Chapter Twelve: COMING HOME

"Stefan is coming home this weekend!"

Sky's eyes widened, his heart doing a double-take, it's like he couldn't breathe. Six years. Six fucking years he last saw the older boy. Stefan had apologized three times through emails and had tried seeing Sky three times but the younger boy wouldn't see him. Sky wouldn't even take his calls.

What would he look like now? Sky blinked, it was starting to be inefficacious to breathe properly. Would he still wear his own heart? Sky sat up straight, his head throbbing painfully. Does he still care about him? Questions without answers flooded his mind but strangely enough, Sky found his heart heating up to the thoughts of seeing Fanny again. He jumped off the bed and strolled towards the mirror. Once Sky was face to face with his reflection on the mirror, he took his shirt off and scrutinized his tanned chest as it glisters with the warm evening sun that had just shone through the window blinds. Sky had worked so hard over the years to build his body to the perfection it was in right now, he smiled at what he saw. Sky ran his fingers loosely through his hair. Sky had grown his hair to his shoulders and it somewhat gave his face a more feminine look. A wicked smirk crossed his lips as he folded his hands on his bare torsos and then turned to face his bewildered brother. Sammy has never in his fourteen years of life seen Sky care about his physical appearance before. Sammy's brow twisted as it pulled up in a very questionable way. Sammy always remembered that night Sky had Slapped big brother Stefan, he always remembered the hurt in both Sky's and Stefan's eyes that day, he didn't understand what was happening been only six and all, but he wanted to go help them both that day since he never saw them fight before. But then his mother had pushed all of the little children into their playroom and had locked the door. Until today he had never understood the reason behind that slap or why big brother Stefan never fought back. Sky had been a complete and total mess from that day until today. For the first time in eight years, Sammy saw the sparkle in Sky's eyes and his eyes filled up. He made a mad dash for the door but was caught in a strong chest.

"And where do you think you're going?" Sky asked, spinning Sammy around to face him. "Hey, why the tears, baby brother." Sky hates seeing Sammy cry, it reminds him so much of when he would cry and Fanny would tell him not to because when he Cry's fanny weakens. Sky felt his eyes wet with unshed tears. Stefan had hurt him deeply, he had wounded him and had left his claw-like scars on his heart. Sky maneuvered himself and Sammy until they sat face to face on the bed. "Don't cry," Sky whispered and Sammy gazed into his brother's glassy eyes. Sammy felt like at that moment he had recognized something he hadn't placed together in eight years. Sammy took his chance, he already knew the answer to these hidden emotions.

This battle.

This concealment.

The reason behind this new Sky for eight years now.

Sammy knew.

"It was him right." That wasn't a question, Sky knew that. Sammy was smart and wiser than most kids his age, probably got it from their grandpa. Sky smiled.

"Yes," Sky told him and watch as Sammy's eyes widened in size and shape.

"You love him," Sammy confirmed. A smile so wide filled his lips and went into his eyes making the brown orbs sparkle. Sky was certain he had never seen the boy smile so bright before. This was his darkest secret, but Sammy doesn't seem disgusted by it and that filled Sky's heart with relief, at least his brother wasn't judging or calling him names, or even worse, running away from him to go find their parents and tell them.

"Yes, Sammy I love him, but he is family and it's bad," Sky told the smiling boy and saw his face turn into a bitter frown, the sparkle completely gone from his eyes.

"Who cares if he is family, you love him, that's what matters." Sky knew it wasn't that easy, his baby brother might seem OK with it, but according to papa Jo, not everyone would be acceptable of this forbidden love. There is just too much at stake. So many possibilities that things might turn really bad for him and of course Stefan, that is if the older boy still loves him and want him.

"Does he know?" Sammy asked and a flash of hurt surged through Sky's eyes darkening the sparkle that was once there.

"Yes, he does. But then he pushed me away and hurt me." Sky seethed, clenching his teeth together and turning away from his brother's gaze.

"That was why you slapped him that night?"

"Yes."

"Yet you still love him."

"I do. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop. It's like a curse, something that I have been doomed to live with." Sky shamelessly cried into his baby brother's embrace, it felt good to share. To not be judged. "But he doesn't care about me, he left me. He went and dated all those girls. Do you know one time he video called me and was apologizing to me, I was going to forgive him but then this lady walked into the room and stood behind his back, he was with someone else and was apologizing to me. I never spoke to him ever since." If there was something Sky always admired about Sammy, the boy was a really good listener. Sammy ran slow soothing circles on his brothers back as he listened to Sky spewed his heart out.

"You know what I am going to tell you, big brother?"

Sky smiled despite himself, leave it to Sammy to be the wiser one. "What?" Sky asked.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. You should see him and talk to him, give him a chance to elucidate himself then, you can judge him after."

Sky locked wet eyes with Sammy and hugged him. "I love you, Sammy. You know that right?" Sammy smiled and held unto his brother.

"I know, and I love you too." Sammy sniffles and shoved his brother off of him. "OK, that's enough, don't get all emotional on me, save that for Stefano." Both boys laughed and Sammy ran out of the room. Happy to have leaned Sky's secret and glad he was able to help.

Sky fell back into the bed, a happy smile playing on his lips as he twists the half heart shape on his neck over and over again.

"Fanny, my fanny." Sky whispered into the empty room, he felt his eyes wet and then spilled. "I hope you still weaken when you feel me cry."