Celebrations

By K.L. Noone

For two successful actors, the convention circuit’s part of the job, but for Jason and Colby, it’s a challenge.

Jason’s been a convention guest before. But he’s never let himself relax and enjoy it, too busy being an action hero to indulge his dice-rolling, fantasy-loving, science-fiction geek side. And Colby loves the idea of conventions, but has never been to one. He’s not comfortable with crowds and contact and demands, especially not these days.

But they’ve got a very epic, very gay, new fantasy movie to promote. So they’ll navigate panels and photos and excitable fans together. And at the end of the day, Jason can give Colby some much-needed comfort ... and together they’ll discover how much fun this new adventure can be.

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: May 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781646567874

K.L. Noone

K.L. Noone loves fantasy, romance, cats, far too sweet coffee, and happy endings! She is also the author of Port in a Storm and its upcoming sequel, available from Less Than Three Press, and numerous short romances with Ellora’s Cave and Circlet Press; her fantasy fiction has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress anthologies. With her Professor Hat on, she teaches college students about Shakespeare and superhero comics, and has published academic articles and essays on Neil Gaiman’s adaptations of Beowulf, Welsh mythology in modern fantasy, and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.

Book preview

Celebrations

By K.L. Noone

Published by JMS Books LLC at Smashwords

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2021 K.L. Noone

ISBN 9781646567874

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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For everyone who’s made fan art, written fanfic, or had excited conversations with me about Jason and Colby—this one’s for you!

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Celebrations

By K.L. Noone

Jason watched Colby. Found himself in awe, not for the first time. Admiration, lust, devotion, love: they all spun like tops around his heart, and made it spin too.

The convention stretched out to engulf them like an over-enthusiastic hug, a tidal wave of sound from the hall floor. Superhero shirts and fantasy collectibles abounded. Jason squashed a sneaking pang of envy about a stunning elfin cosplay in the front row of the audience.

He’d always kind of wanted pointy ears. He’d pretended not to, or turned the wanting into a joke: big action-hero movie star, good at wrestling and karate and stunt work, full of muscular good cheer, definitely nobody who’d ever seriously wistfully wished to take a magic ring and go on a quest and learn to wield the Secret Flame of Heart-Fire.

These days he’d taught Colby—and occasionally Jillian and Andy and Laurie and George: all of Colby’s friends, because Colby did have friends and knew it, now—to play Wizards & Wyverns. Jason’s husband, the love of his life, had taken one look at character sheets and alignment charts, and had plunged into roleplaying adventures with the joy of a writer who adored fantasy worlds and romance and steampunk top-hats. Colby had shamelessly bought a swirling forest ranger’s cloak and learned to bake wayfarer’s bread, because Colby loved new worlds with his whole heart.

Colby, Jason thought now—as he always thought, every time—was the best person he knew. The most courageous. Not shy about eagerness and enthusiasm, once reassured that that enthusiasm was okay. More unselfconscious—in some ways, not all—than Jason himself. Worthy of all that admiration.

And, speaking of admiration and fans and being a fan: today, this moment, they were here. Himself, Jason Mirelli, and gorgeous kind-hearted Hollywood A-list movie star Colby Kent. Himself and his husband. In Seattle. A convention. Not the biggest—they’d talked about that, and had chosen carefully—but celebratory.

They’d brought along something to celebrate, of course.

The room nearly creaked aloud, stuffed full of costumes and joy and awareness of how special this sneak preview was. Director Jillian Poe, already on stage, glanced back at her cast as they came in: encouraging and present and here for them, as their names were called.

Colby waved at the audience, one-handed, crossing the stage. His other hand was holding Jason’s, fairly tightly.

Jason waved too, and half-instinctively