Fourth and Gemini were walking very close to each other again, their hands slapping against each other again and again, and they pretended not to notice, although they both enjoyed this even brief touch.  Gemini was carrying a sword in his other hand.  They walked back to the Institute slowly, tired and sleepy, but happy.  NuNew was relieved that this was over, being bait wasn't all that fun.  The mere mention of the disgusting creations they had faced made him sicken.  To take his mind off of it, he looked ahead at Gemini and Fourth walking ahead of him.  He envied their innocent intimacy a little, the natural chemistry between them.  He saw Fourth say something to Gemini, and Gem looked at him for a brief moment, then looked away, failing to hide a smile.  NuNew couldn't resist the temptation and stepped in between the boys, throwing his arms around their shoulders.

“And how do you feel after your first mission?”

“More like two,” Fourth added with a smile.  “Excellent! I'm serious!  And check out our outfits!  I think we all look beautiful in black.  Hey, that's right, Nu, because you said something about another music video.  How about the next music video featuring mafia-style dancers in black and with  gold jewelry?  And with those mega fancy sunglasses?”

“Good idea, Nong Fourth.  And if you say so, why don't you and Gemini perform with me?”

“We?!”  They both asked simultaneously.

“Yes, both of you.  Fourth you've already sung with me and I know you have a beautiful voice, and you Gemini, don't you already remember that at the beginning of your stay here, before the training and classes started in earnest, you sometimes played the guitar and sang?  I heard you.  Phuwin could play the piano and Pond has brilliant muscles, we could use that as an asset.  Joong has already agreed to perform as a dancer and I think that with such a crew we would definitely win the hearts of fans.”

“You're a businessman again, P'New,” Gemini grinned, hearing the obvious enthusiasm in his friend's voice.  “I understand you want me to convince Phu?”

“Could you?” NuNew made a face that Gemini found hard to say no to, especially when he looked at his hopeful and enthusiastic eyes.

“Of course, P'New.  You know I owe you.” Gemini pointed his chin gently at Fourth.  NuNew understood.

“Actually, I owe you.”

“What?  Why?  How?”

“I loved Fourth, but not like this.  It was you two who made me realize that sometimes the right person for us is not the one we think is right, but the one that seems unattainable.”

“You're talking about Zee,” Gemini stated simply.

“Yes.  And that's why I thank you.  By the way, nong Gemini, how did you know?”

“Remember the day we went to ask Zee for help finding my stranger?”

New frowned and thought.  The day they went to ask Zee for help?  Of course he remembered that, Zee had yelled at them then, claiming that Knights of Light Institute wasn't a marriage agency and wouldn't deal with such nonsense.

“Your Zee admitted then that he had feelings for you.  In fact, he agreed to help us, but he asked me not to tell you because you already have too much on your plate.  He was worried about you and didn't want to add more responsibilities to you, and that's when I realized he had a crush on you.”

“You're very observant.”

“Of course.  I had to learn this as I searched for my stranger, I searched for him for so long, I lost hope and gained it again, it drove me to despair at times.  Sometimes I thought I saw him, that it must be him, but then the boy would turn around, and all I felt was disappointment.  This is what taught me perceptiveness, made me observe my surroundings more closely, singing helped me deal with all this, through music I learned to convey what I feel, and these were different, sometimes extreme emotions” Gemini smiled again and only then both of them  and New remembered the company of Nattawat, who was listening to them with obvious curiosity and flushed face.  It was weird to hear about how Gemini was looking for him, that he was singing songs and playing guitar at the time.

“Gem, could you play the guitar for me?  I've never heard you play or sing,” he asked.

“Gem is so beautiful and handsome, he fights demons, and being the leader of the group comes so easily to him, and if he can play the guitar, it makes him even hotter than I thought!  How can I resist such a cutie?!”  Fourth thought, and his "cutie" just at that moment seemed to get an injection of new energy.  All of a sudden, he started dancing around him and NuNew, waving his arms weirdly, whistling and jumping up and down as if he hadn't had a long, tiring day after all.  Fatigue and drowsiness gave way to joy and excitement.  Finally he stopped and said.

“Sure.  Just wondering which song to choose.”

“Play me your favorite song.”

