The rain had been falling since afternoon, stretching into the moment the city lights came on.

Fourth stood by the railing of the rooftop café, his fingers tightening around a cup of water that had long gone cold. Below him, traffic moved slowly, red lights bleeding into the wet streets much like the feeling pressing against his chest.

"Aren't you going inside?"

Gemini's voice came from behind him, low and familiar enough to make Fourth pause for a brief second.

"It's cooler out here," Fourth replied, without turning around.

Only a few steps separated them, yet it felt as though a long, unspoken distance lay in between.

Gemini stopped beside him. He did not touch him. He did not ask any further questions. He simply looked down at the rain-soaked city with him.

"I thought..." Gemini hesitated, "...you wouldn't come."

Fourth let out a soft, almost breathless laugh.

"I thought I wouldn't come either."

Silence fell thick and heavy.

Gemini looked at Fourth. The confidence he usually carried was gone, replaced by something more cautious, as if a single wrong sentence might make Fourth turn away for good.

"You've been avoiding me lately," Gemini said. There was no accusation in his tone only a statement of fact.

Fourth nodded.
"Because when I'm close to you... I don't know where I stand."

Gemini froze.

"As a friend?" Fourth continued, his voice lowering.

"Or as someone who is always pulled back whenever he is about to walk away?"

The rain grew heavier. The wind carried a cold, damp scent through the air.

Gemini clenched his hand.

"I never wanted to pull you back."

Fourth turned to him, meeting his gaze for the first time. His eyes were wet whether from the rain or something else, even he was not sure.

"But you're always there," Fourth said quietly.

"Close enough that I can't forget, distant enough that I don't dare to believe."

The words struck the place Gemini had been avoiding all along.

He took a deep breath.

"If I say I'm afraid," Gemini admitted, "afraid to name it—because once I do, I'm not sure I can keep you."

Fourth remained silent for a long moment.

Then he stepped forward. The distance disappeared, leaving only the sound of their breathing.

"I don't need you to keep me," Fourth said, his voice trembling slightly.

"I just need you... not to leave me behind."

Gemini lifted his hand stopping midway, as if asking for permission.

Fourth did not move away.

His fingers brushed against Fourth's wrist. Warm. Unsteady. Real.

Amid the rain and the restless city, they stood there no promises, no kiss only a touch strong enough to tell them both:

The silence between them had finally been crossed.