Hotel Hijinx Pt. 01

George laughed too, and hauled himself onto the bed with a huge sigh.

'Oh god, this place is living up to it's rep. I don't think I've ever felt this fucked in my entire life.'

'Right? I dunno man, there's definitely something weird about it though... I haven't been feeling... myself, I guess,' he said quietly. George wondered whether he had been experiencing the same things he had, but couldn't risk telling him in case he was wrong. It would ruin their friendship, he would never live it down.

'Yeah, I get you,' he said lamely instead. 'You know I don't think we should eat that food they give us anymore.'

'You think that's what's causing it?'

'Could be... don't you?'

'I mean there's definitely some crazy shit in that food their serving but to have these effects? I don't know a drug alive that can do that... and then there are the evenings. I feel like both nights I've been roofied or something, but we didn't eat the food before going? Or did we?'

'Shit we can't even remember that. I reckon we don't go out tonight, give our bodies a break and see what happens.'

'Yeah... yeah that's a good plan.'

After that they both seemed to drift in and out of sleep for a while until they heard definite clattering from outside the door. Getting up they walked out to see Jake looking through all the kitchen cupboards with a frustrated expression on his face.

'Why give us a fucking kitchen if there's nothing to cook with!' he cried, sifting through the empty cupboards. George looked around at the carrier bags of food Jake had seemingly bought.

'You planning on dodging their breakfast too?' he asked.

Jake looked at them wide eyed, looking wild and disheveled 'I don't like it, I don't like this place. It ain't right.'

'You don't look so good,' Aaron said nervously and Ethan poked his head around from their bedroom door and gave them both a significant look.

'He's been like it all morning... I told him if he's this stressed then we should look at flights home...'

'No,' Jake snapped, 'I don't want to waste the money, we paid for this place, and we've paid for our flights. It'll cost a shit tonne to get more at this late notice, nah, it's the food, and I reckon if we don't eat it, we'll be fine,' he said, George was stood closest to him, so only he heard Jake's mutter under his breath, 'no more black spots, no more crazy thoughts.'

Crazy thoughts. So he wasn't alone in his mind fucked situation after all.

'Here, I'll help you,' he said, helping Jake as he hunted for anything useful. They found one small saucepan, two spoons, one fork and a plastic butterknife, three glasses, a bowl, a cracked plate and a baking dish.

'Real fucking great hotel this shithole is Ethan, well fucking done,' Jake spat and Ethan looked miserably at the floor.

'Hey, don't take it out on Ethan mate,' Aaron said defensively, but Ethan shook his head.

'It's fine, he's been mad at me all morning, I've obviously pissed him off somehow, so just leave it, he'll calm down eventually.'

'Oh fuck you Ethan with you're optimistic pretty boy attitude. You're pathetic, alright? You can't book a decent hotel, you can't play football, you can't even fuck a girl.'

'Hey now,' George said, standing between Jake and Ethan, the latter of whom had stood up now, his face reddening and his fists balling. 'Calm down Jake, this isn't like you.'

'Isn't like me? Fuck you. Fuck all of you!' he spat, his eyes angry and bloodshot as he stormed out of the suite.

'What the actual...' Aaron whispered and George looked round at his two friends in equal bemusement.

'Should one of us go after him?'

'No,' Ethan said bitterly, 'he needs the time to calm down. He's freaking out because he can't remember anything, he thinks he's being drugged, he's paranoid.'

'Maybe he's not,' George said quietly and Ethan looked at him and then Aaron in surprise.

'You guys don't remember either?'

'No, do you?'

'No...' he said quietly, 'but drugged food really? Maybe we had too many drinks out last night, or... or...'

'Ethan come on man, we've all gotten fucked before. This is some next level shit,' Aaron said and Ethan nodded.

'I'd be lying if I didn't admit it's strange. But Jake, he's gone off the rails crazy,' he ran a hand through his hair. 'Shit, no I should go after him, he could be in trouble...'

'I think you're right about him needing the time to calm down,' Aaron said quietly. 'He's a natural hothead, we all know that. We just need to work out what to do to make it better by the time he's back.'

'I just wish I knew why he's mad at me in particular,' Ethan said sadly. Neither Aaron nor George had an answer.

It was an hour later before their stomachs started gurgling, and George found himself fantasising about the buffet downstairs. It couldn't be drugged, it just tasted so good. Maybe if he just ate a little it would be fine? No. He stopped his thoughts midway, rocking backwards and forwards where he sat trying to drive the image of the tantalising spread from his mind.

