Going on the break, Gemini didn't hide his excitement.  Nr. Puttha allowed only him to leave the classroom, because only he had mastered the use of the stele and understood the meaning of the runes sufficiently.  Gemini felt light as a feather and free, happy.

So it's today!

Today he will meet his mystery boy!  The boy who had saved his life and who from the very first moment made his heart tremble just remembering him.  From the photos New had showed him, he knew that Fourth had changed a little, but not much.  He still looked like a young artist or athlete, it was hard to believe that he was perhaps the same hybrid as Gemini, Phuwin or Dunk.  New only briefly summarized some of the most important facts of his life.

He peeked into his suite, where he had left his backpack on the back of a chair, knowing he would no longer need it.

“Calm down, Gemini,” he said to his reflection in the mirror.  He patted his cheeks with his hands.  “I hope I won't  make a fool of myself in front of him.”

Gemini thought of all the times he accidentally knocked something over, broke it, or even tripped over his own feet.  This happened most often when he was distracted. He could only pray that he won't do anything weird this time. He wanted to look cool in front of this mysterious beautiful boy, his hero.

He quickly used the bathroom, washed his hands, splashed cool water on his face, sprayed himself with perfume, and while listening to his favorite NuNew song, which was a cover of "City" by Three Man Down through this time white wireless headphones, he left and walked in front of  myself.

The road to the Rest Room was quite long, but Norawit almost jumped it.  He stopped outside the entrance, clapped his hands, took a deep breath, and put his finger to the fingerprint reader.  Some rooms at the Institute were reserved only for the best students and the longest-serving Knights of the Light, others were just for students, others for everyone, and the Rest Room was one of the places where only the best students could rest, it was sort of  rewards for diligent learning.

When Gemini looked inside, he saw that two people were sitting on one of the light beige sofas further away from him.  Some gut feeling told him not to attract their attention, and the words he heard made him think his heart had suddenly stopped beating.  Neither Nat nor Iris realized that someone was listening to them.  They sat quietly on the couch in the Rest Room, which was designed to look a bit like a school's Non-Magical lounge although it had many things that you'd never expect in school lounge.  There were tables, comfortable chairs, several soft armchairs in different colors, a large TV on the wall, a Playstation, a Nintendo, a display case with dishes, a liquor cabinet, a large dark purple refrigerator, a bookshelf and a whole lot of plants.  There was no shortage of fish in the large aquarium, and a rainbow cat was curled up in a ball on one of the blue armchairs, something a Gemini might expect to find in such a place.

Nat and Iris were talking very loudly to each other, clearly excited about their gossip.  Iris was drinking coffee with milk from a large white mug, and Nat was eating macaroons stolen earlier from NuNew.  They both gestured very vigorously.

“Hey, have you heard that the boy Norawit is looking for is your brother's boyfriend?”  Nat asked in a mean tone.

Gemini only now noticed the ugly side of Natasit, which he had not wanted to see before and was sure that he'd never like him.  Natasit turned out to be two-faced and plain rude, but if it wasn't for him, would he have found out the truth?  Gem hid behind the nearest sofa just in case and started listening to the conversation.  The series he watched so often had taught him that it was never worth running away from eavesdropping on a conversation, especially if it was as loud as this one, halfway through, you had to stay until the very end and wait, maybe everything would clear up.

His heart broke.  It shattered into tiny pieces.

The boy he loved, who he had been looking for for so many years, whom he had been waiting for so faithfully... He is NuNew's boyfriend... His friend's boyfriend... Gem could do anything but he'd never steal something what wasn't his. Through all this time he had never thought about the possibility of Fourth having already his someone, his lover, he always imagined him as a single boy. This news had hit him in the face really hard.

Gemini covered his mouth with his hands so as not to make any sound, although he wanted to cry.  He closed his eyes and continued listening.

“Yeah, I know”.

“Uh, I'm sure if it wasn't Titicharoenrak and someone from a more ordinary family, NuNew wouldn't have had to break up with Fourth.  I'm telling you, I feel sorry for your brother, he's got such a good heart, and those hyenas take advantage of that.

