Episode 13 | 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 13: I Couldn’t Stop Looking At Him During The Exercise

The sun was slowly settling down behind the trees when the entire platoon gathered on the training field. Sergeant Ashford stood in front of us with his arms crossed, looking even more imposing than usual. Beside him was Sergeant Langford, another instructor who usually handled the more advanced squads.

“Listen up,” Ashford said, his voice carrying across the field. “Today we are running a Capture the Flag exercise in the woods. Two teams. Team Alpha will defend an objective. Team Bravo will attempt to infiltrate and capture it. This is not a game. You will be graded on communication, movement, and how well you work under pressure.”

He started reading out the team assignments. My stomach tightened when I heard my name.

“Team Alpha, led by me: Rhodes, Beckett, Ramirez, Hayes, and Ellis.”

I glanced across the field and saw Ryder standing with the other group. He caught my eye and gave me a small smirk, but I could tell he was not happy about being separated. Julian was standing next to him, looking slightly nervous as usual.

Once the teams were set, we were given our objectives and sent into the woods. The exercise was simple in theory but brutal in practice. Team Alpha had to protect a marked area near an old water tower while Team Bravo tried to reach it without being caught. The woods were dense, the ground uneven, and the sun was already starting to beat down.

Alistair and I were paired together for most of the movement. He had been in a foul mood since the assignments were read out. Every time I spoke, he had something sarcastic to say.

We were moving through a thick patch of trees when he suddenly stopped and looked at me.

“You know,” he said, keeping his voice low, “some of us actually have to work hard to stand out here. Not everyone gets to suck dick to get special attention from the sergeant.”

I stopped walking and turned to face him. “What the fuck did you just say?”

Alistair shrugged, but there was a nasty smile on his face. “I am just saying what everyone else is thinking. You and the sergeant have this little thing going on. We all see it.”

“Fuck you, Beckett,” I snapped, keeping my voice down so the others would not hear. “Maybe you are the one obsessed with sucking dicks, because that’s all you seem to talk about lately.”

Alistair’s eyes narrowed, but before he could reply, we heard movement ahead. We both went quiet and continued the exercise in tense silence.

A little while later, we reached a small clearing where we had a better view of the woods. I took a moment to catch my breath and scan the area. In the distance, I could see Ryder and Julian moving together on the other team. They were working well. Julian was pointing something out on the map while Ryder nodded and adjusted their path. A few of the guys on their team were laughing quietly at something Ryder said. He had that easy energy that made people relax around him.

I found myself smiling without meaning to. Watching him out there, confident and in his element, made something warm settle in my chest. He looked good like that.

“Wtf are you looking at, Rhodes?” Alistair muttered beside me. “Staring at your boyfriend? You proud of him or something?”

I turned to him slowly. “At least my boyfriend knows how to work as a team instead of acting like a jealous little bitch every time someone does better than him.”

Alistair’s face tightened, but he did not reply. He just pushed ahead, clearly annoyed.

Throughout the evening, I kept catching myself looking toward Sergeant Ashford. He moved through the woods like he owned them.

His uniform was damp with sweat, clinging to his broad shoulders and thick chest. Every time he gave an order, his voice was calm but firm, and people listened. I watched the way his forearms flexed when he checked his map, the way sweat ran down the side of his neck. Even from a distance, he had this commanding presence that made it hard to look away.

A couple of times our eyes met across the trees. He never smiled, but the look he gave me was enough to make my stomach twist. It felt like he was reminding me of the woods. Reminding me of what I had done on my knees for him.

By the time the sun started dipping lower, the exercise was winding down. Both teams were tired, dirty, and ready to head back. We had lost the objective, but no one seemed too upset about it. The point had been the training, not the win.

Everyone started making their way out of the woods and back toward camp. I was walking near the back of our group, my mind still spinning between Ryder and Ashford, when I felt a hand suddenly grab my wrist from behind.

It was Ryder.His grip on my wrist was firm as he pulled me behind the barracks, away from the main path where the rest of the platoon was heading back. The sun had almost fully set now, and the area behind the buildings was quiet and mostly hidden in shadow. He didn’t say anything at first. He just kept walking until we were pressed against the back wall, out of sight from anyone passing by.

The second we stopped, he turned to face me. His eyes were darker than usual.

“I saw the way you were looking at me during the assignment," Ryder said, his voice low but carrying that familiar teasing tone. “I liked it.”

I let out a small laugh, trying to play it cool even though my heart was already beating faster. “You looked like a mess out there, Callahan. I was just making sure you didn’t trip over your own feet.”

Ryder smirked and stepped in closer, one hand resting on my waist. “Yeah? That's why you kept staring like you wanted to drag me behind the barracks the whole time?”

Before I could answer, he leaned in and kissed me.

The kiss started slow but quickly turned heated. His mouth moved against mine with purpose, and I felt his hand slide around to the small of my back, pulling me closer. I kissed him back just as eagerly, my hands gripping the front of his shirt. There was something different about this kiss compared to the ones in the storeroom. It felt more open, more charged.

Ryder’s tongue slid against mine as he pressed me harder against the wall. One of his thighs slipped between my legs, and I could feel how hard he was already. A quiet groan escaped me when he rolled his hips forward once, just enough to make me feel his hard cock.

“Fuck, Ry…” I breathed against his mouth.

He smiled into the kiss. “What? You started it by looking at me like that all evening.”

