Narrator's P.O.V.
Another weekend had arrived, bringing with it the promise of distraction Kael so desperately needed. The chosen gathering spot was a popular plaza on a street near his building, a place the group already knew well. The weather was pleasant, the sound of a portable Bluetooth speaker mixed with the hum of other circles of people, and bottles of alcohol were passed from hand to hand, keeping their cups constantly full.
Little by little, their friends began arriving and settling onto the benches and concrete walls... and among them was Íkaro.
His presence no longer caused any awkwardness. On the contrary, the group had welcomed him back with impressive ease. Everyone liked Íkaro: his unbothered energy, his sharp jokes, and that almost annoyingly laid-back way he handled things. He had a unique sense of humor that won over everyone around him. In no time, it felt as though he had never stepped away.
The hours passed at the same speed as the ice melted inside their cups and the alcohol rushed to their heads. As the night advanced and the early morning wind began to blow colder, the plaza started to empty. Some, defeated by exhaustion or alcohol, began saying their goodbyes, leaving behind only the most resilient core of the group.
Kael, on the other hand, seemed to be at the peak of his energy.
He had drunk considerably more than usual. The alcohol ran warm through his veins, leaving him electric, chatty, and unable to stay still for long. He laughed loudly at Pabllyo and Íkaro's jokes, gestured dramatically while discussing random topics with Dani and Verônica, and threw himself into whatever conversation was happening around him. Indeed, his energy was at its absolute peak. It was genuine, albeit chaotic, fun. Perhaps it was also an unconscious way to fill the void that Samuel's absence had left in his days, but Kael was, in fact, enjoying the night.
When the clock approached three in the morning and the cold became too uncomfortable to stay outdoors, the decision was unanimous.
"My God, it's way too cold out here!" Kael complained, his voice slightly slurred. A broad smile broke across his face. The man raised his nearly empty cup as if making a toast. "Let's all go to my place. It'll be so much cozier than staying out here until dawn!"
The group cheered at the idea. With clumsy steps, stumbles over their own jokes, and laughter echoing through the empty neighborhood streets, they gathered what remained of the drinks and headed toward Kael's apartment, determined to stretch the night out until sunrise.
As soon as they stepped inside, the clutter spread from the living room into the bedroom. Comforters were thrown onto the floor, pillows were fought over, and one by one, everyone claimed whatever space they could find.
Pabllyo and Íkaro were the first to occupy Kael's double bed, flopping down on opposite edges of the mattress. Completely overtaken by his alcohol-fueled euphoria, Kael didn't think twice. He took a running leap and threw himself chest-first onto the bed, landing right in the space between the two of them. He hit the sheets with a loose laugh, his face squished against the mattress.
Still laughing, he rolled onto his side and, guided by an impulse he didn't stop to question, wrapped his arm around Íkaro's torso.
The movement was automatic...
Drunkenness had left Kael more vulnerable, more starved for touch. His body recognized the proximity before his mind had time to decide anything. The woody perfume Íkaro always wore, his body temperature, and the familiarity of that position reawakened a physical memory that still lingered somewhere inside him.
It was comfortable...
Kael snuggled against Íkaro and closed his eyes for a few seconds, surrendering to that chemistry that required very little emotional effort. But the scene didn't go unnoticed. The side conversations slowly died down. A few glances were exchanged among those scattered across the floor. Raphael, sitting on one of the makeshift mattresses, was the first to break the silence.
"I see things are heating up up there, huh?" he commented, raising an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Kael asked, his voice muffled against Íkaro's chest.
"Take your face out of Íkaro's chest to talk, man. I can't even hear you," Raphael teased. "I bet you guys are just waiting for us to get distracted so you can start hooking up."
Kael opened his eyes. A playful smirk began to form on his face, and he was just about to fire back with a defensive tease, pretending he didn't care about the comment, when Íkaro beat him to it. He didn't shove Kael's arm away roughly, nor did he shift his position. He simply lost the relaxed smile he had been wearing up until then. His expression became serious, almost impenetrable, even though he hadn't pulled away from the older man for a single second.
