Bits and Pieces

In Any 'Verse

This is prompted by an idea I've stolen from @FreyaOdin, who may have stolen it herself, but whatever. Share and share alike. Check out #PTXMultiverse for more fun!! This one is for the Bi-Cons, who keep my DM's spicy even when all my ships have sunk. Love you, ladies!

*****

Come to the Multiverse Cafe, they said. It'll be fun, they said. Well, fun must have a different meaning in those other universes, Scott thought.

It had taken nearly an hour to even pretend to wrap his brain around the concept of a place where various timelines could cross paths without consequence. He'd needed many drinks to recover from the shock of seeing another version of himself, striding by in nothing but leather shorts and glittery body paint, a violin tucked into the crook of his arm. But the more he drank, the less things made sense, so he'd switched to water and was now trying to figure out the back story of the Kirstin sitting a few spaces down from him at the bar.

She was scantily clad with waist-length hair the color of amethysts and contacts to match, but no tattoos marked her bare arms, and she was paying much more attention to the curvy girl serving drinks than any of the three hunky boys trying to get her attention.

It amused Scott that an alternate version of his dear friend could be so different and so much the same. He was just about to go over and talk to her when he was jostled from behind by a tall man. Turning, he saw himself again, a rougher, grittier version of himself. This Scott didn't bother to apologize for running into him, so his companion, another Kirstin--this one with a blonde pixie cut--gave him a rueful smile, steering her Scott toward the exit. It was mind-bending to watch that Scott reach down with his big hand and give her ass an affectionate squeeze as they moved away. Was he still playing it straight in his universe, or was he actually straight? It was one of a million questions that would keep him up tonight, Scott was sure.

The cafe was more like a very trendy club after hours, and tonight it was filled with people, mostly strangers, but several people he knew--sort of. He waved to his social media manager, Jake, and was a little insulted that his responding wave was a bit delayed. Then he realized that this Jake was wearing obscenely expensive clothing and was surrounded by what looked to be the cast of a hip hop video. They were ordering bottle service and cheering raucously for the various acts that performed on the little stage.

Feeling lost and adrift, Scott pulled out his phone and texted Mark.

SH: I'm here, where are you???

MM: I'm apparently everywhere. This is freaky. I'm dancing on a pole and also watching myself dance on a pole...

Scott looked up and around until he saw the pole in question, on the opposite side of the room from the bar. There was indeed a version of Mark there, wearing only skimpy briefs, spinning around the pole in a way that made it look effortless, but Scott could see the muscles activated in his chest and stomach. He was so beautiful that Scott forgot for several minutes that this wasn't the Mark he was here to see. With a shake of his head, he tore his eyes away and scanned the nearby crowd, but when he found his Mark, he wasn't watching the show. He was staring into the corner booth at a couple, locked in a passionate embrace.

The sight stirred something in the pit of Scott's stomach. He enjoyed watching two men kissing aggressively in public, and these two were wrapped around one another so fiercely, no one else in the crowded club could have mattered to them at all. It was beautiful, and very at odds with the devastated look that had come over his Mark's face. Then the lights shifted and Scott understood. One of the boys at the table was yet another Mark. And he was kissing Mason.

The stirring in Scott's belly turned to ice in an instant. He wanted to pull Mark away but when he reached out, his hand closed on only air. Mark was already sliding through the crowd, muttering: "I need a drink" under his breath in a way that made it clear that Scott shouldn't follow.