Kevin stared at the monitor in front of him. Should he really do this? He checked all the marks in the qualifications list even though his national ID card said that he resided in Ausalt-on-Haye. His tail swayed gently through the hole in the chair, showing his internal debate.

“Don't tell me you can't read South Icelandic." Beside him, Vilkas gave a chuckle, then went back to reading the book.

The wolf just mrf'ed. The text on the webpage was bilingual, even the big title on top, Arvæðløsnesinwrítingformulær. He spoke enough South Icelandic to know the meaning without looking at the English title under it, Unemployment Registration Form. Even though everyone also spoke English, many chose to speak South Icelandic by default in Barrowisle. Having grown up in a majority English-speaking city, he felt rather dismayed at himself.

However, that wasn't what he was pondering. Should he really register for unemployment in Barrowisle? The programme itself was still a trial run by the city council, but so far it had proven effective. Even Vilkas' politician dad had a hand in running it. Kevin had never met Vilkas' dad—or anyone from his family, for that matter—but at least he knew whom to blame if anything went wrong.

Yet, by registering, he was pretty much selling his soul away. He would need to be interviewed to determine his eligibility further. He would also need to move to one of the government-funded flats spread throughout the city. What would the city officials think when they see a university graduate registering for unemployment? He might be poor, but he had shame.

Although, was it really shameful? He really was at a low point and in dire need of any income. Anything given to help him, he wouldn't refuse.

“Really, wolf, just fill it." Vilkas huffed and closed the book he had been reading. Kevin wanted to retort at that, but the husky continued, “There's nothing wrong about it and you check all the qualifications."

That only annoyed him. “Just shut up and let me think."

“Really, Kev, just fill the form. I'm gonna tell my dad to go easy on you."

“Why are you such an asshole today?"

The husky stood up and stretched his body. “You're rubbing off on me. Besides, let's go get some food. I got a coupon for Owo."

Kevin tch'ed in annoyance. “Goddamn rich boy."

“And this rich boy is buying you some kebabs. Come on, just fill the form and I'm gonna get you some kebabs."

Kevin turned back to the monitor. “Er…"

“Fill that form or í shal þe spreken in Súþíslensh fer ål aftermiddæj."

The wolf growled lowly. “Kjér mi, bich. Hwat an stertsniþer wolfs."

Vilkas chuckled. “That's the spirit. And I don't reckon it's the best idea to say that in a library."

Kevin's ears straightened and he looked around. Some people were looking at him. That made his ears droop as he sank into his seat, trying to make himself as small as possible. Even though he'd been through mood swings in the last few days, he should've really managed his temper.

“Kom nu. Í shal þe an kebab køpen later." Vilkas gave a chuckle as he gave Kevin's head a pat.

Defeated, Kevin closed the browser and locked the computer instead. Standing up, he took a deep sigh. Maybe some food would help clear his mind for now.

“Wolf, why'd you close it?"

“Just lemme eat first." He said with a huff and walked away from the computer area.

Thankfully, the city library was just along Wolvessye Avenue, which means a snack street was nearby along the river. Kevin looked around as they exited the library, at the city hall on one end and the river on the other end of the avenue, separated by Wolvessye monument right in front of the city hall and a park afterwards. They crossed the avenue and walked into the park, the cold afternoon wind swaying their fluff. Even though it was already late January, the city was still pretty much waking up.

A kebab booth was just at the entrance to the snack street, thankfully. Vilkas placed the order while Kevin sat down on a bench right by the entrance to the park not far from there. Leaning back on the bench, the wolf looked up at the monument on the other end of the avenue right in front of the city hall. In front of it was a stone table, one that was used as an Althing altar in ancient times, a point of meeting for ancient South Icelandic chiefdoms, especially wolven ones. The sides of the stone table bore inscriptions in runes, which while no longer used, were still popular in South Iceland.

