[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

This woman was a dork.

He quite liked it.

Aaron laughed at her antics, hands in his pockets as she'd speak and latch onto his arm. He lived in a world of realists, of people who were always so serious. It was nice to meet someone who didn't need to sit down and have a days-of-our-lives pow wow. He'd half shrug, trying not to seem too serious about it. "I knew a particularly evil-minded man who could take your power with his own. Since then it's become sorta taboo for me." He'd give a small smile. Letting her know this at least would give reason to his aversion without the germaphone connotation. He listened quietly at her explaination of why she wanted to be a hero- probably a common vein. He would think for a moment at her question.

"Hmm...you or Glacia....I think I prefer you. Au naturale. Glacia seems like too much of a party animal. Not sure I could handle her."

He laughed as she stopped and curtsied, turning around and walking backward so he could watch. She clearly had an old fashioned sense too, to some degree. He hadn't seen someone do that outside of i love lucy reruns and old 50's swing dance shows. But he dug it. He'd snrk at her idea of being a Hero, her pose. It was literally the secret driving force behind so many of his peers, and to see her so willing to poke fun of it and herself was endearing. He'd sigh as her posing came to a close.

"You're lucky. I'm a former Marine, so I literally know how to do nothing else other than break things and fix things. Break bad people, fix machines or something. It's sad how man's man that makes me look but what're you gonna do."

He'd gesture at the bar they'd arrived at, maybe three or four blocks up the street from her house. Being where they were there were bars all over, which was incredibly meta and convenient for them. He'd step up and open the door for her before coming in behind her, eyes looking over the rather packed locale. He supposed there was very little else to do around here other than drink and play pool. He'd put a gentle hand at the small of her back and lead her to the bar, where he would take a seat next to her with a smile. The woman behind the counter flashed him one back as he spoke.

"Full fifth of Jack for me. And for the lady....?"

He looked to her.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules looked at him, mild horror on her face at the idea of somebody being able to steal your power with a handshake. “Dude, stop, you’ll give me a complex. My firm handshake is all I’ve got!”

She was tickled by his reasoning – and mildly amused that he thought he could handle either of them. Motherhood may have put a few speed bumps in place, but Jules’ impulsive, adventurous spirit still had a massive, roaring engine. She supposed he would learn that in time. Or pretty soon, in fact, if he was about to have to deal with drunken Jules.

“No, you probably couldn’t,” she agreed, sticking her tongue out. “But good luck trying.”

It was interesting to get a glimpse into Aaron’s past as a Marine. She didn’t know much about such things but from his mention of being able to “break bad people”, she gathered it played more than a small part in his brutal methods as a Hero. After a while of following certain strategies and methods, it would make sense for him to believe in the need to “break” the enemy. At least he also knew how to fix things. It would seem disheartening to only know how to destroy.

“Aww hey, nothing wrong with being a man’s man. And definitely handy knowing you can fix things – I’ll have to keep you around,” she teased, prodding him in the side.

The bar he settled on was pretty standard – full of people at various stages of merriment, but not to the point of being uncomfortably so. They were even able to grab seats at the bar, which Aaron gently led her to with a hand at her back. She flashed him an amused smile, wondering if he considered himself to be fully in the role of a gentleman on some kind of date. It was easy to believe it.

His request at the bar was less gentlemanly – ordering a full fifth of Jack just as he’d promised.

“I’ll have a seven and seven. And hey!” She smacked at him lightly. “Remember I told you I would pay for a double of Jack, and you’d cover the rest of the bottle. I gotta keep my promises.”

She beamed angelically.

@aaron | 371 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He chuckled.

"It should be a red flag that you consider your firm handshake all you got when your daughter is at home and you can literally shoot ice out of your hands but...I'll let it slide."

He'd give a little shrug. "Yeah, I guess. In this social climate theres a few too many stigmas relating to it. Men are uh....more hated than when I left? Or just called out on their shit more, I don't know. Little stunting to come back to. I got slapped in the face for holding a door open for someone the other day." His country was going through these strange, alternating changes in confronting the cockroaches under the rug. As a soldier, he knew his only job was to protect people to make sure they had the freedom to make those choices and argue about them in the streets the next day. But now, as one of those civilians, he struggled to handle it.

As they ordered at the bar, he'd plant himself, gripping the bottle that was set in front of him and unscrewing the cap before pulling the cork out with his teeth and spitting it into his hand. He'd take a two-shot deep drink, and sigh. "Well, there goes your contribution." He'd grin broadly. "But lets you and me fuck around with it. Truth or dare, you and me. No lies, and if you refuse to answer or do a dare, you take a shot."

