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All eyes trained on the handsome hero couple as they made their way through the crowd, the murmurs, and shouts of recognition following them as they moved towards the temple. Izuku’s hand was clasped firmly in Katsuki’s, who held on tight like he was afraid to lose him in the throng.
They’d chosen to complete hatsumode at their local shrine precisely to avoid such attention from fans, but having recently reached the joint number one spot on Japan’s Top Ten Hero Billboard Chart—the first duo to do so in history—there was no escaping it.
Izuku hated to admit it, but he kind of enjoyed it, the thrill of fame. It had taken so much time for him to grow into the experience, to feel as though he deserved the praise, but honestly, he was damned proud of his accomplishments. Katsuki on the other hand had always acted like he was already number one, demanding admiration and respect by his very presence, even if a bit prematurely, and now that he had it for real, he wanted little to do with it.
“It’s Deku!” someone shouted.
“Let them be!” cried another.
“Izuku, Katsuki-kun!” Izuku’s mother, Inko’s, voice floated up and over the crowd despite her short stature, and Izuku noticed the green bun on top of her head bobbing up and down as she clearly hopped in an attempt to get their attention. Katsuki’s parents Mitsuki and Masaru stood next to her, Mitsuki wearing a smirk on her face, not unlike her son’s. “You made it!” Inko exclaimed, patting Izuku’s hair and pulling him into a hug.
“Well, if it isn’t the famous Wonder Duo, gracing the neighborhood with their presence,” Mitsuki teased.
“ Pfft, leave us alone, you hag, we don’t need that stuff from you too!” groaned Katsuki, nevertheless wrapping his arms around both his parents in one fell swoop, knocking Masaru’s glasses askew. “Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year, kid.” Mitsuki pinched Katsuki’s cheek and kissed it where it immediately started to turn red. Katsuki always did have sensitive skin.
“I’m glad we could all make it this year,” Izuku said, happily. All too often, in previous instances, their holiday plans had been interrupted or completely derailed by villains.
“Izuku, warm your hands, warm your hands,” Inko prodded, guiding them all towards the bonfire. The crowd parted at the sight of Katsuki and Izuku, but they both did their best to ignore the gasps and whispers. They just wanted to enjoy this time with each other and with their family and luckily the onlookers seemed to understand this; no one bothered them further.
“It’s almost midnight. I thought you two might miss it,” Masaru remarked, checking his watch.
Katsuki squeezed Izuku’s hand as they stood by the fire and Izuku beamed up at him with a warm smile. Izuku didn’t really need the fire to warm his hands when he had Katsuki, and Katsuki himself not only didn’t need the fire, but it was probably best for him and everyone else that he kept his hands away from its heat. He had amazing control of his explosive Quirk, but nonetheless, there was no need to risk getting overheated, especially when surrounded by so many people.
When midnight came, Katsuki pulled Izuku into a deep kiss, a tradition they’d picked up when they’d been in the U.K. for a series of missions. Now they rang in every new year this way, so long as they weren’t mid-battle, and sometimes even then. Whistles and shouts whipped up around them, along with the flashes of cameras and then Izuku heard Auntie Mitsuki admonishing some of the fans.
“Give these boys their moment, will ya?!! They give enough of themselves day in and day out for you and for all of us!”
“Mom, relax, it’s fine, we’re in public, aren’t we? What’d you expect?” Katsuki said, tugging gently at her elbow. She did relax, but not before doling out several more stern looks to people with their cameras raised.
Katsuki and Izuku got their turn in the shrine to say their prayers, and the crowd once again made way for the famous heroes to enter. Izuku prayed for the same thing he did every year: that he’d continue to be the best hero he could be, winning and saving with Katsuki by his side.
A simple request for a simple life that was already more wondrous than he could have imagined as a Quirkless boy. Living his dream was both more precious and more ordinary than he would have thought, and really that was because of Katsuki, the constant, grounding presence in Izuku’s life who spurred him on and pulled him back in equal measure.
“What’d you pray for?” Katsuki whispered in Izuku’s ear as they emerged back into the night. Izuku answered by winding their fingers together and planting a small kiss at Katsuki’s temple.
“Pfft. You’re such a nerd. You don’t need to pray for things that are inevitable.”
“But it’s all I want and I just want to show my gratitude.”
Katsuki wrapped his arm around Izuku and they made their way down the sidewalk, linked together as they walked towards Katsuki’s childhood home, where they’d drink otoso to their health and get all the necessary supplies for the night ahead at the beach.
Izuku made a face as he sipped his sake, scrunching up his nose at the bitterness. Even so, it was one of his favorite traditions, especially since it linked their families together now, the Bakugous and the Midoriyas.
“I like how it tastes,” Katsuki said with a smirk and a shrug.
“Yeah, well you’re weird, Kacchan. And your taste buds are probably dull by now from all the spicy food.” