Pidge hugs him, and for a moment Wash stops breathing. After all of that, a hug is the last thing he's expecting, but somehow it's exactly what he needs.

The moment passes, and another follows it. Slowly, like an iceberg breaking away from a glacier, Wash starts to crack.

He holds Pidge tightly - not enough to hurt her, but enough to help him feel better. His breathing is short and erratic, and it takes time to sink in: she's alive. She's fine. She survived. He's so, so accustomed to losing people that having someone come out the other side is still a novel experience for which he will forever be grateful.

The moment passes, and another follows it. Slowly, he remembers how to breathe.

Breathing helps - he needs to be in control of himself, not falling apart. Pidge may be alive, but they're both still in Arcade's death arena; as long as that's the case, neither of them are safe. He needs to be on his guard. He needs to be prepared, and he needs to make sure she is too. He can't do any of that if he's falling apart. He takes another breath, lets it out, and drops the hug.

"I wasn't kidding." He sounds a lot more like himself now. "Don't ever do that again." He shakes his head. "Do you give your leader back home heart attacks too, or am I just special?"