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The bell on the door rang throughout the diner. Church paused in scribbling down the order of the customer in front of him and glanced over anxiously at the door. It was just a man with two kids coming in for breakfast. Church scowled and finished writing how the eggs were supposed to be done.
Once he turned around to hand the order to Sarge, Tucker was was by his side, a sly smile on his lips. "Waiting for somebody?"
Church's scowl deepened. "No." He continued on with his work as Tucker trailed persistently behind him.
As he started to clear away a pile of dishes from the bar, Tucker leaned up against the counter. "Really? Because every time someone comes in, you look at the door like you're expecting it to be somebody you know."
"I'm not," Church insisted, even though Tucker was right. He moved the stack of plates over to the bin of soapy water, then turned to glare at his best friend.
Tucker rolled his eyes. "Dude, if I have to watch you staring at her all longingly for one more day, I'm gonna barf. Just ask her out already, what's the worst that could happen?"
Before Church could snap back, there was the familiar rumble of a motorcycle from the parking lot. He quickly tried to busy himself in checking the cash register, while Tucker smirked. He walked off to go check on his tables, but kept an eye on Church.
The bell rang again and Church had to force himself to keep staring at the register. There was the sound of boots on the linoleum floor, and then the slight squeak of someone sitting down in the chair at the end of the bar. With a sigh, Church gave up on pretending he didn't know she was there and stalked over to where she sat.
"Lemme guess. A cup of coffee, black, two sausage links, and scrambled eggs." He finally looked up to stare at her. She was as beautiful and as cold as ever, with dark green eyes and a permanent glare. Her blonde hair was in its usual ponytail and was only slightly ruffled from her motorcycle helmet.
Texas gave him a smirk. "Add one of Donut's muffins in and you're golden."
Church gave her a sharp nod as he wrote down her order. "It'll be ready in a bit."
"Thanks, Church."
He bit down on his bottom lip to keep from smiling as he turned away. No matter how much he tried to deny it, Tucker was right. Ever since she had first stepped in the diner half a year ago, Church had been watching Texas with interest.
As he grabbed a couple of plates to give to a customer at the counter, Church considered what he had learned about Texas so far. She was a very secretive person, but Church had managed to learn that she worked as a special agent of sorts. After doing a bit of research, Church had realized that she was apart of Project Freelancer, an elusive government group that not much was known about. That had only made Tex even more attractive.
Grif was the one to hand Church Tex's order and he did so with a grin. Church rolled his eyes and carefully balanced the tray as he bustled over to where she was sitting.
Texas looked up from her phone when he placed the plate of food and coffee down in front of her. Before Church could get any awkward words out, Tex was already speaking.
"Do you want to get drinks with me and some of my coworkers tonight?"
Church blinked at her in surprise. Out of all the times she had come in, Tex had never really seemed very interested in him. "Uh, yeah sure. That'd be cool," he managed to respond.
"Alright. Here, put your number in." Texas handed him her phone, then started to peel the thin paper wrapper off of the muffin. Church quickly typed in his number, as if he was trying to do it before Tex could change her mind. When he handed her back the phone, she nodded at him. "Thanks. I'll see you at Chorus around eight."
"Okay, sounds good." Church opened his mouth to say something else, to ask if this was a date, but was saved by a grumpy old man sitting down at the bar. He went over to take his order and was caught up in the rest of the breakfast rush. By the time he looked back over to Texas, she was gone, only the empty plate and money to pay showed she had been there at all.
~*~
Church paced around outside the popular bar, a lit cigarette between his fingers. He had yet to gather up the nerve to walk inside to greet Texas and her coworkers. She was already intimidating enough when she wasn't surrounded by other secret agents.
With a sigh, Church put out his cigarette and pushed away the urge to light another one. He was supposed to be quitting, after all. He ran a slightly shaky hand through his hair and walked into the bar before he could run away.
Texas was sitting in a booth with a small group of attractive people that Church could only assume were the other Freelancers. He forced himself to walk up to them with an aloof expression on his face. Thankfully, Tex was on the end, so he slid in next to her. She passed him a beer as he settled down, which he gratefully accepted.
Tex paused her conversation with a blonde woman with purple in her hair to gesture towards him. "This is Church."
When she didn't say anything else, Church nodded towards the group. "Hey." He got a chorus of hellos in response.
"How do you know Texas?" The man across from Church spoke up.
Church glanced over at him and fought the urge to stare openly. He was blonde, like Tex, but his skin was a shade darker. His eyes were a dark shade of brown and instead of the cold stare of Texas, he was looking at Church with curiosity. Freckles were splattered across his face and neck, masking his age well.
