I Am Not Your Master; I Am Your Partner: A (Neko) Dan and (Human) Phil Series

Shhh Baby, It Was Only a Dream

The cool night air caused the curtains to billow inward as they slept. Thunder rolled in the distance, and the first drops of rain could be heard on the rooftop. Phil woke to find Dan whimpering in his sleep. His tail whipped wildly under the sheets, and his arms and legs scrambled. Whimpers became moans. Phil put this hands on Dan's twisted shoulders to wake him.

"Dan. Dan!" Phil shook him. "Baby, wake up. You're having a nightmare." Dan continued to squirm, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Finally, Dan jolted upright, his body covered in sweat. His heart pounded so loudly that he could hear it in his own ears and feel it pulsing in his fingertips. He stared at Phil with wide eyes, panting.

"Shhh baby, it was only a dream." Phil rubbed Dan's back soothingly. "You are safe. You are safe with me." Dan groaned and collapsed into Phil. They stayed this way for a long time. Dan's breathing slowly returned to normal.

"Are you okay Sweetheart?" Phil rubbed the length of Dan's arms and rested his hands on his shoulders. Dan nodded.  "I'm going to go get you some water. I will be right back, okay?"

"Phil?" Dan croaked.

"Yes Baby?" Phil paused in the doorway.

"Can we close the window? The lightning..." Dan blushed.

"Of course." Phil pulled the wooden frame closed tightly. He drew the shade and pulled the curtains across the entire width of the window, blocking out the flashes of light, but not before switching on Dan's amber lamp. The light cast a warm glow against the walls and ceiling.

Dan couldn't remember the last time he felt this vulnerable from a dream. He was shaken and disoriented. Thank goodness for Phil, who sensed his distress and took the time to soothe him. Just as Dan started to sort the sheets, Phil walked in with a glass of water and a small towel.

"Thank you Daddy." Dan put the glass to his mouth and gulped the cool water, holding it in his mouth before swallowing it. Phil was wiping the sweat from his neck and back. Dan finished the water, and Phil started on his forehead and face.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Phil spoke slowly and cautiously.

"It was a flashback Phil." Dan shook his head, his eyes fixed on the mess of gray sheets.

Phil ran his hands though his hair and sighed deeply. Suddenly Phil felt guilty for not being able to distract Dan from the man dragging the Neko in the park. Maybe if he had acted faster? Dan would be sleeping soundly right now. Phil knew it was not his fault. Still, it was easier to blame himself for failing to protect Dan than it was to accept that Dan still had a lot of pain to work though.

"I'm so sorry Dan." Phil moved closer to the trembling Neko and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "I will stay up with you. I just feel so helpless. It's been such a long time since this has happened." Dan turned to face Phil.

"You make everything alright though Phil. You are my reality now. That...that was then. You are now, and I have my collar to prove it." Dan had fallen asleep wearing his new collar. He didn't intend to, of course, but they drifted off in each other's arms after making love to celebrate their engagement. Dan reached up to finger the silver tag that lay against the hallow in his throat, just below where an Adam's apple would be, if he possessed one.

Phil looked to Dan's eyes, to his mouth, and back to his eyes for permission to kiss him. Dan smiled and leaned in to Phil's waiting lips. They shared a sweet kiss, and Phil motioned for Dan to lay back against his chest. The rain was falling steadily now, through the lightning had ceased. Thunder rumbled far off in the distance.

Dan's breathing was soft and long now. Phil imagined that his eyes would close soon if they hadn't already. His body was dry and limp once more.

Phil's mind took him back to that day in October. It was bittersweet really. He found Dan, and their life together began. The circumstances under which they met, however, were anything but healthy. 

Phil could still remember the distinct smell of autumn in the air that day. He was working at the Piccadilly Train Station not far from his family home.  About an hour into his shift, a series of events unfolded taking Phil forever away from his lonely, quiet life.

It was Phil who first heard the cries. Somehow, he made out the strangled cries above the noise and chaos of the terminal. He felt his heart beat quicken and his stomach flip. Something told him to move. So, Phil abandoned his post against protocol and frantically searched the station.

For a moment, Phil lost the sounds entirely. Then he heard something different – a scuffle coming from the direction of the men's room. There were footsteps, a lot of hurried footsteps, a crash, a whimper, and then nothing at all. The hair on Phil's arms stood on end. He knew that something was terribly wrong. He was unarmed and unable to protect himself from whatever he found behind the door, but he didn't hesitate when he heard a single, strangled mewl.

Phil burst through the door to find a group of men, probably in their mid-to-late thirties, all rough and angry. They were standing in a circle looking down at something, or someone on the ground. Only one of the men looked up to meet Phil. The others stepped forward, closing the circle completely.

"I would turn around and leave if I were you," said the man, walking toward Phil.

"I'm not going anywhere until I find out what is going on in here." Phil sounded more confident than he felt. His stomach hurt, and his throat felt like it was about to close in on itself. The other men grumbled to one another, though Phil could not make out any of their conversation. Just then, two station guards walked in and the group disbanded. Phil stood motionless, his mouth hanging open.

As quickly as the guards appeared, they disappeared. The room was completely still but for a single-syllable cry in the outermost stall. Phil instinctively locked the door and walked slowly and quietly back to the corner. He knew that whatever, whoever, was behind that door was seriously hurt and in need of his help. He also knew that his behavior in the next thirty seconds would determine how willingly he or she accepted it.

"Hello?" Phil spoke softly but clearly. "Hello there?"

Phil was not prepared for what he saw in the space under the stall door.

It was the matted tail that he saw first. It was wrapped around two dirty legs and bare feet. A hand reached down to stoke the battered tip of the tail.

"My name is Phil, and I am not going to hurt you."  Phil moved closer, doing his best to remain unintimidating. He knew about Nekos. He had never seen one in person, though he was fairly certain that he was dealing with one now.

"I am here to help you. Can you open the door please?" Phil was right outside now, pressing his cheek to the cool metal door. He waited. There was nothing now, and Phil feared the worst. He took a chance and pressed his body against the door, opening it easily.

There, on the ground, wrapped around the base of the stool, was a Neko boy. He was wet, cold, and crying profusely. Tears stained his tanned face, and feline ears lay flat on top of his head. He shook with the cold, with fear, or probably both. The boy did not look up. Phil felt a surge of pain in his chest.

"Hey, I won't hurt you. I only want to help." Phil crouched down to meet the Neko's eyes if only he would look up. "Are..are you hurt?"

The Neko whimpered to himself mostly, but Phil took his cry as a 'yes'. He held out his right hand and encouraged the Neko to take it. "Can you move?"

The Neko looked around cautiously before meeting Phil's eyes. They were big, and blue, and kind. The man's face was unlike any he had ever seen. His skin was bright and beautiful, his smile genuine and unassuming. For some reason unknown to him, the boy felt sure that he could take the man's word. So, he placed his hand in Phil's.

"There you go," Phil gently lifted the Neko boy to his feet. He was absolutely filthy. His clothing was dirty and torn. His limbs were bruised and covered in markings, and his face was stained with tears and something else - shame maybe.

Phil could see beyond the markings and the tears. He could see two beautiful brown eyes, tanned cheeks, and full pink lips. He hurt for the damaged Neko boy, but he also felt something else that he could not possibly define. Who was this helpless-looking creature, and what on Earth happened to him? It was then that Phil realized that the men who hurt him could be lurking outside the locked door, waiting for them both.