Procrastination at it's finest (Complete)

[nicoleryder]

"I.D. please," the rugged looking bartender said without any emotion. Nicole sighed and dug into her purse for her wallet. After 41 years this gets a bit ridiculous. But of course she hands him her fake I.D. where she claims to be 21. Being a Blurr is tedious at times... She smiled as he handed it back to her. "Jack and Coke." Nicole pulled out her cell phone as she waited for her drink. No calls, no texts, no voicemails. She wasn't expecting any one to message her but she was anxious anyways. College was stressing her out, and was almost filled with joy when the bar tender came with her drink. "Thanks," she said, relieved. Of course she downed half of it in one swig.

Her foot idly tapped to the beat of the music playing in the background. Her brown boots making a padded thud against the lower railing of the bar. She wore jeans and a nice fitting flannel buttoned up half way, a white cami underneath. Her hair in her natural wavy curls, the lighting in the bar making her look more like a brunette than a dirty blonde. She glanced up at the TV suspended from the ceiling, a Washington Wizards basketball game playing. Some men were mumbling about the score, but other than them, no one else was watching. Of course there weren't many others in the Jack Kit. She took a small drink of her mix, and then immediately another. She needed a buzz. Or something exciting. She was debating pulling a prank on the group of men under the TV. She could think of over a hundred ways to get a good laugh out of them. Half of her ideas didn't even involve her Blurr abilities. But instead she took her last swig of Jack and Coke.

As she was waving to the bar tender, needing another round, the men's voices seemed to grow louder. They were having an argument it seemed. She laughed to herself, and shook her head. The Wizards were being crushed. She never liked the Wizards, so the men screaming at each other amused her even more. She nodded to the bar tender, a sign that she needed more alcohol, and shrugged as he asked if the men were bothering her. Nicole actually enjoyed their rudeness and absurdity. She thought about filming them just in case a good bar fight broke out. Maybe she could win some money on America's Funniest Videos. Finally her buzz hit her, and the men became suddenly ten times more funny. She allowed a laugh to escape, and got some looks from the group. She snickered as she tried to hide her smirk.

[GAVIN BROOKS]

Another day in paradise. That's what Gavin thought as he got out of bed that morning, anyway. His life had been on the up and up until he decided to cool things down. What the hell did he need a wife, mortgage, and career for? He was practically a kid still! Or that's how he liked to view it. Nope, now he had nothing holding him back from doing anything he wanted. If he wanted to just pick up and leave the city he could at a moments notice, which was sort of nice.

Yep, it was a good life.

The young man bundled up as he left that evening. It wasn't really all that cold yet, but the weather report claimed it would drop down to the thirties by the time he was out of work that night.

Gavin loved his job. There was nothing he loved more than the simplicity of mixing drinks, getting on with customers, and breaking up fights when necessary. It was fun. It was rowdy. It was him. He made his way out of his tiny apartment and headed down to his car. He didn't need a vehicle in the city, but it sure made life convenient. Plus, he could go visit his family whenever he wanted, not that he enjoyed doing that much these days. Every time he came home it was Gavin this, and Gavin that. Why had he chosen to ruin his life? If only they could see he didn't ruin it, he simply gave himself a few more precious years to be worry free. He had every intention to settle down sometime in his future, but now? No was his time to be him.

The drive to the Jack Kit was a relatively short one. He had no problem finding a parking spot since it was before the real rush, and was soon in the comfort of the bar he had grown to love. "Hey, Kit." He said to his boss before hanging his outerwear in the tiny little room set aside for the employees to leave their things.

He made his way out to the bar, patting Jason on the shoulder as he went. "Hey, man. You're free to go." He said to the bartender who he was relieving. Jason looked tired. He had obviously had a long, afternoon shift. Gavin himself wasn't wild about afternoon shifts. They were often slow, but it did give him more of a chance to veg and talk to the patrons. The lunch crew were a bit sad, but often funny.

