Tom stared at his
reflection in the mirror. It looked tired, stressed, even depressed. The
reflection's shoulders sagged as if it were carrying a burden too heavy for it.
The eyes looked tired as if the person had already given up. He wanted to say
that this was not him, that he was looking forward to spending the winter
holiday with joy. Unfortunately, mirrors couldn't lie.

However, what stood
up from the rest was his right eye. It looked bright red, the iris, so bizarre,
so… otherworldly. A contrast to his faded red left eye.

And it couldn't see.

No matter how hard he
tried, his right eye couldn't see. His vision was now imperfect, limited only
to the other eye he had left. He was partially blind. Fuck Rodrigo's boss for
kicking him that hard.

Maybe his time was
approaching. Doctor had said that his eyes might no longer be able to see, and
he had come to terms with it. He had surrendered himself to the harshness of
reality. Surgery was an option but he couldn't afford it.

He looked away and
sat on his bed, burying his face in his arms. Sure, it made him look so awesome;
red heterochromia looked so cool in films and comics, and his was no exception.
However, he wondered how would people think of him, because no matter how, his
eyes were different.

Different.

He lay on the bed and
stared at the ceilings. This one, he couldn't hide it. Scars, sure. Cuts, of
course. Blood streaks, easy. But an eye is something everyone looked at. He
couldn't just hide it because people would ask.

Why did the world
hate him so much? He only wanted to be normal, dammit; was that too much
to ask?! Normal life was enough.

The grey wolf took a
deep breath. Covering it with an eyepatch would be the best option, but he
couldn't go to the city without anyone noticing his eyes.

His alarm rang. It
was 5 in the morning.

Rule one: do not
stand out too much.

Whatever. If people
were going to see, then so be it.

“He got away."

Rodrigo looked at the
floor, leaving his boss to talk to his boss' boss. He disliked this part of his
job because meeting the gang leader or the Big Boss meant listening to his
insanity.

At least this time it
wasn't his fault.

“No surprise there."
The bear puffed his cigarette. “I wasn't really expecting you to catch him,
anyway."

The bison flinched.

“Apologies, boss,
we—"

Big Boss cut him.
“Nonetheless, I expect you to bring me some information."

“Y-yes." His boss
walked to Big Boss' desk, the footsteps very audible in the deadly quiet room.
The room was cold, dark, and in his opinion, very uncomfortable for him. Like
the rest of the building, the room was very disorienting.

As his boss walked
closer to the desk, the guards slowly lessened their hold on the guns. Big Boss
only looked at him when he put something on the desk.

“He is attending
Barrowisle University, eighth semester. We couldn't find what major he is
attending."

Big Boss hummed.

“He has just finished
his internship, but we couldn't find what company he worked in."

Rodrigo heard a gun
clicking, and he closed his eyes.

“Good." Big Boss
said, seemingly pleased with the information. But words could lie. “Do you have
anything to add?"

Feeling that he was being addressed, he opened his eyes and looked up
slightly. "No, sir." He actually wanted to tell that he met Red Wolf a
few days ago when he was almost dead after a failed mission in that
alleyway, but Red Wolf didn't kill him. The least he could do was to
stay quiet. "That is everything we found."

“Good." Leaning back
on his seat, Big Boss made a gesture and one of his underlings came forward.
“Take this evidence to Caroline. She knows what to do."

“Yes, sir."

He then looked back
at them. “Dismissed."

The bison bowed, then
turned around as the guards escorted them.

If only the exit were
not paved with thorns and venom.

It was barely 9, but
people were already busy on the streets. Tom walked close to the buildings, trying
to blend in. The coat he was wearing was thick and its hood covered his head,
casting a shadow over his face. He looked intimidating, which was good because
people wouldn't come close to him.

Great, he was going
to spend the winter holiday and new year alone with only one eye functioning.
Max and Octo left a week ago, while Martin and Lucy were leaving today. Even
Kevin went back home. Next week was the last week of the year; he wished the
shops were still open.

He noticed someone
staring at him, but he ignored it. Stares were normal if he looked like this
anyway. Back to the road like old times, he guessed.

“Someone's
staring."

Tom put his hands in
his pockets. “I noticed. I can't figure
out who is it."

“Me neither."
His ear flicked. “It's pretty far from here."

He sighed and curled
his tail closer to his body. “Lain, keep looking out for them."

“Will do."