Kevin then gave a deep sigh. It was true that he now felt more at home in Barrowisle than in Ausalt-on-Haye. There, he never really cared about the city. Living there had always been hard. Speciesism was rampant, corruption even more. He always looked forward to leaving one day. Although Ausalt-on-Haye was one of the most modern and futuristic cities in the country, it never earned the title of most comfortable or liveable. Having grown up there, Kevin understood why.

“Here you go." Vilkas sat down beside him, giving him a kebab.

He took it and munched it unenthusiastically. “Vil," he started after swallowing. “you ever lived outside Barrowisle?"

The husky leant back on the bench and pulled him into an embrace, their sides touching. Kevin didn't protest. “What's with you and sudden deep questions?" He chuckled; Kevin mrf'ed. “Well, in a way. I used to live in lots of cities for like 3 months or so."

“Where'd you live?"

“I remember living in Jovorwikje (Eovorwick), Hampstertown, Wódenslø (Wonsley), and the capital Øsefård (Eseford). But I gotta say, Barrowisle is the best. Øsefård is good but too crowded and noisy for my taste."

“How about the others?"

“Eh, it's pretty much like this. North is too homophobic and capitalistic, South is too traditional. Barrowisle is in the South, I know, but I dunno maybe because it's built by wolves it's very comfortable to live in. But many cities are also founded by or partly by wolves."

“'Cause you're an honorary wolf." Kevin gave a chuckle.

“Huskies are genetically closer to wolves than any other dog breed, you know." Vilkas petted Kevin's head. “Say that again when you mistake me as a wolf."

The wolf shrugged and continued eating. Maybe Vilkas was right; Barrowisle was a good fit for him. Even though he was pretty much a lower class, the city even offered programmes to help him. In all the time he lived in Ausalt-on-Haye, the city never really took action to help the lower class there, and when it did, it was usually just a PR stunt.

Sometimes, he felt like he wanted to borrow some money from Vilkas. The husky was a good friend of his, and given his, er, easy-going attitude with money, Kevin thought he wouldn't mind much. However, he always thought about what would happen if he couldn't pay it back. What if he failed to find a job and he couldn't pay it back? What if he used that money to buy groceries instead, not for job-hunting? Besides, Vilkas often paid for their stuff when they hung out, like right now, so Kevin felt rather uncomfortable to borrow money from him.

Vilkas ruffled his head fur softly again. “Mate, you know you can spill anything to me, right? We may be fuckmates but there's still 'mate' in fuckmate."

That made Kevin chuckle. “So, we're officially fuckmates now."

“Let's see, we've been roommates, classmates, playmates, and now fuckmates." The husky shrugged. “I take that back. You're broke as fuck. I don't wanna be your fuckmate."

Kevin laughed. “Fuck off, Vil! Just tell me if you just missed fucking with me!" He grinned at the husky.

Unexpectedly, Vilkas looked away, blushing a bit.

Kevin leant closer to him. “You sure you don't wanna get into my pants?"

“If I want that, I'll just say, you know." The husky flicked his ear, making the wolf flinch.

“Right, right, but fuck all for now, I just wanna cuddle with my husky~"

“Ew, horny. Go get buried in snow or something."

They laughed, missing the apprehensively curious gaze of the kebab booth keeper.

Vilkas walked into the bar and looked around. It was only 20 and the bar was already crowded. He caught a glimpse of Jeremy in the bar, serving the customers with quick reflexes. The bear's face looked rather tired, though. No wonder, the stools were almost full.

Making his way to an empty stool, the husky sat down and called the bear. “Oi, Jeremy!"

“The bear in the bar! How can I—wait. You dumbass!" The bear laughed when he saw him on the stool. “Get your ass over there, Vil."

“Eh, it's not my shift yet." Vilkas laughed back.

“Well would you mind helping a poor bear right here?"

The husky just leant forward while holding back another laugh, “I dunno, I like seeing your curves."

“It will be the last time you see my curves if you don't help me out here!"

“Yeah, yeah, lemme change for a bit." He laughed, then stood up and walked to the employee's room in the back.

