The Stolen Heart
Suggested Theme:
Main Theme- Last of the Wilds by Nightwish
Afjak is in a mood that one can describe as transcendental peace. Vlar is finally accepted as an OverWorlder, thank the Cothica! Afjak found out shortly after he got back from the Maelstrom Lands with his Master again. Apparently, Vlar had to help Kiru get the Oraklon, some sort of ghost that sees everything, from Gigantemtopolis and deliver it to Kaal to get their Tribesmen back. If Vlar had failed, he would've been to Kaal as punishment. It would definitely explain the almost sadistic expression on his Master's face when he was making those ropes. His Master only told him that Kiru needed them for his mission, barely concealing a bone-chilling smirk. Thankfully, Vlar succeeded in his mission with some help from Tom and Kaz. Unfortunately (or of course), Kaal did not keep his end of the bargain. Kiru is planning to overthrow Kaal soon, but for now the Tribe is throwing a party. The party was meant to celebrate the freed Tribesmates, but that obviously had to be change. Instead, the party is more for Vlar's performance on the mission and all of them surviving Gigantemtopolis.
"How long has the party been going on?" The flame-haired one, Kaz, asked. Afjak almost jumped out of his skin because he hadn't realize that he was there. He must've just got here with his strange device, Afjak remembered.
"Shortly after Kiru told everyone what happened with Kaal, where is your friend?" Tom, the one with black hair and blue eyes, is usually by Kaz's side.
"He's mingling with the other partygoers, probably trying to get a scan of Vlar to add to his deck." Kaz quickly answered. He doesn't want to join the party, which seems strange to Afjak since Kaz seemed close to Kiru. Did Kiru flirt with him or something? Afjak wondered.
"Why are you not at the party?" Afjak's curiosity got the best of him.
"I'm making sure that Vlar doesn't play a nasty trick on Tom." Granted, Vlar is an OverWorlder now but that doesn't cancel out his mischievous side. Afjak feels almost obligated to explain why he wasn't part of the festivities, but it seems that Kaz isn't paying attention to him more. His brown eyes are fixated on Tom and Vlar. The aforementioned pair are at the hub of the party, but they weren't the life of it. Vlar appears to be shaking his head at Tom's pleading expression and words. Vlar wants something from Tom, but he isn't voicing it. It was only a short while later that Vlar seemingly agrees to let Tom scan him. What is he up to? Afjak thought.
"It looks like Vlar is letting Tom 'scan' him now." Afjak stated while watching Tom use his device on Vlar. For a brief second he sees Tom ask the obvious "How can I repay you?" question, but Tom gets cut off by Vlar kissing him hard.
"I always thought that Maxxor had a thing for Tom." Kaz sounded amused, but his face is that of shock. Afjak shares an expression of shock, but only for a brief moment. He then turns away and runs. He would've headed back home, but his Master is trying to take a much needed nap there. Although with the noise from the party, there is a good chance his Master is wide awake and very irritable. Either way, Afjak can't go home. Instead, he retreats to his second home that he and Vlar built for the past twelve years.
Tom has been kissed before. His first kiss was when he was in middle school by a pretty girl with long, blonde hair and green eyes. He wasn't her boyfriend or even dating her, but it was at a party during a game of Spin-the-Bottle and the bottle chose her. The kiss was okay and nice, but he had no feelings for the girl. After that lackadaisical kiss, Tom can say that he has kissed plenty of girls which he thought he had a crush on or was dating at the time. However, Tom has never been kissed by a Creature before. Especially by a Creature that is the ancestor to his favorite hero of all time. Before the kiss, Tom was begging Vlar if he can scan the former thief. Vlar refused at first, but seemingly caved in after a while. Tom thought Vlar was going to ask for payment after the scan, but Vlar decided to take his payment. Vlar kissed Tom very hard. Tom swore he could feel the bruises that formed on his lips. The kiss was very short but impactful. Vlar didn't say anything but ran off, and Tom almost followed him to ask why he did that. Instead, he was stopped by Kaz who looked torn between laughing and comforting Tom.
"What the fuck just happened?" Tom swore out loud.
"I think you just got French kissed by Maxxor's ancestor. Did he taste like Maxxor?" Kaz cheekily asked. Tom's cheeks begin to heat up in embarrassment and anger.
