For once, Hope walked into the Staff Room 45 minutes before the first client, as was the Club's custom.

Four pairs of eyes met him, and the conversation immediately stopped. Blue was sprawled out on the couch, folded leg over leg, Violet stood next to him, Orange sat in a chair, and Green at the desk. Everyone was smiling at the red member of the 'family'.

The guy stood up like a dumbfounded man, not realizing what was going on.

"Hey, Red! Why did you stop like this? Come on in, we don't bite," Blue's calm voice sounded calm at first, and Red mentally tried on the clown look.

"Hi there, I'm so glad you're here early today! We have something to talk to you about," Violet immediately took the initiative, walking over to the boy and pushing him over to the locker with a changing cloth while Red tried to figure out why he was the center of everyone's attention today.

Taking his clothes, he made his way to the bathroom and turned around - his coworkers were silently escorting him with a look.

"What do they want from me? The atmosphere today is, to say the least, strange," - with these thoughts Red secluded himself and leisurely, in ten minutes, brought himself to a proper appearance.

"Are they really going to interrogate me? Maybe Blue told them he saw me in my out-of-club life? Well, I've got Green after all, he won't give me a hard time," sighing, the guy walked out of the bathroom in his red guise.

"Hmm, you took longer than usual to change today. Okay, come sit down, we have an offer for you that we hope you don't refuse like some crocodiles," Orange rambled on. Hope looked at him for the first time, his eyes were kind and sad, a stark contrast to his jovial, teenage boy persona.

Orange

"Crocodiles had better not be touched, or it will end in self-mutilation!" - Green's voice came up.

"Oh, maybe it's a good thing if you bite me! I'll turn green, my hair and legs will grow back, and the hated orange will leave me forever!" - Orange mimed a zombie and everyone laughed except Green, who hummed in a half smile and said:

"You should grow something else!"

"What are you implying, froggy? There's nothing wrong with it. Want to see it?" - Orange was already unfastening his robe, and Green covered his eyes theatrically with his hand, speaking quickly:

"Oh, don't! I've seen enough. I'm talking about curves, orange, and you keep applying my words to everything below the belt."

Red couldn't watch this cute bickering without a smile.

"So! Ready to hear our proposal?" - Blue asked, turning to the still standing guy in the red robe.

"Why are you asking? Ready or not, we'll invite him anyway, and then let him decide for himself," Violet said immediately, taking a seat on the couch.

"Alright. I'm listening," Red said slightly unsure, as he still didn't want to get too close to his coworkers, this life was just a phase he wanted to say goodbye to as soon as possible.

"Me and the guys sometimes meet up in our regular lives at Orange's house, playing poker, chatting and playing musical instruments. How do you feel about music, by the way?" - Blue began.

Red immediately threw a glance at Green, which the latter immediately caught:

"Don't look at me. I'm not with them! I'm a free wind, a lone wolf, I don't need these gatherings."

Red was interested in something else, so he walked up to the long-legged guy and whispered in his ear: "Wiretap?"

"It's all right. This room is clear, the boys checked already," Green said out loud for everyone.

"What a worrier you are after all! Learn to relax your buns in more than just your room, Red!" - chuckled Orange.

The guy grabbed some water from the fridge and as he sat down at Green's table, he felt the stares of his coworkers on him. Something had to be said, so he decided to politely decline:

"Thanks for the invitation, but I don't know if I can make it. I'm busy all the time. I can't play instruments or poker, I sing a little, but only in the shower."

"Oh, we just need a soloist! How about Saturday morning before work?" - Violet exclaimed and it wasn't what Red expected to hear.

Orange ran up and started tugging on the guy's red robe, "Come on! Agree!" - and then sat down beside him, resting his head on his arm and looking at Red with eyes full of pleading.

"Oh, what kind of a performance is this? Let another tear fall. Pull yourself together, carrot!" - threw Green, looking at his coworker's pouting lip.

"And Blue says you're very kind and considerate, just like us. Come on, join in, don't be a boo as usual," Violet came to support Orange.

Red looked at Blue, who was smiling his most friendly smile, and realized he couldn't say no to them:

"Let's give it a try, heh. But it's against the rules."

"Rules are given to be broken! We're young and we have music in our souls! Beeeeun!" - Orange announced, raising his hands to the ceiling, then apparently taking a savory chord on an imaginary guitar.

"Here you go, here's my Line, write it down and I'll throw you the instructions," Blue winked as he walked over and placed a tiny piece of paper on the table.

Red smiled as he saw the guys gathered around him, it was an atmosphere that resembled a friendly one.

"Friends...enemies...," the question ran through his mind and Red immediately asked, "Where's Indigo?"

"Blue must have done something wrong again, Norman's been reprimanding him in his office for a while now. I've seen them together a lot since Friday," the all-seeing Green immediately replied.

"It's much better without him, the atmosphere is calmer," Orange said and then added, turning to Violet, "Can you make my eyebrows a little darker?"

"Uh-huh, go ahead," the colleague in purple responded and they made their way to the couch while Blue excused himself to the restroom.

"What about you? Why are you here? I thought the twins hunted you down and you weren't going to work anymore. You spent the whole weekend at their place," Red asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd gotten here, as soon as everyone was gone.

"What makes you think I'll only have them? I feel very good with them, yes. Oh, not even that - very, very good, my soul flutters like a butterfly when I'm sausage lying in this hot dog, but... By the way, what makes you think they're serious about me? I haven't told you about any of this, that's for sure," Green spoke enthusiastically at first, and then frowned slightly.

"I... Well, I overheard a bit of their conversation that day..." - Red blushed slightly and lowered his head.

"You like to eavesdrop, then! Hahaha," the long-haired guy laughed.

"Rather want to be kept in the loop," the guy was still uncomfortable about last time, he didn't want to find out such intimate details of their encounters.

After laughing, Green made a serious face and continued: "I said no, and they, the scoundrels, pour in a lot of money, come every day and give me flowers. But I know very well - nothing lasts forever under the moon, alas. They'll do it for a while and then they'll go away."

Red saw the sadness in Green's eyes and wanted to cheer him up a little, but at that moment the door swung open and Norman bellowed across the room, "Greeeeeeeean!!!"

All the guys immediately turned around at the roar. The manager was trying to shove a huge bouquet-like structure through the door. Orange ran up to help, and the two of them dragged this incredibly sized marvel into the room.

Norman fixed his hair, exhaled, and said calmly: "Green, honey, could you talk to the handsome gentlemen Foldies about having all this shipped to your house directly? Or have them give you small toys the size of the palm of your hand, after all! I'm exhausted, it's the third day I've been lugging heavy things around."

"Khun Itto and Riley don't know where I live, so they carry everything here! What's this?" - Green's eyes glistened and he ran over to the huge bouquet and then squealed with delight, "Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! All my favorite sweets are here! Gods, it's so beautifully decorated! Red, look at the whole tree of Bow Chop candy! And there's Roti Sai Mai cotton candy, and Khanon Chan!"

Red was smiling widely, as was everyone else in the room, because Green was bouncing around, wiggling his hips sexily and waving his arms to the beat of a tune only he could hear, "How much more time do we have left, Daddy? How much can I eat?"

The door wasn't locked, a two-voiced laugh sounded from the hallway, and then the male voice of a man no one saw loudly announced: "Sweetie, eat all you want! We're willing to wait!"

"I'll fill up on sweets to the brim and then I won't be able to play with you properly!" - shouted back with a shy smile at Green.

"Then we'll just spend three hours stroking your stuffed tummy," suddenly whispered one of the twins, who peeked into the room for a second, and immediately disappeared.

"That's it, I've made up my mind! We'll eat after...," the long-legged guy in green fussed, running over to the table and sipping water from his glass.

