The Title Will Go Here - 5. Chapter 5

- V -

Gemini always liked reading. He wouldn’t get to do that too often, just as he wouldn’t get to do anything that he liked. Right now, for the first time in his entire life, he felt like he has been living in a dream, and he feverishly hoped that it was not indeed the case. The crippling, nauseating fear that gnawed at him for the first several days in the big house, slowly crept away, and he realized that he was finally able to enjoy days, instead of waiting for them to end. For the first time in his life, he felt safe.

He was reading one of the thick historical volumes for the last couple of hours, immersed into facts and events that unraveled on the pages of the book. He was so lost in his own world that he didn’t even realize that someone came into the house. He realized that as soon as a sudden shadow fell onto the book in his hands, covering the pages. He jerked and looked up. Then he frowned.

“Loreya...” he muttered, feeling strangely uneasy as he always did whenever Stratos’ sister came to the house. Then again, come to think of it, he would feel uneasy around everyone. Everyone but Stratos and lately, Rose.

The tall brunette narrowed her eyes, a dark shadow running over her sharp features.

“It’s ‘madam Loreya’ to you,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t take any of my brother’s nonsense...” She paused for a few seconds, looking at him with badly hidden disgust. “Get up,” she said finally, and Gemini blinked and slowly stood up, closing the book and putting it on the arm of the chair.

Loreya took a small step back, making sure she wasn’t standing too close to him, as if afraid that he had some highly contagious disease.

“I talked to Stratos,” she said in the same low voice, and Gemini frowned at that. “I agreed to do him a favor,” she continued without looking away. “He didn’t want to deal with this himself; not this close to the performance... It’s too important,” she slightly nodded without changing her expression. “He wanted me to give you a message...” She paused and looked at him as if expecting something.

“A message...” he muttered, not sure where this was heading.

“Yes,” she nodded again. “He is sick and tired of having a whore in his house for the past three weeks...”

His eyes widened at that in painful disbelief.

“...so he wants you to get out and not even think of coming back,” she continued, mildly satisfied with his expression. “He wants you out before he comes back home today... Here...”

She put one of her hands into her purse and dug in there for a minute without looking down. Finally, the hand emerged from the purse with a small stack of bills in its fingers.

“This should be enough for you to survive the first few days,” she said. “After that...” She let out a small smile. “I am sure you will find a way to support yourself... Take it!”

She threw the money in his face and he jerked as if she just slapped him.

“I am going to go wash my hands now,” she said after the money fell on the floor in a broken pile. “When I come back...” She took a pause. “...you will be gone,” she finished with another nod.

She turned around without saying anything else and headed towards the bathroom, feeling relieved and satisfied. Family name is the most important thing, she thought while turning on the faucets. Stratos doesn’t see it for some reason, but she is not going to let him stain it anymore.

“He’ll thank me later,” she muttered and looked in the mirror. Her reflection silently agreed with her, and she smiled and turned off the faucets. “It was my mistake...” she said softly while drying her hands on the towel. “...and I fixed it!”

She turned off the lights and left the bathroom, heading back towards the living room. She let out a small smile when she saw that it was empty. Then she walked closer to the chair that still had the book on its arm, and tutted with annoyance. The small pile of bills that she threw at that whorish kelari was still on the floor, untouched. She rolled her eyes and lowered herself on one knee, picking up the money.

“A proud whore...” she snorted to herself after she got all the bills. “Cute,” she nodded and stood up, putting the money back in her purse.

****         

He slowly walked through thickening snow, trying to ignore the chilling wind and cold snowflakes that kept sneaking down his thin shirt, clinging to the skin with stubborn freeze. It was Stratos’ shirt that he was wearing – his own was ruined three weeks ago, that Sunday night when Leon tore it open. And even though he had plenty of clothes now (Stratos took care of that a while ago), he would always prefer one of the musician’s shirts to his own. He sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, pulling his head into his shoulders, hoping it would make him at least a little warmer.

It didn’t work and he let out another sigh and slightly straightened up, blinking snowflakes out of his eyelashes. It was a dream after all, he thought numbly. He thought he was prepared for such turn of events – he would always be prepared for worse, never letting himself to relax enough to start building hopes and make plans every time something good happened to him, which wasn’t a lot. He could come up with maybe four examples, and two of them happened when he was eight, when his mother was still alive.

He thought he was prepared, and was surprised to feel dull, aching pain somewhere deep inside him. The pain wasn’t physical; it was the other kind – the kind that was much worse. Physical pain was nothing new; he was used to that. Physical pain would go away eventually; it would stop sooner or later. This kind of pain, however... He gritted his teeth and pushed the thoughts away, frowning tightly when he felt burning behind his eyelids. He is not going to cry; not anymore.

