“Alright, that's all for today. Thanks, guys! Please be here tomorrow at 9 like today."

Kevin gave a deep sigh and stood up. Another day at work done, he thought to himself. He smiled and gave fist bumps to some of his workmates, some stayed to ask questions or just to hang out, and some quickly left. He himself didn't know what to do now. There was nothing more to do here yet he wasn't tired enough to go home

And there was a lot on his mind right now.

After stretching his body, he picked his small bag up and walked away. He said goodbye to Hystán on his way, then stepped down the stairs—a quick, easy workout he reminded himself that he needed to do once in a while. Thankfully the event he was working on was only on the third floor. His body felt tired but excited, having been hauling things here and there earlier in the day.

He was now working in the hotel where Anthony, the snow leopard he had a one-night stand with, worked in. He met him a few times after he started working there, just chatting and having lunch or dinner together in the employee canteen. Neither really wanted to have another one-night stand, but Anthony suggested that he wouldn't mind another go. Kevin himself didn't know, and so far, he was comfortable with himself. Besides, the snow leopard made a good friend.

Entering the lobby, he was greeted by a cosy yet classy atmosphere with high ceilings and soft, pastel lights with the darkening sky as a background through the glass wall. There were quite a lot of people in the lobby, some were his workmates leaving, and some were guests relaxing in the lounge area. The receptionist's desk stood in the centre of a wall, and in front of it was Anthony, chatting with one of the receptionists.

Honestly, the snow leopard looked really handsome in his uniform. The clean white shirt really highlighted his fluffy soft silver outer fur with dark blue spots. The uniform also accentuated his build, showing his lithe frame just enough to allure. Kevin chuckled; he felt rather lucky to have spent a night with the snow leopard.

Anthony noticed him walking towards him, then he smiled wide. “Kevin! How'd it go?" He asked as the wolf neared.

“Yo, snep." He gave the snow leopard a fist bump. “The usual. We're still decorating the stage now. It's coming around nicely."

“That's good! You're gonna go home now?"

“Eh… I don't know. Guess I'll hang around till after sunset. I don't really have anything to do at home anyway." The wolf shrugged.

“Wanna get dinner here later?"

Kevin smirked at that. “And spending more time with you? Sure, snep, why would I refuse?"

Anthony just laughed. “Horny bastard. Fine, fine, go hang around in the lounge." He pointed at the lounge area with his muzzle. “Dinner is at usual time, at 19 if I'm not mistaken."

“Eh, we're not having dinner in the canteen instead?"

He leant closer to the wolf. “It's buffet night tonight. Free food for guests. Technically an optional add-on for today's stay but no one's gonna check anyway."

Closer like this, he could smell the snow leopard's cologne even more. It smelled a bit overwhelming, honestly, but considering his job, he thought it was fitting. “You sure I can go in?"

“Yeah, don't worry." Anthony took a step back. “No one's gonna check, anyway. I mean I wouldn't." He chuckled. “You wanna have dinner in the employee canteen instead?"

Kevin laughed and put his arm around Anthony's shoulders, pulling him closer. “You're spoiling me too much, snep. Alright, I'll take that. Wouldn't want to turn down a nice dinner with this cute guy." He looked down at the snow leopard and grinned.

“Heh, nice." He saw him trying to hide his blush and play cool but failed. Despite that, the snow leopard didn't push him away. “Anyway, you can wait there in the lounge. My shift's gonna be over in a few minutes."

“Alright then." Kevin let him go, still grinning. “Looking forward to our dinner." He winked at the snow leopard, making a finger gun as he walked away.

Anthony laughed and walked away, his tail waving eagerly.

Sitting down on the very comfortable sofa, Kevin let out a heavy sigh of relief. He closed his eyes and threw his head back, the sofa meshing against his large, tired build. Today's work wasn't very demanding, but it still piled up on top of this week's work. Manual labour was exhausting but he kept reminding himself that it was a good replacement for the gym.