"I don't know, Kaz, why don't you kiss Kiru to find out if he tastes like Chaor." And with that, Kaz keeps his mouth shut for the rest of the party.
Afjak is playing with the NKA Mugic in his blue hands, still trying to figure out what it does and how long it can distract him from thoughts of Vlar kissing Tom. He grips the Mugic so tightly that he almost thought about chucking it into the lake. How could Vlar do this?! What does Tom have that I don't? Is it because he's from another land? Or is it because Tom doesn't have a father who hates him? Why would Vlar kiss him of all people!? I know it's been six years since we kissed and we pretended like nothing happened after Master almost killed him, but I thought Vlar might have some feelings for me…maybe he realized that he couldn't have sex with me and decided to go after someone else like Tom. Afjak thought glumly. He does not allow himself the luxury to cry over the former outcast.
"I used to throw pebbles at you to get your attention but you would ignore me, and then I would have to tackle you into the lake to finally get you to notice me. It has been years since I last did that, so I wonder if I threw a pebble at you now would you react." Afjak hears Vlar pick up a rock and knows in nine seconds that the rock will hit him.
"Twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven-" Afjak drops the Mugic and turns around to tackle Vlar. Now, it is Vlar's turn to be below him. Vlar releases the stone from his hand and it drops like a tear from Afjak's eyes.
"Why did you kiss him!?" Afjak demanded as more tears unwillingly fall onto Vlar's face. Vlar tries to wriggle out of Afjak's grasp, but Afjak knees him in the gut. Actually, Vlar can overpower Afjak if he wanted to, but it would seem that he doesn't want to.
"Why do you care?" Vlar has the gall to ask. Afjak feels torn up by the anger in his heart at Vlar's feign innocence, no ignorance.
"Does he mean something to you!?" Or do I really mean nothing to you, Afjak almost added. Vlar's red eyes bore into Afjak's indigo eyes.
"Answer my question first!" Vlar demanded indignantly. Afjak knees him in the gut as hard as he could. Vlar coughs and groans in pain.
"No, you ANSWER mine first!" Vlar doesn't make a sound for a heartbeat, but finally concedes.
"Why did I throw pebbles at you when we were kids? Simple, I wanted your ATTENTION. I kissed Tom to get your ATTENTION!" Afjak frowns, clearly unsatisfied by Vlar's answer. But he knows that Vlar isn't lying.
"Why does everything you do have to do with getting someone's attention? Is that why you steal from Kaal's Mines? To get some of the OverWorlders to notice you?" Vlar growls, clearly offended. He finally decides free himself by bucking and flipping Afjak to the bottom. Vlar pins Afjak's hands with his own hands and locks his hips onto Afjak's hips so the Muge apprentice cannot escape.
"No, you idiot! I did those things so I can buy food, clothes, and information! In fact, most of the profits I made were to buy information on Mugics particularly on how to unlock yours!" Afjak is speechless. Vlar spent his own money to help me? I know we're friends, but most friends wouldn't go that far! Afjak almost forgave Vlar on the spot.
"You KISSED Tom! You got my ATTENTION! But do you think I can forgive you for doing that!?" Vlar rolls his rust-red eyes like Afjak said something childish. Afjak wants to knee him again, but Vlar's hips are pinning him down pretty hard.
"Now you care about who I kiss! Does that mean you finally remember our kiss?" Of course, Afjak does but Vlar didn't bring it up the next day so he presumed it was just a one-time thing.
"Yes, but you did not say anything about it the next day! How was I supposed to know it actually meant something to you!?" Vlar's grip softens a bit, but not enough for Afjak to get out of his hold.
"You could have brought it up or, better yet, kissed me back!" Afjak sends a withering glare at Vlar.
"Why do I have to be the one to do that? And how was I supposed to know since I never been romantic with anyone in my life!? In fact, the moment you kissed me was the only romance that I ever got!" Vlar's mouth twitches into a toothy smirk, but his eyes flash dangerously.
"Romantic? Is that your substitution for intimate? Good thing you never got 'romantic' with anyone after me, or else I would have had to hunt them down and kill them." A chill goes through Afjak's body. The chill wasn't freezing cold, but scalding hot.
"OverWorlders do not murder people in cold blood." Afjak projected as much coldness in his voice as possible.