“Okay, young Mr. Fourth,” Gemini joked, bowing low.  “As you wish, Master.”

“We've reached my room.  We'll part here.  Don't forget to come to the morning meeting before breakfast.  I think P'Zee will be back by now,”  NuNew informed them as they reached the door of room 211 New shared with Phuwin.  Phuwin, as usual, disappeared somewhere.  NuNew may have asked him to play the piano in his new music video himself, but he wasn't as close to him and was afraid that if he approached him directly, Phu might think he was taking advantage of him.  to stand out on his talent, which was somewhat true.  Besides, New preferred to leave the task to someone much closer to Phuwin, his younger brother, Gemini.  He believed that the boy would convince his brother more easily than if he had to do it himself.  He said a quick "Goodnight" to them and went off for a well-deserved rest.

First was surprised at how much he was able to accomplish.  Kaownah and Earth led the procession and went over every move, every word, and everything that had happened.  Taking advantage of the fact that the Non-Magical were unable to see or hear them, they laughed out loud.  Their presence was sensed only by a large black cat, which, upon seeing them, scurried among the garbage cans for segregated waste.

They were filled with joy at a job well done.  NuNew left them first.  The others split up in the corridor as each entered his room.  Only Gem and Fourth walked a little apart now, as if having no one else to accompany them had made them more shy.

“So how?  Are you staying with me today too?” Gemini asked.

“Can I?”

“Sure.  And as soon as Zee comes back, we'll ask him to let you stay with me permanently.  I have a large room, we will fit in.  And if you want, I can play guitar for you every day.  And you'll tell me about your life and how your day was.  Just think about it!  It will be wonderful!”

Fourth smiled at the thought of living together.  He found himself enjoying the thought, and as recently as 7 months ago, he was ready to escape Gemini to another reality or a nearby galaxy.  Now that he knew that parallel reality was easier to get to than the nearest galaxy, and that he got to know Norawit better, he began to see what his eyes had been blind to before.

“Thanks then! The truth is, I don't like sleeping alone.”

“Well, now you'll never have to sleep alone again, I promise, my handsome stranger.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“I guess I'm too used to it.  I've been looking for you for over 3 years, it's become a habit.”

* * *

This time, Khaotung allowed himself to break the rule imposed by Zee, and he also stayed awake in his boyfriend's room.  Thanawat, despite having been a Knight of the Light for some time, was demoted by Zee and had to undertake training just like the other students.  It didn't suit him, especially since he returned to Formula 1 at the end of the season. And the fans demanded more episodes from abandoned and often haunted places.

First intertwined the fingers of their hands and led him to his own place.  The room was slightly smaller than Khaotung's, but still comfortable and warmly decorated.  There was a flag painted diagonally across the middle of the window in shades of green and blue, Khao recognized it immediately, in the Non-Magical world this flag was called the Gay Pride Flag.  He smiled, seeing on the wall not only photos of First with Fourth, but also his own.  He noticed that one of them had blue hearts drawn around both eyes.

“What's that?  Why did you paint hearts on them?  Do you like my eyes?”

“I love them,” First admitted without hesitation and hugged Khaotung from behind, standing behind him.

“Oh, that's why you keep staring at me”

“What, I have no right to look at my boyfriend? hmmm?”

“I don't forbid you.”

“Thanks,”  he said in English and added.  “You did great today.”

“You were good too. No, wait... No.  You were amazing today!  See how much you already know.”

“Because I have great teachers.”

“I'm starting to be glad Zee demoted me, because it allows me to study with you and have more opportunities to watch you and spend time with you. I guess I'll thank him for that.”

“And you don't have a race this weekend?”

“Unfortunately, I have.” Khao sighed heavily and pulled himself out of First's embrace.  He walked over to the closet and started looking through his boyfriend's clothes.  He quickly chose an ensemble for himself: an orange tank top and short gray shorts.  “I'm going to take a bath, and you call the house elf and ask him to come up with something to eat, Pond's got me hungry.”

“Okay, but I won't let you go that easily.” First clung to Khaotung again, but this time he was facing him.

“Ummm?  Have I forgotten something?”

“Yes, you forgot.”  First tapped his own cheek with a finger, looking at Khao suggestively.  “Where's my reward for today?”

