Light It Up

[Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.]

. . .


“I don’t get how this is helping Sylis.” Eric groaned and flopped back on the rug. “I can’t do it.”

“You need to focus.” Replying in her calmest voice possible, she ignored the whine in his tone. “There is no reason for you to remain untrained, especially with as much talent as you have.”

“I don’t care. This doesn’t do anything.”

“Once you achieve a trance you can focus and gather energy. This will help you control your power and how it presents itself.”

“So.”

“If you can control your energy, you can eventually control your sight.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve seen the threads all my life. Who cares?”

“Stop being so stubborn and try again.” Lauren took a deep breath, “Close your eyes and let all thoughts and pictures fall away. Let it fade from your mind.”

“If you’re thinking about not thinking, how you can you not think?”

“Shut up and focus.” She snapped, “Concentrate on breathing. Take deep breathes.” Taking her own advice she focused and let the physical world slip away. Beside her, she could feel the heavy thrum and pulse of energy.

“This isn’t working.”

“Try harder.” Her own voice sounded far away and detached from her current self. Like an echo of her thoughts.

“No luck?” Sylis’s voice cut into the conversation.

Lauren’s eyes snapped open, “What are you doing here. You’re supposed to be at work.”

“Mother came in. She sent me back to train with my bond mate.” Sylis looked at Eric, who yawned in obvious boredom. “Having trouble?”

“No.” Eric sneered. “I’m tired of playing let’s-sit-around-and-do-nothing.”

“How’d the aptitude go?” Sylis turned back to Lauren, ignoring the roll of Eric’s eyes.”

“He has potential but no patience for the training.”

“Hey, I’m still here.” Eric waved his arms.

Lauren ignored the interruption all together. “If he actually tried he might not have such difficulty with power boosts in the future.”

“Hey.”

“Well I’ve had enough punishment today.” Shrugging her coat on, she let the front door click shut behind here.

“It really wasn’t as bad as all that.” Eric muttered under his breath.

“You really shouldn’t give her such a hard time.” Sylis grinned. “It will only make her work you harder in the future.”

I can’t help it. It’s boring.” Eric lay on the couch.

“Stop being a pain in the ass and do what you’re asked. She’s one of the few people that are going to offer you a hand up and not a kick in the ass.” Sylis called from the kitchen.

“it’s stupid.”

“What are you? Three?” Sylis took a bite of the peach in his hand. “You have to sit still and concentrate. It’s not that hard.

“You do it. I don’t want to.” Eric muttered and snatched the peach from Sylis’s hand.

“I do it every morning, in case you didn’t notice.” Sylis picked the peach of out Eric’s hand.

“Eric lunged for it. “Give it back.”

“Mine first.” Sylis grinned and took a big bite. “Mine last too.”

Managing a grip on the peach, Eric watched the juice drip in their hands as they struggled over the piece of fruit.

Sylis frowned at the mess and Eric grinned in triumph over his slightly squished peach.

Sitting next to Eric, Sylis watched as the other man impishly devoured his plundered snack. His mouth dried as some of that juice wetted Eric’s lips like tasty gloss. He got up and left the room, pushing the arousal away. Returning with napkins, he offered them to a gloating and sated Eric. “Come on.”

Eric raised an eyebrow.

“I’m going to practice meditating with you before Lauren kills you.”

“Fine.” A heavy sigh left Eric’s lungs as he slid on his butt off the couch and onto the rug.

“None of that, come here.” Sylis patted the couch next to him.

“I thought we’re going to practice.” Eric’s skeptic undertone was clear.

“We are. I just don’t feel like sitting on the floor. That’s not the important part anyway.” Sylis explained. “Face me.” Sylis reached out and held Eric’s hands in his own, the gentle warmth skipped through Eric’s skin into Sylis’s. Their pulses beat in startling tandem. Fighting back a heavy sigh of relief, Sylis began to concentrate on his breath.

“Now focus.”

Eric shut his eyes and let the strange sedation of Sylis’s presence wash through him.

“Deep breathes. Breathe in calm, cleansing air and breathe out everything else.” Sylis’s voice was deep and calm with concentration.

“Still don’t feel anything.”

“Be quiet and listen to me.” Sylis scolded. “now while you concentrate visualize it. Every inhale cleans you, it washes away all through and all emotion. Every exhale empties that emotion and thought from your being.

The sound and movement of their deep breaths were quiet in the expanse of the living room.

“Now in that empty space inside of you feel what’s left. All that blank space isn’t just emptiness. It’s you. It’s pure energy. Right now it’s spread out in a haze. It has no definition or structure. It is like a dust cloud of specs of energy.”

Eric tried to visualize as Sylis spoke. The brief thought that this wasn’t what Lauren had been teaching him passed through his mind. He pushed it away and focused.

“Now give form to the dust. Push it and shape it into one giant ball. Pack it down as tight as you can.” From within his own concentrated space, Sylis watched as Eric began to reach out and pull the energy to himself. It felt almost akin to watching a toddler play with clay for the first time. Slowly the tendrils of energy began to fold onto themselves until what remained was a bright, shiny and smooth ball of light. He could feel the elation pouring into him, form Eric’s hands. “Good. Now force that ball inside you, deep into your chest.”

Opening his eyes, Sylis watched the energy disappear into Eric. The sudden gasp that came to Eric’s lips told him he felt the energy.

Burning, hot and intense snapped Eric’s eyes open. He tried to grab his chest, but Sylis kept a firm hand on his own.

“Don’t fight it. It’s part of you. Let it become a part of you.”

