by A. Nybo
“Something’s wrong.” Her voice wavered, and she turned frightened eyes back to Sergei. “He was having a seizure or something.”
Leon stepped away from the doorframe into the room. Lucy’s eyes widened. “Jesus, Leon!” Her rhythm faltered.
“Keep drumming, Lucy.” Fearing what he might see, Leon didn’t look down at the wounds that had startled her.
He walked to the bed and, lowering himself, fell the last foot to end lying on the edge near Sergei. Grunting, he rolled onto his side and allowed his left arm to drop over the edge of the bed to make contact with Sergei. Pain radiated out from his shoulder, but he worked extra hard trying to grasp Sergei’s fingers, which were cold.
The spiralling could have been real or imagined, but as pain receded, Leon knew if he were to open his eyes, he wouldn’t see the room.
He waited for the spinning to stop before opening his eyes, and the sight before him caused the sensation of his heart dropping low in his torso. Bear and reindeer both lay torn, bloody, and unmoving. Orange dust swirled into blue as it rose skyward, little clumps of fur drifting on a gentle breeze.
A choked whimper escaped him as he sprinted and jumped over a snapped antler to reach bear. “Sergei!” Bloodied fur gaped wide to reveal torn pink flesh.
Leon slid to his knees at bear’s side and put his forehead against the massive jaw. He fought tears while he watched expectantly to see if its ribcage rose and fell with breath. It didn’t.
Yielding to emotion, he sank to the ground completely and buried his face in bear’s fur, a hand to his ribcage. Amongst all the other smells, the scent of Sergei was faint but undeniable. Tears ran down into the undercoat of bear. “Come back.” His voice had deserted him, and the words were a mere whisper. His fingers tangled in the blood-matted hair.
Leon sent out silent wishes for Sergei to return. He whispered them into thick brown fur. The love he had for Sergei swirled around inside and out, dizzying him. The body of bear anchored him, and trying to calm the storm within, he directed all his emotion into the beast beside him.
Time passed unnoticed as he lay against bear. A warm wind blew at his back. As Leon turned his cheek against bear’s neck, the wind swept around and up through his hair as Sergei’s hand had done so many times. Teal-coloured air rushed into the mouth of bear, and the beast’s chest jolted with an abrupt inhale. The laboured exhale that followed caused a cloud of dust to puff up before its nose.
Leon sat up and peered into the brown eye of bear. Hints of green swirled in the eyeball, and the devilish spark that had so often inhabited Sergei’s eyes appeared in bear’s, but its slow blink spoke of pained weariness.
Through tears, Leon swallowed his grief and smiled. He laid his head on bear’s side.
PAIN SPEARED Leon’s thigh, and his eyes flew open as he screamed, but the sound that met his ears was little more than a whimper. Lucy stood over him, making nonsensical sounds as she delivered more pain to his shoulder. Her mutterings began making sense, and he recognised the address she rattled off.
“An ambulance is on its way, Lucy” came a disembodied male voice from near Leon’s hip. “We’re just pulling up outside now.”
“Hurry, Charlie!”
With great difficulty, Leon raised his head, but he couldn’t keep it up. “Sergei?”
“Shh, shh,” said Lucy.
Relief came to his hip as the pressure lessened. Lucy snatched up the phone by his thigh and pressed buttons before dropping it. The pressure on his hip returned to full force. “He’s breathing again, but right now I’m worried about you. You’ve lost a lot of blood.” She brushed his cheek and smiled. “Hang in there, Leon.”
“Lucy….” Cold and tired, he closed his eyes.
Chapter 15
LEON WAS airlifted from Coober Pedy while Sergei was kept in the local hospital overnight for observation and released the following morning into Lucy’s care.
In that time, Leon had effectively disappeared from Sergei’s life before they’d so much as had the opportunity to see or hear the other after the fight.
As Sergei didn’t want to accidentally out Leon, he prevailed upon Lucy to ask after him, but the police wouldn’t tell her where Leon had been taken or what his injuries were—although Lucy had told Sergei that Evgeni had attacked Leon with a clawlike weapon that had torn his chest, thigh, and shoulder. The best she could ascertain from the police was that he was improving, which was enough to keep Sergei from going completely mad.
