Work Text:
Tex growled and pulled at her hair until it was rid of bobby pins and sticking up in all directions because of the hairspray. With a groan, she dunked it under the sink again and prepared to start the process over. And over. And over once more, probably.
It just had to be a fancy date. Couldn't just be a bikini top, daisy duke kind of thing, no. Because Wash and Carolina were classy.
"Mother fucking shit how the fuck do you tie a tie?!" Church had been screaming variations of the same pathetic question for as long as it'd taken Tex to try out a few hairstyles. It didn't help that they were running late, and running on empty.
No time for downing a couple much-needed beers when you go looking for fancy clothes and accidentally find the lingerie.
The worst part was, Tex knew Carolina only planned this whole event to fuck with Tex; make her seem lesser because she was trailer trash, or whatever other insult of the week she would loudly whisper behind her back. Smugly.
Fucking bitch.
But that meant she couldn't just throw caution to the wind like she normally would; tie her hair back loosely into a ponytail, grab the beer cozy, and hit the road. Church was a good driver, they had their spots on the hills, and Tex was raring for a night listening to All-80s radio and fooling around with Church. But no. Because Church said they couldn't just not go for whatever reason. So she was going to have to make the most of it, somehow. She hadn't seen Wash in a while, so that would be alright.
Tex and Wash were friends. By friends, she meant she liked him well enough and had never before wished grievous bodily harm to befall him. Maybe because he was actually a decent human being. How Carolina scored someone so far out of her league, Tex would never know. After York, no less. York was cool, too. He was Tex's friend. With occasional benefits.
But really, if Carolina only hated Tex because she cheated on Carolina's brother with Carolina's boyfriend, then she needed to get over it. She was drunk, shit happened, Church and Tex did that kind of thing all the time, and York was one-hundred percent on board. The only issue was that he wasn't single at the time, which Tex didn't even know. But York was York. Likable, charming, caring, humorous.
And Tex was Tex. Easily hated, easily thrown under the bus.
York owed her a lot of beers for that whole mess. Especially with how long Carolina could hold a grudge. So much that it was affecting Tex's and Church's relationship, which, okay, normally everything affected Tex and Church's relationship. But it was Carolina meddling in Tex's business that she had a problem with. Especially since Carolina was the sister. She came first. Something about blood being thicker than water. Tex maybe wanted to spill a little blood because of the smug way Carolina would meet Tex's eyes, as if the very knowledge that at the end of the day, it was her Church would choose, pleased her more than anything in the universe.
So Tex stood in front of the bathroom mirror, lips curled up in a snarl, feeling uncomfortable in the nice dress she'd forgot she had, all because she was jealous of her boyfriend's sister. That thought only made her more frustrated, which made her more careless, to the point that when Church poked his head in the bathroom to see how she was doing, her hair was a mess and the hair-straightener was creaking with how hard Tex gripped it.
"Woah." Church said, stepping into the bathroom a little awkwardly. Tex softened a bit when she saw the knot his tie was in, planted rebelliously on his chest. But then she saw the look on his face, jaw slightly dropped, critical eyes following the flow of her shoulder-length hair, and hardened again.
"Don't. Say. A word." She hissed, pointing the hot straightener in Church's direction. Church only raised an eyebrow, though, and Tex had to wonder when he'd stopped being so afraid of her. It was refreshing to have someone so relaxed around her when she was like this, though she knew it would get annoying fast, with how cocky Church got sometimes.
"Your hair is wavy," Church commented, seeming in awe of the loose waves that set in with summer heat. "I've never seen it like that."
"I told you not to say a word," Tex snapped, but there was no real bite to it. "Any idea what Carolina's going to do with her hair?" She asked, starting her straightening once more.
Church shrugged. "She'll probably put it up with some fancy hairpiece or something," he paused, before snickering quietly. "She's totally gonna make Wash style his hair."
Tex snorted and tried again, grabbing the warm ends of her hair, still wavy despite the attempted straightening, and lifted them up. Church eyed her cautiously. Good.
"I might make you style your hair too, you know." Tex said as she dropped the strands of hair against her shoulder again. Church made a noise or protest, but Tex only gave him an unimpressed look through the mirror. His hair wasn't bad; he'd recently cut so it wasn't long enough to look messy or tangled, but... Tex wasn't sure of the dress code for their date. All she got from Wash on text was 'Think private school reunion,' and while that was a better descriptor than most people would give her, there was only so much he could do. And there was only so much she could do with her hair. It hated to cooperate.
