Comfort

"Mn," the man nodded, "I very plausibly died because of a stupid joke by my elders."

"Exactly," Celestina smiled, "and now let's get you fixed up."

She took out some bandages and carefully bandaged his chest, fixing his ribs. It wasn't a pleasant procedure, but Cal didn't remember everything as he passed out again.

When he came to in the middle of the night he was thirsty. Celestina was on duty beside him and was caring for his requests. After prolonged wakefulness, Cal forgot himself with heavy sleep.

The Spellcaster left the hut, closing the door quietly behind her. Her crystal glowed again.

"Yes, I'm listening," Celestina said, "everything went as planned, but he broke two ribs... Yes, I'll stay for a couple of days while I'm officially on a business trip. I'll be in touch later."

The crystal went out and the woman went back into the house. The small hearth crackled cozily, consuming dry branches and logs. Celestina put the kettle over the fire and boiled water. After brewing the herbs, she put the bowl in the water bath and clocked the time.

Someone knocked on the door, taking a weighty bundle from the man's hands, the woman gave him the bullion and locked the door. After carefully clearing the table, the woman opened the bundle and pulled out a beef leg. The meat had already been chopped; all that remained was to rinse it well and begin to boil the broth.

Obtaining beef in this hole was unrealistic, so Celestina engaged her connections in the outside world. Fortunately, they had a powerful man on their side, which she didn't want to tell Cal about just yet. Finished with the preparations, she put an impressive cauldron of water on the fire.

After dipping the vegetables and spices into it, she took a few pieces of meat and put them to boil. Maintaining a moderate fire, she cooked the meat and bones all night, so in the morning Cal awoke to the tantalizing aroma. Celestina scooped some broth into a bowl and gave the man a drink all day while a new portion simmered in the cauldron.

The broth, which was boiled for a whole day, was considered the highest quality and the most healing. Cal never drank as much broth in his entire life as he did in the next few days. Celestina didn't stay with him long and returned to the hospital so as not to arouse suspicion.

Left alone, Cal disrupted his schedule and skipped his medications. He would lie lazily in the sun or sleep in the house as the sun burned mercilessly all around him. One evening, when he had barely opened his eyes and lit the candles beside his bed, someone came into the cabin. The man placed a traveling sack at the threshold and looked at Cal with eyes full of tears.

"Liam! Is that you?!" Cal tried to jump up abruptly, but a sharp pain forced him back into his seat.

"Is that really you - the one who's "all right?" wiping his face wet with tears, the Head asked, and he looked reproachfully and guiltily at the sick man.

"I just..." Cal hesitated, he really didn't have anything to say, it was too far gone before he could sound the alarm, "I just didn't want to bother you."

Liam couldn't calm down and raised his face to the sky, trying to stop the salt rivers from flowing.

"But everyone else doesn't hesitate to bother me," Liam sobbed like a hurt child, "do you know what I went through when I got the notice that my student accidentally fell off the cliff and died and was buried on the spot?!"

«…"

In Liam's mouth, the story sounded absolutely monstrous. Cal didn't know how to justify himself and just wished he'd hugged him sooner, but he wouldn't come.

"I rushed to camp right away, I thought I'd strangle that scumbag captain and his henchmen... Do you know how I grieved at your 'grave'!" Liam covered his face with his hands and his shoulders shook with weeping.

"Liam…"

Cal couldn't stand the sight of his misery either. He grimaced and felt pain in both body and soul.

"Come here, at last, my ribs are broken, I'll die here waiting for you..." muttered Cal.

The head removed his hands from his crying face and strode resolutely to Cal's bedside.

"Whatever you want, I'll sleep with you tonight, even if it hurts," he said as he leaned over Cal.

And then gently, with only his lips, he touched his forehead, his eyes, his cheeks, and his lips. He covered his face with kisses as small and delicate as butterfly wings. Cal struggled to lift his arms and put his arms around Liam, clasping his palms on his back.

"It's pretty hot in the room and you have to sleep naked, can you handle it?" He asked playfully. But when Liam started to take his clothes off, he stopped talking and stared greedily into the gradually naked man.

The blood instantly rumbled in his ears, racing the accelerated engine in his chest. Feeling short of breath, he stood up on the bed trying to take deep breaths, but the pain made it impossible. Liam finished taking off his clothes and climbed under the covers in just his underwear.

He looked at the love-starved Cal and poked him in the forehead with his finger.

"Fool!" he said, "I'm still mad at you, but of course, I can't sleep in my clothes."

"I'm sorry," Cal exhaled, struggling to catch his breath, "I just now realized how much I missed you."

Liam lay down beside him and put his hand on his neck, stroking Adam's apple. Moving closer, he could kiss it without touching his sore ribs. The tears gradually dried, but sadness still squeezed Liam's heart. He lay quietly beside him, listening to Cal's breathing.

Two hours ago, he had experienced the worst nightmare of his life. Barely returning from a long trip, he found a sealed envelope on his desk with a death notice in it. Mad with grief he rushed to the platform and without a moment's hesitation made a scene in the captain's barracks.

The latter acted like a self-righteous boor until Liam threatened him with the name of Marshal Pittsu. Then only the Captain took the Head to the cliff from which the younger cadet had allegedly fallen.

Indifferently leaving Liam alone, the captain hurried back. That's when Liam found Celestine, hurrying to tell him that death was only a hoax. Not believing her words, he demanded to see Cal.

