Episode 6 | The Men In My Barracks 🪖 (Patreon)

All characters depicted in this story are fictional and 18 years of age or older. Everything portrayed is safe, sane, and consensual.

Episode 6: My Straight Bunkmate Is Getting Way Too Possessive

The morning light had just started to creep into the common room when I woke up. My body still felt heavy from the night before. The memory of the showers played on repeat in my head. Ryder’s hand moving on his own cock. The way he had watched me cum. The awkward but strangely comfortable walk back to the bunks. I lay there staring at the metal frame above me trying to process everything.

The bunk creaked and Ryder dropped down from the top bunk. He landed lightly on his feet and stretched his arms overhead. His shirt had ridden up showing the bottom of his abs and that familiar happy trail. He glanced down at me with a small knowing smirk.

“Sleep okay?” he asked, voice still rough from sleep.

“Yeah,” I muttered, sitting up. “You?”

Ryder rubbed the back of his neck and gave a short laugh. “Better than I expected after… you know.” He kept his voice low so no one else would hear. “Last night was… something.”

I felt my face heat up. “Yeah. It was.”

We looked at each other for a moment. There was no regret in his eyes, just that same mix of curiosity and uncertainty. Before either of us could say more, the corporal started barking for everyone to get up and get ready for formation. We quickly pulled on our PT gear and headed out with the rest of the platoon.

Breakfast was quick and loud. I sat with Ryder, Julian, and Ramirez. Julian kept giving me small glances like he could sense something had shifted but he did not push. Ryder stayed close, his knee brushing mine under the table more than once. It felt different now. More intentional.

We were still eating when Alistair Beckett walked past our table with one of his buddies. He slowed down and looked straight at me with that sharp arrogant smile.

“Pretty boy couldn’t sleep last night?” he said loud enough for a few guys nearby to hear. “Had to bust a nut somewhere private, huh Rhodes?”

A couple of recruits laughed. My stomach tightened.

Ryder stood up fast. His chair scraped loudly against the floor. He stepped right into Alistair’s space, chest puffed out. “Why the fuck are you so obsessed with Callum, Beckett? You got a problem?”

Alistair did not back down. He smirked wider and looked Ryder up and down. “Oooo, look at Callahan protecting his pretty little girlfriend.”

Ryder’s hand shot out and grabbed Alistair’s collar. “You wanna fight? I will beat the shit out of you right here Beckett.”

The table went quiet. A few more guys turned to watch. Alistair’s buddy stepped closer but did not intervene. Alistair kept that cocky expression even with Ryder’s fist twisted in his shirt.

I quickly moved between them and pulled Ryder back by the arm. “Ryder… he is not worth it. Probably just mad that the sergeant doesn’t give him any attention.”

Ryder let go but his body stayed tense. Alistair smoothed his t-shirt and laughed coldly.

“I don’t need to suck Sergeant Ashford’s dick to get noticed around here,” he said, loud and cutting looking at me. “Unlike some people.”

He laughed with his buddy and walked away like nothing had happened. Ryder took a step forward like he wanted to follow but I grabbed his wrist.

“Dude, leave it,” I said firmly. “He is just trying to get under your skin.”

Ryder exhaled hard and finally sat back down. His jaw was still tight. The rest of breakfast passed in awkward silence but I could feel eyes on us from other tables. The platoon was starting to notice the tension.

We headed out for the day’s endurance training under the blazing sun. The ruck march was brutal. Heavy packs, long loops around the camp perimeter, constant movement in the heat. Sergeant Ashford ran with us the entire time, pushing everyone hard but focusing most of his attention on me.

“Extra weight on Rhodes,” he ordered at one point. One of the corporals added more sandbags to my pack. My shoulders burned. My legs felt like lead. Ashford stayed close, correcting my posture, making me drop for extra push ups when my form slipped even a little.

“Keep moving, Recruit Rhodes. Don’t slow the whole platoon down.”

Every time he spoke my name or put his hands on me to adjust my pack the memory of last night with Ryder mixed with the memory of Ashford pinning me on the mat. My body did not know how to react.

Ryder stayed near me during the march. He kept shooting looks at Ashford whenever the sergeant corrected me. During a short water break Ryder moved close and whispered, “Ashford giving you a hard time again?”

I nodded, wiping sweat from my face. “Yeah. As usual.”

Ryder’s jaw flexed. Then he forced a grin and leaned in closer. “Don’t worry. I will fight Ashford for you too, camp wife.”

I rolled my eyes but could not stop the small smile. “Fuck you, Callahan.”

Ryder’s grin turned wicked. “One day, baby girl. Sure.”