"Ice does not run in my veins. And even if it did, I am pretty sure you could me warm up. I feel most of your heat poking me." Vlar chuckled darkly. Afjak blushes and tries to retort, but he can only stutter inaudibly.
"Earlier, you said that you would not forgive me for kissing Tom. Maybe I can earn it." Vlar lowers his face to the point where his forehead sticks to Afjak's forehead. He peers into Afjak's innocent eyes to see any hint of protest. Afjak is breathing heavily, his cheeks are flush, and his heart is beating rapidly; he is not even attempting to resist Vlar. Their lips meet and it was nothing like the first kiss. There are years invested in this kiss instead of a fleeting moment like their first kiss. Vlar lets go of Afjak's hands and gets off him to break off the kiss.
"It took six years for us to kiss again." Vlar stated in a tone that reminded Afjak of a child's wonderment.
"I know. Also, kissing me is not going to earn my forgiveness." Afjak's tone sounded so light that Vlar almost believed that Afjak was kidding about the whole forgiveness thing. The keyword is almost.
"What else do I have to do?" Vlar was going to end it with a sexual innuendo, but Afjak might have tried to knee him in the gut again.
"I want you to take me to the Mines. Kaal's Mines. I want to get one of those special crystals, the ones that you bragged about the last time. The ones that boost Earth attacks." Vlar's whole body freezes at Afjak's bizarre request. He can distinctly recounting his adventures in Kaal's Mines to Afjak over the years, and Afjak would always lecture him about how dangerous stealing from Kaal is and that he was going to get caught eventually. Afjak is right on both counts.
"One, that place is too dangerous for you. And two, I just got back into the Tribe's good graces. Do you think I want to jeopardize your safety and my reputation just to get some crystal?!" Of course those special crystals are worth risking his hide, but not Afjak's life. Afjak isn't a fighter and his attacks are rather pitiful. He is more suited to reading scrolls, creating Mugic (if his father would let him), and finding firewood. What is the real reason for Afjak want to go to the Mines? It can't be just for the special crystals. Does he want to do a stupid and rash thing to upset his father? Or maybe he wants the praise that his father refuses to give him? Either way, his daddy issues are going to get him killed! Vlar thought.
"Do you not want my forgiveness?" Afjak looked hurt, but that wasn't going to work on Vlar.
"Not when it means your death." The last part would've sounded overdramatic if it wasn't so true. You might as well be dead if Kaal catches you.
"Do you not want to kiss me again?" Vlar was expecting Afjak to offer his virginity next, but Afjak isn't as "dirty" as Vlar.
"I can steal kisses anytime I want from you." Vlar confidently stated. He might be an OverWorlder, but he is still a master thief.
"Then, I will go on my own if I have to." Afjak gets up to leave. Vlar knows that Afjak has never been to the UnderWorld before, so the Muge-in-training would either get burned alive or captured. Plus, his curious nature would lead him to more dangers.
"Fine, I will take you, but you will have to listen to me. No going off on your own! And do not touch anything that looks dangerous." Vlar lets out an exasperated sigh, he cannot believe that he is going back to the Mines. Afjak beams at him in victory. They both leave Lake Ken-i-Po without noticing the tide coming in. The Mugic that Afjak's mother made is carried away by the lake's waves and will soon rest at the bottom of the lake for all eternity.
Kaal's Mines were scorching hot to Afjak, but Vlar seems indifferent to the heat. Afjak has never been this far away from home, not counting the times when his Master would bring him along on a mission. Yet even with the blistering heat and the high probability of getting caught by Kaal, Afjak is ecstatic to finally be somewhere without his Master. The inside of the Mines are lined with jagged, purple crystals that notified the treasure trove waiting to be mined. Vlar told him to watch out for the mist because it was really a Creature named Xulvux that is a spy for Kaal. So far there is no mist. Vlar stops midway and Afjak almost bumps into him. Afjak was going to ask why he stopped, but he sees the reason why. Their Tribesmates are doing back-breaking labor for Kaal and are getting abused by the guards. It appears their enslaved Tribesmates and the guards haven't noticed them yet. Afjak has to give a tiny push to Vlar to get him going again.
"Do not worry, Vlar, Kiru will come back and free them. Besides, even if we did try, we are not strong enough to take on the guards and Kaal at the same time." Afjak whispered reassuringly. There is a brief flicker of pain, mostly regret, on Vlar's face, but he shakes his emotions off for Afjak. They were able to reach the unguarded part of the Mines. Vlar grabs a bag and begins scouring through the purple crystals for the blue ones. Afjak is about to grab a bag to help, but Vlar stops him.
