Our Memories Burn Like Fire

Chapter 4

Any early chapters on Patreon (currently up till 6, but receiving the next 3 chapters over the weekend) and extra stuff is also there!

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TW: loss of a family member. Bakugo is a really big ass in this one.

I am really proud of this chapter however so I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless.

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It was a warm summer day when you were four when you got to know the bitter taste of grief for the first time.

You were out in the back garden, trying to teach your kitten to jump over a hoola hoop because Oboro said that cats can be taught tricks and you believed him, despite the clear indication of the fact that your cat was just not the athletic type.

You heard the doorbell ring, albeit faintly, but it wasn't until you heard your mother's choked sobs you decided to venture inside and see what was happening.

There was a man at the door, dressed in a suit, and another one, slightly funny looking with long black hair and a hero costume. You remembered him, your brother showed you his photo when he was leaving for some sort of work studies with his school.

The man looked serious, trying to explain something to your mother who seemed paler than the white wall of the room.

You didn't understand what was going on. You were too young to realize what was happening just from the scene in front of you. And even then, your attention was elsewhere.

The hero escorted your mother inside the house to sit on the couch because her legs didn't seem to hold her up anymore.

In the still open door, Shota Aizawa stood, his eyes staring into the distance and slightly glossy. He looked like he hadn't slept in a while, his hair more disheveled than usual.

You trotted up to him, your hands reaching for his.

"Shota. Why are you sad?" you asked, trying your best to comfort him as your brother would.

Your voice seemed to bring him back from wherever he was. He looked down at you, slowly, as if waking from a dream. Then his lower lip quivered.

"Shota. There's no need to be sad. You can play with me if that would make you feel better. And when Oboro comes home he can join in too."

Tears welled in the boy's eyes, and his hand shook in your hold.

You noticed the bandages on his arm then, your little mouth opening for a gasp before it turned into a frown.

"Does your arm hurt? Is that why you're sad?"

Shota couldn't take it anymore.

He knelt in front of you, wrapping his arms around your small frame as he shook with his sobs.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." he kept repeating as he wept into your shoulder.

It was only later they told you that your brother wasn't coming home. He fell in action while evacuating people during a villain attack.

And for the first time ever, at the ripe age of four, you came to understand that being a hero is not as glorious as everyone made it out to be.

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The power of the punch shook through the building, bringing the sound of destruction with it. It tore a hole in the ceiling, causing pieces of the ceiling and wires to fall down at you. As the dust settled from the fall, Bakugo tried to catch his breath and sit up.