The following serialized story contains explicit descriptions of sexual situations between consenting adult homosexual men. If such content offends you or is illegal for you to view due to age or laws in your state or country, please do not continue. All persons and events in the following story are fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This is the second installment in a continuing erotic comic book story. Comments and criticisms are welcome. Enjoy.
The Spectacular Quark
Episode Two: Triangle
Streams of sunlight cast white bars across my body. I lay in bed, still overwhelmed by the night before. He had come out of nowhere, this Quark, and saved my life. But the thing, The Scream, had seen my face. I was still in danger. Could I trust him to save me again? Could I trust him at all? Why had he kissed me? And why had I felt that letting him kiss me was a betrayal to Charlie?
It was Monday morning and the newsroom was like the New York stock exchange. Rumors of a new hero had spread throughout the city and everyone was arguing about how to cover it.
"My source at police headquarters said he stopped an armed robbery and two purse snatchings on Saturday night," said Henry Fisher, a seasoned reporter whose fondness for cheese fries kept him from a seat at the news desk.
"And he shoots light? Is that correct?" asked Rita, leaning against a desk so as not to crease her taupe pantsuit.
"That's what I hear," Henry answered. "And he can apparently disappear and reappear at will."
"Hot damn!" screamed Larry, the news director. He ran in and slammed a glossy 8x10 down on the desk as ten people huddled around it. I sat my bag down on a chair and moved in for a closer look, peering over Jenny Swenson's head. She smelled strongly of Aqua Net.
There, in the picture, was the man from last night. The man who had told me to call him Quark. Wearing a wine red suit which covered his entire body except for his eyes and mouth, he stood cross-armed in the middle of a wet, black street. A misty orange light was emanating all around him, illuminating the sleek suit and his firm muscles. It was the exact light that had filled my eyes when he had transported me instantaneously from the factory to my balcony.
"Nice body," said Jenny, matter-of-factly. A few eyes turned on her. "I'm just saying. I mean, he's hot, right? David?" Everyone then turned to me.
"Um," I stumbled. "He definitely has a nice body." That was as much of the truth as I could say. I couldn't tell them about the night before. I was in too much danger as it was and didn't want to put anyone else in harm's way. The Scream had seen my face and he, or his goons, would probably be after me as soon as he figured out who I was.
"Well, is he gay?" Larry asked. In this town, it was a reasonable question. All of our previous heroes had been gayer than I was. And I had "The Judy Show" on DVD. (For the record, it was a gift.)
"I dunno," I lied. He had kissed me, so I knew he wasn't straight.
"Of course he is," sighed Rita. "Look at his abs." There was general agreement.
"Well, then, what do we call him? He needs a name." Larry was already working up a news graphic in his head. The look in his eyes told me he was selecting the perfect font.
"Pink Lightning," offered Ken, the sports guy.
"Why?" asked Rita, annoyed. "He's red, Ken."
"Well, the light. And the gay thing." Jenny looked at Ken and shook her head.
"What about The Orange Avenger, then?" she offered, chewing on a pencil.
"The whole Avenger thing has been done." Larry wanted something big. He had told me his name, Quark. But I couldn't suggest it. For all I knew Larry would hate the name anyway. I had an idea. Fumbling in my pocket I pushed the key pad on my cell phone and it made a small beep. I pulled it out and stepped away, pretending to take a call.
"David Miller," I answered. "Hey Bonnie. Yeah we just got the picture. You have anymore scoop?" Bonnie was a friend of mine at the City City Gazette, a local tabloid. No one else could stand her, so I figured she was a safe pretend source. I concluded the call.
"That was Bonnie at the Gazette," I told the room. Rita's eyes rolled. "Apparently he told one of the cops last night that his name is Quark."
"Quark," sputtered Larry. "What the fuck kind of name is that supposed to be?"
"I don't know, but that's what she said." I was pleased that they had taken the bait.
"What does that mean?" asked Jenny. "It sounds familiar."
"It's a subatomic particle," said a soft voice on the other side of the crowd. Charlie Swenson, his white shirt wrinkled and his black glasses askew, rose from behind Rita.
"Well what does that have to do with fighting crime?" Larry obviously wanted a name which was a lot more sexy and a lot less quantum mechanics.
"Who knows," said Charlie, catching my eye for a second, then sheepishly looking away. "Maybe his powers are nuclear or something."
"Well, it's not enough. It needs something else." Larry tucked his chin to his chest and thought.
"Queer Quark?" asked Ken. Everyone ignored him.
"The Amazing Quark." Larry was brainstorming now. "The Fantastic Quark. The.something. It needs something."
"The Spectacular Quark," Charlie said, with a bit of hope at the end.
