Sero's sister

Chapter 9: Breaking Point

Y/N closed the door to her room quietly, leaning against it for a moment as she tried to calm the storm inside her. The conversation with Bakugou had left her feeling raw, exposed in a way she hadn't felt in years. She could still feel the weight of his words, the concern in his eyes, and the quiet demand for answers she wasn't ready to give.

"Who did this?"

The question echoed in her mind, making her chest tighten with a familiar ache. She hadn't wanted to think about it, let alone talk about it—not here, not with him. But Bakugou had a way of seeing through her defenses, cutting through the walls she had spent years building around herself. He had pushed her in a way no one else had, and now, all the memories she had worked so hard to bury were clawing their way to the surface.

Y/N crossed the room in a daze, her legs feeling heavy as she made her way to her bed. She sat down, her hands trembling slightly as she clenched the fabric of her blanket in her fists. The room was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of the moon filtering through the window, casting shadows on the walls. The silence was suffocating, her thoughts swirling in her head, making it impossible to focus on anything but the overwhelming weight of her emotions.

It's over, she told herself. It's in the past. You're fine now.

But the lie felt hollow, even to her.

Y/N bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to push the memories away, but they came rushing back with brutal clarity—the fights, the manipulation, the way he had twisted her words and made her feel like she was always in the wrong. The toxic relationship she had endured for far too long, the one that had left her feeling like she wasn't enough, like she didn't deserve better.

She had been strong for so long. She had rebuilt herself, brick by brick, after everything had fallen apart. But now, sitting alone in the quiet darkness of her room, Y/N felt the cracks in her armor starting to show.

A single tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it.

She brushed it away quickly, taking a deep breath as she fought to keep the flood of emotions at bay. She didn't cry. She didn't let herself cry. Not anymore. She had spent too many nights crying herself to sleep when things had been at their worst, and she had sworn that she would never let herself break like that again.

But tonight... tonight was different.

Before she could stop it, another tear escaped, followed by another, until the dam broke completely. Y/N buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as the sobs wracked her body, all the pain and frustration she had kept bottled up for so long pouring out in a way she hadn't allowed herself to feel in years.

It hurt. It hurt so much, and she didn't know how to stop it.

All the memories, all the fear and hurt she had tried to push down came rushing back with a vengeance, filling her chest with an overwhelming sense of grief for the person she had once been—the person who had believed she was worth so little.

She cried for that version of herself. The one who had stayed in a toxic relationship because she thought it was all she deserved. The one who had let someone else's cruelty define her. The one who had been so lost, so broken, and had fought so hard to piece herself back together.

But she cried for something else, too.

She cried because, for the first time in a long time, she had let someone in. And it scared her.

Bakugou.

She hadn't expected him to care. Not like this. But the way he had looked at her tonight, the way his voice had softened when he asked her about her past—it had shaken something inside her, something she wasn't sure she was ready to face. She wasn't used to people caring like that. She wasn't used to letting anyone see her vulnerabilities.

And now, with her emotions spiraling out of control, Y/N wasn't sure how to handle it.

Her sobs grew quieter, the tears still streaming down her face as she curled up on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. The room felt cold, too quiet, and Y/N wished she could make herself disappear, wished she could silence the thoughts in her head and the ache in her heart.

But instead, all she could do was cry.

She didn't know how long she stayed like that, curled up in the darkness, letting the pain wash over her. Time seemed to blur together, and by the time her sobs finally subsided, her body felt drained, exhausted from the emotional release.

Y/N wiped her face with the back of her hand, her breaths coming in shaky gasps as she tried to pull herself back together. Her heart still ached, but the tears had stopped, leaving behind a hollow emptiness that she wasn't sure how to fill.

For a long time, she just sat there in silence, staring blankly at the floor. Her mind felt numb, her body heavy with exhaustion, but there was something else too—something lighter, like a weight had been lifted, if only just a little.

Maybe you don't have to carry all of it by yourself anymore, a small voice in her head whispered, but Y/N quickly pushed it away.

She wasn't ready for that. Not yet.

But as she sat there, alone in her room, she couldn't help but think about Bakugou. About the way he had looked at her tonight, about the concern in his eyes, the way he had demanded to know the truth. He had seen through her walls, seen the cracks she had tried so hard to hide.

And for some reason, she wasn't sure if that scared her or comforted her.

Maybe it was a little of both.