The Neko's Tail - 9. Nightmares

“And we’re off,” Artemis sighed as the ship returned to its typical running heat. “This journey will take some time. We’ll be stopping every week or so to take on fuel and spend a night off the ship. It’s necessary, trust me.”

Elias sipped at his water, his eyes staring at the tiger’s collar.

“Anyways, we need to teach you how to read. And how to speak Egaro, as well as Common.”

The tiger smiled.

“Of course, this means you need to speak…”

The neko’s head shot up, Elias staring horrified into Artemis’ eyes, searching for some sign that the tiger was pulling his leg.

“Relax,” Artemis laughed. “You’re just talking around me.”

The tiger picked up his tablet and carried it into the kitchen, beckoning Elias to follow him. For the next few hours, Artemis labored patiently to teach the neko the Xanthian alphabet.

Standing five hours later, the tiger stretched.

“Well, that’s a good start,” he said. “Later I’ll help you set up your tablet and send you some beginner books to read. We’ll work on this a few hours a day and you’ll be reading in no time. But for now, I need to shower. You should probably take one too when I’m done.”

Elias frowned.

“I know you don’t like the shower, but you need to stay clean. It’s not that bad of a place, really. Perfect for thinking. Though that can be dangerous itself sometimes.”

The neko remained silent.

“Why don’t you keep working on your letters while I shower, and we’ll keep trying to get you into the water.”

Elias glared at the tiger and Artemis laughed.

“I’ll be back in a bit.”

Elias rested his head on the table, closing his eyes. He hurt, but it was a weird pain, one in his eyes. He had never felt this before, and he hoped he never would again.

Closing his eyes helped, slightly, and the neko let out a breath, determined to keep his eyes shut until Artemis returned. This reading stuff was hard, and Elias didn’t see the point in it. He had never needed to read before. Why start now?

The neko yawned, tired from his labors. The table felt so cool against his skin, so comfortable. Slowly he fell asleep…

…and awoke to a nightmare. A body lay before him, blood pouring from the severed halves. Quarian and Danuva stood beside it, glaring at the neko.

“Murderer…” Quarian hissed.

“Slaves are not permitted to use weapons,” Danuva growled.

“You will be punished for your crime.”

Elias screamed as the two werewolves shifted and leapt at him.

“Elias… Elias…”

The neko sat up, his ears ringing with his screams.

“You’re okay! You’re safe!”

Arms wrapped around him, wet and dripping.

“You’re safe,” Artemis said as the neko choked back his cries. “Nothing’s going to hurt you.”

A hand ran through his hair, wetting it. Elias panted, slowly realizing he was in the kitchen on the ship. It was a dream. It had just been a dream.

Artemis knelt beside him, holding him against his naked body. Water dripped from the tiger and Elias shuddered. He slapped his pocket in a panic, and Artemis yelped as the collar shocked him.

Releasing the neko, the tiger fell back, pawing at his neck. Free from Artemis’ grasp, Elias stood and fled from the room.

Artemis took a deep breath, wincing at the memory of the shock. He had not been expecting that at all, though looking back he really should have.

The tiger had just finished rinsing when he heard Elias scream. He panicked, running from the bathroom with the water still running. The neko had still been waking when Artemis had thrown his arms around him. It was a stupid move, but the tiger hadn’t been thinking beyond trying to calm Elias down.

“At least the collar works,” he muttered, rubbing his neck again.

Standing, Artemis left the room, bringing up the hologram of the ship to locate the neko. Elias was in the cabin, and Artemis sighed in relief. He didn’t feel like climbing into the cargo bays right now.

Returning to the bathroom, Artemis turned off the water and began drying off. He shouldn’t have run out naked, but he had been scared for the neko. Now that he knew Elias was safe, at least from physical harm, the tiger let him be.

Dressing, the tiger grabbed a towel and began mopping up the trail of water that ran through the ship. It was a waste of liquid, but it couldn’t be helped. There wasn’t much water gone and it wouldn’t cut into their drinking.

He needed to talk to Elias; needed to apologise. He had just been trying to help, but if the help was unwanted, he shouldn’t have even tried.

Standing in front of the cabin, the tiger knocked on the wall next to the door. The door was opened, and he could see Elias curled up on his bed, but after being shocked in the kitchen he was nervous about entering the room without Elias’ permission.

“Can I come in?” Artemis asked.

The neko’s shoulders shrugged, and Artemis stepped through the door. Sitting on his own bed, the tiger sighed.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I should have dressed before touching you.”

Elias shivered, his eyes looking past Artemis. Whatever that dream he had was, it had really gotten to him. The neko’s hand fidgeted near his pocket and Artemis watched Elias’ fingers warily.

“I’m not upset at you for using the collar,” he said. “It was my fault you shocked me.”

“I’m sorry.”

He said it so quietly Artemis almost missed it.

“So am I,” he sighed. “Are you feeling better?”

Elias shook his head no.

“Is there anything I can do to help you feel better?”

The neko shrugged. He uncurled and stood up. Crossing the four feet of space between the beds, Elias bent in front of Artemis, his fingers brushing uncertainly across the collar.

Artemis met the neko’s eyes, trying to read the unreadable. He felt Elias tugging on the collar, and his stomach lurched.

