Ding-ding-ding

"I am not afraid. I won't suffer anymore. I'll be free soon," these words pulsed in his head as Hope rose abruptly on his bed and groped his body convulsively, it was wet with sweat, and it was as if he were being shaken by invisible cold hands. He didn't move, staring at the dead pale palms of his hands, as if he had strained his hearing, his sight, and gasped with a violent heartbeat in anticipation of a terrible event.

"Am I alive? Have I been saved?" - he whispered.

Stinging tears rolled down his cheeks, which brought the lad out of his stupor, and he sprang from the bed and ran, stumbling, to Troy's room. The door was locked, and Hope began pounding at it with his fists:

"Grandpa! Grandpaaaa!!!!! Are you in here? Please open up!"

The lock clicked and the door was opened by a sleepy Troy, yawning and rubbing his eyes with his hands, he still spoke cheerfully as usual:

"Son, I overslept for once, sorry. Give me five minutes and I'll be ready!"

Hope stood looking at the man as if after a long separation and looking as if he had just encountered something terrible.

"What's the matter with you?" - The sight of the boy alerted the man and he immediately looked out into the hallway, checking to see if everything was well in the house.

"Grandpa...*whimper*...are you here? Did you come back to me?" - Hope remembered in detail everything he had experienced at that moment, seeing his family man nearby relaxed him a little and salty rivulets ran down his face again. The man immediately pressed him against himself. The boy's body trembled frequently, and a vague pitiful sound came out of his mouth several times.

"Son, shhhhhh. My darling, tell me what happened. I was at home, I didn't go anywhere. I'm here, I'm with you," Troy stroked his blond disheveled hair and tried to speak as calmly as possible, though he could tell he was very worried about his son's condition.

"What day is it?" - Doubt crept into Hope's heart, his brain was beginning to slowly turn on more and more power, and he wanted to find out as quickly as possible whether what he was experiencing was real.

"Thursday, honey. It's Thursday."

"Thursday? Are you sure?" - Hope recoiled and looked anxiously at Troy, but when he saw his companion's serious, uncomprehending face and nod, he immediately settled to the floor, hugged his knees, and sobbed:

"It's a dream, Grandpa! It was only a dream!"

"Snowy, he's all wet and shivering. Cover him with a blanket and I'll get some water," it was Panit's voice.

After a few seconds Hope felt warm, it was Troy who wrapped a soft warm blanket around him and then sat down next to him and hugged him:

"Why don't I take you into the kitchen and make your favorite tea? Would you like some?"

"Wait a minute...can we sit here like this for a couple minutes? Just don't go away. I need time to come to my senses," Hope spoke softly, wrapped almost completely in the bamboo soft blanket, only the top of his face visible, Hope looked back and forth at Grandpa, trying to fully realize the boundary between sleep and reality.

Troy hugged the still shaking boy tighter and rested his head on his shoulder:

"It's okay son, we'll get through this! The important thing is that we have each other."

Immediately a memory from the dream came to mind and Hope, whimpering quietly, began to shake his head to chase it away and the salty ocean water poured out again.

"What, did I say something wrong?" - Troy didn't realize what was going on at all anymore.

"Wait. Let him calm down," Panit brought a glass of water, squatted down and handed it to Hope, "Drink it, but only in small sips, otherwise you might choke in this condition"

"*Whine*...thanks!" - The kid took the glass in his hands, trying to concentrate and not drop it, and did as the new family member asked.

They sat like that together for about ten minutes until Hope finally calmed down and stopped sobbing.

"I'll go and make breakfast, boys. Panit, take him to the bath. Hope, take a shower and come downstairs. Can you do it?" - Grandpa started to get up from the floor, but was stopped by his son's hand, and he blurted out in one breath:

"You're not going anywhere today? Are you going to take my calls? If Panit wants some northern specialty, you're not going to head north of the country?"

Troy's eyes went wide, a second, and a laughter burst out, which he immediately tried to cut short as Panit angrily tsked at him:

"Haha, kid, it's like you've come back from another planet. Honey, I always pick up the phone right away, it's a cost of my profession. And what the hell is this northern dish? Look at these, shall we say, golden hands! I can make anything with them. And for that matter, there's plenty of restaurants nowadays with every kind of cuisine you can think of. Okay, let's get in the shower, and then I demand an explanation. Your mood swings are really bothering me."

"Uh-huh," was all the guy said, bringing his body to an upright position. His head was spinning, but he felt better after the conversation.

Panit led him to the bathroom and, after making sure everything was okay, disappeared behind the door.

Hope undressed and stood under the warm jets, his body beginning to warm up.

"It was just a dream... But now I'm scared... Gods, I'm so scared! School, Lion, friends. What if it all happens again...?"

After washing himself and wiping his body with a towel, he stepped out of the tub and wanted to walk to his clothes closet, but a flashback from that disgusting dream stopped him. He remembered every detail and his feelings and the moment he pulled out his mom's box.

"It's too real... How am I supposed to let it all go? My heart won't stop clenching from the pain I felt in that wild dream," Hope slumped against the wall and tried to calm himself with breathing exercises.

Apparently he stood like that for a very long time, because there was a knock on the room, but the door didn't swing open as usual, and Panit's voice was heard:

"Hope, are you all right? Do you need any help?"

"Everything's...fine! I'll be out soon!" - Hope thanked Panit in his heart for bringing him out of this sordid state and, trying not to think about anything, he quickly packed up and went downstairs. He never looked at the box for fear of losing his temper again.

The smell of peppermint wafted through the house, and Hope smiled for the first time that morning as he inhaled the scent that warmed his heart. Even if it was only the slightly raised corners of his lips, it was the beginning of something good. Walking down to the middle of the stairs, the boy removed the smile from his face as a single black bird began to peck him painfully from within:

"You had a joyous morning in that dream. How did it all end?"

The table was already set, tea for Hope and Panit, black coffee for Troy, sandwiches and mom's favorite scones Tao So.

"Sit down! Tell me about it," Troy pushed back the chair, inviting his son in for questioning.

