Chapter 5
Chad led the way out to Derek’s piece-of-junk car, feeling rather embarrassed that Parker was seeing it. His friend never bothered to lock it(because who’s steal a heap like this?), so he opened the door and activated the trunk release. He went around and began to pull their suitcases out, handing one to Parker.
They reentered the convention center and headed for the hotel section. A harassed looking desk clerk looked up their reservations and gave Chad a key to his(and Derek’s although the hotel didn’t need to know that) room. Then he and Parker toted the bags toward the elevators. “Are you…umm…staying here too?” Chad asked as they got into an elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor.
“Yep. Cass and I checked in awhile ago. We’re on the second floor, room 205. Just thought I’d mention that, in case you might want to visit us.”
Chad drew in a deep breath, wild images of himself ‘visiting’ Parker in his hotel room flashing through his head. “Okay,” he mumbled, taking an interest in the lighted elevator buttons.
A chuckle. “We could have a pajama party,” Parker teased. “Do you have Star Wars p.j.s, Chad?”
His face flamed again. He did. He knew from the laughter that erupted from the man standing beside him that Parker had read his answer on his face easily. “And lunch boxes, mugs, place mats, etc.? I bet you’re drowning in memorabilia.”
“Well, maybe,” Chad replied stiffly.
A hand patted his armor(and the arm underneath it), making him jump a little. ‘Don’t sweat it. I know how obsessive true Star Wars fans are. And there are worse things to be obsessed about. And to waste your money on, too. At least this hobby isn’t hazardous to your health.”
“It might be, if you spent too much and got kicked out of your house because of it,” Chad pointed out.
“Has that ever happened to you?” Parker asked curiously.
“Well, it almost did once,” he confessed shame-facedly. “I got behind on my rent because I bought a gun off of EBay that was supposed to have actually been used in Empire by Boba Fett. It’s really cool, but for awhile there I thought I’d be using it as a pillow while I was sleeping in the streets…”
Parker guffawed. “God, that’s hilarious,” he remarked, wiping at his eyes. “I can just see you sitting on a street corner dressed as Boba Fett, with a tin cup so you could beg for handouts.”
Chad had to admit that image was pretty funny. “I could always threaten to shoot them with my laser pistol if they didn’t give me money,” he said.
“That’s right. Don’t cross the dangerous hobo bounty hunter. Ahh, here’s your floor,” he added as the elevator dinged and the door slid open.
Chad led the way to 418. He used the key to open the door and they carried the suitcases into it and dumped them on the twin beds within. “Do you want to unpack now?” Parker asked him.
He shook his head. “No. I can do that later. Did you want to do something else?”
“Let’s go look at the panels,” Parker suggested. “I’m hoping that Cass has found something good by now. If that’s okay with you?”
“Sure,” Chad said, then hesitated. With an internal sigh, he lifted his helmet and put it back on his head.
Parker tilted his own head at this action, frowning a little at Chad. But finally he shrugged a bit and led the way out of the hotel room without saying anything for now.
Derek stood beside Cassie and felt his chest swell with pride. He’d had several guys look at him enviously because he was with such a hot babe. He wanted to sling his arm around her waist possessively, but he knew that wasn’t a great idea. Cassie probably wouldn’t like it. Still, it was enough that he got to be with her at all, even if it was only as her companion for the day. Every other Con he’d walked around with other geeks just like himself, moving around in all-male herds because the females disdained them. He supposed he couldn’t blame the females or anything – a bunch of pimply, overweight ugly guys with no social graces to speak of? That wasn’t exactly swoon material for any woman.
He wasn’t really paying attention to what the guys on the panel were saying. He was too busy surreptitiously looking down the halter top of Cassie’s costume. God, it was sexy! Her breasts weren’t huge, but what she did have nicely lifted the cups and showed a bit of curve on top too. He tried hard not to drool down her neck, because then she was bound to notice his ogling and punch him right in the nose.
“Hey, guys,” A voice said behind them. “Find anything good?”
Derek reluctantly looked away from his mammary gawking to see Chad and that Parker guy approaching them. Cassie smiled at her friend in greeting. “Yeah, this one so pretty good. Hey, Stormy – why don’t you and Chad listen for a bit while I talk to Parker?”
