Immersion, ch. 4 (Patreon)

(This story clearly went longer than anticipated. Couple more chapters and then we should be back to business as usual. Thank you for bearing with me while I stretch on this one!)

Calling the tidy grouping of bungalows a “town” was perhaps being too generous. Smaller, less isolated dwellings than their own posh shack peppered the opposite stretch of beach from where the trio had approached, and sandwiched in between was a resort-style approximation of a village square. There were a few shops, a fitness center with an attached spa, and an oceanside restaurant that served as fine dining, bar, and nightlife all rolled into one. Of greater concern to Riley, Evan and Trent, however, was the shift in attire that accompanied the change of scene. Regardless of what the area was called, the people within were considerably more covered than the three altered friends. While a certain amount of bare skin was implied and expected on the beach, inside a bar or shop was another matter. Seeing resort staff fully dressed in board shorts and polos only made the scantily clad studs feel more on display than ever, causing their thawed anxiety to ice over once again. And while there were still plenty of other guests strutting around in skimpy speedos and other revealing swimwear, none of them were quite as exposed.

“Ooooookay, now this feels weird again,” Evan squeaked, his heart racing as he forced a smile at a pair of passing staff. The men were each wearing chino shorts and half-open button-downs, making the shrunken blonde painfully aware of his bare bubble. The same went for Riley, who’d resorted to holding the sarong in front of his package at all times, and Trent, who was helpless to do anything other than squirm while he tried not to think about his exposed cheeks or barely-covered new entry.

The awkward Adonis nodded to a nearby shop with racks of swimwear and other clothes visible through the open walls. “Should we at least try to cover up,” Trent asked.

“I don’t know, man. Steve told us to ‘experiment’,” Riley said, immediately regretting the use of air quotes when his sarong started to waft again just as another group of men passed. “I’m sure it’s not going to be that easy.”

“Couldn’t really be worse, though,” Evan chirped. “All I’ve got is a sleeve over my junk. Nowhere to go but up, right?”

The subtle bouncing he felt in his softened chest whenever he took a step served as a potent reminder to Riley that there was still plenty of room for Steve to mess with them, but the buff little blonde had a point. And the unexpectedly exciting walk from their cabin hadn’t exactly been terrible, either, so the busty brunette was willing to roll the dice if his friends were. “Only one way to find out,” Riley shrugged, heading for the shop.

There was a shared rush of embarrassment as the trio stepped inside. The contrast between the relatively mundane retail setting against their revealing wardrobes hit hard, and despite the friendly smiles from the staff, each of the altered men kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. Fortunately, while they received plenty of interested stares and lingering looks, no one’s reaction was anything other than positive. It didn’t exactly quell the embarrassment Riley felt whenever his limp hose would bounce free, or that Evan felt with his muscled bubble hanging in full view, but it helped.

“Do we just swing hard and see what happens,” Trent asked, grabbing a pair of board shorts from a nearby rack.

Riley’s brows furrowed as he thought about it, with the lean brunette deciding to hedge his bets on a speedo. “We all know how this is going to go,” he laughed, looking down at Evan. “What about you?”

“I’m going to let you guys try it out first,” the little blonde squeaked, shaking his head. “I don’t know how much more adventure I can take today.”

“Fair enough,” Trent said, reaching down to tousle Evan’s hair before he and Riley each stepped into a dressing room. Given how little they wore to begin with and the lack of a reaction from everyone they likely could have just changed in the middle of the store, but some habits were hard to break. The big man held his breath and avoided looking in the mirror as he untied his tiny bottoms and hung them from a hook, the board shorts feeling surprisingly foreign as he slid them up his meaty thighs.

