Tom sat down at his desk and leant on it. He glanced at the clock; lunchtime was just around the corner, yet every second felt like forever.

Usually, he went home when people were having a lunch break. As per his internship agreement said, he only needed to work 5 hours per day anyway. His job was still somewhat harder compared to the rest of his workmates, but he was having the same base wage as them, just minus the allowance and perks. Fortunately, his workmates never complained about that… not that he interacted with them much. It had been almost a week and he didn't even know the name of the buffalo whose table was just next to him.

His boss was moved to another department last week. Officially, she worked for the last time last Friday, but she wanted to make sure everything still went smoothly so she came yesterday.

Today, his new boss and a new workmate were coming. His other workmates had gossiped about them having taken a peek at them during the interview. Apparently, his new boss was kind, easy-going, and beautiful, while his new workmate was tall, dark, and handsome.

Tom chuckled a bit; maybe he now had a reason to go home after lunch instead.

But it was almost twelve and they hadn't arrived. Perhaps his luck was for tomorrow.

“Hey guys, he's here! He's here!" Michelle said as she happily ran to her workmates' desks. Tom just let out a chuckle as he watched her.

“Where is he?"

“He just left the branch manager's room!"

The wolf ignored the ladies gossiping and replied to some emails on his desktop instead. It wouldn't really concern him anyway. Women could sometimes be hard to read.

Freya came to his table, followed by Michelle and Kimberley. “Tom! Tom! Do I look beautiful?"

“Yeah, Tom! I don't look messy, do I?"

“I gotta comb my hair a bit more. Where's my comb?!"

The wolf shyly smiled a bit. “Um, you're all beautiful. Don't worry."

The door then opened, and the ladies squeaked. Tom glanced at the newcomer and silently sighed in relief.

“Oh, come on! We weren't expecting you, Jonas!"

Jonas just shrugged and sat on his seat. “They're on their way, anyway."

Oh, so the buffalo's name was Jonas.

The girls squealed again, and Tom just rolled his eyes.

Several moments later, the door opened again, revealing the branch manager and two strangers behind her. Tom stood from his seat to greet his new boss and workmate, but he froze when he saw them.

Behind his new boss, who was a beautiful cat lady, by the way, was someone he recognised.

“Good day everyone. Here is Ms Quincy Clayton, your new head of this department, while this is Mr Lucas Willem Hokee, your new workmate." The branch manager said, introducing them both.

Ms Clayton smiled at them. “We look forward to working with you."

The girls all greeted their new boss—it looked like they weren't really far in the age department. Then they all greeted tall, dark, and handsome behind her. His other workmates went closer to greet them, but Tom only focused on Lucas. He towered over everyone and was scanning the room. When his eyes landed on Tom, he too was surprised.

The branch manager handed a small package to Ms Clayton. “Okay, it's lunch break, you might want to take a break and get to know them. Ms Clayton, please come to my office again at half to 14 after lunch break."

After Tom could finally tear his gaze away from Lucas, he tidied up his desk with red cheeks. Why did… he had… to be so… handsome…?

No, no! He couldn't think of him like that! What was he doing here, anyway?! Wasn't Hampstertown several provinces away from here?!

He heard Ms Clayton talking to the girls, while Lucas was talking to the other members of the office. Tom quietly continued working, but the girls were talking in front of his desk, so he involuntarily had to join the conversation.

Apparently, Ms Clayton was only several years older than the trio. Tom also explained to her that he was in an internship here and his main job was to watch and document about the interpersonal communication between the workers in this department. He had several others like helping them reply to customer's emails.

Ms Clayton was somewhat like Lucy, which made Tom feel relatively at ease with her. They weren't far different. He still had to watch over his words when he talked to her, though, since she was his boss.

The girls then moved away, and Tom let out a relieved sigh. Suddenly, his hand was tugged, and he found himself being pulled away.

“Sorry for the rush. I'll explain later. Show me the nearest café or restaurant." Lucas said to him as they quickly exited the office.

The wolf just complied and led the coyote. Good thing Lucas released his hand after they went to the stairs.

