You're playing with fire tonight…

"It's all right," Cal answered coldly.

"It isn't all right," the marshal insisted. "Would you let something like that happen to Liam?"

Cal thought about it for the first time. He really couldn't allow the thought of Liam getting hurt through his fault. It would have been too painful and painful. But in their couple, he was the one responsible for both of them, not the other way around.

Since high school, he had looked out for Liam, seeing his social helplessness and naivety. Hadn't Liam confided in the first girl he met and gotten into trouble?

Cal never cared solely for himself or expected patronage from a friend. Liam was always a part of his thoughts and daily concerns. Cal sorely missed that when Liam disappeared.

The marshal didn't stop him from reflecting on his life and lay lazily on the ground with his hand under his head. At times he closed his eyes as the gentle sunlight touched his face. The man looked like a contented cat, and suddenly Cal was curious.

"Pittsu," he called to the relaxed man, "what kind of dragon do you have?"

"Hmm?" The marshal looked at him with one eye.

"You don't?"

"Well, he's fighting on the front lines with another marshal. Liam has told you my terrible secret, hasn't he?" He laughed.

"Oh, yeah," Cal confirmed.

"He's not much of a keeper of other people's secrets," the marshal smiled, not the least bit annoyed, rather pleased at the turn.

"You won't get caught with this double?" Cal asked the question that had been tormenting him.

"Not for the last hundred years," the marshal answered.

"Marshal?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your name?»

"And that, my friend, you'll find out if you marry me," said Pittsu, and laughed as his friend jumped up and ran away like a scalded man.

****

Liam arrived at the funeral ceremony on time. Grief-stricken relatives were seated separately. The small Church building was crowded with condolences. He walked with his uncle to the seat prepared for them and sat down.

After the farewell ceremony, Liam approached the families of the dead and stood silently until he was noticed. Angry looks betrayed the true mood of the people and, not wanting to talk to the Head, they defiantly turned away.

"It could have been worse," his uncle consoled him, "at least they did not make a scene."

"They had every right to," Liam said as they left the building. Meanwhile, he was surprised to see how much the world had changed around him.

Huge, open-topped cars were rushing through the cobblestone streets. Horses had disappeared from the life of the city. Tall buildings towered over the road.

The Fourth Elder took him to a café for refreshment, and Liam gazed in wonder at the transformed people as if they were from another world.

Unlike Aether, where progress was not required because of the many techniques and unique abilities of the people, the earth was rapidly evolving.

Elegantly dressed men and women got out of their expensive cars and huge buses drove through the streets, all of which Liam learned in passing from his uncle, who interspersed his breakfast with tales of human life.

He told him about electricity and the automobile industry, about the massive buildings that had been built and who now ruled the world. Liam listened without interrupting, eagerly filling in the blanks.

At some point, however, he realized that from now on it was a world foreign to him that he no longer cared about unless there was someone important to him living here. After apologizing, Liam retreated to a secluded spot. He touched his crystal to hear a familiar voice.

"Liam? Are you all right?" Cal asked anxiously.

Liam suddenly had a lump in his throat and his eyes turned red. "Damn, I'm tired of this adventure," he thought, and answered Cal:

"Nothing, ahem, just wanted to see how you were..."

He picked at the plaster on the wall with his fingernail. A car honked nearby and he flinched.

"Liam, where are you now?" Cal was worried about the strange noise in the background.

"I'm in London," Liam admitted, "the world here has changed a lot. Did you know anything about cars?"

"Of course, I sponsored their mass production... I wonder what they've become."

"Big and noisy and dangerous," Liam shrank back from his discomfort.

«Ahahahaaa!" Cal laughed, "I wish I could take you for a ride in one of my convertibles."

"Forget it, no way!" Liam grumbled, but still imagined that romantic picture in his mind, "Where would you take me?"

"Well, how about driving down a country road? And then have a picnic in a meadow, or by a river... we could go to a movie..."

"A movie?" Liam heard the unfamiliar word again and got angry," "Are you teasing me on purpose?"

"Not at all... it's nobody's fault... or rather, don't feel bad about missing out on something interesting on earth," Cal tried to calm his grumpiness with his old friend.

"I know..." Liam brought up the sad stuff again and his eyes watered, "I was at the funeral and..."

"Are you upset?" Cal tried to guess.

"I miss you, I know it's stupid, we're adults, we're not kids anymore, but I've been missing you so much lately it scares me. Right now I think about how far away you are and I get scared..."

Liam almost choked for a moment as he quickly poured out his soul. He sobbed and pressed his forehead against the rough wall of the alley where he stood.

Cal's voice sounded in his head like long-awaited rain falling on his parched heart.

"Liam, right now imagines that I'm right beside you, hugging you tightly and tenderly, I lean into your ear and whisper that you're the meaning of my life."

"Mmmm..." Liam couldn't answer those words and just bit his chapped lips silently.

"Promise me that we'll get together soon and spend at least a few days together."

