SWIM

The water in Net’s private pool was a shimmering, deep turquoise under the moonlight, but JJ wasn’t looking at the water. He was looking at Net, who was currently leaning against the edge of the pool, his damp hair slicked back to reveal the sharp, handsome lines of his face.

"You really complained on my post just to get an invite," Net said, his voice dropping into that low, resonant frequency that always made the hair on JJ’s arms stand up. "I thought you were busy, JJ. I didn't want to bother you."

JJ huffed, splashing a bit of water toward him as he waded into the shallow end. "I've been asking you to go for weeks! Then I see you posting a solo shot looking all brooding by the water? Of course, I’m going to complain. Friends don’t gatekeep pool time, Net."

Net’s eyes darkened, a slow, predatory smirk spreading across his lips. "Friends, huh? Is that what we’re doing tonight?"

"What else would we be doing?" JJ asked, his voice tilting up in genuine confusion. He felt a flutter in his chest—a nervous, jittery thing he usually labeled as 'caffeine jitters' or 'excitement for swimming'—but he ignored it. He always ignored it.

Net didn't answer with words. Instead, he lunged forward through the water, his hands finding JJ’s waist beneath the surface. The contact was sudden and searing. JJ gasped, his hands instinctively landing on Net’s bare, wet shoulders to steady himself. The skin was hot despite the cool water, and the muscles beneath were rock hard.

"Net? What are you—"

"I'm tired of the games, JJ," Net whispered, pulling him closer until their chests were inches apart. "I’ve been incredibly patient. I’ve dropped hints, I’ve been direct, I’ve literally told you I want you, and you just laugh it off like I’m telling a joke."

JJ’s heart hammered against his ribs. He tried to look away, his face heating up. "You're just... you're a flirt, Net. Everyone knows that. You're just being playful."

"Look at me," Net commanded. It wasn't a request.

JJ looked up, his breath hitching. Net’s face was inches from his, his gaze heavy with a hunger that JJ could no longer pretend was 'just friendship.'

"I'm not playing," Net said, his thumb circling the sensitive skin of JJ's hip. "I want to kiss you. And I want to do a lot more than that. Are you going to tell me you don't want it too?"

JJ opened his mouth to deny it—to say something about how they were just best friends—but the words died in his throat. Net didn't wait for the denial. He tilted his head and crashed his lips against JJ’s.

The kiss was explosive. It wasn't the tentative, sweet first kiss JJ might have imagined in his rare moments of honesty. It was demanding and possessive. Net’s tongue swept into JJ’s mouth, tasting of salt and mint, claiming him with a ferocity that left JJ weak-kneed. JJ’s fingers tangled into Net’s wet hair, pulling him closer as he finally stopped fighting the reality of his own desire.

Net groaned into the kiss, his hands moving from JJ's waist to his buttocks, lifting him up so JJ had to wrap his legs around Net’s hips to stay afloat. The friction of their wet swim trunks rubbing together sent a jolt of electricity straight to JJ’s core.

"Net... wait," JJ gasped when they broke for air, his head spinning. "We're in the pool... we should..."

"Inside," Net rasped, his eyes burning. "Now."

He didn't wait for a response, practically carrying JJ out of the water. They left a trail of puddles across the deck and into the master bedroom, the air conditioning hitting their wet skin and making JJ shiver. Net didn't let him get cold for long. He pushed JJ back onto the massive bed, stripping off his own trunks in one fluid motion before hovering over JJ.

JJ stared up at him, his eyes wide. The denial was finally, irrevocably shattered. Net was beautiful, and the way he was looking at JJ made him feel like the only person in the world.

"Net, I..."

"Shhh," Net silenced him with another kiss, his hands wandering over JJ’s body, tracing the lines of his ribs, the softness of his stomach. "No more talking. Just feel."

Net was relentless. He worshipped JJ’s body with his mouth, leaving dark marks along his neck and collarbone. When he finally moved to prep JJ, his fingers were slow and thorough, stretching him until JJ was arching his back, his breath coming in shallow sobs.

"Please, Net... please," JJ whimpered, not even sure what he was asking for anymore.

"Tell me what you want," Net whispered against his ear, his voice a low growl.

"I want you... I want this," JJ confessed, his voice trembling.

