Kevin
stared at the ceilings, his mind too hazy. The rays of the sun through the
windows woke him up. He wanted to go back to sleep, but it was already late in
the morning. The empty spot beside him smelled like Tom, and so did the room. He
then sat up, gripping his head, then flinched a bit when he felt something on
his back sting. Finally able to think clearly, he stared at his hands.

He was
disappointed in himself for acting without thinking again.

Yesterday
felt like a million things happened. He remembered attacking Tom, then crying on
his shoulder. Afterwards, he remembered staring at the wall as he sat on the
bed with Tom cleaning the scar on his back. Almost no words were spoken last
night, yet he felt like two heavy burdens had been lifted from his shoulders. Then,
in the night, he lay on the bed, hugging Tom close, trying his best not to cry
on his shoulder again.

His bed
was small, but last night was one of those rare times when he felt it wasn't
empty. He felt warmth seep into his body, expelling the coldness away. His
heart felt content. There was nothing that he was holding back.

The
bathroom then opened and someone went out. Not long after, Tom came bringing a
bowl of porridge and a cup of hot chocolate. He wasn't wearing any t-shirt, the
bandage on his shoulder on display. That small, clipped part of his ear coupled
with his red eyes made him look somewhat dangerous. Kevin realised that for someone
his size, he had decent muscles, which could explain his strength.

Most
glaring of all, though, were the many scars and fur gaps on his body. They
weren't noticeable at first, but under the sunlight, he could see them clearly.
Some looked big enough to make a bald spot, hidden by the fur gaps. Even on his
back under the fluff, there was something that looked like long slash marks.

How did
he get those? A runaway accident would very unlikely give him so many scars. Some
of them even looked like they'd been there for a long time. What kind of
upbringing did Tom go through to earn that many scars? Not even Kevin's own
scars were this many.

“Breakfast."
The smaller wolf put the tray on the nightstand. Tom then sighed but didn't
look at him. Kevin only stared at that tray of breakfast, but his mind wasn't
there.

What
happened last night felt somewhat refreshing. For the first time in a while, he
didn't feel the need to have everything under control. He could let his
emotions out, the anger and helplessness that he had been building inside could
finally come out. That was rather ironic since he thought of himself as someone
who usually went with the flow. His wolven pride was hurt, but in his own pack,
it didn't matter.

Tom then
sat beside him on the bed. Kevin looked at the grey wolf, reminded just how
much the size difference was between them. Tom was average, but Kevin was big.
Yet even despite that, the grey wolf was still able to dominate him. Strength
alone wouldn't do; wolves needed wit and teamwork, both of which Kevin did not
have. He might be stronger, but he must admit he wasn't as smart as Tom.

Looking
at the bandages on Tom's shoulder, Kevin felt guilty and proud. He felt guilty
because he lost control and hurt the smaller wolf, but he also felt proud
because he was under one strong wolf. Tom didn't flinch when he was cleaning
the wound, unlike him and his back. Heck, he didn't even flinch as he bandaged
it himself.

“Last
night was… well…" the smaller wolf said, snapping him out of his trance. He
didn't continue, just letting out a small sigh and before going quiet.

Kevin
hugged his legs, feeling small all of a sudden. When Tom turned to look at him,
he tried to release them, but the cold feeling around him didn't allow him to.
He… didn't want to look weak as he must be… but…

Looking
at him, Tom reached out and stroked his forearm. “I'm sorry for last night." He
sighed. “We… we both needed that."

No, don't apologize.

“I may sound
selfish, but I know the feeling of being a lone wolf, Kev. Please don't bottle
it up; it didn't end well with me. I'm here, it's okay to talk to me. I want to
help." Tom softly said. “I don't want you to end up hurting yourself like me."

The red
wolf looked at him. Tom had been acting like a big brother. At first, Kevin
just thought that the grey wolf was just joking around, but nowadays, he really
did seem to look at Tom as a big brother, the one in charge.

Kevin
hated to think that he was happy because of that.

