“Um…”
“I didn’t know what to do! You just collapsed, like a marionette without strings. You even stopped breathing for a minute!”
“Okay, well we have to connect somehow so that you can talk to your brother.”
“Ishevara can connect us!”
I was hoping to see the carnal form of connection you animals prefer actually.
Ishevara! I didn’t peg you for a pervert.
It’s not perverse to want to kiss someone, Zen.
Zen flushed bright red.
Stephan grinned. I guess Ishevara told you the way we’d have to connect if we were without her.”
“Wouldn’t this be a problem for our brothers?”
Stephan snickered. “Probably.”
###
In a hole somewhere in New Arctica
“We have to do what!”
“We have to connect so you and Zen can talk to one another for five minutes.”
“Exactly how do we...connect?”
Marco shifted slightly from one foot to the other. “We have to join.”
“Join?”
“We have to kiss alright!”
Isaias laughed. “That’s funny…” he looked at Marco’s ashen face. “Wait, you aren't joking! Marco, we can’t do this...as much as I love and adore Zen there has to be another way!”
“What? Send smoke signals? The comms are probably being monitored by now, There is no other way!”
“Can you even do this?”
“Wind elemental..”
“No, I mean the kissing. You can’t stand a man near you.”
“I can stand you, Isaias.”
“Are you sure Marco?”
“Marco sighed then grinned. He knew what to say to get Isaias to agree. “Zen and Stephan have to do this too.”
“What!”
“Well, they have Ishevara so they might use her but…”
“No way in hell! Marco, come here!”
Marco grinned, He hated tossing his brother under a running bus, in this case, a stampeding older brother but desperate times called for desperate measures.
He walked over to Isaias and sat down on his lap. Both were blushing.
“On three,” he said.
“One,” he neared his face closer to Isaias’s face.
“Two,” counted Isaias as they breathed each other’s breath.
‘Thr…” their lips met and it was nothing like those horrible kisses Marco had experienced when younger. Isaias pulled Marco closer, his hands on Marco’s waist.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Then suddenly he was standing in a white room where Zen was sitting.
“About time! I was starting to wonder if you and Marco would ever connect.”
Isaias glared. “You and Stephan are using Ishevara right.”
“Nope, it slipped my mind...of course we are Isaias. Come on, we only have five minutes here! We can compare kissing techniques later. Where is the property? We’re already in the rainforest.”
“So soon?”
“Water boy nearly drowned me in the ocean.”
“He did?”
“Forgot I couldn’t breathe water. We appeared really low in the water. Apparently, he can’t control where he lands yet so we could have easily landed in a pack of hungry sharks.”
“I got the better teleporter.”
Zen hit his head. “Concentrate, hermano!”
Isaias winced and rubbed his cranium. “Ok, you're going to pass by some rapids to the east, keep going till you meet with the biggest tree in the forest. Trust me you’ll know it when you see it. Use Ishevara to unmake the tree. The property line is in the cave strictly behind it. There’ll be a panel hidden in the back. Enter this code. 2113000. Then, cut your hand and place it on the symbol for Amargarita a crow flying into an eclipse. Then watch the magic of science work or not. If it doesn’t work, stay in the cave. We’ll find you.”
“Ok, east, rapids, biggest tree, cave, code panel, and code 2113000, Amargarita symbol a raven flying into an eclipse. Got it.”
“Trust me hermanita, if this place doesn’t work out at least we have a hiding place till the SMVK can get us.”
“Alright, well be seeing you, Isaias. Tell your boyfriend I said hi.”
“Imp! He is not my boyfriend!”
“Do you want him to be?”
“Uh…”
Zen smiled.
“Take care and tell that pirate, hands off!”
Zen laughed.
###
Isaias opened his eyes and found that he was still kissing Marco. He pulled back slightly and Marco followed. He's really into it.
Closing his eyes, he leaned in and kissed a little deeper. Marco moaned and brought his arms to rest around Isaias’s shoulders. Isaias was just happy to be with Marco. He nibbled on his lip lightly but no more than that. Marco was not himself right now and when he came back, Isaias didn’t want to scare him. So squeezing the half Traveler’s waist, he slowly brought Marco back to full consciousness. Marco blinked and tore his lips from Isaias' flushing.
“I-I’m sorry I…”
“Hey no harm, definitely no foul. Listen, Marco, you didn’t do anything wrong. It was an innocent kiss on both our parts and it was needed. Don’t blame yourself for anything ok?”
Marco nodded. “It was different with you,” he whispered, getting up and leaving a perplexed Isaias.
###
Zen woke with her head pillowed on Stephan’s shoulder and shot up. A chuckle caused her to blush.
“About time. Did you get the information we needed?”
“Yes, he said following some rapids east until we met with the biggest tree in the forest. Then to use Ishevara to unmake the tree and sneak into the cave behind it. After that, I have to put my blood on a pictogram of a raven flying into an eclipse and let the old blood rites do their work or not. If it doesn’t work, we are to wait in the cave for our brothers.”
Stephan sighed and rubbed his chin. “Well then, we better get started on our path. It could be a long way in because I don’t hear any rapids.”
“Can’t you teleport to them?”
“Only if you want to drown. Rapids are hard to swim in and while I’d be fine, you are a different matter altogether.”
“Hmm, there’s probably piranhas in there anyway.”
“Most likely.”
“Well let’s get going, daylight is still with us for a few more hours. At least we have that.”
Stephan bowed and held out a frond. “After you.”
Zen glared. “If that hits my behind, you’re going to be carrying me the whole way. Understood?”
He grinned and let the branch go. “Understood, that is if you can catch me!” he ran like hell away from Zen when the branch smacked her bottom.
“Grr, Stephan!” she cried chasing after him. When she caught up to him he was walking again with a little smile. She huffed and charged him. Stephan caught her and spun them around before grabbing her in a princess carry and dashing off again. She threw her arms around his shoulders before chuckling as he was doing. She glanced at his face. If she trusted him to carry her and not drop her then maybe...maybe she could accept him and apologize for being so thick-headed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered but he heard her.
His smile sobered and he glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. “For?”
She sighed and held tighter. “For everything. You were right. Who am I to judge you? I did aggravate the situation by trying to snap you out of it. I didn’t step back and see you suffering and for that I’m sorry.”
He stopped moving but kept hold of her. “Is that all? “
She shook her head. “I know I was a jackbutt about what you did, but I was hurt and scared that you would do the same as my dad did.”
Stephan nodded and held her a bit closer staring into her eyes. “I promise never to hurt you again like that if you promise to always be open with me.”
“Deal,” she said throwing herself into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her gently. She had missed this. She burrowed her head into his shoulder and hung on as he adjusted her and kept dashing through the rainforest.