The kitchen fell quiet, the clink of forks and easy banter fading into a charged stillness. Brody felt Sean’s gaze on him, steady and searching, and for a moment, he met it—those green eyes that seemed to see more than Brody was ready to show. The weight of the moment pressed against his chest, and his eyes dropped to his empty plate, the remnants of chocolate chip pancakes a small reminder of Sean’s care. His mind churned, circling back to what it meant to have this man in his life. Sean wasn’t just a friend letting him crash on a couch; he was a lifeline, someone who’d stepped into the gaps left by a childhood of slammed doors and raised voices. He was his brother - in blood. Brody’s throat tightened at the thought, gratitude mixing with something deeper, something he was still afraid to name.

He took a shaky breath, the words spilling out before he could overthink them. “Thanks again for letting me stay here, it really means a lot to me, and the way you’ve treated me – no one’s ever been there for me like that before,” he said, his voice soft but steady. A prickle of tears stung his eyes, catching him off guard. He blinked hard, forcing himself to hold it together, his fingers gripping the edge of the table as he regained his composure. “I feel different having you around – more confident, more grounded,” he added, the truth of it settling heavily between them. And more aroused, his mind whispered, unbidden, the thought sharp and private. He bit his lip, grateful he hadn’t let that slip, but the heat of it lingered, tied to the jockstrap still snug against his skin, to the way Sean’s presence seemed to pull at every part of him.

Sean leaned forward, his expression softening into something that made Brody’s heart stutter. “Don’t worry about it, broski,” he said, his voice warm, teasing, but laced with sincerity. “You might be a little gremlin, but I love you anyways, and trust me, this is just the beginning. I know things have been rough for you, you’re young and still finding yourself, and I don’t want to rush things, especially since we’re—” He stopped abruptly, his words cutting off like he’d caught himself on the edge of something dangerous. His eyes flickered, a hint of hesitation breaking through his usual confidence. “Anyways, not that it matters to me, I just don’t want to make you feel awkward or uncomfortable.”

Brody’s breath hitched, Sean’s sudden pause ringing in his ears. Since we’re what? The question burned, unspoken, as his mind raced to fill the gap. Brothers? Roommates? Something more? The ambiguity was maddening, stirring a mix of hope and fear that Brody wasn’t ready to untangle. Sean’s words—I love you anyways—echoed, simple but heavy, the kind of thing you could say to a brother or a friend, but the way he’d said it felt different, like it carried a weight he hadn’t meant to reveal. Brody swallowed, his voice quieter than he intended. “You don’t – you make me feel safe,” he said, the admission slipping out raw and unguarded. It was true—Sean’s apartment, his teasing, his steady presence, had become a haven in a way Brody hadn’t known he needed. But safe didn’t cover the half of it, not when his heart raced every time Sean got too close, not when he was starting to crave things he didn’t know how to ask for.

He glanced at Sean, catching the way his jaw softened, the faintest smile tugging at his lips. That look—it was too much, too open, like Sean was seeing right through to the parts of Brody still wrestling with who he was. Brody’s mind flashed to the rugby team, the quick, secret moments with other guys, hands and hurried breaths in the dark, none of it meaning anything beyond the moment. Those were easy, detached. But this, with Sean, was different—messy, real, tied to feelings that scared him as much as they thrilled him. He wasn’t out, not even close, and the idea of wanting Sean, of maybe being wanted back, felt like standing on the edge of a cliff. What was Sean implying? Was he hinting at something more, or was Brody reading too much into it, projecting his own longing onto a guy who was just being kind?

The silence stretched, and Brody’s chest tightened with the weight of it all—the gratitude, the confusion, the pulse of desire he couldn’t shake. He needed air, space to sort through the storm in his head. “Well, I’ve got to get going,” he said, the words coming out faster than he meant. He didn’t really have anywhere to be, not yet—his shift wasn’t for a couple of hours—but the intensity of the moment was overwhelming, and he wasn’t ready to face it head-on. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave Sean, not at all. He just needed to deal with these new feelings alone, to figure out what they meant without the risk of saying something he couldn’t take back.

Sean raised an eyebrow, but his smile didn’t falter. “Already ditching me, huh?” he teased, leaning back in his chair. “Alright, go do your thing. But don’t forget about the gym later—you’re spotting me, remember?”

Brody managed a nod, his lips twitching into a half-smile despite the knot in his stomach. “Yeah, wouldn’t miss it,” he said, pushing back from the table. He grabbed his plate, setting it in the sink, hyper-aware of Sean’s eyes following him. As he headed toward the door, slipping on his shoes, he felt the jockstrap shift against his skin, a quiet reminder of the line they were skirting. His mind kept replaying Sean’s words—this is just the beginning—and the way he’d stopped himself, leaving so much unsaid. Brody didn’t know what was next, didn’t know if he was brave enough to find out, but as he stepped out into the morning air, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was building between them, something that might change everything.