Icyhot #2 (OCxBakugo)

Rei Todoroki❄️

Days passed and training camp was quickly approaching. I had a lot of time to think about the last few days and everything that's happened. I woke up early and got ready before going downstairs. I made breakfast for everyone and waited for everyone to join me. We all ate together and I finished before Shoto and waited for him. "Okay. I'm gonna go see mom." Shoto said while getting up and I got up with him. He quickly looked at me and raised an eyebrow. "Do you need me to walk you somewhere?"

"No. I'm going with you to see mom." I responded. His jaw dropped in shock and he looked at our siblings to see how they were just as surprised as him.

"Are you sick? Don't tell me you're dying."

"No. I just thought about our argument the other day and I think it's time for me to grow up. I don't have to forgive her, but I think that I should see her... She's my mom too."

"Okay then... Let's go." I nodded in response and followed him out of the house. We took a taxi to the hospital and went inside to check in. Shoto led me down the hall and stopped in front of a door before looking at me. "This is it. No turning back now." I nodded hesitantly and watched him slide the door open.

"Shoto." I heard her say. Her voice gave me a physical reaction that I didn't expect. My body began shaking and I froze as tears began to threaten to escape. I hadn't even seen her face yet. I breathed deeply before harshly slapping my face. It had stopped the tears and I wiped my face before following Shoto inside. When he stepped to the side, I finally saw her face for the first time since I was a small child. Our eyes met and I was finding it difficult to stabilize my breathing. She was still pretty thin for a mother of five and her skin had aged a bit. I mostly noticed the wrinkles on her face... but I was stunned to see how beautiful she still was. She honestly just looked a lot like me, if I didn't come out with that red half of me. "S-Sakura?" She asked with tears filling her eyes. She got up before running to hug me, but I was still frozen. I didn't know what to say or do. "My baby girl. You've grown so much." She pulled back to look at me and held my face before beginning to feel my hair.

"Mom?" I managed to say.

"The pictures your brother showed me don't do you justice. You're so tall and pretty and you look like a grown woman now... I can't believe that you came to see me. I had heard from all of your siblings except for you and I was sure you wanted nothing to do with me. You don't know how happy you've made me. Come sit." She sat on her bed and pulled me into a nearby chair. She held my hands in hers and all I could feel was how cold they were. "Before we get into any conversation about us, I need to apologize. I wasn't there for you when you needed me most and I should've tried harder for all of you... I was becoming sick for a while and I wasn't myself when I hurt Shoto." She began crying harder and squeezed my hands. "I still think about that day all the time. I used to hear both Shoto and your screams whenever I slept. I hurt your brother in an unimaginable way and I'm still trying to earn his forgiveness for that, but I hope that you'll let me earn yours too."

"Why would you want my forgiveness?"

"Darling... You were there and we're lucky that I snapped out of it when I did that to him... You would've been next if I didn't." I gulped hard as I thought about that night. It also gave me nightmares for years, but I was lucky that I had Shoto. We depended on each other during those tough times. Especially when he was healing from the burn and mom was put in this hospital. "Yes, I didn't hurt you physically, but you saw the whole thing. I know that was mentally scarring. No child should go through what the two of you had to go through... What you two and Toya had to go through. I failed all of you."

"You did."

"Sakura!" Shoto yelled at me as our mom looked down in guilt.

"You've been wanting me to come down here to finally have that healing talk with her. Then let me say what I need to say." He huffed and nodded. "Rei... I've held a grudge and hated you for years. You and dad were the monsters in each one of my nightmares... until recently. I go to hero school with Shoto now. Yes, it was something that Endeavor trained us for, but I'm reclaiming my future. This past semester, I've met some really amazing people who have taught me that it's okay to be hurt and scared and selfish... I finally learned to stand up to Endeavor and now all I feel for him is hate instead of fear... but mom, I'm also processing and learning from my past." She looked up at me and I squeezed her hands in mine. "I no longer feel hate for you... It may sound harsh, but I pity you. You were forced into an awful marriage with a horrible man. I don't care that he wasn't always that way. He became that way because he wanted power. He used you to create perfect weapons. We were his science projects on his days off from work. For a long time, I wished that things were different. I wished that we were a perfect family, but I got over it. There are no perfect families and we will never grow into becoming one. Mom, I won't forgive you for all the trauma my siblings and I endured, but I want you to reclaim your future instead. Get out of here and do better. Be a better mother... I promise that I'll be the one who does what you could never do. I'll protect this family from Endeavor. I wasn't strong enough before, but I am now."

She nodded before wiping the tears off of her face. After leaving the hospital, Shoto and I took another taxi home. "That was something else."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to feel about what you said. In a way, you were mean but then you'd say something to make up for it... I pity you but it's not your fault? You're the monster in every nightmare until recently?"

"I was speaking truthfully."

"We won't ever become a perfect family but I'll protect us?"

"Listen, if you're gonna recite my speech to me, then say it right."

He sighed and held my hand. "I'm glad you came though. I'm glad that you started telling her about school after your big speech. Seeing her with you felt almost normal."

"Seeing her with me in some nuthouse felt almost normal? Your definition of normal is kinda weird... but I'm glad that I came too. I got a lot off of my chest." I laid my head on his shoulder until we got home. When we went inside, we told Natsuo and Fuyumi about our visit. They were just surprised that I didn't run away or attack her.