He noticed several glances were directed at them. He couldn't blame them; if he were an onlooker, he would also look at Lucas because damn. Not only was he an eyecandy, but he also smelled very good too, his body spray and natural scent mixing together in a sweet, masculine way.

Tom nodded at the security guard and exited the building. He led them to a small but pretty Indonesian restaurant he often visited. The coyote didn't seem to mind as they entered. The restaurant was getting crowded, so Tom led him to the second floor. They finally sat down, and the wolf let out a breath.

He looked at Lucas; the coyote loosened his tie a bit and leant back on the chair. He looked around, then at Tom, and smiled.

Tom gulped. Get a hold of yourself!

“Sorry for that, I really need to get away from those girls before they kill me with this hunger." He let out a small chuckle. “So, hey, Tom. It's been a while, eh?"

Tom just flashed back a nervous smile.

“Looks like we're co-workers now."

“Um, yeah, uh… congratulations on getting the job." He extended his hand.

Lucas shook his hand. “Thanks, buddy."

“So, uh… you applied there?"

“Yeah. More precisely, though, I had my internship in the same company, and they want me back. Beginner's luck, I guess. I didn't know they were gonna place me here in Barrowisle, though." He chuckled. “It's not a big deal, though. I plan to move out from Hampstertown, anyway."

Oh, that made sense.

“Right, what do you want to get? Sorry if the food is different but this is the nearest restaurant I could think of."

“It's okay." The coyote looked at the menu, then raised his brow. “I think I… what's a pepes?"

“Um… fish seasoned and steamed in banana leaves."

“I think I'm gonna get the tamest one around here." He handed the menu over to Tom with a light chuckle. “I'll get whatever you think is good."

“Fried rice with iced tea?"

“Fried rice with iced tea."

Tom nodded and called the waiter. “Mang, pesen nasi goreng satu sama mi ayamnya satu ya. Minumnya es teh manis dua."

The waiter wrote his order and nodded with a smile, then walked away.

Lucas looked at him. “Tom, you speak Indonesian?"

“I'm Indonesian, cuy." He laughed a little.

“Oh, sorry! That explains it!" The coyote laughed along.

While he never actually talked to the coyote just two of them, it seemed Lucas was friendly. It was the opposite of his rough look, but he'd take friendly anytime rather than rough if the coyote were to become his workmate. However, it was his handsomeness that made him think thrice.

He was sure he'd look at him more than at his monitor.

He would need to get used to this. Octo said that Lucas was gay, which made his mind went haywire, and Max said that Lucas was a nice guy and they would go along well, which made his mind explode. He seriously needed to think of a way of making friends with the coyote without unconsciously taking advantage of him. That was going to be difficult because Lucas was super hot, totally his type, and gay.

“So, uh… Lucas? Or, Mr Hokee, I guess—"

“Lucas is fine." He let out a small chuckle.

“Right, so, uh…"

They went quiet. Tom was trying to start a conversation, but his breath caught him. He didn't know Lucas at all. They had only met for three hours back then, even then, it was a miracle they remembered each other's name. Sure, Max said they would get along well, but for him, talking to a stranger was like navigating a wild forest, in the night, while blindfolded, and roped to a tree.

That or his distrust of strangers.

The wolf looked away. What could they talk about? Work? College? Football? Argh, they couldn't find a topic to bond over!

Lucas seemed to go through the same struggle. He was looking at the menu, but Tom could tell that his mind wasn't really there. The coyote then put it down and looked at Tom, only to blush when he saw Tom was looking at him.

They both flustered and looked away.

“So, uh… you're Max's friend, right?"

“Yeah. And you are, too?"

“Y-yeah."

What kind of conversation was that?!

Wait,

Tom gave out a small chuckle, then looked at the other's eyes. He probably shouldn't see lower than his muzzle. “We can't really find something to talk about, ya?"

Lucas looked at him, surprised. He then scratched his nape sheepishly. “Looks like it. Sorry."

That was brave of him to start a conversation by telling him they couldn't find something to converse about.

At least it broke the ice.

But the waiter then came and put the iced teas on their table. Tom looked at it, then rolled his eyes and chuckled.

“You're graduating this year?" Lucas asked him as he drank the tea.

