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Luckiest Strike

_March 11, 2021

New York_

It was the average Thursday evening at the Lucky Strike, one of the best and most renowned gay sports bars in downtown New York City. Chayne Foley paced about in the employees' changing room, ready to begin his stint at the counter, his overcoat strung on a hanger as he rummaged in his locker to select his change for the night.

"This'll do..." the beech marten muttered, picking a pair of bright orange gym shorts and starting to undress from his street clothes. He took off his sweater and T-shirt, more and more of his bleached blonde fur being revealed, standing out a bit against the changing room's dim ambient light. Next went his skinny jeans, joining the coat on the hangers as Chayne bent forward and flexed his hips - his modesty protected by a black thong that highlighted the toned shape of his backside. Without wasting time, the marten put on the shorts and his favorite sneakers, adding to the "casual fitness" suggestive look all the Lucky Strike employees were asked to keep.

Moving close to the mirror next to the main door, Chayne passed a paw through his long hair, patting himself up and down to make sure he was presentable and his sleek, smooth fur was on point. Getting tips from the club's lustful patrons was a sizable source of earning to him, and he'd perfected a number of ways to maximize his profit through the years. His bold, chiseled appearance made him a favorite among the Lucky Strike customers, keeping his job relatively stable as well as providing him with a host of potential hookups beside his bar stints.

With a loud sigh, Chayne rolled his shoulders and loosened up, splashing his face with water from the sprinkler before giving one last check to his hair. "Let's see what magic can we work tonight..." the marten mumbled between himself, walking out to the corridor that led to the club's main floor.

***

"And here we are, kid: Lucky Strike."

Avery Fisher looked up at the marquee of the club: it was much more unassuming than the hawk would have imagined from a gay club in New York City, but honestly, Avery almost preferred it that way. He still was not entirely used to New York what with only having been there a week at most (and spending most of that cooped up in his new office), so to see something unassuming as that was a relief.

He looked to Rich, gesturing at it with his head. "Looks like a sports bar back home," he commented, his beak quivering nervously.

"It is, but trust me: it's pretty wild in there." Rich chuckled, the groundhog shrugging as he draped his shoulder over a rather smaller mutt. "Believe me, it was where I ran into Zeke for the first time."

"Yeah," Zeke added, his ears twitching. "And wait until you see the bartenders! You might even recognize one from TV!"

Avery blinked in surprise. "Really?" he asked.

"Yep," said Rich. His smile turned into a mischievous grin, and he leaned forward, his hands in his pockets. "Not telling you who it is, though."

"I guess I'll find out regardless, huh?" Avery asked as he pulled at his arm feathers softly. "I guess this means we better get in."

"Yeah," said Rich. He looked to the door, seeing the bouncer eyeing them and looking them over. "After all, if we don't, the line's gonna get hectic getting in, and nobody wants that."

"Yeah..." Avery ran his claws through the feathers of the back of his head. "I... God, I've never done this before."

"Hey, just follow our lead," Zeke replied. "We gotcha."

Avery swallowed, feeling the rush of emotions run through him. On the one hand, he was new to this whole thing, but if the past year had taught him anything, it was that he had people he could trust on hand. Not everyone was like him, after all, and Avery knew that he could trust strangers in an environment like this.

"OK," he said. He stepped towards the club. "Let's get in."

With this, Avery approached the bouncer, already reaching into his pocket to pull out his old Montana driver's license.

***

A number of rowdy furs crowded the area next to the counter, clearly more interested in their first round of alcoholics than whatever football game was airing on the big screen above the dining tables. Behind the table, three fit, handsome, shirtless bartenders served drinks to the patrons, cheekily winking at each customer with each glass that went over the counter. A muscle-bound kangaroo with long, curly hair, wearing camo shorts and fluorescent Under Armour sneakers; a younger raccoon with a pierced nipple and black shorts, whose tail waved back and forth in a hypnotic motion as he mixed the drinks in a cocktail shaker; and finally our beech marten, currently hanging on a pull-up bar that was conveniently hanging by in the middle of the counter and shaking his shoulders as he got ready to perform one of his trademark routines.

Avery, Rich and Zeke approached the barstools, right as Chayne bent his elbows and raised his upper body up toward the bar, the muscles of his back flexing under the low lights as he pulled himself up in a practiced, almost tantalizing motion.

The few regulars hanging around the counter started a small cheer, a big, leather-clad ursine letting out a whistle as the marten kept performing his slow, deliberate motions - his back to the crowd, seemingly oblivious to the customers' playful catcalling as well as his colleagues moving around him and serving drinks.

As Rich caught the attention of the raccoon and ordered two cold beers for himself and Avery, as well as a dry martini for Zeke, the red-tailed hawk couldn't help but stare at the blonde marten showing off behind the counter - his slow, practiced movements betraying a peak physical condition, allowing him to get past ten pull-ups with relative ease.

Avery's heartbeat went out a notch, his breath growing flustered at the sight. Chayne's bright shorts had ridden slightly up his backside, showing the hint of a small tattoo right above his swaying, bushy tail - sparking a memory of when he'd seen the same marten on TV, nearly two months before, brawling with a younger, Texan polecat in a water-filled trench. Rich's earlier words came to mind, the avian realizing the sexy bartender was none other than Chayne Foley, one of the twelve finalists in the first season of American Mustelid Alpha.

Avery turned back to Rich, holding on to his beer bottle hard. "That's him, isn't it?"

Rich chuckled. "Figured it out, huh?" he said. He watched as Chayne got another rep in on the pull-up bar. "Our very own Chayne Foley, showin' off like always."

Avery nodded, the heat rushing all over his face as he saw those broad back muscles flex. "Y-yeah..." He had to swallow his nerves down. "I kinda forgot he was here in this city."

"Well, we'll see what ya think when he gets down here." With this, Rich took a sip of his beer, waving it around at Chayne. "Hey, Mr. Foley! Been a while, hasn't it?"

The marten dropped from the bar, meeting the ground with a small thud before turning towards the customer. "You can say so, Rich! You two been busy or...?" he said, making a suggestive motion towards the smaller canine at his right.

"Well, yeah, but other things came up as well." Zeke tilted his head to Richard's left side. "Let's just say we may have had to get a third in our place. Friend of Rich's coworker."

Rich nodded, patting Avery - the marten acknowledging the avian as he realized he was hanging around with the two regulars. "Chayne, this is Avery," the groundhog, replied. "He's new: he moved over here from Montana last week, so I thought I'd show him around."

Avery nodded somewhat sheepishly. "H-hi," he said.

"Hi there, handsome," Chayne grinned with a wink, casually staring at the tall, well-built avian. "How you doin' tonight? Your first time here?"

Avery chuckled nervously, taking a swig of his beer to calm his nerves. "This bar, or New York?" he asked. "Because yes to both. I'm uh... nervous, a bit." He blushed. "Never been in a place like this before."

