No way will Ethan call him a pussy!

"I'm..."

"Are you gonna chicken, too?" Ethan arched his eyebrow. "That would count as quitting before I do."

Cedric hesitated. On one hand, he agreed with Adrian - the dare did seem to be rather disrespectful. On the other, it wasn't like anyone other than the six of them would know, and as long as the grave was untended...

"Alright, fine." Maybe it was the fact Ethan had called Ivan and Keith pussies but Cedric was willing to swallow his caution and just get this dare over with. "I'll do... that one." He pointed out a grave with an unmarked headstone and headed around to the opposite sides of it.

A deep breath. One, two... three! The lithe teen dropped his shorts and boxers in one quick, fluid movement, wanting to make this as quick as he could.

No sooner had he made contact with the headstone than the sky flashed a brilliant white and roared its displeasure for the world to hear. The clouds above simultaneously decided to release their payloads, showering them all with icy water.

"Run!" several of them yelled. Cedric hiked his shorts and boxers back up and raced after his friends.

The storm bore down upon the six of them fiercely. Huge droplets of water pelted them relentlessly as they retreated and the wind blew from behind as if chasing them from the premises. Even the foliage was against them as the trees shoved their branches into the boys' path.

"AH!" Cedric yelled as his forward momentum abruptly jerked to a halt. He whirled around, but to his own consternation he felt something restricting his movement. He reached up to feel that a long, slender, vine-like branch had caught upon his T-shirt. The branch was covered in minuscule, thornlike growths that gripped the cotton ferociously, clinging onto it for dear life.

"Cedric, what are you doing?!" Ethan called over the squall around them.

"I cant... get it... loose!" Cedric grunted.

"Ditch the shirt!" The young man hastily peeled off his top and resumed his escape, extremely self-conscious of the cold rain pelting his bare chest and back. But before long, Cedric felt his progress halted by a tug on his shorts. "FUCK!" he cried, causing Ethan to pause. "These things are fucking everywhere!"

"COME ON!" Ethan bellowed. "Get 'em off and run!" The wind was coming in sharp gusts now and the sound of thunder crashed against their eardrums, getting louder by the minute. Cedric tangled with the plant for a few seconds, but his efforts were futile - the plant's grip on his clothes was far more powerful than the strongest Velcro he had ever experienced. Resigned, he stripped off his shorts and hurtled after Ethan.

His boxers were no doubt see-through from the cold deluge and his shoes were coming loose from mud that seemed the most eager to no longer be dirt he'd ever seen. One particular puddle caused Cedric's foot to sink good in and in his rush to not lose pace with his best friend in front of him, he simply abandoned the old sneaker. As if by divine order, three more deeper mud puddles saw his other shoe and socks leave his feet.

Of course, it didn't take long before the last of his modesty was stolen by the greenery. Another thorny branch caught his boxers. This time Cedric didn't even struggle. He was **** to get out of this place so he outright tore the flimsy, wet garment from his pelvis and kept running. He could feel his manhood flopping against his thighs as he ran and his bare feet sent cold water splashing everywhere with every slap against the pavement. Under his breath, he cursed Ethan for dragging him into this mess.

"WE'RE NEARLY THERE, THE GATE'S UP AHEAD!" Ethan yelled. Cedric put on a burst of speed even as the cold, razor-edge of the wind struck his exposed back. He stumbled through the wrought-iron entrance and promptly tripped over Ethan, who had also fallen right after passing the cemetery gates. Cedric groaned as his forearms slammed into the ground, narrowly missing Ethan's chest.

To their astonishment, once over the threshold of the cemetery, they found that the storm quickly abated. The rain immediately lightened to a gentle shower before becoming a light drizzle. The wind, too, no longer howled after them. Within seconds the clouds had disappeared and the stars finally reemerged.

"What the fuck?!" Cedric and Ethan stared at each other, bewildered and slightly frightened by the drastic change in the weather.

Just then, a beam of brilliant light blinded them and they heard Ivan's clear tenor exclaim, "What the fuck are you guys doing?!"

"Why is Cedric naked?!" Keith's voice joined in.

"AAAH!"

"GET OFF ME!"

Cedric scrambled to his feet, his hands swiftly positioned to cover his privates. Ethan got up as well and the both of them kept their eyes averted from each other and from the light, which apparently came from the headlamps of George's car.

"TURN THAT FUCKING LIGHT OFF!" Cedric screeched, acutely aware of his nudity and shivering slightly from the cold. The light dimmed before returning the carpark to its natural darkness. Ivan stepped out of the car, quickly followed by George. Adrian and Keith exited their car too, its purpose as a shelter from the storm now served. Cedric glanced up and, to his horror and embarrassment, quickly noticed that everyone else was still completely clothed.

"Why on earth is Cedric naked and doing... whatever with Ethan?" Ivan asked pointedly as he gestured, water still dripping from his dirty blond hair. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

"Fuck off," Cedric said emphatically, his gaze fixed on Ivan's shoes.

Next to him, Ethan sighed. "Some stupid plants with thorns got tangled in his clothes and he couldn't get rid of them," he said flippantly.

"And that explains what we just saw... how?"

"Tripped and fell out of the gates," Cedric elaborated.

"You sure?" Keith teased. "Certainly felt like we were interrupting an intimate moment."

"I dunno. You have a good point. Was this just an elaborate attempt to seduce me?" Ethan teased, smirking at his best friend's nude body.

"You wish. Read the room, Ethan! Could someone please get me some clothes? It's kinda cold out here."

"Sorry, buddy," Adrian laughed. "I don't think any of us expected that we would be losing any clothes tonight. Enjoy the drive back!"

Cedric's eyes snapped up in horror. "My car keys! They were in my shorts!"

Ethan's own eyes widened. "You can't be thinking of going BACK IN FOR THEM?!"

"How the fuck else are we supposed to get back to the dorm?! You room with ME, remember?!"

"Chill, guys, I have a solution," Adrian said. "The two of you can come crash at my place for the rest of the night. We'll come back and search for Cedric's stuff once the sun rises, okay?"

"What happens if someone finds my stuff first and steals the car?!"

Adrian snorted. "Really? You planning on staying here naked and wet for the next few hours?"

"Just remove the starter relay. The car won't start, and nobody's going to bother buying one just so they can steal that old hunk of metal." Ethan suggested.

"Hey, my old hunk of metal's helped ferry you places! And it's not that old!"

"And I'm very thankful for it, which is why I'm helping to make sure no one can steal it," Ethan said. "Adrian, let me borrow your tool kit."

"You sure you can fix it afterwards?" Cedric asked as Adrian dug around in his trunk before handing it over.

Ethan fixed his gaze on Cedric, making the nude boy squirm. "How is it," he asked incredulously, "that you're the one who owns a car, but I'm the one who actually knows how to take care of them?"

"Well... it's my dad's car."

Ethan sighed. "Gimme 10 minutes and a torch and I'll settle this."

"We're going back to our dorm first, okay?" asked George. "We're tired, it's late, and we're not needed here." He beckoned at Keith and Ivan, who said their goodbyes before piling into his car. "We'll see you soon."

"Yeah, fine!" called Adrian, waving as the other three boys took their leave. "Goodnight!"