Max knocked at the door. They were at his home, and he was eager to introduce Tom to his family. Since they already accepted that he had a boyfriend—thanks to Hans actually being not fully straight—he didn't think they would mind with Tom. Even more, Max was comfortable with Tom and would protect the wolf in case they didn't agree with him.

“Uh, you sure… i-it's okay, Max?" Next to him, the grey wolf squeaked.

He pulled the wolf closer to reassure him. “It's okay, Tom, don't worry. I'll be there." When there was no answer from inside, he knocked at the door again.

The door finally opened, revealing his brother with a pretty messy napkin. “Huh? Sorry, we're not interested in what you got there." He closed the door again.

Max tried not to laugh. “Dickhead!"

The door opened again, this time revealing his brother with a dumb smile on his dumb face. “Hehe, welcome home, bro!" He pulled Max into a hug.

Max hugged him back, feeling nice to be home. He missed this heck of a brother who couldn't tell who was actually the older one. He nuzzled his neck, then let him go with a bright smile. “Feels good to be back!"

Hans looked over his shoulder and noticed Tom. “Hey, who's this?"

“I'll introduce him later, now let us get in already!"

“Hi there, Rob's mysterious friend." Giving Tom a hug, Hans smiled. Max almost laughed when he saw Tom's face turned red from the hug despite his wagging tail.

Whoa, that was the first time he saw him wagging his tail. Guess there were still things to learn after all.        

“Come on, get inside!"

Max went inside and immediately caught a good smell from the kitchen. Just in time, he thought, dinner would be ready soon. He wanted to go to the kitchen and disturb his mother and brother while they cooked, but he had a guest. Instead, he walked up the stairs towards his room with Tom behind him. Better avoid his parents while he could; they could strangle him with questions later. He hoped Hans didn't trash his room while he was away.

“So, here's my room." said the shepherd as he opened the door, glad that it was tidied up. The bed was made, and the desk was clean of dust. He smiled and went inside, then noticed a note on the bed.

Clean your own damn room ffs –Hans

He just laughed and put the note away.

“What is it?" Tom asked him.

“Nothing, just a little sibling rivalry." He shrugged it off and put the suitcases in front of the closet. “Make yourself at home." After taking his coat off and putting it on the desk, Max put their bags beside the bed. He took his phone charger and plugged his phone in. He didn't want to spend Christmas Eve with a dead phone.

Right, he remembered something. “Eh, Tom, uh… you celebrate Christmas or Yule?"

The wolf sat down on the bed. “Uh, no, not really. I'm not really a religious guy."

Max wanted to ask more but refrained. Tom must have his reasons. “Ah, okay." he replied, feeling stupid. He should've asked the wolf before they went here. Heck, he should've asked him this back then during their first winter holiday.

The door then opened and Hans peeked in. “Dinner's ready. Don't be stingy and bring him too."

“Yeah, yeah, we'll be there." said the younger dog, then Hans went away.

He wanted to change to a fresh t-shirt and pants, but it seemed like he wasn't too smelly. Stretching his body, he groaned a bit. “Come on, I'll introduce you to my family."

“Is… is it okay? I mean, are we going to…?"

That scared tone made him look at the wolf. Tom was staring at his hands, ears down. “I-I mean… we-we're meeting your parents… as your boyfriend…"

“Hey, it's okay. Don't worry." He sat down on the bed and pulled the wolf into an embrace. “We'll be fine, it's okay. They already knew I'm dating a guy."

Tom looked up, surprised. “They knew?"

He chuckled and petted the wolf's head. “Yeah, I kinda came out to them when I'm asking about relationship advice, you know." He scratched his head sheepishly. “Dumb, I know, but don't worry. Let's get dinner, you gotta be hungry after an hour of being on the bus."

The wolf looked away, then smiled nervously. “Y-yeah, okay." He stood up. “Look away. I'm taking my jacket off."

“You're seriously telling me to look away after we groped each other?" Max asked amusedly and put his hands out in a grabbing gesture. He admitted, it felt pretty funny borrowing each other's jokes.

“You did worse things." Tom shrugged, taking his zipless jacket off.

Max just laughed. “Come on."

