=Normal POV=
(Thursday, 12/19/2019; 9:30 pm)
(Barbarchi City, Archipelago)
(Hunter's House)

The dinner was amazing between Hunter and Trayden. The two engaged in light conversation after Hunter did manage to teach Trayden how to use chopstick easily. Trayden couldn't believe how hard others had made it seem, but he knew how now and loved it. As promised if Hunter could complete the task, Trayden let Hunter kiss him before they started eating. The action was brief, but pleasant. After getting a few bites into their bellies, Trayden did tell Hunter how his night at work went and Hunter was surprised at how much was expected of Trayden at work. Yes, the man was reliable and a hard worker, but that didn't give a boss the privilege of taking advantage of such traits, nor trying to guilt the employee into staying past the end of their shift. The two males had finished their food now, having closed up the boxes and set them in the fridge. The leftovers were split equally, so when Trayden went home tonight, he'd take his portion with him. Hunter and Trayden were back on the couch next to one another and relaxing.

"Good for you putting your foot down about not staying," Hunter told Trayden after the man completed his tale that the boss kept the two liars at work and got himself two days off now.

"If he hadn't agreed to let me go, I would have walked out…" Trayden muttered.

"Don't walk out on your job, Tray. We could have rescheduled our plans," Hunter said calmly.

"It wasn't even so much about the plans we made, Hunter. It's the being taken advantage of and being worked to the point I get through the door of my apartment, kick off my shoes, set my phone, wallet, and keys on the table…Then crash on the couch because I'm that tired," Trayden sighed, playing with the label on the beer bottle, picking at the top corner as he looked down. "The day I met you was a day I called out after working two and a half straight weeks," He went on.

"I remember you tell me about that, and your boss had promised to stop putting it all on you, didn't he?" Hunter inquired.

"Yeah, but here we are again where I've had one day off since the 9th…" Trayden grumbled. "And I want to say that day off was on the 13th. Woke at 9:45 am, made breakfast then spent the day cleaning, doing laundry, going shopping, and running a few errands. Somewhere in there around 1-ish was lunch," He continued. "As I was about to figure out dinner at 5:00, my parents came over with my siblings to visit and we ended going out for dinner at 5:45. Got home for 7:15, and sat down to relax, but my friends decided to pop in and wanted to hang. I figured a little time wouldn't hurt, but it dragged out until 11 pm when I, in the least rudest way, forced them to leave because I needed to sleep as there was a staff meeting at 10 am…" He closed his eyes.

"Well, parents popping over is alright, I guess. Can't say I've had to deal with that, but I'm sure with everyone's schedules, they're still trying to find time for all of you to get together. Friends, on the other hand, should be asking if it's okay to come over first. Even my friends, despite knowing I'll likely say yes unless something has come up, will still shoot me a message asking if it's alright to drop by to hang," Hunter stated.

"The only people with keys to my apartment are my friend Natalie, and my parents, only because I have locked myself out many times just going to get the mail…" Trayden admitted.

"I've done that too, but thankfully, I keep a hidden key outside for situations like that," Hunter smiled. "So, what's the deal with your work schedule. Your boss promised to back off, but it seems like he's doing anything but that from your story,"

"My shifts are so out of whack. Sometimes I get asked to come in for noon and can leave at 5 pm, but at 6:30, he's calling me back because of callouts or it's just madness. There have been repeat doubles, asking me to stay later, working until ridiculous hours of the morning…It's just insane and what I was told wouldn't happen again because he'd crack down on those who can work and won't. My boss has continued to let them slide while me and like, two others, are busting our butts to pick up their slack…" Trayden ended up taking a long drink from the beer.

"So your reason for walking out would be the unfairness taking place, that it's been addressed several times, and nothing is being done. It's empty promises and hoping you'll just continue to deal with it?" Hunter questioned, arching a brow in wonder if he was correct.

"That would be the main one, yeah. The other is that I'm tired of not having time to see my friends, family…Spending my one off day doing work for the apartment. You know, maintaining it," Hunter nodded to what Trayden was saying. "What honestly got me considering it wasn't tonight, it was yesterday…Rather early morning today," Trayden remarked.

"What happened?" Hunter inquired, curious.