"Snowн, don't push the boy. Let him eat," Grandpa's boyfriend interceded for Hope.

"Honey, are you his mommy? Even if you are, ha ha, Daddy's in charge in this house!" - laughed Troy.

"Grandpa, I just had a nightmare. Nothing to talk about," Hope muttered and sat down in the offered seat.

"I wonder what was that dream about if it caused such a violent reaction. I want to know everything! Forgive grandpa for his weakness. Informed is armed! And I got to keep an eye on you," Troy insisted, and Hope, as usual, gave in.

"Well, I came to school and everyone there already knew about my work, pictures of me were posted in the school forum and... well, I became an outcast and a nasty slut to everyone. Hia rejected me, almost all my friends turned their backs on me... Grandpa, it was so real. I was running home through the streets, wet and dirty, no one helped me!" - Hope spoke slowly at first, and then emotion took over his mind again, and he began to particulate.

"Wait, what about me, where was I? I was supposed to fly in like superman and save you, no other way," Troy wheeled his chest out.

"You... you and Panit went to Lampan and didn't pick up the phone, I called you from a pay phone a dozen times."

"Wow! You should have realized right away that it was just an illusion! I will never, ever, ever leave you," Troy became agitated and Panit immediately placed his palm on his hand.

The man sighed and put his arms around his son:

"My boy, you know how dear you are to me and I always stay at the lower start, always ready to help you in any situation. That will never change as long as I'm alive. Though even from the other side of the world I can reach my golden hands if I need to, haha. And this dream... You can only reach the dawn by the path of night, someone said so. You look like you're doing well, but you've got so many fears inside, they've come out like this. And... ahem... what's with the Hia rejection?"

Hope perked up, realizing he'd blabbed, and it didn't escape the keen attention of Troy, who was now gazing intently into the two oceans with one eyebrow raised.

Hope was silent, not knowing how to begin, and Panit, apparently sensing the boy's discomfort, almost sang out: "And the drinks are almost cold. Oh, those scones smell so good, Hia."

"Alright, we'll talk after the practice... You got it," he squinted his eyes at his little boy with a smile and began to put sugar in his cup.

Breakfast passed in silence, and then it was just as usual: a half hour jog, practicing hand-to-hand combat techniques, showering, packing, and then they had said goodbye to Panit, one with a word and the other with a gentle kiss on the cheek.

As the man started the car, Hope remembered Mali and hurried to find out where she was now. Troy told him that Dr. Sunan had picked her up last night, they had revealed their parentage to her, and she had agreed to go with him.

Once on the road, Troy decided to talk again, apparently because the boy sitting next to him was silently looking at the pictures of the waking city running by and sighing often:

"Son, are you still scared?"

"Uh-huh, that dream embodied all my... ahem... fears, and I can't relax yet because I realize - it could very well happen to me"

"Okay, I'll say it again, fear is the shackles that will keep you from moving forward. Deal with it, it's not like you at all. Son, I'll say it again - no matter what happens, I will always have your back and support you. In my universe, all problems are solvable. It's just a dream, but if something like this ever happens, I'll gag all Hias, fellow students and unfriends with a filthy gag, you know that, right?!"

"I know, Grandpa," Hope smiled back.

"Let's rewind time. You were over the moon yesterday. I want to hear a detailed report from you, because Norman didn't say much of anything intelligible, mostly giggling, and then he hang up, apparently on a work call."

"Yesterday...oh, it feels like a week ago."

"Well, my goody-goody, tell Grandpa, or his heart will go BANG and burst with curiosity, and it's only just getting to full strength," Troy's lower lip puckered and quivered, and saucer-sized eyes framed his eyebrows.

Hope smiled genuinely at the sight of the beggar and the realization of what Troy was talking about - baby Panit had come into his life:

"Will me and...Lion be able to be as close? What will he decide? How will he behave?"

"Come on! I'm really going to burst!" - The man's body shook as if in convulsions, and he even pressed the buzzer a couple times.

"Okaaaay, Grandpa, just drive calmly, please. I still want to live," Hope said cheerfully, and hesitated a little, remembering the ending of the dream, but immediately pulled himself together and continued: "Yesterday, a coach came to see me at the Club... And..."

"Aaaand???"

"And we talked. That was it. He said he'd think about us and our future."

"That's it? Two and a half hours of talking?"

"Did you... Grandpa, what else did you hear from Norman?"

"So there was something to hear about?" - Grandpa gleamed his snow-white smile and nodded his head to his thoughts.

"Nothing happened...well almost...we showered together and just lay next to each other, chatting, I told him about my life. And... he's apparently jealous of me and Jean."

"Well, well. Ahem. Jealous of a classmate - what a jerk. And you showered together? Something's not adding up. There's obviously some significant detail missing between the lines."

"Grandpaaaa! Please, let's just pretend this never happened. I'm not sure of anything yet."

"Maybe I should talk to him, this Hia who rejected you in your dream?"

"How did you know it was him?" - Hope turned sharply toward the driver.

"That's like two plus two. Ha ha. When you talk, bring him to us, I want to have a conversation with him."

"I know your conversations! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, it's not clear yet. Maybe Hia... P'Jake will think I'm a burden to him! Tying his life to me means a big backpack full of problems."

"I'll show him... or rather talk to him, if he gets rear-ended after the shower." I'll curse him and strangle him with my own hands!"

Hope laughed; Grandpa could always cheer him up with his facial expressions and words.

They turned into the school parking lot, and Hope's eyes searched for the silver Mazda. It was nowhere to be found. The clock read 7:45:

"Guess he hasn't arrived yet."

After saying goodbye to Grandpa, Hope headed for his bench. The fluffy, soft pink albizia blossoms were spreading a subtle and strong honeyed scent across the schoolyard, reminiscent of acacia.

He sat down on the wooden seat and closed his eyes:

"This dream has roused my blackbirds, they are spreading their feathers in anticipation, but I will not give in to them! I have Troy, perhaps...Lion, and friends. Nothing will scare me..."