"Well, you gonna get used to it soon, I tell ya!" the marten replied, shaking off a hair strand from his face as he leaned against the counter. He gave the avian a second look as he sipped on his beer, instinctively knowing he'd seen him somewhere before. "Wait..." he said, a glint in his eyes as he realized. "Avery, from Montana... aren't you on the new season of Scavenger Hunters?"

Almost instantly, Avery's nerves vanished a little bit, and his shoulders relaxed. "Y-yeah," he said. He blinked, pulling himself up. "That's me." He chuckled, the last of his nerves leaving with that. "And you were on American Mustelid Alpha as well, right?"

"Yup!" Chayne chuckled, pleased to have been recognized by the newcomer. "I literally came back from Miami yesterday, the whole cast was there to tape the reunion show. Been almost a year since I came back, but I tell ya... I'd sign back up tomorrow if they asked me back," the marten said. "And tell me, dude... how's your TV experience been working for ya?"

Avery shifted his posture slightly. "It's... been a mixed bag," he said. "Being on the show was rough, and for reasons that, as much as I'd like to, I can't get into." He shrugged. "NDAs and all, and..."

Rich shrugged. "It's a long story," he said.

"Well, I look forward to seeing what's up!" the marten said, not prodding any further. "But like... AMA's nowhere as big as Scavenger Hunters, but I'm always glad to connect with people who did other shows," he subtly winked at the avian. "We can hang about a little once I'm done with my shift", if you may..."

The pause lingered in the air for a second, Avery being slightly taken aback by the marten's forwardness. Still, it was not unwelcome: after all, he had agreed to do this with Rich and Zeke, and the aim was to make friends, no?

And so, he nodded. "You know what?" he said. "I'd like that." His blush returned. "When does your shift end?"

"I'm finishing early tonight," the marten retorted. "Eleven, eleven thirty, as soon as my replacement shows up. We can meet up on the balcony, and then we see how it goes," he grinned as he shot a glance at the hawk, then his companions.

"Yeah," said Avery. He stole a glance to Chayne's revealing attire, blushing as he blinked. He then shook his beak. "Wait, this place has a balcony?"

"Yep, it's upstairs," the marten casually pointed to the far side of the room, where a flight of stairs led to the building's upper floor. "We do have another big screen up there, makes it up for the weekends when there's a few events going and the people split up. And yeah, the balcony area's there as well... it's mostly for the smokers, but there shouldn't be too many furs around on a Thursday..."

Avery nodded, looking to Rich. "You weren't kidding, this is a good gay city."

Rich laughed out loud, rearing his head back as he patted Avery on the back. "What did Roberta tell ya, kid?" he said.

"Not this!" Avery replied. He exhaled, turning back to Chayne. "But yeah, that sounds good. I look forward to when you're off."

"Sounds good to me, handsome," the marten replied, again with that cheeky wink. "See y'all later then!" he said, suggestively running his paw along the kangaroo's thick tail as he performed his own stint on the bar before turning to the next customer in line.

Avery blushed slightly at the wink, watching Chayne tend to a couple other customers. His gaze lingered on the marten, even past the large kangaroo minding the bar. He inhaled: somehow, even knowing the ice was thoroughly broken, Avery could not help the fresh rush of nerves that came to him.

***

Avery, Rich, and Zeke had all slowly made their way up to the balcony in question. It was rather quieter up there, and Avery got a good view of the patrons down below. The beech marten had just vanished from view at that moment, Avery noticing a rather buff stallion taking his place. The thought set his heart fluttering, and he found himself taking an extra long drag of beer.

"Steeling yourself?" Rich asked.

Avery nodded, finishing his drag and feeling the alcohol buzz in his system. "A bit," he said. He shrugged. "They don't call it liquid courage for nothing, I guess."

"You know it," Rich replied. He smiled. "Just relax, though. Chayne's a good guy, he'll take real nice care of ya."

Avery nodded, blushing hard. "I hope so," he said. "You know how it is with me. Just..." He exhaled, looking to the floor. "I don't want him to secretly be like him, you know?"

"Hey." Zeke smiled kindly at Avery, patting his shoulder. "We wouldn't have dragged you here if we didn't think people would take good care of you here, OK? So just relax, and have fun. And hey..." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively. "You never know, right?"

Avery blushed, hastily gulping down the last sip of beer as he noticed Chayne's silhouette closing up on the trio. "Hey there, honeys!" he called out loud as he eased towards them, moving towards the few customers with practiced ease. Wearing an unassuming sweater over an oversized T-shirt, his look was considerably more demure than during his stint at the bar - but his behaviour still betrayed the confidence and swagger that had impressed Avery earlier on. "How's it going, you two? Having fun?" he casually asked, leaning against Zeke's arm as he gave a look at the avian.

Zeke grinned, looking back at Avery. "We've been more or less keeping to ourselves," he said. He shrugged, glancing over to Avery. "He's been sitting here people-watching since we got here."

"People-watching?" Rich chuckled good-naturedly. "More like bar-watching, in a way."

Avery nodded, feeling the alcohol course through his bloodstream again as he placed his empty bottle on the nearby table. "Y-yeah," he said. He chuckled. "This is probably a bit hard to believe, but uh... I've never been inside a gay bar before."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, huh?" Chayne winked. "And like... furs here are friendly and laid-back as the customers of whatever sports bar you may have visited in Montana. And you might be surprised with the number of straights who turn around for the big games!"

Avery nodded. "It is a sports bar," he admitted with a chuckle. "Honestly, I didn't think there _was_such a thing as a gay sports bar."

"Oh, I see," the beech marten nodded. "You haven't been acquainted with many gays before, am I right?"

"Yeah," Avery replied. He looked up at the ceiling. "The only gay people I know near me were this lesbian couple who have a cherry farm close to my parents' house, and..." Avery glanced to the ground. "Until I came out, dad wasn't too fond of them."

"So literally, his only experience with gays is a once-a-month conversation during cherry season," said Rich. He shrugged. "Thank God he ran into Roberta over in Madagascar, who knows what would have happened!"

The beech marten listened quietly, his eyes silently scanning Avery. Truth be told, he had little doubt that the hawk was gay and smitten with him - his earlier reaction at the bar had already dissipated that concern. Nevertheless, while that was cleared, he still knew too little about his fellow reality TV star to make a move. "Uh, Roberta? The female cougar on your season?" he resolved to prod further, straightly addressing Avery. "What about her?"

Avery shrugged. "I can't really say much more without breaking the NDA, but she and I became good friends." He shrugged. "What I can probably say is that she sort of solidified that when she offered to give me a place to go, considering that, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I... kind of came out while the cameras were rolling."

"Oh," the marten nodded, feeling a hint of uneasiness in the avian's voice. "Sorry to prod, but... did that cause ya issues back home?"

Avery exhaled, looking up as he gave a nervous chuckle. "Weirdly, not... really?" Avery replied. He paused, before shaking his head and waving his claws. "It's a long story, but if you're worried if I came here because they didn't accept me, don't worry." He then smiled. "I'm actually here because of a career change, believe it or not."