When Net finally entered him, it was a slow, agonizingly perfect slide that filled JJ completely. JJ cried out, his eyes rolling back as the sheer sensation of it overwhelmed his senses. Net began to move, his pace steady and powerful, his eyes locked onto JJ’s face to catch every flicker of pleasure and pain.

As the minutes turned into an hour, the pleasure began to cross the line into something more intense. Net was a man possessed, his stamina seemingly endless. He pushed JJ into positions that made every nerve ending scream, his thrusts hitting JJ’s sweet spot with a punishing accuracy.

"Net... stop, wait, it’s too much," JJ sobbed, his head thrashing against the pillows. His body was buzzing, his skin so sensitive that even the air felt like a touch. He was overstimulated, his mind fragmenting under the onslaught of sensation.

"Not yet, baby," Net murmured, his voice thick with lust. He flipped JJ onto his stomach, pulling his hips up.

"No, I can't... please, I'm tired," JJ tried to crawl away, his hands scrabbling against the silk sheets as he tried to put distance between them. His body was shaking, his climax having left him drained and hyper-sensitive.

Net’s hand shot out, grabbing JJ’s ankle and dragging him back down the bed with a firm, inescapable grip. "You're not going anywhere. I've waited too long for this, JJ. You're mine tonight."

"Net, please, it hurts a little... I'm too sensitive," JJ pleaded, his voice cracking. He wasn't truly fighting—he couldn't, not when his body was still humming with the aftershocks of Net's touch—but he was overwhelmed, his consent blurring into a haze of exhaustion and sensory overload.

Net didn't stop. He was gentle in his grip but firm in his intent, pinning JJ down and entering him again, his movements slower now, more grinding. He ignored JJ's half-hearted protests, knowing the younger man was lost in the throes of a pleasure so intense it felt like pain. He kissed the back of JJ’s neck, murmuring praises that JJ could barely hear over the roaring in his ears.

"You love this," Net whispered. "You love how I take you."

JJ couldn't deny it. Even as he begged for a break, his body was arching into the contact, his own hands clutching the sheets as he was dragged into another peak. It was a cycle of overwhelming sensation, Net pushing him further and further until JJ was nothing but a mess of tears and gasps.

It was only after the third time Net finished, his body finally spent, that he collapsed on top of JJ, breathing hard. The room was silent save for their ragged breaths. Net rolled off, pulling JJ into his arms and tucking his head under his chin.

JJ was trembling, his eyes closed, his body still twitching occasionally from the lingering overstimulation. He felt raw, both physically and emotionally.

"JJ?" Net whispered, his voice full of a sudden, sharp concern. He pulled back to look at JJ’s face, wiping away the stray tears with his thumb. "Hey, look at me. Did I go too far? I’m sorry, I just... I lost it."

JJ opened his eyes slowly. He felt like he’d been through a storm, but as he looked at Net—really looked at him—the fear and the sensory overload began to recede, replaced by a profound sense of clarity.

"You're an idiot," JJ whispered, his voice raspy.

Net blinked, surprised. "What?"

"You're such an idiot. All this time... you were serious?" JJ asked, his hand coming up to rest on Net’s cheek.

Net laughed softly, a sound of pure relief. "I have never been more serious about anything in my life, JJ. I’ve been in love with you for a year. I thought you were just rejecting me politely by pretending you didn't see it."

"I wasn't rejecting you," JJ admitted, his face flushing. "I was just... I didn't think someone like you could actually want me. I thought we were just friends who flirted a lot."

Net leaned down, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to JJ’s forehead. "We are not just friends, JJ. Not anymore. I want everything. I want the dates, I want the mornings, I want to be the only one who gets to see you like this."

JJ swallowed hard, his heart swelling. The denial was gone, replaced by a terrifying, beautiful certainty. "Does that mean... are you asking me to be your boyfriend?"

Net smiled, a genuine, warm expression that reached his eyes. "I am. JJ, will you be my boyfriend? For real this time. No jokes, no 'just friends' nonsense."

JJ pulled Net down for a kiss, a slow, sweet one that tasted of promises. "Yes," he whispered against Net’s lips. "Yes, I will."

Net pulled him closer, wrapping the duvet around them both. "Good. Because I'm not letting you go back to being 'dense' tomorrow. You're mine now."

JJ giggled, a tired but happy sound, as he snuggled into Net's chest. "I think I can handle that."