Church absently licked his lips, then responded. "She's a regular at the diner I work at."
He raised an eyebrow, then glanced over to Tex, who had resumed speaking with the blonde. "And she just... Invited you?"
"Yeah," Church scoffed, a little offended. "So what?"
The man across from him just looked back over at Church, now with both eyebrows raised. From next to him, a friendly looking blonde nudged his friend. "Wash meant to say that Texas doesn't really come out to these things. Much less invite peop- Ow!" There was a dull thud from underneath the table, where Tex had put her heel into the pale, blonde man's shin.
He jumped in his seat as Texas smirked to herself. Church snickered along with her and the blonde girl, before turning back to the man across from him. "What the fuck kind of name is Wash?"
Wash snorted. "Okay. I can see why you and Texas get along." Tex shot him a grin, which he returned sarcastically before turning back to Church. "It's short for Washington."
"Washington? Texas?" Church glanced over at the pair of pale blondes at the end of the booth. "Who are you, North and South Carolina?"
The woman downed her drink while the man smiled. "Dakota, actually. I'm North and this is my sister, South."
Church glanced between Wash and Tex. "Is he fucking with me?"
Texas smiled around her bottle while Wash shook his head. "Nope. There are a bunch of others too, they couldn't make it tonight."
"Who else is there, fucking Rhode Island? What the fuck were your parents thinking?" Church looked between the four with an incredulous expression.
South and Texas snorted, while North just shrugged. "No, but there's Connecticut. And Maine. These aren't actually our names, they're more like codenames for Freelancer," Wash tried to explain.
"Right. You guys are spies, I forgot." Church leaned forward to stare at Wash. "If they're 'codenames,' then what's your real name?"
Wash just smiled and stared right back.
"Your name is Church, right?" North hurried to change the subject and Church guessed he had made faux pas. "Do you know Leonard Church by any chance?"
Church broke his eye contact with Washington to scowl. "Yeah. He's my uncle, I'm named after him."
That received him a table full of stares. He took a sip from his nearly empty drink as they all exchanged glances.
"How the fuck do you find these people, Texas?" South leaned forward to stare at Church, who didn't flinch.
Tex's stare, however, had Church bouncing his leg nervously. He couldn't decide what she was thinking from the blank expression on her face. "I had no idea."
When Church looked back across the table and found North and Wash also staring, he spoke up. "Okay, what the fuck? Do you guys know him or something?"
"He runs Project Freelancer. He's our boss," Wash responded as he studied Church's face. Instead of the confused look he had worn a few seconds ago, he seemed relaxed and confident. There was a small smirk on his lips, like he was enjoying what he was seeing. Church was starting to like him more and more.
Church tried to pretend like he hadn't noticed Wash undressing him with his eyes. He snorted and gave the group a grin. "Wow. Good fucking luck to you guys."
"Amen!" South laughed loudly while her brother shook his head.
"She had a few before we came, I think I should drive her home now." Wash stood up to let North out of the booth. Church could now appreciate how tall and well built both Freelancers were. He wondered if being hot was a requirement for the job.
As Tex and Church got up, Wash grinned. "Wow, South. It's not even ten yet and you're leaving."
South hit him in the shoulder hard enough to make Church wince. Wash didn't seem phased. "We can't all have freak livers like you." When North started to pull her away, she turned back to grin at them. "Use protection!"
Church could feel his face heating up as Wash shot the two of them a nervous smile. "She says that to everyone."
"Hey, it's good advice," Tex said as she sat back down. Church decided not to dwell on what was going on and followed her lead. Wash, however, shifted uncomfortably for a few seconds before finally sitting back down.
"If The Director is your uncle, does that mean Carolina is your cousin?" Wash changed the subject quickly.
Church came to a sudden realization. "Oh! Is that why you guys all have state names? Aunt Allison always was really patriotic."
Wash and Tex both stared at Church with a shocked look. "You knew Allison?" Wash asked in a hushed whisper, as if The Director was in the bar with them.
"Uncle Leonard actually told you about her?" Church found that hard to believe, as his uncle rarely ever voluntarily spoke about his late wife.
Tex shook her head. "No, Carolina did. I've never heard The Director say anything about Allison."
Wash suddenly turned to Texas with a sly grin. "So, you just happened to stumble upon Carolina's cousin in an obscure diner that's not on your route to work?"
Church watched as Texas shrugged. "I may have overheard Carolina talking about the diner to York after training one day. Turns out, her cousin works at the counter."