He
crossed his legs and took the cup of hot chocolate from the tray, taking a sip
to calm his content heart. He hated to admit that Tom was right; he had been
keeping everything himself. He had no one to trust and he couldn't afford to
look weak in front of people. Despite having a big brother who was supposed to take
care of him since his father left, he was instead left alone. He knew he
couldn't depend on his mother forever, even more so because of her ageing self,
that was why he must make a living for himself.

He must
one day be the one in charge of himself, and later, of his own family. That
wasn't a light responsibility, and Kevin wasn't even sure if he could do the
first one, not when his own father could not. He had a fight with his brother a
few days ago, his brother saying that he had no hope of ever having a family
for being gay.

Since
he woke up, his ears were flat, but when Tom reached out to stroke his muzzle,
they went up as he fought the urge to lean into the touch. Kevin hated to think
that this was something he had been missing. However, he couldn't fight it—was tired to fight it. He closed his
eyes and leant into the touch, tail starting to wag softly beside him. His ears
went down again, but this time it was out of content.

The
grey wolf shifted closer. Kevin lowered his head when Tom's hand neared his
head, allowing the grey wolf to stroke his hair. He rumbled a contented grunt,
elongating his legs and putting the cup down on his lap. Tom chuckled, and
Kevin opened his eyes and growled softly at the smaller wolf, but he thought it
might be hard to take him seriously when he was being petted like this.

After a
while, the hand pulled away and Kevin sighed. He sipped the hot chocolate again
and almost whispered, “Th... th-thanks…"

The
grey wolf didn't answer, but he put his hand on his chest with a smile. Kevin
looked down at his hand on his chest. Tom looked at it too. Then, when they
realised that they weren't wearing any tops, Tom pulled away almost
embarrassedly. Kevin could only chuckle at that.

Even
when he had control, he didn't abuse it. Unlike someone he despised…

Speaking
of,

Kevin's
chuckle died down, replaced with a quiet sigh. He looked down at his lap and asked
the grey wolf directly, “Why did you lie to me?"

Tom
looked away, shame on his face. For a while, he didn't answer. Kevin put the
cup back on the nightstand, knocking a basketball-playing wolf figurine he'd
gotten from Chick-er-ed. He smiled in longing as he put it back to its correct
pose, then turned his head back when Tom spoke up. “Because I wanted to protect
myself."

Kevin
stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

“Truthfully,
Kev, I won't deny it, you're hot. I… I was sexually attracted to you."

The red
wolf's ears went up.

“But
that's a problem for me. Selfish, I know, but I… I've never done anything with
anyone, a-and I don't want my first time to be… to be a one-night stand. You
seemed to me like you wanted it, so… uh, I took the easy route and told you I'm
not gay." His ears flattened. “I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I was a coward, I
know."

This
time, Kevin quietly sighed and pulled the smaller wolf to his hold. He didn't
say anything; he felt betrayed and taken advantage of, but now, content that he
knew the answer. That really was his first intention, to get the grey wolf to a
bed. It didn't matter anyway; if Tom had accepted it back then, they mightn't have
become what they were now.

He
pulled the smaller wolf to sit on his lap, taking in his sweet, soft scent. His
words, his voice calmed him down. “If I asked you to do it just once, would you
do it?" Kevin asked Tom as he put his muzzle on the grey wolf's unbandaged shoulder,
hugging him close.

The grey
wolf in his hold didn't answer right away. Kevin didn't want to hug him too
tightly to not hurt his bandaged shoulder even more. Maybe that question was
too direct, but that was the safest route for them. Kevin did not want to probe
deeper, and neither did Tom seem to.

He
touched the grey wolf everywhere while still mindful of the bandages and scars;
his chest, his arms, his stomach, and he felt the strength inside. His muscles
were developed despite how they looked. Kevin also realised how much was Tom
holding back too if his scars were any indication. Kevin considered himself to
be a person of bad upbringing, yet Tom must've seen more things than him.

