FSE

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Røðe Strípen was going to open tomorrow, and Octo couldn't help but feel anxious.

Taking a deep breath, the panther opened his eyes and stared at the wide, calming expanse of the night sky above. The stars were twinkling, occasionally covered by the gently drifting clouds. The air felt calm, the hustle and bustle of the city only a dull background noise here.

It was already late in the night. Restless, Octo had taken the stairs and gone to the roof after everyone went home. As if catching his discomfort, Kevin didn't say anything, only following him upstairs and providing a shoulder for him to lean on, well, a thigh to be used as a pillow. They didn't say much, seemingly captivated by the gentle caress of the wind and the peaceful grace of the night sky.

Octo put his hands on his chest. He knew that this was only the first step to forge his own life, but it felt like he'd been through a lot. He always blamed his family, so he always thought that he was bound to it, to material pleasure that burdened them to become its guardian.

Now, with freedom right in front of his eyes…

This was all he wanted. This was the step he decided to take. Looking back, he could see that he'd come so far. Yet, he also couldn't help but feel doubts. Was this the best course of action? Should he have chosen another path? Maybe his father was right; he only had to simply follow what had been laid out for him and train to become the next leader of Cosa Nostra.

However, his heart couldn't take it. This was what he chose. He had to pave his own way. When he looked back, he saw no regrets. There were moments when he didn't know what to do, when he simply sat at the crossroad in doubt…

Maybe this was only another moment of that. He was sitting at a crossroad, not knowing what to do. And like before, he had friends, he had companions, and he would figure it out in time.

“You know, I can't help but think about university times." Kevin said, “Things have changed a lot."

Octo closed his eyes. That was true; when he remembered his times in university, he was surprised at how much things had changed. Tom, the shy and quiet wolf, was now boyfriends with Max, the ex-football star. Andy, the lazy and stupid lion, was now on his way to becoming a boss. Kevin, the rude and insolent wolf, was now…

“I still can't believe you used to be so arrogant, but now I see why." Kevin chuckled, teasing the panther.

Octo just grunted. “And I still can't believe you used to be an asshole."

“Hey, at least I'm now using my asshole to good use!"

“Thankfully your horniness is still a constant." The panther nudged his thigh. Kevin just laughed.

The panther let a stretch of gentle silence fall between them. Earlier, he had a deep conversation with Richard and Pacal. It started gently, as usual, but as the night went on, they continued on deeper, more personal topics. He told them that he considered them free, that they could resign if they wanted to. Pacal quickly turned that down, saying that he would always remain loyal to their family. The jaguar explained that the family was the one who saved him from a certain death and gave him a second chance, and that he owed his life.

Richard, meanwhile, had doubts. The hyena had a similar story, only that he had doubts from the beginning. He respected the family and what it stood for, but not what it did. The hyena disliked his job, sometimes hated it, even, but he knew it was his responsibility. That was why he was eager to follow Octo for offering a way to remain loyal to the family and to do anything else than what they were doing. In a way, Octo could relate to him.

To lighten up the mood, he asked if they wanted to go to university. Pacal just laughed gently, saying that he was too old for university. He said that for him, it was already time to survive with what he had. Richard, meanwhile, reluctantly said yes, but he knew he could not, so he wanted to follow Pacal and do with what he had.

Octo smiled at Richard, then told him that if he wanted to go to university, he could.

Now, away from everyone's problems, he felt burdened… yet free.

Closing his eyes, the panther let the night breeze sweep past his fur. This felt… rather nostalgic, reminding him of those sleepless nights with Giovanni. Sometimes when either of them couldn't sleep, they would sneak out to the other's room and go to the garden, telling stories to each other to tire themselves. They would tell stories about the old days, of those heroes in history books, or of mundane things like school. The wind was often cold, but they used to hold each other for warmth.

Octo gave a heavy sigh. Giovanni liked to stargaze.

“We should probably get back." said Kevin. “Can't wake up late on your important day."

“Nah, my sleep schedule is organised." The panther put his hand on his chest, looking up at the wolf with a smile. “You go to sleep."