Tom shrugged. “Next year. I'm a batch under Max, but he takes classes together with me."

“I thought you're Max's classmate."

“No, I'm not. Wait, yes, I am. Eh…"

They looked at each other, then chuckled.

Lucas leant forward on the table. The gaze was… if Tom dared say it, flirty. But maybe it was just him misinterpreting the coyote.

Casually drinking the tea, Tom just asked another question. “You said now you work in the office, so you've graduated, then?"

“Yep. I need a job, and they said they want me back after graduating. So here I am." He smiled. “The graduation ceremony will be held next month, though."

“Our uni is the same. Octo's going to graduate next month, too. Too bad Max isn't." Tom chuckled.

Lucas chuckled along.

They went quiet again after that, but this time it was a comfortable silence. Tom checked his phone, there were several messages from his workmates asking where was he and whether he knew where was Lucas or not. Some saw him leaving with Lucas.

He just shrugged it off and told them he didn't know.

He could feel Lucas' gaze at him. Without looking up, he could tell that it was soft, unlike Kevin and his heated gaze. Tom then put his phone down and looked up, only to find the coyote looking at something else.

Weird, but okay.

Their food arrived after that. They wasted no time and dug right in. While they eat mostly in silence, Tom could tell that Lucas was glad that he was here.

He felt the same.

He hit the wall again, blood coming out of his mouth. His t-shirt was ruined, streaks of blood running through the cuts. He stood up again and looked at the jerks in front of him. He hated blood streaks; they were hard to clean up.

“Cowards, eh? Using weapons when your opponent doesn't!" He said to them. He judged their reaction; as expected, some were annoyed, but the others were unbothered.

It might only be empty bottles, but everything could be used as a weapon. These bottles, the shards could pierce through his fur and skin.

Lain snickered wolfishly. He had taken over to fight them. Tom was against it, but he still pushed him over. It wasn't that Tom was weak, but it had been a while since they'd been in a fight and Lain wasn't going to miss this one.

“Lain, stop! We can go back an—"

“Shut up!" He said to Tom and grinned. “Can't you feel the excitement?"

A bison stepped forward. “It's called an advantage! See who's winning now, bitch?"

His underlings laughed.

Rodrigo might be big, but he too had an advantage: being small. They were all big, but clunky. Their movements were unfocused, their steps wobbly. They hadn't changed one bit; Lain could still easily overpower them.

“Don't claim the winning spot when the match isn't over, Rodrigo." He bit him back, a bit limping to make them think they were going to win.

They laughed again. “The match is over, Tom. You're done. This time, you're gonna pay!"

“Oh, really?" he baited. “Isn't it because you just wanna kick my ass more just for the sake of kicking my ass?"

Rodrigo huffed in anger.

“What a joke, picking a fight only for the sake of picking a fight. You sure you're not a kid?"

“You watch your mouth, asshole!" the bison lunged forward and drew his gun.

Lain grinned wolfishly. Finally, the real match began.

However, just about when he wanted to evade him, Tom pulled him over and took over the body. “You can't fight guns! Get back!"

“Ow, Tom! Fuck off!"

“Get back, arsehole. You can't fight guns!"

Tom was already in control of the feet, which he used to take a step to the left. Lain pulled the chest over, missing the cascade of bullets.

“What are you doing! Lemme take over!"

“No, Lain! You had your fun, let me manage from here! We can't fight like this."

Rodrigo walked to him, anger gleaming in his eyes.

“Don't lie to me! You're enjoying the pain too, aren't you?!"

“Yes I am, now get off! Take care of the rear! I'll take care of the gun."

Lain just huffed and stepped aside, letting Tom take control of the body. He heard some shuffling sound but refrained the ear from flicking; the others wanted to throw some bottles. “Watch out for the bottles!"

“Where's your weapon, now? Oh wait, you don't have one. Seems like you really are losing today." The bison leered as he neared. Tom leant against the wall, tongue out to help cool his body down.

Ooh, Lain liked this. Tom was preparing to go out.

Rodrigo pointed the gun at his head. “Kiss your ass goodbye, bitch."