And so he found himself in this house, crying, wishing the nightmare would end sooner rather than later. Even now, lying next to him, Liam was still trembling from the experience and needed a quiet and safe time with the man he cared about.

Perhaps if they slept together and spent a few days together, the fear would recede.

"What was going on here that you haven't told me about yet?"

Liam gave him a chance to spill his guts.

"Um," Cal stared up at the ceiling, "where to begin..."

"Start at the beginning. How did the other cadets receive you?" Liam encouraged him.

"Well," the memory of the warm welcome made Cal grin.

Liam waited patiently, but Cal was in no hurry to tell him everything. Instead, he came up with another way.

"Remember the marshal taught me the mind-meld technique? I'd like to practice."

"All right," Liam nodded.

He helped Cal into a sitting position, then sat down on top of him in the most shameless way and touched his forehead to his, and caught his hands with his palms.

"Close your eyes," he commanded the embarrassed Cal, "and trust me."

It took some time for Cal's chaotic mind to settle down. Liam kissed him several times to relax him. The method really worked and Cal's thoughts, like a lazy river, slowly flowed, intercepted by Liam.

The Head began to frown, his eyelids fluttering and his heart beating more violently in his chest with each passing moment.

The pictures he saw were causing him an extreme degree of indignation. He repeatedly wished he could get out of the merger so that he could break something in anger, but, drawn by morbid curiosity, he stayed in close contact with Cal's memory.

He watched the conversation between Cal and the sick old man with amazement, learning new details from his past.

When Cal fell off the cliff, Liam caught his breath and his hands shook so that Cal had to intertwine his fingers with his so that he wouldn't lose touch. At the end of it all, Liam sat with his head down, not knowing what to say. A trembling lower lip gave away his excitement.

Overcome with pain, Cal lifted the blanket and threw it over the naked man in front of him, simultaneously embracing him. This simple and sweet gesture made Liam feel a hundred times worse.

The injustice Cal experienced hurt Liam's ego and made him look like a horrible person.

After all, who had insisted that Cal come here?

Who had made him want more, who had reproached him for his lack of ambition and purpose in life?

Liam covered his face with his hands again. Even though Cal was the victim in this situation, it was he, Liam, who most needed comforting right now. His natural tendency to shoulder the blame and bear the burden alone was capable of destroying him overnight.

Shrinking into a lump, Liam suffered silently for his stupidity and carelessness. Cal could not calmly watch this picture and his protective instinct overcame him. Knowing Liam's habit of blaming himself for everything, he hurried to cover him with himself in the face of the cruel executioner, which was his conscience.

Gently taking his face in his palms, he gently raised it to the level of his eyes. At first, he gazed fondly into those bottomless blue lakes that had shed so many tears. After making sure that Liam could withstand his direct gaze, Cal tried to cheer him up by rubbing his nose with his own, then licked his lips lightly, making him look embarrassed.

Liam looked guilty and miserable, begging for forgiveness with just his eyes. Only lots and lots of warmth and love could quench that thirst, but Cal struggled with every movement, and he cursed the deep ravine for breaking his ribs there.

"Are you in pain?" Liam asked sympathetically, "Where does it hurt?" he pushed gently on Cal's shoulders, forcing him to lie on his back.

With deft movements, Liam removed the carelessly tied bandages and ran his fingertips over the bruises and abrasions on Cal's chest.

"Does it hurt here?" he kissed the small and large abrasions with his warm lips, "or here," his rough tongue teased and played with his nipple.

Cal's chest heaved unevenly and trembled with the simultaneous sensation of pain and pleasure. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Liam continued to caress his skin as if licking his wounds, gently and tenderly, with a soul and fervor that put a sea of love and care into every touch.

With his hands resting on his shoulders, Liam was careful not to press against the fanciful purple splotches in the places where Cal had been hit hard in the fall. These multicolored splotches terrified him and attracted him at the same time.

Returning to them again and again, he involuntarily began to suck and bite the skin, leaving his marks. A sharp and painful pleasure gripped Cal, preventing him from taking a breath. Liam ran his fingers lightly over his tense muscles, and the tickling relaxed them little by little, toning them down.

Cal gasped but would have gladly stopped again, for the sake of bordering on insanity bliss. He stroked Liam's back and thighs, letting his hands roam where they wanted. When the palms of his hands touched the tense muscles of his buttocks, Cal was thrilled.

Somewhere out there, very close was the source of his bliss. Gently he squeezed his way into the coveted spot and teasingly tickled the soft skin through the barely perceptible fabric of his underwear. Liam froze and felt a lingering cramp pierce him, causing his body to arch.

He could feel the friction making him hot and wet underneath. It was maddening to let himself go free and to have Cal's gentle hands touch him everywhere...

He groaned and continued caressing Cal's chest and belly, moving from kissing to biting, and then fell to his mouth, greedily sucking in his tongue and lips... He bit and tormented his body, unable to quench his thirst.

"I think it just gets in our way," Cal said, pulling the underwear off Liam and letting him return the favor.

Nothing else prevented them from feeling each other's heat. Back in his seat, Liam began to languish with dizzying excitement. Touching their soft skin, rubbing against each other, they slowly lost their heads.

Cal moistened his fingers liberally with saliva and began to assault the entrance to Liam's cherished spot. With little resistance, he gradually prepared him to receive it. Liam himself couldn't wait and was agonizing with the overwhelming desire to feel Cal inside him.