She was the one who said she was gonna drink him under the table, right? Well, this was a perfect way to get the ball rolling. Besides, he hadn't done this shit since he was a teenager. He hadn't dated since then either so...not a lot to go on.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules gave Aaron a snarky look, quickly melting into an unabashed grin as he spoke.

“You can’t tell me I don’t have a great handshake. You’d be proud of it too! And eh, forming ice from thin air is kinda cool… but that definitely wouldn’t make a good addition to my handshake. Or would it…?” Jules stroked her chin – genuinely a little deep in thought. “Actually, maybe that would be pretty awesome, now I think about it.”

She listened with a gently raised eyebrow as Aaron lamented the current social climate. Jules had done explicit charity work with vulnerable women in the past – admittedly not in this country, but enough to make her pretty firmly in favour of men being “called out on their shit more”, as Aaron put it. She couldn’t help but giggle at the idea of somebody thinking that slapping Aaron was a good idea.

“I think they picked the wrong guy to start a fight with,” she chuckled with an easy smile. “And hey, maybe that was the last straw in a long series of men assuming she couldn’t do shit for herself – I wouldn’t take it personally, tough guy.” She patted him reassuringly. Not that she condoned slapping strangers.

It was still a funny mental image, though. Jules held back before she burst into more giggles.

She watched as he took his first swig – the liquor going down like water. She stirred the straw in her own drink apprehensively, realising immediately that she was even more doomed than she’d first thought. Jules tipped her head down and sipped it, keeping her eyes on him as he made his ‘Truth or Dare’ suggestion. It was oddly… cute. Her lips pulled into a smile around the straw.

Jules lowered the drink back to the bar. “Aw man… okay. Yeah!” she added, with more conviction. “Shoot first – ain’t much I won’t say or do.” She locked eyes with him challengingly. This much, at least, she was confident about. Alcohol tolerance be damned.

@aaron | 334 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He gave a curiously serious look.

"I'd never insult your handshake, don't worry."

He listened quietly, before finally ending with a small nod. "Nah, I get it. I'm all for womens rights, but beyond that I think things like rape and assault should be more adequately punished and enforced, especially with those in power." He winced a little, knowing what he had to say next might not be so popular. But he could only be who he was. "At the same time, though, picking fights with every guy who tries to simply be a gentleman by opening a door simply to prove you're a strong woman is a little...I don't know. On the nose? I guess to me, it's never had anything to do with someone being a woman or being unable to be yourself. Just being kind."

He would run a hand through his hair, reaching over the counter afterward and grabbing a glass before settling back in his seat. He'd pour it to about half full before setting the bottle down and leaning back in thought. He'd go first...hmm....he'd grin, getting a mischevious little glint in his eye before shaking his head. Best to ask questions like that later. Solid openers were more like-

"Your daughter. Is there a dad around...?"

Clearly, since she called him daddy, there wasn't. But perhaps he was an ex that lived elsewhere, or perhaps he only came around every so often and was a weak basic bro. He'd eye her, interested to see her body language and reaction to the mention of the man.

See what feelings were left.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

With a smug beam, Jules gave a curt, enthusiastic nod. “Damn straight.”

Up until this conversation, Jules had never really given her handshake a second thought. She was in deep now, though, and it was time to embrace the sudden rush of pride she had for her handshake which was apparently decent enough for Aaron to never insult. Maybe her time in the gym was finally paying off. She might not be able to climb a bunch of stairs without getting out of breath, but at least she could make a fantastic first impression.

“For sure. It’ll happen, these things take time.” She pursed her lips in thought. The topic was serious and she didn’t want to brush it off too much, but at the same time… they were in a bar and she was ready to get drunk and silly. Best to get the political talk out her system now. “I think what you’re dealing with there isn’t somebody who’s an ass because of her political views – she’s probably just terrible all over. It’s not like mainstream feminist movements advocate that kind of petty violence, y’know? But anyway,” she said, with a laugh. “I’m sure you figured that one out for yourself.”

Jules tilted her head with intrigue as Aaron’s eyes lit up suddenly, watching as he shook away whatever thoughts those were. She wasn’t sure what to expect from the man. Have you ever killed a man? Ever frozen yourself to a lamppost? Are you a natural blue-haired lady??

