Tango
Chapter 8:
"Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."
~~ Voltaire
The sight of Shere Khan sitting in the interrogation room, across from Bagheera with a serious expression on his face was a strange one to outsiders to say the least. What on earth would a corporate businessman be doing with a drug addict?
"I need you to write down the names of the people who attacked you, that's all they want from you, Bagheera." Shere Khan whispered and the panther nodded, reaching out with his cuffed hands to the pad of paper and the pen left between them. "What happened?" Bagheera had to stop writing at that and Shere Khan was silent, his expression blank as he waited.
"I did things that I shouldn't have."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"It was an answer, you just chose to refuse it."
"Give me an actual answer, the truth." Shere Khan ordered and Bagheera slumped.
"My dealer wanted something extra for some LSD I purchased. I've been addicted to the stuff since I was fourteen. I didn't expect them to gang up on me, drug me, then leave me for the cops to take their fall."
Shere Khan was silent and Bagheera continued writing names. Finally he finished and Shere Khan looked at him before standing and walking around the table, pulling him to his feet.
"Come, we need to get you proper medical attention." Bagheera noticed that his bandages were soaked red and it looked like he had begun bleeding again.
"Thank you." The panther finally whispered, clutching Shere Khan's large paws tightly. "I…" He looked away and whispered. "I accept your offer." He whispered. The tiger didn't need to be told what offer the panther was referring to.
Shere Khan smirked and bowed his head, kissing Bagheera gently on the cheek.
Bagheera stiffened before relaxing when Shere Khan pulled away and smiled down at him suavely.
"I'm glad you have chosen to see things my way."
"I'm not seeing thing's you're way, Shere Khan!" Bagheera called as he was left in the room for the tiger to pull some strings. "I have no other choice…" He choked out, sinking back into his chair weakly.
He had just sold himself into slavery. What was he going to do now?
The sunlight streamed into the bedroom and Bagheera moaned, unused to waking up so early. He worked mostly in the evenings and at night, he slept when the sun was out and kept his home dark as a pit. The panther sighed and took a few deep breaths, nuzzling into the blankets and growling softly. A thick arm suddenly wrapped around his waist and pulled him against a broad chest and the panther jumped, sitting bolt upright and letting out a yowl of alarm.
All he got for his efforts was an ungraceful fall off the edge of the bed, landing in a heap with his legs tangled in the sheets and on the bed while his torso and head were crunched at an awkward angle beneath him. He blinked and frowned, staring up at the sleep-ruffled visage of Shere Khan as the panther looked over at him from where he had been sitting on a chair next to Bagheera's small hospital bed. Wires were pulled taunt and alarms were beeping frantically as Bagheera groaned and managed to haul himself onto the bed, his world spinning as the nurse came running in.
The nurse checked him over and gave him a heavy scolding before tucking the blankets back in around the panther, and injecting a syringe full of something into the IV in the panther's arm.
"Do you have any idea how much morphine is in your body right now?" Shere Khan asked and Bagheera stared at him numbly.
"A lot?"
"Enough to put down an elephant, the doctor said."
"Ugh, fuck the doctor."
"She wasn't my type."
Bagheera glared at the tiger before covering his face, sighing as he felt his shoulder twitch. He stared down at the limb, amazed at how he could feel like a casual observer as he watched it twitch and move.
"You'll be discharged tomorrow. Is there anything from your apartment you want?"
"I was evicted from my apartment." Bagheera sighed, looking away. "I was staying with a friend. I'll have him bring my bags here, it's his day off anyway and someone needs to tell the lout to get his tail in gear and move."
"Should I be jealous of this friend?"
"No, he holds no interest in me, he prefers to laze around and have fun."
"Perhaps you could take a leaf out of his book." Shere Khan chuckled.
"Not everyone is so wealthy that they can afford frivolous activities."
"I wasn't born wealthy, you know." Shere Khan chuckled, laying back against his chair and looking at the panther. Bagheera gave a sharp bark of a laugh at that.
"I was under the impression you were born with a cigar in your mouth and a silver spoon in your paw."
"Many people are." Shere Khan smiled and Bagheera prepared for a long-winded story. "I was born to a poor family in an equally poor town in England, my parents were Chinese and in England there wasn't much they could do. I grew up poor as dirt and when I was in my twenties I married a rich young lady. We remained married for just enough time for me to start my own business and put the rest of my money into the banks. Then I divorced her and haven't seen the old hag since."
"What a loveless life you lead, so sad, now please, leave me alone." The sarcasm in Bagheera's voice was a tangible entity.
"I've lived a very long, lonely life, Bagheera, is it so horrible for me to ask for someone to share it with?"
"You have me as your boy toy, don't ask me for anything else."
Shere Khan was silent and Bagheera knew that the conversation wasn't over.
The thought of Shere Khan wanting him for just his body was bearable; the thought that he wanted him for more than that was terrifying.
"Here you go, Baghee." Baloo grinned as he dumped the duffle bag onto the floor, flopping into the chair next to Bagheera's hospital bed. The panther smiled and tilted his head, rolling his eyes as he reached over and patted Baloo's stomach.
"You need to work out more."
"Not everyone keeps nice and trim poledancing and prancing around as a Diva."
"I have to keep my figure, after all." Bagheera joked and Baloo chuckled.
"So… Why the sudden move? The old war-wound acting up?" Baloo tried to cover up his concern and worry with a joke, as always.
"I… I've accepted an offer…" Bagheera pulled his dreadlocks over his shoulder, looking away as he picked at the beads woven into the thick ropes. "I'll be living with someone else, I won't be a burden to him and… Well… I don't know…"
"You like him?" Baloo asked and the panther looked at the bear, taking in the knowing look. Baloo was much more intuitive than people gave him credit for.
"I like the idea of it, but he's someone that no one SHOULD like. He's… He's one of those people that you think would be the Godfather of the Mafia or something. He has no morals, and the ones he has are royally screwed up."
"But there has to be something that has you attracted to him."
"I… Don't know… Just when I think he's infallible he surprises me by acting so… normal… I suppose he's handsome as well… Power has never really attracted me but I find he is attractive because of the control he holds over people even if they don't know they're under his thumb."
"He's manipulative?"
"Very much so."
"Hmm…" Baloo as smirking and Bagheera rolled his eyes at him.
"I wasn't seduced by him."
"Sounds like it to me."
"He's nothing but a customer."
"You're favorite one."
"He tips well."
Baloo laughed at that last comment and Bagheera glared at him, feeling his face heating up beneath his fur and grateful that Baloo couldn't tell.
"Well, I better get going, let you rest up before discharge. Call me whenever you can." Baloo grinned, hugged Bagheera carefully, even though Bagheera winced at the touch to his shoulder. "See you around, Bagheera."
"Goodybye, Baloo."
