Brothers - 48. Chapter 48

DEVYN

Cold water fell from the showerhead. Underneath, a naked wolf shivered as the liquid splashed over him. Richard had told him he needed to shower before he went to the tailor. But Devyn hadn’t counted on the water being absolutely frigid in the locker room showers.

A hand cast a shadow over Devyn’s head, twisting a valve on the wall above him. Sudden warmth filled the water, and the wolf let out a grateful sigh, his head turning toward Connor. The human smirked at the wolf, shaking his head as he stepped under his own showerhead.

“Someone would think you never washed before Devyn,” he leered.

Devyn huffed quietly, remaining seated under the raining water. His tangled hair dripped icy water in his lap as he slowly warmed up, an unpleasant feeling that only reinforced his hatred of the water that fell from metal faucets to drench him.

“You know, sitting naked in a locker room like that is not a good idea,” Connor noted, rubbing himself down quickly as the rest of the human track team entered the room. “It’s pretty dirty.”

Another huff. Devyn had been told to take a shower. He was going to take a shower. The wolf just wished Richard had told him when he could get out of the water.

Water flooded the shower around him, the smell of sweat and dirt filling his nose as naked bodies filled the open space. Eyes glanced at him, frowns were cast, but Devyn ignored them all as he tried to figure out just how long he was supposed to wait under the lukewarm spray. He couldn’t stand up, and the humans knew it. They would just have to deal with him sitting.

Slowly, the showers emptied, elves and humans stepping out to dry off. Was it long enough? Devyn raised an arm, sniffing himself like Jason sometimes did. The wolf’s scent filled his nose, rich and earthy, and perfect. The scent that described who he was, unblemished by the world around him.

Another scent broke through his own, and Devyn’s head twisted quickly, the wolf giving a joyous grunt as he saw Jason walking toward him through the locker room. The neko frowned at him, crooking his finger in a gesture Devyn knew all too well.

The wolf came to his brother, feet scrabbling as he fought the slick surface of the shower. Giving up, Devyn crawled across the tiles before pulling on Jason’s arm to help him stand. He shook his head quickly, trying to get the water out of his hair, and Jason flinched as the liquid splattered over his face.

Jason’s hand raised, pointing back toward the shower. Devyn whimpered quietly, shaking his head.

“No more water.”

The neko sighed silently, dislodging the wolf before removing his shirt. Carefully, Jason walked into the shower area, trying to avoid the spraying water as he reached to shut it off. Devyn fell with a thump against a locker, watching his brother turn off the shower. Oh… he was supposed to do that himself…

“Farin, get your ass off my locker,” a man scowled.

Devyn grunted, sliding down the locker to sit on the cold ground. A moment later, he was on his feet again, Jason pulling him up before walking the wolf to his own locker. The neko mimed dressing, pulling on his own shirt for good measure, and Devyn hurried to get dressed, ignoring the blood rushing to his groin as his brother bossed him around.

As his shirt fell over his torso, a hand patted his head.

“Aw, you finally got a handler,” Connor smirked at the two.

Jason’s hand slid off of Devyn’s head, signing at the human, and Connor laughed.

“Yeah yeah. You know I have no idea what you’re saying right?”

Devyn laughed as his brother’s thumb raised to his mouth, the neko miming biting it off. He stared down at his own thumbs, wondering why it was such an insult to be thumbless. The wolf got along just fine without his thumbs.

Grabbing his cane and his bag, Devyn hobbled toward the door, Jason walking beside him protectively. They pushed through the door and Devyn shook his head again, trying to get more of the water out of his hair. Jason dodged most of the spray, waiting until the wolf was done before nudging him in the direction of the car park.

Richard was waiting for them already. It didn’t take long for Jason to help Devyn buckle himself in, and the wolf leaned back in his seat, damp hair pressed against the back of the carseat.

“You didn’t take a shower Jason?” Richard asked.

The neko shook his head as the car moved.

“I went to the palace for a bit. I had to redo the notes Margaret destroyed.”

Their father winced at the name, his eyes glancing at Jason. Richard looked back at the road a moment later, sighing quietly.

