Aaron – Mr. Fluid

While the villains were hanging around Friday night, waiting for it to get late enough to go practice at the park, Aaron and Natalie were at a bar drinking themselves stupid. Again.

They had been doing this all week, starting Tuesday night. By now the bartender was on a first name basis and knew which drinks they would be ordering (and in what order) almost before they did. Plus, it helped that they tipped very generously.

The routine was the same each night. Drink while they either talked solely about Jak or avoiding bringing him up like the plague. Then, when drunk enough, Aaron would look for a fight, which Natalie said she’d like to watch for the entertainment. He hadn’t found one this week though, as during the weeknights there weren’t too many people partying. With Friday night finally here, Aaron had very high hopes.

The bar was full by 10 pm, and so were the two friends, who sat in the table section at the back of the bar. As surrounded as they were by anonymous people, they still felt alone.

An empty pitcher, and not the first, sat on the tall table in front of them, as well as a plate that still held the dregs of their nacho supreme. They had already discussed Jak at length, and were currently talking about everything but him. In fact, they were at the point of the night where they were hardly looking at each other; instead they let their eyes wander around the long, rectangle shaped bar, aimlessly drinking in the party crowd of Salt Lake City.

Natalie’s phone rang. It was Crystal. She ignored it.

“That one of the heroes?” Aaron asked, voice laced heavily with scorn and vodka. Since Monday he had begun looking down on any sort of heroics. Look where it had gotten his cousin.

“Yeah,” Natalie replied, turning her phone off and shoving it back into her purse. “They’re not so bad just because they want to be heroes, you know. They’re still our friends.”

“Then why are you ignoring their calls?”

Natalie blushed and lowered her eyes. “Because I don’t want to listen to their bullshit sympathy, that’s why.”

“So why hang out with me, then?” he pressed.

They were both more than a little drunk, and Natalie knew he didn’t mean any offense. “Because you knew Jak as well as I did. Better, probably. No one else understands him like you do, you know?”

Aaron was silent a moment. Then, “Yeah, I know.”

“So,” Natalie said, trying to break the tension. “with you it’s not a pity party. By the way, are you still on the prowl for a fight?”

“Hell yes. I have so much pent up aggression, you wouldn’t believe it.”

“You’re kidding, right? Like I don’t have just as much to get off my chest?” Natalie opened her purse again, this time digging around for her cigarettes.

“Then join me! We both know that with your ability-”

“That’s just it!” She broke in. “You think I want to show what I can do? May as well paint a goddamn target on my chest!” Eyes a little aflame from the strong emotion pumping through her, she stuck a smoke in her mouth and lit it. With her lighter.

“You’re right,” Aaron responded, chastened. “Sometimes I forget that what I can do is a little more, you know, subtle than you.”

“Fuckin’ right I’m right,” Natalie huffed. Aaron grinned, which was a rare thing for him these days.

At that moment a blessing walked in through the door, in the shape of three large, heavily muscled guys, looking like they had stepped directly from an Abercrombie and Fitch commercial into the bar. Each one of them had a challenging look in his eyes. Aaron’s smile got bigger.

“Looks like this night is going to end perfectly.” He raised his hand to signal the bartender for another round. Before his arm even cleared the table their waiter was there, setting down a fresh pitcher with a smile. Aaron thanked him profusely, in several different languages, and sent him on his way with a five dollar tip.

An hour and a half passed, in which Natalie and Aaron continued to drink, albeit just a little more slowly (they had started drinking before the sun went down). Aaron bided his time, keeping an eye on the bros, waiting for the perfect moment. The muscular trio had set up shop at one of the empty booths that lined the north wall opposite the bar counter.

During the course of the wait, Natalie and Aaron became consumed with making fun of everything about the trio. Aaron even named them, much to Natalie’s amusement. The tallest, blondest one he called ‘Chad’. The two ape henchmen got labeled ‘Brad’ and ‘Thad’. When Natalie asked where these names came from, all Aaron said was “Don’t they sound like jerkoffs going by name alone?” Natalie, when she could stop giggling long enough, voiced her agreement.

The moment to stir things up came to Aaron in the end. He didn’t even have to work for it.

One of the bros, tall Chad, came over to hit on Natalie, careless of whether or not Aaron was her boyfriend or just a drinking buddy. His pickup line was so bad that it made Natalie, and by extension Aaron, feel a little slimy. Natalie didn’t respond, just looked at Aaron and raised an eyebrow.

“I do believe the lady isn’t interested,” Aaron said loudly, the very picture of politeness and with hardly a slur to his words.

Chad turned to Aaron. “Nobody’s talking to you, pal. Why don’t you just mind your own business?”

“You’re talking to me now, aren’t you?” Aaron smiled innocently.

“If you don’t want me to break your face, back off!” His voice was raising little by little, enough to attract the attention of his two identically dressed friends, who looked on with interest. Brad went so far as to crack his knuckles theatrically.

Aaron stood up slowly, leaning in close enough to the strong-jawed antagonist to smell a variety of colognes. “I think I’d love to see you try that.”