Neena Thurman is getting too old for this shit (godplaysdice) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2018-02-10 21:55:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, neena thurman (domino), yondu udonta |
Who: Neena, Yondu
What: New Year's Eve kisses that go a bit wonky, 'cause of course
When: 12/31 into 1/1
Where: Neena's Bar, The Inferno
Rating/Warnings: R, because it's them.
Status: Complete!
There were no party hats or glasses of champagne at one of Neena’s parties, even if it was New Year’s Eve. Gigantic bottles of whiskey and girls in tight jeans wearing skimpy leather vests on top? Sure. Neena was definitely in one of them. She’d hired a couple of ‘flair’ bartenders to do tricks while they poured, ordered in plenty of extra stock, and filled her roster up with anyone on her payroll that wanted to work that night.
The result? She only had to work if she wanted to. Instead, she was shooting pool in between rounds of shots. When Yondu came in that night she waved him over. “I was wonderin’ when you were gonna show up. Even saved your favorite seat. Look, I put a sign on it that says ‘Yondu’s Seat, Trespassers will be shot . Figured I’d leave it up to you who gets to do the shooting. I’ve got blanks in the back.”
Neena held up a little plastic bowl that had a square of blue jello in it, “Jello shot? This one’s raspberry twist vodka and some rum in it. There’s whiskey, too. Not in jello form, though.”
The last New Year's Eve 'party’ Yondu had gone to was back in Missouri when he was still a cop. In the small one-stoplight town there really wasn't a good party to go to.The boys had bought all his drinks at the local watering hole then dragged him half drunk to the strip joint in the neighboring town where they thought it'd be great fun combining his retirement celebrations with New Year’s. All Yondu remembered was some glittered up chick named Candy wishing him a happy New Year and a helluva hangover the next day and a half. It was then he knew he was too old for this shit. Let the young pups throw money at the titty bars and drink till they were stupid. Yondu knew his limits.
That being said, he wasn't against celebrating his lingering humanity at Neena's. He'd enjoyed waking up without looking at a technicolor blue face in the mirror, or having to deal with a mouth that would have given any dentist a nervous breakdown. Being able to go anywhere without having to remember to switch the image inducer on was the best part. The freedom had been exhilarating, so much so he'd invited Neena to do a ride along a few days ago to help him catch his latest bounty.
He sauntered into the bar, dusting snow off of his shoulders with a shrug. He frowned. Already the place was too crowded for his tastes. He was glad he was taller than most folks, but as much as you could take the man out of the small town, you really couldn’t take the small town out of the man; give Yondu a small bar with a few regulars that said little but drank much and he was a happy man. His eyebrows did raise at the chicas with skimpy vests and skintight jeans. Well, well. Definitely better than the Hipster and Millennial clients he didn't care for seeing each week. Nice work, Neena.
Squeezing his way past people he made it to the back side of the bar, halfway between looking snarly and relieved.
He'd decided on wearing his Ravager outfit, since it was literally the 'fanciest’ thing he owned. He'd keep the Ravager jacket on for as long as he could though; he was more self conscious of the somewhat clingy pants in his human form and the coat hid his backside completely. “Can't I just shoot some of these folk who don't know how to move out of the damn way?” He smirked a little, picking up the sign and then grinning. He set it on the bar proudly and settled into his seat. Then his expression changed completely as he saw Neena was wearing the same thing some of her staff were, and he couldn't help but let his eyes linger here and there for a heartbeat or two where his eyes probably shouldn't have. It was just...she looked amazing.
“Well don’t you clean up nice,” he teased. Neena always looked good in his opinion, but this was a nice change. Especially the vest.
His nose wrinkled and he looked at the squiggly blue cube dubiously. “Jello shots? What, am I in college now?” If she wanted him to try it he would, but just for her. Otherwise he was all about the whiskey.
Neena arched a brow at him, looking as flattered as she felt, and then smirked. She wasn't complemented often, and had no idea what to do with them when they seemed sincere. Yondu was the kind of guy who didn't really bullshit around unless he was telling one of his tall bounty hunting tales, so there was a good chance he was telling the truth.
"Thanks for noticing, I guess... but hey, you sure don't. You do look like a guy who has enough of a sense of humour to devour something as bright ass blue as he used to be? But look, I'll pour you a whiskey if you prefer. It's your party, I just work here."