"The short version is that I got called at 8:30 in the morning after working from noon to 2 am, and not getting to bed until 3:30 am after getting home, finding something to eat, and showering," Trayden began, taking a breath. "I was asked to come in for 9:30 am for a meeting with all staff about changes after the new year started. My boss asked me to stay when the discussion ended at 10:15 am to help with open at noon. Fast forward to me not clocking out until 4:30 in the morning…I got home at 4:45, kicked off my shoes at the door and tossed my keys, wallet, and phone on the living room table. Made sure the door was locked, used the bathroom, and crashed on the couch around 5 am…I didn't wake up until 12:30 pm today…" Trayden explained.

"Odin above. Why on Midgard were you out at 4:30 am?" Hunter said, shocked.

"Started around 12:30 am after last call was made. Just problem after problem keeping us there. There were rowdy customers, fights between them that we had to break up and then they'd start again and involved more people. Turned into a full brawl by 1 am, the cops had to be called to deal with everything. Some people went to the hospital, some got arrested. While my boss dealt with cops on how everything happened, the rest of us were on handling closing tabs, calling taxi cabs, motel drop offs, and cleaning up the messes on top of closing procedures. All said and done with that, followed by the boss deciding we needed to have another meeting at 3:45 am about measures we'd have to take to make sure we never had to deal with the events of the night again…It was 4:30 am when we clocked out and headed to our homes…" Trayden informed with clear disdain of the situation.

"I'm not sure if it's my place here, but I hope it comes out as a friendly suggestion from a concerned friend…Maybe it's time to find a new job because from everything I'm hearing…It doesn't sound like this is going to get any better. You said it's been crazy since June, that was six months ago…And you are being worked to the bone, Tray. I see the exhaustion in your eyes, I wouldn't have minded if you wanted to cancel to go home and sleep from the madness you've been dealing with for months now…" Hunter frowned.

"Like I mentioned…I've been thinking about it since the out at 4:30 am thing, and the idea is becoming more tempting after tonight's issue with my boss trying to make it seem like I was going to stay til close just because he mistyped my hours and posted the schedule with the mistakes. And that he's still letting the younger employees walk all over him…" Trayden sighed. "I like the type of work I do, but I can't work for a place that isn't fixing the problems to make it better…I'll give my boss until the new year, if I don't see things changing to remedy the overworking and hours situation…I'll look for another job,"

"More than fair," Hunter agreed with Trayden's decision. "Want another beer? Something harder?"

"Tempting, but don't want you to end up drunk to keep drinking. You still have work tomorrow," Trayden smiled a bit.

"Don't you worry about me, Tray. Everything for tomorrow's performances is set up already as I told Greg I'd be at work less to prepare the new stuff before renovations start that way the month off in January can be used to make and practice the routines with the music. I could go in at 5 pm and be home for 7 pm, long enough for a couple appearances with the groups and one or two solo dances," Hunter reassured. "As soon as you suggested hanging out tonight, I took care of work tomorrow because I didn't want such a thing as needing to be in bed at a certain time to impede my time with you since I have you all to myself this evening. Especially knowing now that you have the next two days off," He winked and Trayden blushed a bit.

"You make it sound like you're purposely rearranging your time to be available when I am just to hang out…" Trayden managed in a shy voice.

Hunter chuckled a bit, quirking his brows up and down with a mischievous grin on his lips, making Trayden's blush worse when Hunter leaned closer. "Maybe I am because I find our time together worth me making myself available so not to miss opportunities with you," He responded calmly, but in a tone that nearly made Trayden shiver at how smooth it was.

"You have other friends too," Trayden attempted to argue Hunter's reveal.

"Yeah, but I see them all the time because we work together and constantly coming here to practice work stuff or party," Hunter countered, still smiling as he shifted to get up and got Trayden's empty beer bottle from him. However, Trayden's heart skipped a beat and he felt nervous when his eyes met Hunter's, who was just inches away and leaning over him. "I don't get to see or hang with you, so I rather enjoy taking up all the moments I can get with you and making them last as long as possible," He added, swallowing hard and releasing a shallow, shaky breath. Hunter had him cornered on the couch like this and it felt like the room just got a bit hotter. Trayden wasn't sure if it was heat of a rising arousal, from the fire a few feet away, or his intense blush.

"Why? You've known me two weeks, I'm no one special…" Trayden tried to get out clearly, but Hunter could see that Trayden was nervous and unable to stay composed with them so close.