He blindly walked through the snow, having no idea where he was heading. Finally, several hours later, he stopped when he realized that he came to the gate of a small park. He looked around and noticed something that looked like a gazebo. Gazebos usually had roofs, so it would protect him from snow. He would still be cold, but at least, he wouldn’t have to deal with those damn snowflakes anymore.

He started walking again, heading towards that gazebo, his forehead still wrinkled with the same tight frown. He made it to the gazebo in several minutes and was relieved when he saw that it indeed had a roof. He stepped inside and sat down on the edge of the bench, after brushing snow off it with the palm of his hand. His hand immediately got wet and prickly-cold.

He sat down and put both hands under his armpits, hating the fact that he started shaking uncontrollably. It will stop sooner or later, he thought and closed his eyes. The snow will stop, and the sun will come out eventually. Yeah, that or maybe he’ll catch pneumonia and die in some ditch, he thought gloomily. Not that it would be the worst thing that could happen...

He sat still for the next fifteen minutes or so, grateful for a roof above his head, when suddenly, there was a loud and slightly amused:

“And what do we have here?”

He stopped breathing for a second or two, his panic-mode immediately kicking itself into gear. He knew this particular tone of voice; it never promised anything good. He opened his eyes and slowly raised his head. The man who spoke to him let out a low whistle the minute he saw his eyes.

“I’ll be damned...” he said slowly when Gemini stared at him, unable to blink. “A kelari... Holy hell, this is my lucky day...!”

The man seemed to be in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. He wasn’t too tall, but was nicely built, looking lean and strong even with the thick jacket that he was wearing. Gemini’s eyes darted around. The man wasn’t alone, he realized. There were three other guys with him. His heart sank when he recognized that identically-specific look every single one of them had – he has seen that look too many times before; he knew it well. Pneumonia sounded like a great deal right now.

“What are you doing freezing on this bench, biscuit?” the man asked him with a grin. He cocked his head to the right. “Your lips are turning blue, and that’s a shame, since your lips are exquisite...”

Gemini slowly stood up, hoping to slip out of the gazebo and get lost in thick snow. The man tutted and grabbed his shoulder.

“Dear God...” he frowned for a second. “You are frozen solid, it feels...! What were you thinking wearing this piece of crap on a day like this?” He slightly tugged on the collar of his shirt. “People die from shit like that, you know... Come on,” he tightened his grip. “Let’s warm you up...”

“No,” Gemini muttered and tried pulling away, knowing that his efforts would be futile. “I am fine... I’ll just go...”

The man rolled his eyes and yanked him closer to himself.

“Move it, biscuit,” he said without a smile this time. “Stop being coy; you will ruin my mood! See...” he jerked Gemini’s shoulder harder, forcing him to take another shaky step forward. “I am in a good mood right now, which is a really good thing, especially for you,” he nodded energetically.

“Yeah,” one of the other guys said seriously. “You wouldn’t like him when he is pissed...”

“Words of wisdom,” the man nodded as energetically. “So, for your own sake, start moving and do what you are told, and everything will turn out just peachy...! If you are good...” Here he gave Gemini a startlingly toothy smile. “I might even consider keeping you around a bit longer... I might even agree not to share you,” he shrugged.

“Oh, bull!” one of the guys said rather loudly, with a shadow of anger.

The man shot him a quick, warning look, and the guy stopped talking, tightly pressing his lips.

“Be good,” the man continued. “...and I will feed you and keep you warm. Come on!”

Gemini jerked backwards unexpectedly hard, and the man’s hand slid off his shoulder. The blond kelari tried getting out of the gazebo, but he slammed into one of the wide wooden beams of the structure instead. He pressed his back into that beam and bit his lip. The man let out an exasperated sigh.

“Oh, biscuit...” he said in a low voice. “Should’ve taken me seriously... The offer still stands, by the way,” he added after a second or two and stretched out his arm, moving his fingers in a quick, impatient beckoning gesture. “No...?” he narrowed his eyes a few seconds later, when Gemini tried to melt into the beam that was pressing against his back. “Okay...” he sighed and shrugged. “My mood is now officially ruined, congratulations!”

He grabbed the collar of the black, thin shirt and pulled it hard. “Another one gone...” Gemini thought numbly when he heard a dry sound of ripping material. He blinked when the man suddenly stepped closer, pressing himself into Gemini’s body. He tried moving away, but the man wouldn’t let him, snaking one of his hands behind his shoulders and firmly grabbing the back of his neck.

“Last chance to be good...” the man said quietly, his face so close to Gemini’s that their lips were almost touching. “Seal the deal with a kiss...” He got even closer, his breath making Gemini lightheaded. It smelled like a mix of strong coffee and menthol cigarettes.

He jerked, but this time, it was much weaker, the beam biting into his back, the man’s fingers digging into his neck.

