Chapter Text
“I knew you’d be here.” Ochako crossed her arms as she landed on the rooftop, eyeing the way Katsuki leaned against the railing, still clad in his suit, blazer slung over his shoulder despite the chill that permeated the air. Even from the roof, she could hear the way her friends and classmates laughed and cheered from the first floor, anticipation and joy thrumming through their veins.
They were five minutes from the new year, from a fresh start and a clean slate.
Katsuki snorted, glancing at her over his shoulder before turning back to the view. She took it as an invitation to move closer until she stood next to him, leaning her arms against the railing. From here, she could see the tops of the other dorms, as well as the bare trees that waved their valedictions. And down below, she watched two figures that looked suspiciously like Hanta and Denki dash into the courtyard, arms full of bright packages.
“Were they too much?” she asked, knocking her shoulder into his, and Katsuki raked a hand through his hair with a quiet sigh.
“When aren’t they too much?” he answered, glaring down at their two mischievous friends as they began to set up a line of mini-rockets and other suspicious-looking items. “They’re all idiots.” Fondness crept into his tone, and she knew that while his message could be harsh, he still cared deeply for his friends.
“They are,” she agreed, chuckling lightly. “I still can’t believe they started celebrating yesterday. Feels a little like cheating, doesn’t it?”
He hummed in agreement. “Feels unnecessary.”
She held out an arm and flicked her wrist down, gesturing toward the flickering lights that shone against the grass that illuminated the courtyard. Shadows danced across them, and she could faintly make out the outline of Mina as she tackled what looked to be Tooru in a hug. “It does, and I don’t think I could celebrate for multiple days in a row. I’d be dead tired, yet…”
She trailed off, eyes softening. “If it makes them happy, who am I to say anything?”
“Why do you think I’m up here?” Katsuki scoffed, then pulled back, reaching over to tug her toward him until she shifted into his space, his arms snaking around her waist. Her breath caught as he pressed his face against her hair before settling his chin on her shoulder.
“Fresh air? Clear your mind? Social avoidance?” she teased, poking his arm, and he tightened his arms around her before poking her side. Immediately, she shrieked and laughed as he continued to tickle her, fingers fluttering over her sides. “Ok, ok,” she gasped, tears collecting at the corners of her eyes. “Stop, stop.”
He chuckled, gravelly and warm, breath fanning over the shell of her ear. “You’re here with me too, so what’s your excuse?”
Sniffing, she dabbed at her eyes, chest still heaving from giggling, then patted his arm. “Do I need an excuse to find my boyfriend? Especially when we’re about to begin the new year?”
Katsuki scoffed. “New year…does that even matter? Do people really get to start over? Do people really change with their resolutions?”
She batted at his arm. For a moment, she remained silent, thinking deeply about his questions. And while they were meant to be rhetorical, she didn’t mind providing an answer. All the while, Katsuki had returned to resting on her shoulder, eyes shut as he continued to relax.
When she took a deep breath to answer, he shifted at the movement and slid his gaze to her. “It matters to an extent. I think of a new year as a new beginning for some people, a refresher of sorts. Like, time doesn’t change, it keeps moving on—midnight just brings about the next day, but it’s the feeling of a new start, you know? And I think if anyone puts their mind to it, they can change, especially if they’re willing to try. I’m not talking about magical change either; a resolution isn’t going to complete itself.”
“Do you have any? Resolutions, I mean,” Katsuki asked, after a brief pause. A cheer echoed from the common room, and Ochako whirled on her feet, twisting herself in his arms so that she faced him.
She held up a finger. “Just one. Since my first year.”
He arched a brow. “And what would that be?”
“To become a hero,” she simply answered, then averted her gaze. “Of course, there’s so much more attached to that, but that’s the general gist of things.” Timidly, she turned back to him. “And you? Do you have any?”
He exhaled slowly and drew back, though his hands never left her waist. “No,” he finally answered. “I don’t make goals for the new year. I make them whenever and wherever they occur to me.” Thoughtful, he furrowed his brows, then shrugged. “I don’t see the point of waiting days, weeks, or even months before starting, you know? And I don’t think a lot changes because of a single evening. We still have classes, we still have training, there are still going to be villains—”
“Circumstances won’t change, but people might,” she interrupted softly, smoothing down the folds in his vest before moving to touch the wrinkles between his brows. He immediately relaxed, tension bleeding from his shoulders.
Below, another cheer echoed from the common room, but this time, it was accompanied by a chorus of voices that began to count down.
10.
“Do you think you’ll change?” Katsuki asked, cocking his head as he leaned closer to her.
9.
She tilted her chin up at him. “No, I don’t think so. I want to improve—”
8.
“But I’ll still be me.”
7.
Katsuki lowered his head, nose brushing against hers.
6.
She folded her hands over his arms, fingers digging into his sleeve.
5.
“Good,” he breathed. “I like the way you are, and I’ll like you when you get stronger.”
4.
He was so close, so unbelievably close that she could taste his breath on her lips, fruity and sweet from the punch.
3.
“I like the way you are too,” she whispered, equally as quiet, eyes fluttering shut.
2.
“New year, old us.”
1.
At the last count, Katsuki pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss, and she rose to meet him. Vaguely, she could hear the cheering from the common room, voices that cried happy new year! and other festive shouts. Behind her, sudden explosions rocked the skies, and she broke the kiss to find a shower of fireworks bursting in air, raining silver and gold sparks.
Then, she began to laugh, burying her face into Katsuki’s neck. He pulled her into an embrace, and she felt his body shake with repressed laughter. The skies continued to burst with color, and he pulled away to rest his forehead against hers.
“Happy new year, Cheeks.”
“Happy new year, Katsuki.”