Prior to arriving at Dylan's shared student accommodation, Jamie had been fully prepared for one of two things. Either helping out with a major overhaul to prepare for the party by putting up decorations and moving furniture. Alternatively, for the place to look shabby and neglected and be told that as impoverished students they had to assess their priorities and decide to invest their money in beer instead of decorations.
In his rucksack, Jamie had brought some zombie apocalypse bunting and bloodied decorations benefiting from his staff discount at the supermarket where he worked. He had a psycho massacre costume complete with a fake chainsaw that lit up and had a supposedly genuine motor.
In fact, when they arrived at the house, Jamie was blown away by how sick it looked, literally. There appeared to be blood oozing from the corners of every window, like tears trickling down the brickwork.
"It's amazing what you can do with budget condiments and input from a chemistry undergraduate," Dylan had said when Jamie stood open mouthed, admiring the effect.
"Is that a dead body hanging out that upstairs window?"
Dirty sheets hung at every window, and across the front doorway. The sheets may have once been cream or white but were now bloodied red and brown.
"What is that?" Jamie pointed at the colorful globules on the sheet that half obstructed the front door.
"Mostly real cheap brands of brown and tomato sauce. I think the dashes of yellow English mustard set it off perfectly."
Both of Jamie's bags were full of kit for a party. He thought they'd get to it straight away, helping with party decorations, but the householders seemed to have it all under control and almost done with hours to spare.
Dylan took Jamie straight to his room to deposit his personals. Apart from party gear and a costume, he'd brought a new toothbrush, small, travel-sized toiletries, and a clean set of essential underwear. He'd only brought the one pair of jeans: those he was wearing.
Once in private, other things on Jamie's mind came tumbling out. Jamie had no intention of sharing what a loser he was and telling Dylan the last successful hook up was with him. That was an indecently long time ago. Jamie didn't have anyone else to talk to in the way they'd confide in each other. And he missed the comradery of their friendship. Especially after the emotional rollercoaster of the previous weekend when the hookup was on off on off. Jamie still wasn't sure he'd done the right thing in finally calling it off.
When they’d started talking, Jamie revealed more about himself than he'd intended.
He'd like to have sex that weekend because if it didn't happen now, Jamie feared he'd die a virgin. It was becoming desperate, but not so desperate that he would do it with just anyone. Jamie wanted to do new things with a guy he trusted and liked, possibly loved, and the only candidate with all those qualifications was Dylan.
No pressure, Dylan!
Jamie couldn't have put it plainer; he'd like to have sex with Dylan that weekend.
Was Dylan up for it?
He didn't appear as eager as Jamie would have hoped. It wasn't ruled out but wasn’t ruled in either. Dylan suggested there might be some other guy at the party for the two of them to hook up with. Rather than embarrassing himself further, Jamie decided it was time to get out of that bedroom, fast. He suggested Dylan show him the rest of the house and see how they could help put this party together.
"It’s a jungle out there." Dylan signaled out the back of the kitchen door. "A jungle perfect for smoking. Come on Jamie; I’ll show you the garden before it becomes a dark and smoky den of iniquity."
The jungle description was a slight exaggeration. The green stuff appeared to be more weeds than grass. Mostly wild and uncultivated. The garden was way too big for a house rented to students.
"The landlord pays someone to come and hack it back a few times a year," Dylan explained as they walked on and on, deeper into the garden.
"Okay, we’re going to have to put up some smoking signs, so the guests know there's no smoking indoors."
"You are such a killjoy." A stranger wandered into the garden, followed by Joe, the dude from the train station.
"It'll be something like Santa's grotto for the wacky baccy smokers out here. Steve, this is my mate, Jamie, from back home," Dylan said.
Jamie and Steve nodded, subtle gestures as they sussed each other out. Jamie was already aware that Steve must be at the very least a smoker, from his comment. Jamie aligned with Dylan, who expelled wacky baccy smokers to exile in the backyard jungle.
Joe slipped his hands around the stranger's waist. "Nah, it's not a bad idea, Steve. We are setting up a bong and blow bivouac out here. It should be quite a cozy atmosphere. Ray will be along soon; he's got a rope to tie to the trees." Joe pointed to a roll of blue plastic in the corner of the garden. "The tarpaulin will hang over, with just enough fresh air blowing through. And we have a long cable of LED lights."
Dylan's fingers slipped against Jamie's. Not quite holding hands, but touching in a way that felt familiar and intimate. They stood outside and talked with Steve and Joe for quite some time.
A few hours later, it wasn’t just little kids coming to the door; a constant stream of students came too, as if word had gone out on social media. Every queer person and their friend within a reasonable radius zoned in to take candy, and to run their fingers through the clouds of evaporating dry ice that poured from the dead body hanging outside the front door.
Most wore costumes, some very shoddily improvised, many absolutely amazing, so that there was no way of knowing what normal person lurked beneath the wigs, theatrical makeup, and scars. Groups of dressed up people, teenagers, and students, worked their way around a Halloween party circuit. Dropping in on different house parties, bringing booze and food to share and picking up sweets on their travels.
One minute, the house and garden would be packed with people, minutes later, they'd be gone and a new group would mill around. Jamie had met a few of the students before, but everyone was an unrecognizable stranger in their scary costumes.
For many hours, it seemed Jamie, Dylan, and the housemates hung around the front of the house distributing sweets and fear. When the buzz of activity from younger kids died down, Jamie and Dylan sat together in an armchair as space became more cramped and they became more drunk.
Their legs wrapped around each other, they giggled a lot, and they warned each other not to eat the cakes. Jamie didn’t think Dylan was high; neither of them ate any of the doggie food that had turned up in the hands of some of their guests.