Yondu smirked back, eyes expressing amusement at her words as he plucked the cube from the dish. “Damn, I think I was brighter blue than even this.” He popped it into his mouth, making a face that read “Not bad.” as the jello rolled around in his mouth and dissolved, the burn of the alcohol making itself known. When he finished it he tipped his chin at the pool cue in her hand. “You in the middle of a game?” He was fairly good at billiards, and realized he hadn't played since moving to the OC. There was something about having to play with new people - essentially strangers, that he didn't care for. But Neena wasn't a stranger.
"See? They’re pretty damn good, aren’t they?" She encouraged, when she could see the alcohol was hitting his mouth. Jello shots were legit, even if they did seem to be more for kids in college than anyone else. But she nodded her head at him and pulled out two glasses, "Sure was. Mostly playing with myself, though. There's enough staff on that I get to relax for a change. Maybe you want to join me?"
Neena poured some of her best whiskey into the glasses and pushed one over to him, then picked hers up and dangled it in the air. "Maybe we could make it interesting. Little New Year's Eve bet?"
“They're all right. Still can't beat a glass of Jack.” He smiled. His smile grew as he watched Neena procure a bottle of the good stuff for them both. “Now that's more like it.”
Yondu raised an eyebrow at her proposal, taking a sip first before answering. Damn that was some fine whiskey, the burn was just right. “What'd you have in mind?”
"WELL..." Neena grinned at him, the kind of dangerous one that meant she was definitely up to something evil. "If I win this game of pool, we go back into my office and play out a reenactment of evil mistletoe night. And if you win... I don't know, what do you want? Free whiskey for a week?"
She left it a little open ended, eager to see what else he might ask for. Whiskey for a week was definitely a nice prize, but she could think of better things to ask for.
Ever since that day of the evil mistletoe Yondu had wondered if Neena was a little sweet on him. He knew after the fact that the urge to kiss for the both of them had been the result of this OC madness he was growing accustomed to...but even so. He just wondered. He wasn’t a particularly attractive man, he knew that. Yondu was rough around the edges both in looks and personality, and he mostly kept to himself, social graces never having been his thing. But Neena had been the first woman in a long time to give a damn for what he had to say without immediately pegging him as some dumb hick, and genuinely seemed to enjoy his company, and he really enjoyed hers.
So her proposal floored him. Not that he let it show, of course. He was too much of a badass for that, or so he told himself. He smiled almost coyly behind the whisky glass as he took another sip, delaying answering her on purpose. He let his eyes wander this time on purpose just to be a tease, though really she looked so damned fine in that vest, and was sure if he could see the rest of her the jeans would be equally as much a turn on.
Finishing the whiskey slowly, he set the glass down, eyebrows raised in appreciation of the idea she was proposing as he leaned against the bartop. “Now how’m I gonna top some one on one time with the hottest bartender in these parts?” He chuckled. “I should just let you win.” But he knew she genuinely wanted to make the game fun, so he thought about it, the hand holding the glass toying with it, turning it in place. “But...to make it interesting...if I win,” he dragged it out a few seconds more just to mess with her, blue eyes full of mischief. “Your best whiskey for two weeks.” He laughed, knowing how stupidly misleading he had probably appeared. “And,” he added pointing, “you gotta wear this when I ask you out few days from now.” He slid the glass slowly across the bar for a refill.
She hadn't even known how badly she'd wanted to place their little wager until Yondu'd left her hanging like that. Neena watched him ruminate on the idea, her sharp eyes taking in the way he spun his glass, the motion of his eyes as they wandered all around. Some part of her stomach almost started doing nervous butterflies as she realised that it was possible she'd read the signs all wrong.
After all, it had been a long time since she'd done this little dance with someone. Not the meaningless sex dance, that one was easy. But the one where she actually liked a guy? That one was hard. Neena was rusty, though she'd never admit it. She only hoped her expression stayed as confident as she'd felt in the beginning.
Thankfully, he finally accepted and she could take a breath she didn't even know she was holding. Neena cracked a grin and took the glass from him. "You're gonna ask me out, huh? Well damn, I almost want to let YOU win now. But we'll just have to see who's got more skill."
She motioned towards the pool table she'd been playing at. "We've got a bet. Lets go rack up a fresh set of balls."
Yondu’s smirk grew into a genuine grin at that. Well okay then, they were on the same page. It felt good having that confirmation that she was interested in him. At least enough for a possible date.