Ah, nope. Straight to the paternity questions.

She was never sure of how she was going to respond to such probing, even though she’d answered such a question many, many times before. Sometimes she burst into inappropriately nervous laughter, other times she grew quiet and thoughtful. Today, it seemed, she was solidly in the middle. Jules smiled softly at Aaron, shaking her head.

“No. Emily only knows the word from stories.” She shrugged. “No dad around.”

She would elaborate if he pushed her, but she didn’t want to drag him into any details that he wasn’t signing up to hear. Most were usually a little shocked by her admission, but it never stopped her saying it.

Leaning forwards on her barstool, Jules flashed a sudden grin at him. “My turn… Do you think I’m a good Hero?”

She breathed over her drink – frosting the surface – just to show off.

@aaron | 400 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He'd nod, half shrugging.

"Yeah, I get it. Just harmful overall to the actual goals, in my opinion. But anyway..." He'd digress as he looked away, taking a sip of his drink with a little groan of pleasure at the taste. He thought in the same vein- political talk was not how he wanted to spend the evening. He, too, wanted to get silly. So he'd give a respectful nod and the raise of a glass at her reply. It was up to her on how she answered- either with something more elaborate or with a flat no. He'd never specified. He just realized as she asked her question that they were playing the game wrong. Still, he'd answer.

"I do- but I just remembered this is truth or dare. and I choose dare this round. So you get that freebee."

He'd smirk at that. If she wanted more info there he could give it too. It didn't take much to be a great hero in this world- just stop bad guys. He had an entirely different way of going about it than she did, but he could still respect another person taking on those duties. He signed up to be a soldier- to find yourself with powers and deciding to use them to help others and stop the injustices of the world was a big step and took a lot of courage. He could admit that he didn't know what really drove her inside- if it was courage or just a sense of duty? Or something in her past that forced her to choose that life....but whatever it was, she did good now.

"Unless you'd rather we drink for both stealing questions..."

He could do it with ease- she was the one who was gonna have some problems there.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

This conversation was starting to give her a writer’s itch – maybe she’d have to put together an article some time in the future when she had a spare moment. It was interesting to see how Aaron was considering the actions of one woman as harmful to the overall goals of a social movement that she wasn’t even explicitly subscribing to. Jules could probably have fun trying to unpick the motivations and harm that stemmed from such generalisations. It wasn’t like Aaron was trying to be malicious at all – just painting with too broad a brush.

His groan of pleasure at the taste of his drink caused Jules to giggle. “Woah, someone’s a Jack Daniels fan.” She raised her own glass as he raised his, mirroring the respectful nod with a wry smile.

The response was swift – he did think she was a good Hero, go Glacia! – and quickly interrupted by his sudden realisation. Jules had just followed his questioning format, not really even processing that they were supposed to be following the rules of a game, and she laughed at their failure to follow such simplicity.

“Man are we dumb,” she exclaimed happily. “Dare, huh? Lemme think…”

As she paused to ponder her options, Aaron suggested they take a penalty drink and Jules was instantly on board. She tapped the rim of her glass gently. “Totally – we deserve it. Who can’t even follow the rules of Truth or Dare?”

Staring across the bar, Jules finally gathered some kind of inspiration. It wasn’t too wild, but enough to get the ball rolling for the evening.

“See that dude in the corner, with the leftover hamburger? I don’t think he’s gonna finish it, hasn’t touched it since we walked in, so I dare you to walk over and do it for him. No explanation, no apology – just consume the burger and go.”

@aaron | 310 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron would raise his glass a little in toast before downing it, nodding a little at her statement that he was a jack fan. "I suppose you could say that. Really anything with alcohol content above 40 proof." He was not ashamed of the fact that he drank and drank a lot. He wasn't a volatile drunk and the effects wore off faster than most. But he felt he needed it. It supressed his violent tendencies and helped pull him from PTSD fire. He'd pour himself another as she was thinking of a dare, and when she pointed he'd turn to look.

The man was sitting among a group of friends, male and female, and though he didn't appear to be the violent sort he doubted he'd just give up his burger. Aaron grinned and shook his head, sighing as he set down his glass and adjusted his jacket. Rolling his shoulders and neck, he'd stand and march over, sliding between two of his pals to drab the half eaten hamburger off the plate. The man turned to watch him, clearly confused as Aaron stood straight and looked him in the eye as he proceeded to eat the burger. The whole group went quiet save for some stifled laughter from the girls, Aaron taking the second bite whole, finishing the burger.

