The fireplace crackled softly as the orange sunset hid behind the red and brown trees. Outside, the air blew chilly. It was bearable, but Brady was grateful he had a heavy jacket on as he walked on the pavement with fast, impatient steps, over the fallen leaves. He stopped, uncertain, when he got to the house, big and expensive. He doubted, yet his phone reassured him he was at the right stop. It was a modern place, covered by ocean-blue walls that were sweetly complemented by wooden details all around. In the front, purple flowers covered the spot next to the big window.

"Is it really that impressive?" A voice asked, cheeky. A boy was leaning against the now-opened door. Brady realized he had his mouth open, so he quickly made a point to close it. "It's not that; it's just..." without excusing himself, he walked through the door. "This isn't your home, is it?"

"No," the boy answered, passing a hand through his golden hair. "Sometimes. You could make a case that it is mine. Why?"

"I don't know," Brady's eyes danced slowly through every inch of the house. "I thought you said you lived alone, and this house... feels more like the sort of place where a family lives."

The other boy chuckled, closing the door, and taking Brady's coat. "Never mind that. Besides, I never said I lived alone; I said I had my own place."

Brady took out his phone and checked the dating app where he and the boy -- who went by ThreeLeggedCowboy, a little pretentious and unsubtle for Brady but hey, a man has needs -- had been chatting on. It was true, Cowboy had never said he lived alone. "Okay, point for you, Mr. Cowboy."

"I hate it when you call me that," Cowboy rolled his eyes.

"No, you don't," Brady smiled as he stepped closer to Cowboy, next to the entrance. "It turns you on."

"There's no proof of that," Cowboy said.

"Yeah? Then what's this?" Brady spread his palm and took hold of the growing bulge in the front of Cowboy's jeans. "Too forward? Or are you actually hiding a gun in there, Mr. Cowboy?"

"Oh, so you like guns?" Cowboy stretched his hands, unbuttoning his shirt.

"I love guns, especially big ones," Brady took Cowboy's shirt and slowly let it fall from his shoulders. Damn, Brady had to contain himself not to touch Cowboy's soft, white chest. Softer than cotton, hot enough to melt butter on it. "I hope you know how to use yours... well, that and I also hope you aren't the fastest gun in the west."

"Oh, fuck you, you know I ain't," Cowboy pushed Brady towards the wall, undoing his belt and lowering his jeans to the floor. "I am not the average cowboy... I take my time, I go slow, you know it."

"Oh, so you accept that you are a cowboy? I mean, you chose that nickname."

"Only for the stupid app," Cowboy lifted Brady's shirt over his body, leaving him against the wall wearing nothing but a pair of black boxer-briefs that fit tightly around his waist and groin. "The only things cowboys and I have in common are that we both love guns, and we sure know how to mount an animal."

Brady slid Cowboy's pants to the ground only to find the boy wasn't wearing anything underneath. Silly as it may be, Brady smiled, passing his tongue over his lips, and with a delicate, quiet motion, he pressed his mouth against Cowboy's. It was brief but also warm and wet. Cowboy had always known how to kiss, and this time... oh, this time his kiss was fucking damn good.

Slowly, Brady moved his mouth towards Cowboy's ear, and as he took the boy's dick with his hand, squeezing it tightly, he whispered: "prove it."

Cowboy took Brady's hand and let him not to the bedroom or the couch but towards the middle of the living room. Calmly, Cowboy let out several blankets over the floor next to the burning fireplace. The scene was one cup of coffee away from being cozy, like a cabin in the middle of the woods. The sight got even better when Cowboy layed down on his back on top of the blankets, the orange shadows of the flames dancing over his pale body and blond hair. And, in a single motion, lifted his legs in the air, inviting him.

Brady had never seen anything so delicious, he didn't need to be asked twice.

Like a lion about to hunt a poor, lost little deer, Brady bit his lip and jumped on top Cowboy's spread legs.

Brady had never been a fan of dating apps, although even he had to recognize they were very good at what they were made for --which, despite the name, wasn't dating. Most times it was an average experience, other times a total disappointment, but some other times it was not only fun but incredibly hot.

Cowboy was the very first person from the dating-app Brady had gone out with and it wasn't an accident. When Brady first saw Cowboy's pics he recognized him from his former school, same year but they had never actually talked. However, for some reason, that made Brady more confident. Now, they had become regulars although usually they met at Brady's place.