Yondu got up from his seat and went to move past Neena as if heading to the table, but stopped short, just an inch or so into her personal space. He looked at her, all charm in his expressive blue eyes - and reached for the whiskey bottle without breaking eye contact. He poured the glass, then sipped it, before heading to the table with a chuckle. “I need some fortification. I ain’t played pool in a long ass time.” He strode over to the table, setting the whiskey glass down on the edge before plucking a cue stick from the wall and rubbing some chalk on it.
"That's damn confident, stealing my whiskey bottle like that. You don't own the bar yet, Yondu." Neena groused, though she was grinning as she spoke and grabbed a glass for herself in the process. Why not get a little more buzzed? No matter which way this wager went, Neena was pretty sure she was winning. Sure, she might have to get a little more gussied up than she usually bothered with if he won, but maybe that was worth it, all things considered.
She set her own glass down on the edge of the table, and started gathering up all the pool balls, some of which she'd shot into pockets before he'd arrived. There was a way you were supposed to set them all up before 'breaking' them, and she spent a few seconds twitching them into place that, before the dreams, she wouldn't have bothered with. "I'll set 'em up, you break? Then we can get this party started."
“Sounds like a plan.” Yondu smiled, blowing on the tip of the cue to get the excess chalk off. Once Neena was done arranging the balls, he placed the white cueball onto the green felt of the table; leaning down over the table, he lined up the stick and took his shot. The ball hit hard with a sharp smack, but didn't roll any further, while the colored balls scattered all over the table. The purple 4 ball rolled into the right corner pocket. “Solids.” Yondu called. He lined up his next shot, this time taking more time, the way he held the cue and how his fingers rested on the table coming back to him via muscle memory. Shooting again the cue ball stuck his solid ball target perfectly, and the cue ball rocketed off at an angle while the green solid ball snapped into one of the side pockets.
“So,” he said by way of conversation as he set up his next shot, circling the table ponderously. “You do a Five K yet?” He smirked, referencing Neena's miraculously healed knee. He leaned down to shoot again, but he could see the shot was trickier and his coat sleeves were going to be a problem and could move some of the balls. He tried pushing them up but that limited his arm movement. Growling a “dammit” he leaned the stick against the table and pulled the long Ravager jacket off. “I swear to god I don't know how dream me gambles in this thing.” Granted the universe had a variety of games that weren't as intricate as pool.
Taking up the stick again he went back to lining up his shot, leaning over and squinting, imagining the 'ghost ball’. Striking the cue ball it hit the striped ball which in turn knocked his colored ball towards a corner pocket. Where it stopped just on the edge. “Oh come on!”
"Dream you is probably just about eight times cooler than you are, that's all," Neena joked. Her own dream self could have won this pool game in under three shots, and that definitely seemed cooler than what was going on right now for her. Mysterious and sometimes ambiguous 'luck powers' sounded like a pretty good way for things to turn out. Better than some mutations she'd read about in the dreams. Like bug wings. Who the hell needed bug wings?
Her eyes watched Yondu at work, not just the pool table but also the man himself, and she smirked as she started lining up her own shots in her head. "But nah, not a whole Five K. That just seems like way too much work. I've definitely run a few miles before work, though, when I could. Inside, since... fuck all of this snow. Got myself a fancy treadmill."
Neena patted his shoulder as the solid ball smacked the edge of the table, then blew some extra chalk off of her own stick and got to work. The orange striped ball was right next to the cue ball, and she decided to ignore that potential opportunity, instead shooting it down towards the other end of the table, knocking two solids into a blue stripe that dunked itself into the corner pocket.
“Come on now, play nice. A man's ego’s liable to be bruised.” he smirked. “Though...actually yeah, he is kinda a badass.” Yondu was a cop in this life, one of the good guys. In the dreams, he was on the other side of the law - and flourished.
“Did you now?” he grinned. “It got a screen and everything?” Yondu got his daily running in just chasing his bounties. He could never understand how people could just run in place on a treadmill.
It was Yondu’s turn to play spectator, so he did, taking a step back from the table to let Neena find her angle. It also gave him the opportunity to see that indeed, she had the same tight jeans on as the rest of her female staff. Eyebrows went up as he appraised her ass in those jeans, especially when she leaned over to take her shot. Goddamn. Reminded him of a country song by Trace Adkins.
