew that Tucker was right. Talking wouldn’t have helped in this kind of situation. But Wash still didn’t want to resort to violence.
“I get it Tucker. I really do. It’s just not the best to use anger to solve your issues.” Wash said slowly, hoping to get through to Tucker. When he was angry, it was like he was in a cloud and all he could focus on was the anger and the angry words spilling out of his mouth. Tucker took a deep breath, and focused on that to calm himself.
“I understand that in most situations violence is not the answer. But in this case it was. If I didn’t beat the shit out of him, you would have snapped and said something he didn’t like, and he would’ve beaten the shit out of you! You think I could’ve just stood by and let that happen? No matter what he did or you did, it would’ve ended up with me beating the shit out of him!” Tucker was still yelling, but it was quieter, and Wash could tell he was letting go of his anger. He decided Tucker was right. It was obvious that guy wasn’t going to leave him alone until he got a reaction out of Wash, and Wash wasn’t going to give him that. The guy probably would’ve resorted to violence in the end, and that would have made Tucker even angrier. If Tucker went off like this when someone was talking shit about him, then Wash really didn’t want to see what Tucker would do if this guy tried to punch him. Wash was pulled out of his thoughts when Tucker spoke. “What would you do Wash? If some asshole was treating me like that?” Tucker’s voice was low and confrontational. “Do you really think you would’ve just stood by and let it happen? Don’t lie to me.” Tucker’s face was emotionless and Wash didn’t even have to think about his answer.
“No I wouldn’t have.” Tucker let out a noise of frustration, throwing his hands up in the air.
“Exactly! So you can’t be so hypocritical about this if you would do the same thing if it had happened to me!”
“I JUST DON’T LIKE SEEING YOU ANGRY OKAY!?” Wash yelled, hoping to get his point across. Tucker stopped, blinking at Wash. Wash sighed. “I don’t like seeing you so riled up. I hate seeing you so angry. You destroy yourself in the process and I just don’t want you to hurt yourself, okay? I hate watching you go off the deep end, getting caught up in anger, and having no way of helping you!” Wash said, wrapping his arms tighter around Tucker’s waist to try and emphasize his point. “Tucker, I just don’t want you to destroy yourself. I appreciate what you did. That asshole really deserved that, I know that. I’m afraid that you’ll get so angry that you’ll do something rash Tucker. And I don’t want you to have to go through that! I don’t want to watch you break down without letting me help you!” Wash’s voice never rose above a quiet yell, because Tucker was staring at the floor, not saying anything. Wash stopped, letting it all sink in. He knew better than anyone that Tucker needed his time to take stuff in, to listen to other people’s opinions on stuff he thought so strongly about.
“I know. And I’m sorry.” Tucker finally said, still staring down at the floor. Wash raised an eyebrow at him, which obviously went unnoticed.
“Sorry about what Tucker?”
“Sorry about doing that to you. For yelling at you, for having so much anger. I just don’t want to see you getting hurt. I know you can handle yourself, but I can’t handle my anger Wash. I’m scared.” Tucker sounded so defeated and vulnerable. Wash had never heard him like that. Wash pulled him closer to his chest, and Tucker sunk back against him, still staring at the floor.
“What are you scared of Tucker?” Wash asked quietly.
“I’m scared of hurting you Wash. I’m scared of lashing out and hurting you. I’m scared I’ll do that, and lose you.” Tucker whispered, voice almost completely silent.
“Tucker…” Wash said sadly, pulling Tucker even closer until they were practically one person. “You won’t lose me okay? I know it isn’t you when you lash out Tucker. I know you would never hurt me like that, you would never try and shove me down. It’s just your anger. I understand you Tucker. You won’t lose me because of that. You’re more than your anger, and it doesn’t define you.” Wash rested his head on Tucker’s hair. Tucker nodded slowly, looking up at the wall. Wash didn’t know what to expect from him, what he would say next. Tucker was unpredictable when it came to emotions. But he did something Wash would have never expected. He laughed. He laughed uncontrollably, shaking against Wash’s chest. He pulled away to turn and face Wash, smiling. Wash gave him the most confused look. Tucker smiled bigger and gave Wash a soft kiss.
“You know I love you right?” Wash laughed too, giving Tucker a soft kiss back.
“I know. And I love you too idiot.” Tucker grinned, jumping up and clapping his hands.
“As much as I love sitting in a smelly locker room, drenched in sweat, stuck to my equally sweaty boyfriend, I think we should go back out. I got to work out while you check me out.” Tucker said with a smirk, and Wash made a noise, hitting him in the arm.
“I have the right to do that. We’re dating.” Tucker scoffed.
“Oh please, you did it before we were even dating.” Wash raised an eyebrow.
“And you’re complaining about me checking you out?”
“Fuck no!”
“Good, because you owe me a favor for breaking that locker.”