Brothers - 24. Chapter 24

DEVYN

It was the best thing he had ever smelled, and Devyn slumped in his desk, a glass bottle in his hands as Jason dropped into the seat beside him. The neko was rank with the smell of exercise, and as much as the wolf wanted to just breathe in the scent, he forced himself to set the bottle on Jason’s desk.

“Dr. Marin said you should put this on,” he muttered.

The neko sniffed at the bottle, frowning slightly before spraying the contents over his body. Near instantly his scent was masked with the pungent smell of fresh pine, Devyn sneezing at the offensive scent. He couldn’t smell Jason at all under the perfume, and part of him was grateful for that, but another part was sad. He had honestly been looking forward to breathing his fill of his brother.

Slumping back in his desk with a sigh, Devyn set his head on the cool surface, his eyes staring at the front of the room blankly. All around them, elves sat in their own seats, and the wolf growled quietly as the murmurs started.

The chime rang through the school, a dark skinned elf stepping to the front of the room. Devyn frowned, looking around for Carla, but she didn’t seem to be around.

“Good morning, I am Halor, Miss Carla’s substitute for the foreseeable future. No, I do not know when she will be back, and I do not know why she isn’t here,” the elf said, pulling out a stack of papers. “I see we have a few humans and a neko here. I hope everyone will make them feel welcome here. If any of you have an issue with them, you can take it up with me and my neko wife.”

Tiny snickers and murmurs fell into uncomfortable silence, the elves in the room glancing around uncertainly.

“There will be no discussion of the Elfslayer in here, we are discussing elven psychology, not neko. However, at one point, I do plan to discuss the Neko Medic. If this is disturbing to anyone, please let me know and you will be excused for that lesson,” Halor continued, his eyes staring at Jason.

Devyn bit back a growl at the stare, the wolf dropping his head to his desk again. It wasn’t fair, Jason was supposed to smell like him, be protected with his scent. And now no one could smell him through the perfume the neko was wearing. He could already feel the people trying to encroach on his brother.

“I believe Miss Carla had started on Elven memory, correct?” Halor said, passing a stack of papers around.. “Today, I would like to expand on the difference between types of memory.”

Devyn frowned as Jason produced a pen buried somewhere in his hair, wondering where he had gotten it from. The neko glanced at him, letting out a silent sigh as he passed the pen over. The wolf looked at the object, trying to figure out just how he was supposed to write using it. It wasn’t his first time using a pen, but his fingers could never figure out how to grip the device properly.

“Is there a problem, Mr…?”

He glanced up, frowning as Halor stood over him.

“Devyn,” the wolf muttered. “I can’t write.”

“Ah. I was told you had a computer to help take notes?” Halor said.

Devyn shook his head.

“Mom took it away.”

A series of snickers erupted around them, Halor glaring at the elves around them.

“Mr. Farin, would you mind taking notes for your brother today?” he asked.

Jason shrugged, taking the pen back and pulling out a fresh notebook.

“Thank you.”

Halor stepped away, speaking to the class as he walked through the sheets on their desks. Devyn frowned as he stared at the paper in front of him, Jason already working on his own sheet. Lines quickly crossed the neko’s paper, Devyn glancing over curiously. He had the feeling Jason was impatient, or maybe it was the vestiges of anger that still threatened to break through the pine cloud surrounding the neko. Either way, his brother was throwing himself into his work, not even waiting for Halor’s explanation.

“Devyn.”

The wolf glanced up in alarm, Halor watching from the front of the room.

“When you are tying your shoe, what kind of memory are you using?”

“That…”

He glanced down at his paper with a frown, no ink staining the sheet, no clue to help him. Memory… it had always been his bane, but working through the steps of tying his shoes, one by one…

“That’s procedural memory?” he tried.

“Good. In elves, procedural memory can often include tasks that require more steps than a human or an elf. Back during the industry booms of the early 1100s, many human factory owners valued elves for their ability to remember complex tasks beyond what a human could remember. Jason, would you like to tell us which other task on the sheet is a procedural memory?”

The neko’s hands signed rapidly, Halor nodding along as he watched the hands move. Devyn was completely lost, and he wondered what good his sign language class was when it was clearly not helping him.

Letting out a quiet huff, the wolf reached for his bag, frowning as he remembered it was sitting in his room, the last of the jerky waiting for him at home. He dropped his head to the desk, sighing quietly as the class continued. It was already proving to be a long day, and the wolf had the feeling it was going to get a lot longer.

JASON

The neko sat in the Home Economics room, one of the previous classes’ projects sitting in front of him. He had a home now, and yet nothing had really changed. Jason let out a quiet sigh as he started in on the meal, a pair of humans eating their own food with obvious relish. It was one thing King Finley was praised for, helping orphans and the homeless receive as much food as they needed. If a student couldn’t afford lunch for whatever reason, they were given a meal. If someone was homeless, meals were delivered to a shelter so the homeless could have fresh food cooked that day. Granted, sometimes the food was less than edible, like the extra crispy pigeon sitting in front of Jason, but it was food, and he really had no right to complain.

