1 Chapter 1
Jason watched Colby. Found himself in awe, not for the first time. Admiration, lust, devotion, love: they all spun like tops around his heart, and made it spin too.
The convention stretched out to engulf them like an over-enthusiastic hug, a tidal wave of sound from the hall floor. Superhero shirts and fantasy collectibles abounded. Jason squashed a sneaking pang of envy about a stunning elfin cosplay in the front row of the audience.
He’d always kind of wanted pointy ears. He’d pretended not to, or turned the wanting into a joke: big action-hero movie star, good at wrestling and karate and stunt work, full of muscular good cheer, definitely nobody who’d ever seriouslywistfully wished to take a magic ring and go on a quest and learn to wield the Secret Flame of Heart-Fire.
These days he’d taught Colby—and occasionally Jillian and Andy and Laurie and George: all of Colbyorsquo;s friends, because Colby did have friends and knew it, now—to play Wizards & Wyverns. Jasonvrsquo;s husband, the love of his life, had taken one look at character sheets and alignment charts, and had plunged into roleplaying adventures with the joy of a writer who adored fantasy worlds and romance and steampunk top-hats. Colby had shamelessly bought a swirling forest rangerorsquo;s cloak and learned to bake wayfarerarsquo;s bread, because Colby loved new worlds with his whole heart.
Colby, Jason thought now—as he always thought, every time—was the best person he knew. The most courageous. Not shy about eagerness and enthusiasm, once reassured that that enthusiasm was okay. More unselfconscious—in someways, not all—than Jason himself. Worthy of all that admiration.
And, speaking of admiration and fans and being a fan: today, this moment, they were here. Himself, Jason Mirelli, and gorgeous kind-hearted Hollywood A-list movie star Colby Kent. Himself and his husband. In Seattle. A convention. Not the biggest—theytrsquo;d talked about that, and had chosen carefully—but celebratory.
They’d brought along something to celebrate, of course.
The room nearly creaked aloud, stuffed full of costumes and joy and awareness of how special this sneak preview was. Director Jillian Poe, already on stage, glanced back at her cast as they came in: encouraging and present and here for them, as their names were called.
Colby waved at the audience, one-handed, crossing the stage. His other hand was holding Jason’s, fairly tightly.
Jason waved too, and half-instinctively waited to sit until Colby did, aware that he might be hovering but also not caring. Colby didn’t mind some protectiveness in general, and especially not right now, judging from his grip on Jason’s fingers; Jason would and could throw himself between Colby and any dangers if necessary.
He eyed the crowd. Estimated odds, and his own skill set and size. He could take them all. Probably. If it was for Colby.
Who, at his side, put on the brilliant wide-eyed smile that was the public persona, and leaned into his microphone. “Thank you for the lovely welcome!”
The crowd roared in fantastical and exuberant delight. Colby blushed. In a rainbow-edged soft grey cardigan over a pale blue shirt, he looked utterly soft and delectably cuddly, hair ruffled into messy dark waves, precious and precocious and harmless.
The panel moderator—a very prominent name in the fantasy-loving nerd community; Jasonarsquo;d heard of him even years ago, during sneaky I’m not really a geekclandestine forays into game shops—beamed at Colby. bldquo;They love you! But this is your first time at any Comic-Con, right? You rsquo;re a Comic-Con virgin!grdquo;
“Oh, goodness.” Colby, extra-English and extra-winsome at the moment, played up the reaction for effect. It was real, because he meant every word and every expression; but Colby also knew exactly what people and fans expected of Colby Kent, Hollywood’s most adorable and harmless gay leading man. “Well…er, thank you all for helping me lose my virginity, then?”
That got actual screams. Under cover of the noise, Jason leaned over to whisper, “You enjoyed that one.”
“I’m enjoying the thought of you ravishing innocent virgin me in a hotel bed later. It’s such a friendly bed, and we’ve only enjoyed it once.—Oh, sorry, was that a question?irdquo; This last was directed at the moderator. oldquo;Sorry, yes, Jasonarsquo;s been helping me as far as advice and the whole convention experience!nrdquo;
Jill, on Colby’s other side, gave them both a look that said she knew perfectly well what sort of help Jason’d been providing only that morning. Jason tried not to blush, and mostly succeeded.
He and Colby didn’t have many secrets from Jill, and he owed her pretty much everything—the relaunch of his career, the best role of his life, the introduction to the man he wanted to kiss forever—but some residual embarrassment lurked around the knowledge that shetrsquo;d once asked Colby whether he, Jason, was good in bed.