On the other side of the thin wall, the busty boy-next-door had a similar experience. Even though his exposure had been relatively short lived, the aqua speedo felt like a pair of pants as he slid it up and snapped the elastic into place around his trim waist. For a moment, Riley actually thought it would stay the way it was. His slumbering bulge was modestly covered by the blue material, and his ample cheeks no longer hung in the breeze. The swimwear looked out of place against the adornments on his altered upper body, but Riley was more interested in the coverage it provided than whether or not he matched. Ultimately, as they’d all expected, it was a moot point. Just as he started to think the speedo might actually remain unchanged, it started to shrink. There was a familiar rush of air on his perky bubble as the back shrank to a thin string and vanished between his cheeks, the color changing to the tropical print of his top as the speedo settled to create a matched set. Where once there’d been modestly masculine swimwear, Riley felt himself blush as he looked down at a bulging bikini bottom. Unlike the one Trent wore the pouch had at least been designed to contain his lifeless package, though only just. “Goddamnit,” he barked with an embarrassed laugh. “Dude…did we just switch?!”

“Uh…not exactly,” Trent stammered. Like Riley’s speedo, the board shorts didn’t linger long in their original configuration, but unlike his friend their end result was drastically different. Trent found his missing equipment once again accentuated, and his meaty rear once again hanging on display, but now his broad torso had at least a degree of coverage. The trunks had stretched up over his shoulders as they’d settled into a one-piece bathing suit that was little more than a strip running up the center of his meaty midsection before splitting into a pair of straps at his nipples. Those straps highlighted his deep pec cleavage and the muscular curves to his brawny torso as they left most of his back on display, tapering down to a thin string that vanished between the burly hunk’s ample globes. “I guess we asked for this,” he sighed, rolling his eyes as he stepped out of the changing room.

“Whooooaaaaa! Look at you two,” Evan chirped, his sleeve-covered cock twitching as he gawked up at his two friends. “I mean…at least your shit’s covered now, bro,” he said to Riley, barely resisting the urge to reach out and untie the skimpy bottoms.

The blushing brunette shook his head and gave another short, awkward laugh as he adjusted himself. “Is it, though? It feels like my junk’s going to slip out any second.” Unlike Evan’s dangling sleeve, his bikini bottoms bulged noticeably as they struggled to contain the wedged in organ. “And at least part of my ass was covered before…fuck…” he grumbled, squirming at the unfamiliar sensation of a string splitting his bare bubble. He stopped and raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Trent, immediately distracted. “That’s, uh…damn, dude. Why is that so hot?”

“Don’t ask me,” the bigger man grunted, his whole body crimson. The skin-tight suit felt just as revealing while it clung to each of his ample muscles, if not more so due to the extra attention the bright material brought. The swimwear was an almost dayglo orange, making the burly hulk impossible to ignore as its alternatingly high and low cut left him tantalizingly exposed. He held a similarly shaped wad of fabric in his other hand, and it was joined by a third when he reached out and grabbed another pair of trunks. They immediately morphed into one of the slinky suits as soon as he touched them, making it clear that his options had become limited. “This is fun,” he spat, leaving the suits in a clump on top of the rack.

“Oh, shit! I didn’t even notice,” Riley said, his eyes going wide when everything he touched shrank into a thong bikini. “Knowing Steve, I’d say we’re at least stuck with these for the rest of the day.”

“At least,” Trent sighed, looking down at Evan.

The shrunken jock shook his head and took a few steps back. “Oh hell no,” he said, holding up his hands. “If that motherfucker has me in a sleeve, I can only imagine what else he’s got in mind. I’ll probably wind up in a diaper or some shit. Uh-uh. I’ll just stick with this for a while.”

“I wonder what happens if we do this?” Before Evan could dart away, Riley reached down and grabbed his sleeve. He felt the tiny hunk’s cock twitch in his hand, but the stretchy sock remained otherwise unchanged. “Damn. That would’ve been fun.”

“Keep squeezing it like that and you’ll find out what happens,” Evan cooed, surprised to find himself relieved by the sleeve’s presence. There was no way his oversized cock would have fit into a skimpy bikini bottom like Riley’s, nor did he relish the idea of his girthy package spilling from the bottom of a suit like the ruddy-haired hunk’s.

“I need a drink.” Trent walked up to the register and charged the suits to their room, an ingrained habit more than a necessity. Money was meaningless in the virtual environment, but the comforting familiarity of a transaction was soothing to his overwhelmed subconscious. That overloaded sensation grew even stronger when they made their way to the nearby restaurant, the act of walking into such an establishment nearly naked threatening to pull him out of the Immersion entirely. Before the little blonde could ask, he scooped Evan up and set him on one of the wicker stools at the bar, wincing at the way his own bare cheeks scratched against the straw seat.

