Wild Tiger Chase - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

— Léon —
Find a kid, bring them back to their family, get a NAV, drive to Cidade Santa, and meet his mom and brother.
It all seemed to be pretty straightforward. It seemed easy. Instead, he was in the middle of what was once his home-village, surrounded by a dying forest, accompanied by a man he barely knew, and another he knew way too well.
"Try drinking just a little bit more, Phil." Léon raised the bottle of water to Phillip's lips, but he refused. "You need to keep hydrated!"
"Fuck it; don't want. It's cold... I'm cold," Phillip answered in a weak voice.
Léon clicked his tongue. It was hard to see during the moonless night, but with the help of the campfire Modraniht had built, Léon saw the dark veins spreading up Phillip's neck and arms. The tips of his fingers were already black, and Léon had no idea how fast that thing—whatever that was—could spread.
Shit.
"Just a little sip, Phil. For me," Léon tried again—and this time, with a weak groan, Phillip obeyed—but just a little sip.
Léon nodded and faced forward, willing his shoulders to relax and failing. He felt like a puppet, being thrown this way and that without the smallest concern for his will and wishes. He had spent four years in prison to have a normal life, but now that he almost had it, one single airplane accident ruined everything.
Holy fuck, this was unfair. All he fucking wanted was to be with his fucking family and have a normal life! Why couldn't he?
Phillip's hand closed around the bottle, and he made a visible effort to lift it. Léon stared at him, a silent question in his gaze.
"I'll drink it. Just... don't cry," Phillip whispered.
With widened eyes, Léon dried his tears with the back of his hand. He hadn't noticed he was crying.
Ah, Goddess. When did things get so bad? Even with everything that was going on, his life before prison was so much brighter and better. What was different now?
He clicked his tongue. It was not just his mother and brother, was it? He missed Mary and Rob, too. Fuck. Ans he missed Satina so much! Goddess, he wished she was here. He wished she could be at his side—she would know what to do.
Phillip tipped the bottle and pressed it on his lips. The fever must've messed with something in his balance and his senses, for he leaned back—and back, and back—as trails of water escaped through the corners of his mouth.
"Phil!" Léon grabbed the bottle and took it from him, pouring yet more water over him.
Phillip let out a coughing fit that made Modraniht jump from his makeshift bed.
"Sorry. So cold," Phillip said.
"What happened?" Modraniht rubbed sleep off his eyes and blinked.
Léon sighed and reached for a piece of cloth in the doctor's backpack. "It was nothing, he just choked on his drink."
Modraniht hummed. He spent a moment in silence, his eyes lost in the nothingness around them. Then, he got up and stretched. "Well, if you'll forgive me, nature calls," he said before disappearing through the bare tree trunks.
"Be careful." Léon sighed. He needed to feed the fire.
How long until they found the child-thief, anyway? Would the kid Cae's looking for be there too? Was the kidnapped kid still alive?
He threw a piece of dry wood on the campfire.
Which day was it, again? Satina should be out of prison soon... was there any chance she would look for him? She was too good. She should focus more on her own life instead of trying to protect him all the time. Where did Modraniht keep the nutritional pastes?
Oh, there was this one time Amma, Satina, and I went camping, and Tiny needed to build a fire...
A tug on the cloth in Léon's hands brought him back to the present. He pushed his thoughts away and set his gaze on Phillip.
"I can dry myself." Phillip raised his shaky hand and bashed the cloth against his chest as if he could barely control his own movements. "These hallucinations are getting every time more real," he muttered. "So fucking cold."
Léon reached for the cloth and took it from Phillip, drying his face and neck with much more gentleness. "Sorry, I was thinking about—"
"Shut up." Phillip huffed. "I'm so fucking tired of these conversations right now. Stop blaming me. The real Leo is way more subtle."
It was hard not to smile.
"And I don't fucking want a massage from your stupid unicorns, so go fuck yourself." Phillip crossed his arms. "Also, this ridiculous set up with you rubbing my neck like that? Crap. I've seen grade B porn more creative than this shit."
Léon tried to stifle a laugh. It was good to laugh again, even if just a little. "All right, Phillip. I'm sorry. Should I cancel the unicorns, then?"
"Yeah... I mean, maybe." Phillip narrowed his eyes and let out a burning-hot sigh. "Ah, what the hell. Call in the unicorns."
He couldn't hold back anymore. Léon let out a hearty laugh, shaking shoulders and all that. Part of his fear and dread slipped away, leaving a comfortable tiredness behind.