"Ahaaaa! Gotcha!" - A cheerful summer wind named Jean swooped down sharply on Hope, ruffling his hair, and he even jumped at this sudden intrusion.

"Jeeeean you can't sneak up on me like that! Save my nerves," Hope wasn't angry, but a little irritation was present, but as soon as his friend made a changing face, he immediately relaxed, smiled, and then abruptly stood up and hugged her tightly.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing?" - Jean didn't pull away, accepting Hope's feelings, but was also confused.

Hope slowly removed his hands and looked into the girl's brown eyes:

"Jean, I just want to say thank you for always being on my side, supporting and protecting me in every situation," the guy couldn't help himself because as soon as he saw Jean with a sad face, he remembered that she was the only saving island in his horrible dream.

"You're kind of weird today," Jean said softly, looking at the glint in Hope's eyes the color of processed blue coral.

They sat down on the bench. Hope coughed and, remembering what they wanted to talk about, began:

"Tell me about you and Pruit. If you weren't fighting, then what happened?"

"... The very thing," Jean mumbled and her cheeks turned pink.

Hope took long enough to process the meaning of that pair of words, and when it came to him, he immediately grabbed Jean by the shoulders and turned her around:

"You and Pruit... You slept together? Jean, did it happen by mutual consent and sympathy?"

"Take it easy, friend. Yes, by consent. Remember our conversation about losing virginity? Over the weekend, Pruit came by my place to pick up his textbook, which I 'accidentally' took... well... it happened. It was good, really good..."

"Do you love him? Does he love you? How could I have missed that?"

"Well... just don't be angry, please! I'm not happy with myself. I laid all my cards on the table for him right away, warned him it would only happen once. Who knew that this single shot would blow a huge hole in the ship of friendship?! I've accepted since Anuman that I'm a fool, and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Don't call yourself that! So you don't feel anything for him?"

"I don't know! I guess I do. What if it's just because he's the first one to touch me? Ahhhh! I just can't figure it out! I need more time, I guess, and he's been following me around and pestering me with questions and I have to hide from him. I'm a regular at the library now because it's always full of people."

"Some kind of child's play. What about talking and explaining things to him? Have you even listened to him once? You're both my friends, I don't want you two running from each other, and... this constant silence bothers me too."

"I'm not ready to talk yet... I want to sort myself out..."

"How can you tell if you don't look at him? If you want my opinion, he's a great candidate for your heart: good-looking, not dumb in his studies, funny and kind guy. It's hard for me to consider my friends as a couple yet, but I'll try to look at you from a different angle. And you! You should try it, too. Jean, I've known you since you were a kid, you're brave, sometimes even overly so. In this situation, you have to put that quality to good use. Try to give him a chance. I think... he really likes you," Hope was voicing his opinion, while simultaneously remembering everything that had come from Pruit regarding Jean lately, and becoming more and more convinced that his friend had warm feelings for their mutual friend.

"Oh, there's your 'perfect candidate for my heart' showing up," Jean stood up and was about to leave, but Hope grabbed her arm:

"Sit down!"

"Obeying!" - Jean showed the headman her tongue and plopped back on the bench.

"Hey, buddy!" - Hope greeted the boy who approached.

"Hey there!" - Pruit said hello and stood in front of the head down girl, whom Hope immediately elbowed and she mumbled: "Hello."

"There's still twenty-five minutes until the bell rings. Jean, I thought you wanted to stay here a little longer! Pruit, keep her company and I've got some Council business to take care of," Hope winked at his friend, who tried to beg for mercy with her eyes, but he just shook his head and walked toward the porch.

"Whew. Jeez! Jean has very out-of-the-box thinking. I often can't keep up with her sometimes overly daring plans that she's lightning quick to put into action," Hope thought as he remembered an incident. It was back in middle school, a Thai teacher had hit a classmate on the arm with a ruler for being distracted in class. Jean turned around, whispering to her friend that it was wrong, and within 15 minutes the man's pants were glued to his chair with superglue. And since she was the only one called to the blackboard during this period, there was no doubt who was responsible for what had happened, and she received her punishment, but with a satisfied smile on her lips as the person who had carried out the retribution.

As Hope entered the school, he walked toward the stairs, but stopped and turned his head toward the gym and the coach's office... And then he stopped breathing for a moment as his gaze was caught by the two dark pools of Jake's eyes, who was standing in the hallway, leaning against the glass wall of the gym. He was wearing a formal dark gray three-piece suit, a light gray shirt, and a cobalt-colored tie.

The lion smiled at him and waved. Hope's knees buckled, and he grabbed the railing with one hand while he quickly raised the other to chest level and waved it slightly in greeting.

The man chuckled, winked at him, and returned to the coach room, leaving the boy alone with his joy bursting out. Hope squeezed a smile inside himself as best he could, he wanted to jump and shout to the world about how happy he was in that moment:

"He was looking at me! He was smiling at me! Waving and even winked at me! Aaaaah! So it's all good, right? Yeah!"

Hope practically flew into the classroom with a blissful smile on his lips, but stopped abruptly and looked at his classmates. They all turned around and started saying hello to the headman.

"Whew, everything's fine here, thank heavens," Hope noted to himself, and then, sitting down at his desk, his thoughts went back to Jake, "He's so handsome today. That suit really fits him. And his hair's done. Probably an official meeting before school starts. He's so handsome! I wonder when I can talk to him? We should definitely do it before the carriage turns into a pumpkin... Should I ask Mrs. Makoto to take me as her bodyguard? But then Lion and I won't be able to see each other at all. No, that's not even the point. I've made my decision... but what am I supposed to do with all this now...? Aaaaaaaaaaah. I won't think about it, I'll talk to Hia and Grandpa first."

The first two classes were spent in thoughts about the Lion, Hope was doing tasks automatically, but he almost didn't hear the teacher, as he could only think about what would happen next, fantasized, but tried not to go too far, like last time, interrupting the exciting thoughts with glances at his friends. Pruit was probably in a similar state, but since the object of his affection was very close, he looked at Jean every free second, who in turn behaved unusually - all the time was focused on the teacher and textbooks.