Despite the constant
stare he was feeling, he kept walking. Maybe someone was just curious about him;
maybe the stare was not harmful and they were just wondering about his thick coat
and the way it covered his face.

He had to think
positively, lest his fur bristle.

Okay, think about
Max. Max was nice. Max was big. Max was friendly. Max was warm. He kept his
gaze low as he crossed the road, imagining that Max was beside him and playing
his phone instead. Yes, that would do.

He took a turn in an
intersection, and his posture lessened a little. The stare was gone.

“They're gone."

“Good."

Tom pulled his phone
from his pocket. It was 9, and the city was bustling in winter. Despite the
piles of snow almost everywhere, people were walking here and there minding
their own business. Some of the shops had already been closed.

Looking up at a sign,
he silently sighed in relief when the optics shop was near. He had no idea
where could he get an eyepatch other than the optics shop. Probably it was also
available in general accessories, but he was afraid it would be too crowded.

He opened the door to
the shop when he thought it was safe. There were several customers there. He
ignored them and walked inside where a shopkeeper greeted him.

“Good day! Is there
anything we could he—"

The shopkeeper's
words were cut when he looked up, looking at him with wide eyes. The wolf could
see the shock on the other's face. He narrowed his eyes in defence as the
shopkeeper stared at his eye.

“I need eyepatches."

“R-right." She was
snapped from staring at his eye. “Over here."

He followed her,
ignoring the stares he was getting from the other customers.

“What happened to
you, i-if you don't mind me asking?" she tried to start a conversation as she
looked for the eyepatches.

Tom leant on the
table. He didn't want to be frightening, but he thought his previous expression
already gave it away. “Long story. Let's just say I got punched in the eye."

“Must be a fight."

“You have no idea."
He replied.

“Here they are." She
put several eyepatches on the table, ranging from fashionable to plain ones.
“We don't have many, though."

“It's fine." Tom
picked the plain white one. He didn't want to attract attention, so the other
ones were noes. “How much does this one cost?"

“That one costs a
quarter. This one costs half each."

The wolf looked to
where she was pointing. That one seemed better, but the colour was too bright.
“I'll take the white one, four of them."

“Right away." She
took more of it and put them in front of him. “That would be one euro. Do you
want to wear one now?"

He narrowed his eyes
again, and she took a step back with a forced smile.

Whatever. Tom took
one and pulled his hood down. He then put the eyepatch on to cover his red eye
and looked at the mirror on the wall.

He looked… defeated.

The wolf let out a
sigh and handed her the money. “Thanks a lot." he said as he took the remaining
eyepatches and walked away, fully aware of the whispers behind his back without
Lain needing to tell him.

The wolf only flattened
his ears and waved his tail as he opened the door, and the whispers stopped. He
gave a small sigh, then exited the shop with the door softly clicked behind him.

Max walked to his
home, gripping his head. Sometimes, he wasn't quite bright in life decision
stuff, he admitted, but he met some of his high school friends; leaving early
would seem rude. He didn't plan to stay up until this late, but it happened.

He took his phone
from his pocket as he crushed the snow under his feet. Maybe he shouldn't go
home by himself since he felt like falling any minute. He tapped his brother's
contact and gave it a call. No answer, maybe he'd already been asleep.

Tom was several
provinces away, unfortunately, so he couldn't just call him to pick him up.
Ugh, it had only been two weeks and he missed the wolf already. Christmas just
didn't feel quite right without him. Heck, he felt kind of empty without him.
Best friends really stuck together, huh?

He wondered, did Tom
celebrate Christmas? He wanted to say Merry Christmas to him last year, but the
wolf didn't seem to partake in it.

Ehh, set the deep
stuff aside for later. Better concentrate on the road and the direction for
now.

The dog finally
arrived at his home. He stumbled with the keys, but then unlocked it and went
inside after a bit of difficulty. The lamps were off, but he could hear the television
in the living room.

He took his coat off
and put it on the hanger, shaking his body to get the remaining snow off. When
he saw the snow all over the door, he realised it wasn't the correct decision.

“Hans, you there?" he
said, maybe his brother was in the living room. There was only a grunt as a
reply.

Max walked to the
living room. Hans was sitting on the couch, watching the TV. He noticed there
was a keyboard on the table, so maybe the older dog was hooking his laptop to
the television.

His older brother
looked up when he entered, an amused smile on his face. “I remember telling you
to get home before 10."

“Fuck off." Max said
as he lay down next to him. “You didn't pick up my call."