"What would I even do to style it?" Church asked, running his hand through it. "I mean, other than my usual on the bangs," he pointed to his spiked up bangs that only took a bit of product in the morning, "I don't see anything else that could be done."
He had a point. Tex wouldn't admit that out loud in a thousand years. She huffed and grabbed for the bobby pins again, angrily dumping a few in her hand. Church took that as his cue to leave, with a reminder that they were running late and he was going to start the car. Tex couldn't believe she'd finally become that woman, the one who took forever to get ready and made everyone late. And it was all Carolina's fault.
--
Carolina and Wash's venture out of the house ran a lot smoother. Wash was ready first, tie tied perfectly and suit pressed to avoid wrinkles. He always got ready first so he could help Carolina with whatever she needed, and that day it was handing her hair things while she pulled the sides of her hair up into a braid and twisted that into an up-do.
They made it to the park first, which was to be expected. Carolina couldn't imagine what those two were getting up to, mostly because she wasn't sure she wanted to. Wash was somewhat concerned, though, and began texting Church to see where he was at. He got a reply a few minutes later, confirming Carolina's suspicions. They were running late, but all was well, and they would be there in a few minutes.
For those few minutes, Carolina and Wash found a park bench by the car lot and sat together, watching the sun as it began descending towards the treetops. It was a comfortable silence that they both enjoyed, and Carolina found herself smiling and leaning over to press a kiss to Wash's cheek. Wash startled and looked over to her, confused.
"What was that for?" Wash asked. Carolina shrugged and slid closer to him on the bench, tangling their hands together.
"I figure we get all the PDA out of the way now," Carolina explained. "Before little brother starts making gagging noises every time we exchange a glance."
"Good plan." Wash said with a nod, cupping her face to press a kiss to her lips. Carolina reveled in the familiarity, the simplicity of the act. Just a slow press of closed lips, yet it had Carolina melting.
"Oh, fucking gross!"
Wash pulled away immediately to wipe his mouth, face turning red. Carolina slowly looked in the direction of the exclamation, hoping to god she wouldn't have to kick her brother's ass so early in the evening. And yet, there they were, off to the side, holding hands like some happy, ordinary couple. How weird. She stood up before Wash, though he was quick to follow, and approached them.
Church had tried his best, it was obvious. His suit was nice; she recognized it from when he was younger, yet it still fit. The tie, however, needed some work. Wash noticed right away, and huffed before yanking Church close to him and fixing it. Not without some audible protest, but those two bickering was easy to tune out. With them busy, that left Carolina and Tex.
Tex cleaned up nice, Carolina would admit. No oil stains or belly button piercing in sight. Her dress was strapless, black fabric clinging to her small bust and small waist before flowing loosely over her hips and thighs. When Carolina glanced down, uncaring if Tex saw her critiquing her outfit, she saw a pair of black flats with hardly a heel. Chances were, she didn't know how to walk in heels. Carolina smirked at that, which attracted Tex's full attention, so Carolina tilted her chin up at her.
"You look nice." Carolina said coldly, eyes tracing the waves of her hair, tied up in a high ponytail with bobby pins keeping her bangs at bay. Carolina wondered if she knew how to do anything other than a ponytail or some kind, but had to admit the look suited her.
"You too..." Tex trailed off, turning to the two men who were still arguing. "Oh for the love of god, Church, let him fix your outfit!"
"Over my dead body!" Church cried back, trying to struggle against Washington's grip.
"We can have that arranged." Wash said through his teeth and he finally finished tying Church's tie and tightened it up against his neck. Church froze immediately, gagging at the sudden cut-off of air.
"Carolina!" Church rasped. "Your deranged boyfriend is trying to kill me-"
"I'm not deranged! Don't say that!"
"You literally just threatened to murder me!" Church continued screaming, despite his limited air supply. Wash stayed silent, smoothing over the shoulder of Church's suit to get the wrinkles out of the way. Tex started laughing at the barely-contained look of embarrassed rage on Church's face. Her snickering set the fuse on Carolina's temper, because there they were, at a public gathering, acting like a bunch of fools.
"While you boys," Carolina started, pointedly looking at Tex when she said it, "Fool around, I'm going to go find us a table."
Fury overtook Tex's gleeful expression as she turned to Carolina. "The fuck did you just call me?!"
Carolina ignored her, looking at Church and Wash briefly. Church looked terrified and Wash looked sheepish. With one final glare directed Tex's way, she turned on her heel and stormed off in the direction of the beach cafe where they would eat their dinner.
