Interactive: Climbing the Ladder, ch. 4 (Patreon)

“Fuck me...what a day...” Shawn sighed, slumping against the door to his small apartment as it shut behind him.  He blushed and looked down at his tented slacks when he saw Cayden had beat him home but was too exhausted to try and hide his obvious arousal.  It wasn’t as if his friend hadn’t seen, and felt, it all before anyway.  Instead, he loosened his tie and watched the stocky man frantically examining himself in the mirror, trying to think of a casual way to suggest that they repeat their activities from the night before.  “Uh...you okay, dude?”  

The shorter man started, so caught up in his reflection that he hadn’t noticed Shawn enter.  He turned to face the other man with a drawn, pale expression.  “I know how crazy this is going to sound,” he said, spreading his arms so that Shawn could get a good look at him, “but do I look any different to you?”  

Shawn looked at the prominent pecs and thick arms straining against his friend’s button down, and the way Cayden’s meaty cheeks bubbled out the back of his slacks.  “You look the same to me, man,” he said with a confused grin, surprised by how much he enjoyed the unhindered opportunity to check the burly stud out.  “What exactly am I looking for?”  

Cayden shook his head, hesitating.  “I don’t look...shorter?”  

“What...like you’re shrinking?”  Shawn asked with a quick laugh.  

“I told you it’d sound crazy.  But look!”  Cayden held his arms out and nodded at the way the sleeves draped past his wrists to cover part of his wide, rough hands before untucking the shirt and popping the buttons.  The bottom of the open shirt hung down well past the shorter man’s waist, but Shawn was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the exposed, hairy muscle underneath.  “And look at this!”  Cayden undid his belt and stuck his thumbs in the baggy gap between his tight abs and the waist of his slacks, lifting one of his legs to show how the bottoms pooled at his ankles.  

Shawn shrugged.  “I’m not trying to be a dick, but you know you’re kind of short, right?”  

“Oh really?  Thanks for pointing that out,” Cayden grumbled.  “This shit should be tight!  When I put it on this morning it all fit perfectly, but now…” 

“I think you’re just working too hard, man.  What would even make you think that’s a possibility?” 

“I don’t know!  It’s just…this place can be a little...” he trailed off and shrugged out of his shirt, looking intently down at the exposed top of his briefs as the baggy pants rode low on his hips.  

The sight made Shawn throb.  The too-big pants accentuated the way Cayden’s broad, furry pecs tapered down to a trim waist, and his stomach fluttered when he suddenly pictured his brawny friend reduced to half his current size.  He walked over and put a hand on Cayden’s shoulder, failing to notice any difference in the way he tilted his head down to look at him.  “I know this place can be a lot, but don’t let it get in your head.  People don’t just start shrinking.”  

Cayden took a slow, deep breath and shook his head.  “I don’t know.  I know it shouldn’t be possible...I’ve just got a bad feeling that something’s…” he shrugged and let the sentence go unfinished, a sudden grin spreading across his stubbled cheeks.  “What’s going on down here,” he asked, squeezing Shawn’s rigid cock through the other man’s slacks.  

“MMMmmmm….” The dark haired man let out an unintentional groan, his fingers biting into Cayden’s shoulder as he pressed his solid lump into the other man’s hand.  “Sorry dude,” Shawn said, blushing, “I don’t know what the fuck’s going on.  I’ve been so horny all day I think I’m going to explode.”  He hesitated and looked down, his eyes glued bashfully to the floor when he continued.  “You, uh, don’t feel like doing what we did last night, do you?”  

Cayden laughed and squeezed Shawn’s solid bulge again.  “Sorry bro...not really in the mood at the moment, but don’t let me stop you.”  

“Yeah, no, that’s cool.  Sorry I asked, I just thought maybe...I mean it was...if you wanted to…” 

Cayden grinned, interrupting Shawn’s embarrassed stammering.  “Are you asking me to jerk you off?”  

“What?  No.  No!  Of course not.  I just thought if you wanted to we could, uh, help each other out again.”  

Cayden’s expression went serious as he fixed Shawn with a seductive stare that made the taller man’s knees weak.  “You could always just owe me.”

“You don’t have to...not if you don’t want toooooohhhh…..” Shawn let out a deep, guttural moan when Cayden began kneading in earnest, his eyes going wide.  

The stocky man let go and took a step back, crossing his arms over his stomach.  “Well?  I’m not going to take your clothes off for you, too.”  

Shawn practically tore out of his shirt and had his pants and underwear around his ankles in a flash, too desperate for release to be embarrassed as he stood naked, hard and eager in front of Cayden.  His fists clenched and released over and over as he fought the sudden urge to wrap his arms around the burly jock.  

“I’ll be honest...this is the first time I’ve done this when it wasn’t being done to me at the same time,” Cayden said as he stepped forward and wrapped a rough fist around Shawn’s long, thick pole and started tugging.    

