=Normal POV=
[Saturday, 9/22/2018; 9:00 pm]
[Berk; Forger/Haddock House]
The night had been calm since about 7:30 pm when Hayden's old prosthetic broke, which would have left him unable to walk without help. However, Gabriel surprised Hayden with a brand new prosthetic that looked and moved like a real leg would, even down to skin color. Also, it's been this long Trayden finally told his friends about his first boyfriend ever Marcus Knight, and then received a kiss from Hayden to take his mind off his ex-boyfriend who had used him. The kiss, though, turned into something longer when Trayden returned it, and the two held it for a minute and took things deeper by making it a French kiss. Afterward, Hayden and Trayden set up to almost cuddle on the couch while the rest of the friends watched TV or played a game.
It was now about 9:00 pm as everyone was sitting around and talking about the talent show for Senior Year.
"I don't see how we can do anything without Bryan on drums. Nobody else can play them," Katie informed.
"Guys, you're making this much more complicated than it needs to be," Hayden rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, Hayden can play them," Trayden added.
"That's not what I had in mind, but it could work," Hayden shrugged. "But you made it clear earlier that you want me singing,"
"What was your idea?" Alyssa asked.
"I could teach Tray or Ty how to play them, at least enough to do whatever song you pick," Hayden said.
"You never showed us what you have so far," Ford pointed out.
"Or what genres they are," Mindy pointed out. Hayden got up and moved over to the music side of the basement, and going into one of the drawers to grab something. Hayden returned a minute later with two binders. Dropping the white one on the table carefully, the others stared at it. "That is everything I have finished with lyrics and music. And this," he set down the black one now. "Is everything unfinished; missing lyrics, or music," he informed.
"Odin above, that will take all night to get through," Syrus complained.
"Or…Just flip right to the genre you want…Since I labeled them," Hayden remarked, showing the tabs with different styles of music on them. "The Anti-Suicidal and Suicidal ones are off limits," he added.
"Alright," the friends replied and nodded.
"It is also listed at the top of each lyrics page if the music would be metal, hip-hop, classic, etc.," Hayden stated.
"And you have all the music to these?" Trayden wondered.
"Different binder with the music sheets that get played by each instrument used. If you want to hear any of the music to the ones that interest you," Hayden grabbed his laptop off the desk, put the password in, and inserted an SD card that came up right away. "Everything is listed in here," he said.
"Are they recorded in full with your voice?" Hailey questioned.
"No," Hayden shook his head. "I thought it would be better to keep that bit of the music-making to myself. It's so no matter what; nobody can steal the songs. Without knowing exactly how to sing them due to hearing it by me first, having the lyrics and music is useless," he added.
"That's clever," Miya smiled.
Hayden shrugged as he got up and started clearing away dishes from dinner and setting them in the sink to wash. The friends got to work on looking through the collection of finished songs first. Hayden got to work on washing dishes, rinsing and then set them to dry on the rack. Hayden put away the leftovers and washed the pan last. This took about fifteen minutes to do and then Hayden started cleaning up the kitchen. Hayden wiped down counters, the sink, stove while the friends were still looking through stuff and playing the music to anything that looked interesting.
"Hey, this one has a title, but no lyrics were written," Hailey mentioned.
"What's the title, babe?" Ford asked.
"Gone Too Soon," Mindy informed. "And just has the description of; Losing Loved Ones," Alyssa typed in the title on the laptop.
"There's an MP3 file here for that song," Alyssa stated as she clicked on it and the music started to play.
"Hey there now, where'd you go? You left me here, so unexpected," Hayden's voice was heard singing. "You changed my life; I hope you know. Cause now I'm lost, so unprotected," the friends were confused. Didn't Hayden say he didn't record himself singing any of these? Trayden eyed the computer now, carefully."In the blink of an eye…I never got to say goodbye!" Trayden's eyes widened.
"Wait a second…" Trayden took the computer. "This isn't recorded…" he added as his friends looked confused. Trayden turned around and looked at Hayden in the kitchen who was still cleaning.
"Like a shooting star flying across the room. So fast, so far; you were gone too soon. You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you. You were gone too soon," Hayden sang.
"He's singing it," Trayden pointed out.
