Fall (LGBT) ✅

Part 3

3.

They were comparing lasagne in the supermarket, trying to decide if it was better to get it ready made or cook it themselves—lasagne being the one thing they knew how to cook—when Jeremy caught the scent of something familiar. Tilting his head up to sniff at it, he only realised who it was when Sam rounded the corner to their aisle. It was something of a surprise for Jeremy to find he no longer associated the smell of Sam with fear, probably because Callum smelt so much of Thom nowadays, but that didn't mean Jeremy wanted to talk to Sam any more than he had to. Sam was looking at the shelves and hadn't yet noticed them, and Jeremy thought he could have snuck away still if it wasn't for him tripping over his own front paws and landing with a thump.

"You're lucky you're in a cast, Jeremy," Duke said, laughing, "or you wouldn't have any excuse for being this clumsy."

"What if I said there was a wolf here?" he asked, backing up closer to the protection of Duke's legs.

Duke frowned down at him, following his line of sight to Sam. "Oh, it's him."

It wasn't meant rudely, but from the way Sam's face fell, he'd taken it that way. Jeremy didn't think he was helping by hiding but it was the unexpected shock of seeing him that had him wary. He knew there were wolves in the area, had smelt them and passed them enough times, but knowing they were there and being confronted by one he knew were two completely different things.

"Hey." Duke crouched down, running his hands down Jeremy's sides. "Are you okay or do you want us to leave?"

After a pause, he meowed twice for no. He was okay. He was twenty years old, after all, and he wasn't going to let one experience have him running scared. Adult bobcats were not that kind of weak and he was determined to prove it.

"Hi," Sam said, slowly approaching them when they didn't move away. "What are you guys doing?"

It was a pretty safe question, compared to 'how are you doing' because Jeremy could sulk and whine like no one's business.

"We're looking at lasagne," Duke said, holding up one of the boxes he'd been looking at.

"Why lasagne?"

"Because Jeremy needs motivation if he's going to keep eating his cat food. I'll be the first to admit that this isn't good for him but he's resourceful and if I don't give it to him, he'll find a way to get it himself. At least I can monitor his diet like this."

"You're treating me like a child."

"Don't lie," Duke said, waving off Jeremy's irritation and misinterpreting him completely, "I know you would."

"Yeah," Jeremy admitted, because that was true.

"What are you doing here?" Duke asked, returning his attention to Sam. "You should be in school, shouldn't you?"

"No, I'm a sixth form student and I've got free periods for the rest of the day so Victoria asked me to pick up some groceries. It wasn't that far a walk so I figured I might as well."

"It's still pretty far from your house, isn't it?"

"I get the bus."

Duke deliberated for a second before saying, "Why don't we drop you home, then? We're about to head to the checkout and it looks like you're about ready to leave, too."

"Yeah," Sam said slowly. "Yeah, that would help me out a lot. Thanks."

Despite saying that, he still seemed a little hesitant about the offer and it made Jeremy feel bad because it just showed how awfully they'd come across if he thought there was a catch to it. Because they weren't bad people, even if Duke was a little overprotective and Jeremy skittish, and it sucked that Sam had such a negative impression.