Whisky And Fire [Tony Stark]

Chapter 2. Arroz y Frijoles

Days passed. The man continued to consistently show up at the bar. His beard grew longer and his hair grew greasier. He was a walking plane crash. The bartender looked on worriedly as he came in each day. She took his money reluctantly and gave him what he asked for.

On a particularly slow day he showed up as she sat on her stool reading a car magazine.

"Doing a little shopping?" He asked with mock interest. She shrugged.

"Maybe." She hopped off the stool and towards the rows of alcohol. "Same as usual?" He grunted in response.

"So how long have you owned this place?" He asked taking a sip of the alcohol she handed him. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"5 years." He whistled.

"Damn. You Mustve been young when you started out."

"17" His eyebrows raised a bit.

"Wow." The girl left his side to tend to another man who had sauntered in. A sleezy fellow who owned the pawn ship a few doors down. His name was Eddie and he didn't show up for the drinks.

"Heyya Rocio." Eddie said with the waggle of his eyebrows. "Came back to see if you'd changed your mind about that dinner next week." She shook her head.

"If I had changed my mind don't you think I would have called you? I have plenty of receipts In the back that you've written your number down on." Rocio said with a smirk. Eddie frowned.

"Boys don't like rude girls Rocio. Didn't your momma ever teach you that?" He asked with a sneer. Rocio cocked an eyebrow and her hand went to her hip.

"Good thing I don't go after boys, I go after men." He huffed a bit.

"Now listen here you dirty fence hopper-"

*WHAM*

Rocio stood stunned as Eddie was now on the floor clutching his bleeding nose. The man from the corner stood above him stretching out his fingers. His tie was askew and his hair ruffled. She looked up incredulously at him.

"You didn't have to do that." She said shocked.

"Are you complaining?" He said cracking his sore knuckles. She shook her head quickly.

"I could've done it myself." He shrugged.

"Guess I saved you a sore hand then." He sauntered back over to his original seat and took a swig of his drink. Still stunned, Rocio headed to wear he was sitting. Eddie, clutching his nose, ran out the door.

"Next rounds on me." She told the dark haired stranger.

"Appreciate it." He said sarcastically. Rocio warily poured the man another drink. With that punch he had demonstrated he was definitely more than he seemed. Somebody had taught him how to punch, somebody dangerous.

"Rocio." She said holding out a hand. The man looked at it for a while before she dropped it awkwardly.

"So it's not dirty fence hopper?" He said with a chuckle. A small smirk spread across her face.

"That's my stripper name." She said sassily. He let out a chuckle.

"Well damn. I just punched a man just for addressing you properly. What a waste." The man jerked a hand towards the door. "Does that happen often?" Rocio nodded.

"Its a bad neighborhood. I'm used to it by now. Usually Lonnie would be here to intimidate the riff raff. But I let him have the day off." Rocio grabbed a cloth that was hanging on a hook. She began to wipe down the counter of any spills.

"Huh." He said with mock surprise. He downed the rest of his drink in a gulp. "Ill get another." With a sigh Rocio poured him another and watched as he threw it back.

Drink after drink went until he was swaying slightly on his stool. Rocio shook her head as he stumbled toward the door. He said nothing as he made his way out to a fancy car that had pulled up in front of the bar. She was baffled at the luxury of this man. She couldn't help feel like she knew him, and yet she couldn't place it.

Rocio sighed and went and flipped the open sign around. After checking the register and sweeping the floors, she grabbed her jacket and locked up. She went around back to her old and breaking Ford escort and cranked the engine. Rocio was lucky that her apartment was only a few blocks from her bar. On the days her car couldn't start she'd walk over, and those days were becoming more and more frequent. She pulled into her parking space and made her way up the 4 flights of stairs to her 2 bedroom apartment.

"Hola Ma!" She yelled as she closed the door behind her. She hung up her jacket on the rack next to the door and headed into the living room. The old mexican woman sat on the couch facing the TV.

"Hola Mija." She said without looking up from the TV.

"¿Qué estás viendo?" What are you watching? Rocio asked as she pulled a soda from her fridge.

"Senor de Los cielos." Narcos and drug lords.

"¿Que tal tu día?" How was your day? Rocio walked behind the couch and gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Bueno. Y usted?" Good, and you? Her mom returned her kiss and continued watching her show.

"Bueno." Good. Rocio leaned on the edge of the couch. "¿Ha comprobado las noticias de hoy?" Have you checked the news today? The old woman shook her head.

"No. Demasiada gente blanca bullshit." No. Too much white people bullshit. She said with a chuckle. Rocio sighed and headed into her room. She flipped the channels on her TV until she came to the national news channel.

"Ever since the escape of wanted assassin James Buchanan Barnes, it seems the Avengers are all missing." Rocio cocked an eyebrow. "The whereabouts of Captain America and his other team members are still unknown."

"What about the billionaire Tony Stark?" Another reporter asked.

"No word from him. They say he's locked up in his tower. This may be the end of the Avengers as we know it."

Rocio clicked off the TV and sighed. Ever since the events of the Accords, superheros seemed to be disappearing more often. She couldn't say she cared too much however, she knew many people who died in the battle of New York. Good people.

"Rocio ! Hice arroz y frijoles ! necesitas comer. ¡Eres flaco!" Rocio! I made rice and beans! You need to eat. You are skinny! Rocio sighed and headed back out to eat her dinner.