"Yes, Swenson. That's it. The Spectacular Quark. Jenny, I want you to go to the Mayor's office, find out everything they know." Larry in drill sergeant mode was always a thrilling sight. "Ken, go to the stadium, interview fans and players. Find out how the introduction of a new superhero is affecting the team. Myers, Boudreax, Baldwin I want you to find out anything you can about him. When did he first appear? Is there a sidekick? Does he have a car? Does it have a name? And it's never too early to try and find out who he is. Charlie, I want you to work with Dave. We may need to report on this physics crap. And you're the resident expert on the history of crime-fighters in this town. Dave, you and Rita are anchoring tonight. Al's not back from his fishing trip yet and besides, he'll need a few days to learn how to say Quark. What the Hell are you standing around for? Move!" Larry's bluster seemed to blow everyone out of the room. I set out for my office with Charlie behind me.
I opened the door to my office and let Charlie in. I shut the door quickly behind us.
"Charlie!" I was so excited to finally tell someone. "I saw him. Last night. He.he rescued me."
"What?" Charlie sat on the couch. I sat beside him and turned to face him.
"I went back to the factory."
"You can't do that. You'll get yourself killed." There was palpable anger and alarm on his voice.
"Tell me about it. That thing, The Scream, he found me. I think he was about to kill me when suddenly he just appeared. He shot this light out of his hands, it was incredible. And then he grabbed me and we just. I don't even know. One minute I was about to be attacked and then we were on my balcony. He can move through space. And he took me with him."
"You can't go back there, David." Charlie's eyes were distant and stern.
"Did you hear what I said? It was incredible."
"And you almost died. Look, there's a fricking super hero on the case, now. Let it be."
"I know. And you're the only person I'm telling because I know you'll keep it to yourself."
"I will. But you have to promise me. Leave it to him."
"Okay. God, I didn't know you cared." Well, that shut him up.
"We should get started." His posture shifted, he wanted a change of subject and fast. "Quarks"
"Yeah. Tell me." I grabbed a note pad from my desk and prepared to take notes.
"Well, they're subatomic particles, more theoretical than anything. There are several kinds, but I only know of six. Up, down, bottom, top, strange or charmed." I wondered if Quark was strange or charmed. Well, not really, but it makes me sound better than wondering if he was bottom or top.
"Well, that's a start." I looked at Charlie. His smooth face was humorless. I so wanted to see a smile on those pink lips. He straightened his glasses and looked at me, a little quizzically.
"I'll do some more research and let you know."
"You think he's the guy I saw come out of the vat last week?" I was fairly confident of the answer, the timing was too perfect, but I wanted validation.
"Probably." Charlie stood up.
"Well, if I see him again I'll ask for an interview." It was intended as a joke, but Charlie was dire.
"You can't look for, him. Stay out of it, David. You're in enough danger already."
"I was kidding, relax. I'll sit behind my desk and read the news, I won't make it. I promise." I smiled a little at him and a slight grin flashed on his face.
"Okay." Charlie went to the door, but my voice stopped him. A force in the pit of my stomach told me I had one more question for him.
"Charlie. Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure." He looked at me.
"Are you. and don't take offense. But, are you gay?" There, it was out. It hovered in the air for a moment.
"Yeah." Charlie's trademark shyness was there again.
"Just wondered." I looked down at some papers on my desk. "Single?" Charlie's hand stopped turning the doorknob. He nodded.
"Well, I was wondering." What was I doing? I was going to ask him out? Now? "Would you like to get a drink some time?"
"You want a date? With me?" He sounded astonished.
"Yeah. I mean, you can totally say no. I understand."
"Sure." His voice cracked a little.
"Great." I smiled at him. He glanced at his shoes. One was untied.
"When?"
"How about tonight? After the show?"
"I need to see my Mom."
"Right. Sorry."
"But, I could meet you afterwards. Like at your place. I mean, we'd go for drinks. We wouldn't have to go in to your place. I mean, that would be a little soon." The halting way in which he blathered on was adorable.
"Just buzz me, I'll come down." I wasn't really used to being the calm one.
"Okay. Sorry." He was desperate to get out of the room.
"No problem. You're cute when you babble." He had no idea what to do with that one.
"Eight o'clock? Okay?" His shoes were apparently fascinating.
"Great."
"Bye." He opened the door and hustled out.
"Bye," I said to the closing door.
Quark was the lead story that night and we covered ever detail imaginable. The Mayor's office was baffled, but Jenny made the best of their "no comment" reactions. And the police seemed to take his appearance as a personal front, calling him, naturally, a dangerous vigilante. I conducted an in-studio interview with an old woman, Darlene Crumpston who had been rescued by him two nights before.
"Well, he was very polite," she said, a little too excited about being on camera. "He called me Ma'am. And he had very nice eyes. But I wouldn't want to make him angry. That thug will think twice before he steals a purse again."
