One Night at the Beach House

Originally published June 23, 2016.
Contains male-male romance and sexual scenes. Not recommended for underage readers.

This story was inspired by “The Fantasy Faire” by TommyKat. In that story, a man named TJ stumbles upon a medieval-esque fair in the middle of the night and enters a tent where a man with a giant belly, named Bryce, encourages the TJ to play with his belly and eventually inflate him. What stuck with me the most about that story was the dynamic between TJ and Bryce, with Bryce coaxing and encouraging TJ to do what he obviously wanted to do (that is, play with Bryce’s belly), but was too shy to do at first. I loved that dynamic so much that I wanted to explore it more.

So I had to come up with a concept that develops the same dynamic between two characters, without outright stealing TommyKat’s idea. I managed to do that, and I’m proud of what I came up with, but I couldn’t come up with a name that better fit the simultaneous warmth of character and formidable presence of the love interest than “Bryce”, so I ended up using that name in my story too. Hopefully that counts as homage and not plagiarism.

Synopsis: Jake is a college student who wins an all-expenses-paid spring break tropical getaway as part of a raffle. The problem: Jake is a withdrawn bookworm who doesn’t want anything to do with spring break, and he doesn’t relish the idea of sharing a beach house with seven strangers who are all celebrating spring break themselves. Though he gets along better with his housemates than expected, things don’t really take a turn for the better until he meets the last housemate, Bryce, a man of considerable heft and charisma whom Jake is immediately and visibly smitten with. Jake and Bryce end up spending more time together than Jake expects, allowing Bryce to show him some hospitality and help him come out of his shell, both in regards to the trip and in the bedroom…

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As Jake’s cab drove away, he stood with his suitcases in tow and stared at the giant house ahead of him. It didn’t have much of a front lawn, but the lawn wasn’t the draw anyway; it was the tropical beach in back. That combined with the house being within walking distance of the town center made it a dream vacation destination for just about anyone. Anyone except Jake.

Jake had ended up here after entering a raffle to support the scholarship fund for his university. The prize was an all-expenses-paid trip to a tropical getaway during spring break. Though the house wasn’t located in one of the bigger destination cities like Miami, the “all-expenses-paid” part made it appealing for any college student. Jake, however, had only entered the raffle because it was for a good cause, and as a merit-based scholarship recipient himself, he reasoned it couldn’t hurt to give back a little.

That was, until he won the trip. He tried to pass it off to one of his friends, but all of Jake’s friends were reclusive, bookish types like himself, and they weren’t any more interested than he was. He’d briefly considered offering publicly to give it away, but having the attention of the entire student body on himself like that was even less appealing than the idea of going on spring break. So, at the encouragement and insistence of his parents, he’d taken the trip. Now he faced the prospect of seven days and six nights in an unfamiliar place, without the usual comforts of home, having to share a house with a bunch of strangers. Joy.

Jake walked up to the front door and rung the doorbell, not sure what the standard etiquette was for sharing a house with a bunch of other vacationers. When no one answered, he rung it again, this time beckoning someone to come unlock and open the door. In front of him stood a curvaceous woman wearing a tee shirt with a sports mascot of some kind on it–probably for her college’s team–and what looked to be a bikini bottom. “Hi! Are you Jake?”

“Yes,” Jake said with surprise.

“Hi! I’m Mandy.”

“How… how did you know my name?”

“Oh, the owners of this house left us all keys with our names on them, and you’re the last one to arrive. You last name is…?”

Jake looked down and saw her holding a key with a paper tag tied to it. “Michelles.”

Mandy looked down at the tag and nodded. “There’s your key. Come on in!”

The house looked grandiose, spotless, and barren, like the owners had removed anything they thought a bunch of college kids might break or steal. Stripped of its personality, the house looked more like a furniture showcase than a home. A giant staircase in the living room twisted up to the second floor. Off of the living room, Jake could see a dining room, a bathroom, and a kitchen, though he imagined he’d be the only one interested in using the latter that week.

“You got here just in time. Everyone’s getting ready to head to the beach. Go change into your bathing suit so you can join us!”

“Oh, uh, I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”

“What?! You went on spring break without a bathing suit?”

Jake could only muster a shrug, unable to match his housemate’s enthusiasm.

“Then what did you bring?”

“…books.”

After a chuckle, Mandy replied, “Well hey, the beach is just as good for reading as it is for swimming, and you can always buy a bathing suit in town. Now…” She walked ahead of Jake and motioned towards the stairs. “Everyone else already claimed their bedrooms upstairs, so head on up and see what’s open. Change into some footwear you don’t mind getting sandy, leave your stuff, bring a book, and meet us out there.”

“But what will I sit on?”

“There are beach chairs in the yard you can use. Now come on! Time’s a wastin’!” Mandy turned to walk to the kitchen before exclaiming, “Oh!” and turning back to Jake. “You want some help carrying your stuff upstairs?”

“That would be nice, thanks.”

Mandy and Jake looked around the second floor, running into a few more of the housemates along the way. There was Shayla, a young woman with glasses and cornrows whom Jake thought looked friendly, the kind of person who could hang out with the popular kids and the kids like himself. Then there was Brad, a jock-type who left his bedroom wearing only his swimsuit and gave Mandy a wink as she looked him up and down. He looked like the kind of guy who would pick on Jake in high school. Eventually, the two of them found the last bedroom that hadn’t been claimed, all the way down the hall. At least it was spacious. Mandy left Jake on his own with a “See you on the beach!”