Chayne sighed in slight relief. "That's good to hear," he replied, scooting slightly closer to Avery. His bushy tail waved back and forth, brushing against the back of the hawk's muscular thigh. "And I haven't asked yet what you do for a living..."

Avery blinked gently, feeling the marten's tail brush against his thigh gently. He felt the blush course through his face, noticing how close they were. "Well, I can forgive the asking since it changed since filming stopped," Avery replied. "But, um... I'm now a line artist at Wonder Comics."

"Got the job offer recently," Rich replied. "And he had to move over here to make that work, you know?"

The marten's muzzle opened slightly in shock. "Man, that's great!" he said, beaming at Avery. "I gotta say... with a body like yours, I wouldn't really have put you down as the artist type," he casually said, shooting the avian another cheeky wink.

Avery blushed quite profusely at the wink, chuckling nervously. "N-neither did most of the Manja tribe!" he said, his tail feathers fluffing out in a way that one of the feathers brushed against Chayne's tail. "But one thing I can say is that I actually did go to art school. I didn't get back onto the art train until recently, but now that I have it feels good."

"Mhm," the marten nodded at the hawk's excitement as he talked about his craft. "And like... you might take a little to get used to the big city, but I promise you gonna love it within a few months," he said. "And tell me, dude... have you been getting_attention_ since, you know... the show started?"

"Well... I've mostly been keeping my head down around the show, but some folks have recognized me," said Avery. He shrugged. "One of the colorists at Wonder Comics actually had a mini-freak out when she saw me the first time, that was weird."

"But mostly it just stays low-key," said Zeke. "Most we've had is when we did our first Scavenger Hunters viewing party last week with Roberta and her family."

"And _that_was wild." Rich nodded, glancing around the balcony and nodding to Zeke. He then patted Avery. "Well, I think Zeke and I are gonna go see who else we know happens to be up and about."

Avery nodded. "OK," he said, taking a deep breath to steel his nerves a bit.

"I'll take good care of him, I promise!" Chayne waved back at the groundhog and the mutt as they walked away. He then turned to the avian, detecting a small blush still lingering on his furred cheeks. "Just so you know, handsome..." he said, cocking his head at the other fur, "...I sorta wanted to do this ever since you stepped out of that boat." He scooted even closer to Avery, feeling him tense as he pressed into him in a half-embrace, wrapping his tail around the avian's leg. He blew a small kiss on the side of the avian's beak, his motion just as straight-forward and cheeky as he'd behaved ever since spotting his fellow reality TV star. As Avery flinched in surprise, he pulled back. "My, those are even softer that I thought," he said, motioning at the avian's feathers, his tail still wrapped around his thigh.

"Y-you think so?" Avery asked, blushing but not pulling away from Chayne's attention. "I've..." He blushed, gently letting one of his claw-hands rub over Chayne's tail. "Yeah, I've never actually, like, touched someone like this." He blushed meekly, looking right at the beech marten. "It's a bit coarse, actually, a bit like a less smooth oil painting. But I like it." He looked to the ground. "Can I just ask something, though?"

"By all means, handsome," the marten grinned.

Avery swallowed a lump in his throat. "So you mentioned wanting to do that since you saw the season premiere," he said. "Does... does every gay guy have a gaydar that good?"

"Oh please," Chayne chuckled at the avian's question. "I basically work as a glorified stripper and I serve drinks at a gay bar five days a week," he stated, matter-of-factly. "You're not hiding anything to anyone who knows how to look."

"I see..." Avery blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "You know, filming had wrapped on Scavenger Hunters before AMA aired, and I had come out to my folks by then. Whenever it'd cut to your confessionals, mom would always pat my shoulder and tell me that she wished I had that kind of sense of humor, now that she knew, well..." Avery blushed, glancing to the side.

"Well, she's probably been exposed to very few gay guys in her lifetime," the marten shrugged. "You don't have to be flamboyant and out there just to adhere to that label. You're perfectly fine as you are, you know?" He bit his lip, waving a strand of hair out of his face. "Besides, I got a thing for shy guys, especially if they're strong and hunky... but I reckon you can tell that too, from my time on AMA?"

"Y-yeah." Avery blushed, looking over to Chayne and how close he was. "Well, and if that_didn't give it away, well... _this certainly does." He brushed a clawtip over Chayne's tail delicately for emphasis. He nodded. "But... I guess on another level, it sort of helped them too. When you talked about a few issues, it sort of helped them understand some things they had questions on I couldn't answer. That was something they'd never had, and honestly, I kind of needed it too." He shrugged. "Helped us all in the end. So thanks, for being that flamboyant out there."

"Oh you," the marten smiled knowingly. "That's what I hoped, you know? Putting myself in the middle of a horde of type-A, straight-up straight jocks... I kinda wanted to show you can do all that and some as a gay fur, too," he said. "And if it got other people to reflect on that and find the confidence to either being open about who they are, or treat the shy gay guy at the gym as their peer and helping him come out of his shell, that's worth spending fifteen days locked up with them in a mansion!"

Avery chuckled at this, a smile finally coming to his beak. "Even if it meant having to deal with John Blake, right?" he asked.

"I mean..." Chayne cracked a small chuckle. "He was a mess and a half, but he was one out of twelve. When I signed for the show, I half expected he'd be pretty much the average competitor I'd face," he said, tossing his hair back. "Instead, pretty much everyone was super welcoming after I came out to them early on. I never planned to compromise on who I am in order to survive, but that I came out of the show with a bunch of new friends... and a few of 'em actually came around to visit, way before we even were on people's radar... that's definitely an unexpected plus!"

"Yeah, it sounded like you and some of the others hit it off really well," Avery replied. He rubbed the back of his head. "You find really good friends out in these things. Trust me, I'd know: there's... one person there that turned out not to be so good for me, but most of the rest of them had my back." He exhaled, leaning his torso against Chayne's. "You'll see how it all turns out as the show airs, but let's just say once things settle down I'll need to find a way to get Mai and Rachel over here for a week or so."

"Well, can't wait to meet them too!" the marten said. "And I can say I'm gonna pay extra attention to your season now, right?"

"Y-yeah." Avery blushed at this. "I can safely say that."

A silence came over the two of them, but strangely enough there was a comfort to this silence that the hawk had never felt before then. Feeling Chayne's warm body against his, and the way that tail curled around his thigh... It felt strangely safe. He wondered how he had never tried to indulge in something like this before, but as he sat there next to the beech marten, he sighed contentedly, bringing an arm up around Chayne's torso and pulling him closer.

The marten noticed Avery relaxing against him, even daring to pull him an embrace and reciprocate his earlier display of affection. "Getting bolder, huh?" he whispered casually, letting his own hidden paw worm his way under the hawk's shirt.

Avery nodded. "Mmhm," he said. "You make it easy."

Chayne beamed at the hawk's response. "You know... what I love the most about shy guys... is that usually it doesn't last long," he said, feeling the firmness of his toned back - strangely contrasting with the smoothness of his soft feathers. "Nice definition, too. Betcha you could have given a few AMA guys a run for their money."

