Truth or Dare

It had been several hours since the power went out in their house. Luke and Ryan were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace in a fit a of laughter with blankets wrapped around each of their shoulders. The firelight danced on the walls around them as the heat warmed the room.

It was the middle of winter in New England. Both Luke and Ryan had grown up in the area, so they were as used to the cold as anyone could ever really get. It was around 5° F outside and the whole world seemed covered in snow. They had woken up earlier in the day to an icy scene that had appeared overnight. The news had been blaring for days that a storm was rolling in and people should expect to hunker down.

Luke had bought his house just a couple years prior and took pride in rehabbing it into a beautiful home. He had finished engineering school and quickly found a job in the area, earning a salary that let him buy a house quite young. It was nothing remarkable, just a little two bedroom. He would likely never be able to afford living in Boston, but he found a nice little fixer upper a ways out of town that was still convenient for him to commute to work in the suburbs or into the city when he needed.

Ryan had moved in about 5 months ago. He was still working on his Master's degree in business in Boston. He had grown up on the rich side of the tracks, but his parents had let him know that when he turned 24 last year they were going to stop paying his rent and living expenses. He had to get a job as a bartender and found he couldn't afford big city living.

It was a massive convenience when he ran into Luke several months ago at the gym just days after his parents cut him off.

"Hey man. How's it going?" Luke had asked simply. They had been best friends for years but since they both had become very busy, they hadn't run into each other or had much time to hang out or catch up.

"Oh it's ok. Ya know..." Ryan seemed a bit spacey and dejected.

"What's up?" Luke asked, noticing Ryan's sunken body language.

"Just having kind of a rough time. Work has been a bit rough. I might have to move. I just can't afford an apartment in town for myself." Ryan had rented a nice apartment near the water for the last couple years of undergrad at Boston University while he was still on his parents' dime. He was still trying to pay for it on his own but he was finding the expense was outrageous.

"Yeah, that's why I bought outside the city. You know, you could always come live with me? I've got the extra bedroom. I'll be a reasonable landlord and won't charge you up the ass?"

"Wait. Seriously?" Ryan looked up from his weights straight at Luke as if the latter had just offered him a kidney.

"Yeah." Luke sounded nonchalant. It was hard to tell if he was being serious. "Of course. I mean, you'd have to put up with me. My girlfriend stays over every once in

a while but she's not bad.'

"Seriously?" Ryan was still incredulous. The offer meant so much more than just a cheaper place to stay.

"Yeah. And you'd really have your own space, you could bring anybody home. Girls or guys. It'd be your space too."

Luke had known that Ryan was bisexual since they were teenagers, probably even before Ryan came out to his friends and family. It had never ruffled their friendship in any way.

"Ok I have two questions." Ryan had set his weight down and looked like he was in business negotiations. "How much would you charge me?"

"I don't know. We'll work something out that's reasonable for both of us. I'm not gonna dick you over." Luke didn't like talking about money. He was genuinely happy he'd be able to help out his friend who had helped him out for years.

"Alright, fine. But I'm going to pay you rent. You've got a mortgage now you've got to pay off. I'm no freeloader. Not anymore." He took a sip from his water bottle. "Next question: when can I move in?"

A week later, Ryan rolled up with his mattress on his SUV, which was loaded to the brink inside with his possessions.

Luke had grown up lower middle class. He was the only child of a single mom who worked herself ragged to provide a house for her kid growing up near an expensive city. When Ryan's family moved into town, they became best friends quickly and nearly inseparable. When Luke's mom was working, he could almost always be found at Ryan's house where they always had a plate at the dinner table for him.

It was at Ryan's house one afternoon in high school, playing videogames after soccer practice and eating junk food that Ryan told his best friend that he was bisexual.

Luke had paused their game and took a long look at Ryan. Ryan wouldn't return the stare, afraid of what it could have meant.

"Dude," Luke said, "I know. You're the least secretive person ever. You watch the girl's team doing their stretching, AND you watch the guys team doing their stretching. Not too tough to figure out."

He was grinning and laughing and unpaused their game.

Ryan was relieved and elated and hopeful. He felt like he could fully be himself after that.