All of the victims he had rescued seemed to say the same thing. He was polite and courteous with nice eyes and soft lips. Okay, the last part was just me. But you could tell Mrs. Crumpston thought the same thing.
After the show, I tried to find Charlie to confirm our date, but he had already left for the hospital. I headed home. Walking up to the door of my building I noticed the doorman wasn't at his post, which was odd. As I reached the door, two towering men in black suits ran up and grabbed me by the arms. A long gray limousine pulled up to the curb. I struggled to get free and screamed for help into the burly hand covering it. But they had opened the door and thrown me in before anyone could hear me.
I groaned a little as I hit the leather seat in the back of the limo. I raised myself up as the door slammed and saw a man staring at me through thin glasses perched on a long, sharp nose.
"Hello, Mr. Miller. Thank you for joining me." It was Cecil Travers, the CEO of Dyzeman Chemicals, and The Scream's accomplice.
"Where are you taking me?" I tried to make myself sound important and dangerous. He wasn't buying. We were alone in the back of the limo, but I heard the two hulking figures climb into the front seat.
"Don't worry. We have no intention of hurting you." There was a serpentine hiss to his voice and his beady black eyes sat coldly in his long, drawn face. "My employer, I believe you met him the other night, is quite concerned about you. He fears you may know too much."
"I don't know anything." My voice betrayed my fear a bit.
"Well, that's certainly not true. You know he exists and that in itself is a very dangerous piece of information."
"I haven't told anyone," I said angrily.
"That's smart. It's also why you're not dead. You may be useful to us when the time comes." His thin lips turned up into a sick smile.
"What do you want?"
"For now, your silence. Don't go looking for anymore.how shall I say? Scoop. Keep your mouth shut. And when this is over, I'll make sure you are rewarded appropriately. I know some people at the network."
"I won't help you. I don't know what you're planning, but I want no part of it." I was tapping into my righteous indignation, but I knew that well would run dry quickly.
"I'm not asking you to help. I'm just asking you. Well, telling you. Stay out of things you don't understand." His eyes fixed intensely on my own. I said nothing.
"Now," his tone shifted. "What can you tell me about this Quark?"
"I don't know anything."
"That's a lie." His voice grew colder. "Please, tell me what you know or I'll have to ask Timothy to, I believe 'kick the shit out of you' is the appropriate colloquialism."
Suddenly the car lurched to the right and squeaking brakes filled the interior. We were both knocked around as the limo ground to a stop.
"What the Hell is going on up there?" screamed Cecil.
"It's him, Mr. Travers." One of the thugs yelled. I turned to look through the windshield and saw a flash of orange light. A crash filled my ears as glass rained down on Travers and I, forcing me to close my eyes. A gloved hand reached through the broken sunroof and grabbed my shirt at the neck. I felt myself being pulled up through the large opening in the top of the car. The night air whipped around my body as my legs and feet left the car. I felt strong arms at my back as a bright orange light seeped through my eyelids. Pavement seeped up beneath my feet and opened my eyes to see Quark's masked face.
"Are you all right?" He panted. I took a moment to decide. "Are you in pain?"
"No, I'm okay." He released me and I stumbled back.
"Sorry I took so long."
"What?" I asked. My head was swimming and my legs felt like they were at sea. "I don't think they were gonna kill me."
"Oh," he said, dejection in his voice.
"Thanks, though. Sorry you keep having to do that." My legs were settling and I looked into his eyes again. He turned away.
"It's my job. At least you didn't go looking for them this time." How did he know that?
"Travers said he just wanted my silence."
"I hope you agreed. That was the smart thing to do." I noticed that his tight red costume now had a large white circle on the breast. In the center, in glimmering purple and orange, was a large "Q".
"Well, at least until we know something more." I wasn't going to let this story go.
"Stay out of this, David!" He was angry. "If you keep quiet you might get out of this alive. Don't dig. Let me handle it. And try not to go anywhere alone." He stood looking at me with such intensity, the only thing I could do was agree.
"Fine."
"This is the back door to your building. Just go home tonight. I'll keep an eye on things." He turned to walk away.
"Look, I want to help you." I followed after him.
"You can't. This is my fight."
"Oh, don't use that line. I'm the one he knows. It's my fight, too." I was tired of being treated like a victim.
"Maybe, if the time comes, you can help. But not now. Stay out of it. And don't tell anyone."
"Okay." It seemed like the only thing to do was acquiesce. I had already told Charlie, but Quark didn't need to know that.
"Good. Stay out of trouble." He turned again.
"Wait. Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead," he seemed mildly impatient.
"Why did you kiss me?" The was surprise in his eyes. It wasn't the question he was expecting.
"Well.I'm not sure. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I'm sorry." His deep voice gave a quaver of nerves.
"Don't apologize. It was a good kiss. And, you did save my life, that entitles you to a little tongue, but." He smiled a bit. "It's just. Well, I don't know you. You're in a mask and I prefer to know a guy's a last name before I kiss him."
