Everything (and nothing, all in one)

14

"Do I actually have SCID?"

A pin could've dropped in that room, and it would've sounded like an earthquake.

"Mom, answer me - do I have SCID?"

In front of him, Honerva had frozen. Her face was macabre, a caricature of anger and shock, eyes wide as if she had hardly considered this even happening.

"Takashi, sweetheart," she cooed, anger melting into a placating sweetness, "why - how - where on earth did you get that idea from?"

She dropped her shoulders, hands out in front of her as she slowly staggered forwards, smile on her face that just made Shiro want to run.

"Does it matter?" He replied with a snarl, edging backward until his heels hit the bed frame, "I'm asking you a question, mom, I want an answer-"

"And you'll get one," She cooed in reply, but it sounded harsh and abrasive in the silence of the house, "in time, when you're ready."

"When will I be ready then?" He wanted to scream, wanted to tear the curtains off the rails in frustration; Honerva remained annoyingly, horrifically calm, face flat apart from the saccharine smile that became more and more unnerving as she got closer.

"Not now," she said in reply, moving her hands in front of her as Shiro pressed himself up against the wall behind him, "trust me, you're not ready to know-"

"To know what? What could possibly have happened to make you lie to me? For eighteen years?"

There was no pain in his legs anymore, except a urge to run and never look back. He couldn't even look at his Mother anymore, couldn't bring himself to see the disregard in her eyes. This entire thing was practically an insult, anger burning through veins like  disease; he could've lived, could've been a normal fucking teenager if this was true. He could've had friends, been active, gone to concerts and festivals and-

"You don't understand," she spat, saccharine sweetness replaced by some cold anger that froze the anger in Shiro's blood, "you don't understand anything-"

"Then let me understand." He took a step around her, edging towards the door; it wasn't like he feared her, but the urge to escape was undeniable.

And then she laughed.

Once.

Twice.

Until she was practically belly laughing, eyes twitching as she heaved for breath.

It was unnerving.

"You want to understand?" She asked, voice suddenly high and rough as Shiro moved closer and closer to the door, "well you try losing half your family, then you'll understand-"

The words struck him like ice.

There was no way this was about that RTC-

"I thought they would make it," she continued, and her laughter ebbed away into gasping, desperate breaths, "but no, no-"

"Mom-"

"I couldn't lose you as well."

Her fists were balled at her sides, anger giving way to what Shiro could only assume was desperation.

"So you trapped me?"

"No," she hissed, head snapping up, "i needed to keep you close, to keep you safe - this was necessary, don't you see?"