“Err, sure,” Derek said unhappily. Then he remembered their conversation outside the restaurant. He turned to his friend. “Hang around, Chad, I’m sure they won’t be gone long,” he added as Cassie dragged her friend away with her.
“What the heck are you doing, Cass?” Parker asked impatiently as she pulled him out into the hallway outside the room where the panels were taking place.
She stopped and set he hands on her slim hips. “Park, you’re being dense,” she snapped.
His brows shot up. “I am? About what?”
“About that guy Chad!” she yelped. “You do know he likes you, don’t you?”
He blinked. “He does? Hmm, that would explain a few things. Like why he keeps turning red around me. It’s kind of cute, actually.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it? Do you like him too? If you don’t you shouldn’t encourage him. That wouldn’t be very nice.”
“I’m just hanging out with him,” he pointed out mildly.
“Parker Jones, don’t be an idiot!” she chided him. “The guy’s got a crush on you and you think that he’s just hanging out with you? Geez!”
His lips twitched, then he broke into open laughter. She stared at him, then shook her head. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” she asked in disgust.
He nodded. “It’s pretty fun. Especially when you bridle at me like that. Don’t worry, Cass, I kind of like Chad too.”
She relaxed a bit. “What are you going to do? Just tell him that outright? Or are you going to torture the poor guy first?”
He cocked his head. “Now why would I do that? Are you implying that I’m cruel, Cass?”
She snorted. “I’m not implying it, I’m saying it outright. But you’d better not be mean to him,” she went on, waving a warning finger in front of his face. “Or you’ll answer to me. You got that?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I got it. Don’t hurt me, Cass.”
She eyed him in a disgruntled manner. “I might be inclined to do so if you don’t behave yourself,” she replied ominously.
Parker grinned. Cassie was pretty amusing when her feathers got all ruffled like this. “Let’s go back inside. You can hang out with your new boyfriend,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
She snorted again. “Derek isn’t my boyfriend yet. He’s doing a trial period this weekend. Then I’ll decide one way or another, depending on how he acts during the Con.”
Parker laughed as they started inside. “You get a two-day free trial, and if you don’t like the product you can send it back,” he murmured to her.
Cassie giggled. “That’s about it,” she agreed readily.
Later they wandered out of the room after that panel was over. Cassie turned to Chad, who was still wearing his Boba Fett helmet. “Derek and I are going to watch a movie. Maybe Star Wars,” she remarked. “Did you want to come with us?”
Parker’s brows shot up when she didn’t include him in this invitation. “Uhh, no thank you,” Chad said through the helmet. “We already saw it earlier.”
“Oh, okay. Come on, Stormy. Let’s go get good seats,” she dragged Derek away once more, and he waved at his friend before trailing off after her.
Silence fell for a moment as the two of them just stood there watching their friends go. Then Parker turned to look at Chad thoughtfully. “Let’s go and talk somewhere where there are less people,” he remarked.
Chad followed after him as Parker moved out into the lobby, keeping an eye out for someplace where they could be a bit more private. But there was barely a corner that wasn’t filled with crowds, and he sighed in frustration. “Come on; let’s go outside,” he said.
Chad went with him. Out in the parking lot, he said tentatively: “Umm, we could talk in Derek’s car if you wanted to. I mean, it’s a POS and everything, but…”
“That’ll do,” Parker said. “Lead the way, Chad.”
So he took Parker to Derek’s car, and he got into the driver’s side this time while Parker eased himself into the passenger’s side. He looked over at Chad. “Could you take your helmet off? I t isn’t easy talking to you with it on,” he said impatiently.
Chad didn’t really want to, but at last he reached up to remove the helmet. He looked uncertainly at Parker. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.
“Well, you said earlier that you don’t have a boyfriend,” Parker began.
Feeling embarrassed, he nodded. “No, I don’t.”
“And I told you that I don’t have one either, that I’d broken up with mine six months ago,” Parker went on.
“Yes,” Chad wondered where this was going.
But then he got the shock of his young life, as Parker turned a direct stare on him and asked: “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me,” he said simply.