"Time known doesn't matter, sometimes you just know you're gonna connect with a person you meet at random," Hunter ended up smiling softly as Trayden gulped at Hunter moving the two empty beer bottles off to lean against the couch pillow, but wouldn't fall. "And become instant friends, where you want to learn everything about them and try to understand why this person came into your life when they did because nothing else made sense. Some people just enter your life and change everything. Just like love at first sight…" Hunter set his hands on the back of the couch, keeping Trayden from shifting left or right.

Trayden found that he had no words at the moment while he tried to figure out what was going to happen or what this was exactly. "Don't be so nervous, this isn't a love confession," Hunter informed gently as Trayden's cheeks reddened due to his embarrassment of being caught in assuming. Hunter hadn't bothered hiding any flirting while they were with a group, or now, by themselves. What was Trayden supposed to think between that and this? "You wanted to know why, and I'm merely responding truthfully," Hunter added. "I know all my friends I met through work, and I even know the five you became friends with…But I don't know you, Trayden, and I want to. I want to know you as if we've been friends all our lives," Hunter paused, looking in Trayden's eyes still.

"So my solution is to get to know you more by spending time with you when it's available that we can. A chance meeting turned into us becoming friends and I suppose I'm drawn into wanting to know more when I have the chances too," Hunter informed. "And I just so happen to possess the ability to adjust my hours to accommodate making those chances happen," He admitted. "So you see? It's not about how long I've known you, or even about you being special for me to take time to spend it with you. It's just that you're a new friends that I want to get to know like I do all my other friends. And leaving things as they have been the past two weeks with our hours makes it hard to hang out and be able to talk to one another,"

"I know your schedule is all whacked out right now and you don't have much say in how it goes," Trayden shrugged and nodded because he couldn't counter that. "But I don't have that issue, so it allows me to shift things around to make time for us to get to know one another better because I think we make great friends with our similar way of thinking and common interests, views, dislikes, and more," Hunter stated. "The only thing that sets you apart from them is that I find you ridiculously attractive, and take it how you want to here…I have an incredibly hard time trying to keep myself controlled in your presence,"

"Should I assume that means you want to have sex with me?" Trayden somehow managed to get out.

"Oh, undoubtedly," Hunter confessed as Trayden's blush was back full force. "But I don't want you to just be or feel like a hook up. I want to be your friend, I mean that whole-heartedly. I'm also not going to lie to you that, at random due to being bored, sometimes drunk, I've slept with my friends. I've had sex with Jason, Eli, Thaxter, and even Devon,"

"I thought Devon and Thaxter were straight?" Trayden blinked.

"Yeah, about as straight as me," Hunter laughed a bit. "I personally think that they are both bisexual, and just haven't come to terms with it yet. Us having sex was fairly recent, within the last…Let's say six months," He admitted calmly as Trayden was feeling the nervousness fade a bit. "Regardless, that whole thing doesn't have to do with this…" He refocused as Trayden waited for him to continue. "And what I just told you never leaves those pretty and kissable lips of yours," He added as Trayden nodded, understanding that Hunter revealed it as an example, but it meant to stay completely confidential. "The point is that due to the nature of being attracted to both genders or full gay like Jay and I…It does happen. Not often mind you, but we've all had our fun experimenting since becoming friends and eventually led into sex,"

"Is that what you want to do with me? Be friends that get off now and then?" Trayden asked outright.

"My only goal is to be your friend, and hopefully learn everything there is to know about you like I do my other friends, leaving all the sexual things out of it," Hunter clarified. "The sex between friends is done out of boredom or being drunk and horny, but it only happens if it's what both involved want. Mutual agreement,"

"Meaning that even if you want me out of attraction and being friends, you won't ever act on your desires in any form if I don't agree," Trayden stated.

"Exactly," Hunter nodded. "I may continue to flirt with you, crack sexual jokes…The stuff you saw me and the others do two weeks ago, but that's because we're all comfortable with it. None of us are friends with benefits either, it's completely random and accurate to say rare moments that we say fuck it and fuck," He informed. "I do it with you because you are hot, gay, and single while being my friend. I treat you like I treat the rest of them, including you. If you're uncomfortable with it, just say so and I'll behave around you. I'm extremely open and forward to everyone, I have zero shame in being gay and there isn't anything shy about me. But, I can turn on the filter to keep to appropriate settings and not scaring someone off," Hunter reassured. "I promise not to be offended, I definitely don't want to frighten you,"

Trayden blushed a little, looking down a moment then back up to Hunter. "I-I don't mind. I'm not uncomfortable with you doing it, but I'm also not really used to it either. All this is still new to me. I am gay…" Trayden started.

