Chapter Text
“Hey Kimball,” Church’s voice was still a little scratchy but it wasn’t intelligible anymore, “My sister just stepped out to get coffee. But she’ll be back, she hasn’t left me alone all day, it like I’m fucking attached to her.”
“She’s just glad to have you back,” Kimball said and leaned into the edge of his hospital bed.
“I know,” Church said stubbornly. He looked over at her, in a way that seemed like he was trying not to be caught looking at her, “Kimball, don’t hurt her or else.”
“Or else? Are you giving me a talk right now?” Kimball tried not to laugh.
“I’d be more threatening if I wasn’t in a fucking hospital bed, but yes I am giving you a talk,” Church grumbled, “and I’m serious as dicks.”
“I will not hurt her,” Kimball promised.
Church nodded, “I know you won’t,” a pause, “But just if you do, watch out.”
“Church are you harassing people?” Kimball looked over, a woman stood in the doorway. She was incredibly attractive. She was tall and muscular, her toned arms on display in her sleeveless black shirt. She was also very blonde.
“Tex?” Church’s voice squeaked as he sprang to life.
“I leave for three months and you go and almost die,” Tex moved to his bedside and pulled him into an embrace, “Don’t do that.”
“How do you know it’s not a ploy to get you to stay in town for longer than a week?” Church sounded angry but he didn’t look angry at all, he looked massively relieved.
“Still, don’t do that you cockbite, the marines will catch on,” she said with a strange humor in her voice. She kinda reminded Kimball of Carolina, just a little. “Hey I’m Tex, you must be Kimball?” Tex still kept an arm around Church but extended a hand for a quick firm handshake, “Wash texted me about you, said you played good in that nerdy dice game.” Something about her also surprisingly reminded her of Grif.
“She’s Carolina’s girfriend,” Church added in.
Tex’s eyes narrowed for just a moment, “Carolina’s fucking great.”
“I agree,” Kimball said earnestly.
“We haven’t always,” she paused, “agreed. But if you hurt her, watch out,” Tex said. And now Kimball could see how Tex and Church had fallen in love.
“I won’t,” Kimball said again.
“Good,” Tex ran one of her hands through Church’s messy black hair that had to be greasy from being in the hospital for so long.
“Oh, Texas is here,” Carolina entered and looked at Tex with an automatic look of suspicion but apparently quickly cleared whatever had popped to her mind away. There was a history here Kimball would have to ask Carolina about someday, “I brought coffee.”
“And your best friends,” Tucker slid into the room, Tex seemed unphased by his antics.
“What?” Church demanded.
Wash entered in holding a stack of books and his DM screen. Tucker continued, “It’s Thursday asshole.”
“Let’s get this game going before we get kicked out,” Simmons said as he and Grif entered too, “I’m sure we’re breaking fire code.”
“Whatever let’s smoke this Litch,” Grif yawned, “We’re playing during prime naptime.”
“It’s not Thursday,” Church said more personally offended then he needed to.
“Well, you missed last session-” Wash explained.
“I was dying,” Church butted in dramatically.
“-so you’re making it up now,” Wash finished as if he hadn’t heard him.
“How are we going to roll dice on a hospital bed?” Church asked.
“I brought Monopoly!” Caboose skipped with the game board held above his head. He put the game board on Church’s lap and then dumped his dice on it, “I brought the fake money too, just in case.”
“Any more objections?” Wash asked as Donut entered.
“The delivery was a success,” Donut said, he was the only one still in his uniform.
“Cutting it kinda close eh Donut?” Kimball said.
“Nothing could keep me away from wrestling that dick,” everyone gave him a look. That was the most obvious one yet, and Kimball realized she would never know for sure whether he was doing it on purpose or if he really didn’t know, “Y’know, the Litch, Hargrove? He’s a dick. Right guys?”
Kimball was the happiest she had ever been. She felt good about herself. And she had the most interesting best friends in the world. Not to mention one of those friends was her wonderful girlfriend. She couldn’t be sure, but she had a feeling things would be alright. There would be more tragedy, more scares, she would get down on herself again. But she knew her friends, her troops, would be there through all of it.
Someday soon Wash and Tucker would get married. But before that they would fight over which side Kimball would stand at, as they both asked her to be one of their groom’s people at the same time.
(“Dangonit, y’all’ve been arguing about which side she’s standing at like a bunch of hogs over a cock’s teeth! When the real question is, are you a Red or are you a Blue?” Sarge would stop the argument cold one Thursday night at Tucker’s when he visited to check up on them before the wedding.
Kimball would smile the same kind of evil smile that Wash was known for as he DM’d, “Wouldn’t you like to know.” The whole house will groan and it would be a topic of hot debate for years to come.)
She had finally found her place. She sat with the others around Church’s hospital bed, her player’s handbook cracked open in her lap as they prepared for the boss fight. “I’m not even that sick anymore, I can roll my own dice!” Church complained crossing his arms.
Tex held his dice hostage, “No way, I’ll roll for you tonight, maybe you’ll have good luck for once.”
Wash gave her a side-look, “You two are the most unlucky people I’ve ever met, who knows what your powers combined would do to.”
“Yeah don’t fuck up my hard work,” Grif had finally leveled up enough to revive Church for this final fight, no mysterious cleric required.
“Don’t die Church!” Caboose said strangling him in a side hug.
“I won’t! I won’t!” he said trying to shove Caboose away.
“I bet you thirty bucks he dies thirty seconds into his lair,” Simmons elbowed Grif.
“I want in on that!” Tucker said digging around for his wallet.
“Fuck you guys!” Church said finally free from Caboose’s grasp.
“Really?” Donut asked sweetly, “Because I want in on that bet!”
“FUCK ALL OF YOU,” Church bellowed, “Last time I died was the last time I try to sacrifice myself dramatically to save all of your asses. No matter what this shitty Litch Hargrove does,” Church threatened with finality.
“Enough arguing, how do you guys want to do this?” Wash ended the argument in his official DM voice.
They all turned to look at Carolina and Kimball, their leaders. “Shall we General?” Carolina looked over at Kimball, smiling a sly but warm smile.
Kimball took Carolina’s free hand and entwined their fingers, “Let’s show this douche what we can do,” she said and rolled a dice as they both leaned in for a kiss.
The End