My heart beats wildly, and I’ve lost the ability to breathe. I must be dreaming. Yeah, this is a dream. I’ll wake up soon, but obviously not soon enough.
“That I’m a self-assured guy that likes to get what he wants, and right now that’s information about Comic-Con. Pretty simple, right?”
Lo takes this in.
To nudge his thoughts, I say, “I’ll grab a few New X-Men comics. Stay here.” I don’t give Lo the option of backing out. I disappear into his room, sprinting around to try and gather some issues. After I collect a handful, I rush out of the hallway.
Lo has crept into the kitchen where he opens a cupboard for a glass. When I pass Ryke by the sink, the guy gives me a look like help me.
I’m trying, I mouth.
Try harder, he mouths back.
I flip him off in a knee-jerk reaction, and he rolls his eyes. I set the comics on the counter beside him and then fill the space in the kitchen between Lo and Ryke.
Lo closes the fridge, plopping an ice cube into his whiskey. When he leans an elbow on the counter, he eyes me like come here. He’ll probably wrap an arm around my waist and let me sink my body into his.
No, Lily. I shake my head at him and wade in the center, unsure and uncomfortable.
His face sharpens at the rejection, and he directs his hate onto Ryke. “What do you need to know?”
He shrugs. “Anything.”
“Ever hear of Google?”
“You mean that little search engine on that thing called the internet? No, I’ve never heard of it before. Can you explain that to me too?” He flashes a dry smile.
Lo grits his teeth and looks at me. “Why is he here again?”
“He’s writing an article on Comic-Con, and we owe him a favor.”
Lo inhales sharply. “Fine.” He starts rattling off X-Men characters, mutant powers and how they fit into Earth 616, way too quickly for anyone to understand.
“Wait, wait.” Ryke holds up his hands. “What the hell is Earth 616?”
Lo already looks frustrated. He downs half his drink, and Ryke’s body tightens, as though each time Lo takes a sip is a bullet to his chest. His reaction actually makes me sidle to Lo and try something else.
I stand on the tips of my toes and whisper in his ear, “Hold me.”
Obligingly, Lo sets down his drink and wraps two arms around my hips, leaning my back into his chest. The public display should embarrass me, but Ryke ignores our affection like we’re just standing around.
I cut in, “Earth 616 is the Marvel universe.”
“That’s not too hard to understand,” Ryke says.
One of Lo’s hands creeps beneath my shirt and stays on my stomach. I am a horrible, horrible person. I should push him off and stay focused on the conversation, but if this deters him from drinking, then maybe it’s okay.
Lo says, “Not all Marvel comics take place in Earth 616.”
Ryke cocks his head. “Now I’m confused.”
I try to explain. “It’s used to denote Marvel’s primary continuity. There’s a string of comics that all fit together in sequential time…” I feel something cold on my lower back and stifle a gasp.
Lo runs an ice cube on my skin, teasing…and probably hoping Ryke will take a hint and leave. Concentrate, Lily.
I clear my throat. “Then there are other comics that will take the characters and screw around with them. These comics do not fit into Earth 616.” He slides the cube up my spine, my skin cold and prickling. Oh God… “Like Ultimate X-Men…it…”
The cube melts away and Lo rakes his fingers along the same wet trail. I tuck a piece of my hair back. “It doesn’t fit in with any of the other X-Men comics. The same way The Ultimates doesn’t fit in with the Avengers line, even though they’re about the Avengers.”
Lo takes a small sip of his drink, and at first, I think my efforts aren’t helping, but he pops an ice cube out of his mouth, not even hiding what he’s doing from Ryke. A hand flies to my eyes, creating a blinder against any sort of judgment and awkwardness. Lo says to Ryke, “They’re alternate universes.”
“What’s better, the main line or the alternate universes?”
“They’re just different.”
The ice shocks me, and I flinch from Lo. I spin around and set my hands on his chest. Stop, I mouth.
His lips find my ear, and I have a feeling he’s glaring at Ryke as he whispers to me, “I’m going to take you so hard, you’re going to come with every thrust. And when you’re swollen and wet, all it’s going to take is me inside of you. I won’t even have to move for you to cry out.” Yes.