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Jiffy

Chapter 3

Shaw

For any normal person, having stayed up until the early morning of the past few nights and failing to get a good night's sleep due to being in the throes of sexual climax would have played hell on their body clock. For Shaw, however, he had gotten used to his rest being disrupted over the past few weeks. If it wasn't the fact that he had tried to drown his sorrows in videogames, panic attacks brought on from nightmares of Liam's betrayal would leave him dancing on the edge of REM sleep but never plunging into the realms of unconsciousness. It was the kind of sleep where he was aware he was slumbering but when he woke up, he was only even more tired than when he had shut his eyes. Only when he actually reached his apartment did the exhaustion of this trying time finally hit him.

He shuffled wearily towards his couch which had been his roost since the breakup. The familiar indentation of his form against the upholstery welcoming him like an old friend. A whirlwind of emotions came crashing in on him at once and he was too weak to resist them. He wasn't even aware that his eyelids had shut until he was in the depths of darkness and the haunting image of Liam and that Dalmatian burned its way back into the forefront of his mind. He couldn't even remember who was on top. Just that they were there on the bed, howling in ecstasy, their bodies merged in a way that he could never get out of his mind.

Stop it.

A powerful force turned his head away from the scene and the embrace of the couch enveloped him. Sizzling radiation from the TV scalded his fur and flesh, drawing him into a blur of static and the roar of a thousands of fictional characters shouting their catchphrases at him. Despite all this, the back of his neck prickled because he just knew that his boyfriend was fucking and being fucked just a few feet behind him.

Stop it!

They orgasmed, their howls of ecstasy drowned out by the buzz of the screen. He wanted to turn around, to scream, to shout for them to stop but he couldn't. Fibers from the couch curled up around his legs and arms, pinning them to the upholstery. It curled around his neck, keeping it in place; a hundred fuzzy tendrils digging into his flesh, seeping into his veins and winding through his bones. They crawled over his face, keeping his muzzle half open and his eyelids from blinking.

Please, stop it!

A wired controller snaked up from somewhere out of sight; a viper primed to strike. It hovered over him, that little green button at its center a hypnotic eye that held his gaze. Then it struck, settling against his waist. It had a gravity of its own, pulling his paws towards it to grip its handles in a familiar, comfortable position. His thumbs moved of their own accord.

Liam let out another cry of pleasure.

Pain exploded into Shaw's back. The cold bite of betrayal; a silvery, icy blade dug into his back right between his shoulder blades. Blood bubbled up his throat and dripped out of his half-open muzzle. But he could not move. The couch, the controller, the screen… it all kept him in place.

Stop it! Just stop!

They came again and another blade sank into his back. His fingers continued to clack away at the controller's buttons without missing a beat. Again and again, they climaxed and with each one, the number of knives that sank into his back grew.

But he ignored them all.

The couch wouldn't let him do anything else.

He couldn't stop it. He couldn't turn around. He couldn't get up and flee.

Why would he?

He was home. He was comfortable.

This was where he belonged.

“Stop it!"

Shaw realized he was awake, lying on his back on his couch drenched in sweat with his paws sitting on his belly in a pose like he was gripping an invisible controller. Disgust immediately shot up his throat and he immediately threw aside the imaginary device.

Bed gravity tried to lull him back into the realms of slumber and his nightmares but he immediately rejected it. He slammed both his paws against the sides of the couch and pulled himself free of the cushions. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins and one look at the sweat-covered upholstery immediately made him growl in revulsion.

“Enough," he snarled at no one in particular. “I'm done with this."

Shaw scooped up the sheets and pillows and threw them over the couch. He marched over to the windows and pulled the curtains aside. Sunshine blazed into the room for the first time in two weeks. His dear mother would have been horrified at the sight of the filth he had been sleeping in for so long. She would have squealed when a cockroach scampered away from the blazing light and into the Chinese takeaway boxes that were scattered on the ground between greasy boxes of pizza and sticky disposable cups filled with old soda.

He bent over and picked up a carton with miscellaneous, gray goo that he was sure had once been some chicken Alfredo from Olive Garden. A sniff confirmed that whatever it had been, it was now repulsive and smelled like an unwashed ass. Holding it at arm's length, he waded through the trash towards the kitchen. There, he was reminded why he had resolved to throw his discarded food on the ground. The trash can was filled and so was the kitchen.

God… I've been a wreck.

And yet, it had been Joel and the guys at JACKED that had helped him at least get back on his feet. Even if it had only been for a few short days, he was standing on his own two legs again and was taking stock of what he had become. A glance over at the bedroom door summoned those terrible phantoms of betrayal again.

I'll deal with you later.

First was his immediate surroundings.

A soft chime came from his phone nearby. With all the trepidation of a newborn fawn, he delicately setting the box of grayish pasta sauce atop a mountain of trash like he was playing the world's most disgusting game of Jenga. He weaved through the labyrinth of garbage to where he had set his phone on the coffee table. The stain circles alone made him cringe because it triggered a primal sense of trypophobia.

The message from his phone came from his gaming account. JACKED_Wolf_24 was messaging him - it was Erick.

“A little bird told me that you went home with Joel last night."

It amazed him that Erick spoke so formally and with proper punctuation over text and guessed it probably had to do with his job.

“Yeah, yeah. We slept together. It was a regular fratboy hook up."

“I don't want you to kiss and tell. Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Shaw cocked an eyebrow and wondered if this had something to do with the fact that he was sleeping with the bartender of JACKED who also happened to be a co-owner. As the guy who was responsible for the social media presence of the bar-slash-club, Erick was likely doing his due diligence to make sure that Shaw didn't say anything to disparage the establishment they had all put so much effort into.

“I'm good. It was… refreshing. I mean that I actually feel… cleansed."

“Really? Would've thought sleeping with Joel would make you feel dirty."

Smirking to himself, Shaw responded with, “You have a better offer?"

“Not to brag but I'm a pretty good cuddler." There was a pause as Erick was seen to be typing. “But I'm seriously glad that you're doing good. Sex and booze aren't exactly the best way to get over a cheating ex. Just didn't want you drowning out your pain in another seratonin rush."

Surprisingly insightful for someone he had just met.

“You sound like you've got experiences."

There was a pause from Erick again where he was seen typing at length. “We all have our scars. At heart, the six of us are pretty messed up but since we're all so close and we share everything, we all combine together as a competent adult."

Shaw navigated towards the couch but paused and resisted the urge to sit down. Imagery of the couch's fibers digging into him actually caused him to take an entire step back away from the furniture.

“Yeah. I'm dealing with those scars now," he confessed.

“Need any help?"

“I dunno. Think you can help me clean my apartment?" Shaw glanced around the ruins of his home. “I haven't taken out the trash or really eaten anything healthy in the past two weeks so this place is a dump." He had typed that last addendum as a means to dissuade Erick from actually helping but…

“Saturdays are usually my time to do chores and work on stuff for the bar so I can't today. But I do know someone that might be free to help."

Shaw immediately felt panic shoot through his veins. “No, no. Really. I was joking. No need to send anyone. I'll handle it."

“Trust me, dude. You are not going to go through two weeks' worth of trash in one day. I got you. Send me your address."

His address! If he didn't send Erick his address, he would never be able to send whoever it was to come over!

“Really," he replied, “I'll be fine. No need to go that far."

“It's okay. I found it anyway. He'll be over in about fifteen minutes."

Shaw's jaw dropped in shock and horror. “What!? How did you find out where I live!?"

“It's all over your social media. You really should take off your place of residence from that sort of stuff. Same with your date of birth. People can use that to fake your identity."

Great. Now he was feeling even more self-conscious and stupid.

He put down his phone and immediately began rushing around the apartment, looking for bits and pieces to pick up and clean before the mysterious person Erick sent over would come knocking at his door. Given that Erick and Dorian were on the 'day shift', he guessed it might be the stocky shark. They had not really had a chance to speak that evening but Dorian seemed quite friendly. The fish was in charge of maintenance and deliveries at the bar so if there was anyone that would help him clean up, it would be him.

But the unknown of exactly who Dorian was left a pit in his stomach. Letting a complete stranger into his home was bad enough but having that same stranger judge him for the whole mess that had been his life for the past two weeks was even worse.

So Shaw, in a panic-induced rush, began hurriedly picking up the trash around his apartment. A garbage bag was in his paws and he was scooping things off the ground like his life depended on it. He didn't care what it was or what it had been. If it was on the floor, it was going into the trash.

They share everything, he thought in a panic. If Dorian comes here and sees what a mess I am, then he's going to tell Shaw!

“Liam got everyone else," he growled at himself, feeling the trash bag grow heavy. “Let me have this at least."

His ex-boyfriend had effectively run off with their entire friend group. Frankly, it had always been Liam's circle. Shaw had just been lucky to be in Liam's orbit and those friends had interacted with him simply because he was with Liam. With their falling out, Shaw was left in the dark with no one but faceless friends online. Shaw and the guys at JACKED were the first people that he had actually met and had a genuine, physical connection with. He hadn't seen any of his coworkers since the breakup as he had been on leave and they were always just professional colleagues. Never actually 'friends'.

Joel and the others were his friends or at least he liked to think they were on their way to becoming friends.

A knock came to his door. Fifteen minutes had elapsed.

“Just a minute!" he shouted, quickly tying a knot on the garbage bag and setting it aside. He hurriedly washed his paws to get the sticky and smelly grime off it before rushing to the door, wiping his paws on his pants.

When he pulled the door open, his gaze was set level expecting the shark in front of him. Instead, he was staring at a huge set of pectorals with the words 'Dark Dragon Fitness' emblazoned on the tank top hanging from it. His eyes drifted up towards the towering bodybuilder in front of him.

“Uuuuhm…" he began.

“Amos," said the crimson dragon, flashing him a broad grin. “Remember me?"

Joel

After some much needed sleep, Joel woke up feeling quite satisfied with himself. The previous night had seen a lot of progress in Shaw and he was sure the bear would be on his way to getting over his ex's betrayal. There was still the lingering, nagging thread of finding polar bear's favorite drink, of course, but he wasn't going to let that ruin his good mood. Last night had been fun and he had a glimpse of who Shaw really was or who he could be. Now that the door was open even a little bit, he just needed to swing it wide and pull the bear out.

This good, warm mood carried him when he woke up a little before noon, ate a hasty brunch and after a shower. It was while he was brushing his teeth and polishing his horns did Killian decide to message him.

“So apparently Erick got Amos to help your little cuddly cola clean up his apartment."

Those words immediately caused his heart to sink to his stomach. “Apocalypse Amos?" he texted back. “That dragon is going to trash his place!"

Amos' clumsiness was a running gag amongst the co-owners of JACKED and even the patrons of the bar. Joel theorized that it was because the dragon was so big and though the world was built around accommodating people as big as the bodybuilder, architects and designers forgot to factor in things like extra limbs. When Amos caused a catastrophe, it was usually because his wings or tail got caught in something.

“I think that's exactly why Erick sent him over," Killian responded ruefully. “You know that manipulative bastardo_. Probably thinking it_'s symbolic to have a kaiju come wreck up the place so he can rebuild."

That was certainly something Erick would come up with. Killian may be the marketing expert and Cash was the cook and main financier of the bar but Erick was the closest they had to a mastermind of the whole operation. More than once, Joel felt he was being played by the wolf or that he was wrapped around the lupine's little finger. Of course, then he would nibble Erick's ear in just right way and then whatever roles had been established would be thrown out the window.

“How'd you know about this?" Joel asked.

“It was my turn to work out with Amos this morning."

'Dragon Duty' as they called it. Even after a long night of work, Amos was always raring to go and hit the gym the following morning around ten o'clock - the time when nine-to-fivers had finished their morning workout and were at their desks tapping away and just before those wanting to avoid the lunch rush hit the weights. Amos' carelessness warranted someone always be there with him when he worked out.

“You think we should go over and keep Shaw from freaking out?" Joel suggested.

“Nah," answered Killian. “But I'm free for the rest of the morning. You want to do something? It's your night off, isn't it?"

Between the four guys working the bar, they all had one day off in the week with one day when they were all on shift. Fridays was usually when everyone was at the bar while Sunday, they closed early. No one wanted to be in a bar right before a work day. Saturdays was when Joel had completely off.