Red stopped him with a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear: "Green, my Grandpa says, 'A tree without birds is a boring tree.' Maybe your happiness is behind that door?"

"I know your grandpa! He's a free bird like me, by the way!" - whispered back Green.

"Not anymore, hee-hee. You should have seen him! He's different now."

"Wow! You can tell me later. I'm really interested. I'll text you on Line. I'm going to run to my cherries, I want to thank them properly today," Green hurriedly ended the conversation and, smiling, ran towards the exit.

"There are whispers again in our rainbow abode. All the secrets. "Why don't you share, red? We're curious, too!" - Indigo had apparently entered while Red was chatting with Green, and now stood in the middle of the room with his arms crossed and a wild squint.

"Indigo, that's enough. Flowers, everybody out!" - Norman commanded, but as he addressed the boy in blue, Red caught a soft note in his voice:

"Are they friends?"

"Red, honey! Come here. You're in for a surprise today. That 'pillow' customer is here," whispered a pleased Norman as the boy approached him, but he didn't get what he expected in return. Red felt as if he was twisted, an eerie fear appeared on his face, his mouth was ajar and his lips were moving slowly, trying to say something, but there was no sound.

"Hey, is everything alright? He's not a bad guy, is he?" - Worried Norman.

"It's... it's all right. Don't worry about it. I just remembered something," Red hastened to justify his condition and stepped out into the hallway. His heart was beating at breakneck speed, his palms were sweating, but his feet slowly made their way forward:

"11... He came after all! 10... He knows everything about me, but he came! 9... Why? 8... Does he want to talk? 7... Or is it all wrong? 6... Will I be able to look him in the eye? 5... Red can do it! 4... Will I be able to speak? 3... I like you! 2... No! 1... Red can't!"

The guy exhaled through his mouth, knocked on the red door, and entered the room. He didn't say the usual greeting. As he entered, he just stopped and looked up at Lion.

Everything was the same as the last time they had met in this room, the man was sitting on the bed with his head down, his hands resting on his lap and his fingers intertwined. But there was one major difference - he was wearing nothing but a towel tied around his hips.

"Well, hello there!" - Jake grinned, raising his head and glaring at Red, who saw the anger in those dark eyes.

"Good evening," the guy in red replied, trying to control himself.

"Let's get down to business," the man continued, smiling unkindly with one corner of his mouth.

"What would you like... Khun?" - Red didn't know what to call this man under the circumstances.

"Ha, guess!" - those angrily spoken words felt as if a knife point had stabbed into the boy's heart as he realized the intention with which Jake had come to him.

His legs felt woozy, but by sheer force of will, Red started to move them, moving closer to the man staring at him, and then sat down at his feet in a couple of movements. He couldn't feel his hands, but he saw them smoothly rise from his lap and touch the man's strong, pumped legs. They slowly crept higher and higher up his thighs until they made contact with the towel. It was time to take it off, but the guy couldn't dare. A couple seconds of silence, and the man spoke softly, smirking:

"Do you need help, little one?"

"It's okay, Khun. I got it," his mouth was saying one thing, but his brain was screaming something else entirely:

"Not again! Please! If this happens, I'll have to leave school, I won't be able to look him in the eye. I can't even do that now! Please, Lion, I beg you!"

There was no waiting, Red could hear the tone with which the man spoke and understood his mood, so his hands gently opened the edges of the towel and he saw the shaft already erect. The guy's face immediately flooded with color and he stopped, staring at what was revealed to him.

"Are you going to admire it? Or are you going to start already?" - those words cut to the heart again, and Red felt a tingle in his eyes:

"Just don't cry! Hold on! You can't!"

"Uh-huh," the kid nodded and began to bring his face closer to the already heated cock jerking toward him.

"Hold on a second. Take off your robe," Lion said suddenly.

