On the trek back, Adon floated between the waking world and the land of dreams, only kept awake by hunger pangs and the sharp jolt of pain from his injuries. He looked forward to some dinner and a long night's rest when he got home.
Home.
It felt so odd to refer to a temporary crash as his home but that was essentially what had become of this place. He'd stay here. At home. Namupun lay on the porch, fast asleep with Sunti next to her. Sagat looked at the kid, then carried Adon inside. Upon seeing her, it occurred to Adon that he never managed to fulfill her request. A ping of guilt made him groan a bit, or maybe it was the pain of having to be carried by Sagat with every little motion upsetting his injuries.
"Well shit, I forgot the tamarind," he mumbled, feeling ashamed by breaking a promise to a little girl which really didn't carry the fate of the world on its shoulders.
"She can live without them,"
"I'm also kinda hungry,"
A pause from Sagat, brief as he breathed through his nose, then said, "You can eat without them. Injuries first,"
Not a word was uttered between them from that point on until they found themselves in a small room, the very place where they had been patching their injuries from that dive down the cliff. Sagat put Adon on the hard floor and went about lighting candles to illuminate the room somewhat. He soon stood in the doorway, leaving Adon with the following announcement. "I'll need to take care of Namupun. She'll have your bed. You'll sleep in mine,"
Adon shrugged, drawing a deep breath to let the event of the night set in. His throat still ached and he figured that'd be another display of bruises on his body in the morning. The Satsui no Hado was something fierce and intense, able to take someone's powers to new heights. But upon seeing the effect it had on Sagat, Adon wasn't sure it was something he or anyone should ever mess with it. The benefits weren't even close to being worth the risks. Sure, someone got power, and then what? They'd lose their mind in the process and kill without a moment's hesitation.
Sagat however had used it to accomplish what Adon could not with two chances; defeat Oni. A task that almost seemed herculean. There were no other words to describe it. Nothing else to discuss. Except for whatever became of Oni. Adon had a feeling that he knew the answer already. The thought alone caused shivers to run down his spine. Or maybe it was the residue adrenaline coursing through his body, the type which spiked like blood sugar, every time he dared to move the wrong limb.
But it wouldn't be the first time Sagat had done something like that. That however was a long time ago. The Sagat that walked the path of a noble warrior and the Sagat that used to work for Shadaloo almost seemed like two different persons even if they were one and the same. The one and the same man who entered the room again, accompanied by his pet tiger, and kneeled in front of Adon to assess his injuries.
If adrenaline also rushed through Sagat's body, it wasn't readily visible on his face. Meanwhile, Adon lay on the floor, staring at the wooden ceiling. The pain from getting his arm broken and his kneecap fractured was as sharp and aching as the moment he got screwed over unless he kept himself still. Otherwise, the agony was little more than a persistent, dull aching.
Only in the intimate orange of the candlelight, did he get a good but horrifying look at his injuries; his arm was not contorted but it looked wrong, all bruised and swollen while his knee was little more than a red, swelling mass. At this point, there was no use getting upset by it. Not when he was also battling against hunger and exhaustion. Adon closed his eyes for a moment's rest, flinching when he felt Sagat's hand on his healthy knee.
Oh yeah. He had questions.
"Why did you come all the way out for me?" he asked.
Sagat stared at him, frowning at such a preposterous inquiry, "…If you're really serious with that question, it's because you went missing. Am I not supposed to get worried when you never returned while you just had to pick tamarinds?"
"Worried?"
"Yes, Adon. Worried. Now stop wallowing in your own misery," the old tiger grumbled with faint annoyance. He got busy with making a cast for the fractured knee, wrapping bandages and whatnot around most of Adon's leg alongside a splint to keep the limb stable. Between leaving to take care of Namupun and arriving back to the room, he had taken a medical kit with him.
"Oh quiet, you. Wallowing is fun. You should try it,"
"I have," Sagat passed a hand over the long scar across his chest as if to prove a point.
"…Fair enough. Sorry I dragged you into my mess," Adon mumbled in defeat, catching a content sound from the old tiger.
"Don't apologize. Tigers and jaguars should stick together. Always," he brushed a hand against Adon's cheek, making him blush. Affectionate, tender Sagat took some getting used to.
"…I'd like it to be that way, but I don't know if I'm doing things right or just throwing my issues onto you,"
Sagat was quiet for a moment while he worked on wrapping bandages and wet strips around Adon's arm, carefully stretching it to heal on its own without complications, eventually finishing with his care while he finally spoke.
"Will you promise that you will trust me from now on? The last thing I want is you dead. Above all else, I want you to be alive and well. That includes entrusting me with your problems,"
Shit. And it just had to be a promise as well. With his cheeks burning and feeling particularly coy, Adon nodded without hesitation. That took some getting used to as well; the lesson of accepting one's fallacies and sharing them with others.
Pleased by this, Sagat nodded. "Good. You can always count on me,"
"…Same. Now don't use that Hado ever again. My head feels like a sour grape ready to burst and I won't headbutt you again but I might kick you in the balls if it happens again,"
"Duly noted," Sagat kept his hand on Adon's knee, eventually sliding upwards until it reached his crotch and then not. To test the waters, Sagat slowly removed his hand, but the ever-so-tempted Adon reached out and instinctively grabbed his hand.
