Max Kleinschmidt: “How about we meet up at Legerville Station n decide later? I dunno either lol"

He typed his reply. “Ok. See ya at 12ish. You mind if I bring Lucas? Our office is empty rn."

Putting his phone down, Tom let out a sigh. He was done replying to the emails an hour ago, which left him with nothing to do. Today was a quiet day, there were few things to be done and the office was half empty. The girl trio along with Jonas, the boss, and some others went to a new branch in the next province for a week, leaving only a few behind. It was a blessing for him since it meant he could stare at Lucas without anyone noticing.

The coyote was deep in his computer, had been for a few hours. He said he was rebuilding this month's customer repository since the previous file was messy. Tom had taken a look at it before and he couldn't agree more.

Lucas was so serious and undisturbed until he didn't realise anything happening around him, not even when someone called him across the room. That made Tom able to stare at him for the last hour without being noticed.

Of all the desks available in the office, why did he have to sit there? His table was just in the right position for Tom to see him in the perfect, most alluring way possible. His shoulders looked wide, his muscles observable, and most of all, nothing was covering his face except for his occasional hand gripping the end of his muzzle as he pondered in thought, which coupled with his serious expression, made him look like the baddest, manliest daddy no one should ever mess with.

He felt like a creep, staring at someone like this.

His phone rang again, and he picked it up with a blushing face when Lucas stretched a bit, not even looking away from the screen.

Max Kleinschmidt: “No probs. See ya"

Probably he'd need some moments to collect himself before asking the coyote.

His phone rang again, this time with an alarm, telling him it was now lunchtime. Well, here goes.

Taking a breath, he put his computer into hibernation and tidied up his desk. He was done with the report drafts, so onto the bin they went. After everything was done, he stood up and walked towards the coyote's desk.

“Lucas?"

No response. He was still staring at the screen, scrolling and typing.

Tom put his hand on Lucas' shoulder, making him jump a bit and look at the wolf. “Whoa! Sorry, Tom, didn't see you there!"

“I noticed. You've been staring at the screen for hours." He chuckled while ignoring the firmness of his shoulder. “It's lunchtime. Want to get some food, mate?"

“Sure." Lucas turned back to the monitor and stretched his arms. “Well, this still needs time. I'll continue later."

“I'm going to have lunch with Max. You want to come along?"

The coyote stopped stretching. “Max?"

“Yeah."

“Of course!" He said with enthusiasm.

“Looks like you two got along well." Max laughed at Tom and Lucas as they debated over the last slice of the steak.

They stopped and looked at Max, ears down from being called out.

“Um, just eat it, Luc."

“Y-you eat it, Tom."

The big shepherd just laughed harder.

Lucas cut the meat in half and put one slice on Tom's plate. “Looks like he still likes to tease people." He grumbled.

“More than you know." agreed Tom.

“You have anything to tease him with?"

“Not really. There was his girlfriend but he broke up with her."

Max took a gulp from his drink and grinned at them. “Come on, tease me. I'm waiting."

The coyote opened his muzzle, but then closed it again. Tom just ate the meat piece while not looking at any of them.

“Y-you, haha, you really can't come up with anything."

“W-well, anything that's SFW, that is."

The wolf choked on his bite, making Max laugh again. “Okay, okay, I have something." He said between laughs.

Lucas just drank his milkshake. “Max, stop." he said, still with flat ears.

“See this shirt I'm wearing? Bet you can't take your eyes off 'em."

This time, the coyote choked on his milk, while the wolf turned red. Max laughed and his tail wagged.

Wiping his face, Lucas turned to Tom. “Um, Tom?"

“Y-yeah?"

“You know s-somewhere we can hide his body?"

That made the wolf's ears go up. “I know a place."

“At this rate, I'm pretty sure you both are the ones who's gonna die out of embarrassment."

Tom perked up. “That's it! I have the knife right here! Lucas, hold him."

“Okay! I'm gonna go get some ropes!"

“Hahaha. It's… it's hard to take you guys seriously when you look like bashed-out canines." Max snickered, finishing his drink.

“Max, I swear—"

The dog grinned at Tom, making him shut up.

“Okay, okay, anyway," Max instead said, changing the topic. As much as he'd like to tease them more, this wasn't really the best place to do that. He'd seen several curious and annoyed glances directed at them. “how's your office?"

Tom took a deep breath and stared at him. The dog just smiled innocently at him. “No more teasing, I swear."

He didn't answer, just looking away with lowered ears. “It's fine."

“And Lucas wasn't an eyesore? He stinks, y'know."

“No. Not at all." those ears went lower. “Not at all."

The coyote retorted. “Hey! I work there, not climbing up the social ladder."

“That's pretty hard to say when we're having lunch at Loewen's."