Thinking about what else he had planned for the evening, Joel shrugged and texted back a, “Sure. Whatcha wanna do?"

Killian suggested they meet over at Joel's apartment and they could sort it out. The otter not-so-subtly suggested that he was fresh from a workout and needed a shower hence needing Joel to 'help' him. Unfortunately, the bull had already finished his own shower and multiple showers a day was not good for his fur.

“Fucking land mammals," was all Killian replied with jokingly before mentioning he would be there in half an hour.

Joel finished up in the bathroom and stepped into the walk-in closet beside his master bedroom to throw on a pastel green tank top and a pair of beige khakis. Then he proceeded to clean up the mess that had occurred the previous night. The smell of booze hung in the air heavily particularly in the lounge room. While it had been incredibly arousing and amusing that Shaw had poured whiskey on his neck and suckled on it, that also meant some of his more pricey alcohol had seeped into the cracks of his couch. Not that it was really that bad. Befouling the three-seater was a very common occurrence. Thankfully this was feux leather and not actual leather.

Still needed to be cleaned up.

A little bit of disinfectant and just some lukewarm water and soap was all he needed. The problem came with the booze that had slipped between the cushions. He had to take apart the couch to make sure every part was cleaned. As he was pulling apart the left most part of the couch, however, he caught whiff of a particular scent. It was a musky, flowery aroma with just a little hint of mint. After a few seconds, he realized that it was Shaw's cologne. Curious, he buried his muzzle into the cushion that he was cleaning, trying to get a little bit more of the scent.

Amidst all the aromas and odors from the bar, it was hard to discern the scent of any one particular individual. This was especially true for him since he was constantly clouded by the smell of alcohol. Shaw's choice of cologne was refreshing. Masculine but with a hint of cleanliness that spoke of a guy that veered away from the typical aromas for men.

“Huh…" he mused to himself, holding the cushion out at arm's length. “Maybe that's what I need for his drink."

Keeping a mental note, he proceeded to clean the cushion before placing it back. There was a buzz from his apartment phone ten minutes later when he was just finishing making his bed. Killian arrived at his door a second later dressed in bright red shorts and a similarly colored compression shirt.

“Dios mio," sighed the otter, handing him his gym back and proceeding to strip off his shirt. “I have been marinating in my own sweat for too long. Tell me you haven't used up all your hot water."

“I take cold showers, remember?" Joel responded. “Better for recovery."

His friend rolled brown eyes at him and waved over his shoulder as he proceeded into the sole bathroom adjacent to the master bedroom. “Philistine."

Joel set down the bag on the kitchen counter and followed his friend into the tiled expanse of his bathroom. Killian was already down to just his fur. The otter's lean frame glimmered with sweat and yet his features were still gorgeous. Somehow, he wore the disheveled 'right-from-the-gym' look with the elegance and grace of a runway model.

Leaning against Joel's sink with a coy smile on his muzzle, Killian gave him a sultry, suggestive look. “Sure you don't want to join me, hermano?"

The bull let out a soft chuckle and pulled open the nearby drawer where he kept several spare towels. “You know you get my balls churning every time you speak Spanish to me." He tossed the towel at his friend. “But like I said, I'm spent."

The otter caught the towel, deftly snatching it out of the air before turning his back to Joel, swishing his long, rudder-like tail just to show off his ass. “You're really smitten by that cola, aren't you?"

One of Joel's eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?"

Killian pulled aside the frosted, glass door of the shower while draping the borrowed towel on the handle. “You would have jumped at a chance at my ass even after a crazy night. Nothing would've stopped you. But here you are, turning down a chance to serve me a cream pie."

Then he stepped into the shower, shutting the door behind him.

“Maybe I'm just getting old," growled Joel.

A sharp laugh came from the otter. “You haven't earned the right for me to call you papi yet, hermano." There was a brief moment where Killian let himself bask in the warmth of the shower. His silhouette looked against the frosted glass and gentle steam was right out of a movie. “If you're not hung up on Shaw, what's put the kibosh on your libido?"

The question was to be expected. The guys tended to grill one another whenever they showed some interest in someone. Just last week, they had given Cash the third degree after he had found this particularly attractive lynx. The other feline did not end up being a good fit as he had only come to JACKED on a brief business trip and had another life in another city. A drama for another time.

Joel crossed his arms behind his head as he leaned against a nearby wall. “I've just nothing to do until tonight." he began. “Need to fill these hours."

Anyone else would have taken that as an invitation to throw in some sexual innuendo but not Killian. The otter immediately turned to him through the glass and banging on the glass lightly.

“Uy! Que care-chimba! Not again!"

Joel turned to his friend, pointing a finger that he knew the supermodel DJ couldn't see. “Hey! Easy on the glass."

“You take it easy on that poor cola!" countered Killian. “He's not just another one of your projects."

A little twist crawled across Joel's lips. “You approve of him, huh?"

“His cute little ass got us a lot of traffic." Killian went back to showering. “#SipSelfies really took off last night. Erick's been doing the rounds this morning too and it's starting to blow up. And he's just adorable."

“Uh-huh. You want to tag him next?" He could hear Killian rolling his eyes. “We're just a hook-up. Nothing more."

“And your date tonight?" The otters reply came fast and quick. If there was anything about the DJ, it was he had a quick wit. You had to be so you could gage the attitude of the crowd and adjust your sets appropriately.

“Making up for the fact that I flaked on him the first night we were actually meant to meet."

“Right. And the two times you slept with each other?"

Lifting a finger, Joel said, “The first one was a drunken mistake. He was clearly sloshed and I was just doing my duty as the bar's bartender to make sure he found somewhere safe to sleep it off."

“By falling on his dick?"

Joel decided to ignore that and lifted his second finger even though he knew Killian could not see it. “Last night was basically the sex we missed out on."

“So tonight is just going to be an actual date then. No sex. Romance."

The bull bristled at the accusation. “I never said that."

“Just admit it, hermano, you're doing your usual thing." The smell of lavender fur shampoo began filling the air. “You rope in some guy. You sleep with them once or twice and then you start drifting away. You find something else or someone else to keep you occupied. That's the 'itch' you keep feeling."

Joel straightened and glared at his friend's silhouette. “Hey! Where is this all coming from?"

He saw Killian shrug from the other side of the glass. “Just looking after you, hermano. The only reason you've stuck around to being a bartender at JACKED is because you have a financial obligation. We both know Valentino is a better bartender anyway. You just use this as an excuse to keep yourself occupied because you need to be doing something or you'll drive yourself crazy."

“Is that so bad? I like to be active."

Killian let out a short laugh. “Sure. Let's call it that. Call it hook-up culture or just cruising. Fact is, of all the other guys, you're the only one that goes through guys like a starving man in need of some serious cock." The shower switched off and Killian pushed the glass door open, letting the steam flood out and showing him in all his wet glory. Even drenched, he looked fantastic. That pouting, judgmental expression he wore only added to his attractiveness. “You fuck so many guys in town that there's barely anyone left for the rest of us!"

Joel offered a cocky smirk, arms folded and one eyebrow raised. “Jealous."

“Oh si, I'm jealous! I want to stick my cock in someone without learning later on you were there first!" Killian's expression grew a little more serious. “Seriously though. Shaw is vulnerable. I don't know enough about him to know if he's the kind to be attached or jealous so be careful, okay? We don't want another Stalker."

Joel shuddered at the memory. “Fair." He unfolded his arms and watched Killian dry himself off with a towel. “I don't think he's the kind of guy to go that far. I don't think he likes to get attached either but we'll see tonight."

“Do you know where you're going?" Killian asked, padding over to the mirror to rub himself down with the towel. When the otter pulled the towel from his head, his blonde hair was all spiked and frizzy. Even then, he seemed to pull off the look well; reminiscent of the age when everyone was obsessed with anime-style hair that somehow defied gravity.

“Ristorante Casa," he answered, pressing his fingers together to invoke the image of an Italian cook about to give the the vaulted chef's kiss. “Italian. It's safe. It's warm. It's familiar."

The wet towel slapped into his face and he let out a yelp. Careful not to spear the fabric on his horns, he gingerly pilled it away from his muzzle and glared at Killian.

“Idiota," sneered the otter. “You do not go to a family style restaurant for a date." He began listing off the reasons with his fingers. “Spaghetti splashback! It's noisy! Not intimate! Garlic bread breath! Have you even looked at what he would like?"

Joel cocked his head to the side. “No… I'm just taking him so we can hook up. I'm not actually looking to date him."

Killian growled and ran a hand down his muzzle. “I just told you he's vulnerable! If you don't plan to marry the cute cola, you need to at least show him he's not alone and he's got friends!" The otter spread his arms wide, exposing his chiseled frame. “I'm willing to bet his ex 'won' the breakup and got all the friends. Just make sure you don't blur any lines."

Seeing just how serious his friend was, Joel held up a hand to indicate that he was offering a solemn promise. “Fine. I swear on the six fucks we share in JACKED, I am not going to break that bear's heart. I'll be defined. Lines in the sand I won't cross. Red tape and all that shit."

“Good." Killian grabbed the towel off him, slung it over a shoulder and marched naked into his bedroom. “Now either you eat out my ass or we go out to eat because I am starving."

Joel couldn't help but reach down and grab the otter's firm rump. “Why can't we have both?"

A cocky smirk was returned.

“Why indeed?"

Shaw

Holy shit he's big!

It had been difficult to truly get a scope of the big red dragon especially when he was surrounded countless bodies and was distracted by his utter embarrassment of looking like he was fresh off the country club's tennis courts. Now that he was alone and this enormous man was looming in front of him, he was able to appreciate just how enormous and defined Amos really was.

The crimson-scaled reptile had a broad, square jaw that was both friendly and fit well with his thick neck. Because it was so well chiseled and angular, it was clear where his neck ended and where his jowls began so he didn't look too much like his shoulders swallowed his spine. Dressed in only a black tanktop and similarly black shorts, his muscles were simply bulging in all directions. The fabric looked like they were being devoured by every curve and mound on his body. He barely fit in the door!

“A - A - Amos!" blurted Shaw. “W - What are you doing here?"

Amos tilted his head to the side and lifted the opposite eyebrow. “Our mutual friend said that you needed help cleaning up your apartment." The dragon poked his head through the door, casting his gaze about. Then he sniffed the air and winced. “From the smell of it, you need it."

Shaw ducked his head and felt his embarrassment manifesting throughout his entire body. A terrible sensation of tiny pinpricks crawling all over his skin, grazing every strand of fur with a serrated edge before tantalizing their tips with bolts of electricity. That moment of distraction allowed Amos to step into the apartment before Shaw could protest. Then again, there was nothing the bear could do against the massive, masculine dragon so he stepped aside, head ducked.

Amos folded his wings back so he could fit through the door and ducked his head under the door frame. His tail absently waved beside him and smacked loudly against the corner of the door frame with the painful sound of a toe smashing against a table. Shaw grimaced at the sound and Amos let out a loud grunt. The titanic dragon turned around immediately but did so mid-step. He lost his balance and instinctively spread his wings. His right wing slapped into a bar stool-style chair Shaw had perched by his kitchen counter. The shock of the impact made him twist in the air and his feet actually left the floor.

It was like watching a tornado tear through his apartment. Shaw could only watch with open-mouthed shock as Amos toppled backwards, like a kaiju that had just been tripped up and was on the brink of falling. Discarded pizza boxes that had been stacked were crushed underfoot. The garbage bags he had set down were thrown across the room. His coffee table was upended.

Amos reached the end of the couch and crumbled backwards, crashing into cushions. Scraps of crackers and a few pillows were tossed into the air before falling back down onto the dragon.

Shaw just stared, absolutely dumbfounded. He just couldn't believe it. Someone as enormous and intimidating as the bodyguard at JACKED was… a klutz.

“Are… are you okay?" he asked warily, fighting down the laugh that was creeping up his chest.

Amos thrust a thumbs up into the air from where he lay. “I'm good!"

Surprisingly nimble, the dragon pulled his knees up to his chest and jumped off the couch. His green eyes scanned his surroundings as he dusted off the crumbs from his shoulders.

