“No, I was just thinking…” He shakes his head, which he dips as he turns a little pinker. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Amber watches him a moment, then shocks Shashi off her lap when she makes an excited bounce. “You’re thinking about sex!”
“What? No, I wasn’t. I wasn’t!”
“You were! You’re thinking about your sex last night, or whenever it was now, that just about destroyed the last world. That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?”
“No!” he protests, way too loudly.
Jon cackles, but Shashi shoves her way back up to sitting and says, “Amber, that’s actually a brilliant idea.”
“You can’t be serious,” I argue, but she’s not even smiling. Well, maybe her eyes are. A bit.
“What’s the problem?” she prompts. “You two can barely keep your hands off each other as it is. And frankly, I’m tired of having to watch over you.”
“We’re not that bad!” I gasp out.
“Oh, you totally are,” says Assassin August, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “It’s appalling.”
“You need to do this,” Jon declares, grinning from ear to ear. “Save us from weeks in this boring cell.”
“Hey, yeah!” says Amber. “And then, if the next world’s no good, you can just move us on to the one after that. Crack open a new rift.”
“Like you’ve got your own private particle accelerator,” Shashi cackles out.
They’re all having a great time at our expense. Meanwhile, I’m dying on the inside. Somewhat. I mean, it’s honestly a pretty great idea. And just the thought of another night with Augustlike the last one we had has me constantly on edge. Him being across this small space from me is killing me slowly.
And damn, that sex was so great. I want more. Ineedmore.
I shouldn’t be thinking this.
Maybe August doesn’t want to have sex to destroy the world? He’s done a lot of world destroying, and there’s all sorts of trauma there that we probably don’t want associated with our sex life.
If we ever get to have one again.
He’s not saying anything, but the corner of his lips is slightly curved, and his eyes are on me, half shy, like it’s my decision.
This is entirely too ridiculous to be true.
Who comes up with shit like this?
But Shashi’s already climbing to her feet, pulling Amber’s hands. “I think I’ll go out for a while. Have a walk around the college. But if the world starts falling apart, we’ll come right back here, okay?”
“No.” My eyes follow her, but she doesn’t even glance at me. “No, you’re joking, right?”
She only clicks her fingers for Jon to follow her, and says, “You’ve gotta do it, for science!”
“For science!” Amber shouts, clapping her hands.
“But…” Jon makes a move like he might stand up, then settles back down against the wall. “I’m not a super genius like all of you, or even a supervillain.” He waits for August’s scowl before continuing with a grin, “But wouldn’tthreeAugusts make it happen faster?”
“Hey, yeah!” Amber cries.
“No!” Every August in the room snaps.
“I could stay to help,” Jon suggests, while Shashi slaps a hand over her face. “If you like?”
“Idon’tlike,” I tell him as sternly as possible.
