Chapter Text
On the day of their flight to Vaduz, Martin awoke on his worn-out futon in the attic room at Parkside Terrace at dawn. This wasn’t noteworthy as such, except for the man lying beside him.
Douglas was still sleeping. His mouth slightly opened, he made soft chortling noises with every second breath. Sometime during the night they must have discarded the blanket, because, now, Douglas lay sprawled all over it, taking up most of the room of the not so large mattress. Martin allowed himself a small smile. It was the first time Douglas stayed overnight at his place.
Martin found it hard to believe, but they’d actually become sort of a couple. These days Douglas wouldn’t object too strongly when Carolyn booked them into one room. Or he invited Martin for dinner when there weren’t any MJN flights. Martin even got the benefit of Douglas’ oversized bathtub, complete with fluffy towels and all. He’d shyly suggested it one day after an especially demanding van job. Since then, it had become kind of a habit relaxing in there together.
And there was the sex, which still felt new and exiting. It was almost embarrassing how much Martin wanted it, or more precisely, how much he wanted it with Douglas. Two middle-aged men, colleagues, engaging in such things. There was cuddling, too, which, at times, Martin liked even better. Snuggling up on the sofa or in bed. A quick hug in the flight deck on the rare occasions they flew without cabin crew. Above all there were word games and teasing. Little bets that most likely ended with Martin on his knees.
At that point Martin’s reminiscence came to an abrupt halt as he recalled the fake phone call from the Princess of Liechtenstein a few days previously. It had turned out to be no hoax at all. How could he possibly have forgotten? Their flight was booked for today. Martin closed his eyes and took some calming breaths to shut out the upcoming anxiety. He was still suffering from bouts of shame whenever he thought of that particular incident.
At first, he’d been convinced that the so-called princess was one of Douglas’ many lady friends. Probably an ex-lover, judging by her rich, throaty voice and it had made him surprisingly jealous. But when she turned out to be genuine, oh God, he’d felt even worse. Douglas, being rather unaffected by his own faux pas, had mocked that Martin wouldn’t recognize a princess if she was handed to him on a plate. He was probably right.
Martin exhaled deeply. He had a quick look at the alarm clock sitting upon his writing desk next to the old-fashioned computer screen. It was early still. Even if they were accommodating royalties later, they didn’t need to get up for at least an hour. Martin forced himself to remain still and listen to the birdsong.
He rather didn’t want to disturb Douglas, who loved to sleep late. But Martin was an early riser at heart, mainly due to his penchant for worrying. With the King and the Princess of Liechtenstein on his mind, he really wished to spend some extra time on grooming, among other things.
Instead he cautiously lay on his side and settled on watching Douglas, his lover, as Martin reminded himself. Douglas stirred in his sleep, and then turned around until he was facing the wall opposite. On a sudden impulse, Martin edged a little closer. He reached out and let his hand glide softly along Douglas’ warm body, careful not to wake him.
It were at these times, lying awake in the twilight, that Martin found their relationship the most peculiar. In the mornings, when the memory of their lovemaking began to fade and they transformed bit by bit into their usual selves again. Then he could do with a little hug. Or at least, carding his fingers through Douglas’ soft hair or stroking his cheek. Tiny touches to reassure himself that this thing between them was actually real.
Martin sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t go back to sleep anymore. He got up, reached for his pyjama bottoms, and went to the small bathroom on the other side of the attic.
***
When Martin returned, his teeth freshly brushed, the morning sun shone brightly through the skylights, bathing the bed and its sole occupant in golden light.
“Hmm, Martin? Come ’ere,” Douglas mumbled from beneath the pillows.
The sound of the muffled voice made Martin’s heart leap for joy. Quickly he closed the door, happy smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He clambered back into bed and stretched out, before he turned over towards his lover.
Instantly he was being hauled into strong arms.
Martin looked up, half buried under Douglas’ solid figure, and stared into his smiling face. Douglas’ dark eyes were still half-lidded from sleep, which gave him his patented come-hither look. But Martin’s hungry gaze got caught by the lush lips, just inches away from his own, as if begging for a kiss. “Erm, good morning.”
Some tantalizing seconds Douglas hovered motionless as if memorizing every single feature of Martin’s upturned face. Martin got all fidgety at the unexpected scrutiny. He knew he was nothing much to look at, especially in the mornings. Eventually Douglas dropped a feather light kiss on his lips, barely touching. Martin bit back a whimper.