“Did you shower Devyn?”

“Yes,” Devyn grunted sullenly.

“Not with soap,” Jason added.

The wolf stared at his brother in dismay. He had to use soap? Why did he have to use soap?

“Okay then, we’re stopping at home so you can shower properly, Devyn. You can’t be smelly for this,” Richard said as the car turned.

No… no, he just took a shower. Why did he have to take another shower? It wasn’t fair! He’d done what he was told; no one had told him he needed to use soap. He never used soap before.

“Is Jason going to wash me?”

Richard looked at his brother, and the neko nodded silently.

“Thank you Jason,” Richard said quietly. “I’m sorry, but we are running a little tight on time, and I don’t want him to stink when he’s being measured.”

“I understand,” the neko’s phone said as they pulled into the driveway.

Devyn’s brother was out of the car a moment later, opening Devyn’s door to let the wolf out. The wolf frowned, but pushed himself to his feet. There was no escape, and he knew it.

JASON

The neko’s clothes flew into his hamper. Jason ushered his brother into the bathroom, Devyn already naked. It was one part of showering he seemed to enjoy, though Jason wasn’t sure if that was because he was naked or because Jason was naked with him.

Already Devyn was rock hard, and just the sight was making the neko feel hot. But there was no way he would be joining the werewolf right now.

“You said you’d let me lick you,” Devyn said.

Jason let out a groan, shaking his head as he pushed his brother toward the bathroom. He would do that, but not now, not when they had things they were supposed to do.

This was going to be a quick shower. And with that in mind, Jason turned on the cold water, pulling Devyn in after him. The wolf yelped as he was pelted by cold water. He struggled briefly, but Jason wrapped his arms around Devyn, their bodies pressing together just enough to keep the werewolf hopeful. A hand ran soap down Devyn’s body, thoroughly washing every bit of his body before Jason let the water wash the suds away.

Letting Devyn flee the tub, Jason scrubbed himself quickly, cleaning up enough to be proper without wasting time. A minute later, he stepped out of the tub, shivering slightly as he looked for a towel.

The wolf was standing in Jason’s bedroom, the neko’s towel rubbing across his face. Jason let out a silent scoff, shaking himself off. He stepped into his room as Devyn limped hurriedly toward his bed. Ignoring the wolf, Jason dug through his dresser, dressing quickly without bothering to dry off. He could feel his brother’s eyes burning into his back, and Jason turned, laughing silently at the shock on Devyn’s face as the neko covered himself.

“But you’re not dry…”

Jason shrugged, pointing toward the werewolf’s own bedroom. When Devyn refused to leave, the neko grabbed his phone.

“Get dressed. I can’t give headpats to a wolf who won’t behave.”

Whimpering, Devyn hobbled through the bathroom, leaving the towels behind. Jason shut the door behind his brother, finishing his own preparations. Tossing the towels in the hamper, the neko left his room, waiting outside Devyn’s door.

“I’m not sure I can do tonight, but maybe Varya.”

Jason’s head turned as Richard came upstairs. The man frowned, pulling his phone from his ear to check the time quickly before adding, “No, I think that would work great for me. I’ll see you then.”

Hanging up, Richard stuck his phone into his pocket, knocking on Devyn’s door.

“Come on Devyn, we don’t have all night,” he called.

The door opened suddenly, the werewolf grumbling as he hobbled out of the room with his cane. A fresh kilt covered his waist, hanging down to his knees, but Devyn still lacked a shirt.

Kicking off the wall, Jason pushed past the wolf as Richard scolded him. Searching through his brother’s dresser, the neko came up empty for shirts. Sighing silently, he hurried into his room and pulled Devyn’s old shirt out of the hamper. It took him a moment to spray the fabric with the vanilla perfume, before taking the shirt out to Devyn. Jason slipped it on over the wolf’s head, pulling a yelp from his brother’s maw as Devyn tried to pull away.

Smoothing the shirt out properly, the neko headed for the stairs, confident that Devyn was as clean as he was going to get.

“Jason, is that shirt dirty?” Richard demanded.

A large nod answered the man as Jason made his way to the front door.