At the break, Pruit sat down next to Jean and she didn't seem to mind, but looked at the headman and winked. Hope concluded that she had decided to give their mutual friend a chance:

"What if they could make it work? That would be great. They wouldn't have the difficulties I've had to deal with."

Hope's thoughts were interrupted by a loud:

"President!"

It was Phichit, who entered their classroom and stood up, leaning on one leg and crossing her arms. Her look was wild, and Hope's heart clenched for a moment.

"You! It's all your fault!" - In high tones she began.

"What's going on, Phichit?" - the guy tried to pull himself together and push away the visions from the dream.

"You sent Witt with me to report to the principal! That's what! That upstart kept speaking out at the wrong time and thereby humiliating me in front of Khun Pattanapong himself!" - She made a pained face and stamped her foot.

Hope exhaled:

"Our dear Phichit, I've already spoken to Witt, he has a different version of what happened. You couldn't answer a couple of questions and he, like a true gentleman, helped you out."

"Oh, that bespectacled man is a nasty one! He kept interrupting me and slandered me in front of you!"

"Phichit, you should tone it down! Admit that we're not all perfect, including you. Even an animal on four legs stumbles sometimes," Jean entered the conversation, and Hope was very surprised at her rather mild wording.

"I see. I won't find any support here! President, keep your mutts away from me! Not my level," Phichit waved her blond mane and with a sway of her hip, walked away while Hope restrained Jean, tearing into the fray:

"Nah, well, did you hear that? Who was that she called a mutt?"

"That's Phichit. The dog barks, the caravan goes on. You were just calmer than a windless night, why'd you freak out?"

"I was calm because I meditated for half the lesson, repeating affirmations calms me down and puts me in a positive frame of mind, but that bastard..."

(From the author: An affirmation is an affirmative (positive) statement. In popular psychology, an affirmation is a positive thought, a short phrase of self-hypnosis that creates the right psychological attitude)

"And what do you keep repeating there instead of learning? Give me an example. My heart smells something very interesting," Hope couldn't help but chuckle into his hand, but immediately pulled himself together and made a serious face, so Jean didn't notice it.

"It's really helping! Here, look, I'm making the right decisions despite the protests of my surroundings! I'm in tune with the universe, not fighting idiots by sputtering foam out of my mouth!" - it was as if the girl was on stage, it was said with expression and gesticulation. Hope couldn't hold back his smile any longer and applauded:

"Bravo! It suits you just fine. Did you come up with that yourself?"

"No. I found it on the internet. See, I'm getting better every day."

"Does it really work?"

"Didn't you see it? I could have brought that white-haired bitch to tears with one sentence, but... I held back. Aaahhhh! I believe I'm on the right track! Aaahhhh! If anyone wants to hurt my feelings, it's like taking meat from a mouse to feed an elephant, it would be an impractical act. Aaammmmmmmmmm," Jean folded her arms near her chest, palms interlocked, and mooed, closing her eyes.

"Isn't she cute?!" - whispered in Hope's ear by the newly returned Pruth. The headman looked at his friend, smiled, and nodded:

"We need to talk. Let's do it after third class in the rehearsal room, there's usually no one there in the first half," Hope whispered back, and immediately the bell rang. Jean awoke from her meditation and, smiling at her friends, walked silently to her seat.

After the third class, the boys secluded themselves in the music room as agreed. Pruit immediately grabbed the guitar in his hands and strummed a couple chords:

"Eh, it's not tuned. What did you want to talk about?"

"What do you got for Jean?"

The guy pulled away from his guitar, looked out the window, and sighed:

"I'll tell it like it is. I like her. Ha, to be honest, even more than like, but... I haven't told her that yet, she's been avoiding me until today, maybe we'll get to talk soon."

"I see, you don't put too much pressure on her. She looks tough, but it's not really like that. She needs time."

"Okay, buddy. Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Ahem... No. I have one more question for you. How do you feel about people of... non-traditional sexual orientation?"

"What? Ha! I don't relate to them, I'm normal," Hope's question caused Pruit to laugh and read incomprehension in his eyes.

"I see. And you consider them abnormal, then?" - The headman stepped back to the window and looked out at the pink fluffy cloud of blooming albizia.

"Hope, why the questions?"

"And if I told you I was, what would you do? Turn your back on me?" - Hope turned around and looked into his friend's shocked face.

A silence hung. The emotions on Pruit's face alternated, and his interlocutor tried to read them: shock, confusion, uncertainty, fear? And then acceptance?

Pruit lowered his gaze to his boots, then looked at the guy in front of him again and spoke:

"You know, my parents are homophobic to the core, my family hates people like... people with a different orientation. Ever since I was a little kid I've heard nothing but profanity towards them... You're just blowing up my stacked picture of the world right now. But... I think I can understand it... accept you and your way of life. I need time. I respect you and I love you. I think turning my back would be trading pearls for beads... Ha, buddy, I've had some very difficult tasks dumped on my miserable head lately... But I'm tough, smart and the most understanding fella on this planet, I can chew and swallow anything, as far as you and Jean are concerned."

"Thanks, friend," this conversation was important to Hope, as he didn't want a repeat of the situation from his dream.

"Is that the only thing you're going to say? How about to praise and admire my wisdom and honesty?" - Pruit changed from seriousness to pampering, turning on a normal version of himself.

"Oh, the great and unique! We got a class in a minute, let's run!" - Hope, smiling, ran out of the classroom, and his faithful friend rushed after him.

The lessons went on as usual. During lunch, Mali joined the boys. She had a smile on her face as she laughed at Jean's jokes and mopped herself up nicely in the curry her grandfather had made. Being surrounded by the people he loved, Hope finally banished the scary thoughts from the previous night:

"My feelings are in my power, and that's all I choose today - to be happy no matter what!"

For fifth period class, Hope practically flew, and his friends could barely keep up with him.

"I'm going to see him soon! He couldn't be smiling at me like that if he didn't feel and want something more, which means it's going to be okay," Hope reassured himself until class started, which put some confusion in his head.