She didn't want to do this, but her father had sent her the invitations. Four invitations. And he'd hinted heavily that he would love if both his children and their wonderful romantic partners went along to represent him while he was out of town. She couldn't exactly refuse him, so she sent a text off to Church, who responded with an expected 'fuck no,' before she told him it was her father's orders. Church was forced to accept the invitation, after that.
Before she entered the thicker crowd of people, she turned back to see if the other three were following her. They weren't. Church was leaning over as Tex lit the cigarette in his mouth, as Wash was rocking back and forth on his feet, visibly anxious. Carolina felt guilty, but told herself Wash understood that her temper was frayed because of the whole event. If anyone, he understood frayed tempers. Church should, too, but Tex was here. Tex was here, and she was already ruining everything.
Carolina hated her.
--
With clumsy hands, Church spread the cloth napkin out over his lap soon after their appetizers arrived. He did this slowly, so Tex would see him and do the same. Thankfully, it worked. She stopped discreetly trying to figure out how to shove a napkin in the collar of a sleeveless dress, and followed Church's example. Out of the corner of his eye, Church saw her shoot a smug grin in Carolina's direction, who stared back impassively. Church could see, though, in her eyes, that she was waiting for Tex to fuck up somehow so she could humiliate her.
Desperately, Church looked at Wash, who seemed to be dozing over the menu. His half-closed eyelids strained to stay open, and when he eventually felt someone staring, his eyes flitted over to Church. When he saw the look on his face, he sat up straight and glanced at Carolina, then Tex, a look of understanding falling over his features.
"Hey, Church," Wash broke the tense silence, smiling tightly. "You've been here before, right?"
"...yes." Church answered slowly, unsure, glancing at both Tex and Carolina, who still seemed to be locked in their staring contest.
"Can you show me where the bathroom is?" Wash asked.
"Yes." Church stood up and started away from the table. Wash was probably more courteous about his departure, because he took longer to catch up to Church at the entrance to the men's washroom. They both went in together, though, and let out equal sighs of relief when they made it past the threshold. "Okay, so I hate you," Church said immediately. "Like, obviously because you regularly have sex with my sister, and your hair looks bad all the time, and you're boring," he went on, ignoring Wash's glare, "But also because you're a dick."
"Coming from you."
"Whatever," Church scoffed. "So... truce?"
Wash raised an eyebrow, and looked like he was about to refuse on the grounds that Church just called him a dick, but then he sighed. "They're really bad, aren't they?" He asked, and thank fucking god someone else was in the same boat as Church. "I just might murder your father."
Church smirked. "I'd help."
"You would not," Wash argued. "You would come along and make everything go horribly wrong somehow."
"Hey. Truce."
"Right," Wash said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Sorry."
--
"You know they left because of us, right?" Tex asked, leaning back in the booth they were sat in. Church and Wash were obviously trying to escape, probably to come up with a strategy on how to 'deal with them,' and god damn if that didn't make Tex's blood just boil. Carolina glanced up at Tex, looking at her like an exhausted parent might look at their child after they asked if the sky was blue.
"Yes." She replied, before going back to her phone. Tex groaned and sunk down in her seat a bit, which attracted Carolina's attention. "Sit up."
Tex scoffed. "Get off your high horse."
Carolina dropped her phone on the table loudly, leaning forward to glare at Tex. "I don't know if you've noticed, but everyone here is on a high horse. This is a formal event that I didn't want to bring Church to, let alone you."
"Then why did you?" Tex leaned forward too, so quickly that Carolina jerked back on instinct. Tex counted it as a victory. Carolina seemed to count it as a loss, because she scowled and stared directly into Tex's eyes.
"Orders are orders." Carolina said sharply. Tex raised an eyebrow and sat back a bit, feeling confusion briefly overtake her frustration. Whose orders? Carolina must work for someone who sent her to these gatherings, but why would she be ordered to bring Church and Tex along? Tex wrecked her brain, trying to remember a point where Church told her what Carolina did for a living.
Biomedical science.
Mother of Invention laboratories.
"Are you saying the Director is responsible for this?" Tex asked, mentally adding a mark to the never ending list of reasons she hated Church and Carolina's father. Carolina bristled, probably expecting some kind of insult that she would have to defend her boss from. And who was Tex to disappoint? "That little cockbite."
"He's out of town, and wants all of us to represent him at this gathering," Carolina argued harshly. "I don't think that's asking too much of us."
