Shared in the Bathhouse (Gay Shorts MMM+ #4)

Chapter 1

TOBY

“You know that place is gay, right?” Cole says, cracking open a soda can.

“Which place?” Diesel asks from the beanbag, peeling off his dirty socks.

“Lumen.”

“No shit, genius,” Diesel responds, tossing a smelly sock at Cole. It smacks his chest before sliding onto my worn couch. “That place is basically one big orgy on a Saturday night.”

Cole grabs the sock off the couch, sniffs it, then pulls a disgusted face and hurls it back at Diesel. Everyone laughs.

“How do you know, bro?” he shoots back. “Ever visited?”

“Fuck off, Cole.”

“What? Just asking a simple question. Have you ever been inside Lumen?” He smirks. “How else do you know what goes down there?”

“Everyone knows.”

“I didn’t know, dude. I knew it was gay, yeah. But orgies and shit... no. Didn’t know that.”

Diesel gives him the finger.

My eyes flick between my two teammates. We just got back from football practice and everyone’s still in their sweaty gear, taking up every inch of space inside my tiny dorm.

Cole’s wearing his practice jersey, dark stains under his arms, hair matted to his forehead.

His brown eyes carry that mischievous glint I know too well.

When he looks like that, he’s baiting Diesel.

The two of them never stop trying to one-up each other.

Diesel, with his big bare feet propped on the coffee table, is wearing nothing but his white athletic shorts and his favorite red snapback.

He’s the tallest guy on the team at 6’4”, towering over the rest of us, and I think that’s part of why Cole loves pushing his buttons.

That extra inch of height bothers Cole, even though he’s a solid 6’3” himself.

Meanwhile, I shift uncomfortably on the couch. Just hearing them mention Lumen makes my stomach twist. It’s an infamous gay bathhouse on the edge of the city, a regular topic at college parties. Everyone knows the place, but no one I know has actually been inside.

I’ve never shared this with anyone, knowing my teammates wouldn’t let me live it down.

But sometimes I imagine what it would be like to visit Lumen.

Not in a gay way, obviously. More like..

. curiosity. A fascination with what goes on behind those big black doors.

Is it true that everyone strips naked in the locker room and then wanders around checking each other out?

That men fuck each other in plain sight?

“I drive past it every day on my way to campus,” Omar says. He’s sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. “It looks shady as fuck.”

“Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?” I agree, adding absolutely nothing to the conversation.

I can’t be the only quiet one, though, or the guys might think I’ve got something to hide.

And it’s true—the place does look shady, with its big black exterior, those huge tinted windows, and its spot tucked away at the back of an industrial parking lot.

But that makes the idea of going there even more intriguing.

“And you never saw Diesel walk out of there covered in jizz, did you, Omar?” Cole chuckles.

We all crack up, but out of the corner of my eye, I see that Micah, the freshman who joined the team this season, isn’t laughing. His eyes are locked on his phone, and there’s a slight blush on his smooth cheeks.

Maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable talking about Lumen either. He doesn’t fit the typical jock mold, with his slim build and nerdy glasses. But the guy’s good. A real asset to the team. He’s got the quickest reflexes I’ve seen and speed that rivals my own.

I took Micah more or less under my wing during the season, helping him get acquainted with the rest of the team. Guys like Cole and Diesel can be intimidating, especially for a 5’9” freshman, and I wanted him to feel welcome.

“That’s funny, Cole,” Diesel says with a sneer. “You’d love to see that, wouldn’t you? I bet that’s what you’re jerking off to in secret, my big, hard cock. That’s what gets you going at night, huh?”

Omar howls with laughter, and even Micah cracks a smile, but I can see that Diesel is getting under Cole’s skin. His lips are pressed in a thin line, and his knuckles are turning white around the soda can.

“You wish, Diesel. You wish. I’ve got exactly zero interest in seeing your big, hard anything. Got plenty of girls lined up around the block. Don’t need to stoop that low.”

“And these girls... do they know they’re lined up around the block? Because I never see them, buddy. Are they real, or just some figment of your imagination?”

“I get more pussy in a week than you do all year, my friend.”

Diesel barks out a sharp laugh and sinks deeper into the beanbag. “You’re funny, man.”

The two of them stare daggers at each other. They have this weird dynamic. Sometimes things between them turn sour, so I never really know if it’s just playful banter or the start of a serious argument.

Thankfully, Omar jumps in.

“Okay, guys, I’m gonna need you to kiss and make up now. No fighting. We need both of you in top shape this season.”

I can always count on Omar to be the most level-headed of the bunch. He’s the team captain for a reason. The guy grew up in a big family, and he says he had to be the voice of reason whenever things got heated. I guess that skill carried over into his college years.

Both Cole and Diesel relax their shoulders and turn away from each other. They might not admit it, but they need each other. Cole needs someone to ground him, and Diesel needs someone to fire him up. They balance each other out.