It wasn’t their fault Dylan’s fathers had assumed he had money for lunch.

The neko sighed deeply, wrinkling his nose at the sharp scent surrounding him. He was sure it smelled worse for wolves, and needing the perfume to chase his brother off felt like insanity.

The door to the room opened, Jason glancing up with a mouthful of pigeon.

“Oh, there you are Dogmeat,” Connor said, the door closing behind him. “What are you doing here? Brienne and Dylan are waiting for you.”

The neko held up his pigeon, Connor frowning at the sight.

“Okay, well when you’re done, we were going to hit the track for a walk,” he shrugged.

Looking down at the near blackened mess that was his pigeon, Jason shrugged himself, tossing it back on the plate. At least the noodles had been well cooked, though Jason couldn’t imagine why anyone thought a dry pasta with an entire pigeon breast on the side would work together.

Still, he was full enough, at least to make it until he got home. Sliding the plate over to Emry, one of the younger orphans, he stood up and silently followed Connor from the room.

“So you’re really okay with Dylan kissing your girl?” Connor asked as they walked, the human casting a frown at the neko.

Jason shrugged, wondering why he should be upset about it. If Dylan made Brienne happy, that just meant he had a happy girlfriend. Not that they’d really done much together, but the neko wasn’t about to fault Brienne for that. His life was chaotic, he couldn’t expect someone else to make sense of it.

He spotted the two standing nearby as they stepped outside, Dylan’s hands sticking out of Brienne’s back pockets as the calico kissed the human. Frowning slightly at the sight, Jason wondered if he did have a problem with sharing Brienne. She hadn’t once kissed him like that. And granted Dylan had known her for years already, but part of Jason was feeling a little jealous that the calico was getting all the attention.

Connor cleared his throat loudly, Dylan pulling away with a startled merf. The calico glanced between Connor and Jason, a small frown on his face.

“Hey Jason, is everything okay?” he asked.

“Well of course everything’s not okay, you’re kissing his girl Fluffbutt,” Connor smirked.

“Hey, if he wants to join in, I’ve been waiting for him to make a move since Varya,” Brienne said.

Jason’s ears flickered uncertainly, wondering what he was supposed to do. It was the opening he had been waiting for, but if he took the chance now, it would be like Brienne was asking for it, not because he wanted it. Besides, he was worried about his first kiss, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to have it while Connor was watching him.

“Hey Meatsack, why don’t we get started on that walk?” Dylan said, pushing Connor toward the track.

“Really? But I thought we were waiting for-”

“I’m sure they’ll catch up later,” Dylan pressed, the two walking away as his free hand signed to Jason. ‘Talk to her.’

“Hey, I’m sorry if that was a lot of pressure,” Brienne frowned. “I didn’t mean to call you out in front of them.”

Jason shrugged, staring off toward the track nervously.

“I know we barely know each other, and it’s probably fast-”

The neko turned suddenly, a rush of bravado overcoming his fear as he wrapped his arms around Brienne. Their lips crashed together briefly, Brienne pulling away an instant later with a bewildered look on her face.

“You… you don’t have to kiss me if you don’t want,” she said belatedly.

Jason shook his head, missing his phone desperately. His hand raised to touch Brienne’s cheek uncertainly, the neko screwing up his courage again.

The second kiss was easier, his eyes closing as his lips met hers, their bodies pressing together as she stepped into the kiss. She pulled away with a sniff, her face grimacing.

“Sorry… that perfume…”

Jason frowned, taking a step back. He pulled the bottle out of his pocket with a frown, staring at it.

“Wolf scent? Hey, if you really want to chase them off, I have something that might help,” Brienne smirked slightly, looking at the bottle herself. “It’s not as sharp as that, but it would do the trick. I’m planning on wearing it to the Autumnal Dance… Oh, wait, I meant to ask, do you want to come with me? Dylan already said he’d go, so I understand if you’d rather not-”

Jason nodded quickly, smiling at Brienne. He motioned toward the track, the human nodding.

“So, is that a yes?”

He nodded again, reaching for her hand.

“Great! I can’t wait,” Brienne grinned. “We’ll have to get you and Dylan in matching suits though.”

‘I like blue, but I’m not sure it would go well with his fur,’ Jason signed, Brienne frowning in confusion.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that. Something about black?”

Jason shook his head with a small sigh. Brienne was trying though, and he was grateful for it.

“I’ll have to get Dylan to run me through some lessons again then. Though honestly I was too busy wondering… er, nevermind,” Brienne chuckled ruefully.

Smirking, Jason lifted her hand, his free hand tracing over her arm, just barely touching it, and Brienne shivered, a breathless laugh escaping her.

“Okay, yes, your hands are magic,” she nearly snorted, Jason laughing silently. “Gods, I wonder what you two could do together.”

Jason shook his head roughly.

“Yeah, I know, Dylan already told me that was out of the question,” Brienne sighed as they reached the track. “But hey, at least we got a few things figured out, right?”

