Post ep 1x14. After the catastrophic budget hearing that almost cost the State Department their reputation and Nadine her job, she needs a drink. Unfortunately, so does the man who's responsible for the latter.

Prompt: "Everyone keeps telling me you're the bad guy."
Ship: Mike/Nadine

After only partially intentionally staying in the office longer than anyone else, Nadine finds herself at the same bar she just visited with Jay, Matt, and Daisy. She sips her drink slowly, but it's her pride she's nursing, sitting alone on the counter, hoping no one recognizes her from two nights ago.

"Vodka tonic."

Unfortunately, it's a voice she recognizes. She can't help turning to look at him as the bartender hands him his drink, and once he catches her eyes, Mike Barnow seats himself on a stool next to her.

"Ms. Tolliver", he greets. "Nadine, right? You mind?"

She doubts it would matter if she said she did.

"The Secretary said you'd hang around for a while", she hums, turning back to her drink. "Although I thought she meant at State."

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees him smirk. "Bess is doing well enough judging by the polls, but it doesn't hurt to have me around. I think you're all safe for now, though. You don't need to fear for your job. She's not interested in destroying anyone's career, as against my advice it is."

Nadine rolls her eyes. She figured his ego would be enormous. "I can destroy careers, too. And I have. But I don't make a living out of it." He gives her a look she returns. "Your reputation precedes you. Even by Washington standards", she continues, the jab sharper than she has reason to perhaps, but he did try to get her fired.

"Huh. Everyone keeps telling me you're the bad guy", Mike says without missing a beat. He looks almost impressed.

"Funny, everyone's been saying the same about you", Nadine retorts, not bothered with what he might have heard and from where. She knows what people say about her and she mostly doesn't care. She's not surprised he's heard; she is, however, surprised he's listened.

"Seems we have common acquaintances", he quips, and she's tempted to enjoy this, their back and forth. It's been a while since she's had anyone to spar with. He seems to keep up with her easily enough. But it bugs her, what he does for a living. Most of whose careers he has ended have probably earned it – if only one Miles Pendergraff had crossed paths with him earlier – but in the process, he makes things worse for people who are trying to do good. He sweeps in, shares his advice, and casually walks away from the shambles. Gets paid a hell of a lot more than the people he fires, too.

"You at least would know people in right places."

Mike raises an eyebrow in scorn. "You're pretty well connected yourself. I would've fired your ass in a blink of an eye after a mess like that, but Bess..."

He shakes his head while he pauses to take a sip. Nadine bites her lower lip gently and lets her eyes wander to him. She wouldn't admit she's intrigued to hear the end of that sentence for the life of her.

"She was adamant to keep you. You must have done something right earlier to remain in her good graces after the last few days."

It's the first nice-ish thing she's heard him say about anyone. Nadine hides her smirk behind the rim of her glass. She's pleased to hear the budget hearing hasn't cost her the Secretary's trust. Not that she deserves it. "The hearing was a disaster", she sighs. She should've seen it coming, and she should've stopped it from happening, budget cuts and Daisy's pleads be damned. In all honesty, she was prepared to get fired before Burke even finished his harangue. She downs the rest of her scotch. "I'm glad you managed to find a way for the Secretary to come out on top." It's as close to praise as she's willing to offer him after the stunts he's pulled.

To his credit, he doesn't linger on it even though she can practically see him swell with pride.

"Yes, well, unlike you assume, maybe I do care about someone aside from myself."

Nadine narrows her eyes. "Doubtful. You're just warming her couch till you find someone who pays better."

"Huh", he stares at her, sounding surprised. "Good to see Bess's loyalty isn't in vain."

How does he manage to make it sound like an insult? "Not to me, perhaps", she assures, chuckling silently at the story behind her statement. "You, I'm not so sure."

"Hey, sometimes it takes a bad guy to help do the right thing."

Actually- wait what did he say? Nadine cocks her head and studies him for a second. He couldn't really consider himself "a bad guy". She shouldn't care if he did, either. Why is she still talking to him? She's not going to make a habit of sitting in bars after work. Besides, if she's going to come in early the next day, like she planned to, to finish the non-urgent paperwork she's neglected in favor of sorting out the microloans program crisis, she should start heading home. Still, she can't resist scoffing, "Especially if he had it coming?"

"Oh, he did", Mike looks pleased with himself if a little irritated. "And don't play saint with me. I have a feeling that with or without me, you would've planned something to hit him with."

He's not wrong. She wouldn't have let Burke get away with the show he staged and forced them to play a part in by all but ensuring they'd be blindsided and couldn't prevent any of it. She files the half-concocted plan to destroy Burke away for later though, since it seems she's managed to get under Mike B's skin, which is a lot more fascinating. She hides her smile and levels him with a look instead, hoping he'll elaborate.

"A reputation like yours has to be based on something", he grins while waving the bartender over. "Take it from someone who knows. Rumors and exaggeration only cover about 70 percent. The first thirty is the real thing."

She arches her brow. "You know, without that 70 percent of your ego, I might be able to stand you."

She cringes internally once she realizes how flirty the statement sounded. Definitely wasn't her intention.

His smirk borders on devilish. She's worried he caught it as well. "To that first thirty percent, then."

She hesitates only a little before clicking her glass against his. "To the real thing." If she's smiling, it's the glass of scotch he insisted on paying for.