“Don't say that, Gemini is really fine.  He's a very nice boy”.

“Him?  Do you think he's ok?  Girl, where are your eyes?  Can't you see he's weird even for a hybrid?”  Nat laughed unpleasantly.  He made no secret of the fact that he didn't like the fact that someone who was as lively, as funny, and as loud and energetic as himself had joined their Institute, if not more.  He couldn't bear the thought of having a rival now.  He was always the king of prank, he was responsible for entertaining the Knights of Light, he was the master of pranks, and he was considered the cutest in the unit.

And now there was this Norawit, tall, handsome, well built, an excellent student, making funny faces and acting like a small child, which immediately won the hearts of all the Institute employees, including Zee, what Nat, until then the boss's favorite, his  the only pet, he couldn't digest.  Gemini loved to dance and sing, he laughed often and loudly and could make everyone laugh.

Nat found it hard to admit that he was simply jealous.  He was afraid that this new hybrid would take away all his achievements.  He couldn't know (and didn't even try, didn't ask, which hurt Gemini even more; he hated it when people judged him based on their own, often untrue, theories instead of just trying to get to know him better) that the boy had never  it didn't matter that he just wanted to find his handsome stranger and just be part of the elite group that was the Knights of the Light.

Now that he could finally get his own set of clothes with the capital letters H embroidered on the left breast, it seemed that nothing bad should happen anymore.  Gemini did not understand why this happened to him?  He blamed fate for giving them dreams that weren't theirs.

“Nat... You can't be so prejudiced against him. Why don't you like him so much?  After all, even I can see that he's a good boy” Iris replied to the accusations with a calm voice.  Gemini appreciated that, even without knowing about his presence, she tried to defend him.  It was good for her.

“And you say it so calmly?.Aren't you afraid your brother will suffer because of him?  Didn't you hear what Nu said?  He's going to break up with Fourth”.

“Yes, I know that, he asked me what he should do.  I advised him to just talk to the three of them and figure it all out.  The three of them will surely find a way out.”

“But your brother...!  You're not worried about him?”

“NuNew is an adult, he can make his own decisions.  If he's in pain, I'll be the first person to comfort him, but if he feels it's the right thing to do, I'm not going to stop him.  Besides, I still don't understand why you're so against Gemini?  He's a sweet boy with a good heart, he'll make an excellent Knight of the Light and will bring glory to the Institute many more times, and I guess you're just jealous.”

“I?  Jealous?!  Never in my life!  I just wanted to kindly warn you, but if you won't listen to me... Well, then don't come to me for advice.  Bye!”

Nat considered the conversation over.  He got up from the couch, took an empty plate and an empty cocoa cup from the table, took it all to the dishwasher, which was a signal for Gemini to be able to withdraw as quietly as possible.

Gemini left the room and only then began to think about everything.  Mechanically, he made his way to his own room.  He closed the door behind him and leaned against it, drawing his knees up to his chest and wrapping his arms around them.

His Fourth, his stranger, his handsome Prince Charming he had been looking for so long... He was so close, they were supposed to meet again today, after so many years of endless longing and the most beautiful dreams, and yet so far away.  His beloved already has someone and that someone is his friend...

His phone vibrated, interrupting his bitter thoughts.  New sent him a short message.

NuNu: Come to us in ten minutes, we'll be in the garden at the back of the Institute.

Gemini wiped his wet cheeks, got up, and slowly shuffled into the bathroom to examine himself carefully in the illuminated mirror above the sink.  He ran his hands through his hair, fixed his face in the widest smile he could muster in the situation, and left.  He had never wanted something so much and feared it so much at the same time.  His legs felt like jelly, every step was torture.  Suddenly he didn't want to be there at all.  He was supposed to wait for them in the garden, but he didn't go there.  Through a hidden passage, he made his way to his parents' summer house right on the beach.  He walked very slowly a few steps to his favorite spot.  He sat cross-legged on the grass near the water, surrounded by countless expanses of soft, warm sand and the sound of waves crashing on the flat shore.

He thought about what he had seen on the way to the garden.