“I think I actually cleaned things up a bit!"

“No," Shaw snickered as he shut the door. “No you didn't." Pointing to the kitchen, he asked, “Do you need any bandages? Some ice?"

“I'm good," answered Amos, waving away his concern. “I'm used to this shit."

“Falling over your own tail?"

The titanic dragon gave him an absent shrug. “Always been clumsy. I got into bodybuilding just to make sure I had some extra padding when I fell." Just for emphasis, he flexed at arm at Shaw who immediately responded with his eyes boggling at the size of those biceps and his skin beneath his fur turning pink.

“If you don't mind me asking…" began Shaw, trying to change the subject and to get Amos to stop flexing at him. “… why did the guys give someone as… clumsy as you the job of head bouncer?"

Amos turned and grabbed the upended coffee table. He set it aside so that he could reveal the trash that had accumulated underneath it. “Because bouncers don't do much but stand at the doorway and look intimidating. I don't have to do much which means I don't risk smashing into shit."

Shaw began picking up some of the larger pieces of the shattered plate. “That seems a little… demeaning."

“Nah, I love it. That's just the joke I tell everyone. I volunteered to be the bouncer because I was the biggest on the night shift. Erick and I used to alternate shifts before the 'Stalker Incident'."

The bear straightened in surprise. “The what?"

Amos padded over and grabbed a garbage bag. Being so close, Shaw could feel the heat radiating from the dragon. Amos' sheer bulk blocked out the light coming from his sole window but there was this warmth and friendliness in the way he was standing that made him less of a kaiju and more like a draconic Clifford. He could just imagine colliding with those huge, bouncy pectorals, that tail wrapping around him and those wings wrapping around him like a weighted blanket.

“Happened about when we first opened the bar," said Amos. “There aren't any gay bars where we are. We had a prime location. We were hella-popular. Still are. Back then, Erick worked nights with us. He was our Floor Manager. He worked the crowds and got them excited."

The towering bodybuilder grimaced as he turned around and began throwing the bigger pieces of junk around the apartment into the bag. “He spoke to this one guy. Not bad looking. But rotten down to his ballsac. He instantly fell 'in love' with Erick."

“Oh no…" Shaw breathed.

“Oh yeah…" sighed the winged reptile. Amos used his tail to sweep together some of the containers left on the floor so he could pick them up. “The guy became obsessed with Erick. Our big wolf boi was smart enough not to dangle any carrots in front of that ass but the guy just took that as a challenge. He stalked Erick. Then, after one night, he cornered Erick. Said some crazy shit and threatened him with a knife."

Shaw's eyes widened in shock. “No…"

“Erick got away," Amos said grimly. “But not before he got a nasty cut across his stomach." Straightening and tying the full garbage bag into a knot, Amos said, “That's when we decided to move Erick to the morning shift with Dorian for company. Also swore we would never go out alone like that anymore. Kind of when we formed the Council too. We all get to veto any guys any of the others are seeing or even interested in to avoid something like that happening again."

Shaw deflated a little as he threw the pieces of the plate into the trash. “Sounds like you're all really close."

“We're basically brothers and lovers," Amos said proudly.

“So does that mean you approve of me?"

The dragon gave him a smile over his shoulder. “Jury's still out. You do live like a rabid raccoon."

Shaw ducked his head in shame and was deflated even further when the dragon let out a rumbling laugh.

“Easy dude," Amos said. “I know you just went through a breakup. Three year-relationship, right?"

He could only nod in response.

“Were you gonna marry the guy?"

That gave him pause.

Huh… I don't think I ever thought about that…

“I… I honestly don't know," admitted Shaw, scratching the side of his head. He ducked behind the kitchen counter as he fetched more garbage bags. “It never came up." As he straightened, he found Amos across the counter. He grabbed the full bag from the dragon whole trading it with the empty one. “It just… never came up."

The fur on the back of his neck rose. He could feel the judgmental stare from Amos even without looking.

“No offense," rumbled the winged reptile. “But three years would normally be around where I'd be discussing that sort of stuff."

He could feel his humiliation creeping all the way up to his ears, coloring them a bright pink. “That was my fault. I… wasn't really committed to the relationship as I should have been. I worked all day. I played videogames when I was home. Always ordered out. The only time we spent together was really the hour or so on that couch while we ate."

Shaw hesitated halfway to gesturing at the very same couch that he had made his nest for the past two weeks. A ghostly image transposed itself over the messy scene. There was Liam sitting on the far end and he was perched on the other side. The skunk had one leg draped over the other, holding his head up in one hand while the elbow was perched on the armrest.

Wait, is that how he sat…?

He recalled Liam had this weird aversion to feet and paws of any kind to the point that he would never go around the house barepawed and would either be wearing sandals or socks. Whenever Shaw would prop up his feet somewhere even if it was at his own computer, Liam would always tell him to put them down. The skunk would never drape one foot over his knee.

The image fizzled a bit, static disrupting his memory. He vaguely recalled Liam sitting there, straight-backed and staring intently at the television.

No… that's not right either.

A pang of guilt struck him that he couldn't even remember how Liam sat beside him as they ate… if he sat beside him at all. Now that he thought about it, his boyfriend would often remain perched at the kitchen counter away from him and eating alone or on his phone.

When did our relationship turn so toxic…?

“Did he ever say anything?"

The question brought Shaw back to reality and he shook his head free of the haunting images. Amos must have taken that as a response to indicate a negative as he let out a soft grunt as he began stacking some discarded pizza boxes atop one another.

“Sounds like you were both kind of digger your own graves there," rumbled the titanic dragon. “Honest communication is key in any healthy relationship."

Shaw leaned against one of the cabinets, folding his arms defensively. “Don't take this the wrong way but what leg do you have to stand on if you're in a polyamorous relationship with five other guys. What do you know a healthy relationship." He immediately slapped his own forehead and ran a paw down his face. “Sorry… Sorry. That came out really mean."

“I get ya," chuckled Amos, his tail gently swaying from side to side. That thick appendage swept across a nearby sofa, knocking a few pillows off the cushions. Shaw scrambled over and caught one before the rest fell down. “Sorry," apologized the dragon. “And yeah, what me and the guys have is…"

“Unconventional?" offered Shaw.

“Weird," Amos offered a smile. “But it works for us. We love each other like brothers and lovers. I'm sure Cash or Erick could go on some spiel about 'traditional relationships being an archaic system designed for populations that were much smaller and far more segregated than the overpopulated modern urban corporate hellscape we have now' but I'm not that cerebral."

Amos winked at him and with one hand, formed a fist to punch the side of his head. In the same motion, he absently flexed his arm. Shaw found himself inadvertently smiling at the gesture. The juxtaposition of Amos' highly intellectual tirade - even if it was quoted from someone else - and the very jock-ish gesture was not lost on him.

“I guess you have to be pretty honest with one another to be in that sort of relationship, huh?" Shaw mumbled.

“Hell yeah. It's not perfect. We keep things from each other and sure, sometimes one guy knows something another doesn't but it doesn't mean we do it out of malice. If anything, we have to be more honest with one another than any other relationship."

Shaw set the pillows back and shuffled back a few steps. “That must mean you guys are pretty… vulnerable with one another."

Amos paused for a second and regarded him, his eyes searching Shaw's features. “Yeah. We do." He turned away and glanced off towards one of the windows. The burly dragon padded over, grabbed the curtains and pulled them wide open. “We're all a little broken but somehow, the six of us kind of form a single functioning guy."

Then he flashed a grin over his shoulder. “So that means when you date one of us, you're basically dating everyone."

Shaw let out a soft squeak of surprise.

Amos bounded over like a bulldozer charging straight at him. Shaw physically shrank as the dragon loomed over him, bearing a toothy grin.

“Aww, come on. You don't think Joel didn't tell the rest of us, did you?" teased Amos. The dragon's big hands seized the sides of his belly and gave them a little squeeze. Humiliation at someone toying with his belly fat transformed into red, hot pink embarrassment all over his body. Then he realized that Amos wasn't jiggling his belly or really even teasing him. He was pulling him close… almost in a playful predatory fashion.

“What else did he tell you about the date?" he asked softly.

Amos quickly slipped his meaty arms up his sides until one of them was draped over the bear's shoulders and the other was holding his paw tenderly. “Nothing apart from the fact that he wants to make up for the fact that he basically blew you off the first night you met. I mean, I know it was only meant to be a hookup but a man's got to have a little bit of foreplay before diving into the sheets, right?"

“I guess…" Shaw mumbled, a soft grin crossing his lips. “So you have no idea where he's taking me?"

“Not the question you should be asking, my dude!" Amos exclaimed, lifting a finger into the air while dragging him to the newly cleaned sofa.

As they sat down, Shaw was frowning. It took him a second to realize exactly what he should be asking. “Anything I should know about Joel before our date?"

Amos beamed at him. “There you go." Uncurling his arm from around Shaw's shoulder, the dragon quickly listed off a few things that Joel would like and some that he wouldn't. There were some typical things like stereotyping a bull like him to being a vegetarian.

“That boy eats anything," Amos sighed. “He doesn't have the four stomachs of his feral cousins but I swear, he's got the metabolism of a guy a third of his age! That's saying something!"

Making fun of him because of his age was allowed. Joel had long since accepted that he could be a 'daddy' amongst the men of JACKED and he would even play with that role in bed sometimes. Calling him a 'sugar daddy' especially in public was definitely off limits.

“The most important thing is to be clear what this is," Amos said, gesturing between himself and Shaw. “Is it a hookup? Is it just sex? You guys wanna be buddies? Play videogames together? Game and gangbang every weekend or something because you know Erick or me are up for that." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Judging by what you just said about everything that went down with you and your ex, that's probably not something you did straight off. Now I'm not saying you're going into a romantic relationship with my boy Joel but it is a relationship you're looking for."

Shaw lowered his gaze. “Not… really…"

Amos rested a hand on his knee, forcing him to look up again. “A friendship is still a relationship, my dude. And you know with us, the line between friendship and fucking is very thin. We're adults though. We can separate sex from intimacy and plowing each other over a squat rack doesn't automatically mean we're dating or gonna get married."

When Shaw gave him a quizzical look, the dragon waved him away absently.

“That only happened once," rumbled the dragon. “I know you're going on a 'date' and all but coming from someone that's slept with Joel multiple times and seen his hookups, don't expect to reel him in."

Shaw wrung his paws together and regarded them. “I don't think I'm even really looking for a relationship either. I mean, I just got out of a three year relationship. I think I'm just finding myself outside of that…"

A light punch to the shoulder brought his green eyes back to Amos' beaming features. “No better place to find out who you are than a gay bar with all sorts of guys. Worst case, you got six dudes of different flavors that you can sample and see which one you like. Actual worst case, you figure out you're straight."

He laughed, holding up his paws and shying away from Amos. “Whoa now. I'd be giving Liam way too much power over my life if I let him turn be back onto the straight and narrow."

“That's the spirit." Amos rose from the couch. “Now how about we finish cleaning this place up and clean you up for your date?" The dragon cast his gaze about himself. “I think this place is fairly decent except for the piles of trash. Let's clean up your bedroom first and then make the trip down to the garbage chute so we only make one trip."

Thinking of the bedroom and how he had actively avoided it for two weeks, leaving the stink of Liam's betrayal fermenting in the dark caused his throat to close up. A part of him wanted to go to that room with a flamethrower and turn everything to ash. The other wept at all the time the two of them had slept together, barely a foot from one another even though they never touched.

“Wait," he croaked, causing Amos to pause. “I'm… I'm…"

“Not ready," sighed the dragon, giving him a sympathetic smile. “I get it." He snickered. “Guess if you're going to get any tonight, it won't be at your place then."

“What about your place?" The dragon quirked an eyebrow at him. “Do you… want to come on our date with us? Maybe me my buffer so I don't do something stupid for Joel and keep me from catching…" He wiggled his fingers through the air. “… feelings for the bull?"

Amos threw his head back and let out a light-hearted laugh. “You're learning fast, little cola. I like you." He beamed brightly and leaned down towards Shaw. “You know what? Sure. On one condition."

“What?"

There, the dragon's features grew dark and serious.