Avery blushed. "You think so?" he asked, letting his paw slowly work under Chayne's shirt and slowly drawing his claw up the marten's sculpted side very gently.

"Uh-huh," Chayne nodded, slightly tensing as the dull tip of the avian's claw tickled up his ribs. "You work out a lot?"

"Yeah," said Avery. "Some of it is from working out at a farm, but... I've been looking into gyms lately. None of 'em have satisfied me so far..." He paused, looking at Chayne. "I'm guessing you know a few, though?"

"You betcha," the marten nodded, gently sliding his paw down to the avian's backside. "I definitely gotta have you checking one of my P90X classes. Or I could..." he slowly turned his head towards the avian. "I could ask you to join me for a _private_work-out, you know?"

Avery turned towards Chayne, blushing at the prospect. He tossed it about in his head a few times: he knew how his parents would feel about something like this, and part of him felt strange getting solicited in such a way, for he knew what Chayne was implying. But on the other hand, there was something warm and fuzzy inside of him, to feel this close to someone, and part of him wanted to feel how much closer, how much warmer it could get...

Avery nodded. "I, uh... have to warn you, though," he said. "I've, uh... never engaged in a... _private_work-out. With anyone else." He glanced to the ground, his talons crossing in front of him shyly.

The marten gulped, his mind pulling a double-take. "Uh... really?" he asked. "Not even with girls?"

Avery shook his head. "Never was interested enough," he replied.

"Well, hear me out..." Chayne said, looking straight into the avian's eyes. "Don't focus on what you've been missing... focus on what you can have from here on," he said. "Handsome, studly and a soon-to-be reality TV star... Here in New York, you can get pretty much all the tail you want." He let the words linger, his paw brushing against the band of the avian's trousers.

Avery exhaled, pulling himself closer as he let his claws lift Chayne's shirt up gently. "I'll try to remember that," he said. He pressed his forehead to Chayne's directly. "You're... you're really sweet, Chayne. More than I ever imagined..."

"And you're way more handsome from up close than on TV," the marten winked. "Though I look forward to seeing ya all rugged and sweaty, dominating challenges and taking down trees and wood for shelter..."

Avery chuckled, letting a silence linger in the air again as he inhaled, realizing how their breaths mingled in this position. "Why wait for the show?" he asked, swallowing a gulp immediately afterwards. "The... the real article's right here, isn't it?"

The marten blinked at the hawk's suggestion. "Now you're talking," he smirked, blowing another kiss on the side of his neck. "We oughta take this somewhere slightly more private, though..." he said, his eyes scanning the few patrons still around the balcony. "My flat's literally two blocks away. Shall we?"

Avery exhaled, smiling in response. "Yeah," he said. "That sounds good."

"Let me go grab my stuff then," Chayne nodded, giving the avian one last peck before getting up. "I'll be right back, no worries..."

Avery huffed, stepping up and nodding. "I'd have to find Rich and Zeke and let them know I'm going with you, anyway," he said. "Meet me out at the door?"

"I bet they already have a hunch," the marten chuckled. "See you there, handsome..."

"See you, big guy..." The hawk smiled, feeling a weird warmth tingle throughout his being that he wished would never go away.

***

Avery's heart thumped rather heavily as Chayne opened the door into his apartment. It was actually quite a nice place, and even if it was a rather small place as seemed to be normal for New York, Avery liked how clean everything looked. There was a sleekness to the surfaces that greeted him as he stepped in, and he exhaled, smiling contentedly as he undid his jacket.

"It's a nice place," he said. He looked over to Chayne. "Just the one bedroom?"

"Mhm," the marten nodded, taking off his overcoat, then his sweater. "Pretty much all I can afford at the moment. Had a couple buddies staying here and sharing the bills over the years, but no one at the moment. Ivan moved out a few months ago," he said, setting both garments on the hangers by the door.

Avery hung his own jacket on there, left in just his shirt as he looked at Chayne. "I see," he said. He shrugged, assuming that Ivan must have been someone with whom Chayne shared more than just an apartment. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... was it friendly, at least?"

"Well we weren't exactly dating, you know," Chayne replied. "Nah, he got a new job and moved to Cali. It's all good there, and to be fair, the money from AMA's helped with the expenses."

"That's good to hear," Avery replied with a smile. He turned towards Chayne, his claw-hands gently grasping the marten's paws in his as he shrugged. "And I guess it works out for... this."

"Oh, you betcha," Chayne smiled, his cheeky wink again flashing at the avian. "So, shall we get back to..." he said, his paws leaving Avery's and hooking on the side of his shirt, gently pulling up.

Avery nodded, slowly lifting his arms up and helping Chayne get his shirt off. The air felt cool around his feathers as he felt the shirt slide past his clawtips, and he stood back, letting Chayne look at his physique for a second.

"Man..." the marten crooned, his tongue briefly darting out to clean the side of his muzzle. "I... I can say you've gained up nicely ever since you got back," he said. "TV just doesn't do justice to ya, you know that?"

"It rarely does, you know?" Avery blushed, picking at some feathers on the side of his neck. Nevertheless, his smile showed through everything else, and he tilted his heads towards Chayne. "And you? I imagine you must've filled out a bit since AMA ended."

"Well, we weren't exactly starving on a desert island, but those two weeks got their toll," the marten nodded, taking off his own shirt and letting it drop on the floor. "You got a good eye, though. I did put on a few pounds ever since the show ended." Wordlessly, he unbuttoned his belt and slid it through the loops, dropping his skinny jeans a second later. He could feel Avery's heart skipping a beat as his black thong came into sight, highlighting the curve of his rump as well as the definition of his own corded thighs. Stepping out of his trousers, he leant closer to the avian's body, their chests almost touching as he blew another kiss on the side of his beak. "It's a shame we can't kiss properly," he joked, tossing back his long, platinum blonde hair.

"It always does look romantic," Avery replied. He then gently pressed his head to Chayne. "But we birds always do get along just fine with rubbing heads together like that. It's the closest we can get to that." He then looked down to the thong, examining how it highlighted Chayne's ass. "I never would've taken you to be that person, but I guess I shouldn't be so surprised..."

The marten grinned. "Well, I can't exactly wear that at the bar... though I bet I could easily triple my worth in tips if I showed up in it just once," he replied with a chuckle. "Care to show me what you got?"

Avery huffed gently, slowly opening up his own pants. He then let them fall to his ankles, revealing himself in boxer briefs that hugged his frame rather tightly. His tailfeathers instinctively curled inwards, but otherwise Avery felt strangely relaxed as he disrobed in front of Chayne. "Goodness me..."

"While I totally had you down as the lycra boxers type, not that I mind," the marten couldn't help but grinning as he took a good glance of Avery's body, his tail swishing back and forth at the sight. "Getting excited already, huh?" he chuckled, nonetheless pleased that the shy avian was growing comfortable so quickly around him.

