Matchpoint

by Gus Ralthocco

  “You sure you want to do this?”

  “Absolutely.” Caio brought a hand up to touch Diego’s cheek. They were both hard.

  Caio leaned up to kiss him on the lips, and Diego welcomed him inside his mouth. When Caio squeezed the globes of Diego’s ass and forced their hips together, Diego groaned into the kiss.

  Even over their clothes, rubbing his shaft against Caio’s hard-on was incredible, but he wanted more, even as he waited for cues for what he should do.

  Eventually Caio pulled back. “Get everything off,” he said, and Diego quickly obeyed.

  They had to move around on the bed so they could remove their clothes, and then they were completely naked, side to side over the mattress. Caio threw a leg over Diego and pushed him down to the bed so he could get on top. As Diego watched him intently, Caio sat down on Diego, keeping their cocks close between the two of them, and closed his eyes.

  “You feel good.” Caio smiled.

  “You too.”

  When Caio opened his eyes again, he reached out for the condoms and made quick work of opening the package. Then he crawled back a bit. He grabbed for Diego’s cock and pumped a few times. Diego moaned, enraptured with the vision of Caio handling him.

  He didn’t move as Caio rolled the condom over him, coated Diego with some lube, and poured the rest on his fingers.

  Diego felt like a bystander because he was glued to the bed as he watched Caio stretch himself and insert one, then two fingers inside his body. It felt so intimate he was afraid to speak.

  Caio took a couple of minutes to see if he was good to go.

  “You ready?” Caio asked when he pulled his fingers out, and Diego struggled to breathe as he saw the way Caio scrunched up his face at the loss.

  “Yeah.” He nodded.

  Caio smirked at him, leaning down so he could kiss Diego once more and grabbed his cock as he did so. Then he released Diego’s mouth and sat up. Clearly in control, he lifted his hips and crouched with his legs open as he aimed Diego’s cock to his hole and then slowly pushed it past the ring of muscle, without taking the time to adjust. Maybe he was more used to it than Diego imagined.

  The heat that engulfed him was almost too much, and Diego tried to count his breaths not to come right then.

  When Caio sat down and bottomed out, knees on both sides of Diego, they both groaned. Without waiting a beat, Caio started to move up and down, rolling his hips sensually, and moving his body in a way Diego had never seen before. The motion was hypnotic.

  “Fuck,” Diego said when Caio squeezed him inside.

  “Yeah.”

  Then he did it again.

  “Oh, God.” Diego had his hands on Caio’s legs as Caio tested the strength of the bed like no one could have done before.

  The rhythm of his movement quickly picked up—hard and fast—and Diego could only strap in for the ride. Caio was taking what he wanted, and in the catharsis of the moment, Diego could only remember to pace himself to enjoy it a little longer.

  But Caio didn’t slow down. He wanted to milk Diego completely dry, and as the pleasure crested and fell, a guttural moan escaped from deep within him, and Diego trembled under the weight of Caio’s body.

  “Fu-uck.” He barely managed to speak as he filled the condom, his body shivering and sweating all at once, as Caio moved up and down.

  “Yeah, yeah. Yes!” Caio’s words came out breathy and exhausted, and as he leaned back to support his body with one hand, with the other he reached for his hard cock so he could get himself off.

  In a matter of seconds, Caio spurted his come all over the two of them. The orgasm made him clench the muscles of his hole while Diego was still inside, and on his spent and sensitive cock, that was enough to send another burst of pain and pleasure through Diego’s body.

  Then, with a contented smile on his face, Caio leaned forward, put one of his hands on Diego’s chest a moment later, and let him slip free from his ass.

  “You okay?” Diego asked, out of breath.

  Caio was lying over him, his weight almost too heavy for Diego.

  “I’m all right,” Caio said. “Just let me stay here awhile.”

  Diego would never tell him no, but he put his arms around him and maneuvered him so they could stay on their sides. He pulled Caio close, and the silence was broken only by their breathing as it slowed along with their heartbeats.

  They were some of the best sounds in the world.

  Chapter Eighteen

  CAIO woke up to his phone buzzing on the nightstand. He didn’t want to move right away, because the feeling of Diego on the bed with him was too good. But also because they were in a single bed, and it would be hard not to jostle him in the process.

  When his phone vibrated on the nightstand again, and again, he sighed and tried to untangle himself from Diego.

  It was his sister.

  [Marina] You up?

  [Marina] Need to talk to you.

  [Caio] What do you want? Please don’t call, I don’t want to leave the bed.

  [Caio] Also, don’t want to talk.

  [Marina] Hm.

  She sent nothing for a minute, and Caio closed his eyes. Why did she want to talk and then say nothing? He sighed to himself.

  [Caio] What do you want?

  [Marina] Easy there.

  Caio huffed and then waited for her message.

  [Marina] The Fed contacted me, the Olympic Committee too, and the press. So I have a few things to tell you. I got in touch with our lawyer, and she suggested a restraining order to be drawn for when you come back, even if that’s a bit overkill considering you two live in different states.

  [Marina] She also advised about going to the police with any evidence you might have about what happened between you and Adônis in the past, but all of that is only if you want to do it.

