Part 2! I hope you all enjoy this! Read and review! Thanks to those who reviewed!
It had been months since Lee decided to stay in Russia with Bryan rather than go back to the Hills. His family and friends weren't letting him go easily though. Bryan sighed as he watched Lee read another letter from his grandfather listing all the reasons why the lion should return home including a reference to Bryan's battle with Ray that left the tiger hospitalized. That reason Lee fond incredibly ridiculous because Ray was one of the falcon's best friends and the couple's supporter. Lee tossed the multiple sheets of paper onto the table and rested his head in his hands. He really hadn't thought that it would be this big of a problem when it was so obvious that he could no longer be healthy when he was away from his lover. He lifted his head up to show Bryan a look in his eyes that expressed all of his confusion, annoyance and anger. Bryan could only offer a sympathetic smile because really there was nothing else he could do. He didn't have any family except for his friends and they supported the relationship in question. All the doubt and attempts to sever their bond were coming from the people that Lee loved and care for. Lee sighed and looked down at the letter again wondering how he was going to respond to this one. There were only so many ways he could express his unwavering desire and conviction to stay in Russia with the man he loved more than anything in the world.
Bryan walked over and lifted Lee out of the kitchen chair and headed back towards their bedroom. Lee had gained back more of the weight he lost, but he still felt incredibly light to the falcon. The lion snuggled into Bryan's chest not content to have his lover leave his side. He wanted to just relax with Bryan, but he knew that really it wasn't in the cards just yet. Bryan had to work and he couldn't very well take the rest of the day off just to make Lee feel a little less lonely. Bryan placed a light kiss on his lover's lips before leaving. He wanted nothing more than to cuddle his heartbroken lion and make everything alright again, but the real world was getting in the way. He would have to e-mail Ray and ask him to come for a visit to keep Lee busy during they day while he was at work. Maybe that would also help Lee get back in the gym and working out if Ray was around to spar with. Bryan really didn't have energy at the end of the day to keep up with his fighting skills and often just lifted weights for twenty minutes and ran for thirty in the morning while Lee slept.
Lee was curled in a ball on the bed he shared with Bryan when he heard the door open, but a different smell then the one he was used to entered making him sit up. Ray walked in and smiled softly at his best friend. It wasn't hard for Lee to guess why Ray was there. He knew that Bryan was worried and that he had been shutting the falcon out, but he was still surprised that his lover had called Ray. He'd screwed up shutting Bryan out and his annoyed/worried friend standing in front of him was all the proof he needed. Ray sat down, pulled Lee close and whispered the reassuring words that the lion needed to hear the most. For a brief moment Lee wondered why it was he and Ray broke up only to catch sight of his lover's clothes hanging neatly in the closet. He had left the tiger for the falcon and in turn the tiger had given the lion up for a Spanish eagle. With a sigh and a smile Lee pulled away from his friend feeling much better about his decision to stay with Bryan even though his family and friends in the Hills disagreed with him so vehemently.
Their relationship was a rollercoaster ride that never really stopped. As they grew up and older together they had their spats and their doubts, but they never got off. They never walked away from the twisting, turning, frightening, thrilling ride that was their love affair. Their hearts were strung together with a thin red thread that was a strong as reinforced steel despite how fragile it sometimes felt. So when Lee fell ill when they were only in the mid-forties it created nothing but fear in Bryan's heart. The doctor's were having trouble coming up with a diagnosis and his precious lion was getting weaker and weaker. When the doctors finally diagnosed a rare neko-jin disease that doctors outside the neko community couldn't cure Bryan made up his mind. He made Lee promise to hang on until he got back and then boarded the next plane to China so that he could ask for help from the people that despised him more than anything. He took their golden child away; led their future leader into temptation and didn't let him go. Bryan needed their expertise though and he doubted they'd refuse to help Lee after twenty plus years. He was right. One of the village healers flew back with him to Russia and treated his lover if only in hopes of convincing Lee that it really was time to return to the village. Lee recovered quickly once he was being properly treated. The village healer begged and argued for him to return and lead White Tiger Village in a very convincing way. Bryan honestly began to doubt that Lee would continue to stay by his side. Lee stayed.
Lee stood staring down at the grave where his friends and family mourned his death. He sighed as he turned from the sad sight only to see something beautiful. He had lived too long after Bryan died from heart failure at 58. He knew his friends wouldn't agree because they had only buried Bryan three months earlier, but for Lee that was too long. He walked over and into the strong embrace of his lover. He was surprised to find them both so young. They looked like they did all those years ago when Lee had decided to stay with Bryan rather than go back to China. It was absolute perfection for both of them.
"I love you, Lee."
"I love you too, Bryan. We have the rest of eternity to share that love now."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Bryan: Where did that come from?
My imagination... it's a very interesting place.
Lee: Clearly.
-giggles- I had fun with that! Let me know what you think!