He opened his eyes and looked around. Maybe he could blow off some steam in the hotel gym if he were allowed there. He'd need to ask Anthony later.

There weren't many people in the lounge now, but those who were there looked rather… high class of sorts. Most were wearing expensive-looking clothes that made him feel rather intimidated, complete with HacBooks on their table or lap and a cup of Skollsbucks beside it. Kevin pulled his arms back; he hoped he didn't really look out of place like this, wearing only a pair of basic jeans and a simple jacket with a cheap-looking t-shirt under it. Even his simplistic sling bag looked a bit out of place.

Oh well, as long as he was confident, anyway.

Speaking of being confident, scenes from that music session in the café with Octo last week kept replaying in his mind. It felt wonderful, like he got all his energy back and everything felt so right. Now, though, it felt like a mistake, something he shouldn't be doing. It… made him remember the time when he was still together with Octo.

And worst of all, it made him grow feelings for the panther again.

True, they got along very well as friends. Even though their personalities were very different, they had no problems hanging out with just the two of them. However, when he thought more about it, it really felt more like he could get along with everyone just fine. It didn't only happen with Octo, it also happened with Tom, Ivri, even Lucas, even though he hadn't really spent much time with the coyote.

He looked up again when he smelled someone and saw Anthony walking towards him, now in casual clothes. The snow leopard's uniform was gone, replaced by a simple t-shirt and jacket which didn't really look that different from him complete with a small bag on his back. He walked into the lounge with easy steps.

“So, apparently they're gonna check who enters the dining hall, and they also cook only for registered guests." said the snow leopard after he sat down beside the wolf. “So we can't enter, well, I can, but I can't eat either."

Kevin gave a small whine. “Aw."

“Fuuuuuuck." Anthony practically melted into the sofa. “I was really looking forward to it, too! Technically we can eat but later at midnight and we also only get the leftovers that can't be reheated for tomorrow's breakfast."

He put his arm around the snow leopard's back and patted his shoulder. “We can still get dinner in the employee canteen, though."

“Yeah." Anthony sat back up and with his lowered ears, he looked really cute. “Hah, was looking forward to a nice plate of goose steak after this week."

“Damn, they're going to serve goose steak?" He asked him incredulously.

“Yeah, and fondue too."

“Shit." Kevin groaned in disappointment. “Oh well, there's gonna be another chance anyway." He pulled the snow leopard closer to him.

“Yeah… if I remember correctly there's gonna be another one next month." said Anthony, crossing his arms and not moving away from Kevin.

Actually, Kevin noticed that Anthony leant back into his hold, so out of habit he began to nuzzle the snow leopard's fluff and neck. He smelled so good, like flowers in a field in spring. He could smell the snow leopard's body scent, but it was overpowered by the cologne.

“Or if not next month, maybe in two weeks from now. It doesn't really have a fixed schedule."

He moved his muzzle away. “I thought those kinds of stuff were pre-planned."

Anthony shrugged. “Depends. Sometimes it is, sometimes people are just too lazy to plan." 

He gave an affirmative mrf.

They then went quiet, just enjoying the soft music coupled with the gentle hum of people coming and leaving. The sofa felt really comfortable, and when Anthony excused himself to go to the toilet, Kevin took the opportunity to fully lean back into the soft cushion again. The setting sun also cast its last light for the day, trading places with the lamps on the high ceilings to illuminate the room with a soft orange hue, making him feel calm and relaxed, wagging his tail. Ah, the comfort of luxury was intoxicating indeed…

Oh well, he got horny again.

Not feeling like it, he just straightened up and took a deep breath. He lazily scrolled Instaram, looking for any distraction to keep his mind occupied, because whether he liked it or not, it kept drifting to Octo. When he looked up at the lobby again, he couldn't help but think that this suited Octo perfectly. Heck, the panther must have been here at some point, being a popular and luxurious hotel and all. He knew the panther was rich, but from the surprised glances from some people that he noticed during that music event, he noticed that the panther must also be popular.