He managed to refocus in time at the crack of the cue ball to see how the balls scattered. Still her turn. He wandered around to the other side of the table and took his glass to take a sip. “Nice.” And now that song was stuck in his head, he smirked behind his glass.
Neena rose to her feet and picked up some chalk, catching his eyes with hers as she ground it around on top of her pool cue. "If I did bruise your ego, I'd just have to kiss it and make it better," she said, while smirking dangerously. She blew the chalk off and started scoping out her next shot, though her mind was more on the conversation than the game.
"My knee couldn't handle pounding the pavement before it magically healed up. Been to plenty of physical therapy - maybe not as many appointments as I should, but he's been on my ass to get a treadmill for years. So at least he's happy. I guess I never need to see him again, though. It's got a screen so you can watch videos and shit while you do it. And a drink holder, which is always nice." That was more than she usually mentioned about her life before the bar, and she shrugged her shoulder as if shrugging the thoughts away. "Fuck, that sounds white collar levels of boring, doesn't it? Thank god you're around to keep me honest."
She lined up another shot and the balls went flying, scattering around but just missing any of the pockets. "Shit. See, that's what I get, right there."
His blue eyes locked with hers but he didn’t miss a thing - like how she ground the chalk onto the stick or the shape of her lips as she blew. And that smirk! Hot. Damn. He wanted to say something clever, but he was too caught up in the momentary eye sex.
Yondu laughed. “I probably got more broken bones an’ messed up muscles n’ ligaments than I care to know about. Ain’t never been to no physical therapy. Unless drinking counts. Y’know, carrying out those six packs from the Kroger and all.” He grinned widely. “So you’re a better person than me for even botherin’.”
He smirked and mimicked her shoulder pat when she didn’t make a pocket. “S’alright darlin’, you’ll get another chance. Maybe.” Now his swagger was coming into focus as he got into the game; Yondu circled the table like a predator trying to figure out the best way to take out its prey. He carefully stalked, pausing to analyze an angle, before moving again. Finally finding what he was looking for, he leaned far over the table to take what looked like an impossible shot. A crack and the cue ball rocketed forward, propelling a solid into two more and sending each of the latter into separate pockets. He let out a victorious cackle. “Aw yeah, now it’s all comin’ back to me.” He shook his shoulders and rolled his neck. “Hope you’re ready for that date,” and he winked at her before lining up his next shot.
"I like this overconfidence you've got going for you," Neena snarked. The date was probably a foregone conclusion whether he won or not, if she was honest. They had chemistry that neither of them was willing to deny and Neena just had a thing for guys like him. Cocky, rough around the edges, badassed guys.
Maybe she didn't need to mind if he won. But Neena could be fiercely competitive when she wanted to be, and she really, really, wanted that kiss. So she leaned back against the table and raised her arms over her head, stretching out her shoulders. The action moved a few of her nicer body parts around.
It never hurt to use what you had to get ahead a little, she figured. "You're just over there crowing like some damn cocky roosters. I ever tell you I'm scared of chickens? Are you trying to run me off, Yondu? Is that it?"
He'd been busy seriously lining up his shot when out of the corner of his peripheral vision he noticed movement. Eyes shifting over to Neena he watched as she stretched slowly, like a lithe cat. His breath hitched at the sight and he had to blink himself into focus again. “What?” He said stupidly after a moment. He recalled something about chickens. “You? You're scared’a chickens?” It sounded more like a statement than a question. He went back to his shot, but half his attention was on the curves before him that weren't billiard balls. Taking his shot he clipped the cue ball and it spun almost listlessly. He swore under his breath in an alien language. “You did that on purpose.” He accused, pointing the cue stick at Neena. Yondu wasn't afraid to call people out, no matter how hot they looked.
"Maaaaybe I did it on purpose," Neena purred. She wasn't even slightly perturbed by the way he was calling her out, and simply shrugged it off. "Maybe you need to learn to be less distracted by my feminine wiles. I mean, I did grow up learning how to use those as a weapon and this pool game may as well be combat."
Neena winked at Yondu, then put her eyes back on the game. "And I'm not the only one being distracting, either. You know how to catch a lady's eyes and don't you deny it."
This was going to be a close game, but Yondu's messup with the cue ball allowed her to set up a few easy shots, and she stared at the table, mentally visualizing the ricochet of the balls and how the shots would all line up. That was, of course, if they all landed, or if Yondu didn't decide turnabout was fair play.
"But I really am seriously scared of chickens, for the record," She admitted, as she took her shot.
