Wash hesitates, but then does lift his hand and place it on Tucker's shoulder. Metal-on-metal isn't much of a comfort, he can't exactly give a reassuring squeeze through their armor, but at least the other soldier can feel the weight of it. His presence. He doesn't know how to take the desperation comment -- maybe Tucker was just that scared of losing anyone else? Don't read too much into it, Wash tells himself, even as he lingers.

"You're not an idiot. He's an excellent actor with a convincing narrative that they've spent years reinforcing. Not even just that, they've actually been living it. 'Proving' it. We judge people by their actions, and for all appearances his were good. It was the situation they were twisting and you had no reason to suspect that. It looked like he'd been a great ally, so you believed he'd help you too -- that's not blind, just hopeful. Hope's something we have to hold on to."

He hasn't been very successful at that, over the years, but he thinks it might be coming back to him. Although he'll always be a paranoid realist, he has faith in this ragtag group of idiots. He believes in them. And knows that sometimes, for people less damaged than him, those feelings are easy to misplace. It doesn't mean Tucker's a bad judge of character. It means he's not broken yet, and Wash... is actually really glad for that.

"A plan?"