When he realized what he'd done, he quickly let go, looking away as the blush on his face increased, thanking the gods that Namupun wasn't around to see him at his most bashful, evermore thankful that she was asleep somewhere so she couldn't hear the soft moan that came from his mouth when Sagat slipped a hand under the rim of his shorts and curling his fingers around a hitherto flaccid cock.
Adon felt every inch of his body twitch at the feeling, wincing when that included his injuries. He squeezed his eyes short, not noticing Sagat pulling his shorts further down, not entirely aware until he felt a warm mouth surround his tip, sucking and teasing every inch to the point of unraveling.
Adon thrashed a bit and was punished for it. Sharp pain mixed with ecstasy made the tears press through the closed corners of his eyes. He arched his back, stifling yelps and moans forcing their way from the back of his throat. Burying his face in his hand, he came with a strained sob. His body twitched a bit before going limp. When Sagat pulled back, he spat the semen into a nearby bowl, probably what he used to soak the bandages with.
"You won't be able to walk for a while. Stay put for the time being," the old tiger commanded as if nothing had happened. Adon looked at him tiredly, feeling his lips pout, softening when a hand stroked his head, reaching for its warmth and care like a docile housecat.
"As much as I'd like to indulge, it wouldn't be a smart decision given your injuries," Sagat said while he got busy with his broken nose, twisting it back into place and putting some plasters on. He had to hold his arm to his nostrils to contain the bleeding.
"You tease," Adon grimaced, "You say that after what happened!"
Sagat picked at his words, clicking his tongue in disapproving agreement. After his nose had stopped bleeding and he changed the bandages around his arms, he picked Adon off the floor and carried him to the other end of the building.
It occurred to Adon that he had never actually been there. Not even when he used to train here. It was just sort of silently agreed upon that the two of them had their own private spaces. Back then, Adon wasn't also getting his pining reciprocated. For as much as he, well, loved Sagat, he couldn't imagine what the man's private quarters looked like. He hadn't given it much thought either.
Unsurprisingly, it was minimalist and pragmatic like the man who slept here. A bed, or just a mattress really, lay on the floor, and in a corner somewhere, there was another mattress, on which Willa Maiu was fast asleep. Nothing else was present except a burlap sack with some clothes somewhere.
Putting Adon to bed was a bit of a challenge but down on the mattress, he came, scooting over to the other end. Upon laying here, he felt so small, though not surprised considering the massive man that now lay down next to him. He remained still when his shorts were pulled off and he was plied open, essentially spread eagle. In the dark, Adon could barely see Sagat but oh boy did he feel him inside of him, stretching him open slowly but surely. At least that damn old tiger could prepare him properly.
"Ah, Sagat. I'm very tired and I'm super hungry," Adon whined, weakly pressing a hand against the broad chest hovering over him.
"I will feed you,"
"Not what I mean, you dirty old-" the redhead was promptly silenced with Sagat thrusting deep and hard into him.
"I find it hard to keep to myself when you're docile like this," he said in a deep, growling husky voice, laced with hunger, "I want to shut your arrogance up with pleasure. So let me hear your voice."
"S-shut up!" Adon squirmed, his body feeling like melting from the warmth. It became too much so he couldn't help but part his lips and let out shameless cries. The pain from his injuries was overshadowed by unabashed rapture and it felt like his body was exploding with the sensation. Above him, he heard Sagat's restrained grunts, feeling sweat drip from the man's brow.
"I-I can't…" Adon gasped, wriggling under Sagat's iron grip. But the old tiger didn't stop, his movements growing erratic, uneven, and eventually faster.
"But you will. Because I want you to," he growled slyly, his voice strained with the effort. Adon wanted to swat at him for that, but didn't, twitching under the raw electricity of an orgasm born from a weird tryst between pleasure and pain, dimly aware of Sagat collapsing on top of him. Adon didn't think of himself as a masochist; he hated pain and having sex while dealing with two separate bone fractures wasn't the best idea.
At least the afterglow placated the aching somewhat, even as he lay there, groaning and wishing he wasn't so concupiscent. Sagat had a point when he claimed it wasn't a good idea to go at it. Yet he himself was a slave to his own desires, the fool. Bare hands cupped Adon's face to get some life out of him, and he flickered his eyes open to half-mast.
Someone should have said something to the other. Maybe even a corny "I love you" or something to that effect. The words almost danced on the tip of Adon's tongue, right there, inches from being spoken but Sagat's mouth covering his pushed them back into the ether.
"I finally tamed the jaguar. Mayhaps I can keep him." Sagat quipped from above and Adon huffed, still too tired to move.
"I-I'm still awake, you big jerk,"
A content grunt emerged from Sagat as he scooped up the exhausted Adon and cradled him gently. His body rocked in rhythm with the old tiger's breaths as he felt a hand breeze over his hair. He hated to admit it, but it had been the first time since he had felt this good about life, resting here in the arms of a man, he used to hate. Now, he couldn't muster up the strength to detest him anymore. Now, his heart just lived for these moments. He still wanted to defeat Sagat one day but the title that was God of Muay Thai lay so far back that he could relate to it no longer. The mantra, the stated goal of beating Sagat didn't stick much to anything anymore.
He could live with this. Even falling asleep while hungry.
So much for Sagat feeding him.
