Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

It was almost too easy. Sometimes she even wondered why she did it at all. Men; drunk or sober, seemed to almost enjoy being taken in by a pretty face. Sometimes it was darts, but she had trouble pretending to be bad at darts. The green eyed beauty loved drinking games, but at this bar, they all knew she’d win. Pool was something they hadn’t seen her play yet. For the past week, she’d pretended to be bad, getting a little better each night, but now it was time to have some well deserved ‘beginner's luck’.

It was her third game of the night, and so far, no one seemed to have figured out she was hustling them. Tessa was lining up her next shot when she glanced up at the bar for a mere moment. She took the shot. She knew damn well she shouldn’t have taken the shot, not with her eyes still locked on the man sitting at the bar. She hit the cue ball square enough, but she hadn’t aimed it right. It bounced off one of the side and struck the 8 ball, sinking it into a corner pocket.

”Damn,” she cursed, handing over half of what she’d earned that night. The former army sniper never bet all her winnings at once, that was just stupid. But she had just lost half of them, and the boys were giving her a hard time about it. She waved them off, downer the last of her whiskey and walked up to the bar, sitting down next to the yummy man who had cost her a weeks pay.

”You should really buy me a drink.”

TAGGED: James Barnes Jr	WORDS: xxx	OUTFIT: link
NOTES: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

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James was sitting at the bar, sipping his beer. Captain America was in town on business. He'd come into the city to visit the Teen Titans and get a progress report from his sister as to how Superboy was acclimating. It wasn't that he was paranoid, it was just that he wasn't a fan of teenagers who could crack the planet in half with a shrug. Lydia had spoken on his behalf and spoken up for the boy, so James made it his mission to keep an eye on the boy. He'd only been in town for a few hours, but he decided to have a quiet drink and to try and catch some sleep before he met with the Titans in the morning.

As he looked over at the pool table, James examined the woman playing pool. She was good, but he recognized her from somewhere. His eyes locked onto her backside. Ah, that explained it. He'd recognize that ass anywhere. He'd spoiled a few of her OPs here and there as the Winter Soldier and she'd taken some shots at him. It was nothing personal, it was just his  job. He wondered if she'd think the same thing.

The girl sat down next to him and insisted James buy her a drink. She'd been distracted by him and managed to lose a bit of her winnings. There was a pause. He was trying to decide which accent to use. He just settled on the normal mid-western one for now. That always threw people who were expecting something exotic. James gestured to the bartender to bring Tessa another drink. "Suppose it's the least I can do. Though, you're easily distracted. That might cost you more money in the future." He offered her a grin.

Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

The bartender didn’t need to ask Tessa what she wanted to drink, but she told him anyway, mostly because she wanted something a little different. ”Cinnamon whiskey this time Bill.” While he was hunting the shelves, Tessa turned back to the man next to her. There was something….almost familiar about it, but she couldn’t quite lay her finger on it. Although, looking him over, there where plenty of other things she’d like to lay her fingers on. But not yet. She’d wait for him to...start, or at least give the indication that he was going to start.

After he drink arrived, Tessa took a nice long sip. This was interrupted by the man saying that she was easily distracted. She coughed a bit as she laughed into her drink. ”Easily? No. Well not usually. But maybe I saw something I just couldn’t look away from.” She took another slow sip from her cup, eyes locked onto his. There was something she knew about him. It was like a distant dream. One you’ve only had once, but it half sticks with you the rest of your life.

”Do I know you?” She asked, trying the direct approach.

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Through the noise of the slightly crowded bar, James just smiled at her and sipped his alcohol. She was an operative as well, so if she recognized him, it would be trouble. Not that James doubted it would be possible. He only wore a domino mask back then. Laws of flimsy incognition be damned. They'd been in close combat a few times, though the last time James saw her was through the scope of a sniper rifle when he was putting a bullet through the face of someone she was protecting.

"You should be careful of distractions like that. They can get you into quite a bit of trouble. Especially in places like this." There was a quick consult of his watch, to see what time it was. He did have to swing by Titans Tower at some point tomorrow, though he hadn't let Lydia know he was in town yet. He could hear the annoyance in her voice now.

James offered her another smile. He tended to play an innocent boy from the midwest when he used this persona. Girls rarely seemed to question it and it usually disarmed the thought of him being anything other than a nice guy. It was always good for convincing someone that you didn't spend a portion of time killing people earlier in the day. "I don't think so. I'm fairly sure I'd remember someone like you. Though I do get that quite a bit. Everyone has a cousin or an ex-boyfriend who looks like me. I just have one of those faces." He extended a hand to her in a friendly fashion. "Jimmy Rogers, in town visiting family. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Who might you be?"

Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

Tessa smiled, shaking her head slightly and looking down into her drink and at her hands before glancing back over at him. ”Oh I’m sure you’ve distracted your fair share of women, just as I’ve distracted my fair share of men,” she said, the cockiness in her voice quite apparent. Her hand snaked out, her eyes following her own hand as fingers gently curled around his lower arm, giving it a tiny squeeze as her eyes carved a path back up to his face. She leaned in, her lips brushing his cheek as she moved to whisper in his ear over the music. ”Then again. I wouldn’t mind being distracted by you.”

She leaned back, finishing off her drink, just as the bartender slid her another one. She still couldn’t shake the feeling that he was familiar. She knew it was in the face, and she knew it wasn’t the upper part of the face. Well maybe the eyes, but people tended to subconsciously lump the eyebrows, forehead, and nose in there as well. This mean it was most likely not the eyes. That basically left the jaw line. Some people had average jawlines, mostly hidden by a bit of extra fat. Those all looks too similar to tell someone by the jawline. But a nice chiseled one like his? It could tell a story and make the girls swoon. Then he dropped a name.

”Jimmy huh? You look more like James fits you better. I mean after all, you aren’t ten anymore...are you?” She smirked at him. Of course Jimmy was the nickname for James, an idiot could tell you that. But some drunk guys were rather dense, even if they were good looking and thought she was all knowing or some bullshit. ”Now Rodgers….my father knew a Rodgers once. Of course he carried a shield, wore red, white and blue, and was called Captain. You don’t happen to own a pair of blue spangled tights do you?” Her tone was teasing, so was her smile, and her eyes. She really didn’t know anything about how close to the mark she just might have been.

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NOTES: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

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There was a slight grin on his face. "I do what I can for the community." James felt her lips brush against him as she whispered. His lips played against her cheek as he whispered back. "That sounds like a heavenly idea." As she pulled away, James finished his beer as well and tapped the bar. The bartender gave him another drink and he nodded. James could see the gears turning. She was trying to ID him, much like any good operator would. He gave her a little grin.

"Well, it is James, but my friends call me Jimmy. And I think you look like someone I definitely want to be my friend." It was playful banter. Meant to distract her. He wouldn't mind a roll in the hay, but he didn't really feel like being shot at tonight. It wasn't his idea of a good time. Well, at least tonight, it wasn't. She pulled out a Steve Rogers reference. He occasionally got questions when using this cover if there was a relation. It was rare though. Smart girl.

"Nah, that Rogers was from Brooklyn. I'm from Indiana. There's just a bit of a difference." He said with a wink. He stopped and thought about it for a minute. "I don't think I have any. Usually that's the sort of thing that sticks out in a wardrobe. I did dress like him for halloween, one year. But that was when I was like 12. I doubt I could still pull it off. Besides, I always liked Spiderman more." James wondered how long he could keep this charade up before the violence phase started as it usually did. If it wasn't going to be her, it was going to be her company starved pool companions from before. His eyes did a quick circuit around the bar, analyzing the situation.

Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

The green eyed woman was all smiles tonight. She allowed a shiver to pass over her as his lips brushed against her skin softly. He knew how to play the game; good. She sipped her drink as he spoke. There was something...something in the way he spoke. Not his voice. Not his word choice. More like how his mouth moved, and his lips shaped to form the sounds he made. She was so close, so close to figuring this out.

Her vibrant green eyes roamed over his face, taking in every detail she could. His soft, inviting lips. The subtle stubble on his jaw line. A tiny...was that a scar? It was so small and faint that it was hard to even seen it in this light. She took a long sip of her drink, fully focusing on him again. She was sure she knew this man now. He might have introduced himself as James Rogers from Indiana, but she was damn sure he was the masked man who had once shot at her and her squad to interrupt a mission they’d been on. She’d seen the same scare then. A closer inspection was clearly called for.

Tessa slid off her stool. This single act brought her much closer to him. She pressed her hands on his thighs as she leaned towards him. ”Just a good friend?” She asked as she continued to close the distance between them. She had seen him scan the entire bar. Another bit of evidence that screamed he wasn't just some boy from the Midwest.

Gunfire, closely echoed by short, panicked screams interrupted her. Her eyes drifted from her target up to his eyes as she sighed. The click of a gun near their heads, only made her roll her eyes. ”Well….damn.”

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NOTES: blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah

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His beer slipped into his left hand. As Tessa leaned over James gave her a little grin. He wouldn't mind spending the night with someone like this. It would be a more fun diversion than he had originally planned. He leaned a little closer and smirked at her. "I suppose that depends on how the night goes, sweetheart." He caught someone approaching them out of the corner of his eye.

There was the sound of gunfire and some screams as well as the click of a weapon. It made sense really. It was a Friday night in a Bay Area bar. Good time to rob a place as the till would be full. James got the logic. But he had really just wanted a quiet drink. He was hoping for it, in fact.

