Daniel came running through the crowd and handed Maisie a green backpack covered in handmade vines. She swung it over her shoulder and posed.
“You look fantastic,” Alex said, then eyed Maisie’s boyfriend with a frown. “And who are you supposed to be?”
Daniel’s gray suit and blue shirt combo didn’t look special, but the camera around his neck did.
“I’m Leonard Shelby.” Daniel grinned, looking at all of us. His smile fell, and he added, “From Memento.”
“That’s right.” I gave him a pat on the shoulder for trying. I had to admit that with his short blond hair, he made a pretty decent young Guy Pearce.
Daniel raised the old-school Polaroid and snapped a picture. A whirring sound followed, and the thing spat out a white page. Daniel took it and waved it in the air as it developed. “Here.” He handed it to me just as an image of me and Beck materialized on it.
“That’s cool, thanks.” I leaned into Beck, and his arm around my waist and lips on my temple melted me into a pile of goo with cartoon heart eyes for my man.
“Hey, you might even prove useful today.” Alex smacked Daniel on the back so hard he stepped forward, and Maisie glared at her. “What?” Alex mouthed to Maisie, who rearranged Daniel’s camera strap.
“That Sailor Moon costume is fantastic!” Tai exclaimed, whizzing by us as if he had too much sugar, the Spider-Man spandex like a second skin on him. “SuitMan,” he said to Daniel. “I need your superpower.” He poked the camera with a finger.
“It’s not—ugh, never mind. I’m coming.” Daniel followed Tai into the crowd.
“Let’s check out the stands. I have a matching backpack to carry my haul.” Maisie skipped to the front of our group, leading the way to the table with magnificentsuperhero art on canvas. She picked up a few mugs, figures, and plushies, and stuffed them into her green backpack. When it was time for panels, we split into two groups to attend different ones. Beck, Tai and I were going to see the Deadpool panel, the rest veering to catch the Xena reboot one. We agreed to meet the rest of the party on the terrace upstairs.
I was used to holding hands with Beck in public, but doing so in our costumes turned heads. In a good way. We posed for pictures with other cosplayers and a few teenagers, gathering compliments like mushrooms after heavy rain.
A boy of about seven ran up to us and skidded to a halt. He looked at our clasped hands, then all the way to our faces. “I didn’t know superheroes could be gay. Is that allowed?” He tilted his head, pursing his lips in thought.
“Oh my god, Lucian!” A woman appeared out of nowhere, dropped her backpack on the floor, and took the kid by the shoulders. “Don’t run away, baby. You scared me.” She looked up at us. “I’m sorry if he bothered you.”
“Oh no, it’s fine.” Beck smiled at the boy, and my heart skipped a beat.
“To answer your question, superheroes can be anything you want them to be. And if you can’t find one that matches your ideas, you can invent one yourself.” I squeezed Beck’s hand, seeking reassurance. He squeezed back twice. Hopefully, the momwouldn’t set us on fire.
“Cool! I want to write a comic book, then!” The boy stomped his feet in excitement. “Mom, can you take a picture of me with the gay superheroes?”
“Of course, honey, if they don’t mind.” She stood up and righted her white Leia dress.
“It would be an honor,” Beck said in his low Batman voice.
Can he be any sexier?Good Lord. My whole body flushed, and I had a feeling we would revisit the idea of sex in costumes.
“Thank you.” Grinning at us, the woman fished out her phone.
The boy stood in front of us, hands on his hips, and thrust his chin up. “I’m ready.”
The mom snapped several photos and took the boy’s hand. “I’m Suzan. It was lovely to meet you guys,” she said, then patted Lucian’s shoulder. “We have to go, or we’ll miss the Mandalorian panel.”
“See you around,” Beck said, and I waved to our two new friends.
Once they disappeared into the crowd, I hugged Beck, holding him tight. His arms wrapped around me, and I snuggled as close as I could.
“Are you okay?” Beck whispered against my temple.
“Yeah. Just happy.”
Beck murmured in agreement and fixed the Superman curl on my forehead. “Let’s get some air. The gang should meet us at the rooftop garden soon.”
Warmth filled my chest at the sight of the place where Beck and I had kissed for the first time. The banners were updated and arranged differently, but the benches and potted plants were the same. Tai and Wes joined us but continued to chat with excitement about the panel they’d seen. My heart hammered as my mind was busy with something completely unrelated to geekery. Alex and Maisie broke through the crowd to stand near the edge of the balcony, Daniel staying behind to take a picture of them. They laughed and turned back to us. I met Maisie’s gaze, and she gave me two thumbs-ups. I’d read somewhere it was a bisexual sign, but the idea was completely ridiculous.
My stomach flip-flopped with excitement, and I glanced back at Beck, who was talking to Tai and fake laughed when I approached them. That was strange.