'George?' Ethan asked warily, 'you're er- looking a little strange there buddy...'

'I'm fine,' he snapped back. Why was Ethan such a know-it-all? A handsome know-it-all, always butting his nose in where it wasn't wanted.

'You sure?' Aaron asked, George's temper flared further still.

'Leave off will you?!' he snapped.

He heard Ethan whisper to Aaron quietly, 'this is just how Jake started this morning, the rocking and the eyes...'

'I can hear you you know,' he said flatly and Ethan and Aaron both turned their heads to look at him, a mixture of fear and intrigue in their expressions. He closed his eyes, trying to control his breathing, he was calm. He wasn't angry. 'I'm... I'm just hungry.'

'Yeah me too,' Aaron admitted, 'look lets see if there's anything Jake bought that we can eat.'

They rustled through the bags of shopping and pulled out some fruit and biscuits. George looked at the apple in his hand, slightly discoloured and lumpy. He took a bite and spat it out immediately, the bitter rotten taste lingering in his mouth.

'That, is disgusting,' he said spitting out the remnants of the apple.

'Um...' Aaron said shifting through the bags, 'here have this. You like these.'

Aaron handed him a chocolate bar, and he ripped it open eagerly. Taking a huge mouthful he was greated by a cardboard texture and tasteless mush, he swallowed it with a grimace and looked at the bar.

'This is gross too,' he said in misery.

They went through every item in the bag and it was all the same, nothing tasted like edible food, and the more they searched the hungrier they became.

'You think he went to a dodgy store?' Aaron suggested and Ethan shook his head.

'More like the food we've been eating has adapted our tastebuds... it's fascinating...' he said, trailing off as he examined the bread roll in his hand.

'So our choice now is to eat their drugged food, or starve?' George asked, and no one answered him.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

'Jake,' Aaron said with relief, jogging to the door and flinging it wide. The smell hit George like a cannonball. It smelt sweet, and savoury, homely and exciting, triggering his emotions into overdrive, causing his mouth to physically ache with the desperation to eat.

'We noticed you boys hadn't been down for breakfast so thought you may appreciate some room service!' the friendly clerk said, pushing in a trolley laden with all the foods he had been trying to drive from his mind. He didn't remember standing up and approaching the trolley, but he felt Aaron's arm pushing him back.

'Thank you, but we're okay,' Aaron said firmly, George looked at him in a mixture of horror and anger. How dare he take this food away from him? This food that was clearly food for the gods. He didn't care if it was drugged, hell, he didn't care if it was the last meal he would ever eat, he had to eat it all.

'No Aaron, please, I'm so hungry,' he begged, and Aaron looked at him with a torn expression. He could feel tears rising to his eyes and spilling onto his cheeks as he looked desperately at his friend.

'I really think you should let him eat,' the clerk said. George noticed slightly through his hazed desire the clerks smile slip as she stared right at Aaron. Felt him step back a little as though he had received a blow.

He looked dazed as he blinked back at the clerk, 'oh... okay.'

'What?' Ethan said, now rising from the chair in the lounge. 'No we don't want-'

'You do. You want to eat,' the clerk said, directing his gaze now at Ethan, who like Aaron stumbled slightly before standing meekly by the trolley.

'Here we are then,' the clerk said, their smile returning. 'Oh, and while you eat, we found your friend wandering around the hotel.'

He reached behind him and ushered in a very dazed looking Jake, he had a small smile hitched on his face and his eyes were unseeing and blank.

'Jake,' Ethan whispered, barely audible, but he didn't move, couldn't move.

The clerk pulled the door shut as he left, leaving the four of them in a dazed silence. George's eyes slipped away from the door and to the trolley before him, transfixed on a pear, a juicy pear, perfectly ripe. He wanted to taste it's sweet juices roll down his tongue-

Aaron shook himself out of the daze first and smacked his hand away from the trolley.

'No. No eating. Ethan. Ethan!' he cried, shaking Ethan out of his trance.

'Help me get these two into the bedroom there, away from this food!'

'What, no?!' George cried, instantly grabbing the trolley, refusing to let go. But Aaron was bigger and stronger than he was, prying his grip from the trolley.

'Look at me George!' Aaron said, grabbing his face so that he could do nothing but look at him. 'You don't want to eat that shit okay? Just let me help you!'

