Autism

12

Y/N woke up by the sound of tapping . She looked around her and notice she was in Mina's car, and right in front of her house. Wait.... What ? Was I dreaming the whole time?

Mina didn’t turn to face Y/N immediately. Instead, she stared out through the windshield, her fingers tapping restlessly on the steering wheel. After a long pause, she finally broke the silence.

"Y/N," she began, her voice controlled but laced with tension, "I think it’s time we stopped pretending."

Y/N’s heart skipped a beat, she realised she was just dreaming and now they'll gonna have the real talk but she kept her expression carefully neutral. "What do you mean?"

Mina turned to look at her, her gaze piercing. "I mean you. Who you really are. I know you're a mafia but still Why you’re hiding behind this… persona."

Y/N bristled but forced herself to stay calm. "I told you already. You know why I do it."

"Do I?" Mina shot back, her voice sharper than before. "Because from where I stand, I see someone who’s terrified of letting anyone see the real her. Even now, you’re hiding. Not just from the world—but from me."

Y/N looked away, jaw tightening. "I’ve had to hide, Mina. You don’t know what it’s like to live the life I do."

"Then help me understand," Mina replied, her tone softening. She reached out, placing a gentle hand over Y/N’s. "You don’t have to do this alone. Not with me."

For a moment, Y/N was silent, the weight of Mina’s words pressing down on her. She felt her defenses faltering, the layers of control she’d perfected over the years beginning to crack. But she wasn’t ready to let go—not completely. She can't tell her about herself, the truth.

"The truth is, I don’t know how to stop," Y/N admitted, her voice barely a whisper. "I’ve been pretending for so long, I don’t know who I am anymore without it."

Mina’s gaze softened, her fingers tightening gently around Y/N’s hand. "Maybe it’s time you found out."

Y/N’s breath caught, her pulse quickening as Mina’s words sank in. She wanted to believe it, wanted to let herself believe that she could trust Mina, that she didn’t have to keep up the act. But the fear was still there, an instinct so deeply ingrained it felt like a part of her.

"Mina, if people find out the truth… if they see any weakness in me, it won’t end well," Y/N murmured, looking out over the bridge at the dark river below. "In my world, showing weakness is a death sentence."

"I understand the risks," Mina said softly. "But you don’t have to be invincible with me. I see you, Y/N—the real you. And I’m not afraid."

Y/N turned to face Mina, her eyes searching, vulnerable in a way she rarely allowed herself to be. "Why do you care so much?"

Mina hesitated, as if weighing her own answer, her own vulnerability. "Because I’ve seen beyond the mask. And I like the person underneath, even if you can’t see her yet."

For a moment, they simply looked at each other, the tension thick but softened by a growing understanding. Y/N felt something unfamiliar—a flicker of hope, of trust, breaking through the fear she’d lived with for so long. She didn’t know what it meant or where it would lead, but with Mina by her side, it felt like something she might be able to face.

Slowly, she exhaled, allowing herself to relax, just a little. "Maybe I could try," she whispered, almost to herself.

Mina’s smile was small but genuine, a glimmer of encouragement in the darkness. "One step at a time," she replied.