"You make it so easy," Avery replied, getting closer to Chayne. He glanced down at the thong. "And, well... after seeing what's in there, well, I can't help it." His cheeks reddened in a way that was visible past his cheek feathers.

"Oh you," the marten replied. "Let's take it to the bed then..." He showed Avery the way to his bedroom, the avian stepping in and marveling at the queen size bed occupying most of the small room. The marten pulled the door close as the avian sat on the bed, then cheekily pranced toward him and pushed him back onto the plush mattress. "Come on, dude..."

Avery bounced on the mattress gently, looking up at Chayne as he crawled back an inch. His gaze turned back to the thong as it hovered there, before he reached forward, inhaling as his claw hooked into Chayne's thong. He hesitated very slightly, less out of reluctance and more out of uncertainty if this was exactly what the marten had in mind. He thus turned up at Chayne, his beak quivering slightly. "May I?"

"Go ahead," the marten said, his smile broadening by the minute as Avery's confidence grew.

Avery inhaled, and then pulled down on the thong. Slowly, Chayne's erection popped out in front of him, and Avery inhaled at how large it was as it bobbed before him. Avery slowly let the thong slip from his claw-finger, and he marvelled at it, exhaling nervously.

The marten winked back, not failing to notice the avian's slight hesitation mixed with his excitement. "First one you see beside your own?"

"Yeah..." Avery exhaled, reaching for it and taking it in his hand. "And first one I've touched, too..." He let his hand stroke up Chayne's length, looking up to see the marten's reaction.

The blonde fur smiled back, licking his lips as Avery picked up a gentle pumping motion almost by reflex. "It doesn't show," he said, putting his paw on the hawk's shoulder as he worked on his length, his toned bicep contracting and relaxing with each motion. "Just like that, handsome. Don't rush it, just... have fun."

Avery nodded, closing his hand around Chayne's length and starting to stroke it a little faster. "OK..." He exhaled, bringing his other hand up and starting to ghost the opposite hand over Chayne's torso, pressing the flesh of his fingers against those muscles as he felt his way around. He pulled his head a little closer, keeping his stroking up as he rubbed his head against Chayne's abs.

The marten slightly huffed as Avery's paw set into a rhythm, his excitement growing as the avian grew bolder in his exploration. Glancing over, he could see his companion was sporting a sizable bulge of his own, and tentatively extended a paw to try and free him from the constraining boxers. He struggled to reach the elastic band, as the avian seemed completely lost in his current task. "Uh, you mind helping me with..." Chayne shrugged sheepishly as Avery looked up, his own fingerclaw pointing down.

Avery looked down just in time, peeling back slightly. "Ah, of course. Sorry!" he brought his hand back down, slowly pulling his boxer briefs down. He sighed in relief: it had been getting tight around his own length, and as it popped out Avery breathed in a little easier. It was not insubstantial either: there was a good length to it, and while it was just a hair thinner than Chayne's it was still quite long.

The marten repositioned to take a better look at Avery's birdhood, the avian's paw still working up and down his length. "You know... you hiding that thing to the world is a fucking shame," he whispered softly, noticing the other fur's questioning gaze and his silent longing for approval. "You look as impressive down there as anywhere else." As Avery's cheeks heated up in further blush, Chayne repositioned and sat cross-legged on the bed - motioning to the avian to do the same, the two furs closing in almost as if they sat in each other's lap. Wordlessly, the marten reached for Avery's erection and started to stroke, motioning him to do the same with his own as he gently rocked against his body.

Avery groaned, following Chayne's motions as he positioned himself there gently. He had never been so close to another man as he had at that moment, and it filled his head with an incredible warmth as he similarly began to rock with the marten. He found his head leaning forward, pressing it against Chayne's as his free paw stroked up against the marten's thigh. "Aah..." He closed his eyes, letting himself get lost in the sensation as he stroked slightly faster. "Chayne..."

The marten grinned inwardly as a moan escaped Avery's throat, him still far from his peak despite having been stroked a deal further. "Feels good?" he asked casually, the avian's hips driving slightly up and his virility bucking against his paw in response.

"Yeah..." Avery's hand began to rub up Chayne's abs again, his stroking still keeping its same pace as he tilted his beak, rubbing it up against Chayne's muzzle. He said very little after that, preferring to let the feeling do the talking as he remained close to Chayne.

The marten huffed, taking notice of the avian's breathing growing more labored by the second, his paw picking up whatever slick had leaked from his tip and spreading it all over - a muffled groan escaping Avery's mouth as his body responded to the added stimulation. His hips kept pushing up at regular intervals, betraying the power of the avian's core as he rocked against the marten. "You about to...?" Chayne asked, feeling the avian tense up slightly as he tested him by slightly picking up his motion.

Avery nodded slowly, feeling himself rush over to climax quickly. Sensing this, he slowly pulled off of Chayne's length, holding himself close to Chayne. "D... Don't let me," he said. "Not yet. It's... it's too good to end now..."

The marten slowed down his pumping to a crawl, then pulled his paw off the avian's length entirely. He leant closer to the avian's body, feeling his heart pumping madly as he recovered. "You say that..." he whispered and winked, "...because you don't know what's coming next." Without a word, he worked himself off the hawk's body, then leant down until his muzzle was standing above his groin. The avian had no time to recoil as Chayne's mouth closed around his tip, easily engulfing half the length before starting to bob his head up and down in a slow, practiced motion.

Avery's beak immediately opened up, and his legs tensed at the sudden jolt of pleasure he felt at the way Chayne's tongue glided up his length. "Aaaah..." He threw his head back, closing his eyes as one paw immediately came behind Chayne's head, not pushing him up against that length at all but letting the marten set the pace as he groaned out in pleasure. "O-oh God..."

The mustelid rumbled in agreement at Avery's reaction, working his way down his length until his nose brushed against the hawk's pubes. It took very little to bring the excited bird back to the edge - his whole body tensing up, overwhelmed by the new sensation, as the earlier feeling rushed back with the intensity of a freight train. Sensing the avian's closeness, Chayne pulled slightly back on his length - working the shaft with his right paw as his mouth closed in on the exposed tip, his tongue adding to the stimulation and driving him to his peak.

Avery ended up falling back onto the bed, his paw still holding on to Chayne's head as he basked in the feeling. "Ah, God..." He looked down at Chayne, feeling a sense of sadness that he could not reciprocate on that. He was sure he could, but with his inexperience, Avery did not want to risk it. Still, he rubbed a spot just behind Chayne's ears, breathing in and out as he felt that tongue work over his tip. "So... so good..."

The marten didn't relent his ministrations as more and more globs of avian pre-seed greeted his tongue. His own length still bobbed behind him, unsheathed, and he brought his free paw to stroke himself as the hawk's length tensed up in his mouth, then suddenly throbbed.

Avery felt the closest to climax he had been yet, and this time he was not sure he could stop the tide in time. And so, he grit his beak, and then whined above him as his paw pulled Chayne all the way down to the base and he came hard as he bucked up into that maw.

