The Neko's Tail - 38. Tears of the Neko

The rain let up when they stepped outside. Elias glanced up at the sky, his hood falling back as he took in the clouds covering the sky. A loud yell startled the neko and his head twisted, trying to locate the sound.

“Oh look, the pankratiasts are practicing,” Artemis said, directing Elias’ gaze to the left.

A group of Egaro were engaged in a fight, each paired off. Elias watched in alarm as blows were thrown and feet dodged.

“Don’t worry, they won’t hurt each other,” Artemis reassured him.

As they watched, an orange Egaro was slammed against the ground, his opponent straddling him. He held up his arms in defeat, and his opponent stood up again, helping him to his feet. Both were panting, covered in mud, but they started fighting again.

Another pair twisted fluidly, each trying to gain a better hold in their grapple. Their bodies were on display, a simple loincloth all that protected their modesty. Dirt was kicked up by their bare feet, mud splattering across their bodies.

Elias stood and watched the cats wrestling, unsure of what to make of the display. Artemis stood beside him, enjoying the amazement on Elias’ face.

“It’s an ancient fighting style,” he explained. “Now it’s just used for show, but millennia ago we used it to defend ourselves.”

They watched for another minute.

“Are you ready to go?” Artemis asked finally.

Elias nodded slowly, not taking his eyes off the dueling cats. Artemis took his hand, gently pulling him as he walked away.

The neko turned, walking next to the tiger. Artemis showed Elias landmarks now that they could take their time walking.

“That’s the recreational fishing spot,” he said, pointing to a dip near the edge of the island. “Catch and release only.”

Crossing a bridge, he motioned toward a tall building.

“That’s the school for this area. All the cubs go there, from age three to age thirteen.”

He sighed fondly.

“I remember my school days. I always knew I wanted to be a pilot. Everyone kept pushing me to take art classes but I was insistent. Flying was the way to go for me.”

Elias frowned. He stared at the building as they passed, wondering if Artemis would make him go there too. A bell rang and suddenly they were swarmed by young Egaro, all screaming and laughing.

One pointed at Elias and the young tigers surrounded him and Artemis, staring with wide eyes.

“What happened to your fur?” a girl demanded.

Artemis put an arm around Elias, trying to shield the neko from arms that reached out to touch his skin. He pushed through the crowd of cubs, watching Elias closely.

“You’re okay kitten,” he whispered.

They reached the safety of their home, Artemis locking the door behind them. He hadn’t been expecting a swarm of cubs to attack them.

Elias was holding it together. He didn’t seem too upset by the encounter and Artemis was relieved.

The neko sat on the couch, taking out his tablet. Artemis sighed slightly. He needed to have some fun for once, but Artemis wasn’t sure what to do for him. He didn’t want to go swimming, that was for sure, but he had been learning for the past three months. He needed a break.

Artemis got an idea. Hurrying into the bedroom, he grumbled, realizing he had forgotten to order a new bed for the two of them. But one thing at a time.

Pulling out an old gaming device, the tiger dragged it back out to where Elias was sitting. The neko watched in interest as he hooked wires up to the viewing screen, unfolding the cage that was used for flight sims.

“Hey kitten, check this out,” he said, sitting in the cage as the screen turned on.

Several seconds passed as the game warmed up, finally showing a cockpit beneath a crystal blue sky. Artemis hit a button in the cage and an engine roared to life on screen. He pressed several keys in order, and the cockpit began moving, the cage shaking with the screen.

“This is how I first learned to fly,” Artemis said, pulling back on the yoke in the cage.

The cage tilted, pressing the tiger back into his seat.

“The controls are a little different from the ship, but it’s still manageable,” he added as he levelled the cockpit out.

He circled in the air, directing the plane he flew back toward the runway, and set it down a little roughly. Coming to a stop, he turned to look at Elias.

“Do you want to try?”

Elias nodded, setting his tablet aside. Artemis stepped out of the cage, helping the neko get strapped in.

“Go ahead and play around with the controls a bit. If you need help, just let me know. And if you crash, that’s okay. This isn’t real.”

He watched as the neko ran his hands over the controls. Carefully pushing a button, Elias jumped as it beeped and the screen flashed red. His hand hit another button and the engine shut off, the screen returning to normal.

The cat pressed the button again, restarting the engine. He looked around the cage with a frown, before looking at Artemis.

“It’s a little different than our ship. Just try things out,” Artemis advised, sitting on the couch.

Elias leaned forward, squinting at the lettering under some of the buttons.

“Do you need your glasses?” Artemis asked.

The neko nodded and Artemis stood up. He went to the bedroom, digging through Elias’ bag in search of the glasses.

The Egaro’s hand brushed against a piece of cold metal and he grabbed the object, pulling it out of the bag. A necklace dangled from his hand, and he realised it was the necklace Elias had carried with him from his home.