“No...” he muttered, surprising himself. They wouldn’t do anything new to him; they wouldn’t do anything he hadn’t experienced before – that was for sure. He knew from personal experience that if he kept resisting, it would make all of them angrier, which would double the pain – resistance was always punished. Sometimes, worse than expected. He also knew that he would never be able to shake even one man off him, let alone all four of them. Not resisting would make this whole thing end sooner; it was a logical choice. If there is nothing you can do to change the situation, then just deal with it. It would be over sooner and with lesser pain.

He jerked again, in spite of the only logical choice it seemed he had, hitting the back of his head on the cold beam.

“No...” he said louder and closed his eyes when the man let out a disappointed sigh that immediately made him nauseous.

“Dammit, biscuit,” the man said almost bitterly. “Why does it have to be this way?” He sighed again. “Well, have at it, I guess...” He threw a quick glance at the guys behind him, causing several cheers. He let out yet another sigh and looked at Gemini again. “Hey,” he said and Gemini slightly opened his eyes. “At least you will be warm,” the man nodded seriously and placed an unkind, harsh nibble on the side of the pale, cold neck.

Why does everyone want to bite him? What is it about him that makes people want to tear him apart with their teeth? He had no idea.

“Stratos...” he whispered without even realizing it, and the man who almost pulled away, suddenly froze in his spot.

“What did you just say?” he asked slowly and threw his hand back in a warning gesture, making the other three guys stop with frustrated confusion, causing low grumbling from all of them. He ignored that. “What did you just say?” he repeated, and Gemini slightly opened his eyes again.

The man stared at him without blinking, his expression disbelieving.

“Did you just say...” he began when all of a sudden, there was a loud and very pissed off:

“Jamie! What the hell are you doing?!”

The man stopped breathing for a few seconds, his expression dumbfounded.

“I’ll be damned...” he muttered finally and turned his head without letting go of the back of Gemini’s neck.

“Get lost!” one of the guys snorted loudly, and then he let out an annoyed, angry sigh. “Are you deaf?” he demanded and took several steps forward.

The grip immediately slid off Gemini’s neck and he found that he could breathe again.

“No!” the man who was holding him a few seconds earlier screamed out almost desperately, and the guy came to a screeching halt. “No!” he said again and walked towards the puzzled man. “Back!” Jamie said shortly, and forcefully pushed the guy in the chest, making him stagger backwards.

“Jamie...” one of the other two men said slowly and dumbfoundedly. “Jamie, what...”

“Shut up!” Jamie snarled and turned his head. “Stratos...” he said in a quieter manner, and Gemini’s eyes flew wide open.

“What in the bloody hell are you doing?” Stratos (it was indeed him) said slowly, his expression promising absolutely nothing good.

Jamie’s eyes darted towards Gemini whose back was still pressing tightly into the wooden beam.

“I see...” he muttered and looked at Stratos again. “I didn’t know,” he said with an apologetic shadow in his voice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know...!”

“Jamie...” one of the guys stepped closer. “What the...”

“I said shut up!” Jamie whirled around and shoved the man away hard, making him lose his balance and smack into an old tree that wasn’t too far from the gazebo.

Stratos took a deep, slow breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds.

“Did you...” he started saying very dangerously when he opened them, and Jamie immediately interrupted him.

“No,” he quickly shook his head. “Nothing...” He paused. “I didn’t do anything...”

Stratos took another deep breath.

“Try to remember what he looks like,” he said quietly. “Next time you see him around...”

“...I will be his guard dog...” Jamie nodded slowly without looking away.

Stratos looked at him for a long second, and then he shifted his gaze and walked towards Gemini who suddenly couldn’t breathe again. He stretched out his hand.

“Come on,” he said quietly, and Gemini looked at that hand for a few seconds, and then he hesitantly wrapped his fingers around it. “You are freezing,” Stratos said in the same quiet manner. He took off his jacket and wrapped Gemini into it, pulling him closer.

They slowly started walking, and Stratos paused for a second when they were next to Jamie.

“Train your pets,” he said without raising his voice, and Jamie nodded without saying anything and ignoring the low, mildly-angry growling behind his back.

He looked at Gemini.

“Damn, biscuit...” he said softly, and stopped talking when Stratos walked away, Gemini wrapped in his jacket.

He watched them become invisible behind the thick curtain of snow, and his expression was very thoughtful.

“Jamie,” one of the guys behind his back said with uncertain anger. “What the hell was that? Some rich dipshit shows up, and all of a sudden, you are willing to lick his...” He stopped talking the minute he saw Jamie’s eyes.

“He is not just some rich dipshit,” Jamie said with restraint. “That was Stratos Gregorio; I owe that man everything I have...” He paused for a few seconds and closed his eyes. “Never mind,” he said evenly after he opened them. “Next time I say ‘Stop,’ do exactly that...” He looked at his companions with a long, heavy glance. “Otherwise...” He didn’t finish the sentence, but all three guys suddenly became very quiet, trying to avoid his gaze.

