Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2018 01:08:32 -0400
From: Purple Jubliee <purplejubilee17@gmail.com>
Subject: After Earth Went Dark: Chapter 5

Hello! Sorry for the long break! Here's chapter 5, I hope you all like it
:)

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Check out my other stories, "Sins of a Future World", and "Summer on Lost
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       After Earth Went Dark: Chapter 5

       It was a simple thing that awoke Elliot from his coma-like sleep on
the comfortable bed. In fact, it was probably the only thing on earth that
could have roused him after he, exhausted in mind and body, had fallen into
the cocoon of sheets and blankets. It was of course, nature's call.
	The restrooms were only a short walk down the hall from the rooms
they were using. After once again admiring the commodity that was running
water, Elliot returned down the hallway with fantasies of a soft mattress
on his mind. However, when he got to the door he paused. Through the
curtain that covered the windows in the center of each room door, he had
seen a flicker of light in Tyr's room. Curious, he stepped back to
investigate further and found that indeed Tyr's bedroom was still well lit,
despite the late hour. He could not see inside of course, because of the
thick curtain, but the distinctive glimmer of an oil lamp was unmistakable.
	What was Tyr doing awake at this hour? He wondered. Or had he
simply fallen asleep with the lamp lit? Elliot eventually dismissed this
thought. Tyr was fastidiously attentive to his surroundings. The thought of
someone like him forgetting to douse the lamp before falling asleep was,
after some consideration, absurd.
	Thinking maybe he should just ignore it, Elliot began to step away,
but his curiosity was peaked. Tentatively, he stepped up to he door, raised
his fist, and knocked gently three times. After a moment, he heard the
sound of the door unlocking. That was all though. It did not open. Taking
that as an invitation, Elliot slowly opened the door himself.
	Tyr was sitting on the far side of the room in a chair. He still
wore his combat boots and cargo pants, but he had removed his black tank
top, and Elliot could see his lean muscles by the soft glow of the lamp. A
low table had been pulled over in front of him and all of his assorted
weapons were laid out on top of it. He held one of the smaller knives in
his hand and was polishing it with a cloth. As Elliot entered he did not
even look up.
	"You should be sleeping." Tyr told him, still looking intently at
the knife.
	"I was." Elliot closed the door behind him. "I saw the light
though. I wanted to make sure..." He paused. He wasn't sure what his
concern had been. "You need sleep too." He eventually said quietly.
	It was impossible to be sure, but Elliot almost thought he saw a
twitch at one corner of Tyr's mouth. If there had been a smile there, it
was definitely gone when Tyr looked up.
	"I prefer the outdoors." He said simply.
	Elliot frowned. It was hard to imagine someone would choose to
sleep out in the woods rather than in soft beds.
	"You barely sleep there too." Elliot protested softly, remembering
how Tyr was always the last one to sleep and the first one awake.
	This time there was definitely a faint trace of a smile. "You don't
need to worry about me."
	"Can I stay here?" Elliot asked impulsively. Suddenly the idea of
leaving Tyr all alone seemed very sad to him.
	Tyr looked at him for a moment, considering, then said, "I don't
think your mother would like that."
	Elliot sat down on the edge of the bed. "She won't care. She trusts
you. Or I can go back before they get up."
	"Why do you want to stay?" Tyr asked, looking him in the eye until
Elliot had to look down shyly.
	"I don't know." He admitted eventually. "I don't want you to be
lonely."
	The ghost of a smile was back. "That's very considerate."
	Elliot realized that this was the longest conversation he'd had
with Tyr. The man usually spoke in single syllables. He lay back on the
bed, forgetting that he was only wearing a robe. Tyr obviously noticed
though and sat back in his chair a bit.
	Blushing in embarrassment, Elliot made sure he was covered in the
right places, but his entire leg up to his thigh was clearly visible, and
it had opened at the chest a little bit. He realized that Tyr had stopped
polishing his knife and was now just looking at him.
	"Maybe you can stay." Tyr said slowly, setting the knife down.