“Do...do you want me toooohh...to…” Shawn stuttered, his hands slipping into the gap between Cayden’s baggy pants and tight briefs.  The knowledge that he was getting jerked off by another guy while desperately pawing for that other man’s cock hadn’t escaped his notice, but the idea that there was something wrong with that behavior was slow in coming.  

“Nah, you just stand there.”  Cayden pulled away and slipped behind, wrapping his arms around Shawn’s trim waist to work the other man’s heavy balls with one hand while he stroked with the other.  

Shawn gasped and squirmed against his friend’s broad, hairy chest.  He loved the way Cayden’s ample hair felt against his back even as he struggled to understand why he was so turned on by the situation.  A man’s rough hand on his dick and hairy stomach against his bare skin should be the last thing that got him off, but already his aching rod was oozing like a leaky faucet.  He could hear himself whimpering and moaning desperately while his hands clutched at Cayden’s solid thighs, he just wasn’t sure why he was doing any of it.  He didn’t even notice when he started grinding his perky bubble back into the other man’s lap.  

“Oh fuck...dude I’m gonna...cuuuuhhhnnnnn…!”  Shawn let out a deep grunt as he spasmed and launched a series of sticky projectiles in machine gun fashion.  

Cayden just laughed from behind and let go, reaching up to pat one of Shawn’s solid pecs.  “Glad to help, bud.  Just remember you owe me one.”  

“Th...thanks…” Shawn stammered in a daze as he watched Cayden shuck his baggy pants and pull on a pair of mesh shorts.  His head finally clearing from the release he so desperately needed, the spent stud was suddenly aware that he was still standing naked in the middle of the room.  Instead of pulling his discarded pants back on he blushed and wiped up before hurrying over to the fresh laundry bag sitting on their small loveseat.  

It was one of the perks of the Tower.  Instead of dumping quarters into washers and dryers in a filthy laundry room, residents simply had to mark their apartment number on one of the available bags and leave them for the laundry service to pick up.  Residents could do it from their room, or the gym, or the showers, and within twenty four hours their clothes would be clean and waiting for them.  Given the small rooms and lack of storage space most of the residents didn’t have large wardrobes to spare, so the efficient service made life easier for everyone.  When it worked.  

“Uh, I think I might have solved your problem,” Shawn laughed as he reached into the bag and pulled out a pair of small, bright blue bikinis.  The tiny underwear was nothing like the black and grey boxer briefs he’d sent for cleaning.  “Looks like they fucked up our laundry.”  Still wanting to cover himself he slid them on, smiling awkwardly at the revealing garment.  He filled the pouch to capacity, his softening hose clearly outlined beneath the thin fabric while the elastic strap accentuated his cut abs and showed off his toned thighs.  The back was little more than a small, thin panel, leaving more of his muscled cheeks exposed than covered.  “At least they fit...I think,” he said, shifting his weight as he adjusted the confining underwear.  “Fuck, man, who wears this shit…” 

“Looks like you do, now,” Cayden grinned from his bed.  

Shawn felt an embarrassed throb shoot through him when he looked up to see his friend stretched out on his bed, beefy arms folded behind his head, watching intently as he pulled on the unfamiliar clothes.  He rooted through the bright piles of fabric and pulled out a pair of shorts, turning a deeper shade of red as they settled into place.  The small, lavender mesh left his bulge prominently on display as the bottoms barely traveled down his thighs, covering even less than his boxer briefs normally would.  “Gah...were these meant for the girls’ floor…” he said, pulling on the small shorts as if he could stretch extra space into them.  He rummaged through the bag for something larger, but all it contained were variations of the outfit he had on.  Even the few shirts it contained were little more than tight tank-tops, leaving the embarrassed man with no other option than to have his athletic body on display.  “Definitely have to call someone about this in the morning,” he sighed, looking at himself in the mirror.  Despite the bright colors and skimpy style, Shawn couldn’t deny a smug rush of pride at the way the clothes showed off his impressive physique.  

“I don’t know, man, it suits you,” Cayden said, lurching upright and hopping off the bed.  “Want to take it for a spin?  I was thinking about a jog...I haven’t checked out the nature trail yet.”  

“Uh, yeah, sure,” Shawn said, blinking rapidly when Cayden stood.  He saw that his friend had the shorts cinched tight around his waist, but still the mesh hung low and baggy.  His head had been spinning from the potent release when Cayden had pulled them on, but looking at the other man now, Shawn was starting to second guess himself.  He’d seen the brawny wrecking ball in those shorts enough already to know how they should fit.  They weren’t plastered on, but they should be tight, showing off Cayden’s sturdy thighs and ample backside, not hanging so loose and draping.  He told himself it was just the laundry mix up, that one pair of mesh shorts was easy to mistake for another, but he wasn’t as convinced as he’d like.  “Hold up a sec,” he said as he pulled a pen from his briefcase and manhandled Cayden up against a wall.  “Stand up straight.”  