"Thanks. See yah." Jason said to him before taking the drawer from the register to go cash out in the back. Gavin grabbed a towel and wiped a drink ring off the counter and then slung the rag over his shoulder.

His eyes moved to the guys beginning to get rowdy. He would need to keep an eye on them for now, make sure they didn't get out of hand. He didn't mind if they did, but he would watch for them. He noticed the girl at the counter with the nearly empty glass and came to stand in front of her part of the bar, hands on the lip of the counter, spread wide. "Looks like you're almost on empty. What were yah drinking?" He asked, nodding his head up a little as if his whole face was asking the question, and not just his lips.

[nicoleryder]

Nicole was still stifling a laugh when she noticed a pair of hands spread in front of her. She followed his defined arms up to his face as he asked her a question. Her face instantly twisted into confusion, probably more comic than she intended and glanced down at her empty cup. Oh. She didn't even notice finishing her second drink.

Instantly, so she didn't look more like a fool than she already had, her head shot up and she smiled with a slight blush before replying "Uh, yeah, Jack and Coke. Please." She decided he looked kind. But then again she was feeling tipsy. So... he could look like a lizard and still seem sweet to Nicole. After sliding him her glass, she leaned against the bar. Her mind was bouncing from subject to subject. From her studies at school, like the research paper she needed to write, to the fact that she thought the new bar tender had an accent. Slight, maybe, but there. Or she was more drunk than she thought.

Nah. But she liked accents, though.

She noticed one guy was staring at her. He was obviously drunk, and obviously over 50. She raised an eyebrow quizzically at him, He replied with a wink and a cocky smirk. She rolled her eyes, disgusted. Then she got an idea. Being drunk she didn't really think things over, so she didn't even look to see if anyone else was watching. Nicole made her head seem to disappear, blend in with the surroundings, while the man was staring at her. It took him a while to notice, since his eyes were obviously on her body, but when he did he turned white. He turned and headed straight for the men's room. She started laughing as he ran, wondering if he actually shit his pants. She faded back to normal.

Glancing up at the TV again, she saw a Wizard dunk into a wide open hoop. And very soon after a man threw a punch at an older, rugged looking man, who was laughing hysterically. He hit the floor, out cold, right next to her stool. She gasped as he landed, the thud echoing in the now silent bar. The ESPN host and cheers from the TV were the only disrupting noise.

Until all hell broke loose.

Punches were being thrown left and right. The group of men broke into two groups, fighting over this basketball game as if terrorists were here to take away their freedom. Okay so maybe that's not funny. She laughed to herself anyways. Any normal girl would be terrified. But not Nicole. She couldn't stop laughing. She slapped her knee even. A glass crashed onto the bar then, catching her cheek. She was shocked more than in pain, and reached up to touch her face. That was when she gained some common sense and got off her stool. She grabbed a glass of some sort of liquid and brought it with her as she backed away from the bar. She wasn't sure if it was hers or not, but took a swig anyways as she backed up.

[GAVIN BROOKS]

"Jack and Coke." He repeated, hitting the bar before turning and making the drink. It was what he lived for; serving others. It seemed stupid and petty, but it was the life! Plus, the alcohol was cheap for him. Free in most cases.

Gavin did have a slight accent, but it wasn't an accent that belonged anywhere. His voice was a mutts voice. He'd grown up in so many states that he ended up picking up twangs here and nicknames there. In the end he had a strange way of talking that sounded normal enough, but didn't quite fit into anywhere. It was simply part of his charm, something he was convinced he had plenty of.

Gavin brought the drink over and then turned back as the men started yelling again. He turned and gave them a warning look that went completely unnoticed by them, rag in hand again. He wiped down another spot on the counter, patiently watching. He wasn't much in the mood to wrestle this early in the evening but he would if necessary.

When he looked in the direction of the girl, for a moment he thought he had seen something...or rather, hadn't seen something. But when he snapped his neck back for a second glance, what he thought he'd seen was a figment of his imagination. He didn't see anything at all. He needed to get more sleep..