Red closed his eyes for a second and felt a single traitorous tear run down his cheek.

He couldn't disobey a client within these walls, so, untying the strap, he slid the edges of the robe off his shoulders in one motion and the red silk fabric slid to the floor by itself.

Left almost naked and on his knees in front of the one he had feelings for, Red began to feel a strong desire and at the same time the impossibility to embrace himself, to close, to save. It was as if not only his body but also his soul had been stripped bare - he wanted to scream, to open his innermost being to this man. His heart pounded incessantly, wanting to jump out of his chest, tears accumulated in his eyes, which he did not give the opportunity to pour out.

"Get started! How much longer do we have to wait?" - after these words, Red tried to take control of Hope, and thinking, "Whatever! We can get through this!" – he approached the man's crotch. He began by kissing the inside of his thighs, slowly moving up to the Lion's staff sticking out and ready to meet him, while with his hands he stroked the outside of his thighs, digging his fingers into them lightly.

As his tongue traveled up the long shaft to the head he stopped, sighed and covered his eyes for a moment, but that awkward movement was enough for two tears to escape.

The man's hand immediately lifted Red's face by the chin:

"You..."

With strong hands he grabbed the guy by his armpits and threw him on the bed, then lay on top of him and spoke angrily:

"Do you act like this with all your clients?"

"Coach!" - burst out from Red, who was very much startled by the maneuver he had just performed.

"Don't you dare! I'm one of the people who paid money for you!" - Jake raised his tone, looking into the eyes of the guy beneath him: "Don't piss me off! You're a miserable whore! You take the cocks of filthy bigwigs in your mouth every day!"

Hope felt the limit of his pain come, "Whatever he does to me, I won't fight back. Even if he takes me by force, it'll still be good - I'll be able to forget about him like a terrible dream."

"That's right...I won't argue," he almost whispered, looking away.

A fist whistled past his temple, landing in the soft bed, and Red flinched in fright, but couldn't move as he was pinned down by a heavy large body.

"How can you?" - Jack's head dropped to the boy's neck and he just lay like that, breathing often.

The lion was silent, jabbing at him. Red didn't realize what was going on:

"Lion... Lion, can you hear my heart beating? It's calling out to you. Understand me! Recognize me! Forgive me... Please forgive me! We shouldn't have met now! I'm not supposed to love you, and we can't be together as long as I'm trapped here."

It was as if the man heard the boy's inner voice, lifted his head and looked into his eyes. Two oceans begged him to stop tearing Hope's soul apart.

"Your heart beats so often... But there is no fear in your eyes, only pleading. What do you want to ask from me? To stop what I started...? I'm sorry," Jake spoke in a calm velvet timbre, not taking his eyes off the face he was seeing so close and clearly for the first time.

"There's so much...so many things I want to say to you. But could I?" - The ocean was expanding its boundaries unbearably, and finally broke its banks - the salty waters flowed in streams, but his face and body remained still.

Red closed his eyes, blaming himself for not being able to hold back. Then suddenly...

He felt light touches on his skin, Jake's gentle kisses wiping the tears from his eyes and temples.

In this moment of lack of any understanding of what was happening, the boy tried to memorize every subtle movement of the man on top of him. It was frightening to open his eyes.

"Kitten, look at me, please," Red heard a gentle voice, as if electrocuted, and he squeezed his eyes shut even harder. His body slowly began to come out of its stupor and he felt with every cell of his skin the heat coming from the strong man lying on top of him. He inhaled his scent, a tart musky odor with a hint of freshness - scent of power and superiority and security - Hope wanted to wrap himself in that bouquet and hide in it like a burrow, so no one could find him or force him to do anything.

And when Jake's lips covered the boy's open mouth, he opened his eyes sharply, and two deep pools met. The man took his time and took his time penetrating, gently kissing the boy's scarlet petals in turn.

"Take it off, please," Jake murmured, pulling away from the desirable lips.