With no breath to reply, Eric gapped and gasped and finally gave in. He felt that ball of energy lock in a place in his chest and suddenly energy skittered through his veins, flooding his senses with power.

“Calm down… Sh… Now picture a dial on that energy and slowly turn down the flow of energy inside you.”

Eric struggled and gasped. His skin felt tight, hot, sweaty and freezing all at once. So much sensation zinged through his blood.

“Stop fighting it and concentrate.”

Eric eventually scrambled for the dial and moved to slam it off.

“No. Slowly.” Sylis snapped.

Eric turned the dial slowly until only a trickle of power came through into his veins.

“Good.”

“Fuck.” The first word Eric managed preceded a heavy rasping sigh.

“Shhh…” Sylis pulled Eric close to him. “You did well. Really well. Shhh.” Sylis stroked a hand up and down Eric’s back as the two sat chest to chest. Sylis leaned back slightly and Eric followed the solid expanse of his chest.

“You didn’t tell me it would be that intense.” Eric murmured into Sylis’s shirt.

“Didn’t think you’d do so well after what Lauren said.”

“Asshole.” Eric hit Sylis on the arm but he was to tired to put much effort into it. “I can’t imagine doing that every morning.”

“I don’t” Sylis answered softly. “I do it about once a month on the full moon. Every morning I do something similar, but not quite that.”

“Oh.”

For a while they just lay there, Sylis stroking Eric’s back with one hand and his thumb traced the same pattern back and forth over Eric’s shoulder.

“I should probably get up, huh?” Eric mattered while pushing himself up.

Sylis pushed the regret at parting away. “yes.” Sylis stood and left the room. Lauren was right. He needed to distance himself from Eric, for more than one reason. Looking through his closet, he spotted just the thing.

Eric sat on the couch, eating the microwave ravioli that Sylis hated but grudgingly bought for him anyway. The door to Sylis’s room shut and he looked up to see the blond cross the living room. “Holy Shit.”

“What.” A blush burned on Sylis’s cheeks for a moment.

“Nothing.” Eric turned back to the television.

“I’m going out.”

“Okay.”

The apartment door clicked shut and locked as Sylis left the quickly shrinking apartment.

Eric stared at the door and wondered where Sylis would be going in jeans that tight. Eric never saw him with that line of eyeliner before, it made Sylis’s eyes look that much more intense. “Of course, he’s going off on a date. Why wouldn’t he be.” Eric muttered and stabbed ravioli viciously.

. . .

The club was packed just like every Saturday Night. Five million other college men, and business men and well, men packed themselves into Oblivion hoping for a quick lay. Sylis didn’t bother to head to the bar, he just wanted a fuck Someone to sate the building urge Eric sparked in him.

He moved through the dancing crowd, looking for the guy. The bright, strobe light and the steady pulse of the base worked their magic through his body. He shut his eyes and let his hips sink into a slow rhythm. There were bodies and hands and lips that passed over his skin but none that felt right in his gut. The hard body grinding into him from behind felt wonderful but didn’t stop the urge to plunge into someone else’s warmth.

Opening his eyes halfway, Eric left his head move over the crows. Dancing off to one side, with his back to one jean clad, hard body was the cutest goth boy. His dark hair flung about as he shook his head with the fast pace of the new song. He laughed as his dancing partner took it upon himself to dump a bottle of water on his head. The goth boy just laughed and pushed away from his crowd of friends to settle on a new, anonymous dance partner.

Sylis wasted no time in getting his attention moving to press himself against the other man’s body in a skillful roll of muscled flesh. Over goth boy’s shoulder a rather disgruntled dance partnered glared.

One muscled arm wrapped around goth boy’s waist and pulled him back into butch’s chest.

Goth boy grinned and pulled away waving a finger at butch before tugging at Sylis’s hair and pulling the other man’s attention back onto those plump lips.

Sylis couldn’t ignore the invitation and ducked his head to claim those pale lips with his own.

Goth boy immeditaly pressed into him, nimble fingers clutching at his shirt.

Sylis groaned to relieve some of the passion; no uncertain touches or hesitant glances marred the moment. Their hips began to move again as they fell back into the rhythm of the latest song blaring through the speakers.

Wrapped together they danced into the night, lips coming together to taste, fingers skirting the edges of clothing. It was passion yes, but it was seduction and fire and honest lust. Too.

. . .

Eric sighed and poked his cheesy scrambled eggs with a fork. Sylis’s continued absence from the apartment picked at his thoughts. He sat on the couch forever, but Sylis didn’t come back. Sighing his frustration, Eric tried to push his thoughts from the subject. The way his body melted in comfort at Sylis’s presence, drive him to distraction. If Sylis wasn’t next to him, Eric was constantly thinking about him, or talking about him. Lauren said being apart would be tough, but she never said it would feel this wrong inside.

The slam of the front door made Eric jump.

“Sorry.” Sylis mumbled before b-lining for the door.

Eric shoved the remainder of his breakfast in his mouth and slid into his room. In the past week he’d moved his stuff from the dorm suite to the apartment. The distance between the two men has been too much for Eric to take. He hadn’t regretted that decision until Sylis walked through the door smelling of liquor and sex.

. . .

R&R

. . .

Kylee: I'm glad that you're excited about the growing bond between Sylis and Eric.

Smint45: You're enthusiasm blows me away. Thank you so much for reaing. As for the other guardians... all in good time. I don't think that Lauren would appreciate you calling them mates... she says "they're bond mates not mates... and I'm trying to get them to separate a little so stop encouraging them." As for the purpose of bondmates a little was explained in the last chapter and more will continue to unfold... as for saving the world, I really hadn't thought of it that way.