For an uneventful summer vacation, things still seemed like happily ever after for two boys sleeping under the same roof.
Two middle school boys, Ness and Lucas—more than best friends and a little less than passionate lovers—were always content being in each other's presence and heartbroken when physically separated. They chatted, played handheld video games, worked on schoolwork together, and did all sorts of amateur romantic stuff more than ever since they confessed their crushes on each other, but only at school. At home, they could only message each other from their phones, but their adoration for each other was still evident with each text or video chat.
However, with the temporary end of school, the only time that they could see each other was if they had their parents accompany them to the other's house. It wasn't so bad—the parents adored seeing their children happily together, but it was the means of travel that was an issue for the blonde boy, as they had no reliable transportation. And so, there was an agreement between the families.
The boys were eager to spend as much time with each other during their two and a half-month break of summer. To do this, one family would house both boys for a while, and the other family would do the same. They would take turns each week for the summer, with Ness's family eagerly providing the transportation.
The first week belonged to Lucas staying over at Ness's house. They slept in the same room and bed with enough space to spare. They enjoyed their time together still, playing more video games, watching movies, and going out to a nearby park to play along with Ness's sister and dog.
In the morning of the last day for the week, Ness woke up first between the two and headed downstairs in his pajamas. He met his mother finishing cooking in the kitchen, and saw his sister already eating food.
"Oh, Ness!" The boy's mother called out. "Good morning!"
"Up already?" Ness questioned. "It's like 7 AM." Although dozy, he still remembered his sister's preference to sleep in.
"I have a lot of things to do today," Tracy stated.
"That's right," Ness's mother told. She scooped out two omelets and placed them on two plates. "She has her ballet recital soon, and she also has an audition later, and she has a job interview after that…and I have to see her through everything. I'm sorry sweetie, but I completely forgot this was an important day for Tracy."
"That's okay," Ness said. "But I don't think Lucas is interested in going along with us to watch Tracy dance and audition."
"I assumed so," the mother replied. "That's why I'd like to take him back early to his family today."
Ness rubbed his eyes open. "But Mom, don't you remember? Lucas's family went to their farm out of town. They're not back until tomorrow."
"Oh, that's right…" the mother sighed. She put her hand to her cheek, "Oh, what to do…he might just have to come along with us."
"I don't mind if he stays home," Tracy said. "I don't wanna bore him."
"But then he'll be left alone at home, and I'm not sure if that's a good idea…"
"I'll stay home with him," Ness offered.
"Is that all right with you, Tracy?" asked the mother.
"Yep! I mean, Ness would probably be bored with us too."
Ness nervously smiled. "Sorry, sis. I support you and all, but not a lot of guys like watching ballet and stuff."
"I understand, don't worry!" Tracy replied.
"Will you two be fine by yourselves?" Ness's mother asked. "I'll cook up more food for your lunch and dinner, but is there anything else either of you might need?"
"Not really, we'll be fine." Ness smiled at his mother with confidence.
"Okay then," the mother told as she cleaned the pan she held. "But, I'm limiting the both of you to staying inside the house. Behave yourselves, and avoid trouble."
"I know, Mom," Ness replied in a tone where he heard the same lecture a hundred times.
"And, I know you two might get excited to be alone together, being in a relationship and all, but remember what I told you about being safe—"
"Mooom!" Ness cut off. "Tracy's still here!"
"Yeah, Mom, eww," Tracy rolled her eyes. "They're cute together, but don't give me that image."
Ness's mother chuckled. "My bad, sweetie. But, Ness? Do you understand?"
Ness nodded. "I'm not a kid anymore, I'll be fine. Lucas and I are smarter than we look."
Ness's mother smiled, and nodded. "As long as you understand."
For the last day that the boys could spend together, they were going to be left alone in the house. Ness's mother provided enough food and kept it in the refrigerator for them to warm up later, and then tended to helping Tracy get ready for her big day. While Ness watched TV quietly downstairs, Lucas was still in bed, deep asleep.
Just an hour later, Ness witnessed his mother and sister leave the house. He listened to another small lecture on knowing where the food was, being told to call if there was any trouble, and a small reminder about relationship safety before finally seeing them leave in the family car. He locked the front door and then headed towards the stairs.
However, he saw his drowsy boyfriend at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes.
"G'morning, Lucas," Ness called out.
"Morning…" Lucas sleepily responded. He slowly walked down stairs, pausing in the middle to yawn, and then reached the ground floor. "Did I wake up late?"
"Not really," Ness replied.
"Oh, okay." Lucas stretched his arms out. "Breakfast ready?"
"In the fridge," Ness answered.
"…Huh?" Lucas questioned.
They headed to the dining room as Ness explained the situation. They warmed up their breakfast and sat at the table, eating their food together.
"Oh, so it's just us?" Lucas asked. "How long?"
"It sounded like almost all day," Ness answered. "Tracy has a lot to do. Dancing, singing and dancing, and then trying to get a job…"
"She's a hardworker," Lucas commented.
"She pretty much is."