“You do not ask about Joel's dad."

?

?

Joel

There were not very many restaurants that are upscale or fancy in town. In fact, after running it through Erick, he had learned that most Thai restaurants that were highly rated were far from authentic. Some chefs did open establishments in the city of Golden Cliff but they were the type that had just come out of culinary school and were looking to make a name for themselves. That was, after all, the tag-line that the mayor had plastered over social media.

Golden Cliff the City of Opportunity.

It came as no surprise, then, that there were a few family-owned restaurants that were 'authentic'. Dorian had been the one to give him the tip that really good Asian cuisine was the ones that had three and a half stars on Squawk. In the US, people put a huge emphasis on the mood, atmosphere and the service. But in Asia, they would give you the food and then leave. It was the initiative of the customer to flag down the waiters and service staff. Hence why authentic restaurants lost on the stars.

Joel had picked the restaurant called One Thai mostly because it was close, was reasonably priced and fairly casual. They had a decent enough dining room that was fairly crowded on a Saturday night. The decor consisted of intricate wooden carvings with lots of ribbons and colors that brought a smile to his muzzle. He could see the busy kitchen from where he sat near the front. Opting to match the same casual feel, he had gone out in a simple red tank top, denim shorts and some bright pink high-top kicks.

He was drumming his fingers against the back of the seat on the four-seater table for about ten minutes since arriving before Shaw came in. The polar bear was dressed in a figure-fitting and slimming dark green turtle neck and some jeans. Winter was quickly receding and spring was right around the corner but it was certainly not cold enough to wear a full-on turtleneck. But it did look good on him. The bear's green eyes caught him and they immediately shone.

Joel was halfway out of his seat to greet Shaw when he noticed the big, red wall of muscle entering the restaurant a second later. If weren't for the fact that Amos was simply enormous that turned every head in the restaurant, it was all the ribbons hanging from the ceiling caught the dragon's horns and wings and the comical way that Amos desperately tried to untangle himself.

What the hell…?

Shaw tilted his head a little to the side as they both watched the dragon awkwardly shuffle through the tables and ribbons to make his way over to them.

“Hey dude!" greeted Amos loudly.

“Hi," Joel answered. “Dude." He turned towards Shaw, one eyebrow raised. “You invited him to join us?"

“I thought it'd be appropriate as a way of saying thanks for helping me clean up my apartment," Shaw responded, taking a seat casually opposite to where Joel had been seated. That caused the bull's other eyebrow to quirk upwards.

He saw where I was seated, right?

Why did he choose to sit opposite to me instead of beside me now that Amos is here?

Joel took up his seat and Amos sat next to Shaw. The table was a little too small for them both but that was quickly fixed by the dragon spreading one of his wings and gently draping it around Shaw's shoulders protectively.

Hello… What's all this? Did they… sleep together?

A small smile crept onto his muzzle.

Damn… This little cola can pull.

“So how did the venture into cleaning go?" Joel asked. “Did this Dragon of Destruction actually help you clean or did he go kaiju on you and level the place and you both just decided that was good enough?"

Shaw blushed a little, rubbing the back of his neck absently. “Little bit of column A little bit of column B. He tripped the first few steps into my place and trashed my lounge but that was kind of my fault. I had a lot of stuff around the place."

Amos beamed bright, showing off his fangs confidently. His wing closed in around Shaw's shoulders and the bear comfortably leaned into it. Holding out a hand flat and sliding it on the horizontal, the dragon said, “We totally feng shui'd the place."

“Maybe we can finish up the night at your place then," Joel suggested, waggling his eyebrows.

The blush on Shaw's cheeks immediately vanished and he froze up. “Uhm… Erm… Ah…"

“His bedroom still got that skunks stank in it," Amos supplied casually. “We're gonna need an exorcist."

Joel's jaw dropped slightly in shock. “I'm not sure I follow…"

“I…" Shaw lowered his gaze, absently running his paws down his forearms. “I… haven't been in my own bedroom except to head into the bathroom to clean myself up since the breakup."

“Where have you been sleeping?"

“My couch…" Then Shaw forced a brave smile. Joel could practically hear the vertebrae on his neck creek as the bear used all his strength to lift his neck and smile at Joel. “But that's okay. I basically lived on my couch anyway. At least if Liam were to be believed."

The breakup clearly still held a shadow over the young bear if he had been staying away from his own bedroom for two weeks and sleeping in his own couch. The fact that he was still unable to clean it after all this time spoke volumes. A quick glance over at his friend and the burly dragon currently keeping the bespectacled bear together was received with a quick shake of Amos' head. This was a topic they needed to avoid.

Message received.

“Guess we'll have to raid Amos' place tonight, then," Joel said, picking up the menu in front of him. “So what're you feeling like? Seeing as you're all huddled up, some green curry? Or maybe their pad see ew. I heard it has an awesome charcoal flavor and a little spicy."

An authentic edge entered Shaw's smile. “Wow. I'm impressed. You actually pronounced it right."

“Huh?" Amos rumbled. “That's 'pahd-see-you'?"

Joel turned his menu around and pointed to the dish he was indicating. “It's this. The long flat rice noodles stir fried in soy sauce with different proteins and vegetables."

“That's how you pronounce it? I always thought you called it 'Pad-see-eeww'."

“Dorian and Cash would kick your ass if they ever found out." Joel gave Shaw a little wink. “They're the foodies of the group. Cash loves to cook and Dorian, being the guy that does our stock, works with him closely to bring all the ingredients. Those two could've started a catering company if they weren't stuck with us muscle heads."

“Hey!" Amos barked, leaning forward and clenching a fist that he pressed against the table, knuckled digging into the white, paper table covering. “They're muscle heads too!"

“Thanks to you, Coach."

“Aw, shut up, Jiffy."

Shaw inclined his head at the two of them. “Coach? Jiffy?"

“Stupid nicknames we give each other," answered Joel, waving the menu away at the names. “We all call Amos 'Coach' because he's obsessed with taking us out to the gym with him. Though it's more like we babysit him because he's more likely to injure himself than get anything actual gains."

“And 'Jiffy'?"

Joel averted his gaze, feeling a blush coming a long.

Amos answered for him. “Hang around this bullhead long enough and you'll realize that he likes to say 'jiffy' a lot. You know." He absently began waving his hands from left to right. “Be back in a jiffy. Be there in a jiffy. Shit like that." A savage grin crossed the dragon's muzzle. “He really shows his age. I mean, who even says that anymore."

Joel shoved a thumb at his chest, puffing it out. “I do and I own it."

“I think it's adorable," Shaw said, a warm smile on his muzzle. The bear's blush had vanished but it had transfered over to Joel who was grateful his darker fur hid the light dusting of pink across his cheeks.

It was at that point that the binturong waitress approached and gave them a warm smile. “Can I get you big boys anything?" she asked cheerfully.

“Yes please!" Joel exclaimed enthusiastically. He flipped the menu back around and pointed at the dishes. “Can we please have an order of the larb wings - large size please - and I'll have the yellow curry with prawn and chicken please. Hot."

He saw Shaw's eyebrows lift at his pronunciation of larb - using the authentic pronunciation of 'la-ahb'. Mentally, he thanked Killian for that little bit of information.

“By the way, this is on me," he told the other two though shooting a warning glance at Amos to make sure he wasn't eaten out of house and home. A bodybuilder like the dragon could eat more calories than the other two combined. The only one that could out-eat him was Erick and that was always a point of contention between the two. “Think of it as an apology for how much of an idiot the first time we met."

“Alright," Shaw said with a smile. “I'll get an order of the roti please and the pad kee mow."

Amos threw his hands into the air. “Well hell. Order me something good, boys. I'm at your mercy." The challenging look he threw back at Joel was a little… confusing to the bull.

Is he trying to make me kick him out…? Maybe out-man him? Order something really spicy so he'll run out and look weak?

Joel refused to play that game. Amos was a simple guy. Give him something that tasted good and had a lot of protein and he was sold. No overly complicated flavors - they would be lost on him. All he cared about was calories.

“He'll have the pineapple fried rice with the works," Joel supplied. “Chicken, barbecue pork, beef and shrimp."

“Drinks?" asked the waitress.

“Thai milk tea for each of us and water for the table."

The waitress smiled, repeated the order and when confirmed, headed off to get their drinks.

“You know your Thai," Shaw commented.

“I did my research," he responded with a confident shrug. “I want to make a good third impression. The first one was pretty shitty."

“I dunno. You did get me drunk."

Joel smirked softly. “And I still have to find the drink for you. And I am not taking Thai milk tea or water with a little wedge of lemon in it as an answer."

“You might be better off with a bit of blue Mountain Dew," chortled Amos. “I saw a bunch of cans of that in your place, little cola." He gently punched Shaw's shoulder. “You really need to lay off that stuff. It'll rot your fangs."

Shaw's gaze dipped and it looked like he was regarding his belly with a bit of melancholy. “I suppose I've let myself go a little…"

Joel could already see where this conversation would go. Within a few seconds, Shaw would mention what he looked like before he met Liam. Then he would start blaming himself for his appearance and chalk that to yet another reason Liam chose to cheat on him. There was no way to stop this train of thought.

I've got to head it off.

“Do you want to change?" he asked.

Shaw's gaze lifted. “Well… yeah…"

Before the bear could link the desire to being someone that Liam would never have cheated on, Joel quickly said, “Good because you've got the Coach here with you!" He gestured at dragon sitting next to him. “Amos here got all of the gang into fitness. Even Erick." He beamed and lifted his tanktop, showing off his abs. “These babies are all thanks to him."

Shaw's eyes boggled and he turned away, hiding his face as the very obvious public display of near nudity was not very appropriate in a dine-in restaurant. Joel grinned at seeing the bear turn pink… and at the little not-so-subtle peaks Shaw threw at his stomach.

“What do you say, Coach?" Joel asked, lowering his shirt again. “Think you can get another client under your wing?"

There was a second - a very brief second - where Amos' gaze met Joel's and the dragon was doing some quick calculations. His grin didn't fade, though. “Sure. We'll get ya ripped and lifting three times your weight in no time, little bro! We'll make sure you win this breakup."

Joel mentally envisioned his train of thought crashing and catching on fire. After all that effort he spent trying to derail the conversation from stopping at the Breakup Station, Amos redirected it so that it not only stopped but crashed into the damn station and killed everyone in a fire that would make the devil scream.

“I don't want to win any breakups…" Shaw mumbled. “I just want to lose all the pounds I gained when I did nothing but wallow in self-pity for two weeks…"

Amos gently slapped Shaw's back. “You are not going to put on that much weight in two weeks." He rolled his eyes dramatically. “People think if you miss one hour of working out, all your gains for years just suddenly vanishes. You've just got to be patient with yourself and stay dedicated!"

Their drinks arrived with their binturong waitress happily placing the golden brown milk tea in front of each of them. “Your appetizers will be right out."

As she left, Joel glanced over to Shaw with a little smile. “Good on you for not wanting to one-up your cheating ex."

The bear glanced briefly at Amos. “Amos did help me realize that I probably wasn't as attentive as I should have been. Relationships are two-way streets, right? Maybe if I had tried I can be angrier but really… I didn't give him the attention he needed."

“He could've talked to you," Joel supplied.

“Instead of going behind your back and banging a…?" Amos leaned over with one eyebrow raised. “What was the guy…?'

“A dalmatian."

Amos threw his head back and let out a snort. “Wow, so the asshole got a monochrome fetish or something? Only goes for guys who are black and white? Bet he wished you were a panda."

Shaw blushed again and shuffled in his seat. “Come on. It's not like that. Liam did not have a preference for fur color."

“Doesn't matter!" Joel exclaimed. “Let's talk shit about your ex. It'll be therapeutic!" Before his 'date' could counter, he lifted a finger. “We already established you both messed up. You've spent too long beating yourself up. So let's start with what was wrong with him." He took a sip from his water, using that moment to recall exactly what he had learned about Shaw's ex-boyfriend. “Didn't you say he worked at a sandwich shop?"

“An artisinal sandwich shop."

Amos rolled his eyes again and let out another loud groan. “Fuck me, buddy. What the did you see in him?" He lowered his muzzle so that he could whisper low enough into Shaw's ear. “Was it his dick?"