“No can do, someone's gotta drag your ass to bed before you work till 3 in the morning again."

Octo laughed. “Fine, fine."

The thin futon in his office was uncomfortable, but it was enough to make him feel at home. Staring at the ceilings, he couldn't help but continue to wonder. Was this the correct path to take? What if this restaurant failed? What if he weren't meant to open a restaurant?

Thankfully, Kevin did what he always did best: distract him. The wolf walked into the office, fur damp from the shower and naked with a towel slung across his shoulder as usual. “Dude, you're overthinking again." said the wolf, nudging his leg before going to their bag and taking fresh clothes.

Unexpectedly, Róðgar also walked into the office in the same attire as Kevin, naked with a towel slung across his shoulder. Octo furrowed his brows in surprise; he didn't think he'd ever see the fox naked. As he thought, his body was fit, though it was already showing his age. The small scars on his shoulders and chest only made him look even manlier. The fox nodded at him before casually walking to his own bag.

Huh, their fur colour did look very similar.

“Speaking of, what time do we have to wake up again?" asked Kevin, now already wearing pants. He sat down on his futon, opened his phone and replied to some messages.

Róðgar decided to sleep in more polite clothing, in a polo shirt and a pair of baggy pants. He took his time to comb through his tail. “At 7. We're opening at 10, so best be prepared."

The red wolf yawned before putting his phone down. He stretched his body, lying down on the futon. “Sure, sure. Wake me up before 7, okay?"

That was one thing he learnt about Kevin; despite what his personality suggested, the wolf always managed to keep a healthy sleep schedule. Well, as healthy as he could manage. Octo looked at the clock and found that it was almost midnight.

Róðgar chuckled when he heard Kevin snoring. Even Octo himself gave an amused huff.

“Speaking of, signore," the fox said, still combing through his tail.

Octo hummed, replying to some messages on his phone. However, after a while of silence, he looked up at Róðgar. The fox was staring at his tail as he combed it, seemingly deep in thought.

He then sighed and continued before he could ask him. “You know what, never mind. It's alright." Done with his tail, the fox put the comb away and turned the lights off. He then lay down on the futon beside him. Taking a deep breath, he put his hands on his chest. “Good night, signore."

“Good night." was all that Octo could reply, confused by the fox.

He should probably sleep too, but even as he stared at the ceilings in darkness, his mind was all over the place.

---

“Three spaghetti alla carbonara for table 17!"

“On it! Shinori, prepare the sauce!"

“Yes, sir!"

Octo smiled as he put three servings of spaghetti into the boiling water and set the timer. That done, he continued frying the rice and putting some spices to it. The customer requested more pepper, so he put more on it. With the empty plates ready, he mixed the rice a bit more, then put it onto the two plates. He poured some more pepper and put some oregano leaves on it. “Two plates of fried rice with extra pepper ready!" He yelled as he rang the bell.

Almost instantly, Kevin came and picked up the plates. “Table 69 with special sauce?"

“Table 69 with special sauce." He replied with a snicker.

The wolf laughed and walked away, delivering the orders.

As if on cue, the spaghetti timer rang. Pacal gave them more orders, but another was quick to work on it. Octo took the cooked spaghetti and drained it, then took three plates and put it on them plus two spoons of the boiled water. He walked to Shinori who was quick to mix them with the sauce and grated cheese on each of them. Putting some oregano leaves on them, he rang the bell. “Three spaghetti alla carbonara for table 17!"

A rat by the name of Jackson picked them up and delivered them. He took another unattended order and began working on it. It said four plates of risotto for table 2. Putting the paper on top of his spot, he prepared the frying pan and took four servings of rice. He washed his hands first, telling Shinori in the meantime to prepare the cheese broth for the risotto.

Despite the rush, Octo felt right at home. He smiled as he put the rice onto the frying pan. This was what he wanted. This was what he had always dreamed about. He finally had his own restaurant. Today was the opening day for his restaurant. Everything was going well.

