I don't own anything Marvel related!
This takes place after Avengers and a few months before Captain America- The Winter Soldier
Evelyn parked across the street from Martin's Tavern glanced toward the old fashioned building. She was sure the place had been remodeled since it was built in 1933, but they had done a good job making it look authentically old and stereotypically Irish. The heavy wooden paneling conjured the impression that the establishment had seen some hard years; the plate glass windows and gold lettering across the top of the building lended themselves perfectly to the image of a classic Irish Pub. She knew from past visits that the inside was perfectly decorated to match the outside.
Sighing, she flipped down the visor in her car, the little lights bracketing the mirror in the visor causing her to squint as she took in the reflection of her tired eyes. She knew she probably looked unenthused so she practiced a happy, somewhat genuine looking smile. Fake it till you make it, I guess, she thought as she reached for the small makeup bag she kept in the glove compartment.
Steve had texted her a few hours ago when he left the Med Bay asking her to come out with him, Natasha and some of the other guys. She had accepted only because she knew these little nights out were his way of trying to connect with his colleagues. She also knew he went home early most nights and either sat in his apartment listening to his record player, alone; or walked to the gym up the block and pounded on a punching bag until it burst-also alone. So whenever he texted her asking her to meet him somewhere for drinks, dinner, or just to talk, she tried her best to be there for him-not as his doctor but as a friend.
She rifled through the little bag, pulling out a tube of mascara, concealer and nude lipstick. Her mother and aunt had always drilled into her the importance of looking put together and well. As a consequence, she always made the effort to wear makeup and dress in properly fitted, good quality clothes. She leaned in to pat concealer under her eyes, and carefully swiped on the lipstick. That's about the best I can do right now, she thought as and dropped the makeup back into its bag and tossed the bag in the passenger seat. She pulled her dark hair out of its customary ponytail and shook it loose, running her fingers through to part it the way she liked.
Evelyn stepped out of the car and considered her attire, a maroon pantsuit, white button-down, and black heels. She frowned at the stuffiness of her outfit. It was fine for work in a male dominated environment but completely uninteresting for a night out in the company of incredibly attractive men and one stunning woman. She shrugged off her blazer and dropped it in the back seat, clicking to lock the doors over her shoulder as the stepped onto the sidewalk. As she crossed the street, she rolled up the sleeves and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. Nothing wrong with showing some skin when I'm at a bar. She wasn't vain or drop-dead beautiful, but Evelyn knew how to get attention when she wanted it.
Evelyn swung the door to the pub open, chiming a small bell fastened above the doorframe to alert the bartender that someone had arrived. She glanced around the crowded pub immediately warmed by the smells of greasy bar food and clinking glass. Steve always picked Martin's when it was his turn to choose. Evelyn thought it was because the atmosphere of the place reminded him of when he was a kid in Brooklyn. The lacquered wood tables, dark green upholstery and large glass mugs must have reminded him of the type of place where he'd had his first legal drink. She walked further in, looking around hoping to spot a group of impressively large men or at the very least, a stunning head of bright red hair.
"Evie, hey!" Steve's voice came from behind her.
She turned to see him waving with a smile. He was sitting at a corner table with three men Evelyn knew by face and Natasha. As she took in the four attractive men at the table, she heard her mom's voice in the back of her head, Aren't you glad you put on that mascara? Evelyn silently agreed and laughed to herself, thinking, there's nothing wrong with appreciating a good looking man…or four." As she approached, Steve stood and pulled a chair for her from the table next to them.
"You know Jack, Brock and Lance, right?" He slid his arm around her shoulders and introduced the three men at the table. Evelyn knew from Steve that they worked on the STRIKE team with him, Natasha and occasionally Clint. Although Evelyn knew their names and faces, she had never formally met them, as her job was to work exclusively with the Avengers.
"Only by reputation," She said, smiling at the three men as she sat down. "but it's nice to meet you. Hey, Natasha," she nodded at the redhead.
"Hey, Doc," Natasha replied with her characteristic smirk. "Whatcha drinking?"
"I'm not drinking tonight, I have to drive later." Evelyn shrugged.
"Like hell you're not! Here," Steve slid his drink across the table to her.
"Steve, if this is an old-fashioned - I might have to turn around and leave right now." Evelyn gave him a look, knowing she was right. Steve loved the fact that his drink choice bothered her so much, if only because it fed into the stereotypes that he was an old-fashioned "man out of his time."
