Kevin wanted to go back to sleep, but the sun was already up in the sky.
Arm over his head, the red wolf stared at the ceilings. There was a hole there,
one that he always promised to fix when he had the money. Somehow, he never had
any to fix it. It wasn't very big anyway, so he'd fix it later when he had the
money.

The wolf turned to lie on his side and found a red-furred back and fluffy
black-and-red tail. Right, he had a client last night.

Sitting up, he gripped his head, then felt a sting in his arse. Right,
last night he agreed to be the bottom, much to his partner's delight. It didn't
hurt now, fortunately, just uncomfortable. His partner's dick wasn't small, but
he was glad it wasn't very big either.

What day was it today?

Groggily reaching for his phone on the nightstand, the wolf yawned and
saw two unread messages from Yiffr along with many other notifications. Right,
he forgot to reply to them last afternoon. His phone had been forgotten since
he met this red panda in a Chick-er-ed last afternoon. This red panda was Esteban,
a rather regular partner of his. He was about 20 years older than the wolf, but
somehow, he was still single.

Kevin put his phone back on the nightstand and stood up. He stretched
for a bit, his body feeling tired from last night. There was fur everywhere on
the bed and his fluff was a mess. They went for… three rounds? Four rounds? He
wasn't sure, though the ache from his backside suggested they had been rather
intense.

Grabbing the towel from the chair, he turned to go to the bathroom, but
when he saw cum streaks there, he put it back. There should be another in the
cupboard. After taking the fresh towel, he headed to the bathroom to wash up.

On another thought, he turned around and took the cum-streaked towel and
brought it with him to be put in the laundry basket.

Closing his eyes, he let the water rain down on his body. His fur
softened and flushed, revealing the contour of his muscles beneath. Wolves had
such long fur, he thought, but he didn't really want to complain when it made
him look even hotter. He then opened his eyes and saw lots of red and cream fur
on the floor. Letting out a sigh, he realised he wasn't done shedding for
winter. Maybe out of stress rather than coat change since it should've been
done about one or two weeks after the first snow.

He got to work to clean his body, wiping the excess fur and cum streaks
on his abs, chest, arse, and the base of his tail. When he felt enough, he took
the shampoo and applied it all over his body, taking his time rubbing his fur
to get the loose fur off and wash the red panda's scent. The scars on his back
no longer hurt, but the fur there had not fully regrown, making some fur gaps
in the shape of four claw marks.

When he was done, he turned the water off and shook his body vigorously,
then stared at the wall as he waited for the remaining water to drip.

What was he doing?

He closed his eyes. Esteban was a generous guy. He always gave him some
tips after sessions. Yet, Kevin knew that he couldn't be the red panda's sex
partner forever. He should get a job soon or he couldn't even pay rent. The following
weeks after he got his problem with Tom sorted out, he had only been eating two
meals per day. He had been miserable ever since he went back home; he hadn't
really been able to get himself in check.

Some people asked him for sessions, but he could only refuse them with a
heavy heart. He needed the money, but he couldn't even get hard. Only
after a lot of small talks and casual conversations could Esteban ease his mind
and get him into the mood.

At least Octo had generously paid for his food when he met the panther,
but he knew that wasn't going to happen every day. The panther was crazy rich,
but he knew he should make his own money. He should work his arse off to make a
better life for himself and his mother.

Letting out another sigh, the wolf stepped out from the shower and wiped
his body using the towel. A blower would be a nice birthday gift for him next
year, but it was too expensive. For now, towels should be enough, no matter how
soaked were they after he used them. It was a bit better, though, since he
could leave his fur a bit damp to avoid getting too puffy after showering.

He put his pants on and exited the bathroom. Right, he had to do
laundry. This flat had no laundry service, so he had to go out.

Esteban was already putting his clothes on when he saw him. Kevin threw
the towel over his shoulder and took the red panda's wallet on the nightstand.
“Don't forget it again." Kevin said as he gave it to him. “You don't wanna take
a shower?"

“Heh, ye know ye're gonna give it to me anyway." Esteban took it with a
grin. “Nah, too lazy. I'll do it when I get home."

“How about the smell?"

“I brought deodorant."

The wolf just sat down on the bed as the red panda opened his wallet.
“So, here're four hundred and fifty silvor." He gave the wolf the money.

Kevin raised his brow. “Didn't we agree on four hundred like usual?"

“Ye let me fuck you, of course I oughta appreciate that." The red panda
smiled and put the money in his hand. “And your arse is tight, kid."

The wolf looked at the money, then back at the red panda. “Thanks, man."

But he gave him another fifty euros. “And here's for breakfast."

“Hey, isn't it too much?"

“Heh, I just got my promotion, worry not. Besides, ye look like ye need
some help." The red panda flashed him a concerned look.

He accepted the banknote and scratched his ear. “Uh, thanks a lot.
Really."