	The way Tyr was looking at him made Elliot feel slightly vulnerable
and exposed, as if the robe wasn't even there at all. He had to admit that
he really liked the way Tyr looked without his shirt on. Remembering the
cold night that the two of them had spent cuddled under Tyr's fur cloak,
Elliot felt a small shiver run through his body. Tyr stood up and walked
over to sit on the edge of the bed close to him.
	Elliot didn't move when Tyr sat next to him. His eyes kept flicking
from the unreadable but handsome face, down to the perfectly toned
body. Although... maybe it wasn't totally unreadable... Elliot noticed a
flicker of uncertainty behind those greyish eyes.
	Tentatively, Tyr reached out a hand and put it on Elliot's exposed
leg. Elliot still didn't move. He watched the hand with something like
surprise. The fact that a hand, so hard worked and rough, could place a
touch that gentle was not what he would have expected. Again, he dove into
Tyr's eyes, searching for some clue about the silent figure beside
him. There was emotion there, deep down. Uncertainty and maybe even
embarrassment.
	The moment was sensual, but in a way, it was innocent. Elliot did
not understand the feelings he had for Tyr, and it certainly seemed like
Tyr was dealing with a similar problem. They sat for a long time, staring
at each other, with Tyr gently caressing Elliot's smooth thigh.
	Finally, and quickly, Tyr ducked his head in and kissed Elliot
gently. It was not a deep or passionate kiss, but just a simple peck;
uncertain and almost child-like. Blushing deeply, Elliot felt a smile
spread to his face unintentionally. Tyr's other hand moved up to the side
of his neck and cheek and Elliot sighed in contentment.
	Laying back on the bed, Tyr pulled Elliot down with him. The
smaller boy followed without complaint, nestling his head against Tyr's
shoulder with one powerful arm wrapped around him. They stayed like that
for a while, satisfied to simply be close to one another.
	"Thank you." Elliot eventually said, looking up at his protector
and gently tracing a finger across his well-defined abs. "For protecting
us."
	A look of uncertainty passed over Tyr's face. "Is that..." he began
awkwardly. "Is that why you..." He stopped again, searching for the
words. "What I mean to say is... Is that the only reason that you're here?"
	Elliot understood now that Tyr was worried he was only allowing the
interactions between them to repay some sort of debt. While he had to admit
that he felt like he owed Tyr a great deal, he could say unreservedly that
it did not account for them laying in bed together.
	He smiled and shook his head, then kissed Tyr's cheek. "No, that's
not it." Thinking about it further, he frowned. "I feel... safe because of
you." He told Tyr awkwardly, causing the faintest trace of a smile to touch
his handsome face.
	As Tyr's hand reached around his shoulders, Elliot realized that
his robe was almost entirely open except for the tie at the waist. It just
barely hid his more private regions but left everything else exposed. Tyr
had seen it all before anyway in the shower, Elliot thought, so he supposed
it didn't matter. Still, it was strange being so close to Tyr while being
practically naked.
	Tyr's strong hand moved inside the opening of the robe, stroking
Elliot's chest gently. It felt good having the hand on him, and he could
tell without looking up that Tyr's eyes were glued to his body as
well. Elliot decided to take his turn as well and studied the toned chest
and abs that he lay next to. Turning to one side, he traced a long scar
that ran down the side of Tyr's torso.
	"What are they all from?" He questioned, again looking up at Tyr's
stoic face.
	His eyes held a far-away look as he replied. "Various
things. Mistakes."
	"You? Make mistakes?" Elliot asked playfully.
	Elliot's smile faded quickly then as he saw an unmistakable flash
of great pain blink across Tyr's face. It was gone almost instantly though,
hidden behind the perpetual mask he wore.
	"Often." Was the one-word reply.
	Realizing he must have touched on a sensitive matter, Elliot
changed the subject. "What does your tattoo mean?" He asked, looking down
at the muscular arm that held him tightly.
	Elliot had not thought much about Tyr's tattoo since noticing it at
their first meeting in the forest. Now, with it close to his face, he
examined the dark, angular symbols more closely.
	"They're runes." Tyr eventually told him. "The one in the center is
my name, `Tyr'."
