Narrator's P.O.V.
It had rained steadily throughout the early morning hours of the party. However, as day broke, only a fine drizzle remained. The weather had turned freezing, revealing itself overcast as the first rays of sunlight appeared on the horizon, illuminating the path. The ride continued in a comforting silence as Novaes slowly began to drift off to sleep, his head resting gently on the older man's shoulder. The distance between the party and the building where Kael lived wasn't that far, so within minutes they were already reaching their destination.
Kael and Samuel got out of the car and, in a matter of seconds, were already going up the stairs to the older man's apartment. Ávila was carrying the curly-haired boy by supporting his waist, trying at all costs to prevent an imminent fall. Samuel could barely stand on his own feet. The boy was mumbling incoherent things, softly, perhaps so Kael wouldn't hear him. The man made an effort to listen to whatever the younger boy was saying, but couldn't make it out. In the end, he just laughed. That situation was actually becoming a bit funny, given that Samuel was naturally funny—and drunk Samuel even more so...
Finally, they entered the apartment. The transition from the cold outside to the warmth inside was so comforting that Kael felt a massive wave of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Samuel took a deep breath, also appearing relieved. He chuckled softly, patting the older man's arm, and then started chattering away.
"You know what your problem is, Kael?" Samuel blurted out, his voice slurred, tripping over the rug and being promptly caught by the waist before he hit the floor.
"What's my problem, Sam?" Kael asked, letting out a tired, nasal chuckle, adjusting the boy in his arms to keep walking toward the bathroom.
"You are just... you're way too handsome. You're way too handsome and way too hot," Samuel grumbled, lifting his head with difficulty to stare at the older man's makeup-covered face, his eyes half-lidded. "And you're annoying. You keep wasting time with people who are no good, when we... Kael, pay attention, I'm talking to you!" He demanded the older man's attention, making him look at him. "We would be such a badass couple. Don't you think? We would put everyone at that party to shame. Everyone would look at us and say: 'Holy shit, look at Kael and Samuel, they're so gorgeous.' But you won't let it happen..."
Kael felt his cheeks warm up. The boy's unabashed honesty was comical, but it carried a truth that made Ávila's heart beat a little faster. It hit him right in the chest.
"Yeah, we would be pretty badass together. Now come on, we need to get you cleaned up," Kael agreed, his tone soft, finally reaching the bathroom. "Take off your clothes," the older man instructed, his tone firm, but devoid of any harshness.
Samuel let out a slurred, nasal chuckle, his trembling hands clumsily fumbling with the hem of his shirt. His fingers lacked any grip to pull the fabric. Seeing the boy's futile struggle, Kael sighed deeply, stepped closer, and took over the task. With precise and careful movements, Ávila undid the layers of Samuel's clothing, undressing him until nothing was left. The contrast between the boy's state of absolute vulnerability and Kael's controlled demeanor was striking.
"Stand up, Sam. Just for a bit," the older man asked, his voice sounding raspy from exhaustion.
When Samuel was stable enough to stand on his own, Kael guided him inside the shower cabin. Ávila reached out and turned the faucet knob, releasing the water all at once.
The shock was instant.
"Holy fuck, Kael! It's freezing!" Samuel screamed, jumping awkwardly backward, his eyes widening from the shock of the cold water hitting his bare back.
"Easy, easy! It's warming up!" Kael laughed, hurrying to adjust the temperature valve. "And watch your mouth, boy!"
Within seconds, the hot water began to fall, filling the bathroom with a thick cloud of steam that instantly fogged up the mirror. The sound of the water hitting the floor felt like Kael's only relief on that hellish night. He turned back to the boy, who was blinking slowly, fighting to keep his eyes open.
Ávila guided him back under the stream. As soon as the warm temperature hit Samuel's cold skin, the boy let out a low groan of relief, tilting his head back. Water ran down his curls, washing away the sweat and the smell of alcohol, while the steam enveloped them both. Kael remained outside the shower stall, adjusting the temperature, trying simply to keep the boy upright.
