The Ties that doesn't bind...

Chapter 3

Training with Kamol was a test of his sanity and patience, the man was in great shape and form... he gave him a run for his money on every account...

Danil was fit and in great shape himself but stamina was not so much... and it showed...

Kamol accepted nothing from Danil but his utmost best all the time, not berating him, but encouraging him to do better, praising him on every occasion... making sure he knows he did well and he can do better...

it made something blossom in Danil's chest... some pride that he can do well, that he can have some value, it felt like - for the first time in his life - he is the one holding the ropes, not his brother and not anyone else... Kamol taught him how to shoot a target... how to fight and come on top,... he didn't look at him as a pretty face... he gave as good as he got and sometimes he knocked him to the ground just to show him that he can do more, do better...

Kamol was not scared of Danil running to his brother and he said so on more than one occasion... He didn't care if Danil ended up being a mess of bruises by the end of every session... it was the only way to learn... he would have to do better and train harder and listen better and his bruises count would dimish before he knew it...

On the other hand, the dark corner in Danil's mind was supplying images and sensations... and questions...

What would it feel like if those training bruises were touched by Kamol's hands... What if Kamol's hand came up around his throat but instead of threatening to show him what an attacker would do... he would mean it and squeeze his airway ... What if Instead of Kamol holding him down on the training mat... he held him down in bed...

He was always berating himself for having such a twisted set of thoughts... He hated the man's guts and he only tolerated him because he was helpful for the time being...

but the thoughts themselves made Danil question his own sanity... he felt wrong... so he searched high and low... till he figured it out... he may like pain a bit too much... and an entire community of people might be like that...it all came down to what he might enjoy in bed... and in that aspect, there was not really anything wrong or right...

He found articles above articles describing - in great detail - what would something like that entail , new words, new equipment... safe words... consent... Danil never heard of those things, but he can learn... so he read about it... and the more he did, the more he found himself drawn to the concept...

but since that incident ... he still felt like his skin is a bit too small for him... he still felt like he wanted someone to get him out of his head and keep him out... it turned out that too had a name... submission... he recoiled when he discovered that for the first time, but the more he read about the idea... the more he managed to wrap his head around it...

The thing that still irked him, was the fact that Kamol still didn't demand his favor yet... something he was restless about... what if he asked him to sleep with him... what would he do... how would he refuse... how can he avoid that...

Does he really want to avoid that ??

Days came and went, and he got used to the training sessions and got better, something his brother couldn't help but comment on, despite Danil's avoidance of the topic with his brother.

His relationship with Kamol was not showing any good developments, yet, he was still angry at the man for stealing his brother... but he managed to treat Kamol with the respect he commanded...

it all came down to something extremely random but messed up nonetheless...

Ivan was ambushed during one of his deals... and Kamol took a bullet that was definitely meant to take his brother's life... a bullet to the side that hit an artery head-on, and within seconds Kamol was lying in a pool of his own blood, and if Ivan was panicked when Danil was taken he was now officially freaking out...