“We’re not fighting, bro,” Cole says. “Just messing around.”

“Good. Keep it that way.”

I hope Omar’s words are enough to steer the conversation away from Lumen and everything related to it. I’m just about to ask what everyone thought about today’s practice, but to my surprise, it’s Micah who brings the topic back up.

“I’ve been there. Once.”

A hush falls over my dorm room.

I look at Micah, sitting alone in the corner. He’s still staring at his phone, like he didn’t just drop a bomb on us.

“Say again?” Cole asks.

“Lumen.”

“For real?”

“Yeah, once.”

“You gay, bro?”

Micah lifts his gaze, blue eyes wide behind thick-rimmed glasses.

He looks a little like a lost puppy, and I feel that same tug in my chest from when he first joined the team. The urge to protect him, even though he probably doesn’t need it.

“It’s a spa, isn’t it?” he says. “I went there to relax. They have saunas and pools and shit.”

“They’ve got a sauna and a pool at the gym too, buddy. Why’d you have to go all the way to Lumen for that?”

Micah blinks, and the blush deepens.

“Leave the guy alone,” Omar cuts in. “It’s none of our business, really.”

Cole lifts his hands in surrender. “I’m just asking. No harm in that. I’m not some homophobic asshole. I don’t care what he does, as long as he can play ball, you know?”

“Playing with balls is exactly what’s happening at Lumen,” Diesel quips, and another round of laughter rolls through the room.

Micah sets his phone down on the coffee table. “I’m telling you, it’s actually a nice place. If you guys are so curious, maybe you should see it for yourselves. But you wouldn’t dare go there, would you?”

This gets a few raised eyebrows.

His tone catches me off guard. I’ve never heard Micah talk like this. He’s usually quiet, reserved, the kind of guy who hangs back and lets others lead. But now there’s an edge to his voice that has me sitting up straighter.

Cole scoffs. “Why the hell would we do that?”

Micah shrugs. “I don’t know. For fun? You’re all so curious about what goes on inside, but none of you has the balls to go there and find out.”

“As far as I know, all of us here are straight, my dude,” Cole says. “So no, we can’t exactly enjoy the fun and games there. It’s a gay thing.”

“And? Straight guys can’t handle being around gay guys?”

Cole leans forward, that dangerous glint in his eyes getting brighter. “Nobody said we couldn’t handle it.”

“Then why not go? Prove me wrong.”

The room goes dead quiet. I can feel the tension building like it does right before a big game.

My heart thumps in my ears. I haven’t really said anything this whole time, but this feels like my cue. Not just to back up Micah, but to finally feed my own curiosity. Because this might be my shot to see what’s happening behind those black doors.

“I’ll do it,” I hear myself say. “I’ll go. I mean, it’s just a bathhouse, right? Sauna, hot tub, whatever. I can handle that.”

Four pairs of eyes turn to me.

“What the hell, Toby?” Omar says.

“Micah’s right,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “We talk shit about the place all the time, but none of us has actually been inside. What’s the harm in checking it out? I can think of worse ways to spend an evening than relaxing in a hot tub.”

“With a bunch of horny dudes,” Cole points out.

Diesel laughs. He takes his snapback off and runs his fingers through his thick blond hair. “Cole here is scared he might like it a little too much. Right, Cole?”

“Hey, if someone’s scared, it’s you, Diesel.”

“I’m not scared of shit, bro.”

“Okay,” Micah says. “So who’s actually going and who’s just talking? Let’s make it a dare. Whoever chickens out first loses. Whoever stays longest wins.”

Cole narrows his eyes. “Wins what, exactly?”

“Bragging rights?”

Cole shakes his head. “Not a chance. That’s not gonna cut it, buddy. Loser buys the winner’s drinks for a month.”

“Make it two months,” Diesel counters.

Cole grins. “Alright. Two months. All in favor?”

“Aye.”

“Aye.”

“Yeah.”

“Aye.”

Omar is the last to speak. “Guys, I don’t know if this is a good idea…”

“Oh, come on, Omar. Where’s your sense of adventure?” I pat his shoulder. “Just a night out with the guys.”

He sighs. “Fine. Aye. But this is fucking ridiculous, I hope you all know that. Out of all the dumbass things you guys have dragged me into, this one takes the cake. What are five straight guys gonna do at a gay bathhouse? We’ll look like complete idiots.”

Omar might be right. We will look like a bunch of clueless idiots walking into that place. Still, the thrill of stepping into uncharted territory is exactly what makes this so appealing. Not that I’m gonna admit that to the guys. I’ll act like I’m only doing this to prove a point, same as them.

Cole cracks his knuckles. “It’s settled then. When should we go?”

Micah pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “How about tonight?”

There’s a smile playing at the corners of his mouth and a gleam in his blue eyes.

I’m starting to think there’s a whole side of him we haven’t seen yet.