Brothers - 11. Chapter 11

JASON

The neko stared at his computer, trying to figure out exactly what was being celebrated on the screen. Death? The end of a journey? Jason was utterly confused. The prayers to Zasar, those were normal for the deceased. Everyone gave an offering to the god of graves in hope that their memorials would be undisturbed. But the elves seemed to go above and beyond, thanking Zasar for taking their loved ones away. Either they were monumental ass kissers, or there was some nuance to their relationship with death that Jason just could not understand.

Either way, funerary rites were not a traditional holiday, but given how the elves celebrated death, the neko figured he could make something of it for the school project. It would certainly be more appropriate than writing about the end of the Neko Rebellion. A lot less politically charged too.

Maybe Lysander would explain it to him. If he could catch the elf outside of work, that was.

His ears picked up the sound of footsteps outside his room, the distinctive click of Devyn’s cane making the neko smile. A door slammed shut, and a minute later, the door leading to their bathroom opened, a wolf nose pushing at the barrier.

Devyn dropped a ball as he entered the room, nosing it toward the neko. He looked up at Jason with puppy eyes, the neko standing up tiredly. The wolf let out a tiny whimper, nuzzling Jason’s hand as the neko knelt to get the ball. A quick lick and a play bow made Jason grin at the wolf.

Standing, Jason stepped out of the room, staring at the stairs. He took a deep breath, and took a step down, hugging the wall as he descended. The smell of baking fruit filled his nose, the neko’s stomach gurgling loudly as he reached the bottom step.

“Oh, hey Jason,” Dylan said, standing by the front door. “It’s good to see you outside of the hospital again.”.

Jason frowned at the mask covering the calico’s face, his body drooping slightly as he realised he had put Dylan in it.

‘I’m sorry about the mask…’

The calico blinked in confusion, his ears and tail conveying the emotions hidden by the mask.

“Oh. This wasn’t you,” Dylan said. “Etul says you should be safe, now that your body has beaten the disease. I just like wearing it.”

He could tell it was a lie… sort of. Their ears and tails danced in a complex web of emotion and information, the two reading the undercurrents of the conversation between them, even as Jason’s fingers moved.

‘I don’t blame you for what happened. I do have to say it was pretty sudden though. We had three days?’

Dylan chuckled ruefully.

“Uh, yeah. Apparently it’s like that. I don’t know, I’m not a healer.”

Margaret stepped out of the kitchen, carrying a small plate in her hands, a slice of warm cranberry pie sitting on the ceramic. Jason’s nose twitched at the scent, his mouth filling with saliva at the thought of the sharp taste the pie would give.

“Here, try this Dylan- oh, hey Jason. You’re out of bed?” Margaret mentioned.

The grey neko nodded, signing with his free hand, ‘Yes, I didn’t really feel like napping after three days in bed.’

Margaret let out a quiet sigh as she noticed the ball.

“Jason, don’t throw the ball around for Devyn. It’s degrading.”

‘He seems to like it,’ Jason signed, Devyn biting the ball out of the neko’s hand.

“It’s the wolf in him. Trust me, I’ve chased a few balls myself. It’s humiliating.”

“No, he actually does enjoy it Mrs. Farin. He’s told me,” Dylan added. “Besides, is it really different from me playing catch with my father? Devyn just happens to use his mouth because he can’t use his hands.”

Margaret’s lips pursed, the woman looking between them.

“Fine. Clearly I’m outnumbered here. Enjoy your pie, Dylan,” she said, turning back toward the kitchen.

Jason felt a sudden knot of heat in his gut, the neko on the verge of apologising. He’d pissed Margaret off… what if she decided to send him away? Guilt and fear rolled off him in waves, a sudden light headed sensation driving Jason to sit suddenly.

Devyn let out an uncertain whimper as he pressed against his brother. Even Dylan was staring at the pie in his hands, the calico’s ears drooping as he contemplated eating it.

“Hey Devyn, you want to eat this?” he asked, setting the plate on the floor.

The wolf huffed quietly, nuzzling both of the nekos. His paw slid the food back toward Dylan, encouraging him to eat. Sighing, Dylan stared at the plate before reluctantly starting to eat, removing his mask momentarily as he faced away from the other neko.

Jason leaned back against a wall, his vision going dark as he fought off a yawn. He felt exhausted, drained by the emotions running rampant through him. The neko just wanted to sleep this off. Devyn was laying next to him, the wolf’s head heavy in his lap, giving him the pressure that helped ease Jason’s panic. A hand stroked the wolf compulsively, running down his back as Jason gave up his fight. He didn’t need to control this, he just needed to focus on Devyn, on his brother doing everything he could to help him feel better.