Now that Jake had a room picked out, he immediately closed the door and cranked up the AC, hoping to bring the room down to a habitable temperature. In the meantime, the room was even hotter than the rest of the house, something the privacy didn’t make up for. Jake regretting bringing only nerdy graphic tees to wear, all of which were thick cotton not designed for summer. At least he’d brought sandals, though he’d intended to use them in the shared shower, not on the beach. But the beach would probably have a breeze, he reasoned, making it better than his sweltering bedroom. With a sigh, he opened his suitcase to fish out his sandals, picked out a book, and left to head out back.

Jake grabbed a beach chair from behind the house and walked down the metal staircase that lead to the beach, a precarious task when he held a chair in one hand and a book in another. Looking around, he spotted Mandy putting on sunscreen and walked towards her. There were five other chairs around her, most of them full, though some of the other housemates had apparently already gone swimming. Mandy gave Jake a wave when she saw him, prompting him to wave his book in return.

“Everyone,” she started as Jake got close, “this is Jake,” she continued, prompting everyone to enthusiastically wave at him. “You’ll get to know everyone as the week goes on.”

“Hi, I’m Jen,” introduced one of the housemates, giving Jake a wave. She had olive skin and shiny black hair and wore a two-piece suit that showed her toned torso, making Jake feel even more acutely like everyone here was way more attractive and confident than he was. He waved back and said, “Hi,” before walking with his chair to the end of the line and putting it down.

“Is Bryce coming too?” asked one of the housemates.

“I’m sure he is,” responded Mandy. “He told me he wanted to finish unpacking before he joins us. Hey Jake.” Jake looked up from trying to set up his beach chair, “You’ll want to put on some sunscreen too. Even if you’re not swimming, sunburn is a bitch.

“That it is, dude,” concurred a guy Jake hadn’t been introduced to yet.

“Here,” Mandy offered, handing him the spray bottle. “You’ll be glad you did.”

Jake nodded and took the bottle in hand, setting it down as he wrestled with the chair. Once he’d set it up, he sprayed the lotion over his arms and face before handing back the canister. He took a seat and settled into reading some sci fi while the rest of the group chatted quietly and went back and forth between the water. With a nice breeze blowing past them, and in spite of all of his reservations, he found himself starting to relax, until…

“Hey folks,” said a deep, husky voice behind Jake. “Sorry to make you wait.”

“Bryce, hey! At least you made it!”

Looking up from his book, Jake saw an imposing figure of a man walk around him with a beach chair in hand. Immediately, Jake’s eyelids shot open and his breath drew short.

Bryce looked to be in his late twenties and just over six feet tall, putting him a few years and a few inches ahead of Jake. He stood upright in a tank top and a red and black bathing suit, with sunglasses adorning his ample face. Also adorning his face was a thick, wavy brown beard that connected with his mustache to frame a confident smile. His brown hair was just long enough to be tousled by the wind, though it mostly flowed down his head with a bit of a wave.

As Jake looked down, he saw brawny arms and stocky legs flanking Bryce’s frame, lightly adorned with body hair and already tan. His chest looked firm, resting stoically atop his stomach. But it was his belly that captivated Jake the most, looking round and firm as it protruded in front of him like like a bass drummer in a marching band. It was bigger than the biggest beach ball flying around the coast that day by a solid few inches in every direction.

“You must be Jake,” he greeted in his confident baritone. “I’m Bryce.”

Jake nearly forgot himself before extending his hand to shake Bryce’s own. “N-nice to meet you, Bryce.”

Bryce shook Jake’s hand with a firmness Jake couldn’t hope to match in his mesmerized state. “How about I set up my chair right here?” he asked, putting his chair down next to Jake.

Oh God oh God oh God oh God was all that ran through Jake’s head, a thought process that managed to come out as, “S-sure.”

After setting up his chair, Bryce pulled up the straps of his tank top and lifted it off. Jake’s breath halted. So firm was Bryce’s belly that it refused to be moved, his shirt coming off like a sheet being pulled off during the unveiling of a new statue. His gut stuck out stately and bold, like how he stood as he dropped his shirt on the back of his chair. He stood tall and confident, without a trace of doubt or second guessing about being shirtless, something Jake knew he sure didn’t have the confidence to pull off.

“Hey Mandy! Pass me the sunscreen?” Bryce asked as he walked toward her chair. As he moved, his arms swung wide at his sides, and his belly bounced just a little with every step. He walked with a gait that betrayed the extra effort he had to make to move his heftier body, but it still came across like a kind of stateliness, a poise that came from awareness of all of his motions.

“You got it,” she replied before tossing him the can. Bryce sprayed his whole body in turn, taking the time to rub the sunscreen in as he did. He saved his torso for last, quickly covering his chest before taking the time to thoroughly cover his belly. With the canister in one hand, he moved his free hand over his stomach in slower circles, sometimes pushing the whole thing around as he rubbed it on the side.

Jake couldn’t help but look over his book at the spectacle in front of him. With Bryce’s head turned away from him, Jake scarcely attempted to avert his gaze, too captivated to look away. He remained hypnotized until Bryce looked down and asked, “Could anyone get the bottom of my belly for me?”

Jake contemplated his answer. Would it be creepy for him to say yes? Would Bryce even know what kind of enjoyment Jake was getting out of it? Could Jake mask the enjoyment he’d get out of it? Even if he could, would that really stop it from being inappropriate?

“I got you,” Jen said before she rose from her seat, at which Jake cursed himself for his hesitation and the missed opportunity,

“Thanks, Jen. Can you get my back too?”