Again, Shaw began to blush deeper. “No!" he hissed softly. “We just… Uhm… clicked."

Joel set down his glass as he drew on his experiences. This was starting to sound like a very familiar scenario. “Was he your first?"

The bear's green eyes dropped. “Yeah…"

He exchanged knowing glances with Amos. Now they knew what they were dealing with.

“Tell me if this sounds familiar," continued the bull, running a wet finger over the lip of his glass. “He shows interest in you. You latch onto the guy. Things are okay at first but then things start to show their cracks. You keep telling yourself that it'll get better so you decide to tough it out. By the time you actually start to think about breaking up, it's come to the point where you've spent a long time with him and it'd be more…" He looked to Amos for the word that he was looking for.

“Disruptive," offered the dragon.

Joel nodded, shooting a quick finger gun at his red-scaled brother. “Yeah. It'll be more disruptive to break out. So you just hold on. Get used to the normal. You found your comfort zone so you just stuck with it."

Shaw frowned for a long moment but didn't say anything as their appetizers arrived. Joel helped himself to the larb while Shaw just stared at the hot steaming flat bread that was his roti sitting in front of him.

“It… wasn't like that…" mumbled the bear that strained silence.

“Oh yeah?" Amos asked, tearing a bit of the roti and dipping it in the yellow curry dipping sauce. “When was the first time you realized you didn't love him?"

“I don't… I don't know…"

This was getting them nowhere. Shaw was still a little too reserved to be mouthing off and getting through the therapeutic ex-boyfriend bashing that he really needed. Still stuck in that responsible-victim mentality. Thankfully, Joel knew of two ways to get the bear to break out of his shell.

Drunk or sex. Since we're in public, there's only one thing I can do.

He made a show of wiping his hands on the napkins provided, the grease and spices from the larb leaving an aromatic scent in the air. “I'm going to go quickly wash my hands. This stuff is good but it sure leaves a mess. Take a bar, so to speak." Then he locked gazes with Amos for the briefest of moments and flicked an ear.

“Take a bar…?" repeated Shaw. “What's that mean?"

Amos immediately took “Just something we co-owners say when we want to wash up." The dragon made a circular gesture with his hands. “Basically, go to the bar, get some beers for the crew and come back all new. Freshen up, you know?" Holding up his fingers and wiggling his fingers a little, he said, “I'll come with. Just realized I've been moving shit and came from the gym and never showered."

“Stupid stinky lizard," Joel joked, rising from his seat. “Be back in a jiffy."

With that comment, he led the way to the restrooms of the restaurant. Shaw was distracted when their main meals arrived so that allowed them both to duck away from sight. The bear clearly suspected something - far from the most subtle of excuses - but he needed to talk to Amos.

“So tell me honestly," Joel began. “Do you want to bang the bear?"

Amos smirked a little, wings rustling in anticipation. “I mean, I've already been in his apartment and even cleaned it up. I'm already halfway there." The dragon's features sobered however. “But that boy has some serious baggage. I feel sorry for him."

Crossing his arms, Joel said, “Yeah. Did you see how he couldn't say one bad thing about his ex even after all that asshole did to him?" He lifted a hand and held it horizontally while wiggling it a little. “Now to be fair, it sounds like they were both sort of a fault but he should hold some resentment."

“And he still couldn't bring himself to clean up where he was stabbed in the back. We cleaned every other room except his bedroom." Amos growled a little. “I am not letting that cute cola sleep on his own couch when he's got a perfectly functioning bed not even twelve feet away! A man needs his sleep!" The dragon huffed. “So what's the plan?"

Joel glanced off to the side. “The only time I ever got him to be honest was when he was drunk or even a little buzzed. We need to get some alcohol into him."

“You're becoming predictable, old man," Amos snorted.

“What would you suggest then?"

“Hit the gym. Get him angry."

Joel gestured off to his side. “We're just about to start a hearty carb-heavy meal. You want to go to the gym after that?"

Amos shrugged his enormous shoulders. “Then how do you suggest we get him to express the resentment we both know he's got bottled under all that soft fur."

He lifted an eyebrow at Amos. “Soft fur?"

“I mean, shit. He's got to use a pretty damn good conditioner. He told me he barely showered for the past two weeks and only recently started cleaning himself up with your hookup. His fur is gorgeous. Either he has good conditioner or he's got some damn good fur-genetics."

Joel blinked a few times and never considered that would be something someone like Amos would pay attention to or even notice. Then again, being covered in fur himself, he tended to approach others with fur differently. Since Amos was covered in scales, it was likely a very different experience.

“Getting back on track," he rumbled, holding up his hand. “What you said about his couch…" A small smile slowly crawled onto his face. “I think I actually have an idea on how to get him to spill everything about his ex."

Amos didn't really raise eyebrows. He tilted his head. “Oh yeah? What do you have in mind?"

?

?

?

Shaw

“I can't believe you know what Hard Haven is!" Shaw exclaimed as he led them into his apartment, heart beating in excitement.

“What?" Joel responded coolly. “You think a musclehead like Amos or a booze-swilling bartender like me don't know what the installment of a storied and established franchise like HH."

That sounded suspiciously like it came straight out of a game review magazine or paid publication but Shaw dismissed it. He was worried when both Joel and Amos had disappeared into the bathroom and feared that they were both talking behind his back on just want a terrible date he was. But the two returned and they talked and ate their food.

Their meal was excellent but when the conversation turned to videogames, it was like he saw a lighthouse in the grim, misty darkness of an ocean. Something he could latch onto and contribute to the conversation instead of nodding along and barely agreeing. He immediately went into his favorite games, genres and some of the most recent controversies in the game development scene.

The topic of Hard Haven came up.

Before he knew it, he was inviting both Amos and Joel to his place so they could play a few rounds of the unique fighting-slash-roguelite game. It was with with much relief that his apartment was livable again though the door to his bedroom remained closed by design. No discarded boxes littered the floor. There were no scraps of food anywhere and the smell of oil, salt and body odor had departed. It was painfully obvious that it was freshly cleaned, however, since the scent of pine and lemon hung in the air but it was far more pleasant than what it had been.

“So remind me again what Hard Haven is?" Amos asked, scratching the back of his head. “I'm having a hard time imagining it as something other than porn."

“It is not porn," Joel supplied, gently elbowing his friend in the ribs. “It does have semi-realistic jiggle physics and scantily clad women but it is first and foremost a roguelite-fighting game."

“How does that work?"

This was Shaw's element. Competitive games were his forte and he played Hard Haven religiously. At least one or two matches a day to maintain his ranking during the week and then some serious grinding on the weekends. He got chills as he switched on his console and began handing out controllers.

“Hard Haven is unique in that it combines elements of roguelite games with fighting games," he explained as he parked himself down on the couch excitedly. “You and your opponent play a minimum of three rounds. At the start of each round, you're given a choice from a random set of power ups from a pool. Winners generally get to have first draft except for the first round where you toss a coin. It's unique because it means that every set of fights will always be different from the last."

Amos looked confused. “But doesn't that mean that it's kind of up to luck? You could seriously get some OP'd builds and then you'd be unstoppable."

Joel lifted a finger, a cocky smirk on his face. “Then it's a matter of skill. Each fighter is still unique and plays very differently. The power-ups can be both a blessing and a curse. If you get a skill that makes your fighter's hits more powerful but slower and they're already a slow-ass puncher, then you leave yourself wide open. Makes you think on your toes."

The bull eagerly gripped his controller tightly with a wide grin on his face. “You get to see what your opponent picks so you gets to adjust and adapt. The devs are pretty good at keeping things balanced, though. Yeah there are some pretty broken combos if played right but there are always counters."

Again, Shaw was struck with surprise that someone as masculine as Joel who participated in 'Fratboy Fridays' would know the intricacies of a relatively obscure franchise like Hard Haven. The point of not judging a book by its cover couldn't have been driven further home. The theme music brought him out of his reverie and he turned to the screen, selecting the 'versus' option. When the character select option blasted into his ears, he hesitated.

Wait… should I go all out? Pick my main and charge head-on?

No… I'll go easy. I mean Amos doesn't know this game and I don't want to intimidate him.

“Natasha!" barked the voice over.

He jumped in his seat. Joel gave him a cocky smirk, wiggling his eyebrows in that taunting way of his where he would waggle one and then the other in rapid succession.

Natasha…? She's a fast fighter. Relatively long reach but low damage. Her throws are also pretty weak but she can grapple you from a far.

Okay… So a good counter for her would be…

His eyes went to the enormous bear with the name 'Bosch' marked beneath it. Then he hesitated… and flicked two portraits down on the screen.

“Geoffry!"

Instead, he picked a limber, gray rabbit with strangely rosy cheeks. He was the beginner character that everyone got into. A mediocre fighter without any major pros or cons. The only thing outstanding about him was his unique ability to jump higher than any other character enabling him to literally jump over other characters. Not even Natasha's ridiculously long legs could reach him when he was jumping.

“Alright," Joel howled. “Here we go!"

A countdown started before the announcer barked, 'Search for Haven!' and a coin was tossed. Joel got the first pick of abilities. Eight large cards appeared on screen; the top row were primary abilities while the bottom where secondary abilities. Joel took a few seconds to appraise the selection and then pretty decisively picked two of the abilities - the primary was to unlock a secondary grapple that was inescapable for the character and the second was a minor boost to attack power.

The attack boost was standard for a Natasha-build but not the grapple.

What unnerved Shaw was just how quickly Joel picked the abilities.

Did I make a mistake?

He chose a projectile combo finisher for his major power while the secondary was a slight increase to recovery speed. Once they picked their abilities, another countdown started and then the announcer shouted, 'Fight for Haven!'

And they were bashing buttons.

Shaw immediately went to close the gap between the characters to neutralize the range advantage of Joel. He lifted his arms to block, knowing full well that most of his opponents blows would be high-reaching. What he didn't expect was for Joel to immediately go for that secondary grapple. Not that he was too worried. Again, Joel's grapples were not too strong. He relaxed for a second as he just sat there, watching Joel drip him up and drop him to the ground, wrapping his light legs around his neck before -

… Joel kept pressing buttons… even during the grapple animation.

What the…?

Without warning, the grapple ended with no damage… except for some reason, Joel was now standing behind Shaw with Shaw facing away and Joel aiming kicks right at his back.

“What the -!?" he cried.

“Chicken Glitch, baby!" shouted Joel and without warning, unleashed a barrage of kicks right into Shaw's back, cutting down the bear's health by a third before the combo ended.

Shaw just stared, mouth agape and his fingers loose on his controller. “What the hell!?"

“It's the Natasha Chicken Glitch," boasted Joel with a bright, cocky smile. “Only works when she has her secondary grapple unlocked. If you do it right, you cancel the grapple but your opponent faces away from you giving you a chance to attack with a full combo! And because she does more hits and more damage with her regular combo than her grapple…"

Oh shit…

That was why Joel has picked the minor attack boost. He knew full well that Natasha was known for having long range but poor damage with her grapples. So by utilizing the Chicken Glitch, he could deal more damage with the subsequent series of attacks than the actual grapple!

He wasn't dealing with an amateur or even a casual player of the game.

This was an expert move! The kind you would see in tournaments!

Crap!

Shaw gripped his controller hard and fought with all his fight but Geoffry was not his strongest character. Joel wiped the floor with him in the first round. Though he got a few good hits in, Joel showed his expertize not only with Natasha and the game mechanics but also with the kind of techniques that would be seen on the pro-circuit. He knew how to execute legitimate techniques like reversals, mid-combo canceling and knew Natasha's move set well-enough to know that she did more damage the closer the enemy hitbox was to her heel. Then there were the not-so-legitimate moves like the aforementioned Chicken Glitch, a Torpedo which was a technique that would cause the victim to be catapulted to the other side of the combat arena due to a bug and the dreaded Floor Glitch which would have the character clip halfway through the ground for a few seconds making them completely immune to all high-aiming attacks.

Hard Haven was a far from perfect game even at its eighth installment.

After three rounds and several power ups, Joel won single-handedly.