He licked some ketchup off his thumb and finally slid right back out of the group, walking back over to Jules as he chewed, giving a reserved smile as the group broke out in laughter at the man who'd just had his food finished by a complete stranger. Aaron's face was slightly red, now, but he'd retake his seat and adjust himself.

"Ouu paybacks are a bitch. Truth or Dare?"

He picked up the glass and took a drink, looking over at her as he used his tongue to clean his teeth, amusement etched in his features.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules smiled. “My dad’s a whiskey man; it’s how this became my go-to order.” She raised her glass and admired it for a moment. “Of course, I can’t see you being interested in diluting your 40-proof with 7up. But I like it! I’m happy with pretty much anything if there are bubbles in it,” she added, her mature palate evident.

She didn’t want to express too much concern at his drink choices – he was a grown man after all, but well-adjusted grown men didn’t make their drink choices based on ethanol content. She guessed that having a whole bottle of Jack for his first round was entirely typical for him, either because he had a superhuman resistance to its effects or because of sadder reasons. Or maybe a combination of the two! In any case, it wasn’t her place to question him further having just met him.

Jules took her penalty drink for not following the rules of Truth or Dare, a fairly hefty gulp to at least try and keep up with Aaron’s consumption. It already wasn’t looking good for her, however.

Without saying a word, Aaron accepted Jules’ challenge. He sighed, a trace of reluctance in his features, but he quickly psyched himself up and smoothly made his way across the room towards his prize. True to the dare, Aaron gave nothing away to the group as he plucked the man’s leftover burger from the plate and consumed it in two large bites.

Jules cracked up laughing at this point, glad for it to be at least somewhat drowned out by the conversations taking place around the bar. The guys’ friends were a mixture of completely stunned and beside themselves with barely-held-back-hilarity. Once Aaron departed, with a final flourish as he sucked the tomato sauce from his thumb, they collapsed together in that particular brand of outraged mirth – the burger guy still looking astonished, eyes vacant.

Aaron returned to the seat, his cheeks pink but triumphant nonetheless. It was endearing.

“That was awesome, you’ve completely blown that dude’s mind!” Jules cackled some more at the situation she had constructed. “Okay, okay, I wanna do a dare!” She swung her legs excitedly.

@aaron | 363 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron took a few steadying breaths, and before he knew it his heart rate had returned to normal. He'd thought, for a moment, that he was gonna get jumped. That would not have been good, mostly for the men standing around him in that moment. When he didn't crumple under their blows, there would be some seriously busted fists to go around. He turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing mischieviously. Then, he grinned broadly.

"That guy who's burger I just ate. Go give him a kiss. With tongue."

Oh yeah. She was definitely gonna take that shot.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

With a hefty swig of her drink for courage – draining the contents of the glass – Jules cast a calculating eye over the scene of the burgerless man and his friends. She slammed the glass on the table, nodding her head towards it.

“Your round?” she enquired politely. She followed it with a sweet smile only slightly tainted by the buzz of alcohol that was already gently beginning to boost her confidence to new heights. It was probably more of a sugar rush from the 7up. “Surprise me.”

As Jules made her away over to Burger Guy, she replayed Aaron’s dare in her head. He’d wanted a show, that much was obvious, and Jules was a little flattered. He also hadn’t banned her from gaining some kind of consent from the guy before she did it, which was a relief. The guy’s friends were still giggling amongst themselves but she could sense the conversation dying away as she drew near.

Jules stopped before him on the other side of the table, running her fingers coyly through her hair. “My friend wants to make up for stealing your burger,” she said, beginning to lean across the table with her back arched and smile wide. “I’m here to steal a kiss.”

Burger Guy looked a little like he was in a trance. Jules didn’t exactly consider herself a star seductress but he’d clearly made his way through enough pints to be drawn in by her anyway. Maybe it was the blue hair. Lots of guys had a thing for the more alternative look. Either way, he nodded – glancing fleetingly at his friends for approval but not really looking at them properly. Jules swept in and placed her lips on his. She heard the dare in her head once more – “with tongue” – and swiftly deepened the kiss, forcing his lips to part and steadying herself with a grip on his t-shirt. He tasted of IPA and burger sauce.

She didn’t kiss him for long – just enough to fulfil the dare – and rushed back to her seat before Burger Guy had the chance to gather his thoughts, let alone verbalise them. She giggled and shoved at Aaron as she reached him.