Several months on from moving in, they had a pretty routine life between work and school. Luke's girlfriend, Britney, came over a couple nights each week and stayed the night. The walls were insulated but Ryan could still hear them when they had sex. Sometimes it went on for an hour or so and even noise-cancelling headphones didn't cover the pounding and the moans. It was a good thing they didn't share walls with any neighbors.

Luke had done an amazing job fixing up the house. He installed a second bathroom with a full shower. Reconfigured the kitchen to add more storage. He moved a ping pong table into the bonus room to enjoy during winter. The non-functioning fireplace was turned into a gas fireplace, which was currently their saving grace.

When the power went out earlier in the day, they quickly felt the temperature inside diminish. The central heating was electrical based. They moved into the living room and flicked on the fireplace. It took awhile, but the heat gradually filled the room, keeping them modestly warm.

They'd spent the day goofing around, reading, playing cards, betting each other who could do more push-ups. Dumb things to pass the time. A message from the power company let them know it would still likely be out until tomorrow.

Britney had texted the night before letting Luke know she wasn't coming over because of the storm. She was usually there over the weekend, but it was supposed to be bad enough she didn't want to drive.

The day passed into the evening and into the dark. Ryan was able to make dinner on the gas range in the kitchen thankfully so they sat around in front of the fire.

"Like very high-class, indoor camping," Luke said as he bit into the burger Ryan had made.

"Mmm. But no ticks," Ryan choked out with his mouth full of food. "Thankfully."

After eating, they put the dishes in the dishwasher but of course it wouldn't be run.

Out came the big bottle of scotch as they reconvened in the living room, Luke sitting on the floor in front of the fire and Ryan on a comfy chair nearby.

Over a couple hours of drinking and nonsense, they found themselves in hysterics of laughter.

"I can't believe you let her do that you. Why?" Luke's side hurt from laughing so much.

"Softcore BDSM was never really on my radar," Ryan said, giggling into his glass that had been refilled too many times to count. "But a little whipping felt good.... And it's not like she left a mark or anything. It was very gentle. Even you'd like it."

"Hahaha!!" Luke had a table tennis paddle in his hand and gingerly smacked his own ass playfully. "Ok, that's the kinkiest thing you've ever done. I guess it's my turn then."

"Yep, truth or dare?" Ryan replied.

"Dare."

"I dare you to put on a pair of Britney's panties."

"What?!" Luke rolled over laughing. This was a long game going back years that had led them into many misadventures. Driving to Canada at midnight just to get "fresh poutine," streaking across the park in summer, skinny dipping into the ocean in fall. They and their friends had managed to make idiots of themselves all over the region.

"And I get to choose which ones!!" Ryan shouted as Luke mock protested. "I know she's left some here, I just hope they're good ones."

Ryan walked upstairs to Luke's bedroom. He knew Britney had a drawer of clothes for when she stayed over. He pulled it open and gently went through her things. He lifted out a red lacy pair of panties and a white g-string. Stretching them each slightly, he opted for the red lacies. He didn't want to push Luke too far.

Not yet.

He returned downstairs where Luke was pouring more scotch into their glasses. They had been drinking for hours but there was still plenty of the bottle left. He filled the glasses half-way and took a sip.

Ryan held the panties aloft as if presenting a hard-won prize to its victor.

"I bring you your evening attire," Ryan stated in mock formality. He laid the panties down on the table, kneeling in presentation, still wearing a blanket around his shoulders as a robe.

"Dude," Luke held them up in front of his eyes to examine, "I don't know if I'll even fit in these."

"A dare is a dare. Those are the rules." Ryan took a drink from his glass and sat back down.

"Fine." Luke looked skeptical but he took the panties and retreated to the downstairs bathroom, emerging a minute later holding his boxer briefs.

"Wait, where are they? What the hell man?" Ryan looked at Luke who was still wearing his sweatpants and hoodie.

"I'm wearing them, I promise," Luke said, pulling his sweatpants down at the hip slightly to reveal the red lace underneath. He sat back down next to the fire.

"Nuh uh. No sweatpants. JUST the panties." Ryan stated firmly.

"What?! You didn't say that. It's cold man." Luke again protested.

"Don't be a baby. It's not that cold in here." Ryan said in retort.

"Oh yeah. I don't see you wearing any panties yourself."

"Is that a dare?" Ryan asked with a laugh.

