Church is kind of a big deal. Like. Bigger that anyone else. It's not his fault that he's twice as powerful as everyone else around, and
who's he to complain if everyone wants to shower praise on him. (He's not going to complain. The only time he does complain is when Flowers tries to get him to work with the man's team. He doesn't need those idiots. He isn't even sure how Flowers stands them, or how Caboose and Tucker could even help him. And Church is the best. He doesn't need help.)
Except in this moment, no one is showering praise on him. There's just a furious blond woman who's just extricated herself from the wreckage of the Auto repair shop that just was destroyed in his fight with the Omega. This is far from the first architectural casualty he's caused.
This is the first one that he's started to feel genuinely bad for. The woman had glared at him, then something in her glance had changed slightly to something that she couldn't describe.
(He'd hoped that she'd suddenly become forgiving when she saw who he was. Sadly, he wasn't nearly that lucky.)
She punched him. Balled her hand into a fist then sent it crashing into his gut with a force that he wasn't used to coming from anyone. (Other than Caboose. The idiot didn't understand how strong he actually was.)
"What the hell?" Church wheezed, bending over to clutch his stomach. "What was that for?" He looked at her again, trying to remember where he'd seen her face before.
"You know what it was!"
She glared at him fiercely for a moment longer. Church had the definite feeling that if it hadn't been for the cackling laugh that echoed from a nearby alleyway he would have been on the receiving end of yet another punch to the gut, and for once in his life, he was glad to hear Omega.
The woman grabbed his arm, tugging him along with her, shoving him roughly into a car. "Get in."
"Hey! Don't do that! I can't just…" Church began to complain, trailing off to pause and stare at the woman again.
"You're fucking kidding me." She glared at him as she started the car, neglecting to buckle her seat belt. "Just shut up until we're out of here."
"Yeah, no can do. I'd rather not let myself be silently kidnapped by some crazy bitch off the street. You really don't get who I am, do you?"
"Church."
"What?"
"You're Church."
"I don't get it. I'm supposed to be the Ghost, right? Super cool hero? Fights crime?" He glanced at the rapidly passing scenery, musing that if she really was kidnapping him, at least she was his type–someone he could almost remember, almost as if–
"Tex." Church wasn't sure where the name came from, staring at her.
"Sure."
"I know–knew you?"
"Once."
"Cryptic much?" Church griped back, regaining some of his former bluster. "Who told you my name? Was it Flowers? I swear, if he doesn't stop meddling, I'm going to move out."
"It wasn't Flowers." Tex took an abrupt left. "Stay with him. He'll at least keep you safe."
"I don't need to be protected!"
"You really don't remember shit, do you?"
"Yeah. Going to go with no?"
"Get out."
"What?"
The car screeched to a stop.
"Get out."
"But–I remember you. I knew you, right? So you're helping me."
"Nope. Do me a favor. Don't tell Flowers that I ran into you. Also. Stay away from Omega."
"What? You can't just say that then go!" Church's voice grew desperate. "I remember you! That counts for something, right?"
"Church. Don't whine. You destroyed my shop."
"I didn't mean too. " Church's tone grew sullen. "I'm sorry I messed up with trying to save people."
He glanced over at Tex, shocked into silence as she aggressively pressed her face to his, engaging their tongues in a battle that Tucker would have been proud of.
When she broke away Church could only stare, muttering under his breath. As a result, when she leaned over him, opening the door and pushing him out, he wasn't prepared to attempt to stay in the car that rapidly sped off, leaving him sitting on the sidewalk, costumed and utterly confused as to what had just happened to him and why and what he could remember of Tex, and how that kiss had been confusingly familiar.
He was still that confused when he arrived back at the apartment that he'd shared with Flowers and the rest of the self named 'blues' since he'd woken in the hospital. Flowers was out, for which he was grateful. Caboose wasn't, which made him want to punch something.
Even as Caboose blabbered on about how Church was his best friend, Church found himself more distracted than usual, trying to remember Tex. She didn't fit in with what Flowers had told him, and the more he thought, the more his head hurt.
Later, in the evening, after he brushed off Flowers' concerned questions about what had happened with Omega and slunk out onto the fire escape to sit and think, he almost remembered something–an encounter? But he doesn't know.
More than anything, he's tired.
(And when he's asleep in his room, three weeks later and Tex appears at his window he has questions to ask and she has answers, and if they eventually stray onto other topics, Church isn't going to complain.)
