Brothers - 49. Chapter 49

JASON

“Boys, make sure you get your homework done.”

The neko let out a silent sigh as he hurried upstairs. Devyn was already peeling his clothes off, racing into Jason’s bedroom, and Jason picked up after him, tossing the clothes into his hamper.

It took him less than five minutes to get the laundry started, and Jason set an alarm on his phone. Stepping into his room, he was greeted with the sight of Devyn sprawled out on his bed, red fur shedding all over the bed sheets.

“Shift back,” his phone said a moment later.

Devyn growled quietly, but did as he was told. Jason began setting up his computer, the textbook from their new psychology class thumping on the desk beside him.

“We have two days to summarize two chapters. I want to get it done tonight. There is a chapter introducing the course, and a chapter on elven memory. Which do you want to read?”

His phone spoke with a bland monotone, and Jason could already see a frown on the wolf’s face.

“I thought you would do it.”

“I’m not doing your homework for you Devyn. We’ll read separately, then walk each other through the chapter. After that, I’ll type up a summary we both agree upon.”

“You can walk through books?”

The werewolf’s frown deepened, and Jason shook his head.

“No, it’s a figure of speech. You’ll teach me what your chapter is about, and I’ll teach you about my chapter.”

“Oh. The memory then,” Devyn said. “Can… can you read it to me?”

The question brought Jason up short. He frowned, thumbing through the chapters.

“It will take a while, but I think I can do it,” the neko typed. “Why don’t you go make some dinner? Let Dad know that I’m working on my homework and I’ll make sure your homework is done after we eat.”

Devyn smiled with his lips closed, his eyes sparkling.

“You called him Dad,” the werewolf said, picking himself up off the bed.

“Well he is our dad, isn’t he?” Jason smiled back at him.

Standing up, he went into the bathroom and pulled a towel out of a cabinet. Devyn limped into the bathroom after him, the wolf huffing quietly as Jason wrapped the towel around his waist. Modesty thus protected, Jason nudged his brother toward the door, rubbing his stomach to remind Devyn of dinner before he stepped back into his room.

The neko closed his textbook and opened a new tab on the laptop. It took several minutes to find what he was looking for, and another minute to check the audio. Switching back to quiet music, Jason began reading through his chapter, pausing occasionally to take notes.

Thirty minutes later, his phone went off, pulling Jason from his work. He shut the phone off, slipping out of his room. The smell of cooking meat made his stomach grumble, but he ignored it as he headed into the laundry room. Setting their clothes into the dryer, Jason started the machine before heading into the kitchen.

Devyn was sitting at the table as Richard swept the room. The wolf smiled at Jason, and the neko smiled back. He held up a hand, grabbing Richard’s attention.

“Everything okay? Devyn said you were going to help him with his homework after dinner.”

Jason nodded, ears folding back as he realized he’d left his phone upstairs. Pulling at his shirt, the neko motioned toward Richard and then the laundry room.

“I can finish the laundry if you need,” Richard frowned, and Jason shook his head no quickly.

He grabbed Richard’s shirt, tugging it lightly before motioning toward the laundry room again. That seemed to work, and Richard nodded slowly.

“Oh… yeah, if you can, that would be great. I usually have it done right after a trip, so there shouldn’t be too much in there,” the man said. “I think I might pick up a few evening classes at Quarian Academy. Maybe I can finally learn sign language.”

Jason smiled encouragingly, motioning toward himself. He could definitely help with that.

“I’m not sure you could teach me; you’re pretty busy already,” Richard said.

The neko shrugged, heading back upstairs. A moment of irrational fear struck him as he reached for the master bedroom door, but Jason pushed through it. Margaret wasn’t here anymore, and besides, Richard had told him it was okay to get his clothes.

Opening the door, he glanced around, taking in the large oak bed and dressers. Wine red walls offered a rather rich appearance to the room, if a little dark. Across from the bed was a large tv, the flat screen staring blankly over the empty room like a silent sentinel.

A closet sat open, a half filled bucket holding what clothes Richard had dirtied over the last few days. Lifting the basket, Jason hung it over his shoulder and carefully made his way back downstairs.

Devyn was already piling food onto plates as Jason carried the clothes into the laundry room. He could smell the pasta coming from the kitchen, meatballs filled with hot peppers mixing with the noodles, and cheesy garlic bread only slightly burned from the oven. Jason’s stomach gurgled, and the neko hurried to dump the clothes into the washer before joining his family in the kitchen.

DEVYN

He wasn’t a fan of elven food in general. But Devyn had smelled what could only be taken as cravings in his brother when they’d passed an elven themed restaurant earlier that evening, and Devyn was not about to disappoint his brother.

Even if it meant eating little more than bread in various forms.

A pie baked in the oven as they all sat down to their meal, the wolf struggling with his decision to cook dessert. He remembered Margaret had been really angry the last time he’d baked a pie. But Margaret wasn’t here. She wouldn’t know, so it was okay… he hoped.

