Fourth's glowing cheeks wore an immoral veil of regret as Off and Gun watched the two lovebirds return.
Eyes fixed on the floor, Fourth held onto his own arm.
Ashamed, yet with a sensual air, he walked with some distance at Poseidon's side.
The Jumpols were unspeakingly thinking the same thing at the sight.
Good thing Gem is gone with Princess.
If he had seen Fourth Aura at that moment, he would know that an intimate moment had preceded it.
And Gun's eyes immediately turned to Mark.
He looked composed.
But Gun knew him too well.
There was a sad haze in his eyes and yet he smiled so bravely and strongly.
What had happened?
And Gun didn't even have time to worry about his Mark anymore.
Fourth's foreshocks were already showing deep channels.
"Where's Gem?", Fourth's pitch didn't match at all with his intimidated and veiled impression of his figure.
Such high tones that came spewing out of him in rapid breaths.
Such deep channels that ate deeper and deeper into his secret thoughts and feelings.
Gun felt a shiver run down his spine at the sound of those few words from Fourth's mouth.
And his eyes finally betrayed him as well.
They searched with the strongest focus for the man he couldn't catch sight of.
"Gem is walking in the forest with Princess. She's taking good care of him, don't worry!", Off simply let out an avalanche.
Gun looked briefly at Papii, who seemed to have no sense of emotional tension.
And Mark's eyes widened in shock as Fourth let out a loud sound of indignation.
An outpouring from the deepest channels of his soul.
Deeply buried things should have been thrust open and the ancient atmosphere whipped out with a blast of air.
No sighing.
No wailing.
No groaning.
A squeezed out sound of terrible realization.
Coupled with the convinced confirmation of the greatest fear.
Fourth pushed out a sound that released everything inside him.
Deepest.
Hidden.
A break free.
Which then sent him into despair.
"I knew it!" snorted Fourth, shaking his head, "I knew it!" looked at him three shocked men.
"Fourth, what about you?" asked Mark, trying to reach out to him.
But Fourth shook himself all the more wildly.
And now tears were flowing, too.
"I'm so pathetic!", Fourth just couldn't stand himself, "I'm so sorry, Mark!", he suddenly just wanted to escape.
"Fourth!", Mark held him tightly.
"Don't touch me!" he yelled so loudly that Gun put both hands over his open pout, "I'm such an idiot! You're way too good for me! I'm so sorry!", Fourth was now crying bitterly while addressing Mark directly.
"Fourth, it's all good! Let's sit down and calm down!", Mark tried again.
"Fourth!", P'Off's voice rang out for the first time.
His little darling was completely paralyzed by the situation and he knew that now he must intervene.
"No! No, Mark! I'm not going to sit down! I'm not going to settle down! I'm completely out of my mind! Understand this!", Fourth shook himself with rage, "I knew it!", his shrill despair hurt his ears.
"Nong Fourth!" his professor now called him again.
And he walked slowly toward him.
"No!" the latter cried bitterly.
He just couldn't believe what was happening to him.
He chooses Gem and he shows him again how pathetic he is.
"Fourth!", Professor Off Jumpol was now standing right in front of him, " Look at me!", his faithful eyes, were meant to soothe his Nong, "Princess is our dog. Gem is walking in the forest with our dog!", he explained in a calm and clear voice.
And Fourth's trembling eyes only drowned in his own depths.
Deepest places.
Deepest hiding places.
His lifelong secret.
Everything lay blasted in his soul, and he soaked in the feeling of that sight.
"This changes nothing," his tear-stained lips formed, "This changes nothing!" he began to whimper now.
"Mark, go! Go get him!" suddenly rang out P'Gun's voice.
And he ran toward Fourth, who was sinking further and further into himself.
His big man made way for him and now stood protectively behind him.
"Fourth! Look at me!" demanded Gun and the world obeyed, "There's something wanting out of you!" he explained his own experiences to him, "Let it happen!" he put his hand on Fourth's head.
And Gun received his Nong in his arms.
A bitterly crying Nong, condemning himself for his hidden feelings.
"You're with us right now in the Jumpols' garden," Gun stroked Fourth's back as he showed him the present, "Gem went for a walk with our dog because he was so upset," he described the situation, "Gem loves you!" he felt the distraught body harden again.
"He doesn't love me!", Fourth growled pressed against Gun's shoulder, "He only loves himself!", so many disappointed feelings raged inside him.
"You mean the Bad Boy! But I'm talking about Gem!", Gun explained gently.
And he slowly pulled Fourth to the dining table.
Candles large and small were burning by now, fluttering in the mild breeze of the Garden of Eden.
P'Off handed Fourth a glass of water after Gun gently pushed him into a chair.
"The Gem who was sitting here at this table earlier. That's who I'm talking about. That Gem loves you. And he was willing to leave you alone with Mark so you could have the freedom to decide," Gun searched Fourth's mind.
But the latter seemed to see only his own movie.
"Fourth!", Gun put his hand on his shoulder, "Have you decided?", he asked.
And Fourth's whimper was to be his answer.
And P'Off scratched his head in despair and was smiled at by Gun.
"Your behavior looks very familiar!", Gun spoke to Fourth but looked his Papii in the eye, "It is so difficult to stand by your own love for such a man", Off was allowed to hear this truth, "It is understandable that doubt and experience distort the present", he squeezed Fourth's shoulder and left a silence.
Fourth's tears just ran as he sat at the table with a glass of water.
"But you chose Gem because you love him," Gun now sought Fourth's eyes, "You've always loved Gem. And there's a special reason for that!", Fourth now looked into his P 'Gun's expressive eyes.
"What reason?" he wanted to know.
"Love chooses who belongs to each other! Far from sex and color. Origin and form. Love chooses!", Gun explained with touched eyes, "And that also means that you go through very painful times. That you outlast. You love Gem because you belong to each other. And the present is finally showing that moment you waited so long for," he brought Fourth thoughts on a journey.
"I don't know if I can forgive myself for loving him," his professor suddenly sighed so heavily.
"You have to finally stand by yourself and accept your love! Stop denying yourself and use the way your love shows you! Gem outed himself. Now it's your turn to understand yourself!", Papii earned an adorable smile from his love.
And Fourth also let himself be enchanted by the moment.
Outing.
So he has to out himself, too.
And Fourth startled up when a loud bark sounded from the distance.
"I've prepared a room for you and Mark in the attic of the house," Gun began, and had to laugh when Fourth looked at him, startled, "I think Mark can get the room Gem was supposed to get. You two can retire to the lovebirds' room. Talk yourselves out of it! And I've taken care of everything else!", Gun laughed again as he see the intense color change in Fourth's face.
Fourth took a deep breath and dried his face.
"Papii, take Fourth to their room. He should freshen up before his love comes knocking on his door!", Mr. Jumpol grinned at his husband.
"Anything you wish!", Papii showed himself obedient as usual.
And two dissolved souls longed for the counterpart of their eternal love.
In the Jumpols' attic, two lovers stand by their hidden feelings.