But he certainly wouldn't get any on the job. not with this job. All too quickly the friendly game on the TV turned into a full out brawl. It didn't take Gavin long to hop onto the bar and jump down to the other side, grabbing one of the men and throwing him back.

"Enough!" He yelled, trying to calm the hysteria down, but not doing such a hot job as the guys completely ignored him and went back to the fight. "The police are on their way!" He lied, holding his hands up and trying to halt them in their places. "If you assholes aren't out of this bar in 30 seconds, we're pressin' charges, yah hear me?"

The last straw was when the glass broke and he saw the girl put a hand to her cheek. He turned around, angry and glared at the guy who'd threw it before moving towards him and shoving him. "Get the hell out of here!"

[nicoleryder]

She fell back into a chair, a ways off from the tussle. Her free hand was still on her cheek, her fingers becoming slightly sticky. She blinked, sort of dazed, and finished off her third drink. Partially instinctively and partially because she knew being drunk would keep any pain from her. Of course this cut could only be a small scratch, but still.

She watched the man who served her address the situation. He wasn't doing a very good job, and that amused Nicole slightly. The booze had to affect her senses because damn was everything funny. And even sober she had trouble being serious. The large guy Captain America (she had nicknamed the worker this after his heroic jump over the bar and his accent) shoved turned and swung at him. She flinched, as she kinda liked his face and it would be a shame to get it bruised up. At that moment she felt like she was watching a movie.

He missed completely. The motion of his fist made him topple into another man, and both tipped to the ground. A couple guys were leaving, most bruised. And the others were finally noticing Captain America's attempt at peace. Eventually, they all left with the bar tender's orders. The bar was quiet once again. The only people left in the area was an old man, who seemed to be able to watch the game not phased in the least, and the guy still knocked out next to her old seat.

Nicole exhaled with relief which was followed with a smile. She mocked Captain America's nod as she began speaking like she came from the wild west, "Nice shootin', Ace. Sorry you had to deal with that." She hoped she didn't slur anything, but couldn't tell. She lifted her glass to take another drink but frowned exaggeratedly when she rediscovered it's emptiness. "Wanna get me another drink while you're up, Captain?" She accidentally used his nickname she made up for him. Oh well. She naturally smirked when she realized this.

[GAVIN BROOKS]

This was turning into a full out brawl, and it wasn't until another worker jumped in to aid Gavin that he felt like he had any real chance at regaining order in the bar. The man he'd shoved moved and swung at him, but fortunately for Gavin he wasn't nearly as intoxicated at the man. He moved a little to the side, and the man ended up flying past him and into another man. The boy flinched and tried not to laugh at the sight. It was inappropriate even if it was a little funny to watch.

It took some more screaming and threats on Gavin's part and the other bartender to get all the assholes out of the bar. It was too damn early for this crap! The bouncer wasn't even in yet. With a sigh the boy looked at the passed out guy and then the girl, noticing she was bleeding. "Hey, call an ambulance for this guy, Mike. I'll grab the first aid kit for the girl, and if you see Jess in the back tell him to get the mop. I don't even know if he's in yet." Always something at the Jack Kit.

"Nice shootin', Ace. Sorry you had to deal with that." Gavin looked at the young lady and offered a lopsided grin as he headed behind the counter to grab the first aid kit for just such occasions. You never knew when the patrons would get riled up and out of control. "Wanna get me another drink while you're up, Captain?" This actually made him chuckle and he looked up at her. "Yeah, this one's on the house, how about that?" He asked, laying the first aid kit on the counter before mixing a double for her.

It only took him a moment to make his way over to the girl, offering the drink and pulling up a chair for himself. "Looks like they gotcha pretty good. Nothing I can't fix, though." He said with a wink, opening up the little box and scrounging around in it until he found the little towelettes. "Unless you would rather wait for the paramedics? Or... I guess you could do it yourself if you insisted." He licked his lips and looked at the guy on the floor for a moment before the girl. "I'm Gavin. Ace an' Captain work just fine though if that's what you prefer."

