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Fourth watched keenly as Gemini turned his head to the side, his eyes screwing shut and his mouth opening wide as he let out another yawn in a short time. He studied the other’s side profile, tracing over the tense eyebrows, down to the panda-like eye bags and the slightly sunken cheeks.
He’s exhausted.
He hasn’t slept enough.
These thoughts passed through his head as Gemini turned to him and gave him a wane smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Will you be able to finish the shoot? Do you need a break?" Fourth leaned in and asked in a concerned voice. He saw Gemini’s dim eyes light up a bit then the spark die down after he glanced around at the magazine crew.
"I’m okay. I can finish…" Gemini returned and leaned his upper body on Fourth’s shoulders. Their faces were close now, closer than they had been during the shoot. This caused Fourth’s heart to skip a beat and start racing but he admonished his errant heart and took in a deep breath to calm himself.
He leaned his head even closer to Gemini and gave him a gentle reassuring head butt. His eyes softened as he looked into Gemini’s eyes. His lips lifted to give the boy that caused so much chaos in him a small touch and a understanding comforting smile. He maintained eye contact and saw the minuscule changes in Gem’s face, he saw his eyes brighten slightly and his cheeks puff out a bit as if Gem was filling himself with imaginary energy so that they could finish this shoot as quickly as possible. This filled Fourth’s heart with a sweet warm feeling and made the draining back to back schedules worth it.
"Everyone! Everyone! Back to your places. We need to finish in 30," shouted the guy in charge as he clapped his hands to get everyone back to work.
This startled Gemini and Fourth from their little bubble causing them to slightly jerk away from each other. Fourth let out a small cough as he readjusted the jungle green open-front jacket while Gemini stood straight smoothening the small creases in his white jacket. The two sneaked glances at each other as they settled into a pose as directed by a coordinator. The brief moment filled with warmth and comfort had passed but the warmth hadn’t faded from their hearts. This warmth threaded between them and kept them connected as they arranged their bodies in several poses close and far from each other for the shoot.
"Okay. That’s a wrap. We have enough photos now so everyone can leave."
Fourth and Gemini didn’t wait to hear more. They quickly gave their thanks with a polite wai as they prepared to leave the studio. Their manager, P’Yui, emerged from the small crowd and guided them to their changing rooms.
"We only have one more schedule in the afternoon. A short interview with some YouTubers so it will only take 2 or 3 hours at most. You will rest for the next 2 days after that. You’ll have your lunch here, I’ve already…" She gave them a quick summary as she guided them down the busy hallways, keeping to the right to avoid bumping into others. The boys only gave their perfunctory assent as they followed her. Fourth was in front while Gemini followed him closely. Gemini put his hands on Fourth’s shoulders then drew them down Fourth’s arms. His movements caused small tremors to travel through Fourth’s body, making Gem smile at this. His left hand skimmed over Fourth’s waist while his right wandered towards Fourth’s right hand that was hidden by the dim light in the hallway. Gem took a step closer bringing his chest closer to Fourth’s back then parted Fourth’s fingers with his fingers. The angle was awkward but all that was forgotten when he felt Fourth respond to his touch, intertwining their fingers and squeezing them in return.
"We’ve arrived. Quickly change. I’ll be back with your food in 20 minutes," P’Yui said when they arrived at the changing room. She opened the door and glanced between the room and her phone. She then left without another word at the two. Fourth pulled Gemini into the room and closed the door. They were now only the two of them without any outside interference or nosy phones.
"What are you doing?" Fourth asked with a cheeky smile as he lifted their intertwined fingers up. Gemini looked at their hands and smiled playfully in response.
"Can't you see?" He replied while squeezing Fourth’s fingers gently.
Gemini looked down at the questioning look in Fourth’s eyes then suddenly hugged Fourth. This sudden movement caught Fourth off guard so he had to quickly steady himself since Gemini was putting all his weight on him. He felt Gemini encircle him with his arms and pull him closer. Gemini also buried his face into the crook of Fourth's shoulder and rubbed his nose along Fourth’s neck, breathing him in. This familiar motion caused Fourth’s heart to swell and his body to start heating up. He crossed his arms around Gems’s waist and also held him tight. He shut his eyes and lay his face on Gem’s shoulder to also take a comforting break in this boy’s arms.
The two held onto each other, swaying slightly for a couple of minutes that felt like an eternity. One could feel the gentle and tranquil air that surrounded them. The tiredness that had been seeping in seemed to be forgotten for this moment where it was just the two of them holding each other close and dear.
"Gem…Gemini. Let’s change first then I’ll hug you again. Okay?" Fourth coaxed with his eyes still closed. He knew they didn’t have enough time so it was better to change first before P’Yui came back. He loosened his arms around Gemini’s waist, regretfully feeling the heat that had collected there dissipate. Gem’s unwilling hands were still holding him close, around the shoulders, so he couldn’t move much. This caused Fourth to let out an indulgent chuckle and pat Gem’s back to bring him firmly back to reality. Gemini finally relented with a whine in his voice. He let Fourth go and then looked into his face. He leaned close and gently pressed their foreheads together softly asking, "you promise?" Fourth looked at the little cute frown on his face and tickled his chin as he said yes.