"I... Yes, as you wish..." - Red muttered apprehensively and reached for his black lace thong. Jake followed the boy's hand with his eyes, then chuckled in surprise:

"Ha, you're in such a rush! I was actually talking about the lenses."

Red blushed and closed his eyes again, but now only out of embarrassment.

"So embarrassing. I'm sorry," he whispered and started nibbling on his lips.

"Look at me, baby," again that soft velvet took over Red's whole being and he opened his eyes as if under hypnosis:

"You are so handsome. What are you doing here beside me? Can't you see how pathetic I am?"

"I want you... Or rather not like that... Not just your body. I really want to know what you're like. Why don't we talk?" - Jake spoke softly and slowly, and Red couldn't take his eyes off his lips, which seemed to be performing Rabam.

(From the author: Rabam is a Thai dance of a man and a woman, very slow and without any sudden movements, but with lots of slow curves of the body and arms)

"Baby, I'm strong, but not that strong. You turn me on by looking at my lips like that," Jake admitted honestly and Hope felt with the inside of his thigh that the man wasn't lying. The heat spread up and down his body from his crotch so quickly that he couldn't help himself, and he opened his mouth and gasped for breath.

Jake didn't take his eyes off the excited kid, and suddenly he said: "To hell with it," he nestled into Red's willing mouth. It was a passionate but tender kiss, and even if the boy had wanted to take the initiative, he wouldn't have succeeded; he accepted the surrender and the fact that Jake was the rightful owner of the territory. The little tongue gently licked the man's assertive ram as he greedily explored his cabin.

The man's hands crawled up his slim waist, and Hope, feeling his aroused cock making contact with Jake's rod, moved his hands along the strong, pumped back as well. It was an incredible feeling, like a thousand butterflies fluttered simultaneously in his soul. Here he was, the man he'd been thinking about lately, the man he'd been afraid to dream about, all in his arms.

Jake moved his kisses smoothly to Hope's chin and neck, their bodies rubbing against each other, increasing his arousal and it seemed to the boy that the man was about to completely engulf him, and was ready for anything:

"I'm yours! I'm all yours!" and a moan escaped his lips:

"Aaaahhhh."

Jake stopped and looked into the eyes of the guy, who was giving him signs that he was ready to give himself to him.

"I want you too, kitten," the man smiled sincerely, breathing hard, and ran his fingers through his blond hair, touching his scalp, which sent shivers down Hope's spine and made him roll his eyes in pleasure.

Jake's other hand reached for the interfering thong, which made the guy very excited, and he couldn't help but warn his partner, even though it was very embarrassing to say out loud:

"P, I...well I...never."

The hand stopped, and the man looked into the guy's frightened eyes again:

"Are you trying to tell me you're a virgin?" - Jake swallowed and frowned slightly, it was clear he didn't believe what the kid was saying.

"Y-yes," Hope answered honestly and averted his eyes, his cheeks were burning and he was biting his lip again.

Jake moved away from him and rolled over. Lying on the bed and clearly unashamed of his nakedness, he began to slowly spew out incoherent sentences that were apparently the result of an elaborate brainstorm:

"Virgin... Yep... How could you...? What a fool I am... I was so mad at you today... There's also practice..."

Hope stood up and immediately caught a glimpse of Lion's still excitedly jiggling cock, the words escaping his lips before he could think them through, "I can... If you want me to, P."

Jake turned his head and looked up at the boy, smiled and placed his palm on top of his nearby hand, "Ha, much obliged for the offer, kid, but while you and I are just going to talk, I have a ton of questions. Now, I'm going to leave for the bathroom for a bit and I'll be back soon, while you get dressed."

After these words, Lion stood up and, grabbing a towel, removed himself.

Hope's excitement was also at an all-time high, but he wasn't thinking about himself, he was replaying the picture of the man kissing him passionately over and over in his head. The guy didn't want to be at a distance from him anymore, the desire to touch Lion's body again just knocked all thoughts contrary to that out of his mind, and his feet led Hope to the bathroom door.

