The sweet pain

"Hadn't you better go to bed?" said Liam in a lifeless voice.

Hearing this, Cal didn't dare look up and nodded silently. He could not sleep, however. Leaving Mentor behind, the man left the cabin and climbed into the sprawling tree that shaded his dwelling. There he could feel as much grief as he liked, tearing off the leaves of the innocent tree.

When a dead space was formed around him, he pulled all his hair forward and buried his face in it. He wanted to scream, and it was so embarrassing and also painful for Liam's hurt. How could this even happen?

Cal lay down on a wide branch and squeezed his eyes shut.

How long would he have to blame himself before he let go? Wouldn't it be better to confess everything to Liam?

What could he say?

The always eloquent rich man, almost a hundred years old, felt like a worthless, drooling wimp. But imagining that Liam was winding himself up down there, turning the situation against himself, he jumped down sharply.

Whatever happens, he thought and entered the house.

Stepping carefully so as not to make any noise, he walked over to the bed where Liam was supposed to be lying. But the bed was carefully made, and the Master was gone.

Cal almost said goodbye to life.

"Liam?!" he called, looking around, "Liam?!"

The head of the Academy returned to his room in the factory. He could not use spatial movement, so he walked, enjoying the cool of the night and spitting on the danger.

As he crossed the large stone bridge, he dropped down a flower he had picked along the way, and it swirled, descending onto the water, making the reflection of the moon flutter on the silent waves...

Liam glanced at it and continued on his way. His spirits had almost calmed down, and the Head had pulled himself together.

It was okay that Cal didn't want him as much. All that mattered was that he was there for him. They would deal with the rest in time.

He collapsed tiredly into bed and fell into a restless sleep.

Cal stood outside his room all night. He kept himself awake for fear of missing Liam again. The agonizing feeling of loss tormented him more than the cruelest torture.

He waited hopefully for the morning with a firm resolve to resolve the misunderstanding.

As soon as the floorboards creaked, Cal sprang to his feet and touched the door. He didn't know when it would be appropriate to enter, but then he scolded himself for being slow and knocked decisively.

Liam flinched at the sudden intrusion - it wasn't like anyone knew he'd spent the night here...

He froze.

The knock was repeated, but not as insistent this time. His heart gave a little tingle. Liam took a few steps and swung the door open with determination.

Just as he thought, it was Cal. He stood there with red eyes.

Cal's pained look stung Liam's heart and his eyes grew sad again.

Cal stopped in front of Liam and, afraid to look him in the eye, took his hands.

The gesture made the Head get a little flustered. He was ready to be the first to apologize for his behavior yesterday, just so his friend wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

But instead of words, all he got was an embarrassed silence. Cal broke the silence.

"You first..." he said, putting a special meaning into those words.

Liam didn't understand.

"The thing is, you're the first... you're my first, I've never... It's always been just you..."

Cal ran out of words after saying so many and let Liam go.

Liam scrolled through his confession in his mind several times before he understood it all.

"..."

As he looked up at Cal, he felt the huge stone wall he had diligently erected around himself that night crumble without a trace.

Before him still stood "his Cal": handsome, sincere, and all red with shame.

"That's so sweet," thought Liam, "it turns out it's all right, he's just overexcited?"

"Are there any problems that the great Cal Xavier can't handle?"

Cal stepped toward him and took his hands again, then hugged him. He returned his loss.

"I'm sorry...I wish I could be special and the best for you, but we can only do that together. Please don't give up on me..."

Liam, warmed by the embrace, took the last phrase in amazement. How could he give up on Cal? It's inconceivable at all.

"There's nothing wrong with our inexperience, and besides...there are those to ask," Liam said slyly.

Cal pulled away.

"You mean..."

"My students have enlightened me, even when I didn't ask," Liam grinned.

"Those two..." gritted his teeth at Cal. He realized which students he was talking about.

Since it was early morning and they weren't rushing anywhere, they took their time eating breakfast and went out to enjoy the view of the terrace.

It was a place that Liam had created himself. On the stone balcony under the canopy there was a sofa and a small table for tea - everything was cozy and homely.

They sat down next to each other, and gradually the discomfort they had felt after the night's incident dissipated. Cal hugged Liam and tickled his ear with his soft kisses.

Gradually they focused on each other, unable to stop.

Cal laid Liam on the couch cushions and kissed him fondly.

The terrace was not visible from any angle, so the lovers were hidden from everyone and exposed to their desires.

Gently caressing his neck and face, Cal began undoing the sparse buttons on Mentor's plain shirt.

"What could be complicated about that? - he asked himself," all I want is to make him happy and prove my love.

The morning light fell on Liam's exposed skin, and Cal's mouth went dry. He leaned over the smooth, trembling skin and breathed on it.

He heard an intermittent sigh in response. Finding a soft pink lump, he covered it tenderly with his lips and began caressing it, alternating bites and kisses.

The teacher's body arched with a languid sensation, and he closed his eyes. As he continued his torture, Cal moved lower and back again.

Barely touching his navel, he noticed the agitated reaction of Liam's body and so he gingerly began to explore that sensitive spot. Liam reacted keenly to this caressing, and his desire increased manifold.

The lingering sensation below was becoming unbearable and when Cal finally touched it, he groaned.

"So hot," Cal smiled, "just bear with me a little longer, I'll do anything," he whispered as he grazed his parched lips. Moistening them enough, he worked his way down, making Liam squirm in anticipation.

The teacher's clothes were plain, so he had no trouble releasing his expiring lustful dignity and kissed it lovingly, consuming it deeper and more insistently.

Liam opened his eyes, breathing heavily from the rush of feelings.

"Why is this so... embarrassing," he whispered, "ah..."

Cal wanted nothing more. He pounced on Liam with redoubled enthusiasm, and he didn't last long, pouring out. The euphoria lasted a few seconds, but in a moment like that, time ceased to be felt...

Not allowing his lover to remain in an unsightly state, Cal wiped away the traces of his beatitude and enclosed the man in an embrace. Liam's still-foggy eyes gradually cleared. He reached out and touched his hand between his legs.

Cal froze in surprise.

There was nothing wrong with him; it would have to wait.

But he'd forgotten that Liam never stayed in debt and paid everything back with interest. That made his heart flinch.

He didn't move his hand away and kissed his teacher until he was dizzy, hoping he'd lose his sense of reality and back off. But he was drawn into the maelstrom. Unsatisfied desire tingled excruciatingly between his legs, reminding him of himself.

Suddenly Liam pressed against his ear and said:

"We can't avoid this...you just have to do it, you know?"

The skin on his pupil's head went numb. He froze.

Had he not misheard?

Liam stared into his eyes and stroked insistently between his legs-this torture was unbearable!

Then Cal picked up the teacher and carried him into the room. What he was about to do required an intimate setting. As he laid Liam on the bed, he hesitated for a moment, and the man, standing up, began to free him from his clothes.

It looked like it would take a triple dose of courage for Mentor to follow through. Liam realized that only a strong desire could make Cal act.

Continuously stimulating him, he got him to the point. Reaching out, he took a jar of oil from the table that he used when his skin dried out and handed it to Cal.

"Prepare me," he commanded, inwardly burning with shame. "You must gradually stretch...there."

Cal stopped breathing, frozen with the jar in his hands, and Liam turned a completely flushed face to the side to add:

"Use your fingers, one first, then two...gently..."

Teaching him what to do and how to do it seemed to be in his blood.

Cal looked like a child who had won the prettiest toy at the fair.

He hesitantly dipped his fingers into the viscous liquid and... stopped.

Easier said than done.

He crouched between Liam's bent-knee legs and ran his fingers gently from top to bottom to reach the right spot.

The thin skin trembled and clenched uncontrollably, giving away Liam's true feelings.

The sight made Cal's heart pound in his throat. As he gently rubbed the entrance, he felt it like a living thing, and, catching his mood, he gently penetrated it with one finger.

"Ah..." reacted the teacher and covered his naughty mouth with his hand.

Exploring the warm elastic tunnel, Cal began to slowly get a taste for it and overcome his embarrassment.

Feeling his finger move freely, he used some more oil and attached another finger.

Moving forward insistently, the long fingers massaged the walls affectionately and it made Liam begin to tremble little by little.

His breath hitched, and his rested flesh awoke with interest, looking for adventure again.

Cal was thrilled.

Doing such intimate, exciting things with Liam pleased him greatly. Two fingers moved effortlessly inside, and he pulled them out to moisten, attaching a third.

This time Liam's body clenched involuntarily as if to resist, and Cal froze, too.

But he had time to notice that deep breathing made it easier to penetrate, so he put his other hand on Liam's stomach and asked him to breathe evenly and deeply.

As soon as the teacher obediently breathed, it was on. This was the last stage and Cal tried very hard to relax and stretch his entrance well, remembering his admirable size.

Still, he was slow. Sensing this, Liam pulled his hand to his side:

"If you stop now, I'll get angry," he said, biting Cal's earlobe.

"I don't want to hurt you," Cal admitted.

"There's sweet pain, didn't you know?" persisted Liam.