A Gardening Journal (vignette) (Patreon)

5/3/16 - New neighbors, finally.  Well, technically just “neighbor.”  The house next to mine has been sitting empty for the past year and a half, so imagine my surprise when I looked out the window and saw a buff, shirtless man chopping down weeds in the backyard.  It was a scene from the cover of a cheap romance novel.  His toned, modest pecs glistened under a thin layer of dark, silky hairs that traveled down his flat stomach and into the yellow mesh gym shorts he had on.  I could see the elastic waistband of his underwear sticking out above the outline of what looked like an impressive bulge underneath the thin material.  I didn’t have to guess at the back as his shorts bubbled out around a prominent, perky rear.  His hairy thighs and calves were just as toned and solid as the rest of him, ending in a pair of wide, sneaker-clad feet. I grabbed a bag of trash as an excuse to go outside.   

“Hey man,” he said as I waved.  

He seems friendly enough.  He flashed a quick, a charming smile that showed off his perfect, sparkling teeth.  My best guess put his background somewhere in Eastern Europe, with his pale skin and dark features. He had high, angular cheekbones, a solid chin, prominent nose, and plump, full lips.  His broad shoulders flexed and his arms inflated as he leaned on the rake that was nearly as tall as he was.  He was on the shorter side, probably topping out at no more than 5’8”, but it worked for him. 

“Cleaning up back here?”  I asked, nodding towards the cleared out section of landscaping at the back of his yard.  

“Hottest day of the year, but it’s been driving me crazy,” he said, his bicep flexing when he reached up to wick the sweat out of his raven hair.  He had it buzzed on the sides but long on top, which only accentuated his sharp features.  “The people who lived here before me didn’t really take care of the place.”  

“No, they sure didn’t,” I laughed.  “Nice guys, but they didn’t do much to the house.”  I reached a hand over the wood slat fence and introduced myself.  

“Steven,” he said, reaching up and shaking my hand.

The skin-to-skin contact was all I needed.  I haven’t gardened in a while and it’ll be good to shake out the cobwebs.  Who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?  I was just thinking about how I needed to find some new blood and it literally landed in my backyard.  

He went on about his girlfriend and his job.  He bought the house so they could have a place of their own and he just got promoted to a sales supervisor, and a bunch of other details I didn’t pay attention to.  I was too busy focusing.  I had to mesh the energies just right or the seed wouldn’t take.  He didn’t say how old he was, but based on his background I’d say mid-twenties.  He couldn’t have had his promotion long based on the old, beat up car he was still driving.  I nodded politely and made encouraging sounds while he talked.  I was planting a mental seed so that he would be totally comfortable around me.  My presence would be calming and soothing.  Once it grew, not only would he seek me out, it would make him more receptive to future seeds.  

I continued to watch from a discreet position when I went back inside.  He IS handsome.  His broad shoulders and wide back exuded strength as he continued to excavate the neglected above-ground pool in the backyard.  This one has promise.  

5/5/16 - The seed took! I was taking the garbage out tonight when he pulled in his driveway.  He waved and hopped out, looking even more striking in his office clothes than he had bare-chested.  His prominent pecs bulged against the tight button up that showed off his trim waist and strong arms.  His slacks were stretched tight across his rear and hugged his toned thighs.  

“Hey man!” he called, loosening his tie.  

“Hey,” I said, looking him up and down.  “That’s a more formal look than last time I saw you.”  

He grinned and loosened his top button.  “Uggghhh…I fuckin’ hate it,” he sighed.  “You up to anything tonight?  I was gonna throw some food on the grill and keep pluggin’ away at the back yard.  I’m gonna get that pool up and running if it’s the last thing I do!  You’re more than welcome to my beer if you want to keep me company.”  

“Sure,” I said casually.  “I don’t have anything going on.”  

“Awesome!” He clapped me on the shoulder and motioned for me to follow him in the house.  “Ever been inside?”  