"Even if we wanted to, it wouldn't happen," Íkaro's voice was low and steady. There was a lucidity in it that contrasted sharply with Kael's electric state.
"Wait, then why are you two glued together like that?" Pabllyo asked his friend.
"I'm not going to hook up with Kael," he continued, holding his friend's gaze before scanning the rest of the group. "I love hanging out with you guys, I love our vibe, but I have zero patience for headaches. It's blatantly obvious to anyone with eyes in their head what's going on between Kael and Samuel, and I'm not getting caught in the middle of it."
Íkaro turned his face slightly toward Kael. The older man was staring at him, now completely motionless.
"I'm not getting involved between the two of you," Íkaro went on, without anger or hesitation—just with uncomfortable honesty. "I'm nobody's rebound for when they're feeling needy, and I'm definitely not going to be the home-wrecker in a couple's drama. Don't put me in the middle of this. And you..." he tapped the tip of Kael's nose with his index finger. "Don't try anything you're going to regret later."
The room plunged into silence.
Pabllyo blinked in surprise. Rapha seemed to immediately regret his own joke. Nobody found a fitting response to that.
Íkaro hadn't yelled, accused, or picked a fight. Even so, his honesty had cut through the room with enough force to make everyone feel exposed—especially Kael. He remained lying beside Íkaro, feeling the weight of those words settle heavy on his chest. The alcohol's euphoria no longer felt pleasant. For the first time that night, his drunkenness served as no cover at all.
The silence was broken by the sound of the front door opening. Soft footsteps echoed down the hallway. Seconds later, Samuel appeared in the doorway, his backpack slung over one shoulder. He froze at the scene: mattresses scattered on the floor, empty bottles, the entire group staring at him in an awkward silence, and Kael lying next to Íkaro.
For the older man, however, the rest of the world dissolved. The instant his eyes met Samuel's, the fog of alcohol seemed to evaporate. The agitation, the discomfort, and the weight of Íkaro's words were pushed far away by a sudden wave of relief.
He was here!
Kael felt his heart skip a beat. The entire week away from Samuel had felt interminable. Now, standing before him, that distance seemed to lose all meaning. The older man felt a happiness so immediate and genuine that he couldn't even hide it. Without thinking twice, he pulled his arm off Íkaro, got off the bed, and crossed the room. He hugged Samuel tightly, pulling him against his body and burying his face in his neck.
"Hi..." Samuel murmured, returning the hug with a confused chuckle. The intensity of the welcome seemed to have caught him off guard.
Kael pulled back just enough to hold Samuel's face between his hands. He was smiling like an idiot. Samuel frowned, looking over the older man's shoulder to take in the room.
"What's going on here? Why is everyone crashed in your room at this hour?" he asked. "You guys are really drunk, aren't you?"
Kael let out a soft laugh. His voice sounded much firmer and clearer than it had a few minutes ago.
"Some couldn't go home. Others didn't want to..." he explained. "So I let them stay here. Is that a problem?"
Samuel shook his head in amusement, stepping past Kael into the room. The older man's question was so silly he couldn't help but laugh. Obviously it wasn't a problem; he loved when it was just the two of them, but he also loved being around their friends.
"Hey, guys!" he greeted everyone warmly.
Their friends responded with smiles, waves, and friendly grunts. The awkward atmosphere began to thaw as soon as Samuel joined them. When his eyes met Íkaro's, there was no hesitation. The boy smiled and greeted him with the same polite, natural demeanor as always. Íkaro, who had relaxed his defensive posture, returned the gesture with a calm nod.
As if Samuel's presence were the exact antidote the room needed, the air began to circulate again. The boy walked over to Kael's bed, slipped off his sneakers, and sat comfortably on the mattress, joining the circle.
Within minutes, conversations picked back up. Laughter filled the room once more, and the start of the morning continued lively and loud.
Kael, now sitting right beside Samuel, finally felt fully awake. He was exactly where he wanted to be.
And more than that—he was with the person he needed to be with!