The two finally changed into their own clothes. Gem put on his black Balenciaga t-shirt and faded blue jeans, while Fourth dressed in a plain white t-shirt and blue jeans. They put the sponsored clothes on a hanger and put them back on the hanging rack.
Fourth sat down on the sofa in the changing room and patted the space next to him. "Come here." Gem obediently came over and sat down. He then felt Fourth tackle him, making them Iie on the sofa. This caused both of them to start play fighting and laughing. Gem extricated himself from Fourth’s chokehold and then got on top of Fourth and pinned him down by his shoulders. Fourth shouted in protest as he tried to get away but he couldn’t budge no matter what he tried. ‘He’s gotten stronger,’ he thought, his heart skipping a beat. "Gem, let go!" Fourth shouted as he wriggled his body around to no avail. "No!" Gem shouted back and pressed his upper body on top of Fourth.
"You promised."
This whiny plea made Fourth stop moving and open his arms wide so Gem could make himself comfortable on him. They lay like that for a while as they both tried to catch their breath. Fourth then moved them around a bit until they got into a comfortable position with them lying side by side while facing each other with their legs intertwined. Gemini moved down and buried his head into Fourth’s warm chest. His arms snaked around Fourth’s waist and held him close. Fourth patted the back of his head and leaned down to kiss the top of his head. "Rest for a while." He felt Gem nod his head slightly and nuzzle into his chest in response. Fourth smiled at this cuteness so he buried his face into Gem’s hair and listened to the boy he loved relax in his arms.
A while later fourth heard the door creak open so he looked up and met P’Yui’s questioning gaze. He only smiled in return and put his finger up to indicate that their manager should be quiet. P’Yui looked at them for a while and understood, so she lifted up an open palm and mouthed five minutes to him before leaving and locking the door. Fourth looked down at Gem who was unaware and sighed in relief. He gently patted his back and closed his eyes.
Five minutes.
For five more minutes—I’ll hold you in my arms.
He smiled reluctantly at his lonesome thoughts and tried to keep the sadness from creeping into his arms.
"I want to hold you for longer, Gem," he whispered gently into his soft hair and held him closer still. He wanted more and more and he didn’t know how to stop this growing need for Gemini. Truthfully, he didn’t want to stop.
Time passed quickly, too quickly. Five minutes were over and Fourth had to wake up from this precious moment.
“Gemini, wake up.” He ruffled Gem’s hair in an effort to wake up the sleepy boy in his arms. Gem groaned in protest and only held him tighter and rubbed his face in Fourth’s chest as if that would shut out the noise. Fourth chuckled softly as he watched on helplessly. “Mae Yui is waiting for us. Hurry up and wake up,” he reminded Gem of their waiting responsibilities and this got a better response from the clingy Gem. Slowly, the two separated their entangled limbs and sat down on the couch. Fourth looked at the Gem’s messy hair and helped him clean up the cute bird's nest. He then pulled Gem’s frowny face close and wiped away any smudged make up with a tissue from a nearby table. He stood up and straightened his clothes. As he made his way to the door he felt strong arms encircle his waist from behind and a familiar chest covered him with the same familiar warmth.
“I want to hold you too, Fourth.”
This simple mumbled statement made him freeze up as he felt his heart grow heavy and his chest get stuffy.
“Gem~” the whiny voice he spoke in was unfamiliar and he could feel how shaky the single word sounded. The opposite of the person who held him close and tight. Fourth had always found Gem’s back hugs comforting and grounding, today wasn’t different. He craved that certainty at this moment when he felt like he had misheard what Gem had said.
“Hmm…surprised? I mean it.” Gemini’s voice was now as steady as himself since all sleep had vanished from his body.
As Fourth still stood in place, Gemini leaned close to his neck and gently kissed the base of his right ear. “I truly mean it,” he repeated in the already red ear.
Fourth took this in and felt the weight in his chest ease. Happiness replaced it with a lightness and a smile. He put his hands on Gems and turned his head slightly to face Gem. The sincerity he saw there made his smile widen so he leaned in close and placed a sweet gentle kiss on Gem’s soft lips. It was a simple press of lips together but it made both of them happy and gave them matching silly smiles. They looked into each other's eyes after and both understood a lot of the unspoken feelings in their hearts.
This wasn’t a promise of forever or of great things but of now. For now they would hold each other close; to love and to comfort; to laugh and to cry. Together.
“Gemini, Fourth. Let’s go.” P’Yui’s voice broke though the all consuming haze of their feelings. They looked up and smiled at their manager, who just shook her head with an indulgent smile and motioned for them with her hand as she was used to doing.
Gemini loosened his arms around Fourth’s waist and draped them around his shoulders, heavily leaning on his back. This allowed them to shuffle out of the room together. Fourth lifted a hand to grasp Gem’s and gave it a squeeze.
They still had a lot to do today and for the next couple of months but these simple moments of respite meant the world to them. During them they had drawn closer to each other, opened up, supported and accepted each other. They now couldn’t imagine a life without the other. And they both loved this.