“I left my phone in
my room."

Max just grunted.

“You didn't drink,
did you, Rob?"

“I didn't drink."

“Good." Hans just
laughed and ruffled Max's head fur on his thigh. “Don't sleep on the couch,
dumbass."

“I sleep wherever I
want."

“Yeah, sure. Totally
believe that."

Max opened his eyes
and glared at his brother, who just shrugged and went back to watching.

It was late in the
night. There was no sound other than the television and occasional laughter
Hans made. Max almost drifted to sleep if it wasn't for Hans asking him. “When
are you graduating?"

“Next year." He
simply replied.

“If things go
smoothly unlike last time?"

“At least I have
college while you're just rusting over here."

The darker-furred dog
pushed his snout away. “I have a job, you know."

“What were you doing
when you didn't have a job?"

“Duh. I took care of
'lil sis, you, and had college." Hans grinned playfully. “It's not my
fault I graduated before you."

Max just frowned and
looked away.

Amused at his little
brother's reaction, Hans wrestled him on the sofa, making Max jolt awake and
yell. “Good thing I'm the older one, heh?"

“Ack—get off!"

He then released him
and sat back down with Max lying hopelessly next to him on the sofa. “Shit, you
stink."

The younger dog just
grunted and rolled to his side.

“Good thing you been
working out over there." said Hans as he gripped Max's arms and back.

“Still love my
muscles, thank you."

“How many girls did
you do since we last met?"

“Dunno. Didn't
count."

Hans laughed.

“How many did you
do?" Max asked him back.

“Didn't count
either."

Max chuckled. “Does
dad know?"

“Don't act like you
never heard dad's crazy stories when he was young."

They laughed.

“Hey, dude, wanna
work out together tomorrow?"

“Sure, but the gym's
probably closed tomorrow."

“Right, it's
Christmas."

They fell into a
comfortable silence after that. Max put his head on Hans' thigh, feeling like
drifting to sleep. Of course, his brother didn't allow him to slip so easily.
He rolled him over so that he was lying on his back. Max wanted to glare at
him, but he ended up just staring at the ceiling wondering why did he have him
as his brother.

Probably he should be thankful instead. Many of his
friends told him that they didn't get along well with their older brothers,
while here he was, snuggling with him. Hans was supportive, nice, and really, a
well-meaning arsehole in his opinion. They often gang up together just to annoy
their little sister, much to their parents' dismay.

He should be thankful. Then, he should be annoyed. Especially
now as Hans poked his nose just for the sake of poking his nose.

“Get to bed, don't sleep here." The older dog said
with an easy smile. “Trust me, sleeping on the couch isn't something you want
to do."

“Already did that often enough." Max let out a sigh
and sat up. “Let's get to sleep already. What the hell are you watching this
late, anyway?"

“Eh, nothing in particular."

“Let's just get to bed." he stood up, stretching his arms
and yawned.

That bastard just grinned at him. “Miss snuggling with
me already?"

Max kicked his foot, earning a laugh. “Yes, now get
the fuck upstairs!"

Sometimes, he wondered why did they still do stuff
together. While their parents were happy that they got along well even until
now, they were full-grown adults with opposing interests and different
opinions. Maybe it was because they were brothers, but that didn't explain why
they still slept together sometimes—literally just sleep together, he still had
his mind intact. It wasn't often anymore after Hans had his first wet dream,
but still.

Besides, people tended to have a hard time telling
them apart. Perhaps despite their differences, they were really similar in
posture and character, and the fact that Hans' fur was just several degrees
darker than him might confuse people.

“You wanna sleep in my room or yours?"

Max took his shirt off and straightened his t-shirt
underneath. “Who says we're sleeping together?"

“I'll just head back to my—"

“Okay, okay! Mine if you want."

Hans just laughed and shoved him playfully. “You're
gonna wake everyone up like that."

The moment Max opened his bedroom door, he launched
himself to the bed, feeling glad that he had something soft to sleep on. He moaned
into the pillow, wanting to take his jeans off but too lazy to do so.

However, his phone vibrated. He groaned and rolled
over to his back. Ugh, just when he was about to sleep.

“Gotta say good night first, heh?" Hans grinned at him
and lay next to him.

Max just hmph'ed and took his jeans off, taking his phone
from his pocket in the meantime. There was a notification from his Chirper
about a trending chirp.

He almost threw his phone at the useless notification.
He'd been doing some digital detox Tom taught him but some of the notifications
were still haunting him.