“Jason? Are you okay?”

Devyn’s words were muffled by the blood pulsing in Jason’s ears. He looked up blearily, taking in Dylan’s worried face.

“Come on. Devyn, can you get him to bed? I think he’s still worn out from the plague and I don’t want him to catch it again,” Dylan said.

The wolf huffed quietly, breath heating Jason’s lap. He stood up, nuzzling his brother until Jason rose unsteadily to his feet. Leaning onto Devyn for support, the neko stumbled toward the stairs, crawling up them on all fours. Before he knew it, he was back in his room, climbing onto the bed with a pair of hands pulling his bed sheet back to tuck him in.

“Just rest for a bit. We can play tomorrow.”

DEVYN

He tucked Elroy into Jason’s arm, the neko’s body covered by the bed sheets. There were some good things about being in human form, Devyn supposed. Like being able to tuck his brother into bed. And hugging his father.

Devyn was beyond angry. His mother had driven Jason to his knees with just her words, trying to force her will onto him. The fact that she had gone after Dylan too just added fuel to his fury. But he was helpless to do anything about her utter disrespect for him.

His rage was another story.

Hobbling out of Jason’s room, the wolf grabbed his cane before limping back downstairs to Dylan.

“He’s sleeping,” Devyn said. “Can we go to the pack house? I want to get out of here for a bit.”

Dylan nodded.

“Sure. But you should ask your parents first. And probably get some clothes on too.”

The wolf grunted, but headed back upstairs to put on his skirt. He’d just be taking it off in a minute anyway, but if it made Dylan happy then he’d wear it for now.

With his body covered for the moment, Devyn took a deep breath, following his father’s scent downstairs again. He was not talking to his mother. But Richard would probably be fine with him leaving for a few hours.

Tapping into the living room, the wolf found his father sitting with a laptop, scrolling silently.

“Dad, do you mind if I head to the pack house for a bit?”

Richard looked up, before glancing at the time.

“Dinner’s going to be ready in a few hours. And did you get your homework done?”

“I didn’t get any,” Devyn said, leaning on his cane.

“Do you plan on walking there? It’s almost three miles away. By the time you get there, you’ll have to turn around and come home.”

The wolf let out a grunt. He wasn’t sure what was worse, his mother flat out telling him no or his father using logic to explain why he couldn’t go. If he could go three miles in half an hour, then coming home would take another half hour which meant two hours of walking… and he was lost. A wolf’s brain wasn’t meant for math. Numbers gave him a headache.

He wondered if his father realized that as he limped away. Fine, he wouldn’t go to the pack house. Shaking his head at Dylan, the wolf sighed quietly as the neko shrugged. Devyn would have gone to set the table, but that would have meant having to be in the same room with Margaret, and he was not mentally prepared for that at the moment.

“I’m going myself,” Dylan said. “I don’t really want to be around when your mother is in her moods. Good luck dude.”

Devyn nodded, before heading back upstairs. He totally understood. An angry mom was not fun at all. Not that his mom was ever really fun.

Stripping off his skirt, the wolf shifted, padding silently to Jason’s room. The neko startled awake as Devyn jumped onto the bed, relaxing slowly as the wolf laid over his legs. A hand came down, scratching Devyn behind the ear, and the wolf groaned in pleasure, his eyes hooded.

Jason rolled over, his arms reaching around the wolf in a sudden embrace. Devyn licked at his face, a silent laugh shaking the neko’s body as he wiped the slobber off his skin. It made Devyn feel better. At least he could make sure his brother was having fun.

He liked the smell coming from the neko, a sense of safety and contentment coming off Jason as Devyn cuddled against him. The anxiety coming from the neko earlier had scared him, but now Jason felt happier. And that made the wolf happy too.

Wriggling over the bed, Devyn nuzzled Jason’s stuffed animal with his nose, pushing it toward the neko. He felt Jason stiffen slightly, before slowly relaxing as the neko realized he wasn’t trying to eat the wolf. The neko’s hand brushed over Devyn as he took the stuffed wolf, a small smile on his face. Together they laid back on the bed, curled up around his plushie without a care in the world.

JASON

The kitchen was filled with the smell of cookies and pies. Jason was drooling over the scents, and he had no doubt Devyn was going crazy with his wolf nose, even in human form. They stood at the edge of the kitchen, neither wanting to enter the room while Margaret was in there.