Fucking on the floor wasn't as comfortable as on a bed but it somehow felt wilder, more savage, primal. The fireplace added something too, the warm light, the burning heat close to their bodies as he fucked Cowboy was... new, hot. So much so that, when they finished, Brady was sweating.

After a second, Cowboy got up without a word and disappeared into what seemed to be the kitchen. A minute later, he came back with two glasses of water. "Here."

"Thanks," Brady drank it all almost immediately. Sitting up, he moved on top of the blankets, tossing and turning quietly, unable to find a comfortable position. He gave up. "By the way... I, well..." He put his left hand over his neck, scratching it. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Questions after fucking?" Cowboy gulped with an exaggerated gesture, taking a seat next to the fireplace. "You are making me nervous."

"No, it's not..." Brady was playing with his hair, hair that somehow looked redder next to the fireplace. "It's more like... advice."

"Oh," Cowboy put his glass on the floor, leaning forward.

"Well, I... first of all, I thought about asking you because I know you are good with this... this whole dating stuff. Well, not dating but these... encounters? You know what I mean. You are very... experienced."

"Are you calling me a slut?" Cowboy raised an eyebrow. Brady didn't move, petrified in his spot until Cowboy smiled. "I'm joking! Relax! Slut isn't even an insult anymore. Now, tell me more, so... you want to fuck a guy and don't know how to make it happen?"

"Not that..." Brady looked away. "Well, maybe. Yes. That's it, basically."

"Okay, show me." Cowboy stood up, still naked in the living room. All the lights were off except for the fireplace, making Cowboy's pale skin and blond curls shine like ivory with a slight touch of gold. He extended his hand towards Brady. "Your phone. Show me a pic of this hot guy you want to fuck."

Brady doubted for a second before crawling towards his jeans on the floor; even the wooden floor was warm for a cozy autumn night. For a second he doubted but seeing no point in fighting, he unlocked his phone and opened Instagram, handing his device over.

"Woah!" Cowboy grinned. "This boy's... what? Twelve?"

"Thirteen."

"Damn, Brady, you sure like them young!"

Brady looked away. Truth be told, he had taken the matter with Cowboy not only because he had expertise in the whole dating-guys world, but also because Cowboy wasn't his friend. Brady was nineteen, in his third semester in college to be exact, and even though he wasn't an adult -- whatever that word meant -- he knew some could be weirded out by a nineteen-year-old talking to a boy six years younger. So, Brady felt safest asking someone who wasn't a friend, ergo, Cowboy.

"It's okay," Cowboy placed his hand on Brady's shoulder, reading his mind. "It's fine." Cowboy sat down in between Brady and the fireplace, his palm resting over the boy's skin, soft, almost floating. "I tend to like them older. You know, hot hairy daddies. But I've tried some green boys too."

"You have?" Brady bent his head.

"Of course! Green boys have tons of pros... but also some cons, just like everyone else." Cowboy smiled silly; Brady was just happy he was not making a big deal out of it. "So, wanna know how to get into his pants? I'll show you, gladly."

"Heh, thanks... but first, I want to know if he also wants that."

"Wanna see if he has the hots for you, got it," Cowboy moved closer. "Has he ever given you any signs or anything? Where do you know him from?"

Brady leaned back, resting on his extended palms.

"I've known him for a while, actually, and never really thought anything of him. Like, I never saw him as dating or fucking material. Never. Until two days ago, that is. I was at his place. He's not my friend or anything, but I don't know, something was different. I saw him staring at me and then pretending he wasn't. Like, I could feel his eyes on me when he thought I wasn't looking. And when I say hi, he usually just says hi and goes away, but this time he tried to make a conversation. It was awkward because you could tell he had nothing to talk to me about, but he still tried. Stuff like that, little things."

"But there was this moment when I was going down the stairs and he was going up, and I, like a normal human being, moved aside to let him through. I pressed my body against the wall to make space for him to keep going, but when he was next to me he... it was two seconds, maybe three. He stopped, and instead of stepping away he... he brushed his body against mine. I felt his legs touch mine, his arms, his hands brushing mine, and during those two seconds he looked at me in the eyes, the whole time. He didn't say a thing. Finally, he just kept moving and went away. To be fair, it was a tight space, but... I don't know, I think he may be into me but I'm not sure."

