The pub of choice didn't really matter to Mark, blushing insanely as Grace held onto his arm securingly. They were making small talk, something that Mark was terrible at, but strangely decent at this particular person he's conversing with. She asked him simple questions, like how last mission was or what the boys on the SAS were doing. Nothing too quick, nothing too personal, Mark was enjoying it like that.
"I don't understand why you joined the SAS Mark, when you're a literal prodigy," Grace asked as they entered a pub. "You could've lived in penthouse apartment in America or something."
He thought too soon.
"Well, I just wanted to put my skills to better use than boring meetings and science conferences," he explained. "I wanted to do more personal stuff with my work."
"I guess that makes sense, I'm the same way."
They made their way to the counter and quietly sat on two stools. The bartender came up and smiled gently, flapping a rag on his shoulder. "Evenin' folks, what can I get ya?"
Mark gave him a nod. "I'll just take a pint of ale."
"Got it," the bartender turned to Grace. "What about you ma'am?"
"Do you have any soju, or any Korean drinks?"
The bartender raised an eyebrow. "English pub, English drinks."
She pouted, but quickly recovered. "Just get me a cup of ale then. Or pint, whatever."
"Got it miss," he nodded, and went off to make them their drinks. Mark was surprised that she drank. Even though most of Team Rainbow did go out drinking, Grace wasn't usually present with any groups, albeit joined every other occasion where they had fun.
The sudden clinking of glass interrupted his thoughts. The bartender made it aware that the drinks were served and went off to help the next customer. Grace got quick to try her drink, but quickly winced once it entered her taste.
"Ugh! How can you drink this?" She pointed at the glass confused. "This taste like piss!"
"This is prime ale," Mark smiled as he took a rather large gulp of his glass, stunning the shorter Korean woman. "You probably can't handle your drinks too well."
Grace made a face and narrowed her eyes. "Says you, I just drink real alcohol, not this stuff."
Mark rolled his eyes, it'll be a long night at the pub. Grace took the glass and drank some more, her face contorted into disgust and agony with every gulp she took. Mark was nearly halfway done with his drink, something that a competitive person like Grace didn't like seeing. She took a hefty gulp of her ale, her face scrunched the entire time as she tried not to throw all of it back up.
"Grace, slow down," Mark warned. "You're gonna make yourself sick."
Grace paid no attention. The glass was already a quarter empty after thirty seconds of arduous drinking. Her face began to blush and her nose reddened, a good sign this was not. Mark eased her arm down from her mouth and made Grace let go of the glass. "Grace, you're drinking too fast."
"Noo I'm not!" She pouted. "I'm 29 years old! I can handle my drinks."
It wasn't five minutes later when Mark held her hair back in front of a trash can. She vomited away what little alcohol she drank, some other patrons of the bar laughing at her lightweight-ness. Mark didn't pay any attention really, not when Grace sounded like she was dying. "Jesus, we've only been out for thirty minutes. It's not even nine yet."
"Take me back home! I wanna go home!" Grace grimaced. "I need to sleep!"
"Okay, let's get back to base then."
Slumping her over his shoulder easily, Mark carried the poor drunk girl back to his car and placed her in the passenger's seat gently. He went in to click her seatbelt in when she vomited all over his seat. Mark sighed in disgust, and thanked whatever was in power that she missed his hands. "I-I'm Sorry, really."
Even through her slurring, there still that little hint of cuteness that made Mark blush. He opened her window to let the smell out and started the car, heading off to base. A few minutes in, there wasn't any conversation between them, the silence growing increasingly awkward. He glanced over to make sure she was alright, not disappointed with what happened already.
She was asleep, snoring softly against the seatbelt. Mark sighed, he didn't expect that the date would come out like this in a million years. Including the vomit in the car floor.
"Grace?" He said. She simply muttered gibberish and shifted to a more comfortable position. This wasn't the intended result of this "date" at all, but at least he spent some time with her.
When they reached the base and passed by the common room, Mark pretended he didn't hear the snickers and whispers of the other operators. Frankly, their opinions on what happened meant shit. It didn't stop James from joking the second he saw Mark carrying her bridal style.
"Already mate? You got married and you didn't invite any of us, what a friend you are."
Mark gave a scowl. "Blow it out of your ass you bastard."
Even when he walked away from the common room and out of sight, James kept chuckling heartily to himself. "What a bugger, no one can take a joke anymore."
There was a single figure watching away from the corner of the room that never took his eyes away from Mark, even when they left the room. His eyes didn't leave the doorway until the people in the room seem to forget that the two were even in the room. Like a whisper, his figure slipped away from the corner and followed to the doorway, going into the dorms.
A/N: Yeah, I'm not dead.
This past few weeks have been either busy, or lazy. I recently joined the Army, and I was busy with that for a couple of weeks, and I finally graduated highschool just last week so I've been enjoying summer break. That means not much writing going on at all.
But that won't mean it's the end of my writing career, though my recent update times are worrying to say the least. I'll be focusing on producing more works in the future, albeit on a slower pace.
Under the Rainbow is still in the works, and In Full Color is still accepting applications and nearly finished with the first chapter. I hope you all have a wonderful summer.
-Mister Bombastic