Page 4 of The Fly-Half

If West and Rory were too sweet, then Ryan and Mason were just as sickening. But I was happy for them even if I now knewfartoo much about their sex life and what got Mason off.

I probably needed to tell them I could hear them. We’d all laugh about it, be embarrassed for a few days, and then I’d take Devon’s advice and dig my earplugs out.

“Um, if we’re too sweet, then what are you?” Rory demanded, pushing up the sleeves of the enormous Knights hoodie he was wearing, which had obviously come straight out of West’s wardrobe.

“Perfect, Sparkles,” Ryan said with a wink. “But you’re right, we should stop making out because you have adventures to undertake!”

“And you have plans to torment us,” West said with a laugh as he sat down.

“Exactly! Plus it’s really not fair to poor Jonny if he has to suffer through playing with two couples who are unbearable arseholes.”

“You’re fine,” I said with a wave, really not wanting to make this all about me and my lack of a dating life. Being single had never been a big deal to me and I’d never understood why people wanted to make it a thing. I’d brought girls home in the past but it hadn’t really done much for me, and while I always tried to be a gentleman who made sure they went home satisfied, over the last year I’d kind of stopped bothering.

Sex was fine and all, but I’d never found it to be the be all and end all of my existence. Maybe that would change depending on if I ended up with a partner I was really into, but I’d never been that fussed about dating either. It was too much hassle and everyone I’d ever met was just kind of… meh.

“And you are very sweet to put up with our shit,” Ryan said as they walked over to their end of the table and began arranging all their stuff behind the DM screen Mason had put out. “Oh, I had a question for you!”

“Right… am I going to like this?”

“Actually, it’s not about you.” They put the books to one side and shot me a sly smile as they opened their laptop. “Is Devon single?”

“Why?” I asked, bristling at the question.

“Because Peaches wanted to know. He’s single, he thinks Devon is cute, and he’s jealous that Rory and I are shacking up with gorgeous rugby players.” They winked, their tongue poking out the corner of their mouth, and even though I knew it wasa joke, it still prickled something inside me. “No worries if he’s not, I just thought I’d ask. Mason thought he might be, but you’re his best friend, so…” Ryan left the thought hanging in the air and I nodded, trying to ignore the sharp irritation in my chest.

Devon had had more than his share of shitty exes over the years, including one particular dickhead—Alexandre—whose name still made me want to put a hole in the closest wall. And while Devon was an adult who was perfectly capable of making his own decisions, that didn’t mean I couldn’t protect him from men who wanted to hurt him. My best friend deserved so much better than some of the scumbags he’d shacked up with in the past, and if I had to send a few of them packing so he could see that, then so be it.

I’d gladly be the villain if it kept Devon safe.

Ryan was still waiting for an answer and Mason, West, and Rory were all looking at me, curiosity playing across their features. I swallowed.

“Yeah, he’s single,” I said eventually. “He’s just… he’s had a few shitty exes, so I’m not sure how interested he’d be. But he’s a grown-up. I can’t answer for him.”

Even if, for some reason, I wished I could.

Rory grinned. “Well, they always say the best way to get over one man is to get under another. Or find the sexiest man alive and let him absolutely blow your mind.” He leant over to kiss West’s cheek and out of the corner of my eye I could see him squeezing the top of West’s thigh.

“You’re being sickening again,” Ryan said. “Next time I’m going to get a spray bottle and squirt you.”

“Bitch, you wouldn’t.”

“Try me! Also I’m the DM. Be nice to me before I unleash a horde of monsters on you and make you roll a new character.”

Rory laughed but sat back in his chair, his hand still on West’s thigh under the table. He looked at me with something akin to an encouraging smile. “Peaches is a good guy. I’m pretty sure he’s got baggage, but who doesn’t? But he’s not a walking red flag.”

“Is his name actually Peaches?” Mason asked. “Can I ask that?”

“You can, but I can’t tell you the answer,” Ryan said. “In and out of drag, he’s always been Peaches. Unless you want to use his full drag name of Peachy Keen.”

“Peaches is a cute name, though,” Rory said. “Maybe he prefers it to his legal name? Oh, maybe his legal name is really awful, like… Nigel or Brian.”

“Nigel?” West asked with an amused eyebrow.

“Yeah, would you want to be called Nigel in 2024?”

“Probably not. Westley is bad enough.”

“Westley is cute and so is West,” Rory said. “What about you, Jonny? Are you legally Jonny or something else? You don’t have to tell me. I’m just nosy.”

---