𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞

𝐻𝑖 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒! 𝐴 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑢𝑝𝑑𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑢𝑦𝑠. 𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡'𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑢𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼'𝑚 𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝑠𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑤𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑛'𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑥𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑡 𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 (𝐼'𝑚 𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑦 😭).

𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐼 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑤 𝑠𝑚𝑢𝑡𝑠 𝑠𝑜 𝐼 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑎 𝑠𝑚𝑢𝑡𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑚𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘 "𝑇𝑤𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑇𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑠". 𝑀𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑 "𝑇𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑠" 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑠. 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑡𝑚𝑟𝑤 𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦.

𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡'𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑡𝑤.

The first rays of dawn stretched timidly across the horizon, scattering the remnants of night like whispers fleeing the wind. The roads were empty, bathed in the pale glow of morning, and the familiar black Benz cut through the silence like a blade. Its engine roared low and steady, but inside the car was chaos - the kind that no sound could contain.

Sky's hands were locked tight around the steering wheel, veins straining against his skin. Sweat slid down the edge of his jaw despite the cool air flowing from the vents. The air felt heavy - suffocating - as if the world itself was holding its breath with him.

At his left, Pooh's white Mercedes followed close, the younger's face stiff with tension behind the glass. To the right, William's Audi matched their speed, his phone pressed to his ear, voice shaking as he tried to get an update. Just behind them, the dark Range Rover carried Vegas and Pete, both silent - grim - their expressions carved from worry.

But Sky couldn't hear any of them. His world had narrowed down to the echo inside his chest - the hammering beat of his heart, too loud, too violent. Every turn of the wheels felt too slow, every red light an enemy.

He hadn't even asked what happened - hadn't dared to. When Est's voice had come through the phone, trembling and broken, "Nani needs you, Sky. We're at the hospital. Come over fast."

That was all it took for his entire world to tilt.

Now his mind repeated the same name - over and over again, a desperate prayer caught between breaths.

𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘰𝘬𝘢𝘺, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨.

His eyes burned, but he didn't blink. He couldn't. The image of Nani's soft smile, the way he used to reach out for him in his sleep, the quiet hum of his laughter - they flashed through his mind in painful, rapid bursts.

And underneath it all, the fear. The unbearable, gut-twisting fear that maybe this time, he was too late.

The black Benz screeched to a stop in front of the hospital entrance, tires crying against the concrete. Before the car even came to a full halt, Sky was out - the door slamming shut behind him with a hollow thud.

Flashes of white and sterile blue met him inside. The sharp scent of antiseptic burned his lungs as he pushed through the corridors, ignoring the nurses calling after him. His shoes echoed loudly against the polished floor - each step heavier than the last.

Then he saw them.

Papa Book stood near the waiting area, his hands buried in his hair, pacing restlessly. Est sat slumped in a chair, face pale and tear-streaked.

"Where is he?" Sky demanded, breath uneven, voice low but trembling.

At the sound of his voice, Papa Book froze. For a moment, silence stretched thin - until it broke all at once.

"You have the audacity to ask where he is?" Papa Book's voice cracked through the hallway, sharp and raw. Heads turned, but he didn't care. "You - the one who was supposed to take care of him - you didn't even notice what he's been going through!"

Sky's breath hitched, his hands curling into fists at his sides.

"He's been losing weight, barely eating, barely sleeping, and where were you?!" Papa Book continued, voice shaking with grief and rage. "You made him believe you were his world - and then you vanished from it!"

Every word struck like a blade. Sky didn't defend himself. He couldn't. His throat felt tight - too tight to breathe, too tight to speak. He lowered his head, eyes burning."I know..." His voice was barely a whisper. "I know it's my fault."

"Fault?" Papa Book snapped, stepping closer, trembling with fury. "Do you have any idea what it's like to walk into that room and see my son lying there unconscious bloodied?! You weren't there, Sky! You didn't see what I saw!"

Sky's chest tightened, his vision blurring. He bit his lip hard enough to taste iron, but he didn't move. Didn't flinch.

Because he deserved every word.

"Papa, please," Est said weakly, standing up and holding onto their father's arm. "Sky didn't mean for this-"

"I don't want to hear it," Papa Book said, voice hoarse but quieter now. His anger cracked under the weight of heartbreak. "He promised to protect him... and look where that promise led."

Sky stood there, silent, guilt carved deep across his features. His heart pounded painfully, but he didn't dare lift his head. All he could think of was Nani's face - pale and fragile - the thought of him alone, hurting, while Sky drowned himself in work and blood.

"I just... want to see him," Sky finally said, his voice raw.

Papa Book didn't reply for a long moment. Then he exhaled shakily and turned away. "He's in room 304. Don't make me regret letting you in."

Sky nodded once, wordless, before walking past him - every step echoing the weight of his own mistakes.The corridor leading to room 304 felt endless.

Every step Sky took echoed in the hollow silence, the sterile air pressing against his lungs. His fingers trembled as he reached for the door handle - but he stopped halfway, staring at his reflection in the small glass window.