George felt the overwhelming pressure ease a little, and allowed Aaron to slowly guide him from the trolley and into the bedroom where he sat on the bed, still feeling rather punch drunk as he swayed where he sat. Jake wasn't struggling, and he lay quietly giggling to himself, looking very content as Ethan lay him down, his eyes following him around the room with a look of hunger.

George still felt dazed, but his distance from the food and the intoxicating smells helped clear his head enough to listen as Ethan and Aaron discussed in quiet voices at the foot of the bed.

'Clearly the food is affecting them differently to us, but we need to get everyone's cards on the table. We need to know everything,' Ethan blushed slightly, 'any new feelings, or reactions, I think it's all part of whatever this shit is.'

'Yeah, I agree,' Aaron eyed Jake nervously, 'what have they done to him man?'

'He must have eaten something, something extremely potent,' Ethan's eyes looked pained as he watched his friend, and then instead they fell on George and he approached him cautiously.

'Hey buddy, you in there?'

George nodded, he felt suddenly cold, and frightened. His mind and body no longer felt his own. How could he trust himself to hold back these insane urges, these insane desires.

'Ok, we were just saying that we need to talk. Jake is... not in a fit state right now so it'll have to be the three of us.'

George glanced at Jake beside him, gazing at the ceiling with a blissful expression on his face.

'Ok I'll go first,' Ethan said with a heavy sigh. 'The food, the smell of it is intoxicating, when I smell it, I smell my hopes and dreams and desires, all mixed into a divine edible concoction.'

'Yeah, same,' Aaron said and George nodded.

'Ok so we all get that. Once I eat, I feel like I'm floating, time moves oddly, and I struggle to remember details.'

The two of them also agreed. This is when Ethan began to blush harder still.

'I guess, the main weird thing is that it makes me feel... sexually different too,' he said, looking at his hands. George's eyes widened, watching Ethan's face as his cheeks grew violently red. 'Well? Do you two get that as well?'

'I fantasised about sucking Aaron's dick,' George blurted out, blushing fiercely as Aaron stared at him in surprise.

Ethan nodded, 'and you Aaron?'

'Yeah, I guess I had some, um, unusual feelings about George too,' he admitted quietly. They made eye contact for a second, in an awkward understanding of each others embarrassment. George felt a little warmth deep inside him at the return of his feelings.

'Ok well that makes sense then. My- um- reactions, have been shifted towards Jake, and it makes sense that his anger at me this morning could mean he was too.'

'So what you're trying to say is the food is making us hot for each other?' George said in horror.

'I don't know. But it sounds like it, yes,' he whispered, his eyes flicked to Jake who was still lying on the bed and he bit his lip. 'Do you feel like your sexual desire for, um, Aaron is increased when you eat?'

George nodded. 'Yeah I mean, yesterday I got a boner when you were both swimming,' He flinched at his brutal honesty, once again. 'I also seemingly can't help but tell you this stuff, fuck!'

'No, no that's good! So you feel obliged to tell us these things right now?' Ethan said curiously.

'I can't stop it,' he said clutching his head and beginning to panic.

'Hey, it's ok,' Aaron said putting a hand on his shoulder. The contact felt like an electric shock, George gasped plainly and Aaron pulled his hand away. 'I- er- sorry.'

Ethan watched them both with an intelligent scrutiny.

'There's definitely something at play with our emotional and sexual responses to stimuli,' he muttered almost to himself, like a scientist watching a lab test play out before his eyes. 'Aaron why do you think you and I seem to have more resistance to the food than Jake and George?'

'I'm not sure... although... no it's stupid.'

'Nothing here is stupid trust me, any ideas you have are valid,' he said firmly.

Aaron sighed, 'I guess, I feel the need to protect George don't I? When he ran off yesterday, when he was upset just now... and he feels obliged to tell us things, to obey in a way... perhaps it's like the dominant to submissive thing?'

'You think you and I are the dominant males in the pairings?' he said, his eyebrows raised.

'Well, yeah... maybe?' he said, shooting George an apologetic look, but George didn't feel offended, instead...

'He's right, that makes sense, when Aaron told me to go into the bedroom just now, it was the only thing that was able to get through to me. Almost like I had to do what he said,' he said firmly, avoiding eye contact with Aaron completely now. 'Do you think it applies to you and Jake?'

Ethan looked over at Jake, his expression was pained until he finally nodded.

'Yeah, I think you're right too. It also adds to the reason Jake was so mad, he doesn't like being out of control, and feeling like he was looking up to me or something might have been messing with his head.'

