“Please, I'll pay 900 silvor!"

Taken aback, Kevin's ears and tail shot up straight. He stared at the tiger in front of him in disbelief. The tiger, Gruffydd, was holding his hand and looking up at him with those pleading pantherine eyes. His voice was as gruff as his name, which sounded very out of character for him right now, not to mention his appearance.

Kevin gently pulled his hand and scratched his nape. Gruffydd had been asking for pole-dancing sessions a few times already and Kevin was glad to provide. Although his pole-dancing wasn't as good as the others, Gruffydd didn't seem to mind. Now, though, the moment they stepped into the private room, the tiger asked him about taking this somewhere more private and involving something more private.

Kevin took a deep breath. On one hand, 900 euros is a fuck-ton of money for one session. On the other hand, he wasn't doing it anymore, not to mention that for offering a price that high, Gruffydd might have some weird fetish that he didn't want to find out.

So, he could only deny him again. “I'm really sorry, dude, I'm not doing that." He was not doing it again. Thanks to Sebastian, he now had a good enough savings in case of emergency. Octo didn't know and didn't suspect him doing anything, but he didn't want to test the panther.

Gruffydd looked down. “Please, Kevin, it's not gonna be anything weird, I swear." He then looked up again. “H-how about 1000 silvor?"

“Dude, what the fuck!" Exasperated, he ran his fingers through his hair. “Listen, I-I can't do it, dude. Besides, you can get someone else for much less. I mean, I don't know if—"

“B-But I already know you…" The tiger cut him. “I-I mean, I'm… much more comfortable… doing this with you…"

Kevin groaned.

“H-how about a thousand and a hun—"

He put his finger in front of the tiger's mouth. “Stop it!" He then sagged and rested his arms on his hips. This would bite his tail later, but holy heck, 1000 euros for a night? He hit a jackpot. “You know what, what do you want to do?"

Gruffydd's tail began waving in eagerness. “Uhh… I-I don't know… just…"

“What kind of fetish do you have?"

“None… I think. I've always been vanilla."

Kevin gave a dismissive mrf. He really shouldn't take this, but 1000 euros is seriously a ridiculous amount of money for one night.

“A-and…" Gruffydd added before he could think more. “…no sex."

That made him turn his head sharply and stare at the tiger in surprise. “Dude, one thousand euros for no sex is a goddamn lot of money."

The tiger deflated. “I-I know… just… please? Just… be there for a night with me."

Well, this just became a lot easier for him. “Y'know what, sure if you want. It's your money, not mine." He crossed his arms, then asked to confirm, “One thousand for a night?"

Gruffydd nodded.

“What do you want me to do anyway? I swear I'll call the police if you tell me to sh—"

“No, no! I-It's nothing weird!"

Kevin snorted. “I'm gonna take your word for it. My shift is done at 22. Give me your address and I'll head there when I'm done."

“It's… it's Longview Apartments, Wålfoðers Street number 19, room 926."

"Okay, then. Now, I'm not gonna charge you for this—"

“But we went into the room."

“I'm just gonna say that you cancelled. It's nothing strange anyway, not the first time it happened. Besides, we've been here for only five minutes or so." Kevin's tail waved in suppressed excitement. “You sure you don't want anything more? We have five more minutes until the timeout for cancellation."

“I guess that's all." Gruffydd wiped his face, then stood up. Kevin gave him space as the tiger recomposed himself. The tiger was only about his nose, and as he let his exhaustion known, his face looked older. If he remembered correctly, Gruffydd was 37 years old. As he took his bag, the wolf caught him saying under his breath, “Can't believe I'm doing this but fuck me I guess."

When he was done, Kevin led him away from the dancing area. “Lemme take you outside."

“Thanks, Kevin."

“And no need to tell anyone." He added before opening the door. “What happens in the private rooms stays in the private rooms."

“Alright."

They were silent as they exited the hallway and into the bar proper. Kevin walked him to the exit, noticing the curious stare from Jeremy as they walked by the bar. Gruffydd smiled and nodded at him, confirming again about later. He nodded back, and the tiger walked away.

Giving a huff, Kevin walked back inside.

He sat down on an empty stool, head low. Head full of thoughts, he could only stare at the counter, tail limp behind him. Jeremy noticed him and put a glass of water in front of him. “What happened? It's barely half an hour."

Kevin gave a huge sigh. “Nothing." He drank the water with Jeremy watching him, worry on his face. “Just that he cancelled."

“Oof. Why, though? I was starting to think that he's become your regular."

“An emergency. He was really at it at first, but then he got a call. Didn't tell me what it is. I don't mind, though, he looked really distraught. Must be something big." He lied smoothly.

Jeremy refilled his glass. “Ah, okay, that's understandable. But why the long face though?"

“I'm kinda feeling blue-balled, man." Kevin lied and faked a chuckle to ease the mood.

Jeremy laughed and smacked his shoulder. His booming laughter made some turn their heads at him. Kevin just shook his head fondly. Looking at the clock, he had about 2 more hours till the end of his shift. Thankfully, he had Vilkas to pester to keep his mood up.