Instantly, Tom lunged forward and kicked the bison's hand. The shot went haywire, and the bison didn't realise what was happening. A punch landed on his muzzle, but god didn't it hurt so good. Tom gave him a kick on his back, making him almost tumble.

The bison wasn't easy to beat, he knew that. The bison turned around, picked up his gun, and shot him. It didn't hit him, but it still scraped against his upper shoulder, but Tom didn't appear fazed at all. Lain took control of the right hand and swept the non-existent dust there, all the while Tom walked towards the bison.

“You know I'm not afraid of guns, Rodrigo." Tom said. His steps were slow, cautious, betraying his worn-out feet. He was tired, but he still had to look strong to make the impression. Any opponents who fought him should know that Tom's fighting style relied on quick reactions, reflexes, and redirection. Defence, in contrast to Lain's fighting style, offence.

Pain gave them power; the more they were hurt, the more they wanted to hurt.

His gaze pinned the bison down. Rodrigo hissed at him, refusing to bulge. He then made a gesture with his right hand, but Tom already knew what that meant.

He stopped walking, and quickly dashed sideways as bottles flew over him. He took a glance at the other gang members, they seemed to be surprised at his quick reaction. Tom grinned and dashed towards them.

He had to get close to them in order to do some damage, all the while watching for Rodrigo's gunshots. It seemed the bison was too proud of his own skills and didn't give the other gang members guns, as usual.

As he dashed towards them, shards of bottles rained down on him.

Fuck, he got more cuts, but it hurt so good.

Lain caught one of the bottles and threw it to them. It hit a Doberman, and Tom knew whom should he attack first.

The wolf kicked the Doberman, sending him tumbling backwards. The gang members were all taller than him, but it didn't make Tom afraid. He landed a few punches and dodged some. One kangaroo landed a kick on his back, but he directed the force to land another punch to a cat.

Gunfire rang in the alleyway, and when Tom heard a scream behind him, he knew Rodrigo misfired.

Now to appear as if he was losing.

The angry Doberman threw a bottle on his face, temporarily fazing him. Lain grinned as Tom let himself receive a few punches. One punch landed on his gut, and he spat blood.

He found his arms being held as he recovered. The mafia members were all holding his arms, even his tail. He hunched over the ground and saw a shadow getting closer. He looked up to see Rodrigo pointing the gun at his face.

“Heh, who's winning now? Where's that cockiness now?" Rodrigo grinned down at him.

Tom just growled at him.

The bison laughed. “Don't you fear death?"

Tom didn't even appear afraid. His fur bristled up and he said in an even tone. “I don't fear death, I embrace it."

Lain grinned as he watched the movement of the bison's finger on the trigger.

Rodrigo did not pull the trigger.

His ears pulled back and he quickly moved his head down, enough to be out of the gun's shooting range. He coughed blood onto the ground and let some more drip from his tongue, trying to look like he was going to collapse.

Tom looked up, Rodrigo's face was surprised upon seeing the blood on the ground. He couldn't allow him to recover, though. He positioned his feet to a running stance and ran while still being held. It made him twist and kick Rodrigo away.

The others, in shock, couldn't hold his arms any longer. Lain laughed as Tom kicked the Doberman and kangaroo with his momentum. They hit the ground with a loud crash. He then leapt forward to avoid the cat's grip.

As he escaped their hold, he picked up the discarded gun on the ground with his numb hand. Rodrigo was still groaning on the ground. He gave the bison a weak kick and put his foot on his chest, ignoring his own racing heart. This really riled him up. “You know, you've been teaching me how to use guns."

The bison growled when he found himself under Tom's foot.

“You might want to stop before I shoot your leader dead." He said without looking back, and the footsteps stopped.

“Idiots! What are you doing?! Finish him!"

“On the contrary, why don't you run away and call this 'feud' off?" Tom asked. He leant closer to the bison and looked at him in the eyes. “You're an insolent child still crying over broken toys." Pointing the gun at the bison's chest, he said with a blank expression. “It's just a centimetre, I can't miss."

Rodrigo roared at him. “You're gonna pay for this!"

