Chapter Text
Marc had always been clear that Héctor was his best friend. But just that: his best friend.
"I'm starting to get to know Laura better... I think I like her."
If he was just his best friend, those words shouldn't have hurt so much. Not like that. A couple of months after hearing that statement, Héctor and Laura started dating. Really dating.
It wasn't that Héctor began to treat Marc differently, not at all, he just had to listen now and then to some anecdote about him and Laura or about their weekend plans. And Marc's heart broke a little more each day.
He wasn't going to admit it, but it was true, he had been avoiding Héctor. If Héctor spoke to him, he would respond, but Marc never initiated the conversation. Somehow, he felt betrayed and knew it was illogical; Héctor had every right to have a girlfriend. But you can't apply logic to feelings.
Anyway, Héctor wasn't stupid and, moreover, knew Marc very well. He obviously noticed that something was up. One day after the evening practice, with the sunset at his back, he approached Marc as he was sneaking into the locker room.
"Hey, tío." Héctor called his attention, placing a hand on his shoulder. Marc's head quickly turned to face him. "Can you take me home?" the younger one suggested.
"I can't." Marc pursed his lips and turned around again. Did this jerk think he could just say that and leave?
"Why?" Héctor sounded curious and annoyed at the same time. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He continued walking alongside Marc.
Marc hesitated, thinking of an answer. Héctor watched expectantly as Marc bit his lip.
"I'm not going home. I have plans." Marc quickly realized he could have thought of a better excuse, but it was too late. Sometimes his mouth moved faster than his brain.
"What? With whom?" Now Héctor raised an eyebrow, sounding much more annoyed than before. The usual Marc would have told him he had plans today.
"A girl." Again, Marc and his fast mouth. He should have said it was with his family or something, but something inside him begged to show Héctor that he wasn't the only one who could date girls. He felt a need to prove to Héctor something he didn't feel with anyone else.
"What the hell? Why didn't you tell me?" Héctor's mouth opened, he seemed offended. Marc's attitude was really bothering him. "Tell me who is it"
"Uhm... No." Marc said it so low that Héctor barely heard him.
"Why not, dude? I'm not going to steal her, I'm already happily taken." Not only was his mouth indignantly open now, but he was also gesturing reproachfully with his hands.
Marc's heart skipped a beat at Héctor's harsh tone and the words coming out of his mouth. He already knew Héctor had a girlfriend, but hearing it out loud felt like a punch in the stomach. Something felt wrong.
"... I want to see how things go first." Marc didn't know when he decided to continue with this lie, but he was doing it.
Héctor blinked a few times in succession and gradually his frown eased. He was annoyed, but also felt some sadness as he saw his best friend hiding something from him. Héctor had always been the first person Marc would run to share his secrets or any idea that came to his mind. And now that had changed, and Héctor didn't know why.
"Fine. You know what you're getting into." Héctor didn't want to sound as harsh as he did. He then walked into the locker room and they didn't speak each other again that evening.
Well, Marc didn't talk to anyone else either.
He went home miserably in his miserable car while thinking miserable thoughts. Marc had never lied like this to Héctor and since he did, he felt a painful pressure in his chest. He hated what he had become in recent months, he couldn't get Héctor out of his mind and the more he tried, the more he thought about him.
--
He had known Héctor since they were kids, little kids. He didn't expect the same boy he watched YouTube videos on how to make slime with to become such a ladies' man. He had grown, they both had grown, and Marc had started seeing Héctor differently. Maybe it's the raging hormones talking, but Héctor was no longer a boy; he had become a very handsome young man. And admitting it didn't mean anything, just that Marc had eyes to see.
Or so he wanted to think.
Marc was sitting on the grass, legs stretched out, the practice was over. It had been a physically demanding day and he was exhausted; his legs felt heavy.
"Need help with that?" Marc looked up, it was Héctor speaking to him. His hands were extended, offering to help Marc relax his legs.
"Thanks." he murmured in response and then lay down on the grass, raising his legs for Héctor to grab by the ankles.
First, he started releasing some tension, shaking Marc's legs. They had done this hundreds of times before, but since those confusing thoughts had been in Marc's head, any contact with the younger one made him blush or feel shy.
Then, he gently and slowly pushed Marc's left leg towards his body, so he could feel that pleasant stretching pain.
Marc blushed to his ears, but luckily, practice had already left him quite red and sweaty, so Héctor wouldn't notice. Marc's hands were behind his head, trying (more or less) to keep his hair from touching the grass. Héctor's own body leaned in so Marc could feel the stretch properly.
It was very hard not to avert his eyes from Héctor's crotch when it was right in front of him.
Héctor pushed more, little by little, and Marc couldn't stop thinking that this looked very much like a sexual position. He was sick.
He surprised himself when Héctor stopped pushing his left leg, letting out a soft moan.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Héctor's voice was full of concern. Marc just shook his head because he felt too dizzy to verbalize anything.