Well, he didn't really 'change'. Inside the room, he put his bag down, took his shirt off, and put the braces on. He folded his shirt neatly into his bag and sprayed some deodorant before putting it back into his bag and closing it. That done, he checked himself in the mirror and smirked.

Heh, he knew he looked good in it. He bet his arse Kevin would want to tap this blue-furred backside. He really needed to thank the red wolf for training his abs more. Also, he probably needed to trim his fluff a bit, it was longer now. Sure, it looked good, but a chore to maintain. He was glad his fluff was not as thick as Kevin, though.

Exiting the room, he went to the main area. Just a few steps from the door and already someone gave his arse a slap. He looked behind and saw Lolita with a playful smile on her face. Faking a cringe, the husky gripped his arse. “Ow, it hurts!"

The cheetah shoved him softly. “Stop that, you're bad at acting."

He just laughed and gave her some head pats as he walked towards the bar.

“So, what can I help?" Vilkas said as he stepped into the bar. The stools were full. Some of the patrons even looked too drunk to be going home safely.

Jeremy pointed to the washtable in the room behind the bar. “Wash 'e glasses."

“Seriously?"

“You can serve 'em later, but we need more glass. I'm too busy to wash 'em."

He looked at the pile of dirty glasses and groaned a bit before walking to the room behind. Yep, another day at work indeed.

When the crowd finally dissipated, it was very late in the night. Vilkas could only lean on the bar and hung his legs from the stool, barely feeling them. Ugh, and they said leg days were the harshest. He drank his almond milk and let out a sigh. Maybe he should lie down in one of the private rooms if not the employee's room; they had very comfortable sofas there.

“Oi, kitty!" He heard Jeremy greet someone. He was impressed at how cheerful the bear sounded. The bear's shift started at 13 and he still sounded like he had just come for work.

Someone sat next to him, and he took a glance.

“Busy night?" A snow leopard greeted them with a smirk.

“Heh, like hell." Vilkas finished his milk and gave a smile. “Been a while since I saw you, Kyle."

Kyle laughed and gave him several pats on the back, well, punches might be more accurate. “Got stuff to do after graduation. Haven't had the time to visit this naked bear right here."

“At least 'at a compliment." Jeremy said with a small laugh.

“How's it goin', dog? Got a good fuck lately?"

“Yeah, not really. I haven't really been feeling like it lately." Vilkas drank his milk empty, then leant closer to the snow leopard. “Tell the boss not, but work's been killing me."

Kyle laughed. “Yeah, dog. I feel ya right there. Been working my ass off for the last week. At least the ladies are hella fine at work."

Vilkas laughed along as his tail wagged. His vision was getting dizzy; that private room seemed more tempting now. Maybe just a quick nap. “Eh, I hafta go to the back." He said before standing up.

“Sure, sure. Don't fuck around too much."

As soon as Vilkas was inside one of the private rooms, he sat down on the sofa and let out a relieved sigh. Lately, work had been very busy. The place was crowded, more crowded than usual. He couldn't even walk on the dance floor without bumping into people. He wasn't sure if it was just a one-time thing or not since they never had customers this many.

He overheard the boss talking about hiring another one, and he couldn't agree more. He had to pull double shifts last week, which he had to do because there were too many people coming here. Usually, not even new year or Summerfest made so many people come here, so he was needed to pull double shifts.

What time was it, anyway? Maybe 1 in the morning. Thanks to him pulling double shifts last week, this week he only had half shift, which is why he went here at 20 instead of the usual 13. He could also go home whenever he wanted this week.

“Vilkas?"

He opened his eyes at a muffled voice from the hallway. He groaned before answering. “Yeah?"

“You got a private customer?"

Maybe he should just take a nap, ugh. “No."

“Someone's looking for you."

He groaned again. “Tell him I already went home."

“He's Mr Dark."

His eyes opened and he stared at the door in surprise. Lucas was here? At this time in the night?