That was when Samuel opened his eyes. His unfocused, alcohol-dilated gaze met Kael's tired face. The boy reached out a wet hand, grabbing the older man's wrist with surprising strength for someone who could barely support himself.
"Get in with me..." the curly-haired boy murmured, his words slurred by drunkenness, but loaded with a child-like urgency. "It's so warm, Kael. Get in."
Kael clenched his jaw, trying to ignore the grip on his arm. His rationality spoke louder, telling him not to do it.
"Don't talk crazy, Samuel. You're completely wasted. Soap up and finish your shower," Ávila countered, trying to free his wrist, but the boy refused to loosen his fingers.
"Please..." he insisted, taking a shaky step toward the edge of the stall, warm water splashing onto Kael. "Stay with me. I don't want to be alone again, Ka..."
The younger boy turned his face, water streaming down his heavy curls, and locked his gaze on the man watching him. Without saying a word, and without waiting for an answer from the older man, Samuel stretched his other arm out of the water. He firmly grabbed the hem of Kael's clothes and, with surprising force, yanked him forward.
Kael stumbled, the hot water soaking his clothes in an instant, clinging the fabric of his costume and shirt to his skin and completely melting away what remained of his incubus makeup.
"Samuel! What are you doing, boy?!" the man exclaimed, spitting out the water that hit his face, surprise written all over his features.
Samuel didn't answer with words. He merely flashed a wide, lazy smile, his eyes sparkling with child-like satisfaction. He took a step forward and wrapped both arms around Ávila's waist, pressing his bare chest against the older man's soaked clothes. The boy buried his face in Kael's neck, letting out a heavy sigh.
Kael was drenched. His costume ruined, makeup running, the weight of the wet fabric pulling him down—something he hated intensely. And yet, as he felt Samuel's tight embrace amidst that warm mist, the man couldn't feel angry. The frustration evaporated along with the water vapor. He finally dropped his shoulders, accepting his fate.
"You're impossible..." he whispered, his voice overflowing with surrender. Kael smiled.
Without any resistance, Ávila grabbed the liquid soap from the shower shelf. With slow movements filled with care, he began soaping Samuel's back. The lavender-scented suds rose, blending into the steam. Kael's hands glided over the boy's shoulders and arms, washing away every remnant of that hellish party. The aggressiveness, the coldness, the cynicism... everything Yuri had inflicted on him during the night was washed away and carried down the drain with the water. Right there, under that shower, there was only care.
Right there, it was just Kael gently taking care of Samuel.
The curly-haired boy surrendered completely to the touch. He tightened his hug around Kael even more, as if trying to merge into him. They stayed like that for long minutes. Just holding each other under the water, the sound of the shower filling the bathroom's silence, their hearts beating in a calm, synchronized rhythm.
"I don't know why you're so good to me..." the boy mumbled against Ávila's skin, his slurred voice blending with the noise of the shower. "Yuri is an idiot. Everyone is an idiot. But you... you're so smart. I like you so much, Kael. You don't even know how much..."
Kael felt his own heart skip a beat amidst that thick steam. His hands stopped soaping Samuel's back for a millisecond, absorbing the loose, naive, and intoxicated confession escaping the boy's lips. It was the raw truth that alcohol wouldn't let Samuel hide. The older man swallowed hard, closing his eyes under the warm water, allowing himself merely to stroke the younger boy's wet curls while holding him safely in his arms.
After turning off the faucet and stopping the flow of water, Kael grabbed a plush towel and, with a gentleness that contrasted with the strength of someone who, hours earlier, had needed to hold Yuri back by the arms with such force, began drying the boy off. He rubbed the fabric through Samuel's curly hair, moving down to his shoulders, while the younger boy allowed himself to be taken care of, closing his eyes under the touch.
It was then that the loose tongue of drunkenness made Novaes vent what was stuck in his throat.