He looked nothing like himself - eyes bloodshot, jaw clenched, guilt etched deep into every line of his face. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯't 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘮, a voice whispered inside his head. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴.Still, he turned the handle.

The quiet hum of machines filled the room. The pale light from the morning sun filtered through the blinds, falling across the bed - and there he was.

Nani.

Lying still, far too still. His skin looked almost translucent, lips dry and colorless, dark shadows sinking beneath his eyes. The oxygen tube rested gently against his nose, the monitor beside him beeping in calm, cruel rhythm - proof that he was still there, still breathing, even if barely.

Sky froze. His knees threatened to give out, but he forced himself to move closer. Each step hurt.He sat down beside the bed, his hands shaking as he reached out - then stopped midway. He didn't have the right to touch him, not when he was the reason Nani looked like this.

For a long time, Sky just stared. The words that usually came so easily to him - the sweet reassurances, the tender teasing - all vanished. What could he possibly say now?

His throat felt tight, his chest heavier than ever.

"You said you'd wait for me," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "And I... I made you wait too long, didn't I?"

No response. Only the soft hum of machines, the distant shuffle of footsteps from the corridor.Sky's vision blurred for a moment, but he blinked hard, refusing to let the tears fall. He didn't deserve that release. He didn't deserve to cry - not when he'd caused the pain lying before him.

He leaned forward slowly, resting his elbows on his knees, and pressed a trembling hand over his mouth to stifle the sound that escaped - not a sob, not quite, but something between a breath and a silent scream.

"I should've been there, Nani," he murmured. "I should've noticed. You kept smiling... and I believed it. I wanted to believe it because I was too busy running away from what mattered most."

His hand finally reached the edge of the bedsheet. Fingers brushed against the fabric - the only contact he dared to allow. It was enough to feel how cold it was, how empty the space beside him had become.

"You always said you'd fall apart without me," he said softly, voice cracking. "But the truth is... I'm the one who doesn't exist without you."

The monitor beeped steadily in reply.

Sky sat there - silent, motionless - as the minutes blurred into hours. The weight of guilt sat heavy on his shoulders, pressing him into that cold chair, keeping him from falling apart. Because crying would be selfish. Breaking down would mean making this about himself - and it wasn't.

This was his punishment.

A faint rustle broke through the silence.

Sky's head snapped up instantly. Nani's eyelashes fluttered, a soft groan slipping from his lips as his fingers twitched weakly over the bedsheet. Sky's heart nearly stopped. He rose halfway from the chair, frozen between hope and fear, afraid that if he moved, the fragile reality before him would shatter.

"Nani...?" His voice cracked on the name.

Slowly, Nani's eyes opened - hazy at first, struggling to focus. But the moment his gaze found Sky, a faint smile tugged at his lips. It wasn't forced or tired - it was genuine, tender, full of warmth that reached all the way to his dimmed eyes.

"Sky..." he whispered, voice hoarse but soft, like a sigh of relief.

Sky leaned closer, every muscle trembling. "Hey, love. I'm here."

Nani's hand lifted, slow and unsteady, as if it took all his strength just to move. Sky quickly reached out, his own larger hand catching those trembling fingers before they could fall. Nani's touch was cool against his skin, but it still felt like home.

"You came," Nani breathed, his thumb brushing weakly over Sky's knuckles.

"I should've never left," Sky replied, his chest tightening. "I-"Before he could finish, Nani shook his head lightly, his smile deepening despite the IV line and the oxygen tube. "Don't say that. Don't be guilty. I'm fine now."

Sky blinked, stunned. No anger. No complaint. No tears. Only calm understanding in those gentle eyes.

For a second, he couldn't even speak. When did Nani become this... grown? This selfless? The boy who once pouted for missing a call, who demanded kisses before bed, who threw tiny fits when ignored - when did he start soothing others instead of asking to be soothed?

"I should be the one comforting you," Sky muttered, forcing out a shaky breath. "Not the other way around."

"You work too hard," Nani murmured, voice soft but firm, as if scolding him. "You'll get sick too if you keep going like this."

Sky managed a faint smile. "You're the one lying in a hospital bed, and you're still worrying about me?"

"That's my job," Nani whispered, his lips curving faintly. "Once I'm home, I'll give you a nice massage, okay? You'll see-I'll make you forget all this."

The laugh that escaped Sky was broken but genuine. He leaned down, resting his forehead gently against Nani's hand. For the first time in weeks, his heart felt something close to peace - fragile, trembling, but real.

"You're unbelievable," he whispered.

"And you love that about me," Nani teased weakly, his eyes half-lidded but still glimmering with warmth.

Sky looked at him - really looked at him - and realized just how much he'd missed. How many quiet signs he'd ignored. How deeply this fragile, stubborn man had become his reason to breathe.

"I do," Sky murmured, voice thick with emotion. "More than you'll ever know."

Nani's eyes fluttered shut again, still smiling. "Then don't forget to take care of yourself too... promise?"

Sky squeezed his hand gently.

"Promise."