by Gamers (lit)
Edited by Mychael Black
Table of Contents
Better Late Than Never by Misa Izanaki - 2
Deke Takes a Turn by H.B. Kurtzwilde - 16
Old School D&D by CB Potts - 29
Author Bios - 39
Better Late Than Never
by Misa Izanaki
Leon carefully packed away the last of his elves and buckled his army case. It had been a long day. One game of Fantasy was enough to melt his brain… but three? To most people, it looked like he and his opponent were just rolling dice and moving little toy soldiers or, in his case, elves across a landscaped board at each other, but there was more to it than that. There was strategy involved, too much strategy sometimes. Leon was surprised he could still function after all that. He made a mental note never to listen to Ian again… ever. Okay, it would be more like a week, if that. Ian always did have a knack for talking him into things.
“Ooh, your display base came out awesome.” Speak of the devil. Ian stood over him, his army bag slung over one shoulder and his display base balanced, waiter-style, on the other. “And I’m sure it makes things way easier since you don’t have to take your minis out of your case and put them back in after every game.”
“It’s still a pain in the ass to lug around, though.” Leon sighed and tried not to stare at his friend. It was hard, though, with all that lean muscle and those long legs wrapped up in a tight T-shirt and torn jeans, topped with that all-too-handsome face. Leon sighed. Ian was the sexiest thing on two legs, not that he would ever tell his friend that. It would just make things… well, weird.
“Yeah, well…” Ian raked a bit of soft, dark hair out of those warm brown eyes, making Leon sigh again. “Hey, you okay, man?”
“I’m fine… just tired.” Leon double-checked his display base, just in case. His elves had a nasty habit of disappearing in the mini forest he’d built to display them, only to pop up just in time to get knocked off and stepped on. Leon was pretty sure that all his minis were tucked safely into his army case, but it never hurt to be sure. It also kept him from staring at his friend for too long. “I just want to get out of here.”
“Let’s go dump this stuff off in my room and then we can go grab food or something.”
“Sounds good to me.”
They both headed toward the elevator. It was a good thing one of them had the forethought to get a room at the hotel the tournament and convention were in. Too bad it was Ian and not him. Damn… Leon was not looking forward to driving home tonight or lugging his stuff back in the morning.
“How did you do today?”
“I lost all three of my games.”
“Sorry, man.” Ian tapped the elevator button again. “Was it bad luck or cheesy opponents?”
“Luck, mostly. My dice were rolling like crap during the first two games and I was just kind of brain dead for the third.”
“Too bad. At least people thought your army was cool-looking, right?”
“They did. I just wish the damned army list wasn’t so tricky to play. I would have to pick one of the more complicated armies for my first. Damn Wood Elves.” Leon blew a few strands of honey-colored hair out of his eyes. “How’d your Chaos do?”
“Two draws and one win, not too bad for a fluffy army.”
“Fluffy? That list is strong, even themed as it is. Seriously, how many times have we played?”
“Four or five times.”
“And how many times have you kicked my ass?” Leon shuffled into the elevator, trying not to bump the half-dozen other people who were trying to get on with them.
“It could be worse, you know.” Ian grinned at him. “I could be an ass and play a really buff, theme-less list.”
“I guess.” Leon shifted a little closer to his friend as two more people tried to squeeze in. It was getting cramped, especially with the display bases and army bags. “You know, I still can’t believe you talked me into not only coming down to geek central, but playing a tournament, too.”
“Oh, please. You would come down here anyway. I saw you during the lunch break, eyeing those Cthulhu books in the dealers’ room.” Ian elbowed him good-naturedly. “Besides, you have a gorgeous army and it would be a waste if you didn’t use it.”
“I could have just let Peter sell it like he wanted to. It was his army to begin with.”
“Yeah, right!” Ian snorted as the elevator stopped and the other people got off. That left Leon and Ian alone, with room to breathe again. “That jackass would have made a mint selling off those Wood Elves and he didn’t deserve it.” The doors closed again. “Just like he didn’t deserve you.”
Leon glanced at his friend. He didn’t just hear what he thought he did. Did he? “What?”
“You’re an awesome painter and that prick didn’t deserve you or your skills.”
“Oh…”
“Who else would paint the mounts for their horsemen like real breeds? I still love those Appaloosas, by the way.” Ian stepped out as the elevator opened and held the door for Leon. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you won for Best Painted.”
Leon shook his head as he followed his friend down the hall. “I doubt that. My army is all stock figures, no conversions. Well, except for that spiffy tree spirit you sculpted for me. You know the judges will ding my painting score for that.”
“I guess. Come on, I need to pee before my bladder explodes.” Ian swiped his key and stepped inside, setting his stuff in the closet before heading into the bathroom. “Just set your gear anywhere. I’ll be right out.”