"I'm so mad at you, you know?" Samuel murmured, making a frustrated pout while Kael dried his chest. "So mad. Because all of this is so unfair. You're unfair!"
"Unfair?" Kael asked softly, focused on drying his legs, acting as a patient listener to the younger boy's intoxicated heart.
"Yeah! Because you're not even my type!" The curly-haired boy crossed his arms, opening his eyes to glare at Kael with an indignant look, though the effect was undeniably adorable. "I like guys like Pedro. Pedro is my type. Remember when I joined the group? I was super into Pedro! But then... then you had to show up and ruin everything!"
Kael smiled, shaking his head slowly as he handed the towel over so Samuel could finish drying himself off, processing the boy's comical confession.
"Do you have any idea what you're telling me, boy?" he asked, holding back a laugh. "How could I have ruined anything?"
"You ruined it. You showed up and were all... I don't know... handsome and smart around me. I had never even paid attention to you, and now out of nowhere I can't stop thinking about you..." he confessed.
"Look, Sam... go to my bedroom. I'll be there in a bit to lie down with you and we can talk more, okay?"
Samuel huffed, looking frustrated, but agreed nonetheless. As soon as the younger boy stumbled slightly down the hallway, Kael took a few minutes to dry off and put on only grey sweatpants, leaving his damp chest bare. He needed a moment to process the words he had heard in the shower.
He knew how Samuel felt, but he had no idea it ran so deep. Kael looked at his own reflection in the mirror. He observed his features. He looked tired, but there was a tiny smile that insisted on staying on his face. His heart was burning after everything he had heard.
After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and calmly walked out of the bathroom, heading to his bedroom. Upon pushing the door open, however, Kael stopped in the doorway and let out a low, disbelieving laugh. He closed the door and observed the boy for a few seconds, his chest tightening in a good, comforting way.
Samuel was lying diagonally across the double bed, entirely naked, on his back with his arms spread wide, taking up almost the entire mattress. The dim light coming from the hallway outlined the curves of his body, devoid of any modesty or barrier. His chest rose and fell calmly, his eyes remained closed while his mouth moved. He seemed to be mumbling something so softly it was impossible to hear. It was funny to watch, proving that he was indeed still quite intoxicated.
"Aren't you going to put some clothes on, boy?" Kael asked, shaking his head as he approached, his voice laced with tired amusement.
"It's too hot, Kael... Leave me like this." Samuel didn't even open his eyes properly, just grumbling in a raspy voice, turning his face against the pillow.
Lacking the energy to argue, Kael simply gave in. He walked around the bed and gave the younger boy two light pats on the leg, making him lie down properly. He set his things aside, plugged his phone in to charge, and turned on the dim light of his bedside lamp. Ávila then pulled the light sheet up and lay down next to Samuel, finally feeling his body relax. In that instant, it felt as though a ton had been lifted from his body; his muscles simply relaxed against the soft, warm bed...
And, the very moment he felt the older man's weight sink into the mattress, the boy moved by instinct. As if drawn by a gravity of his own, Samuel slid over to Kael, pressing his bare chest against the older man's torso and resting his head on his shoulder, one of his legs draped over Kael's thighs. The heat emanating from Samuel's skin was intense, but the older man didn't push him away. Instead, he slipped his arm under the younger boy's neck, pulling him closer.
"I like you so much, you know?" Samuel murmured in the quiet of the twilight, running his fingers over the other man's chest.
Kael stared at the ceiling. He simply allowed himself to caress the boy's back against his chest, remaining silent after that confession. His mind was racing so fast that thousands of thoughts passed through in a matter of seconds. He thought so much he felt on the verge of short-circuiting, but deep down there was a certainty in his chest and, after that night, perhaps there was no longer any point in trying to postpone what he was about to say.
"I like you a lot too, Sam. It's not for nothing that I'm here, taking care of you after everything that happened at the party," he said.
