The Innocent (A 'Finder' Fanfiction)

Shadow of Pluto - 7 - Mikhail

He had been to Dubrovnik twice before. The first time, he had been a young child, and he vividly remembered jumping from rocks into the sparkling blue waters. A second time he had come with some girl he had fancied for a short while, and then not anymore. In the end, despite all her beauty, she had turned out to be rather ugly.

Such disappointment the man on the passenger seat had until now spared Mikhail. 'Maybe that is because he is not a human, but a dragon', he thought to himself, steering the silver Mercedes GLE he had rent at the airport up into the hills. A smile, however, did not manage to form on his face at the thought.

Fei Long was wearing slim sunglasses and had turned the window shade above his seat down, but he frowned, nonetheless, and Mikhail knew that it had nothing to do with the bright, hot summer day. He had seen that severe worry on the other man's face before, in the warehouse in Macao about half a year ago – while they had been searching for Asami and his lover. Back then, Mikhail had felt an urge searing through his body to wrap his arms around the Chinese, but there had not been any possibility he would have gotten away with it.

The one moment in which Fei Long had probably allowed him to do so, he had missed: On top of said warehouse, right after he had thanked Fei Long for coming to his rescue, even if the other insisted that he had only followed Mikhail and Yuri accidentally. There had been something in the Chinese' eyes ... uncertainty, need, fear, kinship ... Mikhail had never found out. The sound of the returning chopper had broken the spell of those amethyst eyes staring into his blue – and there had not been another chance.

Little had he known back then that some weeks later Fei Long would come to him in that bar. Never had he expected what would happen that night and several after.

He had been allowed to kiss and touch and hold ... and fuck. And with that, he was forced to be content.

Though it was not enough and would never be, he knew, and swallowed the thought, and also the pain that glowed in his chest like a white, cruel flame.

He was like an astronaut desperate to head out into the galaxy, yet he was only shown pictures of the night sky instead. It was enough to keep him on the leash, to keep him dreaming, hunting like an addict, but it was never enough to satisfy him. Never enough to heal the hurt in his heart.

For less than a moment he had thought that this might become some kind of nice holiday. Then he had heard the voice message sent by Asami Ryuichi.

Now he was not sure why he was even here. The Japanese had told Fei Long to come alone. As if the dragon of Baishe could just hop onto the next connecting flight to Dubrovnik, then jump into a taxi. As if he would!

But there had been a hundred other men he could have brought. Or at least that one guy, Yoh. Instead, Mikhail was here, wondering. Probably Fei Long did just not want any of his Baishe men to know what was going on or upon whose request he had left Hong Kong on such a short notice. Maybe Yoh, who might have been his first choice, had not been around. That man did not belong to the organization anymore. He was a friend, was the explanation Mikhail had gotten when he had inquired about him with Fei Long. So ... possibly he was just the easiest replacement.

Or ... the only one Fei Long trusted in this? The only one he wanted around in this ... which seemed to be something very close to his heart – and hurting him a lot.

"There", the Chinese said quietly, shifting a bit in his seat. Mikhail had wanted to rent a convertible, but Fei Long had objected. Too much sun, too much dust, too much wind ... he had not given an explanation, but the Russian had not felt the need to argue anyway. Or rather, he had not wanted to quarrel with the other, who had seemed pensive and upset all the time. Fei Long had not been unfriendly or snappy – as he sometimes turned when he was annoyed or displeased – just very, very quiet. And never once did that frown lift, never once did his eyes brighten up.