I felt my face flush hot. I shoved him away lightly and focused on the trail ahead, but the nickname and the way he said it sent a strange warmth through my chest. The rest of the training blurred by in a haze of sweat, burning muscles, and Ashford’s constant watchful presence. By the time we finally finished the long march and headed back toward the barracks my legs were shaking and my mind was spinning with too many thoughts I didn’t know how to sort out.The rest of the day dragged on with more drills and classroom briefings but my body was already exhausted from the long ruck march. By the time lights out finally came the common room filled with the familiar sounds of tired recruits crashing into their bunks. I lay on my bottom bunk in just my thin boxers staring up at the dark frame above me. The memories from the previous night in the showers kept playing in my head along with the way Ryder had defended me this morning. Everything felt heavier now. More complicated.

The bunk creaked softly. Ryder dropped down from the top bunk without a word. He lifted the edge of my blanket and slid in beside me like it no big deal. His big body took up most of the narrow space. His bare chest pressed against my back and his thick thigh slid between my legs.

“It’s cold up there,” he whispered close to my ear.

I let out a quiet laugh. “Bullshit. You just like my bunk.”

Ryder chuckled softly and wrapped one strong arm around my waist, pulling me flush against him. Our bodies fit together perfectly, his chest pressed to my back. His skin was warm and smooth against mine. I could feel the steady beat of his heart and the soft rise and fall of his breathing. His hand rested low on my stomach, fingers spread wide.

I tried to turn my head to look at him, but he held me tighter and let out a low, playful laugh right against my ear.

“What? I miss cuddling chicks, alright? And right now you’re my camp wife, so lemme cuddle you properly, baby.”

I did not pull away. Instead I let myself relax into his hold, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the heat rushing to my face. This felt safe. Almost too safe.

We lay there in silence for a while. The rest of the barracks had gone completely quiet. Only the occasional creak of metal or distant snoring broke the stillness. Ryder’s thumb started moving in slow circles on my stomach. The touch was gentle. Almost absentminded.

“You did good today,” he said quietly. “Even with Ashford riding you so hard. Most guys would have quit.”

I swallowed. “Felt like shit the whole time. My legs are still killing me.”

Ryder’s arm tightened around me. “I saw. Every time he put his hands on you I wanted to pull him off. The way he looks at you… it’s not normal.”

His voice had that protective edge again. I turned my head slightly so I could see the outline of his face in the dark. “It’s just training. He does it to make me better. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.”

Ryder stayed quiet for a moment. His hand slid a little lower on my stomach until his fingers brushed the waistband of my boxers. “My dad used to push me like that too. Not in the military way. Just… always telling me I had to be the man. Had to take care of everything after he left. I was fifteen and suddenly I was supposed to be the strong one for my mom and sister. Never got to be a kid. Never got told I was doing good enough.”

I felt his breath against the back of my neck as he spoke. The vulnerability in his voice hit me hard. I reached down and placed my hand over his where it rested on my stomach.

“My dad never even said that much,” I admitted. “He just gave me this cold look whenever I was not perfect. Like I was already a disappointment before I even tried. After my engagement blew up he basically told me to grow some balls and stop being weak. That is why I am here. To prove I am not that weak guy.”

Ryder pulled me even closer until my back was flush against his chest. Our legs tangled together completely. “You are not weak Callum. Not even close. You are one of the strongest guys here because you keep showing up even when it’s hard. That means something.”

His words settled deep in my chest. I turned fully in his arms so we were facing each other. Our foreheads almost touched. In the darkness I could just make out the soft lines of his face and the way his eyes searched mine. The fake flirting we did felt different now. There was real tenderness underneath it.

“You are getting way too comfortable calling me your camp wife,” I whispered trying to lighten the moment.

Ryder smiled. His hand slid up my back and rested between my shoulder blades. “Maybe I like it. My camp husband sounds very gay.”

I laughed quietly but my heart was racing. We stayed like that for a long time. Bodies pressed close. Breathing in sync. His thigh stayed nestled between mine and I could feel the warmth of his skin everywhere we touched. It felt dangerously good. Safe and warm in a way I had never experienced with anyone else.

Ryder’s fingers traced slow patterns on my back. “Whatever happens in this place… I got you. Okay?”

“Okay,” I whispered back.

We did not say anything else after that. Ryder eventually tucked his face into the crook of my neck and let out a long breath. His arm stayed wrapped tight around me like he had no intention of letting go. I closed my eyes and let myself relax into his hold. The steady rhythm of his breathing slowly pulled me under.

For the first time since I arrived at Camp Blackridge, I fell asleep feeling wanted. Protected. Even if it was only for one night in a narrow bunk with my straight bunkmate wrapped around me like he belonged there.

────────────────Episode 7 | The Men In My Barracks 🪖