"Okay," Liam blinked, looking up, and then he calmed down a little, "I'll go then... I hope Pittsu not bugging you."

"It's okay, I'm used to him now," Cal replied cheerfully.

After a few more minutes, Liam felt better, because he and Cal had their cozy world.

Back at the table, Liam listened absent-mindedly to his uncle, stirring the sugar in his long-cold tea, and a plan matured in his mind.

Before his mind's eye, he saw a small house with all the necessities of life, far away from the other inhabitants of Aether.

This fantasy consumed his attention completely, and his uncle had to call his name several times before he responded and followed him out of the café.

As if in a fog, Liam followed the Elder and woke up again when he pulled him into the bus. The huge thing drove sharply forward, and Liam almost fell from habit, but then he found a vacant seat and drove with a perfectly straight back all the way. He thought everyone was looking at him like he was an oddball and was embarrassed.

After spending a few hours in London, he was completely overwhelmed by the noise, the crush, and the speed. By the time they got back in the evening, Liam was feeling shattered. After saying goodbye to his uncle, he immediately took the familiar road to the marshal's palace.

After passing the servants and the palace master himself, Liam burst into Cal's room, but he was gone. Seizing the moment, he climbed into the bathroom and blissfully waited. No telling how long it took before the master of the room finally returned.

He found Liam lying in his bathtub with his eyes closed. This was impossible to ignore. Carefully dipping his hand into the water, he felt that it was already cold.

"Is it good to sleep in someone else's bathroom? "he said quietly, gently placing Liam's hand on his back and picking him up out of the water.

He wasn't worried about getting wet, either. He'd just come back from his workout dreaming of a quick shower, but now he had a more important goal in mind that he was carrying in his arms.

Liam woke up. He wrapped his arms around Cal's neck and pulled him to him-no objections accepted. They lowered gently onto the bed without breaking the passionate kiss.

Cal dug his lips into Liam's neck and then, biting the soft skin, whispered:

"Let me go to the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Liam nodded, but before he did, he kissed Cal deeply once more to keep him motivated for a long time.

Cal washed with the speed of a gust of wind, popping back out before Liam could get under the covers and lie down comfortably. He lifted the blanket and crawled under it, biting and kissing Liam's legs and thighs.

"You're still cold," Cal said, stroking his stomach and thighs with his palm,

"We need to take immediate action."

Liam squinted blissfully at Cal's gentle care, enjoying the light roughness of his palms and his scalding breath. He was in that mood where he wanted to give himself to another man without a second thought and be "loved" until his pulse dropped.

Cal seemed to catch Liam's mood. He lifted his arms above his head and, holding them in that position, began to kiss him uncontrollably lewdly, thrusting into his mouth, capturing his tongue, sucking out long moans, tossing and attacking again.

Liam was losing his head with pleasure. He loved everything Cal could and did. He relaxed completely and soared with him on waves of exhilarating excitement.

Sensual kisses and intimate touches made Liam melt and dissolve, blazing like lava in Cal's hands. He turned sexily on his side, flaunting his luscious and taut ass.

His boldness made Cal erupt like a match. He immediately switched to the soft buttocks and began to bite them, passionately crushing them with his hands, and then he got brave and pressed his lips to the exciting place below his waist.

Liam's eyes widened at the blatant insolence and he tried to pull his head away, feeling a burning shame. But as soon as Cal ran his fluttering tongue over the soft skin, he experienced a frighteningly powerful pleasure and froze.

Cal could feel Liam's pleasure to the point of goosebumps on his toes. He even involuntarily arched his back, setting himself up for the intimate caress, so the man began to penetrate him little by little with his tongue. Liam shuddered and strained, moaning and holding his breath.

This torture went on and on, driving him crazy until he wanted rougher contact. Then he looked around and simply asked to enter him.

Cal kneaded the entrance with his wet fingers anyway, gradually widening and relaxing it to the accompaniment of maddening moans and sighs.

"Liam," he said, biting his ear, "you're playing with fire tonight…"

"Why not," Liam whispered, touching his aroused cock with his hand.

Cal experienced a spilling warmth and pleasure in his lower belly. He continued to kiss and nibble the back of Liam's neck and the nape of his neck, sending waves of shivers down to near ecstasy, himself enjoying his touch as he grew harder and more insistent in his desires.

The moment had come: he removed Liam's naughty fingers from his cock and pressed it to a seductive ring of flesh and muscle. Liam sagged slightly and thrust back, leaving Cal no chance to retreat.

Slipping inside with little effort, he took hold of Liam's hips and began to move rhythmically. After a moment, Liam dropped the blanket to the floor, covered in sticky sweat from the friction with a heated Cal.

They slid and slapped against each other, reaching the point of ecstasy and not holding back a slutty moan. Liam helped himself with his hand, not the least bit embarrassed by his partner.

He wasn't going to be patient for long, because there would be another pleasure behind this one.

After a few bursts of bliss, they fell asleep quietly in each other's arms.