“Whatever you say, mom,” the shorter man laughed as Shawn put the pen on the top of his head and made a small mark on the wall.  “Are we really doing this?”  

“Hey man, you’re the one who thinks he’s shrinking.”

Cayden grinned and puffed his hairy chest out proudly.  “Bet these little legs still beat you.”  

The pair took off at a sprint as soon as they were outside, loping down the trail through the warm, summer air.  The sun was low on the horizon, silhouetting the looming skyline, but still the oppressive humidity had barely let up.  The pair was soaked in sweat by the time they rounded the first curve and headed for the trees, their muscled bodies glistening in the dim light.  Shawn was genuinely surprised at how fast his burly friend was able to move.  He still could have overtaken him but he hung back, opting instead to enjoy the view of Cayden’s meaty cheeks bouncing with each heavy footfall. 

It didn’t occur to Shawn to question why he was so eager to stare at another man’s ass.  He was just glad to put some distance between themselves and the corporate offices.  He was still rattled by his meeting with Benton earlier, feeling more and more like things were slipping out of his control.  The hectic pace at the office and the strange living arrangements would have been bad enough, but there was an odd feeling in the air, a surreal atmosphere that made the handsome young man wonder if he was simply going crazy.  He’d lost all sense of time and place walking to his boss’s office earlier, and even now he had no idea how far they’d actually run.  He knew it couldn’t have been too far since they were still near the buildings, but at the same time it just as easily could have been miles.  

Shawn tried to ignore it as he focused on keeping up with Cayden, glad at least that the self consciousness he’d been feeling about running in what amounted to little more than his underwear was fading.  He’d been embarrassed at first as they wove through the corporate buildings and passed people in their business attire, but now that they were winding through the dark canopy of trees he was enjoying the sensation of the air on his exposed, sweaty skin.  The thought of his actual wardrobe seemed suddenly clinging and confining, and he couldn’t help but recall his reflection and how good he looked in the small, bright shorts.  He slowed his pace when Cayden held up a hand and came to a stop, the hair on his friend’s meaty chest matted from the slick coating of sweat.  

“Did...did we take a wrong turn or something…” Cayden panted, hands on his hips as he caught his breath.  

“I didn’t see any other paths.  What’s up?”  

The shorter man shook his head and shrugged, motioning to the dark, dense forest around them.  It was noticeably cooler and entirely silent, the two men gasping for breath the only sound.  “It feels like we’re in the woods.  Like, deep in the woods.  Doesn’t it?”  

“We’re in the middle of the fuckin’ city, dude.  I don’t think there ARE any deep woods around here.”  

Cayden shivered, his eyes darting over the impenetrable shadows on either side of the trail.  He started to speak but stopped, tilting his head at a sudden rustling sound.  It was slow and plodding, not the frantic scrambling of a squirrel, but something that seemed much larger.  He put a finger to his lips for Shawn to be silent until it lumbered by, unseen.  “Let’s just keep going...this is creepy back here,” he whispered before taking off at a cautious jog.  

Shawn followed, his eyes hopping back and forth between both sides of the trail until they rounded a curve and were spit back out into the bustling city.  The twinkling skyline replaced the obsidian canopy and the humidity crashed down on them like a wave.  Shawn said nothing but picked up his pace, wanting to get as far as he could from the ominous woods more than he wanted to stare at his friend’s bouncing rear.  Looking back, he didn’t understand how the sparse cluster of trees could have been anything like the dense forest they’d just run through.  

By the time they made it back to the Tower and headed for the showers the pair was laughing at themselves for being so jumpy.  They were both from urban areas, and they told themselves they just weren’t used to being in the woods at night.  The rustling sound had only been a deer, and of course it was cooler in the trees than it would have been in the baked clearings by the concrete buildings reflecting sunlight all day.  

As they stripped out of their sweat-soaked clothes, Shawn paused.  He’d started to leave the laundry bag blank, intending to let the unfamiliar shorts and underwear find their way back to their original owner, but instead he wrote his room number and dropped the bag in the shoot.  

Like that morning, Shawn was hard almost as soon as he was naked, his exposed rod throbbing as he stood in the open room.  This time, though, he wasn’t nearly as concerned.  There were only a few other men in the room, and the combined rush of adrenaline and endorphins left him feeling giddy and uninhibited.  No one else seemed to mind, and even if they did, Shawn knew he had nothing to be ashamed of.  He made casual small talk like always, almost forgetting his tented towel as he and Cayden made their way back to the room.  

“That was a good idea,” Shawn said, slicking back his damp, dark hair as he entered, his olive skin breaking out in goosebumps from the cool air conditioning.  “A run was exactly what I neeeeee….hey!” he yelped when his towel was suddenly ripped from his waist.  He turned and saw an equally naked, equally hard Cayden grinning at him.  

The stocky man had a hungry look in his eyes as he stared at Shawn.  “You owe me one, remember?”