You and Me (GEMINIFOURTH)

Chapter 3: The Weight of Expectations

The rhythmic hum of the family chauffeur's car engine filled the air as Gemini leaned back against the plush leather seat. The ride home from school was a quiet one—just as it always was. Outside, the streets of the city blurred past in a whirl of lights and shadows, but inside the car, there was an odd stillness, a silence that Gemini had grown used to over the years.

His phone buzzed in his hand, pulling his attention away from the world outside. It was a message from Fourth.

Fourth: Made it home safe. Miss you already.

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Gemini's lips. Even with just a few words, Fourth had the ability to calm the storm that raged inside him. He quickly typed back.

Gemini: Miss you too. Talk later?

Fourth: Of course. Don't study too hard, okay?

Gemini chuckled softly to himself. If only it were that simple. As much as he wanted to relax and take it easy, his life didn't allow for such luxuries—not with the expectations that weighed heavily on his shoulders.

The car pulled up to the front of his family's grand estate, a massive mansion tucked away in the heart of the city, secluded by tall, perfectly manicured hedges and towering iron gates. As the car came to a stop, the chauffeur wordlessly opened the door for him. Gemini stepped out, his eyes drifting up to the imposing structure before him. Home. At least, that's what it was supposed to be. But for Gemini, it often felt more like a gilded cage.

The moment he stepped inside, the familiar coldness of the house washed over him. The marble floors, the pristine chandeliers, the perfectly arranged furniture—it all felt too perfect, too stiff. This wasn't a home; it was a place to impress business associates, a symbol of success that his parents had carefully cultivated. There was no warmth here, no sense of belonging.

As he made his way down the long hallway, he could hear faint voices coming from the study—the deep timbre of his father's voice, followed by the sharper, controlled tone of his mother. They were in the middle of yet another business meeting, probably discussing mergers or stock options or whatever else consumed their lives. It was always like this. Always business.

Gemini paused for a moment outside the door, tempted to knock, to let them know he was home. But he knew how the conversation would go.

"How was school, son? Any updates on your grades?"

That's all it would ever be. His achievements, his results—his entire value in their eyes boiled down to his academic performance. No one ever asked him how he was. No one asked about his day, his thoughts, his struggles. As long as his grades were perfect, as long as he remained the top student, his parents were satisfied.

But the moment his grades faltered, even just a little, it was like the world collapsed around him. The pressure to maintain his spot in the top class, to meet their impossibly high standards, was suffocating. And when he couldn't live up to it, even if it was just a slight dip in scores, the disappointment in their eyes was crushing.

Gemini could still remember last month's conversation after his midterm exams. His grades had slipped—just barely—from the top rank to the second. His father's reaction had been swift and unforgiving.

"Second place isn't good enough, Gemini," his father had said, his voice cold and firm. "You need to focus more. We didn't send you to the best school in the country for you to come second. You're better than that."

His mother had chimed in soon after. "You know how important this is for your future. You need to stay ahead of the competition."

It didn't matter that Gemini had worked harder than ever for those exams. It didn't matter that he had been juggling school with his responsibilities as student president. None of it mattered if he wasn't perfect.

With a sigh, Gemini turned away from the study door and made his way up to his room. The large, empty hallway felt colder than ever as he ascended the grand staircase, each step echoing hollowly in the silence. His room was on the far side of the house, away from the noise of his parents' meetings, tucked in its own quiet corner.

When he finally reached it, he stepped inside and closed the door, leaning back against it for a moment. The weight of the day—of his life—settled heavily on his shoulders. The room around him was as immaculate as the rest of the house. The shelves were lined with academic trophies and certificates, the walls adorned with framed awards and achievements. His desk was spotless, save for the neatly organized stack of textbooks and notebooks waiting for him to dive into.

But Gemini didn't move toward the desk. Instead, he collapsed onto his bed, letting out a long breath as he stared up at the ceiling. The silence was deafening. No one was here. No one ever was.

Except Fourth.

Fourth was the one thing that kept him sane in all of this. When the pressure became too much, when the expectations felt like they were crushing him, Fourth was always there, pulling him back from the edge. Fourth didn't care about his grades or his rank or his responsibilities. Fourth just cared about him.

The moments they spent together, whether it was sneaking off to a park for a secret date or just exchanging texts late at night, were the only times Gemini felt truly free. With Fourth, he didn't have to be perfect. He didn't have to meet anyone's expectations. He could just be Gemini—a boy in love with someone who understood him better than anyone else in the world.

But there was always the fear, lurking in the back of his mind. What if his parents found out? What if they knew about his relationship with Fourth? It wasn't just the fact that they wouldn't approve of him dating someone like Fourth—it was that they wouldn't approve of him dating anyone. Not yet, anyway. Not while he was still expected to be the model son, the future CEO, the heir to their business empire.

Gemini shook the thoughts away, reaching for his phone once more. Without thinking, he opened the chat with Fourth and began typing.

Gemini: Can we talk later? I really need to hear your voice.

He hesitated for a moment before sending it. It felt vulnerable, almost too needy. But before he could second-guess himself, the message was sent, and all he could do was wait.

A few moments later, his phone buzzed with a reply.

Fourth: Of course. Call me whenever.

A soft smile crept onto Gemini's face as he read the message. Fourth always knew what to say. Always knew how to be there, even from a distance.

And in that moment, Gemini knew that as long as he had Fourth by his side, he could get through anything. No matter how heavy the expectations, no matter how distant his parents were, Fourth was his anchor—the one thing that kept him grounded in the midst of the storm.

As the evening wore on and the house fell into its usual quiet routine, Gemini lay there in his bed, holding his phone close. And for the first time that day, he felt a sense of peace, knowing that in a few hours, he would hear the voice of the one person who truly understood him.

And that, more than anything, made it all bearable.