Matchpoint

by Gus Ralthocco

  Before he could say another word, Diego picked up the speed of his hand. He closed his eyes and his mouth relaxed between them. Almost too quickly, Diego came on his own chest, and Caio was enraptured by the way his body trembled and the way his mouth opened.

  “Oh, God,” muttered Diego, shame in his voice. He closed his eyes, and his movements stumbled to a stop.

  Caio shook his head and urged Diego to keep going because he needed more of his touch. Caio joined his hand with Diego’s on his cock, and pumped himself hard a few times, squeezing their hands together until he could jump over the edge too.

  “Just like that. Fuck.” Caio huffed out a breath as his cock spurted come all over.

  He pressed his forehead against Diego’s and wished he could stay right where he was for a while. Then he let his body fall on Diego, who pulled him closer, if that was possible.

  “We need to shower,” Diego whispered, voice lost. His breath was warm on Caio’s neck.

  Caio chuckled and made no move to pull away. “Give me a minute. I’m getting old.”

  Now it was Diego’s turn to laugh.

  They stayed in silence, enjoying each other’s company in the bed, and Caio had no regrets. He would very much like a repeat performance.

  When things were getting sticky between them, Caio rose to his knees, searching for his underwear. He threw Diego’s to him so they could get to the bathroom.

  “Do you want to go together? I think we’re still in the clear,” he said.

  Diego seemed surprised by the suggestion, but he nodded. And when he got up, Caio kissed him once and then grabbed his things.

  They met at the door, and Caio couldn’t help but press Diego against the wall, their bodies flush together.

  They should have been paying attention to more than just their own little world, because while they were distracted, the front door opened. That scene in the hallway was visible from the living room—Caio and Diego half naked with come on their chests and kissing each other against the wall.

  It was only when Adônis cleared his throat that Caio realized they were being watched. Caio moved away from Diego, but put himself in front of him to hide him from the other two.

  There was something in the way Adônis looked at them that almost seemed wistful. His partner, on the other hand, didn’t stay long enough for Caio to see his face. Elton had already turned around to walk away.

  Adônis did the same the next moment and followed Elton out the front door.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “ARE we breaking any rule inside the village?” asked Diego as they moved into the bathroom.

  He deposited his stuff on the closed toilet lid while Caio left his on the sink and turned on the shower.

  “I don’t think so. At least not any written one, as far as I know,” Caio answered. He tested the water, and Diego followed him closely.

  Caio pivoted around, motioned for Diego to join him under the stream, and then proceeded to wash Diego’s hair as though they’d done it a hundred times before.

  “Should we be concerned about the other two?” Diego asked.

  “At this point, I don’t know.” Caio sighed.

  Diego rinsed his hair and as he watched Caio rub his arms with soap, he momentarily forgot about anything that wasn’t in his field of vision. Diego couldn’t keep his hands to himself and touched Caio’s shoulders and then explored with his hands down to his chest.

  The touch sent a pulse of energy toward the center of his body, and Diego felt a tingle between his legs. He didn’t want to rush, because it felt good to explore their bodies that way, but as sensual as it was, there was also something gentle in their soft, tentative touches.

  “Do you think they’re going to use this against us like the prez said?” Diego asked.

  “I don’t know.” Caio seemed almost too honest. “It’s not like they can get us kicked out of the competition.” But he sounded doubtful.

  They rinsed off the soap, and Diego turned off the shower as Caio handed him a towel.

  “I don’t know how much Adônis and the prez are in on this. I’m not sure I want to know, but the best we can do is play our game. Inside the court they can’t do a thing against us,” Caio told him.

  “But what about what happens outside the court?” Diego knew his question put more weight on Caio’s shoulders, and he didn’t want to burden his partner any more than he already had.

  “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen with us, at least I can’t give you any guarantees,” said Caio. As they put on their clothes, Caio stepped closer to Diego and pulled him toward his body. “I’m not going to let them do anything to us.”

  Diego rested his head against the juncture of Caio’s neck and shoulder. Those reassurances left him confident about what was growing between him and Caio, but they did nothing to stave off his insecurities about the future of his career after the games. And he wasn’t sure how Caio could help him with that.

  WHEN Diego woke up the next morning, the world was warm. Two strong arms were wrapped around him, and a body cradled him from behind. Caio wasn’t hard, but neither was Diego. He’d read so much about waking up next to somebody ready to ravage them, but now that he was in the same situation, Diego just wanted to stay right there and not move at all.

  Eventually he had to get up to pee, and then Caio woke up too. They had to train in the morning, so they didn’t have time to linger.

  In a rehearsed routine, the two of them got ready for the day.

  They both looked at Diego’s bed, the one they slept in together. Diego feared they were going to ignore what happened again, but before they left the room, Caio came close to kiss him as though they did that every morning.

  Out of the apartment, holding hands seemed to be out of the question, but it was impossible not to be aware of one another. He sensed how much closer they walked, the pull between them stronger than before, and Caio was constantly touching him, either on his shoulder or his waist, which might not be noticed by anyone but Diego.