"Good, now the right one." then Héctor did the same with the other leg.
That night Marc couldn't sleep very well.
The days passed and little by little his miserable mental state started to reflect in his football performance. Poor precision in passes, poor concentration, uncontrolled shots, among other lamentable things. He didn't understand what was happening inside him, but something was going wrong.
"Did you have a fight with your girl?" Héctor asked as he opened his water bottle, taking a sip afterward, without stopping to look attentively into his eyes.
"What?" Marc was sweating and breathing heavily from the effort of the practice. Other teammates were chatting around but were busy with their own matters.
"It seems like nothing is going right for you." Héctor licked his lips after drinking, Marc knew because he was staring at them. He was only blatantly looking at Héctor's lips because looking into his eyes was very intimidating, not for any other reason. Or so he wanted to think, again.
"It's just been a tough day." Marc opened his own bottle to drink water as well.
"You know that's not true. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Héctor moved closer and it was practically impossible to avoid eye contact.
Marc wanted to mumble something but he really didn't know what was wrong himself. That question felt like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Marc still had his mouth slightly open and was nervously looking everywhere except into Héctor's eyes, so Héctor went ahead;
"Is that girl causing you problems, Marc? You know you can tell me anything, c'mon, dude." Héctor sounded quite desperate, hoping for a reaction from Marc.
Marc took a quick glance at the sky before fixing his eyes on Héctor's. "No, leave it, you don't know anything." Marc wished to end this conversation and teleport under his sheets, in his bed.
"Of course I don't know anything! You don't tell me anything!" Héctor's voice raised, in a reproachful tone. But mostly he sounded hurt.
Marc again tried to mumble something but was interrupted by someone from the staff.
"Alright, guys, let's move on to the next exercise."
A godsend. Marc internally thanked and quickly fled from Héctor, hiding among his other teammates. Still, he could feel Héctor's intense gaze on the back of his neck.
If practice was already going badly, now it was going horribly. Marc seemed like he had just discovered what a ball was. He was wishing for it to end already because if he made one more lousy pass, he might explode into tears.
When the session finally ended, Marc hurried to the locker room to grab his things and lock himself in one of the bathrooms. There, having more privacy, he allowed himself to break down. His heart was pounding so fast and hard that by reflex, Marc clutched his shirt over his heart with his fist, as if it might escape. His breathing was very labored, he was out of breath. His vision was becoming increasingly blurry from the accumulation of tears in his eyes, until he finally blinked and they fell down his cheeks. The cold tears mixed with the sticky sweat. Everything in him felt overstimulated, when he was startled by the sound of a knock knock on the door.
"Marc, are you okay?" Héctor knew the answer to that question but it was the first thing that escaped his mouth. "Let me in."
Marc sniffled and his hands wiped the tears from his cheeks. He kept looking at the floor, unable to lift his gaze. "No. I can't."
"Please." there was a small pause, both could hear the other's breathing. "I'm worried."
There was no response. Despair began to take control of Héctor.
"Please, don't shut me out from whatever is happening to you. I care about you, Marc." He kept gently pushing the door as if he could open it.
A warm feeling of relief flooded Héctor's chest when he saw the door latch open. He slowly opened the door and saw Marc sitting on the toilet seat, his shirt wrinkled, eyes wide and bright, hair disheveled, and his mouth slightly open, still breathing heavily.
"Marc, come here." Héctor knelt down enough and placed his firm hands on Marc's shoulders. "Tell me what's going on-"
"You were right, nothing's going well for me. I don't know what's wrong with me, and I don't know how to fix it. What's happening to me?" Marc seemed to be talking to himself, covering his face with his hands, some strands of hair slipping through his fingers. "Maybe I can't handle all this. I'm not good enough."
"I never want to hear such nonsense again. Don’t even think about it." Héctor grabbed Marc's hands to uncover his face. "If you're here, it's because you've earned it. Don’t you realize how much you're worth?"
"Héctor, I...No." He said it in a whisper. More tears streamed from his eyes, and Héctor looked at him with worried disbelief.
"God, I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."
They stared into each other’s eyes for a few seconds that felt eternal. Both had their mouths slightly open. Marc’s eyes dangerously dropped to Héctor’s lips, and he could swear their faces were slowly getting closer, as if by some greater force.
"And how do you see me?"
Marc whispered, and it wasn't necessary to say it any louder, their faces were definitely closer than before. Héctor hadn’t blinked for a few seconds, his mouth closed, and he finally exhaled through his nose, and because Marc felt that air against his lips, he realized just how close their faces had gotten. He even heard perfectly as Héctor swallowed hard and saw his jaw tense up. Marc ended up mimicking his movements, and his own jaw tensed up too.
Their bodies jolted when the door slammed open.
"Marc! Are you okay?" Captain Casadó.
He approached and placed a hand on Marc's shoulder. Héctor was no longer kneeling in front of him.