"You better believe it. And I get to pick 'em," he said mockingly. Luke walked up to his room, opened the same drawer as before and pulled out the white g-string that Ryan had left behind. He came back down and threw the flimsy material in Ryan's face as he sat down. At first, Ryan thought it was some floss that Luke had thrown, so limited was the coverage. He held up the panties and laughed.

"Fuck. Ok" Ryan looked at Luke with a mixture of surprise and curiosity - surprise that this was the pair he'd picked up and curious to see how Luke would react to be in a room with a man wearing just a g-string. Ryan didn't bother going to the bathroom. He stood up from his chair and dropped his pants to the floor. He pushed his underwear down to his ankles and stepped out. It was cold outside, but the fire and alcohol had warmed the men up enough that Ryan wasn't afraid that his dick would be shrunken to embarrassment.

He turned to slip one foot then the other through the string before pulling it up to his hips. It wasn't the first time he had worn a thong. Definitely not the first time he had worn one for another man. But it was the first time he had been this revealing with Luke. It didn't even dawn on Ryan that he was wearing Luke's girlfriend's panties. That could have added to the awkwardness. As it was, he pulled the strings up over his hips, settled his dick and balls into the limited material and gathered the blanket back around him.

It was still a bit chilly in the room for now.

"There. You big baby. I'm wearing floss and I'm fine. Now you." Ryan sat down firmly to his chair and crossed his legs as if petulantly waiting. Luke stood up, letting his blanket/robe fall from his shoulders. He took a long drink from his glass and set it on the side table. He slowly lowered his sweatpants to the ground and stepped out. Ryan couldn't help it. He was taking in every bit of what he was seeing. It wasn't the greatest strip tease, but the alcohol played tricks on his mind. His eyes travelled up from Luke's ankles to his thighs, still muscular and toned from playing soccer regularly and working out. He looked higher at Luke's waist as he saw the full presentation of him standing in the slightly sheer red lingerie. They were straining in front, not built to hold a man. The outline of Luke's soft penis was clear through the red lace.

Ryan let out breath slowly, trying to keep his thoughts contained.

Luke sat back down on the floor and stretched his legs out in front. The flames flickered light over his thighs.

"See, not that bad? Ok. it's your turn again." Ryan took a long sip. "Truth or dare."

"Dare. How much worse could it get?"

"Ok, are you ready for this?" The light caught in Ryan's eye and a fiendish look came over his face. "Snow angel."

"What?! No. Dude, it's so cold." Luke looked a bit pissed, but he was still grinning and standing up.

"It's fine, Luke. Not for long. Like 15 seconds then it'll be over." Ryan felt a little bad, but still thought it'd be funny. This wasn't the first time they had done snow angels in minimal clothing. Most of the time it was when they were in college and drunk with a large group. Now it was just the two of them, at the point of drinking where inhibitions lowered but they still had their senses.

Luke pulled his hoodie over his head then his T-shirt underneath. He stood in just the red panties in front of the fire. Again, Ryan couldn't help but admire. Luke had always been athletic. Strong and toned without being overly muscular or bulky. He had kept his fitness even after a couple years of working.

"Ok, but you're going with me." Luke stated.

"Fine." Ryan pulled off his layers. He was now even less clothed with just a few tiny bands of string around him. They offered as much warmth as they did coverage. He gripped his dick and balls for protection and slight modesty. Ryan looked up to see Luke's eyes examining his body as he drank deeply from his glass. Luke's gaze never left Ryan's form and seemed to hold for a long time at his waist, at Ryan's dick that was barely contained by the string.

They walked to the back door and looked out to the porch. There was easily 12 inches of snow piled on the deck.

"Let's do it." Luke threw the door open and flung himself down. Ryan stepped out and felt the cold wind whip his mostly naked body. He lowered himself to the snow next to Luke and actually felt more comfortable here. The snow protected them from the wind slightly.

"15 seconds. Ready? Go" Luke and Ryan began fanning their arms and legs wide. Ryan counted down, "15, 14, 13, 12, 11... 3, 2, 1. Done!"

Ryan hopped up quickly and bolted for the door with Luke close behind. Their bodies were bright pink from the cold. Ryan held the door open as Luke scooted behind him to get inside. Ryan could feel the heat radiating off of Luke's body as he passed even though they didn't touch. Ryan closed the door behind and they rushed back to the fireside.

