Page 1 of The Jorogumo (The Sanctuary #2)

Haruto

"You're coming with us," Dustin told me in a voice that said he wouldn't be hearing any arguments. For a tiny human, he was pretty damned fearless. While I had a feeling he'd always been like that, it was also because he knew his naga mate would always keep him safe.

I wasn't planning to argue.

While I generally preferred to keep to myself, I'd wanted to go to the human realm ever since Dustin told me about a comic book store only a few blocks away.

A few months ago, Draven—our resident dwarf and tinkerer—had finally perfected the wheelchair he'd been working on. It was a perfect blend of magic and tech that allowed supes like me with inhuman lower halves a chance to go about the human realm without revealing the truth. He now had four wheelchairs completed, and planned to make more if the need arose.

As a jorogumo, I could have a human form, but the power I needed to do that came from something I really had no interest in, even if it meant spending my life in this half-human half-spider form.

Khush, Dustin's mate, had already made use of the wheelchair quite a few times to go on dates and errand runs with his mate, but this would be my first time going out, and while I was nervous, I was also really excited.

I wasn't really interested in much of the human world, but I wanted to visit that store.

Comic books offered me an escape, and my house here at the Sanctuary was full to bursting with volumes I'd collected—with the help of my more human-passing friends and later online shopping—over the decades. In all that time, though, I'd never been to an actual comic book store before.

"Okay. When are we going?" I asked, and Dustin blinked at me, his brows shooting up. He'd been expecting an argument, hadn't he?

"Uh, in an hour or so, I think. Khush is seeing if Silas will come with us." Dustin glanced around, then peered up into the trees, and I realized he was checking to see if Khush was around. When he was satisfied we were alone, he stepped closer, waving me down until I lowered my body so he could whisper into my ear. "When we go there, I'm going to make Khush go with Silas to do the shopping and take you to the comic book store, okay? I need a little break from Khush. He's starting to get...hovery."

Dustin pulled back, then gazed up at me carefully, as if expecting some judgment for wanting space from his mate. Well, he wouldn't be getting any from me. I completely understood wanting a few moments away from people, no matter how much you loved them.

At three months pregnant, Dustin was still fully capable of taking care of himself, but I could also understand Khush's overzealous protectiveness. Humans were pretty weak as a species, and this human was growing a maybe-supe, maybe-human baby inside him while living in a place full of beings much stronger than him. Not that any of us would—or could—hurt him, but Khush's instincts probably didn't understand that, even if he himself knew.

"That sounds good. I'm excited to see the store. Is it big?"

"About the size of our library, but it's all comic books and action figures."

I couldn't help smiling as I imagined the place, and I wondered if I might find some new comics for my collection. There were a few ongoing series I hadn't ordered the newest issues of yet; maybe I'd get those from the store.

"You'll love it," Dustin said, his blue eyes shining with confidence.

An hour and fifteen minutes later, Khush and I were in wheelchairs outside the main exit of the Sanctuary, the pocket realm where we lived with other supes who couldn't survive in the human world. Dustin and Silas—a half-troll who was Khush's best friend and mated to another human in the Sanctuary—were with us as well, and we'd stalled just a few feet away from the exit after Dustin had declared our plans.

"Why can't I come with you? Silas can shop on his own," Khush protested, and Silas opened his mouth before snapping it shut. Like me, he'd realized it was best to stay out of the mates' way.

"Because it's more fun not to shop alone, and we both know you have no interest in comics. You'll get bored and then I'll feel bad, and I don't want to rush Haruto."

Khush sighed, then rubbed his palm over his face. His usually snake-like yellow-brown eyes were hidden behind a layer of magic, making them appear brown and utterly normal, though the worry still shone through loud and clear. "I just want to keep you safe."

"I'll be fine. The guy who runs the comic book store is very nice. And big. He reminds me a little of you, actually," he said, glancing at Silas when he said the last part. "A gentle giant."

Silas grumbled under his breath, though his eyes sparkled above his mask, making me think he liked the compliment.

Khush clearly wasn't happy with the situation, and I understood his worry. Humans could be assholes sometimes, especially to a pregnant man, and I was sure Dustin knew that too. He was probably trying to avoid a situation where Khush might end up revealing himself in an attempt to defend him.

"Fine. But if anything happens, anything at all, you call me."

"I promise," Dustin assured him, then leaned down to press a kiss on Khush's lips. "Be good, and have fun with Silas."

"You too. Go be nerds."

"The correct term is geeks, actually."

Khush grinned. "I stand corrected. "

With a smirk, Dustin turned to me. "Come on, Haruto. Let's go see some superheroes."

While I'd practiced a bit in the Sanctuary, it was still difficult to maneuver a wheelchair around, especially when some humans acted like it was the biggest inconvenience of their lives to have to make space for me.

Somehow, I made it, and I glanced up at the glass storefront and the colorful comics displayed on a case just inside. The board with the store's name— Sanctum for Geeks —was bright red and white, and Dustin held the door open for me as I wheeled in. I sucked in a breath as I took in all the shelves full of comics.