He should put it back. He had no right to go through Elias’ things. But his fingers dug into the crevice holding the necklace closed and the locket popped open softly.

A lock of black hair sat in the locket, looking similar to Elias’ hair, but straighter. A parent’s hair perhaps?

He closed the necklace carefully, setting it back in the bag as he continued his search for Elias’ glasses.

Elias stared at the screen, flames burning his plane as he watched. His hands worked at his belt, nearly tearing it in his desperation to get out of the cage.

‘It isn’t real…’

But it looked so real, and it only reinforced the thought that he should never fly the ship again.

Backing away from the cage, he ran into a solid object. Arms wrapped around him protectively, Artemis whispering in his ear.

“Are you okay?”

Elias shook his head, spinning around. Artemis embraced him tightly.

“It’s just a game kitten. It isn’t real,” he said gently.

His hand ran over Elias’ head, stroking him gently as he tried to calm the neko down.

“Do you want me to help you learn how to fly?” he asked.

Elias looked up at the tiger, love pouring from Artemis’ gaze. He nodded slowly, and the Egaro led him gently back to the cage.

Handing Elias his glasses, Artemis sat in the cage, adjusting the belts.

“Come sit in my lap,” he said, sitting back in the chair.

Elias stared at the tiger, a slight frown on his face.

“I promise this isn’t sexual at all,” the tiger added.

Shrugging, Elias climbed into the cage. He could sit in front of the tiger without being unfaithful to Reinard.

His butt settled on the seat, Artemis setting his legs outside of Elias’. The tiger strapped them into the seat, adjusting the belts so they were comfortably secure. Elias’ tail wrapped around his front, the neko securing it in his lap.

“Okay, you see that green circle up in the left corner?” Artemis asked, pointing.

Elias followed his finger, finding the button quickly. He nodded.

“Good. Press it for me.”

The neko leaned forward, poking his finger into the button. The screen cleared in front of them and a fresh cockpit took its place.

“See? You can always try again,” Artemis said. “Now, we need to start the engines.”

Elias leaned again, his hand pressing the engine button. The cockpit roared to life, Artemis rubbing Elias’ head again.

“Good job. This is a plane. It’s different than our ship. It has wheels. So next, we need to taxi it onto the runway.”

Elias turned his head, confused.

“A plane is a vehicle that flies, but it can only fly forward, and it cannot leave the atmosphere.”

Artemis took Elias’ hand and placed it on a lever.

“This is the thruster. There’s only the horizontal thruster, no vertical thruster.”

Their hands pushed the thruster forward slightly, and the cage shook gently, the cockpit moving on the screen.

“I’ll move the thruster while you steer with the yoke,” Artemis said.

Elias nodded, placing his hands on the yoke between their legs. He pulled it to the left and the cage swung as the cockpit turned left sharply.

“Easy,” Artemis said, pulling back on the thruster.

He helped Elias guide the plane onto the runway, slowing to a stop.

“Now we let the tower know we want to take off,” Artemis said. “Usually you talk through a radio for that, but here we hit buttons instead.”

He pointed to a button.

“Press that one.”

Elias pushed the button and a green circle appeared in the top right corner of the screen.

“Perfect. I’m going to increase the speed now. When you’re ready, pull back slowly on the yoke and we’ll be in the air.”

Artemis pushed the thruster forward, the cockpit moving on the screen. The runway sped past under the plane and Elias yanked the yoke back.

The cage tilted sharply, Elias falling into Artemis.

“Gently kitten,” the tiger murmured in his ear.

The neko let up slightly on the yoke and the cage levelled out.

“There you go. Do you want to have some fun?” Artemis asked.

Elias looked back at him uncertainly. Artemis’ hands covered the neko’s and the tiger pulled to the side sharply.

The cage rolled upside down briefly, Elias yelping in shock. They straightened out, the neko shivering.

“Do you want to do it again?” Artemis asked breathlessly.

Elias shook his head vigorously, pulling at the straps holding him in the cage.

“Hold on kitten,” Artemis said. “Let’s shut this thing off before you get out.”

The tiger levelled the cage, pressing a button. Suddenly the cage was still, the screen black. Artemis released the restraints, and Elias leapt out of the cage, his tail puffed out.

“Okay, no acrobatics for you. Got it,” Artemis said.

Elias scowled at the tiger before retreating back to the bedroom.

Artemis stood at the door of the bedroom, gazing at Elias laying in bed. The neko was curled up under the covers, his eyes staring blankly at the wall. Again he was lost in thought, and again Artemis wasn’t sure how to help him.

“Kitten, we should take a shower. We’ve been out in the rain.”