"Of course," he said.
"And, well, I'm kind of seeing someone." His reaction was odd. I guess I expected him to be let down, but instead he seemed relieved, almost happy.
"It won't happen again. I really need to be going. I've got to track down that limo." He turned away for a third time, and this time I let him go. I watched him round the corner of the alley, then headed back up to my apartment. Charlie would be here any minute. I entered my apartment to a ringing phone. I ran and grabbed the receiver.
"Hello." I was out of breath.
"Hey, David, it's Charlie."
"Hey," I said. He had an adorable phone voice.
"Look, my Mom has to have some tests and I kind of need to stay here with her. Can we do this some other night?" I could tell he hated to make this call.
"Yeah, sure. Stay with here. Don't worry about it." I was disappointed, but his Mom was more important. "You want some company at the hospital?"
"Thanks. That's sweet, but it's gonna be a long night and you should stay in." Why did all the men in my life suddenly feel the need to protect me?
"Okay. Call if you want to talk or anything."
"Thanks."
"Let's do this soon, though. I really like you, Charlie." There was a beat on his end of the phone.
"I really like you, too. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye." I heard a click and hung up the phone.
The evening had not gone as I had hoped. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that my clothes were a mess. I wasn't bleeding, but there were deep rips in my coat from the glass. I changed into my blue silk pajamas and poured myself a glass of wine. I sat on the couch and let myself breathe. Before I knew it, my exhausted body was drifting off.
He appeared at my window in a flash of light. I could see his muscular form silhouetted by the lights from the street below. I rose and walked to the door, opening it. He stood for a moment, his brown eyes dancing. I felt his gloved hand press against the silk on my chest. I stepped backwards and he followed me in.
Wordlessly, he moved close to me, his hand sliding up my chest to my shoulder. Then I felt it at the back of my head. I closed me eyes as his warm lips touched my own. Everything in my body went liquid as I gave in to the kiss. My own hands traveled up his sinewy arms, feeling the soft, tight fabric. I opened my mouth and let his tongue slide in. The fabric of his mask brushed against my face as our tongues entwined. I reached to the top of his head and began tugging at the mask.
"No," he said, with quiet power. I released the cowl and spread my arms around his back. He leaned down and placed his arm behind my legs. Before I knew, I was being lifted up, out mouths still connected. Carrying me in his strong arms, we moved to the bed. He laid me down and stood up, looming above me.
"You have no idea how beautiful you are," he sighed, then laid down gingerly on top of me. His warm body pressed into mine, our hard cocks pushed together. Only thin layers of silk and lycra separated them. Gently, he undid the buttons of my pajamas and opened them, exposing my hairy chest. His masked face left my mouth and he kissed down my neck. I threw my head back as warm wetness surrounded my right nipple. He licked and sucked until it was as hard as steel, then he went to work on the other one.
My whole body felt woozy and warm. I kneaded his strong shoulders as his mouth continued to work its way down my chest. Slowly, he slipped the silk pants down my legs, freeing my now pulsing shaft. He slid to his side and lay, appraising me, his hands running up and down my body. We were exact opposites: me, entirely nude and him covered head to toe in deep red. He kissed my stomach and then took my pink head in his mouth.
Waves of bliss shot up and down my body as he licked and sucked. His soft hands stroked my scrotum as he took me deeper into him. His tongue slid all around me as I felt his throat muscles constrict. Slowly he began sliding me in and out, his lips closed tight. I began moaning and sighing, my eyes rolling back. He picked up the pace, in and out. The whole time I felt every inch of his mouth touching my hard flesh. I could feel the orgasm building inside me as he worked faster and faster.
I let out a deep moan as the cum filled his mouth. He took me deep and swallowed every drop. Every muscle in my body seemed to release as I laid like a rag doll on my bed. He released me and looked up. All I could see were his shining eyes and his smiling mouth. As he moved his face closer to mine, I grabbed a fistful of his mask and pulled it up, revealing his strong chin, then his soft pink lips. As it slid off, I saw Charlie's boyish face in front of me. His eyes drew closer and I felt his lips on mine. A cool liquid trickled down my chest.
I opened my eyes and realized I had just spilled wine on myself and the red liquor was seeping through my pajamas. I was too overwhelmed to do anything about it. As my eyes adjusted to the light I felt my body waking up. I could see my cock straining against my pants. It had been a dream. All of it. A sense of melancholy washed over me. If only they really were the same person.
I set the glass down and stood up. As I walked to my bedroom, I caught a flash of light outside. It was quick and I barely noticed it. But the deep peachy orange color was becoming familiar. He was watching me. And for some reason, it didn't bother me. It didn't bother me at all.
End of Episode Two. Stay tuned for Episode Three.