Chad looked rather like a shocked guppy, Parker thought in distant amusement. His mouth kept opening and closing as though he couldn’t get in enough air. The green eyes were wide. Chad truly looked like someone had hit him in the forehead with a tack hammer, addling him. After a moment’s shocked silence, he blurted: “You can’t be serious!”
Parker cocked his had a little. “I can’t? Why not?” he asked curiously, his lips twitching a little.
“B-Because! I mean…” Chad waved a hand at himself and then at Parker. “You’re totally gorgeous, and I…” realizing what he’d just said, he turned brick red and spluttered to a halt.
Parker grinned. “Thanks. I’m glad you think I’m gorgeous. But I don’t see what that has to do with whether you’ll go out with me or not.”
“W-well…I’m not…” Chad looked down at his own hands, which were twining in his lap. “I’m not…anything special. Just a skinny geek with a good costume.”
Parker frowned. “That’s some self-esteem you have there, Chad,” he drawled, making the other man flinch slightly. He sighed. “Look. It isn’t up to you anyway, you know,” he said sharply.
Chad’s eyes darted up to meet his, puzzlement in the green depths. “What?”
Parker touched his own chest. “It’s up to me to decide if you’re something special or not. And I happen to think that you’re pretty cute, and also attractive. That’s why I asked you out. So will you go out with me or not?”
Chad looked both a little stricken and completely tongue-tied. Parker shook his head. Too adorable for words, a shy geek. He decided to move this along a little faster, since they could be here all day while Chad tried to pull himself together. So he leaned forward on the seat and lightly kissed Chad’s still gaping mouth. He heard a gasp, and smiled even as he moved his mouth over the other man’s with a soft intensity that wasn’t going to make thinking any easier for poor Chad.
A little, breathy moan made Parker’s pants become suddenly too tight at the crotch. Long arms clutched at him rather desperately, and he cupped the back of Chad’s head to hold him in place. It was time to bring the ol’ tongue into play. He thrust his gently into Chad’s mouth, hearing another gasp as it curled over everything it found inside. His thumb caressed a vulnerable nape as he continued to deepen the kiss, thoroughly enjoying himself. He liked the fact that Chad’s sweet mouth tasted like a combination of the sandwich he’d eaten earlier and peppermints. He lapped at Chad’s tongue with his own, and felt a distinct shiver go through the tall form in response.
Parker finally pulled away, albeit reluctantly. Chad’s face had a wash of color in it again, although this time it wasn’t embarrassment causing it. The green eyes were dazed. He smiled at Chad. “See? I couldn’t have kissed you like that if I didn’t want to date you,” he pointed out.
Chad cleared his throat a little. “Other guys have kissed me,” he said hoarsely. “And THEY didn’t want to date me.”
Parker shook his head. “Then they were idiots.” He said simply.
Chad sighed. “No, they just wanted to get laid.”
Silence, as Parker digested this statement. Then he said: “All right. I’ll admit that I want to have sex with you. “But I also want to go out with you, so here’s the deal – I won’t try to have sex with you for the entire Con. We’ll just hang out together, like one long date. We’ll find out if we’re right for each other, that kind of thing. And afterward, if it does work out, THEN we’ll have sex. That way it won’t just be about hooking up at the Con. Okay?”
Chad stared at him, looking vulnerable and uncertain. “You’re not just…saying that?” he whispered.
Parker sighed. “If I WAS just saying it, wouldn’t I be trying to get into your pants instead of making you a deal not to for the whole weekend?”
He could see the logic in that statement. It was just – nothing like this had ever happened to him before. No guy had ever asked him out or wanted to date him. The few who’d approached him had all wanted a no-strings attached lay, nothing else. And that it was someone fine like Parker Jones asking him out! It completely blew his mind. He felt like Luke Skywalker just after Darth Vader had informed him of his real parentage.
“Okay,” he said tentatively. “I guess that’d be cool.”
His attempt to be casual was pretty pitiful. Parker fought back a grin. “Good. We should head back inside, since it’s too tempting just to jump you if we stay in this car. Let’s go find Cass and your friend, all right?”