Jamie nodded, mostly to himself.

“Let’s go,” he said shortly and stepped out of the gazebo, heading towards the gate of the park.

The guys followed him without saying a single word.

   **** 

“Why did you leave?” Stratos asked quietly when he drove into the main road, the heater humming softly, rolling warm air around the car.

Gemini stared at his hands.

“Because of what my sister said?” Stratos threw a quick glance at him, noting the locked jaw. “What did she say, by the way?” he asked a second later.

Gemini looked out of the window.

“She said...” he paused for a second. “She said that you were sick and tired of having...” He stuttered slightly. “...of having me in your house,” he finished slowly. “She said that you wanted me to get out before you came back home...” He wouldn’t look away from the window.

Stratos silently gritted his teeth.

“Loreya,” he thought darkly without taking his eyes off the snowy road. “You are goddamn lucky I didn’t know this when I got to your place... Otherwise...”

He took a deep breath without finishing the thought and slowed down when the green traffic light in front of him blinked yellow all of a sudden.

“Gemini,” he said quietly after he brought the car to a complete stop, blindly staring at the taillights of the car in front of him. “If I ever want you to get out...” He threw a quick glance at the blond kelari in the passenger’s seat. “...I will say so myself,” he finished, noting that Gemini still wouldn’t look at him, his eyes glued to the snow behind the window, it seemed. “I am not going to send some message with my sister or anyone else, okay?” he continued in the same calm manner, even though he realized that his hands were shaking.

He was looking for Gemini for the last two hours, driving all over the suddenly silent, snowy city. He started swearing softly at first and getting louder and louder with each second when he realized that he was looking for a needle in a haystack – Gemini could’ve left the city by now for all he knew. Then, several minutes later, a thought shot through his boiling mind. “Jamie...” he thought and blinked in frustration that he hadn’t thought of that sooner. Jamie could find anyone and anything. They shared a somewhat long history, which Stratos decided not to recall right then. He ignored several angry honks behind him when he abruptly stopped in the middle of the intersection, thinking. Then he remembered about the park that Jamie used to favor, and made a sudden, wide U-turn, completely oblivious to the gestures and some screams through rolled down windows he received as a result.

When he finally got to that park, he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Jamie himself with three other guys not too far from him, standing so close to the golden-haired kelari that it seemed their lips were touching. He immediately noted Gemini’s frozen, desperate posture, and when he clearly saw him mouth ‘No’ twice in a row, Jamie taking no notice of that, he started seeing red.

Now, that everything was resolved, he felt somewhat calmer, even though he would get painfully furious every time he would think about his sister. “Screw her for the time being,” he thought darkly and locked that particular door in his mind. “Screw her...”

That seemed to work somewhat and his shoulders slightly relaxed.

“I don’t think it’s even possible for me to get sick and tired of you...” he said in a low voice without taking his eyes off the road. “As for telling you to get out...” He hemmed and glanced to the right. The road seemed clear and he switched lanes. “It’s not gonna happen for a very long time, if ever...”

He brought the car to a smooth stop on the side of the road and threw the gear into ‘Park.’

“I haven’t even had you yet,” he said in a low voice, and this time, Gemini finally looked at him with a small frown.

“Well...” he said slowly without looking away. “Nothing is stopping you...”

“Yes,” Stratos nodded solemnly, and suddenly, he leaned closer, his expression serious. “As a matter of fact, something does...”

Gemini’s eyes widened at that and he stiffened up in his seat. Stratos leaned even closer, and Gemini’s lips parted slowly, ever so slightly, as if he was expecting a kiss.

“You don’t want it,” Stratos said seriously and pulled away as suddenly as he made his leaning-in move in the beginning.

Gemini let out a small, almost inaudible exhale, his posture rigid-stiff, and then he blinked and quickly shifted his gaze towards the window again. Stratos let out an invisible smile and shot a quick glance to his left, checking the mirror on the side of the car.

“And I don’t feel like forcing you,” he said calmly and drove into the main road once again. “You are too perfect for force,” he nodded, paying attention to two things at once – the snowy road and the blond kelari in his passenger’s seat.

Gemini cleared his throat and stared out of the window with renewed intensity, his hands clasped in his lap, his back painfully straight. He let out a strange, muffled sound, as if he was trying to say something and cough at the same time, and Stratos glanced at him once again. He shifted his gaze downwards and let out another invisible smile when he saw a very prominent outline forming against the fabric of black slacks.

“So it is possible to turn you on,” he thought and concentrated on the road, thinking that if he managed get into an accident right now, he would kick himself for the rest of his life.