Khaotung laughed and First thought again how much he loved that laugh, it was full of joy, melodious, just wonderful, one of the most beautiful sounds he's ever heard.  Perhaps only Khaotung's voice was more beautiful when he told him that he loved him.  He didn't wait for Thanawat to kiss him, he leaned in slightly and placed a gentle kiss on Khaotung's cheek himself.

“Oh, I was supposed to give you the reward, not you me?”

„I think we both deserved an award today.”

“You're right.  By the way, do you even realize how damn cute you are and how much I love you?”

“Yes, I know, you remind me every day.” Suddenly First's throat tightened with emotion.  Tears of happiness and disbelief flowed from his eyes before he knew what was happening to him.  He wiped them with the back of his hand.  Khao's arms felt pleasantly warm and he knew he was safe, something he had never felt before.  He understood that home is not a place, but a person who can make any place unique and give it warmth and colors.  Over the past 7 months, his world has changed completely, and so has he.  He believed in love again (or maybe he never really stopped believing in it, he was just afraid to open his heart, he didn't want to get hurt again), Dr. Jimmy found a way to remove his scars (he almost cried when Jimmy suggested it to him,  but upon reflection, he decided that he wanted these scars to remain on his body, after all, they were a testimony to his life, his struggle, his good heart, which preferred to hurt itself rather than let others suffer), he found true friends at the Institute and now only  one thing worried him: that he didn't know his real parents.  He had learned a lot about his mother from Max, with whom he shared an apartment, but even Max knew little about his father.  He waited impatiently for the day they would meet their mother, but it still hadn't arrived.
Khaotung noticed that his boyfriend was deep in thought and took advantage of his inattention to brush his lips against First's lips.

“What?”

“Nothing, but first you ask me for a reward and then all of a sudden you start ignoring me.  You are cheating on me?”   He asked, unconsciously repeating the text he heard, which came from the series they watched recently.  The series was filmed on planet Earth I and was called "The Eclipse".  First was shocked to see his doppelgänger performing with Khaotung's doppelgänger, and even more surprised to hear their names in that reality.

“Of course not.  I think I was right: I'm lucky.  If I wasn't him, I wouldn't have met you, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you, and I wouldn't be so happy today.  You know?  I've always dreamed of moments like this, of having a boyfriend who I could hug whenever I felt like it, who would tell me he loved me and wouldn't leave me just because I was sick.”

“You're not sick, you're extraordinary.”

“I am sick.  I spoke to Jimmy.  It confirmed what I already knew.  I still suffer from depression, I still suffer from post-traumatic stress, and even in our world, it will still take some time to get back to normal.  Especially since I was a victim of violence for 19 years by the people who kidnapped me and Fourth, it's a long time, it's hard to repair such damage done over the years in such a short time.”  First's voice trembled slightly as he said it, the words were difficult to pass through him  through a lump in his throat, he couldn't just call himself a "victim of violence", he had a bad connotation, the words sounded unpleasant, he didn't want to say them, but he was just repeating what Dr. Jimmy had said, and only Khaotung was standing in front of him  , his Khaotung, his boyfriend and friend, his soul mate, someone he loved most in the world and trusted.  That's probably why he made that confession.

“Don't worry, these people will pay for what they did to you. I promise I will see to it myself.  They won't hurt anyone anymore.”

“Thank you, but please don't hurt them too much. They did what they did, I already forgave them, leave it.  You know?  I just want to forget them, only... Only they took 19 years out of my life, 19 years when I didn't know who I was.  I've lost all these years and I can't get them back.  I will never know how my life might have turned out had they not taken us.  What if both Fourth and I could become someone else?  What if we had a chance to make our real parents proud?”

“You already do.  First, honey, listen to me carefully.  When your mother comes back and hears about what you've done and how strong you were, I'm sure she'll be as proud of you as I am now.  She will be glad that you are her sons.”

“But I was weak when I was with those people.”

