Chapter Text
A gentle breeze drifted past, drawing a contented sigh from Jobe.
He was stretched out beside the pool, idly watching the clouds roll by without a single thought occupying his mind. The warm surface beneath his back slowly chased away the lingering dampness on his chest and legs, leaving behind nothing but dry, easy comfort. At last, the large cloud lazily drifted away from where it had been blocking the sun. The sudden burst of light made Jobe squint, but with a flick of one finger, he pulled the sunglasses resting on his forehead down over his eyes for it to do its job. Even if the sun was a little bright, it still felt wonderful to have its rays dancing across his bronzed skin.
I could lie here all day, Jobe thought.
And he fully intended to, until…
"Jobie Doobie!"
A shadow suddenly fell over him, and Jobe instinctively shifted with an irritated wriggle, his precious moment of peace cut abruptly short. The light, sweet scent of honey and caramel lingered in the air, leaving his head feeling strangely light.
"Get your lazy arse up and come help me cook."
Jude, his older brother, nudged Jobe's shoulder with a bare foot before padding back inside, each step leaving a soft, sticky slap against the wooden floorboards.
Letting out a long, dramatic sigh, Jobe rolled onto his side, pressing his cheek against the warm porcelain as half-lidded eyes followed Jude moving about inside the house. Once his brother called out again, there was no putting it off any longer. With another reluctant groan, Jobe hauled himself upright, stretched lazily, then wandered into the kitchen just beyond the wide-open glass doors to join him.
In reality, Jobe ended up doing almost everything. Jude had only asked him to "cook together" because he was hungry and didn’t feel like ordering food while Jobe was here. Truth be told, his brother couldn't even fry an egg without scorching at least one side of it. Still, Jobe knew exactly how proud Jude was, always wanting to feel useful and all that, so, albeit rather reluctantly, he entrusted his brother with chopping the vegetables and putting together the salad. After another few seconds of more reluctant consideration, Jude was also given permission to make the tea...with ready-made tea bags.
A few days earlier, Jude had texted him, inviting Jobe to stay at his temporary place in Dortmund. He had an entire week off following a relentless run of matches and training sessions. With nothing better to do, Jobe accepted without a second thought.
Not even seventeen yet, he'd flown to Germany on his own to see his brother. Their mum, unfortunately, had gone back home to look after their ill grandfather and couldn't come with him. It had been a while since Jobe had last been on a plane, and by the end of the hour-and-a-half flight, he felt utterly drained. Sitting in those seats had been like spending ninety minutes inside a fridge.
But the moment he caught sight of Jude, and that unmistakable omega scent when he hugged him tightly, Jobe decided the trip had been worth it.
His brother had really bulked out a lot since the last time they'd seen each other. Lean muscle shifted beneath the sleeves of his T-shirt, flexing every time Jude waved a hand around to illustrate yet another ridiculous point. His shoulders had broadened noticeably too, though his frame was still lean and well-proportioned.
"You're nearly taller than me now," Jude had remarked, stroking his chin while noisily chewing through a mouthful of greens.
Leaning back against the sofa, Jobe rolled his eyes at the man opposite him.
"Obviously. What else were you expecting?"
"Nah. You'll always be my baby brother. Or...I suppose you're more of a big baby brother now. Either way."
"You're just jealous," Jobe said with a shrug, taking a small sip of his tea.
God, he felt so British.
Jobe paled.
He really ought to consider switching to a different drink.
"Mhm. Whatever you say." Jude swung one leg up onto the sofa before helping himself to another forkful of salad. "So...fancy coming to training with me tomorrow?"
"Do you ever take a day off?" Jobe shot back. "I came here to see you, not to watch you train. I could've just stayed home and watched that on TV."
“Aww, come on. It'll just be a kick-about. I know you like football too. It'll be fun. A proper brothers' day out."
"I want to go out and visit somewhere nice, not the pit. You know what, I'm kinda frightened at that idea, to be honest. And I don't…"
Ting.
Jobe's gaze shifted towards the sound. Jude's phone, lying right within his line of sight, lit up for a brief moment. A notification flashed across the screen: “Wanna meet up tomorrow?:)”
Jobe blinked, but before he had the chance to react, Jude quickly reached over and whisked the phone clean out of sight.
"Who's that?" Jobe arched a brow.
"No one."
Jude practically forgot all about the bowl of salad on the sofa, burying his face in his phone as a ridiculously dopey grin spread across it. Jobe watched his brother suspiciously over the rim of his mug, the sharp bitterness of the tea helping to clear his head. Then he noticed it, the way the rich sweetness of honey seemed to drift through the room, flooding his senses, as though whatever had appeared on that screen had flipped a switch somewhere inside Jude. Wrinkling his nose, Jobe used washing his mug as an excuse to escape the suffocating cloud of omega pheromones for a while. Even then, he could still vaguely taste that sweetness lingering at the back of his throat. Whoever Jude was texting, he was doing a terrible job of hiding just how ridiculously happy he was.
Come to think of it…
Part of Jobe couldn't help wondering, really wondering, who his brother had been texting. Family? Friends? No. Not with a reaction like that. It had to be someone far more special. Was Jude seeing someone? An alpha? The thought made him frown without even realising it. Then the other half of his brain simply went Fuck it. That's just Jude being Jude.
For now, Jobe decided to cling to that instead.
By the time Jobe came back out, having washed up the dishes while he was at it, Jude had already made himself comfortable on the sofa, his head resting against the armrest as some blockbuster played on the television. The abandoned bowl of salad still sat quietly on the coffee table.
"What took you so long? It's getting to the best bit now." Jude glanced back over his shoulder at him.
The cheerful scent of pheromones still lingered in the air, though it had mellowed into something lighter, fresh like sugarcane.
"So...you're still going to training tomorrow?" Jobe asked, settling into the armchair opposite.
"Erm...Yeah. We could go shopping afterwards, if you'd like?"
"Take me with you."
Jude's head snapped up so fast his neck bent at what looked like an almost impossible angle. His brown eyes darted around the room while Jude fumbled for words.
"What? You've got plans or something?" Jobe folded his arms across his chest and leaned back into the sofa.
"Well...I mean, I don't mind if you come along. One of my teammates will be there as well. You know..." Jude gestured vaguely with one hand. "Just...a mate from Dortmund."
Jobe nodded thoughtfully. "Didn't think there was anyone else as mental as you. Meeting up to train on your day off?"
"It's called passion, Jobe."
"Sounds more like idiots to me."
"Whatever you say."
And there it was again, that goofy little smile on Jude's face, even though his eyes never left the television. Jobe narrowed his eyes slightly. Whoever this alpha was that had Jude giggling like a lovestruck schoolgirl, he'd be meeting him tomorrow. It wasn't that Jobe objected to his brother seeing someone. If anything, the thought of that someone caring for Jude and looking after him was reassuring to him. But he knew Jude like the back of his hand. His brother wasn't always the wisest when it came to his own decisions. He was easily distracted, painfully naive, and once Jude set his heart on something, he'd chase after it with complete tunnel vision. That was exactly why Jobe was here to pull his brother back from whatever mess his blind devotion might lead him into.
The very last thing Jobe wanted was to see his brother heartbroken because some absolute dickhead had decided to play games with his heart.
Ting.
Once again, Jude completely ignored the film and beamed at the phone in his hand.
Jobe let out a long groan and dragged a hand down his face.