I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven.

Liam

The swoosh of the door opening had me glancing up, and I smiled when I spotted a fairly new regular named Dustin, along with a person in a wheelchair.

Dustin had only started coming to the store a few months ago, but I liked him. He was cheerful, spoke his mind, and, best of all, he wasn't the least bit intimidated by me.

At 6 ' 1" with a muscular body and what some would describe as 'tough' features, people took one look at me and jerked their gazes away, as if worried just looking would make me mad at them. I tried my best to be as calm and gentle as I could, but it was like my appearance erased any other qualities I might have. It was disheartening to say the least, which was why Dustin was so refreshing.

I supposed as a trans man he'd dealt with his share of prejudice, and maybe like me, he'd learned not to make snap judgments. Whatever the reason, he'd struck up a conversation with me the first time he came here, and I thought of him as a friend now.

"Hey, Dustin. Who's your friend?" I greeted them with a smile, a genuine one and not the one I used to try to put potential customers at ease.

"Liam! This is Haruto! He's a voracious reader, maybe even more than me," Dustin said, grinning at the man beside him.

Haruto gave me a hesitant smile before his eyes slid to the shelves of comics behind me, and I held back a sigh. I supposed I shouldn't expect Dustin's friend to be as friendly as him.

"May I look around?" Haruto asked, and it took me a moment to realize he was talking to me.

"Of course," I said, and he wheeled off instantly, like he couldn't wait to get away. This time, I did sigh.

"It's not about you, you know," Dustin said, a kind note to his voice, and I turned my gaze to him.

"Hmm?"

"He isn't scared of you," he said, reaching out to pat my arm. "Because of...reasons, he doesn't get out much. This is his first time visiting a comic book store, and he's just excited and preoccupied by the shiny comics."

I blinked, then glanced over at Haruto, who'd stopped in front of a shelf showcasing the various versions of Spider-Man, and was scanning the shelves intently.

"Oh."

"Yep. I'm gonna go look for the issue I came to buy. Maybe you can go see if he needs any help?"

Nodding, I slid out from behind the counter and made my way to Haruto as Dustin moved away to the opposite side of the room.

"A fan of Spidey , I see," I commented as I reached him, and Haruto smiled up at me.

"Yeah, I am. I find him...relatable."

"That's good. I like Spider-Man as well. Though I suppose I relate to the Hulk more."

Haruto's brows furrowed, and he tilted his head, his deep brown eyes peering into mine. "Why Hulk ?"

I blinked, puzzled.

Waving at myself, I asked, "Isn't it obvious?"

"I don't know you well enough to answer that."

I stared at him, absolutely stupefied by his answer.

"Uh, well, I meant because I'm big and intimidating as well. Like Hulk ," I explained, glancing away in discomfort. It didn't sound like the joke I'd intended it as now.

When Haruto was silent for a minute, I glanced back at him to find him watching me with brows still furrowed. "You look nothing like the Hulk . If I had to make a comparison, I'd say you're much closer to Steve Rogers."

I was too stunned to answer, and it took me a few moments to find my voice. "Uh, we've gotten off-track. Were you looking for an issue or series in particular?"

"Ah yes. I wanted the next issue in the Amazing Spider-Man series. And a few others."

"Of course. The new issues are at the front, so we can get them on your way out. Anything else? Or would you prefer to just browse and see if something catches your eye?"

"I think I'll browse for a bit."

"All right. Just give me a shout if you need anything," I said before leaving him to his devices.

Back behind the counter, I was still thinking about what he'd said and what it meant—had it just been an innocent compliment or was he flirting with me?—when Dustin found me, an issue of a Batman comic in his hand.

"Found it," he said with a grin, then tilted his head at me. "What's with that look on your face?"

"What look?"

"The confused puppy face. Did something happen?"

"Haruto said I look like Steve Rogers," I blurted out, and Dustin's brows shot up.

"I'm so curious about how the conversation got there, but he isn't wrong."

I rolled my eyes, and he stared back at me, unamused.

"I mean it. Your personalities match too, though I'd say you're a lot less violent and way more gentle."

My mouth moved without words coming out, and then Haruto returned before I could figure out what to say. I found the new issues he'd been looking for, then billed up their purchases.

"See you soon, Liam," Dustin said as he collected the shopping bag, and I smiled.

"Yep. You know where to find me."

"It was nice meeting you, Liam," Haruto said, and I smiled at him. Maybe over time he and I could be friends too.

"I hope you visit again."

Haruto nodded, and Dustin held the door open for him. I watched them leave, then eyed the doors. I'd added a ramp outside when I was first hired as the store manager a few years ago, but I needed to add some more modifications to the list. Like a button that opened the door so someone in a wheelchair could open it without assistance.

I wondered if Haruto would be with him the next time Dustin visited, then wondered why I wanted to see him again.