"You keep watch, and I will get the crystals. We only need a bag, anymore would weigh us down." Wow, Vlar acknowledges that there is such a thing as being too greedy. Afjak thought in amazement, but keeps an eye out as Vlar ordered. Every noise almost makes Afjak flinch in fear that they would be caught any second, but he tries to keep his paranoia in check. Thankfully, Vlar is quick and is able to fill the bag with the special crystals.
"We better go now before that ghost bastard decides to show up again." Afjak nods in agreement and follows Vlar again. They pass the part of the Mines where their Tribesmates are being held, but neither dare look in fear that they would actually try to free the enslaved. They slip out as easily as they came in, and for once, nothing went wrong for Vlar and Afjak.
"Why do you want these crystals anyways? You are no fighter." Vlar asked Afjak once they got back to Lake Ken-i-Po. Afjak takes the bag from Vlar and stores it inside of the tree where his maps and various trinkets from childhood reside in.
"Kiru is planning an assault on Kaal; I overheard his plans when he was talking with my Master. If you were to give the special crystals to Kiru, I would imagine he would be very grateful for your help." Vlar's eyes widen at the prospect of actually helping out the Tribe with the special crystals, but would Kiru actually accept the "gift" without question?
"You do realize Kiru is going to ask how I came by these crystals." Kiru is not a fan of theft, Vlar knows that from experience, even if the item in question was stolen from Kaal.
"You can tell him that you had a secret stash of these crystals and decided to give them to the Tribe so they would be better equipped to fight Kaal." Afjak is actually insinuating that I lie? By the Cothica, he has a devious side! Vlar grins like he is about ravish Afjak against the tree.
"My badness is finally rubbing off on you." Vlar commented as a lecherous idea begins to form in his mind. He gets closer to Afjak like he is about to pin Afjak to a tree.
"I want to see the stars reflecting in the lake. It is a wonderful sight!" Afjak takes Vlar's hand and gently leads him back to the lakeshore. The lake is indigo from the nighttime sky but painted with small specks of light from the stars. Vlar and Afjak stare at the lake in silent thinking. Vlar is thinking about how he used to be the vilified outcast that could never be out in public to a hero. Afjak is thinking about how stifling his clothes are and how refreshing the lake looks.
"I am going to take a swim. Care to join me?" At first, Vlar barely paid any attention to Afjak's words until Afjak began to strip before him. The teal robe and dark-blue undershirt slithers off Afjak's body like he is shedding his impure skin. Afjak doesn't have the awkward limbs of a child going through puberty anymore. His stomach lacks abdominal muscles, but is tone and flat. His arms and shoulders are sparse in muscle, but as toned as his stomach. His ass is flat, but his sculpted legs compensate nicely. Afjak's brown hair pools around his shoulder like the water that he is stepping in. From behind, Vlar notes that Afjak would get mistaken for a strong girl. Thankfully, Afjak is a young man.
"Yes, I would." Vlar almost rips off his red robe and rough-skinned boots to join Afjak in the water. The water is cool, but oddly refreshing for his heated skin. Vlar swims over to Afjak where the water only reaches their waist.
"The sky is sure spectacular tonight." Afjak commented. Vlar does not have his eyes on the picturesque night, but mainly focuses on Afjak's wet form. When they were children, they swam naked without much thought to one another's bodies. They aren't children anymore, and Afjak proves this by stalking (as much as the water could allow) towards Vlar and sealing his blue lips with green lips. Vlar has his hands entangled in Afjak's lifeless hair, while Afjak's hands are busy exploring Vlar's back. The kiss deepens when Afjak's wandering hands roam over Vlar's ass. Vlar is not the submissive type, so he dominates Afjak's tongue with his own. Afjak barely puts up a fight, but retaliates by groping the leaf-green ass. Vlar rips his mouth away from Afjak's lips for precious air, but hungrily returns for more. Afjak begins to lightly massage Vlar's cheeks, and Vlar moans in Afjak's mouth.
"Wrap your legs around my middle!" Vlar half ordered and half begged. Afjak listens and wraps his legs around Vlar's middle, feeling Vlar's manhood poking at his entrance. This is going to hurt. It always hurt for virgins, and Afjak is most definitely one for the next five minutes.
