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The city park rarely looked this beautiful.

Today was the new year, and as expected, the park was almost empty. Fond of quietness, Octo smiled in contentment as he walked along a pathway in the park with hands in pockets. The central square looked mesmerising, like a hidden clearing in a forest of trees, which itself was like a hidden piece of nature in a forest of concrete buildings.

Alone, he felt relaxed. The new year was one of the rare days when he could relax, when he didn't really have to think about responsibilities. His family wanted him to stay around and spend more time after breakfast earlier, but he excused himself and said that he needed more time for recovery. His parents didn't comment on it, unlike the usual where they would tell him to stay around at least until lunch. He told them that he would like to get some fresh air, but he didn't tell them where he would be going.

Octo just gave a happy sigh. His family already interrogated him enough with the marriage questions. A moment of quiet would be very much welcome.

Finding a bench, he cleaned it off of snow and sat down. His body felt better now, and while he still dared not do anything too much, he was already confident taking walks alone without anyone accompanying him. Nicholas was busy at home and he didn't want to disturb the tiger doing his duties, especially from his new year duties.

He took his phone from his pocket and unlocked it. There were a lot of notifications already. He expanded a notification from WhatsUp and read the messages.

Kevin Huntington replied to your message: "Guess Santa was too busy last night "

He just smiled and chuckled, though it faltered quickly. While he and Kevin still replied to each other's messages in the group, it was mostly about serious things like his recovery or Barrowisle. Jokes were seldom, and the wolf never sent him any direct messages.

Giving out a sigh, the panther put his phone down and closed his eyes.

After meeting the red wolf a few days ago, he... accepted their breakup. It felt refreshing when he finally accepted it and moved on. He still wanted closure, and he figured Kevin might want it too, but he didn't want to push the wolf. If they wanted to leave it unexplained, then let it be. There wasn't much for closure anyway, and from what he could tell, Kevin wasn't one to keep thinking about stuff and drag himself down. Now, with a bittersweet smile, he replied to the message with a bonk sticker. A few moments later, Kevin replied to it, sending a sticker of a wolf crying, making him chuckle.

They might no longer be boyfriends now, but he did not want to lose the wolf as a friend.

Opening the private chat with Kevin, he tried not to scroll up to their past messages... the last message was him telling Kevin that he was home. Octo stared at it for a while, debating whether to delete everything and start again or even why he was thinking of directly texting Kevin. The keys on the keyboard watched him, seemingly curious as to why he hadn't pressed any of them.

The wolf did say that he could send him a text if he wanted to talk.

"Hey Kev, happy new year."

Kevin was online.

He locked his phone. His reflection stared at him on the black screen.

It buzzed, then an ambient notification appeared. WhatsUp: Kevin Huntington sent a message.

Taking another deep breath, he tapped on the notification and unlocked the phone. Kevin Huntington: "Yo merry Christmas and happy new year to you too dude"

That... made him smile, but now he didn't know what to reply.

A few minutes later, Kevin beat him to it. Kevin Huntington: "What's your present?"

"Nothing much tbh. Hbu?"

Kevin Huntington: "Same tbh"

Not knowing what to answer, Octo just put his phone down with a relieved smile. It felt... freeing, in a way, as if burdens were lifted from his shoulders. The fountain in the middle of the square in front of him now seemed a lot more beautiful, as did the snow which began to gently fall.

Winter in Ausalt-on-Haye often felt too cold, but this year, it felt a bit less cold.

His phone buzzed again and he tapped on the notification. Kevin Huntington: "At least there's food tho xD"

That made him think, could they meet again? It wasn't wrong to invite a friend to hang out, right? He typed his message. "Hey, are you busy rn?"

Kevin took longer to reply.

Kevin Huntington: "Yeah"

Kevin Huntington: "Wbi"

Was he really going to spend time with the wolf this quickly? A part of him told him that no, it wasn't good and they needed more time for themselves, whilst another part told him that why not, they happened to live in the same city anyway, so the sooner he tackled the problem, the sooner it could be over with.

He thought of a good invitation as he began typing. "Do you want to..." too formal,"The park looks pretty..." too indirect. He decided to ask him truthfully and directly. "I'm really bored rn so do you wanna meet up for bread or smth? It's gonna be my treat"

No wait that seems too carefree as if he was ignoring what happened between them--

Kevin read that message right away, but he didn't reply. He began typing, but then the status reverted to online. It went on two more times until finally he sent his reply.

Kevin Huntington: "Aren't the shops are closed today?"

Kevin Huntington: "*all"

Oh, right. Octo looked around and yeah, the shops and food stands visible from there were all closed. However, he noticed some that were about to open in a corner of the park. "I'm in the central park rn and some booths look like they're getting ready to open, so yeah if you want" He sent the message and put his phone down.