Phillip shifted in his seat. A smirk tugged at his lips as he raised a hand to Léon's cheek. "There. That's better," he whispered, his thumb caressing the end of the scar in Léon's eye. "Don't cry again, you listen? Not even for me. I swear I don't want that anymore."
Léon raised an eyebrow. "Phil—" Wait. Was Phillip only pretending just now? He scoffed. "You're quite the actor, huh?"
"It's my hallucination, I can do whatever I want to." Phillip grinned. Without warning, the hand on Léon's cheek held him in place as Phillip leaned in.
Léon's eyes widened. The warm pressure in his cheek was soon accompanied by another on his thigh. Phillip turned around to face Léon, and his wet lips grazed their way to Léon's neck.
Something awakened in Léon. His eyelids fluttered, his heart beating with such strength, it was hard to breath. Phillip licked his neck, alternating between small bites and a hard sucking that reverberated through Léon's body alongside Phillip's delighted hums.
"Ah. Your taste, Léon..."
Léon brushed away the images on the periphery of his thoughts and spread his hand on Phillip's chest to push him back. Phillip wasn't in his right mind. It'd be like taking advantage of him! "Wait—"
"Huh?" Phillip held Léon's wrist and moved it to the side, making Léon's fingers slide on his chest. "Oh, sure. 'Course you can, Tiger. Go on. With your thumb and very softly." He smirked. "Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten what I like," Phillip whispered. He raised Léon's chin and went for that little spot between his earlobe and jawbone, sucking and grazing his teeth on it. Léon's whole body shivered; his lips parted. Phillip completed, "Cause I remember every little thing that makes you moan my name."
Oh, boy.
The cold wave inside Léon's stomach rippled through his warming body. Phillip tucked a hand under his shirt, clawing hard at his back and making Léon take in a sharp intake of air. Phillip wasn't joking—he really remembered, didn't he?
Léon, don't.
"Go on, Tiger. Show me you still remember."
The hand on Phillip's chest ventured under his V neckline while the other slid to his hip bone and then to the base of his spine. His lips touched then hot skin of Phillip's chin.
He grimaced. "Phil, I... Rob... Rob is waiting for me."
He moved his face to the side and pulled his hand away, but that didn't have the result he was waiting for.
Phillip scoffed. "So what? Be honest with yourself. You don't even trust him anymore." His breathing quickened. "Hell, Léon. You said you wouldn't run away anymore, but... look at you." Phillip held his face with both hands, locking their eyes. "So lost. You don't really believe in anyone, do you? Your family, Rob, me... you don't even trust yourself, do you?"
That gave Léon pause. A crease formed between his eyebrows as a surge of cosmic energy appeared at his back. Crossing the thin, ethereal curtains, a massive body materialized beside Léon.
"Shut up," he growled. At his side, Bonee growled with him. "You don't have any idea of what you're talking about."
Phillip seemed unfazed. "You never forgave him, Leo. And it's great, 'cause he never deserved you!" He laughed. "Rob's a piece of shit, partner. Forget that guy!" He leaned forward and tapped at the tip of Léon's nose. "I'm much more fun than he'll ever be, you know that."
"I said, shut up!"
"No! If he were any good, he'd be here beside you, not me." Phillip's lazy smile widened. "He should be the one missing you. Burning for you. Protecting you. Not me." He growled and put even more distance between them. With tentative steps, Phillip sat down against another tree. "Stupid hallucinations," he completed in a whisper.
"Can I split him in two?" Bonee asked in a low rumble, her eyes jumping from Léon to Phillip.
Léon shook his head. His lips trembled when he pursed them together. Phillip was wrong. He was wrong!
"You know," came Modraniht's voice. He trailed a path from the trees to Léon's side, sitting beside him. "I think we have some talking to do, kid."
"Yeah." Léon clicked his tongue. Answering to his silent call, Bonee sneaked around his back like a big, dangerous blanket. "But it'll have to wait until tomorrow—cause I'm not in the mood for arguing right now."
The following morning, Modraniht and Léo put Phillip on Bonee's back. As Modraniht walked back to get his backpack, The tigress snarled.
"If he raises his voice again, I swear I'll make him my new scratching post." Bonee glared over her shoulder at Phillip and faced forward again, schooling her expression.
Léon sighed. He patted Bonee's head and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "You won't need to, Bobo." He stopped talking once Mondraniht joined them.
