Gregory sighed. "Look, can we talk about our current situation?"

     Gregory faces the bed. He then walks forward and lowers himself on the soft mattress. Taking a deep breath, he looks at his lover.

     Oliver slowly steps forward and trails behind Gregory. He then sits on the bed next to Gregory, maintaining a distance of about a meter. A prickling sensation in Oliver's head rises as he forces himself not to have any physical contact with his lover.

"I'm sorry. Okay...?" Gregory mumbled and averted his gaze towards the floor, folding his hands. "...I'm sorry... that... that I wanted to have intimacy with you. I was just curious. But you were afraid to dishonour yourself by transgressing upon Heaven's eyes. And you reacted the correct way. And I was wrong."

"Greg," Oliver said gently. "It's alright. You didn't know."

"But now I know," Gregory replied. "Without you, I would have remained unaware of the sin I was about to commit... so... I'm sorry..."

"Greg, I accept your apology. Don't burden yourself too heavily..." Oliver assured, gradually moving nearer Gregory.

"Still, I am deeply sorry. Please remember that I regret my decision to impose my desires upon you—as if I were one of those Asbrannians forcing their desires upon you, just as they force you into unwanted marriages," said Gregory.

"Gregory," Oliver wrapped his arms around Gregory's neck. "I don't condemn you for what happened. I am here to forgive you."

"You forgive me after all of that?" Gregory whimpered.

"Of course," Oliver smiled. "What's important is you've acknowledged your wrongdoings and apologised. That is the man that I like."

"...You're certainly one of the most forgiving mortals I've ever met," Gregory claimed. He then asked, "Why's that?"

"It's because... God Almighty is my role model, and He is forgiving. I strive to emulate His behaviour," Oliver explained with a smile.

"Will He ever forgive me if I unknowingly committed sodomy...?" Gregory inquired.

"God accepts every sincere repentance," Oliver responded.

"Wow. He surely is the most forgiving," Gregory remarked. "And you, Oli, are the most forgiving mortal that God has ever produced."

Oliver hugged Gregory. "Thank you."

"...Do you think you still love me...?" Gregory asked timidly.

"...Well... I don't 'think' I love you. It's because I 'do' love you, without any doubt," Oliver said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Gregory held Oliver's hands. "Remember that."

Oliver nodded. "Mhm."

"...I want to pray..." Gregory said as he stared into Oliver's golden eyes.

     The two men stood side by side, facing a window that framed the radiant full moon. They took deep breaths with their hands on their stomachs and their legs slightly apart. Then, they crossed themselves, starting from their foreheads to their chests and moving to their left and right shoulders.

"In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti," they invoked as they crossed themselves. Then, they folded their hands. "Amen..." they whispered.

     The two men then kneel on their knees. Their hands remain united and folded as they gaze through the window. Then, they begin praying.

"Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread," Oliver prayed.

"And forgive us our trespasses," Gregory continued.

"As we forgive those who trespassed against us."

"And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil."

"For thine is the kingdom."

"For the power."

"For the glory."

"Forever and ever," Oliver and Gregory concluded. "Amen."

     The dark blue sky illuminates the far-away, sparkling stars and galaxies. Almost no clouds roam the atmosphere, making the jaw-dropping constellations visible. The heavens bestow profound tranquillity upon the neighbourhood, silencing the barking dogs in the surrounding households. Then, a gentle breeze blows across the land, howling as it carries leaves on its journey.