even though you ain't mine - gemfourth

6.

Gemini and Fourth - aged 17

"Gem." Fourth starts. They're sitting on a bench at the neighbourhood park, watching the sunset. The sky is a gorgeous pinkish orange, and when Fourth turns to look and Gemini, the shine reflects off his face. He has a very silly thought as he looks at him, 'He's so pretty.'

Gemini turns his head to look at him too, attention focused on him, and suddenly Fourth's heart beats faster.

"Why did you break up with Ink?" he asks, and Gemini seems a little taken aback by the randomness of his question.

"It's been months since I broke up with her," he replies, "How come you're only asking now?"

"Answering a question with a question now, are we?"

Gemini laughs at that, soft, like the orange rays hitting the slope of his nose.

"I just didn't like her, to begin with." he says, "I dated her thinking maybe I'd wind up liking her at some point, but that didn't happen. So."

Fourth hums. "Have you kissed her before, Gem?"

"Once, yeah."

"Have you kissed a boy before?" Fourth asks, heart still hammering against his chest, unaware of where his sudden boldness is originating from.

"No," Gem says, one brow raised comically high, and Fourth would've laughed at him on any other day, but he doesn't. Not today. Not with these butterflies in his tummy.

"Do you wanna try?"

Gemini nods, and for a second, he looks just as dazed as Fourth when he leans in for their lips to meet. They stay there for a while, huddled close with their lips pressed, tongues prodding at each other's mouth.

Fourth knows, when he walks back home from the park that evening, that something, no, everything has changed.

—

27th December.

"I'm so sorry for feeding you cereal today, Gem." Fourth's mom apologises, back turned towards him as she washes the dishes. Gemini only smiles at her.

"Mae, I practically lived here whenever my parents went out. You've fed me enough delicious food, I won't die if I eat cereal for once."

Fourth's mom turns to look at him as she laughs, wiping her hands carelessly on her apron before reaching to ruffle Gemini's hair. He bends to her height, laughing softly at her action.

"Mae!" Fourth whines, sitting on the kitchen island, "You keep proving to me that he's your favorite son everytime we come and visit. Where's my apology huh?"

Gemini laughs again as she pokes his tongue at a whining Fourth before getting back to work.

"Why don't you both join Fourth's dad? I think he's going to the market in a while."

—

"Fourth, go buy the meat, let's meet here once again."

The three of them are standing at the market, a massive crowd of people walking in and out. Fourth nods at him, before wrapping his hand around Gemini's wrist to take him along.

"Gemini is coming with me." his father says, and Fourth shrugs at Gemini's confused face, before walking the other way.

"Pa, what's up?" Gemini asks, manoeuvring through the crowd behind Fourth's dad. The man doesn't reply till he gets to the store he is looking for.

"I know it's unnecessary," he starts, trying to pick out some tomatoes after smiling at the old woman looking after the shop, "but I need to give you the 'dad talk', now that you're Fourth's boyfriend."

"Of course." Gemini replies, pulling out a cover from the bunch in his hand as he holds it open for Fourth's dad to drop the tomatoes in. The man smiles at him before doing exactly that.

"Oh you're Norawit aren't you?" the woman asks, with a friendly smile, "How come you're here without your mom?"

"They're on a trip, Aunty." Gemini smiles, The woman nods at him, before looking at Fourth's dad, excited, "Nattawat and Norawit are dating? Woah!"

The three of them laugh at that, before she weighs the tomatoes for them.

—

They're walking back to where they started, when Fourth's dad starts talking.

"I know you'll take care of Fourth well," he says, "I trust you with his heart. But I'm mostly just surprised it took you both this long to start dating."

"What do you mean, Pa?"

"He's liked you for a long time, you know. I have been expecting this for the past 5 years, so I'm surprised."

"Oh?" Gemini is confused, to say the least. What the fuck?

"Can you remind me to make a stop to buy fertilizer for my plants? I think I'll run out soon."

"Sure." Gemini says, still trying to process his allegations when the man smiles at him.