“Definitely,” she replied with a sort of benevolent snark, like it wasn’t even a question. Bryce handed the spray bottle to her before he stood up taller and leaned back, giving her a better shot at his underbelly. Jake felt a gasp get stuck in his throat as he watched this hulking man puff out his bulging abdomen even bigger, his stomach sticking out like a muscle he could flex.

Jen seemed much less enthralled. She sprayed the bottom of his stomach and rubbed it with a utilitarian evenness in her pace. Upon finishing, she put up her pointer finger and spun it around, prompting Bryce to face away from her. She sprayed and rubbed his back with the same indifference she’d shown on his belly. Not that Bryce seemed to mind; once she was done, he turned around and said, “Thanks, dude,” before giving her a first bump.

Both Jen and Bryce returned to their chairs, at which Jake turned back to his book and tried to act like he wasn’t ogling his hefty housemate the whole time. Bryce gingerly lowered himself onto the beach chair, which creaked as he sat down but still held up his weight. With a satisfied sigh, he leaned back, his gut sticking out even farther now that he was sitting down. Jake had given up on trying to focus on his book, watching Bryce’s belly rise and fall with his breath like the waves lapping at the shore.

“Say Jake,” Bryce said, startling Jake. “You’re not going for a swim today?”

“Oh, I, uh, I didn’t bring my bathing suit.”

“No? Shame. That’s one hell of a thing to forget.”

“…I didn’t forget it.”

Bryce furrowed his brow before taking off his sunglasses and looking at Jake with a look that Jake thought bordered on concerned. “No?”

With a quiet sigh, Jake closed his book and turned to look at Bryce. It was easier to not be so nervous about talking to him now that they had something to talk about. “It’s a funny story, I guess. My school had a raffle to raise money for the scholarship fund, and this trip was one of the prizes. I didn’t care much about the prize, but I figured it was for a good cause, so I bought a ticket. Then I won,” he said with a kind of resignation, a verbal shrug of the shoulders. “None of my friends wanted the trip, and my parents insisted I go, so if I wasn’t spending spring break with them… I guess I’m spending it here.”

Bryce perked up a bit and turned more towards Jake. “So… if you don’t mind me asking, where was this hesitation coming from? Is it a money issue?”

“Oh no, the trip is all expenses paid.”

“Wait,” Jake heard Jen say. “You didn’t have to pay for this trip, and you still didn’t want to go?”

“It’s just…” Jake found himself stumbling over his words, trying to pick the right ones to express what he wanted to say. “…Not my idea of a good time, you know? I don’t like parties. I don’t drink. I’d rather swim in a pool than the ocean. I like to read and talk to people online. Quiet things. You don’t need to go on a five hour flight to do that.” Several more of the housemates were now looking at Jake. He couldn’t tell whether their expressions were ones of judgement or concern, but having everyone’s attention on him like this was the far from his idea of relaxing. “And I mean… I didn’t want to be a buzzkill.”

“Hey, dude,” assured Brad, who had returned from the ocean before Bryce showed up, “Don’t worry about it. You don’t go on a vacation to do things you don’t like.”

“Yeah,” concurred Shayla. “If sitting on the beach and reading is your idea of a good time, do it up.”

“Maybe you could find some cafés in town where you could kick back for a few hours and read,” suggested Bryce. “Get a taste for the local flair on your own terms.”

“Maybe,” Jake replied, though in his head, he’d already answered with a hard “no”.

Jake kept mostly to his book for the rest of the afternoon, as the rest of the housemates swam, chatted, and soaked up the sun. Jake only took a break from reading to watch Bryce as he departed for the sea or came back and dried off. Much as he felt like a creeper doing so, keeping his eyes off of a man as appealing as Bryce was a tall order, especially when he came out of the water. Jake never got much out of all those scenes in movies and TV shows where the muscular heartthrob emerges from the water in slow motion. But seeing a man of Bryce’s stature come back with his hair and beard dripping and his belly glistening in the sun, he finally understood.

As Bryce was drying off, Jake accidentally made eye contact with him, prompting a smile with lowered eyelids and raised eyebrows out of Bryce. Jake immediately returned his gaze to his book. He could have sworn he heard Bryce let out a quiet giggle, and he hoped it wasn’t at him. Jake had never been good at talking to guys he fancied, so he tended to default to trying to not let his be interest known, lest he embarrass himself.

As the sun got closer to the horizon, the group agreed to head in. Most of the housemates intending to go into town and find a place to eat, followed by a place to drink. Jake was relieved to not be included in that conversation, but deep down, he did feel left out, not helped by him straggling behind the group as they walked inside.

“You coming along, Bryce?” Mandy asked.

“Nah, I’m going to sit the first night out and get settled,” he replied, much to Jake’s surprise. “I want to head into town, find a grocery store, and buy some food so I can at least cook some meals for myself.” After a moment, he looked back to Jake. “You want to come along, Jake? Or are you going to go out for dinner?”

“Uh…” The prospect of spending more time with this incredibly attractive man was simultaneously tantalizing and terrifying to Jake, as it just meant more opportunities for him to make a fool of himself. But he needed something to eat, and he didn’t feel much like venturing into town on his own. “Sure. I’ll go out with you.”

A smirk spread across Bryce’s face.

“I mean, uh, to the grocery store. To buy food.”

Bryce’s smile remained steadfast as he looked back at Jake. Bryce looked ahead to Mandy, who was looking at him with a knowing smile of her own. Jake feared he was failing miserably at keeping his feelings a secret.