I shook my head.  “The last couple that lived there were always fighting.  They moved out shortly after I moved in.  I hope you didn’t pay too much for it…they kinda let the place go to hell.”  

He laughed as we walked inside.  “They sure did.  It’s a fixer-upper for sure, but I got it for a steal.  I can handle most of the work that needs done...thankfully the bones are good.”  

He showed me through the living room that was cluttered with boxes and in need of painting and into the kitchen.  He’d untucked his shirt while he walked and had it totally open by the time he reached into the refrigerator and handed me a beer.  Up close, I was able to see how the dark, wiry hairs on his pecs trailed down his flat stomach to disappear beneath his slacks.  He took me on a tour down into the musty basement and back up to the rickety, screened in porch off the back of the house.  Our street was on a slight hill with my house being above his, so from my backyard I had a clear view onto the porch.  

The mismatched furniture and sports memorabilia only confirmed my theory about his young age.  Steve mentioned that he’d only been out of college for a year as we went upstairs to the large, open room that was the second floor.  Old wood paneling straight out of the seventies covered the room from floor to ceiling, but I was more interested in watching him peel out of his shirt and undo his belt.  He didn’t hesitate at all to peel down his slacks, exposing a pair of small grey boxer briefs.  

“That’s better,” he sighed, scratching his hairy stomach and casually swigging his beer.  He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest that he’d just stripped down in front of someone who was essentially a stranger.  I took the opportunity to check out his impressively stuffed pouch before he pulled on another pair of mesh shorts.  He talked on and on about his girlfriend and his love for football, but I was already planting another seed.  

Having seen the layout of his house, I dropped the idea that he should leave the blinds on the windows facing my house open.  He didn’t need to worry.  The only person that could see in was me, and he didn’t even need to think twice about that.  

He threw on a baggy tank-top and we went out into the back yard.  Given how readily he’d latched on to the first seed, I felt comfortable throwing in another.  Once someone was in full bloom I could drop as many as I wanted, but in the beginning I had to be careful.  This wasn’t precision mind control.  Each person’s psyche was its own fertile soil.  I planted the seed; after that, there was only so much I could do to shape the outcome.  I could plant the same seed in three different people and get three different results.  For now, I suggested that he didn’t need to wear so much around the house.  Less was more.  

I let it go at that.  We hung out while he plugged away at the yard and were eventually joined by his girlfriend, Alexis.  She was nice, and as pretty as he was handsome, but she would need to go.  She didn’t have a place for what I had in mind.  While we all chatted, I ever so gently planted a question in her mind.  Was she really happy in this relationship?  I couldn’t just drop a seed telling her to break up with him.  Not right off the bat.  For something as emotionally loaded as that, it was easier to get someone to come to the conclusion on their own.  A few subtle prompts was usually all it took.  Given their young age, it should be relatively easy to shake that foundation.  

5/6/16 - More progress!  When I left for work this morning, Steve’s blinds were drawn.  When I got home, all the windows facing my house were unobstructed.  There are some prime placements, too.  From my living room I can see directly into his.  From my kitchen, I have a clear view straight into his bathroom, and our second floor windows are almost directly in line.  

While I was cleaning up the dishes tonight I was able to confirm exactly how fertile his proverbial soil must be.  The lights in his house started clicking on and I saw him from the window above my sink.  He’d evidently just gotten home from the gym.  He had on a pair of clinging gym shorts and a sweat-soaked t-shirt that clung to his muscular torso like a second skin.  I cranked my blinds so it wouldn’t be entirely obvious that I was staring while he peeled out of the shirt and then shucked his shorts and underwear in one motion.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thirsty at the sight of the long, thick cock and heavy balls that flopped free.  He cranked on his shower and flexed in the mirror, his impressive arms becoming all the more so as they inflated.  

