the only exception | bakugou katsuki

18 | red storms

The feeling of returning home after an immersive trip only to find it fading rapidly from your awareness—to the extent you have to keep reminding yourself that it happened at all, even though it felt so vivid just days ago—which makes you wish you could smoothly cross-dissolve back into everyday life, or just hold the shutter open indefinitely and let one scene become superimposed on the next, so all your days would run together and you'd never have to call cut.

—Yuna hates that feeling.

Standing near the window was her mother, causing the after-smile on Yuna's lips to turn loose as she tries to decipher the unreadable thoughts written on her expression. She didn't think she would ever see her awake at this time of the hour knowing that every day after hours of the real world, Arisa would bury herself in the night only to breathe the sunlight the next day.

But Yuna's heart couldn't stop racing. Not that she was afraid—she was worried. She hated the expression plastered on her mother's face. It spoke so loud it broke her heart. Yet, it felt like she was the one who broke her own mother's instead. But she knows it has something to do with her.

"What was that?" She uttered.

So that was it. Her mother had been watching from the window, witnessed two friends sharing an embrace. Up until now, up until what she has been feeling for the past few days, she doesn't even know what to call these new feelings anymore.

That didn't seem to be a big deal for Yuna, but maybe for Arisa—because all she could see in her eyes were pain.

"He's just a fr—"

"Do you even know what you're doing?" Arisa cuts her off, almost yelling.

Yuna went tight-lipped. Appalled. She didn't know what to say, but she still tried.

"There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing, mum." She stated calmly.

"Nothing wrong? What? You think just because you're eighteen, there's nothing wrong with what you're doing?" She lets out a mocking laugh, shaking her head.

The default expression that her face automatically reverts to when idle—amused, melancholic, pissed off—which occurs when a strong emotion gets buried and forgotten in the psychological laundry of everyday life, leaving her wearing an unintentional vibe of pink or blue or grey, or in rare cases, a tie-dye of sheer madness.

Yuna didn't understand what she was trying to say. She wondered if her mother knew her daughter has been content, tranquil and anything that feels okay. And Yuna didn't take them for granted. Especially when they come from moments shared with someone. No matter how good or bad.

"You don't understand, mum."

"Well, I do! You think I don't but I do!" Yuna almost flinched when her voice resonated loudly in the house. "You think just because you're eighteen and almost graduating, you already know all the things in life? No. You don't. You think just because you're almost an adult you can hang out with anyone? And what's next? Fuck with them? You don't know anything so for God's sake just shut up, Rei! You don't know anything about the real world!"

Yuna just stood there, mouth gaped just slightly as if her words were trying to force their way in when she was trying to close it, to deny the accusation and violent myths weeded out from a crippled soul.

She felt a familiar sting somewhere. Perhaps all over—but the strongest one was within her sight, and she wasn't going to let them burn until tears form. She wasn't going to cry in front of anyone ever again, especially her mother.

"You don't know what you're talking about." Her voice breaks.

"I do," she bitterly chuckled. "That boy is going to be all around you just to get into your pants and he'll leave you and make your goddamn life miserable!"

Yuna lets out a broken laugh. "Don't talk about him like that."

"Aw, why? Does it hurt your heart? Well, it will! He's going to ruin your life, Rei! For fuck's sake! He's that same boy that caused so much trouble for this country and I dare you to keep hanging out with him!"

Yuna shook her head. "Yeah? He makes me happy."

"He doesn't and he's probably going to play around until he's—"

"He makes me happy!" Yuna screamed into her face. "Oh, right. You don't get it because you've never been happy. You were never happy since then and you want everyone around you to be miserable just like you. You're only like this because you never once tried to fix yourself and help dad so I suggest you leave me the fuck alone! I'm happy and you're not! End of story!"

Silence spoke first. But then came the tears.

Yuna helplessly watched as her mother stepped back a little, staring into nothing before her eyes glazed, and lets the tears fall without holding back—as if the woman with rosy red hair like hers had parallel pain but more bristled yet brittle at the same time, as if she was used to feeling hurt, used to crying, used to trying to live.

Yuna looked away, refusing to glance at her once more for the night because if she does—the obnoxious, vivacious, boisterous girl might dim her light a little—only because the clouds wistfully crossed the sun.

She stepped away, probably heading up to her room, but Arisa decided to say something—wise words coated with heartbreaks underneath a tone so soft only the fairies could hear its meaning.

"I just don't want your heart to be broken, Rei."

Yuna still refused to look back.

"I don't want you to be like me."

__________

yes. the mother's name is Yuna Arisa