In spite of that, the trip to the grocery store went largely without a hitch. Bryce had gotten a rental car that they both rode in, one where the steering wheel was just barely far enough away from the seat for Bryce to fit. “I’ll want to check out the local restaurants while I’m here,” he told Jake as they drove to the grocery store, “But it can’t hurt to be able to make myself something when I want to.” Jake got some snacks and ready-made meals for himself, while Bryce picked up a more varied assortment of foods, making a point to pick up pancake mix and whatever else the recipe called for.

Back at the house, Bryce started preparing chicken and vegetables in one pan while he and Jake both snacked on chips and salsa. Jake had originally planned to take his microwave dinner back to his room, but he felt bad about abandoning Bryce when he was being so amiable. He had even offered to make some extra veggies and chicken for Jake, which Jake thanked him for but declined.

As they waited for Bryce’s dinner to cook, the two chatted about their lives back home. “So, what’s majoring in computer science like?” Bryce asked as he flipped the veggies.

“It’s a lot of trying to figure out why the computer isn’t doing what you want it to.”

With a chuckle, Bryce looked back at Jake and said, “So not unlike how working with computers is for the rest of us.”

“Heh, guess not. Are you still in college?”

“Nope, graduated a few years ago. Just long enough that I forgot about Spring Break and managed to schedule my vacation the same week. Thankfully, Mandy and all them seem to have good heads on their shoulders. The reckless ones probably all went places like Cancun. I think this is going to be a good trip.”

“Mmm,” Jake said without much enthusiasm.

“You don’t think so?”

“I mean… at least they didn’t try to pull me out with them like some kind of high school movie, where the shy kid gets forced out of their shell and it’s portrayed as a good thing, not the nightmare it really is.”

After a pause, Bryce nodded slowly, turning over his food as he did. “This is going to be done soon. You ought to throw your lasagna in the microwave.”

Conversation between the two remained sparse over dinner. Once they finished, Bryce got up to start doing dishes, taking Jake’s plate along with him. “Oh, I-I’ll wash that,” he protested.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bryce insisted as he shook his head with a smile. “It’ll be easier for me to just take care of it along with the rest than for us to try to share the sink.”

“Well… thanks. I’m, uh… “ Bryce looked at Jake with an expectant smile, as Jake tried to figure out what to say next. “Hey, do you know the wifi password for the house?”

“It’s on the fridge,” Bryce answered, pointing at a piece of paper with a generic network name and long default password on it. Jake nodded and went off to get his laptop. Once he was connected, he bid Bryce, “Have a good night,” and retreated up to his room, now luxuriously cool with the AC having run all day. In the far corner of the house, the signal wasn’t as strong as he would have liked, but it did the job as he caught up on news back home.

Around 8:00, Jake got up to go to the bathroom. He hadn’t heard any of the other housemates return, and he wasn’t even sure if Bryce was still around. On his way back to his room, though, he heard a commotion coming from one of the bedrooms. All of the other bedrooms had their doors either closed or wide open so Jake could see Bryce wasn’t in them, but this one had the door ajar. Jake leaned his head in, knocking as a courtesy as he did.

“Hey Bryce?” Bryce turned his head back to Jake just as Jake realized Bryce had stripped down to his boxers. Jake whipped out of the door frame as he shouted out, “Sorry!”

A hearty laugh came out of the bedroom. “You can come in, Jake,” Bryce shouted out. “It’s nothing you haven’t seen already.”

After a moment of hesitation, Jake crept through the door frame. Bryce was facing him straight on with a smirk, his ample proportions on display for Jake to see. When Jake paused before continuing in, Bryce raised his eyebrows and extended his arms outward, like he was asking Jake what the hold-up was. Jake entered the room with his eyes on the ground to the right of Bryce.

“So, what’s up?”

Jake kept averting his eyes, moving them around the room to look anywhere but at his undressed housemate. “I just wanted to, uh…” After a pause, he was finally able to look Bryce in the eye, tilting his head up to try to avoid looking down. “Thank you… I guess…” Bryce’s eyebrows shot up and his smirk melted into a genuine smile before Jake averted his gaze again. “I just… I thought this trip was going to be awful. And I feel bad saying that, because I know a lot of people would kill a trip like this. But I’m just not one of those people, and…” As Jake searched for the words, Bryce lumbered closer up to him. “I just… Thanks for making me feel welcome,” Jake finally said as his eyes met Bryce’s again. “Thanks for making this trip not awful.”

Jake’s head tilted down as he looked up at his taller companion. Letting the smile on his face spread wider, Bryce brought his hand up and rubbed it along Jake’s cheek. Though surprised, Jake didn’t pull back at the unexpected touch. Coming from Bryce, it feel comforting. “You’re gonna have a good vacation, Jake,” he assured as his warm, soft hand glided down Jake’s cheek. “Whatever that may mean for you.” It wasn’t all that dissimilar from what Jake’s parents had told him to try to convince him to go on the trip, but hearing it from from Bryce, Jake genuinely believed it.

As Bryce’s hand dropped down from Jake’s chin, Jake became less averse to looking back at his portly housemate. His eyes darted to and fro from Bryce’s face to his hand to the room around them, as he tried to pick out the next words to say. With a smirk, Bryce stroked Jake’s chin, more gingerly this time. “You don’t have to be shy,” he assured him, the words sending shivers down Jake’s body. With eyes open wide and mouth agape, Jake looked Bryce in the eyes before allowing his eyes to wander down to Bryce’s belly, which stock out mere inches from his own stomach. His breath hastened as the weight of the situation in finally sunk in.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do while you’re here, whether that be out at the bars or here in this bedroom,” Bryce assured him. As he spoke, he leaned back, putting a slightly more comfortable amount of space between the two of them, but also sticking his belly out more, making Jake all the more enchanted by him. “But it sure would be a shame,” he continued, “if hesitation stopped you from doing something you wanted to do.” Jake looked Bryce in the eyes again, torn between his reservations and his desires. In spite of himself, he let his shaky arms rise from his sides, hands outstretched towards Bryce. When they paused inches away from his belly, Bryce whispered, “Go on.”

