Back in the relative warmth of the clubhouse, Cap held me and Miguel back, as the others headed to the large shower room.

“Miguel, how did you enjoy your first training session with us? Do you think you would like to join our little club?”

My heart dropped into my cleats; Miguel might not be coming back?!

I looked nervously up and saw Miguel turn to face Cap; had he been looking at me?

“I had fun, it was a really good training session, I learnt a lot from everyone. It was very different from uni.”

“Eh? Uni? How old are you?” Blurted out of my mouth.

Miguel’s dark eyes went wide for a moment, then he answered, “I’m 25.”

My hand slapped onto my forehead, “wow!”

Miguel’s brows went up in question as Cap’s hand clipped me round the head, “don’t be rude Stiffy, he clearly looks 25.”

“25!? I thought he was at least 30!” Came VD’s loud voice from the shower.

Cap left us alone as he stomped off to tell Yon yet again to think before he speaks!

Miguel’s head was lowered, sending his dark eyes deep into shadow, “is 25 too young?”

“Of of course not.” I stammered back, “I was just surprised, you seem so mature.”

A deep chuckle rumbled out of Miguel’s throat, “oh I can be childish, believe me.”

Chuckling too I replied, “can’t we all be?” My mirth died as I asked, “do you think you would want to join our team?”

In a low tone that didn’t travel he asked back, “do you want me to?”

Without a pause I said too loudly, “yes!”

Miguel’s whole body seemed to relax as he laughed at me, “I’m glad you’re not worried about me coming to take your place.”

“Oh right, nah I don’t mind, I really enjoyed playing with you.”

“Me too, your fearless style is a pleasure to watch.”

“Ah yes, fearless.”

I’m not fearless, I want to be tackled...

“Are you two love birds coming to shower or what?” Yelled Larry.

“You want Stiffy to shower with you?” Teased Bob, our big number 8’s huge happy face split in a grin, as he gently elbowed the slender fly half.

“Our little fairy’s boner is the only validation I get that I’m still hot!” laughed Larry.

“Lolly you were never hot.” Said Eric, our outside centre, with a roaring laugh.

As we stripped Miguel asked, “does it not bother you that they call you stuff like that?”

“What fairy?” At Miguel’s nod I thought how to word my reply.

Pulling my head out of my mud soak shirt, I almost forgot what I was going to say, when I saw Miguel’s eyes quickly flick up.

Was he checking me out?

Denying my rampant delusional ego, I said, “nah, they are really accepting guys, I know they are just messing with me like they mess with each other.”

I dropped my filthy shorts to the floor and reminisced, “A couple of us met up with Paul’s work colleagues before, and a few of them are wonderfully fabulous men. The lads were nothing but gentlemanly, and Cap wasn’t even there to keep them in order, they are just good guys.”

Grabbing our stuff we walked into the showers, I was thrilled that Miguel took a shower next to mine to the far left of the long line. The low walls between the showers just hiding my rock-hard lower half.

I was surprised to not hear the usual gibes about my Stiffy, and looked round to see the others staring at me, “what? You finally decided you can’t resist me anymore?”

They all smiled oddly, and Paul asked seriously, “Jonathan you really don’t mind our joking, right?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “of course I don’t, I know you wouldn’t do it if you believed I was gay.”

A sharp laugh burst out of Eric’s mouth, “no way your gay, you may not be popular with the ladies, but there is no way you would be single if you were gay!”

Burt our open-side flanker chimed in, “damn right, our hunky fairy would be covered in choice dick if he was gay.”

I was stunned, they really thought I would be a popular gay man? How wrong they are.

VD said, “I bet the little guys would love to be fucked by a big chap like Stiffy.”

In a ridiculously risky move, that I think was influenced by wanting to tell Miguel, I said, “maybe I don’t want to fuck them, maybe I want to be fucked and that’s why I’m still single.”

There was utter silence, all that could be heard was the sound of water splashing onto hard muscular bodies.

Into that terrifying silence Miguel said, “you’d still be popular, look at that solid arse!”

The others laughed with relieved abandon, while Yon took hold of his soft cock and said with false bravado, “if you want fucking, I’ve got a dick right here.”

I put my hands over my arse and said meekly, “oh my, I don’t want such a snake for my first time.”

The room descended into laughter and dick measuring, and I turned to showering.

In a whisper I said to Miguel out the corner of my mouth, “thanks for the save, I think they took me too seriously for my own good.”

Miguel said out loud, “can I borrow your shower gel, I forgot mine like a plonker.”

“Of course you can.”

As he leant down to grab the bottle, he whispered, “what are you going to do if I took you too seriously?”

I froze for a moment, then cavalierly whispered back, “enjoy the consequences.”

A rich hum left Miguel’s lips and he started to wash his chest.

Fuck he is toned, those pecks are a work of art. Stop staring, you’ll creep him out.

Those of us without commitments went across the road for a drink at the fox and the hound, and I was thrilled to have Miguel sit next to me.

Sat in the middle of a long couch like bench, drinking and talking, I felt a hand brush my thigh under the table.

I looked up at Miguel who totally ignored what he had done and carried on talking to Paul.

Halfway through my pint I felt it again, was he touching my thigh on purpose? I really hope so!

At the end of the evening I didn’t want to go, I had loved chatting with Miguel, his mind was as wonderful as his body.

He studied architecture at university and wanted to build eco housing, I almost hugged him when I heard and made him promise to work with me if he got the chance.

He seemed just as excited but said due to still being a junior architect he wasn’t able to do his own projects yet.

For hours we talked about all sorts with the rest of the team, I felt us grow closer even in such a short time.

The evening ended with goodbyes and shared lifts, unfortunately I live in the opposite direction to Miguel.

Walking with Cap towards the tube station, we talked about the training, he was almost as happy as me that Miguel was going to join us.