Cowboy stayed quiet for a second; nothing could be heard except the murmur of the wind and the whisper of the fire on wood. Brady watched Cowboy's chest, rising and lowering slowly, peacefully.

"By the way you tell it," the blond boy finally spoke. "Sounds like he might be into you, but it would be better to be sure. Just... you said he isn't your friend?"

"Right."

"Then why were you at his place? Is he... like your cousin or something? Because that is a whole other type of kink."

"No, he isn't my cousin. He..." Brady scratched the back of his neck, his eyes staring at Cowboy's chest, unable to lift them. "He... um, he is the brother of my best friend."

"Oh, shit!" Cowboy didn't lose a second. "You want to fuck your best bro's little brother? His baby brother?"

"Shut up."

"No judgment, not judging you," Cowboy tried to hide his smile behind his hands. "It happens to the best of us. But, if you want to be sure he is into you before you try anything, why not just ask him? You have his number, right?"

"Only his Instagram. But... asking him directly, isn't that...?"

"No, not directly," Cowboy, still with Brady's phone on his palm, was staring at the young boy's Instagram profile. "Talk to him but in the conversation you leave hits, subtle but clear."

"I don't know," Brady was playing with the empty glass in his hands. "He and I, we've never chatted before. It would be too weird and too obvious if I just start a conversation out of nowhere. Too needy."

"You don't start it yourself. Make him start the conversation," Cowboy lifted Brady's phone. "Here, can I use this?" But didn't wait for an answer, he started swiping.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching you something you apparently don't know: flirting on Instagram." Cowboy stood up and, out of nowhere, took something out of the shelves in the living room before pointing the Brady's phone camera at himself, selfie mode, as he walked around the room until he found the right spot. "Come here."

"But..."

Cowboy pulled Brady into his feet, moving him to his side, and drawing the letter "A" into his chest with a marker. Before Brady could protest, Cowboy had already finished and was pointing the camera at him, raising his arm. Two seconds later, the phone made a click noise. Cowboy stared at the screen, smiling.

"This is going to your Instagram story."

"You can't put naked pictures in there," Brady protested. "Besides, my mom follows me, she can't..."

"Stop worrying," Cowboy swiped a bit before showing the screen at Brady. "Look, it only shows your chest, not your special bits." It was true. The photo, filled with orange, warm, and cozy color tones, only showed Brady's naked chest with the letter "A" written on it, the fireplace burning in the background. And even though the photo ended several inches below Brady's belly button, you couldn't see anything, although you could tell not only that he had no clothes on but you could also make out the top of his red pubic hair. "The idea is to leave something to the imagination. Showing only enough to tease but without giving anything away. Also, your mom won't see it. I'll make it so only the boy can see it."

"You can do that?"

"Of course. Now, check it." On top of the photo Cowboy had added the words: never bet on poker.

"What will that do?"

"This makes it seem as if you uploaded the story as a dare, a bet. This way you can upload a hot pic without looking narcissistic or show-off-ish, naked you look playful while also being hot." Cowboy was smiling, almost proud. "Just think about it, if you saw a picture like that of your crush, well, you'd give it a like of course. However, if it was one of just some Average Joe, then you'd maybe eye it if he is handsome, but nothing more."

"And that works?"

"Most of the time. That's how people flirt nowadays," Cowboy shrugged. "Now, we publish it," and with the press of a button, the photo started uploading before going online on Brady's Instagram story. "Now, it can take a while but depending on how qui..."

Twick! The phone chimed in Cowboy's hand.

"Was that him?" Brady leaned over in a flash. "What did he say?"

Brady quickly took the phone from Cowboy's hand, staring at the screen: the young boy had reacted instantly to the photo with a fire emoji, but before Brady could process it, a text bubble with three dots appeared.

"He's texting!" Cowboy was watching it all from behind Brady's shoulder.

"That's good?" Brady looked at the screen, then at Cowboy, then back at the screen.

Cowboy stayed quiet, his chin resting on Brady's naked shoulder. The fire kept cracking in the background, beautifully shining orange over their golden and red hair. A beautiful silence for a beautiful chilly autumn night. Cowboy was smiling.

Twick! Brady had a new message.