With a haste like he just wanted to get it over with, Jake let his hands grasp Bryce’s belly, feeling his warm, soft body underneath his fingers. His eyes squeezed shut, as if there might be some kind of retaliation for his boldness. But Bryce merely chuckled. As he laughed, Jake could feel his belly bounce. He opened his eyes, looked back up at Bryce with cheeks flaming red, hot enough that he could feel his own blush. His arms shook as he held Bryce’s belly, feeling his heft underneath his hands as the firm belly stood against the pressure.

“How you feeling?” Bryce asked in his gruff, heavy voice.

“Uh…” Jake looked down at his arms before looking back up at Bryce. “Timidly.”

Bryce let out a heartier laugh, leaning back as his belly shuddered under Jake’s touch. He took Jake’s hands in his own and rubbed them in circles along his gut. As Jake felt the warm expanse pass underneath his fingers, his breathing grew heavier and his gaze stayed locked on Bryce’s ample paunch.

“Hey,” Bryce said with a warm smile, prompting Jake to look up as Bryce kept guiding his hands along his belly. “If this is what you want, it’s yours for the taking. Enjoy yourself. Take it all in.”

Though still feeling tense, Jake pulled his hands from Bryce’s hold and let them wander over his belly, his gut solid and warm, his body hair soft under Jake’s touch. Bryce’s smile grew wider as Jake enjoyed himself, Jake’s head slowly leaning back as his hands explored the wide expanse of Bryce’s belly. As Jake’s breathing grew heavier, Bryce pushed his belly into Jake’s touch, coaxing a moan out of his svelter housemate. The two entered a rhythm, wavering back and forth as Jake let his hands run wild.

But it all came to a halt when Jake heard the front door open downstairs, and all of the housemates came back, boisterous and loud. Jake jumped at the shock of it, letting go of Bryce and looking back toward the door nervously. Bryce merely laughed, walked around Jake, and pushed the door closed. Turning back to Jake with an amused smile on his face, he asked, “Better?”

Jake nervously looked to the door and back to Bryce. “What if they hear us?”

“So what if they do?” Bryce asked before strolling back towards Jake. “Besides,” he said as he put his hands on Jake’s shoulders, “I assure you, they’re all too concerned with their own night to even care.”

Jake looked toward the door as he took Bryce’s left hand in his right, rubbing it half out of intimacy and half out of nervousness. After letting out a sigh, he looked back to Bryce, who was looking back at him with a reassuring smile. “Could we… take it slow at first?”

Bryce’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth opened. “Of course,” he assured Jake as he leaned down to pull him in and nuzzle him. Jake returned the gesture happily, standing on his toes to reach over Bryce’s stomach. Once they pulled away, Jake ran his hands through Bryce’s beard, something Bryce chuckled at before leaning his head back to give Jake more room. When Bryce had enough of that, he held Jake’s hands by the wrists and pulled them behind him, pulling the two of them closer. Jake draped over Bryce’s belly as Bryce bent forward so Jake didn’t have to lean so far. The two looked in each other’s eyes, their smiles both grew wider, and Jake stood on his toes for a kiss.

Jake only went in for a peck at first, though this was enough to pleasantly surprise Bryce. Bryce in turn pulled Jake in for another, this one a little longer. When Jake looked back with a smile, Bryce leaned down slowly until their lips met.

It felt like a dream, like Jake was frozen in place as this unbelievable event occurred around him. Only it wasn’t the vicegrip of sleep that kept him rooted in place, but rather his astonishment that this was really happening. But as Bryce put his arms around Jake’s shoulders, pulling Jake closer as his breathing grew heavier, Jake was released from the hold of his disbelief. He wrapped his own arms around Bryce and stood as tall as he could to lose himself in Bryce’s embrace.

As their breathing grew heavy, Bryce pulled out his arms to wrap them instead around Jake’s chest and leaned back, pulling Jake off the ground. Jake let out a surprised moan, but soon he get into it and wrapped his arms more tightly around his taller housemate, kissing him just as passionately as before. When Bryce finally let Jake down, they both stumbled back before they found their balance and let out a quiet laugh.

“Having fun?” Bryce asked with a grin.

Through the last of his giggling, Jake replied, “Yeah!”

The two drew closer again, Bryce bearing an assured smile and half-opened eyes. Jake felt less confident in the approach, but he walked with wide eyes and a smile of his own. Bryce looked down from Jake’s eyes and over the rest of his body before looking back at Jake with eyebrows raised. “This has been plenty fun,” he assured Jake. “But it might be even more fun if we both bore it all for each other,” he said as he gently rubbed his own bare stomach. In a soft voice, he concluded, “If you’d like that too.”

Jake raised his arms to the top of his shirt to take it off, hesitating before he pulled it up. He’d never taken his clothes off like this in front of someone before, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about showing his lanky body to someone as burly as Bryce. In comparison, he felt quite self-conscious. But Bryce’s confidence was inspiring to him. If Bryce felt comfortable showing his body to Jake, why couldn’t Jake do the same?

With a sharp inhalation, Jake lifted his shirt off. He held it close to his chest as he looked at Bryce, who looked back at him with a disarming smile. Bryce reached out to rub Jake’s shoulder before asking, “Better?”

Jake looked down for a moment before throwing his shirt on the dresser next to him and looking back at Bryce. “Better.”