Jake was acting strange in PE class. He was pushing all the students to the limit, especially the three boys on the basketball team, and the captain got the worst of it.

Hope hadn't been this tired in a long time, even his grandpa's workouts were kinda easy to him now that his muscles were toned, but what Leo was doing was a test for his body.

"What's going on? It's like he's been bitten by a flea-ridden rabid dog!" - at the boy's meaningful glances, the man only smiled carnivorously and gave a new task.

By the end of the lesson, Hope was sweating profusely, and with the School Board waiting for him in forty minutes, he decided to take a shower. As he was about to leave the gym after the final whistle, Jake called out to him:

"Captain, we need to talk!"

All the guys dispersed and they were left alone.

"Hia, are you taking such a swipe at me for missing practice?" - Hope immediately decided to find out what was bothering him, putting aside the insecurity and modesty that always showed around this man.

"No, it's just my cunning plan," Jake grinned and then winked, smiling.

"And what is that plan? I'm very curious," Hope didn't understand at all what was going on.

"No reason, I want to know something... By the way, I had a meeting with the head coach of the XY school team this morning. He's confident that victory is in their pocket. They got a new captain this year, a kid transferred from England and they say he's pretty good. Do you know him?"

"I don't know, this is the first game this season. Last year XY were in third place, but we fought them to the death in the semifinals. And this year, we got right on top of them at sectionals."

"I see. We'll look at that 'machine' tomorrow. Maybe we'll change tactics as the game progresses, but we'll start according to the proven scheme. That's it, you're free. Take a shower, you're all sweaty."

"Uh-huh. Hia..." - Hope wanted to talk a little about their relationship, since there was time and they were alone, but Jake, with another sly wink, hastily retreated.

"Everything seems fine, but something doesn't seem right. Maybe he's avoiding the conversation because he hasn't made up his mind yet. And why would he make such a mockery of a simple class? I smell bad," - with these thoughts the captain ran into the locker room, grabbed a towel and headed for the men's shower room at the gymnasium.

Hope undressed completely in the small anteroom and walked into the room, which had tiled walls and floor. There were no stalls, just eight watering cans, each with metal shelves for bath supplies.

The only person there was teammate Tong, who, upon seeing him, said loudly over the sound of the water: "What an honor, Captain! Coach really pushed us hard today! I can't move my legs, and tomorrow is the game! Okay, I rarely come off the bench, but you're our main point guard! Beast!"

Hope just nodded and turned on the shower and stood under the warm jets of water. He heard Tong finish and step out. And then the shower turned on again, but at this time the guy had already shampooed his hair and the lather was rolling down over his eyes. After rinsing his head, Hope turned his head at the sound....

His heart skipped a couple beats at first, then sped up like it was in a sprint race: "Hia?"

Lion was standing next to him, almost naked, wearing only white, short shorts, already wet from the water, which emphasized all his virtues. He was carefully applying liquid soap to every part of his pumped-up body, humming something softly, as if he didn't notice the dazed boy standing next to him.

Hope's eyes widened to their maximum size, shocked, his throat dry, his breath coming in short gasps. Even though they'd been in the shower together yesterday and even closer than they were now, this was still school territory, and the guy just couldn't help but feel nervous. After a few seconds, his brain started giving alarm signals, and the captain began frantically remembering how to breathe properly. There were two options: through the nose or through the mouth, choosing the latter, Hope finally took the breath necessary for life.

The coach was silently washing his body, and Hope was carefully looking at the gray tiles on the wall, as if they depicted a masterpiece of world culture, afraid to move:

"I'm naked...and he's almost naked...what do I do? What if someone comes in? Maybe run away! My legs are wooden. Body doesn't obey... How? I'll just wait! He'll be gone soon..."

And suddenly Hope's chaotic musings were interrupted ...

The neighboring shower turned off, his brain gave another error, and the guy stopped breathing.

"Captain, are you done yet?" - Lion's velvet voice sounded very close, giving Hope goosebumps running all over his body.

"Uh-hum," something tentative and affirmative, like a groan, came out of his mouth.

Coach's hand went to the shift lever and turned it, and then traveled toward Hope, to whom its brief flight looked as if in slow motion, so that he could make out every vein on the back of his palm... the hand reached its target and touched his chin, and he immediately dropped his eyes to the floor. Jake slowly lifted Hope's face upward and their gazes met....

The sight of the Lion with his wet hair, the drops of water on his incredibly handsome, pumped-up body, his lips and those bottomless, cosmic eyes... the guy was sucked into that abyss. Butterflies, fireworks, stars - all at once filled Hope, and his body could not control this pressure of feelings... his legs began to betray his body and shook slightly, and his eyes began to blink often, trying to blur this picture, as the waves of excitement came with more and more force.

The lion came so close that their bodies were a couple of millimeters apart, and the guy felt the heat coming from both of them.

The man moved Hope's blond hair behind his ear and leaned in toward him: "So cute. I love it when you blush like that in front of me. I want to see THIS more than once," Jake emphasized the word "this" in a languid half-whisper as he traced his gaze down the wet, neat body to a spot centered between the impotently dangling palms. At that moment, goosebumps crawled down Hope's body, and his cock began to rise up treacherously, brushing against the bare, hot thigh of the man beside him, making his face redden even more and turn the color of a ripe tomato, and he bit his lip.

A smile spread across the coach's face and he added: "I feel you'll be very happy to see me at the Club today."

The man then slipped his hand into his shorts, adjusted his excited staff and walked out of the shower room without stopping smiling, and Hope, unable to stand on his feet any longer, leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, grabbing his head:

"Gods...what a shame! I'm like a little piece of ice under the hot stream of a hair dryer. How can I resist when he's so close, and even without clothes...? Is this some kind of provocation? Ha, that's right! He whisked me away to meet me in the shower, and then talked me up to be alone. Hia, you're not a Lion, you're a sly fox! At the club... he said "at the club." Weeeeeeee! So we'll be alone again tonight!"

