Chapter three
Thiswouldbethemost epic weekend ever. Olivia could feel it.
Rosie and Nadia fussed with Olivia’s most daring costume ever. “Hold still! This hula hoop doesn’t want to stay in place,” Nadia groaned. A cut hula hoop with cotton batting glued to it, strategically sewn to her flesh-colored dancer shorts and bandeau top, brought the character to life. Nude flats, pigtails, and the trademark Leaf village ninja headband around her neck, drove it home. Never before had Olivia been so grateful for her small breasts.
With the individual costume competition today, Olivia wasn’t the only one competing. Rosie was trying to get extra miles out of the blue wig she’d bought for the weekend, so she dressed as the title character fromDokuro-chan the Bludgeoning Angel,wearing a schoolgirl outfit with a halo and carrying a big-studded club. Meanwhile, Nadia had clipped her hair up and wore glasses and a blackshihakusho—she cosplayed as Lieutenant Nanao fromBleach. Mia was dressed as Naruto from the show of the same name, her hair hidden under a short wig. And lastly, Olivia went asSexyNo Jutsu, codename for Naruto’s gender-swapping ninja technique that turned him into a naked girl, hidden by a cloud of smoke swirling around.
“Hang on, twin, we need to make our faces match.” Mia pulled out her eyeliner pencil and marked Naruto’s whiskers on her face, the mark of the fox demon he hosted. “Too bad we can’t compete in couples and singles, because we would kill the competition.”
“I wish the couples and group cosplay competitions weren’t on the same day. That would be awesome.” Olivia held herself perfectly still.
“We’ll just have to have fun messing around with the other Naruto cosplayers today.”
Nadia held up her phone. “You guys are going to go viral when we post the ‘transformation’ video.”
Jake’s costume was stifling, but necessary, as he wandered the halls of the convention. He thought it would be weird for a guy to dress as Deadpool to an anime convention, but there were other comic book cosplayers around so he didn’t feel too out of place. Cosplay was a fun word. A blend of costume and play, people dressed up and acted like characters from their favorite shows. Anime cosplayers were especially dedicated, the colorful, energetic art form lending itself to some crazy costumes. But as Deadpool he could keep his identity a secret, and his reputation intact. If word got around the station that he had a nerdy side, the guys would never let him live it down, just like what happened in school. And if it got onto social media, he worried that he could lose his credibility as a sportscaster. He thanked his lucky stars for the millionth time since graduation that none of the guys he knew from Nebraska had ended up in Baltimore. Now to find Blondie.
He’d discreetly looked up the convention schedule while he was supposed to be researching the University of Michigan football team on Friday, but he’d been more preoccupied in figuring out what she’d be doing for the convention. If she was in a panel, he’d never find her. There were too many going on, and he had no idea how varied her interests were. One thing he knew was the cosplay contest schedule. The couples and singles costumes were Saturday, and the group contest was Sunday. She wouldn’t be wearing her Sailor Moon costume until tomorrow, but he was dying to see if she’d dress up two days in a row.
He knew this was borderline obsessive behavior, but he couldn’t shake the gnawing guilt that plagued him. She had the entirely wrong impression of him, and Jake was going to fix it if it killed him. He’d seen the interest in her eyes until he’d put his foot in his mouth. She was the first anime fan to look at him without dumping him into the jock box right away, and he was too intrigued to give up on his plan.
Jake strode through Artist’s Alley, amazed at the various booths. Fan art, original art, screen-printed t-shirts and handmade hats were just a few of the wares he could see around the throngs of people.
Wait. Was that her? It had to be. Oh fuck. Jake was suddenly grateful he’d thought to wear a cup under his costume, as his cock would have threatened to embarrass him without its protection. He recognized the brunette, who he was fairly certain hated him at this point. She’d dressed as aBleachcharacter. On her other side were two more women. All four women, including his Blondie, were surrounded by a crowd ofNarutocosplayers.
One of her friends had come as Naruto Uzumaki, and she wasSexy No Jutsu. Her costume left little of that tight, hot body to the imagination. Other cosplayers and con attendees were lining up to get their photo taken with her. It wasn’t a part of the programming or anything; it was just something people did at conventions from what he’d heard. It was a compliment of the highest order.
He took his phone out of a shopping bag, a couple of art pieces already purchased for his condo, and got in line behind a balding fat guy in aDi Gi Charatshirt, watching Blondie closely.
Most people, especially the other cosplayers, were respectful, while others were not. There were maybe five people between Jake andSexy No Jutsuwhen he got in line. But when the guy in front of him grabbed a handful of her butt, he saw red. Before he could jump in, Baldy cried out in pain as Blondie twisted his arm away while Brunette pushed his phone back at him with a snarl. Jake held back a snicker. It was funny when she had her wrath turned on someone else.
Blondie scowled. “Keep your hands to yourself, asshole.”
Baldy turned to him as if he was asking for help. “She attacked me! I didn’t do nothin’!”
Seriously? Jake hadseenhim do it. What was it with other dudes thinking they could get someone to take their side just because you had the same equipment between your legs? Jake crossed his arms and growled, looking down on the man who he had several inches on. He couldn’t risk using his voice and giving away his identity. Thankfully, Baldy got the hint and stammered nonsense as Deadpool Jake shook his head in disbelief, then calmly motioned to a security guard to escort the creep off the premises.
Brunette, Naruto, and a blue haired angel character surrounded Blondie as if to form a protective circle, although she’d insisted she was okay multiple times.
“Do you want to call it quits?” Brunette asked her.
“No, I’m fine. I just wish they hadn’t confiscated Rosie’s club at the door.”
“I should have known better than to bring a weapon anyway.” So the blue haired one was Rosie. But that didn’t help him get Blondie’s name.
Right there. She wasright therein front of him, and suddenly all the work and research and worry was worth it. She wasn’t cutting him off or running away. He could do this. Jake tapped Blondie on the shoulder. “Oh, hi. Thanks for stepping in.” A blush rose to her cheeks. She was shorter than he’d realized, maybe five foot two. He had about a foot on her, regardless. Trying to stay in character, he bowed as if to say, “You’re welcome.”
Hesitantly, he wagged his phone at her, hopeful she’d oblige him for a selfie of his own.
“Of course, you can get a photo!” She winked at him, and an electric energy sparked between them. Jake’s confidence soared. This was working perfectly without his mouth getting in the way! Ironically, Deadpool constantly annoyed people with his endless jabbering. Just like Jake.
He didn’t have time to contemplate. Brunette took his phone to take the photo, and when Blondie leaned in to kiss his cheek, something she hadn’t done for anyone else, he placed his other hand on the side of his face and dropped his jaw, stretching the full-face mask.Ryan Reynolds, eat your heart out.
As Brunette handed him back his phone, Blue Hair leaned in and addressed the group. “Hey, since they confiscated my club at the door, maybe Deadpool here can act as bodyguard until the competition starts? There’s clearly too many people for the security team to get to anyone quickly.”
“What, you don’t think I could kick someone’s ass?” Brunette drew herself up tall and crossed her arms over her chest. Jake gave her a thumbs up, earning him a grin. He had no doubts, and the Brunette bad ass knew it now.
“If he wants to act as a deterrent, I wouldn’t mind. Kicking anyone’s butt in my costume would cause a riot. And you’ve got the best height for photo duty.” Blondie looked over at him. “I don’t want you to miss out on any of the events, though. It’s only twenty minutes until we have to go to the competition. Would you mind?”