“Eager, are we, sir?” Douglas growled, his deep voice sending shivers of pleasure down Martin’s spine. And then, finally, he placed his hands on either side of Martin’s head and plunged into a fiery kiss.
With a sigh, Martin closed his eyes and opened his mouth to let Douglas in. He put his arms around him, pulling him downwards. Only now, he realised how much he’d been longing for this all morning. Douglas lowered himself carefully onto Martin’s body, the whole time sucking at his tongue. Martin wriggled to bring their groins together.
Now with Martin being pinned down by Douglas’ weight, their kissing got even more heated, creating a most pressing sensation in Martin’s groin. At this rate, they’d need to do something else pretty soon.
“Douglas?” Martin swallowed, never stopping the rhythmic movements of his lower body. “Shall I… erm?” He licked his lips in a manner he hoped to be suggestive, but probably just betrayed his nervousness. Then he turned his head away. Even if Douglas had been nothing but encouraging, he still was a little uncomfortable with offering sex.
“No time,” Douglas rumbled into Martin’s exposed ear. “Remember, the princess.” And then he captured Martin’s mouth once more, leaving no room for him to go down whatsoever.
Oh God, the princess. Martin had forgotten entirely, again. He pressed his lips together and tried to wriggle out from under Douglas. However, a moment later he felt a warm hand sneaking down into his pyjama bottoms. Martin gasped as Douglas enclosed his cock, rubbing the head gently, until all thoughts of royalty slipped away.
Martin squeezed his eyes shut and grabbed the sheets to stop himself from squirming. Douglas was so very, very good at this, applying the exact amount of pressure Martin liked. Soon, Douglas had himself propped up on one elbow for better access, but Martin reached out and pulled him down again, craving the contact.
God, he was so close, and Douglas was touching him all over. Martin felt as if he could go on and on forever, thrusting up, kissing soft lips, holding tight. “Oh God, don’t stop,” he moaned desperately. Seconds later, his world exploded, vision blurred by a million twinkling stars.
Afterwards, he lay just there, panting, while he gazed at the rays of sunshine streaming in from the skylights above. With a deep sigh, Martin rolled over and snuggled up, pressing his cock against Douglas’ side for a last bit of friction. He let his hand roam in a soft caress, moving furtively downwards. “Douglas, do you like me to… please.”
“Shh, it’s getting late.” Douglas pulled Martin into a tight hug and held him for some time. Then he kissed him sloppily on the lips before he sat up rather reluctantly.
“Oh God, the King and the Princess of Liechtenstein.” Martin let his head fall back in frustration. Just at the mention of their illustrious passengers, he felt heat of an entirely different kind creeping up his body. His nervous tension was back with full force. Bracing himself, he grabbed a tissue and then pulled up his pyjama bottoms. “Do you like to shower?”
“Hmm,” Douglas mused. “I do have various promising ideas about you, I and the admittedly limited space of your shower stall.” Smirking, he continued picking up his discarded clothes.
“Douglas!” Martin blushed furiously, recalling their recent activities in Douglas’ bathtub.
“Ah, I rather like that particular brand of Crieff red,” Douglas purred. Then he became serious again. “Thank you, Martin, but I’ll have to go home anyway, since I left my uniform there.”
“Oh… Okay.” Martin nodded. They hadn’t discussed this beforehand, but he felt a twinge of disappointment, especially since this was their first time here. Douglas was right though, they had to get ready. “I’ll make us some coffee,” he offered.
***
Martin hurried down the stairs, anxious not to detain Douglas any longer. He was feeling a bit bad about him not coming, too. Not that they were counting, but Douglas had proven to be a much more generous lover than Martin had ever expected. Or not expected. Truth be told, he’d had next to no expectations, when they’d started this. But due to their somewhat rough beginning, Martin hadn’t been quite aware of Douglas’ giving nature.
At this hour, Martin had the shared kitchen all to himself. He ignored the overall messiness of the place and began searching the cupboards for two mugs and his jar of instant coffee, still in a daze from their lovemaking earlier. With a goofy smile on his lips, he went over to the crowded sink and started rinsing. It had been a long time since anyone had stayed overnight.
It had felt quite natural, too. They’d had baked potatoes for dinner since Douglas was insistent on tasting this culinary highlight. To Martin’s great surprise, he prepared a very nice topping of chicken in cream sauce and even brought some wine. In the end, it turned out to be one of the best meals Martin ever had at this place. And, for the very first time, he’d felt truly at home.