"Have you taken one look at your brother all night?" Tex asked through her teeth. "Or have you been too busy waiting for me to fuck up somehow?" Carolina opened her mouth to retort, but Tex jerked her head in the direction Church and Wash had gone in. "Because I think this was asking a little too much of him. He's uncomfortable and anxious to be here, and you hating my guts and trying to make my life hell isn't fucking helping."
"Oh, so it's my fault," Carolina said, a smirk on her face and a tone to her voice that was creepily reminiscent of her brother. "Of course it is, it always is. I guess I'm just an awful sister, trying to protect my brother."
"Protect him from what?!" Tex said loudly.
Carolina winced and looked around to make sure they weren't attracting attention, but the background noise was too loud for them to stand out. With that, she leaned forward even further, the smirk falling from her face.
"People like you," Carolina said lowly. "Selfish skanks who take too much until the end, when they always break his heart and leave without a fucking trace. You're not the first one, and you won't be the last. You don't love him, you're using him, and I'm not going to sit back and watch it happen."
--
Wash rushed over the minute Tex swung her fist back, Carolina lifting her own arms to block. Quickly, he slid into his spot of the booth and leaned in front of Carolina, arms spread.
"Don't!" He cried, and sighed with relief when Tex's fist changed direction and smashed into the table. He was even more relieved, and somewhat surprised, when the table creaked but didn't give out under her hand.
But then she lifted her fist and punched it again, and this time, it did give. Plates and cups all started sliding off the table, crashing to the floor, attracting the eyes of the people surrounding them. Wash sat back down in the booth, and noted miserable that he finally had a bit more leg room since the table wasn't too low. Tex looked around before grabbing her bag and storming off.
After the final fork clattered to the floor, the room burst into various fearful conversations. Most, when Wash strained his ears to hear, were asking what happened. Others were trying to explain to the servers what they saw, and others were talking about the 'blonde with the ponytail.'
Wash risked a glance at Carolina, who was staring, stunned, at the place Tex used to stand. And then she turned her head from side to side, observing the people all watching with various degrees of concern and confusion. Slowly, she stood up and held her hand up, wavering on her feet a bit.
"Everything's alright," she said firmly. "Sorry for any interruptions," she said to the other people eating, and then to the servers, "I will pay for any damage. You have my number on the reservation list." With that, she grabbed her bag in one hand, Wash's tie in the other, and stormed off. Wash suddenly remembered Church, and looked around wildly.
"Carolina," Wash said firmly, pausing his stumbling when he couldn't spot Church. Carolina just kept walking, though, pulling Wash along. "Carolina!"
"Shut up, Wash."
Wash found Church, crouching and looking in the pile of broken glass. He seemed to be talking to a young server, who was holding a dustbin, a broom, and a garbage can. Wash watched as Church pulled Carolina's phone out of the pile before he seemed to offer to help the server clean up the mess. The kid nodded, and Church grinned, grabbing a piece of the wood and saying something that made the young man in front of him laugh before dumping it in the garbage.
--
Carolina saw Tex sitting on a log by the empty playground, hunched over. She released Wash and tossed him her bag before stalking over there, uncaring if Wash followed her or not.
Tex must have sensed her coming, because she stood up and whirled around, pointing at Carolina.
"Insult me again and you won't be walking for months." Tex snapped, planting her feet firmly apart with her knees slightly bent. Fighting pose. No wonder she didn't wear heels.
"I was only telling the truth," Carolina snarled, balling her own fists up. "It's your fault you can't take it."
"What did you say?" Wash asked, sounding borderline terrified. "Also... please don't fight. Especially not in those heels, you'll break- okay, that was not supposed to be incentive for taking them off, it was supposed to- Carolina!"
Carolina toed off her second heel, kicking it to the side. Tex had her eyebrows raised.
"You can't beat me, Carolina." Tex said. Whether she was talking about a fight, or Church, or even York, Carolina didn't know. And she didn't care. She was ready to prove her wrong. She rolled her shoulders back and set herself into a fighting stance as well. She knew she wasn't thinking straight, Wash was still loudly protesting how bad an idea this was in the background, and Tex looked ready to listen to him. But Carolina knew Tex's type. She wouldn't back down.
"Yes I can," Carolina growled, lunging forward. Tex seemed to go on the defensive, blocking the punch thrown her way and ducking under another one. "You never should have come tonight!"
"I thought the same thing," Tex replied, sounding breathless. "Too bad daddy has you wrapped around his finger." She teased, blocking another one of Carolina's hits. "I'm sure I'd like you a hell of a lot better if you would think for yourself!"
