Third Person's POV.
Everything was going well following Nana's visit. Maybe too well. The bizarre intimacy with Percy had become routine, and the academic pressure had eased thanks to Percy. It was a period of stability, which, in Gemini's life, usually meant a storm was brewing.
The storm broke one cool afternoon. Gemini and Ohio were waiting outside the main architecture faculty building, slumped on a low stone wall after a brutal studio session. Gemini was scrolling through his phone, waiting for Percy to arrive for their usual post-lecture hangout.
Three impeccably dressed girls from one of the more exclusive social clubs on campus approached them. They were known for their snobbish attitudes and their aggressive interest in any male affiliated with the Moore family fortune.
They stopped directly in front of the pair, ignoring Ohio completely and focusing their collective, frosty gaze on Gemini.
"Well, well. Look who the cat dragged in," the girl in the middle, who seemed to be the ringleader, drawled, adjusting the designer bag on her shoulder.
Gemini looked up, immediately sensing the manufactured hostility. "Can I help you?"
"Oh, I think you're the one that needs help, darling." another girl sneered. "We just wanted to know how long you think you'll last, playing the poor, pretty accessory for Percy Moore. You don't deserve to be near someone like him."
The ringleader leaned closer, her eyes sharp with jealousy. "It's getting tiresome, seeing you everywhere. You're clearly not from this circle. Aren't you just tired of waiting for him to drop you scraps? Don't tell me you get off just by being around him? People like him usually go for people who at least own their own apartments, you know. What exactly are you doing around him?"
The words hit a nerve, specifically the old anxiety about his place in Percy's world. Gemini felt his cheeks burn, unable to formulate a sharp retort without crying.
Ohio launched into his defense before Gemini could even stammer out a response, rising to her full height and planting her hands on her hips.
"First of all, step off, wannabe Barbies!" Ohio snapped, her voice ringing with protective fury. "You three look like a poorly styled yacht club catalog, and you clearly have way too much free time if you're harassing people for who they hangout with."
She pointed directly at the ringleader. "Let me make this very clear: my Gemini doesn't need to 'play accessory' for anyone. He's a brilliant guy who's going to build things a thousand times more structurally sound than your entire personality. And Percy isn't 'dropping him scraps.' Percy is obsessed with him. Everyone with eyes can see it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" The ringleader asked.
Ohio took a step forward, forcing the girls to retreat slightly.
"Percy and Gemini don't need common humans to understand their bond. They're soulmates, something people so out of touch with reality like you would never experience."
Gemini was so baffled by Ohio's words that he just stood there gaping like a fish out of the water.
"Excuse me! You can't talk to us like that!" One of the girls snapped and Ohio scoffed.
"I can talk to whoever the hell I want, you hear me? Don't ever come for my best friend again. Take your jealousy, your powder caked face, your badly shaped eyebrows, and go find someone else to bother. Your opinion on Gemini's social standing is irrelevant because Percy would skin you bitches alive before he lets anyone of you talk to him like that. Now move!"
The girls exchanged shocked glances, clearly not expecting a counterattack of that ferocity. They mumbled something about "trashy friends" and, just as the trio of snobs turned to leave, a familiar black car pulled up to the curb, its tinted window sliding down with a near-silent hum. Percy has arrived, just on time.
"Speak of the handsome devil!" Ohio exclaimed proudly.
When Percy stepped out of the car, he didn't need to hear their conversation; the hostile atmosphere and Ohio's visibly charged stance were enough. Percy's eyes—cold, and utterly focused—went straight to the girls, then swept over Gemini's face, registering the lingering distress.
"Go to him, bunny." Ohio said before nudging Gemini forward gently.
Gemini quickly grabbed his bag. "See you later, Ohio," he muttered, giving her a quick squeeze on the arm before going to Percy.
"Is everything okay?" Percy asked, inspecting the younger boy.
"Everything is fine," Gemini replied but Percy didn't seem convinced. "I'm fine really, the girls were just teasing us. Don't worry, Ohio took care of them." He added and Percy sighed.
"Get in," Percy instructed, his voice low, lacking any inflection, yet carrying a distinct, icy command before turning to the still grinning Ohio, who gave a victory wave to the snobby girls.
Gemini slid into the passenger seat. As Percy pulled away from the curb, he didn't ask what happened. He simply glanced in the rearview mirror at the three retreating figures, his jaw tight.
"Who were they?" Percy asked, the question devoid of curiosity, sounding more like a request for information.
"Never seen them before," Gemini replied, finally letting out the breath he'd been holding. He reached out, resting his hand on the console between them—an involuntary gesture to steady his heartbeat.
Percy did an unexpected thing. He reached out his free hand and covered Gemini's own—a warm, gentle touch—and pressed the accelerator. The silent, reassuring act spoke volumes to Gemini: the girls' words were irrelevant because Ohio was right, Percy's action towards him is what mattered most.