It didn’t take long for Jake to do away with his shorts and socks too, looking back at Bryce with his best feigned confident smile. Bryce made that smile genuine as he reached out to touch Jake’s bare chest. Jake felt a tingle go down his spine as Bryce’s warm hands made their way down his chest and over his stomach. As Jake basked in Bryce’s touch and looked back at his smiling face, his discomfort dissipated, like Bryce’s soft fingers could dismiss it bit by bit.

Jake stuck his hands out to rub Bryce’s belly as Bryce leaned down with lips open. Bryce wrapped his arms around Jake’s shoulders and pulled him in tighter as they kissed. Jake could feel the heat of Bryce’s belly against his own stomach, matched by the warmth of Bryce’s breath when he pulled away to look into Jake’s eyes. Jake’s own breathing had grown intense, and he gasped for breath as he looked back expectantly at Bryce.

Bryce looked back at his bed before looking back to Jake, raising his eyebrows and cocking his head. Jake looked at the bed as well before looking back to Bryce to nod. After letting go, Bryce took Jake by the hand and lead him to the bed, Jake following eagerly as Bryce sauntered over. Once they were close, Bryce looked back at Jake with a devious smile before falling backwards onto the bed without letting go. Jake tried to stay upright and not land on his housemate, but Bryce had pulled on his hand so hard that he went flying. He landed slumped over Bryce’s giant belly, with his face closer to Bryce’s than he expected given their height difference.

“Oof! You okay?” Jake asked as he pushed himself up, trying to relieve the pressure off of Bryce.

“Fine, fine,” Bryce assured him. “Don’t you worry about me,” he told Jake as he raised his hand to rub Jake’s cheek. Jake could see from Bryce’s half-closed eyes and open smile that he was no worse for wear and was raring to go again.

“I just… I don’t want to…” Bryce’s face took on a more concerned look. “Can you breath alright like this?”

Bryce let out a hearty laugh, and Jake could feel his belly shake beneath himself, bouncing off of his own stomach. “I’m fine, I assure you. Now,” he said, taking on a more sultry tone and stroking Jake’s cheek more firmly. “You wanna get back into it?”

Jake looked down towards Bryce’s gut before looking back in his eyes with an excited smile of his own. With a push, he scooted back until he was kneeling on the edge of the bed, with Bryce’s belly right in front of him. With one hand on each side, he massaged Bryce’s gut, gently feeling the warm expanse as Bryce’s body hair passed softly under his hands. Bryce let out a satisfied “Mmm” that trailed off as Jake continued. Though Jake’s fingers were able to make indentations in Bryce’s belly, the solid mass of it resisted his push.

“You like that?” Bryce asked, his deep voice sounding like it sprung forth from a smile. Jake could only moan his affirmation as he nodded enthusiastically, his eyes rolling back. “You know, there’s something to be said for a gentle touch,” Bryce said, prompting Jake to look up and see him leaning his head up to look him in the eye. With a huskier voice, Bryce continued, “But I bet you’d like to get rougher than that.”

Jake felt a shot of nervousness at first, before he let his eager hands sink deeper into Bryce’s stomach. He could feel Bryce’s gut pushing back against his touch, but this only emboldened him. With a growing grin, Jake pushed Bryce’s belly around, getting a feeling for its heft, watching the whole mass sway as he did. It seemed to have more sway when he pushed it side to side, as Bryce rolled on his back to give his belly the freedom to move.

“O-oh,” Bryce gasped, the rhythm matching a moment when Jake pushed his belly up and felt it come flopping back at him. Under his breath, he muttered, “fuck yeah.”

Much as Jake enjoyed looking at Bryce’s gut, he found it hard to keep his eyes on it as he rubbed it. The more enjoyed it, the more often they either rolled back or closed entirely. His breathing grew increasingly heavy, his breaths coming in gasps.

“Hey,” Jake heard Bryce say, pulling him out of his trance. Bryce’s serious face turned into a coy smile as he lifted his right hand to beckon Jake over. “C’mere,” he implored in a voice bordering on a whisper.

With a push, Jake moved over to Bryce’s side. Once Jake was kneeling within arm’s reach, Bryce lifted his hand up and brushed it against Jake’s bulge. Jake could feel his hard-on bounce off of Bryce’s hand. As Jake felt his cheeks grow bright red, Bryce let out a low chuckle. “Just as I thought.” Looking Jake in the eye, he let his hand wander up to Jake’s waist and hooked his pointer finger in the hem of Jake’s boxers. “May I?”

Jake took in a sharp exhalation and paused before he nodded his head, jerking it back and forth like it couldn’t contain his eagerness. Keeping his eyes locked with Jake’s eyes, Bryce pulled his housemate’s boxers down.

Once he was exposed, Jake didn’t want to look down, feeling shy like he did when he had to strip for his yearly physical. He kept his eyes on Bryce as Bryce gently took Jake’s member in his hand. When Bryce’s warm, soft fingers wrapped around his shaft, Jake felt a tingle go down his spine as his pelvis jerked at Bryce’s touch. Bryce stroked Jake gingerly, sending shivers up Jake’s body, as he could do naught but kneel in place as his head arched back.

“You don’t have to just sit there,” Bryce offered as Jake remained in place. “Why don’t you come a little closer and…” With his free hand, Bryce grabbed his belly and shook it up and down, the sight of which made Jake’s eyes grow wide. “Give your hands something to do?”

Jake was all too happy to oblige. As Bryce cradled Jake in his hand, Jake scooched up until Bryce’s belly was within arm’s reach. It took him some practice to get back in a rhythm with Bryce’s hand still on his length, sending the occasional convulsion through Jake’s body. But he got the hang of it before too long, digging his eager fingers into Bryce’s sturdy gut.