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Chad led the way out to Derek’s piece-of-junk car, feeling rather embarrassed that Parker was seeing it. His friend never bothered to lock it(because who’s steal a heap like this?), so he opened the door and activated the trunk release. He went around and began to pull their suitcases out, handing one to Parker.
They reentered the convention center and headed for the hotel section. A harassed looking desk clerk looked up their reservations and gave Chad a key to his(and Derek’s although the hotel didn’t need to know that) room. Then he and Parker toted the bags toward the elevators. “Are you…umm…staying here too?” Chad asked as they got into an elevator and rode it up to the fourth floor.
“Yep. Cass and I checked in awhile ago. We’re on the second floor, room 205. Just thought I’d mention that, in case you might want to visit us.”
Chad drew in a deep breath, wild images of himself ‘visiting’ Parker in his hotel room flashing through his head. “Okay,” he mumbled, taking an interest in the lighted elevator buttons.
A chuckle. “We could have a pajama party,” Parker teased. “Do you have Star Wars p.j.s, Chad?”
His face flamed again. He did. He knew from the laughter that erupted from the man standing beside him that Parker had read his answer on his face easily. “And lunch boxes, mugs, place mats, etc.? I bet you’re drowning in memorabilia.”
“Well, maybe,” Chad replied stiffly.
A hand patted his armor(and the arm underneath it), making him jump a little. ‘Don’t sweat it. I know how obsessive true Star Wars fans are. And there are worse things to be obsessed about. And to waste your money on, too. At least this hobby isn’t hazardous to your health.”
“It might be, if you spent too much and got kicked out of your house because of it,” Chad pointed out.
“Has that ever happened to you?” Parker asked curiously.
“Well, it almost did once,” he confessed shame-facedly. “I got behind on my rent because I bought a gun off of EBay that was supposed to have actually been used in Empire by Boba Fett. It’s really cool, but for awhile there I thought I’d be using it as a pillow while I was sleeping in the streets…”
Parker guffawed. “God, that’s hilarious,” he remarked, wiping at his eyes. “I can just see you sitting on a street corner dressed as Boba Fett, with a tin cup so you could beg for handouts.”
Chad had to admit that image was pretty funny. “I could always threaten to shoot them with my laser pistol if they didn’t give me money,” he said.
“That’s right. Don’t cross the dangerous hobo bounty hunter. Ahh, here’s your floor,” he added as the elevator dinged and the door slid open.
Chad led the way to 418. He used the key to open the door and they carried the suitcases into it and dumped them on the twin beds within. “Do you want to unpack now?” Parker asked him.
He shook his head. “No. I can do that later. Did you want to do something else?”
“Let’s go look at the panels,” Parker suggested. “I’m hoping that Cass has found something good by now. If that’s okay with you?”
“Sure,” Chad said, then hesitated. With an internal sigh, he lifted his helmet and put it back on his head.
Parker tilted his own head at this action, frowning a little at Chad. But finally he shrugged a bit and led the way out of the hotel room without saying anything for now.
Derek stood beside Cassie and felt his chest swell with pride. He’d had several guys look at him enviously because he was with such a hot babe. He wanted to sling his arm around her waist possessively, but he knew that wasn’t a great idea. Cassie probably wouldn’t like it. Still, it was enough that he got to be with her at all, even if it was only as her companion for the day. Every other Con he’d walked around with other geeks just like himself, moving around in all-male herds because the females disdained them. He supposed he couldn’t blame the females or anything – a bunch of pimply, overweight ugly guys with no social graces to speak of? That wasn’t exactly swoon material for any woman.
He wasn’t really paying attention to what the guys on the panel were saying. He was too busy surreptitiously looking down the halter top of Cassie’s costume. God, it was sexy! Her breasts weren’t huge, but what she did have nicely lifted the cups and showed a bit of curve on top too. He tried hard not to drool down her neck, because then she was bound to notice his ogling and punch him right in the nose.
“Hey, guys,” A voice said behind them. “Find anything good?”
Derek reluctantly looked away from his mammary gawking to see Chad and that Parker guy approaching them. Cassie smiled at her friend in greeting. “Yeah, this one so pretty good. Hey, Stormy – why don’t you and Chad listen for a bit while I talk to Parker?”