“That all you got, little cola?" Joel boasted, flipping the wireless controller in his hand.

“How did you get so damn good at this game!?" blurted Shaw, clearly frustrated.

“This is my jam," laughed the bull. “Shooters and fighting games the games I spend hours on. I got into roguelike games after Call of War released their Zombies Mode and they had that special roguelike element to it. Loves the random shit! Keeps me coming back!"

Shaw leaned back, giving Amos a look to ask if he knew this fact about their bartender.

The dragon shook his head in a helpless gesture. “Don't look at me! I stick to rhythm games!"

“The only kind of game you're not too much of a klutz to play!" laughed Joel.

Both Shaw and Amos exchange glances before turning to the bull.

“Okay, old man," growled the dragon, taking the controller from Shaw. “My turn! Let's see what I can do!"

Amos did not too much better. Joel was a monster with Natasha. Even with the random nature of the game, Joel knew all the combinations with her leopard with the ludicrously long legs. After three humiliating rounds, it as back to Shaw.

Okay! So I've got to hit this with my all!

Time to go with my main!

“Zorro!" barked the announcer as Shaw picked the coyote armed with a rapier, the only fighter in the entire game that had a weapon.

Joel smirked at him, leaning back into the freshly cleaned couch while setting one leg over the other. They picked their powers and a moment later…

'Fight for Haven!'

This time, he did a little better. Zorro wasn't a hard counter to Natasha but he was the character that Shaw was the most familiar with. The masked coyote had the largest number of counters in the game and they were very easy to execute even when his back was turned to the opponent. When Joel tried to execute another Chicken Glitch, Shaw was able to make Zorro counter the blows and even strike back. The first round still went to Joel but he had managed to knock the bull down to just a sliver of health.

I can win this!

“Oh, that was so close," exclaimed Joel. “You almost had me on the ropes there!" Then he grinned as the next set of powers appeared. “But I'm winning the next round too."

Shaw's heart sunk when he saw Joel pick the 'Envenom' primary power. This ability ensured that combo finishers struck the enemy with a poisonous effect that would chip away at their health for a few moments. This pierced blocking so as long as Joel could execute a combo finisher even if Shaw was blocking, he would still get some health chipping away.

He needed to play aggressively.

So he picked the power that would let him teleport behind an enemy on ever third successful block. Even if Joel could hit him with a combo finisher, he would teleport behind his character and could do more damage than the poison.

'Fight for Haven!'

Shaw gripped his controller hard as their two characters bounced from one side of the screen to the other as they assaulted one another. But Joel was just too good. Too skilled. Knowing that Zorro would teleport after every third hit, Joel executed crippling mid-combo cancels to switch his attack pattern, bypassing Shaw's blocks so he could still attack.

The second round went to Joel easily.

“What did I tell you?" the bull said confidently. “Third round is going to me too."

“Don't be so sure!" barked Shaw.

The draft appeared and, strangely, Joel went for a strange power; by passing the pick of a primary power so that he could pick three secondary abilities. He picked a minor health boost, a minor attack boost and a minor defense boost.

Wait… why would he give that all up for the third round?

Is he… going easy on me?

No. He promised that he'd win the third round.

Shaw picked his powers.

'Fight for Haven!'

The two characters charged at one another but Joel did something surprising. He had Natasha perform her triple backflip before randomly kicking through the air and unleashing a couple of punches. None of these hit his character.

It was the opening he was looking for.

Shaw charged.

Wait a second…

Natasha did another triple backflip but just as she landed, Shaw's character - Zorro - caught her in his one and only grapple.

Hold on… I remember this pattern…

A grin crossed Joel's muzzle.

And it was already too late.

Without warning, the characters on screen suddenly spasmed, dancing all over the screen like they had been reduced to floppy sausages that were being thrown around in a square dryer. It only lasted for about three seconds but by the end of it, the fight was over.

'Natasha wins!'

Shaw dropped his controller in shock. “What the…?"

“The infamous Natasha Zero Glitch," boasted Joel. “If you do a certain sequence of attacks and then get grappled, if you press a few buttons to continue the sequence while the grapple animation is going, you break out of the grapple but the system completely glitches out. It subtracts an entire health bar from you and the your opponent." Joel cockily pointed at the quarter of a bar left over his character. “Would be fatal normally except if you get the extra health as a minor power."

“That's…" Shaw fumed.

“Yes…?" Joel taunted.

Amos was suddenly leaning over as well. “Go on…?"

He shot them both a look… and it took him an entire second to realize exactly what they were doing.

“… cheating."

Joel's eyebrow slowly rose while he made a circular gesture with his hand, beckoning him to go on.

“That's cheating…" Shaw said, a strange weight having lifted off his chest. “The Natasha Zero Glitch is banned on all official tournaments and is considered one of, if not the most, underhanded trick you could ever use. People have been banned from even starting the sequence."

“Yes, and how do you feel that I've just used it on you…?" Joel pressed.

The polar bear lifted a finger at him, glaring at him through his glassed. “First of all, I'm really annoyed that you're obviously trying use videogames as a medium to get me unleash some pent up anger and resentment. It's cliched. Secondly…" He leaned forward and poked Joel's thick chest. “You are a despicable example of the bovine species and I hope your milk goes sour straight out of your udders!"

Amos threw his head back and let out a uproarious laugh. The old 'I hope your milk goes sour' insult was considered extremely racist and a grave insult in most circles especially around bovines. Still, it made Joel grin though Shaw felt a little dirty for uttering it. It did make him feel a little better.

“There's a reason they didn't patch this shit out of the game after being out for six months," replied Joel with a shrug.

Amos reached over to Shaw, grabbing his shoulders and giving them a little kneading. “Come on, dude. Flood gates are open. Don't back down. What else pisses you off?"

Shaw's cheeks began to burn. The anger he had spilled just then was therapeutic, there was no doubt. It was a little bit of vitriol that genuinely felt like some pressure had been pried out of his veins. The sensation felt… good. But he was scared of what else he held onto.

“I'm pissed off that you're using the same character over and over again," he said, gesturing at Joel. “I bet you couldn't do that with someone else."

“Oh so you don't know about the Bunny Hop Glitch with Geoffry then?" smirked Joel. “You know, the one where you play as Geoffry, leap over your opponent and land on them and glitch them through the floor to the point where neither of you can actually hit each other, ending the game in a stalemate and forcing you both to start again?" Joel stuck out his tongue at him. “Wouldn't it have been really annoying of me to let you win the first two rounds only to pull that shit off at the third round."

Shaw's eyes widened. “You wouldn't!"

“Wanna bet?"

His blood boiled. “You are… you are…"

Joel's eyebrows raised.

Amos leaned closer.

Oh crap… I can't hold it it…

His cheeks began to burn and his eyes boggled.

“Y - Y - You're…" he stuttered.

“Yeah?" Joel pressed, his own eyes wide eagerly. “Come on… I'm a what? I'm…?"

Shaw inflated his cheeks. All the bile and frustration that had built up over the two weeks that he never knew he had came bubbling up his throat, backing up in his cheeks and threatening to come tumbling out like a fire hydrant filled with lava. His entire body turned bright pink and his fists were shaking violently. A red film covered his entire vision. Pain erupted from his palms from where his claws dug into his palms.

His maw opened…

…!

… and a soft squeak came out.

Joel and Amos exchanged glances.

Shaw collapsed backwards into the sofa, pressing the back of his palm on his forehead. “Damn…" he sighed. “I'm sorry. I just can't."

“What!?" Amos cried. “Bro, you were so close! You almost had it!"

“I know!" he cried in frustration, gripping his forehead with both of his paws. “It was right there! I wanted to yell and scream and throw my paws up into the air but… But I just can't."

“Why the hell not!?" shouted the red dragon, clearly frustrated. “Bro, your boyfriend cheated on you and then this asshole cheated in the game! We couldn't make it more obvious!"

Shaw let out a bitter laugh. “And I think that's the problem. It was obvious. I saw clearly through it. I knew what you guys were doing. You wanted me to get riled up, to make the jump from being angry at you to being furious at Liam. I just couldn't get mad at you for trying to help me."

Joel sighed and reclined in the couch. “Damn… So close."

He gave the bull a faint smile. “Thanks for trying to help me. I appreciate it. I'll… eventually let go of all this…" He held a paw close to his chest. “… but I won't fire off that shot at you." Tilting his head slightly, he said, “Though now I know you're a dirty cheat when it comes to Hard Haven."

Grinning broadly, Joel said, “Hey, these techniques are officially in the game. It's been six months since this latest installment and they haven't patched it out! Not to mention these 'glitches' have been in the series since the third installment! The devs basically challenging us to exploit them."

“You should be a speedrunner." Shaw set down his controller. “So do you just know how to cheat in Hard Haven or are there other games you play dirty on?"

“Oh trust me. I use whatever I can to win. People don't necessarily like it but I know how to balance being an ass to being fun." The bull held up his fingers and performed a 'chef's kiss'. “Just like a good drink. You've got to know when your customer wants booze and when they want something else."

“Great job there, Rocky," rumbled Amos. The big dragon placed a large hand on Shaw's head and ruffled his black hair. “You can't even figure out this cute marshmallow cola's drink."

Shaw blushed deeply not because of the childing gesture but because he couldn't help but think at just how big Amos' hands were and how surprisingly gentle his grip was. Moreover, he surprised himself by the train of thought quickly let to lewd thoughts of those big hands running all over him and touching him in ways that he never thought someone so big, menacing and intimidating could touch him.

“It's a work in progress!" exclaimed Joel. “It took me weeks get your drink of choice!"

Then, simultaneously, the two men exclaimed, “Whiskey on the rocks with a base of mango nectar, a squeeze of lemon, orange curacao and mint leaves!"

Amos beamed brightly and held out a fist which Joel happily bumped with his own. “Refreshing, manly and you don't need a lot of it to feel a buzz! I just need to nurse the one for a whole night!"

“I thought the point of alcohol is to get drunk," Shaw admitted.

Joel looked offended. The bull dramatically recoiled and pressed a hand against his chest like he was having a heart attack while his muzzle was half-open, aghast. “Oh! My aging heart!"

“Shut the fuck up, Rocky," laughed Amos. “You're not that much older than the rest of us."

“Fine." The bull stuck out his tongue and winked at the dragon. “I'll use a term you kids are more used to." Sticking a finger into the air, he declared loudly, “I'm offended!"

Shaw threw the bull a sour look, his lips forming a straight line and his eyelids closed half-way. Amos mirrored the expression.

Now beaming brightly, Joel said, “Come on. Some people like the taste of alcohol. If you think that boozy taste is all that alcohol or getting drunk is the end goal, then I have got a lot to teach you."

Recalling how the past few encounters with Joel had all ended with some form of alcoholic consumption, Shaw raised his paws and shied away a little. “Okay, I believe you. But can we lay off the booze? At least for tonight. My liver is still getting over the shock of processing more of the stuff the past two nights than it has over my entire life."

“Fair, fair," sighed Joel. “Maybe you should sit down with Cash. He used alcohol in some of the dishes he cooks, you know. Knows how to pair the perfect drink with a meal. You'll be surprised how well they go together."

Images of chefs pouring some form of alcohol into a hot pan and letting it flare up on shows and displays flashed before the bear's mind. Old articles of wine pairings particularly around red wines going with red meats and white wines going with seafood came to mind. He knew that some Asian dishes used shoaxing wine as well.

“I guess…" he rumbled, lowering his gaze and wringing his paws together. “If these past few days has taught me anything, it's that I've got a lot of things to learn." He looked up from his tilted brow, smiling at Joel. “But I'm open to new experiences."

The bull's amber eyes twinkled and he looked about ready to say something.

Then a how breath followed by a gentle nip pecked at Shaw's neck. A rippling chill spread all throughout the polar bear's body, his fur standing on end and that blush returning to his cheeks.

“Think you're 'open' to a threesome?" rumbled Amos seductively.

Shaw's eyes grew unfocused as his entire vision began blurred. A scene was painted in front of him by his overactive imagination; a scene where it was he was observing his own body sandwiched between Joel and Amos' impressive forms, his legs up in the air and their dicks shoved so far inside of him that their balls were slapping against one another.

