Work Text:
“Hey! Anita!”
Anita glances back, despite knowing who’s calling her. Before she can turn the full way, there’s a weight on her shoulders as Ajay leans on her. Her chin is on the top of Anita's head with her arms on both sides.
“Lifeline,” Anita answers without thinking.
“Ajay. We ain't in the battle right now.” She gives Anita a squeeze around the shoulders before sliding into the seat beside her. “How’s your arm?”
Anita lifts the arm in question and flexes. The injury Ajay mentioned is just a small scar now; she’d burned herself cooking. It’s not even a battle scar. But Ajay had been nearby and patched her up.
“All healed.”
Ajay bites her lip as her eyes travel over Anita’s muscular arm before reaching out to bring her fingertips over the scar. “Looks good.”
Anita can see a bit of pink high on Ajay’s cheeks. “You already drinking?”
“Nah, just got here.” She scoots her bar stool a bit closer and nudges Anita’s side. “Though I won’t say no if you buy me one. Doesn’t Elliot work here?”
Anita flags for a drink for Ajay. “He’s not working today. I think I saw about five of him in a booth with Bloodhound.”
“Pah. Where’s he at?”
Anita gestures to the corner of the bar. The booth seems crowded. Bloodhound is on one side and about three Elliots fill the rest of it. Two Elliots chat with each other, one of whom has a fruity drink in his hand. Anita would bet, though, that the real Elliot is the one with an arm swung over Bloodhound’s shoulders.
“Fills the space, I suppose,” Ajay comments. “And keeps people from buggin’ them.”
“I don’t think I could stand overloading someone with three of me.”
Ajay leans her chin in her hand with her elbow on the table. “Dunno. The world would be a lot brighter with more of you. But the original would always better.”
Anita feels like she should blush at the compliment. Out of everyone she’s met, Ajay is the best at giving genuine compliments that have nothing to do with Anita's skill in fighting. Not that she's ashamed of her ability to fight, but it's nice to hear something other than “good aim”.
She never sure how to respond, but the smile she dons seems to be enough.
Ajay nudges her side again. “You know, I could use a practice partner on the range. Gets boring taking shots at targets on my own.”
Anita starts to respond with an affirmative, maybe even planning a time they could go to the shooting range, but she's interrupted before she can even begin.
“Lifeline.”
The voice is deep and gruff. Ajay scowls and looks back. Anita follows her gaze.
Caustic stands there. Anita hasn't bothered to learn his real name yet. And where she'd called Ajay “Lifeline” out of respect and habit, she uses “Caustic” because she doesn't care to find out more about this man.
Ajay hooks her fingers on the crook of Anita's elbow. Is she nervous, maybe? Anita doesn't mind it; she's used to how touchy Ajay is on a regular basis.
“Shift ya carcass, Caustic. Your company ain't wanted.”
Anita really doesn't like Caustic. She can sort of respect his skill on some level, but she has no interest in hanging out with him in a setting that isn't work. It seems like Ajay feels the same.
“Just here for a drink,” he says in that near growl of a voice.
Ajay ignores him and tugs on Anita's arm a bit. “You hungry?”
She's a bit surprised by the question but that doesn't stop her answer. “I could eat.”
Ajay pulls a bit harder in her arm until shes out if her seat. “Let's go for food. Maybe see if Elliot and Hound wanna join? Since the other company here is trash.”
Ajay really doesn’t like Caustic, it seems. But Anita shares the sentiment, so she lets Ajay guide her over to the booth where the small crowd of Elliots and Bloodhound are. Ajay slides through the Elliots across from Bloodhound. Both disappear and leave an empty spot beside Ajay for Anita to take beside her.
“Hey you two,” Ajay greets. “How's things?”
“Ajay! My favourite medic. And Anita as well, what's up. And things are good, I'm just trying to convince Bloodhound that I could outdrink them, I just don't want to.”
Anita snorts. “I believe that about as far as I-- Actually, about as far as Ajay can throw you since I could probably throw you a decent bit.”
“That’s rude.” Elliot pouts a bit.
“Elliot being a lightweight aside,” Ajay cuts in. “Anita and I were gonna go catch some dinner. Wanted to see if you two wanted to tag along.”
He perks up at that. “Oh, double date? We’re in.”
Anita gulps. Wait, is this supposed to be a date? Is that what Ajay meant for? Them to go on a date? It’s not that Anita doesn’t want to; she does. It’s just unexpected.
It hits Anita then. Ajay has definitely been flirting. A lot. Anita just isn’t wired so she recognizes it, not when they’re relationship has been work oriented this whole time. But the compliments, the little touches, it’s been in front of her, she’s just… an idiot.
Ajay, she notices, is turning a deep shade of red. So, to spare them both the embarrassment, she answers with a casual, “Cool. Where are we going?”
Ajay’s jaw drops the slightest bit, but Anita pretends not to notice.
“Dunno. It was your two’s idea, not ours.”
Ajay speaks up. “I know a place. Within walking distance.” Her face is still flushed a healthy pink, but she seems in good spirits still.
Elliot hops up. “We're going now?”
Ajay shoves Anita a bit to get her out of the booth. “Yeah.”
Anita sees Elliot grab Bloodhound's hand and pauses. She still has no idea if this was supposed to be a date or not, and she's not about to embarrass Ajay by asking outright. So, she offers her arm.
Ajay looks surprised but pleased and hooks on quickly. She's a warm spot against Anita's side. It's nice. She's much shorter than Anita but Anita has always sort of liked shorter women. It’s been a long while since she’s been able to go on a proper date with any woman, but she still isn’t sure if this is a proper date.
Ajay leads them to a nice little place that seems well patronized. The four get a booth in the corner. And whether or not this is supposed to be a date, Anita enjoys Ajay’s company at her side.
Elliot and Bloodhound excuse themselves after dinner. They walk off hand-in-hand. Anita watches them until they’re gone before looking over at Ajay.
“I… Have a question.”
Ajay just about chokes on her drink. She coughs and clears her throat. “What’s that?”
“Did you mean for this to be a date?”
She flushes bright red again and shrugs. “Not this time, no.”
Anita feels, well, disappointed. “Ah. Okay.”
She seems to notice the disappointment. “Not yet! At least. I… I was gonna ask you at the shooting range. That I was inviting you to when we were interrupted.”
“Oh!” That feels better. More hopeful. “Then… Would you like to go out for dinner tomorrow? Just us?”’
Ajay lights up at that. Her grin is ear to ear. “Yes!” She pops up and kisses Anita’s cheek. “I thought Elliot might have ruined it for me. I didn’t expect you to go along with it.”
She shrugs. “I didn’t see any harm in it. Go on a date with an attractive woman-- I don’t see any harm in that.”
Leaning against Anita’s side, Ajay looks up at her, coy. “If you think I look good now, wait for our date tomorrow night.”
Anita smiles. “I can’t wait.”