Brothers - 61. Chapter 61

JASON

They pulled smoothly into the car park. Jason stepped out of the front seat, opening Devyn’s door for the wolf. Unbuckling his brother’s belt, the neko straightened up, making sure he had Devyn’s attention before signing.

‘I’m not coming to school with you today. Dad wants me to drive more.’

He leaned back into the car before Devyn could protest, pressing a gentle kiss to the wolf’s lips. Pulling away after a short second, Jason helped Devyn out of the car, making sure he had his cane. His mate looked at him in confusion, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the drooping ears and tail as Devyn realised what was happening.

‘Be good,’ the wolf signed finally.

His arms wrapped around Jason tightly, his tongue running a stripe over the neko’s cheek. Jason waited for the wolf to pull away and head toward the school before wiping the slobber off his cheek. The neko watched Devyn enter the school, then slid back into the car.

“He’ll be okay,” Richard said, pulling out of the car park. “He’s got Dylan.”

Jason typed on his phone, keeping the address on the screen.

“Dylan’s been more focused on Brienne lately,” the phone said.

“Well. Devyn’s a big boy,” Richard sighed. “He can make it through a day of school on his own.”

The neko shrugged and motioned left. Richard turned at the next light, Jason’s eyes watching him like a hawk. If he could just soak up some of what the man was doing, Jason hoped he might actually be able to survive the whole driving thing.

“Is this it?” Richard asked a minute later.

Looking out the window in surprise, Jason scanned the large house for a number. The walls were an uninspired brown, and most of the windows were covered in dust, making it impossible to see inside.

“34 Sycamore Street,” Richard added, pointing toward the number by a pair of garage doors.

The neko nodded, and Richard pulled into a carport beside the house.

“I didn’t think it would be this close to the school. Especially not a pack school,” the human muttered. “Your family was moving here?”

Jason shrugged. This was the address on the deed; it must have been where they were going before the accident. There was only one way to find out.

The neko stepped out of the car, pulling the key out of his pocket. He heard Richard’s door close behind him as he approached the front door, and Jason paused, frowning at the man. He understood that Richard was probably worried, or curious, but the neko almost felt like asking to be alone right now.

Yet at the same time, Jason was scared of what he might find inside. This was a large house, a house for rich people. His family must have been wealthy if this was their house. If not, he was going to be extremely embarrassed, and he didn’t want Richard to see that.

The man seemed to understand, leaning back against the car.

“Go ahead,” he encouraged.

Taking a deep breath, Jason followed a brick path into a small alcove. An imposing brown door waited at the far end of the alcove, and Jason hesitated, before pressing a small button beside the door.

Nothing happened. He waited a moment, straining his ears for any sound, before ringing the doorbell again. Still nothing, no hint that the bell had even rung. Turning the key over in his hand, the neko slipped it into the bottom lock. His ears pricked at the grinding click that followed, and Jason pushed the door open.

The first thing he noticed were the boxes. Dozens of them, some spilled over the floor, others still stacked, if slightly squashed from the weight. They stretched throughout the entryway, as though a moving company had just tossed them inside before leaving.

Light barely filtered through a nearby window, leaving Jason’s eyes to try to adjust to the dimness in the house. He stepped across the threshold nervously, every inch of his body waiting for someone to yell at him for invading their privacy. But the key had worked. This was his family’s house… his house.

So many questions filled his mind. His parents had willed this house to him. That had to happen before they moved; had they expected to leave him alone in the world? What were they running from? He was more confused than ever.

Retreating from the house, Jason waved to Richard. They entered the house together, carefully weaving around fallen clothes and other items. Richard knelt suddenly, picking up a torn piece of paper from a pile of broken glass.

“Shit…”

Jason was by his side an instant later, scanning the man’s hand for any sign of injury. A moment later, his eyes latched onto the picture.

Two and a half faces stared back at him, a smile on his father’s ripped face. It drove any uncertainty from his mind of this house’s ownership. Jason took the photo carefully, staring at this picture of his family looking so happy together.

“You were… really cute as a kid,” Richard said quietly.

Jason nodded, not really knowing how to respond to that. A moment later, Richard cleared his throat.

“Well… it’s kind of a mess in here. I can go get Patrick; I’m sure he’d be happy to help clean this place up.”

The neko nodded again, wandering further into the house. The entryway opened into an enormous living room and kitchen. A large table was set in the middle of the room, a thick layer of dust hiding much of the mahogany wood underneath. Jason dimly remembered the table; he had banged his head on a corner as a kid.

Following a dark hallway, Jason opened a door, peering into a large bathroom. A tub sat beside a shower, the separate structures puzzling Jason until he realised one was just for soaking in. It seemed overly indulgent.

