Kevin put his hands in his pockets as he reached his neighbourhood. Vilkas was really a good friend. Hanging out with the husky made him feel a lot better, even without sex. After having kebabs, they spent time talking in the park till sunset. Vilkas then went home, saying he had stuff to do. Alone, Kevin just decided to work out a bit in the playground near the park till late in the night. Afterwards, he took a walk home, stopping at a cheap restaurant that was still open to have dinner.

The husky joked that he was “broke as fuck" but they only laughed at that. That might be an insult, but he bit him back with a remark that the husky just missed fucking with him. The blush on the husky's face was enough to make him laugh. Vilkas knew that he sometimes fucked for money, but the husky didn't know how often he did that. Kevin didn't want to tell the husky any more of it.

He took a glance over the street to his flat. Should he go home now? It was late in the night, but he didn't feel like sleeping just yet thanks to stress. He'd been spending most of his time just lying around on his bed anyway. His job-hunting adventure hadn't had any desired effect and because his sex drive had been quite low these past weeks except for yesterday with Octo, he hadn't had many clients or gone out much.

So, the wolf took a turn and walked away. More walking might help ease his mind.

He let out a huff and kicked the snow. Perhaps he could make it his main job instead. He was already quite popular, anyway, although he never shared his full name. He didn't even need to go to a café or a mall and try to sell himself, people would want to go with him, not to mention the species advantage he had with being a wolf. For some reason, wolves were a very popular species for power play.

Yet, he also thought about the long-time continuity of this. Sure, he could keep on doing this to keep himself afloat, even get into the middle class, but that meant embracing it fully and retracting himself from his current circle of friends. Honestly, he didn't really want that. He didn't want his friends to think that he was a prostitute, even though that was perfectly legal and acceptable. Barrowisle didn't really have any brothel or legal regulatory body for it, making it very decentralised and almost unregulated. Because of that, also, his earnings from it were untaxed.

His friends had shown him that one could make a living without it. Tom and Max were happy with themselves. Octo was doing fine with his job. Spencer was going overseas due to his job next week. Heck, even Vilkas looked just fine, his own rich family notwithstanding.

Maybe because they actually had something that he had not? Maybe, maybe not.

He didn't want to be left behind. Barrowisle was more welcoming than Ausalt-on-Haye but it still had its difficulties. He graduated from university and had a degree now, which made him have a lot of free time. There was nothing to do at home anymore, usually he had some homework or assignment to do—although, more like he ignored them to do something else only to quickly do them the night before they were supposed to be turned in.

He stopped at the tram stop. Maybe he should go pay Tom a visit? Somehow, he missed the grey wolf.

The wolf shook his head and walked away. No, Tom had a boyfriend. It was late, anyway. He must be sleeping right now. Instead, Kevin walked again, deep in thought. Sometimes, this just happened; his mind just slipped into existential crisis and he didn't know what to think.

There was a bar on the side of the street. It seemed quite lively. The wolf pulled his phone and checked the time; apparently, it was a bit past one. Had he really been walking for that long?

Eh, perhaps a glass or two would be great. He hadn't had much alcohol for a while now. He walked inside and went straight to the bar.

Inside, the music was quite calm and soothing. There weren't many people inside, but the ones who did were dancing on the dance floor or sitting on some seats in the shadows. The wolf made his way to the bar, where a bare-chested bear was serving some customers.

“Morning, one glass maybe?"

He sat down on a stool. “Give me a beer."

The bear winked at him and walked away, then came back a few seconds later with a full glass of beer. “One glass of beer!"

The wolf took it and gulped it down, then put it back down and let out a relieved sigh. It was quite strong.

“By the way, you new 'round here, wolf? Never seen you before."

“Yeah," he answered. “I was just looking 'round these parts. I'm not from here, eh where was here again?"

The bear laughed and put a glass of milk on the counter for himself. “You sure you're not drunk when you go into those doors? Here's Old Highwall."

