You're like this chocolate

At the sight of the Head and his guests, well over three hundred children rose from their seats at the same time, and loud applause erupted. Unner stood next to Liam, who froze in shock and didn't dare move. The applause continued for about a minute until the Head raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet. The children were awed by their Mentor, and immediately there was silence in the hall.

"Let me introduce you to my dear Mentor and the previous Head of the Academy," Unner gestured, "many of you are familiar with Mr. Glinier. Raise your hand, who exactly did this man bring to the Academy?"

Hundreds of hands immediately flew into the air, and a lively cheer went up.

"That's right," said Unner, "now go on with your lunch and try to keep quiet so that Mr. Glinier and I can talk."

The children began to take their seats and were indeed quiet, always glancing at the Head's table, where the three men had begun their festive meal.

"I didn't expect this," Liam smiled, "this meeting, it's a pleasure."

"You are a legend, Mentor, these children are alive and happy because of your efforts. I will introduce you to the rest of the teachers later, they are on a short vacation now. By the way," Unner leaned closer to Mentor, "we have found a way to restore the Academy to the Aether."

Those words were like a healing balm to Liam's heart. He looked at Unner with moist eyes and was ready to kiss him, but he held back in time.

"How is it possible? Tell me everything in detail." Liam had forgotten all about food.

"First, eat your lunch," Cal put a spoon in the man's hand and slid a plate of appetizing broth toward him.

"Ah, yes, of course," Liam was eating soup, helping himself to a slice of bread.

After lunch, Unner invited the men into his office for a private conversation. By the way, Liam had sensed a powerful protective barrier at the Academy, even at the gate. It gave the illusion of abandonment, and an ordinary person would never have been able to see beyond the gates, of a thriving educational institution full of children. 

Liam felt an even more powerful dome in Unner's office. The room was full of books, there was a giant globe, a radio, and a desk piled with papers. Among them, the man noticed with a smile many children's drawings.

"We have to be careful," Unner said as he closed the door, explaining the precautions.

"Reasonable," Cal said and sat Liam in a comfortable chair. Without a word, he moved the pouf over to him and lifted his feet onto it.

Liam's heart melted and flowers bloomed in his heart. He wanted to jump up and kiss the man he loved, but the situation didn't allow it. Nevertheless, Cal didn't walk away from him but remained standing behind him, placing his palms on Liam's shoulders. The man in the chair froze and barely breathed.

Unner paid no attention to the strange behavior of his friends and began to discuss the curriculum and the menu in the dining hall, it seemed that in this place no one had heard of the war and all its horrors were immeasurably far away.

"Unner, I'd like to know the details of how to rebuild the Academy," Liam interrupted him.

"Oh, yes, that's right," the Head caught up and started fumbling around on the table. He rummaged through the papers, absent-mindedly looking for something, and then, suddenly snapping his fingers, went to the opposite wall and pulled out a scroll.

"Here's all the information," he held it out to Liam. The man unfolded the parchment with interest and read a few terse lines.

"That's it?" Liam wondered.

"As it turned out, yes."

"In that case, it's much simpler than we thought," Liam concluded, his face taking on a relaxed expression, "but how to organize it?"

"I think Cal might be able to help us," Unner turned to the man standing modestly.

"What can I do to help?" Cal clarified.

"We need to bring dragons into the Aether, the more, the better," Liam explained, "their spiritual power will be enough to feed our forces, so we can do what we need to do."

"Ok… but the dragons belong to the army now."

"But there's another place with dragons, isn't there?" 

Liam smiled as if he knew the answers to all the questions.

"Where?" Cal asked.

"Planet Ronu," Liam told him.

Cal realized that the man was right. There are indeed many dragons living on the Overlord's planet that belong to no one, if someone takes control of them, the plan will be implemented in no time.

"I haven't talked to Ronu in a long time, and neither has he talked to me," Cal replied.

"Then it's time to meet with him and Dai-Kun, what do you say?" Liam urged him on.

"Is it safe to travel through space here?" Cal wondered if it was possible to do it without leaving a trace.

"Yes," Unner confirmed, "there's a strong barrier."

"In that case," Cal fumbled for his crystal, then took Liam by the shoulder and they both disappeared before Unner's eyes.

"You could have taken me with you," the man said a little resentfully and sat down at the table to go over the drawings for the contest.

****

It had been a long time since Ronu had last welcomed guests, and the space had changed considerably. There were neat beds of greenery around the house and Dai-Kun was diligently watering them, encouraged by Ronu.

