Welcome home

The marshal brought Cal breakfast and found him in bed, hugging Liam tightly in his naked arms. Pittsu quietly placed the tray on the table and looked greedily at the happy couple.

"So, having fun here last night," concluded the slightly gloomy man, turned on his heels, and left the room, remembering to slam the door loudly in the process.

The sharp sound made Cal open his eyes, but he saw no one, only the steaming coffee on the table. The man realized the awkwardness of the situation but didn't focus on the marshal's feelings.

He pulled Liam gently to him and admired his sleepy face from under half-closed lashes.

He liked everything about Liam: his slightly upturned nose, the small freckles that only showed in summer, the mop of hair that always made him a little hot, the fluffy lashes, the beautifully arched brows a tone darker than his hair, the neat ears, the graceful forehead, and the way he wrinkled his nose.

Cal regarded him with tenderness and adoration, wanting to prolong this moment.

His lips deserved special attention. Whenever Cal looked at them, they seemed to beckon him with their softness and slight fullness. They usually glistened if they were dry and fascinated him with seductive furrows when Liam licked them.

He often bit his lip if he was concentrating, stick out his lips if he was making an effort, and pursed his lips if he was unhappy or afraid to say too much.

And always, under any circumstances, Cal was ready to fondle and lick those lips, to nibble on them, to suck on them, to rub against them... his imagination had no limits when it came to Liam.

The same was true of Liam's body. Cal had his paws on it and considered it his property. Only he had the right to touch him wherever he wanted, to carry him in his arms, to care for him if he was sick. The man remembered that Liam was still not well, his arm needed to be restored, and was ashamed that the day before he might have been rude.

"Is it morning already?" Liam asked, stretching, "Is that coffee I smell?

"Good sniff," Cal praised, "Pittsu came by and brought us food."

Liam's eyes widened suddenly as if he'd been caught in the act. Pulling the blanket up to his chin, he asked timidly:

"Did he see everything? Was I covered? Or was he not?" Over the blanket were only Liam's frightened eyes, which made Cal laugh.

"I'm sure the marshal got it right and was even a little jealous," Cal said, kissing the top of Liam's head.

"It's embarrassing," Liam said, embarrassed, "how can I look him in the eye now..."

"You're always worrying about little things, and you were a lot braver yesterday. Where did that shameless Liam go, I really liked him. I'd marry him, do you know where he is now?"

"Pfft," snorted the man, "who would marry you?"

"I don't know, I've been offered the whole world and its environs by the Marshal, do you think it raises my rating in the suitors' market?"

"He couldn't have said that," said Liam incredulously, "or could he?"

He looked inquiringly into Cal's face, trying to figure out if he was joking or not. Apparently, he didn't like the answer, so he sulked.

"You can't take him up on his offer," he grumbled, playing with the tips of Cal's hair.

"Why not?" Cal asked playfully.

"Because... because... let me go, I'm hungry," Liam wrapped himself in a blanket and stood over the table, nibbling on little eclairs and drinking slightly cold coffee.

Cal was completely naked, lying gracefully on the bed, his head propped up by his hand. He could barely contain his laughter as he watched the big caterpillar eat. Suddenly caterpillar looked back and, narrowing her eyes, mumbled:

"There's only one coffee. He'll bring it to you."

Cal nodded affirmatively. The caterpillar returned the cup to the table with a loud clatter and said in an offended tone:

"I don't want it, it's not good, throw it all away...!"

Cal couldn't hold back any longer and picked Liam up in his arms and laughed a good, loud laugh.

"Let go, I'm not in the mood," Liam resisted.

"Nope," Cal spun him around, out of breath.

"We're going home tonight," Liam said in an orderly tone as his feet barely touched the floor.

"Fine," Cal pecked him on the nose and went to the bathroom.

Liam sat down in his chair and mechanically finished whatever else was left on the table, so he owed Cal breakfast.

When the man came out of the bathroom, Liam was gone, so he hastily threw on his clothes and went looking for him. In the hallway, he ran into Pittsu.

Marshall wandered around his room for a long time, but then decided to go in anyway, and met Cal. They looked at each other in silence, not knowing how to talk.

"Thanks for breakfast..."

"Is Liam awake yet?"

They said it almost at the same time, and it came out as some kind of nonsense. Cal conceded the first word to the marshal with a hand gesture, but Pittsu just turned around and walked away instead of saying anything. But not far, for Liam was walking toward him with a bundle of food.

An awkward conversation could not be avoided. Liam became the liaison. He nudged the marshal with his knee and chased Cal back into the room as well. After laying out on the table the treats he had unceremoniously stolen from the kitchen, he pulled out a chair and sat down. Shifting his gaze from one man to the other, Liam spoke first to the marshal:

"Pittsu, what obscene suggestions have you made to Cal so far?" he raised an eyebrow questioningly, looking intently at the marshal.

"Ahem," the marshal put his foot down and turned slightly to the other side.