Tom finished his drink. “…I admit the food here tastes pretty good, although I don't really like the menu."

“Considering the price, I'd say it's mediocre." said Lucas as his ears went up. “The steak was pretty good, though. But the salad? Nope. Office canteen's still much better."

“You got salad in your canteen?"

“It's not really big, but it's good."

“Dude, that's great. Honestly, I think the only thing I appreciate about my current internship is just the fast WiFi and the snacks. Everything else sucks, even the pay." Max leant on the table.

“Well, you just jumped at the first company offered." Tom shrugged. “Kan I told you to wait and look around with me."

The dog scratched his ear. “Yeah, I regretted that. But I wasn't sure, you know, I wasn't even sure I could get someplace to do my internship at all, so I just went to the first one."

Lucas slurped his milkshake.

“You could always go to the ICC before you finalise your agreement form, but well, what happened, happened."

“Yeah." His ears went down. “Now I must face the consequences."

Tom chuckled and petted his head. “There, there."

The dog just sighed, but he could feel Lucas' curious gaze directed at them.

“On another note," the wolf continued after letting him go. “our graduation is only two weeks away. You're going to go home, right, Luc?"

“Yeah. Still gotta take that diploma, eh."

“We're gonna have a graduation party a few days after that. You wanna come along?"

Lucas finished his drink. “Sounds good but I got one too back home."

“Too bad. Guess we're still living our own worlds for now."

Smiling, Max batted Tom's hand. “Hush. No talking deep stuff for now."

The wolf let out a chuckle.

“But you're not graduating this year, right? You can't attend the graduation party." said the coyote with a grin.

“Come on, keep rubbing that shiny new diploma on my face. Bet that's gonna make a good fish stick wrap."

They all laughed.

Max glanced at the clock and groaned internally. They didn't have much time today. “It's past 13 already. We gotta head back."

“Oh right." Lucas ate the last piece of the meat on Tom's plate. “Too bad it's only lunch break."

“We can hang out this Saturday or Sunday."

The coyote deflated. “I have stuff to do, sorry."

They piled their plates together as they stood up. “It's on me today." Max said with a grin.

Lucas and Tom cheered at him.

He added, “But you two owe me next time."

“Sure."

“No problem."

When he was done rechecking the data Lucas remade, or at least part 1 of 6, Tom leant on his seat and finished his tea. That had really been a chore; how did they compile that bad of a repository?! They still have a lot more to incorporate, but it was enough for today. They still have more days.

“It's done." The wolf said, putting his mug down.

Lucas turned his head, then went to his table. “Great! Looks like we're done for today, then." He looked at the clock. “Whoa, it's almost 6, we should've went home an hour ago."

Stretching a bit, Tom let out a relieved sigh. “Right." He said, then turned his computer off.

“Hey, um, you free tonight?"

Tom turned to Lucas who he noticed had his ears a bit down. “Nothing planned. Why?"

“Uh... wanna hang out at my place? Not staying over, just... hang out." He asked sheepishly.

Putting his phone charger into his bag, the wolf let out a small sigh and stared at the blank monitor on his desk. He was all aboard with getting closer to Lucas, but… wasn't this a bit too early? They were friends for just a month or so.

Although, it wasn't him thinking that they were going too fast, but more like him being afraid that he might have a crush on the coyote. He was nice, hot, tall, dark, handsome, looked all bad boy but actually a big good boy inside, and gay. The impeccable mix for him. Unlike Kevin, who was hot and gay but not at all a good boy.

Probably it was too naïve for him to think that Lucas was as clueless and innocent as him—well, relationship-wise. The coyote was, like Max, a former football club captain; there was no telling how many people he might've slept with, not to mention his popularity.

No, he wasn't against people sleeping with anyone. He was just afraid he might end up being yet just another person to sleep with, another 'land' to 'conquer', as Andy put it. That had been almost the case with Kevin, and he did not want it to be the case with Lucas either.

“We should get some food first, though." He said, masking his insecurity. He didn't want to have a crush on him, loveable he might be. He already had Max, and although he had no idea how close could their relationship get and how long could it last, at least he understood the shepherd.

Lucas' ears went up as he smiled. “Sure! We'll get some on the way. Curry sounds good?"

Tom sighed. Maybe breaking the first rule was fine once in a while. Being under the radar could be a chore sometimes. “Yeah. I'd like something warm, though." He said as he put his coat on and took his bag.

Putting his own coat and scarf on, Lucas chuckled. “How about soto? We can put more pepper."

“'Kay, mate. Whatever you think it's good."

“Whatever I think it's good, eh? I have some leftover pizza from this morning." the coyote walked beside him and put his hand on his shoulder as they exited the office.

Please get your hand off me. “Good thing I have my SHS ready in case you poison me." Please.

Lucas laughed.