"Mmmhhh!" The marten had barely time to react as the avian's seed started flooding his mouth, him gulping down with practiced ease as more and more volleys jetted out and pooled in the back of his palate - his paw pumping on his manhood in time with every bob and grunt that left Avery's muzzle. He pulled off and gave one last gulp, the bird's length glistening in the dim light as he looked up, slightly dazed with pleasure. "So..." he addressed Avery, tongue sweeping his lips and wiping out the last few globules of his seed. "How was your first blowjob?"

Avery panted from the force of his climax, Chayne's question barely registering in his mind. He managed to look up, exhaling with a broad smile on his face as he opened his beak and closed it, unable to find the words to describe how good it was. "I...." He closed his eyes, his head falling back on the bed. "Aaaah..."

"I'll take it as a ten," the marten winked, laying down close to the avian. "You cum a whole lot, you know that?"

"N-no..." Avery finally managed to form words again, looking down at Avery. "I... I didn't know I had that in me..." He chuckled at this. "Gosh, I don't even know..." He exhaled, looking back down at Chayne's own length, noting how it was still hard. "And you're not even finished yet..."

"Indeed," the marten grinned. "You feel like... you know?" He stopped, acknowledging the confused look in the avian's eyes. "I mean, it's your first time and all. I'm going at your pace here," he said. "But if you say so, I can make you feel even better."

Avery looked down, to the space between his legs. He had a feeling he knew what Chayne was talking about, and the thought admittedly did fill him with apprehension. But when he looked back at the marten at the foot of the bed, Avery felt a strange sense of calm come over him. So far, Chayne had been rocking his world, and if this was his first time...

The hawk nodded. "Take it slow," he said. "But I think I'm up for it."

Chayne rolled about on the mattress, patting Avery's side in a playful manner. "That's my boy," he chuckled, getting up and crouching besides his companion. He took a good look at the avian, letting out a knowing grin as he looked at him in a quizzical way. "Can you lay down for me?"

Avery nodded, laying on his back with his head on the pillow. He exhaled, spreading his legs slightly and looking at Chayne expectantly. "Like this?" he asked.

The marten nodded, slightly leaning forward and instructing Avery to prop his bottom slightly up. Sensing the avian's body tense up in expectation and concern as the mustelid's rigid manhood came close to his backside, he let out a small laugh and pulled back. "Oh no, dude! I gotta get you ready before we get to the real thing," he chuckled at the avian's nervousness. "You don't really know a lot about this, huh?"

"I just know that, well, someone's manhood is going in someone," said Avery. He inhaled, looking at Chayne and spreading his legs somewhat. "And I'm guessing I'm the receiving one, right?"

It was the marten's turn to blink in confusion. "Oh, do you..." he said, glancing at the hawk's own virility having fully receded after his earlier climax. "Uh... sorry, dude. I just... assumed," he said, frowning sheepishly.

Avery shrugged, shaking his head. "Well, to be honest, I don't know what I do with that either," he said. "I'm willing to experiment." He smiled up at the marten, spreading his legs a little further.

Chayne let out a relieved sigh. "Alright," he said, rolling off the avian's body to get a small bottle of clear liquid from his bedside table. "Just so you know, if you feel uncomfortable at any point... just tell me and I'll back off," he warned Avery. Encouraged by the bird's nod, he got back on the bed and squirted a glob of lube on his paw, making sure to spread it well over his fingers. "Alright, so... this is going to be a bit of a bitch at first, but trust me," he said, rubbing and prodding his middle finger against Avery's taint to warn him about what was to come. "You ready?"

Avery nodded, hissing softly at how cool the liquid felt against his taint. "I think so..."

"Well there ya go," the marten chuckled, pushing his slick digit forward against the yield of Avery's tailhole. Acting out of instinct, the bird pressed back against the prodding finger, helping it sink in to the knuckle. Chayne pushed further, feeling the tight ring briefly clench on his finger, then relaxing as it bottomed out. "All good?" he winked.

Avery inhaled, looking down to Chayne's hand. There was a strangeness to the intrusion that he was experiencing for the first time. For sure, the marten's finger was not as thick as he expected, and so it only felt a little uncomfortable at the initial penetration. Otherwise...

Avery nodded. "All good," he said. He smiled up at Chayne. "But I'm guessing you'll need to get a bit more in there, right?"

The marten couldn't help but grin at the bird's suggestion. "All in due time," he chuckled, withdrawing his finger slightly then pushing forward and slightly curling it, seemingly probing for something. He started to gently thrust the digit in and out of Avery's hole, closely watching as the avian bent his head back, his eyes shut. "You alright there?" he said, punctuating his words with yet another thrust.

Avery nodded, feeling that finger prod within him. "Yeah," Avery replied. "It feels alright so far, I think--"

And then, he felt Chayne's finger poke at something deep inside him, and stars exploded across his vision. His legs tensed up, and he let out a loud moan, throwing his beak open as he breathed in and out rapidly, his length jolting as it began to harden again.

The marten's chuckle couldn't grow bigger. "Seems like we found your pleasure button," he winked, exploiting the avian's surprise to push a second finger in.

Avery groaned out loud at the penetration, definitely feeling both fingers start to spread him wide. He scarcely cared, however: whatever Chayne had poked at made him feel good enough that he found himself relieved that there was more incoming. He exhaled, adjusting his position slightly in a bid to get himself down to the knuckle again.

The marten looked down, his assault on Avery's prostate never relenting as he kept pistoning his fingers in and out of his rectum. He leaned slightly forward, acknowledging every moan that escaped the avian's throat and his length slowly hardening to full erection. "If that feels good..." he whispered, "Just imagine how it'll be when I'm rubbing my cock against it."

Avery nodded, groaning as he looked over to Chayne's cock. "Why imagine when it's--ah--right there?" he asked, breathing in and out gently.

"Oh, you that eager?" the marten winked at the bird's feistiness. Wordlessly, he pulled his fingers out, chuckling at Avery's groan of despair as his tailhole clenched on a new emptiness. His own length hadn't yet wilted ever since the earlier stimulation, a true testament to his sexual drive and conditioning. He briefly pumped it with a slick fist, before reaching out to the drawer and pulling out a square aluminum foil. "Just gimme a sec, handsome... I'll be right back," he said, tearing the package open with a practiced motion of his claw and rolling the condom over his length as Avery looked by.

Avery nodded, adjusting his position and spreading his legs a little wider. "Safety first, right?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I'm clean as a whistle, but just in case," the marten nodded with a playful wink, squirting some extra lube on his latex-covered manhood. His paws came to grab on Avery's muscular calves, bringing his legs up against his shoulders and exposing him further. He leaned on top of the bird, the head of his rigid length rubbing against his taint in a hypnotic grind. "Ready for the real thing?" he winked again.

Avery nodded, taking a breath to steel his nerves. "Yeah," he said. "I'm ready." And with this, he breathed in, starting to press his taint against the head of the marten's length.

