Blake and Friends at the Beach

Note: This branch will contain both F/M and M/M content. Each chapter will begin by stating what types of pairing are present within. This chapter contains no F/M or M/M content, only character descriptions. Well, except for one ass slap.

It was a perfect day. The dry early-summer air was hot but not unbearable, only a few small clouds drifted in the light breeze, and the yellow sands of Palmer Point were crowded with beachgoers. As far as the eye could see, happy people of all descriptions were sunbathing, playing volleyball, splashing in the shallows, or finding some other way to make the most of the weather. Hundreds of them could be seen from the worn clifftop parking lot as a beat-up 2002 Toyota Camry pulled into a recently-vacated parking space. The bright summer sun shone down on its scuffed blue paintjob and dented chassis as it came to a rest near the wooden staircase leading down to the beach.

"Finally!" The instant the car was shifted into park, the front passenger door was enthusiastically shoved open, stopping just short of slamming into the adjacent car. Kelly sprang from the car and ran out to the nearest open space, relishing the opportunity to stretch out to her full 5'10" height. She extended her long arms and twirled around, her shoulder-length strawberry-blonde curls bouncing around her smiling face. Sighing with satisfaction, she reached upward and stretched, sticking her torso out. Her C-cup breasts were modestly sized against her tall frame, looking cute within the cups of her little yellow and white striped bikini. Between the top and bottom of her swimsuit, her toned abdominal muscles were the focal point of her lithe, athletic body. As the bubbly and cheerful young woman doubled back to close the passenger door, she smiled at her reflection in the side view mirror. Those hours spent in the rock climbing gym had paid off nicely.

"Geez babe, don't worry about getting run over or anything." The driver of the car smiled fondly at Kelly as he stepped out of the car and did a bit of his own stretching, feeling the sun against his bare torso. While not as much of a gym rat as his beloved girlfriend, Dave was far from scrawny. As a defensive lineman on his college's football team, he had developed a brawny physique, with a good mix of muscle and fat that combined with his 6'1" frame to cut a very imposing figure, belying his gentle interior. His gruff and irreverent demeanor cracked a bit as Kelly ran over and jumped into his arms. She ran her fingers through his copper-colored hair and kissed him, pulling a smile from his stoic face.

"You know, if you two just wanted to stand around and kiss each other, we could have stayed home." Lilith spoke, her voice deep, smooth, and monotone as always, as she stepped out from the back seat. She made for quite the contrast against Kelly and Dave in nearly every respect. Her untoned, curvy body and 5"6 frame set her apart physically from her athletic friends. Her all-black outfit consisting of a modest one-piece swimsuit, shawl, sunglasses, and large floppy hat contrasted with Kelly and Dave's bikini and swim trunks with matching yellow stripes. The only real similarity was in personality, with Lilith's aloof, low-energy demeanor matching well with Dave's sarcastic ribbing and providing a nice foil for Kelly's cheerful positivity. As Dave put Kelly down, she giggled and readjusted a few strands of Lilith's very long red ombre hair which had fallen in front of her face. Lilith wordlessly accepted the preening before they all stepped over to the staircase. Though they had all changed a lot since they met as young children, they had fallen into a comfortable dynamic, accepting each other's quirks and differences. The four of them were truly inseparable. Or at least, they would have been had the fourth member of the group actually been there.

"Hey, Blake! I know how much you love being crammed into the backseat of my shitty car, but do you maybe wanna come out here and join us?"

"Um... I think I'll stay here." Dave rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as Kelly ran over to the backseat window, where Blake was nervously staring at his lap.

"Oh, come on Blake! We're here to have fun! Don't you want to join us?"

"Well, yes, but... I don't know if I can go out there."

Dave, who had wandered back toward the car, spoke up. "Ugh, dude, come on. Is this about the swimsuit still? We already told you it looks good. The girls wouldn't have picked it for you if they didn't think you look cute in it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but... don't you think it's a bit too... much?"

"No way, dude!" Kelly reached in and placed a reassuring hand on Blake's shoulder. "My bikini's way skimpier, and I feel fine!"

"Yeah, well..." Blake trailed off as he looked down at the swimsuit the girls had picked out for him. They had finally convinced him to try something that showed off his... unconventional physique rather than hiding it. Kelly was right, his bikini was less skimpy than hers, but he couldn't help but feel like he was showing off too much of his soft, hairless skin. Although nobody had ever expressed anything worse than neutrality toward them, and though he did like the support offered by the bikini top, he felt very nervous about going out in a swimsuit that didn't hide his small, perky... well, his chest. He was also really worried about the bottoms. The others had assured him that even though he didn't tuck, nothing showed as long as he wasn't aroused. If he did get aroused... as always, he just tried not to think about what happens in that case.

Lilith chimed in. "Blake, your appearance is fine. I would tell you if it wasn't. You look... cute. Everyone will think so." Blake looked at Lilith and smiled. She was always a straight shooter. If anyone was going to tell him his outfit was inappropriate, it would have been her.

"Well... okay. Here I come." The others stepped back to give Blake room to step out of the car. He resisted the urge to fold an arm over his chest as he stood to his full 5"4' height. Blake's cute, feminine physique had been the cause of much insecurity throughout his life. He had never faced much bullying as the friend of a star athlete, and he had mostly only gotten compliments, especially since he turned eighteen and the whole... redhead thing happened. Nevertheless, he had never quite been able to shake his lack of confidence, and after years of encouragement, it was only recently that he allowed Kelly and Lilith to pick out a beach outfit for him that would flatter his figure rather than hiding it. He wouldn't have agreed if he had known what they had in mind. They had put him in a two-piece swimsuit with a strawberry pattern, with a top that highlighted the shape of his A-cup breasts and a set of bottoms that they insisted did not show his small bulge. They accessorized him with a pair of red flip-flops, a red sunhat with a green hatband, and a white beach bag. When he first saw the outfit in the mirror, his first thought was to reject it outright. Except, when he looked over his reflection's shoulder and saw Kelly barely holding back a squeal as she bounced from one foot to the other, and Lilith with her hand over her mouth to hide one of her rare smiles... well, the only idea he hated more than showing off his body was disappointing people.

So Blake adjusted his shoulder-length raven hair, donned his sunhat and bag, and prepared to join his friends for a fun and not-at-all-deeply-embarrassing day at the beach.

"Finally! Come on, man, you got nothing to be embarrassed about. You look great!" Blake barked out some blunt encouragement, like he would for one of his teammates, and punctuated his sentiment with a sportsmanlike slap of Blake's ass. The girls giggled as Blake stifled a squeak and blushed slightly. His goal, he decided in that moment, was to make it through the day without his skin turning the same shade of red as his swimsuit.

He would soon fail miserably.