Oh, apparently he hadn't walked away too far. Well, he had never explored the area, though, he was still hanging out near the campus like usual. “No, dude, I swear." He let out a chuckle and took his jacket off. “The snow just got me."

“It sure did. So, what's your name, wolf? Mine's Jeremy."

He took another gulp. “Call me Kevin."

“Kevin, eh. Nice to meet ya." They shook hands. “So, where you from?"

“Not very far, actually. Moved here since, like, 3 months ago or something. Didn't have the time to go 'round the area yet."

“Well, welcome to Pour 'n Co! Here we got beers, dudes, gals, and crappy music." The bear laughed. “And more beers."

A rat over the sound booth yelled at the bear. “Crappy music your arse!"

Jeremy pointed at the rat. “That over there is Will. Don't let his scary look fool you, he's got lots of clients, actually."

“Clients? As in, clients?"

“Yep." The bear nodded.

Kevin leant forward and made an air quote. “Really, clients?"

“Oh that, not sure though. We keep private sessions private, although no sex allowed here. Both guys and gals are welcome."

Guys and gals? As in… “This is a bisexual bar?"

“Dude, didn't you see the sign on the outside?"

He looked back at the entrance, then shrugged, “Eh, sorry, too distracted to notice."

Jeremy then looked at him and his gaze turned flirty. “So, you play for which team?"

Kevin looked at him, then let out a laugh with his tail wagging. “Think a secret is due."

“Aw, man. At least give me some hints." The bear laughed. “Yeah, yeah, it's fine anyway."

They both burst out into laughter, then clinked their glasses as their tails swayed, well, his own tail.

Someone then seated themselves on the stool next to him. The wolf looked at the newcomer and gave them a smile. “Hey, man."

The newcomer, apparently a rhino, smiled back at him and Jeremy. “Looks like all's fine."

“Sure, boss!" the bear gulped his drink. “You want a drink?"

“Just water, please."

Well, he was feeling sociable tonight. Kevin turned to face the rhino and clinked their glasses together after the rhino got his. “Wål."

“Wål."

Kevin wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Strong stuff."

“Yeah, there're some strong stuff here. Ye will a weaker one?"

“Nah, it's okay."

Jeremy put a bottle of beer on the counter and walked away for a bit. The rhino turned to look at him and smiled. “So, sint ye new? Never saw you before."

“Yeah. Recently moved in but didn't get the chance to explore the area yet." He burped a little. “Sorry."

The rhino just waved it off. “Nice to meet you. Name's Charles."

“Me, name's Kevin."

“Ye wit," Charles looked at the dance floor, Kevin followed his gaze. “I've been here for some time. Lately the place's gotten more visitors."

“More?"

“Aye. Not sure whether it's the new year rush or not for usually new year rushes don't get this crowded. Just two hours ago I could barely walk from here to the bathroom."

The wolf sipped his beer. “Must be very crowded."

“Ware. Anyway, ye work somewhere?"

“Ain't got one. Got a side job but still looking for something else."

Turning to him, Charles poured him more beer. “Can ye serve customers?"

“Sure. I used to work at a fast-food restaurant for about a year." Kevin's smile turned into a grin. “I can also do the other kind of serve."

The rhino laughed. “What other kind?"

“You know what kind."

Charles patted his shoulder while still laughing. “Wolf, ye got yourself well."

“Heh, you bet, rhine." He gulped his beer. “But yeah, though, I'm still looking for a job. Money's gotten pretty tight these days."

“How about this," Looking at him, the rhino asked. “will ye work here?"

Kevin blinked. “Here? As in this bar here?"

“Yeah."

“Well, why not? I won't mind." He shrugged, though he couldn't hide his tail excitedly wagging. “Is there any opening?"

“Yep. Customer's been pouring in, so I'm quite sure this bar needs some more muscles." Charles' gaze turned lower. “And some more muscles."