“If ye will talk about it, just talk with me, kid. I'm not gonna
complain." The red panda ruffled his hair. “'Sides, I'm not that old."

“I'll… uh, keep that in mind." He tried to smile back, but then he
remembered something. “Hey, uh, is there… any openings at your workplace?"

“Not right now. Been a while since I saw a new recruit. I'll definitely
let you know if there's one. Also, make sure to apply for unemployment at the
city hall. Ye can't get money with that but at least the basics should be
covered and they can help you find a job. Make sure to read the requirements
first, though."

“Um, yeah, thanks."

The red panda took his small bag and walked away, giving him a smile.
“Thanks for the night, kid."

After the door closed, the wolf let out a tired sigh. He looked at the
money in his hand, at the colourful sheets of paper with numbers on it. “Five
hundred for a night, huh?" He gripped the banknotes and smiled dejectedly. “Am
I that hot or that miserable?"

Kevin kicked the laundry door open and grunted as threw a bag containing
his newly washed clothes over his shoulder. Ever since he graduated from
university, he felt like his life was becoming worse, even though it was just
two or three months ago. It felt like he had been kicked out from the only safe
place he knew and forced to keep standing without anything to help him.

He was glad the university accepted his scholarship application. That
meant he had to work his arse off only to pay the remaining fifty per cent as
well as keeping his grades up to pass his class without getting a single D as
the scholarship terms said. He might not be the most diligent of students…
okay, truthfully he was amongst the laziest, but he did keep his grades up
because he really wanted to finish university with good grades, not just
because he wanted the scholarship. That at least gave him a pretty solid GPA of
3,3.

This was so utterly laughable, really. The ace of the team who won the
national university basketball championship was selling himself just to get by.
While it was neither illegal nor looked down upon, at least not much, it was
really unbefitting. Between sending job applications and rarely attending
interviews, it was the only thing he could do to keep standing by himself. He
just needed a job, then he could start piecing his life together.

At first, this was something he didn't mean to do. He was gay and he
wasn't going to deny it. Yet, one night in university, this sexy girl was
willing to pay him three hundred euros for a night because she was extremely
horny for him. Kevin of course refused, but dang wasn't that easy money. In the
end, he agreed, and although he did nothing more than just laying down trying
to keep his dick hard as she rode him, it was still easy money.

As he began to get more desperate and stressed, even more so while he
was trying to move on from Tom even when the grey wolf kept making him hope, he
started to try to do it with guys. Then, what started as something out of
necessity turned into something that proved that he was good at something… out
of necessity. He'd always promised to himself that he wasn't going to make it
his main source of income, that he was going to get a job that paid well, but
it seemed like that promise wasn't meant to be fulfilled these days.

Almost all his national championship rewards had gone into paying the
tuition fee—which while cheap, was still too much for him whose income was
practically zero euros per month—with a small amount for his personal use and
some more to have been sent to his mother. Good thing the dorms weren't very
expensive; although his rent now was as cheap as his dorm fee, he'd far prefer
the dorms to this.

Yet, he wasn't one to complain. After all, his life now was much better
than back at home where his brother could make him even more miserable.

He was just starting to walk away when someone whacked his head from
behind, almost making him stumble and fall. He turned around and growled,
gripping his head, then saw a familiar dumb face.

“You look dead." Vilkas said to him with an easy grin.

The wolf punched him, maybe a bit harder than necessary, and picked his
laundry bag up, cleaning it from the snow. Vilkas asked him to hang out
earlier, but he told the blue husky to fuck off, then told him that he was in
his usual laundry. “You will be if you fuckin' do that again."

“Heh, I'm still waiting for that day when you finally live up to your
words."

He snorted at the husky, but it only made said husky laugh. He knew he
wouldn't really do that; Vilkas had been one of his closest friends since university.
While he didn't fully trust the husky, at least they knew they could depend on
each other… sometimes.

Other times, he really felt like punching him. He did punch him once or
twice, but often he held back because under all of that, Vilkas was a well-behaved
but rebellious rich kid whom he didn't really want to get in trouble with.
Although he was chill and really a great guy to hang out with, Kevin did not
want to know what would happen if his parents got word that he hurt him.

Vilkas himself said his parents were strict, that was why he moved to
the dorms for university.

The husky walked beside him. “The fuck are you so fucked up this early
anyway?"

“Maybe because the one I called fucking hung up on me?"

“Ouch, mate, you're angry about that?"

He rolled his eyes. “No, totally not angry about that. I'm just bored,
after all. I mean, I was just fucking waiting for an hour."

“Hey, sorry, wolf. I told you I was—"

“The fuck are you poking your nose on someone's ass this early anyway?"

Vilkas shrugged. “Just wanted to take a walk in the snow."

Kevin looked at him up and down, noticing that he was only wearing a
t-shirt and a thin jacket, then huffed. “You really live up to your species."

Vilkas laughed. “You're even only wearing a t-shirt, y'know!"

