Fergal Devitt was a seemingly outgoing person but in reality he was painfully shy. He had trouble starting conversations with people. When he made deep connections he usually ended up clinging to the person. For close to twelve years he'd clung to Lucas "Zack Sabre Jr." Eatwell. They had a deep connection. Lucas was relatable. He was charming, kindhearted, and just enjoyed the company of another person. They liked some of the same things. They were both slightly nerdy, slightly outcasted, somewhere on the outliers even in the world of wrestling. It didn't take Fergal long to realize his friend was everything he wanted in a partner. There was no point in ever really bringing it up in conversation, so the feelings just had to kind of fester internally. He looked up at Lucas adjusting his shirt collar to go out for the evening. His shortened hair really added to his appeal. He looked more mature, more grown, sexier. Fergal noticed he was still uncomfortable with his ears being noticeable. He imagined they were some sort of insecurity, probably didn't help that one of his former stable mates Shane "Shane Thorne" Veryzer constantly talked about how big they were. Fergal liked Lucas's big ears though, something about them added to his appearance. Overall Lucas was possibly one of the most attractive men Fergal had ever met. He would never tell him why he was always looking at him. He wouldn't know where to start or how to explain why it took so long to get to this point. He turned away when he noticed Lucas looking back at him.
Lucas was almost positive that the black button up was the only shirt Fergal ever wore. It looked fairly snug but maybe it was just the material. He probably shouldn't have been staring but it was getting harder to pretend he didn't have some little school boy crush on Fergal. Fergal was near perfect on so many levels. He just had this way about him that was genuine. He hadn't changed in the twelve years they had known each other. He was still the same person. Nothing seemed to change who he was. Fame never got to his head, he was still humble. Lucas found himself staring at Fergal more than he should have. Sometimes he'd stand too close. Lean in a little too much when they'd laugh or talk in a bar. Every now and again he'd touch him a little too long, linger a little bit just to feel skin on skin. He watched him tuck his shirt into his Armani slacks. Armani always seemed to remind Lucas of Fergal's ring gear. Small black trunks, that bordered the line of obscene. If they weren't riding up in the back exposing bits of ass, they were tight enough in the front to make out the outline of Fergal's dick. He felt like he shouldn't have known the level of tightness the trunks were but it was hard not to notice. He hoped Fergal never noticed the lust gaze or the lip biting. He never wanted to risk their friendship over what could have been lust, even though he was positive it was more.
They left the room silently. It wasn't an awkward silence. It was more of a relaxed silence. They didn't have a need to make small talk, they were able to just enjoy each other's company. Chad "Karl Anderson" Allegra hated to make assumptions but he'd long thought there was a bit more to their relationship. He knew some things about Fergal's sexual preferences but did his best, or worst, at keeping them secret. Maybe he made a little bit of a mistake always referring to Fergal as the "Vag Slayer". He knew the number of women who threw themselves at Fergal via social media was a bit overwhelming for his friend but he couldn't recant. He couldn't take back what he said, because obvious joke or not, some people took it very serious. Fergal played along with the joke, either to protect himself or to protect Chad's feelings. Chad knew. He never had to ask him outright, he saw the subtle or not so subtle flirting with other men. The blushed cheeks when Lucas was mentioned. The way he gushed over football players, singers, and Lucas. Everything always came back to Lucas which was part of the reason Chad made sure he was here for this. He had to be there, Fergal was almost a completely different person when Lucas was around. He was more open and fun.
The group of men walked into the Japanese steakhouse and looked at the table already set up. Lucas naturally took the seat between Tama and Fergal. Drew "Doc Gallows" Hankinson smirked at Chad. Of course that's where he'd sit. Fergal looked across the table at Chad, silently reminding him not to say shit. The camera was waiting for the evenings weird introduction to customs that Fergal found both strange and fascinating. He was about to chop random restaurant employees in front of people who he didn't know and his group of strange friends. He caught small glimpses of Lucas's intense stare. He wondered what he was thinking of this whole thing. He seemed comfortable the way he was talking to Tama. Fergal needed to concentrate on what he was doing and not the table. This was being filmed. He didn't need anything suggesting his mind was elsewhere.
Lucas watched what Fergal was doing. Chopping employees of a restaurant seemed completely silly, but sponsors who did these kinds of things usually were strange. He looked at the food surrounding him. Tama still talking to him about Fergal. He wasn't positive but Tama seemed to believe he was Fergal's boyfriend? Maybe there was some cultural barrier in the slang Tama was using? He was positive that he understood the way that Tama was using the phrase "your man". He wasn't too sure how to respond other than to simply chuckle and take a sip of beer. Tama just kept going on about different things centering around him and Fergal being some sort of couple. He did his best to kind of deny any feelings toward his friend but Tama seemed to not believe him or he just chose to ignore it. It didn't help when Fergal sat down laughing into Lucas's bicep. Lucas looked at Fergal's forehead still resting against his shoulder. He enjoyed the closeness far too much to really say anything. He noticed Tama's smile. Tama noticed the blush on Lucas's cheeks.
Fergal realized he may have crossed a line. Overstepped some boundaries, but his head resting on Lucas's arm felt right. He thought that Lucas would eventually push his head back, push him off, say something but he just kept chit chatting with Tama and Chad. He didn't even make a dumb joke about it, he just seemed comfortable. Fergal noticed his smile when he turned to face him. He'd seen it a million times and never questioned the emotion behind it until now. Now, at this sponsored dinner definitely was not the time or place to think about this.