Sweet Angel

Chapter Thirteen - No Place to Call Home

Kiyomi's breath hitched as she stumbled down the dark streets, her feet carrying her in a haze. The weight of everything—the fight, the words hurled at her, and the discovery of her "little" items—pressed down so hard it was suffocating. She had run. She had to. Being home wasn't safe anymore; it never really was.

By the time she reached the boys' house, the exhaustion in her limbs matched the heaviness in her heart. She stood outside their door, trembling, her hand hovering just inches from knocking. Will they even understand? Will they send me away? The thought sent a fresh wave of panic through her, but her feet didn't move. She had nowhere else to go.

Before she could even knock, the door swung open. Noah stood in the doorway, his brows furrowed in confusion at first, but when he saw her tear-streaked face, his expression softened immediately.

"Kiyomi?" he whispered, concern filling his voice. "What happened?"

She didn't answer. She couldn't. The words were caught in her throat, strangled by the tears she had been holding back. Noah stepped aside quickly, ushering her into the house, and as soon as she stepped inside, her legs gave out beneath her.

Josiah and Vincent were in the living room, winding down for the night when they heard the commotion. Both men rushed over, their expressions mirroring Noah's worry. Kiyomi collapsed onto the couch, her whole body trembling as sobs wracked her small frame.

"I-I can't go back there," she choked out, her voice barely above a whisper. "They... they hate me."

Noah knelt beside her, his hand resting gently on her arm. "Who hates you? What happened?"

Her words came out in stutters, a broken attempt at explaining the argument, the way Isabella had turned her mom against her, and the awful things they said. She felt small, insignificant, and utterly broken.

"They found my stuff... the stuff for when I regress. And... and Isabella... she made it worse, like it's some horrible thing." Kiyomi's voice cracked. "My mom—she looked at me like I'm disgusting."

Vincent sighed, his jaw tight as he exchanged a look with Josiah. They had known her family wasn't the most supportive, but this... this was far worse than they had imagined.

"You're not disgusting," Josiah said firmly, sitting on the edge of the coffee table to face her. "What they said isn't true."

Kiyomi curled into herself, her body shaking with the force of her sobs. The more they tried to console her, the more her emotions spiraled out of control.

"I don't belong anywhere," she whimpered, barely able to lift her head.

Noah's heart clenched at her words. He'd never had much of a family himself—his parents weren't around, and his grandmother had raised him and his sister. The idea that someone who did have family could be treated like this... it hit him hard. He swallowed the lump in his throat, his own emotions threatening to surface, but he stayed strong for her.

"We're here for you," Noah said softly, his hand still resting gently on her arm. "You don't have to go through this alone."

As the house quieted down, Vincent slipped away to check on Liam. He had been regressed for the evening and was sound asleep in bed, but the noise from Kiyomi's breakdown had stirred him.

Liam blinked sleepily as Vincent entered the room. "Vince?" he mumbled, his voice laced with the innocence of his regression. "What's wrong?"

Vincent knelt by his bedside, giving him a reassuring smile. "It's okay, buddy. Kiyomi's having a tough night, but we're taking care of her. You can go back to sleep."

Liam's eyes fluttered closed again, comforted by Vincent's presence. "She'll be okay, right?"

"She'll be okay," Vincent promised, brushing a hand through Liam's hair as the younger man snuggled back into the blankets.

Back in the living room, Kiyomi was still fighting through the flood of emotions. She had never felt so small and vulnerable, not even when her regression was at its deepest. Everything was raw—exposed—and no matter how hard she tried to push it down, the pain resurfaced.

Josiah stood up and stretched, motioning for Noah to come along. "Let's give her some space for now," he said softly. "We'll be right down the hall if you need us, Kiyomi."

Noah hesitated but eventually nodded, knowing Kiyomi probably needed some time to process everything. "You sure you're good?" he asked one more time.

Kiyomi nodded weakly, though her eyes still shimmered with unshed tears. "Thank you."

With the house finally quiet and everyone heading to bed, Kiyomi curled up on the couch, pulling the blanket tightly around her. Despite the comfort of their words, her chest felt hollow. The loneliness gnawed at her, making it hard to breathe.

She fell into a restless sleep, but peace never found her. Her dreams were dark, filled with echoes of her mother's disgusted voice and Isabella's cruel laugh. She twisted and turned, her face scrunched in discomfort as the nightmares took hold.

Noah, who had been lying awake in the shared bedroom, couldn't sleep. His mind replayed Kiyomi's breakdown over and over. Finally, unable to take it any longer, he slipped out of bed and crept into the living room.

When he saw her tossing and turning, his heart broke. She was clearly caught in some kind of nightmare, her body twitching and her hands clutching the blanket.

"Kiyomi?" he whispered, kneeling by the couch. "Hey, it's okay. You're safe."

She woke with a start, her breath coming in shallow gasps as her eyes darted around in panic. But when she saw Noah beside her, some of the fear eased away.

"Noah?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"I'm here," he said softly. "You're safe, okay? You're with us."

She nodded, still shaking as she sat up, clutching the blanket close to her chest. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't," Noah reassured her. "I couldn't sleep anyway. I'll stay with you tonight, if that's okay."

Kiyomi hesitated but then gave a small nod. She didn't want to be alone. "Thank you."

Noah sat down beside her on the couch, adjusting the blanket so it covered them both. He leaned back, close enough to offer comfort but not crowd her space. As her breathing slowed and she started to relax, Noah found himself thinking again about family. About what it should mean. And how, maybe, for Kiyomi, her real family was right here with them.