"Who are you to tell me how to think?!" Carolina roared, tackling Tex to the ground. Tex kicked her knee up at the last minute and got Carolina right under the ribs, throwing her off.
--
"Who are you to think you know who I am?!" Tex shot right back, rolling away from Carolina and up, readjusting her dress as she staggered to her feet. She looked over and saw Church, briefly, before she was defending from Carolina again. She knew Carolina was military, but hadn't been expecting martial arts mixed in with the brute hand-to-hand they taught in basic. Blocking kicks took more effort, but Tex managed.
Church looked terrified, standing beside Wash, desperately watching the fight go on. Tex was sure he was trying to say something when she'd met his eyes, but there was blood roaring in her ears and Carolina's words echoing around her mind.
"I do know who you are!" Carolina cried. "You're a cheating," Tex scrambled to block another hit, wishing so desperately she could just beat the shit out of her boyfriend's sister with no negative repercussions, "Manipulative," She attacked again, and Tex had to throw herself backwards to dodge. Her foot landed hard on a rock and she cried out in surprise as she felt something crack. "Bitch!" Carolina finished, landing a hit on Tex's cheekbone. Tex stumbled to the side but quickly recovered, giving distance between her and her opponent.
Carolina had so much fury in her eyes. Her hair had come undone, her dress was covered in dirt, and her breath was heavy when she said, "And all you'll do is leave."
Tex heard Church's sharp intake of breath from behind her. She remembered all the nights she sat up with Church as he trembled in her arms, gasping and coughing, and promised that she wasn't going anywhere. She remembered them jokingly discussing marriage, though neither was the type, maybe just going down to the court and signing some papers. She remembered coming back for the last time, after riding south for a month, and promising herself she wasn't going to do it again.
"You don't know me," Tex said, her tone hollow. "You don't know us. Hell, you don't even know Church, anymore. All you know is your father. His temper, his rules, his shame, and you're going to fucking live with it. And I'm not even going to feel bad for you, because you dug this hole for yourself."
"Tex!" Wash said angrily. "Enough."
Tex gladly complied, turning her back on a heavily breathing Carolina and starting off in the direction of the parking lot. She couldn't help but feel relieved when Church fell into step beside her.
"You shouldn't have said that," Church told her. Tex shrugged. "Seriously, Tex, the Director is fucked up, okay? It's not her fault she can't get out from under his thumb-"
"You did." Tex pointed out. Church hummed.
"Yeah, but that's 'cause I never really was under his thumb," Church said, and then grinned. "And also because I'm awesome."
Tex laughed.
--
Wash gripped the wheel hard enough that his knuckles were white as they drove home. He felt Carolina's disapproving glance from time to time, and whenever she would look his way, he would take his foot off the gas slightly, but he felt he was allowed to stew in peace. Obviously he wasn't, according to Carolina.
"Wash, forget it," Carolina said with a sigh. "We all knew this was going to happen-"
"She should never have said that to you," Wash growled, keeping his eyes trained on the road. "What a-"
"Wash." Carolina said sternly. Wash fell silent, and then they were back at square one. Disapproving glances and silent rage.
Tonight was going to be awkward.
--
"I forgive you," Church said to Tex as they peeled off their fancy clothes. Tex paused and gave Church a blank look. "Y'know, for hating on my entire family in like a single sentence."
"You hate your family."
"True," Church said, furrowing his brow. "Wait... yeah, you're right. What do I care?"
What did he care? Carolina was a big girl who could take care of herself, and Wash was around to probably hate Tex forever for what she said. And the Director could burn in hell.
Another family member came to his mind, and Church faltered with his tie.
"Hey, Tex?" Church asked cautiously. "What did Carolina tell you to make you break the table like that?"
Tex tensed, dress halfway down her back. Church could see the lines of her muscles as she inhaled deeply, obviously struggling to not get worked back up. "She told me I was using you, and pretty soon she was going to disappear without a trace. Something about me not being the first, and her not sitting back and letting it happen. I don't fucking remember, I stopped listening when she said she was trying to protect you from me. How stupid is that?"
"Yeah, stupid." Church said hoarsely, clearing his throat.
It made sense. Church had never known their mom, not in the way Carolina had. She was six when she died, he was only two. A helpless six year old, watching her mother leave and never come back. A six year old girl watching her father curse his wife's infidelity. Six years old, unable to protect her father from her mother's death, watching him hollow out everything he'd been. Six years old, blaming her mother for it.