“No, First, you were damn strong, and they made you think you were weak, but that's over now, it's over. Now you are safe and can be yourself.  Okay, stop talking, I really need to take a bath, I feel like everything is sticking to me.  I've been in a different climate for too long.  I'll be right back.”  Khaotung pecked First's cheek, got out of his embrace, and shuffled slowly to the bathroom.  Max still wasn't there yet, so he decided to take the opportunity to relax in the tub a little longer.  The pleasant warmth of the foaming water had a calming and lulling effect on him.  Plus, right outside the door, he had someone who taught him how to laugh again and enjoy even the little things like the taste of coffee, the chirping of birds, the chirping of crickets, and the gentle scent of First's delicate cologne.  He could confidently say that happiness has a scent and a name.

* * *

When Fourth came out of the bathroom, Gemini was speechless at the sight of him.  For a long time he sat upright in the chair in front of the desk, where he was busy writing his part of the report.  He knew P'Zee wouldn't let them go if they didn't write it, and he preferred to get the boring job done.  Fourth stood in front of him in nothing but long navy blue pajama bottoms, his chest completely bare and tiny droplets of water still visible in places.  According to Gemini, Fourth looked phenomenal and unearthly.  There was a persistent thought in his head that if he didn't give him a blouse, he wouldn't be able to focus on anything else.  The shirtless Fourth was definitely a sight beyond the strength and endurance of poor Gemini, whose heart was beating fast and loud and his breathing became strangely loud and shallow.

“F-Fourth?  W-why wouldn't you get dressed?”  he asked in a deep voice that didn't suit him.  He always stuttered when he was nervous, and this time his nervousness had reached the limit.

“Have I made you shy?” Fourth asked, amused by the boy's reaction.  He had a lot of fun teasing him.  He loved Norawit's pissed off face.  He always wanted to come over and pinch his cheek or kiss his furrowed brow.  It was so fun and cute!  Fourth couldn't help but annoy him with his jokes.

Gemini, seeing that he couldn't win against Fourth, did something he didn't expect at all.  Instead of giving Fourth a shirt, he took off his black, shiny, velvet mission shirt, and now he, too, was parading around the room in nothing but trousers, black, skintight leather pants that perfectly showed off his tall, shapely legs.  Fourth swallowed hard, wondering how the hell he was going to manage to keep his hands to himself when such a hot cake was right in front of his nose?

“Are you getting back at me?” He asked mostly to buy himself time to think what did actually had happened.

“Not at all.  It's hot in here, don't you think?”

Fourth wasn't sure if Gemini was serious or just making fun of him, but Gem didn't give him a chance to think about it for long.  He snatched a teddy bear in the shape of a large colored bear from the bed and hit Fourth in the back with it.

“Want to fight?! You want fight! This means war!”   He called to him happily and began to squeal with delight as Nattawat grabbed a pillow and started running after him around the room.  There was no end to their screams and laughter.  They ran in circles until Gemini opened the door and ran out into the corridor, where he collided with Max returning from somewhere with a grim expression on his face.

“Oh! Sorry!”  Gemini just said and fled back to his room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it.  His peace did not last long.  Moments later, a familiar voice was heard.

“Nong Gemini, it's me, P'Gun, let me in,”  a muffled voice outside asked.  Gem obediently opened it and saw Fourth's guardian smiling.

“Good evening, P'Gun.”

“Good evening, Gemini.  Don't you think you should go to sleep now?”

“Err?” Gemini looked blankly at Gun.  Gun showed him the watch on his wrist, which read 2:28 am.

“How do you boys get so much energy?”

“I have no idea, P'Gun.”

“Okay, that's okay, you can play, but be quieter, or someone else will think you've been attacked. Go to sleep now.  P'Tay will spend the night with me tonight, and you Fourth can stay here.  I'll talk to nong Zee about everything, don't worry.  I've noticed you've been sleeping here more than at your place lately, nong Fourth, I think you'd be better off just moving in together.  I don't know why Zee came up with this whole partner swap thing, it's never happened before.  Well, goodnight boys, go straight to bed.”

“Good night, P'Gun,” they both said, and followed Gun with their eyes to the room that usually belonged to Fourth.

Gemini thought about what Gun and Off had in common.

