"What are we, frat guys? I can't believe we're going to a bar on a Tuesday night."
"I can't believe you've managed to make that joke three separate times since we agreed to come."
Kyle Rayner rolled his eyes at John Stewart's comment. The two men walked side by side down the city street as the summer sun remained stubbornly in the sky. On each man's right hand was an emerald ring glowing faintly despite the evening light, on their faces an expression of suspicion.
"Can you blame me? We get a random invitation to meet up at some dive bar in the middle of the week from someone who wouldn't tell us their name and that doesn't seem suspicious to you?"
John debated reminding Kyle that they had already discussed this, then decided to pretend they hadn't. "Of course I think it's strange, but it's been a weird week in a weird life. Who would have guessed that Hal's big triumph over the Manhunters would be upstaged by Guy of all people? Did you know he was going to do that?"
"Apparently the only person he told was Arisia- and that was just so he had someone to help him pick out the ring."
The thought of Guy stumbling through the jewelry department with poor Arisia in tow trying desperately to corral him through the store popped into John's head. He pitied the jeweler tasked with appeasing both the sweet alien with no concept of Earth style and the fiery-tempered Baltimore native.
"That makes sense, I guess. It's not like we would have been much help."
"Speak for yourself." Kyle bristled, "I'm a sensitive artist, remember? I could have given him some ideas about the cut and the stone, maybe provide some insight on a lovey-dovey presentation when he popped the question. We both know Guy isn't exactly a master of romance."
John mulled it over. "That's fair, but out of all of you guys I'm the only one who's ever been married and proposed to a woman. I actually know what to do and how to do it. You're right, why didn't he ask us?"
"That's what I'm saying! You and I would have been excellent ring-pickers. It's not like we're Hal."
The two men rounded the corner and were greeted by a neon sign advertising cheap drinks and good times. The bar sat in the middle of a strip mall beckoning shoppers to come in and unwind with a drink. It wasn't a well-known establishment by any means. The only reason it had come on the Lantern's radar was because a secret caller had invited them to meet them there.
The note had somehow found its way onto the two Lantern's rings relaying an invitation to a no name bar for a round of drinks on said callers tab. The mystery man had stated they had an urgent need to speak to John and Kyle specifically, but that there was no immediate danger other than having one too many.
Both men bounced around the idea of it being a trap before deciding that whatever it was they could handle it. Besides, Kyle had reasoned, maybe it was a beautiful lady seeking some company only they could provide. It would be rude to blow her off.
So off the two men went dressed in civilian clothes and smiles. Now, after spending the commute theorizing on what awaited them at the bar, the two men prepared themselves for the worst as they pushed open the doors to enter.
It was as quiet as one would expect to find a strip mall bar before the sun had yet set. The atmosphere was relaxed as dated pop music hung in the air. Before the two men were able to take in any more of their surroundings a squeal of excitement shot through the air, "Lantern!"
Sitting on a stool at an empty table was the source of the exclamation. A beautiful woman with bright green, curly hair waved the two men over. Kyle broke out into a grin, "I told you it was gonna be a gorgeous woman!"
John ignored him and waved back as the two men made their way to her. The woman was very familiar, but he couldn't quite place her. "Nice to see you, Ms. …?"
"Da Costa. Beatriz Da Costa. But you can call me Bea."
"Nice to meet you, Bea." Kyle stuck out his hand for her to shake, "Kyle, Kyle Rayner. This is my buddy John."
"It's so nice to finally meet you!"
"Yeah… Why exactly are we meeting, though?"
The Brazilian smiled teasingly, "Can't a girl just invite some cute boys out for drinks every now and then?"
"That's a lot of trouble for someone to go through just for a night of drinking. You left us each a message on our rings. I didn't even know you could do that without one of your own." John remarked.
"You can't. I cashed in a favor Hal owed me and used his."
"You know Hal?" Kyle asked, surprised.
"Unfortunately." Beatriz swirled her drink around with her straw. "I met him years ago on a League mission back when I was in the JLI."
It suddenly clicked. "You're Fire, right? The hero from Brazil?"
"The one and only."
