Step Bros - Part 1

Everyone in this story is 18+

The car rumbled along the highway, the world outside a blur as we sped toward our future. College. Freshman year. A new start, or at least that’s what people liked to say. To me, it felt more like a really long road trip with my stepbrother, Jaxon—Jax, as he insisted everyone call him—annoying me in the backseat while his dad, Noel, tried to keep the peace.

“I’m sorry your mom couldn’t make it,” Noel said, his eyes catching mine in the rearview mirror for a split second before shifting back to the road.

I just nodded. Mom had some work thing, or at least that’s what she said. I wasn’t sure if she really had something important or if she just wasn’t ready to see me off. Either way, it was just Noel driving us, which meant Jax and I were left unsupervised in the backseat—always a bad idea.

Case in point: a wet finger jabbed into my ear, making me jerk away with a yelp. “Dude, what the hell?” I turned to glare at Jax, who was grinning like an idiot, leaning against the window like he hadn’t just violated my personal space.

“What?” he said, all innocent. “It was just a love tap.”

I reached over and shoved him, making him grunt as he hit the door. His shoulder was warm under my palm, firmer than I expected, and for a brief second, I left my hand there before snatching it away. “Love tap that, moron.”

He responded by jabbing me in the ribs with his elbow, and in seconds, we were in a full-blown, dumbass slap fight. Arms flailing, grunts and muffled laughter filling the car. At some point, Jax yanked my cap down over my eyes, making me blindly swat at him while he cackled. In retaliation, I grabbed the waistband of his shorts and yanked them up hard. His breath hitched as he squirmed.

"Whoa there! Freeballing much?" I hissed under my breath, making sure Noel couldn't hear.

Jax smirked, effortlessly pushing me away with a lazy flick of his wrist. "It’s comfy," he drawled, his tone smooth as ever. He shifted in his seat with an easy grace, making a subtle adjustment before reclining against the window like he owned the place—like nothing had even happened.

Then, with his typical mischievous glint in his eyes, he struck—his fingers darting to my sides, expertly finding the spots he knew would make me squirm. "What's the matter, Nicky boy?" he teased, his voice all honey and trouble as I twisted away, laughing despite myself. He knew I hated this—knew how ridiculously ticklish I was—but that only made it more fun for him.

“Knock it off,” Noel barked from the front seat. “Be nice to your brother.”

I felt Jax stiffen next to me. He was always weird about that word—‘brother.’ He had been since our parents got married a few years back. I wasn’t sure if it was pride, stubbornness, or just Jax being Jax, but he hated the label.

“He’s not my brother,” he muttered, eyes on the window.

I rolled my eyes. “No, just my doofus step bro.”

That got a reaction. Jax turned, shoving me again, but there was a smirk on his face. “Oh, you’re gonna regret that, Nicky boy.”

I groaned. “Stop calling me that.”

“Then stop calling me doofus.”

“Fair trade,” I said, but we both knew we weren’t going to keep it.

Noel sighed from the driver’s seat. “You two are gonna kill me before we even get there.”

I exchanged a glance with Jax, and for a split second, we were on the same wavelength—silently agreeing to at least let Noel get us to campus before resuming our usual torment. His smirk lingered, his gaze holding mine for a beat too long, before he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.

For now, anyway.

--- --- ---

We finally pulled up to the dorms, the towering brick buildings looming over the bustling crowd of students hauling their lives out of cars and into their new homes. Noel parked and let out a breath, glancing back at us. “Alright, let’s get you two settled.”

Inside the dorms, the Resident Assistant, a strawberry-blond, lanky guy with that overenthusiastic golden retriever energy, greeted us. When he shook my hand, he smiled warmly and looked me right in the eyes. His light eyes—somewhere between blue and gray—caught me slightly off guard, steady and genuine in a way I wasn’t expecting.

“Welcome to the dorms! I’m Jake, your RA. Let me give you guys a quick tour. Here are your rooms, but let’s check out the common areas first and circle back.”

Jax, who wasn’t paying attention as usual, turned to me. “Huh? That’s our room? The one with the ABCD door tag?”

“Nah, I think he pointed to the one next to it,” I said, before nudging him forward. “Come on, let’s follow the RA and your dad before they ditch us. Might be nice to actually know where we’re living.”

“Nerd,” Jax teased, yanking my cap down over my eyes before sprinting after Jake and Joel.

This was gonna be a trial…

Jake led us through the common areas, pointing out the laundry room, the lounge, and the shared bathrooms. Jax and I exchanged a look when Jake proudly gestured to a sad little vending machine tucked in the corner. “And here’s where you can get snacks at 3 AM when you’re regretting your life choices.”

After the tour of the common areas, Jake led us down a narrow hallway to our dorm. "And here you are," he said, stopping in front of our room. "Right next to the four-man dorms. They’re a rowdy bunch." Just as he finished speaking, Jax stuck his foot out, making me stumble forward. I caught myself before face-planting, glaring back at him while he smirked. Jake let out a chuckle at the sight. "Looks like you guys will fit right in."

Noel clapped his hands together. "I think they’ll get along great, they’re brothers after all."

“Step,” Jax and I corrected in unison.

Noel huffed a small laugh and shook his head. “Right, right. Step.”

Then came the awkward part—goodbyes. Noel insisted on a picture together. Jax slung an arm over my shoulder—I knew he liked looking like the older brother, even though I was in fact a month older. As Noel snapped the photo, he turned to me first, pulling me into a tight hug. “Take care of yourself, Nick.”