I had to talk myself down while I watched him towel off a few minutes later.  It wasn’t a race, I told myself over and over again.  My aching cock had a different opinion as I watched his meaty package sway and bounce while he went from room to room.  The suggestion that less was more must have taken root.  I watched him stroll through his living room and into his kitchen totally naked and seemingly in no hurry to change that.  He came back into his living room a few minutes later carrying a plate of food.  There was no table to speak of yet, so he set it on his mantle and checked his phone while he shoved spoonfuls in his mouth.  This gave me a view of his firm, perky cheeks that took turns inflating as he shifted his weight from foot to foot while he stood.  From behind, he was just as impressive.  His broad shoulders and thickly muscled back tapered noticeably towards his waist before pushing back outwards again at his increasingly inviting ass.  

When he went upstairs, I followed.  I watched him dig through his drawers, seemingly unable to make up his mind about what to wear. He pulled out a few pairs of his boxer briefs but put them back.  He finally settled on a long, open sided muscle shirt that draped down his short frame like a gown.  When his arms were down it dropped just low enough to cover his dangling package and hairy cheeks, but the slightest lifting of his arms or shoulders exposed both.  

The expression on Alexis’s face when she came over a few hours later was priceless.  I watched from behind my closed blinds as she went from turned on by Steve’s outfit to mortified when she saw his open windows.  She practically ran from room to room closing them.  I reached out and felt for her mind.  It’s easier the closer I am to someone, but the distances between our houses is close enough.  I planted another question.  She’d soon be asking herself what she was even doing with someone like him.  She could do better.  

5/7/16 - Evidently, the seeds are taking just as quickly with Alexis.  I woke this morning to find Steve’s blinds back open.  When I left for work, I’d just finished locking my back door when I heard the door to his porch open.  He stumbled out with a coffee mug in his hand, yawning.  His dark hair was messy from sleep and he had matching stubble on his lean cheeks.  He was still in nothing but the precarious muscle shirt that was pushed out more noticeably at his crotch than the night before.  

“mornin,” he smiled sleepily when he saw me.  

“Hey,” I said cheerfully.  “You’re up early.”  

He gave a short, humorless laugh.  “It was a long night.  Me and Alexis got into a huge fight last night.  Sorry if you heard that, by the way.”  

“Nope, I slept like a rock.”  

“Good. It got loud.  I dunno man, I don’t know how much longer that’s gonna work.”  He yawned and scratched at his messy hair, blushing a bright shade of red when he realized his half-hard dick was suddenly exposed.  “Whoops!” He laughed awkwardly, dropping his arm.  

I seized the moment.  It was a perfect opportunity to build on a natural emotion.  I planted a seed that maybe he liked that embarrassed feeling.  Maybe he liked being exposed like that in front of another guy.  

“Sorry about that,” he said bashfully, looking a little confused.  

“Oh, dude, whatever.  Doesn’t bother me,” I shrugged.  “I gotta get to the office…hope things with Alexis work out.”  

I wasn’t surprised that Alexis was nowhere to be seen tonight.  Instead, Steve had a bunch of his buddies over to watch the baseball game.  I watched him flitting around his house when he got home.  He’d practically ripped out of his office clothes, barely letting the door shut behind him before stripping them off.  He went upstairs and deposited them on his bed in a heap and started to pull out a pair of shorts but stopped, deciding to stick with the tiny red boxer briefs.  

I was surprised when, in my living room, I heard him yelling my name.  I walked in to see that he not only had the blinds open, but the glass as well.  He was smiling and waving as I slid my window open.  

“Hey man, I’m having some people over in a bit to watch the game if you wanna join,” he said cheerfully, as though hanging out the window in just his underwear was normal.  

I was hoping I’d get an opportunity like this, I just didn’t expect it to come so soon.  “Sounds good.  I’ve gotta get some shit done over here, but I’ll swing by in a bit.”  

“Great!” he said with a broad, eager grin.  

I left my windows open and heard his first friend arrive a few minutes later.  

“…are you just gonna stay like that all night?”  I heard a deep voice laugh from Steve’s house.  I had my blinds down so they couldn’t see me listening.  “Aren’t you worried about flashing your neighbors?”  