As hard as it was, Hope tried to focus on the task at hand and did a good job of running the School Board meeting. Only Phichit sat silently, arms crossed, and did not participate in the process, apparently wanting to be coaxed. But the president didn't pay attention to her this time, and she didn't say a word out of pride.

At the end Hope announced to everyone that he would probably not go to the sea with the class, as he needed to help his guardian in a very important matter. He knew from the beginning that he would not be released from work for nothing, the vacation for rainbow people was not provided, he had not decided to talk to the management, so he accepted the impossibility of this trip and did not return his thoughts to this issue. The guys took the news with sadness, except for Phichit, whose eyes immediately lit up with the anticipation of full sole power.

At the Club. In Troy's car.

"Son, are you worried? All the way there, all you did was give short answers and the occasional offhand smile. I can see everything! Won't you tell me what's wrong with you?" - Troy spoke up, turning off the engine and leaning one hand on the steering wheel.

"Grandpa, I'll tell you later. I will! Bye!" - let out Hope, running out of the car.

Running into the break room, the boy felt a sense of deja vu as once again his arrival caused an abrupt silence, his coworkers, smiling, drilling him with glances. Only Indigo and Green were absent among them.

"Hey, everyone," Hope said and made his way to the red locker for a change of clothes.

"Red, you never texted me. Should I expect you on Saturday?" - Blue began.

"Sorry, I got caught up. I'll be sure to text today," Hope still didn't trust the guys in this room enough yet, and Green was also absent, so he quickly grabbed Red's things and silently walked into the bathroom. He sat alone for about twenty minutes this time, as he didn't want to socialize with the rainbows for long, and he had something to occupy his head:

"Is Lion really going to be by my side again today...? He said so, so it must be true. Hia won't lie to me... I guess... I know so little about him... Practically nothing. I wish I knew what happened to him before I met him. I want to know everything about him! I want to read his mind! Then I'd know exactly how he feels about me. Oh, my brain stops working when he gets so close to me... What if I could come up with some kind of stop word for myself, after which I would surface from this pool of passion? It'd be nice not to lose my mind every time I'm near him. I need to come up with a psychological anchor. Let's make it... a dream. The memory of that horrible dream will bring me right back to reality. I'll make lemonade out of the ugly lemon. Stupid? Maybe. But I've got to try it."

Hope smiled at his thoughts and looked in the mirror:

"Oops, got my lenses on by habit."

The boy smiled and released his two oceans and took a satisfied look at his reflection once more. After combing his hair a third time and repeating the brushing of his teeth just in case, he rubbed a mint leaf with his fingers before exhaling and stepping out of the tub.

"Red, you're probably not interested, but I'll tell you anyway! Our crocodile is only going to work out on the road now, the twins talked him into it. And since he won't be here for a while, I'll try to get Norman to give me the green," began Orange, sprawled in his chair.

"Eh, I missed my luck. Now I'd be a meatball in this wonderful side dish and never know grief," sighed Violet, lying on the sofa and covering his eyes with his hand.

"Every fish has its own pond, every dog its own master. Don't worry so much and you'll meet your happiness," Blue sat on the kitchen chair looking tired.

"You think that sex insatiable rabbit is happy?" - Violet turned his head toward him.

"You can't kill an elephant with one self-shot! But two can do it, I think," laughed Orange at the top of his voice, and everyone supported him in their own way: Violet chuckled, Blue raised the corners of his lips slightly, Hope thought it was funny too, and he was also happy for his friend, so he smiled all 32.

"They say a new Yellow is coming soon, they've already found a suitable candidate," Orange said suddenly.

"Where's the old Yellow? He never recovered?" - Violet got up and sat on the edge of the couch.

"I don't know," Orange replied.

"I know... I know he's fine, but he's not coming back," Red said suddenly, though he hadn't originally wanted to jump into the conversation.

"Wow, our tomato boy has spoken," Violet stated good-naturedly.

"Good, if that's the case. Our old Yellow is a good fella. He's come over a couple times to our get-togethers, and by the way, he's got a swell voice," Blue smiled, apparently remembering their encounters, and Red's mind raced after those words:

"Panit really does sing great. I know, I've heard it. And the way he moans for five hours almost non-stop..."

Hope was embarrassed by his thoughts and even blushed slightly, remembering that very sleepless night.

"Indigo's wobbling around somewhere again. I hardly see him at all. On the other hand, that's good, he doesn't inspire confidence," Orange had apparently taken over Green's function of educating his colleagues about what was going on in the basement.

At that moment the door opened, and Norman spoke without entering the room:

"The beekeeper is in place! Let's get out of the hive and go get some honey! The flowers are waiting for you, stripers."

Everyone but Red sighed, and Violet even snorted as he walked past the manager.

"What, isn't that funny? Eh, I was so looking forward to cheering you up," Norman guiltily mumbled into the colorful backs, then turned to Red, "What are you standing there for? There's your 'plus half hour free' flower from yesterday waiting for you!"

Hope couldn't contain his smile and moved toward the hallway, but the man stopped him and spewed out a huge amount of information, whispering in his ear:

"He paid double the monthly rate yesterday. Ms. Makoto doesn't mind such clients, from what she said - 'If he's willing to pay 200 grand a night with this toy, let him do it. He'll play with it and give it to the next guy." We have the same situation with Green now, and before him it was with Blue, the client went to him for three months, but then he quit".

Hope couldn't believe what he was hearing:

"How did Hia manage to pay six million? Where did he get it? This has to be a joke."

Norman patted the boy on the shoulder and pushed him into the hallway. Hope didn't hesitate, he flew the eleven steps in a couple seconds and knocked a couple times on the door and immediately entered.

Lion was sitting on the bed in shorts and a t-shirt, stirring the cards with his hands:

"How about strip poker?"

The man was smiling a wide smile, but upon seeing the expression on the red-clothed guy's face, he immediately stood up and walked over with a concerned expression on his face:

"What's wrong with you? I was just kidding."

"Hia, did you really pay for a month with me?"