“Where do you live, though?"

“Not very far from here, just 5 mins tram ride."

They didn't buy the soto on the way to the coyote's flat. If he still had pizza, then it should be enough. The tram ride was packed but quiet, which was a good thing. His thoughts were quite messy right now, and the fact that Lucas' shoulder was pressed close against his own didn't help at all.

Tom glanced at the coyote; he was checking his phone, replying to messages. Occasionally, he laughed softly and typed his reply.

The tram stopped and several people went down. However, an elderly bear couple got in the tram and held the handles close to their seat. Reflexively, Tom waved at them and pointed at his seat.

Lucas noticed them, too. “Oh, right."

“Here you go." He said as they stood up.

They sat down, flashing smiles at the canines. “Thank you."

The coyote smiled back. “No problem."

When the tram took a turn, Tom almost regretted his decision to stand up because now his shoulder was pressed against Lucas' chest.

Aside from being flustered for the rest of the way, the ride was uneventful. Lucas' flat was in the same neighbourhood as Vilkas', he noticed. The blue husky's flat was only a few minutes' walk away from here.

“Ahh, here we go. Sorry for the mess."

As they went inside, Tom noticed that the coyote's flat was a little bit messy but still organised. There was a painting on the wall next to the windows, it seemed to be painted by the coyote himself. It wasn't very spacious, but it had several rooms.

Hmm, this seemed to suit him. He made a mental note to ask how much was the rent here.

Lucas took his coat and scarf off and put it on the hanger, beckoning him to the sofa. “Feel free to take some drinks in the fridge. I'm gonna go get changed and take the pizza first."

Taking his own jacket and shirt off, the wolf sat on the sofa. Nothing was going to happen tonight, right? Right? Lucas was too much of a good guy to just sleep with someone he'd just known for a month.

He sighed; he was overthinking stuff again. To ease his mind, he stood up and straightened his t-shirt, looking around. There was a wide telly with a PS and a dock in front of it, probably for laptop or tablet. Next to them, there was a small table with several pictures there.

Tom took one of them; there were Lucas and his team there with a big trophy in his hands. He really loved his team, didn't he? They looked like they had just won something. The coyote held the trophy high in the air, his happiness radiating.

In another photo, there was a younger version of the coyote with a longer fur in traditional tribal clothing. He looked like he had just won a race or something. His face was painted red and there was a big smile there despite the visible tiredness. Tom smiled at it.

The last picture was Lucas with his family, all coyotes. His father looked as much badarse as him but with a soft smile. His mother was holding someone, probably his brother or sister, while Lucas himself, the only one whose fur was all black, was standing between his parents with a big proud smile.

That made Tom a bit envious. It would be to have a family, wouldn't it? To have his mother taking care of him, his father joking around with him, even to fight with his own sibling.

But him? What a sick joke of a pseudo-family he had. He might've been better off without them, just being let alone in the streets to look for his own ways. He did not need to have learnt neither violence nor pain at such a young age.

He put the photo back down, forcing his hatred to calm down. Seemed like he was going to be in one of his episodes soon.

Instead, he took the coyote's laptop on the coffee table and sat on the sofa. “Mate, can I borrow your laptop?"

“Sure!" he replied from the kitchen. “The PIN's 112358."

He turned the laptop on, put the PIN in, and a video resumed playing loudly.

His face fell. It was… it was a…

“Ohh… yeah! Fuck yeah!"

“Fuck it's so good."

“You like this dick? Yeah? You like it?"

“Yeah… fuck my ass… it's deep."

Tom stared at the screen, eyes wide and ears straight with surprise. Of all videos, why must it… be… this…?

A loud noise could be heard from the kitchen, making him turn his head. Lucas peeked through the doorway, looking equally surprised and panicking.

They looked into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, the coyote lunged forward, taking the laptop from Tom who was frozen on the spot. He closed it, but the video kept playing. He almost dropped the laptop as he pressed the power button, forcing it to shut down.

Lucas held the laptop close on his chest, his eyes still wide in panic and his tail curled between his legs so far it covered his crotch.

They looked into each other's eyes again. For a few moments, the video kept playing, making the awkwardness get even thicker each passing second until finally it stopped and the laptop's fans quieted down.

What the…?

The surprise and awkwardness didn't dissipate after that. Tom's tail waved in embarrassment, a million questions running through his mind. Did Lucas just watch a gay porn video? Why didn't he close it? Was it something of a prelude to what would happen tonight?

The coyote's fur bristled, and he looked away with a nervous smile and frantic ears. “Um, well, uh… sorry… you… uh… you have to see… that… I… uh… well… I just clicked the wrong link… that's all…"

Tom didn't answer.

