Full Circle

6) Red Shoes

"Kacchan! Kacchaaaaaaaan!" Came the high pitched yelling of a small child. 

Bakugo whipped around, energy levels skyrocketing as soon as he heard the voice of his best friend. It didn't take long for the four year old to spot his green haired buddy, and as soon as he did, his small, chubby arms started to wave frantically in Izuku's direction.

"Over here, Zu! Zu, over here!" He yelled back, watching his friend begin searching the park for him. He laughed at how lost the greenette looked, until they locked eyes and Izuku came barreling towards him. 

Bakugo observed as the young greenette swerved around adults and crying children and civilian passer-bys as his little legs stumbled to Bakugo as fast as they could. The younger greenette started to slow only when he was almost to Bakugo, not risking losing another second of play time while also not completely K.O.ing the other kid. 

Slightly out of breath, Izuku leaned forward, hands on his knees, panting. 

Bakugo walked over a couple steps to get closer to his friend, patting the small child on his back in an attempt to help. 

Not a minute later, Izuku was bouncing around the blonde, excitement rolling off him in waves. "Guess what! Guess what, Kacchan!!" He cried out, voice showing genuine happiness. Even his tooth gap was on full display as his smile grew, completely enveloping his face. 

"What is it, Zu? Why were you late?" He curiously asks, while also letting the greenette know that being late was borderline unforgivable. 

It didn't matter that the blonde four year old couldn't tell time, and therefore had no proof of his best friend being late. The fact was that Izuku wasn't there when he was, and that was wrong. 

Why even go to the park when your best friend isn't there? Bakugo huffed. 

"Sorry Kacchan! Momma said she had to take the tags off before we left, and then she had to tie them for me. She said she didn't expect me to start wearing them as soon as we got home--but I just love them so much!" Little Izuku had started to ramble, but Bakugo listened to his every word. 

Then, registering the hints, he looked down at Izuku's shoes. They were new. And they were red. 

"Ah, you have new shoes." Bakugo noted smartly. 

"Yeah! I got them today! They're red!" He jumped up and down before grabbing his right foot and bending his knee to show Bakugo the shoes up close. 

"Yeah, very red." Came the reply. "They look good, Zu." He said after inspecting the sides and backs of the new footwear. 

"Really?!" Izuku gasped, dropping his leg so he could stand on both feet once more. He then lifted his hands up, and started bouncing around for the nth time. Izuku never had any less energy than forty batteries at a time. "I like them because they're red! Like your eyes! They reminded me of Kacchan and how cool you are!" 

And suddenly the conversation had gotten ten times better. "Yeah, they are pretty cool aren't they?!" 

Bakugo woke up from the dream and groggily began rubbing his eyes. It was so real, like he had actually gone back in time to relive the memory of that day. 

He let his hands fall down to his sides, hitting the blanket and making a soft sound as he looked up at the ceiling. 

His lips quirked upward as he remembered his retaliation. 

After Izuku had told him he had gotten the red shoes because they had made him think of Bakugo, the small blonde had practically dragged his father to the nearest shoe store to get green shoes. 

And he wore those religiously until holes ate up the fabric and the seams fell apart. 

I wonder if they still have those stupid shoes? He wondered to himself. 

Not even a second later, he found his eyes wondering over to the clock located by his bed and gauging how much time he had to make a trip to the shoe store. 

He had "night" patrol on the weekends, which started at ten PM. It was currently 8:53 PM. If he started on his way to the shop right now, he could get back in time to change for patrols…

At 9:36, Bakugo found himself back in his apartment, a box in hand. As soon as he locked the front door, he made his way through the living room and towards his bedroom. 

He set the shoe box down on his bed with the utmost of care, but once he takes his hands away he notices how shaky they are. 

Bakugo takes in a deep breath before opening the box with convulsing fingers, and gently takes out a green shoe. He turns it around, looking at all the familiar seams, the nostalgic texture. 

The memories these shoes hold... He feels his face turn hot as his eyes prickle with unshed tears. He sniffs, nose already feeling funny at the idea of being sad. He laughs silently to himself, an annoyed humor arising at his sudden burst of emotions. 

I was doing so well. 

He rubs his finger across the fabric, as if he can't believe he was physically holding the shoe. Nevertheless, after a few moments of basking in childhood memories, he picks up the second shoe and puts them on a rug located beside his bedroom door. 

He made sure to put them next to the older, red shoes that he had yet to wash. It didn't feel right to was the gift, as he still couldn't believe that those shoes were now in his possession. 

It had been almost two years, and he hadn't moved the identical red shoes from where he had originally placed them. But now those lonely red pair had an identical green pair as company. A watery smile graced Bakugo's lips as he stepped away to admire both pairs of shoes. 

"Look, Zu! I got green ones to match your eyes too!"