by L. J. Hamlin
“You look really cute in your costume,” Hartley says after a small break in the conversation. He grins a slightly crooked smile, and Bennett can only describe the way it makes him feel inside as gooey.
“I don’t look scary and badass?” Bennett asks.
“Of course. You look like you could kick my ass, but at the same time, like I’d kind of enjoy it.” Hartley laughs.
“Kinky.” Bennett smirks.
“I hope this doesn’t disappoint you, but getting my ass kicked doesn’t actually give me a boner.” Hartley smiles.
“Not disappointed—kind of glad. I’m all for trying new kinks, but beating someone up isn’t something I think would turn me on. I got beat up a couple of times in high school. It wasn’t fun.”
“I’m so sorry that happened.” Hartley reaches out and puts a comforting hand on Bennett’s knee, and he’s never been more aware of his knees.
“It’s okay, and sorry to be a downer.” Bennett hadn’t even meant to bring it up. He hardly ever talks about high school, but talking to Hartley, things seem to flow naturally. He can’t help being honest and saying whatever first pops into his head.
Hartley shakes his head. “You’re not a downer. Only reason I didn’t get beat up was my older brother was in school with me. He’s a geek like us, but he’s also sporty, six foot, and he works out like crazy. No one messed with him. I wish you’d had someone to look out for you.”
“Thanks. It’s cool though. I’m over it. Big moment when I really knew I was over it all was when I fucked the brother of one of my biggest bullies. It was like, if I wasn’t scared to do that, to be with him, then I just wasn’t scared of them anymore. The bullies didn’t have power over me anymore.”
“That’s a good moment to have. And a lucky guy getting to be with you.” Hartley gives him this sexy little smile that makes Bennett’s heart race.
Bennett laughs. “You’re gonna give me a big ego, calling me cute, telling me guys are lucky to hook up with me.”
“You don’t seem like the big ego kind of guy, not from the way we’ve been talking, anyway.”
“Thank you, you’re a really cool guy.” Bennett smiles.
“People are standing up. Must almost be time to go in,” Hartley says, and he stands up, offering a hand to Bennett to help him up too.
“Can I? Is this okay?” Hartley asks, still holding Bennett’s hand.
“More than okay.” It’s a simple touch, but it feels kind of like a big deal. It’s not the fastest Bennett has ever moved with a guy. In a club, he’s gone from meeting a guy to kissing in seconds. But this is a comic book convention. He’s supposed to be here to geek out, not hook up, but is there a reason he can’t do both?
The line slowly starts to move, and they all take seats in the auditorium, some people in cosplay, others in everyday clothes, and a lot of people wearing T-shirts with something on them to do with their fandom.
The panel of writers come onto the stage. There’s a mix of comic book writers, TV show, and movie writers. No one who’s been involved with anything super famous, but they’re all popular writers. Bennett sits quietly in awe of the talent. He wishes he could make comics, but he can’t draw, and he’s never really been much of a story teller.
It comes to a question and answer session, and about halfway through, a man dressed as the Joker stands up to ask his question.
“What’s your question, son?” one of the writers asks, because the Joker looks nervous.
“Um, my question isn’t really for you. It’s your assistant, Becky,” the Joker says, and someone pushes a girl wearing a Harley Quinn T-shirt out onto stage.
“Is he going to?” Hartley whispers in Bennett’s ear, holding his hand on the armrest between them, and Bennett feels as excited as if he were the woman on stage.
“I think so,” Bennett says back, just before the Joker goes to his knees in front of the stage.
“Becky, I’m not the best with words, and a part of me wanted to do this in private in case I messed up, but I didn’t want to hide this. I wanted everyone to see how much I love you. I want you to see how much I love you. So, Becky? My Harley Quinn, will you do me the honour of being my wife, my partner for the rest of my life?” The Joker brings a ring box out of his jacket. Bennett can’t see the ring from where he’s sitting, but he hears a few gasps and ooh sounds. No one laughs at it.
“Yes!” Becky says excitedly, and she runs to the edge of the stage and jumps down, right into the waiting arms of her Joker.
Bennett feels himself beginning to clap, and he’s not the only one. Soon everyone in the audience and on stage is clapping, standing up, and cheering the couple. The joy of the Joker and Becky seems to spread around the room, and Bennett turns to Hartley and hugs his new friend, pulling Hartley, who is shorter, into his arms.
Hartley hugs back, and then tips his head up, an arm going around Bennett’s neck, and he steals a quick kiss before letting go and taking his seat as everyone begins to settle down.
“You kissed me,” Bennett whispers as the writers try and get things back on track after the interruption of the proposal.
“Um, yeah, I got caught up in the excitement. Was it okay?” Hartley asks.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t expecting it,” Bennett says back in a low voice.