Kevin grinned.

“It's part time, though. I'm pretty sure the bar wants to see if the customer influx is just temporary or not. If it is, ye can get a promotion later."

The wolf gulped his beer, then leant forward in interest. “Why not? At least a job, better than doing nothing back home. How's the pay?"

“Three and forty silvor a day. Ye get to work five days a week of your choosing, though preferably the weekends too, from 17 till 21 during the rush hours."

He did the maths. “So, about 860 a month?"

“Yeah. Also, if someone want a private session, it's up to you to accept or not, and it's also up to you for the pay. We get 20% of the payment."

“What do I do?"

“Just be a regular waiter, serve the food and drinks, be friendly with customers, and if someone ask, give a private session like dancing and stuff. But no sex allowed."

“Like pole dancing? I don't think I can do that just yet." He chuckled a bit. “But I'm gonna learn if I need to."

“Rad. So, how's the deal?"

The wolf hummed. “Eh, you know what, that sounds pretty good." That would at least pay his flat and still leave him with a good amount of pocket for supplies. He still needed to get some clients, but even if he went a month without one at least he'd still get some spare cash. “So, how can I apply? Do I need to meet the boss?"

The rhino smiled at him. “Come tomorrow at 16. I'll tell the boss and he'll tell you more details of the job."

“Do I need to bring something like some paperwork or stuff?"

“Just your CV."

“Nice, rhine!" He finished his beer. Who knew beer was the answer to his problem? “Thanks a lot, dude. You really helped me a lot there."

“No probs." Charles poured him more beer. “If there's anything making you uncomfortable, you can back off."

“Heh, I don't back off from challenges." He smiled crookedly and put his glass up and said, “Wål!" before gulping down the beer.

It was just a part-time job, but that would be enough for now. Besides, he got to do something he was good at for work, and he didn't need to commute too far from home. Now he could sleep in peace.

Well, later. Charles poured him more beer, inviting him to stay for a bit more for a chat.

Octo put a plastic package on his desk and sat down on his seat, letting out a relieved sigh. Finally, lunchbreak; he was looking forward to watching some documentaries without distractions. Work had been less taxing compared to last month, but he still had stuff to handle. The small stack of paper on the corner of his table was not to be ignored; he planned to do them later.

Opening OurTube, he opened his watch later playlist and pulled up one documentary. With the video ready, he opened the package and gleamed brightly. He'd been looking forward to having this for quite a while.

“Hey, Oct. Over Food?"

The panther glanced next to him. Mingi was pulling a chair to his table. “Yeah." He smiled and separated the chopsticks. Yet another Mingi's curious attempt at flirting with him.

Really, he didn't mind the otter. Mingi was just too adorable. Teasing the otter was fun, so he played the straight clueless lad trying to understand gay jokes and pick-up lines. Aside from that, though, Mingi was a great workmate. They often got assigned into one team, and although Mingi almost always found an excuse to be left alone with him, they did their job well.

“Asian?"

The panther played the video. “Yeah. Think I'd get a Thai food; that one Nam brought was good."

“Oh, right. That one."

“You, you're not having lunch?"

“My food's still on the way."

Octo just nodded at him and started eating. Really, the otter had balls for coming close and flirting with him. He still remembered his first day at the job; not only was he the tallest one around here, but he was also the buffest. Some even thought that he looked rather dangerous. He remembered Casey said something along the lines of “he reminds me of my strict stepdad".

Thankfully, Mingi was polite with his advances, unlike a certain red-furred wolf he knew since university.

“What are you watching?"

“A documentary about Ceres."

“Oh, right."

They went quiet, then Octo asked him. “You know what Ceres is?"

Mingi leant forward. “Yeah, it's that comet after Jupiter and before Mercury, right?"

Octo laughed, almost dropping the rice he was about to eat. Well, at least he added “right" after the sentence. “Don't try too hard. I don't want to get you carried to the hospital." He took a gulp from his drink and smirked at the other.

