The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a golden hue over the room. The mansion was still silent, everyone still lost in sleep, but Gemini was awake. And his attention was solely focused on the sleeping figure curled up beside him.

Fourth looked so peaceful, his breathing slow and even. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he dreamt, lips parted just a little. Gemini felt something warm settle in his chest as he watched him. The fragile, trembling boy from last night was nowhere to be seen—just a serene and beautiful sight before him.

Gemini had spent the entire night holding him, making sure he wouldn’t feel alone again. And now, as the sun rose, he didn’t want Fourth to wake up feeling empty.

A mischievous smirk tugged at Gemini’s lips. He leaned in, pressing the softest of kisses against Fourth’s forehead. Then another, on his temple. Then another, trailing down to his cheek.

Fourth stirred slightly but didn’t wake.

Gemini continued, pressing featherlight kisses along his nose, his jaw, even the corners of his lips, before moving to the other side of his face and doing the same. His hands remained gentle, one resting against Fourth’s waist, the other lightly tracing patterns on his back.

Finally, Fourth groaned softly, shifting under the relentless affection. His voice was groggy. “Gem…?”

“Good morning,” Gemini murmured against his skin, placing another kiss on his forehead.

Fourth squirmed, his cheeks already tinted pink. “What… what are you doing?”

“Waking you up.” Another kiss. “With love.” Another kiss. “Because you deserve it.”

Fourth’s breath hitched. He peeked up at Gemini with sleepy, half-lidded eyes, still processing the overwhelming warmth surrounding him. “You’re acting weird.”

Gemini chuckled. “Weird?” He brushed Fourth’s messy hair back and nuzzled against his cheek. “I thought you liked affection.”

Before Fourth could respond, the bedroom door burst open.

“Ah-ha!” Prim’s voice rang out. “Caught in the act!”

Fourth immediately buried his face into Gemini’s chest, mortified. Gemini groaned, rolling his eyes as their friends and family flooded the room.

Tu, Phuwin, Pond, Earth, and Mix stood at the doorway, all grinning mischievously. New and Tay leaned against the wall, watching with amusement.

“Looks like our bro here has gotten softer,” Pond teased, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“Shut up,” Gemini muttered, not bothering to move away from Fourth, who was still curled against him.

“You guys are so cute,” Tu cooed, pulling out her phone to snap a picture. “Look at how red Fourth’s ears are!”

“Gemini kissing him awake like a prince in a fairy tale,” Phuwin teased, causing even more laughter to erupt.

Fourth whimpered, peeking up at Gemini, who was clearly annoyed but not enough to push him away. Instead, he simply sighed and held Fourth closer, his fingers brushing gently against his back.

“Are you all done?” Gemini finally asked, his voice laced with impatience.

“Oh no, we’re enjoying this too much,” Mix grinned. “Seeing you act all gentle? This is gold.”

New chuckled, exchanging glances with Tay. “It’s a good look on him, don’t you think?”

Tay nodded, smiling. “I knew this would happen sooner or later.”

Fourth, still overwhelmed, hesitated before speaking softly. “Can… can you all stop staring?”

Everyone burst into laughter again, but Prim stepped forward and reached out to ruffle Fourth’s hair. “Fine, fine. We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone… for now.”

With a final round of teasing and grins, everyone shuffled out of the room, still chuckling amongst themselves. Once the door shut, Fourth let out a long sigh of relief, lifting his head to glare at Gemini.

“You didn’t even try to stop them,” he whined.

Gemini smirked. “You were clinging to me. What was I supposed to do?”

Fourth huffed, looking away. “I hate you.”

Gemini chuckled, pulling him close again. “No, you don’t.”

Fourth sighed, knowing Gemini was right. He was safe here. And even if he’d never admit it out loud, he loved the way Gemini held him—like he was something precious.

And maybe, just maybe, he was starting to believe it too.

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