"You were always there, like a shining light. On my darkest days; you were there to guide me. Oh, I miss you now. I wish you could see; how much your memory will always mean to me! In the blink of an eye…I never got to say goodbye!" Hayden continued.
"Like a shooting star flying across the room. So fast, so far; you were gone too soon. You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you. You were gone too soon," At that moment, Gabriel came down the stairs and stood near the couch, watching and listening. There was a small pause where Hayden took a breath. "Shine on, shine on; on to a better place. Shine on, shine on; will never be the same. Shine on, shine on!"
"I am very surprised he's singing this…" Gabriel said, shocked.
"Why?" Rylee asked.
Gabriel sighed. "He wrote it a long time ago; just a random idea that came to him, but never finished the lyrics. The music was always done, just not the words. However, according to what I heard from Child Services; this is the song he sang at his parents' funerals…It was a closed ceremony to certain parties. When Hayden couldn't figure out what to say; he played the music and just sang from the heart," Gabriel informed lightly.
"You mean he came up with on the fly?" Devon questioned.
Gabriel nodded. "No different testing things by writing, trying, then erasing and repeating the same process until it was perfect. Nothing at all, everything he was feeling at that moment that he couldn't seem to say as words, came out as a song. That's probably why the music on in his finished files, but there are no lyrics written down. I'm surprised he's singing it because he broke down at the funeral after doing it," he stated.
"Like a shooting star flying across the room. So fast, so far; you were gone too soon. You're a part of me, and I'll never be the same here without you. You were gone too soon! Shine on, shine on. You were gone too soon! Shine on, shine on. You were gone too soon! Shine on, shine on. You were gone too soon…" Hayden finished before lowering his head, eyes closed, and sighing.
Gabriel went over to Hayden now, putting a hand on his back. "Are you alright, lad?"
Hayden took a breath, quickly wiping his eyes and then turning to face his Godfather with a smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," Hayden replied. "It hurts, but it was made to describe how I felt with them no longer with me. They were gone too soon, and nothing will ever be the same…But I know they're still with me in spirit; that's better than nothing, and…Seems to be enough to get me through lately. Well, aside from family and friends," he mentioned. "I can't be afraid to do the things I love to do…Even if they remind me of my parents because I know they'd want me to be happy,"
"W-Was that one of the things Dr. Anderson told you?" Gabriel asked, blinking in surprise. Hayden nodded to him as Gabriel hugged Hayden tightly, shocking the teenager.
"U-Um?" Hayden inquired. "I mean…It wasn't all Dr. Anderson…That last bit about being happy was because of Trayden," he admitted.
"It doesn't matter, lad," Gabriel smiled, looking at Hayden now. "It means you're opening up, letting people in, accepting advice and help…And you're finally healing. You've come so far in a year…And I am very proud of you,"
"I wouldn't say healing…There's still a long way to go…" Hayden muttered.
"It is healing, Hayden. Perhaps small, but little progress is better than none at all. You have come a long way from last year," Trayden said gently. "You're happier, smiling, hanging out…Doing the things you did before everything happened. That's progress, Hayden. Yeah, you still have moments, but everyone does, and that's okay because you've got your friends and family here to help you through," he added.
Hayden hugged Trayden tightly as Trayden returned the action before they split apart. "Thanks, Tray. And to all of you too," Hayden said.
"Any time," Trayden smiled. "Now, let's get back to having fun," he added. Hayden nodded to him as Gabriel kissed the top of Hayden's head and went back upstairs.
"So you pick a song yet?" Hayden wondered.
"Still filing through, but we found a few possible ones that we may go back to…And maybe you'll sing so we can hear how it sounds together?" Trayden asked.
"Maybe," Hayden replied. "Not too many, though; I don't wanna kill my voice," he said.
"Understandable," Ford nodded.
"Alright, guys and girls; let's get picking," Alyssa smiled.
. . .
[11:00 pm]
Dex, Aria, Eliot, and Cole were all asleep in the home theatre room after the friends decided to watch a movie, and that's where Trayden's younger siblings fell asleep; in their chairs. Trayden said to leave them be there for the night. Hayden and Trayden together covered them up and slid the wall closed a bit more so they could sleep in peace while the rest of the friends stayed awake and watched some TV in the main area. A song was never chosen, but they had a list three finished and unfinished ones to pick from a total of six.