After breakfast, they headed back into Ness's room to prepare for another day. Though, being imprisoned to the house, there wasn't much to look forward to. Nevertheless, they didn't care whether the day would be filled with more boredom or leisure, for they only cared more about being bored or having fun together.
Ness looked to his closet, and found Lucas's spare clothes lying neatly in a suitcase. He looked to the blonde, "Wanna take another bubble bath together?"
"Sure," replied Lucas. He walked over to his belongings and began searching for clothes for the day. When he tugged on a planned piece of his undergarments, he froze. Looking at it, and even feeling it, he recalled a recent dream which bothered him, and believed it wouldn't hurt to ask about an inquiry. After all, he knew he could talk to Ness about anything.
"Hey, Ness?" the blonde called out.
"Yeah?" he responded, throwing his towel on his shoulder.
"I had a weird dream last night." Lucas stood up and looked to the other boy, hiding the clothes in his hand behind him.
"What about?" Ness inquired.
"It might sound kind of weird, but I was dreaming of wearing…boxers. Like, I was running around my house in them."
"Doesn't sound that weird to me," Ness told. "Sounds kind of fun, actually."
"The thing is, I've never worn boxers before." Lucas nervously smiled, preparing to point out a quirk that he knew about his lover. "You wear boxers, don't you? What're they like?"
Ness looked down at himself, remembering he was currently wearing a pair of the only kind of undergarments he has ever worn. Then, he glanced back up. "Well, they're nothing too special. They're comfy to me."
"But are they…like, chafing in any kind of way?" Lucas questioned.
Ness put on an irked thinking face, and tried to come up with a good answer. Instead, he came to propose an agreement. "Tell you what, how about you wear them?"
"Wear your boxers?" Lucas repeated. Ness walked to his closet and pulled out a clean pair of blue-white stripes, and then gesturing them to the blonde. "I think you're about my size."
"I guess it does," Lucas commented. He grinned, almost reaching for them. "Well, if you don't mind, I'd like to try them…for today?"
"Sure!" Ness responded. Then, as he handed them to Lucas, he thought of another idea, one that he believed would benefit their bond with each other. "By the way, you wear briefs, don't you?"
"Yeah," Lucas answered.
"Let me wear one of yours for today too. We can switch underwear for today, how's that?"
"It seems fair," Lucas added. He reached down into his suitcase and gave Ness a pair of his white-only briefs.
Ness stretched it his hands, looking at it in surprise. "Wow…they're stretchier than boxers."
"You've never worn briefs before?" Lucas asked.
"Nope, and I can't wait to try them. This'll be fun!" Ness exclaimed.
"Briefs aren't anything special," Lucas uttered.
"We'll see—oh," Ness smirked one more time. "And since we're home alone all day… How about we run around the house in our underwear just for once? Just like in your dream?"
"Oh, uh…" Lucas froze briefly, moving his eyes up and down Ness's body. He had seen it all before in previous bubble baths together, but never thought about seeing most of his skin for an extended time. That, and he was fazed at the idea itself. It was a rather rebellious scheme for his good willed self. It sounded… fun.
"It'll be fun, I promise!" Ness added in with assurance. "We can basically do whatever we want today!"
"Well, as long as we don't get caught, sure," Lucas replied, smiling with Ness.
With the agreement concluded, they headed into the bathroom together. Ness prepared the bathwater and bubble solution in the large bathtub, and they watched the bubble bath form together. Before even undressing, they even played with the cloud of bubbles for a moment, slapping them in each other's faces and laughing at each other. When the bath was completely ready, they took their moment in removing their pajamas and then jumping into the bath.
Modesty wasn't an issue for two teenagers who confided almost everything in each other after being best friends for so long already. They knew that it was how they chose to act about it that determined their maturity and wisdom, and both were competent about it. Although, they failed to be secretive about relishing the curiosities of their wandering eyes and mind towards each other, but they managed to play it off as a part of their growing relationship. They also agreed to never step too far on each other's boundaries without mutual consent, which was never usually a problem. In fact, sometimes they wished the other overstepped because they occasionally desired to do what they saw and heard older couples do together, at least only when they were alone. They were, after all, lectured many times about relationship safety, much to their annoyance.
Nevertheless, they still managed to include laughter and playfulness in their bathing activity. They had a few water toys—a small water gun and rubber duckies that squirted water—to battle with each other as they sat on opposite sides of the tub. They would then attempt to make building structures out of their bubbles, or make fancy hairdos on each other's heads. Whether their handicraft resulted in success or failure, they always laughed at each other and together.
Taking visual note of their skin which had absorbed too much water as a sign, they decided to finally drain the bath. They exited one at a time, and dried off the water on their bodies.
Lucas picked up the boxer piece hanging on one of the steel rails, and stretched out the waistline once. Without hesitating any further, he slipped his legs through them and pulled the fabric up.
It wasn't anything too special, he noted. The loose air that never ran through his upper legs before rather soothing on his skin. Although he would have to get used to the feeling of letting those hang freely, boxers overall felt like a nice change of pace.