The next door down the hall opened into a room with a giant bed sitting against a wall. The bare mattress on it was eaten through; by what, the neko had no desire to guess. Another door led to a bathroom, but there was no light to help the neko make out the interior.

Across the hall, a smaller bedroom waited, a child’s bed tucked against the inside wall. Windows looked out at the front yard, dirt and grime hiding most of it from view.

Jason returned to the main part of the house, walking through the piles of his parents’ things. This was the life he could have had. More than well off, he could have been rich, his parents caring for his every need, making sure his clothes were warm and he was always full.

But reality sunk home for the neko. That wasn’t his life; that wasn’t who he was. Sinking down against a wall, Jason stared at the torn picture of his parents again, tears streaming from his eyes. He didn’t know whether he was lamenting the life he had, or the possibility he had lost, but when Richard returned with Patrick, the neko was still curled in a ball among his parents’ belongings.

DEVYN

“Devyn Farin.”

The wolf stood up, trying to balance his laptop in one hand and his cane in the other. Hands took the computer from him carefully, and he let out a small huff as Erith carried it to the tall stand at the front of the room.

It took him a moment to get comfortable. Devyn looked at the class, trying to fight the urge to whimper or growl. He hadn’t expected so many eyes to be staring at him.

Glancing at his laptop felt like he was surrendering to them, letting the class dominate him, and Devyn shuddered. He stood in the small box that had been taped on the floor, his hands visible.

‘Yesterday was hard for me,’ he signed slowly. ‘I wanted to talk. It was hard to remember no to talk. My mate helped me in class. He showed me how to talk.’

There was a quiet murmur among the class, and Devyn frowned, looking at his hands. Had he signed something wrong? No, he’d just been practising with Dr. Marin. Why was everyone staring at him?

The wolf’s eyes glanced at the computer screen, his report open so he could remember what he was supposed to say. A growl emerged from his throat as he turned back, and Devyn coughed, trying not to get angry at the eyes that stared at him.

Where was he? Oh… the psychology class.

‘There are words I do not know in my classes.’

His hands froze for a second. How was he supposed to sign Jason’s name? Did he spell the name? Jason called him Wolf, could he do that?

‘Neko helped me learn new words, like brain and thyroid hormone, not hormone,’ he signed, trying to keep his fingers from being too stiff.

A hand shot up near the back of the room.

“Mr. Daniel, did he just use a slur?” someone asked.

Devyn’s heart dropped to his stomach. Slurs were bad. He wasn’t trying to be bad.

“The sign for neko is also the sign for cat. It is unfortunate that they share a sign, but I do not believe Devyn meant anything mean,” Erith said. “He is likely referring to his brother, who is a neko, though he should sign the initials of someone’s name around people who are unfamiliar with that person.”

“That is correct, Erith. Devyn, please refrain from using familiar signs while in this class,” Mr. Daniel said. “That goes for everyone else.”

Devyn looked back at his computer, then at the class again. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to escape their stares. But it wasn’t working; he could feel them trying to force him into submission.

“I… I can’t do this…” he growled, racing for the door.

The wolf tore from the classroom, his cane clattering to the ground as he shifted in the hall. His shirt ripped, dropping halfway down the hallway. He was at the WolfRoom in less than a minute, shoving his way through the wolf door at the base of the people door.

“Devyn?”

Dr. Marin’s voice seemed to come from a distance. The wolf was panicking, trying to forget the stares of the class. He wasn’t going to let them overpower him, he couldn’t-

“Deep breaths Devyn. Relax,” Dr. Marin said soothingly. “You’re safe here. No one is going to hurt you.”

Devyn took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of strange wolves… and Connor?

His eyes shot up, staring at the human in shock. What was he doing here? Devyn knew he wasn’t a werewolf; the man was on the human track team.

“There are some clothes in the closet. Why don’t you change, and then we can call your father?” Dr. Marin continued.

Devyn let out a grunt. His phone, his laptop, his cane, they were all still in the sign language classroom. Still, the wolf headed for the closet, the door shutting behind him to give him some privacy.

He shifted back, sitting on the floor as he tried to figure out why he’d lost control. Devyn couldn’t remember the last time something like that had happened, not in school at least.

Reaching for a new shirt, the wolf adjusted his kilt before pulling the shirt over his head. He growled in frustration as it ripped again, yanking it off. Looking through the shirts more carefully, Devyn grabbed a large shirt, pulling it over his head. It fell nearly to his thighs, but he didn’t care; the shirt covered him enough for Dr. Marin to be satisfied.

Crawling out of the closet, the wolf’s eyes latched onto his cane leaning against a wall. Erith waited next to it, and the elf rubbed Devyn’s head gently when the wolf went to get it.

