Silent String

On the third day of school, the sun had barely risen when Gemini was already seated at his usual spot...eyes cold, fingers tracing invisible circles on the desk. He watched Fourth from afar as always, every movement of the boy memorized, every breath taken into account.

The tension inside Gemini was building. Fourth was too charming. Too easy to like. Too... unprotected. People still dared to talk to him. Some even tried to flirt again. Smiling too long. Laughing too much. One boy had even tried to give Fourth his Line ID the day before.

Unacceptable.

He turned to Phuwin during break, voice low but firm.

"I want you to get close to him."

Phuwin blinked. "What?"

"Befriend him. Keep him away from those pathetic insects circling him like he's prey. Learn everything...his likes, his dislikes, his habits, his fears. His past and whatever club he joins, you follow. Watch him."

Phuwin stiffened.

He wanted to argue, to say it was too much, that Fourth was just a classmate, not a doll to be dissected. But then he looked into Gemini's eyes.

Still. Cold. Commanding. He sighed and nodded. "Okay." There was no room for discussion once Gemini's mind was made up. Everyone knew that. Later that day, Phuwin returned to Gemini's side during lunch, his expression unreadable.

"He wants to join the football club."

Gemini's jaw clenched. His grip on the spoon in his hand tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Football club?

That meant locker rooms. Sweaty uniforms. Half-dressed boys. Boys staring. Boys commenting. Boys touching.

No. Absolutely not.

Fourth was not a toy for others to gawk at. He stood up abruptly, his tray untouched, and walked out of the cafeteria. Winny and Phuwin exchanged a glance but didn't follow. Gemini didn't need to say what he was about to do.

Then, Gemini found Pond leaning against the wall beside the gym. He was talking casually with a group of club leaders, clipboard in hand.

"Pond."

Pond straightened. The others noticed Gemini and fell silent. Gemini didn't raise his voice. He didn't have to.

"There's a boy named Fourth Nattawat trying to register for football, tell your people he's not getting in."

Pond hesitated.

"...Why?"

Gemini didn't answer. He didn't need to. He just stood there. His presence....icy, suffocating...was answer enough.

One of the juniors in charge of registrations passed by and glanced in their direction. He caught Gemini's expression, and immediately looked away, nodding like he'd heard an unspoken command. No one asked why. Not if they wanted to keep their peace.

"Alright," Pond said eventually. "I'll handle it."

Gemini nodded once and walked away.

At night, Gemini sat alone in his room again, this time not smiling. He was tense. Still imagining Fourth running in the sun. Laughing with teammates. Being seen. No one else should get to see that. Not unless he allowed it.

He pulled out the drawer, glanced at the photos inside, Fourth playing guitar, Fourth eating ice cream in a mall, Fourth asleep on a bus ride from orientation day.