[nicoleryder]

"Yeah, this one's on the house, how about that?"

Fucking-A, free booze! "Sounds fantastic to me!" She said with a bright smile. She didn't drink often or a lot, but there was never a time where she would pass up something free. Especially liquor. She watched him mess around behind the counter while her fingers prodded at her cheek. The blood wasn't gushing or anything, but it did seem to be bleeding a bit more then her comfort zone. She started getting a little worried.

She relieved him of the glass, taking a drink to keep her buzz up. "Looks like they gotcha pretty good. Nothing I can't fix, though." She nodded and laughed lightly from his wink. She attempted to keep the blood from running down her face before she took her hand away. She didn't want to get in his way. "No, I'd rather get it done with now. I'm sure you're capable of dealing with a scratch, Captain." Her smile was trying to turn into a smirk. The whole situation amused her. "Plus... I don't think I'd be a very good doctor right now." She scoffed and glanced at her cup, almost laughing again. "Thanks though, for the help. And the booze." Her smile and words were genuine. The amusement finally leaving her voice.

"I'm Gavin. Ace an' Captain work just fine though if that's what you prefer."

"Nicole. But hey I'm open to any nicknames too." Again, she mocked him by winking. She winced lightly afterwards, that wasn't her smartest idea. The cut started stinging after the wink. She sighed internally, hating being this "damsel in distress". She thought about attempting to fix herself... But decided against it. She could at least be social with this Gavin kid who wanted to help.

She brought her cup to her lips again, and gulped a good portion of it. Who needs manners really? She decided if someone didn't like her the way she was, joking, smiling Nicole, then they could take a hike. Actually... she was testing him. Seeing if he had a good enough funny bone to handle her humor. She had noticed him struggling to keep a straight face earlier when the two men collided. Nicole couldn't hold her laughter back because of her buzzed state when that occurred.

[GAVIN BROOKS]

He snorted at her comment about not being a good doctor at the moment. He wasn't sure how many drinks she had consumed prior to his arrival, but she seemed like she had enough to make her a little on the silly side. He wiped the cut free of blood and examined it. "Nicole." She said her name was. "But hey I'm open to any nicknames too."

Gavin chuckled again, shaking his head from side to side. "Well Nicole, I can't think of anything clever as a nickname, but if I do, you'll be the first to know." He let his eyes drift up to hers for a second before reaching into the first aid kit and pulling out a little packet of ointment. "This is a little nothing cut." He said honestly. The glass had made a tiny slice and head wounds always bled more for some reason.

He dabbed the ointment on and then spread a tiny little bandage over it. As his fingers glided across her cheek he couldn't help but notice something odd about the way her skin felt. It was soft, but not in the way that one's skin is soft after putting on lotion. It was as if it wasn't as firm as his own. His brows furrowed and he touched it again before realizing he was probably coming off as being a complete creep. He pulled his hand away, a puzzled look on his face and smacked his knees. "I have to admit, that bandage makes you look like a total badass." He teased, crumpling up the garbage and then shutting the little first aid kit, but he felt a little funny about the way she felt.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude but... well, your skin is sort of on the really soft side. Like.. uhh... well, it's just not like any other skin I've ever touched. Wasn't sure if that was normal or not." He stood up and pursed his lips. "Did I just come off as a complete creeper?"

[nicoleryder]

With her hazy mind, she already forgot his previous sentence. Nicole's buzzed thoughts were focused on: Wow those brown eyes were really brown. Well Gavin's eyes weren't that brown. More like a light brown. She allowed her mind to dwell on that simple fact about this stranger as he fixed her up. She did pick up him saying "... a little nothing cut." That made a giggle escape. That twang was so peculiar, but nice.

She was just as confused as he was when he touched her cheek an extra time. Why was he so confused? She couldn't wrap her brain around why he looked so perplexed. Or why he had the urge to touch her face again. Her fingers meshed uncomfortably in her lap. Was there something wrong with the cut? With her face? She felt a little self conscious until he spoke again.