Devyn’s hand rose, the wolf touching his brother reassuringly. Taking a breath, Jason stepped forward, into the warm kitchen, and into the lion’s den.

“Oh, there you two are. Why don’t you get the table set?” Margaret said, pushing into a mound of dough. “We have a lot of pie tasting after dinner. No mint included.”

There was no mention of earlier, no continuation of the argument, and Jason found himself releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He moved through the kitchen, grabbing a few plates to carry into the dining room, Devyn on his tail with a fistful of forks.

The table was set in short order, Jason glancing over his shoulder at the kitchen. He frowned slightly, a hand motioning toward Devyn as he pulled out his phone.

She’s not angry anymore?

Devyn took his time reading, nodding as he finished.

“Mom is always angry,” he muttered.

Maybe we need to show her we can take care of ourselves, Jason typed.

“What do you mean?”

Smirking slightly, the neko began typing again, taking a few moments to double check everything before handing his phone to his brother. If they could pull this off, they would probably get in a lot of trouble with Margaret. But maybe, just maybe, she would realize that the two could think for themselves.

“I like it. Do you really think Dylan will help? This won’t do any favours for him with Jordan,” Devyn said.

Jason shrugged, motioning to Devyn’s skirt. He frowned, realizing the wolf didn’t have pockets. Where did he keep his phone then? Or did he carry his phone with him? The neko held up his phone, miming talking on it.

“Oh. I haven’t actually called him in years,” Devyn said. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt though.”

“What are you two plotting over here?”

They jumped guiltily as Richard entered the room, Jason sharing a look with Devyn.

“Just some schoolwork,” Devyn said. “Miss Carla wants us to speak in front of the class at the end of the year.”

“Oh. I’m sure she’ll make an exception for Jason, right?” Richard asked.

Jason shook his head. He’d already looked at the project, and there were no exceptions being made for anyone. Not that he needed there to be. He could get in front of the class and sign. It was his way of talking, and it should still count.

“Well that’s not right. I’ll be having words with the school about this,” Richard frowned.

“About what?”

Jason deflated as Margaret stepped into the room, a casserole held in her hands. He didn’t need them to worry about the project; he already had it planned out.

Yet, as Richard explained the situation, the neko found himself grateful that they at least seemed to care. Slowly, Jason relaxed, sitting at the table as the rest of his family joined. He was still worried about Margaret, but for the moment she didn’t seem too angry at him. Maybe he had overreacted. After several months of work trying to adopt him, surely his new family wouldn’t send him back just because they were mad at him. It was irrational, and he knew better than to think all werewolves were irrational.

The neko still had another day stuck at home though, before he could finally leave the house. He would just have to try not to ruffle any feathers. Or fur, in this case. There was so much he was missing, all because he had gotten a little sick. He was already feeling stronger, but the neko knew better than to try and get out of his last day of bed rest. He couldn’t wait to actually go to school, to learn, and to see what it was like in a school full of werewolves.

“We have four pies to try,” Margaret said as she cleared the plates. “Let me know what you think of them, because they’ll be the ones I make tomorrow for the sale.”

She returned a minute later with the pies balanced precariously on her arms, setting them on the table gently. Jason could smell the mixed fruits, apple, cherry, lemon, and cranberry. There was enough for each of them to have a slice, the pies not as big as he would have thought. The neko supposed that was a good thing. He had a sweet tooth, but even he would be feeling bad after four slices of pie.

Glancing at Devyn, the neko let out a laugh at the sight of the wolf licking his lips. He was poised over the table, staring at the food like he hadn’t eaten in days. Jason settled back in his seat, thinking. The cranberry would not do well; he already knew that. He loved cranberry as much as the next neko, but that was the thing, it was more of a neko pie, like a blackbird pie, or a salmon pie. It wasn’t something most people would enjoy. Though he was sure at least a few people would enjoy it.

“Cherry first,” Margaret said, cutting up one of the pies. “Don’t even think of it,” she added, pointing at Richard.

The man closed his mouth, shaking his head.

“It was a clean joke…” he grumbled quietly.

Jason hid his chuckle, staring down at his plate. He began eating, his mouth exploding in sweet and tart juices. Across the table, Devyn moaned as he ate, his tongue licking at his fingers as he picked at the flaky pie crust. The pie was amazing, and Jason knew his plan would need a little extra work. He just hoped Margaret’s nose wasn’t as sensitive as Devyn’s seemed to be.