“What are you doing?” the tiger whispered.

Elias’ hands shook as his fingers ran over the collar, searching. His thumb brushed over the sensor on the collar’s buckle, and with a click, the collar fell off the tiger’s neck.

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

Elias shivered as the collar dropped onto the bed. Artemis was free. He could do whatever he wanted to the neko and get away with it.

But Elias meant what he said. He had hurt Artemis too much already. He didn’t want to hurt him any more.

A hand clasped around his wrist and Elias inhaled nervously.

“Thank you,” Artemis breathed, hugging the neko.

Elias stiffened under the tiger’s touch, and Artemis backed off quickly. Confusing thoughts ran through the neko’s mind. He was scared of Artemis’ touch, afraid the tiger would attack him. But he found himself craving the tiger’s arms around him at the same time.

Artemis’ hand ran through Elias’ hair, and a purr slipped out of the neko. He bit his lip, horrified at his slip. Danuva had let his purring go, but Artemis was not Danuva. Who knew what he would do?

The tiger’s hand ran through his hair again, and again. Elias closed his eyes, pressing his head into the palm of Artemis’ hand. He couldn’t help himself, it felt so good.

“Your purr is adorable,” Artemis said.

The tiger flinched at his words a second later. But they were out there now.

Elias stepped back again, his expression guarded. There it was. Artemis wanted him.

“You know what? I’m not sorry. It is adorable,” Artemis continued.

Maybe removing the collar was a bad idea. The neko’s eyes flicked over to the leather strip on the bed. There was no way he could get Artemis back into it.

The neko’s tail flicked uneasily, wrapping around his leg.

“You’re worried…” Artemis realized. “Why are you worried about your purr-”

The tiger’s eyes widened.

“No, Elias, I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t want to have sex with you. I mean, I do, but not now-”

Once again, Elias turned and fled from the tiger.

Artemis sat under the water in the shower again, his eyes closed. He just kept fucking up.

Elias had trusted him enough to remove his collar. He was getting through to him. What had possessed him to say that?

Not that it wasn't true. The neko was adorable and a part of the tiger did want to have sex with him. But he had only known Elias for three weeks. Seven, if the month of stalking the neko from space could be counted. Even if the tiger's culture was okay with it, he had to think about Elias. The neko certainly wasn't as free with his body, even as a former sex slave.

Briefly, the tiger wondered if the being who had created the alternate universe they were travelling through had a way to go back in time.

Idle thoughts.

How could he fix this? Artemis didn't want to approach Elias again, it would seem like he was forcing the issue. But he wanted to apologise for his words.

Shutting the water off, Artemis dripped dry in the shower, the drain collecting the excess water. They'd wasted enough water today.

There was a quiet thump on the door and Artemis froze.

"Elias?"

Of course, it was Elias. They were on a spaceship ten light-years from the nearest station. Who else would it be?

Pulling his pants over damp fur, the cat unlocked the door, finding the neko on the other side.

"I'm sorry," Artemis said immediately. "I shouldn't have said… what I said."

"Use me."

The tiger faltered.

"Um, what?"

Elias stared at Artemis' chest, unwilling to meet the tiger's eyes.

"Take me how you desire."

Artemis frowned, lifting the neko's head with a finger.

"No. I will not have any kind of sex when my partner would be unwilling."

“But… you want it.”

“But you do not. When you can come to me and tell me you want to have sex, then we will have sex. Until then, will you permit me to hold you?”

Elias nodded slowly, and Artemis placed an arm around the neko.

“I still think your purr is cute,” he said.

The dream was back. Danuva and Quarian had the neko cornered, both growling in their wolf forms.

“Elias…”

Artemis appeared between him and the wolves, his arms held out protectively. The neko reached out uncertainly, and his hand passed through Artemis’ body

The tiger vanished, leaving Elias to curl up in front of the wolves.

“You aren’t real…” the neko whispered as Danuva’s jaws snapped shut an inch from his face.

“I’m real. I’m here. Wake up.”

Elias’ eyes squeezed shut, his body shaking.

No, someone was shaking him.

Elias’ eyes flew open, staring into Artemis’ chocolate eyes.

“Hey,” the tiger smiled reassuringly, pulling his hand back.

The neko curled up, shivering.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Artemis asked a moment later.

Elias shook his head.

“Can I hold you?”

Slowly the neko nodded, feeling the tiger crawl into the bed behind him. Artemis wrapped an arm around him protectively, and Elias let out a shaky breath as the tiger stroked his hair.

“It’s the woman, isn’t it?” the tiger asked quietly.

The neko stiffened, the dream coming back to him.

“It’s easy to take a life. Dealing with it after is more difficult,” Artemis said. “If you want, we can stop by Asla Station. They have a doctor there that can help you.”

“No!” Elias hissed.

Artemis paused in his petting of the neko.

“Um, okay… Well, if we can find a place with the proper elements, I could synthesize a pill that could calm your sleep. It won’t cure you though. I’m pretty sure Asla 2c-1 will have what we need, and we’re heading there anyways for a bit of mining.”

Artemis stood up, leaving Elias to shiver in the bed.

“I’ll switch the computer to Asla 2c-1 and we should be there in ten hours.”