“Dude, not you too,” Steve sighed.  “Alexis was giving me shit about that last night.  It’s fine.  That dude’s super cool….he doesn’t give a shit.  He’ll be over later too.”  

“Whatever works, dude.”  

I cracked the blinds and caught a glimpse of a hulking blonde.  He was at least as tall as I was, if not taller, and broad enough to have swallowed Steve whole.  He wasn’t cut like his shorter friend; this guy was a walking mountain of burly, stocky muscle.  

A few minutes later the scene repeated itself.  “Uh…is Steve gonna put on clothes tonight?”  I heard a new voice ask.  

“Fuck if I know,” the giant blonde rumbled.  

Steve laughed.  “Hey, assholes, it’s my house and I’ll wear what I want.  I bought it, so I get to say shit like that now.”  

I peeked through the blinds in time to see a wiry brunette shrug his lean shoulders.  The guy’s height was split between the huge blonde and the shorter Steve, and his sharp features were covered in a trim beard.  The man’s thin lips were split in a bright smile.  “I wasn’t judging.  That’s just usually my gig.  But if it’s that kinda party…”

“‘Goddamnit,” the huge blonde laughed as their wiry friend peeled out of his tshirt, exposing a ripped, whipcord torso.  “See what you started,” he asked Steve.  

“You’re the one making it weird, dude,” the bearded man shrugged, tucking his shirt into the waist of his cargo shorts.  

I figured now was the best time to head over.  I didn’t know how many people were coming, but I could get a few seeds in before anyone else showed.  

“Hey!”  Steve clapped me on the arm and practically hugged me when I knocked on the front door.  “John, this is Doug and Paul.  Guys, John.”

“Nice to meet you,” Doug, the huge blonde, said as he swallowed my hand in his.  “Sorry you got stuck living next to a streaker like this guy.”  The hulking man’s face was a stark contrast to the rest of his body.  He had a pair of full, soft looking lips and a cute button nose beneath a set of bright blue eyes.  His boyish face was a stark contrast to his power-lifter build.  

“Eh, it’s cool.  We’re pretty laid back on this street.  Should fit right in,” I said, planting a similar seed.  He should relax.  He liked seeing his friends like that.  He was comfortable here.  

“Sounds like I should move,” Paul, the wiry one, said, taking my hand.  Up close I could see just how shredded he was.  It didn’t look like there was an ounce of fat on him.  His modest pecs were framed in by surprisingly broad shoulders and arms that were deceptively thin until he moved them and they doubled in size.  His stomach was a proportional set of washboard abs that trailed alluringly into his baggy shorts.  All of this was covered in a light dusting of brown hairs that matched his buzzed scalp.  “I’ve been trying to get Steve to loosen up for years.  I think Doug’s a lost cause.”  

“Fuck you too,” the blonde rumbled.  

“Hang out around here enough and you never know,” I laughed.  The whole time I was planting the seed in Paul’s head that he wanted to get his friend’s out of as much of their clothes as he could.  He was apparently already comfortable not wearing much of his own, so he just needed a push that this was a relaxed place.  That kind of thing was encouraged.  

“Anyone else coming?”  Doug asked, annoyed with his two friends.  “Should I warn them not to be overdressed?  Or dressed at all?”  

“Just Todd, I think,” Steve said, ignoring the rest of the comment.  

We sat around and knocked back a few beers before the game started.  I was a solid ten years older than everyone in the room, but it didn’t seem to matter.  They were a friendly enough bunch of “average bro” types.  Not arrogant enough to be threatening, but straight enough to keep to a routine.  They talked about workouts and sports and nothing of real substance.  Even when Steve brought up his recent troubles with Alexis, the conversation boiled down to  the typical “women are just good for sex” guy talk.  With luck, that would be changing.  

When Todd finally showed, I was more determined than ever to make sure things changed.  The other three guys were all relatively handsome, but the latecomer was on another level.  

