He nodded "right, or if someone secretly slipped something into it." He muttered, moving his arm out of the way so that he could see his progress so far "I'm not that good, just ideas floating around." He chastised himself silently in his head for being so open with the stranger, granted the stranger was imensly adorable and very distracting.
"Well I promise you no one put anything in it other than water amd a lemon." Ethan said. He looked at the drawong amd sketches. He flipped through a couple pages, marveling at them. "These are really good. Much better than anything I could butcher at trying to do." He huffed a small laugh.
"thanks for the reasuring and thanks." He blushed, pulling his hood down farther to cover the blush "I'm sure you could come up with something decent if you tried." He said with a smile. He took another sip of water and glanced around, flinching from the scenes he saw of drunk people and stoned men
"Trust me when I say I have absolutely no artistic abilities whatsoever. I can admire however." He turned his head to the boy as he did spoke the last sentence. He shifted his eyes around the di ing room for a moment before settling back on his new found interest. "I'm Ethan."
"Raz, and that was smooth. But I'm pretty sure Johnny Depp can come up with better. I don't encourage you to stop trying though." He winked and took back his sketchbook to continue his work. "So is this a full time thing? The bartending, not the akward flirting."
Ethan barked a laugh. "I'm hurt. Most people think my flirting is charming. And no one will ever come close to Johnny Depp, no matter how hard they try." He said leaning back a bit. He smiled. "Yep. Sleep all day, then come here for work, and afterwards, well, I'm sure you can guess the nightly activities I partake in." He smirked.
"oh yeah, I have some ideas." He shook his head and smiled, feeling very comfortable talking to Ethan " but somehow, I don't think that's all that you do. You get bored, dontcha?" He leaned fowards, making direct eye contact with Ethan with no intention of letting him go " there's got to be more more to your story…more than just bartending and flirting with costumers."
Ethan shrugged hus shoulders. "Not really, unless you count the biweekly trip to the store for groceries and my bank account crying everyone my bills come in." He smirked. "There's not much to me." A lie. But no one needed to know the truth. No one could know the truth. Everything wouod be over if someone learned. "What about you?"
Raz narrowed his eyes in suspicion "nothing, mostly a writer and journalist. I like intriguing stories. I like intriguing people." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest "it doesn't take much to interest me." He stood and gathered his things "I'll see you around Ethan."
"Oh?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. He watched as Rzz stoid and gathered his things. "Oh, I do hope so. Come back again soon, order anything you'd like, on the house." He stood as well and placed the chair back in its place. He had carefully written his number in his notebook when Razz hadn't been watching. He hoped he would contact ethan soon. "Have a good night."
"aw thanks, and same to you." He brushed passed Ethan. He made his way out the door with a small bounce in his step and smile. He walked down an empty street, the only way he knew to his apartment
"Hello razzy…." He heard a few taunts and laughs from behind him and swore. "Guys, I don't want trouble. I just want to get home."
"And I wanna have fun with my favorite loner…"
The bar was closing and the last few stragglers made their way out. He had little left he needed to do and quickly finished. He turned out the lights, grabbed his things, and locked up. He started the familiar walk home when he heard it, the taunting. His eyes scrucnhed as he made his way over to the commotion. He saw the boy from the bar, Razz. "What's going on over here?"
Two of the men had pinned Raz to a nearby wall. One of them held a knife to Raz's throat while the other had a hand right above his naval. Raz let out a wimper and tried to struggle against the two men "ah ah ah, none of that now. We wouldn't want to hurt your pretty neck now would we?" His assistant teased,
"Move along pretty boy, we're just catching up with a friend. No harm done, isnt that right boy?" They all nodded in agreement "see? Now scram."
Ethan looked at Raz then back at the men threatenting him. "Not what kt looks like to me. Perhaps you're the ones that need to scram and leave Raz here alone." He crossed his arms, standing his ground. They were absolutely pathetic, threatening skmeone such as Raz. No matter. He was shre he was about to get to teach them a lesson.
THe first man glared at Ethan "knock him out." he instructed to the other two behind him. Raz started to protest and squirm but the first man punched him in the back of the head, backing away and letting Raz slump to the floor. "Now that we've got our dear friend out of the way, time to deal with you." The man pulled out a knife, as did the the others behind him "I suggest you leave before this gets messy."
Ethan looked them up and down with a smirk. "No, I believe it's you that should leave before this gets messy. Trust me when I say that you don't want to mess with me. Turn around now and slither back into the hole you crawled into." He warned them. He risked a glance at Raz to check and see if he was okay.
Raz lied on the floor unmoving.
"Is that so mr tough guy? and whos gonna make me? you have no weapons and all you know how to do is bartend. . I would hate to spill more blood than I'm already going to your friend here after I'm done playing with him." He crouched near Raz and picked his head up "No one's going to notice you when you gone." He stood and stalked towards Ethan, knife glinting light from the streetlamp above
Ethan smirked at him. "I don't need a weapon." Ummmm, fighting fighting fighting because idk how to write a fighting scene whoopsie
(It's fine neither do I XD)
Two of the three men layed in the streets, probably dead or wishing for the sweet release from their unworthy lives. The man left standing was covered in blood from multiple wounds "What is he to you? He can't be worth much to you. So why protect such an excuse for a human being?"
(Glad I'm not the only one)
Ethan smirked. He was covered in blood, not all his. He could barely feel the shallow cuts and hits on his body. "It's not what he is to me. It's what was right. Now be a good boy and step aside so I can take him home." He started towards the unconscious boy.
The man slumped aside, letting him pass "You're more than you let on…" He muttered before passing out.
"Aren't we all?" Ethan retorted. He carefully picked up Raz, cradling him to his chest. He continued his walk to his apartment. He carefully opened the door and walked in. He shut the door behind him. He set Raz gently on his bed and then checked out his head.
Raz slumped into his hand, trying to fight his way to the darkness "hm….hum…..hnnnnmmmm" he tried to speak but failing. After a few minutes, he jerked awake and glanced around frantically. "where…." he saw Ethan and backed away, deeper into the bed "you're with them?"
Ethan grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down on the bed to get him to quite moving. "No, I'm not with them. I'm the one who save your ass. Now stop moving. You might have a concussion."
All he could do was nod slightly, acutely aware of their proximity and position "thank you…for saving me." He said softly. He touched a hand to his own head and flinched "fantastic," He sighed and relaxed "you can let go of me."