Fourth and New were standing in the hallway, hugging each other.  New stroked Fourth's head.  They looked very close to each other.  He couldn't hear what they were saying, he didn't want to hear it.  He wrote NuNew a few words of explanation.

To: NuNu: Sorry, I'm feeling really bad today.  I don't think I can meet him, sorry

He didn't have to wait long for an answer.

NuNu: N'Gemini are you sure you're okay?  Maybe I should call Dr. Jimmy?

To: NuNu: No, you don't have to.  I think I've been practicing too much, I'll be fine, I just need to rest.  Please take care of him.  Just make sure he's happy and that he doesn't lack anything.

It cost him a lot to write this.  His hands were shaking, tears clouding his vision, blurring the screen of his phone.  He remembered the unpleasant pang in his heart of seeing Nu and Fourth together.

"It's better this way, he told himself. New is his boyfriend, I can't come between them, I'd be cruelly selfish if I did. I love him, but I have to accept that he will never be mine.  I just want him to be happy, he doesn't have to love me, just let him be happy."

Gemini ran his hands through the sand, unable to forget what he had learned.

Fourth, the one he had been searching for so long and hard, his beloved, his perfect prince charming and hero, the owner of his heart from the first moment, already had someone, and that someone was none other than New Chawarin, Gem's friend.  He had no choice but to give up and hope that Gemini Norawit in another universe had better luck.

Gemini was always a good student, and since the first meeting with the mysterious stranger, he tried to be the best, he had exemplary behavior (it was impossible to hide that, apart from the chemistry teacher, everyone else liked him, even though he could be naughty and didn't avoid good  fun, although he also loved science and books, and was diligent in every task given to him), he took part in every school project that was announced.  He didn't know the taste of alcohol, and he hated the smell, or rather the stench of cigarette smoke.  He was a nerd, he had his circle of friends and he couldn't say that he lacked anything.  He had everything: supportive brothers, understanding parents who didn't interfere in his life, but were always ready to help him if he asked for it.  He wasn't afraid to tell them that he was looking for a certain boy who had helped him.  He told them the whole story.  And now his first thought was that perhaps he should turn to mum or dad again, and he even seemed to prefer talking to them about it rather than his friends, but on second thought he dismissed that possibility.  His defeats hurt him, but it was hard to even compare to defeat.

“So that's how a broken heart hurts,” he said to himself, and with trembling hands, he dug out of the sand a bottle of wine he had deliberately buried there a few weeks earlier.  He knew he was alone on that beach at this hour.  This place was known only to Magicians and some hybrids, and it belonged to his parents.

He opened the bottle and took a sip.  He winced.  The wine was astringent, tasted foul, and twisted his face, but he forced himself to take a few more sips before resting the glass against his legs and taking a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.  He promised to drop them off at Rose when they met, but now he's found a better use for them.  He, who hated cigarettes and didn't know the taste of alcohol, now wanted to do everything to stop feeling what he felt.  He would like to forget everything he remembered, especially the naive excitement he felt from the moment he found out that soon he would meet the one he had been looking for so long and longingly in the crowds of people.

Still nervous, he struggled to open the pack and took out a single cigarette, the filter of which he stuck in his mouth.  He used a blue lighter bought especially for Rose to light it.  He inhaled the smoke and immediately started coughing.  The stinging smoke irritated his throat.  He was an amateur.  No matter how much he suffered, he realized it wasn't for him.  He stubbed out his cigarette in the sand and reached for the wine again.

He didn't know that from a distance someone was watching and recording him, someone who had no bad intentions and didn't want to come between Gemini and Fourth, someone whose heart was breaking at the sight of his friend's pain and despair.

NuNew Chawarin decided to have a serious talk with Fourth.  New noticed Gemini fleeing, instructed Iris to take care of Nattawat for a few minutes, preferably to lead him to the room occupied by NuNew and followed Norawit.  Seeing what was happening to Titicharoenrak felt a pang in his heart.  And he understood what he should do.

"I have to convince him, I have to, I can't watch Gemi suffer so much.  He's such a good boy, he didn't deserve it.  Besides, I guess it's time to face the truth, me and Fourth don't really have anything in common anymore."