He tried shaking the image out of his mind, to bring himself back to reality. Like some erotic etch-a-sketch, the scene blurred only to be redrawn in a different configuration. This time, Amos was in the middle. The dragon's huge wings were wrapped around both Joel and Shaw with Joel latched onto the dragon's right nipple and Shaw's muzzle buried deep into the dragon's armpit.

For the third time, he tried to shake the thoughts out of his mind and for the briefest of moments, he thought he could see Joel - the real Joel - through the haze of spontaneous arousal. Then an erotic scene came crashing back through, wiping reality away in favor of a scene where he was now curled around Joel, their lips meshing with one another while Amos knelt between them, sloppily slobbering over both of their cocks.

“Amos! Dude!" barked Joel, bringing Shaw back to reality like a hard anchor grinding the sexual ship to a stop mere minutes away from horny harbor. “Read the room!"

I could say the same to you.

Before Amos could respond, Shaw turned his head towards the dragon, his fingers curling around the back of the bodybuilder's neck. There was a second of shock from the dragon as their lips collided and Shaw shamelessly went in to the dragon's muzzle. Finally, after spending the entire day ogling the huge man, watching him sweat as they cleaned his apartment and catching his masculine scent every second, he finally got a taste of the kindhearted if clumsy man. That one taste set off a series of explosions in Shaw, desire bursting throughout his entire body.

He didn't know how much he wanted Amos until that moment.

Or how much he needed Joel.

Shaw broke the kiss, panting heavily. “You know what's funny?"

Amos blinked a few times in surprise at the question. “What…?"

“I just realized that I've got two incredibly hot guys in my apartment. That's never happened with Liam." He let out a little chuckle. “The Dalmatian he fucked around with wasn't even that good looking."

Amos' clawed hand gently grasped his cheeks, turning his muzzle up so that they once again met. “You're doing way better than he ever could. He wasn't settling for you. You were settling for him. You're the marketing expert. You're the one with the apartment." A devilish grin crossed the dragon's face; like he was staring right into Mephistopheles' beaming features and he was Doctor Faust about to take the appropriately named Faustian Bargain. “You pull."

Shaw dove back at Amos but this time, only spent a few seconds ravaging the dragon's muzzle before he traced that strong, square jawline down to the thick, corded neck. The taste of salt from sweat and the natural aroma of the dragon danced on his tongue. Amos instinctively lifted his neck, exposing more of himself. Shaw followed the gesture, turning his body to face the burly bodybuilder who was still perched across the back of the couch.

A beast built from sexual hunger and aggrieved anger was birthed within Shaw. The bear didn't see any need to hold it back and willingly gave it free reign as his cock throbbed within his pants.

“You got that right," he growled, voice purposefully lowered an octave. “I've had a stud of a dragon working in my home all morning. Do you have any idea how often I wanted to see you with your shirt off or to lick your biceps?"

Amos beamed and straightened, pulling Shaw up as he did so. The dragon lifted his arm, veins popping up across his red scales. “Like this?"

Shaw's eye boggled and he dove for that bulging mound, clasping his muzzle over it. The fact that the mountain filled his entire muzzle pushed buttons within him that he never knew existed. Muscles were never that important to him - Liam was, at best, a twink - but now that Amos was right here, offering himself to the polar bear, he couldn't pass up the opportunity.

His paws slid up Amos' shirt, gliding underneath the fabric and tracing the lines of the dragon's rock-hard abdominals. They were so firm, so defined, so hot; like rubbing warm marble.

“Tale off your shirt," he ordered.

Amos smirked and reached down with his other arm, peeling off his shirt as easily as one would tear off a candy wrapped from some hard chocolate. The moment his pectorals were revealed, Shaw immediately grasped the hard plate-sized muscles, gripping them, feeling just how hard they were and awed by how they dwarfed his paws.

The dragon's muzzled hovered over his ear. “Your turn, my little cola."

Shaw's heart fluttered at the nickname, disarming his senses. Still tracing the path the dragon's veins made over those enormous biceps, he reached down and peeled off his shirt, regretting the instant when he had to tear his lips away from those hot, throbbing muscles. That instant was like having a cold glass of water thrown over him, the icy waves of reality washing away this fantasy and reminding him of his thick belly, saggy chest and painfully different appearance to the masculine dragon.

His blush started to return and his eyes dipped down in shame.

Amos' large hands caught his cheeks, preventing him from gazing fully at the floor. His eyes met the dragon's and before he knew what was happening, his lips were intertwined in another's. Amos' passion, desire and lust were evident by just how he was huffing and puffing; like he was trying to breathe in Shaw.

This reaction completely surprised Shaw and he was just stunned that after seeing how unfit he was, Amos could still want him.

As if reading his mind, Amos pulled away, smiling at him gently while still cupping his cheeks. “You are gorgeous."

“I… I am…?" he mumbled in response. His paws dipping down and gripped his belly. “I could stand to lose a few pounds though…"

“Only if you want to," rumbled Amos, nuzzling his cheeks gently. “You are a very handsome man." Then Amos' hands glided down Shaw's sides, following the lines of his shoulders, down his arms and finally over his paws. “There is a lot of man right here to love."

“So I'm fat…"

“You are you," Amos answered gently. “I love all forms of men. We all do. JACKED isn't just a place for guys who are stacked with muscles. It's just for guys. We love all guys of all shapes and sized. Including you." The dragon grinned, leaning closer to Shaw's ear. “But can I confess something?"

Shaw's cheeks burned in desire. “Uh-huh..?"

“Nothing turns me on more than watching a guy get fit."

Oh…? Oh no…

“You can have bigger biceps than me, you know," Amos rumbled, his hands once more rising up to gently grip Shaw's arms. “I can just imagine you having big, hulking arms. You could be a goddamn powerlifter. Just the idea of you rolling huge fucking tires down an alley has me fucking hard."

Shaw felt his knees shaking. The picture Amos was painting in his mind was growing more and more refined, less just a figment of lust-addled imagination but a possibility. Standing out in the middle of summer heat dressed in nothing but a wrestling-like singlet, drenched in sweat, bulging with muscles but still sporting a bit of a belly. Flipping tired back and forth, pushing sleds and carrying huge concrete boulders… before retiring into the gym showers where he would plow and dominate Amos.

He was ripped form that fantasy when he felt a third pair of hands expertly unbuckling his belt. The strain of his dick against his boxers eased a little as his dick was freed. The moment of confusion quickly gave way to the shock of pleasure. A warm muzzle brushed up against his straining cock. A glance down and he spotted Joel.

“This is a threesome, after all," quipped the bull.

Shaw opened his muzzle to protest but, in a coordinated effort, Amos leaned closer to his ear and nibbled at the sensitive flesh. The dragon's tongue slipped out and brushed the insides of his ear. Shockwaves of pleasure rocketed throughout his body. Lightning bolts blasted down to his brain from his ear, immediately paralyzing him in pleasure. They continued down his neck and towards his chest while the fiery flares of arousal came shooting up from his cock. Fire and lightning collided at his heart, sending his pulse racing.

A moan escaped his lips and he threw his head back, dislodging Amos from his ear. This was just as well as the dragon - still wearing that mischievous grin - finally moved from around the back of the couch. Shaw immediately missed the proximity of the bodybuilder but that was quickly replaced by the heat from the attention that Joel was giving his dick. He glanced down and watched as Joel slowly peeled back his briefs. The bull hungrily gobbled up his erect cock, intensifying that inferno that was burning from his balls. He was surprised further when Joel gently grasped his paws and guided them towards his own horns. Understanding what the bull wanted, he grabbed those horns.

The moment, his fingers closed around them, Joel turned the dial to eleven.

“Oh! Oh GAWD!" Shaw cried, suddenly very awake like he had been struck by lightning.

Joel's head-game was something else. That long, flexible bovine tongue was heavenly. It curled around his dick like a prehensile appendage and was still long enough to cradle his balls. The length of his cock was wrapped fully in the bull's muzzle which formed a vacuum-like seal. As Joel dove forward, pushing his nose right into Shaw's pubes, it was like the flesh spring that was his tongue tensed and coiled together; the tip of his tongue juggled his balls, coaxing it to produce the semen he needed to ejaculate. Then Joel pulled back and that spring unfurled, roiling up the entire length of Shaw's cock and stimulating every inch from the base to the incredibly sensitive head.

It was all Shaw could do to hold onto those horns for dear life! He nearly went blind with pleasure.

Wait… Where did Amos go?

A shadow loomed over him, blocking out the light. Through bleary eyes, he found the enormous dragon in front of him, wings spread and blocking out the light from the overhead lamp. For a second, there was an instant where Amos looked almost anime-esque with his entire figure silhouetted against the light and only his shining eyes and dark grin visible.

The unmistakable sound of pants being removed filled his ears.

But wait… my pants have already been removed… Who…?

The word 'threesome' immediately flashed before his mind and he came to the realization that he knew exactly what Amos planned. His jaw dropped open in shock only for saliva to quickly gather in his cheeks as Joel mercilessly suckled on his dick like the bull was nursing for some nutritious milk. Again, his vision blurred with pleasure.

Two fingers slipped into his muzzle. His surprise caused him to close his lips around those scaly fingers. A blush touched his cheeks as Amos gently gathered his spit on those two fingers before pulling them out of his lips with a soft pop.

The dragon expertly applied the drips of saliva onto his own cock before supplementing the natural lubricant with some of his own spit. Only then did Shaw realize that Joel had already discarded his own pants. Amos angled his now lubricated cock towards the bull's exposed ass and waited for a second…

… waited for the moment that Joel had pulled his muzzle back…

Wait!

Then Amos drove his cock into the bull and in doing so, pushed Joel down onto Shaw's dick.

“Aaaaah!" gasped the bear, arching his back.

“You like that?" rumbled Amos.

Shaw grit his fangs together and managed to squeeze out only two words, “So… much…"

“Good."

With his powerful hands gripping Joel's rump, the dragon pulled the bull back, forcing Joel to retreat as his own cock reared back. Then, not even a second later, he pushed forward, driving more of his member into the bull and shoving Joel's muzzle all the way down into Shaw's pubes. To his credit, Joel didn't hesitate and the moment his nostrils were full of Shaw's crotch-fur, the bull was tantalizing the dick in his muzzle with expertise.

Oh god… With Amos driving the pace…

… Joel can now focus entirely on sucking my dick!

It's… it's the perfect double-team!

Shaw was at their mercy.

Their pace was slow at first which made it all the more agonizing. Each, drawn out repetition seemed longer and more drawn-out than the last, increasing the anticipation between pleasure and ejaculation all the more. Shaw's claws dug into the faux-leather of the couch, his entire body quaking in pleasure. He shook and convulsed, panting heavily as his cock ached for release.

Then, gentle hands grasped his cheeks in what was now becoming a very familiar gesture. He hadn't even noticed he had squeezed his eyes shut until he opened them and found Amos' kind features just inches away from him, the dragon leaning over Joel's body while still fucking the bull and driving a consistent pace.

“Bet your ex could never dream of being in this situation," rumbled the dragon.

Somehow managing a shaky grin, Shaw said, “Oh he can dream. Never going to happen."

“Why not?" Amos leaned in, kissing the bear with such tenderness that was a juxtaposition with his powerful hip-thrusts. His tongue danced all over Shaw's muzzle, coaxing words and confidence out of him.

The kiss was broken long enough for Shaw to say, “Because he's an arrogant, self-important, deluded asshole that thinks he's a sandwich-making-savant."

Their lips collided again. With half of his brain dedicated to keeping himself from orgasming then and there, the shields keeping him from talking shit about his ex was only at half strength.

They cracked and splintered…

“Sounds like an entitled bastard," rumbled Amos, once again breaking the kiss.

Shaw agreed. But more. He compounded on that statement. “He was more than that," he snarled. “He would tell me that his job was harder because he had to deal with customers and be on his feet all day."

Bile and vitriol began building in every word.

“He would insist we not count who does what because we're in a relationship and relationships aren't transactional." With every heated word, he was inadvertently thrusting his hips, intensifying the pleasure he was feeling and adding more fuel to the fire of his fury. “His words, not mine."