I nodded, my throat tight. Then he faced Jax, pulling him in for a equally tight, loving hug. “And you too, Jax.”

Jax grumbled something about not needing a goodbye speech, but even he couldn’t hide the way his shoulders tensed.

Noel stepped back, and I noticed the glisten in his eyes as he looked at both of us. "You two have got this," he said, voice a little rough. "Proud of you both. Take care of each other, alright? You only got each other in college."

And just like that, he was gone, leaving us standing there in our new home. I swallowed hard, watching the car disappear down the street, realizing—maybe for the first time—just how much I actually liked the guy.

My own father had been gone for years, but Noel? He wasn’t so bad.

--- --- ---

We settled into the dorm, the energy between us chaotic as always. Jax, of course, was being his usual self—loud, physical, and annoyingly at ease in the new space. As we unpacked, we kept hearing weird noises coming from the dorm next door, the unmistakable rhythm of something….

Jax snorted, pausing to listen. “Dude, that totally sounds like fucking noises,” he said, grinning as he elbowed me. “Bet they’ve got hot girls over.”

I rolled my eyes and kept unpacking, refusing to encourage him.

It started with a shove—Jax, always cocky, always testing boundaries. I shoved back, maybe a little harder than I meant to, and suddenly, we were tangled up, breathless, wrestling for dominance in the cramped space. His grin was all teeth, his grip firm but teasing, daring me to give in.

Then I twisted, using his own momentum against him, and sent him stumbling back—right into the little table. The open water bottle tipped, drenching his shorts. I froze, half expecting him to actually be mad, but Jax just glanced down at the mess, then back up at me with a slow, wicked smirk.

“Well, Nicky boy,” he drawled, voice dropping, “if you wanted me all wet, you could’ve just asked.”

Without a second thought, he stripped down, completely unbothered by his own nudity. I looked away, already used to how careless he was about these things. He had always been this way—completely at home in his own skin.

Just as I thought he’d grab some clothes like a normal person, he decided to screw around, his usual self taking hold. “Check this out,” he said, spinning his hips in an exaggerated motion.

I groaned. “Dude, stop with the helicopter!”

Jax cackled, his junk swinging wildly. It was impossible not to notice how much it moved—his low hangers and loose dick flopping around making it way worse.

“Dude! I don’t wanna see that! WTF!” I turned away sharply, hands over my face.

Jax only laughed harder. “Hey, nothing you haven’t seen before. Remember that time we played swordfighting?”

I groaned, my face heating. “Dude!”

Just as he yanked up his fresh shorts, a sudden knock on the door made me jump. Before Jax could even react, I bolted for the door, desperate to avoid further embarrassment.

I swung it open to find four guys standing there. The one in front looked like a stock image of a jock—dark buzzcut, built like a damn tree trunk, his bro energy even bigger than Jax’s. Beside him was a blond guy, smaller and delicate-looking—kind of twinky (not that I knew what a twink was). Next to him, an auburn-haired guy who looked more regular, though he was holding hands with the blond. And lastly, there was a guy who looked like he had just stepped out of an Armani ad—classically handsome with an air of self-importance that oozed arrogance.

The jock was the first to speak, his voice loud and confident. “Hi broskys!!! Welcome to college! We’re your neighbors. I’m Brady!” He clapped a heavy hand on his chest. “And this is Cameron,” he gestured at the twink. “This is Daniel,” he motioned to the auburn-haired guy. “And this is—”

Before Brady could finish, the best-dressed one cut in with a smooth British accent. “I’m ‘The Honourable Asher Milford.’”

Brady burst out laughing. “Okay, dude! you get the best room. I didn’t think you’d actually dare to introduce yourself with your ridiculous title.”

Asher smirked. “It’s not a title, Brady. Anyway, I will do anything to secure decent accommodations. And sorry about that, you guys can call me Ash.”

Before I could even respond, Jax strolled up behind me, still shirtless, stretching with a lazy yawn, his arms lifting high above his head like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Yo, you guys know any hot girls? I think I heard some in your dorms,” he greeted, voice unbothered, casual—completely oblivious.

I barely had time to process the shift in the air before I saw it—how all four of them zeroed in on him at once. Their gazes sharpened, a quiet intensity settling between them, and an uneasy prickle crawled up my spine. It was like watching a pack of wolves catch the scent of an unsuspecting deer.

Asher, the most subtle of the group, poked Brady—light, a quiet warning. Brady, however, only smirked, tilting his head toward Jax like he’d just been handed a perfect opportunity. “Nah, no girls over,” he drawled, eyes glinting. “But if you’re nice, you might get to borrow Ca—”

A sharp nudge from Dan cut him off, much harder than Asher’s, enough to make Brady stumble slightly.

“It was a joke,” Brady said smoothly, regaining his cocky composure like nothing had happened. Then, with a casual grin, he added, “But anyway, you guys should hang out with us sometime.”

I stood there, a little unsure, taken aback by whatever weird dynamic was playing out between them.

Before I could say anything, Jax slung an arm over my shoulder, completely unfazed. “Totally! I’m down. How about you, little bro?”

“I’m not—!” I started, but Jax just ruffled my hair with a laugh, cutting me off before I could finish.

--- --- ---

I hope you enjoyed the first part of this series! And that twist at the end—did you catch the hint with the door tag that it was the ABCD crew from Backbacking with the Boys? Or did you need it spelled out? Let me know in the comments!

For those unfamiliar with Backbacking with the Boys, you can read it here, but don’t worry—this story is designed as a standalone, so you don’t have to read the prequel series to enjoy it.