I didn’t want him to hurt himself, mostly because we’d need him if we got to the semi-finals, but I also hoped he’d be able to hold out for as long as possible. We only had one other loosehead prop on the bench, and we wouldn’t want to bring him on until at least the second half to ensure the team stayed as fresh as possible for as long as possible.
The stadium went silent as Devon lined up, then erupted into cheers as he kicked it neatly between the posts and over the bar. A raised flag and a whistle confirmed the kick was good, and the Knights were up seven to nothing after only six minutes.
Now we just had to keep the momentum up.
The first half flew by as we dominated play, absolutely racking up points as if our opponents weren’t even there. At times, it really didn’t feel like they were. I wasn’t going to complain, though, because it made our lives a hell of a lot easier.
By the time we jogged back to the dressing room at half-time, we’d already scored thirty-one points and earned a bonus point for scoring four tries while Worcester had only managed three from a penalty they’d been given just before the whistle.
“This is going well,” Danny said as he sipped his water and took a bite out of a thick slice of dark chocolate banana bread. “Kinda—”
“Oi! Don’t you fucking dare say easy,” Bailey said, throwing a towel at him, which landed in the winger’s lap.
“You’ll bloody curse us,” Hunter said.
“What?” Danny asked with his mouth full. “It is!”
“Yeah, but we’ve said that before and it’s all gone wrong in the second half,” West said calmly.
“We won’t let it,” I said as I looked around at them. “Hold on to this feeling and don’t let it go. Forty minutes, that’s all we’ve got to get through. Forty minutes and that semi-final is ours. And we bloody deserve it! Don’t let them get even a toe back in place. Push them, hold on, and get it done. Then we can break out the champagne.” I glanced at Devon and snorted. “And yes, Mr Barre, it is actually champagne, not just sparkling wine we’re calling champagne.”
“Thank you,” Devon said with an approving nod. Bloody wine snob.
I took a swig of my drink and closed my eyes for a second, basking in the noise around me as my thoughts drifted to floors above. I hoped Harper was enjoying himself.
“Let’s go, boys,” Mason said a few minutes later as we all climbed to our feet, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jonny kiss Devon’s cheek when he thought nobody else was watching. “Let’s fucking do this!”
And we did.
Worcester tried to get a footing back with substitutions but we’d already decided they weren’t getting anything from this match. They managed one more penalty, but that was it. Meanwhile, we ran riot all over the pitch, and by the end Danny was laughing while he scored, setting the ball down neatly between the posts to create a conversion so easy Devon could have done it in his sleep.
The final score was seventy-three to six.
Less a crushing victory than a total annihilation.
But we still shook all the Worcester players’ hands and gave them a few hugs, wishing them well and almost politely apologising for what we’d inflicted on them.
We wandered over towards the stands, waving at the fans and celebrating with them, thanking them for their support throughout the season. Our families walked out onto the pitch, kids tearing across the turf with rugby balls in hand. Harper was carrying Jack, who looked a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing, his hand firmly clutching the front of Harper’s T-shirt.
Seeing the pair of them together made my heart swell, emotion threatening to overwhelm me. It was a reminder of what I’d gained over the last few months and how precious it was to me. I never wanted to take this feeling for granted.
It was something I’d been waiting for my whole life, something I’d wanted for longer than I could say, and something I’d never be able to replace.
“There’s my boys,” I said, walking over and pulling them into a hug, kissing Jack’s temple before I kissed Harper. I didn’t care if anyone saw, if they took pictures or it ended up on various news outlets tomorrow. This was my life, and I wasn’t going to hide how fucking amazing it was. Besides, it wasn’t like I was the only one on the team with a boyfriend. Queerness wasn’t exactly unusual here at the Knights.
“We’re so proud of you,” Harper said, kissing me again. “You were amazing!”
“Thanks,” I said. “It was easier than I imagined. But everyone absolutely smashed it today!”
“They really did.”
Harper smiled and brushed a strand of hair off of Jack’s face. “We watched the end, didn’t we, Jack? When Uncle Danny scored.”
“Yeah.” Jack nodded. “He’s so fast.”
“He really is,” I said, watching Danny over Harper’s shoulder. He was standing with Charlie but kept looking over into the stands, like he was waiting for someone. “How many sausage sandwiches did you eat today?”
“Three,” Jack said with a grin.