  Or almost anyone but him.

  “Daddy!” Alice bounded their way when they reached the arena. A few feet behind from her, Marina had her eyes on them.

  Caio picked Alice up, but he held on to Diego’s shoulder with a hand, almost possessively, and Marina clearly noticed. It was also obvious that Diego couldn’t help but turn his eyes to Caio, taken with him.

  “Hello, boys.” Marina smiled as she got near. She wasn’t easy to read—not as easy as he was.

  “Hey,” he answered.

  “Hi. Everything all right?” Caio asked.

  “Yeah.” Marina nodded. But there was something in her eyes, a sudden hesitation. “Well, I met with the prez, and he seemed very interested in how we’ve been playing our games and advancing to the next phase.” The look on her face said a thousand things her words couldn’t.

  It was clear that the prez was counting on Caio and Diego’s help so Adônis and Elton could advance to the final. There were the other competitors, but he seemed sure that they would meet each other, and then Diego and Caio would have to defer to them. But that wouldn’t happen.

  In volleyball circles, there were rumors of schemes to support one team over the other, but it had always seemed distant from Diego’s reality. Now he was seeing it happen with his own eyes, and he never thought it would be so obvious. He wondered why people never raised their voices, but Diego had gained some insight when Caio opened up about his past. The people holding the money would always call the shots.

  “Is he going to ask us to give the match away when we play against Adônis and Elton?” Diego voiced his thoughts.

  “I think he’s going to try.” Marina crossed her arms over her chest.

  All of a sudden, his mind went back to when he played on the indoor courts in college. His team didn’t want him in the locker room because he was gay, and the coaches sided with the team. Diego had to leave through the back door.

  “I don’t think we should worry ab
out that now,” commented Caio as he adjusted Alice in his arms. “We have a match to think about. That’s all we can do.”

  It seemed as though Marina wanted to say something, but she shook her head. “You’re right. We just have to play our best. That’s it.”

  Diego wondered if he could do something. If he had recorded what the prez said to them, maybe he could expose him. He had a good following and could make some waves with his words. But, after the storm was over, he’d probably be lost without any future prospects for his career, and that scared him.

  They moved on to the training area to focus on the game and nothing else. Diego remembered to make some videos and pictures along the way to post to his Instagram account. If anything, relying on social media seemed a lot less risky than relying on the Federation. At least his fans only wanted to know if #pato was a thing.

  Their training went off without a hitch. Ever since Diego and Caio came to the Olympics, the ball hadn’t seemed to obey them as much as it did now, as though there was a newfound confidence running through their veins. Maybe it was because they were completely attuned to one another, without any walls between them. And that made a difference.

  When they finished on the sand, Caio grabbed Alice by the hand and went on to buy her an ice cream as Diego and Marina waited for Diego’s parents at a table in the food court.

  He knew Marina was worried about her brother and their situation, and Diego eventually gathered the courage to open his mouth.

  “I wanted to tell you something,” he started, and Marina glanced at him with inquiring eyes.

  Diego’s heartbeat picked up, and he flexed his fingers but then fisted his hands and tried to breathe.

  “I told Caio I have feelings for him. Apparently he reciprocates them. And we kissed.” Saying the words that way almost felt clinical, but it seemed easier.

  She nodded, seemingly not surprised. “Everything worked out between the two of you?” Marina asked.

  “Yeah,” Diego answered. “Is there something wrong?”

  Marina stared at him and shook her head. “Not with the two of you, I’m glad you guys are fine.” She reached out to grab his hand over the table. “But there’s something you should know, and I’m just worried about how to tell you.

  “I had a conversation with Elton, and he told me some things.”

  Diego had no idea what to expect from that, so he said nothing.

  “He found me in one of the hallways of the offices where the Brazilian Olympic Committee is installed, and he told me of a conversation his partner had with one of the prez’s minions about… your sleeping arrangements.” Her forehead was creased as she said those last words.

  “Oh, but nothing happened,” he protested, perhaps too loudly. “I mean, nothing out of ordinary.” He lowered his voice. “They just saw us kissing.”

  The tension in his body began to rise. It was less about hiding from the world and more about making sure they could handle the scrutiny, because inviting people to peer at them under a spotlight was not a good idea, especially when they were just starting to get close to one another.

  “Elton told me that the Fed said they would ‘deal with it,’ but he also mentioned that he thought they were just placating Adônis, though it’s impossible to know. They want Adônis in the final.”

  Diego took a deep breath. “Do you think they have something on us besides the kiss? Or something on me?”

  Marina lifted her shoulders. “I don’t know. And I’m not sure how much my brother has told you about this, but Adônis was never the Fed’s darling before, you know? Caio was well respected in the competitive circles. Some people even talked about him eventually graduating to be an official and one day to the presidency, because he was a natural.” Marina looked to the side to where Caio was still in line with Alice. Then she kept talking.

  “When Adônis did what he did and they lost the final, rumor has it that the prez lost a lot of money on a gamble with some of the higher-ups from other federations. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it does make sense if you think about how he’s treated Caio ever since.”