He turned slightly, looking at one of the thugs with the gun. 9 millimeter. It didn't have the stopping power of any of James' own weapons. He wasn't really worried about it. He counted five total in the bar. James looked at the man with total disinterest. "Can I help you?"

The man spoke loudly. "I want your wallet and any valuables you and the lady have on you." James scoffed at him.

"No. Thanks. I'm just going to enjoy my drink." The thug looked confused by the reply. He brandished the gun at James again. James didn't like that much, so he reached over and grabbed the gun, pulling the man forward and off balance, followed by the smashing of his beer bottle into the thug's face. The man looked dazed, but James held him up, taking the gun and setting it on the counter. "We have only a moment before they realize what we're up to. You want the two on the left or the two on the right?"

Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

He’d moved deliberately and calmly, exactly how she would expect someone like him to move and act. Normally she wouldn’t have giggled in a situation like this, but she was drunk and it was rather amusing that some little punk thought it was good idea to wave a gun in the faces of people like her and James. If she’d been hammered, she probably would have found herself rolling on the floor as James grabbed the man and pulled in close and then broke a bottle on his face. Instead she turned and flung two knives, one each at the two guys behind her. It was only after that was done that ‘Jimmy’ told her to take them out. She just smiled at him.

”What two on the left?” Her tone of voice was innocent, as if two dead bodies weren’t lying by the front door. The music had been killed, and when she glanced at the DJ booth, she found out why. It seemed this robbery was at least partly an inside job. The DJ was currently robbing a couple in the far corner, not really paying attention, yet. She moved to within a hair’s breadth of him, pulling the gun closer to her as she leaned towards him.

”I’ll take the one right in front of me,” she whispered hotly to him. She leveled the gun at his gut, her other hand curling around his head. The gun slipped past his side and she pulled herself to him, laying her lips against his. She held the kiss as she pulled the trigger on the gun. The DJ dropped dead and woman he was robbing screamed. This would surely alert the others. She began to pull away from him, her eyes opening and locking on his.

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James watched her draw a pair of knives and throw them at a set of the men and dropped them. He was expecting nothing less from Tessa. That's what he knew her to be capable of. When she leveled the gun at his gut, James thought for a moment that this might be some very elaborate payback. A staged robbery just to put a bullet in him. Well, he'd been shot before, that wasn't anything new. Then, Tessa kissed him and his grip slipped on the man he was holding. He returned the kiss rather passionately and then broke it, saying "One minute, please."

The unconscious man collapsed to the floor in a heap and Tessa shot the DJ behind him. James watched the last two armed thugs turn and look at the commotion. Moving now, James grabbed a metal server tray off bar counter and flung it at the men like a giant silver frisbee, running after it. The disk hit the first thug square in the face and sent him stumbling into the second one. James promptly smashed the second man in the face and promptly disarmed him. The first man was struggling to his feet and James kicked him in the face and dropped him.

"All I wanted was a quiet beer. Just a nice night off." He sighed and walked back to the counter and Tessa.

Give up, we needed the c o m p a n y

Let's drink to your health

Tessa watched him, critically. She watching how he moved. Definitely the man she ran into ages ago. Then he threw the tray. Someone else threw disc like objects like that; Captain America. That didn’t matter right now though. She’d never had ill feelings towards him, even after he’d taken a shot or three at her. Okay maybe a few angry feelings while she was being shot at, but not after. She understood he was doing a job, even if it maybe wasn't as a good guy. A job was a job.

”Oh you can still have a nice night off. It’s not that late. We call the cops, and leave before they show up. Maybe out the back?” She bit her lower lip with a smirk. Her eyes dropped to her hands as they reached out, straightening his shirt before laying flat against his chest. Now that the interruption was over, she was feeling all flirty again. Perhaps she just mostly wanted to drink, but handsome company was always a plus.

She looked back up at him and said, ”I’ve got beer at my place. Lots of it. And my bikes out back.”

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There was a quick smile. "Glad I spent all that time playing frisbee in college." It worked as excuses went. It was flimsy enough that it had to work, based on the fact that no one would give an excuse that absurd. James took a moment to consult his watch. It wasn't that late. She was right that account. Question was, did he want to go home with someone he'd shot at before? Might as well see where it went. What was the harm?

"You're not wrong. And my business meeting isn't until noon anyway. No sense in taking a trip, if you don't get to enjoy a little bit of the time, right?"

A drink and some pleasant company for the night sounded good to him. He knew his sister wouldn't approve of his life choices, but she didn't really know James was in town to begin with. It was hard to judge something that you didn't know about. And it wasn't like he was spoken for. There was no harm in a little fun. "I wouldn't mind a few drinks. Let's see this bike of yours."