Next Morning

Sky woke up to sunlight filtering through the curtains, the soft golden rays warming his skin. His head throbbed slightly from the remnants of last night’s alcohol, but that wasn’t what had his heart racing. It was the sight of Nani, still asleep beside him, his face serene and angelic, his dark lashes resting against his cheeks.

The events of the night before were a blur—soft touches, heated kisses, whispered confessions that felt too real to be imagined. Sky’s stomach clenched. What had he done? What had *they* done?

He swallowed hard and ran a hand over his face, forcing himself to move. **Focus, Sky. Damage control.** He couldn’t let things spiral out of control, not when his entire purpose was to protect Nani—not cross boundaries.

As quietly as he could, Sky slid out of bed, cleaned himself and Nani up, and covered Nani with the blanket. His heart ached as he looked at the sleeping prince one last time before retreating from the room, shutting the door behind him.

---

When Nani woke, his head felt heavy, and there was a dull ache in his back that made him wince. He shifted in bed, his brows furrowing as flashes of the previous night surfaced in his mind.

Sky. The party. The drinks. The kisses. The way Sky had held him, touched him, whispered things he never thought he’d hear.

Heat rushed to his face as he sat up, the ache in his back serving as a constant reminder of what had happened. He pressed his hands to his cheeks, trying to cool the blush spreading across them.

“What… What did we do?” he whispered to himself.

Nani didn’t leave his room that day. Every time he thought about facing Sky, his stomach twisted in knots. **What if he regrets it? What if he doesn’t remember? What if… he does?**

---

The next day, they slipped back into their roles—the prince and his bodyguard.

Sky stood by the door to Nani’s room, his usual goofy grin plastered across his face as the prince emerged, his head held high but his cheeks tinged pink.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” Sky teased, his tone light. “Did you sleep well?”

Nani hesitated for a fraction of a second before offering a shy smile. “Y-Yes. And you?”

“Like a baby,” Sky replied with a wink, though his heart was pounding. He wasn’t sure if Nani remembered anything from that night, but he wasn’t going to bring it up. Not when it could jeopardize everything.

As they walked through the palace halls, Sky returned to his usual antics, cracking jokes and teasing Nani about everything from his hair to the way he walked.

“You know,” Sky said, leaning in close, “if you keep blushing like that, people might think you have a crush on someone.”

Nani’s cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and he ducked his head, mumbling, “Stop it, Sky.”

Sky chuckled, though his heart ached. He hated himself for making Nani blush when all he wanted was to kiss that blush away.

---

Despite their attempts to act normal, the tension between them was palpable.

When Nani tripped on the palace stairs, Sky caught him effortlessly, his arms circling the prince’s waist. Their faces were inches apart, their breaths mingling as they stared at each other.

“Careful, Your Highness,” Sky said softly, his voice tinged with something deeper.

Nani swallowed hard, his gaze dropping to Sky’s lips for a brief moment before he pulled away. “Thank you,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sky stepped back, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in moments like that. Not again.

---

During meals, Nani found himself stealing glances at Sky, his heart fluttering every time their eyes met. Sky, ever the charmer, would wink or grin, causing Nani to look away quickly, his cheeks burning.

But beneath the teasing and the stolen glances, there was a tenderness that neither of them could ignore.

When they were alone in the car on the way to an official event, Nani broke the silence. “Sky… do you think it’s possible to… care for someone too much?”

Sky’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, but he kept his tone light. “Of course. But sometimes, caring too much is exactly what someone needs.”

Nani’s lips curved into a small, shy smile, and Sky felt his resolve weaken.

---

That night, Nani sat in his room, staring at the ceiling. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions, memories, and longing. He clutched the pillow tightly, his heart aching with the weight of his unspoken feelings.

Across the palace, Sky was pacing in his quarters, running a hand through his hair. He leaned against the wall, his head tilted back as he closed his eyes.

“Get it together, Sky,” he muttered to himself. “You’re his bodyguard, not his lover.”

But no matter how many times he reminded himself of his duty, he couldn’t shake the image of Nani’s shy smile, the way his eyes sparkled when he laughed, or the softness of his lips against Sky’s own.

---

The days passed, and though they both tried to act as if nothing had changed, the cracks in their façades were beginning to show.

Sky’s teasing became softer, more tender, and Nani’s shy responses were laced with an unspoken vulnerability. They found themselves lingering in each other’s presence, their gazes holding for just a second too long, their touches lasting just a moment more than necessary.

Neither of them said the words that hung in the air between them, but they didn’t need to. Their hearts had already confessed what their lips refused to say.

For now, they would continue their dance—pretending that nothing had changed, even as everything between them had shifted.