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“Remind me how the fuck you talked me into this again,” Katsuki mutters as he meets Eijirou around the front of the car, the other’s hand automatically slipping into his own.
“Because it’s fun, and I know you don’t hate these guys as much as you try to act like you do,” Eijirou tells him simply. “Plus, ‘cause you like me, and I like you, and I wanna spend New Year’s with you.”
“And we couldn’t have done that shit at home?” Katsuki grumbles, tucking his nose down under his scarf. “It’s cold as balls out here. Look, even the shitty lake is frozen and probably hating life right now.”
“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll keep you warm,” the redhead promises, squeezing Katsuki’s hand and grinning over at him like the beautiful fucking asshole he is. “Just wait till you see how the fireworks reflect off the ice. It’s like, twice the fun that way ‘cause it’s like you’re getting two shows in one.”
Katsuki stifles a sigh as Eijirou leads him toward the frozen water of the remote-as-fuck park Eijirou dragged him to at 11:30 at night. Most of the lights around the park are off, leaving them feeling their way through the grass and following the voices of several other people (among which Bakugou picks up Deku’s stupid voice, of all people, as well as Todoroki’s and Uraraka’s) gathered on a bridge at the narrowest part of the lake. A few lights are still glowing on the railing of the bridge, illuminating the group of people mulling around. The night is clear without a damn cloud in sight, and Katsuki’s appreciative of the fact that there’s no threat of snow, at least.
“Yo! Kiri, you made it!” bellows a voice from the bridge. “And Bakubro, too!”
“Stop fucking calling me that!” Katsuki snaps. And of course, Kaminari--the fucker--completely ignores him.
“Hey guys,” Eijirou greets as the two of them step onto the bridge. “I promised we’d come, didn’t I?” he says. “‘Sides, I really wanted Katsuki to see the fireworks. He’s never been before.”
“You’re gonna love it, man. Lots of explosions and stuff, just the way you like,” Sero says, popping up from behind Kaminari.
Katsuki twists his face into a scowl, though he can come up with no argument for that.
“Oh, and we mighta sorta hijacked the electrical box for the park, so we don’t have to deal with the light pollution this year,” Kaminari declares proudly. “And I figured out how to keep the lights on the bridge on, too, so we won’t be stumbling around in the dark.”
Eijirou’s mouth pops open. “If you get in trouble, I’m not bailing you out, man,” he says.
“Nah, we won’t get in trouble. C’mon, let’s go join the others.”
Eijirou tugs Katsuki further down the bridge after Kaminari and Sero where a huddle of people are standing, chattering away about some bullshit Katsuki doesn’t bother to pick up on.
“Oh, Kacchan and Kirishima are here!” a particularly chipper and hella annoying voice says, springing out from the crowd. Not two seconds later, Deku emerges, his hand wrapped firmly around one of Todoroki’s the same way Eijirou’s holding onto one of Katsuki’s own. “Glad you made it, guys!” he says.
“Us too,” Eijirou says. “Well, me too,” he corrects with one glance at his boyfriend’s scowl. “Katsuki’s bitter ‘cause it’s cold.”
“Mm, I think Bakugou is pretty much always bitter,” Todoroki adds with that damned passive face of his. Instinctively, Katsuki lurches forward, fingers curling.
“What’d you say, Icy Hot?! You wanna fucking go?!” he growls.
“Katsuki!” Eijirou shouts, tugging him back with an arm around his waist. “C’mon, man! It’s New Year’s Eve, why ya gotta be trying to start a fight?”
The warmth of Eijirou’s arm around his waist has Katsuki shrinking back toward him, though his glare at Todoroki--who hasn’t reacted in the slightest--does not falter.
“Sorry, guys,” Eijirou says with an apologetic smile.
“No worries. I think we’re all pretty much used to it by now,” says Deku with a light laugh. “Let’s just enjoy the night, yeah?”
“Yep!” Eijirou says, holding a hand out for a fist bump.
“Only twenty minutes left!” Iida shouts from somewhere down the bridge a ways.
“Better get your regrets outta the way while you still can!” Kaminari adds with a laugh.
“Oh, I think Yaomomo is here,” Deku says, leaning around Eijirou to the end of the bridge. “Let’s go greet her, Todoroki.”
Todoroki merely nods and they squeeze around Eijirou. Over his shoulder, Deku says, “Oh, by the way, Uraraka brought a whole pitcher of hot cocoa and some small styrofoam cups she’s sharing with everybody if you wanna take advantage of that.”
“Cool. Thanks, guys,” Eijirou calls back. “Wanna go get some cocoa?”
