Promise

16. Veiled Warmness

C/W, slight description of panic attack

And here comes the comfort~

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A wavering and hitched breath slowly came out from his mouth. He leaned heavily on the tree, trembling legs barely holding his own weight. Slowly, he sank down, flopped down to the ground on his knees.

One of his trembling hands reached up, covering his gaping mouth. But a horrified expression could easily be seen on that face. Rose quartz eyes clearly showed the hurricane of feeling Tenn currently felt.

Even covered, his breath came out in a wheeze. Like he barely could breathe.

A contract with his own adopted father? Protecting all of them? And what was that about the orphanage? Caretakers that only see Riku as a financial burden...

His mind went back to his real parents struggling to pay Riku's medical expenses, especially in the few months before his leaving. Those few months watching his parents doing their best to pay for Riku's medicine, remembering their and Riku's weak smile, keep on fighting. Those were the reasons why he left.

Because he knew with him leaving, his parents no longer needed to think about Tenn's expenses, one less mouth to feed. And with Kujou Takamasa focused on him, his parents could start anew.

However, it didn't happen.

Their parents died, and Riku was sent to an orphanage. And the adults there only saw Riku as a burden. His beloved brother that he loved so much, only seen as a burden in that place. And from what Tsukumo Ryou said, Yotsuba Tamaki helped Riku in that place.

Tenn owed the younger teen for that.

Though everything began when he left. When HE, Tenn, decided to leave Riku behind. He wanted to protect his brother, yet what he did only to make the younger suffer more.

"Don't belittle his decision by saying everything is because of you."

Tears were hanging on the corner of his eyes. But he squeezed shut his eyes, unwilling to let it fall as Yuuto's words rang in his head.

The manager was wrong.

EVERYTHING was because of Tenn. Because at that time Tenn thought it was a good idea.

To leave a sickly child behind.

His breath hitched again. Something was not right. He couldn't breathe. Something... something was choking him! It felt like his lungs were being squeezed! His chest hurt!

Both of his hands clawed on his chest. A whimper came out of his mouth as haggard breath followed it. Someone... Someone help—!

"TENN!"

Rose quartz eyes opened instantly. Brown and silver... that's the colors he saw first. Then he noticed hands on his shoulder, anchoring him. And there's a hand holding his hand, another anchor for him.

Slowly, he blinked his eyes. His hazy eyes finally saw what was in front of him. No, WHO was in front of him.

Two worried faces greeted him.

"Tenn, can you hear us now?!" Gaku's face clearly painted with worry and barely a held back panic. The hands on his shoulder were trembling.

"Tenn. If you can hear me..." The hold on his hand tightened, Ryuu softly spoke to him, "Could you squeeze my hands back?"

It was slow, and very light, but Ryuu could feel Tenn squeeze his hand back. Ryuu nodded toward Gaku, the leader slowly let out a relieved sigh.

"I will let go of your shoulder now, is that alright?"