Narrator's P.O.V.
The uproar that had previously filled Kael's apartment slowly faded, replaced by the distant sound of late afternoon traffic. The clock already marked the beginning of the evening. After eating, drinking, and playing several games amid loud laughter and a few thinly veiled jabs, the group decided that the birthday after-party needed to end where every good carioca loved to be: the beach, and this time, it would be Ipanema.
It was past six in the afternoon. The friends said their goodbyes, slowly calling their rides, starting their motorcycles, or heading to the bus stop. In no time, everyone had left Kael's apartment, heading to their respective homes to shower, change clothes, and grab whatever they needed for the makeshift beach bonfire.
Everyone, except one...
Samuel remained sitting on the living room couch, watching Kael gather the empty bottles. While the other man tried to tidy up the apartment, even minimally, the boy stayed silent. After what happened that afternoon, he didn't know what to say, or even if he should say anything. Maybe silence was the best option, even if it made things a little... uncomfortable...
"Are you sure you'll be able to go with us?" Kael broke the silence, throwing himself into the armchair. The man tilted his head back. He looked tired.
"I... I think so. I really want to go, Kael..." he said, looking at his phone for the thousandth time.
The boy knew that if he walked out the apartment door at that hour, his mother wouldn't let him leave again. It was the weight of being seventeen, proving that no matter how "mature" Samuel was for his age, he was still just a teenager who got absurdly nervous every time he needed to ask his mom for permission to go somewhere.
"I'm going to call her," Samuel muttered, unlocking his phone, appearing genuinely apprehensive for the first time all day.
Kael turned his face, looking at the younger boy this time. In absolute silence, he watched Samuel's relaxed posture vanish. He found it funny, even cute, how visibly nervous the curly-haired boy got just over a phone call.
"That's what you get for being underage," he blurted out, laughing when the boy flipped him off.
"Fuck off, old man," he replied. The boy brought the device to his ear, and when his mother answered, his drawn-out, suggestive voice completely vanished. "Hi, Mom. Blessing... No, I'm here at Bia's friend's house, remember? Kael..." Samuel swallowed hard, running his free hand through his curly hair. "We're going to the beach later, to hang out. Can I stay here and just go straight with them?"
Kael couldn't help it. A soft, genuine, amused chuckle escaped his lips at the sight of the fearsome Samuel Novaes—the same boy who cornered older men in kitchens—justifying his whereabouts in such a careful, meek tone. It was cute. Absurdly cute.
"No, Mom, we aren't going alone. No. We're going with a bunch of people, we probably won't be back until morning." The boy rolled his eyes, making Ávila laugh. "Alright, Mom. Kisses. Love you."
The boy's mother still talked his ear off for a few seconds, until Samuel ended the call with an "okay, I'll text you when I get there," and, as soon as he locked his phone screen, he shot Kael a death glare. The younger boy's face was slightly flushed with embarrassment.
"What's so funny, Ávila?" the boy grumbled, tossing the phone onto the couch.
"Nothing." Kael smiled openly, leaving the dish towel on the counter and walking down the hallway. "It's just that the relentless predator loses all his composure the second he hears his mom's voice. Kind of makes me want to put you in a little jar."
"Fuck off."
"You really like telling me to fuck off, don't you? Keep it up, and I might just end up fucking you!" he grumbled.
"Try your luck, then," Samuel fired back, but a smile slipped from the corner of his mouth. He stood up, following Kael down the hallway. "I just don't want a headache from her. My mom's super annoying."
Kael walked into his own bedroom, the very same room that, hours earlier, had been the stage for Yuri's pathetic little show. But now, there was no one else there. The heavy atmosphere from the fight during the game of "Truth or Dare" seemed to have dissipated, making way for a new vibe. Kael threw himself onto his back on the bed, exhausted, sighing heavily. He was tired, indeed, but he had already promised his friends he'd go. Promising something to his friend group was equivalent to signing a contract: if you promised, you had to deliver!
Samuel stopped in the doorway, watching him. The younger boy's brown eyes were fixed on the man in front of him, assessing the terrain. With slow, silent steps, he walked in, approaching the edge of the mattress, and lay down on his side, right next to Kael. He expected to be scolded for his boldness, but, to his surprise, the older man simply made room for him to get more comfortable.