Chayne's mouth curled in surprise, not expecting the hawk to make the first move. Instinctively he pushed forward, his length easily breaking the resistance of Avery's hole and slipping in a couple inches thanks to their earlier foreplay. The marten's paw came down to rub the avian's flank as he let him revel in the new sensation and adjust to his size, waiting for him to relax and accept his penetration. "Fuck, you're tight..." Chayne grunted, withdrawing from the avian's hole with a small sigh before pushing back in a tiny bit further.

Avery groaned out. "Yeah, I feel that too," he said. To be truthful, the initial penetration did sting a little bit, but the sting was quick to go away with how long Chayne had waited. He felt Chayne press in a little further, and even here the fullness he felt inside drew a soft coo from Avery, the hawk's paws coming up to Chayne's chest and rubbing them playfully, hoping to coax him in deeper...

The marten was in his element, the gentle rocking motion of his hips betraying the real power and confidence of a true mustelid Alpha now fully focused on pleasing the eager, inexperienced hawk. His manhood pressed forward, reaching a tiny bit further with each thrust - Avery's huffed moans growing louder and intermixing with his husky grunts as they joined in copulation. The tightness was still there, but Chayne could perceive the avian gradually relaxing and adapting to the new feeling, his hips starting to push back against his thrust to help him ease in. "Man..." the marten huffed, bringing his head closer to Avery's as their pubic bones joined. "Y-you're a fucking natural, you know that?"

Avery moaned at feeling their hips meet, his legs instinctively curling around the mustelid's body as he let the fullness overtake him. "I... I guess I am..." He chuckled quietly, looking Chayne in the eyes as he brought his paws up to the marten's cheeks. "But... It's easier, with someone as, well..." He blushed, pausing and letting the silence speak for him.

"You flatterer," Chayne winked back, letting out a devilish grin. "Let's see how you... take this, then..." he whispered, pulling his manhood almost entirely out of the bird's taint, huffing as he paused for a short second before pushing back in a sweeping thrust that brushed against the bird's nut. Before Avery could even react, he set into a quick rocking motion against his body - his hips driving the motion as the bird's legs curled around his back. He grunted as he felt the avian clench around him, his manhood bucking in reflex within the confines of his backside. "Unghhh..." he moaned. "Oh fuck..."

"Aaaah..." Avery sighed and moaned in pleasure at every new feeling: the friction around Chayne's length, the fullness he felt every time Chayne hilted within him, the warmth he felt all around him... He had never imagined anything intimate like this could feel so good, and he found himself pulling his head forward, rubbing it on the underside of Chayne's chin as he began to buck into Chayne's thrusts. "Yes..."

The marten looked down at Avery's length, bobbing rhythmically between the two bodies with every thrust he drove against the bird's hips. "You getting close?" he whispered in his ear, rubbing his cheek against his beak.

Avery nodded rapidly, pulling his torso close to Chayne's. "And you?" he asked.

"Mhm," the marten nodded. "You're so damn tight..." Truth be told, he didn't want to spill his seed before Avery, despite the avian having the advantage of his earlier climax. He slowed his motions, slightly adjusting his motion as to press further against the bird's love nub. "Think you can outlast me, stud?" he teased, his own sweaty chest rubbing against Avery's feathers.

"I don't know, but I'm down to try..." He looked up at Chayne, before taking a breath and clenching around Chayne's length as hard as he could.

The marten's eyes went wide. "You f-fucker," he growled, his hips immediately speeding up and resuming his assault on the bird's backside. "Fuck, I'm gonna flood you good," he said, teasing further as he leaned against Avery. "You gonna bust all over before I'm done..."

"Y-yeah?" Avery asked, breathing in and out as he began to pull his legs in closer, matching Chayne's thrusts. "You, ah... You want to bet on that? Or... ah..." He squeezed his eyes shut, the pleasure starting to overwhelm him.

Sensing the bird starting to clench erratically on his length, the marten brought up his paw and curled two fingers around Avery's - rubbing it down the leaking shaft in time with his thrusts as the avian began to pant heavily, his eyes squeezed tightly as the marten hastened his pace. "H-here it goes..." he whispered with a grunt.

"A-aaaah..." Avery pulled Chayne close, feeling that tingle in his balls once again. "Chayne... Ah..." And then, Avery cried out loudly, throwing his head back as he involuntarily clenched down hard, his second climax splashing between both of their torsos at the marten's relentless pace. The hawk's entire body tensed in pleasure, and he began to let out loud moans, feeling the wave crest as he squeezed his eyes shut.

The feeling of Avery's tight ring clenching and contracting around his dick was enough to send the marten over the edge, his own testicles pulling up as he groaned and bucked forward, his hips coming flush to the avian's with every subtle buck and moan as he poured himself into the writhing body under him. "Ah... ah... Avery..." Chayne called out the hawk's name, then grunted again in orgasmic abandon and let the sensations take over - the avian's muscular legs wrapping around the mustelid's sculpted form as he collapsed on top of him.

Avery wrapped his arms around Chayne as soon as the mustelid fell atop him, holding him close as he tingled in the aftermath. His whole body felt like it was on fire, not from any nerves, but from pure pleasure. It was the best he'd ever felt in his life, and as he held Chayne close he found himself wishing he could hang on to that little feeling forever.

He thus exhaled, rubbing his beak up against the fluff of the marten's head. "God... Chayne..." He almost whispered this, his paw gently rubbing up the marten's back. "That..."

Chayne looked up. "Mhm?" he softly moaned, still buried within Avery's tight confines, shuddering at the last few weak twitches and spurts coaxed by the avian's regular clenching.

Avery exhaled, pulling back so he could look into Chayne's eyes, and so the marten could see the smile that was plastered on his beak. "That was... Wow..." He exhaled, his leg twitching slightly from pleasure. "How did I wait so long to experience that?"

"I'd rather focus on how much more of this you can get from now on. Oh boy..." Chayne winked. "Are you sure this was your first time? You gonna get a regular queue of suitors here in NYC, if that's the standard."

Avery nodded, feeling a pang of sadness come over him. "It was my first time." He glanced to the side, looking out the window. "I never got the confidence to explore this side of myself until now..." He exhaled, looking at Chayne. "But... This is sort of a chance to start, right?"

"You know it, handsome," the marten replied, patting Avery's backside in a playful manner as he withdrew. The avian marveled at the sight of that still half-hard length, the tip of the condom sagging with the weight of the mustelid's fluids. "Yup, that was in you," Chayne chuckled and winked as he slipped the latex off, the cum-covered length flopping on his thigh as he fell back on the mattress at the hawk's side.

Avery chuckled, laying there as he looked at the filled-up condom. "It was, wasn't it?" The thought gave him cause to smile brightly, before he turned his gaze to Chayne, and fell silent again. "That's..." He smiled, shaking his head as he shifted his position. "I hope you don't mind if I stay the night, then. I feel like after something like that..."

"Not at all," the marten slurred, rolling to his side and draping an arm over the avian's body. "Got a hunch we should go get cleaned, though," he casually said, poking at his chest and feeling the stickiness of Avery's release soaking through his fur.