  “But what about Elton? Does he know about this stuff? Is he complicit?” Diego asked.

  Marina shook her head. “I’m not sure, but maybe he knows and is tired of it? Because I wasn’t expecting him to come and tell me this. But then, he revealed another thing to me.”

  Diego waited for her to continue, but Marina seemed unsure until the moment she opened her mouth again.

  “I think Elton is gay, and Adônis might be forcing him into the closet.”

  And that was a surprise to Diego, but Adônis’ reaction sadly was not. With his mouth agape, Diego shook his head. “How do you know that?”

  Marina looked like she didn’t want to say it at first, but she sighed. “He didn’t say it in so many words, you know? But there was this desperation hidden behind his questions and the way he wanted to know about the two of you…. It’s the same I saw in my brother back then. It’s there, and it hurts to see.”

  He squeezed Marina’s hand, as a sad look crossed her face. He would never know what really went down all those years ago.

  “What did he ask you?”

  “He wanted to know how the two of you could get on so well, especially when he had to lie and hide the real truth about himself. I think he’s been wanting to come out since he started to play, but Adônis based his standing with the Fed on being straight and needing protection against Caio’s advances, so he would never come out and risk losing the support.”

  “Caio lost his support,” Diego pointed out.

  Marina nodded her agreement and continued. “But it makes sense that this is what it would come down to. Adônis made bold claims about his relationship with Caio, and he wanted to destroy Caio’s chance of getting a new partner and continuing on with his career. Why do you think we went after a player who wasn’t from the sand courts? Some people still think Caio was the one who did something wrong.”

  “That’s… enlightening,” said Diego, and a lot of things made sense.

  “My brother thought this was the end of the road for him, but it wasn’t.” She sighed. “The way you two came together was all he needed. And it makes me happy that there’s something more between you, because Caio is too lonely.”

  Diego felt warmth pushing at the dark emptiness this conversation had carved inside him. “I don’t want him to be lonely.”

  “That’s good. Because this is the part where I tell you that, if you ever hurt my brother, I’m going to break both of your wrists like I should have done to Adônis years ago.” And though there was a comic edge to her words, Diego couldn’t help but feel that Marina was serious.

  “I’m not going to hurt him,” he promised.

  “Who aren’t you not going to hurt?” Caio asked from the side with ice cream for everyone and Alice in tow.

  Instead of feeling caught off guard, Diego turned to him and smiled.

  “Ah, no one,” he said. Caio leaned down to put his forehead on top of Diego’s head as though he wanted to kiss him, but he stopped at the last moment. The gesture could be overlooked like something friends would do, but they knew better.

  Marina also knew better, and Alice just smiled at them.

  “I love when we can be together,” Alice announced to the table.

  “I love it too.” Caio adjusted Alice’s chair so she could sit. “And when this is over, we’re all going to spend some time as a family, okay? Maybe we’ll go see the snow.”

  Alice nodded eagerly. “Diego is coming with us, right?”

  Caio turned to him, and Marina followed. Alice also glanced his way, and Diego felt like the center of attention, but that wasn’t so bad.

  “Of course he’s coming with us,” Caio confirmed.

  “I get the feeling that we’re not going to get rid of him any time soon,” Marina said, and Caio laughed while Diego shook his head.

  The more he thought about these people, the more
he thought they were almost too good to him. He’d never take them for granted, much less use them as a ladder, like other people had. They deserved better than that. This little family deserved the world, and Diego would fight to give it to them.

  Chapter Fourteen

  THEIR next opponents on the sand had had a perfect campaign so far. The Italians, Palermo and Lugano, had a playing style similar to Caio and Diego’s. They got off to a slow start only to improve by the second set and ended their games on a strong note.

  Caio had watched some videos of the Italians’ past games and also drew on his own experiences with them on the sand to concoct a strategy. This team had done well enough in the past two Olympic cycles to be among the best in the world. The Italians were worthy opponents, and after Adônis and Elton won their game that morning, the pressure was on Caio and Diego. If they won, the Brazilian teams would play against each other in the next round.

  For the current game, Caio’s strategy was simple—tire Lugano out by shooting most of the balls at him right from the beginning. He was the stronger player of the two, with better fundamentals, so making it harder for him to develop his game would set up Caio and Diego for the second part of the match, when they would take advantage of their organized gameplay in order to win the sets.

  “It’s a sound strategy,” commented Diego. “By the first half we’ll have a better idea about what to expect from them, and if it’s going to work out.”

  Caio hummed in agreement. “They must have watched our games. I’m sure they’ve seen that you’re better prepared for their attacks.”

  Diego wasn’t as tall, so he knew not to defend against larger athletes. When both guys on the other team were big, Caio concentrated on blocking, while Diego stepped back to receive the ball in the middle of the court. At the start of their partnership, Diego got firsthand experience on how many points he could lose doing the wrong thing.

  “You’re a lot stronger now,” added Caio.

  “We’re stronger together.” Diego offered his fist, and they bumped their knuckles.