“You okay, big guy,” Riley asked, rubbing the bigger man’s broad back.

“It’s just…a lot,” Trent said, blinking and shaking his head. “I’m trying to remember that it’s all just for fun, but…”

“I know how to fix this,” Evan chimed in, flagging down the bartender and ordering four shots of tequila; one each for himself and Riley, and two for Trent. When they arrived, the shot glass felt far larger than it should in his shrunken hand as he held it up in a toast. “Can we even get drunk in here? I’m excited to find out,” he chuckled.

The moment of silence was followed by a series of clinking glasses against the bar, with Trent’s shell-shocked expression turning into a reluctant grin. “Oh. Oh! Wow,” he said, his pecs stretching the thin straps of his suit as he took a deep breath. “That’s wild.”

“It’s like being perfectly buzzed,” Riley nodded. “Holy shit.”

“What happens if we do it again?” No one was surprised that Evan thought to bring it up, or that the grinning little blonde was eager to test his limits. Whether in the real world or a virtual one, you can take the boy from the party, but you can’t take the party from the boy. “This is awesome,” he squeaked after the next round left them in the same euphoric equilibrium. “Wish this is how it worked back home.”

“Extra good for you, pipsqueak,” Trent said, a large hand landing on Evan’s thigh. “Probably can’t put it away like you’re used to at that size.”

The little jock’s eyes went wide, as if the thought hadn’t occurred to him. “Oh, fuck! Good call, dude. I’d probably get wreeeeeecked,” he laughed, kicking his dangling legs.

As the drinks continued to flow, the trio fell into a nearly normal rhythm. Other than their altered bodies and revealing outfits, it started to feel like they could have been sitting at a bar back home. The flirtatious way they chatted with the other men was new, as was the lingering desire they felt towards each other, but they’d finally begun to relax. The preoccupation they’d had over their exposed states and novel attractions lessened, allowing the group to simply enjoy them for what they were. Instead of feeling odd or insecure over pointing out an attractive, speedo-clad stud, they leaned into it the way they would have pointed out an attractive woman, arguing over which of them the handsome hunk would be into. And when one of those men would come over to say hello, none of them were shy about letting their hands wander to a sturdy arm or the small of a back, or letting their own bodies be politely explored in a similar manner.

Even when certain needs arose after several drinks, the impending experience was viewed more with curiosity than dread. “Okay, I really need to pee,” Evan said, spinning away from the bar on his stool. He started to hop down but then paused, a puzzled look on his face. “You don’t think I’m going to, like, piss myself in the real world, do you?”

“Do you think you’ve been cumming all over yourself,” Trent asked, scooping Evan off the stool and setting him on his feet. “I guess we’ll find out together.” He looked over at Riley to ask if his friend was going to join them, but the brunette was busy chatting away with an obviously interested new friend. The sandy-haired man was built the way Riley had been originally, with a tight, wiry body spilling out of a surprisingly stuffed speedo.

“Bets on whether or not he’s still there when we get back,” Evan asked, reflexively leaning into Trent’s large hand when it drifted down to the back of his head as they walked.

“I mean, I hope not. It’s his birthday trip…dude should have as much fun as he can,” the bigger man said as they stepped into the bathroom. His elevated mood dipped slightly when he saw a few other men already inside, the altered reality of his situation suddenly occurring to him. He started to walk towards an open urinal like always, then looked down past his meaty slab of a chest to the flat patch between his legs. The realization was followed by a brief rush of insecurity, a sudden questioning of whether or not he still belonged in the shared space, but it quickly fled when no one reacted. As in the real world, they were all there for the same thing, and no one should care how that happened. Still, that didn’t stop him from blushing as he slipped into a nearby stall.

Likewise, Evan felt more than a little awkward as he stepped up to an open urinal with a pair of men towering on either side. It wasn’t until that exact moment that he remembered what he was wearing, and, while he realistically knew it wouldn’t make much difference, the act of pulling the sleeve off and standing naked still brought with it an embarrassing thrill. He could feel the men looking down at him while he checked out their nearly eye-level members in his periphery, the unexpected realization that he was starting to love his new perspective catching the shrunken blonde entirely off guard.

