660+ Gay Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. From cozy romances to coming-out stories and more, love wins in our collection of gay short stories.

🏆 Winning stories

“Frozen Lemonade” by Jennifer Fremon

🏆 Winner of Contest #236

Trigger warning: Contains underage sexual content, mentions of assaultYou know the movie Dirty Dancing? The one where Baby goes off to that fancy resort with her parents for the summer, and in the beginning she is a good, sweet girl who loves her daddy, and then by the end she is still a good sweet girl who loves her daddy but now she is kinda sexy too and can dance like a pro and is totally in love with that beautiful dance teacher. Why doesn’t anyone talk about how that teacher is clearly much, much older than Baby, and despite Patrick Swa...

134 likes 82 comments 82

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“The Traveler Wife” by Yves. ♙

🏆 Winner of Contest #45

I miss her; I imagine she misses me worse. It’ll be years until I hear back, and years until she hears me, and I’ll be listening to a recording already years old and the real her will be on Earth alone. I keep myself sane with math; I send her how long she’ll have to wait with each message. You’ll hear from me again in six years. I love her. When I left we were both twenty-six. It was insane; a l...

177 likes 68 comments 68

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⭐️ Recommended stories

“All I Want For Christmas” by Elisa Skoett

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #229

It was a long way to Ezra’s parents’ vacation home. The road was narrow and winding, the switchbacks crawling up the snow-laden mountains. Darkness seeped over the horizon and the shadows of trees stretched and receded as the car’s headlights cut through the inky blackness. The falling snow was reflected in the sickly yellow beams, the tunnel of white reminding Ezra of the opening of a Star Wars movie.  All ...

31 likes 20 comments 20

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“Graduation, Dreams, and Ospreys” by Lee Disco

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #201

TW: LanguageThe living room smells of smoke, cloying ash lodging into my sinuses. The misty heat from outside wafts down the chimney and creates a palpable shift in the temperature around the fireplace—I sit in front of it and press my hands against the wooden floors, noting how the humidity seems to make them dip under my fingertips, makes them soft and waxy.The heat eases the shiver under my skin, cold from the drenched suit, the source of the dripping that rings into the quiet, empty home. I tap a pa...

19 likes 10 comments 10

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“Parallel” by Mihnea Balan

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #196

Horace wakes up at 6:30 AM. He gazes toward his wife but she’s brazenly curled up in a ball with her back toward him. After sighing his morning sigh, Horace gets up and walks to his study. He glances at his bonsai tree. It’s obsessively trimmed. He then sets Newton’s cradle in motion and begins his ritual of looking into the brown eyes reflecting back at him from the mirror, putting on his suit, and rehearsing the meetin...

25 likes 9 comments 9

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✍️ All stories

“Pac-Men” by A. L. Cranston

Submitted to Contest #246

On the phone, my mom implored me to visit.“I made my famous meatloaf,” she said with a lilt. I knew it was a ploy, but her words tugged at my heartstrings, and she knew I couldn't resist her cooking. Even though my parents were only a few hours away, I felt guilty for not seeing them in a while. So after work on Friday, I kissed my husband goodbye and hit the road with my favorite true crime podcast blaring through an old Bluetooth speaker in my cup holder.When I arrived, of course, my parents had already eaten, but they insisted that w...

6 likes 0 comments 0

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“Not Quite Oedipus ” by Rachael Knight

Submitted to Contest #246

*Sensitive Content Warning: Cursing, mention of sex acts, substance abuse* “Can we stay with you for a while?” I watch my son as he teaches his cousin how to swing on her own. He patiently explains to her how to use her legs to make it move and she happily takes the instruction to heart. The playground was empty except for us. The sky was gray, but the air was warm for November. It was the perfect day to be here. “They make me think of us when we were that age,” I say. “Did you hear me?” My brother, Trent, asks and I begin to lower to the g...

14 likes 1 comment 1

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“Soleil and the Eclipse” by Crowley Foster

Submitted to Contest #245

(Warning for very minor mentions of abuse, and being ill. Marking as sensitive content just to be safe, but none of these things are in-depth.)The eclipse does not originate from natural causes.I’d understand your conflict reading that statement. To the average man, a total eclipse is just a product of our solar system, the moon centering itself in front of the sun to block the light of day. What if I told you that this comes from something more unreal, however? That the moon and the sun align in honor of two people in love?My mother told me...

2 likes 1 comment 1

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“I Met My Nemesis In Retrograde” by C.B. Chribby

Submitted to Contest #245

I’m not crazy about fortune telling but you know better than to argue with science, right? I mean, experts think they’ve finally found the means to change things up a bit and allow us to drink a few potions so that things won't be so bad in our opposite seasons, but honestly, it just hasn't been working out for me.  Take koff, that lovable drink we often take when we get up in the morning and we’re feeling down about ourselves. It gives us energy and when the moon is in retrograde, we need all the energy we can get. Well, right now...

12 likes 8 comments 8

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“Sleeping through” by Kai Dao

Submitted to Contest #243

Zahng shades his eyes against the sun reflecting off the ice and bounces the backpack against his back. He readjusts his grip on the sled’s reins. On the sled sits his husband, bundled under his favourite fur-lined blanket. The walk across the frozen lake from the mainland is long, but the ice isn’t thick enough for an ATV.“I can see the cabin from here!” Zahng turns his head to speak to Jax. “You still awake back there?”He isn’t surprised when there’s no answer. Just in case, he listens, hoping Jax is not in full Hibernation. Jax spends eno...

