Bagheera let out a long sigh and walked faster, heading home after a long day at work. Double shifts at the diner as a busboy were rough, but worth it. He needed the money to pay the bills while his boyfriend kept looking for a new job.

He undid a button on his shirt and ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to relax some. All he wanted was to come home to his boyfriend's open arms and feel the stress melt away as Shere Khan held him tight.

That might be a bit much to hope for, though. Khan was anything but cuddly. He was much more similar to a prickly pear than a teddy bear. When they first got together, Bagheera's friends were sure he just had the hots for the "bad boy", but Bagheera saw passion in him which he thought he'd be able to coax out.

Yet, after living together for 3 months, he had yet to see any more than that first glimmer. Perhaps he had been imagining things? The only passion he saw was the anger in his voice when the two argued, which, unfortunately, happened fairly often.

He unlocked the apartment door and walked in. Once the barrier of the door was gone, he heard Shere Khan speaking in a low voice from the kitchen and another whimpery voice reply. The other voice held his "s"'s just long enough for Bagheera to identify him. It was Kaa, one of the acid heads whom Khan regularly sold to.

When they heard Bagheera's footsteps coming closer, the two looked up at him, ceasing their conversation until he walked away. Bagheera frowned and went to his room, changing into more comfortable clothes. When he'd changed into a t-shirt and jeans, he returned and just heard Kaa saying as he left, "Send my regards to the misssusss."

"I'll tell Bagheera you said hello." Khan's promise was unneeded as Bagheera's yellow eyes met Kaa's; heterochromia with one blue and one brown, but both with heavy bags underneath. Kaa winked and shut the door.

Khan tapped his cigarette on the nearest ashtray, knocking the ashes off.

"What was he doing here?" Bagheera asked, frowning at his man.

"I think you know what he was doing here." Shere Khan sighed, but still kept his back facing Bagheera.

"I thought we talked about this. I thought you said you'd quit." Shere Khan said nothing, but he tensed up. He was already irritable and didn't want to hear this rant again. Bagheera continued, "I don't want to see you throw your life away."

"You don't want to see it? Then get out."

Bagheera's eyes widened at the man's words. "What?"

Khan spun around and separated his words at a much higher volume.

"You heard me! Get out!"

Bagheera's eyes were watery and his lip was trembling in an effort not to cry as he walked by and slammed the apartment door shut as he left. He pulled out his cell as he walked, calling an old friend.

"Baloo? Yeah. I've had a rough night. Want to go out for a drink?"

When Bagheera arrived at their usual pub, Baloo was already at the bar, with a free stool next to him, ready and waiting for Bagheera. Bagheera sat and was about to order when the bartender placed a whiskey in front of him.

Bagheera looked up at the man, but he had already walked away, so he turned his confused stare to Baloo, who winked as he took a sip of his beer, "I know what my Baggy likes."

Bagheera smiled at him, forgetting all about the fight he'd had with Shere Khan...that is until Baloo brought it up, "So what's wrong? You wanna talk about it?"

The smaller male sighed, "I'd had a long day at work and when I came home, Khan and I had a bit of a spat, is all."

Baloo frowned, "I see." He looked away from his friend and stared into his drink, silent for a while. Finally, he looked back at Bagheera and began, "If he hurts you…"

"He hasn't and he would never!" Bagheera interrupted, confident in his man's integrity.

Baloo mumbled under his breath something which sounded awfully similar to "don't be so sure", but spoke up louder with the rest of the words, "Sorry. I'm not meaning to accuse him, I just know Khanny's really quick to anger."

Bagheera huffed and rolled his eyes, but Baloo went on, "And I don't just mean physically. Words hurt too, Bagheera. If he says something that upsets you, come and tell me. I'll give him the what for. And if it's something unforgiveable? (at this, Bagheera's mind flashed back to Khan shouting at him to leave). Seriously, just break up with him. You deserve so much better."

He looked back into his drink again, but his drinking mate kept his gaze focused on him, "That's very sweet of you, Baloo. You truly are a great friend." Baloo gave a meek smile at that.

By the end of their evening, Bagheera was barely standing up; having to lean on Baloo. Bagheera never was one who could handle alcohol, and Baloo, the protective friend who could hold his liquor, was happy to escort his old pal home.

He rang the bell and Khan opened the door, giving Baloo and the nearly unconscious Bagheera a once-over. He nodded toward Baloo, and without a word exchanged between the two, he transferred Bagheera over to himself, taking him into the apartment, and slamming the door in Baloo's face.

Baloo blinked at the door making a loud bang in front of him and let out a sigh, turning around and slowly making his way back to his own apartment, his thoughts never straying from his friend who meant so much more to him.

No sooner had the door slammed shut, did Shere Khan throw the tipsy Bagheera onto the couch. At the rough handling, he woke up a bit, enough to cry out in pain and look at Khan, disoriented and scared.

"What were you doing with that bear?" Khan growled at him.

"What?"
"I said, what were you doing with Baloo?!"

Bagheera blinked hard, puzzled by the question, "We went out for a drink."

"Did you fuck him?"

Bagheera was completely baffled, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me!"

Bagheera was getting a bit testy and it showed in his tone of voice, "No, I did not sleep with my childhood friend."

Khan nodded, accepting the answer, but he was still hot, "I don't like you hanging around that guy."

Well, I don't like you hanging around Kaa and your other clients. "Why not? He's my best friend."
Khan got in his face, intimidating the dark-haired man. "He'd like to be a lot more than that. He wants what's mine."

Bagheera was confused. The alcohol had already put him in a daze, and now Shere Khan was saying such impossible things, like Baloo having feelings for him. "All we did was talk. What you said really bothered me, so I wanted to cheer myself up."

Khan glared at him, "Don't blame me! You were the one who was patronizing me for making us some cash!"

"Excuse me for being concerned that my boyfriend could go to jail!" His frustrations over all those months burst out as sarcasm, "Excuse me for not wanting acid freaks around, having a bad trip and potentially ruining our home!"

Bagheera had never seen Shere Khan more furious, when it happened. With a loud smack, Khan slapped Bagheera across the face, leaving him wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked.

Bagheera took a step back in shock, and Khan's eyes widened, stricken with fear from what he had done. He reached his hand out to soothe his lover, "I'm sorr-" but he stopped apologizing when Bagheera flinched away from him. Khan moved quickly and trapped Bagheera in a tight hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. I'll never do it again." Bagheera was tense and feebly pushed at Khan's shoulders to get away. Khan loosened the hug so he could look at the shorter man and judge his reaction.

Bagheera felt as if he was floating. He wasn't the one in his body when he pushed Khan off him and replied, "No, you won't." before walking out the door.

That still wasn't him, who stumbled along the road, falling over himself, but eventually making it to Baloo's doorstep, ringing the doorbell at an such an ungodly hour.

After a few minutes, a groggy Baloo in pajama pants and an oversized t-shirt came to the door.

"Bagheera?" He asked, skeptic of whether his friend was actually there. That hesitancy disappeared, though, as soon as Bagheera let loose all the emotions welling up inside him, openly sobbing. Baloo's adrenaline kicked in and he embraced Bagheera, closing the apartment door and just letting his love cling to him for support.

When at last the sobs turned into shaky breaths, Baloo lifted Bagheera up bridal-style and carried him off to his bed, laying him down and tucking him in. Bagheera was so exhausted, he didn't even notice the soft kiss on his forehead before he passed out.