Caleb might not have been quite so easily distracted if Caduceus didn't know exactly what to say to get him so wonderfully worked up. He wasn't complaining about it, he could never, but it may have been a bit easier to concentrate on other things if his entire being didn't want to gravitate towards him. They had never been like this back home, true, but they had also never had the opportunity to be. They'd spent a good deal of time together and Caduceus often moved to cover Caleb in a battle, so the connection was ready to be forged. It had just taken being alone together in a strange place with only the other to cling to in order for it to finally come together. It made Caleb want to stay in this place forever. He didn't want to go back to being a person who hadn't yet realized how stupidly in love he was.
That praise, though. Surely Caduceus had to know what he was doing there. They may have been fumbling through everything else, but there was so much confidence when he spoke like this, Caleb couldn't help but think he was completely aware of the effect it had. Everything about that drew him in and kept him tucked in tight against Caduceus' chest. He didn't want to pull away when Caduceus reached down and eased him back. But he did it because Caduceus asked. And there must be a good reason if he asked.
His gaze was a little unfocused and his cheeks were still warm and red, but he looked elated just to have Caduceus touching him. He nuzzled into the soft palm and watched attentively as Caduceus opened his robe. He hadn't been told not to touch - and why would Caduceus tell him such a thing? - so he reached out and trailed his fingers across his chest and down over his ribcage to settle on his waist, comfortably between fabric and flesh. For a moment he didn't respond, but it wasn't because he wasn't listening. His brain was just working, very slowly, to get somewhere first. "Bren," he softly corrected. "Would you call me by my real name when we're together, like this, alone?" He'd been turning it over in his head for a while, but it was the first time he felt brave enough to ask.
But he nodded then and shifted to more fully face Caduceus. He had a fairly good idea of what was happening even before Caduceus spoke again, so he was already ready with another eager nod. He opened his mouth obediently, the simple act winding him up a little tighter than he had been before. But he pushed that excitement down and concentrated on the flavor. It was amazing, even if it wasn't quite the Zemnian flavor he remembered, and he let himself sit with the taste for a while before answering. "Green apples," he said, "touch more cream. You could use a streusel instead of the crust on the top if you wanted, but that's more texture than flavor and I like this way just as much."
He felt he owed Caduceus the most honest answer he could give because he wanted to make this better for Caleb. It was a gift he was offering and it would be an insult to that gift if he didn't try his hardest. He reached out and tapped the back of Caduceus' hand, the one holding the fork, and leaned in again. "More, ja?" he asked.