Ten minutes later, Kevin replied. Kevin Huntington: "Sure ig. I'll be there at around 13 or 14, am busy rn"

Seeing the message, he couldn't help but smile in relief. He sent his reply, "Nice, I'll be waiting then". Kevin still wanted to meet, and maybe they could still salvage some parts of their friendship. He put his phone down and put his hands in his pockets. Winter felt warmer this year indeed.

---

Octo panther: "Nice, I'll be waiting then"

Kevin looked at the message for the thousandth time. His eyes drifted up at the last message before they broke up, then at the contact's name, then his ears drooped. He tapped on the write message box and the keyboard slid back up, but he then tapped on home and locked his phone again before leaning back on the bus seat and letting out a soft groan.

He was ready to move on. He was ready to let everything go. He was ready to leave what they had in the past. He had regrets, sure, but he forgave himself for it.

Yet now, he was on his way to the city park by bus. Why would Octo want to meet him? He didn't know. Maybe the panther wanted to reconcile? He didn't know. Maybe the panther just wanted to talk? He didn't know.

Frankly, he didn't even know why he agreed. He accepted that it was his fault that they broke up, and from what he could tell, Octo didn't really want to dwell on it for long. He even thought that the panther had already moved on! They talked in group chats like nothing happened. In a way, that made him relieved, but it also stung. It felt as if the panther hated him so much that it didn't need long for him to move on. He knew he was the one at fault for saying those things to the panther but ouch that stung.

Kevin stared out the window. Buildings were passing by, almost like his thoughts. One came, then left, then another came, then left.

Still, maybe the panther really just wanted to talk. He knew Octo; the panther always preferred talking first. So, he told his beating heart to calm down...

...to no avail since the bus's speakers then announced, "Folgende stand: Stadpark Øst. Next station: City Park East" and his heart started panicking again.

He took a deep breath as he stood up. He should be ready for this. Even if they turned out to meet only for 5 minutes or so, at least he would still get to enjoy the park.

The almost empty bus then finally stopped, and he tapped his phone on the register before getting down. He awkwardly texted the panther as he walked into the park, "Am in the park. Where r u?"

"I'm in the hawker place near the bridge. There's a fish stick booth open"

Hands in his pockets, he walked towards there. It felt cold even though he wore a coat, thin might it be. Maybe it was because he was nervous rather than the cold. At least the trees helped shield him from the gentle snowfall.

He saw Octo's back as he neared, mainly because the panther was the only customer there. No wonder, it was the new year. People were home for the first day of the year and almost all shops were closed. Kevin too was spending the morning cooking with his mother and brother. He only agreed to come because the food was done and his mother wanted to rest. Also, despite his feelings towards Shaun, he bought him a gift.

It was the first time he remembered seeing Shaun blush and wag his tail.

What was Octo doing here anyway? Shouldn't he be at home? It was very cold--well, for him it felt just like regular cold thanks to his winter fur--so why was the panther out here?

Octo then turned around from the booth and saw Kevin. He perked up and smiled, sitting at the available table and waiting for him to join, almost looking eager.

Still, Kevin felt rather apprehensive as he walked into the building. He greeted the panther and sat down, forcing his ears to stay up and his tail to stay relaxed. "Hey, panther." In front of him was already a plate of fish sticks with scotch eggs and potato fries and a paper cup of hot chocolate.

"Hey, Kevin." Octo greeted him back, then pointed at the plate in front of the wolf. "That one's for you."

"Uh, thanks." Kevin did not touch it, for now anyway. "What are you doing here right now anyway? It's the new year."

"Well, I was too bored at home. And, you know, family stuff."

"Ah, well."

"Yeah, my family kept pestering me with questions. You know what kind." The panther explained. Kevin found it rather curious how Octo was this carefree whereas he himself was really nervous. It was quite an interesting switch, honestly. "Extended family was here, so I don't want to be there any longer."

The wolf could only try to make himself more comfortable on the chair.

"No marriage questions thankfully, but I know it's only about time for that." Octo laughed gently. The laughter sounded so rich in emotion, and Kevin couldn't help but chuckle along. "How about you?"

He shrugged. "Eh, nothing too interesting. Was just spending the new year at home, cooked some food earlier this morning."

"Ah, I see." He ate his food.

Their gaze lingered on each other for a bit, then Kevin closed his eyes and sighed. "Anyway, how are you? I mean, you know, after the accident? Shouldn't you just rest at home?"

Octo gulped the food. "I'm fine now, well, fine enough. The scar still needs to be bandaged but I can go out as long as I keep it easy." He touched the part of his stomach where Kevin thought to be where the scar was. "The stitches are already dry. It still hurts to touch, though, so it's best left alone."

The wolf furrowed his brows. "That doesn't really sound fine enough. Like, shouldn't you just stay put until it's fully dry and doesn't hurt anymore?"

"Well, this is the first time I'm out of the house." Octo shrugged and ate another fish stick. "Well, third. I visited Tom once he got discharged, then I, well, did an errand."