"That was a good movie," Syrus said as the group finished watching Suicide Squad.
"I'm surprised I never saw it in theatres," Mindy stated.
"I saw previews, but never saw the full thing," Bryan shrugged as Alyssa was laying against him. "Glad I did now,"
"Same," Rylee agreed while sitting in Evan's lap.
"I can't get over that Harley calls Joker Puddin'," Hailey giggled.
"I think it's cute," Hayden smiled.
"If we start dating, and you call me Puddin', Hayden…I swear to Thor…" Trayden remarked.
"I wouldn't call you Puddin', Tray," Hayden chuckled. "Probably just Tray, baby, or babe,"
"Well, that's fine with me," Trayden chuckled.
"So, if I can be so bold here and hopefully not set either of the two of you off…What's going on with you two?" Alyssa inquired.
"What do you mean?" Trayden questioned.
"Alright…I'll be bolder…Last night, Bryan and I went to Hooligans for our date and saw you and Hayden eating together inside. Were you guys on a date or something?" Alyssa pushed.
"Alyssa…I told you not to bring that up," Bryan sighed.
"It was a harmless question," Alyssa replied.
"Maybe to you, but it's their business, and they don't have to share," Bryan stated.
Hayden looked at Trayden now. "Should we tell them?" he asked.
"Up to you. I don't say anything because I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Trayden admitted.
"I don't care," Hayden laughed a little. "Might be easier to tell them, so that they don't assume things like last time," he added.
"True," Trayden nodded.
"Hey, we apologized for that!" Syrus said quickly.
"But it begs the question that if you would have assumed we were dating because I kissed him earlier?" Hayden chuckled. The friends went to dispute things but found that they couldn't. "See? You started assuming something because of the kiss," he smiled.
"Well, yeah!" Tyler and Rylee said together.
"It wasn't just a cheek or nose kiss! It was on the lips and lasted about a minute! There was even tongue involved!" Alicia squeaked out.
"So?" Trayden raised his hands a little. "Gay friends can kiss and have it not be awkward,"
"But you two aren't just friends; you've got a crush on him, Tray," Evan stated.
"And I have a crush on him, but that doesn't we have to be together," Hayden remarked. "We may at some point, right now we're-," he started.
"Taking things slow," Trayden finished for him.
"Really? You like Trayden back, Hayden?" Ford asked as Hayden nodded.
"So…You are dating?" Hailey blinked.
"No," Trayden said.
"Friends with benefits?" Devon inquired.
"Gods, no," Trayden glared.
"Hey, easy, just asking…" Bryan said.
"Look…" Trayden sat up now, staring at them. "I like Hayden, and he likes me; we're just not dating right now because he isn't ready to be in a relationship. Hayden is still working through some stuff, and that is fine with me,"
"But you two are kissing and stuff, so why not just be together and take things slow?" Tyler wondered.
"There is no stuff going on," Hayden muttered. "Yeah, we share a few kisses, big deal," he added. "It's because of what happened with Brad…" Hayden sighed.
"Because he hurt you last year?" Alicia questioned.
"Yes and no," Hayden looked down before taking a breath. "After I realized and accepted I was gay at 15; Brad and I turned into friends with benefits throughout a year until I turned 16, and then we had sex. That's…All it ever was. We'd hang out after school because my parents weren't home until 6 or 6:30 pm. I always knew he liked me since I was 14, and he kissed me; this is how I spent a year figuring out if I was gay or bisexual. I knew he liked me, but I wasn't sure if I felt the same for him, so I spent 15 to 17 doing that,"
"Yeah…We remember this story. You told us at one of the sleepovers," Alyssa said.
"He broke your heart," Hailey added in.
"Yes, he did. In December 2016, after having sex; Brad told me he loved me, and I said it back. Brad promised we could be together as soon as I told my parents. Did that in February…And as soon as my parents accepted I was gay; I told Brad, and he turned me away saying his feelings changed," Hayden explained. "But the situation with why I'm not ready for a relationship with Tray is because of what Brad did,"
"You know Tray won't do that to you," Syrus mentioned.
"I do, but it doesn't erase what happened before," Hayden informed.
"It's not that Hayden doesn't know I won't just bail once he decides for us to be together. It's that Brad never did anything to show Hayden he cared about him. Yes, there was sweet talk, foreplay, and sex…But any of you in a relationship now know that all that stuff isn't what makes a relationship," Trayden interjected.