Speaking of Tom,

The dog put a pillow under his head and wrote a text
to Tom, kind of wishing he could call him instead. It was late in the night; he
knew he shouldn't contact the wolf now but he couldn't help it. He typed “Dude
u asleep yet?" and put his phone down.

The reply came not long after. Tom Luis: “Couldn't
sleep nih, headache. I've taken the pill, though. Why aren't you asleep?"

“Is she asleep?" his brother asked next to him with a
teasing tone. “You weren't asking her for some titpics, right?"

Max just glared at him. “Just go sleep already. And
stop wagging your tail!"

Hans laughed again and pulled the blanket over them.

“Met some old friends earlier and super tired but
can't sleep" He stared at his
text. Well, he could sleep, really, but, uh... “You wanna vidcall?"

That sounded like he was desperately missing him,
didn't it? He wanted to retract the message, but Tom had already seen it. Well,
he was doomed.

Tom Luis: “Sorry, I'd like to but not right now. My
head is spinning. I'm dictating my messages to you right now by the way."

He let out a sigh at that, feeling relieved that Tom
wasn't taking him as a creep. “Eh, that's fine. You drank too much?"

Tom Luis: “No not drinking. This juice kind of happens
sometimes."

Tom Luis: “*just"

Tom Luis: “Dammit how the f*** can text to speech have
typos?"

Uh… how could he reply to that message?

Before he could type a reply, a voice message came
through. He played it as he pulled the blanket. “Y'know, you can just send some voice messages if you
want to speak." followed by a small but
tired chuckle.

That made Max chuckle along. Tom's voice always
sounded right; he always sounded calming.

He tapped the record message button. “Maybe I just wanna
hear your voice before I sleep." That sounded cheesy but whatever, it wasn't
like they had never said shits like that anyway.

Max felt some vibrations, and he whacked Hans' arse
when he realised that his brother was laughing silently.

“Talk dirty to me." Even through the voice, he could hear the playful
smile on the wolf's face.

Max calmed himself from laughing, then tapped the
record button. “In the toilet, a dirt-covered Kevin is washing his socks and
shoes with mud."

This time Hans laughed quite loudly. Max pulled his
tail, “Shut up, bro!"

“I don't know if you're that clueless or if you're
just playing along." Hans said, turning around to face him with that stupid
grin.

Max rolled his eyes.

Another message came, this time accompanied by a
breathless laugh. “I'm not sure if you really mean to put Kevin as dirty."

Hans' expression turned curious. He shifted closer to
Max to better hear the message. “Max, it's a guy?"

The younger dog just moved away. “Get off! You just
said I stink."

“Max, really, it's a guy?"

He sighed a bit. “Yeah, it's a guy, which is why we're
not sexting like you and Jennie yesterday." Hans' ears went down a bit.
“Anyway, where's Jennie?"

“Don't talk about Jennie." The older dog groaned and lay
on his back.

Max grinned. “Kevin is dirty. Anyway, I'm going to
sleep now. Good night."

“Night. Dream of me. Eh no don't dream of me lest my
ears get warm."

The dog laughed at the remark and put his phone on the
nightstand. He then turned and snuggled himself next to his brother. “Cold
night, yeah, bro?"

Hans didn't move, just staring at the ceiling. “Why
did you have to mention Jennie?"

Max pushed his snout away, earning a weak groan. “Cheer
up, at least I'm here to warm you up from cold heartless women like her."

That made his brother huff a little with a smile. “You
really are a terrible bundle of shit, aren't you?"

Max looked at him, then released his hold and turned
his back to him. “I take that back, go warm yourself."

“Oh, come on, I need some warmth!"

“Go cuddle with her instead."

“I'd cuddle with her but you're the one who's here."

“That's fuckin' disgusting!"

“I'm more disgusting than you!"

They went quiet to take in the words he just said.

Max then laughed as Hans quickly corrected his own
words. “Wait, fuck no! You're more disgusting than me!"

Eventually, they drifted to sleep while lying shoulder
to shoulder under the blanket.

I want to have Hans as my brother ;_:

Maybe their interaction is too much as brothers but
it's the reason Max doesn't feel too put off being touchy-feely with Tom. He's
already used to being touchy with dudes… er, his brother.

Fun fact: once, Max cuddled Octo in his sleep in a
hotel room after a match, leaving the panther clueless, confused, and turned on.