“Can I do it again?” Hartley asks just as quietly.
“Later, after the talk.” Bennett grins. They can’t make out in the auditorium during a writers talk. Someone would notice, and they’d get kicked out.
They sit together holding hands, both grinning like fools. Then the talk finishes, and people gather to get signatures, and a lot of people congratulate The Joker and Becky. Bennett lets Hartley take his hand instead and lead him from the hall.
They go back into the convention, and then stop, unsure.
“This might be too forward, but I don’t live that close, so I got a hotel room really close by. You could come back with me? I’m not, like, assuming because you let me kiss you that you’d like to hook up, but would you like to hook up?” Hartley asks.
“Yes, I’d like that. I don’t have any lube or condoms I wasn’t planning on meeting someone here,” Bennett says honestly.
“I don’t have any at my hotel. We can stop at a store, right?” Hartley suggests.
“In costume? Won’t people notice us, like a lot?” Bennett asks with a slight blush.
“But no one knows us. We’ll never see these people again.” Hartley grins, his fingers rubbing over the back of Bennett’s hand.
“Damn it, okay.” Bennett doesn’t want to pass up the chance of being with a hot, geeky math student who doesn’t think he’s a loser for being totally obsessed with a TV show about a space werewolf that isn’t even being filmed anymore, partly because he’s just as obsessed with it too.
They leave the convention center hand in hand, and go in search of the first store they can find that’s likely to have what they need. They find one, and to say they get a few odd looks would be an understatement.
“Just don’t run away and leave me, and I’ll make it worth your while,” Hartley says as they reach the lube.
“Just hurry up. My costume is weirder than yours. You’re just in leather. I’m a freaking werewolf,” Bennett hisses as Hartley picks up a bottle of lube and starts reading the back.
Hartley grins. “A sexy werewolf.”
“Why are you reading it?” Bennett asks.
“Making sure it’s condom safe. Not all lube is, duh,” Hartley replies.
“Good point. Is that one okay?”
“Yeah, this one will do.” Hartley nods. They get condoms and go pay. Luckily, the girl who serves them is a green haired punk, who doesn’t look judgmental at all, just rings them up and says have a nice day before pulling out her cell phone.
“Oh, my God, that was so embarrassing.” Bennett cringes as they leave the store.
“Could have been worse. I once went to buy condoms and ran into one of my professors.” Hartley shakes his
head.
“I’d die.” Bennett groans.
“It was awful.”
They go back to Hartley’s hotel, and again they get a few looks in the hotel lobby as they walk through, decked out in leather and fur. Bennett is kind of embarrassed, but part of him is pleased that everyone is seeing him with a guy as good looking as Hartley.
Back in high school, when Bennett was thin and spotty and shy, he’d never have been able to approach a guy like Hartley is now, even though he’s actually a really sweet guy.
They finally make it to Hartley’s hotel room and Bennett relaxes slightly. No one else is watching them now. It’s just the two of them. Bennett doesn’t know how the Joker had the balls to propose to someone in a room full of strangers. Bennett would have to be a hundred percent sure the person would say yes to ask them in front of anyone else.
“How much of your costume can you take off easily?” Hartley asks, pointing to the furry sideburns, and thick eyebrows.
“It’s all disposable, and the makeup washes off, just let me go to the bathroom, and I’ll get rid of it. Hopefully, you won’t be disappointed with the non-wolf version of me.” Bennett tries to say it like he’s joking, but he knows it comes out more serious.
“I won’t be disappointed,” Hartley promises.
“Okay.”
In the bathroom, Bennett cleans all the makeup he can off his face, leaving the eye liner and wolf eye contacts as he doesn’t have the container and solution to put them in. He just gets rid of the fur from his face. Once he’s put it in the trash, he walks back to the bedroom, only to find that Harley is moving around the room completely naked, putting on some music.
“You’re naked,” Bennett blurts out, staring at Hartley’s perfect pert ass.
Hartley’s sexy smile is even more distracting when he’s naked. “You’re not. Want to change that?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I think naked would be good right about now.” Bennett strips off his jacket and then his fur vest. He’s half hard in his leather pants from looking at Hartley naked, and leather pants are not the most comfortable thing to be hard in.
“You look incredible,” Hartley says once Bennett is naked.
Bennett almost goes to cover himself. But then Hartley comes close and kisses him, and his nerves go up in a puff of smoke from the fire that starts to rage through Bennett.
They make out standing up, until Bennett’s legs feel weak. Feeling bolder now he’s lust drunk, Bennett grabs a handful of Hartley’s ass and encourages him to walk towards the bed.
“How do you want to do this? I’m ‘verse,” Hartley pants.
“I like both, but I kind of have this image in my head of you on your hands and knees on the bed, and me standing at the end of it, fucking you,” Bennett admits, his face flushed with heat and desire.