“Er, yeah, uh…" The otter scratched his cheek. “It is, right?"

“Ceres is a dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter." He petted the otter's head—rather impolite since he was younger than the otter, but he looked cute with that.

Swatting the hand away, Mingi pulled back. “Yeah, yeah, I'm wrong, I know. Don't laugh!"

He just shook his head softly and continued eating. Then, just when he was about to pick up the food, his phone rang and he picked it up. “Pronto? Sì. Sono al lavoro adesso. Sì, lo controllerò più tardi. Grazie, buona giornata." He then put the phone down. Really, he was a full-grown adult with a stable income yet his parents were still sending him money? He didn't mind that, but he was making enough from this job for his expenses, so why the extra money?

The panther just shrugged it away and continued eating. He'd check it later after work. Mingi's food finally came and he ate it next to him. When he was done with the food, he discarded the empty package to the bin just next to the water dispenser behind him and kept watching the documentary.

“You're such a dork." The otter let out a chuckle before digging into his food.

Octo just rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Somehow, Mingi was also watching it. He wasn't sure if the otter understood it or just watched it because he was watching it. Taking a gulp of his drink, he continued watching the documentary with the otter next to him. Hopefully the rest of his day was uneventful.

Kevin put the pile of clothes back into the wardrobe and closed it. He then turned around and smirked, unbuttoning the shirt he chose for the occasion before putting it on. He wiggled a bit to make it fit, then looked at the mirror.

He smirked; he looked really hot.

It really was the shirt that looked the best on him. He really needed to thank Octo for, well, pushing him into buying this shirt back when they went out. He only considered getting it because of the huge discount, but when he realised that the discount wasn't that huge, he had second opinions. Thankfully, it really looked great on him, so it was 37,45 euros well-spent. The shirt was simple, just plain white with five red lines running top to bottom over the left pocket, but hell didn't he look so good.

The red wolf grinned wide in satisfaction, then took his phone and straightened his shirt more. He wanted to make a good first impression on his first day of work. It was unexpected, really, but he wouldn't complain. As long as he had a pretty much stable income, he wouldn't complain.

He glanced at his phone; fifteen minutes to 16. Putting his jacket, scarf, small bag with his CV inside, and gloves on—mainly just for formality—he stepped out from his flat and locked it. He was going to work.

He took the same route as last night, and when he arrived there, he could already see that the bar was quite packed. That rhino wasn't joking, it was only about 16 and it was already this packed? What would it look like later tonight?

Jeremy immediately saw him and beckoned him to come closer. He couldn't hear what the bear was saying, but he went closer, nonetheless. The stools were half full when he sat down. “You made it!" The bear laughed and put a glass of water in front of him. “The boss wants to meet you at 16 in the back room."

“Thanks, man. Back room where?"

The bear pointed to a door with a note that said “employees only" and was almost invisible behind the crowd. “Take that door over there, last door on the left." He then turned back at the wolf, looking at him up and down before whistling. “Damn, Imma be lying if I don't wanna take you to the second door on the left right now."

Kevin grinned. “Heh, that good, huh?"

“Not gonna lie, you are." Jeremy laughed. “Now get there!"

Gulping down the rest of his drink, he stood up and walked away, giving the bear a mock salute as he went. Going into the back door, he gave a sigh. He stared at the first door on the left and took a deep breath. This was his new job. He shouldn't mess this up.

Kevin finally knocked at the door. “Excuse me."

“Come in!"

Inside was an office of some sorts. Unlike the loud mess of the dance floor, it was a lot quieter here. There was a large desk, and behind it was someone he knew who was smiling and standing up. “Charles?"

“Heh, ye made it, wolf!" The rhino greeted him. “Come here, sit down."

Kevin sat down and took his scarf off.

