Jay, a lonely gay man tending a bar (MaleXMale route and some rule changes)

(Just a note to let readers and the host know: the changes are that the remote causes reality shifts, so everyone but the protag is completely oblivious and thinks the shift is normal [this can be either gradual or instantaneous.] Also, while the MC can't control the changes, the remote will have a game quest-like reward system [that can't be previewed by him] and a database with information. Hope that fits in the guidelines and makes for good reading. Enjoy this long setup.)

(EDIT FOR REREADERS: So, I've been having a conflict about Johnny. I wrote him as too close of a friend to Jay to justify all the shifts I want to put him through. So, I've decided to retcon all of that so that they're not even roommates. Instead, they're coworkers and are quite distant because they can't hold a conversation because Johnny is too stoic and can be passive-aggressive. Also, I'm taking out those lines about COVID because it was too depressing.)

"C'mun bud, I'll suck yer pecker fer a shot!"

"For the last time, you're too drunk and you brought in outside ! I can't serve you or I'll lose my license!"

I was frankly tired of dealing with this man. He was sloshed and stank like crusty motel sheets. I hated this part of bartending the most. In my opinion, customers are best when they stay mellow and spacey (or just get very loud and incoherent, I could tolerate that) when drunk. But when they get angry or violent or grabby, it makes me never want to bartend again.

It was bad enough at the last place I worked, where a diverse array of bigots would start arguments/fights with customers and staff to entertain each other. After that became harassing to us, my coworker Johnny (a scruffy hunk whose hobby was weightlifting) and I eventually quit and ended up applying to the same bar without knowing. I would say the familiar face was comforting, but he was bad at holding a conversation. He was stone-faced and had a macho personality that refused to show much emotion or interest, even when talking about what he likes/dislikes. This new place is nicer (and had better pay,) but it for some reason attracted the Booze-Is-My-Only-Coping-Mechanism type. This guy was carrying an eighth-full 1-liter bottle of Jack Daniel, but he certainly thought he needed more. He slurred, "lissen, I dun't have any munny-"

"Then why did you even come here in the first place!"

I was furious at this point, wondering how Johnny let him in. He was the doorman at the old place and this one, and he's always been great at keeping drunk people out and checking in with the front. We were making progress in our relationship before the incidents that caused us to quit. Then he sort of backslid, becoming more quiet and coming into work spaced out. He kept forgetting to do important things like check IDs. I had to throw out a teenager myself (Thank God he looked his age or I wouldn't have checked his cheaply made fake-ID) because of that. I was confused as to how all of this could've happened.

"Lemmeeeeee make yaaaaaaaaa a deal, bud. I give ya dis gizmo I won at da Storage Lotto...''

He rooted in the pouch of his liquor-stained hoodie and produced a remote-like device that was about as big as a modern phone. The machine had two buttons on its lower half: a green one on the left and a red one on the right. It also had a 3-inch detachable antenna at the top. It looked like an old sci-fi movie gadget for analyzing stuff.

"...and you gimme a line a' shots."

I pressed my hands over my eyes, then slammed them onto the bar and screamed at the man, "Look! This is a legal business! We have rules we have to follow, so I cannot serve you! End! Of! Story!"

The man sat there and thought for a bit before saying "...ya sure 'bout no head? If ya pay fer da test, I can pruve I'm clean."

I had about half a mind to slap this guy when Johnny burst through the front door. The drunk turned to the sound to see it with his sloppy eyesight. The guy smiled, spread his arms, and cried "Ey! Ya ready fer-"

Before he could say more, the drunk was scooped up by Johnny's muscular arms, flailing a bit before being thrown out on the street. The shredded doorman shut the entrance behind him and turned to me to ask, "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine. Do you mind telling me where you were when that guy came in?"

"......"

"Do you not have an explanation? Not even an excuse? Nothing?"

Johnny was red in the face, clearly stressed that this happened on his watch. It was hard to reconcile this with his usual diligence at keeping the bar comforting and safe for the customers and other employees. Before things could get more awkward (as the patrons had been watching the incident closely,) Johnny shamefully turned his head to the side and muttered, "...well sorry for trying to fix my mistake," and stomped back out to his post. The other thing about him was that he's very passive-aggressive when he feels slighted. I didn't mean to embarrass him. I started to feel guilty for talking down to him before quietly returning to serving drinks...

The bar returned to normal after that. Johnny and I continued our shift like normal until around closing when only one guy was left, we were brought to the office for our boss (a bear covered head-to-toe with red hair) to scold us. His main complaint with me was being too intense and scaring customers. Johnny got the real fury because he apparently took an hour-long lunch break in the alley between the bar and an abandoned apartment building-out of the security camera's sight until he ran back to confront the drunk. 'What the fuck was he even doing out there,' I thought to myself judgingly. I didn't need to vocalize that because he had his red face turned from both of us, clearly ashamed.

Eventually, we were sent back out to close up. I took the last patron's (a skinny blond guy with a five-o'clock shadow) final order and closed his tab, while Johnny and the boss cleaned and shut down the music. Standing there, I started to think about how my life was going. I was discontent with most things about living in this society, but the main thing I was dissatisfied with was how my sex life was.

As a gay man, it's hard to naturally meet guys outside of gay bars and events, especially ones that are both attractive and respectful. It didn't help that I already worked until closing at a regular bar, so I could never go out before or after my shift. I'm not really into drag culture and can't get up early enough to go to brunch. I thought about using apps, but I'm too paranoid to go to someone else's place the first time or let them know where I live. It sucks to not have any time to live outside of sustaining yourself.

After I close the tab, I tell the customer "Take your time; we'll call a cab if you can't drive yourself."

He sluggishly responds, "Thanks, but I'll order my own ride."

I walked out from behind the bar to help in the cleanup, but I felt myself kick something forward. I looked to see the drunk's gadget skid out on the floor in front of me. I guessed that he dropped it when he was thrown out. I picked it up to check if it was broken, and it immediately turned on. The screen display is divided into two boxes, with a header on the left saying 'Subject(s),' and the header on the right reading 'Role(s).'

I was scratching my head, wondering what the purpose of the thing was. My boss called out, "Hey, put that toy away and help out," and then returned to cleaning the tables. I was still curious what this thing was, so I clicked the green button. The name 'William Port' appeared on the 'Subject(s)' side. Confused, I clicked the button twice more. This time, 'Clarence O'Donnell' and 'Jonathan Jones' were listed under the previous entry.

'What the shit? Those are my boss's and Johnny's names,' I thought to myself, weirded out by this device that could know these things. I had half a mind to throw it away with how freaking it was getting, but curiosity was calling to me. I had to know what this thing's function was. I slowly and hesitantly pressed the red button...And...….

In an instant, the 'Attribute(s)' side had three rows of rapidly changing text aligned with the names, flipping through many words and phrases.