Actually, now that he thought about it…

He opened Octo's Instaram page. His feed showed that he was an active person, going to different places with the occasional selfies without exposing his wealth too much. There was even one photo of him and Kevin during that summer holiday in Westeravne, one that gave him some DMs from people asking if he knew Octo. He said yes, but he did not elaborate further, and certainly did not entertain any of them when they asked for more photos of the panther.

Creeps.

Huh, now that he noticed it, he actually had more followers than Octo, many, many more. Kevin chuckled; posting shirtless and risqué photos apparently worked.

He found a photo from one year ago and furrowed his brow in concentration. It showed the panther in a relaxed pose, leaning against a sofa in a hotel lobby with an older model HacBook—which he knew only because it had no notch on the display—on the desk in front of him next to a big vase of artificial roses. The hotel lobby looked bright with a soft orange hue, and on the background was the hotel logo, albeit blurry. Kevin looked up again around the lobby, and he found the exact same logo. He looked around again and found a big vase of roses not far from here, the exact same vase.

Yup, the panther had been here.

He went back to the panther's profile and scrolled down, leaning forward. The panther didn't usually update his Instaram page, it turned out, he posted a photo maybe once a month, and most of them were actually ordinary photos. There weren't many photos showing the panther during holidays or important events.

“Is that Octaviano Zoccarato?"

He looked to his side and found Anthony looking at his phone. Giving a shrug, he answered, “Yeah."

“You follow him too?" The snow leopard asked him, sitting back down.

“Yeah."

“Wow, nice. He came here a few times, actually. Handsome bloke, looks very intimidating but is actually very nice." Anthony gave a chuckle. “He also gave us quite a lot of tips."

“Mrf." He absent-mindedly replied, then he noticed what was said. “Wait, he gave you tips? He's been here?"

“Yeah. One time he even gave me 100 euros. Didn't know if he really meant that or that he wanted to give me 10 but didn't notice the banknote because people were all around him. It was a formal event and I felt sorry for him, not gonna lie. Being popular has its downsides." Anthony laughed, then looked at him and wiggled his brows. “He's also very hot." He said in a low voice.

Wow, he's that popular? Why have I never heard of him before?

“Came to his room to deliver him breakfast. He opened the door shirtless. Sure felt like the start of a porn." continued the snow leopard, a dreamy look in his eyes.

Kevin ignored that part, though. “Wait, he's actually that popular?"

Anthony shrugged. “Yeah. Well, I mean, from what I've heard, he's only popular…ish… amongst the rich folks. He's been in some rich folks' magazines a few times. If I'm not mistaken, his family is one of the richest families in this city."

“Holy fuck." Kevin could only utter, tail still and ears down.

“Like, this hotel is expensive, I know, it's a 5-star hotel with a rather limited target market. But I can feel the difference between here and the places I actually hang out in. People who stay the night here talk about different stuff and different people compared to when we talked in that bar. And one of them is gossip. If I didn't work here, I wouldn't even know about Octaviano."

“Holy fuck."

“Don't let that get you, though. I can personally attest that Octaviano is actually a nice guy." finished Anthony, sounding like he was proud of having met Octo.

Kevin, meanwhile, had other thoughts. He could only lean forward and grip his head in panic. Exactly how rich was the panther again?! One of the richest in this city?! He used to think that being boyfriends with Octo was like a peasant courting a noble, but now… it was more like a slave courting a prince.

And the worst part was that he was his ex.

“Holy fuck."

“Hehe, are you that jealous?" Anthony punched him playfully on the shoulder.

He should not tell anyone about his relationship with the panther, no matter how tempting that might be. With that much power, the panther could almost do anything. He sat back up and closed his eyes. “I am so fucking jealous of you right now." He lied to the snow leopard.

Anthony laughed.