And with that in mind, he ended the recording, put the phone back in his pocket, and returned to the building, determined to find Fourth at all costs and explain the situation to him.  It wasn't that hard, Fourth was lying prone on the bed in NuNew's assigned room, reading the reading assigned to them long ago by Professor Jakapan Puttha, aka Build.  New knew the book by heart, 1984 by one of George Orwell's best hybrids.

“Fourth?  We need to talk”  He said, taking the copy from the boy's hand and marking the place where he had stopped reading with a blank white sheet of paper.  Reluctantly, the younger one got out of bed and walked over to the desk, where, next to a pile of books, carelessly scattered highlighters, pens and pencils, there was a fruit basket and two cups of bubble tea.

New told him about Gemini.  He even wanted to show him the recording, but Nattawat wouldn't give him that opportunity.

“Look, Fourth, I know you might feel weird about this, but I want you to give him a chance.”

Fourth just glared at him over his bubble tea cup.  He took another sip to avoid conversation as long as possible.  He felt hurt, but at the same time, deep down, he knew what New was saying was true.  From the beginning, both felt that something was missing between them, but Nattawat didn't like that New gave up so easily.  It's as if he treated it like a toy that he got bored of and now wanted to give it to someone else.  And Fourth wasn't a thing, he was human, he had feelings, and now he felt terribly hurt.  He put the mug on the counter, his favorite drink completely lost its taste, it seemed bitter.

"That's not how you do it, New.  I'm not a thing you can move from corner to corner!  Why are you so cruel?!  You played with me and now you don't want me anymore?  You promised we'd always be together.  You said you loved me and wanted me to give us a chance.  Do you remember?  I wasn't sure if I wanted a relationship with you, but you insisted, you wanted it!  You cheated on me!  I didn't give you what you wanted, so you're abandoning me?  How cruel and heartless do you have to be to do that?" Fourth asked in his mind, ready to throw all his thoughts at New's face.

Fourth was nervous, and whenever he was, he played with his hands, stretching them, rubbing them together, and clenching them into fists.  New had seen it all, but he couldn't afford to let it get in the way of what he was about to do.  For once, he wanted to do the right thing, something for others not for himself.  Even at the risk of losing the friend whose closeness had sweetened him the last few months.

“Are you listening to me at all?”

“I'm not deaf, I hear what you're saying, but I don't understand why you're doing it? Are you bored of me already?  You played with me and now you want to give me to someone else?  That's not how you do it”.

“I know you feel bad about it, but I feel even worse.  I only like you, meanwhile Gemini really loves you.  You weren't here then, you didn't see him, you didn't see his despair when he couldn't find you.  He's been looking for you for three years, and if I hadn't accidentally found his sketch and your drawings, he might never have told us who exactly it was. And he would have suffer for the rest of his life.

“So you care more about him than me?”

“Fifi...” New started but didn't know what should he say. He had so many thoughts, wanted to tell him thousands of things and mostly ask him to not hate him, but couldn't find right words, he the artist...

New tried to keep everything short, concise and understandable.  He had had enough of the misunderstandings and the lies, had had enough of hiding the truth, which seemed to him as senseless as it was stupid and naive.  He put his hand on Fourth's hand, which was holding a mug on the table.

“And what am I supposed to do with this information?Didn't it occur to you that maybe I love you?”

Now the younger one looked really hurt.  He thought that maybe New didn't understand how much the whole situation was hurting him.  On the one hand, he wanted to know something about this whole Gemini, but on the other, he couldn't imagine what his life would look like without New by his side.  New was always with him, supporting and comforting him, helping him with his studies, and when he came back from work, from the recording studio or from a concert, he always visited him in his apartment and stayed as long as possible, cuddling him and  whispering about how special he is.  Fourth now felt that all these assurances were lies, since New gave him up so easily.  He couldn't let go that quickly.  He pushed his almost ex-boyfriend's hand away.

“Fifi... What you feel for me is nothing but gratitude for helping you in high school. I can believe you like me or maybe you liked me in the past, but when you meet a Gemini, I think you'll understand.  I know you wanted to find him too.”

