The Best Of Me || GeminiFourth RPF

4. The Event

i

Fourth has always turned to jogging when the noise in his head became too loud and when the ache in his chest felt too heavy to bear. It was his way of shaking off the emotional weight that threatened to smother him. So, when he woke up to the cold emptiness beside him, the absence of another heartbeat next to his in bed, that familiar heaviness began to creep in. But he refused to let it settle.

Not today.

The moment he stepped outside, the sharp bite of the morning air hit him like a slap to the face. It stung, cutting through his jacket as if the fabric was paper-thin. The cold curled around him, invading his lungs with every breath, making him gasp for air more than usual. But he kept running, each footfall pounding out a rhythm against the pavement, each breath a reminder that he was still here, still moving forward.

Yet, even with the cold gnawing at him, the discomfort wasn't enough to drown out the thoughts. Or rather, the one persistent thought—no, the one person—who refused to leave him alone, no matter how hard he tried to shake him out of his mind.

Gemini. Fucking Gemini.

The frustration bubbled inside him, mingling with the exhaustion in his muscles. He didn't want to think about Gemini, didn't want to feel the things that thinking about him always stirred up. The things he had no control over. So Fourth ran faster. His legs burned, his chest heaved, but it was better than sitting still and letting his heart lead the way. Forty-five minutes later, his limbs felt numb from the cold, but at least his mind was clearer. Or so he thought. Until he walked back into the hotel lobby.

And there he was. The reason Fourth had dragged himself out of bed in the first place.

"Gem—" Fourth's breath hitched in his throat as his gaze locked onto Gemini, who was, for some reason, dressed like some kind of incognito movie star. Black slacks, a dark gray t-shirt, a jacket, and—was that a scarf around his head? And a mask? Fourth blinked, unable to process the ridiculousness of the outfit.

Before he could fully comprehend what he was seeing, Gemini grabbed his hand, yanking him back into the cold as if they were on some kind of secret mission. Fourth groaned as the icy mist of the morning slapped his face once again.

"Where are we going?" he asked, struggling to keep up with Gemini's brisk pace, his hand still caught in a death grip. He tugged, trying to free himself, but Gemini held on tight.

"Breakfast," Gemini replied, as if that explained everything.

Fourth gave an exasperated sigh. "You know they serve breakfast in bed, right?"

Silence.

"P'Earn's probably looking for us. I didn't even bring my phone." Fourth's tone grew more frustrated, but still, Gemini said nothing.

"We have to get ready for the event soon, you know," Fourth added, trying again.

Still nothing.

"Ai'Gem!" Fourth finally managed to wrench his hand free and stopped dead in his tracks, glaring at Gemini's back. "What the hell are you pulling?"

Gemini turned to face him, head tilted to the side, looking alarmingly innocent. His wide, questioning eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, only made the moment more absurd.

"...you?"

Gemini's voice was soft, as if he genuinely didn't understand why Fourth was so upset. Fourth clenched his fists, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Don't piss me off" he muttered through his teeth, "And what the hell are you wearing?!"

His words were sharper than he intended, but he couldn't help it. His frustration from the morning—hell, from the past few days—was finally spilling over. Gemini let out a long sigh and began unwrapping the scarf from around his head. He tugged the mask down too, stuffing both into his jacket pockets. The sunglasses, however, stayed firmly in place, as if Gemini knew that showing his eyes would unravel something inside Fourth.