Chapter 4 Koda #4
“I think they may start charging us for the room,” Koda said, tracing their fingers through the sweat clinging to Jae’s back.
“Might be worth it,” Jae mumbled.
Honestly, Koda thought it truly might, but they knew that Jae would be very upset with himself if he didn’t meet back up with Hollis.
“I live on this side of town. Depending on where the last bar is, if you want—”
“Can I sleepover?” Jae asked, pressing back up onto his hands and grinning eagerly down at Koda.
“I would really like that,” Koda murmured, and Jae somehow managed to tackle them again even though they were still lying down.
A knock came at the door a few minutes later, informing them it was time to vacate the room. Thankfully, there was a trashcan with a wet wipes dispenser, sort of like the one at Koda’s gym. Together they were able to freshen up enough to get their clothes back on.
Jae pulled out a small bottle of body spray from his fanny pack.
He sniffed it and then shrugged, spraying it around himself and offering the bottle to Koda.
Their bear twitched its nose, but Koda didn’t mind the scent.
It was light and clean, and although it wouldn’t fool an alpha’s nose, combined with the lingering scent of body wipes, they smelled less like sex and more like a freshly cleaned locker room.
As they walked out of the private room and toward the main area of the club, Koda thought they smelled better than most of the other shifters there who had been dancing and grinding on each other all night.
“I could use some water!” Jae shouted, after returning the key to the bouncer.
“Good idea,” Koda said, and they threaded their fingers with Jae’s without thought.
Unfortunately, they were still holding hands when they came across Hollis, who was kissing a tall alpha shifter up against the side of the bar.
Before Koda could figure out if they should let go of Jae’s hand, Hollis glanced over at them and smiled.
He turned back to the alpha and gestured at his pockets.
The man took out his phone, and Hollis typed something into it before kissing him on the lips and skipping over to Jae and Koda.
“We didn’t mean to interrupt—” Koda tried to say, but Hollis waved his hand in the air.
“You didn’t interrupt. I’m pretty sure—” Hollis pulled out their phone and grinned triumphantly as his timer went off. A moment later, Koda and then Jae’s phones went off as well.
Koda flagged down the bartender and ordered them three waters to go, and Hollis slotted himself under Koda’s arm before they’d even left the bar.
“Oh wow, you two smell like you had fun. Did you dance the entire time? Or did you finally kiss?”
“Why not both?” Jae asked from Koda’s other side.
Hollis gasped. “You kissed?”
“We did,” Jae said, as Koda guided them through the entryway. The stairs were too narrow for them to walk up together, so Koda pressed a solid hand into the two omega’s backs to urge them to climb up the stairs together.
Hollis leaned in to whisper something to Jae and the music from the club was just loud enough to keep Koda from overhearing. Based on Jae’s blush, and the way he shook his head in exasperation, Koda figured that might be a good thing.
As they emerged onto the sidewalk, Koda attempted to gather the two friends—who their bear was now beginning to think of as theirs—under their arms, but Hollis tried to pull away.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Koda, and their bear, grumbled.
“I don’t want to get in the way,” Hollis said, trying to glance over at Jae, but Koda shook their head.
“You’re not in the way of anything, except us walking.”
Hollis stopped struggling, allowing Koda to pull him in line with them as they began walking to the next bar.
“You don’t have to make anything up to me, buy me anything else, or make any grand apology plans like I’m sure you and your duck have been doing,” Hollis said to Jae before looking up at Koda.
“And you don’t owe me anything just because Jae’s last partner was a jerk.
You don’t need to cozy up to his best friend or make amends for what that jackoff did.
I’m a big boy and am very excited that Jae has met someone as cool as you, but our relationship can end there if that’s all you want. ”
This felt like a precarious conversation to be having, given that Hollis had clearly had more to drink at the club.
His breath was yeasty and sweet, and his cheeks were a little splotchy.
Koda’s ex had been an unstable drunk, flying into tirades and breaking down into sobs at the drop of a hat.