Well… maybe he could give him an exception. He sighed in embarrassment, a bit surprised that Lucas dared come here, and from the sound of it… ask for another private session with him… did he? It had been two months since they talked in his flat. Lucas sometimes came to the bar for a drink or two but never asked for any more private sessions, which was fine by him. “…tell him to come here."

“Sure."

Several minutes later, there was a knock at the door before it opened, revealing the coyote still wearing his work clothes. Vilkas took his composure and forced a smile to hide his nervousness when the coyote came inside, muttering a quiet, “Excuse me." He moved a bit to give him more space on the sofa. “Lucas? What brings you here? It's past 1."

“A few minutes to 1, actually." The coyote took his suit off and opened the topmost button of his shirt before sitting down on the sofa. He didn't seem embarrassed nor flustered. In fact, he just looked like he needed something soft to lie on. “Oh, yeah, I needed this."

As the coyote sat down, Vilkas couldn't help himself but sigh at the coyote's smell. His musk was rather subdued thanks to winter, but still, this was a man beside him. “You just got off from work?"

“Yeah. Just went home from Hareingham. A two-hour meeting with some suppliers turned to a four-hour one, minus the breaks." Lucas yawned. “I took the wrong train and arrived at that station near here, so I figured why don't I pay a visit? Thought you already went home, though."

“Seriously?" Now he felt bad for not serving the coyote, their awkwardness thingy notwithstanding.

“Yeah. My boss apologised, though. That wasn't supposed to happen. She made sure I got double overtime pay."

“Nice to hear that."

He yawned again. “What're you doing here this late anyway? When does your shift end?"

Vilkas leant on the sofa. “I can go home whenever I want tonight, so…"

“It's 1 am now. Wanna get home together?"

The husky looked at him, then gave a small smile. “Sure. Our flats aren't that far anyway."

“Do you, er, y'know, need to do something before going home?"

“Give me 10 mins to get ready." He replied, standing up and exiting the room. He felt like Lucas was staring at his back as he walked to the door.

Outside, Vilkas huffed. Lucas seemed fine now. Maybe he was too tired, but he seemed fine now. Besides, there was nothing wrong with them doing that kind of thing, anyway. They were both adults and did those things under their consent.

Maybe this was just his “good boy" self still feeling embarrassed and shy about doing things he wasn't supposed to, but eh, he worked in a bar, not to mention he was friends with and often fucked with Kevin, the horniest guy he'd ever met. Besides, Lucas had been very respectful of him, so even if one day the coyote asked for, well, something more intimate, Vilkas wasn't against the idea.

For now, he walked back to the main area. It was still lively. Usually, it would start to get deserted at 2 or 3. Jeremy was still in the bar, now accompanied by Mike. He wanted to tell the bear that he was leaving for the night, but he caught sight of his boss walking towards him. He made a gesture and the rhino noticed it. “Boss, I'm leaving for tonight."

“Aye, aye. Thanks for coming, Vil!" replied the rhino with a smile before continuing serving drinks.

That done, he went back inside the private area and walked into the employees' room. Opening his bag, he took the braces off and put his shirt back on. Now properly dressed, he looked at himself in the mirror for a bit before taking his bag and walking back to the private room where Lucas was in.

“Come on."

Upon seeing him, Lucas stood up. He went outside the room before Vilkas locked the door.

“Tram?" asked the coyote.

The husky's tail waved. “Sure."

Thankfully, the tram was deserted so that they could sit beside each other comfortably.

Notes

“Fill that form or í shal þe spreken in Súþíslensh fer ål aftermiddæj." = “Fill that form or I shall speak to you in South Icelandic (for) all afternoon."

“Kjér mi, bich. Hwat an stertsniþer wolfs." = “Try me, bitch. What a wolf's tail-cutter."

“Stertsniþer" is a very vulgar word, kinda like English “motherfucker" or “cunt", a very contemptible person. “Wolf" here is the speaker's species, so if, say, Max is to say this, he'd say “an stertsniþer honds" or if Octo, “an stertsniþer panters".

“Kom nu. Í shal þe an kebab køpen later." = “Come on (now). I shall buy you a kebab later."