“Cool.” Leon bumped the door closed and looked around. He needed to put his stuff down before his arms fell off. That damned display base was starting to get really heavy. It also needed to be out of the way. The last thing Leon wanted was to trip over all those hours of hard work.
After a bit of debating, Leon slid his display base on top of the TV stand. It was the best place for it, really. His bag was a little easier to deal with. That was set in the corner out of the way, but not out of sight, just so he could remember to take it with him.
Ian was still in the bathroom, so Leon took the opportunity to look around. There wasn’t much to look at: standard TV cabinet and bedside table all positioned around a comfy-looking king-sized bed.
Damn, that bed did look inviting. Maybe he should have taken Ian up on his offer to stay the night. Driving home was looking less and less appetizing. Leon’s back was killing him and sitting in the car for half an hour was not going to help. Lying down for a little while might, though, and he was sure Ian wouldn’t mind. Well, pretty sure.
Leon flopped face first onto the bed and stretched out. It was really comfy, and it felt so good to be doing something besides hunching over a table. He didn’t mean to doze off, but getting up early after a long night of touch-up painting was starting to get to him. Leon just didn’t notice until his body hit that mattress.
Okay, he wasn’t asleep… just kind of hanging in that groggy, mid-dozing state where everything was sort of fuzzy around the edges. Leon’s brain told him that he should get up before Ian got out of the bathroom. Too bad the rest of him didn’t care if Ian found him sprawled across the bed like a lazy cat. The rest of him just wanted a few more minutes of dozing.
Warm fingers trailed over Leon’s back, petting him. Oh, that felt good. Leon arched a little, rubbing against those amazing fingers. It had been a while since anyone touched him like that and he hadn’t realized how much he missed it until now.
“You’re just like my cat.” Ian slid his hand under Leon’s shirt, petting him a little more. “Just bigger and without all the fur.”
Oh, crap. Well, that woke him up. Leon glanced up to see Ian sitting on the edge of the bed, still rubbing his back. He blinked a
nd blushed. “H-hey, Ian…” Okay… awkward… more so because of the raging hard on straining against his jeans.
“Hey…” Ian smiled at him, warm and gentle. “You look tired.”
“J-just a little. It’s my back more than anything else.” Leon took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Ian was touching him and it wasn’t a friendly nudge or pat on the back either. Ian was petting him, like a lover would, like Peter used to. Leon shook that last thought from his head. He was reading too much into that touch. He and Ian were friends, good friends, and that was it.
Ian eyed him worriedly. “You okay? You’re not going to start hyperventilating on me, are you?”
“N-no! I… Just give me a minute and I’ll be fine.”
Ian stood and turned toward the window, giving Leon a good, long look at that tight, round ass of his. “You know, we could just stay in tonight.” Ian glanced back and grinned at him. “You know, get a little room service, drink that beer I have in the mini-fridge, talk shit… It’ll be fun!”
“That does sound tempting.” Leon sat up and stretched, his back popping with the effort.
“Good!” Ian turned and tapped Leon on the nose. “Hell, I’ll even rub your back if it’s bothering you. I have good hands for that kind of thing, or so I’ve been told.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
“What?”
Leon blushed again. Maybe staying was a bad idea, but he already agreed to it. Any excuse he thought up now would sound like, well, an excuse to ditch his friend. “N-nothing.”
“Cool. Figure out what you want and I’ll call room service.”
“Okay.” Leon grabbed the room service menu and flipped through it. It took him two tries before he finally settled on a chicken sandwich and fries. Mmm, chicken with bacon… Oh, Ian feeding him bacon, those slightly calloused fingers brushing against his lips… Gah! Leon shook that last thought from his brain, even though it was very tempting.
Ian snatched the menu from him and called downstairs to place their order. Once that was done, he sat down on the bed. “Okay, our food should be here in twenty minutes or so. Oh, and I got you a Mountain Dew, too. I figured you could use the caffeine.”
“Thanks.”
“Why don’t you go shower while we wait for our food? It’ll wake you up, at least.”
“I didn’t bring any extra clothes.” Leon shrugged. “I figured that I was going home tonight, so I didn’t bother.”
“I’ll lend you some of mine.” Ian dug into his duffle bag and tossed some clothes at Leon. “Now, go on.”
“Okay.” Damn, it was hard to argue with Ian when he thought of everything. A shower would do him good. Yeah, a nice cold one to get him back on track.
That idea flew out the window as soon as Leon turned the water on. The water out of the cold tap was icy and way too frigid for a shower, unless he wanted to give himself hypothermia. Oh, well, so much for that plan. Okay, on to Plan B. Leon adjusted the water again, setting the temperature just below scalding, just how he liked it.
Leon stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower. He ducked his head under the steamy spray, letting the water pour through his hair and down the lean planes of his shoulders and back. Now, that hit the spot. Leon’s cock bobbed against his stomach, hard and eager for a little attention. Damn. Why couldn’t he have uglier friends? Okay, maybe not. But why did Ian have to be such a good one?
