Friends or Foes?

A comfortable silence, a foreign concept to the rambunctious young wolf, didn't last very long despite Jeremy's eyes drooping half-way under the influence of Sam's gentle ministrations. With his head tilting more towards the warmth of the other man's palm, he began yammering on again in a casual, almost sleepy tone. "Hey... So you know I have a brother, right...?"

He'd already revealed the biggest missing chunk about his existence to the man. About time he might as well lay the rest of those cards out on the table, he thought.

He let his fingers curl into the hair of the smaller man as he tilted his head in thought, trying to remember the mention of a brother.

“Yeah, think ya mentioned him once or twice before”

He didn’t know a whole lot about Jeremy’s family. Mostly because he never spoke about it, always too busy asking for stories or talking to him (More like ranting) about the latest baseball match he had watched, or mentioning how he would be stealing food from the fridge. However his brother had been mentioned and Sam was pretty sure it started with a “J” as well.

“J-Jason… Or was it Jordan?”

He had a good enough memory, however, that didn’t mean he could remember names. It took him four months of working with Jeremy to remember his name properly.

Jeremy's eyelids fell shut as his head fell forward a little, moving barely an inch to either side as he shook his head once. "Shoulda known you'd forget his name. It's Joey. We're twins." As relaxed and sluggish as he was becoming, one of his arms still unfolded from beneath his chin to gesture in the air a little around his face as he continued speaking.

"Y'know, same face, same look, n'all that good stuff... You didn't hear it from me, but I still say I'm the better looking twin," he grinned, but pausing between thoughts here as his hesitation flared. "... Our wolf forms look the same too."

“Hey, I got the J right though…”

He smiled at the smaller man’s claim. Though it made him curious now as to his brothers looks, for as Samuel sat there playing with the hair of the naked man, all he could do was think about how good he looked.

His hand stilled after Jeremy outted his brother for being just like him.

“S’he the one who bit ya? Made ya like this?”

His first thought was to find out if Joey was dangerous, if he turned his brother he would have to be put down in case he was dangerous. The same part of him as before hoped that he wasn’t. He’d managed to break and repair the others trust within two hours. He didn’t want to have to shoot his brother and have him attack him for it… Or worse, leave.

Jeremy's eyes snapped open and his entire body tensed at that horrid insinuation. His brother would never never do something like that, and the thought of Sam seeking out his brother to eliminate a possible threat immediately put him on the defensive, his lip curling up in a growl to show what would be some very sharp canines had he been in his wolf form.

"Don't even think about goin' anywhere near my lil' brother with that knife or rifle'a yours." Jeremy's eyes were narrowed and undeniably threatening as they stared straight into the hunter's, searching Sam's face for the reason behind the questions. It took a few seconds for his surge of protectiveness to settle, but he did manage to see the good intentions in the man and did let his guard back down. A soft sigh escaped him as he put his head back down to rest in Sam's lap, averting the other's direct gaze. Seems he still had some further explaining to do...

"My brother and I were turned by the same guy... I don't really know what happened before I got there, but Joey was bein' attacked by this wolf when I went out to meet him for the first time since our parents split. Was supposed to be a great fuckin' day, but that sure as hell isn't what happened... I'd... I'd never been so damn scared... seein' half my brother in the jaw of some giant beast... There was blood everywhere... all of it was his." The faint shudder that went through him wasn't from the slight chill in the air.

"I wasn't even thinking when I grabbed some pipe off the ground and went in to attack it. I just wanted that thing to let go of my brother, y'know?" Jeremy turned his head and looked up at Sam with a sad looking smile and a short laugh as a hand went up to trace over the scars dotting the topography of his neck and shoulder--the beast's teeth marks upon closer inspection. "When me and him woke up, we were alone. Alive somehow, yeah, but we found out real quick that we weren't all human anymore. S'been just me'n him since then."

As Jeremy raised his head snarling, Sam put his hands up palms facing him to show that he meant no harm by it. Sam was merely being protective in his own way. He sat there remaining impassive and non-threatening; he didn’t want to upset the boy further. That being said he did persist in maintaining eye contact with him.