“I don’t care,” Katsuki grumbles.
“C’mon, maybe it’ll cheer you up,” Eijirou says, leading him forward once more. He finds Uraraka among several people and, sure enough, she’s got a giant pitcher and a sleeve of small styrofoam cups, both of which are already halfway empty. She’s kneeling on the wood of the bridge, a very bundled up Tsuyu beside her.
“Oh, hi Kirishima!” Uraraka says as soon as she sees them walk up. “Hi, Bakugou. Would you guys like some hot chocolate?”
“We’ll take you up on that,” Eijirou says. “Thanks, Uraraka.”
“Oh, it’s no problem! It was actually Tsu’s idea, I just made it happen,” she says as she’s pouring a cup. “And sorry, it’s already cooled off a little.”
“No worries,” Eijirou says, passing the first cup over to Katsuki and keeping the second for himself. “It was a good idea. Thanks, guys.”
“No problem!” Uraraka says. “Enjoy the fireworks!”
“You guys too.” Eijirou leaves the girls with a wave and allows Katsuki to pull him in a direction that’s slightly away from the rest of the crowd.
“So you a little warmer now?” Eijirou asks after Bakugou’s finished half of his hot cocoa.
“I guess,” the blonde says. “You still promised you’d keep me warm though, you shit.”
“You’re definitely right about that.” Eijirou grins as he sets his empty cup on the railing, all too happy to step up behind the other and, with his hands in his pockets, wrap Katsuki in his coat as best he can, resting his chin on his shoulder. “How’s this?”
“Perfect. Move and I’ll throw you into the lake.”
“Pfft, you won’t,” Eijirou chuckles. “You like me too much.”
“Try me, Shitty Hair,” Katsuki warns, not even about to admit that Eijirou’s right. He likes the loser way too much to actually throw him over the dumb bridge—at least, not when the water is literally frozen. Middle of summer, maybe, but he isn’t really that much of an asshole despite liking to let people believe he is.
“So how much longer till midnight, anyway?” Katsuki asks.
“Mm, not too long. Pretty sure Iida’s got the countdown covered.”
And he did. At ten minutes, Iida’’s sure to shout it over everyone’s heads again, though this time it lacks a comment from Kaminari.
Eijirou tucks his chin down on Katsuki’s shoulder, pressing himself closer and letting his eyes shut. He revels in the feeling of Katsuki pressed against him for a moment, of how the other is subtly leaning back against him. Katsuki’s always seemed to fit against him like a puzzle piece, and Eijirou’s always in a good mood when Katsuki lets him do little things for him like keep him warm.
“What’re you doing, Ei?” Katsuki mumbles after he feels a soft, cool set of lips press to the side of his neck.
“Keepin’ you warm,” comes a soft reply.
“I told you—“
“I know, I know, no New Year’s kiss. You told me like a million times already.”
Katsuki huffs at the disappointment in Eijirou’s tone but says nothing as Eijirou kisses his neck again, leaving his lips there a while, his breath brushing gently over Katsuki’s skin.
At five minutes, Iida shouts another obnoxious warning, and again and again each minute until the last, when everyone gathers up to the same railing Katsuki and Eijirou are already at to count down the last ten seconds. While the rest of the group shouts it, their voices carrying across the frozen lake, Eijirou merely whispers it into Katsuki’s ear.
When they reach one, silence follows.
“Um…” someone mumbles.
“Were we too early?” another asks.
“Impossible! This clock is completely accurate!” Iida defends, clearly appalled.
“Did they cancel it this year?” Uraraka questions, a few people down from Eijirou and Katsuki.
“No, I checked the site several times,” Deku says from somewhere near her.
The group continues to babble about it for a minute and Eijirou sighs, lifting his head from Katsuki’s shoulder. “Damn,” he mumbles. “I was so hoping you’d get to see the fireworks. Sorry, babe.”
Katsuki clicks his tongue. Without moving from Eijirou’s arms he twists around, lifting his hands to wrap around the back of the redhead’s neck. He doesn’t give Eijirou time to think before tugging him forward, pressing a firm kiss right to Eijirou’s dumb, soft, cold lips that still hold the taste of hot cocoa.
And as soon as they meet, a boom sounds from behind him, a flash of light casting against his closed eyelids. He feels Eijirou smile into the kiss as cheers erupt from the rest of the crowd before the redhead is pressing closer, his hands somehow gripping at Katsuki’s waist through the pockets of his jacket. He allows Eijirou to have his way for a minute, letting their lips linger together before he tugs himself back just far enough to speak.
“Happy New Year, loser.”