Chapter 7 -- Testing the Waters
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Dan and Isaac were lounging on the couch watching a random series about serial killers on the TV. The Sunday afternoon sun gently shone through the windows. It was a mild autumn day. The earthy scent of coffee billowed around the room from their coffee cups on the table.
Dan lazed out where he lay in his hoodie, shorts and white socks. To get more comfortable, he placed his socked feet on the coffee table and sighed.
'Dude, not on the table. Your socks are gross,' Isaac chimed in.
'They aren't gross, man,' Dan argued.
Isaac raised an eyebrow. 'Wanna check?'
Dan huffed and raised his feet and peered at the soles. They could do with a wash, their whiteness turned a dark grey, but they weren't that bad.
'See,' Isaac smiled knowingly.
'Uhh, fine,' Dan planted his feet on the floor and crossed his arms grumpily. But maybe he was right about the socks, he thought.
He turned away from the TV and stole a glance at his housemate. They often fought like a married couple, Isaac usually winning with his quick-wittedness. Dan hadn't noticed the fact until recently when he had started thinking about doms and subs and how sometimes people fell into one role or the other or sometimes a bit of both. His recent experiences planted him well in the latter of those two groups. But what was Isaac if any of those roles? He had joked about being a dom, but was he really capable of being one? Now that he looked back at their household dynamic, Isaac usually got his way. Not because he was bossy or demanding in a way that sought to take advantage, but more so because he always seemed to be smart or have good ideas or valid perspectives on things. Dan usually fell in line with Isaac, but had never noticed it. He had been happy to follow suit, because Isaac seemed mature, made good points and had sensible direction.
Now as he thought about it in the light of day with power dynamics in mind, maybe he had been practising submissiveness all along, but just hadn't known it. He had been easy-going about Isaac taking the lead in their household dynamic, but maybe that was submissiveness? And Isaac had stepped into the role of head of the household, which maybe was dominance?
The thoughts swirled in Dan's head as he gazed at his housemate - the lanky, slightly awkward-looking nerdy twenty-something man. Unassuming in a humble manner, yet attractive in a cute twink kind of way.
He wasn't what Dan would usually go for. But looking at him now changed how Dan saw Isaac. There was an energy that radiated from his housemate. A possible dominance he had been blind to before, and only recently had been given the right lenses to see. It made the man somehow more attractive to him. It was a quiet confidence, a reassurance that went unspoken. The mere order of being told to take his feet off the coffee table stirred something in him. Before it may have just annoyed him, but now there was a power that exuded from the exchange. Isaac had exerted a slight dominance over him, and the flutters in his stomach sent some hot blood to his crotch, making him grow slightly hard. His housemate was becoming much more attractive in his eyes.
'Dude, you're staring,' Isaac looked at Dan, snapping him out of his reverie, his glazed eyes switching back to focus.
'Oh, sorry Sir-I mean man, sorry. Daydreaming,' Dan stuttered, trying to come up with a quick explanation.
'Sir, eh? You're really hung up on this dom/sub stuff, aren't you?' Isaac smiled.
'Kinda,' Dan's face blushed a deep red. 'Have to admit, when you told me to take my feet off the table, it kinda... turned me on.'
