Third Person's POV.
The days that followed brought a welcomed return to normalcy. After the whirlwind of job changes, family revelations, and unsolicited gadgets upgrades, simply being a student again felt amazing. Gemini met Ohio outside the lecture hall after their shared Foundation Studio class: ARC101. The sun was bright, and the campus was buzzing with students finally emerging from the mid-semester slump.
"Okay, so have you recovered from your first day experience as billionaires glorified eye candy?" Ohio teased, immediately falling into step beside him.
Gemini chuckled, clutching his textbook to his chest. "I have. Mostly. Though I keep expecting some old lady to jump out from behind a tree and ask me about my skincare routine."
"See, I told you! You're the main character now," Ohio insisted, grinning. "So, spill. What's the real tea? Did Percy say anything about your new fan club at the Greens?"
"He did," Gemini admitted, the memory of Percy's intense gaze and flat, territorial statement coming back to him. "He got a call from his Uncle, who apparently made sure to tell him all about my admirers."
"And Percy's reaction?" Ohio prompted, nudging him.
"He was... unexcited," Gemini summarized. "He basically said it was invasive, weird and that he wasn't happy about 'every bored, rich old person' fixating on me."
Ohio stopped walking and stared at him. "He said that? Wow. Okay, Mark wasn't kidding about the territorial thing, was he? He's practically marking his territory, Gem! That's high-level possessive behavior right there. How do you feel about this?"
"I think he just genuinely doesn't like the idea of anyone making me uncomfortable," Gemini countered, though he felt a slight, involuntary warmth at Ohio's interpretation of Percy's behavior. "Either way, I was happy to spend the entire day today just being a regular student. No golf club shenanigans, just me and my books."
They spent the next few hours together, a comforting return to their usual rhythm. Ohio and Gemini grabbed coffee from her favorite overpriced food truck, then holed up in the library's rest section for some much needed best friends bonding session. Gemini actually managed to get through two chapters of the novel he was reading, occasionally showing off the speed of his new laptop—the sleek, machine that was almost criminally fast.
"You know, this thing makes me feel like a professional hacker," Gemini whispered, tapping a few keys.
"You are a professional," Ohio whispered back. "A professional at being spoiled by very handsome, very rich people. But hey, it suits you. Just so you know, I'm vicariously living through you right now. Heaven knows I need the distraction." She added quietly, and her best friend gave her hand a sympathetic squeeze.
Ohio recently broke up with her boyfriend of two years due to distance, she hasn't really been herself since.
"You know what I think?" Ohio began with a smile. "I say enjoy the ride, bunny. We only live once, right? You know, I wouldn't be surprised if one of those billionaires actually falls in love with you. You're a total sweetheart."
Gemini rolled his eyes, but smiled genuinely. "Don't tempt fate, Ohio. With my luck, it can actually happen. But I'm not going to worry about that right now. It's my day off and I wanna hangout with my best friend. Wanna go see a movie?" He asked with a smile.
"Oh, heck yeah! I thought you'd never ask." Ohio exclaimed before linking her arms with her best friend.
They headed to the movie theater just off campus, exchanging the crisp air for the familiar scent of popcorn and stale carpet. After easily getting tickets to their favorite film, they settled into their seats, the theater lights dimming to a comforting hush as the screen came to life. The rest of the evening unfolded in a blissful quiet, a perfect stretch of undisturbed companionship and easy campus life—a brief, well-earned pause before the next inevitable wave of whatever the universe had in store for him broke.