"But you're not out of your shell yet. I know, don't worry. Everyone in this community went through that, Tray. It's nothing to be ashamed of and there's no time limit on the adjustment period. As I mentioned at Arc Burger when you said your friends were pushing you to put yourself out there and sleep with someone, you have to be ready to take that step," Hunter reminded. "Coming out of your shell also takes being ready to face the world as a gay guy. Putting yourself out there to meet someone and date them takes being ready. Getting into foreplay and having sex means you have to be ready for it," He continued.

"I know, but as you know five of the friends, you already get that they push when their minds are set on something," Trayden said.

"You go at your pace and never mind their advice to just jump into everything. Seriously, trust my word as a gay that you don't want to rush into things with the mindset that everything will be fine if you go for it without preparing yourself for everything and being ready to handle relationships and pleasure," Hunter told him. "It's easy for those five to jump into it all, they're straight and no one judges or calls it wrong. They'd be as conflicted and hesitant as you if they were interested in the same gender as themselves. So take my suggestion and move at your speed with things. And always make sure you're comfortable before moving on to another…Aspect of being gay. Yeah, that's a good word for it,"

"I trust your word," Trayden nodded.

"Good, now trust these ones too…" Hunter paused. "I want to be your friend, Trayden. I want to hang out with you and learn everything there is to know about you. But understand that because you're my friend, I will respect you like I do the others. There will be nothing sexually-related, other than harmless flirting and jokes, involved in the friendship unless you want there to be. Me, I'm pretty much down for anything as long as it's not illegal or dangerous. And if I'm ever not down for something due to tired, busy, or just a bad mood; I'll say something. Always remember this about me, or anyone you meet, Tray…It always has to be your choice to do something,"

"I thought you said mutual agreement…" Trayden arched a brow.

"That's in terms to us as friends having sex. But in the sense of the aspects regarding yourself…Everything is your choice. It is always your choice. You don't have to sleep with someone just because they want to do it and you happen to be turned on. If things are moving too fast, you get nervous and want to stop, the guy gives you a weird feeling. It is your decision entirely to pursue things or back out. Just because you thought it's what you wanted doesn't mean you're locked into it and if you change your mind, you can back out," Hunter informed calmly. "Understand what I'm saying?"

Trayden did and the nervousness he had when this began was gone. Trayden understood that Hunter was not doing all this to sleep with him, Hunter was trying to reassure Trayden that he got how Trayden felt and wanted to help so that things didn't become overwhelming or a bad experience. Trayden did recall their dinner conversation at Arc Burger about wanting things and also having to be ready or it would be bad. "I do, and thanks…"

Hunter smiled, nodding to Trayden. "Good, and you're welcome. So you get where I'm going with all this? About being friends, getting to know one another, etc.?"

"You want to be friends and know me as well as you do the others. Also, you plan to treat me like the others, including the possibility of sleeping together at random or bored and want to hook up…However, you will never expect sex from me, overstep boundaries, or act on desires to sleep with me until I allow and want it. And I understand that even if all that comes to happen, I do have the choice to pause, stop, or back out if there is nervousness, moving too fast, and second thoughts," Trayden repeated the main points of everything Hunter said. "Oh! Move at my pace to come out of my shell, always be comfortable with one thing before continuing forward. And…Wanting to do things is not the same as being ready to do things, so make sure I'm prepared and ready for…What was your word? The different aspects," He added.

Hunter nodded again, smiling. "Good boy," Hunter praised jokingly as Trayden blushed, but rolled his eyes too. "Now, with that all settled…Why don't we continue our night of talking over beers?" He suggested.

"Okay," Trayden agreed, expecting Hunter to move away to get the beers. However, Hunter only leaned in more, closing the gap between them with his lips on Trayden's. The action surprised Trayden, but he didn't pull away, and ended up returning it. The kiss broke from Hunter's side first, as the man feared getting too carried away.

"Sorry, couldn't resist being so close and not stealing a kiss," Hunter winked, pulling back fully to stand straight.

"Surprised by it, but didn't mind at all," Trayden managed to say, suddenly wishing it hadn't stopped so soon. Hunter smiled, nodding that Trayden wasn't scared by his action, then going to grab another two beers so they could keep hanging out and talking.