“Huh, the pilot from the attic. Rough night, too?”
Startled out of his reverie, Martin wheeled around. One of the older students, Daniel or Danny as he vaguely recalled, was leaning against the doorframe. With his puffy eyes, he looked like he’d just gotten out of bed and in desperate need of a shower.
“What do you mean?” Martin blushed as he concentrated on drying off the mugs. Surely, there was no way of Danny knowing what Douglas and him had been up to… sexually.
“The old chap, he stayed overnight, didn’t he?” Daniel smirked, indicating Martin’s two mugs on his way to the fridge. He took out some milk and drank it in huge gulps straight from the bottle.
“Having guests is officially permitted, as you of all people should know,” Martin shot back, growing defensive. And, truly, he’d long lost count of all those ’friends’ staying for the night.
“Ouch, too much wine?” Daniel asked sympathetically.
“No, in fact... erm…” Martin bristled, and then he caught himself. Because it dawned on him that he’d absolutely no idea what the agricultural students’ attitude towards homosexuality was. Or, come think of it, towards being in love with an older man.
At his pained expression, Danny’s grin got even broader.
“Well, maybe a bit too much. We… were… celebrating,” Martin stammered, struggling for the right words. Oh God. Drinking rather was the perfect excuse for Douglas spending the night. Even if it felt completely inappropriate given their profession. “He’s a pilot, too. And a good friend,” he added for good measure.
“Hey, chill!” Daniel murmured. “You know what my dad says. They all drink like fish, these mighty airline captains, because the job is so boring.”
“Drinking? Boring?” Martin exclaimed, suddenly trembling with anger. “I’m an airline captain, too… and Douglas is my… my first officer… and no alcoholic. And for your information, today we’re flying his Royal Highness the King of Liechtenstein.”
Daniel’s flabbergasted expression looked almost comical. He held his hands up in mock-defence and shuffled off, muttering under his breath. Martin let out a sigh of relief. At that moment, he spotted Douglas standing in the doorway. Quickly he looked away, feeling mortified all of a sudden.
“Well, Martin, that shriek of yours was impressive,” Douglas drawled as he walked up to the worktop. He looped his hands around Martin’s middle and hugged him from behind. “Maybe you could save it for later when we’ll have to rescue the princess from the dragon,” he whispered in his ear.
“Douglas, the students!” Martin hissed, still upset. “Everyone can see us.” He made a half-hearted attempt to wriggle out of the embrace. However, when Douglas refused to let go, Martin began to relax, almost against his will. Eventually he leaned back and snuggled up to the warm body.
They drank their coffee in silence after that. From time to time, Martin shot a furtive glance at Douglas, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. Martin wondered if someday this would become easier. He sighed. Maybe it was just as well that they didn’t have time for a proper breakfast.
Shortly after, Douglas put their dirty mugs in the sink and they arranged to meet at the airfield in an hour. In the hallway they said goodbye with a quick hug and peck on the lips. It was a relief to Martin that they couldn’t be observed from the windows. Kissing Douglas in front of the students, especially Danny, still felt inexplicably wrong.
However, when the front door finally snapped shut, a boyish grin flashed over Martin’s face. In a few hours time, they’d fly to Vaduz. Out of the blue, he got all giddy with excitement.
***
Later in his attic room, after a rushed shower and dressing, Martin stooped down to open the bottom drawer of his writing desk. It took him some time to sort through the assortment of jewellery boxes, containing an old pocket watch from his grandfather, a pair of cufflinks, as well as some coins of no real value. At last, he found the slim case he was searching for and took it out.
Martin went over to the window for better light. Irresolutely he fiddled with the clasp for some time, realising that Douglas would tease him for this forever. Then, coming to a decision, he flipped the lid open. It was proper protocol after all.
Inside the box lay two medals, their ribbons carefully draped to prevent them from wrinkling. As he shifted the box towards the window, the bigger of the two, his Millennium Star, gleamed radiantly in the morning sun. Martin’s heartbeat quickened.
Gently he extricated both medals from their nest of fake velvet and polished them with a soft cloth. Then he pocketed them in his uniform jacket and cast a last look around the bedroom. Everything was fine. Smiling absently, Martin grabbed the flight bag and donned his captain’s hat.
He was ready to meet the princess.