His family were preparing the table when they came downstairs. His parents greeted them while his sister yelled at him to help, but he just crossed his arms and waited for everyone to sit down, leaning on the doorframe. Tom was behind him, occasionally peeking. Hans softly kicked him but he didn't budge; instead, he just said lazily, “I'm the guest here."

When everything was set up, he walked to the table and opened a chair for Tom. “After you."

The wolf sat down with a red face.

With everything ready, his father opened the meal, and they helped themselves.

“How's the journey, sweetie? There's no snowstorm, right?"

“No, mom. It's all boring like usual."

“Are you Rob's friend, sweetie?"

“Dad, you're rubbing off on Rob."

“Better than you rubbing off on him, Hans."

“Aren't you too, big bro? I mean, Rob gets his lack of tact from you."

“Sis! How dare you?"

“I'm offended."

“Hey there, Rob's mysterious friend!"

“Hans, get ze flammenwerfer!"

“Rob, I swear—"

“No yelling!"

“Eh, anyway," Max said as he ate a piece of the duck. “I wanted to introduce him earlier, but dinner is prepared, so well yeah." He pointed at the wolf who had been silent since they started eating. “So, here's Tom. He's my boyfriend."

Everyone greeted Tom warmly, but then a certain male German Shepherd who was older than him shrieked. “Awww he's so cute!"

“Stay away from him, Hans."

“Hello, there."

The wolf sank into his seat, clearly not used to being the centre of attention from strangers. He forcibly smiled at them, “N-nice to meet you."

“Sorry you have to see our little family bickering, sweetheart." His mother smiled warmly at the wolf. “Eat up! Don't worry, we have plenty."

Tom just smiled; Max could see he was trying his hardest to keep his ears up.

“So, tell us about you, Tom." His father smiled at the wolf. “Our son isn't forcing you, is he?"

“Uh, kind of?" Tom said, Max chuckled and reddened. “I… uh… I was Max's classmate in uni. We… um… uh… I'm not from the football club."

“Rob didn't bully you, right? I heard the captain of the football club doesn't like to do homework." His mother asked him jokingly.

“N-no, he didn't." The wolf scratched his cheek.

Max drank the orange juice. “Truthfully, he was the one who bullies me all the time."

“H-hey!"

“Finally someone who bullies Rob. Hi there, I'm Carmila, their sister, unfortunately."

“Oi, unfortunately?"

“Hi, Carmila."

Max gulped his drink. “Before you corner him with questions, please introduce yourselves."

“Hi there! I'm Hans! I'm Rob's big bro!" Hans chimed in immediately.

“H-hi, Hans."

His mother put some more pieces of duck and wurst on Tom's plate. “Eat more! Don't worry! Rob and Hans eat a lot so we prepared plenty." She smiled. “I'm Rob's mother. Just call me Olivia! This is Rob's father, Wilhelm."

Tom smiled back at them, finally looking like he was forcing a smile anymore. “Pleasure to meet you, Mr and Ms Kleinschmidt."

Wilhelm smiled at the wolf. “Just call me Wilhelm, I'm not that fond of formalities."

“Y-yes, Wilhelm."

“So, where are you from?"

Tom scooped some more gravy from the main plate. “I'm from Barrowisle. Natively Indonesian but I was born and grew up in South Iceland."

Olivia served herself more of the duck. “Indonesian? I heard Indonesian food is spicy, is that true?"

“It depends on the region and tribe. Like, Javanese food is typically sweet."

“Sweet? Like… bread sweet?" Wilhelm asked.

“Kind of. They use palm sugar and soy sauce quite often…"

Max just fondly watched the wolf talk with his parents. Who knew they would bond over cuisine? The tension in the wolf's body seemed to dissipate and his family all quickly warmed up to the wolf without pestering him much with questions about being boyfriends with him. Nice.

Truthfully, Max felt a bit guilty to rope the wolf into coming here, but it was for the better. Tom wasn't against it, just didn't seem too fond of it. Max wanted to introduce him to his family, all the while wanted to make him feel less alone. It must've been hard to live as an orphan, so he'd like to give him a little taste of family.

Taking another piece of duck, Max watched their interaction contently.