Kevin shook his head fondly. “And 100 euros and a chance to look at him shirtless? Damn snep, you're bloody lucky." He said to the snow leopard, whilst inside he thought, I fucked him in the ass raw and came in him.

No wonder Octo said he didn't like Ausalt-on-Haye. He was already well-known here. He didn't like the attention.

Wait, if Anthony said he was also following him on Instaram, shouldn't he also know that Octo uploaded a photo of him and Kevin, too?

Eh, the less people know, the better.

“…swear I didn't expect him to be that nice! He's like the least problematic of all the guests here. Tall, dark, and polite, and didn't mind it when someone got his order wrong!"

Kevin shook his head to clear his thoughts. “Are all the guests who stay here that problematic?"

“Well, not all, but 90% is a good figure. Actually, now that I noticed it, most people who aren't problematic are actually 'rich' rich, as in magazine-cover rich. The rest are… eeh, brand-flaunting rich. That's why I don't really like hanging out here, even though the food in that restaurant" he pointed at the restaurant across from the lobby, “is amazing. Well, that and the fact that a plate of steak is 550 euros."

Kevin cringed. “Must be the steak of a lifetime if I were to buy one."

“I know right. Tried it once—under discount of course, no way I'd buy one at full price—and it was actually very delicious. With that price though, ehh…" Anthony shrugged, his bushy tail playfully waving.

“The cooks are gonna hear you if you talk that loudly, y'know?" He chuckled.

The snow leopard just laughed. “Nah, they know how absurdly expensive their food is. Sure, the ingredients are high quality, but yeah."

Kevin's stomach rumbled.

Anthony grinned. “Seems like talking about food got you hungry."

“I'm not even gonna deny that." The wolf pocketed his phone. “So, dinner?"

“Sure, big guy."

They stood up and walked away. Kevin looked back at the lobby again, at the hotel logo, then gave a small sigh and put his hands in his pockets. What should he think of Octo now? “We're gonna have dinner in the employee canteen or somewhere else?"

“Anywhere is fine." answered Anthony.

Felipe felt happy today.

Walking away from the city hall, he had a gentle smile on his face and hands in his coat pockets. Even though his unemployment application was rejected, the city still compensated him with 500 euros to help get him back on his feet. Not only that, he was just done with an expensive project which paid him very handsomely. True, he was really tired, but now he didn't have to worry about food for a few months.

He sat down at a tram stop and sighed. Still, he needed to get a better job, preferably a more stable one. Working in a freelancer photography team is good, but the schedule was a mess. It was already the new year, so he wanted to look around for jobs. Given his… recently reset identity, he should stick to low-end jobs that pay a bit more enough to get by.

A tram approached the stop, so he stood up and got ready. He got on the tram after it finally stopped, tapping his e-money card and sitting down. He wanted to celebrate today, so he wanted to go to a rather good restaurant in the city centre. Well, a good restaurant near the city centre, since the ones in the city centre would be too expensive.

The trip didn't take long, and he got down when he arrived about five minutes later. Walking through the busy Køpbryj Street, he looked left and right for a restaurant to dine in. It was a lively afternoon, and he couldn't help but feel like he was a part of the crowd.

He was finally a part of the common people.

Even the mere thought of it made his heart flutter in happiness. That was really what he had been wanting for so long, for an exit from the operation he had grown to become numb to. Gone were the worries, gone were the stress, and emotions came back to him. Sure, now he had different problems to take care of, but thinking about where to apply and what to eat this afternoon was surely a thousand times better than thinking about which method was more efficient to stalk people or the areas whose police officers were allies.

The bison stopped at a fashion store. He wasn't really a fashionable guy, and his knowledge of clothing and fashion was next to nothing, but even the fact that he felt attracted to new shirts on display felt freeing.

His gaze shifted from the shirts to the glass, then to his reflection on the glass. Staring back at him was a rough-looking bison with one horn missing, but still friendly and approachable with a small smile and kempt fur. His clothes were nothing special, but they were clean and tidy.