Two hours later, Kevin laughed loudly with Vilkas in his arm. The husky was shaking his head, arms crossed, but he was smiling. “I can't believe you lost to Kevin, Ivri."

Beside them, Ivri put his glass down and protested, “But there aren't many girls tonight!"

“Guess that's your cue to go gay!" Kevin wiggled his brows.

The hyena just hissed at him, making the wolf laugh again.

Thankfully, work helped him ease his mind. He didn't feel as strong of guilt as in his session with Sebastian, mainly because Gruffydd didn't want sex tonight. What he wanted him for, Kevin didn't know. He only hoped it wasn't anything weird… actually it made him worry even more because who in the right mind would pay a thousand euros just to invite someone home when no sex was involved.

For now, as he gave Vilkas' head some pats, he couldn't help but laugh. The husky was getting annoyed, he could tell, but he didn't make any attempts to move away. Still, he let the husky go and leant back on the counter, listening intently as Jeremy was telling a story about a drunk customer trying to flirt with Will.

When they were done with their five-minute break, they dispersed and went back to work, leaving the red wolf alone as he finished his milk. Kevin looked up at the clock above, it was a few minutes to 22. It might be a good idea to get ready now.

Gulping his milk down, he put the empty glass on the counter and stood up. “Jeremy, I'm off for tonight." He said to the bear, a bit louder so that he could hear.

Jeremy replied to him, “Aight, thanks for tonight, wolfie!"

Kevin gave a dismissive wave as he walked into the employee's room. He looked around for Charles, but the rhino was nowhere to be found. Maybe he was still configuring the new lighting in the backstage.

In the employee's room, Kevin took his small bag and looked at the mirror. Admittedly, he looked a bit rough tonight. While he had recovered from that fight last week, he still felt a bit weaker somehow. His fluff was a mess and the braces were pressing on his fur so much that when he took them off, his fur was still matted. Taking the comb from his bag, he gave his fur a quick combing. At least he should be presentable for tonight. Wålfaðers street was in Legerville district, the business district of Barrowisle and the most expensive part of the city where the tall buildings stood.

Heh, he still couldn't believe that he was going to get a thousand euros by tomorrow morning.

When he felt his fur was presentable enough, he put the comb back and put his clothes on. He felt a bit dismayed because he only brought a casual jacket. Hopefully he would still look good enough with that. Now done, he put his stuff into his bag, sprayed some deodorant, and walked out. As he walked out of the bar, he opened Zoogle Maps and looked for the Longview apartment. Hopefully there was still a bus going that route.

Walking into the nearest bus stop—which actually was quite far—Kevin pocketed his hands and gave a sigh. The bus didn't take long to arrive. He and another passenger got in and sat down. He'd need to switch routes a few stops from here, so he couldn't nap.

After a thankfully uneventful bus ride, he got down at a bus stop nearby said apartment. Looking around, he really wished he wasn't in for a surprise tonight. Thankfully, there were still many people outside, helping him feel at ease. He went into the entrance and as expected, the building looked expensive and well-maintained, as befitting an apartment. After telling the receptionist that he was here to visit a friend, he was given a temporary visitor tag.

Arriving at the door, Kevin took a deep sigh and pressed the bell button. The “926" label beside the door looked polished, and he was distracted by it when he heard the door being opened and Gruffydd in casual clothes appeared on the other side with a surprised expression. “Oh, Kevin!"

He tried to smirk. “Here am I."

“Oh… uh… come in, come in."

Going into the apartment, Kevin was greeted by a rather messy room. He could see that Gruffydd took care of some of the mess before he arrived, but compared to Octo's flat which he frequented or even his own flat, this looked messy. It wasn't his place to comment, though, as Gruffydd himself looked rather rough. Even though his tail was waving in enthusiasm, his face showed that he was tired… more than just physically tired, he could tell.

“Feel free to sit down. I, uh, well, what would you wanna have for drinks?"

Kevin sat down on the sofa. “Anything is fine."

The tiger went to the kitchen and returned quickly. He served... wine?

Oh wait, the smell said that it was watermelon juice instead.

“Feel free."

“Yeah, thanks." Kevin took one glass and took a gulp. It was indeed watermelon juice.

They didn't say anything after that, only watching the television. Kevin took a sigh, more out of tiredness than annoyance. He saw Gruffydd occasionally peeking at him, but either he was too nervous or… actually maybe he was too nervous. Taking another gulp, Kevin swallowed and put the glass on the table before turning to the tiger and saying, “Well, I'm here. What do you want me to do?"

Gruffydd's ears were still down. “Uh… well…" He looked away. “C-can we go to the bedroom?"

Kevin gulped, but did so nonetheless. “Sure."

“W-well, uh, alright."

The bedroom was a lot tidier than the living room. Kevin looked around a bit and furrowed his brows. There was a big suitcase in a corner, along with clothes hanging on a makeshift hanger near the window. He had the impression that Gruffydd either moved here recently or was about to leave soon.

The tiger sat down on the bed, tail nervously waving as he told him, “Um… please… take your clothes off."