Lucas scratched his cheek and looked away. “I… uh… wrong link…" He then let out a sigh as his ears flattened. “Okay, y-yeah, I'm, um… uh… I'm gay." Then he suddenly panicked and looked at Tom. “B-b-b-but I-I didn't b-bring you here to do anything to you! I swear!"

They looked at each other.

This time, Tom sighed softly and smiled at him, trying to not scare him even more. He patted the empty space next to him, inviting him to sit. “It's okay. I know."

He didn't know that Lucas didn't know that he knew that he was gay. He thought the coyote knew.

Lucas didn't bulge, only stared at the wolf. He then deflated, his shoulders sagging down and his tail going limp. “Who am I kidding, of course you'd know. You can read people as easily as a book."

“Actually, it's not a guess. Octo told me about it. I'm pretty sure he told me that because he thought we'd never meet, but well…" he shrugged. “Don't be angry at him, though. He meant well."

“Octo, huh? Well, I guess he had reason." The coyote sighed, then he panicked again. “B-b-b-but it's not like I'm gonna drag you to the bed or something! I swear by God I won't!"

Tom just ignored his panicking, “Where's that pizza you said? I'm starving."

Lucas jolted a bit in surprise. He then nervously nodded and went back to the kitchen. “W-well, uh, I'll, um, I'll be right back."

When he came back, he tensely put the plate and the bottle of water on the table. He moved to sit on another sofa, but Tom tugged his tail, making him turn back. The wolf pointed at the space next to him. Reluctantly, Lucas sat down.

It was rather cute, Tom thought. He looked like a kid who was caught doing something bad. His ears were flattened, his gaze defeated as he took a slice of the pizza. Tom didn't want to make him even more nervous than he already was. Were he in this position, he would probably act the same way as the coyote did.

That made the wolf think, should he tell him that he was gay, too? It would really be nice. They could talk to each other; they could understand each other. They could make themselves feel like they were not alone in this world who judged them.

He looked at the coyote, wondering. Unlike Kevin, Lucas was actually nice to talk with. Tom felt comfortable with him, or probably it was the fact that he was gay that made him feel easy with the coyote.

“Lucas," he said softly, starting a conversation. The coyote flinched. “I really don't mind you being gay."

Lucas didn't answer. He kept slowly munching his slice, staring blankly at the pizza.

“Hey," he nudged the coyote's shoulder. “You okay, mate?"

He looked at the wolf, a bit surprised and confused. Taking a deep breath, he said, “Yeah, I'm okay." He put the pizza slice down. “It's just… I'm sorry, Tom."

“Really, it's okay." Tom said again, this time with a soft smile. He didn't want to sound like he disliked Lucas. Judging by his reaction, it seemed he had a bad experience while being caught or when he came out.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." The coyote's ears went up, then he put his face in his hands. “It must be weird for you."

Tom shrugged. “Well, not really. I mean, I have a gay friend named Kevin and he's… well, let's just say he's an ass." He chuckled a bit.

“I… uh… sorry…"

The wolf turned to see him. The coyote's ears were down again, this time there was a shy and nervous smile on his face. He just let out another chuckle and reached out with both hands and hugged the coyote. “It's okay. It must've been hard, but you're safe now." He was firm and warm, betraying his anxiousness.

The coyote seemed surprised, but then hugged him back softly. Tom caressed his fluff, feeling his soft breathing and his rapidly beating heart.

“Your fur is coarser than I thought." Lucas said on his shoulder.

“And I just found out that you're one big fluffy boi."

The coyote chuckled, his vibration making him feel warm. Eventually, his heartbeat calmed down and Lucas loosened his hold. “Thanks, Tom." He said.

“It's okay."

The coyote let him go and took a deep breath. “Thanks for that. I… I really needed that."

He smiled. “You're welcome. Now let's eat the pizza before we have to reheat it again." He said as he took another slice.

That made Lucas smile. He continued eating his own slice. “Sorry if… if I freaked you out by that."

“It's fine. But don't mix green and black tea again, please?"

The coyote let out a small chuckle.

Now, coming out time.

“I promise I'm not gonna do that ever again." He said with a smile. “Thanks a lot, Tom. That really means a lot to me."

…or, maybe not.

After that, the coyote calmed down. He didn't tell the wolf anything about his bad experience, which was fine. Tom didn't want to reopen old scars. They finished the pizza, just talking about stuff.

By the time the plate was empty, the coyote was back to his usual cheerful self. It was enough for Tom. He'd tell him at another time.

“So, how about playing that PS over there." He pointed with his muzzle. “What games do you have?"

Lucas chuckled and gulped his drink. “Got some. Let's load up one and see if I could kick your ass, eh?"

“Looks like your ass is the one that's going to be kicked, eh?" the wolf joked.

The coyote laughed. “Challenge accepted."

Anyway SNS stands for State Healthcare Service if you're wondering.