“Rob, how did you meet him? He looks too sweet for you." said Carmila, taking his attention.

“Yeah, Rob, give him to me."

He gave Hans the duck's middle finger from the piece he was eating when his parents weren't looking, then turned to Carmila. “We were classmates. Yeah, he looks like a sweetheart but believe me when I say I will lose a fight with him."

“Really?"

“Seriously. Hans won't even stand a chance." He gulped his drink. It still unnerved him, but until now the wolf had been nothing but sweet. He never forced him anything, even during their first time getting sexual. Tom only went with his permission and backed off when he said no.

There were several things he noticed, both cute and terrifying. The way Tom put his towel on top of his head after having a shower or bath and the way his ears twitched is really cute, moreover the way his tail waved as he wondered what kind of tea did he want to make. Also, the cuddles, ugh. Max could just pull Tom into his hold and start nuzzling him and the wolf would instantly melt… actually Tom could just pull him into his hold and nuzzle him and make him melt too but Max would never admit that to his family.

The terrifying ones were… mainly that other personality, Lain. They met several more times and he kept his distance. Tom apologised for Lain's behaviour but he just waved it off. Other than that, the way Tom was able to tell things were terrifyingly accurate like he was a psychic, not to mention his lack of sympathy sometimes.

Seriously, that time when they watched a horror gore film together, Tom's comments and reactions were even more terrifying than the film. Max had to cover his eyes at the scene where the ghost was chopping the protagonists' legs off while Tom just watched it with a bored look on his face. “That's just wasting time. She could've just stabbed them in the chest and looked for the next victim, really. Or just slit their tongue, the screams are nice but too bothersome."

Max didn't want to watch horror films with Tom anymore.

Hans kicked him under the table, making him turn to look at him. “You're seriously putting me that low?"

“I'm not. Seriously, he's a skilled fighter." Max gulped his water. “Wait, it's your first time meeting him and you think how to beat him?"

“You're the one who brought that up."

“Yeah, Rob."

“Besides, what's with his…"

Max looked at Hans.

The older dog leant closer to him and his sister and whispered. “his… visual sensory organs?"

“You mean his eyes?"

“Yeah, Rob? Is he…?"

Shrugging, Max pushed his empty plate away. “No, he's not 'mutated' or whatever sci-fi stuff you think. It's a long story, but basically he just got red eyes. Anyway, treat him well, and you better not ask about his eyes." He pointed to his siblings. “And Hans, don't tease him!"

“Come on, you doubt your own brother?"

“I doubt you'll stay away from him when I'm not looking." He looked at his older brother with a smirk. “Carmila sure, you nope."

“How old is he anyway?"

“He's 24. Just think of him as a nicer me and Hans."

Hans snorted. “You're literally roasting yourself."

Max snorted back. “At least I have the decency to see my weakness."

Before they knew it, the food on the table was finished and they were full. Max looked at the wolf, he looked less awkward and happier now. He tried to exclude Hans from his conversations because it was too funny to see his brother getting frustrated, but Tom talked with him just fine. He was glad he and his family got along well.

Tom wanted to help his mother clean the dishes, but she declined. “It's okay, sweetie. You go up and freshen up. Also, Rob, don't stay up too late. We're going to the church tomorrow. Would you mind if we leave the house to you, Tom?"

The wolf nodded and smiled. “Sure. Just lock the door, I'll stay in Max's room."

“Thanks, sweetie. We still have tonight's leftovers. I'll warm it up in the morning and put it on the counter." She turned to Max. “Now, Rob, show him the shower in case he wants to freshen up."

“Will do, mom." Max stood up. “Come on, let's get upstairs."

When they were in his room, Max instantly took his trousers off and sat down on the bed, leaning on the headboard with arms on his stomach. Ohh, he missed his mother's cooking. Nothing could compare to his mother's cooking… except maybe Tom's cooking.

“Your family is friendly." Tom said as he took his own trousers off and picked the dog's own up from the corner of the bed.

“Sure they are! Just stay away from Hans, okay?" He joked.

“Why is that?"

“He's gonna tease you to death."

“Um, is he… you know?"

Max chuckled. “No, he's not gay, maybe, I dunno. But he just likes to tease people."