“Me?” he said, incredulous. He looked himself over, then smirked. “I ain’t nothin’ but an old dog in fancy threads.” If Ravagar fashion could be considered ‘fancy’. He watched Neena as she figured out her next move, picking up his whiskey and finishing it in a swig. His Ravager side was calculating his next move to get her to lose or just to distract her, though the human side of him wasn’t quite sure how that would turn out. In the far flung parts of the galaxy his dreams took place, seduction took strange forms and his reputation as a Ravager usually preceded him, helping him bed ladies without even having to try. Not that he was trying to seduce Neena, but he didn’t exactly have much of a physique to distract her with to get her to mess up her turn. Charm would have to do, then, and that part the Ravager knew well. Charisma had gotten him out of jams, given him and his crew perks at various outlaw hangouts, and helped him cheat others out of all sorts of things.
He swaggered along around the perimeter of the table to where she stood, eyes crinkling in the corners in amusement, mouth set in a slight, crooked smile. “Now what’n th’hell did chickens ever do to you to get you so scared?” he said, walking slowly around her all up in her personal space, “You’re a badass. You kick ass and take names. They’re just birds, cluckin’ and peckin’ at the dirt all day long. You gonna tell me you can’t even hold an itty bitty little fluffy yellow chick?” He pouted, blue eyes all puppy dog, cupping his hands over the other as if holding an invisible one between them. He’d grown up in rural areas - first in Alabama then in Missouri. All Yondu had known was farmland and country living.
"Well I- what? A chick? Are you seriously giving me the puppy eyes right now?" Neena scrunched her nose up at him, utterly baffled by this turn of events. Her shot sent the cue ball skittering down to the other end of the table, knocking a stripe into back corner and then giving the nearby eight ball a love tap. That had been close and not at all the shot she'd prepared, and she snorted out her nose.
"They STARE at you. And they chase you! Maybe not the little... fluffy... I've never seen a fluffy little chick, I have no idea if I'd like that or not. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad. But grown chickens are terrifying. And you're lucky I still hit one of my own balls into that damned pocket. Distracting me with your damned handsome blue eyes, making me think about cute things..." She muttered to herself while going for more chalk. Yondu was just as good at throwing someone off their game as she was. Neena had a momentary thought about how well they'd do playing couples pool against someone else.
Too bad pool hustling wasn't kosher. Especially when you were the person that ran the bar. "You owe me a kiss just for that, whether I win or not."
Yondu grinned broadly and laughed. He was flattered for one thing, and amused he actually managed to make her screw up. “Maybe I should bat these baby blues every time you make a shot then.” He winked mischievously. “And for the record, chickens don't chase you none unless you piss ‘em off. I grew up on farms or near 'em my whole life. Chickens ain't the ones you gotta worry about. Try not gettin’ stuck by a bull or even a steer. Those are the real assholes.”
Picking up her glass from the table he asked, wiggling the glass, “Refill?” He was still thirsty.
"But cows always seem so quiet and peaceful in comparison. Like unless they're in bullfighting arenas, where I figure they're provoked." Neena blinked her eyes at him for a few moments, trying to process that and also the idea of Yondu fluttering his eyes at her. When her brain was done with that, she realised she must have done something to piss the chickens of her youth off, and she scowled. "I definitely need a refill. What the hell can someone do to piss a chicken off, anyway? Did I insult their feathers or something? Can they even speak english!?"
There was no way her game was going to recover from all of these crazy trains of thought now. Her dream self would managed it by now, but she just didn't have that kind of luck. Other luck, maybe. You could do worse than a guy like Yondu being interested in you, for starters.
And maybe it wasn't the end of the world if he won. She glanced around the bar, noticing the clock and the growing excitement in the air as the new year started to tick over. Maybe after he got that refill for them, she could sink the 8 ball and they could toast in the new year.
Yondu laughed. “There's cows an’ there's steers. Two different things. Cows are female. Steers and bulls are male and the ones you get steak from. And gotta run from when it's breedin’ time. Ain't nothing’s nastier than a bull who thinks the whole damn farm is his.” He headed over to the bar and refilled their drinks, glancing at the TVs and the crowd as he did. The excitement was palpable, the roar steadily growing as the countdown clock looked to be two minutes away from midnight.