As Jeremy flopped back into his lap, Samuel didn’t immediately move or touch him. He listened to him quietly, his face a mix of concern and distaste for the werewolf that did this to them. Looking closely at the scars on the others neck, being unable to resist her reaches out and touches the scars, his face now set in a frown.

Without a word, Sam leant down and wrapped his arms around Jeremy in a hug. He couldn’t deny that he’d been wanting to touch him more for a while, however, this was the only way he could think other than saying a pointless sorry about what he had just heard/

Jeremy quietly allowed Sam's curious touch as he let his hand fall back onto the other's thigh, but upon seeing the worry etched in his friend's face, he lightly patted Sam's knee and flashed the other his usual cockily charming grin. He never was one to stay long in depressing old topics, and he definitely didn't want Sam worrying about him over something that had already happened twelve years ago. "Just an example of the shit I'd go through for my little bro. I'm the best freakin' brother a guy could ever ask for if he'd take on a wolf and a whole group a blood-suckers for ya."

He saw Sam moving towards him, but it took Jeremy a confused second to realize that he was being hugged. Oh. Well this was knew. Usually he was the one to initiate any kind of touching, be it just to pester the marginally younger man or a friendly slap on the back and the like, so being hugged like this was definitely a new experience for him. Regardless, his arms went up and circled around the other man's waist, one hand patting and rubbing his back softly. "Uh... Hey, weren't you bitching about my junk hanging out? What's up with the touchy-feely shit? ... You're a fag, ain't'cha?" he jibed lightly, trying to lighten the slightly heavy atmosphere that had managed to settle.

Samuel gave a smirked at the others words, especially as he, in at least Sam’s recollection, had a habit of touching him. However he didn’t break the hug.

“I can’t see ya ‘junk’ from here, ‘sides. Y’hugged back. So, are you?”

He raised an eyebrow at him, curious as to his reaction. Considering Jeremy had spent the better part of the last hour practically in his lap he doubted there would be a really big negative reaction. It was mostly Sam, putting out feelers to learn a little more about the younger looking man.
One thing Sam couldn’t help noticing was how nice the other was to hold, almost like a perfect fit. Even at this slightly awkward angle, it seemed comforting and nice. He also smelt really damn good.

A brief moment of awkward silence settled between the two of them before Jeremy actually responded with a short "Uh... no." He was fidgeting in the other's arms, and the way his eyes intentionally did not make eye contact were dead giveaway signs that his denial was nothing more than a half-assed lie. Jeremy knew this and fully expected Sam to call him out on it, but even though he had come to terms with his sexuality long before, he was still insecure about saying the words out loud even if he was more than comfortable with being draped over another man, Sam in particular.

Sam grinned to himself. The other’s reaction and reply telling him all he needed to know, and he was very pleased to know this, not that he let it show.
He sat up a bit, getting out of the hug and leant back on one hand while looking down at him, curious to see what his face looked like right now. There was something about his face that appealed to the hunter.

“Y’know, mate. Doesn’t matter if y’are, even slightly. Y’still, m’mate”

He nodded to himself and rested his other hand on Jeremy’s head affectionately.

“Though, it’s getting’ late… Kinda, y’should get ya pants on so y’can get outta this forest with some dignity”

Jeremy's face was set in an indignant pout, but there was no mistaking the relief that radiated from the relaxed, slight slump of his shoulders. When the other pulled away, Jeremy's arms went back to their previous curled positions on Sam's lap. "Good to know. Guess you'd be the first to find out if I am then, pal." Meaning if he got enough incentive to spill the beans and fess up to his attraction to the hunter more than anything else, really. He allowed the hand on his head to rest there as he cocked his head amusedly to the side.

"Why can't I just walk outta here with you as a wolf?" While mostly joking, Jeremy did entertain the idea of not having to run back half-way across the forest just to get his clothes. So long as he was with Sam, no one would really question the hunter about why he had a wolf with him and would just assume he had a more dangerous taste in household friends.