They were laboring together in their vegetable garden when they saw their friends coming. Ronu dropped his tools and work gloves to hurry over and greet Cal and Liam.

"It's so green here!" Liam marveled, shaking Ronu's hand.

"We must do something all the time," the man said ambiguously, casting a slightly judgmental glance at Dai-Kun.

"We were doing just fine without all those gardens," the man grumbled.

"Who begged me for ripe radishes? Who is not getting out of the peas? And who ate all the strawberries like locusts?" 

The man lovingly scolded his gluttonous dragon.

"Well, what could I do? I noticed that the strawberries were being eaten by some bugs…. and I got ahead of them."

"I only see one insatiable bug here," Ronu laughed.

Cal and Liam took a seat on a bench in the shade under an apricot tree and continued to watch the altercation with curiosity. It was summer most of the time in Dai-Kun's space, and so he and Ronu had a few harvests each.

Currently, mouth-watering fruits were hanging from the tree above their heads, making the branches sag. Cal reached out and plucked a few ripe fruits. Then he halved them, getting rid of the pips, and began to feed them to Liam.

While Ronu and Dai-Kun were arguing about how many tomato bushes to plant, Cal took a half of an apricot with his lips and leaned toward Liam, sharing the sweetness with him, and making his heart race. It was at this poignant moment that the men across the street turned their attention to them and stopped figuring things out.

"Liam, what's wrong with your hair?" Ronu was curious.

"Uh, I had to cut it off, and now I'm waiting for it to grow back."

"Oh, it's no problem at all," Ronu walked over to him and stroked his head a few times, making the hair grow extremely fast and in a few seconds the man's head was covered with thick hair. Satisfied with himself, Ronu rubbed his hands together.

"Oh," Liam touched his hair, and looked at an equally surprised Cal in amazement, "thank you…"

"You're welcome," Ronu smiled, "So, what's going on, or did you just drop by?"

"Well, a lot has happened," Liam began to recount the events of the last few years. Ron's face became more and more somber and tense. Toward the end, he could barely contain himself from interrupting Liam and starting to ask a million questions.

"Sure, you can use the dragons, I'll explain where the planet is," Ronu replied, "but are you certain that's all I can help you with?"

"Yes, Ronu, it is the safest and best place for you and Dai-Kun. When we move the children to the Aether, we'll be able to see you more often, but for now, stay here, we need to be careful," Liam said.

"Ronu, I would like to talk to you alone," Cal said suddenly.

"Okay, let's take a walk," the man nodded, "excuse us. Dai-Kun, take care of Liam," Ronu asked and left, following Cal towards the forest lake.

Dai-Kun suggested that Liam go inside and have some lemonade, which they did. Afterward, they talked for a bit, and Liam started exploring the library. About an hour later, Cal and Ronu joined them, and it was time to part ways.

From the puzzled look on Ronu's face, Liam guessed that he and Cal were having a far-from-idle conversation about green corn seedlings. But since the subject was kept from him, he couldn't demand the whole truth and resigned himself to the unknown.

They moved from Dai-Kun's space to Unner's office, and after a few words, said goodbye to return to D*** before dark. The day had been an exhausting experience for Liam, so he fell asleep in the car, Cal carefully covering him with his coat.

It was barely dark when they drove through the streets of the city, encountering many patrols along the way. However, the patrolmen had memorized the factory manager's car, and there were no brave men in the city who could demand that the driver stop.

For this reason, they passed all the roadblocks unhindered and stopped under Frau Helmitz's boarding house.

The woman was getting worried about the long absence of her guest and went out to meet Liam on the porch. When she saw the black car, she hurried to hide inside the house so as not to disturb Mr. Xavier, to escort his friend to his room.

Liam, warm from the heat, could barely move his feet, and Cal had to support him all the way upstairs. Then he made sure Liam changed into his pajamas and ate dinner. Gradually the drowsiness dissipated, and Liam began to think clearly.

But Cal avoided talking, so after making sure Liam was okay, he left rushing, making him promise to bring everything on the list they'd agreed on in the morning. Liam looked regretfully at the door that had closed. He leaned back on the pillow and dropped his hand to his stomach.

Fingering the buttons of his pajamas aimlessly, he suddenly remembered all the pleasant moments of the day gone by. Here was Cal bringing him paints, gently brushing crumbs from his face, then Cal laying his head on his shoulder…

In the next instant, Liam once again remembered the moment when Cal had treated him to apricots. For a split second, their lips had touched. Even just remembering it made Liam hot with a hidden desire.

He replayed in his mind the look on Cal's face as he leaned toward him with an apricot on his lips.

"And what did he mean by that?" — Liam felt his pants grow uncomfortable. The more, he remembered the image of the blond man, the stronger his desire became.

"Oh shit!" — Liam sat up on the bed and looked at the lump between his legs, "and what am I supposed to do about it?" He tried to touch himself, but immediately yanked his hand away. "No, this is weird. I'd better meditate," he sat down in a proper pose on the carpet and tried to breathe deeply. The discomfort of arousal bothered him for a while longer and then passed.

Finishing his meditation a few hours later, Liam struggled to get up on his stiff legs and got into bed. His head felt pleasantly empty, so he effortlessly passed out and slept until ten in the morning. It wasn't until the pesky winter sun rose higher and shone through the window that Liam opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was wash his face and brush his teeth, then go down to breakfast. Frau Helmitz had taken care of her lodger and was preparing hearty traditional meals, getting scarce food from somewhere, which made Liam convince himself that Cal had been involved.

After breakfast, he went to his place of work to meet with the elders and discuss further plans, so Cal, who arrived at eleven, didn't find him at home and returned to the factory. Liam told Twelfth the result of their trip to the Academy and the rest.

They drank strong black tea together and the man returned home, where a surprise awaited him. On the table were the bases for an underframe, judging by the smell of wood, it was pine. Liam also found an easel, small nails, pliers, and a hammer.

It looked like he had everything he needed, and he began to stretch the canvas. Carefully smoothing the canvas, he first nailed it in the center of each strip, and then, tightening it evenly, continued to fasten the fabric to the stretcher. Finally, having bent the corners, he fixed the canvas and twirled the future painting in his hands with satisfaction.

Liam did not puzzle over the subject and immediately began to paint. When Frau Helmitz went up to look for him to feed him lunch, she saw a man heavily engrossed in the process. She went in and out noiselessly. When Cal broke into the room a couple of hours later, he found the same picture – Liam hadn't gotten up, hadn't eaten, and was still painting.

The canvas clearly showed their home in the Aether. The man stopped behind him and admired it, then gently placed his hands on Liam's shoulders, causing him to flinch slightly and turn his head.

"Good job," Cal praised, looking him in the eye, "how are you feeling?"

"Very well, thank you," Liam mumbled, and at the same second his stomach growled, disagreeing with that statement.

"You haven't eaten anything since this morning, have you?" Cal smiled, "How would you like to have dinner at my place?"

"Your place? You mean at the factory?" Liam had never been there before and was genuinely interested.

"You know I have a house there. The previous owner left it to me. So, what about it?"

"Sure. I'll just wash the brushes," Liam stood up and dipped the brushes in the oil, then wiped them thoroughly with a rag.

"You can wipe your hands too," the man nodded, "and your face, God, Liam, you're covered in paint!"

Cal took a clean cloth and began wiping the paint smears on Liam's face, then ran his finger over his lips. Embarrassed, he pulled his hand away and stepped back to retrieve clothes from the closet. The man at the easel froze with his heart pounding frantically, struggling to keep the excitement in his chest at bay.

He couldn't even breathe properly, but he had to pull himself together. They left the house and got into a black car that nimbly looped through the streets of D*** to bring them to the factory. The guard at the entrance took a document from Cal that allowed an outsider to enter the grounds and, after making a note in a large book, let the men inside.

This wasn't how Liam had envisioned the factory. Once inside the courtyard, he was amazed at the number of armed guards. The soldiers looked at Cal with some disdain, and Liam was hurt by that.

"How dare they cast such glances at him, isn't this his factory?"

But Cal didn't seem at all surprised by this, and with an indifferent look led Liam down the icy path to the two-story mansion.

It was warm inside, and the men gave their outer clothing to the maid. Cal took Liam to his study first, where they drank some of his excellent cognac while they waited for dinner. When the servant announced that everything was ready, his master led the man into the small dining room, which had seating for eight people, and once they were comfortably seated at the table, they began their meal.

The cook had done his best and the table was bursting with plenty of tasty treats, but they were on small plates, so even with a good appetite, Liam could not overeat.

On the contrary, as he got up from the table, he felt like he could have had another large mug of tea and cake, but it didn't seem that sweets were served there. Cal invited him to talk in the living room and turned on some music. There seemed to be no one else in the house, but now and then, when the master needed someone, someone always appeared and then disappeared.

"How many servants do you have in the house," Liam asked, sitting down in the deep leather chair.

"Three: a cook and two assistants who do the rest of the work. And if they can't do it, or if I'm having a party, I bring in workers from the factory. I can secretly feed them or give them medicine."

"What do you think about the prisoners, do you think they deserve their fate?"

"There's no need to talk about that," Cal stopped him quietly, "I think someone here is watching me."

Liam raised his eyebrows and fell silent, putting his palm over his lips, "Wow, he can't talk in his house." The man was stirring and didn't know what to talk about, so he remained silent and uncomfortable. Cal stood up and opened a beautiful closet. From somewhere in the depths, he pulled out a red box and presented it to a confused Liam. Naturally, there was candy in there. The man smiled strained and took the chocolate in the shape of a seahorse. The melting sweetness in his mouth made him switch gears and he savored the sensation.

"Do you like it?" Cal asked.

"Yeah, it's excellent, can I have some?" Liam held out his hand, asking for more.

"Sure," Cal took a candy, but then changed his mind and threw it into his mouth. Liam was surprised, but the man covered his lips with his own, and the candy was in his mouth. His heart beat faster again.

"You're like this chocolate," the host said, and Liam looked up into his eyes in bewilderment, "no matter how much you taste it, you want more," Cal wiped his lips defiantly and looked down at the man in the chair with his most predatory gaze. Liam fell for the trick and felt a familiar discomfort. He put his foot on his leg to hide his embarrassment and coughed. "Caged bird," he thought to himself and searched his eyes for water.

"Can I have a drink?" He asked, begging with his eyes alone for Cal to stop teasing him.

The man turned to the table and slowly poured the clear liquid into a glass. As he handed it to Liam, he deliberately touched his fingers, causing the glass to shake in his hands and nearly spill. When Liam finally got the glass to his mouth, he was already nervous and didn't know where to put himself. Cal, on the other hand, was in complete control of the situation and himself. He took the glass from Liam and offered more candy.

"Although I'm more of a pastry person, I like this chocolate," he said, "did you know it's Belgian?"

"What?" Liam looked surprised at the candy in his hands and hurried to put it in his mouth, licking his fingers, "I didn't know."

"I've invested heavily in the chocolate factory because my gut tells me it's going to be a very prosperous business in the future."

"That's it," Liam muttered, realizing that Cal's thoughts had become material again.

"Did you know that Belgium already produces the most chocolate in the world? And by the way, it's the most delicious!"

"I'm not surprised you're interested," Liam smiled, shifting in his chair.

"Are you full?" Cal asked.

"Yes, thank you," Liam nodded.

"Then I'll give you this box, I've got plenty more."

"Okay."

Cal was silent for a moment, thinking about something important. He then walked over and sat on the arm of the chair like he had when he was younger, which gave Liam the feeling that he had seen something like this in the past.

"I know how to give us a letter from Teacher Ko," he suddenly said, "next week Mr. Himmler is coming here to check the camp. Rumors say that with him will arrive and his confidant, which we are interested in."

"That's it," Liam got excited, "in that case, we should take this chance, there won't be any problems, will there?"

"I don't know, we'll see," Cal said thoughtfully and lifted Liam's face to his chin. Then he brought his lips close to his, "I think it's time for you to go home."

The man in the chair was ready to cough up blood. He looked at the landlord with giant eyes and didn't know whether to cry or laugh. "What!?!! Is he turning me out?"

Cal stood up and adjusted the vest on his slender torso. He looked as good as could be today. A perfectly tailored sandy-gray suit and a black shirt – Liam had never seen a shirt like that in a store in his life.

It was obviously custom-made, just like the suit. And then there's the brooch on the vest in the shape of a hawk. "I have to stop staring. Come on, Liam, avert your gaze," the man said nervously, unable to tear himself away from contemplating the tantalizing shapes and curves.

"I'm going so crazy, what the hell!?" — he resolutely stood up and was the first to leave the room, not noticing the sly gaze of his host following him. When he got home, Liam found the envelope and read the inscription, handwritten by the late Master Ko, one more time, then set it aside and began to undress. He was still worked up, and the slightest touch to his body sent waves of shivers and pleasure through him.

Taking a quick cold shower, he jumped into his pajamas and immediately sat down to meditate to calm his mind and senses. He didn't realize Cal had returned and stood on the opposite side of the street, keeping his eyes on his window until the lights went out there. Only then did he move from his seat and wander slowly to the car waiting for him a couple of blocks away.