Heading back to the table he handed Neena her drink. “Roosters can be territorial. Maybe you just stepped in the wrong part of his turf.” He shrugged and sipped his drink. “Two minutes shy of New Year's darlin’, better hurry up. Don't wanna break tradition and not kiss at midnight.” He smirked behind his glass. It'd be nice sharing New Year's with a woman like Neena instead of a bunch of rowdy drunk friends and strippers.
"Getting antsy for that kiss, Yondu?" Neena asked, smirking at him. It wasn't as if she was any less antsy for it, if the truth was told, and she thanked her lucky stars that one of the things they weren't all dealing with was that strange thing where people couldn't tell a lie.
She reached for her own glass, making sure her hand made contact with his before lifting it away to take a very long sip. Even longer a sip than she might have taken normally, just to tease him. In fact, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye that told him she was drawing it out on purpose.
Then she set it down and went to line up her shot. It was probably the best shot she was ever going to take that night, simply because she had to make the 8 ball look like an accident. Luck be a lady... she thought to herself, as she cracked her pool stick against the cue ball.
“Can you blame me? Pretty thing like you givin’ me looks all night.” He smirked right back, eyes locked with hers. He hadn't wanted to kiss a woman this badly since his first shore leave back when he was in the Marines.
A small thrill went through him when she touched his hand; like an electric current it shot through him and made the need for that kiss all the more urgent. It wasn't like they'd never come in contact before but for some reason this moment felt different. Maybe it was the whiskey talking. Maybe not.
His smirk grew across his face as she drew out her sip, and he finally quirked a brow. Was she really going to torment him like this? But then she was putting down her drink and tending to the table, so Yondu said nothing and just decided to enjoy the view.
The cue ball skittered around the table and hit one of Yondu's striped balls, which ricocheted off of one of her solids, and sent it flying. Three seconds later that solid ball hit the 8 ball right into the left side pocket. Neena blinked at her own handiwork, wondering if her luck powers had actually been at work - though most people would have called that shot the most unlucky shot that night.
She screwed her lips up in mock annoyance, and reached for her glass. "Well, shit. You couldn't replicate that shot again if you tried."
Neena winked over at him, "I guess you win after all, but maybe we both win."
Yondu couldn't believe that shot either. And his luck. Now he had a hot date to look forward to in the New Year.
Which seemed imminent judging by the increasing chanting of the bar. 10...9...8…
“Lucky us.” He grinned, crossing the distance between them in a few swaggering strides. 7...6… people were shouting. Reaching out he pulled her close. It felt just like that time with the evil mistletoe, that same unspoken energy between them, but this time it came naturally and not from some damned enchanted plant. “Pucker up gorgeous.”
There could have been some kind of witty reply to that. Neena was especially known for making any more serious moment into something less serious, as quickly as was humanly possible. But at that moment the clock was still ticking down, Yondu was right there, so close the energy from his body was making her skin tingle, and she was just damn happy that there wasn't any evil mistletoe to cheapen the moment.
She swung her arms around him as the crowd shouted, 3... 2... 1.... And then the whole bar was screaming 'HAPPY NEW YEAR'. Crackers were going off, music was playing, alcohol was being toasted, but the only thing going on as far as Neena cared was a kiss so good that the world could have ended and she'd never have noticed. Yondu's lips tasted like the whiskey he'd poured them, he smelled fucking amazing, there were big strong arms around her...
Actually, the arms were slightly bigger than she remembered. And then she realised that they'd been involved in one of those legendarily amazing one-legged kisses, because her knee couldn't handle the weight and it crumpled underneath her. She broke it off then to let out a little gasp of pain, and flailed in the air, landing against him and his... really, honestly, amazingly muscular chest.
Now Yondu wasn't any slouch when it came to muscles, but he definitely suddenly seemed bulkier. Neena was glad of it, because it meant she had a rock to land against. "FUCK."
For his part, Yondu had been so immersed in that amazing kiss he hadn't even heard everyone shouting in the New Year. He was laser focused on Neena's soft lips and the feel of her arms around him and an overwhelming desire for it to never end, even if they ran out of air.
A vague discomfort suddenly washed over him, as if something bad was about to happen. He tried to ignore it. This was too damned good to interrupt. He deepened the kiss, enjoying the taste of whiskey on Neena's tongue and the feel of her leaning against him.
But then he felt it, from the inside out, a raw tingling sensation, as if his muscles suddenly decided they wanted to stretch. Stubbornly he kissed her through it, until Neena suddenly broke the liplock and cussed, falling into him.