Tom
shifted, and then said, “I-I'm sorry, no. I… I have a boyfriend."

Despite
himself, Kevin chuckled sadly. “Wish I could be as faithful as you."

“Why
couldn't you?"

Silence
overcame them again as he closed his eyes, idly stroking the grey wolf's arm.
Besides sex, he rarely got physical, especially as close as this with someone
else, not even with other wolves. For once, the need for physical contact
inside him was resurfacing.

Kevin
then took a deep sigh. He couldn't pinpoint exactly why couldn't he. There were
several reasons, survival, money, satisfaction, recognition, but his thoughts
were muddled and all he could say was, “I just couldn't."

Such a
horny wolf was he, bent over by unspoken societal demands without even feeling
the need to look up.

Tom
only sighed, not responding to it. It might upset the smaller wolf, but he
didn't show it. “We're wolves of the pack, aren't we?" He instead said with a
sad tone, changing the topic. “Lone wolves of the pack."

Kevin's
strokes became slower, but eventually, as he remembered the reason he went to
Barrowisle, he answered, “Yeah, we are."

They
remained quiet after that. Kevin watched as the porridge on the nightstand was
becoming cold, but he didn't mind. He could now feel soft touches he didn't
know he was yearning for. The air around them was soft but somewhat sad. He
didn't mind; at least for once, he could accept warmth.

A train
of thought caught itself mid-track, and he couldn't stop himself from saying,
“You know, bros don't cuddle like this."

Tom chuckled
at that. “Now you admit you cuddle?"

He only
buried his nose in the grey wolf's fluff, mindful of the bandages. “Don't tell
anyone."

“Sure.
Now keep cuddling me like a plush toy."

“Dunno
man, seems kinda gay to me."

“Says
the one who's tried to get me to bed."

Kevin
rumbled a small laugh. He wasn't sure if he had been rubbing off on the grey
wolf or the other way around. He nuzzled Tom's neck, enjoying the physical
contact. Maybe he needed this more than he would want to admit. Tom felt warm,
strong, and surprisingly coarse.

Smiling
to himself, he hugged the wolf a bit tighter. It felt nice to let go sometimes.
It felt nice to hold another wolf close like this. He felt free, unrestrained,
and… not alone.

Max pressed
the bell button with a sigh. Tom stayed over at Kevin's place last night, and
he hoped everything was well. He talked to Octo about it, but it only made him
worry even more. The panther said that Tom came in while they were having a
fight, then he walked out to give them some privacy.

Although
Tom said they were okay now and he'd come home later in the afternoon, he was
still worried. More at Tom, but also at Kevin. He had seen what Tom was capable
of. Despite how much he hated the red wolf for saying all those things to Tom,
even he didn't deserve death by... his friend.

He let
out another sigh and crossed his arms in nervousness. He didn't want to think about
any of them walking with blood in their clothes. Kevin was as stubborn as a
rock, so he hoped Tom was still careful enough around him. He also hoped Tom
wouldn't do anything dangerous… he didn't want a repeat of what happened in
that alleyway…

The shepherd
couldn't even tell whose fault was it. Normally, as the captain, he was used to
being the middleman to resolve problems in the football club whether he liked
it or not. Sometimes—well, often—John helped him out. Yesterday, Tom kept
insisting that it was his fault. Max at first thought that it was just because
Kevin was pushing him too much, but as the grey wolf explained what actually
happened, Max… wasn't sure. He just hoped they could resolve things.

Max
knew he needed the strength to do so. Kevin got balls for saying those things
to Tom. As friendly as the red wolf was, he was still an arsehole sometimes,
no, more than that. Max just hoped he wouldn't need to see him again so soon.

His
thoughts went away when Lucas opened the door, shirtless with a towel around
his waist. His fur puffed out, but the coyote didn't seem to care. “Hey, Max.
Come in!" the coyote said with a smile.