As soon as Jason sat down, Devyn knew the effort was worth it. The neko attacked the food with such eagerness that if the wolf didn’t know any better, he’d think his brother hadn’t eaten in days. It tightened Devyn’s resolve. He was going to care for his brother, make sure Jason never went hungry.

“How late will practice be tomorrow?” Richard asked as they worked their way through heaps of pasta.

Devyn frowned at the amount of food on the table. This was another reason he didn’t like making pasta. It was way too easy to make too much or too little. Still, at least they would have some left over for tomorrow. It would be good for his race on Varya.

“Four,” he said.

It was a time that had been seared into his mind after years of running, years of practices. The day before a race, they stopped at four, after a lighter practice.

“Okay. I’ll make sure to pick you up at four then,” Richard promised. “Jason, are you going to the palace tomorrow?”

The neko nodded as the smell of adrenaline rose over their dinner. Devyn frowned, staring at his father. Richard seemed to be eating like normal, but Devyn knew there was something going on.

“I’ll make sure to pick you up around six, but you two will be on your own for dinner. Make sure you’re in bed by ten. Devyn needs plenty of sleep and knowing him, he won’t sleep if you’re still awake,” Richard said.

“Where are you going?” Devyn asked around a mouthful of pasta.

“Don’t speak with your mouth full,” Richard scolded.

The man followed his reprimand with a mouthful of his own food, leaving Devyn to wonder why his father was acting like he was scared.

No, that wasn’t right. He was scared. And Devyn didn’t know how to handle that. The last time his father had been scared was when Margaret pushed Jason down the stairs. But nothing like that had happened here. So why was his father so… nervous? Frightened? Devyn honestly didn’t know how to describe the emotion he smelled. It was like when Dylan talked about Brienne, but that made no sense. Richard wasn’t talking about Brienne, was he?

His father chewed carefully, staring at the table. It was making Devyn almost as uncomfortable as the times his mother would force him into a staring contest.

“I’m going to head to a… friend’s house, tomorrow night,” Richard said finally. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you two alone here. If I can find someone trustworthy-”

A sudden thump interrupted Richard, Jason standing up as he smacked the table. The neko stepped out of the kitchen, his dinner half eaten and a scowl on his face that left Devyn almost more confused.

Richard let out a heavy sigh, his eyes glancing at Devyn warily.

“It’s for your own protection,” he said quietly. “I know you two think you can take care of yourself, and really you should be able to. But I’m worried about you.”

They could hear Jason thumping overhead, and Devyn frowned. He’d never heard his brother stomp around like that. Was it really a bad thing then? Devyn wasn’t sure. It would be nice to have someone who could take him for walks when Jason was busy. And if it meant their father was happy, then why was there a problem?

His head turned as the neko’s footsteps slowly came down the stairs. Jason re-entered the kitchen with his phone in hand, and Devyn realized his brother wasn’t angry at Richard, just frustrated that he had forgotten his phone.

“Don’t do this yet.”

Okay, maybe he was a little upset.

The neko held up his hand, forestalling any attempt at a response as he typed one handed.

“I can take care of Devyn. You shouldn’t rush into a relationship just because you think it will be better for us.”

“I’m not rushing into a relationship,” Richard denied. “I’m going to take my time.”

“Are you just going to fuck?” Devyn asked.

“Devyn, that is inappropriate to ask,” his father scowled.

The wolf frowned, staring down at his plate. It was just a question; why was it inappropriate? They weren’t in public, so it should have been fine to talk about sex. Was it because it was his father? Yet another one of those human rules that made no sense. If Richard was just going to a friend’s house to fuck, then there was no reason to worry, and certainly Jason would see that. It was a good question, and it made sense to Devyn that he should ask it.

The wolf finished eating silently as his brother’s fingers tapped on the phone. Devyn began working on cleaning up the kitchen, the leftovers going into the fridge while the dishes went into the sink.

A quiet huff of breath escaped Jason, and Devyn glanced at him in concern. His brother was holding down a button on his phone, ears flicking in frustration.

“It’s not bad if Dad wants to have fun,” the wolf pointed out. “You did that with Brienne, didn’t you? And Erith?”

Jason shook his head sharply.

“No, I did not,” his phone said a moment later. “Erith was so we’d have a place to go if things got too bad with Margaret. And Brienne was Brienne. She started that; I just went with it.”

The neko stood up, frowning at Devyn.

“I found an audio recording of your chapter. I’ll take care of the dishes while you listen to it.”

Grabbing his cane, Devyn nodded silently and made his way back to his room. He didn’t know how he was supposed to learn on his own, but he’d try, if it would make Jason happy.

JASON

His fingers scraped over the wooden bottom of the drawer, and Jason gritted his teeth at the feeling of claw on plywood. The neko let his shirt fall into the dresser, listening to the stunted words coming from his computer.

Devyn was sprawled across his bed, the wolf listening to the recording as his eyes slowly scanned the textbook open in front of him. He had yet to turn the page in nearly ten minutes of reading, and Jason knew they’d be lucky to have the summary finished at all at this rate.