John had a realization of his own. "You're Tora's friend. The one who's always in pictures with her."
"Right again, boys. That's why I invited you two here to meet me tonight. Tora is my best friend, the little sister I never had. I've known her since she first stepped onto the crime fighting scene. She's the nicest, sweetest, more caring person in the world. I love her very much." She pursed her lips, "…I've also known Guy for many, many years, and honestly, he's a jackass. Just a huge prick. On his first date with Tora he took her to a strip club, a strip club, and now they're engaged?"
"A strip club for a first date? That's so Guy." Kyle remarked, earning him a glare from John.
"What does any of this have to do with us?" John asked, already knowing the answer but not wanting to confront it.
"Because you're his best friends! You knew about this and didn't tell me!"
"Tell you? We've never even met you!"
"Also, Guy didn't tell us. He only told Arisia, and that was so she could help him choose a ring." Kyle piped up.
"He probably didn't tell anyone because he didn't want it getting back to me. Crafty bastard."
"What's you're problem with Guy? I know he can be, well, Guy, but it's not like he's some monster."
"You haven't known him as long as I have." Bea huffed, "He's obnoxious, arrogant, selfish, loud, and an all-around prick. He dropped a 400lb weight on Ted and Booster once just because they drew on his face while he was napping!"
"Sure, but that was back in the day. A lot has changed since you guys were in the League together. Guy's still Guy don't get me wrong, but he's grown up a bit since then." Kyle offered.
Bea sighed deeply and pinched her nose, "You don't know him like I do."
"Just because you've known him longer than us doesn't mean you know him better than us." John stated as he crossed his arms.
"I should have brought Dinah. If she was here she'd back me up and then this would be a fair fight."
"I still don't get why you invited us here. We could have listened to you shit-talk Guy on the phone."
"It's not shit talking if it's true!"
"Regardless of the validity of the shit talking I don't like to speak poorly of my friends when they aren't in the room. Guy can be a handful and a moron, but there's no one else I would rather have my back in a fight. He's taken lots of punches over the years so we didn't have to and saved the world dozens of times. He teaches little league on the weekends for Christ sake." John didn't mean to raise his voice, but he wasn't about to let his friends name be dragged through the mud more than it deserved to be.
"He can be rough around the edges but he's a big softie. Running Warriors with him was some of the most fun I've ever had." Kyle got up and smiled, "I'm gonna grab a beer. You guys want anything?"
"Dry martini."
"Old fashioned."
"Got it."
As Kyle walked away Beatriz and John sat there in silence, neither wanting to speak first. Never one to hold back what she was thinking, Beatriz began, "I know that he's your friend. It's going to sound like a lie, but he's mine too. That's why this is so hard. I just want Tora to be happy and I don't think he's going to give her that."
John was quiet for a moment. "… I have a little sister. Her name is Lynn, Lynn Stewart. Growing up I always felt like I had to look out for her and make sure she was making the right choices."
"So you know where I'm coming from with Tora."
"Yes. But, the thing with younger sisters is that we have no control over what they can do. We can offer our opinion, but at the end of the day they make their own choices."
Bea was quiet for a second. "When we first met she was so naïve. She had never left her home town. I was always looking out for her and guess I never really stopped."
"That's not a bad thing."
"No, but it's her life. She has to make her own choices. I can be too headstrong sometimes and push her where I think she should go. I don't do it on purpose, but…"
John put his hand over her own as she fell silent. "It's obvious you care about her. There's no shame in that."
"I think a part of it is that for so many years it's been Tora and I against the world. I don't talk to my family and Tora's mom and brother hate technology, so they don't really speak. We've been together since the Globe days, then the JLI, and everything after that. We've had each other's backs just like you and the Lantern's do. Now she's off getting married and I don't know where that leaves me."
A green tray with two drinks suddenly floated in front of them. Kyle had reappeared behind it with a beer in his hand. He clamped a hand on Bea's shoulder and squeezed. "That leaves you with us. Team 'Friends of the Happy Couple'."
"Guy's like a brother to us. We know how you feel, Beatriz."
"Ahh but lose one gain one! You lose Tora, you get us. We lose Guy, we get you. Everyone gets shuffled around but no one gets left behind. We're Team Green!" Kyle declared.