He just snorted. That was because all his jackets were in the laundry
bag. It wasn't that cold, anyway…

“Anyway, wanna go do something today?"

“Like?"

“You know, going somewhere, maybe the cinema." He shrugged. “Or a
concert, I just found out there's one near the city square."

The wolf looked at him. He envied Vilkas, really. Coming from a rich
family, Vilkas was spoiled at times. Kevin even doubted he had ever thought
about not having enough money for anything. He found out about his family when
he took a look at the husky's photos, one that showed his “house".

Heh, more like a palace.

He really wanted to go somewhere with him, to make himself feel less
miserable, but he knew he could not, should not if he wanted five
hundred euros to last a month. He'd buy supplies later, and maybe it would be a
good idea to delete protein powder from his shopping list. He even cancelled
his gym membership in fear he could not afford it in the long term.

“Mate, you in?"

Letting out a sigh, they stopped at a tram stop. “Would like to but got
stuff to do."

“Aw, come on!"

“Fuck off, Vil. I got stuff to do." said the wolf as he sat down on the available
bench.

The blue husky didn't answer.

Kevin looked up and found he was staring at him curiously. “What?"

“Ate you breakfast?"

“No, why?"

“That's why you're grumpy." Vilkas ruffled his hair; Kevin just mrf'ed.
“Come on, let's get some breakfast."

His stomach rumbled. Perhaps the husky was right, he needed breakfast…
at 11 in the morning. Truthfully he wanted to skip breakfast and just eat lunch
later to save some money. “You haven't had breakfast?" he asked the husky as
they got on the tram.

Vilkas chuckled and sat down. “Nope, I woke up late."

Kevin shrugged.

“Where'd you wanna get breakfast?"

“Wherever you want."

“How about that restaurant near my place?"

He looked at Vilkas again. “Oi." Last time he ate there with the husky
and some more from the basketball club, he spent seventeen euros for just one
meal. Admittedly it was very good but no way was he going there again.

“Okay, okay. Kebab sounds good?"

Eh, whatever. As long as he could get a decent snack for two euros or
less. “Sure. By the way, give me fifty euros on Owo or Shoppy. I'll give you
the cash."

“Sure, sure."

Vilkas then told him to get down. Kevin complied, and after a bit of
hassle of getting his e-money card from his wallet, he got down the tram. The
husky seemed to know this area, so he just followed him as he walked. The
laundry bag was starting to feel heavy; he might need breakfast sooner than
later. “Is it far?"

“Nah, I know where. Just one more turn then straight down the road."

“Why didn't we just get off at the next stop?"

“Next stop is over 750 metres, dumbarse."

They took a turn, then he noticed two figures exiting a building across
the road.

Were those… Tom and Max?

Yes, those were Tom and Max. They looked so happy. Max's hand was on
Tom's shoulders, they were laughing and joking. Somehow, their laughter made
him smile a little; they looked so good together.

That jealousy came again, and his smile faltered. No, he was not jealous
of Max being boyfriends with Tom, but at them. They looked so good
together, and that was a reminder that he needed someone. He wanted to be able
to look like that. Fuck being poor, at least he had someone to be poor
with.

Sometimes Octo came to his mind, but no. Like Vilkas, compared to Octo,
he was a no-one. He was too low for the panther. He couldn't afford to make the
panther look bad, so he shrugged it off. Besides, he wasn't great at
relationships anyway; the last “boyfriend" he had dumped him because he kept
having fucks with other people.

The harsh reality was he needed to do that because of money, not because
he wanted to. There might be other reasons, but that was the most important.

Maybe he shouldn't call him his boyfriend while they only went on three
or four dates. In fact, he shouldn't call any of them his boyfriends when they
only went on three or four dates. That was why he always considered himself
never having a boyfriend.

“Hey, Kevin!" he heard Vilkas yelled at him.

He wanted to come there, to give a punch at Tom's and Max's shoulders
and laugh with them. The grey wolf was his big brother, not biological, but at
least he was there to make his days a lot more bearable. Max was a good friend
of his.

However, he couldn't. He could risk a tooth or two if he came close to
Max. He angered the shepherd the last time they met, and while he had made up
with Tom, he hadn't done so with the shepherd. He knew that he was on the
shepherd's bad side, and it still made him angry at himself when he realised
that he had said those things to Tom.

So, no, maybe not. He'd need to make up with Max first.

“Hey, you okay?" Vilkas punched his shoulder softly.

Kevin looked at the husky, then beckoned him to walk. “Yeah, just
thought I saw someone I know."

“Who?" Vilkas looked in the direction he'd been staring, but Tom and Max
had already gone out of view.

“Dunno. Told ya I thought it was someone I know."

“On one winter morning, Kevin thought he saw someone he knows." The blue
husky said with a small laugh, ignoring the offended glare the wolf gave him.
“Come on, I'm hungry."

Tbh I feel bad for Kevin after writing this