The same was going for Ness on the other side of the room. He had sucked in a breath as he dragged the cotton fabric up his body, almost feeling Lucas's faint scent tickle his skin. As he slapped the waistband on himself, he felt a new sensation, different from what he was used to. Boxers were letting him feel too free, and briefs giving him some restraint felt secure and pleasing. The change was nice for him, too.
They turned around and saw each other's neutral expressions—the most important sign being the absence of displeasure. When they understood they had a mutual feeling of comfort, they smiled at each other.
Ness, who praised himself for proposing the wonderful idea, added a compliment to further their bond for each other. "You look cute in them," he spoke.
Lucas felt a blush and giggled. "Thanks." He paused briefly to think of a witty praise to return, and then grinned. "And you're looking pretty sexy," he blatantly responded.
"Do I?" Ness doubted, looking down his body. Flattered, he smirked back at the blonde. "Well, thank you."
Lucas applauded himself for being as compassionate as his boyfriend. He turned away to grab a piece of his day's clothing, until he stopped himself, reminded that they agreed on not putting them on. He wondered why he even brought the rest of his clothes with him.
"I'll see you downstairs," Ness told, and opened the door to leave.
Ness casually walked down into the living room, astounded by the unruly sensation of solitude and freedom he felt with each step. He crashed onto the sofa and threw his legs out, letting them rest on the arm at the other end. Throwing his hands behind his hand and onto a pillow, he felt a new sense of relaxation.
"Happy?" Lucas asked. The blonde had come up from behind the sofa, looking down at Ness, who was smiling.
"Yup," Ness replied. "How about you? How do you feel?"
Lucas looked down at himself. He wore no shirt, no shorts, and no socks or shoes in a house for an extended time, alongside his best friend and boyfriend. He too, felt astounded by the moment of rebellion he was experiencing.
"Pretty good," Lucas answered. "I like this."
"Good," Ness remarked. "Now come and watch cartoons with me."
Ness sat up and gave room for the blonde to sit with him. They switched the television onto one of their favorite channels, and enjoyed an hour of entertainment. All that was new was the new episodes for their cartoon, and the feeling of letting the cool air tickle their bare skin as they sat together. For some moments, they even cuddled together like they usually would with clothes on, feeling each other's warmth stronger than ever. They still felt the idea of shaking off their clothes for the day to still be a good one as they felt closer in terms of their bond.
With the ending of their television program, they headed into Ness's room to playing video games together like the usually did. They had their fun with the newest game release of Ultra Crash Brothers on Ness's video game console, and played a different game together on their handheld consoles. Lying together in Ness's bed, they shared the usual amusement together in fighting monsters and questing together in the game—nothing so different than from if they did this with clothes on. Though, they did feel closer, like they expected.
They took breaks to eat lunch and dinner, with only their underwear on. When it came to feeding King, Ness had to put on clothes on to do so to avoid being accidentally seen by someone outside. It was temporary, of course, per his continued idea of being home alone with his boyfriend. He removed them as soon as he was inside the house.
All in all, it was really a normal day between the two boys with an extra twist. They shared delightful, laughter, and romantic moments together with nothing too special to call forever memorable. In one of their conversations, they even remarked that they wouldn't mind doing this again the next time they're alone together, if not until the future when they were married. They marked this day as a good step forward in their relationship.
Ness's mother and sister finally arrived home, meeting the two boys donned in pajamas in their room, having another session of video games before bedtime.
"Were you two okay today?" Ness's mother asked.
"Yup," Ness answered. "Ate, played lots of games, watched TV."
"Well, I'm glad you both had fun," she added. "You didn't get into any trouble, right?"
"Not at all, ma'am," Lucas answered.
"All right, then. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay," they both answered. The door was shut on them, and then they returned to their game, playing for another hour until it became very late in the evening. They finally reached a point where they had too much fun for the day, and headed to bed together.
Before Ness shut off the lights, he looked to Lucas, who was sitting on the bed. "Hey, Lucas," he called out.
"Yeah?"
"Wanna sleep in our underwear for tonight?" Ness suggested.
Lucas smirked. They both agreed they might as well finish the day with it if they spent most of the day like so. "Why not?"
Ness locked the door to their room, and then they slipped their pajamas off. Together, they crawled under the blanket and into the warmth of each other's proximity.
"So, how was boxers?" Ness asked.
"Okay," Lucas defined in one word. "How were briefs?"
"…Okay," Ness answered with his favorite word. They giggled at their effortless responses. "I like them, at least," Ness added.
"Then I'll let you keep them," Lucas remarked. "A gift from me to you."
Ness chokes out a chuckle. "Then you can keep my boxers—my gift to you."
"All right," Lucas said, sighing peacefully.
With nothing else said, Ness reached over and brought his boyfriend close into his arms, and Lucas obliged to smothering his head into the other's chest. Nothing at all felt too different than how they spent their nights together before. They wished each other a good night and whispered 'I love you,' before embracing each other's warmth. And without their pajamas, they felt cozier and warmer than before.
It was just another day of daily bonding for the both of them. Nothing too special.