He met some of his friends already, but more would come soon. They had passed the lunch rush and it was now near 17 o'clock. Tom and Lucas were bringing their workmates, and so were Max and Vilkas. Andy and his old football guys would come later tonight.

He had come outside to greet some of them, but his time was spent more in the kitchen. As the head chef, he had the responsibility. Despite that, though, he was very sure that as his sous-chef, Isabela was capable of filling his position. After this dish, he wanted to come out to serve the customers again. Nothing like meeting the chef on the first day of opening.

“Yasha!" He said as he put the wine into the mix, and a bear immediately stood to attention. “Fetch me the risotto broth from Shinori!"

“On it!"

Octo chuckled a bit. If every day were this packed, they might need more help. He would put it into consideration after a few weeks.

The bear gave him the sauce. Pouring it in slowly, the panther stirred the mix, making sure that the rice absorbed it. After five minutes, he took four plates and gently put the dish on them. He gave them a sprinkle of pepper and brought them to the ready table, putting some orange leaves and ringing the bell. “Four risotto for table 2!"

Pacal quickly came and delivered them.

Crossing his arms, he smiled as he watched the door to the kitchen open and close, satisfied. He then turned to his office and took his cap and fur net off. “Isabela, I'm leaving the kitchen to you. I'll go to the front. Call me if you need me."

“Yes, chef!"

Inside, he took the apron off and took a deep breath. It was very busy today, which was very good. They were having 30% off all menu and had been promoting the restaurant for the last 2 weeks. Kevin told him that there was a very long queue at the front.

Well… there went his break. The panther took his chef costume off and put a waiter costume on. His parents had come earlier today and were impressed by his cooking… well he often cooked for them anyway. They wished the best for him and his restaurant and left after a while to take care of another matter. They still had to clean things up after that incident. He was glad that he was no longer a part of it.

He pocketed his phone and walked outside, getting ready to greet the customers as the evening rush hour was slowly starting. He hoped to bump into one of his friends.

Near the cashier, he heard a wolf whistle. “Excuse me, can I meet the chef? 'Cause I want to 'thank' him."

The panther chuckled and bonked Kevin. “No horny."

Kevin laughed.

“Get back to work!" Pacal said, then noticed him. “Oh, sorry, sir. Kevin has been an arse."

He crossed his arms. “I know. That's why I'm not giving him any dinner later."

“Octo, please!" Kevin pouted playfully.

“But must say, he is rather good for the customers." The jaguar cleared his throat and pointed to a group of tables on their left side. Many of the customers there were looking at the wolf, pretty much flirting with him. Kevin noticed that and winked at them.

Octo just chuckled. “As long as he keeps it SFW, then it's okay."

More customers then came. The panther took a menu and smiled, walking towards the entrance. He might have never been a waiter, but he knew how to serve. He just hoped Kevin didn't push him too hard though; the wolf looked really alluring in his uniform.

This felt refreshing. He had no issues just sitting in front of a computer all day in his previous job. This was a contrast to that, and it felt really different and refreshing. He got to meet many new and different people as well as serve them his cooking.

The panther smiled gently as he greeted a new customer. He directed them to an empty table, tail waving in contentment. He was really looking forward to making his own mark.

---

It really was a hectic first day of work.

In contrast to just a few hours earlier, the restaurant was now quiet. Done cleaning the tables, Octo put his hands on his hips and huffed in satisfaction. After the dinner rush, they closed up shop and had a celebratory dinner. Now, he sent the others home already; today was exhausting and they needed their rest. At first, they declined since they didn't want him to clean the restaurant all by himself, but he just told them to go ahead since he liked cleaning anyway.

And he wasn't alone. Kevin was putting the chairs up. The kitchen was already clean from their celebratory dinner earlier, so they only needed to take care of the front section. The panther smiled as he saw Kevin's tail wagging happily.

“All done, babe." Kevin said, walking towards him. He sniffed the air a bit and licked the side of his muzzle. “Damn, is it only me or does it smell like hot dude in here?"