Koda didn’t want to accidentally upset Hollis—or Jae—by pushing the conversation, but they felt like they should try to clear things up if they could.
“When we were talking about red flags, I told you how it took me a long time to date, because I was figuring things out on my own first, right?” Koda asked, waiting for Hollis to nod before continuing.
“That applied to friends as well. When I first moved here five years ago, I didn’t have a single friend, and it stayed that way for months. ”
Jae pressed his warm cheek against Koda’s arm, and Hollis moved a fraction of an inch closer to Koda.
“I finally made one very close friend, and over time I’ve opened up to some of my coworkers and a few of Ronan’s friends, but overall, I am still very particular about who I invest time in,” Koda said.
“I don’t have any interest in forming surface level connections or friendships of convenience.
I’ve been hurt by people who were supposed to love me, but I’ve also been healed by some of the deep, meaningful relationships I’ve had since.
It’s been scary opening up, but it’s also been well worth it. ”
Hollis huffed out a breath, and Koda tried to meet his eye, but he was staring steadfastly away.
“I don’t owe anyone anything, little one,” Koda said gently, and they could almost picture the way Hollis’ puppy ears must have twitched.
“But I am having a great time getting to know you, and this is the last bar, so I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to spend some more time hanging out with you.
Watching you and Jae together and the love and care you have for each other, I am beyond certain that you both could be the sort of relationships I want to have.
It’s completely up to you both if you want that with me, too. ”
Koda’s bear growled, disliking the notion that Jae–or their new little friend Hollis—wouldn’t want to be with them. Koda was pretty sure that wasn’t the case, but they had to leave the option open.
Jae made a soft honking noise and pressed his warm cheek against Koda’s bicep, placating their bear.
They walked in silence for a few minutes until a bar with fairy lights and bonfires came into view at the end of the next block.
As if they passed over an invisible threshold, Hollis melted against Koda’s side.
“I’m having fun, too,” he said, reaching behind Koda to grab Jae’s hand again.
“I really wanted to get Jae out of the house and have some fun with him, but tonight has been healing in a lot of ways, and I think that’s definitely in part thanks to you. ”
“Alright, everybody!” the bar crawl leader shouted, and their little trio pulled to a stop.
“This is the last bar in the crawl tonight, and I’d like to thank you for making the crawl an utter success!
If you haven’t been here before, this bar specializes in ‘coziness,’ and whether that’s with a friend you brought, a friend you made, or just yourself, we hope this last stop leaves you feeling relaxed, restored, and with a bit of your mojo back. ”
The group of shifters clapped, and some headed towards the firepit, while others wandered over to a window where orders could be placed.
“How does this bar feature coziness if it’s outside in the middle of winter?” Jae grumbled.
“It’s not their fault you decided to look sexy tonight,” Hollis said, glancing to the side at Koda’s exposed belly. “Both of you.”
“I’m still warm, despite looking sexy,” Koda said, and Jae choked on a laugh.
“I think they have blankets, and the fire is pretty big. I’m sure it will keep us warm—”
“At least long enough to finish our drink tickets,” Hollis finished, eagerly pulling two tickets out of his back pocket. “Did y’all use yours at the last bar?”
Jae pulled out his four tickets. “We didn’t. I guess that means everyone can have two drinks to end the night.”
Koda watched as a beta in a pink shirt and beanie carried a tray of steaming styrofoam cups to a group of betas and omegas huddled together by the fire.
“How about you both grab blankets and seats, and I’ll get the first round?” Koda offered and was promptly handed three tickets.
“Thanks babe!” Jae said as he grabbed Hollis’ hand, and the two underdressed shifters ran towards the shed filled with blankets.
Koda’s bear chuffed affectionately, envisioning their bear form lying on top of the two omegas in their duck and dog forms. There was obviously no way Koda would be shifting on a bar patio, but the shifter park was only a few blocks away from Koda’s apartment.
Not today, but maybe someday soon, he’d have the absolute pleasure of shifting with the two best friends.