“Mr. Daniel says you did enough. You’ll be giving all other reports to him alone though, instead of delivering them to the class,” Erith said. “I think that’s probably a good idea for most of your classes; you might want to suggest it to your other teachers.”

‘Can I talk?’ Devyn signed uncertainly.

“Yeah, you can talk now,” Erith replied. “I’ll see you later.”

Devyn let out a sigh of relief as the elf left the room. Digging through his backpack, the wolf pulled out his phone, trying to remember how to call his dad.

JASON

Richard shut off his phone.

“I have to go pick Devyn up. He shifted in class.”

Jason stared at him in horror. The neko grabbed his phone, typing furiously.

“Should I go with you?”

“No, you and Patrick stay here. I think Devyn and I can pick up an early lunch. Maybe with another person here, we can get this place cleaned up even faster,” Richard replied. “I’m sure he’s okay; he said something about people staring at him in class. No one was hurt.”

“But you’re going to reward him for shifting in class by taking him out to lunch?” Patrick frowned, tossing a dirty rag into a bag.

‘He shifted in second period, probably during his sign language presentation. If you can stand up in front of twenty people and talk in a language you barely know, then go ahead and talk about him not resisting the urge to shift,’ Jason signed.

The elf was silent for a moment. Then he let out a grunt.

“That’s a good point. So it’s more to calm him down and reassure him he’s not in trouble.”

Richard nodded.

“It’s pretty much the opposite of what Margaret would do, so I figure it’s a good idea,” the human said, heading for the front door. “I’ll be back in about half an hour.”

The door closed, and Jason grabbed another rag, spraying down the living room window one last time.

“We should get the mattresses out before we have to worry about moving around a wolf,” Patrick noted, opening the front door again.

Jason nodded, setting the bottle of cleaner aside. He led Patrick through the house, marvelling at how much brighter things looked now that most of the dust was gone from the windows. They still hadn’t touched the boxes, and the neko knew it was going to be a pain walking through the entry hall. But there was enough space to pass through.

Working together, the two got the half eaten mattress off the large bed frame. Jason took up position on the back of the mattress; Patrick could warn him of obstacles verbally, but the neko didn’t have that ability.

Slowly, the neko walked backward, Patrick carefully guiding him around corners. A minute later, they were picking through the boxes, Jason glancing down and behind him to avoid the dangers around them.

They emerged from the house, and Jason nearly jumped as a voice called out a cheerful greeting.

An elf was pushing a reel mower through his yard, a pair of toddlers sitting on his chest and back. The blades of the mower spun silently as he moved, cutting through the grass and leaving a trail of cuttings behind.

“Where are we setting this?” Patrick asked, pulling Jason’s attention back to their own task.

They carried the mattress to the curb, setting it out of the way, yet close enough that a garbage truck wouldn’t have trouble picking it up.

“Geyn rinyal!” Patrick called to the other elf, waving with a smile.

Leaving his mower behind, the elf made his way toward them, one of the kids complaining loudly.

“Are you moving in? That place has been empty for ages.”

“It’s a long story, actually,” Patrick said, glancing at Jason.

“Oh, is that your son?” the other elf frowned.

Jason nodded before Patrick could say anything, reaching for his phone.

“My family was supposed to move here.”

“Ah, that explains the van. Liandra and I were so excited to have new neighbours moving in, but you never showed up,” the elf frowned. “Oh, where are my manners? I’m Samuel, and these are my puppies, Eric and Joshua.”

“Patrick. This is Jason, and Richard, my mate, left a few minutes ago to get Jason’s mate, Devyn.”

“I have another one at school right now, Silas,” Samuel frowned. “He mentioned a new cat was going to the academy-”

“Neko,” Patrick corrected sternly, setting an arm across Jason’s shoulders.

The neko leaned against the elf awkwardly, accepting the hug. He dismissed the thought of telling Samuel that Silas had apparently gotten someone pregnant; if the elf knew, it would be pointless, if not, then Silas would definitely be coming after Jason for telling.

“What’s wrong with him?” Samuel frowned.

“He’s mute,” Patrick replied.

“Silas is your son?” Jason typed, a confused look on his face.

He’d always thought Devyn didn’t know any elf werewolves. Aside from Patrick, of course.

“Adopted,” Samuel shrugged. “Anyway, I should get back to mowing. It’s going to be so nice having that place actually look clean for once.”

“I’m not sure when Jason and Devyn are moving in, or if they even are moving in, but they have our support in keeping this place clean,” Patrick said.

Jason frowned, looking back at the house. It was more than a little overwhelming to think that it actually was his house. But then, it wasn’t his house; it would be Devyn’s house too. Maybe that would make all the difference.

But if he wanted Devyn to live here with him, he’d need to do something about those windows. A naked wolf running in front of open windows would not make their house a hit with the neighbours, werewolves or not.