“Dude, my dare was so much worse than yours! How often do you go around kissing strangers in bars, huh?”

She searched the bar for her drink.

“So… what did you get me? Oh, and truth or dare?!”

@aaron | 404 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

Aaron gave a slight nod of acquiesce to her request for his round. As she walked off, he spoke to the bartender, the man pouring a shot of vodka and the rest of orange juice. He'd turn around in his chair and rest his forearms on the bar, watching her with a little smirk. He could tell by her gaze and her swaying hips that the alcohol was starting to pound inside her (giggity) and that little boost of liquid courage was more than enough to push her over the edge. He chewed his lip as he watched her, grinning as his friends turned to look back at him. She gave him just enough- little bit of tongue, full body press. That serious flush of adrenaline would hit that man like a ton of bricks. As she broke it and turned to walk back over, the mans glazed eyes followed her, and a laughing Aaron would give a two fingered wave.

Her push caused him to shift with his laughter. "Hey, life isn't fair. But I swear to God if you make me kiss him next, you'll be dancing on this bar sooner than we planned." That would just be dirty playing- she couldn't dare him to do the same thing he'd done. Rather than give her than opportunity, he'd be grinning broadly as a low thoughtful groan would be followed by a "Truth". He had seriously brutal tactics when it came to truth or dare. Though he was sure there were plenty of questions she could ask that would make it just as bad for him.

He licked his lips. Perhaps it was the starting effects of his own booze, but he couldn't help feeling a little envy for his burger brother over there. If that man didn't leave soon, he was going to have both a terrible and an awesome night. One he wants to tell other people about and never think of again. Still, he'd pick up his bottle and chug it, downing the first and knocking out the counter.

"Next please, barkeep!"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Deleted]

Jules gave him her sweetest of smiles, absolutely laced with mischievous intent. “I don’t think you want to go giving me any ideas, doll. I’m not afraid to show off my moves!” She turned to the drink he had bought her – simple, orange, extremely drinkable. Jules took a long introductory sip of her drink through the brightly coloured straw.

“Thanks for this – I was worried you might get me something stronger. This I can handle,” she added triumphantly. Almost boastfully – which was not the best idea considering her tolerance. Single mothers didn’t have much of an opportunity to build up their tolerance, in Jules’ experience. It really wasn’t a fair fight against Aaron – who was on his second bottle of Jack and not looking remotely fazed – but Jules wasn’t going to let that stop her trying.

She watched as he ordered his drink, stalling for time as she tried to think of a good Truth.

“Hmmm.”

Jules kicked her legs back and forth on the barstool, realising a little too late that she was gradually draining the contents of her glass already as she pondered. She placed her drink firmly on the bar, pushing it away from her with a little laugh at herself.

“Oh man, I need to slow down.” She shook her head. “Okay, okay. An easy one. What was the last dream you had?”

“You’re not off the hook for that kissing-dare, by the way,” Jules added with a grin. She just needed to think of something suitably punishing. Aaron was probably game for most things, so she really needed to come up with something a little outside the box.

@aaron | 273 words

LAIKA OF GS!

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He laughed. "Don't offer checks your ass can't cash." He took another drink of whiskey, totally ignoring the rules of the game. Jules was getting a little more drunk with every passing second, and he couldn't let her get so far gone that he stopped enjoying himself. Not before he got just as faded. Setting down his now half empty second bottle of fifth, his rubbed his fingers together and sighed. A slight tingle was beginning to form, which brought a little smirk to his lips.

"You're welcome. I figured something delicious would make you want it more. And look at that- its half gone already." He laughed- he was making it obvious that he was getting her drunk, the man behind the counter filling her glass with more orange juice before adding another shot. "I have to say, I don't really go out that often, but here you've gone and turned this into a good time." He raised his bottle and took another drink, blinking away the slight buzz that started behind his eyes. Her question caused his smile to fade only slightly.

"I don't have many dreams that fit the mood. A lot of stuff from the war, nothing you wanna hear at a bar."

He'd bring back the full toothed smirk at her words.

"Don't worry, next time I'll steal the kiss for myself. Looked way too good for another burger boy." He laughed, running his free hand through his hair as he pointed with the neck of the bottle at the tall tub of rum on the rack.

"Bartender, I'll take that one next."

He proceeded to down the rest of the bottle of jack as the bald man sighed and set the rum down in front of him. "Now, truth or dare?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox