It's the Frau's fault

Cal was getting ready to start this conversation.

"I've come to find out what to do with the hundreds of men you sent to my factory," the manager finally got to the point.

"Take care of them, protect them like the apple of her eye and feed them well, make sure they don't get sick or run away."

"May I ask what kind of people they are?"

"You are so curious", a mad grimace flashed across the commandant's face, "so be it, you will know everything, soon you will know everything, and now go, don't disturb me. Go away!"

Cal bowed and went out the door. Walking down the long corridor, he bumped into a nurse who was pushing a gurney filled with corpses ahead of him. Cal held a handkerchief to his face, covering his nose and mouth to keep from vomiting up his breakfast.

The gruesome sight affected him so much, but the nurse circled him with complete indifference, and when one of the bodies fell to the floor, he tossed it back on indifferently. Cal closed his eyes, but he could still see the skinny, naked bodies, the empty eye sockets, the burn marks, the wounds, and the surgeries.

"Excuse me," he stopped the nurse, "where are you taking them?"

"Of course to the furnace, where else," the man wailed, "we'll have to stand in line, they haven't burned the night ones yet, they say five hundred souls went through the gas chambers today."

"I understand," Cal nodded and went to the exit, where there was fresh air and no corpses.

He had a bad headache. The pain was one-sided, covering his entire left temple and ear. No matter how much he looked for a comfortable position or another pill, nothing helped. Finally, he threw up several times, and only then did he feel relief and his head felt as if it was empty.

He leaned over his desk and fell asleep. As dusk thickened outside the window, he slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his cheek. After drinking a lot of water, the steward threw on his coat and went out for a walk, but on the platz he encountered a delegation led by the commandant.

"Are you leaving?" the man asked casually.

"Yes, do you need me?" Cal was ready to turn back.

"No, go, go, and don't come back until tomorrow," the phrase sounded like an order, and the commandant's entourage looked at each other strangely.

"Okay," Cal bowed and left the factory almost happily, leaving all worries and fears behind the heavy metal door.

Liam was reading when there was a knock on the door and Cal appeared on the doorstep. He didn't look very well, but he was still smiling. Liam held out his arms and enclosed the man in a hug. They enjoyed each other's closeness for a while, and then they spoke.

"You smell so sweet," Cal said.

"It's just shampoo, I just got out of the bathroom," Liam replied, "Have you had dinner?"

"Not yet," Cal didn't bother to say that he didn't remember what he'd eaten this morning.

"Then I'll ask Frau Helmitz to bring dinner up here in a minute," Liam put down his book, put on his shoes and robe, and dashed up to the first floor, to where Frau was standing at the stove.

Cal sat down in a chair and closed his eyes. "It's good to come here and forget about everything," he thought, relaxing.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked, coming into the room, "You don't look okay."

"No, nothing, just a lot of work," Cal answered and sat Liam on his lap, "How are you doing? Has anyone been bothering you?"

"No, I'm fine, I'm pretty bored at home, but the apothecary's closed, the Elders have moved you know where, I'm having a hard time finding things to do."

"That's okay," Cal murmured and kissed Liam's forehead, "the important thing is that you're safe.

"Here," he pointed to where he'd been sitting the other day, "I'm reading a lot now."

"Okay, good. Listen, I'll probably sleep at your place tonight, do you think the Frau will mind?"

"Of course not, she's very fond of you, she's always singing your praises, "manager this, manager that".

"I guess she says I'm a very handsome man who no one can resist?" Cal joked.

"No way, she's a very prim woman," Liam pouted.

"Well, okay, okay, I was joking," Cal smiled, and warmly hugged Liam and kissed everywhere he could reach.

"It'll be dinner soon, bear with me for a bit," the man resisted the caresses slightly.

"And I've already started, you're especially delicious tonight," Cal teased him.

A knock sounded and Liam jumped to his feet to open the door and help the hostess set the food on the table.

"Thank you so much, Frau Helmitz, your cooking is the best," Liam flattered the woman.

"And I know, that's why you'll pay me dearly for this dinner," the hostess smiled as she set a chair.

She served beer soup, potato dumplings, fresh crusty bread and stewed cabbage, and for dessert, a creamy pour with cherry jam. Just looking at this variety made Liam salivate.

"Mrs. Helmitz, you're magic!" Liam exclaimed, "How did you manage to get food for all this in an era of food shortages?"

"Don't you know?" asked the woman, "then Mr. Manager will tell you, enjoy your meal."

"Huh?" Liam didn't understand and turned to the man.

"Well, let's eat?" Cal ignored his mute question, -I'm starving.

"Come on," and they sat down at the table.

Taking turns sampling all the dishes, they enjoyed honoring the hostess's cooking skills. Especially memorable was the beer soup, which had a lot of cream, butter, and the piquant flavor of garlic. To make it more hearty, the Frau rubbed cheese on top.

The potato dumplings were already absorbed with a little effort, it felt like their stomachs were full. So after a little nibble of stewed cabbage, they began the dessert, which melted sweetly in their mouths.

"Great dinner!" Liam appreciated the feast and leaned back in his chair, "I can't take much more," he muttered.

"I'm going to burst, too," Cal encouraged him.

"Why did you say you were sleeping here tonight? Did something happen?" Liam asked, wiping his lips with a napkin.

"No, nothing's wrong," Cal lied nonchalantly, "I just haven't seen you in a while, and I wanted to sleep next to you."

"I see," the man smiled, "but you remember, it's very cramped in here."

"I can sleep on the floor," Cal offered, really getting ready to huddle on the floor like a dog.

"Oh, no, I'd rather do that, don't you dare."

"Liam, do you talk to the Frau a lot?" Cal suddenly asked.

"Of course, she comes to check on me and we, sometimes, for hours, we discuss different topics."

"Like what?"

"Well, recipes, medicinal herbs, traditions, culture…"

"You don't talk politics?" Cal interrupted him.

"I don't think so, she tries to stay away from those topics."

"Lieber Herr Gott, mach mich stumm, Das ich nicht nach Dachau komm," Cal said suddenly.

"What-what?" Liam interjected.

"God, make me mute, so I don't come to Dachau."

"Ah, you just said it so fast I didn't hear it."

"The important thing is that you understand."

"I get it, it's best not to talk too much."

"Yeah. Uh-huh."

Liam tilted his head and looked at his lover a little sadly.

He's got something going on after all, but he won't tell me. Why? Is he afraid I'll get in trouble or do something rash?

"What are you looking at?" Cal asked.

"Nothing, I haven't seen you in a while," Liam lied.

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

"Come on."

When the man left with a towel and pajamas for the only shower on the floor, Liam gathered the dishes and took them downstairs. Frau sat in a chair next to the radio, which softly lulled her to sleep with a beautiful song. Liam quietly washed the dishes and went out.

After making sure the bed was freshly made, he put a round box under his pillow just in case and crawled under the covers. Nestled comfortably next to each other, they fell asleep quietly, as they were both exhausted from the day.

Liam didn't share his little secret with Cal that he regularly met with informants and went around the city eavesdropping and gathering rumors. He was truly interested in the identity of the commandant and what he was up to, so conflicting and sometimes frightening stories flowed to him from everywhere.

After the initial shock of hearing about the experiments on prisoners, Liam was immediately struck by the news about the gas chambers. The informant, who had always come to the pharmacy, found the man himself when he was walking around the city and dragged him into an alley, gingerly telling him about the gas "Cyclone B" based on hydrocyanic acid, which was used to poison people in the cells.

Gradually, he learned about everything Cal had been afraid to tell him, from the sorting at the station to the fact that once the gas ran out, still-living people were shoved into the crematorium ovens, stunned by a blow to the head to keep them from screaming.

Liam knew everything, down to the number of people who had died during the hypothermia experiment. If Cal wanted to, he'd enlighten him on the commandant's gruesome habits. But what he didn't know yet was the purpose of gathering hundreds of people in Cal's factory.

In short, the secret the superintendent had so carefully guarded had long since been revealed by his shrewd friend.

Meditation was his usual way of dealing with the oppressive horror. Even if it was the only thing he'd learned on his trip to Larung Gar, it was worth it. The more Liam practiced, the more confident he felt, and chaos no longer ruled his thoughts.

On the contrary, he was thinking straight and assessing the situation soberly, realizing that the commandant was using him as leverage over Cal. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened to his parents. After all, he had also caused the deaths of others. That was what Liam thought about often and even right now, resting in the arms of the man he loved.

He kept looking for a way out to free Cal and untie his hands. So far, only ridiculous ideas that made no sense came to mind. Finally, if a dream came over him and everything disappeared. Suddenly, they were both in a milky haze. It was as if the men were awake and asleep at the same time.

"I'm sorry to have to pull you out of your sleep like this, but otherwise we wouldn't have been able to talk," the voice belonged to their friend Ronu.

"I don't believe it, how did you do it? We won't be tracked?" Liam asked.

"It's okay, you're asleep so don't worry, we didn't really meet, it's an illusion to help us communicate," Ronu answered and reassured them.

Liam looked at Cal, who was looking around in surprise as he did, and took his hand.

"I've come to tell you that you're in great danger," Ronu said, "the man you think is the commandant is actually an Ancient Spirit."

Those words made Liam go pale, and Cal squeezed his hand, showing him support.