The same couldn’t be said for Lucy. After enduring four days of harassment from Sergei as to whether Leon had rung or texted yet, she politely told in him in a not-so-quiet voice to “Go the fuck home and leave me alone for a few days or I’ll saw your prick off with a blunt bread knife.”
Knowing Lucy to be a woman of her word, he temporarily heeded her warning and went home, but he was back the following day. He suspected Lucy had spent the night alone thinking up the price to exact from him if he continued to harass her. He assured her he’d give anything to have knowledge of Leon’s whereabouts or at least hear from him.
That’s how he ended up with an “undercut” that looked more to Sergei like a Mohawk. She assured him that the spine of hair in a Mohawk stood up, whereas his was long enough to tie back. She could call it whatever she wanted if it kept her trying to get in touch with Leon.
Leon called a few days later—when he’d managed to get his phone back—and told them Evgeni had shredded his chest, shoulder, and thigh with a modernised bagh nakh.
“What is that?” Sergei asked over the phone. He was so relieved to hear Leon’s voice sounding strong and healthy.
“A weapon that sits concealed in the palm and fits over the knuckles. It’s also known as a tiger claw. Only the one Evgeni used was less like a claw and more like bloody razors,” said Leon.
“He didn’t cut himself?” Sergei asked. “Seems like you’d just have to close your hand accidentally and—”
“No, he didn’t fucken cut himself,” groused Leon. “He cut me!”
Sergei was glad Leon couldn’t see him grinning at his fit of pique and wished he was there to see the little frown lines form between Leon’s eyes.
“Three hundred and fourteen stitches worth!”
Sergei’s humour fled. “Khuyovo!” he cursed.
“I hope that means you’re impressed, because I look like a fucken drunken tailor was let loose on me.”
Sergei was impressed, but not with Evgeni’s handiwork—he was impressed by Leon.
“Where are you?” Sergei’s voice was pensive. “Can I come and see you?” Leon’s extended silence caused anxiety to flood him.
“I’m in Canberra, but if you can leave it a few days, I’ll come to you,” he said finally. “I’ve got more leave coming to me, these stitches will be out, and I’ll have finished with all these bloody interviews.”
“What interviews?”
“Even Doris has to explain why they shot someone.”
Sergei could hear the smile in Leon’s voice, and it set him back on an even keel. “I don’t know that I can wait for a few days.”
“I really want to see you too, but when I see you, I want to think of nothing but us.”
SERGEI SHUFFLED from foot to foot as he tried to pretend he was waiting for a friend to walk through the airport doors and not his lover—his love. The next half hour was going to be sheer hell, having Leon nearby and not touching, kissing, or holding him. Why the hell did he have to live so far from the airport anyway?
Leon came through the doors with a smile. Seeing Sergei, the smile broadened to a dazzling grin that lit Sergei up like a bus at night.
“What happened to your hair?” asked Leon.
He made to stop, but Sergei pulled on his luggage and, once it was in his hand, headed for the ute. “Lucy. Lucy happened to my hair.”
“It makes you look more civilised.”
“Civilised?” That was the last thing he’d expected. “Enjoy civilisation while you ca
n because once we get home it ends.” He threw the baggage in the tray of the ute.
“Home,” Leon mused as he got into the vehicle, picking up the map that sat on the seat.
There was a strange little hitch in Sergei’s chest. “Yes, home.” He stopped just short of inserting the key into the ignition. “For now at least.” He put the key in and started the ute. “It depends on where you want to live.”
“Are you asking me to live with you?”
“No.” Sergei checked the oncoming traffic as he pulled out but also used the move to hide his smile. “I thought you might move to Coober Pedy, and I would go and live in Andamooka or Lightning Ridge.”
Leon threw the map at him. “Dickhead.”
Sergei laughed. “Careful! I’m driving. I could crash us into a camel.” He flipped up the central console and stuffed the map inside. “They would find us in an upturned vehicle, the driver hanging by his seat belt with South Australia still wrapped around his face and a camel huffing on the fuel spillage.”
