Another winter weekend in the Washington lodge.
Clinks of beer bottles tapping together filled the kitchen, sounding quietly through the air nearly simultaneously before heads tilted back, throats bobbing with the hard swallows of cold Heineken.
Another party amongst friends.
"Hey," began Jess, glossed lips lifting in a coy smile, "I have an idea. Let's plaaay… spin the bottle!" and with the idea tossed into the air, she raised her half empty bottle, eyes all but gleaming as they scanned over the small crowd for reactions.
And of course, if anyone was up to it, it was Josh Washington.
"Yeah, I like that idea," he rumbled out, pearly whites flashing in a wide, toothy grin while he rubbed at his chin in pseudo-contemplation, "I think what we should really do right now is set the mood for it."
He crossed the room, pads of fingers pressing to the dimmer switch, leading it down to dim the lights.
"Maybe some candles, huh? Beth, why don't you do us the honors."
A roll of the eyes may have been the younger's reply, but she disappeared to gather them regardless, only returning once she'd found the torn-open bag of tea tree lights.
"You're buying me more," she joked, all the while placing each individual candle along different points of the room, the flame of a lighter following until diminutive glows lined their game area.
All too eager to play, the group positioned themselves in a loose circle on the floor; some kneeling, some cross-legged, some comfortably on their rears.
Josh was the first to offer up his bottle, having long since finished it and moving on to a second drink by that point.
"Alright, rules. We each take turns spinning, and whoever the bottle lands on has to go into the closet with you for seven," seven fingers held up to emphasize, "minutes. Got it?"
A medley of agreements followed.
"Since this was Jess' brilliant idea, I say we let her go first." pointed out Mike, hungry gaze latching onto the sweet smile that spread across her lips.
"If you saaay so," the blonde retorted as she bent at the waist, fingers curling around the bottle in the center of the circle to give it a quick spin.
They watched with rapt attention while it went, eager and curious to know who her first victim would be. To Mike's demise, the rim of the bottle pointed to Sam as it slowed, bringing a sly, if not embarrassed smile to each of the girls' lips.
"Looks like it's us," Sam spoke up, voice lined with a seduction that only brought forth laughter from the both of them. She rose from her spot, holding both hands out to Jess to help her up. They made their way to the closet, Sam holding the door open with a coy "m'lady" before the two of them disappeared inside.
Josh wouldn't admit it, but he was disappointed it hadn't been him in the closet with either one of them. But he felt his luck wouldn't run out just yet. The night was young.
Two, three, four minutes passed, the group chattering away amongst themselves while Josh went to snag himself another battle, brushing off his sisters' warning not to go overboard with the alcohol. He never did listen. Why? They'd gathered to have a good time, and he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy himself.
Sure the alcohol was going right to his head, but… What would a party be without drinks? Boring.
He made his way back to the group just as Sam and Jess returned; Sam red in the face, Jess unable to keep her smug grin to herself.
The game went on in continuous pairs and, hell, even Chris worked up the nerve to stay the whole seven minutes. With whom, Josh wasn't all too sure. At that point he'd had one too many sips, memory already beginning to blur along the ends of his already frayed mind.
When it was his turn, well… the others eyed their none-too-sober friend precariously.
"Alright, alright, I'm tired of all y'all getting your shit hard while I sit here like that lonely guy at the bar. My turn."
With a wink and that infamous smirk, Josh grasped the bottle loosely and gave it a quick spin, gaze glued to it all the while.
It spun.
And spun.
And spun… until, finally, it landed on—
"Fuck, no way," laughed Josh, chest heaving with his drunken little chuckles, "guess it's me and Mike!"
Mike, the straightest guy they knew.
Mike, who couldn't make eye contact with another man without saying "no homo".
Mike, who was going to be trapped with Josh – the guy who was known to get a little too loose – and looked fairly unsteady despite his attempt at laughing it off.
"Seven minutes with Josh? Easy. He's gonna pass out two minutes in." Even his voice sounded unsteady.
But Josh paid no mind, far too content to get up and stick himself in the closet; hands beckoning Mike closer while he wagged his eyebrows.
Mike only forced a smile, taking those few seconds that led him to the closet to collect himself and prepare for whatever Josh had to offer. Though he hoped Josh would vomit from all that alcohol instead, because being puked on was better than kissing another guy, right?
The door clicked shut behind him, almost too ominously as Mike squinted through the dark of the closet to get a look at his game partner before speaking up.
"So, what. Are we just gonna-"
He was expecting something, but he wasn't expecting to have the breath stolen from his lungs by that abrupt kiss.
Mike froze for the moment, unaware of what to do, and it gave Josh the chance to lead.
"Man, you really gotta loosen up," began the less sober of the two in a mumble against Mike's lips as he led his hands down to his hips.
It did little to steady Mike's nerves, holding onto Josh's waist like that, and they became all the more frazzled when his touch was brought even further down to the other's ass. It wasn't too firm, at least, not too bad in shape and nice to hold.
"That's it," cooed Josh through a breathy murmur before his lips brushed the other pair, tongue tracing along the lower lip to beg permission for entrance; and albeit it hesitantly, permitted it was, muscle gliding into Mike's mouth to explore with soft, wet strokes along teeth, along the inside of cheeks and coiling with the opposite tongue.
Hips pressed to hips in one slow grind that had Mike's breath hitching in all the right ways. Each grind sent sparks from groin to fingertips that kneaded the bottom they held onto, and the slower they became the more uninhibited Mike became.
Straight or not, it was easy to get him worked up, and Josh certainly seemed to know what he was doing. Briefly, Mike wondered if he'd done this before with other men, but the thought dissipated as he guided the eldest Washington back against the wall, knee situating between legs to—
"Guys, come on, let us have our turn!" came the voice from beyond the door that'd shocked them out of their little embrace. Well, it got Mike off, just in case anyone decided to peek in… Josh, drunk and content, clung to him, teeth biting into his lower lip to muffle a low snicker.
"Maybe next time I'll suck your dick," he murmured through a wide smile, voice low and husky, and he raised himself just enough to take one last kiss. In the next moment, he was out to join the rest and Mike was left alone in the closet, swallowing hard to loosen his dry throat.
"Have fun?" piped up Ashley who, like the others, looked far too smug to see Mike so… so disheveled.
Josh beat him to the answer.
"Nah, we didn't do much. Right, Mike?"
Drunk and still able to comprehend another's feelings enough to protect them from embarrassment.
Mike could only give him a half-hearted smile of silent thanks.
"Yeah. Not much."