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“Shall we have drinks?” Carter asks.
Travis winces before pasting on his best attempt at a smile. “Of course. I’ll pour us some.”
“Trav, I’m fucking with you.” Carter giggles, and it’s such a beautiful fucking sound that Travis can’t even be angry. “I wouldn’t make you drink that. You should have seen your face, you fancy asshole.”
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Travis grumbles, though he’s having a difficult time keeping a smile from his lips.
“Or what?” The boy wiggles his eyebrows mischievously. “You’ll spank me.”
Travis can’t help the grin that takes over then. He leans forward, pressing a hand to Carter’s back to trap him as he brings his lips to the boy’s sensitive ear. Carter shudders at the feel of his breath, then gasps when Travis murmurs, “That won’t be all I do, sweetheart.”
He pulls back, making sure to keep himself looking entirely unaffected. Carter, on the other hand, stands there for a few more seconds looking flushed and shivery before managing to pull himself together with a hand running over his face and a strained laugh. “I – um. W-what were we talking about? Oh. I have some nice wine back at my place for later.”
Not entirely convinced Carter knows what nice wine is, Travis brings back that forced smile from before. “Sounds great.”
“Don’t worry, I asked Ace.” Carter rolls his eyes, seeing right through his act. “You can trust it’s good stuff.”
That makes Travis feel slightly better. Ace is pretty damn fancy, after all. Especially for a computer nerd.
Carter’s smile slides off his face then, his gaze fixed over Travis’s shoulder. “Oh no.”
Travis’s stomach drops, all jokes about drinks forgotten. “What? What’s wrong?”
Before Carter can respond, a familiar face is appearing in front of them. One Travis probably could have gone an entire lifetime without ever seeing again. The man smiles at them, but his expression is guarded and his eyes linger on Carter. Travis can't help but think he's checking on the boy. After the last time they all saw each other, he supposes he can't argue against the urge.
"Hello there," the man says after a few more seconds of studying Carter's face. "Carter. And… Travis, wasn't it?"
"Yes." Travis reaches out a hand, which the man takes easily. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."
"Hunter." The man - Hunter - eyes Carter some more. "I never heard from you. I was worried."
Carter's cheeks go red. "Oh, I'm sorry. Travis gave me your number. I meant to call, I just… was embarrassed."
Hearing that Travis at least gave Carter Hunter's number like he promised seems to relax Hunter a bit. "You had absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, but I understand. You're doing okay, though?"
"Yeah, definitely. Much better."
"Excellent." Hunter smiles a real smile then. "Is this a coincidence tonight or are you here to see Jax?"
Carter frowns. "Jax? He's here?"
"Yes. He's one of the artists on show tonight. He and Wells are just over there." Hunter gestures toward a small group of people. Carter looks over, so Travis does too. It's pointless though. He has no idea who Jax and Wells are, let alone what they look like.
"I had no idea," Carter says, looking back at Hunter. "We just wanted to check the show out. Is that why you're here? For Jax?"
"Yes. Wells is a good friend of mine. Probably my best friend, if an old man like me can have one of those still." Hunter winks playfully at Carter like his age - which can't possibly be more than 40 - is an inside joke between them. Jealousy sparks deep in Travis's gut, but it surprisingly remains there instead of trying to surface. "He's quite proud of his pet. And Jax was about to explode with excitement when he invited me. I couldn't possibly tell him no."
"I'll have to go say hello." Carter nudges Travis. "Come on, I'll introduce you. These are the guys I told you about from the night at the club. They introduced me to Hunter."
Travis nods, recalling the men who had helped Carter feel safe and comfortable that night. He would like to meet them, but not yet. "You go. I'll be right there. I'd like to speak with Hunter for a moment."
Carter hesitates, worry flashing in his pretty blue eyes. "But-"
"It's okay, sweetheart," Travis promises. He leans down, pressing a kiss to Carter's forehead. "I'll be right there. Promise."
With a final look at Travis and Hunter that makes it seem like he worried Travis might start a brawl with the man, Carter nods and heads off to the small group Hunter pointed out earlier. When Travis turns to Hunter, he finds the man frowning openly at him. "I thought sweetheart was a trigger?" the man asks, an accusation heavy in his tone.
"From you." Travis pastes on what he hopes is a polite smile. This really isn't meant to be a brawl, despite Carter's worries. "He and I were separated, and I've always called him sweetheart. The name meant a great deal to him. Hearing it come from you is what triggered him."
