Tango

Chapter 24: Assault

"In a society in which equality is a fact, not merely a word, words of racial or sexual assault and humiliation will be nonsense syllables."

~~ Catharine McKinnon

Bagheera sighed as he removed his glasses, placing them on his forehead before beginning to pile his books into his backpack.

"Hey, Bagheera!" The panther looked up, smiling at his classmates as he stood and shouldered his bag. A vixen, crocodile and lion stood, smiling at him invitingly. They were bad news, but it didn't hurt to be polite.

"We're going out tonight, why don't you join us?"

"Sorry, I have to get back home."

"Oh, does your master keep you on a tight leash?"

Bagheera smiled politely but the three students looking at him caught the glint of anger in his golden eyes.

"Something like that." He stated curtly before beginning to walk around them. The door to the lecture hall slammed shut and Bagheera was jerked backwards. "What the fuck?!"

"Language, language, Bagheera."

"You know what, this doesn't sound like the Bagheera we know."

"Yeah, he sounds more like a slummer."

Bagheera snarled and jerked forward, trying to break through the wall of bodies separating him from the door. A clawed hand reached out and grabbed Bagheera, tossing him onto the desk.

"Little Skank, ain't he?" The vixen snarled as she stepped forward, the croc pinning him down. "How did you get such a fine catch?"

"The luck of the British." Bagheera snarled. He was picked up and slammed down.

"Shut up! You're nothing! You're worthless and you don't deserve to be with someone that powerful!"

"Nothing but a slutty little faggot sleeping his way into a good position."

"Is that why you got in here? Your boyfriend get a place for you?"

"Something like that." It was the absolute truth. But he had kept up with his studies, he was smart enough to be able to get straight A's. He groaned and kicked out as a fist connected with his jaw, bunching his muscles and pushing with all his might.

His leg connected with the vixen's face, distracting the crocodile and lion looming over him. He jerked upright and ran, pushing open the doors, grabbing his bookbag from the floor and sprinting down the hall.

"Hey! What are you doing?" A security guard called and Bagheera turned, huffing and clutching the ripped seams of his shirt.

"Get back here, faggot!" Bagheera quickly scrambled behind the guard, who looked stunned as the small group charged towards him. He pulled out his mace and glared at the three, calling for backup as they began to run.

Bagheera shivered as he clutched his shirt, feeling warm blood seeping down his chest.

"You alright, son?" Bagheera nodded and turned, pulling at his shirt and hunched over, trying to get out of the college campus. His cell phone rang and the panther grabbed it, answering immediately and trying to keep his voice from shaking.

"Khan?"

"Bagheera? Are you alright? You sound-"

"I'm bleeding." He murmured, staring down at the deep gash from the croc's claws.

"Bagheera? Where are you?"

"I see you." Bagheera murmured, staring across the campus. Shere Khan was standing beside his car, leaning against the hood. He turned his head and looked around just as Bagheera fell to his knees, his chest bleeding slowly, already clotting but still painful.

"Bagheera!" The tiger roared, stumbling over and grunting as he knelt beside the smaller male, Bagheera staring down at his own chest, feeling lightheaded.

"Strange… It hurts." He murmured before beginning to bleed from his mouth, coughing and doubling up, shuddering as Shere Khan grabbed his arms.

Red. Everything was red. Except for deep amber eyes staring down at him. He was dying, but at least his last sight would be of his lover's eyes and the last things he heard would be his voice. Even the thick wafts of cigar smoke and cologne were welcome even though he usually despised them.

"Bagheera! Wake up!"

Bagheera gasped as he sat up, shuddering and clutching at something firmly.

"Shh… Calm down, it was just a dream."

Bagheera blinked, staring down at Shere Khan before shuddering and collapsing limply against the tiger. Shere Khan wrapped his arms around the panther, shushing him gently and stroking his ears.

"It's fine now… Calm down, calm down…" Bagheera stared at the tiger before touching his face, silencing him gently with his fingers on thin lips. Shere Khan watched him curiously as Bagheera stared at him and stroked his face, feeling and memorizing the contours and sharp angles.

"It was all a dream." Bagheera whispered before lowering his head and repeating to himself. "It was all a dream."

But even in his dreams all he wanted as his last visions of this world were sights and sounds and smells of the tiger.