He was still sceptical and rather worried about that, but well, he knew Octo. Tom also did say that Octo visited him before. He wanted to ask about that errand but he had a feeling that it was something he didn't need to know.

Oh yeah, maybe it was when they met in that minimarket.

"Also, eat that before it gets cold." continued the panther.

Kevin looked at the paper plate in front of him, then sighed and ate one fish stick.

"So, how have you been?"

He gulped. "Well, here and there. I got a job recently. It pays well enough but it's really taking a lot."

"Ah, I see. And how's, uh, your mother?"

"She's fine now. Already home."

The air turned awkward after that. Kevin continued eating his food in silence with his ears slowly drooping, whereas Octo only looked out at the gently falling snow. They were dangerously close to talking about their breakup, and neither wanted to be the first to bring the topic up.

It hurt... wow, even implying it actually hurt.

Still, this felt surprisingly nice. Memories began to flood in about the time they spent together, and Kevin didn't try to stop them. This was fine, he thought, and in a way, they were trying to rebuild their relationship. Kevin had been in a lot of breakups, but this one felt the hardest, yet this one also felt the easiest to accept despite that.

Huh, what Tom said really was true. The grey wolf told him to not fight the feelings, but to control them. And right now, as he looked up to see Octo's handsome face looking out into the park, he felt melancholic. Sure, it felt painful, but there was nothing he could do about it other than move on.

As he promised himself, he had to start taking his life seriously. His time to play around was over. His mother's failing condition was a wake-up call for him.

"Cold day, isn't it?"

Octo's words woke the wolf up from his musings. He looked at the panther who was still staring out at the sky, then he followed his gaze and smiled. "Yeah, it's a cold day."

There was a pause before the panther replied, "I wish winters here weren't as cold. Maybe around the temperature in Barrowisle."

Kevin ate the last scotch egg on his plate. "Well, Barrowisle isn't located as close to the land of midnight sun as Ausalt-on-Haye is."

They chuckled at that.

"I wonder how people live in the North during winter," continued the wolf, pushing his now empty plate forward. "or even summer." He drank the juice.

"I've been told that it gets kinda depressing at times. I haven't really spent much time up North though. But to be fair, the population in all of North Iceland isn't that big, even Ausalt-on-Haye has more people, so there isn't much to do." Octo remarked.

Kevin hummed and leant back on the chair. "Must be a nightmare for wolves there during shedding."

"Yeah." Octo chuckled. "It must be." After a while, he added. "The midnight sun would look amazing during summer, though."

"Eh, having only three hours of nighttime is already bad enough. I don't really think I can handle having none." Kevin crossed his arms.

"Well, same here."

"Like that time in Westeravne?" He asked Octo with a small grin.

"Like that time in Westeravne." Octo looked back at him and grinned.

They laughed.

The conversation died at that, but instead of awkwardness, it was replaced by a gentle, warm silence. They both looked out longingly at the falling snow, two empty paper plates in front of them. The cold felt warm now, and the icy fountain in the middle of the park looked beautiful.

No words were exchanged, yet they smiled in melancholy, reminded of the time they spent together.

...and yet...

Kevin took a deep sigh. He still did not know what to do or what to make of them now. This hurt, but also soothing in a way.

Unfortunately, the panther's phone beeped, interrupting their moment. Octo picked it up and looked at it, then he typed his reply. Kevin didn't mind him, still enjoying the snow.

"I need to go now." The panther then said apologetically. "Sorry for cutting this short. They want me to go home now."

Kevin looked up at him, feeling... sad yet relieved that he had to go so soon. "Yeah, maybe you still need more rest."

"Thanks for coming though." Octo began tidying up.

"No problem, dude. And thanks for the food."

"Yeah."

They looked into each other's eyes, but Kevin then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I... I'm sorry, Octo."

For a while, the panther did not reply, but then he shifted and stood up, carrying his paper plate away to the bins. Kevin only looked back at the falling snow and drooped his ears, but then the panther returned and stood up by the table, and said, "Thanks, Kevin." making the wolf look up at him to see a pained smile. "It... really hurt. We were both to blame. Still, I wish we could still be friends."

He smiled at that, but it was a sad one. "Yeah... I wish that, too."

Octo nodded, then put his hands in his jacket pocket. "Wel, gód aftermiddæj."

_"Gód aftermiddæj."_Kevin replied.

He stared at the panther's back as he walked away, slowly getting smaller and smaller until he finally reached the bus stop. The panther lingered there for a few moments, then got into a bus. The bus drove away, and Kevin was left alone.

He slumped back on the chair, arms crossed as he closed his eyes. It hurt, but it also felt relieving, like forcefully ripping a bandage over his fur. Was this good for them, he didn't know. Was it good for him, though?

Kevin did not know, and he also did not know when he started shedding tears.

---

On to the new year with a bittersweet start oof