"No... it's different," Samuel countered quickly, his voice choked with a painful lucidity that cut through the alcohol. He raised his head slightly, his dark eyes searching for Kael's in the darkness. "It's different, Kael. You say you like me, but you're always with Yuri. If he snaps his fingers, you go running. It feels like you spend your life chasing after him even knowing he doesn't want you. Meanwhile, I... I can't stop thinking about you for a single second."
The words fell between them like a heavy weight. The mention of Yuri's name made the room's air crackle with tension. Kael held the boy's gaze, feeling the veiled pain and genuine insecurity Samuel carried in his bare chest. He read the younger boy's features and recognized exactly what he was feeling in that moment: pain.
"I didn't want to want you. I hate myself for it," Samuel confessed, his fingers tracing the older man's body once more in a possessive caress. "You're way older... you hook up with a bunch of people, you don't commit to anyone, you've been around... it makes no sense at all. But..."
Samuel swallowed hard, looking up to meet Kael's brown eyes in the dim room.
"...But you cared," the boy whispered, his voice cracking as a solitary tear wet the pillow. "Nobody had ever truly taken care of me before. Never. Nobody ever cared about me the way you do. You took care of me today. You care about me and you listen to me. You did that, and now I can't stop loving you."
Ávila took a deep breath, making a decision that for months had seemed impossible, but now sounded like the only logical choice of his life.
"I'm never going to reach out to Yuri again," Kael stated, his tone firm, sharp, and absolute. "It's over, Samuel."
Samuel blinked slowly, the shock freezing his movements. Curiosity and astonishment swept the haze of drunkenness from his eyes as he stared at Kael, shocked by the sudden gravity of that promise.
"I hate loving Yuri," he continued, every syllable heavy with clear exhaustion. "I don't like the way he hurts me. I don't like who I am around him. Honestly? I wish I had never met him. I regret the day I went to that damn party and met him. If I could, I would've stayed home, just so I wouldn't have met him."
Kael slid his hand across Samuel's face, wiping away the wet trail of a tear on the boy's cheek.
"But I like you. And I want you," Kael confessed.
The silence that followed seemed to last an eternity. Samuel remained paralyzed, his breath caught in his throat, trying to process the weight of that sentence. He was speechlessly stunned.
Guided by genuine desire and the urgency to prove what he felt, the man leaned his face forward, seeking the younger boy's lips. But, to his complete surprise, the touch didn't happen.
Samuel pulled his face back, placing his hand gently, yet firmly, against Kael's chest, keeping distance between their mouths. The drunkenness was still there, altering his senses, but the boy's eyes carried an obstinate lucidity and strength.
"No," Samuel decreed, his voice choked, yet unyielding. "I'm not going to kiss you. I'm not kissing you anymore unless we have something real."
Kael frowned, astonished by the rejection.
"What's the reason for this now?"
"Because I'm not going to be used. By anyone," Novaes answered, sitting partially up on the mattress, pulling the sheet to cover his lap since he was completely naked. "I might be young, Kael. I might be inexperienced. But I know who I am, and I know I'm too good to let you step on me or use me as a rebound just to satisfy yourself and forget Yuri. I won't accept that."
The force of those words hit Kael full-on. There was a boy completely surrendered, hopelessly in love, but refusing to give up his own dignity to fit into someone else's chaos. That only made Ávila's admiration grow overwhelmingly, definitively validating his feelings for Samuel. He knew that goofy boy was someone truly worth it!
"I would never do that to you," Ávila stated, also sitting up facing him, his tone overflowing with unwavering sincerity. "I would never hurt you on purpose just to stroke my ego. Never."
Samuel evaluated him for a long second, his jaw trembling slightly, holding back tears and hope.
"I'll only hook up with you again if you say you'll be only with me. Without Yuri. Without anyone else. Just me."