“I did, but you refused to take it." Tom sighed and stepped away, spitting more blood into the ground. He knew Rodrigo wouldn't attack him from behind. “Now get the fuck out of here."

“You have your enemy in front of your weapon and you step away? What a coward!"

“I'm not you. I don't just go around and kill people for fun." Suddenly, Lain quickly took control of the body, pushing a yelping Tom away to the back. He looked over his shoulder and smiled devilishly. “I torture people for fun." He licked his own blood on his hand. “You wanna play? Bet your blood tastes good."

“Fuck, boss, he's crazy! Let's get the fuck outta here!"

The bison stood up, limping. Lain realised he had several cuts on his arm and thighs. Blood even came out of his nose. “You! You're gonna pay for this! You're gonna pay for this!"

Lain just shrugged, not feeling the need to repeat himself. Well, repeat Tom.

They all ran away. Two of them helped Rodrigo to run.

As they were gone, Tom pushed him over and took control of the body again. He immediately sagged and huffed, allowing the exhaustion to catch up with him. “The fuck did you do that?"

“It scares him." He just shrugged his non-existent shoulder as Tom walked next to a rubbish bin, throwing the gun away.

“Well, don't do that! It reminds me of… me."

Lain's grin fell.

They both know that there was… something else. Sometimes, Tom could lose control and behave wildly. Unlike Lain, this wild Tom was untameable, uncontrollable, psychopathic. He had witnessed it before and he had to become the voice of reason to stop him.

If Lain was what Tom didn't want himself to be, then this “Third Voice" was probably what they both didn't want themselves to be, or what they could've been if they lost control.

They only had each other to save themselves from their own selves.

Tom sat down beside his bag and looked over his body. Good thing most of the cuts were not bleeding, only some of them on his arms. His muzzle was full of blood, though.

He took a water bottle from his bag, careful not to let the blood touch it. Using it to wash the cuts, he didn't even flinch when it came into contact with the wound.

“Here,"

Lain took control of the body and poured some water into the gunshot wound on the shoulder. Good thing it wasn't deep; it didn't reach his flesh.

He sighed and leant on the wall. Lain put some pressure into the wound to let the blood run dry first, then washed it again. This time, they flinched a bit at the contact.

“Thanks."

“It's still my body too."

Tom chuckled. “You know, if you had a body and you were my twin or something, I'd probably pet your head all day."

“I'd lock you in the basement." Lain bit back, but with humour in his voice.

“I'd prepare uno cards first."

They laughed.

“So what now?"

“Do you realize you just said that out loud?"

Tom took back control and gulped from the bottle and gargled, then spat it out. There was blood all over. “Whatever." He did that again until the mouth was clear of blood.

“Well, go see a doctor or something. If you don't do that, I'm gonna take control for the next week."

“Heck no. You can't even talk to Martin."

“A shot of booze can help."

“Yeah, sure. Let booze help, as if it ever helped us anyway." Tom chuckled, then stood up and picked his discarded clothes in his bag. At least the jacket was dark and could mask his wounds until he got home. He couldn't do anything about the blood scent, but at least he could avoid being near people.

It was going to be hell to clean with all the blood streaks, but at least no one could see his wounds with his shirt. Tom put his jacket on too, hoping at least it could help mask the scent.

“Hey, Lain," Tom said as they walked away from the alleyway as if nothing happened before. He had to walk more slowly to avoid being seen as limping. His body ached all over; one wrong step and he was sure he could collapse. “next time, don't just start attacking people."

“Yeah, princess, you're welcome."

Tom just chuckled and ran his hand through his head fur. They then walked to a tram stop like nobody's business.

“You realized you've just ruffled your own head fur?"

“At least you can feel it."

Lain laughed. “Heh, whatever you want."

The ride to campus was silent. Tom watched out through the window as they drove to the dorm, being one of the five passengers on the tram. His life was messy, ruined, broken, exactly like how he imagined it to be. He was no stranger to blood, violence, and death.

“Tom, you're washing the blood streaks."

“Hell no. You do that, Lain."

“I don't exist~"

Lain retreated into his mind, leaving him alone. Tom just gave a sigh and closed his eyes.

Stupid second personality. How did they manage to reconcile again?