...
The hospital room was quieter by evening. The pale daylight had turned into a soft amber glow that spilled across the floor. Haru had finally fallen asleep beside the bed, his fingers still loosely holding Kai’s hand.
Eiji stood near the window, watching the city stretch out beyond the glass — quiet, thoughtful. Ryota sat on the edge of the sofa, elbows on his knees, his expression unreadable.
When Kai stirred slightly, his lashes fluttering open again, it was Ryota who noticed first. He stood up, walked closer, and gently placed a hand on Eiji’s arm — a silent signal.
Eiji turned, nodded once. Together, they approached Kai’s bedside.
Kai blinked a few times, still weak but conscious enough to see them clearly.
“Papa… Eiji-san… Ryota-san…”
His voice was rough, uncertain.
Eiji smiled faintly.
“Just Papa Eiji is fine. You’ve been through enough to skip the formalities.”
Ryota gave a small chuckle at that, though the sound held no mockery — just warmth.
“How are you feeling, Kai?”
Kai swallowed. “Tired… and ashamed.”
Eiji’s expression softened; he pulled a chair closer and sat down, resting his forearms on his knees.
“Kai,” he began quietly, “do you know what scared Haru most that night?”
Kai hesitated. “That I… might die?”
Eiji nodded. “Yes. But not just that. What truly broke him was the thought that he might have lost you — not because love was forbidden, but because you gave up before fighting for it the right way.”
Kai’s eyes filled with tears. “I didnt... I didn’t want to die. I just… wanted them to stop. To understand.”
Ryota knelt down beside the bed, his tone gentler than usual. “We know that feeling, Kai. We’ve both been there.”
Kai looked between them, eyes widening slightly.
Eiji nodded slowly. “We were your age when the world told us we weren’t allowed to love either. It nearly destroyed us. But if either of us had… chosen your path that night, Haru wouldn’t even here now.”
Ryota reached up, brushing away a tear that slipped from Kai’s cheek.
“Pain makes everything look smaller — even hope. But the real fight for love isn’t about hurting yourself. It’s about staying alive for each other.”
Kai’s breath shuddered. “I thought I was fighting for him…”
“You weren’t fighting, Kai,” Eiji said, voice calm but heavy with emotion. “You were surrendering.”
Silence filled the room, but it wasn’t cold — it was honest.
Then Eiji reached out and placed his hand over Kai’s. “From now on, you fight differently. You stand, you breathe, and you live — for yourself and for him. That’s how you protect your love.”
Ryota smiled faintly. “And if you ever need to punch a wall instead of yourself, call me. I’ll teach you which wall doesn’t break bones.”
That startled a weak laugh from Kai, the first since he’d woken.
It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
As Eiji stood, he glanced at Haru — still sleeping, still holding Kai’s hand.
“He didn’t let go,” he murmured.
Ryota followed his gaze and whispered, “Neither did he.”
The faint rhythm of two heartbeats filled the space, fragile but alive — proof that love, no matter how scarred, could still begin again.
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