Charles smiled and started. “So, I'm sure ye already know the basics of the job, not? It's a part time job. Ye'll be a server, five hours per day, five days per week. It's three and forty euros a day, excluding any private sessions, in which you get to set the price by yourself and we get 20% of it."

He nodded. “Wait, so, you're my boss, then?"

“Aye, but I won't make it too official. Just think of me like your supervisory workmate or something." The rhino winked. “Now, as a waiter, ye only wear braces like the others. For bottoms can ye wear anything you like, jeans or trousers, or shorts if ye will, just nothing shorter than your thighs. If ye're not serving anyone, ye're expected to help Jeremy in the bar or Will in the sound booth, or well anyone. They oughtn't give you more work than ye should."

“Got it. A server, but also a helper. So, shirt and braces?"

“Nah, mate, just braces."

“Wait wait wait so I get to be topless to everyone?" He laughed. “Cool!"

The rhino laughed along. “Your CV, please."

“Oh, right, wait." The wolf opened his bag and took the sheet of paper, giving it to the rhino. Nervously waving his tail as Charles read it, Kevin crossed his arms.

“So, Kevin Huntington, 24 years old. Eh, ye're a uni graduate?"

He scratched his cheeks. “Ah, yeah."

Charles put the paper down and looked at him, brows slightly furrowed. “Ye sure ye will take this job? It's only part-time."

“Y-yeah, it's okay. A job's still a job."

“Well, if ye will." The rhino then put a piece of paper in front of him. “Please fill this up. Ye sure ye're in?"

Kevin quickly skimmed it. No taxes, but also no benefits. Nothing too outrageous; just a typical non-binding contract for part-time work from which he could resign at any time. He filled the details in and signed the paper before handing it back. “Of course I'm in!"

They shook hands. “Glad to have you onboard!"

The door opened, and Jeremy said something… well more like shouted. “Boss, we almost run out of ice."

“Shite, already? It's still Tuesday." Charles pulled his brows. “Tell Mike to get more. Who's at the bar?"

“Ivri. I needed to go to the bathroom."

“At least there's someone. Jeremy, help Kevin here get ready. Kevin, I think ye better start with helping Jeremy in the bar there."

The wolf took his scarf and stood up, giving the rhino a mock salute, “Sure thing, boss!"

Charles gave a laugh. “Think I'm gonna like you here. Flex those muscles, Kev!"

They exited the room. “So, welcome to the club, wolf! Or, to the bar." Jeremy said with a bright smile as he led him to another room. “So, here's the male employee's room. You get ready here. Wait, I'm gonna get your braces. Feel free to dress down!"

Kevin looked at the mirror. “Dress down, huh?"

He took his jacket and shirt off and combed his fur with his fingers to make it look better. So long for making him look good in a shirt, he guessed. He combed his fluff, making it glide smoothly on his back. Thankfully he took his time brushing himself yesterday; just a typical Sunday for him.

“Here is t—whoa!" Jeremy then blew a whistle.

Kevin turned around and grinned at the bear. He put his lewdest gaze and prepped his elbows on the small desk, beckoning the bear to come closer with his finger.

“Damn, wolf." The bear walked closer with a heated look on his face. “I'd tap you myself. Like, reaaaly hard."

He licked the side of his muzzle. “Help me put those braces on."

Taking the braces off the plastic package, Jeremy told him to turn around. Kevin turned around and allowed him to put it on, giving him a perfect view of his rock hard back and pretty thick fluff, and also his seductively swaying tail.

“Seriously, wolf, which team are you playing for?"

“Depends on the sport." He simply replied, holding back a laugh.

“Aw, shit. I think that's what I got for flexing too much." Jeremy laughed, running his hand on the wolf's sturdy back more slowly than he should. "Done."

Kevin looked at himself in the mirror. The braces looked good on him, like two small chains holding his muscles back. Giving a small laugh at the comparison, he followed the bear outside.