"Gods, no. Relationships are built on trust, love, and communication…Everything else is just extra," Katie nodded.
"Yeah, you better not be doing anything extra, Katie…" Bryan warned.
"Oh, like you and Alyssa do?" Katie challenged. "I'm 18, Bry…And I've been on birth control for six months…You, our parents and uncle can't stop me…" she mumbled. "But for your information…No, Andrew and I haven't done anything other than makeout, so chill. Andrew is getting deployed to Afghanistan after the New Year anyway…"
"He is?" Bryan stared.
"Yeah…For six months; he'll be back for my 19th birthday and graduation from Berk High," Katie stated. "But enough about that; I get where Hayden's hesitation comes from,"
"It does make sense," Ford agreed.
"Bradley never took Hayden on dates, never showed he loved him other than physical contact," Trayden said now.
"So Friday night, you took him on a date…Didn't you?" Miya smiled. "That's nice; it gives Hayden a chance to see how a relationship should be. Brad only used Hayden for sex, at least, that's what it sounds like,"
"That's all it was about. Brad did all the lovey talk to make Hayden trust him, to make him fall and be willing to do anything to keep that feeling. But for Brad; it was only about the sex, he never wanted a relationship with Hayden. Brad bailed because he knew Hayden would want them to act like they were together, going on dates and stuff. Brad didn't want that type of arrangement," Trayden grumbled.
"That…Makes total sense. Friends with benefits is the agreement to meet up to get off, but no mutual emotions or feelings between the two. It defeats the title of being friends with sexual benefits, no strings attached like a relationship of having to do couple things," Evan remarked.
"Bradley only said he loved Hayden to get what he wanted. The friends with benefits things started because Brad explained it would be a good way to help Hayden get used to how things would be between two men. But as soon as Hayden did start returning the feelings; Brad backed out," Trayden responded.
"And Trayden thought it might be a good way to help me get past stuff by us going on a couple of dates as friends who like one another," Hayden mentioned next. "Work our way up to dating by him showing me how someone who cares for some else should have gone about pursuing a relationship…"
"Awe, that's sweet," Mindy said.
"Is it working?" Rylee inquired.
"We've only been on one date…" Trayden rolled his eyes. "I'd like to think it went well," he stated.
"It did," Hayden smiled. "Quiet dinner together at Hooligans; then killed another hour or so at the playground on the swings talking. He kissed my cheek and went home. We texted for a bit and went to sleep; now here we are again," he said. "I only told you because I know you'll ask…" he added.
"Well, we're glad everything is working out for you both," Alicia stated.
"Speaking of dates…" Trayden looked over to Hayden now. "Wanna go see a movie next Saturday?" he wondered.
"What are we gonna see?" Hayden asked.
"Whatever you want to. There's a few playing; I heard Night School was supposed to be good," Trayden chuckled.
"That one about a guy who does well, loses his job, has to go back to school with a bunch of others to get his GED?" Hayden questioned as Trayden nodded. "Yeah, sounds great," he agreed.
"We'll figure out movies times and pick when to go through the week?" Trayden inquired.
"Okay," Hayden blushed a little; then yawned.
"Tired?" Syrus wondered now. Hayden nodded in response.
Trayden sat back against the couch, putting his feet up on the rest whole lifted his arm and motioning his head for Hayden to come to cuddle up. Hayden smiled as she scooted over more and laid his head on Trayden's shoulder; then placed an arm around Trayden's waist while Trayden locked his arm around Hayden's shoulders. Hayden had a smile on his face while relaxing.
"Not a word from any of you," Hayden yawned again.
The friends said nothing while setting up their spots for the night and getting comfortable. The TV was still on, playing some late-night movie, but by 11:35 pm; Hayden was knocked out on Trayden, who kissed his forehead and grabbed a blanket to cover them up. Despite the craziness of Brad showing up and everything; it was a good night between friends. And the group loved that Trayden told them about his past with Marcus, also that Hayden spoke up about his situation with Bradley. The biggest reveal, though, was learning that Hayden returned Trayden's feelings and the two were slowly working their way towards being together as a couple. Around midnight, everyone else was beginning to doze off finally sleep.
