Mary had a little harem

by Arizona Tape

  "Oh," Mary muttered, awkwardly shuffling her feet over the gritty pavement.

  "I'm so sorry," Louis apologised, wishing he could just crush the phone in his hand into a fistful of useless plastic.

  "No, it's okay. I guess it happens," Mary bitterly spat out, not entirely sure why she cared so much.

  "It's just... It's this convention we've all been wanting to go to. We've had tickets for months now."

  Mary shrugged, hoping Louis couldn't tell how bummed out she was. "It's fine."

  Beep beep.

  "Actually..."

  "Yes?" Mary quipped up, the change in his voice promising.

  "One of us cancelled so we've got an extra ticket. If you want to come?"

  Mary's eyes widened. "Oh... Ummm... Is that okay for your friends?"

  Louis nodded, showing the text he just got. "Yes, Nico cancelled and they're okay with me bringing a date along."

  "O-Okay?" Mary agreed, hugging herself. Not exactly the date she'd been looking forward to, but at least she'd get to spend time with Louis.

  "You'll fit right in, actually. It's a cosplay convention."

  "Cosplay?"

  Louis nodded, already thinking about how he'd be able to shield Mary from all the teenage boys' eyes. They'd all be checking her out. Hell, he'd be checking her out. She looked extremely hot in her lewd elf outfit.

  "It's a convention where people go to dressed up as a character from a fictional universe."

  "Oooh, those kinds of things." It finally clicked. A cosplay convention. Something she'd never imagined setting a foot in. But if that was what Louis liked to do, then she'd give it a go. But only because she was sure he was chiselled underneath his winter coat. Not because she actually was starting to like the annoying blond. Of course, not that.

  * * *

  "Yo, Louis! Over here, man!" A tall guy waved at them.

  Mary felt her cheeks heat up when she recognised the guy from the other night. That was the Santa she had mistaken for Louis. How embarrassing.

  "Sam, Noel! Good to see you, guys!" Louis enthusiastically waved back, hugging two guys standing next to a ticket booth.

  "Mary, you remember Sam, right?" Louis introduced Mary to his mate, who happily took the opportunity to kiss her hand.

  "We meet again," he grinned, winking cockily at her.

  Mary bit her lip as she glanced uncomfortably at Sam and Louis, wondering why he was shamelessly flirting with her again. Did Louis not tell the guys she was his date? Was Sam just a shitty friend? Or did they make it a habit out of sharing?

  "And this is Noel."

  Gladly, Mary diverted her attention from Sam's intense gaze to Noel's chocolate brown eyes.

  "Hi, Mary. Nice to meet you," he smiled, shaking her hand lightly. Mary let out a sigh of relief. At least they weren't both hitting on her. That would be most awkward. Not just for her, but for Louis as well.

  But her date didn't really seem to care. Instead, he was doing some weird handshake thing with Sam.

  "Nico couldn't make it?" Louis asked, running his hand through his hairs.

  "Nah, family business to sort out."

  "Shame. But hey, now you get to meet Mary."

  "She's hot."

  "Dude."

  "What? She is."

  Louis awkwardly scratched the back of his head as he turned to me.

  "I'm sorry, Sam is a little... blunt."

  Mary narrowed her eyes, studying both men. Louis was apologising, but not for the reason she thought. He didn't seem to care that one of his best friends was flirting with her. She made a mental note to ask him about that later and decided to shrug it off for now.

  "Let's go inside," Noel suggested as he zipped his parka up higher.

  “Yeah, let's go. Oh and Sam, you won't believe how Mary is dressed up," Louis teased, winking at Mary.

  "She's dressed up?" Sam asked surprised, letting his eyes travel up and down over Mary's figure. From what he could tell, she was just wearing a big, poofy jacket. Nothing special.

  "Yes. Wait till you see it."

  Noel tilted his head. "How come you're dressed up, Mary? Were you two planning on coming here anyway?"

  Louis snorted loudly. "As if!"

  With her big coat hiding her costume, Mary blushed red. "I dressed up to tease Louis. I didn't realise I'd be meeting his friends, though," she tried to defend herself.

  "Dressed up how?" Sam grinned, staring so intensely at Mary, his eyes could've burned holes in her jacket.

