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There were a certain amount of things he couldn’t remember from his childhood. Particularly, his happiest moments which were rare and fleeting, much like fireworks that shone bright in the sky, a million colours bursting alive, yet fading a second later, forgotten in favour of the new ones.
Shouto sat in the dangling rusted swing of a park long since forgotten. The bushes had grown incredibly big over the years, the moss and earth claiming what was originally theirs. Branches extended and slowly enveloped what was left of the play equipment. He watched in silence around him, gaze sweeping over the smallest details of the scenery in front of him. The afternoon breeze felt good against his skin, his hair ruffled slightly from it, a few strands of hair intertwining, red and white mixing together.
To the rest of the world, nothing there probably stood out in importance, but there was a certain something that caught Shouto’s attention after a while, an echo of an old memory passing by his mind, triggering emotions inside of him that he couldn’t exactly pinpoint.
A picture, of a sort, of two boys happily playing inside the climbing frame.
Was it something he lived or was it something his deprived mind had made up years ago, in a desperate need to connect with something, someone?
He wasn’t sure.
All he could remember was the scent of spring, laughter all around him, a blinding grin and a mop of wild hair that he couldn’t help but be intrigued by.
A small smile made his way onto his face, and Shouto closed his eyes, savouring what little of the memory he could recall. The sensations he felt that day.
He still didn’t know whether it was real or a construction but it felt factual.
Something that definitely happened, probably before his quirk manifested and his father took over what little freedom he still had.
The sound of footsteps brought him out of his reverie, and he looked to his right to see Katsuki approaching him. They had come together on a small stroll around the city, wanting to disconnect a bit from their hectic hero life. It had become an habit ever since they got together, many years ago, and it was still intact even now. Truthfully, it was Katsuki that had said they would be going somewhere special that day. He had woken Shouto up in the afternoon after he decided to take a nap, trying to gain some more hours of sleep since he was exhausted, and had told him they were going out.
When Shouto asked him where they would be going, Katsuki gave him a very cryptic smile and told him to get ready. He hadn’t really questioned it since sometimes Katsuki liked to do spontaneous things. He did as he was told and before he knew it, they were already out and taking the train to one of the older parts of the city, where most people didn’t live anymore since the houses were aged, and the whole neighbourhood partially abandoned.
It wasn’t someplace he’d ever been before, or so it had seemed at first, since apparently the park did prompt some disregarded memories of his.
Katsuki sat down in the swing next to his without saying anything, his whole demeanour relaxed and peaceful.
“Why did you bring me here?” He asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
Katsuki didn’t look at him, but his gaze did drop to the ground, his feet moving slightly to swing himself. “I used to play in this park when I was young. My grandparents lived very close so I came a lot when I visited them,” He paused, looked at him from the corner of his eyes before moving his gaze to the climbing frame Shouto had eyed earlier, “Right there,” he pointed with his finger, “I asked someone to marry me for the first time.”
Shouto chuckled, trying to imagine a small, proud Katsuki asking someone to marry him. The mental picture was beyond hilarious. He brought a hand up to his mouth, trying to muffle his snickers behind the back of his hand but failing miserably. Katsuki wasn’t oblivious to this, and he threw him an annoyed look before shaking his head.
“He was a boy, you know. He was very shy, hiding behind his mother from the very first time he arrived,” He continued, a fond smile pulling at his lips, “He didn’t have friends, nor did he seem to want to make any. I kept wondering why he didn’t interact so I came up to him and introduced myself.” For some reason, Katsuki seemed nervous as he spoke. He was playing with his fingers which Shouto knew was a sign that something was making him slightly uncomfortable. He didn’t want to interrupt him, however, and let him go on, ready to intervene if it went further.
“It took some time, but we became good friends. So much so that I didn’t want him to go anywhere when it was time to head home. I remembered what my mother told me about marriage, that “they would be together forever”, and so I asked him to marry me.” Katsuki paused again, this time stopping all movement and getting up from the swing.
He walked in front of him and squattedted down, taking both of Shouto’s hands in his.
“That kid was you.”
Shouto mind reeled, not having expected Katsuki’s last words. He had wondered where this story was going to, but that definitely was not the outcome he had anticipated.
He couldn’t remember having ever meet Katsuki when they were kids. He was sure that if they had an encounter, he would probably remember someone with a personality like Katsuki’s, who was not easily forgettable.
“I- Are you sure what you’re talking about?”
Katsuki huffed, getting irritated with him as it seemed, “Of course. How many kids with dual coloured hair do you think exist in this world, especially red and white. Also, you were covered in quite some bruises, and although I didn’t really understand it at that time, but I remember asking how you got them. What do you think was your response?”
Shouto couldn’t keep up with what Katsuki was saying, still speechless that they had indeed meet at some point when they were just some small kids, unaware of the world ahead of them.
“I- I, really, I- don’t know,” He frowned. “I doubt I blamed my father, since I myself couldn’t understand why he was doing it.”
“You’re not wrong.”
Shouto looked up and met Katuski’s eyes, those intense and scarlet irises that he had always loved so much. And it was then that something awakened inside of him, like a string that’s been pulled for so long and you could finally see the end of it.
One spring day, a tiny hand inside a bigger one, walking down a busy street. Curious eyes taking in his surroundings, the smell of the flowers vivid and fierce. A park full of kids, shyness that made a hand clutch the cloth of a dress, a bright and sun filled smile. Soft blond hair that bounced with every step, laughter filled with warmth. Red, brilliant eyes.
Shouto’s shock could probably be seen on his face as Katsuki laughed slightly. “You remember now?”
He did.
He remembered getting attached to Katsuki pretty much since the beginning, and how sad he was they had to separate. He hadn’t known how to tell him then that he wanted to stay and play with him forever. That he didn’t want to go home because he knew his father wouldn’t be nice to him for reasons unknown to his innocent mind.
When Katsuki had asked him if he wanted to get married, he had been so happy.
He had said yes immediately, and although they didn’t know how marriage worked, they had improvised the whole affair. There was a flower in his hair, which was the symbol of their marriage, supposedly. Katuski had called him pretty and promised they wouldn’t get separated ever again.
A promise that he hadn’t failed to tell all about to his mother. She had laughed but told him to not say anything about it at home, and he hadn’t.
It was too bad that promise was broken soon enough when his quirk manifested and everything went down the drain.
A tear went down Shouto’s face as he reminisced, precious memories that he didn’t know he had resurfacing to his mind and making him slightly emotional.
He was embraced shortly after, a pair of arms circling around his shoulders and pulling his face against a warm and solid chest. He hugged tightly back.
“I’ve always loved you.”
He could almost see Katsuki’s soft smile, “So have I.”