“Have to be. I live on a farm,” he explained, then winced. “...Lived on a farm.”
“You feel up to talking about that?” Emmett asked as he sat on the edge of the bed beside Jonah. When he put his arm around Jonah’s shoulders, Jonah leaned into it automatically, seeking as much comfort as he could get.
Despite having cried for hours the day prior, Jonah felt a ball form in his throat made of spikes, and he had to swallow a few times to croak some words out. “Do I have to?”
“No. You’re not required to do anything right now. We can call in sick to work and spend the whole day watching trashy TV in our underwear if you want. You don’t have to do anything else.”
Jonah shook his head, smiling internally at the mental image. “No. I have to work. I can’t afford to miss days anymore.” He sucked in a shaky breath, then stood, turning to face the one person he knew he could count on. “Thank you for coming to get me. I appreciate it. I’ll find somewhere else to stay–”
Emmett made a disgruntled sound, cutting him off. “What? Why?”
Blinking, Jonah frowned at him. “I’m an uninvited guest, Emmett. I don’t want to overstay my welcome and…” His voice got quiet as he admitted, “I don’t want you to end up hating me, too.”
A tear slipped out unbidden, and Jonah dashed it away, glaring at the offending liquid on his fingers. No more crying! He had to figure his life out. He didn’t have time to sit around and cry.
“Gods, sometimes I hate being a nice person.”
Startled, Jonah looked up at Emmett, who looked annoyed. “W-What?”
Emmett made a face at him. “I said I’d let you take your time before talking to me about what happened, but maybe if I was less nice, I’d know who upset you so badly already. I could be kicking their asses by now if I was more of a dick.”
Jonah couldn’t help it. He laughed. It was choked and a little watery, but it eased a little of the tightness in his chest. He pushed lightly on Emmett’s shoulder, shaking his head when Emmett swayed dramatically.
“You would not. You’re not that kind of person.”
With a hum, Emmett gathered him closer, wrapping those big arms around him when Jonah rested his head against Emmett’s shoulder. “Then you know I’m also not the kind of person who would ask my friend to leave when he’s going through something hard,” he murmured. “I am enough of a jerk to drag you back here if you try to leave, though. Werewolves are persistent, and I finally got you in my bed. I’m not letting you leave that easily.”
The teasing helped a lot, which Jonah knew was Emmett’s intention, and he felt a smile pull on his lips as he rubbed his forehead against Emmett’s shoulder. The werewolf had slept without a shirt on and his fur was incredibly soft. If they didn’t have to get to work, he’d probably ask to pet him.
“Is it weird that I want to pet you?”
Emmett barked out a laugh, a steady thumping sound on the bed giving away how much he liked that idea. “No, it’s not weird, but if you start touching me, I guarantee we’ll be late to work. Save that for later.”
He stood, ushering Jonah out of the bedroom and into the hall bath, plucking a towel and washcloth off a shelf and setting it on the counter. Jonah took in the space, bigger than a human bathroom, obviously to fit someone Emmett’s size. It was a little messy, with clothes on the floor and toiletries scattered on the counter, but that actually made Jonah feel a little better. If it was pristine, he’d spend most of his time worrying about messing things up. Emmett winced and snatched up the clothes he’d obviously left on the floor after his last shower, hiding them behind his back with a sheepish grin as he tried to side step to keep them hidden.
“I, uh… I’d offer to join you, but I feel like now’s not a good time. I’m just gonna… throw a load in.”
Jonah twisted his mouth to hide his smile, raising an eyebrow at him. “You know humans aren’t blind, right?”
Emmett’s shoulders slumped, and another laugh bubbled up out of Jonah’s chest. He thought after the way his life had shattered the night before that he wouldn’t be able to laugh, but being around Emmett helped a lot. The werewolf knew just how to make him smile.
The sound of Emmett’s tail slapping against the shower curtain made Jonah smirk, and Emmett grimaced. “Ignore that!”
He moved away from the curtain, finally giving up the pretense of hiding his laundry as he pulled open the closet door next to the shower and dumped the clothes on top of the laundry basket inside. Not in the laundry basket, that was too overflowing with clothes to allow anything else inside it.
When Emmett failed to hide that from him too, he finally admitted defeat, throwing up his hands. “Fine! I admit it! I’m a slob! I hate cleaning, and the only reason the place is semi-decent is because my mom comes in every week or so to scold me into cleaning up. But I’ll do better, I swear. You’re my guest, and I want you to be comfortable–”
Jonah pulled off his t-shirt, tossing it on the floor next to the hamper to make a point. Emmett’s tail swished, and he looked adorably hopeful when he finally stopped babbling.
“I don’t care about the mess, Emmett. You letting me stay here means a lot. You’re a good person. Being a little messy doesn’t change that.”
Emmett seemed to slump in relief for a second before grinning at him. “Okay, good. I’m still going to throw a load in, I’ve been meaning to do it for a while now. Do you need me to throw anything of yours in, too?”
Jonah frowned, the ache in his chest pulling painfully when he admitted, “I don’t know. Most of it was thrown on the grass,but some of it might’ve landed in the dirt. I wasn’t really paying attention to that.”
Emmett’s hand on his shoulder was warm, and when Emmett stepped closer to nuzzle him, Jonah let out a shaky breath. It hurt admitting that out loud, but Emmett still didn’t press for more information. He gave Jonah a little lick on his cheek, a sweet gesture, not a sexual one, and stepped back, grabbing the basket on his way out.
“I’ll check when I bring it inside. You normally wear a button up and jeans to the office, right? I’ll grab you those and put them on the bed. I’m going to run to my folks place too, since they hoard extra toiletries like they’re preparing for an entire realm to come for a visit. Just enjoy your shower and don’t worry about stealing all the hot water. I got a tankless water heater, so it’s not going to be running out any time soon.”