Octo shook his head amusedly. He knew his scent was in the air, being spent after serving customers all over and cooking in the kitchen. Just in his t-shirt, his smell was everywhere. He wasn't the only one, though, Kevin's own smell was also everywhere and he smelled alluring. “Yeah. Go use my deodorant, you smell like shit."

The wolf laughed a bit, then walked closer to him. “Oh yeah? I think I smell woof." He leant closer to the panther, putting his hand on the panther's waist.

Not giving in, Octo kept his expression flat. “Excuse me, would you mind my personal space?"

“Lemme penetrate your personal space~" Kevin leant even closer. They were pretty much breathing the other's breath. “Was I a good boy today?"

The panther chuckled, then licked the wolf's nose. “The best boy."

“Do I get a reward for being a good boy?"

“I'm gonna get you some snacks later."

“Later? I thought my snack was right here." Kevin ground their hips playfully.

The panther laughed. “Not here, hot stuff."

“Aw." Kevin licked his nose, then leant back on the table in front of the panther. He stretched a bit and sighed heavily, “Gotta say, though, I'm fuckin' tired. I know it's bad for business but I really hope it's not that packed every day."

He felt a bit cold without Kevin being so close, but they could cuddle later. “Don't worry, I think I'll be opening more positions. Honestly I didn't think that, either. I could barely walk earlier."

“I can't hold back when there's so many hot guys around. I almost got hard earlier." Kevin wiped his face.

“Don't worry, I'm going to do you real hard later."

The wolf raised his brows seductively. “Can we do it now?"

“Not here, you cum-fuelled sex machine."

Kevin laughed again, then reached for his drink on the table. “Aw, I thought you're into public. Anyway, yeah I think we need more people here. Also, I think we could have shifts. Not gonna lie, working 10 to 9 is pretty hard, especially when I'm walking all over."

“I'm thinking about that, too. We have 10 people here now, so I think we need 6 more. That way we have 8 people in one shift. Less work time but more people."

“Aw, can we have 10 more instead?"

“It's still our first day, we need more observation." He mused. Kevin might be right, but this was still only their first day. After this it would be less packed. He was also considering opening the restaurant from 7 in the morning for the breakfast menu. “Speaking of, we still have enough ingredients for tomorrow, right?"

“Yeah. Richard checked it after we closed. We need to order more to last this week, though. We almost ran out of cheese but yeen's put the order earlier before we left." The wolf replied, pulling his messy fluff together and tossing it to his back. It was still messy, though.

Octo raised his brow. “Seriously, we almost ran out of cheese?"

“Yeah. Dunno what kind of cheese. Richie said that."

“I think I need to introduce you to our ingredients. Don't wanna have people asking you what you don't know." Octo chuckled, then stood up straight and stretched. “Tomorrow, though. I'm beat. Is all done?"

“All done, only one remaining."

“What?"

“You didn't do me yet." Kevin leered.

Octo ignored him and walked to the kitchen, turning the AC and lamps off in the meantime. “Get your stuff."

“Aw, c'mon, Oct!" His tail stopped wagging.

He looked at the wolf as he put his jacket on. “You want me to do you or not? Get going. Lock the door."

The wolf blinked, then laughed and took his hoodie with his tail wagging again. Kevin took his tail and held it as he followed him outside. Octo swished his tail around playfully, but the wolf kept holding it with a small laugh.

This late in the night, not many people were around, making the streets quiet and calming. The summer breeze felt gentle on his fur. Octo looked around and smiled, putting his hands in his pocket. He was tempted to just walk home, but sadly he was too tired for that. He took a deep breath, taking his phone out.

“We're waiting for the tram or bus?" Kevin asked him, locking the restaurant door behind him.

“I'll get us an Over. Too tired to walk, honestly."

As he walked to the main street, he took another glance at the street around them. It felt nice to him, like the gentle quietness of home. Some shops were still open, but most were closed. It was almost half to midnight; this late in the night there was no bus or tram, and the metro station was too far for their tired selves.