Avery chuckled. "That does sound like a good idea," he said. He pushed himself up. "I don't know if you have any feather-sensitive shampoos, but if you do..."

"I'm afraid I haven't slept with too many birds on the regular," the marten shrugged. "Though you know... I take good care of my fur, you see. You probably won't find my own fur care product too aggressive to these sexy feathers."

"I hope so," said Avery. He then extended his paw out to Chayne. "Well?" And he smiled down at Chayne, glancing down at him happily.

"That's an invitation?" the marten chuckled. "I'll lead the way then..." he said, taking Avery's paw into his and leading him out.

Avery let Chayne lead him to the bathroom, the warmth sending a tingle down his spine as he followed the marten into the shower.

***

March 12

Chayne slowly woke up with the first rays of sunshine shining through the window. He let out a groan, reaching for Avery on the bed. He frowned when he found nobody there beside him: the space where Avery had been was occupied by flat sheets.

That was when he became aware of the sound of lead scratching against a sheet of paper.

"Hold still, I'm almost done."

The marten opened his eyes groggily, seeing Avery sitting at the edge of the bed. He had pulled a pad of paper from somewhere, and in his paws he saw a pencil dashing across the pad.

"Uh, what are you...?" Chayne muttered, blinking as the avian's shape slowly came into sight. He glanced back then down at his nude form, before slowly lying back into position as he realized what Avery had set to do. "You really are a flatterer, you know?"

Avery chuckled. "It was more you just looked so beautiful in the morning light," Avery replied. "I wanted to capture you in this light." He exhaled, sighing at his pad of paper. He blushed meekly afterwards. "I-I mean, if you don't mind, that is."

"Dude, I make money as a glorified stripper who happens to serve drinks for a living," the marten retorted. "Of course I don't mind. Just let me take a peek after you're done, alright?" With that said, he resumed his pose - standing perfectly still as the hawk got back to his sketch, the only difference being the wide grin now plastered on the marten's pointy face and his manhood slowly starting to respond to the attention, poking out of his sheath and gently lifting under the avian's watchful gaze.

"Of course," Avery replied. He continued working, reaching a strange calmness as he looked back at Chayne before sketching further. He remained silent for a few more seconds, before he closed his eyes for a second. "You know, part of my issue with exploring myself was that, well... I had a crush on someone in art school that wasn't returned." He exhaled, shaking his head. "It was... tough, to deal with that."

The marten sighed. "Makes sense," he said. "And living in Montana probably didn't make it easy to get over that either."

Avery shrugged. "Well, it's not really that," he admitted. He paused, tapping the pencil against the pad as he debated on opening up about it. But with Chayne looking on with that beautiful look on his face, Avery found his nerves calming significantly: that damn marten made everything seem so understandable, and with how open they had been....

"I found out recently that there was another factor at play," he said, his voice going quiet. "Somebody told him a lie about me that made him not want to have anything to do with me. Somebody I thought I could trust."

"Oh," Chayne nodded, his ears slightly drooping. "I don't like... want to prod more than it's my business, and like... whatever it was, it still was that dude's fault that he missed out on such a handsome bird..." he said, earning a glare from the hawk.

Avery shrugged. "Maybe," he replied. "But it wasn't all him, you see." He exhaled. "I only recently found out, because..." He glanced up at the TV. "Well, weirdly, _that_is also covered by that damn NDA. It's... wild, how I found it all out, and you'll get to see some of it unfold."

"I'm sure I will," the marten acknowledged, still not breaking his pose. "But like, really... again, it's not my place to give suggestions or anything, but if I were you I'd start focusing on putting all that behind and give a go to this exciting new life," he said. "I ain't saying I didn't have it tough at some point, but like... I don't know how the whole Alpha thing works for avians, but I know it takes embracing who you are to the fullest to reach that level of confidence."

Avery nodded. "I think part of it is that I've only just started to learn how to embrace who I am," he replied. He turned back to his pad of paper, the sketching being deliberate. "It's all very new to me, to be this open with myself about who I am." He looked back to Chayne. "Do you ever, like, have a period of looking back and wondering how things might've been different if only you had embraced it sooner?"

"Heh, I really started to tap into my true self when I began hitting the gym and regularly working out," Chayne said. "I used to be a bit of an outcast before that. Never got harassed as I grew up, but like... I guess I was putting my gay self to the side in order to fit into crowds and appear less threatening to other males. Which to be fair... that's utter BS, so yeah... I wish I'd never felt like compromising on my personality in order to be popular, where the real thing I should have done was starting to look for my real, true crowd of friends and allies sooner."

"It's the same with me, right now," said Avery. He turned back to his paper, drawing more lines as he exhaled. "I did say I had a tough time on Scavenger Hunters. But with some distance from filming? It's changed my life, and honestly, in hindsight it's changed it for the better so far." He smiled. "After all, without it, I wouldn't be here, finally getting to meet my people. Especially when one of them is a handsome marten who's sweeter than the TV made him out to be." He blushed as he turned back to his pad. "I-I mean, uhm, if you don't mind the flattery, that is."

"Not only I don't mind it... I could get used to it," the blonde mustelid winked. "There's a whole lotta stuff I still have to show to this sexy, handsome bird stud..." he let out a goofy grin as he looked away.

"You do," Avery replied, his smile back in full force. He then exhaled, before setting the pad down and placing the pencil on the nightstand. "Well, here we go."

With this, Avery turned the pad around, and there Chayne got to see his form as it laid on the bed. Everything was lovingly rendered, from the way the bedsheets kissed the underside of Chayne's butt to the way his hair tumbled around his ears. The strength that laid dormant was also plainly visible, and while the line art was perhaps not quite the cleanest out there it looked absolutely stunning from where Chayne sat.

"God damn you're talented," the marten said, finally breaking his pose to sit down cross-legged on the bed. He leaned forward to take a better look, marveling at the subtle linework and the close depiction of his nude body. "Do you mind if I keep it?"

"Oh not at all," Avery replied, a small blush lining his cheeks at the marten's compliment. He delicately dragged his claw through the sheet where it connected to the pad, handing the paper to Chayne. "Here."

"Will be sure to store it safely," the mustelid replied, setting the sketch on his bedside table before sitting close to the avian, immediately draping an arm around his midsection. "So, dude... how do you feel about a few pancakes?"

Avery bowed his head forward, raising one of his brows. "I'm always up for some," he said. "Mom used to love making this pancake with this cinnamon swirl, too..."

"Might have some in the cupboard," the marten mused. "But before we get to that..." he said, scooting closer and rubbing Avery's muscular side with a paw as their muzzles rubbed together, his paw soon dropping lower to cup the avian's sizable testicles. "I'd rather start the day with another kinda filling. You mind?"

Avery blushed at this, but even as he did his length hardened very slowly. He then turned to Chayne, however, and saw the way the marten's eyes shined gleefully. It was outright irresistible, and Avery found himself leaning into the contact.

And so, he grinned. "Not at all," he replied. "Show me how else I can get this filling..."