  He knew that Off liked Gun precisely for his flamboyance and a certain eccentricity.  Gun Atthaphan has always stood out from the crowd, and not only because of his short height or radiant smile of large, full lips covered with light pink lipstick.  Gun was just unique and charming.  People loved him, wanted to know as much as possible about his performances, often supported both of them by sending them gifts.  Off was extremely proud that Gun was his husband and sometimes bragged about him by posting pictures on his Instagram profile.  Fans joked that at this stage Off had turned his Instagram account into a fan page for Gun.  Off loved to spend time reading comments from fans.  He even discovered an app called wattpad, where a separate category of books that anyone could write was a category called fanfiction.  Once, as a joke, he entered the phrase "OffGun" in the search engine and discovered that he had dug up a real treasure trove of knowledge about himself and his husband.  Some of the stories amused him, others annoyed him, and still others made no impression on him.  And when he came across a more interesting passage, he took screenshots to later read it aloud in the presence of Gun.  For Gemini and Khaotung, the two represented him, which they themselves desired.  Khao wanted to marry First, and Gemini couldn't shake the dream of one day starting a family with Fourth, even if they were still very young now.

Gemini thought about all this as he took a quick shower.  He used plenty of shower gel to make it smell as good as possible, brushed his teeth, towel-dried his hair dry, looked at his own face in the mirror over the sink from every angle, making sure he looked good, and only then returned to his room.

Gemini made himself comfortable on the bed on his right side, which allowed him to stare with impunity at Fourth's reading.  The boy read the notes NuNew had given him about hybrids, myths, urban legends, and prophecies that heralded the coming of a Hybrid much more powerful than the others.  It hadn't yet dawned on him that he, First, or Gemini could be the announced Hybrid.  One word pounded in his head as if for no apparent reason.

Nephilim.

The child of an angel and a human woman.

He heard those rumors too.  He knew what was said about him and his brother, First.  Both are said to have been the sons of an angel.

«I?  Is it possible?  After all, until recently, me and First were just ordinary human boys, kids with no future and a terrible past.  How is this possible?  No, it's definitely a mistake.  I'm just an ordinary man.  Totally ordinary.»

But then he thought about what had happened in the last 7 months and he wasn't so sure about his ordinariness anymore.

Meanwhile, Gemini noticed the grim grimace on his face, moved closer and started massaging his forehead, trying to keep it from wrinkling.

“What are you doing?”  Fourth asked, startled from his thoughts.

“Nothing special.  I just don't want you to be sad.”

“I'm not sad, I'm just thinking. Hey, that's right!  You think one of us might be that Hybrid with a capital H?”

“Are you talking about a messenger who is to become the leader of all Shadowhunters and lead them alongside the archangels to complete victory over evil and Satan?”

“Uhm.”

“I don't think so.  Rather, it seems to me that one of us may be strong enough to defeat the demons in our territory, as Harry Potter and Alexander Lightwood did, but only the archangel Michael can defeat Satan, the most important and powerful of the fallen angels.”

Fourth looked Gemini in the eye and found the courage to tell what had been bothering him for a long time.

“Because you see, Gemi... I heard Zee and Max talking to each other... Me and First... We...”

“Go ahead, tell me. Don't be afraid, it's just me, Gemini.  I'm here to listen to you.  Always.”

“So Zee said it was possible that First and I might be the sons of the archangel Michael.”

“No way!”  Gemini sat up straight at this news.

“He said so.  I myself have a lot of doubts, I'm just an ordinary boy, how can I be the son of the most important of the archangels?”

“You're not ordinary. You are special, not only to me, you are special in general.  I've been watching you, I've talked to Nu about it, we both know it might be true.”

“And you didn't tell me?”

“I didn't know how to do it.”

“But I can't fight demons.”

“You killed one today, so yes, you can.  You just have to believe in yourself.  If you want, I'll try to ask Zee about it as soon as she gets back.  Maybe we'll find out more?  And for now, it's time to go to bed, don't you think?  Come, hold me tight so you don't have nightmares.  We'll think about it all tomorrow.”

👀❤️🔋🧡😄😅🤔🎊🎈🍾🎁🎉🥺😴🎂😔💜🤍💔🤗😬😍💎☺️😜😭♊4️⃣🤩🥰💯😉😂🙏🪄✨

From Annie:

I'm sorry for previous chapter! I really am! I hope this one is good enough to make up for that 🤗

I love you!