John had the wherewithal to step into the hallway, give the two debauched men a moment to right themselves in their place of work. He heard a few rushed, intimate whispers, the rustle of clothing, and then Crash was practically sprinting down the hall, the back of his neck an electric pink.

John stepped back into his office and shut the door behind him. “Crash Willis?”

“Oh, shut up,” Richie said, sitting on his desk with his legs swinging in childish circles, one hand sliding down his face.

Richie looked just as chagrined as he did pleased with himself. Rumpled and confused and...thrilled.

“Richie,” John tried again, striding over and taking his friend by the shoulders. “Crash Willis.”

Richie laughed. “I know, John. I was there.”

John folded back into his own squeaky swivel chair and rested his temple on his closed fist, studying his best friend. “You’re what? Sleeping with the enemy?”

Richie’s feet swung in wider circles. “We haven’t quite gotten there yet, but I sure as shit hope that’s where this is heading.”

John groaned. “First a cop and now an ADA? What, do you have some sort of Darth Vader fetish or something?”

Richie laughed, and it was full of relief. John wondered if Richie had thought that he’d actually be mad at him over something like this. Richie looked so relieved that John was joking with him.

“Crash isn’t on the dark side. He’s just a douchebag. A little lost.”

“I didn’t even realize he was gay,” John mused.

“Yap. I’ve known since he started working here.” Richie studied his fingernails for a few seconds. “He doesn’t hide it. You’d know that if you ever did more than trade barbs with him.”

John frowned. What a weird freaking morning. Because here he was, feeling guilty about being a dick to Crash Willis.

“I...thought you had feelings for Hogan Trencher.”

Richie frowned, like he couldn’t believe that John could be this dense. “Hogan’s straight, John. Get over it.”

John was quiet for a minute, musing inwardly on how complicated it would be to have feelings for someone who didn’t, couldn’t ever, have feelings for you. He wasn’t exactly sure what was going on with Mary, but at least he knew that she found him to be handsome. There was that little nugget to cling to. He momentarily considered a world where Mary wouldn’t ever even find him attractive. How painful that would be. It was in that moment, no matter how John personally felt about Crash Willis, that he decided to be happy for Richie.

“Are you two dating?” he asked.

Richie grimaced. “I like him. He likes me. He’s not fooling around in anyone else’s office for now. Is that enough of an answer, Mom?”