Chapter 32 - 31. Where One Walks On Eggshells
Bassena did not know this, but even rarer than sex, Zein had never guided anyone through a kiss before. Since he always sported his mask, and lived where it would be hard for him to take it off, Zein rarely kiss even during sex, much less for guiding.
So this was his first time, and he felt...quite lost.
It was the usual feeling at first, the usual sea of darkness, and rather a lot of corrosive chain from the earlier fight against the Specter. He felt his own water then, a little bit clearer and purer; maybe because they were on a lake, or maybe because of the nearby shard of Setnath.
He was far too focused on the guiding aspect that he barely felt the slight trembling lips of the esper, or the way Bassena tensed with hands gripping the grass tightly. The esper did not even dare to move, barely even breathing, amber eyes widened, unblinking, staring at the guide's closed eyes.
And then it hit Zein; the rush. The water coursed wildly, fierce, pouring into the sea of darkness like a torrent. It sent a jolt into his heart, and set his nerves ablaze, filling his body with a new, tingling sensation.
His body reacted before his mind could, hands clutching the esper's head tighter, bringing them closer. Their lips pressed harder, and Bassena's grip on the poor grass only turned harsher.
Trapped in agonizing prison, Bassena Vaski felt like a deer under the headlights. He couldn't move—he dare not to move. Even when his arms itching with want, and his body filled with pressure—pleasure. So he closed his eyes, but it only grew worse—or better, he couldn't know anymore. The water wrapped him like a tight cocoon, not comforting like usual, but more. It was teasing, flirting, tickling him, and yet he couldn't chase, couldn't touch.
He wasn't allowed to.
And Zein was reacting with oblivious cruelty. It was a new sensation for him; the rush, the intensity, the flood of dopamine. And his instinct as a human being, as a guide, was to chase for it. To crave for it.
And the unfamiliar desire of wanting more prompted his fingers to slide between silvery locks, as he tilted his head, parted his lips, and slipped his tongue between Bassena's gasping lips.
Just as sudden as it started, the kiss and the guiding stopped as Zein pulled away in a haste. Both of them were frozen with shock, and the amber eyes flickered.