The ensuing silence had Sergei glancing between Leon and the road, acutely aware of Leon’s examination. “You look well, Leon. How are you?”
Leaning his temple on the headrest, Leon kept watching Sergei as he set his hand on Sergei’s thigh. “So much better now I’m with you.” Leon was wearing that boyish grin that turned Sergei inside out. “You have no idea how many times I was called a cranky bastard in the past few weeks.”
Sergei could just imagine it. “Did those little lines between your eyes take up residence?”
The moment Leon took his hand away to redirect the rearview mirror, Sergei was sorry he’d said it. “What lines?”
“You’re interfering with my driving, Doris!” Sergei made to grab the mirror to redirect it, and it came off in his hand. “Your vanity is going to get me a yellow sticker on my car for being unroadworthy.”
“It’s off now, so you may as well give it to me.”
Leon made to grab for it, and Sergei snatched it out of his reach. He wound down his window and threw the mirror into the tray of the ute, hoping he hadn’t missed the tray and that it’d had a relatively soft landing as he didn’t want to have to pay for a new one. “You’re in the outback now, son,” he mimicked Charlie.
Seeing Leon losing it with laughter was worth the price of a rearview mirror. Sergei wanted to lick him all over.
Leon was still having the occasional relapse when they pulled into Sergei’s place. Wasting no time, Sergei grabbed Leon’s luggage and let them into the house. Once inside, he slammed the door and locked it. “The road to civilisation has just been closed to you.”
Wasting no time, Leon lifted his T-shirt over his head, toed off his boots, and then turned to him. “Thank fuck for that.”
Sergei ran a finger beside the outermost of four claw lines on Leon’s chest. “Does it still hurt?”
Leon offered a cheeky smile. “It might do if I do something strenuous. Care to try me?”
The trail of clothes they left pointed to the bedroom, where they lay naked, caressing and kissing each other.
Sergei drew back. “Leon?”
“Hm?”
“How long is it since you’ve had sex and the condom broke?”
Leon’s brow pulled down. “What sort of question is that?”
Despite the nerves fluttering in his chest like he was about to have a heart attack, Sergei chuckled. “It was a prelude to suggesting how unlikely it would be, on the off chance I was HIV positive, for you to get infected should you choose to top me.”
A sassy grin claimed Leon’s mouth. “So long as you’ve got plenty of slide, we’ll be fine.”
“Slide? Do you mean lube?” Sergei was pretty sure he knew the answer.
Leon’s smile faded. “You want to use lube? I thought you might want to use honey.” A moment of silence was met with a bark of laughter from Leon. “You should see your face.”
“I suppose I deserved that,” said Sergei with feigned derision. He reached over and retrieved lube and condoms from the bedside drawer.
Taking advantage of his vulnerable position, Leon smacked his arse. “That too.”
“Ooh, do it again,” Sergei teased. The sharp crack that followed had Sergei rubbing his buttcheek. “I was joking.”
“Sorry,” said Leon. “Couldn’t be certain whether you were serious or not.”
Sergei dropped the condom and lube on the bed and pounced on Leon to hold him down. “I can tell by your grin how uncertain you are.” He smothered Leon’s grin with a kiss, and they chuckled against each other’s mouths before allowing the moment to become more sensual.
When the kiss ended, Sergei was surprised to be met with such a serious expression. Leon ran his fingers over the side of Sergei’s head through the barely there hair Lucy had left him. “It’s so good to see you.”
Sergei dipped his head into Leon’s hand. “You too,” he said as he closed in to kiss Leon long and slow.
Having Leon close, after what seemed so long apart, eased Sergei more than he could express. But it also made him tense with arousal, and his erection was hot and heavy between his legs as he lowered himself fully onto Leon and rubbed their hard-ons against each other.
LEON FLIPPED Sergei onto his back and moved down to take him into his mouth. His hands massaged Sergei’s hips, his thighs. Leon wanted to touch him all over, inside and out, make his skin burn with need, his soul hunger for repletion, his lust demand satisfaction, as Sergei made his.
When Sergei moaned and writhed beneath him, Leon’s appetite fed off his lover’s pleasure. He hummed his delight, and Sergei huffed a breath and tensed so much that Leon backed off, refusing Sergei satisfaction just yet.