  "You'll see," Louis grinned, almost proudly.

  "Holy shit!" Sam loudly exclaimed, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets as Mary unzipped her jacket.

  "Wow..." Noel whispered, a lot more discreet. But even he couldn't keep his eyes off of the dark-haired beauty.

  "Told you," Louis grinned, his own eyes travelling up and down Mary's body.

  "Damn, that's hot," Sam, the tallest of the guys, whistled.

  Mary felt her cheeks burn up again, but this time, for a whole set of different reasons. She had put on the elven costume to mess with Louis, hoping he'd be attracted to her. What she hadn't planned for, was to have three guys hungrily staring at her. Like she was a piece of meat they wanted to devour.

  She shivered. To be fair, this wasn't the worst place to be in. Three guys, all handsome in their own way, admiring her. She could get used to that.

  "You like it, boys?" she flirted, twirling around as she completely shed her coat.

  "What a catch," Sam coughed behind his fist. Mary was sure she wasn't meant to hear that, but she was glad she did. It'd been awhile since anyone thought she was a catch. In fact, it'd been awhile since she was looked at like this. Even when she was with Kurt. At the end, he only had eyes for the blonde bimbo that was young enough to be his daughter.

  "So... Ummm... If you weren't coming to the convention, why did you pick an elf?" Noel carefully asked, glaring jealously at Louis. If only he was brave or smooth enough to dare ask girls like this out for a date. But next to Sam and Louis, he paled in comparison. Admiring the girls they were dating was as far as he got.

  "Louis showed up dressed as Santa on our first date. I figured it was payback time?" Mary explained, rethinking her thought pattern. What had she been thinking, putting on this elf costume? In a way, she was happy they were at a convention where multiple people were dressed up. At least, she didn't stand out as much here as she would've in the national museum.

  Actually, security would probably have kicked them out the moment she took off her coat. At least, she couldn't imagine the National Museum being okay with having a raunchy elf strutting around between their posh collection.

  "So, what are you two meant to be?" Mary asked, pointing at the army costumes of Noel and Sam.

  "Us? We're dressed like the characters of a video game, RIVER. Heard of it?"

  Mary held back a snort. Did she look like she'd heard about that game? "No, I haven't."

  "Shame, it's pretty cool," Noel muttered, immediately regretting his words. What would a girl like Mary care about video games.

  "It is pretty fun," Louis added, glancing at his two best mates. He was glad he brought Mary along but saddened he wasn't wearing his own costume. But then again, without Nico here, the squad wasn't complete anyway.

  "What's it about?" Mary inquired, decided that if she wanted to see Louis again, she should at least pretend to show an interest in what he did. And hey, if all gamers looked like this, she'd happily learn more about it.

  "It's an open world game set in an ancient, magical world. You band together in guilds to start your own village and fight for territory."

  A vendor's mouth fell open as Mary trotted past his stall. But Mary only had eyes for her date and his friends.

  "Okay?"

  "So in every guild, you get smaller parties. There's four of us that make up Rebel Ravine, our squad."

  "Four of you?"

  Louis nodded as he counted him and his two mates. "Yes, there's Sam, Noel, me, a
nd then Nico, who couldn't be here."

  Mary nodded, for a moment wondering about this Nico. Would he be just as hot as the three of them?

  "And so what do you do?" she asked, still not sure what they did.

  "We kick ass, that's what," Sam grinned, winking at a girl selling comic books.

  An irrational jealousy bubbled up in Mary's gut. One she quickly squashed down. She was on a date with Louis, not with Sam. She shouldn't care if he was flirting with other women. But she did. How inappropriate.

  "And apart from that, what else do you do, Sam?" Mary purred, hoping to draw his attention back to her. Pleased that his eyes left the random girl and darted over her cleavage, Mary batted her eyelashes at the blonde stud.

  "We go on quests together to fight other players, monsters, and complete missions. The stronger we get, the higher our guild ranks."

  "And that's a good thing?"

  "Yup! It's just good fun, but there's also a lot of teamwork and strategy involved. And I just like to be on top," he smirked, flashing her a dazzling smile.