"We were rude this morning and may have offended your hospitality," Liam continued.

"It was nothing," the marshal replied without looking at him, but nobody believed him.

"Come on, Pittsu, how long are you going to sulk?" Cal rubbed his sleeve.

"It's all right, it's none of my business, don't drag me into your relationship," the marshal scolded the two of them.

"Let's forget this incident and continue to communicate normally, shall we?" Liam suggested.

The marshal realized it was time to call it a day and turned to Liam with a kinder look.

"We are leaving your hospitable palace today," said Liam.

"Already?" the marshal was surprised and glanced briefly at Cal.

"We needn't embarrass you any further, and besides, I need Cal at the Academy," Liam gleefully turned his attention back to his apprentice.

"I see," the marshal stretched out, "just decided to get away for a bit of fun..."

"Even so, what?" Liam asked him reproachfully, but the tips of his ears were treacherously scarlet.

"Nothing, you wicked ones!"

The marshal got up and walked out, but came back almost immediately, "You promised to pose for me," he pointed a finger at Cal and then walked out.

Liam looked at the man in surprise, waiting for an explanation, but Cal only shrugged and moved closer to the table, starving. The head was about to leave, asking that Cal returns to the Academy today. With a gentle kiss on his forehead, he hurried out and headed home.

Cal found the marshal in the studio. There was a blank canvas in front of him, and as he kneaded paint on a large palette, he looked focused and frowning. Cal approached him and said he had come to fulfill a promise. The marshal nodded at the high chair he had prepared beforehand.

"Have a seat and let me give you the right look," he said gravely to Pittsu.

"What's the right look?" thought Cal, settling on the stool.

The marshal came over and made him put one foot on the bar, put his hand on his knee, and began unbuttoning his shirt.

"What's that for?"

"It is my compensation," muttered the marshal, "I did not think you would be so quick to forget my sincerity and jump into bed with another."

"Ahem," Cal was confused by Pittsu's words and decided to pretend he hadn't heard.

After making sure that Cal looked as he should, the marshal returned to his seat and began to sketch. Gradually the crease in his forehead smoothed and his gaze softened.

With each new stroke, his bad mood dissolved and all his energy was directed toward his creativity. For this reason, his hand was precise and his gaze sharp. Not once did he make a mistake with proportions and shading, giving Cal on canvas more and more resemblance to the original.

Even when his model tired to sit still, the marshal did not succumb to weakness and continued to use every moment to finish before nightfall. If Cal had known this would happen, he would have thought three times.

Finally, as his eyes fluttered shut with the desire to sleep, all his muscles aching, the marshal informed him that he was done. Cal slid out of his chair and lay straight down on the workshop floor.

"You're merciless," he exhaled, spreading his arms out to his sides.

"Hmm, who knows," the marshal said, and with a nimble leap he landed beside Cal and lay down beside him.

The man turned his face in amazement to look at it and with one eye asked: "Are you a fool?" But Pittsu settled comfortably on the floor beside him and even smiled.

"And you won't miss yours," Cal uttered in his mind and rejoiced in his heart that the marshal wasn't touching him. Then, something like pity stirred in his chest.

He thought of Liam and the fact that happiness did not come easily to him. So it was naive to assume that it would fall on the marshal's head. But it would be nice if someone attractive enough fell in love with him.

"Eh," Cal sighed and noticed that the marshal did the same. They rested for a few minutes, and Cal stood up, extending his hand to Pittsu. Dusk was already gathering outside the window, and he had promised to return to the Academy to Liam.

After a brief farewell and a polite thank you, Cal bowed and left in the direction of the platform: he had refused a carriage, but the marshal had slipped him a pair of horses, which Cal shoved into space with the Legion.

He'd been dropping in on the dragon often lately, checking on his settling in. With his permission, he'd created a little corner for himself, a house and a pond, where he could spend his time visiting the dragon.

And it was just nice to hide from everyone once in a while. Leaving his horses there and entrusting them to the Legion's care, he walked down the rocky road. A servant with a lantern accompanied him as far as the platform.

As Cal descended from the platform, he noticed a lone figure pacing back and forth in anticipation.

As he ran up, he took Liam in his arms and kissed him wherever he could get his hands on him, while the Head protested vigorously, whispering that someone might see them.

Finishing his fervent greeting, Cal wrapped his arms around Liam's waist, enjoying that touch. Under cover of night, they went home, where Cal had a surprise waiting for him.

The head didn't take him to the factory, but on through a small grove of old trees, they came to the edge of the forest, where a comfortable, brand-new house awaited them.

Cal stared at it with all his eyes as he walked around the perimeter. The loveliest structure was flooded with light, and not from candles, but yes, from electricity! It seems that Liam's visit to Earth was not in vain.

"Did you make this house all by yourself?" Cal finally asked.

"Yeah, you like it?"

"You bet! It's a real house! Wow, it's so spacious and beautiful! You spent all your energy on it, didn't you?"

Liam smiled.