'Almost like the drug and his personality were at loggerheads,' Aaron agreed.

'That explains why he looked so crazy,' George whispered. They all looked over at Jake, he lay almost peacefully on the bed, but at their gaze his eyes slipped over to them and he giggled.

'Whatcha lookin' at?' he said in a slurred voice, George saw out of the corner of his eye Ethan tense. Jake seemed to see it too as his eyes fell on him, the hungry look returning and a small smile pulling at the side of his mouth. 'Hey Ethan,' he whispered.

'Hi Jake, how are you feeling?' Ethan said in a strangely calm voice.

'Better now you're here...' he said lazily, drool trickling out of the corner of his mouth.

George shuddered, it was one thing to admit to their feelings, but another to see it so brutally like this in front of his eyes, Jake seemingly a stranger in the body of their friend, and yet George knew all too well that it was him in there, driven wild by crazy desire. Jake sat up slightly, rolling onto his chest and resting his chin on his hands, watching then curiously.

'Come on Ethan, I know you want to fuck me,' he said, and all three of them gasped slightly. 'Yeah, I know. You were talking about it in your sleep this morning, Oh Jake, I want you Jake, I want you so much please,' Jake laughed.

Ethan clenched his jaw in anger and embarrassment.

'Jake, stop,' he said quietly.

'Why'd you think I was so angry this morning? Hearing that?! But I was just upset, and afraid... I'm not afraid anymore.'

'Well that answers the question of what happened this morning then I guess,' Aaron said quietly, and Ethan nodded sheepishly.

'Come on Jake, I'm taking you to our bedroom.'

'What?!' Aaron said horrified.

'Not like that! God, who do you think I am?!' Ethan said angrily. 'No I just don't think it's a good idea having him with George.'

'Me?' George said surprised.

'I thought it might be... unsettling for you.'

George was unsettled, that was the understatement of the century. He assumed they all were. But maybe Ethan had a point, this is what George would become if he ate that food. Lustful, sex driven, and desperate to be fucked by his best friend.

'Right... thanks,' he said awkwardly and Ethan shot him an understanding look.

'It's okay, keep an eye on him,' Ethan said to Aaron, and he nodded.

'Good luck,' Aaron said grimly, watching as Ethan guided Jake out of the room, stumbling and grinning provocatively up at Ethan.

Then it was just the two of them. It was an awkward silence as Aaron tried to meet George's eye, but he insistently looked away. The minutes ticked past until eventually Aaron stood from where he had been crouched on the floor and rounded to the other side of the bed. George felt the movement as he landed on the bed, but he kept his back to him. He could see his toned calves and socked feet out the corner of his eye, and shut them, pretending he wasn't there.

'Look, the only way this is going to ruin our friendship is if we let it. I ain't judging you man, and you ain't judging me,' he said plainly.

'You're lucky,' George said bitterly.

'Why?' he asked.

'Because you're still pretty much you. Whereas I'm... this fucked up mess,' George sniffed.

'You don't think I'm a fucked up mess?' Aaron asked.

'No.'

'Well I am, as is Ethan. But for some reason you and Jake are showing it more. Maybe that's the sub influence, I'm not sure, but my heads all over the place too.'

George looked tentatively round at Aaron who smiled sadly at him.

'Don't hate me?' he asked quietly.

'I could never,' George said through a gurgled sob.

Aaron sat up, clearly wanting to comfort him but not sure exactly how. His arms half outstretched as though wanting to hug him. George fought the instinct for a moment, and then gave up, leaning into his arms and letting Aaron hold him. It felt so good, and so comforting, his strong arms holding him, his head on his firm warm chest, hearing the calm slow beating of his heart.

'We'll fix this together okay?' Aaron said and George nodded, nuzzling deeper into his chest, smelling his musky comforting scent. He felt like he could have stayed there forever, and before he knew it he found himself drifting off to sleep.

He woke to a gentle shaking of his arm, and looked up blearily at Ethan's face above him. It was darker now, clearly the sun had set at some point, and the room was filled with a dusky glow. Ethan's face was barely visible in the dim light, his eyes glinting gently.

'Hi,' he whispered, 'come with me, don't wake Aaron.'

George looked around at Aaron who lay beside him, his arm draped over George's waist protectively.

'Why?'

'You'll see, I can't explain here, just come.'

Bewildered George slid gently out of Aaron's grip. He rolled, mumbling to himself, onto his back and George smiled slightly to see him sleeping so peacefully. He really was the best friend in the world.