“You look amazing, really." Jeremy said when they were outside. “Fuck."

The red wolf eyed the bear from top to bottom. “You're not bad yourself, y'know." Really, the bear himself looked like a muscle daddy, but with gut instead of hard abs like him. Honestly though, he had no problem with both.

“Dude, don't give me hope. Please."

He guffawed.

“So," The bear continued when they were outside the private rooms, raising his voice so that he could be heard. “I should probably introduce you to the others, but seeing that they're busy, I'm just gonna tell you about the others. That hyena over there in the bar," He pointed at his post. “he's Ivri. He mostly takes over the bar when I'm not available. The rat in the sound booth is Will. That jackal carrying a tray is Mike, while the pretty rabbit across him is Lucia."

“Got it."

“Also, there's more but they're somewhere else at the moment. There's a raccoon, Miya, a cheetah, Lolita, and an otter, Lily" he continued, “Actually, there's one more for this shift, but he's been pulling double duties so gets a day-off. He said he'd come later to help, though."

Kevin took a mental note of everyone the bear just said, then gave him a thumbs-up. “Nice, got it. So, let's mix some cocks and tails!"

Four hours later, Kevin was unable to feel his legs anymore. He sat down on the floor in the washing room behind the bar, away from people. He might have skipped some leg days, but this was new. Maybe he had another kind of workout now.

“Hey, Kev, you aight?"

“My legs are killing me." he groaned. He had been walking here and there, delivering drinks in the bar. Maybe he had the layout of the bar, which was apparently a lot larger than he thought, etched in his mind now.

“Heh, it's okay, dude." Jeremy petted his head. “Go rest up in the back. I think I can manage for a while. Don't take too long."

“You are my guardian angel, bear."

Inside the employee's room, he sat down on the sofa and groaned. Fuck, this was just his first day, how would the rest be? Hopefully he could find a cheap gym nearby. Tomorrow he was definitely going to look around.

He looked at the clock, it was 20, still early in the evening. Fuck. One more hour felt like an eternity.

The door then opened and someone went inside. He didn't see who came in because he was too busy making sure his legs were still attached, but then he heard a quiet gasp. That made him look up to find a blue husky.

“Vilkas?"

“Kevin?"

Kevin just shrugged and continued massaging his legs. “'Sup?"

Vilkas, though, he put his bag down and asked him. “What the fuck are you doing here?!"

“Sheesh, dog, calm down." The wolf flattened his ears.

“Seriously, Kev, did you fucking follow me here?!"

“I did not, jeez. If I wanted to fuck, I'd call you instead. I work here. Anyway what're you doing here?" He looked up at the husky.

The husky stared at him, muzzle gaping.

“I-is wár? Þú wyrkjes hér?!"

He rolled his eyes. “Dude, not too loud."

“Is this some kind of a sick joke?!"

“Yes, I work here. Now shut the fuck up."

Vilkas didn't answer; heck, he saw the husky just froze.

Then he asked the husky. “What're you doing here, anyway?"

“I... I work here."

Kevin furrowed his brows. “Wait what?"

The husky looked away, scratching his cheek with tail nervously curled up. “Y-yeah, I work here. Been working here since college. God, I've been trying to never let you know!" Vilkas ran his hand through his head fur. “Yeah, I work here, so, uh…" He scratched his nape. “We both work here, so, no teasing… please?"

The wolf just stared at him, then when it caught up to him, he laughed and stood up. He pulled the husky into an embrace, messing his head fur. “Hell yeah, man! Never thought a well-behaved, super polite dumbass like you work as a stripper!"

“I'm not a stripper!"

“Whatever. So, you been here longer than me, it's only fair if you teach me, right?" He grinned and groped the husky's pecs. “Teach me the ways of the stripper."

“I'm not a stripper!"

Kevin just laughed and slapped his butt. At least this job wouldn't be so tiring all the time with Vilkas around.