🦋Butterflies🦋 ~ ShinKamiBakuDeku

The World Is Yours

The only light in the room came from the battery operated candles stationed outside the massive pillow fortress and from the silly cat videos playing on the TV. The yellow and black sheets draped over the couches and walls of pillows, dimming the inside even further. Denki and his mom sat criss-crossed on the carpet in the fort, stomachs full with candy and junk food. Still, they continued to stuff their faces as they giggled at the silly cats.

But there was a sadness in the house that hadn't been there the last time Denki came home. Knowing that their family was just a few miles away in a hotel, bad mouthing them, cursing their "satanic lifestyles" and Narihanna's "horrible" parenting. There was a sadness stemming from Denki and Narihanna's hopelessness, a sadness that not even silly cats could mend.

Unanswered questions and bittersweet memories probed their minds. Denki was old enough to understand the corruption and toxicity within his own family; he was old enough to understand that he and his mom weren't the problem; most importantly, Denki was old enough to wonder about his father, what kind of person he was, and what happened leading up to his suicide.

Would his mom answer his questions? Was she stable enough to talk about it? Denki knew his mom had been through so much, and he had always tried his best not to be a burden. But he wanted to know. He needed to know.

"I can hear the gears in your mind churning, kid," Narihanna chuckled. "What's up?"

Denki half-shrugged. "I don't even know, mom. This week has been nuts."

Narihanna nodded in agreement. "You're right, absolutely fricken bonkers. Your teacher told me about the whole debacle. Your friends are like a pack of rabid animals."

Denki snorted a laugh. "Yeah, I know."

"How are you feeling about all that stuff?" Narihanna asked. "Is the family giving you a hard time?"

"Uh... not really?" Denki squeaked. "They're planning to come back and visit tomorrow, but I don't think Mr. Aizawa is gonna let them back in the dorm. And I really don't want to go off-campus with them, especially Grandma and Grandpa."

"They wouldn't dare bad mouth you here, you know that, right? Your support system is too strong. If they didn't know better before, I'm certain they do now."

"I know," Denki said. "It's not me that I'm worried about."

Narihanna frowned. "You shouldn't be worried about me, either."

Denki pouted, furrowing his eyebrows. "I can't help it. They're really mean to you, mom. It isn't fair."

"Oh, Denki," Narihanna hummed, gently rustling his hair. Denki tried to ignore how her scarred her knuckles were, how her fingertips were torn apart by anxious picking and biting. "Your momma is pretty damn strong. I can take a few mean words."

"I know they used to do more than just say mean things to you," Denki whispered, dropping his gaze to the floor. Narihanna dropped her hand. "You don't have to lie to me. I know they abused you."

Narihanna froze. Her blood ran cold, the colour draining from her face. What could she even say to that? Her son, her little boy, the one she brought over seas and tried her best to shield from the hateful sickness-- he had seen through her facade, he noticed her weakness. Was it the way she jumped when caught off guard? Was it her trembling? Spacing out? Picking her nails? Tip toeing around the house, like someone was watching her every move? What did she do wrong?

Everything was going so smoothly. Narihanna was doing so well. She had practically forgotten all about the "conversion therapy." She was living by herself, just her and her son when he wasn't at school. She had a stable job, she was taking her medicine and going to therapy, she was getting in some exercise and eating at least semi-healthy. Sure, she wasn't doing nearly as well as when Kenji was around, but was it really bad enough for Denki to notice?