"Are you sure about this?" The one who was more than familiar with the monster asked.

"Quite sure. I have had visions that have not happened for a long time, and in them, I have seen pictures that have horrified me. There's no doubt that the commandant is accurately what I said he was, and he's decided to take advantage of the situation to fill his belly with the power of the gifted."

"In that case," Cal interjected, "he's already begun to put his plan into action. In my factory, he's gathering people with spiritual power: adults and children."

"Unfortunately, that's true. Lurking for a long time, he has found a way to deceive everyone."

"What do we do?"

"First, although it sounds strange, try not to become his victims. A person who died at the hand of Ors will not be able to retain his abilities and soul to be reborn."

"…"

"I realize this has not occurred to you. But I have put so much effort into making it possible for the dragons and the Elders that it is a real tragedy to lose my chance. Or don't you think so?" Ronu asked bitterly.

"It's scary to even think about it," Cal replied, feeling Liam's palm sweating profusely in this strange dream.

"We'll leave it at that," he said to Ronu, "we're limited on time, we'll meet again later."

The milky haze melted away, and the men fell back into sleep. In the morning, they were a little confused, piecing together the remnants of memories of the night before, but as they looked at each other, they realized that what had happened had not been a dream. Liam felt that it was time to confess everything to Cal so that they could join forces and come up with a viable plan. As they were finishing up tomorrow, he gathered his courage.

"You're probably going to be mad at me, but I want to tell you that I already know everything."

"What exactly do you know?" Cal was worried, but Liam intercepted his hand.

"I know about the horrors the commandant and the people behind him are doing."

"But how?" Cal marveled, still thinking of Liam as a bored homebody who couldn't make sense of the situation.

"It's all about our network of agents. The informants are still working, and even though the pharmacy is closed as a collection point, they find me wherever I go. That's why I know about the experiments, the gas chambers, the ovens, and the fact that the commandant used you for his purposes."

"I see," Cal dropped his head against his chest, frustrated that he hadn't been able to shield Liam from all of this.

"You shouldn't blame yourself, it was just my natural curiosity and desire to help people."

"It's gone too far," Cal admitted, "and I don't know where to begin to untangle it."

"I think it'll be easier now that Ronu's joined us. Please keep in mind who he is. Even though we know him as just a man from down the street, he's a lot taller, smarter and stronger than us. We'll rely on his experience and ability."

"First, please don't meet any more informants. I'm sure the commandant is watching us, just waiting for an excuse to nail us."

"I think I'll have a hard time avoiding them, but I'll try," Liam promised, touching the heart of the man across the hall with his agreeableness.

Suddenly, Cal picked him up in his arms, and together they fell onto the bed.

"I found something under the pillow," he said slyly, looking into Liam's eyes.

"Oh," Liam realized what he was talking about and was embarrassed, "well…

"It's a shame we fell asleep so quickly," Cal ran a hand through Liam's soft hair and tucked it behind his ear.

"Can you think about something like that at a time like this?" The man replied and squeezed his eyes shut in pleasure.

"I always want to be closer to you, don't you?"

"And I, I'd like that too," Liam sighed, looking lovingly at Cal. His flawless white hair hung to one side, and in his mysterious black eyes, you could drown in them if you stared into them for long enough.

"You are gorgeous and special to me," the man thought.

"I have time…" Cal leaned over and began unbuttoning his shirt.

Liam reached out his hands as well and helped him free himself from his clothes. A knock on the door snapped them back to reality. They froze and didn't make a sound.

"Mr. Liam, you have a letter," the Frau said and slipped an envelope under the door.

"Ah," Liam coughed, "thank you very much."

"Do you have a cold?" The woman was worried.

Cal made a funny face and signaled for him to ask what he was going to do now.

"Um, I'm just a little hoarse, the window wasn't closed tight enough," Liam said.

"Has Mr. Manager left yet?"

It was Liam's turn to laugh.

"I'm here, too, I haven't had breakfast yet," Cal lied, and then, clutching his eyes, fell onto Liam's chest and laughed silently. They hugged and laughed, trying not to make too much noise. Frau stood for a moment at the door.

"I have some good honey somewhere, if you want it, I'll bring it to you."

"I'll come down for it later," Liam said, barely containing himself, and bit his lip.

"All right, then, I'll go," the Frau's voice betrayed her confusion at the fact that the door hadn't been opened, but she didn't bother to find out what was wrong and left.

There was laughter on the bed.

"It was very dangerous," Liam said finally.

"It's no big deal," Cal said.

"You probably haven't heard about gays being among the first to be sent to concentration camps and even tried to "fix" them.

"I'm amazed at how much you know," Cal marveled.

"And you say to stop collecting information.

"So, what's being done to them?" Cal was curious.

"They get a capsule of male hormones."

"That's it?" Cal was disappointed.

"Well, that's not all, I heard that then they are sent to women's camps where prostitutes are kept."

"Oh, that's more interesting," Cal smiled, anticipating some kind of scandal.

"The young ladies were ordered to get close to these men and see if, ahem, their "organ" would respond to a woman's body."

"And how did it end?"

"Nothing, it appears that even those who voluntarily let their hormones be sewn into themselves and passed the test with women didn't get off scot-free. It's all just experiments, no one is interested in re-education or healing."

"Yeah," Cal wondered, "can you have that kind of surgery?"

"Why are we even talking about this," Liam came to his senses.

"Well, you're the one who started this conversation."

"Oh, never mind. By the way, many experiments are done without people's knowledge."

"I'm getting a headache from your stories," Cal admitted honestly, and sat up on the bed.

"Wait," Liam persisted, "I have to tell you this, or my head will explode."

"Well, go ahead," he bent his leg at the knee and rested his hand on it.

"Sterilization!" Liam said solemnly.

"What?" Cal asked.

"Forced secret sterilization is in full swing."

"What?" the man wondered.

"Imagine, at first, the doctors were looking for a way to deprive people of the ability to reproduce, why, don't ask me, I'm not looking for rational answers myself. They tried injecting chemicals, like silver nitrate. But it resulted in cancer, severe pain and even death. The most effective, though also dangerous, option was radiation."

"You mean X-rays?"

"Yeah, and the whole point is, you wouldn't feel it if you were exposed to that kind of radiation. Only prolonged exposure causes burns, and sterilization only takes a couple of minutes."

"It's horrible!"

"People were asked to go into a room and fill out a questionnaire. It took two to three minutes, and then it was done."

"Done with what?"

"They were irradiated while filling out the questionnaire."

Cal covered his eyes with his hand.

"There are thousands of such "surgeries" going on around the country."

Cal smiled at his talkative friend, hoping that would be the end of his stories.

"I've also been told that…"

The man didn't let him finish and pressed him sharply against the bed. While Liam gathered his thoughts, he kissed his eyes, forcing them closed, and then his lips to stop talking.

For a while, he kissed and licked those tantalizingly beautiful petals selflessly until Liam relaxed. As soon as his breathing became calm, and his chest began to heave, Cal went on a sensual journey over his soft skin.

He licked lightly at the hollow of his neck and then began to move lower, paying attention to each nipple in turn and then stimulating them with his hands. Liam was melting and aroused at the same time. Not wanting to play the passive role, he fumbled for Cal's bulge with his hand, and began to tease him.

However, the man was not confused and pulled away from him, unzipped his pants and pulled down his underwear to let his other self out. Liam became enthralled and embraced the hot, throbbing organ with the palm of his hand.

They began to compete to see who would turn the other on harder, and soon both succeeded with a solid draw. Cal got to his cock as well and released it to fondle it. Throwing off the rest of their clothes, they pressed their blazing bodies together, experiencing unspeakable pleasure.

Liam joined their cocks together and Cal took the initiative, wrapped his arm around them and began to move as if penetrating him. The dizzying eroticism of what was happening made Liam's head and back go numb. He didn't know if he had enough of these manipulations to satisfy the passion simmering inside him.

The more Cal moved and rubbed his cock brazenly, the more he wanted to feel it inside him, and even began to fear that this was where it would end. He soaked his fingers in saliva and lowered himself to his quivering anus. Carefully inserting one finger into himself at a time, he turned himself on so that Cal stopped.

"You're so impatient," he whispered, "but once you've started, keep going. I'll hold back for you."

Liam continued and soon felt ready. Cal pulled him to him and lifted him up, at the same time pressing his bent legs against the bed. In this position, the man could perfectly see everything his partner was doing and as he began to enter him for the first time he was able to view it too.

But soon, he didn't care about anything because the sensations inside and outside raised the degree of his arousal to the maximum, and he thoughtfully covered his mouth with a pillow, so as not to disturb the whole boarding house with moans.

His cock jerked and spurted onto his chest and face, and at the same time Cal felt a tight squeeze around his organ and slowed down for a moment so as not to injure Liam. Waiting for him to relax, he continued to rub against his soft hot walls inside, nearing his finale.

Liam was still in sweet exhaustion when he felt something like a small pop inside him, and then the hot, thick liquid poured out, following Cal's cock as it left the confines of his body.

"Shit," the man swore.

"What?" Liam asked, struggling to open his eyes.

"We forgot the condom".

Liam covered his face with his hands and laughed again.

"It's the Frau's fault," Cal laughed beside him.

"Exactly," Liam laughed.