If Ian wasn’t Leon’s best friend, it would have been easier to tell him the truth, to tell him how hot he was, how much Leon wanted him. Then again, if Ian wasn’t his best friend, Leon wouldn’t want him so much either. The fact that he and Leon got along so well and had so much in common just made him all the more attractive. Unfortunately, it was also part of the problem. They had been through so much together and it would be hard to take if Ian wasn’t interested or, worse yet, didn’t want to be friends anymore.
“Of course, you don’t care about any of that, do you?” Leon glanced down and poked at his cock. He needed to take care of that, or he’d be edgy all night, or he’d have a couple of beers and try to jump Ian while he wasn’t looking. Yeah, that would be productive.
Leon pressed one hand against the shower wall and rubbed his other over the tiny cake of hotel soap, slicking it up. Water poured down his back as Leon slid his slick fingers over his cock. It felt good, but it would have been better if someone else was touching him.
He closed his eyes and imagined Ian naked and perfect, pressed against his back and kissing that sensitive spot at the base of his neck. Leon’s hand tightened around his prick, stroking it a little faster. Of course, in his mind it was Ian touching him, pulling on his cock. Those were Ian’s fingers, not his own, that slid over his hip and rubbed against his ass. Leon bit back a moan. He could almost hear Ian whispering dirty little nothings into his ear, and that turned him on even more than the two fingers pushing into him.
“That’s it, you like my hands don’t you?” his imaginary lover whispered. Those fingers quested a little deeper, nudging against his gland and sending a jolt straight to Leon’s brain.
“Yeah, don’t stop.”
Warm, wet kisses trailed down Leon’s neck and over his shoulder. “You gonna come for me, baby?”
Leon nodded. It was all in his mind, but at that moment, Ian felt as real as the water streaming over him and the tile beneath his feet.
“Let me see it, baby. Shoot for me.”
With a groan, Leon tensed and splattered the wall with come. Damn. He braced himself against the wall, trying to get his breathing under control.
“Hey, you still alive in there?” Ian called from behind the bathroom door.
“Y-yeah, I’ll be out in a bit.” Leon rinsed off quickly and made sure to wash away any other evidence he might have left in the shower.
Leon was still damp when he finally emerged from the bathroom. The T-shirt and shorts Ian lent him were a little loose. Then again, Ian had a bit more muscle on him than Leon did. Not that he was complaining or anything.
“That took a while. You jacking off in there or what?”
Leon blushed and blinked guiltily at his friend. “What?”
“I’m kidding, dork.”
“Oh.”
“Come on, food’s here.”
They both settled on the bed and Ian pushed Leon’s food towards him. After all that, Leon was famished. He dug into his sandwich eagerly, taking breaks only to breathe and take a swig or two from his soda. Oh, that hit the spot.
“Damn, you must have been hungry.” From the looks of things, Ian was still working on his burger.
Leon shrugged and stole a French fry off Ian’s plate. “I was too tense to eat earlier and it caught up with me, I guess.”
“Shower make you feel better?”
“Definitely.” Leon tried not to look too guilty. Ian didn’t need to know that he had jacked off in the shower, or who he was thinking about while he did it, either.
Ian stood and grabbed a beer out of the mini-fridge. “Do you want one?”
“Sure.”
An icy beer bottle was pressed into Leon’s hand. Without missing a beat, he twisted his ring around and popped the cap off his beer with it.
“Can you do mine, too?”
“Of course, that’s why I wear this all the time.” Leon grinned and opened Ian’s beer with a flick of his wrist. “Bottle opener ring, best piece of jewelry ever.”
“It does come in handy.”
Leon took a swig from his bottle. “Why do you think I’m so popular at parties?”
“I thought it was because you were cute and fun to hang around with.”
“Um, yeah, tell Peter that.”
Ian moved the remnants of their meal off the bed and settled back against the headboard. “Peter was a dick. You just loved him too much to notice.”
“You think so?” Leon took another pull on his beer. What the hell brought that on?
“I know it. You know he blamed you for the whol
e cheating thing, right?” Ian looked annoyed, and Leon wasn’t sure if his friend was mad at him or his ex.
“He told me that I was spending too much time painting and playing with you guys. He wanted to do something a little more ‘adult’ than hang out at a comic and game store with a bunch of dorks.”
“Is that why he gave you that stupid ultimatum?”
“Ian…”
“It was stupid and you know it! Peter turned his back on all of us, and tried to get you to do it, too. He was even going to dump that army, after you put all that work into painting it for him. And all because he thought he was too mature to hang out with us anymore.”
“Okay, so you’re pissed at Peter for leaving.” Leon turned and glared at his friend. He didn’t need to be reminded about the crappy state of his love life. Or the fact that he chose his hobby and friends over the man he was supposedly in love with. “Why the hell are you taking it out on me?”