The neko chuckled quietly, nodding as Connor and Dylan rejoined them.

“Well? How was it?” Connor smirked.

“Gods bless it Connor, leave him alone,” Dylan scowled, smacking the human on the back of the head.

“Could use a little work, but that just means we need to practice more,” Brienne grinned, wrapping an arm around Jason.

The neko nodded his agreement, turning toward Brienne with a questioning look. The girl smirked, before gently kissing him again. She pulled away and grabbed Dylan, the calico letting out a startled yelp before Brienne kissed him too.

“What, no kiss for me?” Connor asked innocently.

“And why would I kiss you?” Brienne shook her head. “I’m not about to have three boyfriends.”

“You snooze you lose,” Dylan smirked.

“Yeah, bet if I grew a tail you’d change your tune. Is it the way they curl when they’re happy? Or do you like having something to hold onto when you peg them?” Connor grinned at Brienne.

“Hey, you leave my tail out of your lust,” Dylan frowned. “I don’t do dicks.”

“Not with that attitude you don’t.”

Jason snorted, shaking his head as they walked. The track opened up around them, one giant quarter mile loop around the football pitch, a space that nearly begged him to take off running.

“And what about you, Dogmeat? You ever wonder what it would be like to shove your tail up your butt?”

The neko’s ears flickered, folding in embarrassment at Connor’s words.

“Oh gods you did!” the human cackled.

“Oh come on Connor, all nekos do that at some point. That’s how I know I’m not into dicks,” Dylan scowled.

A chime sounded through the school, the nekos both glancing back. Dylan let out a sigh, shaking his head.

“I’ll meet you guys after school I guess. I need to turn in my uniform.”

‘We have uniforms?’ Jason signed warily.

“You’re quitting? Why?” Brienne demanded.

“I need to help my fathers with the store,” Dylan shrugged. “And we got our uniforms last week Jason. Alastair is keeping yours, though he keeps complaining about you missing practice.”

‘It’s not like it’s my fault-’

“I know it’s not, and so does he,” Dylan sighed. “He doesn’t really care. Anyway, I’ll see you guys later.”

He stepped up to Brienne, kissing her lightly, before hurrying away. Jason watched him leave, the neko frowning deeply.

“Hey, don’t worry about Alastair Dogmeat, everyone knows he’s jealous of his ex’s new fling,” Connor smirked. “We’re looking out for you.”

DEVYN

The wolf tapped through the halls carefully, his back nearly flat to the walls as other students hurried to escape the prison that was school. Far from a prison, this was one of his favourite parts of the day, the second hour spent working out on the trails around the school before the dreaded walk home.

What he hadn’t expected was to find Jason waiting by Coach Sandolin’s office in the gym, the neko frowning as he leaned against the wall. Their eyes met, and Jason looked away instantly, a wave of subdued anger still washing through the air. Devyn didn’t know why he was still upset. The wolf had apologised… or had he? Honestly, Devyn couldn’t remember.

Huffing quietly, the wolf walked past him into the locker room, sneezing as the pine scent hit him full blast. It was like a slap across the nose, and Devyn decided he hated pine. It was too painful to smell good at all.

Pulling off his clothes with a grateful sigh, the wolf let his body shift, shaking out his fur as he landed on all fours. His ears twitched at a voice, Devyn kicking his locker shut as he turned toward the office.

Alastair was scowling at Jason, standing far too close for Devyn’s comfort, and the wolf let out a low growl, stalking toward the two.

“-missed far too many practices already, more than any other runner would be allowed.”

“He’s been sick,” Dylan’s voice said loudly, the calico stepping around a row of lockers with a set of clothes in hand. “Coach Alastair, he missed school, not just practice-”

“It’s too late Ethis. Sick, I can handle. But missing four practices in a row-”

“He’s been in the hospital with the plague. Do you really think Jason would want to miss practice? I’ve seen him run, he actually enjoys it, a lot more than I do,” Dylan snapped. “I’m telling you right now, if you don’t let Jason run, you’re losing one of the best runners on this team.”

Devyn growled in agreement, his teeth bared as Alastair glared at the wolf.

“Will someone get this dog out of here?”

There was a chorus of barks and growls from further in the locker room, the other wolves voicing their anger at the man’s words, and Alastair took a step back.

“Fine, you can run Farin. But miss one more practice this year, and you are off the team. Understood?”

Jason nodded quickly as a uniform was thrust into his hands, the neko hurrying away to get dressed. Devyn growled at Alastair again, backing off slowly, the wolf refusing to take his eyes off the man until Alastair retreated into the office.

Padding silently through the locker room, he found Jason pulling up his shorts, the neko tucking his tail into his leg. The wolf nosed his brother gently, Jason waving him away roughly. Whimpering quietly, Devyn turned away, his tail tucked between his legs. He didn’t know why his plan had backfired so badly, but the wolf wished his brother would explain it to him. Being left in the dark was just making everything seem worse.