They wrapped themselves in blankets but didn't put their clothes back on, warming faster with their skin closer to the heat source.

"Damn. That was c-c-cold." Luke said frigidly. He was doing a little side to side dance in front of the flames. The bottoms of his feet were coldest from being on the frigid deck.

"Ah, but so great. Nothing like a perfect snow angel while wearing a thong to make you feel alive!" Ryan put his enthusiasm into his voice even though he didn't exactly believe the words. They laughed and drank and continued to shift around until the warmth refilled their bodies.

"Ok, your turn." Luke turned to Ryan. "Truth or dare."

"Truth. I'm afraid what you'd have me do for a dare right now." Ryan smirked as he sipped his glass.

"What is your favorite part of a man's body? Like what are you most attracted to?" Luke asked with a curious, warm smile. He had never broached this subject.

"Hmmm. That's tricky. It's kind of a whole package thing. Like with women, you know? I'm not just attracted to women with nice tits or a tight ass. There's something about the whole package." He was trying to explain his real feelings but he was interrupted.

"What are you most turned on by? Are you looking for a nice dick or a nice ass or something else?" Luke shouted over his friends words and without a smile of joking on his face.

"Oh. Oh. Well," they both drank deeply in the silence as Ryan thought for a second. "I'll notice a hot ass first, but ultimately I want the dick."

"Hmmm," was the reply from Luke into his drink.

Ryan continued, "I want to have a solid, strong, muscular ass that I can hold onto while we're making out, but I love a nice penis. A nice, thick dick, not too big, not too small, is just something else. A nice pussy feels amazing when you're inside, but a thick dick... I just want to get my hands on it, I want to feel its size in my mouth. Then the feeling of having it inside you... is incredible."

Ryan trailed off and no words were spoken. The flicker of the flame was the only noise inside with occasional wind blowing the trees onto the fence outside.

Their eyes stayed on the flames but their minds were still lingering on Ryan's words. He was still standing there in just a g-string and as he spoke his cock of course rose and peaked out toward his abs. As he glanced over, Ryan was surprised to see a growing outline of Luke's dick straining the front of his panties.

"Your turn. Or do you want to take a break?" Ryan asked casually as he sat down, hoping to conceal his growing erection.

"Nope. I want to keep going. Truth." Luke responded confidently.

"Hmm, I was hoping you'd go with a dare. Let me think." Ryan pondered for a moment. The liquid courage and warmth filled his body and his recent answer had started to tickle his mind. He was getting horny and hoped that Luke was too. He knew what he wanted, but he didn't want to destroy his longest non-familial relationship. He decided on a safe one. "When you're having sex, with Britt or with anyone else ever, what is your favorite position?"

"I like to have them on top at first then I like to be on top to finish with a variety in between." Luke answered honestly and easily. They both seemed pleased with the topic of conversation.

"Why is that?" Ryan asked.

"I like the feeling when someone else is riding me initially. I get to feel their body and explore while they get to control the pace. I like to be on top at the end to really use my strength, but I feel like our bodies are more in contact that way. Like having their legs wrapped around me and pulling me in, our bodies are so tight and in sync. It feels incredible."

"Mmmm, I bet," Ryan said, intending for it to be to himself only but it clearly reached Luke's ears.

"What's yours?" Luke didn't wait for the game to continue. They were clearly going to a different area.

"I like being on top first because I usually need time to warm-up a little bit and relax. If I'm on top I don't get hurt. I usually like getting fucked from behind," Ryan gulped. The words had come out before he could think and decide if it was the right thing to say. He kept talking, his mouth moving faster than his mind, "Having those strong hands gripping my body and pulling me in. But I like when he's on top to finish too...."

It never even occurred to Ryan that he answered entirely about having sex with a man. He had been with plenty of women, but that was the furthest thing from his mind right now.

A long silence filled the air. They drank slowly but didn't speak or look at one another for a while.

Luke checked his phone. It was almost 11pm. A message from Britney let him know she was still stuck in town at her sister's house. She wasn't coming to the house for the weekend.

"It's getting late. I think I might pull a sleeping pad and sleeping bag out and crash out here tonight. It's gonna be too cold in the bedrooms probably. Do you want me to grab you anything?" Luke asked gently.