"Hold onto me tight, or we will both fall into the water." Another order from Vlar, and once again, Afjak obeys him and clings to him like a child needing reassurance that monsters aren't going to eat him. Vlar has never made love in a body of water before, so this was going to be very new for him and very painful for Afjak.
"By the Cothica, the pain!" Afjak nearly sobbed at the pain as Vlar slowly thrusts into him. He has to ball his blue hands into fists to prevent himself from scratching Vlar's back. Vlar inches himself in more before hitting a spot that makes Afjak moan. Afjak's erection is so tightly compressed by Vlar's body that when Vlar moves it is like Vlar's body is stroking him.
"Please, hit the spot again!" Afjak pleaded into the crook of Vlar's neck. Vlar happily complies and removes himself out of Afjak's ass before ramming himself back in without mercy. Afjak cries out again in pleasure, feeling like he could touch the stars. Vlar does it again, and again, and again, and again until he and Afjak climax together. Afjak still tightly, and stickily, clings to Vlar as the green OverWorlder removes himself from Afjak's ass.
"I do not trust that you can walk anytime soon." Vlar knows that he couldn't have fucked Afjak that hard, but Afjak was a virgin so he probably wants to sleep. Vlar carries Afjak back to the lakeshore where their clothes still laid scattered. Vlar uses his clothes as a cover for the both of them to lay on, while he uses Afjak's robe as a blanket.
"What are you going to tell Najarin?" Vlar quickly inquired before Afjak could nod off.
"I will just make up some lie in the morning. It is kind of funny how your badness rubbed off on me, but you are not bad at all." Afjak drifted off to sleep, while Vlar followed him a minute later. The stars continue to twinkle in the lake like spectators wanting to see more of the two young men sleeping together.
It has been three days since the party, and Tom is back in Ancient Perim to scan Lake Ken-i-Po of the past. He has to go through the forest in order to reach the lake, which gives him plenty of time to reminiscence about his kiss with Vlar. It only lasted a few seconds, but it left a lasting impression on Tom. He has been wanting to corner Vlar and ask about the kiss such as why he did it, but it was almost like Vlar has vanished from the village. He would've asked the other villagers where Vlar was, but they seemed pretty busy with farming or training with Kiru. He could've asked Najarin, but the villagers at the party told Tom that Najarin hates Vlar for undisclosed (though some villagers were trembling) reasons. So Tom decided to just get a quick scan and head back to the Port Court to check out some matches. He almost made it to Lake Ken-i-Po when he meets Afjak, Najarin's apprentice, on his way there.
"Hey, Afjak, what are you doing all the way out here?" Tom thought that Afjak would be too busy learning about Mugic to go exploring. Afjak smiles brightly like he is actually happy to see Tom.
"I just needed to be at the lake to relax." Tom finally notices the messy state Afjak's hair is in, but he believes it must be windy at the lake.
"Well, it was nice meeting you again." Tom said and expected Afjak to move to side to let him pass, but Afjak doesn't budge at all.
"Tom, I have something very important to tell you, but I need to whisper it in your ear in case there is someone eavesdropping on us." Tom steps closer so Afjak may whisper in his ear. Of course, Tom believes what Afjak said because there is no glimmer of malice in his kind, deep-blue eyes. How could such a sweet person ever be Najarin's apprentice?
"Stay away from Vlar." Tom's body functions stop for a moment in utter disbelief. He is hoping that he has heard wrong.
"If I see you anywhere near Vlar, I will rip out your bones and grind them into a powder for creating Mugic. Would you like to be the first of your kind to be turned into Mugic? I did not think so." Afjak pulls away from Tom and walks away with a very chilling smirk on his face. Tom remains frozen in place for the next few minutes in apprehensive fear that Afjak will come back and do as he promised.
"Fuck, he is definitely Najarin's apprentice. He is as cold and intimidating as Najarin is, or was. If I didn't know better, I would say that Afjak could be Najarin's son!" Tom shakes his head at the thought of the old (really ancient) Muge ever having a kid. He briefly thinks about going to the lake, but Afjak's words have spooked the excitement out of Tom. He decides to head back to the Port Court and maybe back to Earth where Afjak cannot possibly ever follow him there.