"Ha, you found out. And I wanted to present the news myself. I've been thinking about how to make it prettier," Lion turned around and walked over to the bed, sitting down and scratching the back of his head.

"Hia, that's a huge amount of money..." - Hope began, but he was immediately interrupted:

"I did as I saw fit. It's my decision. Sit down!" - Jake said seriously.

Hope obeyed and sat down next to him, his mind still reeling as to why Lion had done what he had done, he was afraid to speculate, not to get his hopes up.

A moment's silence, and the boy, nibbling his lips, still dared to ask a question:

"Hia, do you expect something from me? Something... certain you want to do?"

"Of course I expect...," he leaned over and ran his thumb over Hope's lips, causing him to stop breathing again, and then pulled away, laughing: "Ha ha ha! Relax, kitten! I want you to play well tomorrow. And about class... How about poker after all?"

Hope couldn't believe what was happening:

"Did he pay for me to save me from this crappy job? Does he feel something for me? He definitely does. How can you just give away six million like that?"

The guy really wanted to hug him, to snuggle up against his strong body and not let go. Tears welled up in his eyes, and Jake noticed it:

"Do what you want to do. Don't hold it back."

After those words, Hope couldn't fight his emotions any longer, and suddenly, too abruptly for both of them, jumped on his savior and hugged him tightly, pressing his face against the place where the "kindest heart in the world" was beating.

"Ah, gently, kitten. You're very strong - you'll strangle me," Lion stroked the boy's hair as he sobbed on his chest. After a while, he added: "Do you train somewhere?"

"Uh-huh. With Grandpa in the mornings," the answer came quietly and into his left armpit.

"What your Grandpa is like?"

"He's really nice, caring, strong, he makes me feel safe with him, he's...he's the best dad in the world," Hope wanted to say that he felt protected with Jake too, but didn't dare.

"I wish I could hear those words spoken to me someday," he muttered quietly.

"About your father? You want kids?" - the boy raised his head and gazed into two dark pools.

"Yes. Two. Some day. Not right now. For now, I want someone else," Jake licked his lips and squinted expressively.

"He wants me?"

"What...eek...right now?" - Hope said quietly, hiccupping.

"Ha, kitten, you're awesome! No, not now. Let's get to know each other better first. I have a lot of questions. Who are you friends with? What do you like to eat? What kind of music do you listen to? Who was the person who first got your heart?"

They spent over an hour just talking: Hope talked about his high school years, about his friends, about his food and music preferences, about his love of animals, especially dogs, about his beloved Focus, who had died early in an attempt to protect his mom. Jake listened very intently, and when the boy stopped talking, he asked:

"You still won't answer the love question?"

"Ahem... There's just not much to tell. I haven't loved anyone... before. I haven't had the chance, I've been busy all the time."

"I see," Jake smiled, bowing his head and then looked at the boy and brought his face close to his ear, which made Hope all teary and something warm spilled into his stomach, he swallowed when he heard the whisper: "Do you feel anything now? When I'm near you" Jake's lips brushed against his earlobe and then he traced a trail of kisses down his neck and nuzzled into it, taking deep breaths as he wrapped his arms around his narrow waist and dug his fingers into his back.

He took a deep breath, the feelings that came over him were very strong, this man turned him into a helpless creature every time he was near him. Mentally, Hope immediately confessed, "My heart is all yours, Hia. I want you so badly, all of you," but from somewhere in the depths came, "But not here! DREAM! DREAM!", It worked, Hope came to his senses and began to slowly put his thoughts into words:

"Hia... you're too close... I think you can tell by me how strong my feelings for you are... I'd like to give you everything I have... but not here. I'm not really me in this room, you know?"

Jake lifted his head. Even in this dimly lit room, his eyes shone, he froze, the inaudible dialog of the gray-blue and black abyss interrupted as the man smiled and ruffled his hair.

"I see. Mmmm, then the question is, how does the School Board President entertain himself?"

"None. Since I was fourteen years old, I forgot about the existence of such things. I did go to the water park with a friend," Hope remembered Oliver and mentally berated himself for even mentioning it, but Jake, to his delight, didn't care, because he wouldn't have been able to lie to him if he'd wanted to know the details.

"I think you should have a blast on your trip to the seaside with your class. Salt water, warm sand, playing till еру dawn and... I'll be there for you. It should be fun," Lion said with a smile, then closed his eyes and threw his head back.

"I probably won't be able to make it. We're not supposed to have a vacation here," Hope's words were filled with sadness, he wanted to go on this trip madly, but kept chasing the thoughts away.

"How? Maybe you should talk to the manager. Surely an option can be found. And I paid for your work hours. You have to go!" - Jake perked up and shifted his eyebrows.

"I'll give it a try, Hia. I'll talk to Norman today," the boy nodded, lip-smacking.

"We've got ten minutes left. Eh, we won't have time for cards anymore," Lion smiled and their gazes met again.

"Here he is, in front of me, looking at me with a penetrating gaze, but the soul hidden behind that gaze is inaccessible to me. We talked only about me. He listened attentively. But what is he thinking about? What makes him happy and what makes him sad? I want to know everything about him," an unsure question followed the thought:

"Maybe... you can tell me a little about yourself? I don't know much about you, Hia."

"About myself... that will take a lot of time... we won't have time for that today, kitten," the man sighed, lowering his head and looking at the fingers of his hands before turning his head to Hope and saying: "Can I kiss you?"

Hope held his breath again, "You're asking even though you paid six million for me? Does that mean...?"

Hope didn't answer, leaning down he brushed his lips against the narrow petals which stiffened for a moment and then opened and gently, but assertively, took possession of the initiate's mouth. Their tongues intertwined again and again, Jake was more experienced and took the lead, running his fingers through the golden hair and controlling the boy, never letting go. Hope wrapped his arms around the strong neck and moved closer and closer to the desirable body until Jake lifted him up and placed him on his lap without breaking the kiss. Their aroused bodies were now in full contact, and it increased the pressure with which Lion was thrusting into the boy's already weakened mouth. His strong hands slid down the silk robe to his firm buttocks, and Hope felt both of his already hard, rubbing cocks straining even harder. It went on for so long, with pauses for life-sustaining breaths, but no one wanted to stay and interrupt the hot kiss that consumed them both.