“Uh, what kind of game are we watching,” he laughed as he walked in and saw Steve in his underwear and Paul with no shirt on.  He was striking.  He had a thick mop of chocolate brown hair that was perfectly gelled in place above a handsome, boy-next-door face.  His smile was bright and quick, causing little wrinkles to form around his bright brown eyes.  He had on a tight, fitted t-shirt whose short sleeves were stretched near to bursting around his biceps and left none of his bulging pecs to the imagination.  As tight as it was on his upper body, the thin fabric hung loose at his tiny waist and pooled on his large, bubble butt as if it was a shelf.  He had on a pair of tight, khaki shorts that stopped well above his knees and highlighted his thick, solid quads and rocky calves.  He zeroed in on me and came over with that easy grin, oozing charm.  “Hey, I’m Todd.”  

“John,” I said, locking eyes.  I understood now what they’d meant when they were talking about him earlier.  He was clearly the ladies man of the group.  His charming confidence radiated out of him.  I planted a seed to redirect that charisma.  He needed the other guys to like him.  He should do whatever it took.  

I was mostly a wallflower from that point on.  The four had clearly known each other for years.  They did their best to include me, but I was perfectly content to sit back and watch their dynamic.  Especially when, a few hours in, a drunk Paul got up to use the bathroom and came back in just a pair of small, light green briefs with his shorts flung over his shoulder.  The man’s long, lean body looked even more impressive with his tight, toned legs on display.  The lump in his briefs wasn’t as big as Steve’s, but it was by no means small.  

“That didn’t take long,” Todd sighed, looking over at Doug.  “And now we’ve got Steve doing it too?  Christ.”  

“Don’t be jealous ‘cause we’re comfortable,” Paul said, nodding to Steve.  

“Yeah dude, this is pretty awesome,” Steve said, his eyes lingering on Paul.  I kept catching him staring at his friend, and he was putting away more and more beer, like he was nervous.  “Hey, uh, are those comfortable,” he finally asked Paul, nodding towards the green briefs.  

“Huh?  Yeah…why?” Paul asked with a puzzled grin.  

“I was thinking about making the switch.  I dunno…I just…” Steve squirmed on the couch like he was uncomfortable, “these bug me lately.”  

“They’re great.  Not bunchy or anything…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Doug sighed, laying his head back on the couch.  “If you two ladies are going to exchange underwear can you at least do it in another room?”  Paul and Steve grinned at each other and then hurried out of the room.  “I was kidding!” Doug laughed after them.  

They came back a few minutes later.  Being more built than his wiry friend, the briefs were stretched to capacity on Steve.  His larger package thrust the pouch forward while behind, his hairy cheeks were just barely covered.  “You like?” Steve asked, turning in a circle in front of his burly friend.  Paul was next to him, his friend’s boxer briefs hanging loose and baggy on his thin hips.  

“At least you’ve got something in ‘em, unlike some people” Doug mocked, nodding towards Paul.  

“Is that a challenge,” the bearded man said with a mischievous grin.  

“No!” Doug spat as Paul hooked his hands in the waistband of his borrowed underwear.  “Can we just watch the game, please?”  

The rest of the game passed without incident.  They went back to their standard routines as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.  I left shortly thereafter knowing that soon, this WOULD be ordinary for them.  As if to drive my point home, it wasn’t long after everyone left that I saw Steve up in his bedroom.  He was admiring himself in the mirror, still in the tiny briefs.  As I watched, the pouch started twitching, then stretching, until he fished his solid rod free.  It was an impressively long, thick pole that had to be pushing seven inches.  Still staring at his reflection in the borrowed underwear, he started stroking and rubbing his chest with his other hand.  His surprisingly beefy arms flexed in time with his stroking and straying fingers.  His eyes were half closed and his lips were pursed as he pumped his hips, jamming his cock into his hand harder and harder until he tensed, bucked, and sprayed onto the mirror.  He stared at the dripping fluid in surprise for a moment and then just shrugged.  He stuffed himself back in the tight underwear and crawled into bed.  

I’ve got a good feeling about this one.