Frostbite - Bakugo Katsuki x OC

The Weight of the Past

The cemetery was eerily quiet. The air was still, heavy with the scent of damp earth and faded incense from offerings left behind. The sky hung low, overcast and gray, as if mourning alongside her.

Sora sat motionless in front of four gravestones.

Her red-and-white hair draped over her shoulders, strands shifting slightly in the breeze. She sat with her knees drawn up, arms resting loosely over them, her gaze fixed on the names carved into stone. There was no sorrow on her face, no tears in her eyes—just an emptiness, as if she had long since run out of anything left to feel.

Behind her, standing a few steps away, were Bakugo, Midoriya, and her twin.

They didn't say anything.

They didn't need to.

The silence stretched, long and suffocating. Then, at last, Sora exhaled.

-Did you know why I never told anyone?

Her voice was quiet, almost lost in the wind. She wasn't addressing any of them in particular—just speaking, as if the weight of her own thoughts had grown too heavy to keep inside.

The three boys glanced at one another but said nothing.

Sora continued.

-I kept it a secret,- she murmured, her fingers grazing the damp earth beneath her. -Because he made me promise.

For the first time, a flicker of something crossed her face—hesitation, maybe, or something deeper.

-He said he didn't want me to have the same fate as him.- A pause. Then, softer—Or you.

Shoto stiffened.

She was talking to him.

But at the same time... she wasn't.

Realization struck him like a slow-moving wave, sinking into his bones.

Sora's gaze remained on the gravestones, her voice distant, as if she were lost somewhere between memory and reality.

-He trained me,-  she said. - Before anyone knew. Before everything.- Her hands curled slightly, fingers digging into the damp grass. -I didn't understand why at first. He pushed me harder than anyone else ever had, forced me to keep going, made sure I was always stronger than the day before.

The wind stirred, shifting loose strands of hair across her face.

-But he never let me tell anyone.

There was something unreadable in her expression.

-At the time, I thought he was just being overprotective,- she continued. -That he didn't want me to outshine him, or maybe he was just... scared.- She swallowed. -Now, I know better.

The weight in her voice sent a chill through Midoriya.

She exhaled slowly.

-And after he was gone... I didn't stop.

The words were soft, but they carried an undeniable heaviness.

Sora stared down at her hands.

-I couldn't stop.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, quietly—

-I didn't really live again... until I met them.

Her fingers curled, her nails pressing into her palms.

-They were the first people who made me feel like I could breathe again.

Midoriya felt something tighten in his chest.

- And I finally had a family of my own,- she whispered.

The wind carried the words away almost as quickly as they had come.

For a long time, she was silent.

Then, at last, she continued—

-...But Kaoru knew.-

Her voice was barely more than a breath.

-The last time I saw her, she confronted me.- Her fingers clenched. -She told me I was hiding too much. That I was keeping too many secrets.

A sharp gust of wind rustled through the trees.

-As if she knew something was going to happen... and I didn't listen.

Her grip tightened.

-I should have told them,- she whispered. -I should have done something. Maybe... maybe they would still be here.

Silence.

Bakugo took a slow step forward. His gaze was unreadable, but his jaw was tight.

Then—

-Bullshit.

His voice was sharp, cutting through the air like a blade.

Sora didn't react.

-It wouldn't have changed a damn thing,- he said flatly. -You think knowing about your quirks would've saved them? You think if you had told them, everything would've been different?- He scoffed. - That's not how it works.

Still, she said nothing.

Bakugo's hands clenched into fists.

-You can't change the past,- he muttered. -No matter how much you blame yourself, no matter how much you wish you could go back...it doesn't work that way.

The wind howled through the cemetery.

Sora's gaze remained fixed on the gravestones.

-The only thing you can do now,- Bakugo said, quieter this time, -is keep moving forward.

Silence.

Then, Shoto took a slow step closer.

-...You were right to keep it a secret.

Sora finally lifted her head slightly, though she didn't turn to look at him.

Shoto's expression was calm, but his eyes carried something else. Something deeper.

-If you had told our father,- he said softly, -it would've been worse.

Sora's shoulders tensed.

Shoto hesitated before continuing.

-You know what he did to us.- His voice was low. -If he had known what you were capable of...- He swallowed. -He would've done the same to you.

Sora's breath hitched.

-You survived,- Shoto said, his tone firm. -Because you kept it hidden.

The words sank into her like stones in water.

Her hands trembled slightly, but she didn't speak.

Shoto lowered his gaze.

-And I'm glad you did.

The air felt thick, heavy with things left unsaid.

Sora exhaled slowly, the tension in her shoulders loosening just barely.

Her gaze returned to the gravestones.

For a long time, no one spoke.

The three boys simply stood with her. 

Until she was ready.