"Just knock, nothing bad is about to happen," his mind raced, but his body was beyond his control at that moment, and his hand slowly turned the knob, and he stepped into the bright little room.

Jake stood in the shower room with his back to the door, one hand on the wall and the other making progressive movements.

Hope quietly took off his thong and removed the lenses from his eyes with easy, automatic movements, stepped up to him, wrapped his arms around Jake's shoulders, pressed his whole body against Jake's, and kissed one of his sexy shoulder blades.

Jake immediately turned around, the fires of lust sparkling in his eyes, his breathing quickened, but in spite of that he said in a low voice:

"What are you doing, silly?"

"I want...to...be...near...," the boy spoke too slowly, and the man, unable to stand it, pulled him sharply to him by the waist, and then, turning him around and pressing him against the wall, drew him into a passionate kiss.

Jake's tongue frantically explored his mouth from the inside, often tracing the root of his tongue, while his lips greedily sucked at the outside. Hope was at the pinnacle of bliss, holding onto his strong neck and running the fingers of one hand through his long, wet hair.

The man, without stopping the kiss, grabbed the guy's buttock with one hand, and with the other hand he straddled the two excited cocks and began to drive it up and down. There were muffled moans from both of them in the bathroom.

Jake was picking up the pace and had already sunk his teeth into the guy's neck. Hope felt the pain, but it was dulled by the pleasure he was feeling at the moment. He couldn't tear himself away from that mountain of muscle, and as soon as Jake released his lips, he started kissing his neck, his Adam's apple, his chest, and then moved to the dark tubercles tantalizing him, sucking and driving his wet tongue over them often.

"Aaahhhh.... Kitten...aaaahhh," moans burst out of Jake, muffled by the water.

And in an instant, they looked at each other at the same time.

Drops of water were dripping down Jake's face, his breathing was sexually punctuated, deep moans were coming out of his mouth, and the lights in his eyes were playing, warm, bright and tantalizing. And when he mouthed, "Your eyes...so beautiful..." - Hope couldn't hold back any longer, opening his mouth and moaning, he threw his head back and cummed so vividly that his eyes sparkled and his legs gave out, but his body was held firmly by his partner's strong hand.

"Aaaarrgh," the man gave a surreptitious growl after a couple movements and coated his hand with the whitish liquid as well.

"Baby... Ah... how... are you?" - Jake's breathing had not yet recovered and his hand continued to make small thrusts, but he began to speak while hugging the neat body and trying to look into the guy's eyes.

"I... I'm happy..." - Hope uttered and lowered his head in embarrassment.

Big warm hands stroked his head, and then the man kissed the top of his head and pulled him under the jets of water. Jake's hands moved down and began to slowly drive his hands down both of still-hard shafts, cleaning the cum from them. Hope didn't resist, he was ready now to take whatever this man was giving him.

Lion turned off the water and first slowly and gently wiped the guy with a towel before quickly blotting the moisture from his body and putting on the clothes he had come in:

"Let's go. We need to talk after all."

They entered the room and Hope immediately looked at his watch out of habit - there were still 45 minutes left of their two hours and it made him a little sad. Today he didn't want to hear the alarm after which they would have to part ways.

As the boy looked sadly at the clock, Jake was already throwing a robe over him:

"You better get dressed, Ho..." - before he could utter it, Hope covered his mouth with one hand and with the other he pressed his index finger to his lips, making it clear that his real name was not to be spoken aloud here.

"R...Red," Jake said slowly, seeming to realize something, and continued while looking around the room, "I want to ask you some questions."