"I have to admit, that bandage makes you look like a total badass." He seemed to speak with his whole body. His hands echoed the teasing emotion from his voice as they slapped his knees. All of this amused her, and her smirk returned. Flexing an arm jokingly as she spoke, "Oh yeah, that's me man. But hey you seem to be the badass. I wouldn't have named you Captain America if I didn't think you could handle those drunks." She grabbed one of his biceps lightly to influence her point. Raising her eyebrows and nodding as if she was genuinely impressed. Okay so she was, sort of, but that's besides the point.

"Hey, I don't mean to be rude but... well, your skin is sort of on the really soft side. Like.. uhh... well, it's just not like any other skin I've ever touched. Wasn't sure if that was normal or not. Did I just come off as a complete creeper?

Shit. She completely forgot about being a Blurr. She kind of stared at him a little bit longer, freaking out on the inside of her skull, before shaking her head and snapping back to reality. "Uh.. oh. Yeah I get that a lot I think its.. genetics or something... Maybe I'm deformed?" She started babbling like an idiot. Hopefully he thought she was drunk enough to be that idiotic. She took the final swig of her drink just in case he had any doubts. "Oh and no you didn't don't worry. Heck, I owe you for helping me out." Sure it was a 'little nothing cut' but it gave her a reason to do the drastic thing she did next.

Grabbing her purse and a napkin from the table, she pulled out a pen. She wrote her number and name down on it. She shouldn't have done that. She should have walked out of that bar after he was finished and allowed him to forget about the weird-feeling girl. But she decided she liked this Captain America. And though not many friends stick around long enough to learn anything about Nicole, she thought screw it. She tucked the napkin into the front of his shirt, and patted it down with a smile. "There, just in case you need a favor."

The look she gave him next was clear. She took a small moment to check him out, not even bothering to hide it. She was obviously giving a second meaning to that 'favor'. She blamed the alcohol. Hopefully he could tell she wasn't a long time relationship person. But by the look of him, she decided he wasn't a clingy guy.

[GAVIN BROOKS]

"Oh yeah, that's me man. But hey you seem to be the badass. I wouldn't have named you Captain America if I didn't think you could handle those drunks." So there it was; the meaning behind 'Captain'. He wasn't sure if he should laugh or be offended, but decided it was silly to get offended over being compared to a cheesy super hero. His eyes moved to his own bicep as she gave it a little squeeze, turning his eyes back to hers with a playful smirk after.

She liked what she saw or she was way too drunk to know what she was doing. He liked to think she was just drunk enough to know exactly what she was doing, now with the ability to do what she wanted since her own intoxication was keeping her from holding back.

When she explained it was genetics he cocked an eyebrow and offered an amused look. He didn't really think she was deformed, but hey, he wouldn't argue with a drunk girl, even if he didn't agree with her. "If you say so, baby." He said with that gentle twang and chuckled. He'd learned quick to just accept anything a patron said, and especially anything a female said. It was more harm than good to try and debate with estrogen or alcohol and especially a combination.

"Well, you're all set then." He explained, getting up. He had a bar to man, after all, and the paramedics just arrived which meant he might have to talk to them since he had witnessed the whole ordeal sober.

He stopped when he noticed her scribbling on a napkin. He took a step back, unsure if he needed to wait for her to finish writing or if he should just head on back. He grinned knowingly when she tucked that bit of napkin into his blue and white plaid shirt. "There, just in case you need a favor."

There was no denying the sparkle in her eye and his little smirk grew, catching the point very clearly. He would be more than happy to call in a favor or two.

"I think I might need a favor this weekend." He said playfully, biting his bottom lip as he backed away. "I'll give you a call." He promised, his heart and loin both jumping a little at the idea. "See you around, Nicole." He said before handing back behind the bar to help the thirsty residents of Scriptor Bay drown their sorrows.

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