8 likes 3 comments 3

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“The Elsewhere” by Nicole Westerhouse

Submitted to Contest #243

Ronan gazed at the mirror of himself, reflected in the lake's calm surface. The Scottish highlands stretched out before him, untouched by time, yet he knew that the world beyond had shifted and marched on without him. He had been eighteen years old when he first stumbled into the caverns, curiosity pulling him too far, too deep. He was lost. Time had lost its meaning here in this Elsewhere, and though his body remained ever young, his soul felt weary with age.The seasons shifted endlessly, though Ronan could not feel them. When snow fell, an...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“Muse” by Evan Jackson

Submitted to Contest #242

It was 1:15 am when I got the call from him. I’ve been his lawyer since he released his second major collection in New Jamestown. That was 35 years ago when both of us were young and strong enough to dream. Currently, I haven’t spoken to Gregory in over two weeks. Ever since his cancer diagnosis, he’s been pushing everyone away. Afraid of being pitied and having his friends watch him wither away. I get it, but hurtful words hurt more when they come from someone you admire and cherish. Gregory’s anger was also a confession of fear and love. H...

10 likes 2 comments 2

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“Unlocked Lips” by Lisa D

Submitted to Contest #242

“You never told me your secret.” We walked through the vacant halls of the Louvre, golden light streaming through the skylight glass panes and illuminating Mona’s curious amber eyes. “Well I have no secrets anymore.” She raised an eyebrow, prompting me to continue. “Does it matter if it’s not my secret anymore?” She stopped walking and turned to me fully, no hint of her usual mischievous grin. A soft smile graced her face as she gently grabbed my arm.  “Tell me anyway?” I looked down, her piercing gaze too much as I bore my soul out to ...

8 likes 0 comments 0

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“The Art Of Love” by Wendy M

Submitted to Contest #242

James winced.       The gallery benches were solid and unyielding, something he should have remembered after 53 years. Misery bit at his sharp, protesting bones as he sat, tweaking his purple scarf. Visible but unapproachable, like an anxious aubergine basilisk.#       On his first trip to London, his parents had dashed him up the long rumbling escalator from the underground. The promise of a trip to see the guards parading in their smart scarlet tunics outside Buckingham ...

29 likes 27 comments 27

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“Emory at Nightfall” by Nicole Westerhouse

Submitted to Contest #242

Francis felt the color return to his cheeks as he stepped out of the crisp fall air, entering the grand hall of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The magnificent marble floors and soaring ceilings felt all too familiar, like a second home. His friends could never quite understand why he chose to spend a Friday evening here. They were much fonder of the pulsing neon night clubs on Christopher. But Francis felt much more content amidst the vibrant colors and intricate brush strokes that brought to life wonderous worlds of adventures that Francis...

8 likes 1 comment 1

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“Fragments of Deceit” by Nicole Westerhouse

Submitted to Contest #241

The moon was harsh against the overly ornate silk drapes that hung in the far too spacious room of the President’s mansion. The streaks half-lit the space, softening around the serene form of a sleeping Lu Jia like a halo. Theron wishes he could feel that kind of peace. Instead he found himself relentlessly pacing in front of the massive window, his mind a swirling storm of uncertainty.There was too much silence. The tiny device implanted in his ear, usually a constant stream of Harry’s techno babble, Catherine's harsh warnings or Siyana’s i...

5 likes 0 comments 0

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“For the Greater Good” by Patrick Boey

Submitted to Contest #240

“Forward! Onward! Take the bastard head on!” The struggling ship burst through the dark crest of a wave several masts high, then plunged in a downward heave. For a moment, gravity seemed to leave the Yggdrasil and the crew leaned backwards to prevent the great vessel from tipping over, and then the ship crashed upon the narrow wavelength, before it began to rise up towards the peak of the next monstrous wave.  The storm had endured three days and nights, each sunset threatening to bring more formidable towering waves, ceaseless in their...

9 likes 1 comment 1

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“The Blue Horizon” by Marty B

Submitted to Contest #240

Christian Jones felt a breeze on his arm and almost jumped out of his skin.Was it a dream? He rubbed his shoulder against his cheek, and felt the dry sandpaper of a five-day stubble, skin burnt by the sun. The deep blue ocean surrounding their small boat had been playing tricks with his mind, mirages of land, and what did those looks from Rafe mean?Again, a gentle movement on his skin, and he leapt up.“Rafe! Captain Rafe, a breeze!” Christian turned to look at the mainsail, eager for it to fill with wind, to pull them out of the ho...

8 likes 6 comments 6

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“Body of God” by Jean Racines

Submitted to Contest #239

It was 10:42 pm when god fell from the sky. The night became bright, like midday, and for the longest of minutes, a dense silence washed upon the world as if the world was holding its breath. Delivered from the clouds, a bulk in the shape of a man tumbled across the air, towards the earth and into the side of a moist cliff. In the wake of his descend, streaks of black, and color, and shine were woven onto...

4 likes 2 comments 2

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“Pavle, Number One” by Weronika L

Submitted to Contest #239

The moment I burst into the office and see myself perched on the desk, eight-o-clock-wide grin and all, the day's already a disaster. Nothing quite like a greeting from the younger, better version of yourself. As if it’s not enough I’m working the long weekend, as if it’s not enough I have sixteen voicemails begging me to fix a project I know I can’t fix, as if it’s not enough Matt’s coming in too, when I...

16 likes 3 comments 3

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