Hope climbed onto the bed, pressed his back against the wall, hugged his knees, and wanted to scream from the emotions overwhelming him. His temples were still pounding, and one twist in his head, awake after a vivid orgasm, was screaming, "Did that really happen? It was incredible, marvelous! I can't believe it! I think he likes me too. I'm so happy! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

Jake walked around the room and then sat down next to him, to the guy's right, and held out his palm:

"Give me your hand and don't look away - they'll serve as my lie detector."

"Okay. I'm not going to deceive you, though. I'll answer truthfully to any question you ask... P," Hope did his best to focus his raging brain, looked into Jake's eyes and put his right hand into his palm. It seemed creepily romantic to the guy, and he was ready for the questioning.

"Are you dating Jean?" - was the first thing the man blurted out. The question surprised Hope, his eyebrows crept up, his eyes widened and he even chuckled softly: "Ha, this isn't the first time I've heard this question. Of course not! She's my friend, P. Oh, and I'm not a girl person, you should have... well... realized that."

"Okay! Stop!" - Jake made a sign with an upright palm forward, then continued: "In private, call me Hia, please. I'll feel more comfortable that way."

"Of course, Hia!" - Hope grinned because he was eerily happy at that moment.

"Why do you work here?" - the man asked his second question, and the boy's smile immediately disappeared, and after a bit of silence, he began to speak without averting his gaze as he was asked:

"My father... went into debt, and then he became violently ill... My mother, who tried her best to cure him, sold our property, and we ended up losing everything we had... and my father wasn't saved, he died of cancer. Then she and I somehow survived for a couple of years, and we were found by debt holders... It turned out that my father had borrowed a huge sum, almost 100 million from dangerous people. Guys with guns wanted to take me as payment... they killed my dog... Then I was saved by Troy, who happened to be visiting. He gave Mrs. Makoto half of the debt with his personal savings, but she insisted that I work the other half on my own. I was still underage, and became the fetch boy here. I soon lost my mom... She had a depression which I didn't knew about, and she decided everything for the two of us....

Originally, after coming of age, I was supposed to go to Makoto's family for three years as a bodyguard, but... I didn't want to drop out... so I was offered a year here on gentle terms," at this point Hope nodded at the red room.

"Wait, you chose that option on your own? No one pushed you toward it?" - Jake's eyebrows shifted on the bridge of his nose.

"You don't understand why I did it either, Hia...? And Grandpa couldn't fully accept my choice, he swore a lot at first, but now he just sighs and looks meaningful."

"I don't get it, really. Explain," Jake squeezed his hand tightly.

"If I'd gone off to be a bodyguard, I'd have had to quit school... And that's the one bright spot for me, the one place that gives me the strength not to give up when the life gets tough, and the hope for a brighter future. I've weighed it all out, and I've decided that I can take a year here if I don't drop out, and then, debt-free, I'll go to a good University and start over," Jake's eyes widened and his eyebrows drew together as he spoke, and the little boy, unable to bear the sight, kissed the bridge of his nose, "Don't frown, Hia. And try to understand me. As a bodyguard I could have died in the first place, and this shitty job... gave me you..."

"Agrrr! How? How can you talk about it so calmly? It's your body! And they...they...they...I'm sorry. Now... I'll exhale, and we'll continue," Jake was clearly angry; he turned his head away from his companion and remained silent.

Ding-ding-ding

The silence was interrupted by the sound of the alarm clock.

"Wait for me a second, Hia," Hope tossed it off and got out of bed and walked out into the hallway where Norman was standing against the wall.

"Glad you're doing well, Red," the manager nodded slightly and smiled as he looked at the boy.

"Daddy, can we have another half hour? Please. No charge, okay?" - Hope made a begging face, knowing he could relax with this man.

"Wow! Can you do that again? I'll take a picture on my phone and drop it to Hia, he definitely needs to see it!" - The man pulled out his phone and leaned in, chuckling softly.

Hope squinted her eyes for a moment, then lifted his eyebrows again and looked at the man pleadingly.

"All right, half an hour. You've been plaititing ropes out of lately," Norman shook his head, and then, whistling, walked down the hall toward the stairs.