A smile had begun to grow on the woman's face. "Green's always been my favorite color, but I don't know how much fun you guys will be to go shopping with and get nails done."
"As a professional artist I can promise you your wardrobe is never going to be more stylish. I may not paint my own nails, but I bet yours can't be that much harder to paint than a piece of canvas."
Beatriz tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I can't drink quite as well as Guy, but I can certainly hold my liquor. I also give the best advice. What about you John, what do you bring to Team Green?"
John smiled, "I can make sure the two of you don't get too out of hand and embarrass us."
"John's the mom of the group." Kyle whispered to Bea.
John elbowed the younger man before raising his glass up in the air. "To Guy and Tora and all the friends they're leaving behind."
"Here, here."
Hours went by in the bar as the trio packed away drinks and swapped stories. Beatriz relayed the story of Guy's proposal to the other two men. "So they'd been at the zoo watching the penguins and the penguins had been particularly cute that day, right? Tora's words, not mine. They'd waddled in a single file line up to slip down a slide into the tank of water except for one idiot penguin who couldn't get with the program. The stupid thing couldn't even walk in a straight line and kept running into the other penguins before it fell ass-first in the water.
So as the dumb penguin splashed in Tora points and goes, 'Let's name that one Hal'." Bea relayed with an eyeroll, "So Guy, being the romantic he is, breaks out in a shit eating grin and howls with laughter and asks her to marry him. She thinks he's kidding, then he gets down and pulls out the ring. BAM! They're engaged. All because of that idiot fucking penguin."
"I'm sure they would have gotten engaged even if there hadn't been a defective penguin to set the mood. I can't wait 'til Hal hears this." Kyle managed to choke out between fits of laughter. "Do you think the zoo would let us adopt penguin-Hal? For morale?"
"We're not getting a penguin, Kyle."
"You're no fun."
John fought back the urge to explain why he was in fact a ball of giggles knowing damn well it would only result in further teasing from Kyle. Instead he checked his phone and caught whiff of the time. "This has been a blast, but it's almost 3am. Kyle and I have a meeting on Oa at 7 we have to go to. I think it's time to call this a night."
"Booooooo!" Kyle slurred, grabbing his drink and clutching it protectively. "Let's stay here and play hooky tomorrow."
"I can't have you boys getting in trouble over something silly like this. When you call out of work for me it's going to be over something way wilder."
"I'm looking forward to it." John said as he stood up and stretched. Kyle and Bea followed suit with far less poise as the trio began to stumble out the bar doors. The night air felt cool on Bea's face and she was overcome with a feeling of content.
"It was silly to call you guys out here to meet me. I was caught up with worrying about Tora and where this would leave me, but I know she wouldn't get engaged to anyone unless it was right for her and that she would never toss me to the side for Guy. I'm sorry I brought you guys out here."
"Are you kidding? This has been a blast! Plus, you weren't the only ones who were worrying about losing their friend to marriage. It's a really scary thought." Kyle admitted.
"Bea, are you good to fly or do you want me to take you home?" asked John.
"I already have an uber here waiting for me, but thanks for the offer." Fire stepped forward and gave Kyle a bear hug, "Thank you so much for being here tonight you guys. I really needed this. I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of each other in the next year." She let him go and turned to John, enveloping him into her arms. "You guys take care of yourselves and make sure to keep Guy in line. Tora deserves the best you know."
"Ditto for you with Tora. Make sure she makes our boy happy. Night, Bea!" Kyle called as she stepped into her Uber and waved goodbye to the men. "Alright John, fly me home!"
John sighed as he willed his ring to lift up him and a very drunk Kyle. "I guess I should consider this practice for the bachelor party, huh?"
"If that goes as planned none of us will be able to pee into a urinal, never mind use our rings."
John laughed as the two of them flew into the night. He couldn't wait to start making a list of embarrassing stories to tell when he gave his speech at the wedding. After all, half the fun of a friend's wedding was torturing them in front of everyone and John had plenty of years of material to draw from.
If all went as planned, by the end of the night Guy's face would be redder than his hair.