“I like your imagination.” Hartley pulls away and grabs the lube and a condom out of the bag of stuff they bought, taking them over to the bed.
Hartley lies on his back to start with. Drenching his fingers with lube, he stars slicking up his hole. Bennett watches, stroking his cock, rock hard as Hartley fingers himself. After a few minutes of preparation, Hartley rolls over and gets up on his knees, right on the end of the bed.
He reaches back to pass Bennett a condom and then braces both hands on the bed. Bennett unwraps the condom, making a mental note to pick up the wrapper later because his mom did not raise him to litter. This is a nice hotel; they don’t want to be picking up condom wrappers from the floor.
Bennett rolls the condom on and lines up, one hand firm on Hartley’s waist, the other guiding his cock to Hartley’s hole. He uses his grip on Hartley’s waist to pull him back slowly into the first thrust as he pushes his way into Hartley’s heat.
“Fuck,” Hartley groans.
“Too much?” Bennett asks, worried. He’s not porn star huge or anything, but he’s not small either, and Hartley is a little guy.
“No, just right. Damn it, now I sound like the goldilocks of dicks.” Hartley snorts, and Bennett can’t help laughing, leaning over Hartley’s back to hide his smile against Hartley’s skin.
“Goldilocks got in trouble with bears. You found a wolf.” Bennett smirks and thrust gently, opening Hartley up and easing him into things. He doesn’t like starting too fast when he bottoms, so he never does it when he tops.
“I read a fanfiction where Captain Dee was like red riding hood, and wolf girl fucked him with a strap on.” Hartley pants as they move together.
“So that’s why you came to say hello. You wanted to get fucked by wolf girl,” Bennett teases.
“I’m not gonna lie and say it didn’t cross my mind,” Hartley says, sounding happy, and it’s really nice to be having sex like this. It’s hot, but it’s not too serious. They can talk and joke. Bennett doesn’t feel like he’s going to make a fool of himself or embarrass himself by being geeky, because Hartley is a geek too—one who makes jokes while he’s having sex.
“I’m really glad you came over. I’ve always wanted to fuck Captain Dee, and you’re hotter than the real Captain.” Bennett had many a teenage fantasy due to his favourite show, about almost every character, but Captain Dee had always been a favourite in his dreams.
I—fuck—thanks. I like you better than wolf girl, you being a hot guy instead of a girl, and all.”
They keep moving together, Bennett speeding up his thrusts, and watching as Hartley lifts up so he’s balancing on one arm and jerking himself off in time to their movements. Hartley has a hell of a dirty mouth for a future math teacher.
A thrill runs through Bennett as he admires his own hands, which still have the claws on his fingernails since they’re glued on.
He’s not a space werewolf. He’s not crazy. But this is probably as close to his teenage fantasy as he’s going to get, and it’s cool because he knows Hartley has the same feelings, the same thoughts about the characters.
“I’m going to come. Shit, keep going, just like that,” Hartley growls, like he’s the one impersonating a wolf.
Bennett obeys, gripping his waist tightly and fucking him hard and fast, skin slapping, sweat building between them. Hartley arches back so he’s just on his knees, one arm behind him looping around Bennett’s neck to help him stay up, and the other hand still on his cock, working his body closer to orgasm.
Bennett kisses Harley’s neck, sucking on the skin, and Hartley throws his head back, gasping as he comes, collapsing forward again, using his folded arms to hold him up as Bennett speeds his thrusts, wanting to be lost in the same pleasure as Hartley.
It’s not long before the pleasure builds, his blood boiling in his veins, and it goes off like an explosion, lights dancing behind his eyes. Hartley moves, causing Bennett to slip out of his body as Hartley pulls him down onto the bed. They crawl to the head of the bed so they’re not lying in Harley’s wet spot.
Bennett takes off the condom and ditches it in the bedside trash can before putting an arm around Hartley.
“I know this is kind of backwards, but would you like to go to dinner? It’s cool if you don’t,” Hartley asks, looking shy for the first time.
“I’d like that. I don’t want to go out in my costume, though. Would you like to meet near my place? There’s this Moroccan place I’ve been meaning to try.”
“Sounds like a good idea. Want to shower here before you go home?” Hartley asks, raising an eyebrow.
Bennett smiles. “I’d be a fool to say no.”
THE END
ABOUT L.J. HAMLIN
L.J. Hamlin is a chronically ill writer who likes to write to escape from the pain. She loves animals and the supernatural.
For more information, visit ljhamlin.com.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
JMS Books LLC is a small queer press with competitive royalty rates publishing LGBT romance, erotic romance, and young adult fiction. Visit jms-books.com for our latest releases and submission guidelines!
sp; L.J. Hamlin, Petrichor