It was an ultimatum. Kael looked at Samuel's swollen, handsome face, illuminated by the soft light of the lamp. He thought about the disastrous night he had just had. He thought about the hell Yuri was, and he thought about the absolute peace that hug in the shower had brought him. He remembered the last time he kissed that beautiful boy in front of him, remembered the moments they had already shared, and remembered how Samuel made him feel comfortable and like he belonged. Novaes validated him and strove to be good to him, making him happy without even trying. In the end, the choice was already made.
"I'll be only with you," Kael accepted, without hesitation. "I want you, Samuel. I want you so much. I really like the idea of it being just the two of us, because I want you really bad."
Samuel's eyes widened. The boy's breath hitched, shock and happiness colliding on his features so intensely that he seemed unable to believe what he had just heard. Without warning, the curly-haired boy lunged forward, sealing his lips to Kael's in a desperate kiss, full of relief and urgency.
But, as fast as he lunged, Samuel pulled back again, just inches from Kael's face, his eyes searching the older man's soul as if looking for a trap.
"Is it really true? Do you swear?" he whispered, almost afraid it was an alcohol-induced delirium. Kael smiled, a small smile, but indisputably the most genuine one of that night.
"It's true. I swear. It's going to be just the two of us."
The smile that spread across Samuel's face was blinding. He threw himself back against Kael, taking his lips once more, his hands tangling in the older man's damp hair. The kiss was no longer restrained; it was an absolute emotional surrender.
"I love you... Kael, I love you so much," Samuel murmured against his mouth, the words escaping without any filter, driven by pure euphoria.
Kael stopped the kiss. He held the younger boy's face with both hands, his thumbs caressing his cheekbones, and stared deeply into his eyes.
"I love you too, Sam," he let out.
The words flowed from his chest with unexpected lightness. It was the first time. The first "I love you" Samuel had heard from his mouth, and Kael knew the exact weight of handing over that key to him. The curly-haired boy seemed to melt under the touch, but a subtle shadow crossed his eyes, a sign that the ghost of Yuri still frightened the boy.
Kael noticed, and decided to crush any insecurity that might remain there.
"Pay attention to one thing," Kael spoke, his voice taking on an almost mystical tone, dense and irrevocable, anchoring the boy in the present. "Something I've never told you, but I am a witch, Samuel. And above all, I am a child of Aphrodite. If there's one single thing in the universe I understand perfectly, it's love. Aphrodite leaves no doubt in me about anything romantic, ever! I haven't forgotten Yuri, and I'm not going to lie to you about that. But I know that my feelings for you aren't fake. They are real. And I am sure of them. Because of that, you can be sure that everything I say to you will always be serious and true!"
Samuel nodded slowly, swallowing hard, hypnotized and reassured by the magic of those words.
"But we're going slow," Kael imposed his condition, caressing the back of Novaes's neck. "We're going to be exclusive casual partners. Just you and me. But I need this time to completely detox from Yuri's influence. Only after that will I agree to officially date you. Can it be like that?"
The boy didn't need any extra time to think. The smile returned to his lips, radiating a peace that lit up the entire room.
"It can. That's all I want," Samuel whispered.
When their mouths met again, the ties of the world outside unraveled. The kiss deepened, turning the conversation and the promise into a needy, almost desperate act. Warm skin, heavy breathing, the scent of lavender soap filling their senses... the sound of their kiss was all that filled the room. Both were exhausted, but they couldn't care less. They were finally where they wanted to be, so they couldn't stop. They both wanted more of each other, so much more!
Samuel was a virgin, and Kael knew that moment needed to be handled with extreme care. He wanted it to be special, in some way. What followed wasn't the mechanical, casual sex the older man was so accustomed to; it was love and desire in its purest form. Kael took control with absolute patience and devotion, determined to take care of Samuel in the best way possible. He guided the boy's every move, whispering words of comfort and love, unlocking the younger boy's body with the reverence he deserved.
It was intense, it was slow, and it was stupidly perfect!
That morning, under the soft glow of the lamp, they not only discarded the doubts and ghosts of the past, but built, between the crumpled sheets, the perfect and unshakable haven they both so desperately needed.