“I assume there’s a reason for that.”

Another nod, Jason waiting impatiently for the other two to get down the stairs.

“Well, I guess we’re doing laundry tonight.”

The neko’s thumb jabbed his chest sharply, and Richard corrected himself.

“Okay, I guess you’re doing laundry tonight. You don’t have homework?”

Jason’s head shook no; that had all been finished in class so he wouldn’t have to deal with it later.

“You’re a little overachiever, aren’t you?” Richard chuckled, opening the door. “Come on Devyn, time for another car ride.”

“What’s the fun in a car ride if you can’t stick your head out the window?” Devyn scowled, limping past the two.

‘Absolutely nothing,’ Jason signed, knowing fully well neither of them understood him.

Still, the neko followed his family, helping Devyn into the car. The wolf was staring at his lips, and Jason felt a sudden urge to kiss his brother. To let it all out, to be done with hiding, with pretending. Closing the door quickly, the neko hurried to the front of the car, almost horrified at the fact that sitting in the front seat was preferable to being next to Devyn right now. The wolf was dangerous.

“You smell upset,” Devyn frowned, leaning forward as Richard pulled out of the drive. “Did I make you upset?”

Jason shrugged. He couldn’t exactly explain his emotions right now; especially not sitting next to Richard.

“Is it because he forgot to tell anyone laundry needed to be done?” Richard asked.

The neko latched onto that explanation, nodding emphatically.

“We don’t like having Devyn do his own laundry. He’s not that good at measuring out the soap,” their father said. “Normally Margaret would take care of it, but… well, obviously, that won’t be happening any more. You’ll have to pick up a lot of the responsibilities around the house. I’ll make a list tonight, and we can start working on your chores together, but when I’m at work, you two are going to be at home alone quite a bit.”

Jason nodded again. He wasn’t afraid of housework. It might cut into his study time, or his practices, but he could pull his weight gladly.

As long as Richard didn’t find out about him and Devyn.

DEVYN

The store they entered was musty, the lights too bright. Stepping inside from the twilit evening, Devyn wrinkled his nose. He could smell hundreds… thousands of people, their scents wafting off of several pieces of clothing that lay around the store.

“Welcome to Ceos Clothing Co,” an elf smiled brightly, hurrying toward them. “Ah, are you two here to be fitted for the Autumnal Dance?”

“Yes, I’m sorry it’s a little late notice,” Richard said, stepping forward. “Devyn doesn’t usually get out to dance that often.”

“I see. Well, we can put an order on rush without much issue,” the elf said. “Do we have an idea of sizes?”

“Not formal,” Richard explained.

Devyn wandered away from his father, his hand reaching out to brush over a coat. Lifting a long sleeve, the wolf sniffed it curiously. An elf had worn it… multiple elves… one of them smoked, another had dripped a juice on the coat… lemon? Orange? Something citrus. It was hard to tell. Was it a perfume? It could have been a perfume.

“Alright, well let’s see what we’re working with here, Jason.”

Devyn’s head rose, a concerned whimper following him as his brother was taken into the back of the store. Dropping the coat sleeve, the wolf followed the neko, poking his head through a set of heavy curtains.

A large room stood beyond, a wide step in the middle of the room. Mirrors on every wall reflected dozens of elves, dozens of Jasons, dozens of Devyns peeking through curtains. Devyn closed his eyes, his head hurting at the sight.

“Okay, all you have to do is nod for yes, shake your head for no, and hold up fingers otherwise. We’ll have you figured out in no time,” the elf spoke up. “Traditional formal wear?”

Devyn’s eyes opened a crack as he pushed through the curtains. Jason was on the step, hands held out as a cloth was wrapped around his chest. Devyn watched his brother closely as he was measured, a quiet growl escaping his mouth as the elf ran another cloth down the neko’s leg.

His brother turned his head, his fingers snapping a sharp “No,” at the wolf as the elf grabbed the neko’s tail. The cloth wrapped around the base of Jason’s tail, and Devyn’s growls increased. Why was Jason letting the elf touch him like that?!

Jason held up a hand, stepping toward Devyn. The neko pushed the wolf back through the curtain, and Richard grabbed Devyn’s hand.