At that, Jake let his instincts take over. He pushed Bryce’s gut to and fro with a glee that bordered on ruthlessness. Occasionally he stimulated Bryce just the right way to break Bryce’s rhythm. When he did, Bryce’s hand would freeze, holding onto Jake’s member a little tighter as his arms and legs jerked and he let out a deep moan of his own. But Bryce kept stroking, something Jake occasionally forgot about until one of them made the other shudder.

But it wasn’t long until Jake couldn’t pay attention to anything else. Even as his eager hands tried to feel over Bryce’s belly, he could only rub it in spurts as the sensations of Bryce’s hold on him became too much. His breaths grew short and shallow as he only managed a superficial contact with his housemate’s gut. The tension was too great, and it had to be released. With one climactic moan, and then another, and then another louder one, he did just that, arching his back as his arms fell at his side, his moans getting softer as Bryce slowed his strokes and loosened his grip.

When Jake’s breathing had resumed a regular pace, he looked down and saw his pleasure splattered across Bryce’s belly. His cheeks grew bright red and he looked away from Bryce, sinking down until he was sitting on his feet. “Sorry about the mess,” he mumbled.

Bryce let out a chuckle before Jake heard him grab at the bed sheet and pull it. Looking back, he saw Bryce cover himself with the sheet and stretch it tight around his belly, pulling it up and down like a towel. Jake saw the stains show through before Bryce lifted the sheet up again and tossed it to the side. “What mess?”

“Are… are you sure that–”

“I’ll wash it before we leave,” Bryce assured him. “There has to be a washing machine somewhere in a house this big.”

With a grunt, Bryce rolled to the side and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He smiled at Jake as Jake slowly looked him in the eyes again, his head bowed down as he looked up bashfully. Bryce stroked Jake’s cheek as Jake’s own smile grew wider.

“Hey,” Bryce said in a soft tone.

“Hey,” Jake returned in a higher-pitched tone, stripped of all pretense that might have deepened his voice before.

“Look at you,” Bryce praised. “Earlier today, you wouldn’t even look directly at me. Seems like a distant memory now.”

Jake felt like he should have been proud of that; at least, Bryce certainly thought he should be. But that pride wasn’t coming, and he couldn’t figure out why.

Cocking his head to the side, Bryce asked, “You okay?” It came out high for his gruff voice, like an intentional attempt at a disarming tone.

Jake looked down toward his lap, fidgeting with his hands before he could stutter out an answer. “I’m… I’m not sure. This is my first time… doing anything like this…”

“You think we went too fast?”

“No! No. Well… I don’t know… How fast is this supposed to go?”

Bryce’s hand had moved from Jake’s cheek to his shoulder. Raising his eyebrows and letting his eyes wander, he answered, “That’s different for everyone. People have this idea in their head of how these things are “supposed” to go, but that does work for everyone. Hell, probably doesn’t work for most people. I mean, you’re a guy getting it on with another guy, who’s probably over twice your weight.” At that, Jake looked down at Bryce’s belly with a bashful smile, before covering his mouth with his hand. “We’re already well outside of how this is ‘supposed’ to go. What matters more is, are you glad you did it?”

Letting his eyes trail down to the space between them, Jake pondered it for a moment before looking up and answering, “Yeah.” A smile spread across his face as he looked into Bryce’s concerned eyes. “I am.”

Immediately, Bryce’s face bloomed into a smile with eyes half-open, before he extended his arms to the side. “C’mere, you.”

Jake, all too happy to oblige, nearly lunged over as Bryce kissed him on the cheek before taking him in his arms, letting out a pleased “Mmmm”. Jake hugged him back, though he could scarcely match the comforting hold of Bryce’s embrace. Bryce let himself fall on his back, Jake happily going down with him as they both landed with an “Oof”. Still in each other’s arms, they let their hands wander all over each other’s bodies. Jake shamelessly favored Bryce’s beard, running his fingers along it and nuzzling it in equal measure. The longing stares were occasionally broken by a gentle kiss, sometimes on the lips, sometimes on the cheek, occasionally on the forehead, and once on the nose, much to Bryce’s amusement and Jake’s embarrassment.

“You know, I haven’t heard anyone downstairs in a while,” Jake mused aloud.

“They were probably just making a pit stop before going out again. Seemed kinda early for them to come home and pass out.”

With a wide yawn, Jake said, “Speaking of passing out…”

“You wanna sleep here tonight?”

Jake scooched down to nestle his head against Bryce’s chest before sleepily answering, “That would be nice.”

At that, Bryce leaned up, causing Jake to roll onto the bed with a tired groan. Bryce lay back down with a blanket in hand to pull over them, at which Jake nuzzled into his chest again. It wasn’t long before Jake let his eyes close entirely, drifting off to sleep.

---

Jake woke up with only a marginal awareness of where he was. The details and memories of the previous night slowly came back to him as he pushed himself up from his position cradling his body around Bryce’s belly.

“Morning,” Bryce greeted, prompting Jake to look up into Bryce’s warm eyes.

“Hey,” he replied sleepily. “How long have you been up?”

“Not long,” Bryce assured him. “But it’s alright either way. I didn’t want to wake you.”

As Jake smiled back at him, Bryce kissed him on the forehead, before looking back with an even bigger smile.

“You want to go back to your room to change before we head downstairs? I’m planning on making pancakes this morning.”