  Caio felt a growing sense of dread as he read her message. He knew this wouldn’t just go away as though nothing happened, no matter how much he wanted it to. Turning it into a judicial matter wouldn’t get the video off the internet and it would just draw more attention.

  [Marina] There’s also the option of doing an interview with a magazine, something big. A lot of them want to talk with you, but I told some of my closest people that this is only going to happen after the Olympics, if then. It would be beneficial for you to come clean about the story, because there are a lot of theories already floating around.

  [Caio] That picture with Elton, right?

  [Marina] That was actually a good move. Fans speculated on Twitter that this means you are friends with Elton, and that might have prompted his retirement from the competition, and subsequent release of the video. Because, well, they also made some comparisons about who would be the other guy on the video, and they found evidence of this birthmark on Adônis’ leg….

  Caio huffed out a breath.

  [Caio] It’s good that people found out, because I really wouldn’t like to confirm or deny who’s there with me. And I don’t want to hear about the video anymore. My only hope is that Alice won’t see it and her friends at school won’t either or their parents, but I know I’m asking for a lot of things.

  Beside him, Diego stirred on the bed and pushed his body against Caio, seeking his warmth. The conversation on the phone had taken Caio away, but Diego’s touch brought him back.

  As Marina typed an answer, Caio put his phone down and turned to sneak his arms around Diego, who pushed his hips against him. Caio moved with him.

  “You up?” he asked. Diego hummed in answer.

  “I am.” Diego turned a bit so he could push his ass into Caio’s crotch, but when he felt that Caio was barely hard, he sighed. “Maybe I’m the only one.”

  Caio snorted. “I’m talking to my sister, so it would be a bit weird if something were up down there.”

  “Right, right.”

  Diego turned around, which was an operation of its own since the bed was narrow and they were both big men. Diego laughed when he accidentally hit
his stomach against Caio’s knee, and then Caio had to move so he could turn around to lie down on his side.

  When they faced each other, Caio heard his phone buzz again, so he reached back to get it.

  [Marina] We can see about this when we go back home next week. No need to decide everything now.

  [Caio] I agree.

  “Marina?” Diego craned his neck to look at the phone, and Caio lowered it so Diego could see it better.

  [Marina] Be aware that one of the officials from the Fed sent me a DM about how the prez was very dissatisfied (words he used) in their room, throwing stuff around. He’s going to be at the semifinal today, and he might want to talk to you before the final.

  “Ugh,” said Diego when he read the message.

  [Caio] Well, with Adônis out of the competition, I doubt the Fed is going to remove us too.

  [Marina] I’m sure they won’t, especially now that Maria and Ágata also fell in the semifinals.

  “The game was yesterday?” Diego asked, having read the message.

  “Yeah.” Caio shook his head to himself, disappointed for not having talked to the girls before. “I have to send a message to them later.”

  “At least they’ll be fighting for the bronze. Hopefully that won’t impact their budget too much next year, because it would be a pity if the Fed decided to lower their dwindling support for the women’s volleyball teams.”

  “The girls of the indoor team are playing in the finals, though. At least that’s what I saw from the official reports,” Caio replied. “But there’s just a lot of pressure on everyone right now.”

  Diego agreed with a nod.

  [Marina] Alice is waking up, so we’re going to have breakfast before we drive to the arena.

  [Caio] See you there.

  [Marina] Tell Diego I said hi.

  “Hi,” Diego answered. He looked up at Caio and they held each other’s gaze for a moment. The smile on Diego’s lips sent Caio’s heart aflutter.

  A kiss was the natural next step, but they were interrupted by a knock at the front door before their lips touched.

  Diego groaned.

  “I’ll get it,” Caio told him.

  “You sure?”

  He got up and searched for his shorts, which were beside the bed. Caio nodded, though he wasn’t as sure as he’d like to be. Last night might have relieved him of some of his fears, but not all of them. “No worries.”

  The person on the other side of the door knocked again.

  “Coming,” Caio said aloud.

  He walked to the door and pulled it open, but he stumbled back when he saw Adônis.

  “What else do you want from me?” Adônis asked before Caio could say anything. His voice was slow, tentative, and came out slurred, and the smell of alcohol wafted from him.

  “I could ask you the same question.” Caio knew his words weren’t as sure as he’d wanted them to be.

  Adônis looked around. He was a mess, no two ways about it. His hair was disheveled and his clothes dirty, as though he’d fallen to the ground on his way here. He had his pass around his neck, which was probably the only way he got to enter the village, but he was in no condition to be out.

  “Look, I don’t want to cause a commotion now,” Caio said without thinking. If he thought about it too much, he might do something he’d regret.

  “What are you doing here?” asked Diego when he got to the door a moment later. Adônis looked from one to the other, and he slowly caught on. They were both half naked, and when Caio turned to Diego, he saw the bite marks on his chest. That had been during their second or third time.

  “So, you two are fucking now?” Adônis pointed a finger at Diego.

  Caio was ready to open his mouth, but Diego put an arm around his waist and stopped him from saying a thing.