His concentration broken, it was then he realized something was happening to him and he let out a sharp intake of breath as his body started shifting. All at once he felt his body stretching as it resized, his muscles bulking up a little, and his head felt cold suddenly. At the same moment, they were falling back against the pool table, and Yondu's back hit it as Neena fell into his arms. He let out an alien curse at the impact.
“You okay?” was his first response once he braced himself, holding onto Neena. He would have joked about her literally falling for him but he knew by how she'd dropped the F-bomb that she was in pain. He moved a hand to brush hair from her face when he noticed something.
“SONUVA BITCH!” He snarled. His hand was bright blue. Centaurian blue. He felt his head. His hair was indeed gone, replaced by the short electronic red fin embedded into his skull. He cussed up a storm under his breath. “Y'all couldn't have given it one more day?! Just one!” He bellowed at the ceiling. A few customers from the bar looked over curiously and instantly shock was on their features. Yondu's temper flared up and he barked at them like a Marine drill sergeant, “What're you lookin’ at?!” One went for his cell phone but before they could hit record Yondu whistled and the Yaka arrow zipped over through the air and hovered a millimeter in front of the guy's face. “Don't even try it! Your drunk ass needs to head home!”
"Godsfucking motherfucking damn it, Yondu..." Neena said, not knowing any alien tongues to cuss in, though she desperately wished that she did. Because then she could have let out a much more colorful sounding string of curse words as she tried to lift herself up off of him and onto her better leg.
Parts of the bar hadn't noticed Yondu's big blue alien features, caught up in their own celebrations, and Neena was grateful. But the ones that were staring weren't getting any more calm and the threat of bar violence was imminent. Worse, all of this shit had ruined a perfectly amazing moment. One that was tender and had started making her insides squish in that way that meant she was starting to develop... strings. That was an idea she’d have to handle on her own, much later and over a bottle of Patron.
For the time being, she tried to get ahead of this pending disaster going on in her bar.
"Alright, ALRIGHT! Hey, so there's some weird shit going on in my bar. If you don't like it? Leave. No one saw anything. No one talks about seeing anything. No one freaks out. No one gets pierced by arrows. Clear? Why don't we all just calm the fuck down for the next ten minutes and go back to partying so I can take a damned percocet." Neena waved for one of the bulkier servers to come around, just in case things got ugly.
Thankfully, no one on the staff that night was involved in the staring. Probably, Neena thought, as she muttered another few curses under her breath and braced herself on Yondu's shoulder, they knew she'd fire their asses.
Yondu growled a little at the reprimand but recalled the arrow, giving a short, loud whistle. He watched as it zipped towards him and at the last second raised his free arm and caught the arrow mid-flight with his hand, the movement pure muscle memory. He holstered it and turned his attention back towards Neena.
Looking down at her he helped her onto her good leg, his voice calm again as he spoke. He was in no mood to apologize for threatening a patron but he wasn't going to use that tone with Neena either, that was for sure. “Some timing this place has.” He groused, wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders so she could do the same and lean on him. “Some asshole in the sky is laughin’ at us. I ain’t no damned frog prince that's gotta keep changin’ every time I get kissed.” He paused and looked towards the rear of the bar. “I'ma take it your Percocet is in your office?”
"Sorry," Neena mumbled. She wrapped one strong arm around his muscled form and squeezed, quite enjoying the feel of him next to her and the bulk of the arm around her, but desperately wishing that this was better circumstances. "You have the right to pissed at him, Yondu, just didn't want a huge ass fight in here."
"Some fucking joke we're smack in the middle of. Every time we kiss you turn blue and I just bought one of those really expensive exercise bikes. Fuck all good it'll do me now. But yeah, the bottle's locked in a safe in my office." She glanced up at him and gave him a sheepish look, "Think you can drag an old soldier to her pain meds?"
“Probably wouldn't look too good with me bein’ a parole officer an’ everything anyways.” Yondu was sure the guy was about to piss himself when he saw he was on the business end of that arrow anyway, which gave him some satisfaction. Sometimes intimidation just worked better than a brawl.
“I could pick you up but not sure how that'd appear to the looky-loos.” Yondu smirked. He knew what it was like to have to maintain a badass reputation. So he walked with her slowly, step by step as if soldiers dragging themselves off the field of battle. Pushing open the door to her office he let her take it from there.