Byzantine sat on the floor of the empty gym, staring at the door.
Her chest beat incessantly, anxiety building every minute since she ended the call.
The last time she’d seen her, she stormed out after screaming.
And then she disappeared for two months.
Scared maybe wasn’t the right word. She wasn’t scared of getting smacked or otherwise hurt.
It’s not like she could disappear without consequences and expect everything to be the same.
Her mother would hate her.
Before she knew it, she was crying again, shaking and sniffling.
This is why she called Tanzuna first, instead of her mother.
She knew Tanzuna would do her job and guarantee her safety, even if she was upset.
But she felt like she barely knew her mother anymore. After she hid such a huge thing, it seemed like her entire perception of the older woman shattered.
She wiped at her face uselessly, trying to keep her tears at bay.
She was an awful daughter. She knew it the entire time, but now she was only feeling worse, with her mother on the way.
Maybe she’d decided that Bya was too much, too rebellious to try again.
Maybe she had stayed home, talking to her first daughter, the better one.
Oh goddesses, Maruzen. What was she going to say to her sister? Or her roommate? Annie?
She shouldn’t have come back.
She shouldn’t have let him convince her.
She should’ve let them think she was dead.
She should’ve just ended it all before she fucked anything else up.
She flinched at the sound of a door slamming, scrambling to her feet.
Her mother walked in. And, quite frankly, she looked like a mess.
Her hair was unbrushed, she looked like she had ran here, and mascara was running down her face.
When her mother saw her, she started running. Bya tensed, closing her eyes as her mother…
Wrapped her in a hug, sobbing and squeezing her tight.
“My baby, my baby, I was so scared, I thought I lost you, oh my sweet girl.” Her mother had buried her face in her shoulder, and they both sunk to the ground, holding each other.
Byzantine sat, stunned, hugging her mother while she cried. Tears ran down both their faces, but Bya was silent.
“I’m so mad at you,” her mother admitted, and Bya tensed. “You could’ve been dead. You didn’t call or write or tell anyone where you were. I’m still so, so mad.”
Bya sniffled, hiccuping slightly. “I’m so sorry, mama. Don’t-don’t leave me, please, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Mama, please forgive me, I can’t be alone-“ she was babbling, anxiety spilling out of her, grabbing onto her mother’s shirt like a little girl.
Her mother had pulled back, and Bya feared she had ruined it.
Her mother put her hands on her shoulders, and stared into Bya’s red, teary eyes.
“Oh, baby,” she murmured. “I won’t leave you. I just got you back. I won’t leave.” She wiped a tear away with her thumb. “But you’re grounded till you’re thirty.”
Byzantine nodded, a broken smile on her face.
“Okay, mama. But-but my trainer is coming here. To…to see me.”
Her mother sighed, and pulled Byzantine closer. “Alright. Since Annie was so worried for you, I’ll let you see her here. But everyone else is at my house. No more dorms, baby.”
She would have to tell Taburu, but-
But she missed her mama, and she wasn’t going to argue.
Especially since mama wasn’t yelling at all.
She buried her head in her mother’s shoulder, and she let herself be a child, for just a moment, needing her mama.
vaporwave
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
jbbartram-illu
dededos
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