The boy returned to the room. Pressing himself against the door and meeting his gaze with the man, the sight of whom sent a wave of goosebumps through his body, he spoke softly, "We've got another half an hour..."

Jake walked over to him, wrapped his arms around his waist, and nuzzled his nose into his neck. They stood like that, embracing each other, and it seemed to Hope as if everything bad had vanished-no more of that hated club, no more of that gloomy red room, just him and the man he was willing to give everything to now, even his own life.

"Why do you smell of mint?" - he suddenly asked in a whisper near his ear.

"А? Ah, mint. My mother loved peppermint tea... And when she left, I missed it... I continued to drink it and I always take one stalk with me, rub the leaves with my fingers and inhale the aroma. It's soothing..."

"I see," Jake didn't release the embrace or move his head away.

"Hia."

"Hmm?"

"What happens next?"

Jake pulled away from the boy's neck and looked into his eyes, "I don't know yet, kitten. I...I don't want to say anything right now and get your hopes up beforehand because I have a lot to think about. I feel good around you, my whole being is crying out to be as close to you as possible. I need to deal with that, you know?"

"Uh-huh," the boy would have agreed with anything this man said, as the warm feeling now consumed him head over heels.

Lion led him over to the bed:

"Why don't we just lay here together?"

"Uh-huh."

They lay on the white sheets, facing each other, and lay in silence until it was time to leave. Hope hadn't thought about anything for those thirty minutes, just tried to memorize every detail of Jake's face.

"See you tomorrow, kiddo," the man said softly before he left and kissed Hope on the tip of his nose.

"Yeah, Hia."

Try as he might, Hope couldn't keep the smile off his face as he walked down the hallway to the staff room.

"Ah, honey! You can't do that! No, no, no, no," Green was rushing toward him from across the room, and everyone immediately became alarmed and approached Red as well.

"Okay, everyone split up! This is going to be a private conversation, boys!" - he said to his coworkers, and then he put his arm around the boy and spoke softly in his ear: "No! You can't do that, Strawberry! Don't act like that after meeting a client! Your love-struck face shines brighter than a diamond and can attract unwanted stares and thoughts!"

Red thought it was a joke, so he supported it: "Greenie, you should have looked at your face when you rushed over to Foldie's a couple hours ago. By the way, why did you change your clothes?"

"Pffff. They're tired and want to eat at their house since their cook cooks better than the club restaurant. And they're taking me away for the night. I guess they want to have another taste of the most delicious dessert in Thailand after dinner!" - Green spoke with a hint of displeasure at first, but then smiled like a lovesick teenager.

"That's clear with you, counselor, run along to your hungry twins. I've got to get ready too. Troy's probably waiting by now," Red smiled and walked into the bathroom with a wink to his friend.

He stood in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection:

"Indeed...I do look different. Gods! This is the one, isn't it?"

Red took a couple steps back, sat on the toilet lid, and, covering his face with his hands, began to move his legs rapidly as if he were running on his socks:

"I'm so happy! I am insanely happy! Has the universe decided to take pity on me and gifted me?"

In Troy's car.

"Ahem, ahem! Do you copy?! Troy to Hope! Young man, may I ask a question? Did you get a dreamcatcher in your basement today? Son, you look, huh, like you're mad with happiness right now," Troy looked at the boy and wanted to know what was behind those burning eyes and the smile that never left his face for a second.

"Huh? Did you say something, Grandpa?"

"Wooah, you're all right, I'll have to call Norman. I guess I won't get anything out of you today," Troy could see that his son was somewhere far away now and didn't bother him anymore.

A love song was playing on the radio, and Hope remembered the intimate moments of his meeting with Lion, and a big red bird grew in his soul, displacing and driving away the black birds of sadness:

"I'm not going to think of anything bad. No thoughts today, no questions! I will enjoy this happiness to the fullest!"