Jake’s eyes shot open at the thought of people seeing him leave Bryce’s bedroom. “Yeah,” he answered as he pushed himself up, hoping he could leave before anyone else woke up. “I should do that.”

Jake found his boxers under the blanket and put on the rest of his clothes from the night before, so he could at least look presentable if anyone saw him walk back to his room. As he changed, Bryce put on a clean shirt, looking relaxed and casual in just a shirt and boxers. Much as it wasn’t realistic, Jake wished Bryce could wear that as he made breakfast.

“Something wrong?” Bryce asked, making Jake realize he’d been staring in Bryce’s direction for quite some time, long after he’d finished getting dressed.

“No, no, I just… I just hope no one sees me.”

“They won’t,” Bryce assured him. “They all got back pretty late last night. You were knocked out by then. Besides, they’re college students; they’ll be sleeping in. So take your time getting ready before you come down.”

“Okay,” Jake replied, still not going anywhere, still looking Bryce over. Bryce finally picked up on what was happening, walking up to Jake and holding Jake’s cheek before leaning in for a kiss. Jake leaned in too, standing on his toes and leaning over Bryce’s belly to meet his lips. Bryce took both of Jake’s cheeks in his hands as Jake put his hands gingerly on Bryce’s belly. They kissed slowly, lazily, like they had nowhere to go and no one to see.

When Bryce pulled away, Jake looked up at him longingly before looking down and giving his gut one final rub. Bryce leaned back to push against Jake’s touch and give him more belly to feel. Once Jake had had his fill, he leaned up to give Bryce one more peck on the lips before darting out the door and back to his bedroom.

But Jake’s hopes of making it back to his own room before being seen were dashed immediately when he saw Mandy in the hallway. She was sleepily shuffling down the hall in panties and an oversized shirt, but as soon as Jake stepped out into the hallway, she looked up with eyes wide open.

Jake’s reflex was to feel mortified, to hide in Bryce’s room or run past her to his room and never come out until the end of the trip. But something about that night stayed with him as they stared each other down: the warmth of Bryce’s belly against his stomach, the feeling of Bryce’s arms wrapped around his shoulders, the taste of Bryce’s kiss. It had all been a good thing. He had nothing to be ashamed of.

So Jake strolled on, nodding at Mandy as she gave him a knowing smile. “You have a good night?”

“I did,” Jake beamed. “You?”

As if on cue, Brad leaned out of Mandy’s bedroom door, not wearing anything as far as Jake could see, and groggily moaned, “Hey, Mandy, you coming back?”

“In a minute, babe.”

“Cool. Hey, Jake,” he greeted before ducking back into the bedroom.

Looking back at Jake with a mildly embarrassed smile on her face, Mandy answered, “Yeah, I did too.”

Jake felt some relief at seeing Mandy be bashful about her own escapades. Somehow, knowing he wasn’t alone in feeling embarrassed made him feel less so. With a nod, he raised a friendly fist to Mandy, whose smile grew wider as she raised her own hand and fist bumped him, before they went their separate ways.

---

Over breakfast, the crew agreed to meet for lunch at a Mexican place in town called Pepito’s, swayed largely by the prospect of complimentary nachos. They sat around a table with their light beers, most having taken them with a slice of lime, and one soda standing out among them. The whole group had convened for lunch that day, including, to the surprise of many, Jake.

The crew sat around the large table chatting over their nachos, agreeing they had to ask for more as soon as they saw their waiter again. Mandy and Brad were holding hands and frequently leaned their heads on each other’s shoulders, and occasionally kissed. Jake, meanwhile, sat comfortably among the group, finding no difficulty joining in the conversation with these people whom, a day before, he thought he stood no chance of getting along with. Over his shoulders dangled Bryce’s left arm, while Jake held Bryce’s left hand with his right. It was a simple setup, not as active as Mandy and Brad’s, but it suited both of them just fine, and left them both a free hand to take nachos.

To Jake’s relief, no one seemed too inclined ask Jake or Bryce about why they were suddenly so close, or Brad and Mandy, for that matter. It almost seemed too good to be true, but if the rest of the group could take it at face value, maybe it wasn’t so farfetched after all.

“Man, last night though,” commented one of the housemates.

“Ugh, can we just forget it? I’ve been drinking water all morning and I still feel hungover.”

“We definitely need to take it easier tonight.”

“Well that’ll certainly be easy. I doubt there’ll be much happening on a Monday night.”

“We could make our own raucous fun, though.”

“Or we could not.”

Everyone laughed, but for most of them, it was the kind of laugh that carried a sigh with it.

“Hey Jake,” Mandy said from across the table, “You having a good time over there?”

Jake was nervous to have the attention on him all of a sudden. But when he squeezed Bryce’s hand a little harder, Bryce squeezed back and held it more firmly, making him feel more reassured. His eyes flicked to Bryce, who looked back at him with eyebrows raised, anticipating his answer.

“Yeah… yeah, I am. Why, uh, why do you ask?”

“I’m just thinking, our plans tonight probably won’t be much more wild than this. So, if you’re having a good time right now… maybe, you’ll, want, to, join, us?” Mandy suggested in a slow cadence with her pitch steadily rising.

“Um… you know,” Jake said as he grabbed his soda to take a drink. “Maybe I will.”

Quick behind him, Bryce picked up his beer and said, “Cheers to that.”

Everyone else raised their bottles in agreement. After that, Jake was able to be just one in the group, without the attention on him like that again. Lunch went off without a hitch, making Jake optimistic for the upcoming night. As they were leaving, they all agreed to reconvene on the beach when they got back to the house. Jake said he was game, but he just had to swing by a clothing store to pick up a bathing suit.