“Err, sure,” Derek said unhappily. Then he remembered their conversation outside the restaurant. He turned to his friend. “Hang around, Chad, I’m sure they won’t be gone long,” he added as Cassie dragged her friend away with her.
“What the heck are you doing, Cass?” Parker asked impatiently as she pulled him out into the hallway outside the room where the panels were taking place.
She stopped and set he hands on her slim hips. “Park, you’re being dense,” she snapped.
His brows shot up. “I am? About what?”
“About that guy Chad!” she yelped. “You do know he likes you, don’t you?”
He blinked. “He does? Hmm, that would explain a few things. Like why he keeps turning red around me. It’s kind of cute, actually.”
“Well, what are you going to do about it? Do you like him too? If you don’t you shouldn’t encourage him. That wouldn’t be very nice.”
“I’m just hanging out with him,” he pointed out mildly.
“Parker Jones, don’t be an idiot!” she chided him. “The guy’s got a crush on you and you think that he’s just hanging out with you? Geez!”
His lips twitched, then he broke into open laughter. She stared at him, then shook her head. “You’re teasing me, aren’t you?” she asked in disgust.
He nodded. “It’s pretty fun. Especially when you bridle at me like that. Don’t worry, Cass, I kind of like Chad too.”
She relaxed a bit. “What are you going to do? Just tell him that outright? Or are you going to torture the poor guy first?”
He cocked his head. “Now why would I do that? Are you implying that I’m cruel, Cass?”
She snorted. “I’m not implying it, I’m saying it outright. But you’d better not be mean to him,” she went on, waving a warning finger in front of his face. “Or you’ll answer to me. You got that?”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I got it. Don’t hurt me, Cass.”
She eyed him in a disgruntled manner. “I might be inclined to do so if you don’t behave yourself,” she replied ominously.
Parker grinned. Cassie was pretty amusing when her feathers got all ruffled like this. “Let’s go back inside. You can hang out with your new boyfriend,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.
She snorted again. “Derek isn’t my boyfriend yet. He’s doing a trial period this weekend. Then I’ll decide one way or another, depending on how he acts during the Con.”
Parker laughed as they started inside. “You get a two-day free trial, and if you don’t like the product you can send it back,” he murmured to her.
Cassie giggled. “That’s about it,” she agreed readily.
Later they wandered out of the room after that panel was over. Cassie turned to Chad, who was still wearing his Boba Fett helmet. “Derek and I are going to watch a movie. Maybe Star Wars,” she remarked. “Did you want to come with us?”
Parker’s brows shot up when she didn’t include him in this invitation. “Uhh, no thank you,” Chad said through the helmet. “We already saw it earlier.”
“Oh, okay. Come on, Stormy. Let’s go get good seats,” she dragged Derek away once more, and he waved at his friend before trailing off after her.
Silence fell for a moment as the two of them just stood there watching their friends go. Then Parker turned to look at Chad thoughtfully. “Let’s go and talk somewhere where there are less people,” he remarked.
Chad followed after him as Parker moved out into the lobby, keeping an eye out for someplace where they could be a bit more private. But there was barely a corner that wasn’t filled with crowds, and he sighed in frustration. “Come on; let’s go outside,” he said.
Chad went with him. Out in the parking lot, he said tentatively: “Umm, we could talk in Derek’s car if you wanted to. I mean, it’s a POS and everything, but…”
“That’ll do,” Parker said. “Lead the way, Chad.”
So he took Parker to Derek’s car, and he got into the driver’s side this time while Parker eased himself into the passenger’s side. He looked over at Chad. “Could you take your helmet off? I t isn’t easy talking to you with it on,” he said impatiently.
Chad didn’t really want to, but at last he reached up to remove the helmet. He looked uncertainly at Parker. “What did you want to talk about?” he asked.
“Well, you said earlier that you don’t have a boyfriend,” Parker began.
Feeling embarrassed, he nodded. “No, I don’t.”
“And I told you that I don’t have one either, that I’d broken up with mine six months ago,” Parker went on.
“Yes,” Chad wondered where this was going.