Natasha and Brock laughed at Steve's unapologetic shrug.
"Steve no one wants that. Drink this instead."Natasha said and dropped a tequila shot in front of Evelyn, pushing Steve's drink away with a face.
Evelyn rolled her eyes and drank it quickly, sucking on the lime wedge and dropping it back into the shot glass.
"Alright, what's everyone drinking? I'm getting the next round." She slid her credit card out of her wallet as the surveyed the empty drinks on the table and stood up.
Jack stood up at the same time, "Sorry, Doc. I can't let you do that, the next round is on me."
She looked at where Jack was standing, wedged in the corner between Steve and Brock and smiled widely, "I'd love to let you, Jack, but I don't think you're going to be able to stop me."
Evelyn dodged Jack and Brock's outstretched arms as Natasha laughed and made her way to the bar knowing that any of the people at the table could have easily stopped her if they felt like it.
"Hi," She smiled at the bartender and leaned over the bar so he could hear her over the dull roar of voices. "Could we get a pitcher, 6 shots of tequila, a gin and tonic and a whiskey sour, please."
"You got it," The middle-aged bartender nodded and flung a kitchen towel over his shoulder. As he got to work making the drinks, Evelyn rested her elbows against the polished wood and looked up at the rows of glasses and bottles on the shelves behind the bar. They all reflected yellow glints from the hanging lights and blurry images of the people behind her.
The bartender placed the pitcher in front of her and began to pour 6 shots and make the cocktails she had ordered.
She slid her credit card across the wood so he could grab it when he finished pouring the shots.
"I'm supposed to take that away from you." Brock's voice came from behind her as he placed a second card on the bar, a few inches closer to the bartender's arm than her card was, and rested his forearm on the bar beside her.
She smiled and began to slide her card even closer when his hand lightly came down on her wrist. She turned toward him and was pleasantly surprised to see that he was standing closer than she had expected. Is he flirting with me right now? She wondered.
She smiled and looked up at him, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"You can try," she dared as she leaned closer to him and pulled her wrist out from under his grasp to rest it on his forearm.
"If I tried, I'd win." His voice was quieter this time.
He's definitely flirting now. She thought with a smile.
Evelyn took a tiny step closer and let her hand slide off his arm, conveniently onto the credit card he had placed down. She stood on her toes, thankful for the height of her heels because they brought her nearly eye level with him.
She smiled and said, "I'm sure you would, Brock." She let her eyes drift down to his lips then back up to his eyes, making sure to be obvious in her flirting.
She dropped back to her feet and took a step back, pulling her hand across the bar with his credit card under her palm and shoved it into her back pocket, hoping he wouldn't notice.
He looked at her for a few seconds, surprised and interested by her sudden flirtatiousness. Those few seconds were long enough for the bartender to whisk her card away.
"Please start a tab for me," She called after him, satisfied that he'd heard her when he gave her a thumbs up sign over his shoulder. Brock looked from her to the bartender in surprise.
"You cheated," He said, shocked that she's won.
"I used my resources wisely," She winked at Brock and picked up the tiny tray holding the brimming shot glasses and one of the cocktails. "But I'll let you help me with the drinks,"
She felt him follow her back to the table with the rest of the drinks. As they were about to sit down, she pulled his credit card out of her pocket and handed it to him with a smile.
"I wonder how this got in my pocket."
He shot her a sour look and took it, "Must've grown legs and hopped in there."
"I'm sure." She began sliding the shot glasses around the table until each person had one.
The bar had steadily been emptying out for the past two hours. Other than their table, there were a few lingering patrons but most of them were sitting at the bar. Even their table had emptied quite a bit, Jake and Lance left about an hour after Evelyn had arrived. Natasha headed out shortly after when her phone went off but not before locking eyes with Evelyn and subtly tilting her head toward Brock, indicating that she noticed something between them. In response, Evelyn had silently tapped her phone, signaling to Natasha that they would talk on the phone later.
Natasha wasn't wrong, there had been sone pushing and pulling between Evelyn and Brock, some shared glances and smiles. Not obvious enough for everyone else to notice, Evelyn hoped, but enough that a spy trained in certain seduction skills would notice.
Brock, Steve and Evelyn were still at their table in the corner, talking and laughing. The warmth in the pub and the alcohol had definitely loosened Evelyn up quite a bit. Even Steve, who was notoriously bad at picking up certain signals was beginning to notice the sparks between Evelyn and Brock now.