  “What does that have to do with you? Haven’t you done enough already? It would take too long to get a restraining order here in Paris, but you should leave or I’m going to break something in here,” said Diego with fire behind his words.

  Adônis raised an eyebrow, which took him way too long. “You’re going to fight me?”

  Diego didn’t fall for the taunt, but he wanted to say something. “We could have decided that on the sand, but you destroyed that chance, and your career in the process. I’m sure as hell going to let everyone know who you are. No one deserves to be around you anymore.”

  There was a rage behind Adônis’ eyes, and Caio was ready to intervene if needed. But instead of starting a fight, Adônis sniffed once and then broke down crying. He stepped back, hit the wall in the hallway, and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

  He looked like the perfect victim of his own hatred.

  “Just go home,” Caio said, his voice low.

  Caio wanted distance from Adônis but he could also understand the pain of losing the chance to fight for a medal after training for years and years and dedicating an entire life to the sport.

  Adônis lifted his eyes full of tears, gave them a last look, and then pivoted on his feet to walk away. Caio couldn’t help but feel relieved that they had avoided a more complicated conflict. At this moment, short of committing a crime, which Caio wasn’t sure Adônis was capable of, there was nothing else he could do beyond regrouping somewhere else.

  “That went better than expected,” commented Diego.

  “I hope this is over. At least for now,” Caio said. Diego leaned against his back and embraced him from behind.

  “We still have to play the final.”

  “But that’s the best part, because I just want to go back to the sand and play.” Caio turned around so he could face Diego. “When we’re there, it’s just you and me and the ball. Nothing else matters.”

  Diego raised his head and kissed Caio on his neck—just a peck. “You matter to me.”

  “You too.”

  Caio closed his eyes and basked in that moment.

  THE confrontation helped release most of the tension in Caio’s body, and when he got to the arena to train with Diego, he was at ease.

  Alice ran to his arms, Marina in tow, and as the four of them got to the sand, it seemed as though they were back home, doing what they did every day. In the sand, he knew who he was better than anywhere else.

  They stayed around after training to watch the semifinal to find out who they’d be playing against in the final.

  Caio was alert when people in the stands asked for pictures and autographs. Everyone who came close to him was a potential gossip. He got tense and nervous every time, but most of the fans were respectful. They cared about him in a way he wasn’t expecting, and it was good. He felt supported by his people.

  When Júlio and Roberta joined them in the stands to watch the game, once again tension and reluctance took over because Caio wasn’t sure how much they knew and if anything had changed in the way they saw him.

  Caio didn’t know what to expect from them, to be honest. But, maybe he shouldn’t have worried too much, because these people knew him, they were part of his life.

  “If you want our help, we’re here, all right?” Roberta told him when she leaned close to him in greeting. “No one should’ve done something like that to you.” And she affectionately squeezed his shoulder. She looked sincere.

  “Thanks.”

  “We’re all for the two of you, Caio. We’re happy to know everything is all right.”

  And that was it.

  Caio tried to hide in the middle of the crowd when the game was on. The Americans and Russians were playing on the sand, already deciding the bronze medal. The losing team would be automatically awarded third place on the podium, as there wouldn’t be a match to decide that after Elton’s withdrawal. Caio hoped the TV commentators wouldn’t talk about the video during his game.

  He’d fought hard to get to where he was, and it would be horrible to be undermined in the competition because of something that happened outside of it. He had to think about the game and nothing else.

&n
bsp; In the sand both teams were strong opponents, and the game ignited the crowd. He tried to analyze the plays, but his mind wandered back to his own life every now and again. The future was still undecided for him and Diego, because the prez could make good on his promise.

  Caio was so close to the next part of his life, but he feared his damaged reputation would put a stop to any plans. But there was no use in worrying about it. He’d know better when he got back home.

  “Are you seeing this?” Diego exclaimed, pointing at a play that happened while Caio wasn’t paying attention.

  “What?”

  Noticing the confusion in Caio’s face, Diego’s expression softened. Under the stands, he hooked a foot around Caio’s leg, and their eyes met in the middle of the crowd.

  “They’re good. But we’re better. We can win this.” He fisted his hand over Caio’s thigh and bumped him a couple of times. “We can do it.”

  There was no doubt in Diego’s voice. It was good to see so much confidence in someone who had taken such a long time to get into the game, who had to relearn how to play. But he’d done it.

  “Yeah, we can win,” Caio agreed, halfheartedly.

  Caio grabbed Diego’s hand in his and rested them both over his leg as he watched the conclusion of the game.

  If a fan or someone from the press got a picture of them, Caio didn’t notice, nor did he care. The truth about his relationship was going to come out. He’d never wanted to hide.

  Adônis was the one who needed to follow his own path to coming out, to accept his own truth. People were going to look at him differently, and they were going to treat him differently, but if the people he kept around didn’t love him the way they did before, what they felt wasn’t real enough, wasn’t strong enough. Caio was blessed to have so many who loved him, but that was true because he also cared deeply for them.

  In a sport that wasn’t as profitable as many others in Brazil, you had to carve your path and make sure you had people with you along the way, and Caio had all of that, even if at times he didn’t appreciate it.