The panther took another deep sigh. The summer warmth felt comforting, indeed. He was going to make himself and his family happy. He would not forsake this chance. One day, he would take over the family restaurant as Giovanni was supposed to do, and now he was starting his steps. He wanted to make sure that he was ready and capable of that when the time came.

Kevin gently kicked the rubbish bin next to him and huffed. Octo smiled a bit at him, amused by the show of boredom. “Where are they?" asked the wolf.

Glancing at his phone, Octo shrugged. “They should be here shortly."

Looking over the red wolf, the panther smiled fondly. It looked like he wasn't just waiting for their bedroom session later, but he was genuinely happy. He felt happy for him, too. Now that he knew why Kevin was the way he was, he felt proud of him for reaching out. Kevin was trying his best to be better and Octo was more than happy to help.

Despite their differences, it seemed like they were made for each other. They made up for each other's weaknesses. Octo helped Kevin when it was to be serious, Kevin helped him when it was time to have fun. Kevin was impulsive while he was analytic, yet they still read some books in the living room after work and sang songs on the streets. He wasn't one to show PDA much, yet Kevin held his hand and kissed him so casually in the middle of the street as if it were a regular thing to do.

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. He couldn't tell when his wolf was here.

The sound of a car coming closer woke him up. Octo checked the licence plate with the one in the app, then got inside.

“Octaviano, right?" The driver, a deer, asked.

“Yeah. Acorn-West Street No. 27, Hallestead District." He answered, leaning back on the seat.

“Right. Well, buckle up."

They chatted as they drove home. He told the deer that he was picking them up from their new restaurant. The deer was excited to hear that and wanted to come by when he had the time. Kevin wanted to make sure he was the one serving him, with a wink. Octo just shook his head in amusement.

“Is it on Over Food?"

“Not yet. I'm planning to add it maybe next week. Today's been very packed." Octo sighed.

“Yeah deer. If you wanna come please come outside the rush hours. I'll make sure to serve you, heh."

The deer laughed a bit. “Hafta check my schedule first. Think I'll come sometime this week, though. I still got evening classes."

“You're taking evening classes? University?"

“Yeah. University of Barrowisle recently opened evening classes for the second strata."

When they reached his place, they got out of the car. After saying thanks to the driver, they went inside. As soon as they reached his room, Kevin began kissing him sensually. Octo protested a bit, but as the wolf pushed him to the wall, almost knocking the sofa in the process, he gave in and kissed him back.

His hands pulled the wolf's shoulders closer as they deepened the kiss. Kevin's hands held his waist, trying to get under the clothes to feel his body. Octo squirmed a little bit but didn't protest. They needed this, didn't they?

Kevin pulled away from the kiss, but instead licked his face and cheeks, hugging him close. His hands run across the panther's back up and down before pulling him closer. Octo buried his nose on the red wolf's neck, inhaling his alluring scent. His hands happily returned the favour, roaming the wolf's wide and fluffy back. The wolf's tail was wagging madly, especially when he cupped his shapely arse cheeks.

“Mmm…" hummed Kevin, still licking his cheeks. “Too tired for sex, honestly… unless you want to ride me."

“Honestly same." He agreed, taking a deep breath. “Let's just cuddle on the bed."

“Sounds good."

The sound of glass breaking caused them to pull away and look behind the wolf. Apparently, Kevin's wagging tail pushed a glass from the coffee table, making it fall and break.

“Er, sorry." Kevin said apologetically, but his tail didn't stop wagging as he gently pushed the panther away. “I'll take care of that." He took his hoodie off and put it on the hanger. “Go ahead and change, I'll join you later."

Octo nodded, reluctantly letting him go. “I'm gonna take a shower. My fur feels so dirty." He took his jacket off, debating whether to put it on the hanger too before shrugging and taking it with him. “Just come join me in the shower later." He said as he walked away, tail swaying invitingly.

The cold water felt wonderful as it rained down upon his tired muscles. Closing his eyes, the panther took a deep sigh. This felt… almost normal, almost like this was what he meant to do. So many things happened and he was really glad that most of it was over. He could focus on his dreams, what he wanted to do, and right now, he only wanted to live his life at his own pace.