When Brock went back to the bar to get another round, Steve leaned over to Evelyn, "Would you mind if I head out, or do you want me to stay?" His eyes shot toward Brock in a not-so-subtle gesture.
Evelyn laughed and patted him on the arm, "I'm a big girl, Steve. I'll be ok."
Steve smiled briefly and became serious again, training his eyes on her, "I know you are, but seriously, if you want me to stay just say the word."
"Go home, I'll be ok. I'll text you when I get back." Evelyn was surprised by how protective he was. And also by how happy it made her to know someone was concerned about her.
Brock walked back to them and set down the three glasses which had been precariously balanced in his hands. Steve stood just as Brock sat down.
"This one's all yours," Steve pointed at the Old-Fashioned and looked at Evelyn with raised eyebrows," Because you made fun of it earlier." He squeezed her shoulders and nodded at Brock, "I'm heading out, I'll see you later."
"Later, Cap." Brock held up his hand to wave.
A brief silence descended around Brock and Evelyn. Now that they were successfully alone, neither of them seemed to know what to say, but both of them seemed certain that they did not want the night to end yet.
"So, you flirted with me earlier just to get my card." Brock leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table, and looked at her.
"I did, but not just to get your card." She replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs.
"No?"
Evelyn shook her head while keeping eye contact with him. She had never been the type of person to shy from what she wanted and right now, she wanted Brock.
"I'm sure I could have gotten it without flirting with you," She bluffed, knowing there was no chance she would have been able to do that.
He smirked and shot her a look, apparently coming to the same conclusion.
"I'm sure." He said drily. "Then why did you?"
She tilted her head and looked at him with a smile, letting her eyes drag over his entire upper body.
"Because I wanted to flirt with you, Brock."
"Right." He nodded and sat back, coming to a decision, "Where's your car?"
She nodded at her black SUV through the window. It was one of the only vehicles still on the street.
"How drunk are you?" He asked, trying to judge how to proceed.
"I'm not. But I definitely can't drive right now." Evelyn replied.
"Well, lucky for you, I can. Do you want to go?" They both knew he was asking her about more than just dropping her off at her place. He was giving her an easy way to turn him down without actually having to say the words.
Without hesitation, Evelyn nodded and sat up, "Lets go."
They both stood and made their way to the door, Evelyn a bit more clumsy in her heels and tipsy state. Brock's hand landed at her lower back, gently making sure she was alright without being controlling.
As they swung open the door, Brock turned to wave at the bartender, "Take care, Frank. I'll see you later."
Evelyn turned to see the bartender, apparently named Frank, waving a white towel at them before returning to wiping down the bar.
Brock led her around the corner and halfway down the block to a sleek, black mustang. The streets were nearly empty, with occasional laughter and shouts as people left various bars saying goodbye as they parted from their friends.
Evelyn's body tingled with excitement. When she had responded to Steve's text, she hadn't expected to go home with a man she had just met, but she reasoned with herself saying she'd known him for quite some time even though they had never spoken before today.
"Nice car," she said, admiring his taste and trying to fill the silence with some conversation.
As he bent forward to pull the door open for her, she turned toward him and leaned back against it-shutting it so they were standing outside in the night air.
"Well, what do you know," She said teasingly as she looped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, "the big, bad, SHIELD agent's a gentleman." She kissed him lightly and backed away to see what he would do.
Hello All!
1. As always, ask me questions, send me suggestions or just say hi! I'd love to hear from you :)
2. If you recognize the character Evelyn Clark, she's from two of my other stories! This is a background story from the Maria Hill/Sam Wilson fic- I Am Not A Robot. I briefly imply some sort of relationship between Evelyn and Rumlow so I just wanted to write a short thing for that.
3. I just started a Maria Hill/Sam Wilson fic- I Am Not A Robot. It picks up at the end of Captain America- Winter Soldier. Evelyn Clark makes an appearance in it but it's mostly about Maria/Sam.
4. I'm almost done with chapter 6 of Bring Me Back to Life so look forward to an update soon!
5.I know a there's not a ton of Sharon Carter/Steve Rogers fans but I love them so I'm working on stories about them. Let me know if you want to see anything/have any ideas! I already have one out called Some Kind Of Wonderful.
Please review with any critiques, input or ideas about this story or any others!
-Mo-