He looked down and regarded Jeremy as he once again got comfortable in his lap, his nervous tension seemingly gone completely. Sam found the smaller man's wording interesting, and couldn't stop himself from letting his hand, move from the top of the others soft hair down to cup the side of his face with a soft smile.

"Guess I can wait for it then, yeah?"

After a moment he let go then gave an amused look.

"Nothin's stoppin' ya from comin' out with me as a wolf. But you'll be th'one fightin' the ferrets f'ya pants later. Not me"

He leant back out of Jeremy's space to let him get up, so in turn Samuel could also stand up.

They would have to dismantle the fire and leave the left over meat somewhere for scavengers before leaving the forest.

Jeremy glanced accusingly at the other's hand as his cheeks heated faintly, wondering if maybe Sam had already figured him out, but the look quickly faded as he shrugged his shoulders at Sam's next comment. "My stuff's in a bag hidden under a big ass rock. My pants'll be there later when I feel like getting 'em again." Whenever that would be.

When Sam moved aside, Jeremy bent his arms back and arched his back hard in a wonderfully loosening stretch. Shifting forms always felt better when he wasn't as tense as a bowstring, and the second he was back on all fours, fur was rippling back over his skin as bone and muscle shortened and elongated as his wolfen form took shape. Shaking his furry head, he trotted over to the dwindling fire and used his hind legs to dig up some dirt and smother the remains of the flame.

Sam watched as the younger looking man stretched back while technically still in his lap. It took all of his restraint not to react to it, however that did not mean that in the moment he desperately would have loved to run his hands over the toned and tanned skin, and not to mention do many other things to the wolfman.

He gave himself a moment to let the feelings and thoughts pass, Jeremy had become a close friend and one should not think like that where their mates were concerned. He watched the wolf dig up dirt onto the fire, then stood up himself, then started to scatter the remaining bits of deer, to make it easier for the scavengers. After that he cleaned his knife, putting it away then took apart the rifle and put it away as well.

“Right, pup. Y’ready t’move?”

Jeremy made a soft growl at being called pup, but he nodded his head once and trotted up to Samuel's side and lightly nudged at the other man's thigh with his nose to say "yes". He assumed they were heading back to Sam's van, so he'd just partially shift back later when they got there to mooch a ride off of his friend back to his own apartment. As they walked, Jeremy stayed little more than a foot away from Sam's side. Oddly enough, it was easier to be so close when he didn't have to worry about his human hand reaching out for the hunter's on any other day.

Smirking at the growl, Samuel reached down and scratched the large wolf’s head between the ears.

“Growl all y’want. Y’know I’m gonna do it”

Heading to the van, Sam couldn’t help but notice how close Jeremy was keeping to him. Before Sam knew any better and the pair of them were going somewhere, Jeremy had a habit of walking just a head, or just behind him. Samuel never thought much of it before, however in this moment he did wonder about it.

He shook his head. It was probably nothing more than if he kept close he would only look like a pet to passers-by. Not that there seemed to be any as he approached the van, opening the door to let the not-a-wolf jump up and in first.

“So mate, your place, or mine?”

That was the first time he'd let anyone besides his brother touch his wolf form like that, but Jeremy couldn't seem to find anything off about the fact. Hell, for lack of a better word, it felt oddly natural for him to be more openly affectionate in this form. Shaking his head after Samuel's hand drew away, he took a small step back and headbutted the other playfully on his thigh before continuing the trek to the van in peace.

When Sam held the door open for him, he hopped easily into the passenger seat and sat himself down after doing a quick turnabout on the cushion. He honestly didn't really care where they went, so he gave the other a cryptic bark as his response while his tail swished about behind him.

“Well that was helpful of ya”

He shook his head and closed the door then getting into the van on his own side and started to drive to his own home.

“Well I can’t remember the name o’ya street, so we’ll go t’my house. If y’wanna go home, y’can go from there”

The drove didn’t take long and he didn’t feel like having a vague one-sided conversation with a wolf in his front seat.