The wolf’s clothes were already neatly folded in his room. As usual, the moment he’d entered Jason’s room, Devyn had stripped off the towel that had covered him during dinner. He lay on the neko’s bed, white cheeks nearly glowing under the bright light that held the night at bay. Jason was doing his best not to stare; it would mean the end of any productivity if he fell into that trap.

“I don’t get this. There’s a difference between forgetting a memory and forgetting a memory?” Devyn grumbled.

Jason sighed quietly, tapping a button to pause the recording. Phone in hand, the neko began typing quickly.

“They are talking about long term memory as opposed to short term memory. You forget things you’ve been told, right? That’s short term memory loss. If you started forgetting how to dehydrate squid jerky, that would be losing a procedural memory, a type of long term memory. The book is also pointing out that, as they age, many elves experience issues properly recalling memories, and the memories can become altered, but this is not true memory loss. It’s not much different than in humans; it’s just that beyond a century of life, the elven brain has to remember more than most human brains.”

“Oh. Are we almost done yet?” Devyn frowned.

“We have five more minutes of listening, and then we need to summarize your chapter,” Jason replied, dumping his underwear into a drawer.

Those five minutes passed in an agonizing slowness. After the recording ended, Jason had to walk Devyn through the chapter again. By the time their summary of the two chapters was finished, the neko felt like his finger calluses were growing calluses.

Jason set the last of his clean clothes away, watching Devyn rub his back over the neko’s bed. The wolf wriggled wildly, nearly falling off the bed. Jason chuckled silently, stepping up to the bed. His hand rubbed Devyn’s belly gently, and his brother huffed, wriggling until Jason’s hand was running just above his sternum.

A knock came at the door, Richard’s voice following a moment later.

“Hey you two, it’s almost ten thirty. You should get to sleep,” he called.

Jason pulled his hand away as Devyn rolled over. The wolf’s nose came dangerously close to the neko’s crotch, and Jason scratched behind his brother’s ear, trying to buy just a little more time.

No, he couldn’t do that. He’d promised Devyn something, and Jason was going to deliver on his promise.

Grabbing his phone, the neko typed quickly before stepping up to the door. Jason opened the door, his phone speaking quietly.

“Thanks Dad. Our homework is done. We’ll be in bed in a few minutes.”

Richard nodded, before heading across the hall to the master bedroom. Jason waited until he was in his room before closing the door. It took a few minutes to get his phone and his computer on their chargers, and Jason took a deep breath, glancing at his brother. Devyn was sitting almost as if he was in his wolf form, and a moment of confusion passed through the neko. Why was he waiting so long in human form?

Slowly Jason removed his clothes, his length already peeking out of a thick sheath. Devyn licked his lips, the wolf staring at Jason’s dick, and the neko hesitated briefly, tossing his clothes into the hamper.

Finally, he approached his bed, and his brother. Nudging Devyn back, the neko crawled into bed. A moment later, Devyn was crawling over him, their naked bodies rubbing against each other. A tongue licked at Jason’s lips, and he took charge, his chest lifting as his hands pulled Devyn’s mouth against his.

He was not going to do this half way.

Pulling Devyn’s tongue into his mouth, the neko pushed his brother around, helping him explore his mouth, teaching him how to kiss beyond just licking lips. A soft inhale from Devyn preceded a near frantic humping, as the wolf tried to push his length into a hole that was unavailable.

Jason left one hand holding Devyn’s head in place, reaching down to grab his brother’s cheek. He squeezed it appreciatively, his own hips fighting the wolf’s thrusting briefly for dominance.

It stopped as quickly as it had started. Devyn said he wanted to lick Jason. Jason was going to let him do that. The wolf had been a good boy all day, doing his homework, taking two showers, dealing with clothing all afternoon. He deserved this.

Letting his head fall back, the neko pushed Devyn downward, shivering at the small licks that trailed down his body. He let out a silent whimper, his length fully engorged as it waited for Devyn.

And a tongue washed over his tip, hot breath nearly driving Jason crazy. Another lick, and then another, made him pause, lifting his head to look down. Devyn was carefully lapping at the crown of his dick, chasing the sweet precum that slipped from his slit.

Jason let out a quiet sigh. Yet again his brother proved himself to be a wolf. There was no attempt to take the neko’s dick in his mouth; he seemed perfectly happy just licking.

His hand reached down, gently nudging Devyn away from his treat. Jason stood up and grabbed his phone, turning it down before typing.

“You should be in your wolf form.”

“But you said I needed to be human first.”

Devyn frowned at his brother, confusion apparent on his face.

“When I mate you, yes, you need to be human for that at first,” Jason explained. “But you’re a wolf, and I need to actually accept that, not just say I accept it. Which means if you’re going to lick me, you should do it in your natural form.”

A moment later, Devyn sat on the neko’s bed, red fur rippling as he shook himself. Jason set his phone aside and crawled back into bed, before carefully guiding his brother back to his treat.