"She's gonna be pissed," Wash said, but couldn't help the grin that formed on his face.
Church rolled his eyes at the two of them. "Carolina is always pissed."
The group laughed as they continued to comment on their teammates. Eventually, the topic turned to war stories. For the rest of the night, Church listened to Wash and Texas as they animatedly told him about the adventures of the Freelancers. Whenever Church had a hard time believing something, one of them would have a scar to prove it.
When the bar finally started to empty, they reluctantly cleared out at the insistence of the waiter. The fresh air was a nice feeling as they stood on the sidewalk. As they were waiting for a taxi to pull up, Church fumbled in his pocket for his pack of cigarettes. Before he could find his lighter, Texas was talking. "Do you guys want to stay the night at my apartment?"
Her words earned his full attention and he dropped his cigarettes back into his pocket. When he looked over at Wash with what he felt was a deer-in-the-headlights expression, all the support he got was a smirk and a, "Sure, if Church wants to."
With both sets of eyes on him, Church could feel his cheeks heating up. "Uh, yeah. That... that sounds good," he managed to choke out, surprised by this sudden turn of events.
Tex only snickered and turned back to the road to wave down a cab. Wash gave Church an honest smile and beckoned him forward with a jerk of his head. When Church had stumbled a couple of steps towards him, Wash simply wrapped one of his arms around Church's shoulders. The warmth from the taller man was irresistible and Church snuggled closer into his side. He smelled nice, like body wash and a little bit of alcohol.
When Texas finally managed to find them a ride, they piled into the backseat of the small taxi. After giving the driver some brief instructions, she turned to the two of them with a grin. "Church, you look a little nervous," she raised her eyebrows at him teasingly.
Church scrunched back into Wash's warmth with a frown. "Hey, this doesn't happen to me often."
"Getting laid?" She laughed and Church could smell the mint gum she was chewing.
When he made an offended noise, Wash laughed slightly. "Don't tease him, Tex."
Church wrinkled his nose at her. "Yeah, Tex. Don't tease me."
"Aw, poor Church," Tex stuck out her lip in mock sympathy.
"Fuck you."
Wash groaned. "You two are giving me a headache already."
~*~
When the three of them woke up in the same bed the following morning, they ignored their pounding headaches to stay there until noon. With little effort, Texas managed to convince her boys to stay the weekend at her place.
From there, the three of them were nearly inseparable. Washington started to join Texas at the diner for breakfast each morning. They spent every free night together, going out on dates or staying in.
As time passed, more and more of Washington's and Church's possessions started to make their way into Texas's apartment. They purchased a fan for the warm summer nights where it was too hot to touch each other, let alone snuggle. Wash had to do his laundry at the laundromat down the street because there was no room for him. Church moved his gaming consoles over from his house, as he had gotten tired of lugging them back and forth.
The first person any of them told about their unconventional relationship was Tucker. He had gotten suspicious of the blonde power couple that sat in Church's section every morning and had read his friend's texts over his shoulder. He had been surprisingly cool about it, only occasionally teasing Church about his taste in people.
The first fight they had was when Washington refused to introduce the two of them to his family. After hours of arguing, the three of them slammed the doors to their separate apartments. They were all reminded of how cold and empty their beds were when they were alone. The next day, after a tearful confession from Washington, they all vowed to sleep in the same bed.
The first important day that they spent together was Christmas. Even though Church had never really celebrated the holiday, he let his two lovers pull him into wrapping presents and setting up the Christmas tree. When Texas and Washington fell asleep on Church's shoulders on Christmas night, his eyes got a little misty as he looked at them. He decided that he had had too much eggnog.
The first "I love you" came from Texas. She had announced it to her two boyfriends while they were cooking dinner for her in the kitchen. She had said it so casually that Washington and Church almost missed it. When they said it back, the words formed easily on their lips, like they were meant to be said.
The first bump they hit was the anniversary of Allison's death. Church spent the day at his cousin's house and came home exhausted. When he crawled into bed after having his first cigarette in months, he curled up in between Texas and Washington and cried. They listened to his memories of Allison, how she used to sneak him extra dessert or how she would push him the highest on the swings. After he had fallen asleep, the two of them wrapped their arms around Church, guarding him from the nightmares.
Their first anniversary almost passed them by. It was Washington who remembered. At the last minute, they threw together a respectable dinner with candles and wine. They spent the rest of the night drinking and laughing at late night infomercials. They fell asleep on the couch with the TV on in the background.