Max
forced the thoughts away and smiled as he went inside. The coyote's flat was
tidy, though a bit musky. Seemed like Lucas hadn't really been taking care of
it much. Max wouldn't complain, though, since he knew the coyote was busy
lately.

“Sorry,
I was taking shower." Lucas said as Max sat down on the sofa. “Just got back
from extra Saturday shift. The folks invited me for a quick drink." He held his
head and chuckled. “And maybe I'm still a bit drunk."

He
looked at the coyote, intrigued. It wasn't every day he saw the coyote
shirtless and his tribal tattoo on his upper right arm exposed. It was just a
continuous red line on the coyote's upper arm, making a kind of spring. “You
have work on Saturday?"

Lucas
crossed his arms over his bare torso and sighed. “Yeah. There were so many
things at work right now. I just want my overtime pay now." He then smiled and
walked away. “Lemme get dressed and get you something."

A few
moments later, he came back, fully dressed in casual clothes and with two
glasses of cold water in his hand. Sitting next to the dog on the sofa, Lucas
put the glasses on the table. “So… you said you got something to tell me?"

Max decided
that he might tease the coyote a little bit to help himself calm down. It had
been a while. “It's a bit hot here." he said as he took his jacket off. The
t-shirt he was wearing wasn't really tight, but he knew Lucas could get riled
up quite easily, especially with him being a bit drunk.

The
coyote stared at him as Max leant back on the sofa and drank the water with a
suggestive grin on his face. He then blushed and put a pillow on his lap. “Need
me to turn the AC on?"

“Nah.
This is okay." Max wiggled his eyebrows.

Although
they teased each other pretty often, Max didn't want Lucas to think that he was
interested in the coyote, so he kept his teasing to the minimum—at least what
he thought was the minimum. This time, Lucas only drank from his own glass
while eyeing him up and down.

Then he
remembered that he had a boyfriend now, and his smirk faltered a bit.

“Still
a huge tease, eh?" the coyote rolled his eyes. “So, what is it?"

Yeah,
no matter how hard he tried, telling that he had a boyfriend now was still
difficult. Especially to Lucas; he knew he was a bloody hypocrite by telling
that to him, but he deserved to know. Truthfully, just being here made him feel
guilty. It was like telling his ex that he had a new girlfriend just a week
after breaking up… or telling someone who used to have a crush on him that he
now had a girlfriend…

He
looked up at Lucas; the coyote was watching the television easily. He really
looked like he had fully moved on, but Max still remembered that disappointed, sad
look the night he turned him down. Lucas was a nice guy, but he didn't feel any
attraction towards the coyote. Fortunately, the coyote took it well. Lucas
understood that he wasn't interested, and while the scar was quite visible for
him, the coyote kept insisting that it was okay.

Looking
back at it, he was glad he took the coyote seriously back then. Now, though, he
felt like an arsehole eating his own words. However, it must be done; if
anything, Lucas deserved to know.

“You...
don't be angry, alright?" He asked the coyote, nervousness seeping into his
words.

The
coyote looked at him and chuckled. “Alright. Want some pinky promise?"

Max
smiled a bit at that, but then it fell as he looked away bashfully. “So... I...
uh..."

Lucas
stared at him curiously.

“Tom
and I... we're boyfriends now."

He
didn't dare look at the coyote in fear of his reaction, but he braced himself
and looked up. The coyote looked surprised, frozen on the spot with his muzzle
open in disbelief. “Y-you..."

The shepherd
looked down and uttered a small “Sorry."

“You
and... Tom... boyfriends…?"

He
didn't answer. Suddenly, the room seemed quiet, even the television sounded too
loud for its volume. He was fucked up, he knew.

“M-Max...
are you... are you bi?"

“M-maybe...
I'm really confused right now… but I want to try it." He said, defeated.

He then
looked up to find Lucas already recovered, though still with disbelief on his
face. The coyote smiled softly at him. “I'm glad you could move on from me."

“W-what?!"

Fortunately,
that broke the ice.