The silence that settled between the two wasn't comfortable; it was dense. The kind of silence that precedes a storm. The atmosphere grew suffocating, but surprisingly not in a bad way. Kael turned his face. The distance between them was minimal. He could feel the heat radiating from Samuel's body, the boy's faint breath hitting his face. The physical attraction that had been cultivated through teasing all day was now demanding its toll. Samuel raised his hand, his cold fingers gently brushing the brown-skinned man's jawline, tracing a path down to the nape of the older man's neck...
Kael's breath hitched. His eyes zeroed in on Samuel's mouth. The boy sensed the imminent surrender and leaned his face in, stopping millimeters away. Their lips were almost touching. The man closed his eyes, waiting for the contact...
But it didn't come.
Samuel stopped. An arrogant smirk—the same smile of someone who thinks they control every piece on the board—appeared on the younger boy's face.
"I don't kiss just anyone, Kael." Samuel's voice came out in a drawn-out, provocative whisper, testing the limits of the older man's sanity.
Kael opened his eyes slowly. Samuel's audacity hit him not as an offense, but as a clear challenge. The kid wanted to play. He wanted to test who would fold first. But Novaes had forgotten one fundamental detail: he was dealing with a twenty-five-year-old man who was teetering on the edge of his own self-control.
Did Samuel really want to compete with someone who had been playing this game far longer than he had? If Samuel wanted a game, it was a game Kael was going to win!
Kael's expression shifted. The passive gaze gave way to a dark, dominant, predatory gleam. Without saying a single word, the older man moved. With an agility that caught Samuel by surprise, Ávila rolled onto his side, incisively invading the boy's personal space. He brought one hand down to the curly-haired boy's waist, his fingers digging into the skin beneath his shirt with a firmness that made him gasp.
Samuel panted, his eyes widening slightly at the sudden, possessive touch. Kael didn't stop. He knew exactly what he was doing. With his other hand, he trailed down the younger boy's hip line, gripping his thigh and moving up, until his fingers grabbed Samuel's ass hard, molding to his body in a shameless, intimate grip.
"K-Kael..." Samuel's voice wavered. The smug persona Novaes had built melted away in a fraction of a second. A gasp escaped the boy's parted lips, his previously controlled breathing now sounding heavy.
"You don't kiss just anyone?" the man murmured back. His voice was pure velvet, deep and alluring, as if he knew exactly how to use it to seduce. He hoisted his body up, hovering over Samuel, pinning him to the mattress. Kael brushed his nose along the boy's neckline, feeling his hair stand on end instantly. "What if I tell you I'm not just anyone, Samuel?"
The boy trembled. Novaes's unshakable posture crumbled beneath Kael's experienced touch. Every squeeze on his waist, every movement of Ávila's hand exploring his body, made Samuel's brain short-circuit. He yielded. The younger body arched slightly into the older man's hand, seeking more of that touch, completely seduced by the drastic shift in power.
They stared at each other. Samuel's eyes were dilated, surrendered. He had no defenses left, looking nothing like the guy who, just moments before, had been entirely full of himself.
Kael lowered his face. His mouth hovered over Samuel's, feeling the ragged breaths hitting his own. But the older man, returning the provocation in kind, didn't press their lips together right away. Instead, he opened his mouth and caught Samuel's lower lip between his teeth. It was a slow, hard, intentional bite. A rough friction that sent a jolt straight down the boy's spine, making him shiver. Samuel let out a low, almost inaudible moan, his hands flying up to desperately grip Kael's shoulders...
That was the breaking point.
The dam burst...
Without waiting another second, Samuel pulled Kael's face down, crashing their mouths together in an urgent, ravenous, and needy kiss. No more games. The kiss was the pure materialization of the lust that had been building for hours. Kael's tongue invaded Samuel's mouth, dominating the rhythm, while the boy simply surrendered to it. His fingers tangled in the older man's hair, pulling him closer and closer, almost as if he needed him to keep breathing.
But, slowly, the pace decelerated, turning into a slow, delicate kiss. Kael commanded the rhythm, and in that moment, he wanted to savor the taste of Samuel. They both began to move calmly, exploring each other's bodies. The younger boy touched Ávila's body entirely. His arms, his face, his back... his fingers roaming, getting to know more of that man, engraving every detail into his sensory memory.
"Your kiss is so good..." Kael whispered, his forehead still resting against the other's, both with their eyes closed.
"Yours too..." Samuel replied, still breathless.
And, calmly, they started kissing again...