  Mary refrained from giggling and nodded, pretending like she actually understood what he was going on about. "Sounds... Fun?"

  Noel chuckled next to her. "You've got no idea what we're on about, do you?"

  "Not really, no," she admitted, her cheeks colouring red once more. Now she was blushing. Again. Damn those men. How were they doing that to her?

  Louis rolled his eyes, not believing that both Sam and Noel seemed to be interested in Mary. Sam, he could understand. They always did have the same type. But Noel? He was usually far too shy to even talk to the girls he or Sam brought around. But yet, the crack in his voice was unmistakable. Noel was interested.

  Louis glanced at Mary, noting how cute the dimples in her cheek made her look. he couldn't blame his friends. Mary was definitely interesting.

  And surprising. He couldn't believe she actually wanted to come along and join him and his mates for a cosplay convention. And that she seemed rather comfortable walking around in a skimpy elf costume.

  Yes, he certainly misjudged her. Underneath her bitchy and cold exterior, there seemed to be a rather sweet and curious girl.

  "Oh look, they're handing out shots," Mary chirped, pointing at a booth with skull flasks and pirate labelled bottles.

  Louis nodded at the vendor, who quickly ran to their group with a bottle of green-coloured mead.

  "Want a taste?" he eagerly asked, pushing plastic shot glasses in their hands. Without waiting for a response, he poured them a generous glug of booze.

  "Bottom's up," Mary smirked, downing the shot without hesitation. She might have never been to a convention, or used to walking around dressed in an elf costume, but she knew how to drink. Even if the green drink left a rather strange aftertaste on her tongue, alcohol was alcohol. And she could use some to take the edge off.

  Sam chuckled. "You got a good one. Looks like she knows how to down her booze," he grinned, slapping his mate on his shoulder.

  "Looks like it," Louis agreed, impressed that Mary seemed to be so comfortable around them. Most girls he dated, or tried to date, weren't very interested in the gaming aspect of his life. In fact, only one girl before had been interested. And not just any girl.

  The image of his empty bank account and a laughing Valerie flashed through his head. It was a painful memory, so he pushed it away. He didn't want to think about Valerie or her tricks. He glanced at Sam. He probably wouldn't want to think about her either.

  Yes, Valerie definitely played them both. Played them at each other. He couldn't believe she almost managed to ruin their friendship.

  In a way, she managed to ruin a part of it. After her, Sam and he hadn't managed to share another girl. Not healthily, anyway. His insecurities always seemed to mess the dynamic up. He ground his teeth on each other, angry at himself for ruining so many of the opportunities. Sam had broken up with so many girls, simply because he got too jealous.

  And now there was Mary. Mary, who seemed to be holding her own. Mary, who was hot as sin. Mary, who seemed to be capturing all of their attention. Mary, who might not want to be shared.

  "Hey, what are you daydreaming about? Drink up!"

  Her voice broke his trance. Louis snapped out of his pondering and directed his attention to Mary.

  "Sorry?" he asked, not entirely sure what was going on.

  "You're just staring at your shot. Drink up," Mary grinned, her hand resting warmly on his arm. He glanced at her, temporarily losing himself in her silver eyes. She really was stunning. No way would she go for him.

  Bitter, he brought the plastic cup to his lips and chugged the green liquid. The mead stung the back of his throat and the harsh taste of anise filled his nose. Yuck.

  "Tasty?" the vendor asked, beaming proudly.

  "Very," Louis coughed politely, dread rising in his stomach as his cup was filled with a pink liquid this time. Not more poison.

  He glanced at his date, hoping she wasn't ready to run out of there kicking and screaming. But the glint in her eyes and the satisfied grin playing around her lips reassured him a little. It appeared she was having fun tasting all the weird meads. And as long as she was having fun, he could stomach this vile drink.

  Pretending he was a seasoned veteran, he chugged the bottom of his shot glass. The spice of pink peppercorns hit the roof of his mouth. Tears sprung to his eyes as he doubled over and grunted.

  Damn. Being a sissy wasn't exactly the impression he wanted to give Mary. He glanced at her, almost sure she'd be laughing at him.

  "You okay?"