Twenty nine years old, projecting something hidden onto a different Allison, watching her little brother with her father's name seemingly make the same mistakes.
Tex powered on the Xbox, and Church glanced up at her. She'd thrown on one of Church's shirts and stayed in her underwear. She jumped onto the bed and tossed Church's controller to him.
"Get out of that dumb old head of yours," Tex said with a grin. "I wanna kill some bad guys. For stress relief."
"Right, because that's what the therapist suggests," Church snarked back, wiggling out of his dress pants and tossing all his clothes onto the floor. He grabbed his controller and settled in next to her. "'Kill aliens in your quest to find Cortana, Allison, that'll keep you from abusing your poor boyfriend.'"
"Oh shut up," Tex rolled her eyes, then paused. "You know I'd never hit you."
"You've thrown plates."
"But they've missed."
Church knew Tex had better aim than Wash, so he wasn't lying when he replied, "Good point."
--
"I forgive you." Wash said to Carolina as they settled onto the couch together, both in their pajamas.
"For what?" Carolina asked sharply, moving a few inches away from Wash on the couch.
"For nearly giving me a heart attack," Wash responded. Carolina scoffed. "I mean it. She could have killed you, and you were lucky she didn't."
"She couldn't have killed me."
"Why do you think I, the worst fighter in the squad, can beat you at hand-to-hand combat?" Wash asked, seeing Carolina tense beside him with the discussion of her failures. "Because I didn't just learn hand-to-hand, or martial arts, or whatever. I was a street fighter. Street fighters aren't against playing dirty."
"Texas is."
Wash was briefly taken aback at the comment. It was surprising that Carolina knew, and admitted, Tex wouldn't sink as low as some people to win a fight.
"Yes, she is," Wash said with a sigh. "But we're taught dirty. She wouldn't get worse, but she's already on the wrong side of the line. I just don't want you-"
"I don't want your concern, Washington," Carolina snapped, standing up hastily and running her hands through her unruly hair. "And I don't need it. Tonight fell apart, and you know what? Maybe we knew it was going to happen, but it doesn't make it less shitty. And it doesn't mean it's not going to fall on me," she inhaled sharply. "I should have done better, I should have controlled my temper. Who else can he blame?"
"Carolina..."
"I know she's right." Carolina said, voice barely wavering. Wash caught her back as she settled back onto the couch, rubbing back and forth in some desperate form of silent comfort, because he knew words wouldn't help. He would just make things worse. "I'm like him. I'm selfish, and arrogant, and I'm pushing Church away."
They sat in silence for a while, after that. Until, nearly ten minutes later, Carolina's phone lit up with a text message. Wash was the one that picked it up and handed it to her, reading over her shoulder to make sure it wasn't anything bad.
Church: hey sis. i think im starting to understand whats up, but you know, just because they share the same name doesnt mean theyre the same person. goes for me and dad, too. hope youre doing ok. ttyl
Wash looked at Carolina, who seemed to be re-reading the text message over and over again. He, too, was starting to understand. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, and sighed with relief when she wrapped her arms around him in return.
"Tonight was a mess," Wash said after a moment of silence. Carolina chuckled quietly, and he felt her nod against his chest. "We didn't even get dinner." On cue, his stomach grumbled loudly. Carolina sat up with a surprised laugh.
"Let's go make something, then." Carolina said. Wash stood up at the same time she did, and together, they began digging through their cupboards for food. They settled for macaroni and cheese, something neither really actually liked, but was the easiest thing they owned that would fill the up.
"You know," Wash said as he stirred the noodles in the pot. "You can't be that much like him."
Carolina was immediately dismissing Wash's comment. "You don't need to-"
"I mean it," Wash told her sternly. "I hate that guy. Seriously, whenever I see him, I want to kill him and then myself and maybe Church while I'm at it, because I hate him too. But," he went on as Carolina smirked. "I love you. Which means you're not as similar to him as you think."
The smirk fell from Carolina's face, and her lips parted in surprise. Similar to her brother, Carolina showcased every emotion she was feeling on her face. Because Wash knew her well enough, he wasn't shocked when, after her lips twitched into different positions a few times, a smile spread across her face. She stepped forward and pulled Wash down into a long kiss. Unlike earlier, he moves his lips against hers in a steady rhythm, feeling more relaxed in the safety of their home.
"Thank you." Carolina said softly, against Wash's lips. Wash smiled and kissed her back.