Kevin gulped, but complied. He didn't take everything off, though. He kept his pants on.

“Just put them on the hanger there."

Done with his clothes, Kevin walked to the bed. Gruffydd was now only wearing the same thing as him. He was sitting against the backrest, and when he noticed Kevin approaching, he leant down and put several thick pillows under him.  “Lie down here."

Tail waving in confusion, Kevin complied. He lay down on top of the tiger, feeling a bit weird since he didn't usually do this… actually he never really did this with a client before. Gruffydd's hands came to hug his midsection, nervously feeling his pecs and abs. On his back, he could feel the tiger's erection.

Kevin shifted a bit to make himself comfortable. This felt like what Octo or Tom would do to him, to be honest. “Well, what do you really want, dude?"

“Uhh… just stay like this. I-is this okay?"

He did so, closing his eyes as Gruffydd's hand now moved slower on his stomach, giving him a belly rub. “Yeah." he replied even though he felt a bit weird. “Anyway, are you really okay? I'm pretty sure this isn't all that you wanna do."

“Um… yeah, don't worry about it."

“Seriously?"

There was a tense pause. Then, Gruffydd's arms hugged him tighter. “C-can I tell you something?"

“Sure, go ahead."

“I-it's about me…"

Wait. Kevin looked up; he knew that tone. “Wait, dude, maybe I'm not the best person for this. If you're really not okay, you better talk with a professional or something."

“I-I know but please just listen… just… please…"

One thousand euros, he reminded himself, and even though he didn't consider himself a good listener, he took a deep sigh and made himself comfortable. “Yeah, go ahead. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Gruffydd told him that he was gay, plain and simple. At first, Kevin didn't see what was wrong since he himself went through similar situations. Doubting himself, having a crush on the handsome guy during middle school, getting random boners in the changing rooms, all familiar stuff. However, when Gruffydd was telling him about high school, all red flags went up.

Unlike Kevin, who accepted that he was gay shortly after the start of high school, Gruffydd kept doubting himself, and from the way he said it, and kept lying to himself.

Kevin kept silent as Gruffydd's tone became grimmer. The tiger told his family about it, but they didn't accept him. They kept pushing him to marry a woman. Finally, after he graduated from university, he married his now ex-wife. At first, it was fine and Gruffydd tried his best to be accommodating, but it was still an unhappy wedding. Even though they had a child, he never loved her the way a husband should be.

Finally, two months ago, she found him watching gay videos. That became their undoing as she freaked out and demanded a divorce, saying that he lied to her for the entire marriage. Gruffydd apologised to her, saying that he did this for his parents and also told her to never tell anyone about this. Unfortunately, she still told his parents and wrote in the divorce documents that the reason she demanded a divorce was that the husband was gay.

Now, Gruffydd moved out of the house he bought for them. He wanted to send her and his kitten money, but she refused. Also being rejected by his family, he had no choice but to move away.

Kevin could feel the anger rising in him, but he forced it down. She wasn't at fault for demanding a divorce, and Gruffydd also wasn't at fault for watching gay stuff. It just sounded like an unfit marriage.

“A-and that's when I met you a month ago." Gruffydd continued, now cuddling him tightly. His hands caressed the wolf's fur gently, almost like he couldn't believe that he had someone in his hold. “I was angry and confused and disappointed, but you were there, smiling and laughing like no care in the world. Usually I'd get angry at that, but you invited me in…"

Kevin took a deep sigh.

“Now… I know I'm gay… a-and it was… comforting when I met you. You knew you're gay and you're so open about it. Then I think to myself, if you can, then I can. The, uh, pole-dancing sessions at first felt surreal to me, y'know, like, i-it's something so new and forbidden, but at the same time so right and… and it's like so natural. So… I'm sorry for bringing you here…"

“Don't be." Kevin sat up. He turned around and faced the tiger. “Dude, listen. I'm sorry for what happened to you, but what you said is right." The story felt familiar, which was why he now felt anger towards Gruffydd's parents and ex-wife. “You're gay, so what? Fuck your parents. To hell with your wife. You're a tiger and you can stand by yourself." Unlike me as a wolf. “You're in Barrowisle. We don't care if you're straight or gay or bi or whatever."

Gruffydd only gave a weak chuckle. “How I wish it were that easy…"

“I know it wasn't. Heck, you think I had it easy? Definitely not. What I'm saying is that you're free now. You can stand by yourself. You have a job and a stable income."

He saw the tiger's eyes beginning to water, so he reached out and pulled him into an embrace. With the tiger softly sobbing on his chest, Kevin gently rubbed his back and shoulder. “You get yourself in order first, then you can decide what you're gonna do. It's gonna be hard, I know. Think of this as the crossroad or something. You choose what you want."

“W-w-what did y-you choose?"

“I still had a pack, but it's not about me, dude." Kevin could only answer, “You are fucking free now. Do whatever the heck makes you happy. It starts with you."

Gruffydd didn't answer. His sobbing became louder until he was now crying. Kevin, not knowing what to do, only let him.