He quickly washed himself, rubbing his fur with shampoo and cleaning the day's dirt and sweat away. He heard Kevin going to the toilet and he gave a chuckle, shaking his body before taking his towel. “Hey, you want some hot chocolate?"

“Sure, thanks."

Now dry, the panther walked out of the shower area and into the bedroom. He put a casual t-shirt and shorts on before going to the kitchen. He refilled his electric kettle and poured some chocolate powder into two cups. His thoughts were blank, the soft hum of the kettle making him smile as he could finally relax, that he could just… do what he wanted.

And right now, he wanted to try again.

He heard Kevin walking behind him, then he gave a deep sigh as he felt the wolf's arms hugging him from behind, resting his snout on his shoulder. For a while, they didn't say anything, only holding each other close. Kevin's arms on his midsection felt a bit tight, but it wasn't unwelcome. In fact, it was very much welcome, especially the way the wolf sniffed and landed small, gentle nibbles on his neck. The wolf smelled of fresh shampoo, of mint and orange, especially when he rubbed his fluff against the back of the panther's neck.

He wanted to call Kevin out for trying to mark him with his scent, but… he didn't mind that.

The soft ring of the kettle unfortunately took their attention away. Kevin pulled away slightly, loosening his hug. “Might want to take that." He breathed on his neck, his voice low and tired.

Octo turned the switch off, pouring the hot water onto their cups. “Sugar?"

“Yeah, one spoon."

Even after he put the sugar in and stirred the cup, the wolf didn't pull away. And he didn't want him to pull away either.

He watched as the chocolate stirred in the cups, letting Kevin hug him tighter again, as if not wanting to let him go, wanting to keep him close. Octo closed his eyes, taking one of the wolf's hands and took it on his own, giving small kisses on it.

Kevin wanted him, and he wanted the wolf in return.

“Can we… can we cuddle?" asked the wolf.

Octo chuckled fondly. “Only if you promised not to knock the hot chocolate down with your wagging tail."

Kevin's answer to that was only a mrf before nibbling his neck again, tail continuing to wag.

“What about the hot chocolate?"

“For tomorrow." The wolf answered. “Can I take you to the bed?"

That made the panther laugh softly. “Only if you promise to be gentle with me."

“Promise." said the wolf before positioning his arms.

“W-wait…"

Kevin swept him up to carry him in a bridal style. As his arms carried him, Octo found himself staring into the wolf's blue eyes. They looked calm now, tired but calm, complete with a small smile on his face. The wolf leant down and booped their nose together before giving it a lick. “Might as well take you to my den now."

Octo huffed in amusement as he began walking to the bedroom. “What? Next, you're gonna claim me as your own?"

“You already smell like me." Kevin chuckled and licked his nose again. “I thank our shampoo for that."

This time, it was Octo's turn to lick the wolf's nose.

As they went inside the bedroom, Kevin closed the door behind him and gently lay him down on the bed. Climbing onto the bed, the wolf then lay down on top of him, resting his face in the crook of his neck. Octo huffed fondly and reached out to pet the wolf's fluff, running his hands on his wide back.

So many things happened, indeed.

Kevin was still an arse sometimes and he knew he was still stubborn sometimes, but they still decided to be together. And now, as the wolf held him close like this, he felt safe. This time, he felt safe, like the wolf wouldn't let anything happen to him. He… trusted him.

Behind his horny mind and easy-going attitude, Kevin was slowly starting to trust him more and more. He was glad of that, and in turn, he trusted the wolf more and more. Despite their differences, they were happy together.

“Thank you." rumbled the wolf, eyes still closed but tail wagging.

“For what?"

“For staying." He shifted, wrapping his arms around the panther. “For me."

Octo's heart skipped a bit at the words, looking down at the wolf. Then, with another huge sigh, he returned the gesture, wrapping his arms on the wolf's back. “I want to stay." He kissed the top of Kevin's snout. “For you."

Opposites did attract, indeed.