And neither of them had even drunk all that much.
Jamie giggled because he was relaxed and having a good time. Also because of what was going on between them. Their earlier conversation had left him feeling exposed and potentially vulnerable, but he'd trust his life to Dylan. He just didn't want to come on too strong, because yet again, even without saying it in so many words, Jamie very much had the impression that he was not Dylan's type. If they did anything together, it was just a friends with benefits arrangement because Dylan didn't fancy Jamie. Period.
As it got later, more people left for another Halloween party than arrived. The party crowd thinned out, but still, quite a number of men stayed. The closer friends, Jamie assumed. A steady trickle started to disappear into Joe and Steve's ground floor bedroom, which previously had been closed to the earlier revelers.
"You want to see what’s going on in there?"
"Yeah. Why not."
They both knew what was going on. Dylan had told Jamie earlier. Joe's room would be where sexy stuff went down.
They’d had sex, they had the FWB agreement, but they’d never entered any kind of sexy room together before.
Jamie didn’t think about what this would mean now. They just untangled themselves, which was far more difficult than he expected.
"For fuck’s sake, Jamie. Is that your leg?"
"We must be more smashed than I knew.”
Not for the first time, or even the second, Jamie had found himself in a room with guys all around him, in couples and threesomes, making out and possibly more. Men who were set to take things further than would be decent in front of their parents. Some were probably more than halfway there. Jamie couldn't see clearly without allowing a little longer for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.
The phrase why don't you get a room was made totally redundant by parties providing a space like this.
One room to serve them all: couples who wanted privacy and couples who did not. Couples who liked company as they coupled.
Everyone had gotten a room, and it was the same bloody place. The sexually charged atmosphere was conducive to getting down to it for the horny guys. Ideal for the lads who couldn't take their boyfriends home for one reason or another, most likely because they lived with their parents, or their housemates didn't know they were gay.
Jamie could see the thrilling appeal, but for him, privacy appealed even more. If they stayed in this room, Jamie and Dylan could get each other off or join in with a willing and welcoming group. However, the tender and intimate connection they had seemed fragile and ready to snap. Jamie was aware that a private space, and a whole bed to themselves, existed within the same building.
After lingering in a dark corner for a few minutes, taking in the sight and atmosphere, Jamie squeezed Dylan's fingers.
"Can we go to your room?" Jamie's heart pounded. The question may have been only a few words, but the suggestion was not a small one. He'd asked Dylan to make a decision about whether they left the party. Just the two of them playing alone was very different to together in a room with many other guys.
There was no delay
Dylan responded immediately, without hesitation. He gave a subtle nod and turned toward the door, leading Jamie away and up the stairs.
As they entered the room, Dylan turned on the overhead lights, then walked across the room to turn on his desk lamp as Jamie flicked the bright overhead light off again.
"That light is a bit dazzling. Are you okay?" Dylan asked. There was concern in his eyes, and Jamie wondered if they were on the same page. "Are you feeling sick or anything?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
"You wanted to come up here, just when things were getting going downstairs. If you want to lie down, I can get you a bucket if you might be sick."
With more than a touch of déjà vu applicable to the moment, Jamie realized Dylan had misinterpreted the conversation, because Jamie's comment was obviously open to interpretation. It wasn't too late to salvage things. Jamie had had a little to drink but not that much. Just enough for a little extra courage.
"I would like to lie down, but only if you were going to do it with me," Jamie said boldly.
Dylan's mouth formed a silent ‘o’ as realization dawned on him. "When you say do it with you, you don't just mean lie down, do you?"
Jamie smiled and went to sit on Dylan's bed."It doesn't have to be all the way, but I wouldn't say no to that. Or any other kind of fooling around, I just would prefer to do it in private with a whole bed to ourselves. If that doesn't appeal and you'd rather go back to the party, I'm happy to do that too." Jamie had no intention of missing out, spending time on his own.
It may have only been seconds, but Dylan seemed to freeze to the spot for far too long for Jamie's comfort, and then the smile returned to his face.
"I've got condoms, and lube, and I think we'll have a better time up here than down there. Good call."
"Friends with benefits, right?"
"Too bloody right, mate." Dylan went to his chest of drawers pulled out supplies, condoms, lube, and a towel, and brought them over to the bed. "Which way did you want to do this? Who's topping who?"
Jamie gulped. "I don't really know. I've never done either way, and I want to do both." He thought for a few seconds about how he would happily try anything with Dylan because he made everything feel safe. "Do you think we could try a little foreplay first? Perhaps we could discuss the finer details when we're naked and touching each other?"
Dylan chuckled. "Yeah sure." He proceeded to pull his top over his head.
Jamie did the same, and then both men stripped off their lower garments.
Jamie's erection had subsided, and he couldn't resist looking at Dylan's dick as soon as it was uncovered. Dylan was also barely half erect.
As soon as he was naked, Dylan came and sat on the bed next to Jamie and slipped one arm around Jamie's shoulder and placed the other on Jamie's chin. Jamie wrapped his arms loosely around Dylan, one hand on Dylan's back and the other on his knee.
The kiss that followed washed the nerves and fears away and sent all the blood gushing back to Jamie's dick until he felt it bounce to attention and stand upright. The magic of Dylan's lips. Dylan's tongue against his pushed into his mouth firm, strong, and penetrating. Jamie moved his hand over Dylan's thigh until it crashed into his erection. Their contact clearly had the same effect on both men.
"Can we lie down?" Jamie mumbled when they parted for breath.
Dylan eased Jamie onto his back, and they lay alongside each other, kissing. Their hands were wandering, exploring each other's bodies, their legs brushing together.