Resonance was supposed to be simple.
A connection, a stabilizer. It was supposed to be a tool to control the power.
An anchor for the storm raging inside him.
But nothing about Elion Vanlow was simple.
Dain stood in the cold cell lit only by torchlight, the air sharp with the scent of ozone. Before him, Elion knelt, his collar glinting. Chains trailed from his wrists to the floor.
"Again," Dain commanded.
Elion frowned in anger. His lips parted as if to spit a curse, but it got shoved right back his lung when Dain's hand pressed against his throat, his blistered thumb grazing the rune lines of the collar.
The connection shivered to life.
Every time, it was like touching a knifes edge.
Resonance crackled along Dain's nerves, painful and intoxicating. Elion's body tensed, his breath hitching as if Dain's storm was being forced down his throat. Dain leaned closer, teeth gritted. "Don't fucking fight me."
"I'm not- Shit!" Elion gasped, shaking. "You're- pushing too hard! Fuck!"
The thread snapped.
Elion slumped forward, trembling, sweat dampening his shirt. A bruise was already forming along his neck where Dain had gripped him too tightly.
Dain exhaled, furious.
Furious at Elion.
Furious at himself.
Furious at the world that had cursed him with a power no one could tame.
"Fucking pathetic," Dain muttered. "You're supposed to silence me, not shatter under my hand."
Elion wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes. "I'm the fucking Guide you fucker! Not you! Not some toy you can squeeze and play games with."
Dain turned away before the flicker in his chest could harden into something more.
Days blurred together.
Session after session, he demanded resonance.
Each attempt edged closer to intimacy, his hand at Elion's throat, his lips brushing close, sometimes locking them together just to force the connection. Sometimes it almost worked. Sometimes he almost felt quiet.
But it never lasted.
Each time, Elion collapsed. Pale and shaking, his chest heaving in exhaustion. And each time, he pushed himself back right back up, forcing the defiance back into his gaze. He never let Dain see any weakness linger.
Yet Dain saw.
He saw the bruises spreading under the thin fabric of his shirt. The tremor in his fingers. The shadows under his eyes.
And he hated himself for noticing.
And then one day. When Dain was standing much too close again.
Elion snapped.
Literally.
Snapping the chains on his wrists apart.
And without thinking, he surged forward, grabbing Dain by the shoulders and pulling him even closer. Dains's eyes snapped open in surprise, but before he could react, Elion leaned in and pressed their lips together.
The contact sent shockwaves through both, and for a moment, everything else fell away.
Elion could feel Dain's surprise turn into something else.
Something more.
As the kiss deepened, their hands began to wander, exploring each other's bodies with a desperation that had been building up for weeks now.
They were both eager and hungry, lust consuming them completely.
Finally, with a cry of release, Elion pushed Dain against the cold wall of the cell.
He didn't care about the consequences or the fact that any guard could walk up on them.
All that mattered was this moment, this infuriating connection between them.
He slid his hand down Dain's chest, cupping his growing erection through his pants.
Dain groaned, arching his back as Elion continued to tease him. "Fucker," he whispered hoarsely. "Acting like a dog in heat. Do it properly or get the fuck off me."
Elion smiled, leaning in to kiss Dain once more before pushing his pants down to his ankles. Dain's cock sprang free, thick and hard against his stomach. Elion took it in his hand, stroking it lazily.
"Fuuck. I said do it fucki-" before Dain could finish Elion was already on his knees, taking his throbbing length into his mouth.
Dain's low groan filled the whole dungeon, echoing off the walls. His fingers dug into Elion's hair as the Esper pushed further into his mouth.
-CUT-
As they reached the peak of their passion, Elion felt himself getting closer to resonance. He could feel it building up inside him, a warmth of power spreading through his chest and filling him with energy. He pushed harder, thrusting faster as he neared the breaking point.
Finally, with a cry of release, Elion felt himself resonating with Dain. Feeling his energy surge into the Esper in seemingly endless waves.
It was like a bolt of lightning shooting through his body, filling him with a sense of power and purpose he had never felt before. He continued to thrust, riding out the wave of ecstasy as it crashed over him.
Dain fell limp against the wall, hiding his face. But Elion was right behind him, still inside his heat, thick ropes of cum sliding down the Espers legs from where they were still connected.
It was quiet, only their pants remained, and as Elion pulled away a little, he wiped aways streaks of blood from his nose and mouth. He leaned his forehead against Dain's shoulder blades, catching his breathy trying to make sense of what had just happened.
"Shit," he said softly, looking at Dain with newfound interest. "That was... intense."
Dain said nothing, but Elion could feel the Espers calm.
For once, he didn't seem to have any words. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just breathing and recovering from the high.
As they finally pulled apart, Elion couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. He had done it; they had finally resonated.
And it had been worth every moment of pain and frustration.
Elion knew that this was far from over. But for now, he could rest easy knowing that he had finally found a way to help Dain control his Storm.
...
Whispers followed in the palace corridors.
"The Crown Prince has a true guide."
"If he learns to control his power, none could oppose him."
"Or perhaps the guide controls him. Which is more dangerous?"
Dain ignored them, but every word found a way under his skin. They were afraid of him. They always had been. But now… now they were afraid of them.
He should have felt triumphant. Instead, it unsettled him.
The next day, after Dain dismissed the guards.
Elion sat on the cot, chains rattling as he shifted. His tunic hung loose, damp with sweat. He lifted a hand to his throat, rubbing the dark scar there absently. Dain's gaze lingered.
Not just the scar at his throat, but the faint lines on his lower torso he when Elion's shirt slipped. Old burns. Jagged marks across his arms, some too clean to be accidents.
Evidence of someone else's ownership.
"Who put those marks on you?" Dain's voice was low, sharper than he meant.
Elion stiffened, dropping his hand. His gaze flicked away.
"Does it matter?"
Dain stepped closer before he could think better of it. His gloved fingers brushed Elion's arm, tracing one of the scars.
"I own you. You are my fucking property. If I demand to know what damaged my pet, I will."
The guide flinched, subtle but real.
Dain froze.
Power flared at the contact, resonance humming faintly. The storm inside him stirred, but instead of lashing, it quieted just a fraction. Just enough to make him hesitate.
He pulled his hand back sharply, as though burned.
"Get some rest," Dain said curtly, turning his back. "We'll try again tomorrow."
Behind him, Elion let out a low laugh, soft, bitter and tired.
"Of course we will."
And Dain hated how the sound stayed with him, long after he left the dark cell.
To be continued...