Elias tensed up, his ears flattening. He sat up, his hands moving.

“I don’t like water.”

“That’s because you don’t know how fun water can be,” Artemis said gently. “Maybe we should take a bath instead?”

The neko got even more tense, if that was possible. His tail flicked anxiously and Artemis frowned.

“Why are you upset?” he asked.

Elias shook his head, but Artemis pressed him.

“If you tell me, maybe I can help.”

But the neko refused to explain his feelings. Artemis sighed, crossing the room. He sat on the bed next to Elias, watching the neko closely.

“Is it me? Do I make you feel bad?”

Again Elias shook his head.

“Do you think I would let anything hurt you?”

Elias shook his head.

“Then will you let me get you clean?”

Still Elias refused. He was so stubborn, but Artemis wasn’t about to give up. The Egaro left the room, entering the bathroom. He searched through a cabinet, finding what he was searching for quickly. A bag of yellow earplugs.

Returning to the neko, Artemis set the bag on the bed.

“These will plug your ears so the water cant get into them. I always forget to take them with me on the ship and no one else seems to have the need for them,” he said.

Elias took one out of the bag, staring at it. He set it in his ear cautiously, frowning as the world around him was muffled. His ear flicked as he tried to get used to the object in it.

Artemis set another earplug in his other ear before adding his own. They wouldn’t really need them for a bath, but if the earplugs made Elias feel better, it was worth it.

“Come on kitten, we’ll face the bath together,” he said, his voice garbled by the plugs.

He held out a hand to the neko and after a moment of hesitation, Elias took the hand. They walked together to the bathroom, Artemis turning on the faucet. Water came gushing out, loud and fast, and Elias’ ears flattened, his tail straight in alarm.

“It’s okay kitten. Here, put your hand under the water and let me know if it’s too cold,” Artemis said gently.

He removed his shirt as Elias did as he was told. The neko flinched back, water splashing Artemis. Holding back a sigh, the tiger knelt beside the tub, testing the water himself. Too cold.

He warmed the bath up, making sure the water was just right before setting a plug in the drain.

“Now we wait for the tub to fill up,” he said to Elias. “It shouldn’t take long. Do you want me to help you with your clothes?”

Elias shook his head quickly. He set his hands on the hem of his shirt, slowly removing the clothing. Shivering as his chest was bared, the neko turned away from Artemis.

“Elias, there’s something you’re not telling me,” Artemis frowned. “Are you scared of me seeing you naked? We’ve taken a shower together before.”

After a moment of hesitation, Elias nodded.

“Do you want to bathe by yourself?” Artemis offered.

Elias shook his head violently. This time, Artemis did sigh.

“Kitten, I don’t know how to help you.”

He shut off the water, the tub full. There had to be a reason for Elias’ fear. What had Artemis done to him?

Then he realised the last time Elias saw him naked, he had been getting fucked by Iason. And before that, they had been showering together and Elias tried to suck his dick.

“I don’t get naked just for sex,” Artemis said quietly. “And you don’t need to either. I promise I won’t touch you unless you want me to.”

Trembling, Elias lowered his pants, sitting on the floor to take them off. It was almost like he was trying to protect his ass.

“Elias, am I really that terrifying?” Artemis asked. “I love you. I’m not going to hurt you. And I’m not having sex with you. Okay?”

The neko nodded and Artemis kicked off his own pants. He stepped into the tub, sighing quietly as the warm water surrounded him.

“Come on, sit in front of me. Just like the simulator,” he said.

Standing, Elias covered himself with his hands. His foot sank into the water, the cat hissing slightly at the warmth as he carefully set his other foot beside his first. His body turned and Elias sank to the ground, wiggling until he was sitting in front of Artemis, but not touching the tiger. And only then did he pull his hands away from his crotch.

Artemis placed a hand on Elias’ shoulder, massaging it gently as the neko tensed.

“Relax kitten. You’re safe. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want.”

A purr slipped out of Elias and he froze, shivering silently. Artemis kissed the back of his head.

“Don’t be upset about a little purr. You can be happy you know.”

Elias shook his head violently.

“Is it because of Reinard?”

He felt horrible bringing the Faro up. The two hadn’t talked about him because Artemis didn’t want to bring up painful memories. But it suddenly hit the tiger. Maybe he should talk about Reinard. Maybe Elias needed that release.

“He wouldn’t want you to stop living your life.”

Elias’ tail slapped the water, the plunk silencing Artemis. He wriggled out of Artemis’ hands, turning until he was sitting sideways in the tub. Knees bent into his chest, head buried in his knees, Elias shook silently.

A muffled sob sounded, startling Artemis. He hadn’t heard the neko’s voice in nearly two weeks.

“It’s okay kitten. Let it out,” he whispered as Elias cried. “Let it all out.”