	Running his finger over the crude lines in the rune resembling an
upward-pointing arrow, Elliot then examined the ring of smaller characters
surrounding it.
	"What about these ones?" He asked, touching the ring gently.
	Tyr did not answer for a while and for a second Elliot wondered if
he would, then finally the powerful arm squeezed him tight.
	"Maybe I'll tell you someday." Tyr said cryptically.
	Despite and perhaps because of the intimacy in Tyr's gentle touch,
Elliot felt himself losing the battle to stay awake. He did not know what
exactly he wanted Tyr to do, but he knew that it was not going to happen
that night. That was ok, he thought. It was enough to just lie with his
guardian and be held by him, for now anyway.

	Groaning and stretching, Elliot finally woke up. The bed was so
comfortable though that he did not want to move. Slowly he probed around
with a hand to see if Tyr was still lying next to him, but he found only
empty space. Cracking his eyes open, he was surprised to see that he was
back in the room across the hall. Tyr must have moved him back to his own
bed after he had fallen asleep... That is if the whole thing hadn't been
some kind of dream. He discarded the idea quickly. The feeling of Tyr's
hand on his leg and his chest had been too real. Also, he knew how silently
Tyr could move and how strong he was, it would have been no trouble for him
to slip in unnoticed, even while carrying Elliot.
	With a half-yawn half-whine, Elliot swung himself up and out of
bed. It was amazing how good he felt. The night's rest on a real mattress
behind a locked door had rejuvenated him. The sound of the lock turning
caused him to jump. Being out in dangerous territory for so long had left
him on edge. It was only Kara though and she smiled when she saw him up.
	"We were getting worried you were going to sleep forever." She
teased. "It's got to be almost four o'clock by now."
	Elliot's eyes widened. Four o'clock? It had been early in the
evening when they had gone to bed. That meant that, excluding his short
time with Tyr, he had been asleep for nearly twenty hours. That realization
caused a sudden pang in his stomach. It had been some time since he had
last eaten. He looked around the room.
	Knowing what he was looking for, Kara pointed. "Mom brought you
some toast and sausage. It's not hot anymore but it's something. Dinner's
not for a little while yet."
	Finding the plate, Elliot wolfed the food down without pausing to
breathe. "Where's mom? And Tyr?" He asked his sister. "And where are my
clothes?" He looked around in confusion.
	"Hanging outside the window." Kara pointed again. "Mom washed them
all this morning. And they're down at the gym still I think."
	His clothing was mostly dry when he found it and had a nice fresh
scent to it. "I'll meet you there." He told Kara, and then turned to get
dressed.
	When he arrived at the gymnasium, he found Tyr and his mother
standing in the small gym lobby. They were talking with another man, short
and stocky, and in his early thirties with thinning hair. It seemed like a
serious but friendly discussion.
	Elliot was going to approach but another man brushed past him to
join the group. This one was younger, about Tyr's age, and had a badly
bruised black eye. He clapped Tyr on the shoulder warmly.
	"That was amazing!" The young man said, loud enough for Elliot to
hear. "I've never seen fighting like that."
	Apparently a fan, the young man shook hands with Tyr awkwardly and
then moved on his way. The gym doors opened loudly behind Elliot, causing
him to jump and turn. Two men limped into the lobby, supporting a third one
between the two of them. They were badly bruised and bleeding in several
locations. The one in the middle had his left arm bent at an unsettling
angle. The two on either side cast angry glares in Tyr's direction as they
lumbered through but said nothing. It was then that Elliot recognized them
as the men that had harassed Kara and their mother the night before. He
winced as he put two and two together and imagined what Tyr had done to
them.
	Elliot stepped forward to join the group of Tyr, his mother and the
strange new man just as Kara rounded the corner.
	"Good, you're both here." Their mother said bringing them in
close. "We've got some important news."
	Giving his sister a confused look and receiving a similar
expression in return, Elliot turned his querying gaze to Tyr, who simply
redirected it towards their mother with an incline of his head.
	"This is Rob." She indicated the short man who offered a small wave
and a friendly but awkward smile. "He is going to put Tyr into the
Tournament."