“ Maybe I did, but maybe I didn't want to.  I don't know him, I don't know anything about him, he's a stranger to me. Maybe I wanted to have him as friend? Only friend? But now thanks to you I feel like he's even more stranger to me.”

“A Stranger who appears in your dreams?”  New picked up.

“You know?  There are only two things I hate more than lies: betrayal and having someone make decisions about my life for me.” Fourth felt his anger rising.  “Don't tell me how I feel as if you knew better. If you want to break up with me, just say it, don't look for excuses or excuses, and above all, don't tell me that you know better than me how I feel”.

He emphasized the word "I".

New was silent, unsure of what to say, but Fourth didn't wait for an answer.

“Okay, let's break up. Maybe it will be better.  Just don't push me into someone else's arms.  It's fucking toxic and inappropriate, I don't understand how you could even think that way”.

“You'll understand soon enough,” was New's only reply.  He didn't even drink a drop of the drink Fourth had ordered for him.  Fortunately, they were saved from further unpleasant conversation by the sound of New's phone ringing.  The singer took the phone from the counter and answered it.

“Hello?  P'Zee?  Yes, he is with me.  He was found?  Where was he?  Oh, okay, we'll be right there”.

After this brief exchange with his superior, New smiled briefly and started to get ready to leave.

“Come with me, Gemini is already in P'Zee's office with Phuwin, waiting for us there.”

“Uhm,”  Fourth just grunted in response.  His mind was racing with thoughts that he couldn't stop.

"Why is he doing this to me?  Wasn't I good enough for him?  The last two months... Was it all a lie?  Maybe he never loved me, maybe he didn't even like me.  He stayed with me because it was convenient, but now he's bored of me.  Where did I go wrong?  Was it because I didn't want to reveal myself, because I didn't wanted to come out?  Doesn't he understand that I can't do it?"

New led him to a desk where the head of the department, Zee Pruk, sat on one side of the desk, and on the other, a young, tall, handsome boy with big brown eyes, shiny healthy hair, and full, tempting lips.  And suddenly Fourth felt something he had never felt with Nu, no matter how much he wanted to feel it.  The boy in front of him was just so beautiful it was hard to look away.

As their eyes met, their hearts began to beat faster.  Gemini smiled softly.  He looked shy.  He smoothed his hair nervously, as if he wanted to look even better, though according to New, he looked good enough, good enough to take the breath away of even an unfeeling Magician like himself.  Phuwin stood next to his brother with his arms crossed over his chest and looked as if he was here as a punishment.  P'Zee seemed to be the only one happy with the situation.

P'Zee wasn't wearing a jacket this time, only a light blue shirt, the last button of which was undone, revealing pale skin underneath, and navy blue trousers.  A black tie with gold stars lay unkemptly on a nightstand next to a laptop, a file folder, and two photos of wanted demons.  Zee's face, neck, and hands were covered in what looked like tattoos Fourth had already seen in the Non-Magical series Shadowhunters, and as far as NuNew had been able to explain to him, shadowhunters were real, and the series had been allowed to run on the belief that such an event would be harmless.  .

New took the stele out of his pocket, drew some intricate pattern on the inside of his left hand, and a few seconds later very similar black patterns appeared on his body with a loud hiss.

“What is this?  New?  Why do you suddenly have so many tattoos?”  He asked curiously before remembering that he should be offended at him.  “Anyway it does not matter.”

Fourth shrugged as if it really didn't matter.  He looked away from New and met those beautiful big brown eyes again.

“These aren't tattoos, they're runes.  Every Knight of the Light has them, and one day you will too.  But Mr. Puttha will explain all this to you”.

🙁😶❤️✨🪄🥺🥰🤣🙏😭😜💔🤪👟🤗👌🏳️‍🌈🌈🐇🐄🐱😉😍💯😂☺️💜😻👀😄🐰🐮🤞✊💙👑

From author:

There it is!

They finally met again!!!

What do you think, what will happen next?

Was here anything that surprised you?

And thank you for all the love ❤️ You're the best!

~Annie