But then he got the shock of his young life, as Parker turned a direct stare on him and asked: “I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me,” he said simply.
Chad looked rather like a shocked guppy, Parker thought in distant amusement. His mouth kept opening and closing as though he couldn’t get in enough air. The green eyes were wide. Chad truly looked like someone had hit him in the forehead with a tack hammer, addling him. After a moment’s shocked silence, he blurted: “You can’t be serious!”
Parker cocked his had a little. “I can’t? Why not?” he asked curiously, his lips twitching a little.
“B-Because! I mean…” Chad waved a hand at himself and then at Parker. “You’re totally gorgeous, and I…” realizing what he’d just said, he turned brick red and spluttered to a halt.
Parker grinned. “Thanks. I’m glad you think I’m gorgeous. But I don’t see what that has to do with whether you’ll go out with me or not.”
“W-well…I’m not…” Chad looked down at his own hands, which were twining in his lap. “I’m not…anything special. Just a skinny geek with a good costume.”
Parker frowned. “That’s some self-esteem you have there, Chad,” he drawled, making the other man flinch slightly. He sighed. “Look. It isn’t up to you anyway, you know,” he said sharply.
Chad’s eyes darted up to meet his, puzzlement in the green depths. “What?”
Parker touched his own chest. “It’s up to me to decide if you’re something special or not. And I happen to think that you’re pretty cute, and also attractive. That’s why I asked you out. So will you go out with me or not?”
Chad looked both a little stricken and completely tongue-tied. Parker shook his head. Too adorable for words, a shy geek. He decided to move this along a little faster, since they could be here all day while Chad tried to pull himself together. So he leaned forward on the seat and lightly kissed Chad’s still gaping mouth. He heard a gasp, and smiled even as he moved his mouth over the other man’s with a soft intensity that wasn’t going to make thinking any easier for poor Chad.
A little, breathy moan made Parker’s pants become suddenly too tight at the crotch. Long arms clutched at him rather desperately, and he cupped the back of Chad’s head to hold him in place. It was time to bring the ol’ tongue into play. He thrust his gently into Chad’s mouth, hearing another gasp as it curled over everything it found inside. His thumb caressed a vulnerable nape as he continued to deepen the kiss, thoroughly enjoying himself. He liked the fact that Chad’s sweet mouth tasted like a combination of the sandwich he’d eaten earlier and peppermints. He lapped at Chad’s tongue with his own, and felt a distinct shiver go through the tall form in response.
Parker finally pulled away, albeit reluctantly. Chad’s face had a wash of color in it again, although this time it wasn’t embarrassment causing it. The green eyes were dazed. He smiled at Chad. “See? I couldn’t have kissed you like that if I didn’t want to date you,” he pointed out.
Chad cleared his throat a little. “Other guys have kissed me,” he said hoarsely. “And THEY didn’t want to date me.”
Parker shook his head. “Then they were idiots.” He said simply.
Chad sighed. “No, they just wanted to get laid.”
Silence, as Parker digested this statement. Then he said: “All right. I’ll admit that I want to have sex with you. “But I also want to go out with you, so here’s the deal – I won’t try to have sex with you for the entire Con. We’ll just hang out together, like one long date. We’ll find out if we’re right for each other, that kind of thing. And afterward, if it does work out, THEN we’ll have sex. That way it won’t just be about hooking up at the Con. Okay?”
Chad stared at him, looking vulnerable and uncertain. “You’re not just…saying that?” he whispered.
Parker sighed. “If I WAS just saying it, wouldn’t I be trying to get into your pants instead of making you a deal not to for the whole weekend?”
He could see the logic in that statement. It was just – nothing like this had ever happened to him before. No guy had ever asked him out or wanted to date him. The few who’d approached him had all wanted a no-strings attached lay, nothing else. And that it was someone fine like Parker Jones asking him out! It completely blew his mind. He felt like Luke Skywalker just after Darth Vader had informed him of his real parentage.
“Okay,” he said tentatively. “I guess that’d be cool.”
His attempt to be casual was pretty pitiful. Parker fought back a grin. “Good. We should head back inside, since it’s too tempting just to jump you if we stay in this car. Let’s go find Cass and your friend, all right?”
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