The sun hung heavy over the training field, pouring down a blistering light that made every breath burn hotter. The team had been sent out for a grueling circuit, laps and stretches before the actual drills began. Sweat poured freely, shirts clung to backs, and yet Caleb’s eyes were elsewhere.
Always elsewhere.On Jonas.The boy ran with a steadiness that mocked the heat. His curls were damp, clinging to his temple, his jaw set in stubborn determination. Caleb should’ve been counting strides, pushing his own pace, but his phone stayed half-hidden in his palm, snapping blurred photos every chance he got. Evidence. Proof that Jonas was his.Except Jonas wasn’t. Not really.“Keep your form, Caleb,” Brandon’s voice cut through the rush of footsteps, sharp but not unkind.Caleb shoved his phone back into his pocket. “I am.”Brandon didn’t argue, though he saw everything. He always did.When the whistle finally blew,The sun hung heavy over the training field, pouring down a blistering light that made every breath burn hotter. The team had been sent out for a grueling circuit, laps and stretches before the actual drills began. Sweat poured freely, shirts clung to backs, and yet Caleb’s eyes were elsewhere.Always elsewhere.On Jonas.The boy ran with a steadiness that mocked the heat. His curls were damp, clinging to his temple, his jaw set in stubborn determination. Caleb should’ve been counting strides, pushing his own pace, but his phone stayed half-hidden in his palm, snapping blurred photos every chance he got. Evidence. Proof that Jonas was his.Except Jonas wasn’t. Not really.“Keep your form, Caleb,” Brandon’s voice cut through the rush of footsteps, sharp but not unkind.Caleb shoved his phone back into his pocket. “I am.”Brandon didn’t argue, though he saw everything. He always did.When the whistle finally blew,
The camera never left his neck.Brandon noticed first thing in the morning, Caleb sitting at the breakfast table with the strap digging into his collar, lens cap clicking between his restless fingers. He wore it in class, at meals, even when they were just lounging in their room. At first Brandon didn’t say a word. He knew better than to pry.But it was the absences that spoke loudest. Every break, Caleb vanished. Always alone. Always with the camera.Brandon found out where when he followed, just once. He saw Caleb in the library corner, crouched low, the shutter whispering. The lens was aimed at Jonas, fast asleep over a pile of books, cheek pressed against his folded arm.Click.Jonas’ mouth parted.Click.The sunlight caught in his hair.Click.Brandon’s chest tightened. He turned away before Caleb spotted him.After that, he stopped following. He didn’t need to. He already knew what the pi
The door slammed behind them, rattling the frame. Caleb didn’t move. He leaned against the wall, eyes dark and jaw tight, as if the ghost of Jonas still lingered in the air, painted on his eyelids, etched into his bloodstream.Brandon dropped his keys on the desk and stared at him for a long beat. The silence between them was almost unbearable.“You’re going to kill yourself doing this,” Brandon muttered, his voice low but steady. “Watching him like that. Wanting him like that. Pretending it doesn’t tear you apart.”Caleb’s throat bobbed. He said nothing.Brandon stepped closer, close enough to catch the faint tremor in Caleb’s fingers. He wanted to shake him, to break through the silence. Instead, he breathed in deep and let the truth bleed out.“I can’t compete with Jonas. I know that,” he said. “But I’m here. And I… I love you. I can give you that. Even if it’s just for tonight.”Caleb’s gaze finally flicked to him. There was
The crowd had finally thinned enough that Jonas noticed them. He smiled, warm, natural, as though nothing in the world had ever come between them. Caleb’s breath hitched beside Brandon, but as always, he said nothing.Jonas stepped forward. “Thanks for coming. Rafael really pulled this together, he’s insane with these things, right?”Caleb gave a faint nod, lips parting but no words forming. Brandon, steady as stone, filled the silence for him.“He is. You know Rafa, if it’s not over the top, it’s not him,” Brandon said, the edge of a chuckle softening the words. “Caleb wouldn’t miss it. He’s been looking forward to this.”Jonas’s eyes flicked to Caleb, who lowered his gaze. “Really?” he asked, gently.Caleb swallowed. Brandon stepped in again, tilting his head toward his brother. “Yeah. He doesn’t say much, but trust me, he’s always paying attention. You’d be surprised what he notices.”Jonas’s smile deepened. “That’s… good to h
The phone buzzed again on the desk. Caleb blinked down at it, sweat still cooling on his skin. He’d barely caught his breath when the screen lit up:Jonas: Hangout tonight. Bring whoever.The message might as well have been a jolt of electricity. Caleb sat upright, sheets pooling around his waist. His pulse pounded like a drum in his ears. Without thinking, he scrambled for his shirt on the floor, tugging it over his head with frantic fingers.“Seriously?” Brandon’s voice came from the bed, low, amused, but edged with disbelief.Caleb didn’t answer. He shoved his feet into jeans, running a hand through his hair, already calculating how fast he could get there.Brandon sat up, sheets slipping down his chest. His phone chimed, and he gave a humorless laugh. He held up the screen. The exact same message.“Guess I’m invited too,” he said. “Your Jonas wants me there as well.”Caleb froze, his jaw tightening at the word your.
The door shut hard behind them, a dull thud that made Caleb’s pulse spike. Brandon leaned back against the wood, chest rising and falling like he’d sprinted here, eyes fixed on Caleb like he’d been starving.Caleb swallowed, throat dry. “You sure you want this?”Brandon’s smirk was crooked, soft. “Been sure for a long time.”That was all it took. Caleb crossed the room and slammed their mouths together, teeth knocking, tongues colliding, a mess of heat and desperation. Brandon’s hands clawed at his shirt, dragging it up, and Caleb yanked it over his head with a growl.They stumbled toward the bed, clothes flying, bodies colliding. Brandon shoved him down first, crawling over him, lips pressing frantic kisses along his jaw. Caleb hissed, gripping his hair, pulling him back up into another kiss that was all teeth and breathless sound.“Jonas,” Caleb gasped against his mouth, not realizing until it slipped out.Brandon froze for hal