It was an unusual day in the remnants of the rainforest. The sky was dull and gray, and the earth became more humid and darker the more they reached the place Modraniht had marked on the map.
That wasn't the only thing changing, though. As Léon walked through the trees, something in his chest stirred. A ring started in his ears, the spit dried in his mouth, and his hands started shaking. Fat drops of sweat traced down the sides of his face.
"So," Modraniht started. He had remained in silence until then, but the way he wrung his hands and ran his fingers through his hair made showed he couldn't hold back his words anymore. "You and Phillip."
Léon let out a huff. "Look, Mr. Modraniht, I know you have all the best intentions, but—"
"I don't."
Léon frowned. "Huh?"
"I don't have good intentions. I'm selfishly trying to impose my own beliefs on you, like the old, bitter man I'm becoming." He slid his hands into his pockets and sighed. "But that's just 'cause I really think—" He stopped himself and rubbed his face. "Look. I've been doing some thinking. You're Kaliandra's son, little Pipo's older brother, and you lived in NC."
"Yeah. So?"
The only sound between them for a while was the crushing leaves and the distant roar of running water.
"So... I think maybe you're Rob's sweetheart."
Léon's eyebrows almost reached his hairline. He knew Rob must've known Modraniht since he had given his contact to Kali when she needed a ride to OC. Still, Léon never thought Rob and Modraniht were close enough to talk about their private lives.
Instead of answering, Léon grimaced and crossed his arms. Shit. Modraniht had seen what happened between him and Phillip last night. Would he tell Rob about it?
"You see, I helped his sister. Rafaela. I cured her with my trace." A sad smile curled Modraniht's lips.
"Oh!" León's chest warmed up. "So Rob's sister is okay? She's... alive?"
"Oh, yeah. The girl is as strong as an ox." Modraniht gave him a slow nod. "And I took a liking to those two. They're good people if only a bit—eccentric—about their jobs. Their night jobs."
Before Léon could ask what he meant by that, Modraniht continued,
"When I first thought you were Rob's lover and saw you and blond-guy here"—He jerked his chin to point at Phillip—"I got furious. Rob's a friend, and I wouldn't have his man cheating on him in front of my very eyes, understand?"
Léon opened his mouth to answer, but Modraniht shook his hand as if pushing the thought away.
"But I heard what Phillip said last night, and it seems I don't have you and Rob's whole story in my head." Modraniht chanced a glance at Léon. "It seems he wasn't the best boyfriend to you, kiddo. But he loves you. And he still thinks you can be together again."
"Okay, this is going too far. I don't know why you've decided to meddle in my love life, but—"
"As I said, I'm selfishly imposing, Léon." Modraniht sighed and shook his head. "This situation of yours? Been there, done that—but I never had someone to talk to me like I'm trying to talk to you, kid. I just... I just want you to think about something that took me around forty years to understand. All right?"
Léon clicked his tongue and shrugged."Go ahead. Say whatever you want."
Around them, the trees were changing. If they looked dead and dry before, now a strong and luscious green covered every inch of the trees and ground around them.
"Why, thank you." Modraniht chuckled. "What I want you to consider is what Rob did to you. Think long and hard if you can forgive that—and once you have the answer, think if you already want to forgive that. If the answer is yes for the first and no for the latter, you need more time. If you have two positives, then talk to him. But you can't rush your feelings, Léon. You can't try to control them; it's not healthy. Talk to them, you know? Talk to yourself. Don't try to run from yourself, this will only—"
With a grunt and an impatient huff, Léon cut it. "That's the thing, Modraniht. I will talk to him—once I manage to arrive in that damned city. I can't do much from here, can I? And I have just a tiny little thing to worry about right now—my friend's death, for instance." He gestured at Phillip.
Modraniht's features softened, and he patted a hand on Léon's shoulder. "All right, Léon. All right." He pinched the bridge o his nose. "Now help me with the ropes, we'll need to make sure your friend won't fall off your tiger's back."
Léon hadn't noticed before, but the sound of the water increased after each step they took.
"Oh. And you're gonna like this," Modraniht murmured. He rushed forward and held a handful of green, flexible branches. Like a showman presenting one of the world's wonders, he pulled the branches, revealing the sight behind them.
A crease formed between Léon's eyebrows, and his knees buckled.
Léon knew where they were. This was the place where Toni, Brash, and Rob had tried to unlock his powers, eleven years ago.