Sitting on his haunches between Sergei’s spread legs, Leon lubed his fingers and Sergei’s crease. He ran fingers around Sergei’s entrance, smoothing, tapping, teasing, before sliding his fingers in as Sergei’s body not just permitted but invited.
Sergei’s mouth quirked in a wry smile, his eyebrows flicked up and down, and then he reached for the condom. Grinning like a loon, Sergei threw it at Leon’s chest. It bounced off and landed between his legs.
Leon looked down at the foil packet and left his fingers poised to strike Sergei’s prostate the moment he began to speak. “Is there something you want?”
“Suit… uuuuup!”
Leon was rewarded when Sergei jolted slightly.
“Ah… up.”
Leon laughed at Sergei’s expression, a mixture of surprise, pleasure, and feigned censure. Removing his fingers, he bent and kissed the top edge of Sergei’s pube line and then raised his eyes to meet Sergei’s. “You are so sweet and cool,” he said, trying not to grin.
Clearly remembering the conversation, Sergei laughed. He sat up, and his eyes went to the foil. Leon snatched for it, but Sergei came away with it and waved his prize at him.
“You are too slow, Leon.” He dipped in and kissed the bridge of Leon’s nose.
With all the teasing, kissing, and wrestling, by the time they got the condom on Leon, they had lube everywhere and had travelled every inch of the bed and some of the floor.
Back on the bed, Sergei tittered as Leon slapped his hands away yet again.
“Leave it!” Leon snapped through his laughter. Sergei gave the end of the condom one last tug. Leon ripped it off. “Get me another one. This one is fucked, and I haven’t even fucked with it yet!” He threw it at Sergei’s back as Sergei leaned over to get another.
High spirits at being back together having cooled to a controllable level and a fresh condom in place made their second attempt at sex far more successful.
From Leon’s slow and careful entry to the rollicking thrusting that had Leon chasing Sergei up to the headboard, they maintained eye contact, reading silent needs and requests, each doing their best to meet them in the bid to drive the other to the brink of ecstatic insanity.
Using Leon and the headboard to pull himself up, Sergei straddled Leon’s lap, his arms wra
pped around Leon’s shoulders. As he pumped into Sergei, Leon shifted, trying to get deeper. Leaning back, Sergei stretched his arms along the top of the bedhead, and Leon shuffled parted knees beneath him to end up jammed against the headboard. He shifted his weight back onto his hands, allowing his hips free range to piston upwards.
Even with the tattoo that looked like a primitive cave painting, Sergei was breathtaking spread like that, his chest opened wide to showcase the full muscular terrain, his white-knuckled grip on the wooden bedhead a silent scream of his excitement.
“Oh God,” Leon said in appreciation.
Slowing so he could fully appreciate the beauty before him, Leon ran an exploring hand over Sergei’s torso.
He leaned forwards and took a nipple in his mouth, sucking hard before scraping his teeth across it. Sergei shivered, and his eyes rolled up just as his lids closed.
Unable to hold out much longer, Leon tore Sergei from the bedhead and flipped him around to lie on his back. As he ploughed into him, he grabbed Sergei’s cock and pumped furiously. Sergei’s face grew taut, and the first flutter of his internal muscles yanked Leon’s orgasm from him.
Leon collapsed on Sergei, and they lay trying to catch their breaths. Sergei delivered a slow swirling caress to Leon’s back, now slick with sweat. A glimmer of disappointment at having missed watching Sergei’s orgasm was quickly overcome by the knowledge that they had shared the moment of ecstasy.
Once he’d recovered, Leon withdrew, tied the condom off, and flopped on his back next to Sergei, who was still lying upside down in the bed.
“We need to shower,” said Leon.
“And change the bed.” The back of his hand fell against Leon’s chest. “Leon?”
“Hm?”
“Will you be my boyfriend?”
Leon chuffed a weary laugh. “All depends exactly what that entails.”
Sergei rolled onto his side and kissed the outside of Leon’s upper arm. Lifting it, Leon slid it around Sergei’s shoulders and drew him in. The way Sergei melted against him told Leon they’d both found their place in this world.