  Surprised, Louis felt how Mary ran a hand soothingly up his back and gently patted him. Concern swirled in her eyes and for a moment, he saw through her mask.

  "Y-Yeah, I think it went down the wrong pipe," he lied, enjoying the circles she was drawing on his back.

  "Oh, that sucks. Do you need some water?" Mary proposed, looking around the venue for a restroom or a stall that sold regular sodas.

  "M-Maybe?" Louis croaked, wanting to let his tongue hang out of his mouth like a dog. He glared at the vendor, wondering why he hadn't warned him what he was pouring them. Bastard.

  "We'll be right back," she called out to Sam and Noel as she tugged Louis with her to the next booth.

  "Here, have a drink."

  Gratefully, Louis gulped down the cold water. It didn't really help the sting on his tongue, but at least it was refreshing.

  "Oh and I could be mistaken, but I think Sam is hitting on me."

  Louis grimaced. "You're not mistaken."

  "And that doesn't bother you?" Mary asked, tilting her head in confusion.

  "Not really. We share everything in our group."

  Mary frowned. She wasn't too sure what that exactly meant, but she figured now was not the right time to get into that.

  "Did the water help?" Mary smiled, still rubbing his back.

  "More or less. I didn't like that peppery drink much."

  Mary pressed herself against Louis, batting her eyelashes seductively. "Want me to kiss it better?"

  Louis chuckled. "Sure," he joked.

  The taste of anise fell on his tongue and surprised, he forgot to kiss Mary back. She was kissing him. Actually kissing him. Hastily, as not to make her think the kiss wasn't welcome, he wrapped his arms around her. Happily, he embraced the woman smelling like vanilla.

  "Better?" Mary whispered against his lips.

  "Only a little," he murmured, pulling her back to him. This time, he kissed her. Deeply. Thoroughly. Until the taste of anise and pepper danced on both their tongues.

  "Ooolalaaa."

  Reluctantly, Mary pulled away from Louis and his soft lips. There was only one person who'd interrupt them like that. Sam.

  "You enjoying the view?" she sneered, glaring at the tallest of them all. Sure, he was nice to look at, but looking definitely didn't beat kissing Louis. He was a surprisingly good kisser and he definitely flamed up the coals in the pits of her stomach. She could onl
y imagine what else he'd be good at with his talented lips.

  "Don't stop on my account," Sam grinned, slapping Louis on his back. "Nice going, mate!"

  A sour grin stretched across Louis' face. "Thanks for interrupting, dude."

  Sam shrugged, not caring much. "Nobody said you had to stop!"

  Louis brushed his hand away, a little annoyed his mate wouldn't give him five minutes alone with Mary. He didn't mind sharing, but he did want some quality time with her. After all, she was here on a date with him, not Sam. Or Noel.

  Sam held up his hands. "Chill, bro. I'm just playing," he grinned, winking at Mary.

  She awkwardly coughed, not entirely sure what was going on between the three of them. Louis had mentioned something about them sharing everything, but from the testosterone fueled glares, she wasn't too sure anymore.

  "I need the bathroom," she announced, using the oldest excuse in the book.

  "It's that way," Noel helpfully added, pointing at the back of the venue. He'd seen his friends get competitive before, and he didn't think it was fair to the girls that got caught in the middle. Although it was a girl who got them this way.

  Anger bubbled up in his gut as he thought about Valerie and how she'd ruined the synergy between the two of them. Every time either of them met a girl, he hoped she'd be the one mending the cracks between his two best friends. But the way it was going, that didn't seem very likely. Certainly not if he was also interested in the dark-haired brunette standing in the middle of their triangle.

  * * *

  Mary splashed cold water in her face, hoping it would calm her down a bit.

  "Shhhh!"

  With a hand clamped over her mouth, a figure yanked her into the last stall.

  "What the!" she started, ready to yell or kick whoever was stupid enough to abduct her.

  The masked figure pulled his helmet off, revealing a set of blue eyes.

  "Sam," she hissed, glaring at the man cramping the stall."What the fuck are you doing in here? This is the ladies room!"

  "That's why I said shhhh," he hissed, placing a finger over her lips to silence her.

  In a hushed voice, Mary continued. "Whatever. What are you doing here?"