“There you are. Come on, you’re not supposed to be in there,” the man frowned.

“But he’s touching Jason’s tail!”

“He has to measure Jason’s tail so he knows how big to make the hole in Jason’s pants,” Richard said. “Trust me, if Jason needed help, I don’t doubt he’d ask for it.”

Devyn grumbled as he was led back to the front of the store. He scowled at another mirror, an angry human staring back at him.

“I want to shift.”

“You can’t,” Richard sighed. “This shouldn’t take long. Jason will be out soon, and then it’ll be your turn. Come on, let’s look at what you’re going to wear to the dance.”

“Why can’t I just wear this?”

Devyn looked down at his shirt and kilt. It seemed fine to him. He didn’t know why he had to be all dressed up.

“Because you want to look good. Maybe you can find a handsome woman or man who wants to be your mate if you dress up,” Richard explained patiently.

“But I don’t want them to,” Devyn scowled. “Everyone else wants me to look good. I don’t care what I look like.”

“Devyn, look… I know you want to go as yourself, but you can’t. The school won’t let you. So you have to wear clothes, and they have to be formal clothes.”

“Fine, I’ll wear that,” Devyn grumbled, pointing toward a tan skirt.

“I don’t think that will fit you,” Richard frowned.

Growling, Devyn stalked through the store, staring at the clothes that everyone wanted to force him into. Too stuffy, too big, too small, that one smelled like a human mated in it…

His hand ran through a rack of clothes, sliding across a soft fabric. Devyn froze, pulling the fabric out. Soft, shiny, the wolf could feel the grey fabric slipping from his fingers. Looking around curiously, Devyn’s eyes picked out several other pieces of clothes with the same sheen to them. One by one he moved through the clothes, finding some soft, others thin and smooth. The thinner ones seemed shinier, lighter, but the weight of the others… it was like his hand was being hugged when he picked them up.

Devyn stopped in front of a long, dark blue dress, his hands running along the length. He could smell a sharp perfume, almost like his mother’s, but lacking the same bitterness he’d come to associate with Margaret.

“I like this one,” he said.

Richard looked up from his phone, the man’s eyes widening in surprise.

“Really? Devyn, that’s a dress. You can’t wear that.”

“Why? It feels good.”

“Because that’s a dress for girls to wear,” Richard explained patiently. “If you wear that, people will think you want to be a girl.”

“But I like it.”

Devyn frowned, his fingers playing with the thin straps that held the dress on the hanger.

“It’s too long,” Richard pointed out. “You can barely walk as it is; you’d be tripping on the hem.”

Devyn let out a grunt, the dress falling limply from his hand.

“This one then,” he said, running his hand over a similar dress. “The bottom is higher, like my kilts.”

“We’ll see,” Richard sighed quietly.

Devyn’s shoulders slumped. We’ll see… that meant no. He really wished people would just tell him no so he could be properly upset about it.

“Fine. Can we get more kilts like this then?”

“Devyn, I’m just trying to help you,” Richard said. “If you wear that, people are going to laugh at you.”

“Because I’m a wolf wearing clothes,” Devyn scowled.

“No, because you’re a boy wearing girls' clothing.”

“But the elf would make it fit right. It would be my clothing,” the wolf frowned. “How can it be girl clothes if it was made for me?”

That was the whole reason they were here, the whole reason Devyn couldn’t relax properly. To have clothes made for him. And now he couldn’t even wear clothes that would make him feel good.

“It’s only five silver,” he added, not exactly sure if that was good or bad.

But Richard sighed deeply, coming over to look at the dress.

“You really want to wear this? You understand what might happen if you do wear it?”

“Yes,” Devyn said, knowing that was what he was supposed to say.

Or was he supposed to say no here? He wanted the clothing… so yes? The wolf let out a confused huff, scratching behind an ear.

“Okay, we’ll ask the elf if he has one that might fit you. But you’re bigger than most girls. So don’t be surprised if he can’t get one to fit you,” Richard warned.

“Thank you Dad,” Devyn smiled, running his hand over the fabric again.