He had changed a lot, indeed. Now he was cleaner, more open, and most of all… happier.

Closing his eyes, Felipe sighed fondly and continued walking. He could buy the new shirt some other time. Now, a bowl of chicken stew with extra vegetables sounded wonderful.

As he walked, he saw a closed storefront with a large “under construction, new restaurant coming soon!" written on the sign. He crossed his arms; hopefully they would be looking for waiters. Judging from the area, it seemed that this restaurant would pay well. There was no more information, though, so he continued walking. Hopefully he could find more info about it online.

After a few minutes of walking, the bison finally found a good restaurant. It was busy, and he could only manage to find a seat outdoors. It was fine, though. He sat down on the empty chair and called the waiter. As he waited, he looked at the restaurant's façade. Maybe he'd ask if there was any opening here.

Now seated, the bison looked around the street. It seemed to get even busier now, with cars and trams going slowly amidst people walking all over. He watched people walking on the street, some looking fashionable whilst others looking like they were going home from a busy day of work. He saw a horse wearing a suit brisking on the sidewalk. He also saw a grey wolf and a German Shepherd dog, walking towards his direction easily with wide smiles on their faces…

Wait.

Wait…

Their eyes met, and Felipe instantly knew who that grey wolf was. And that grey wolf also instantly knew who he was.

“Rodrigo?" asked the grey wolf when he was near enough.

He wanted to look away, but he was already near him. “Red Wolf…"

They went quiet as they stared at each other, the rumble from the crowd around them turning into background noise.

Surprisingly, Red Wolf, well, Tom smiled at him, pocketing his hands as he stood beside his table. “I thought you were dead. Heh, since I never saw you again, seemed like you got away, eh?"

He could only gulp.

“You crazy bastard." Tom shook his head fondly. “Yah, I didn't see you last month, so, congrats for getting away." He gave a fond, almost proud smile.

That smile was… too honest. They stared at each other for a while, until finally Felipe closed his eyes and looked away, chuckling fondly. Red Wolf hadn't changed one bit. “Save your congrats for someone you actually care about." He looked up and smiled back. “Son of a bitch you are. Glad to see you still breathing, Tom."

Inside, though, he felt guilty.

“Also, it's Felipe now. Rodrigo is dead. You killed him yourself, remember?"

“Ah, sorry. Felipe it is."

They looked at each other again, this time with a gentle smile on their faces. A thousand thoughts ran in his head, but honestly, he didn't know what to think. He only felt guilt, but most of all, peace.

“Don't tell anyone about me, though." asked Felipe. “For what it's worth, everyone knows Rodrigo is dead."

“Alright. That's the least I could do for you." answered Tom. He gently shook his head again and said to him, “Seriously though, congrats for getting away. Seems like… seems like we both got what we wanted in the end."

“Yeah… yeah, we both got what we wanted in the end." He looked away and took a deep sigh. “We both got what we wanted in the end."

They went quiet again.

“If you don't mind, Felipe, let's go for some bread someday." Tom said, making him look up. “The least we could do is talk. That is, only if you'd want to. This time as two people."

The offer sounded enticing indeed, and he could only agree to that. They were indebted to each other, after all. “That'd be nice."

Tom nodded. “Well, I'll need to go now. Tað án dæj, hórestæming."

Felipe laughed at that. “Tað án dæj, Rød Wolf."

They exchanged fist bumps, then Tom walked away with the dog.

He watched as the grey wolf, Red Wolf walked away, then closed his eyes. He took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling those distant days. So much had changed, and he was thankful.

Rodrigo was dead, and he would like to visit his unmarked grave one day.

Notes:

“Tað án dæj" = “Until one day" spoken as a parting message

“Hórestæming" = “Son of a bitch", literally “whore's kid" or “whore-stemmed"

“Rød Wolf" = “Red Wolf"