The first thing he noticed was the ceiling.
Carved obsidian beams with velvet drapes that shimmered faintly in the morning light.
Noting like the damp stone in his cell.
The second thing he noticed was the warmth.
Thick blankets wrapped around him with deliberate care. Still perfect, as if someone kept tucking them around his body all night. Or just before he woke up.
And the third. Dain.
The Esper lounged in a chair beside the bed, boots carelessly crossed at the ankle, one arm draped along the backrest. His storm-grey eyes were half-lidded, but awake. Watching him.
He leaned forward, his gaze sharp and predatory.
"You've proven useful. So, I've decided that I want a new pet. From now on, you'll follow me. Not caged or shackled. Youl stand at my heel, like a loyal dog."
Elion's fists clenched in the sheets. "A dog? That's your gratitude? No 'Good morning my dear Hero, thank you for the best fuck of my fucking miserable life.' I've saved your sorry ass life twice now."
Dain tilted his head in annoyance but didn't hit back the way Elion was expecting. "Exactly. Twice. That makes you mine."
Elion's laugh was sharp and bitter. "If chains and collars are what you call ownership, then maybe you really fucking are more beast than prince."
Something flickered in Dain's expression, but he masked it quickly.
"Then remember this, mutt. This beast is still your master." He said, standing up slowly.
...
Later, Elion was dragged into the dining hall under the scrutiny of the royal family.
He stood silently behind Dain's chair.
His presence inside the palace was scandal enough, the lowest rank of a Guide suddenly at the Crown Prince's side.
But now he stood there, cleaned up und dressed in silks and metal.
The king's lip curled as he addressed his son. "Bringing your plaything to the table? Do you intend to flaunt your weakness for all the court to see?"
Elion kept his eyes down, but his jaw tightened.
"You dress him in expensive dresses and washed his skin, but he's still a worthless slave on a leash. And you? A beast in royal skin doesn't become a man just because someone tethers him."
Dain's hand twitched around his goblet. His storm stirred faintly, but he was able to swallow it down. Thanks to no other that the Guide his father was calling worthless. Still,he didn't speak.
And Elion, watching from behind, recognized it.
That isolation. That contempt.
It mirrored his own.
...
Night felt heavy inside Dain's chambers.
"You let him speak to you like that?" Elion hissed, pacing the edge of the bed as Dain stripped off his outer coat. "Beast in royal skin. They mock you to your face. And you just drink your wine."
Dain's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone."
"No." Elion's voice cracked, raw with something deeper than anger.
"I'm sick of watching you treat me like a tyrant, when you're nothing but their prisoner too. Shackled by a stupid crown. At least I don't pretend I'm free."
The air charged instantly. Dain closed the distance between them in an instant, his storm flickering beneath his skin.
"Careful, Guide," he hissed, his hand wrapping around Elion's neck.
"You speak like you're a martyr, bleeding for a cause. No, you're just desperate to matter to someone."
Elion's breath caught, fury mixing with something hotter. "You arrogant bastard I'll fucking-" he cut off, Dain squeezing his throat in a death grip.
"And," Dain snapped, "you can't seem to decide if you hate me or if you crave me." he rasped against Elion's lips "Want me to fucking own you, no?"
Their mouths collided before either realized who moved first.
Resonance exploded between them, not quieting them down but feeding on their fury.
Sparks pulsed across their skin as they shoved, pulled and tore at each other, fighting and clinging at the same time.
Dain pushed him down into the bed, lips bruising, hands gripping too tight.
The mattress dipped under the weight of their bodies, springs creaking in protest. Elion arched up against him, nails raking the Esper's skin, gasping curses between kisses.
"I hate you," Elion growled.
"Lie," Dain hissed against his throat, biting hard enough to draw blood. "You're like a dog in heat for me. Desperate for me to give you attention."
"Fuck you! Arrogant stupi- Ahh!" Elion moaned as energy thrummed between them, violent and intoxicating. The storm hummed low, tethered but wild, mirroring the clash of teeth and tongues and hands.
Dain gripped Elions's wrists, pinning them above his head as he settled his hips between the Guides spread thighs.
Elion writhed beneath him, furious and wanting, rubbing together through fabric.
"Fucking let me go," Elion snarled.
"You should be grateful I let you treat me like you did so far," Dain growled back. "I'm going to ---- that aggravating defiance right out of you, and you're going to take every inch of me like a good little dog."
He punctuated the statement with a rough grind of hips, delicious pressure making them both moan.
Elion's eyes flashed dangerously, lips curling in a sneer. "And if I don't?"
Dain smirked, slow and wicked.
- CUT OUT -
Laying together in a tangle of limbs, hearts pounding as they struggled to catch their breath.
Neither of them could stop.
Neither of them wanted to.
And when the storm finally ebbed, leaving them breathless, tangled in sheets and sweat and ---, Elion realized the worst truth of all.
Hate and want had become the same thing.
To be continued...