Ding-ding-ding

The sound of the alarm clock put a stop to the frenetic action. They sat in their arms and breathed heavily, recovering their breath.

"It's time for you to go home, kiddo... Shall I walk you home?" - Jake said it very quietly in a slightly hoarse, vibrating voice.

"Should I ask for another half hour?" - Hope also asked slowly and in a whisper, touching his lips to Lion's ear.

"Kitten, ah, I really want to stay with you longer, but there's a game tomorrow. And... if we're alone for a little longer, I'm not sure I can stop."

"Okay, Hia. No need to walk me out, Grandpa always picks me up," his mouth was saying exactly what his body and heart desired.

Hope got to his feet and made his way to the door, but he was suddenly encased in an embrace. Jake snuggled up behind him and brushed his lips against his hair:

"Try to get a good night's sleep, kitten. I'll see you tomorrow."

Hope stroked the strong arms embracing him and, closing his eyes, tried to memorize the moment: the warmth that spilled over his body, the happiness that filled his soul.

"See you tomorrow, Hia... Thank you...," Hope managed to squeeze out after a moment, knowing that words couldn't express the feelings he was feeling, but afraid to cry if he put them into words. Jake's hands dropped, and he left the room, his gaze lingering on the dark eyes of his savior. He memorized that gentle, radiant look in Lion's eyes.

Once inside the empty staff room, Hope pressed his back against the door and closed his eyes, trying to breathe quietly, to remove the feeling of the invisible rubber band that with every step he took wanted to pull him back in.

Suddenly.

"Did you have a hard day's work today? Why don't you share it with your eldest?" - Indigo's voice came out of nowhere and Hope flinched.

"It's okay. I'll change and go home," Red blurted out quickly, glancing at the person speaking and realizing why he hadn't noticed him, Indigo was sitting at the kitchen table in a gray t-shirt. The boy didn't wait for the conversation to continue and made his way to the bathroom.

"Running away? Well, that's okay. You and I will talk in another setting," the coworker tossed to the lurking back behind the door.

When Hope came out, the room was empty.

He'd called Grandpa to let him know he'd be a little late. He should have stopped by Norman's and asked him for a week's vacation. Hope was very nervous, realizing that he might get a negative answer, but he was still hopeful.

As he approached the door of the manager's office, he heard a groan, but decided it was just a thought and knocked on the door. Sounds could be heard behind it so he didn't leave, a minute later a disheveled Norman in a rumpled suit and a shirt unbuttoned completely:

"Ahem. Red, what are you here for? Your workday is over."

"I wanted to talk," Hope wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

"Talk," Norman didn't invite the guy into the office, so Hope looked around first, then gave out in one breath:

"P., can I have a week's vacation from this Saturday?"

"Ha, you've got a holiday every day, I see. That 'pillow guy' of yours paid for a whole month and didn't blink an eye, though I can smell he's tight on cash."

"I have a class trip. I'd like to..."

"Okay. Go ahead. I'll report to management that you're on sick leave, then you'll work it off, you'll have to extend it, Ms. Makoto won't agree otherwise, she's got you in her sights."

"I got it, P. Thanks!" - Butterflies fluttered inside Hope and he couldn't hold back a happy smile.

"See you tomorrow, then!" - Norman slammed the door shut and Hope heard muffled male voices, but he didn't care about anything right now, all he wanted to think about how he would be away from this place, how he and Lion would hold hands and walk along the sandy shore looking at the sunset.

As soon as he got into the car and Troy cheerfully greeted him, it was impossible to contain his emotions and the boy hugged his grandpa and cried:

"I'm so happy, Grandpa! I'm afraid to suffocate from the feeling. Norman has allowed me to go to the sea for a week with the class ... and Hia has also paid for a month with me at the Club ... I am so ... I love him so much! I love him so much!"

"Honey, I'm really happy for you, but let's get a couple things straight. Hia is Khun Jake? Your coach?"

"Uh-huh."

"Hmmm, I should definitely talk to him. What about the trip? You didn't tell me about it."

"The school organized a little trip to the sea for all the high school students. I thought I couldn't go with them, so I didn't tell you... What do you want to discuss with him?"

"Not what, but who! Has he confessed his feelings to you? Have you two had something before?"

"He hasn't confessed, but his eyes... told me that he cares about me. And as for 'did it happen' - we're taking our time."

"The eyes...hmm, and the words? Maybe what you saw there with the hazy gaze of a love-crazed teenager was just lust?"

"Don't say that. You don't know him."

"Do you?"

"... Grandpa, I don't want to think and speculate too much yet. I'm fine with him."

"Is he going to the sea too?"

"Uh-huh."

"Then I'm going too!"

"Grandpa! Don't! It's no use."

"That's it! I've made up my mind! Don't argue. Tell me the name of the hotel and I'll book a room for Panit and I," Troy started the engine and they drove home, the boy knew the guardian well and realized it was useless to argue with him now.

At home Hope grabbed an apple and told him he was tired and needed to get some sleep before the game tomorrow and went back to his room. He didn't even take a bite of the apple; he couldn't get a bite down his throat, even though he hadn't eaten a crumb since lunch. After changing his clothes, he turned off the light and went to bed. Images with his beloved in the lead role ran before his eyes. He, smiling, stroked his lips with his fingers, remembering their kiss, and his brain started giving urgent signals to his body, blood started rushing to his waking cock.

"No. Sleep! I need a good night's sleep! What to distract myself with? Mmmmmm. Oh! What was it Jean was saying? Affirmations. I should try it."

Hope laid on his side, rested his head comfortably on his pillow, hugged the blanket and began generating his positive affirmations, slowly falling into sleep:

"I'm not perfect and my life isn't perfect, and I don't begrudge myself for it. I'm not afraid of anything. I greet the new day with joy. I believe that I am on the right path. I believe in a bright future. I can love and I deserve to be loved."