Rivals ➢ Iron Man [ON HOLD]

1.2

CHAPTER TWO

Awards Night

- - - - -

CAESARS PALACE
LAS VEGAS

Alcohol is bad.

Lara's voice echoed in Thea's mind as she eyed the amber liquid in front of her. It was sitting pretty in a crystal glass with two perfectly sized ice cubes. She was standing at the chair-less bar, waiting for Luck to finish in the men's bathroom. After four hours of hair and makeup, Thea was in a red gown, presentable for the award ceremony held at Caesars Palace. Luck was her ride, and as she found him walking out of the bathroom, she realised he was drunk. Her lips pressed together, before she exhaled through her nose. The young bartender had been waiting for her to start on her drink, to which she hadn't touched in the ten minutes it sat there. She gently pushed it away with the back of her hand and opened her clutch, pulling out a hundred dollar bill to cover for the drinks Luck had.

"Not even a sip?" The bartender questioned before he could stop himself. He saw people like Thea come in all the time. They would order a drink, never mind the type, and stare at it, as if they were waiting for the liquor to disappear or change colour. The night always ended the same, with the customer paying for a drink they hadn't touched. He took the bill from her hand and watched as she sent him a small smile.

"Not tonight. Keep the change." Thea raised a hand in goodbye, before spinning around on her heels and approaching the now disoriented driver.

"This... this is Vegas?" Luck slurred, trying to tuck his white dress shirt into his black trousers. His eyes surveyed the mass of centre tables and neon lights throughout the first floor of Caesars Palace. Everyone was dressed to impress. The glitter and sequins on some women's clothing was enough to send Luck's head in a dizzy spiral.

Thea took ahold of Luck's shoulders, and guided him through the crowds. "You're too drunk to gamble, Luck. Maybe another time."

Luck removed himself from her grip, a little too forcefully. She stepped back, guard up. He was known to say nasty things when he had a lot to drink, and sometimes, he'd lash out. She learned to accept the way he was because like he had told her many times, alcohol helped him through a lot. He was a retired soldier, and although he never spoke of the times he served, Thea understood none of it was worth bringing up. She knew he was toxic, but he was family. She didn't have any but him and Lara. And she wanted them close by despite the fact that their time with her was almost up. His action had caught the attention of a few guests at the hotel that were currently occupying a Roulette table. She flashed them a quick smile, before eyeing Luck.

"No. I'm feeling lucky." Lou started to search his pockets for his wallet, groaning when he came up with nothing. That was when Thea clasped her clutch shut, squaring her jaw when Luck's gaze rose to her own.

James Rhodes, a US Air Force pilot, had stopped conversing with a few of his friends when he noticed the crowd forming around a woman and a man. His curiosity pushed him to inspect the situation, finding that it was Thea Apollo arguing with her drunk driver.

"I'm going to take you back to your room..." Thea began strongly, keeping her chin up. "And after the ceremony is done, I'll bring you down for a few rounds at Black Jack."

"Everything all right here?" Rhodey asked, easing himself through the crowd, and standing behind Thea.

Thea looked up, silently wondering if it could get any worse. She faced the soldier, shaking her head. "I've got this, okay? Thanks for your concern." She said dismissively.