I laughed softly and kissed him again, deeper this time. His hand moved down and grabbed my ass, squeezing firmly as he pulled me even closer. The kiss turned messier, our tongues sliding together while we tried to stay quiet. Every few seconds one of us would pull back just enough to catch our breath before diving in again.

Ryder’s hand slid between us and palmed my cock through my pants. I hissed at the contact but I didn’t pull away. Instead I reached down and did the same to him, stroking him through the fabric while we continued kissing.

“You are so fucking hard already,” he murmured against my lips, sounding pleased.

“Shut up,” I whispered back, kissing him again.

We stayed like that for a while, making out heavily against the wall. His hand kept squeezing my ass while mine stroked him slowly. Every now and then he would grind forward, and I could feel how much he was enjoying this. The risk of someone walking by only seemed to make it hotter.

Then we both heard it.

A quiet rustle, followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

We froze instantly.

Ryder pulled back first, his hand dropping from between us. I quickly stepped to the side, putting some space between us even though my heart was hammering in my chest. We both turned toward the sound at the same time.

Julian was standing a few feet away, half-hidden behind one of the large storage containers. His face was bright red and he looked extremely uncomfortable.

For a moment, none of us said anything.

“Julian…” I started, my voice coming out rough. “It’s not what it looks like.”

Julian’s eyes darted between me and Ryder. He shifted on his feet, staring at the ground.

“I… I was just…” he mumbled quietly. “I was calling you guys for dinner. Everyone else is already inside.”

Ryder cleared his throat and tried to sound casual, though it came out awkward. “Yeah, man. We were just… stretching. You know, after the exercise and everything.”

Julian nodded quickly, still not making proper eye contact. “Right. Yeah. Stretching. Got it.”

The silence that followed felt heavy.

“I will just… wait inside,” Julian said softly. He turned and walked away fast, his shoulders tense.

Ryder and I stood there for a few seconds after he left, neither of us moving.

“Fuck,” Ryder muttered under his breath.

I ran a hand through my hair, my stomach twisting with nerves. “Do you think he saw that?”

Ryder let out a short, nervous laugh. “I literally had my tongue down your throat, Callum. Pretty sure he saw.”

I groaned and leaned back against the wall. “Fuck. I hope he doesn’t tell anyone.”

Ryder stepped closer and put a hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s okay. It’s just Julian. He won’t say anything.”

I wanted to believe him, but the panic was already starting to settle in. We had been so careful until now. And just like that, someone from our own squad had caught us.

Ryder gave my shoulder another squeeze. “Come on. Let’s head inside before someone else comes looking.”

We started walking back toward the main entrance of the barracks. Ryder tried to keep his face relaxed, like nothing had happened. But I could feel the tension in the way he walked beside me. My own mind was already racing with worst-case scenarios as we stepped through the doors.

I was panicking internally, already imagining what Julian might be thinking, while Ryder walked next to me trying his best to act like everything was completely normal.We stepped back inside the barracks and the noise hit me immediately. The common room was loud with recruits talking about the exercise, laughing, and moving around. I tried to keep my face neutral as we walked in, but my heart was still racing from what had just happened behind the building.

Ryder walked beside me like nothing was wrong. He had one arm slung casually over my shoulders and was already making a joke about how badly our team had lost. I forced a small laugh, but my eyes kept scanning the room until I found Julian.

He was sitting at one of the tables with a few other guys. The moment he saw us, he looked down at his food and stayed quiet. He did not wave or call us over like he usually did. My stomach twisted. He was acting completely different.

We grabbed our trays and sat down. Ryder was talking loudly with some of the other recruits about the exercise, laughing and being his usual self. I tried to join in, but I kept glancing over at Julian. Every time our eyes almost met, he looked away quickly.

Alistair was sitting a few tables away with his friends, being as loud as ever. He was laughing about something and slamming his tray down dramatically, but I barely heard what he was saying. My mind was stuck on Julian and what he might be thinking right now.

“You good?” Ryder asked quietly beside me, still smiling like everything was normal.

I nodded, but I could not stop the panic building in my chest. What if Julian told someone? What if he already told one of the other recruits? The thought of the entire platoon finding out made my skin feel cold.

Dinner dragged on. Julian stayed quiet the whole time, barely speaking to anyone at his table. Every few minutes I would catch him looking in our direction, then quickly looking away again. Ryder kept acting completely normal, cracking jokes and eating like nothing had happened. It only made me more nervous. How could he be so calm right now?

After dinner, the platoon started heading toward the bunks. I walked a little behind Ryder and Julian as they talked up ahead. Ryder had his arm around Julian’s shoulders, laughing about something. The sight made my stomach drop even lower. How could he be so relaxed after what Julian had just seen?

I was still lost in my thoughts when I felt a strong hand grab my arm and pull me sideways into a room. The door shut behind me before I could even react.

It was Sergeant Ashford’s office.

He stood there in the low light, still in his uniform from the exercise. His sleeves were rolled up, and there was still a light sheen of sweat on his neck. He looked at me for a long second, his hazel eyes steady and unreadable.

“There you are, Recruit,” he said, his voice low and calm.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I had no idea why he had pulled me in here. Was this about the exercise? Or did he somehow know what had happened behind the barracks? My mind was racing with every possibility at once.

Ashford stepped closer and locked the door behind him.

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Episode 14 | The Men In My Barracks 🪖