buzzy's } { i get by with a little help from my friends
Ethan Harper knew two things about his life:
1. He was never going to be able to work in the military.
2. Never get between Marion Rhodes and a person who’s ass she was looking to kick, because that was only going to get you hurt.
These two things had been drilled into him for a long time, at least as long as he’s known Marion, which would really have to be as long as Sam’s known Marion, and Sam and Marion have known each other a long time. He also knew that the her means had no end, which was why he wasn’t surprised when he came out of his Ethics class to find Marion sitting on the bench outside the building. The girl had connections.
And she always knew how to use them.
“Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while,” he grinned, making his way closer. “I forgot you still lived in Boston.”
“Little Ethan Harper, all grown up and going to law school,” she teased. “I feel like I’m getting old.”
“I’m not touching that one with a ten foot pole,” he smirked, wrapping her in a hug. “I have missed you, though.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she laughed, giving him a bit of a squeeze. “And I want to know why your idiot brother didn’t give me a call while he was in town.”
Ethan’s eyes widened a bit as he pulled back to look at her. “I have nothing to do with that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I swear. He didn’t even sleep in my apartment.”
“He went to Buzzy’s, Ethan.”
“Exactly my point. I am not responsible for what he may say or do.”
Marion rolled her eyes, before linking her arm in his and starting to walk him towards the nearest coffee shop. “Is he still in town?”
“He is.” Ethan paused, considering things for a moment before tipping his head to look at her. “Do I want to know where your mind is going with this?”
She smirked, using the arm in his to tug him closer. “How do you feel about shots?”
Ethan would like to say that this is the moment where he learned not to open his mouth, but he knew that saying that would only be a lie. “I think this is going to be a long night.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”
***
To her credit, at least this time Marion remembered to feed them before she got them shitfaced. Her heart was usually in the right place, but she didn’t always consider the consequences of doing shots on an empty stomach. She filled the three of them up on burgers and fries before ordering shots of tequila and proceeding to get them drunk. If this had been the first time, they might have been in trouble, but considering they all used to attempt to drink each other under the table on a regular basis, this was nothing new.
She hammered back her last shot with a satisfied sigh, before looking back over at the two of them. “So, Ethan. Apparently your brother was a busy boy.”
“The kind of busy I do or don’t want to know about?” That question was more directed at his brother than Marion, and Sam just raised his eyebrows, before shaking his head.
“I don’t know if I even want to know what she thinks I’ve been too busy with.”
“I’m just saying-in all the time you weren’t calling me-”
“So this is a guilt trip.”
“Sam,” she said, giving him a look. “In all that time, he moved you in, came to Buzzy’s, met a boy-”
Sam straightened in his seat, before looking over at her with a frown. “How do you know about that?”
“-How do you know that?” Ethan was starting to think that whoever this boy was, he was the one who blew Sam’s cover, and that’s just far too many coincidences to be true. There was a creak! as the door to the bar opened behind him, and Marion pushed up on the seat and flashed a smile, while the color semi-drained from Sam’s face.
“Devon!” she grinned as she flagged him down. “Over here!”
Ethan just glanced over at the man coming to their table, and then back at Marion and Sam across from him. “I think we need another round of shots.”
1. He was never going to be able to work in the military.
2. Never get between Marion Rhodes and a person who’s ass she was looking to kick, because that was only going to get you hurt.
These two things had been drilled into him for a long time, at least as long as he’s known Marion, which would really have to be as long as Sam’s known Marion, and Sam and Marion have known each other a long time. He also knew that the her means had no end, which was why he wasn’t surprised when he came out of his Ethics class to find Marion sitting on the bench outside the building. The girl had connections.
And she always knew how to use them.
“Now there’s a face I haven’t seen in a while,” he grinned, making his way closer. “I forgot you still lived in Boston.”
“Little Ethan Harper, all grown up and going to law school,” she teased. “I feel like I’m getting old.”
“I’m not touching that one with a ten foot pole,” he smirked, wrapping her in a hug. “I have missed you, though.”
“I’ve missed you too,” she laughed, giving him a bit of a squeeze. “And I want to know why your idiot brother didn’t give me a call while he was in town.”
Ethan’s eyes widened a bit as he pulled back to look at her. “I have nothing to do with that.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I swear. He didn’t even sleep in my apartment.”
“He went to Buzzy’s, Ethan.”
“Exactly my point. I am not responsible for what he may say or do.”
Marion rolled her eyes, before linking her arm in his and starting to walk him towards the nearest coffee shop. “Is he still in town?”
“He is.” Ethan paused, considering things for a moment before tipping his head to look at her. “Do I want to know where your mind is going with this?”
She smirked, using the arm in his to tug him closer. “How do you feel about shots?”
Ethan would like to say that this is the moment where he learned not to open his mouth, but he knew that saying that would only be a lie. “I think this is going to be a long night.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.”
***
To her credit, at least this time Marion remembered to feed them before she got them shitfaced. Her heart was usually in the right place, but she didn’t always consider the consequences of doing shots on an empty stomach. She filled the three of them up on burgers and fries before ordering shots of tequila and proceeding to get them drunk. If this had been the first time, they might have been in trouble, but considering they all used to attempt to drink each other under the table on a regular basis, this was nothing new.
She hammered back her last shot with a satisfied sigh, before looking back over at the two of them. “So, Ethan. Apparently your brother was a busy boy.”
“The kind of busy I do or don’t want to know about?” That question was more directed at his brother than Marion, and Sam just raised his eyebrows, before shaking his head.
“I don’t know if I even want to know what she thinks I’ve been too busy with.”
“I’m just saying-in all the time you weren’t calling me-”
“So this is a guilt trip.”
“Sam,” she said, giving him a look. “In all that time, he moved you in, came to Buzzy’s, met a boy-”
Sam straightened in his seat, before looking over at her with a frown. “How do you know about that?”
“-How do you know that?” Ethan was starting to think that whoever this boy was, he was the one who blew Sam’s cover, and that’s just far too many coincidences to be true. There was a creak! as the door to the bar opened behind him, and Marion pushed up on the seat and flashed a smile, while the color semi-drained from Sam’s face.
“Devon!” she grinned as she flagged him down. “Over here!”
Ethan just glanced over at the man coming to their table, and then back at Marion and Sam across from him. “I think we need another round of shots.”