Lucas laughed
as Max was entirely red. The shepherd felt like he wanted to yank the coyote's
wagging tail for making fun of him like that, but he was glad that the coyote
took it well, better than what he thought. Smirking crookedly, he wiggled his
eyebrows and said to Max, “Apparently I did turn you bi, after all! Wonder how
many dicks you had."

Why did
people like to tease him about it?! ...oh well, it came with the package, he
guessed.

Although,
despite that usual playful smirk, Max caught some hints of disappointment there.
His ears were on half-mast, and his tail wasn't wagging as high as it usually
did. His fur was matted, almost flush with his body. It only intensified the
guilt he was feeling.

But
they all disappeared forcibly when Lucas reached out to take his glass and
drank it, that forced playful grin back into place.

“So,
you're bi but in beta then? That means I can make gay jokes on you!" He
laughed, then leant forward with a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Now, you
need to level up your gayness!"

“Fuck
you, du—no wait no!" He quickly
corrected himself before a repeat of his encounter with Kevin happened again.

And it
did. Of course it did. “Oh, you wanna fuck me instead?" Lucas fucking blushed
and asked him with a grin.

Max
tried to look disgusted, but well, it would happen eventually. “Thank you, but
no."

“Come
on, I won't judge."

“Luc,
what th—"

He was
abruptly cut when the coyote lunged forward. Max found himself mere centimetres
away from the coyote's muzzle. Since when had he gotten so fast?! The other was
ginning, and through the loose t-shirt he could see the other's body as he was
all fours on the sofa.

They
stared at each other. Max was becoming redder and redder as the coyote licked
the side of his own muzzle.

Then,
Lucas went closer, too close for his taste. The shepherd leant backwards to
distance himself from the coyote, ears down, but Lucas crawled closer until he
was effectively on top of the dog. He could smell his beer-laced breath
intensely.

“U-uh,
Luc?"

Very
close like this, he now realised just how big Lucas actually was. To Max, he
always looked like a nice guy, a good boy. Now he realised how close he was to
Octo in terms of size and how dangerous he actually looked. Many told him that
Lucas looked like a bad boy, but he always shrugged it off because, despite his
black fur, Lucas was a nice guy. But now, staring at him lustfully with an open
muzzle and a seductive grin...

“This
is for that one time in the dorm." The coyote said. “Did you know how hard you
made me?"

He
squeaked. “Uh, no?"

“I can
tease you 'cause I can't get you hard, right?" He chuckled, but then leant even
closer. “Or can I?"

“D-dude,
get away from me!"

Lucas
finally gave him mercy. He pulled away and laughed loudly, sitting back on his
spot on the other side of the sofa. Relief washed over him and Max finally let
out the breath he didn't know he had been holding back. “Y-you... I-I could
report you for sexual assault!"

Still
with that heated gaze, the coyote smirked lopsidedly at him. “Sexual, eh?"

“Y-yeah!
Y-you violated my personal space!"

“Says
the one who didn't even have that concept."

Maybe
he deserved that for teasing the coyote too much. Max took the cold water down,
his ears still refusing to go up. He might need a cold shower back home.

“Do you
want to make it 'sexual', though?"

Yes,
definitely a cold shower. The coldest one. -50 degrees would be a great choice.

“So,
how?"

Max
looked at him. That bastard was now blushing cutely. “It's... uh... kinda hard
to explain, but... it happened. He asked me out, I agreed." He scratched his
cheek nervously. “Although I was the one who forced him to ask me out anyway,
so yeah I'm to blame."

“Aw, I
should've flirted with you until you forced me to ask you out."

“That
won't work."

“Would
a blowjob work?"

“Hell no."
the dog replied instantly.

Lucas
laughed. He then stood up and went to the kitchen. “Want some sausage with
white mayo?"

“Ugh, fuck
no!"

“Respect
your senior!"

“W-what
do you want me to do, calling you 'sir'?!"

“'Daddy'
is a good start."

Max
gripped his face and groaned. “Fuck you!"