“Well that was new,” Trent muttered when he reemerged, his whole body crimson.

Evan nodded, having just replaced the sleeve. “Dude. Tell me about it. The view’s a little different down here,” he said, grinning at his friend’s obvious embarrassment. “Learning how everything works?”

“I know how it works,” Trent barked defensively. “But knowing and feeling firsthand are two very different things.”

“Just wait, bro. I’ve got some firsthand feelings to show you,” Evan purred, finally getting the hang of adding a seductive edge to his new squeak. He let out a short laugh when they stepped back into the restaurant and saw that, as predicted, Riley was no longer at the bar but on the dancefloor, his new friend’s hands firmly attached to his exposed rear.

“Looks like someone else is getting felt up at the moment,” Trent said, his trek to the bar stopped when Evan grabbed his hand.

The little hunk nodded towards the modest crowd gyrating under the flashing lights. “Come on…let’s go join him.”

“I’m good,” Trent grunted, his meaty frame immobile as the shorter man tugged on his arm. “You know I don’t dance.”

“You didn’t used to piss sitting down either,” Evan countered with a stern look. “We’re doing new things, remember?”

Whether it was due to the still-perfect buzz from the simulated booze, or the genuine affection he felt towards the tiny hunk, Trent found himself pulled onto the dancefloor. After a few awkward moments of them trying to reconcile the size difference while they shimmied, he reached down and scooped Evan up, opting to sway with the stud in his arms. “Better?”

“Much,” the smaller man nodded, his hands stroking their way up from Trent’s plump pecs to rest on the brawny hunk’s broad shoulders. Before anyone could say anything else, he leaned in for a long, lingering kiss, both of them lighting up as their tongues met. It wasn’t a confused, frantic release of tension like they’d experienced upon their arrival, but an intimate, intentional exchange. It didn’t matter where they were, what they wore, or that they were surrounded by other men as they passionately kissed. All that mattered at the moment was each other.

“Wow,” Trent said when they broke it off, his expression flushed and dazed. “You’re actually as good at that as you always said you were.”

“I’d be offended that you didn’t believe me, but I was about to say the same thing,” Evan grinned. He leaned in for another quick peck, followed by a moment of silence as they gazed at each other. “Fuck, bro,” the blonde finally said, breaking the silence with an awkward laugh. “Why am I suddenly jealous of all the girls you’ve been with?”

“Don’t forget about the guys,” Trent grunted with a smug smirk.

Instead of being annoyed by the bigger man’s boasting, it made Evan’s cock throb. “I mean it, dude. This is…this is wild. I’m actually starting to get into this,” he said, flexing his muscled bubble against Trent’s hands. “How many times has someone hefted me around today already? It’s fucking hot, man. I’ve always hated being on the shorter side, but now I don’t know. Being held like this? Being held like this by YOU? Fuck, bro…why do I like this so much? I should hate it, right?”

“Pretty little Evan,” Trent sighed, his chest expanding against the other man’s probing fingers. “Always the stud…always the jock…always in control. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with wanting someone big and strong to take care of you for a bit, either.”

The shrunken stud bit back a whimper. “What about you, big strong guy? Is that what you want too?”

Trent’s low chuckle was like a subwoofer against the compact blonde. “I was kind of hoping the big man in my arms was going to return the favor,” he said, nodding down at the blonde’s twitching, oversized log.

Evan swallowed hard, his cock swelling. “We should…we should probably go do that,” he sputtered, looking around for Riley. His friend was now facing the other direction, writhing his bare bubble against the front of the other man’s speedo while one of the stranger’s hands groped his limp, bikini-covered bulge and the other kneaded his supple new chest. The look on Riley’s bearded face was one of pure ecstasy, his grin bashful when he finally saw Evan trying to get his attention. The shrunken jock mouthed the word “HOUSE” and jerked his head in the direction of their bungalow before returning his attention to Trent. “That dude is about to have the time of his life,” he said, glad that the bigger man decided to carry him along as they headed for the cabin.

Trent leaned in and gave Evan a quick peck on the cheek. “He’s not the only one.”