Joel managed to pull his muzzle off Shaw's dick long enough to choke, “Douche!" Then he was back down to swallowing the bear's fat cock, causing Shaw to moan.

“He was a douche," he agreed through clenched fangs. “He didn't talk to me!"

Amos thrust and speared Joel, causing the bull to be impaled onto Shaw's cock. That burst of arousal, the sensation of that warm muzzle driving down the length of his cock, brought another fiery confession out of Shaw.

“He just cheated on me!"

Shaw's paws gripped Joel's horns tightly and he thrust his dick down the bull's throat, pushing the bull back.

“He didn't try to fix our 'relationship'!"

Amos pushed back, forcing Shaw to straighten as he, likewise, thrust in return.

“He would complain that I was always so busy!"

His thrusting grew faster, harder, angrier.

“That I only ever went to work, came home, ate and played videogames!"

Each word was punctuated with two, feverish, furious thrusts. He could feel his cum churning up to the length of his cock, his balls tightening up against its base.

“But he never did anything! I would clean! I would buy the groceries! He ate my food! He slept in my bed! And what did I get in return!?"

Shaw's rage brought him to a kneeling position, his feet pressed against the armrest of the couch for greater leverage. With each powerful thrust, he was staring straight into Amos' eyes. The ocean of calm blue absorbed his frustrations and grievances. They offered a safe space as Joel sucked the black ichor of a toxic relationship out of him.

“What did that asshole give you?" Amos grunted, his thrusting keeping pace with Shaw. “Tell me what his skinny ass gave you for every thing that you offered him."

“His 'company'," spat Shaw. “He kept saying I'm the - urf, fuck, I'm getting close…"

“No!" Amos suddenly shouted, stunning Shaw for a second. “Don't lose it now, little cola! You're so close! What the fuck did that asshole give you?"

Gritting through his fangs, Shaw shouted, “His connections! He kept saying that he was the - arf, urgh - The extrovert and that we would compliment each other!"

“Fuuuuu…" Joel mumble-moaned. Then he was choking on Shaw's cock. The sound of hot cum hitting the faux-leather followed and Shaw could feel Joel shuddering against his dick.

Amos suddenly leaned in, their lips colliding. Shaw released Joel's horns and wrapped his arms around the enormous dragon's shoulders. Massive, leathery wings wrapped around him, pulling him close as their tongues meshed with one another.

In the warm embrace of this safe space, he finally came. Blasts of cum erupted from his dick which Joel diligently sucked up. Shaw shuddered, shaking from head to toe. Amos' powerful arms coiled around him, holding him still and letting all the shaking focus entirely in ejecting every drop of cum from his balls. He thought he could feel the dragon shoot his load as well but he wasn't sure.

The fiery passion of his orgasm burned away every drop of resentment he had been holding onto. Each black rock of that failed relationship a slab of coal that fueled his rebirth.

The bear thrust his cock one last time into Joel's throat, eyelids fluttering. The final gush of semen burst from his dick, massaged by Joel's throat as the bull drank every last drop without fail. A warm aura of afterglow wreathed him and he slowly collapsed into Amos' strong, muscled arms.

Slowly, he pulled his muzzle free of Amos, offering a dopey grin.

“This…" he panted softly. “This… was the first threesome I ever had…"

Amos snickered. “Hope it was good. If not, then you've got a bunch of other guys you can fool around with." He leaned down and gently nipped at Shaw's ear, once again causing the bear's cock to twitch and Joel to choke slightly.

The bull extracted himself from Shaw's cock.

“Fuuuck…" moaned the older bull. “You're both fucking beasts…" Still impaled on Amos' cock, he wormed his way up between the two men, facing Shaw. The bear was a little lost at what to do at that point until Joel's arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. Amos' wings wrapped around them again, tightening their hug. He could feel the drips of cum from Joel's own cock against his, making him blush.

“Beasts I wouldn't mind seeing more of," rumbled Joel softly.

“And sharing with the rest of us, I hope," snickered Amos, grinning brightly. “Next time, I want to taste that cola cock."

As the haze of afterglow began to fade, Shaw asked, “Next time?"

“Well sure," Joel said, gently nuzzling him. “You haven't even made it through half the JACKED crew." He gently poked Shaw's nose. “Trust me, little cola, we're not a jealous type but we sure love to share."

Amos let out a chuckle that shook all three of them. “Bro, that sounded so wrong." Then, without warning, he pulled his dick mercilessly out of Joel's ass. The bull tense, his eyes widening and his teeth gritted together.

“Oh! Easy!" the bull roared. “Fucker!"

The dragon waved him off, drips of cum oozing from his rapidly softening dick. Good to know he came as well. In all the heated sex and passionate confessions, Shaw hadn't had time to really see to the dragon's needs.

“I'm going to grab us a blanket," rumbled the dragon. “Then how about we end the night just cuddling on this couch?"

“We made a mess…" Shaw mumbled, looking at Joel's cum that had was now oozing down onto the floor and Amos' own seed dripping from Joel's ass.

“It'll look worse by morning," answered Joel, waggling his eyebrows.

“Huh?" he began, regarding the bartender curiously. “Why…?" Then his eyes widened and a blush returned to his cheeks. “Oh…"

Amos threw his head back and let out a laugh as he marched towards the bedroom.

“You're not getting much sleep tonight, cola!"

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Joel

Contrary to Amos' prediction, the three of them did have some decent sleep. Shaw's couch was surprisingly comfortable especially when they extended the foot rests. They spent a little bit of time hydrating with some water and Shaw made them some hot chocolate - in the nude upon Joel's insistence - before they lay in the couch and just watched something on an anime streaming service the bull had never heard of. While Shaw made the hot chocolate, he and Amos cleaned the couch so it was fit for habitation.

Then, they rested beneath a blanket, Shaw between them and just cuddling while they watched the show. There was some light fondling, a little bit of kissing and three erections that rose and softened throughout the next two hours but nothing that ever led to orgasm.

Joel was sure he was the last to drift off to slumber. Amos normally snored like a chainsaw but because he was sitting upright, his airways were not blocked and he was able to drift off without shaking the entire apartment. Shaw leaned against the bull's broad, looking adorably peaceful.

Amos was the first to wake as he always was. The dragon stretched, causing the other two guys to mumble softly as they they stirred away. Joel took a few seconds to realize that Shaw was cuddled right up to him, one leg draped over his crotch and both arms around his chest. The bear's bleary, green eyes slowly focused. Shaw groped around Joel's chest, feeling the hard, lean muscle there as if trying to confirm that he was indeed sleeping on the bull.

Just to wake him up further, Joel bounced his pecs in response.

He was sure he felt Shaw's dick jerk in response.

“Morning," he greeted.

Shaw didn't jerk away in shock or immediately go into panic like the first two times they had slept together. “Morning."

Slowly, the cute, cuddly polar bear slowly peeled himself away before brushing a paw where he had slept on Joel's shoulder. “I didn't drool on you, did I?"

“Naw. You're good."

“Liam always said I drooled a lot."

Joel gently cupped the back of Shaw's head and kissed his forehead. “Good thing that asshole isn't around."

A gentle smile touched Shaw's lips. “Yeah." The bear nuzzled Joel's shoulder comfortable. “Yeah."

Looks like he's finally on his way to recovery.

A sense of satisfaction found itself in Joel's chest. Part of him was screaming 'Mission Accomplished' but at the same time, he felt a pang of disappointment or dissatisfaction. This was unlike the other times when his time with a guy ended. Sure he tended to hook up with a hot lay more than once and he was always clear that there were no relationships involved but this time… it felt different.

He mulled that over for a few moments while Shaw peeled away and stretched.

“Who wants breakfast?" asked the bear, rising to his feet.

Amos patted his ripped abdominals. “What's on the menu?"

Shaw looked like he was mesmerized by the naked dragon's physique for a few moments before he offered a single word meekly. “Eggs…?"

“My favorite!"

The bear's green eyes sparkled as he bent down and picked up his glasses. “Have you ever had tamagoyaki?"

Amos tilted his head slightly in confusion. “Is that some sort of fancy kind of egg?"

“Japanese rolled omelet. I'll take that as a 'no'. I used to make it a lot." Shaw absently scratched his cheeks. “Liam hated it. He kept saying that eggs should be savory not the sort-of-savory, sort-of-sweet that I make it."

“The fucker is so goddamn uncultured for someone who works in an 'artisinal sandwich shop'."

Shaw rolled his eyes as he got up. “He calls it an 'artisinal sandwich shop' but it's really just a step above Subway." Grinning brightly, he jumped to his feet and started for the kitchen. “I'll cook us up a batch! You guys just relax. Switch on the TV and watch something."

Joel rose to his feet and wandered over to the drawn curtains, still in the nude. He pushed the curtain open, letting the sun in. The motions and activity gave him a few moments to consider why he felt so… empty after this night. He could tell that his time being intimate with Shaw was drawing to a close. They would stay friends but no more than distant acquaintances. Over the next few months, they'd see each other less and less. Joel would find another sexual conquest and Shaw might drop in every now and then for some nice fucking but eventually, Shaw would go back to his own friend circle, return a healthy, well-adjusted man and deal with Liam his own way.

That was just how these things went.

Shaw had his threesome with him and Amos. Maybe over the next few days, he's sleep with Cash, Killian, Erick and Dorian. The JACKED boys would act like filters that would wash away whatever else was holding him back and then he would be a regular at the bar but not necessarily sleep with them. Maybe every now and he might find one of them to sleep with much like Hank but no one would ever grow attached.

So why does it feel like I'm missing something?

He turned back to the couch and sat down next to Amos as the dragon switched on some random Youtube video. Being attuned to one another due to years working with one another - and being in one another - Amos could immediately sense something was wrong. And Joel knew the dragon know.

They reached for their phones which lay in their discarded pants almost simultaneously.

“What's eating you?" texted the dragon to him directly.

“I dunno." He paused, giving his next words some thought. “I should be happy. Shaw aired out his dirty laundry. It's a turning point. But I still feel like… there's more."

“More?"

Joel was starting to type a response when it hit him.

“Right! I haven't even found out his drink! Fuck…"

He growled at himself softly and ran a hand down his face. “Fuck," he repeated via text. “I did this in the wrong order. First the drink and then the emotionally-charged sex that leads to personal revelations."

Amos visibly chuckled. They were on the same wavelength at least.

“Yeah. No. That's not it."

He frowned at those five words for a long moment and stared at his friend for a second. The smell of eggs filled the air with a distinct Asian flair to them. The aromatic scent was ignored as he began typing a response while still staring at the dragon.

“What do you mean?"

Amos smirked at him.

“You're missing a step."

“Yeah. The drink."

“No. There's another step you're missing."

Joel narrowed his gaze. “Okay, genius. What step am I missing?"

Amos let him step in silence for a second before he began typing.

“You forgot to tell him this isn't a relationship."

He stared at those words… and his heart sank. Truer words were never spoken.

“I'll fix that right now."

The bull got to his feet…

CRASH!

… and immediately spun around. Shaw stood in the kitchen, the bowl of eggs he had been beating was on the floor, its contents spilling all over the tiles. He was looking at his phone, aghast.

Shit! Were we secretly texting him!?

“Shaw?" he began. “Is… everything okay?"

The bear shook his head, his eyes wide in terror.

Crap! Was I texting him by accident?

Joel checked his phone. Nope. The text chain was just between him and Amos. A long chain going from years back.

Did Amos send the messages to him?

A glance over at the dragon showed equal concern on the reptilian features. No. Amos was just as concerned and clueless as he was.

Did Erick hack our phones…?

“What's wrong?" Joel asked, turning back to Shaw.

The bear slowly turned his phone towards the bull. On it was the profile picture of a skunk with clearly dyed ruby-red hair, wearing sunglasses and looking off into the distance clearly trying to look poignant. Honestly, such pictures just gave Joel the impression the guy was trying far too hard and was shallow.

On it was a string of messages ranging from, apologetic, pleading and angry. But the latest message caught him off-guard.

It was a captioned image.

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An image showing Shaw next to Killian doing the 'Sip Selfie' and a bar setting.

Right beneath it were the words, “We need to talk."

Joel's heart sank further.

“Oh… Oh no."

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