“Like you."

“I don't!"

“Sure. Why else?" Tom plugged his phone.

“Because he's awesome!" Hans suddenly opened the door and went inside.

He grumbled. “Get the fuck out, dude."

“Come on, you're seriously throwing me away? Rude."

“He's the guest one here!"

Ignoring Max, Hans walked to Tom and greeted him cheerfully. “So, yeah, I'm Hans, Rob's brother." He sat down on the chair.

Tom smiled and nodded at him. “Nice to meet you, Hans. Max told me about you."

“Max?" The older shepherd looked at his brother on the bed. “Oh, Rob. Middle name basis?"

“Um, we usually just call him Max."

“You know they call me Max there." Max threw him the note he left.

“Heh, can I do that too? Call me Chris."

“Uh, okay?"

“Tom, don't."

The wolf sat on the bed, keeping a healthy distance from Max. “Honestly, I think Hans suits you better. So, Hans Chris Kleinschmidt?"

“Hansen Christian Kleinschmidt." Said dog proudly puffed his chest. “Amateur doctor."

“Hentai doctor."

“And that's my younger brother, Robert Maximilian Kleinschmidt, recently graduated university but can't seem to get things right."

Max rolled his eyes, Tom chuckled.

“So, terminator guy, how did you manage to fuck him?" Hans then said with a grin, instantly making both Tom and Max go red.

“I-I'm sorry, what?"

“What the fuck, Hans!"

Hans himself was laughing.

Max stood up and tackled his brother to the bed, “Come on! Apologize!"

“O-or what? You're gonna beat me?" Despite being under Max, Hans still dared smirk at him.

“Not me, he is."

Tom only looked at them anxiously.

“Hehe, fine, fine, I'll apologize. Just lemme go already."

With a hmph, Max let him go, though he was sure Hans could wrestle him back if he wanted. He sat back down next to Tom whose ears were down.

Hans took Tom's hand and shook it, sitting beside Tom. “Heh, sorry, man. You know Rob, he likes to tease people."

“Okay, now get the fuck away from my room." Max let Tom shift closer to him, swearing to protect him from this reincarnation of evil that was his brother.

Hans scratched his nape and grinned sheepishly at the two, though his tail was wagging. “Well, how about I make you some pancakes later tonight? Rob said my pancakes tasted good."

Eyeing his brother suspiciously, Max pulled Tom closer to him. “That's awfully nice of you."

“Shut up, I'm trying to be nice."

“O-okay? I guess." Tom squeaked.

“Great! Sorry about that, Tom. It's too personal, I know." Hans stood up and smiled at them. “My room is just that one over there. Feel free to come and hang out if you want."

“Will keep that in mind, thanks."

“Cool." The older shepherd walked out of the room, then closed the door softly.

Now that his brother was gone, Max let out a relieved sigh. He didn't let Tom go, but the wolf detached himself from his hold. Max kind of missed the warmth. “Sorry about my brother. He's an ass, I know."

“It's okay. He means well, I can see it." Tom chuckled and ran his hands through his fluff. “So, uh… this is your room?"

Max looked around. “Yeah. I lived here till I went to Barrowisle, since then it's been empty, though I'm pretty sure my bro or sis sometimes sleep here anyway."

“Your bed is… um… small."

He looked at his bed. “Eh, really? I always think it's big enough. I mean, sometimes Hans sleeps here with me."

“Hans sleeps here with you?"

“Yeah, sometimes, and we fit… well barely fit but it's better than the floor. I wonder why we still do that, too, but habits, I guess. We used to share a room until I was seven when we were given our own room." He let out a chuckle and lay down on the bed, patting the space under his arm. “Come here. I wanna cuddle."

The wolf let out a small chuckle. “Okay sure."

He lay on the bed and snuggled himself next to the dog. When he was comfortable, Max started stroking his fur, happy with the warmth between them. “Wanna watch a movie or somethin'?"

“Nah, this is okay."

“Anyway, I hate to admit but Hans' cooking is good. You should eat his pancakes."

“Really? I reckon I have yet another one to teach me some recipes." Tom laughed.

Max laughed along.

hans get ze flammenwerfer