The first big step they took was renting a house together. Even though they had all practically moved in with Texas, it had started to get cramped with three people living in a place meant for one. It took months of saving before they could afford the house and everything in it, but when they finally could, it was well worth the wait. They finally had their own space and didn't have to worry about making too much noise.
~*~
As Church reflected on the past year and a half of his life, he tapped his fingers nervously against his thigh. He glanced up at the clock on the stove, then back down at his phone. The screen was empty, which was unusual for the time of night, especially when his partners were not yet home. It was late, way later than was normal for Church to be alone. If either of them was going to be late, they would've told him.
With a grumble, Church pulled up his phone to send both of them another text asking where the hell they were. After he had done that, he sent one to Carolina, questioning what was keeping the other Freelancers.
He waited there, on the couch with the TV on in the background. Somewhere around midnight, he resigned himself to sleeping where he was and curled up under a blanket. He missed the feeling of laying against Wash's chest while Tex played with his hair.
When he woke up, he expected to be laying in his bed with the smell of bacon in the air and Tex kissing him in apology. Instead, he was still on the couch with a crick in his neck. Their cat, Epsilon, meowed at him for food as he sat up, blearily rubbing his eyes.
The first thing he did was check his phone. Nothing. The feeling of dread that had been stirring in Church's stomach the night before started to grow. He quickly dialed Wash's phone. After a few rings, he was sent to voicemail.
"Hey, this is Washington. Sorry, but I'm not here right now. If you leave a message, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!"
Church didn't bother with saying anything and hung up as soon as he heard the beep. Next, he tried Tex and got the same results. Before he could panic, Church sucked in a deep breath and told himself to think. After a few moments of consideration, he decided to try some of the other Freelancers.
York picked up on the first ring. "Hello?"
"Hey, asshole, tell my uncle to let my partners go. I kind of need them eventually," Church said.
There was a brief pause that was filled with slight static. "Tex and Wash are missing too?" York asked, his voice flat and defeated.
Church clutched the phone tighter. "What happened? Is someone else missing?" He demanded sharply as he started to rush around his house, getting ready to leave.
"I haven't seen Carolina since yesterday morning. She was supposed to be done by five, but she didn't come home. When I called The Director, he said that they were just on an emergency mission," York explained hastily.
By the time he had finished speaking, Church was closing the door behind him. "I'm going to the MoI to talk to my uncle, wanna come?"
He could hear the faint sound of someone jogging on York's end. "I'll be there in ten." There was a click as the phone was hung up.
Church and York ended up getting there at the same time. Neither of them bothered with their usual banter and stormed into the Mother of Invention, the headquarters of Project Freelancer. York slowed his pace as The Director turned to glare at them, but Church walked right up to him until their chests were nearly touching.
"Where the hell are Tex, Wash, and Lina?" He demanded as he stared up at his uncle.
The Director stood his ground, but shot York an unimpressed look. "I'm afraid that is none of your concern, Leonard."
He scowled and gave his uncle the meanest look he could muster. "Oh, yes it is. Where are they?"
"I will tell you what I told Agent York. They are on an emergency mission and are expected back within the hour." He gestured to a row of cushy chairs that were set up in the lobby. "You are welcome to wait until they return."
His uncle stalked off, even though Church still had a thousand words to say, most of them being curses. York fell down into one of the seats with a resigned sigh. "Might as well get comfortable. This might take a while."
A while ended up beings five more hours. York had fallen asleep stretched out on his chair while Church played on his phone and toyed with the idea of going to buy a pack of cigarettes. He tried to ignore the urge, as he hadn't smoked in over four months.
The beep that signaled a new arrival rang throughout the Mother of Invention's lobby. Church didn't bother looking up, it was most likely just another one of The Director's employees.
"Church? What are you doing here?"
Tex's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Wash and Tex standing in the entryway. Both of them were rather banged up, with cuts and scrapes littering every visible bit of skin. They looked tired and sore, but they were both alive.
He couldn't help but jump up and run to wrap his arms around them. They were surprised, but hugged back. Church was vaguely aware of York greeting Carolina, but he was so focused on the relief he felt, he didn't think anything of it.
"If either of you ever does that ever again, I'm gonna kill you," he mumbled into Tex's chest.
He could feel her warmth and Wash's as he pressed closer. One of Tex's hands came up to stroke Church's hair, while the other went to Wash. Wash's breaths came steady and slow, calming Church's anxiety.
A kiss was pressed to his head, but who it came from, he didn't know. He could hear the smile in Washington's voice as he replied, "Don't worry. We'll never leave you again.