The enemy of my heart [BL]

Tears

"I don't really understand why you're not mad at me. I made all of those claims, I hated you because I was jealous of you," I muttered to my reflection in the bathroom mirror. "No, that's too blunt," I sighed, washing my face.

"Liam, are you done? We've only got 15 minutes left," Ronin's knock on the bathroom door startled me.

"Oh, I'm coming!" I hurriedly left the bathroom and quickly dressed in my practice gear: a casual blue shirt with navy sport pants and my old sneakers.

"Are you done?" Ronin wore a warm smile, and I couldn't help but blush, remembering the multiple rounds we went just a few minutes prior. Every moan, groan, and chuckle still etched into my memory. I joined him outside, unable to shake how good his shorts made his butt look. "No way I've ever been straight," I thought.

The walk towards the field was pretty awkward. What do people talk about after jacking each other off? "Hey, that was a nice jerk," nonsense thought.

"This is the perfect opportunity to ask him, nothing to interrupt me."

"Hey, Ronin, there's something I've been meaning to ask," I whispered, but in the distance, I saw a familiar figure, and our eyes met.

"Twin, where have you been?" James made his way towards us, gasping for air after his mile sprint.

"Hi, James," Ronin greeted, and James held his fist out, Ronin bumping it as the pair shared a chuckle. When did they become friends, I thought.

"You were pretty badass in the cafeteria, Mr. Hot Shi- I mean, Ronin," James snorted.

"I just did what was necessary," Ronin smiled.

"How humble," James spat.

"Enough chitchat, we're already a few minutes late," I declared as we sleepwalked towards the field. Finally, we arrived, seeing the guys already warming up on the field. "Sorry for being late," I apologized, reaching Elliot.

"It's cool as long as you're here," he chuckled, patting us on the back, then turning towards James.

"Elliott," James murmured.

"James," Elliott uttered.

The tension between them was thick enough to cut, but why? I'd never seen them talk before. I'd never seen Elliott look so serious.

*

After the warm-ups, I took the helm as the team captain, choosing each exercise. Unlike William's training, none seemed to have an issue with mine, and the morale was noticeably higher.

"C'mon, another lap!" I yelled aloud, leading the pack of players around the field. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ronin slowly creeping up towards me. "Not this time," I smirked as we both sprinted full speed towards the end. It was a tie, and we both collapsed on the floor, the others finishing behind us.

"I didn't spend all this time doing nothing," I chuckled, lowering my hand to pick Ronin up.

"I'll get you next time," he chuckled, but without realizing it, I held his hand, not letting go.

Ronin slapped my hand away, wearing an annoyed expression. "Don't touch me," he spat.

"What did I do wrong?" I thought as I felt my heart sink.

"Did I just see you and Ronin hold hands?" James crept up on me.

But as James spoke, Ronin's eye twitched. "He heard you," I pushed James away.

"What who?", James yelled out.

"Thanks, that'll be it for today," I declared as everyone began clearing the field.

"Nice work, man," Elliott patted me, disappearing alongside the other guys. "I think the guys prefer you over William," he whispered as we shared a brief chuckle, my mind still dancing around the thought of Ronin being mad at me.

"Hey, I'm going with the others. There's someone I want to talk to," James murmured, looking off into the distance.

*

"Hopefully you can chill out over whatever you're going through"

"Yeah, it's cool," I said, fortunate timing, because I had lost sight of Ronin. He wasn't with the rest of the pack. How could I lose sight of a brute like him?

I searched around the entire field, even the stadium, but still no sign of Ronin. There was only one place left-the Rugby bathroom. Slowly, I pushed open the door, and the stench of urine and other fluids hit me like a brick wall, causing me to gag. No wonder no one uses this room. It looked like a drug lord's den, with graffiti and dick drawings covering the walls and doors. And there he was, sitting up against the corner, wearing a frantic expression and rocking himself back and forth. "Not again," he murmured.

"Ronin, are you alright?" I whispered, settling slowly behind him.

"Liam, just go home already," his voice sounded hurt, but I couldn't understand why.

Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around him, holding him close as his head rested on my shoulder. I felt my shoulder get wet-it was his tears.

"Why don't you hate me?" he asked, lifting his head. "I mean, I was always that annoying friend, and then I just made things worse, especially with Mia!"

"What are you talking about, Ronin?" I took a deep breath, letting it all out. "I don't hate you at all, nor did I ever find you annoying. To be honest, it was my friends who did, and I know pushing you away because of them was an asshole move. I liked you so much, it fucking crushed me when you stopped visiting, you know."

"The real question is, why don't you hate me?" I smiled, feeling tears forming on my face. "Why are you suddenly so open to me?"

"I never did. You were my role model, like I told you. When I came here, I was still an emotional wreck, but the more I was around you, the more it made me forget all of what I went through. But that's not the reason I'm here. It's..."

"Please don't tell anyone about us, at least not for now."

*

"Us? What are we exactly?"

"Boyfriends?" Ronin said in a suggestive tone, his eyes sparkling.

"Boyfriends sounds good. Heh, I won't tell anyone."

"I came out to my dad-stupid move. He had a lot on his plate already, and the next day he... He hanged himself because of me." Ronin gripped me, burying his face into my chest.

"I got outed in my old school. Everyone was bullying me. That's the real reason why I moved schools. I don't want it to happen again. It can't."

I was in shock for a moment, feeling a new sense of affection towards him. I wanted to protect him. "Nonsense. You weren't the reason. Coming to terms with your identity isn't something you should get blamed for, you know. I know it must be hard, but I'm here for you. If anyone finds out, I'll make sure to silence them."

"I always wanted to hear you say that," Ronin smiled, closing his eyes.

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you more," Ronin added with a smile.

"God, does everything have to be a contest?" I chuckled.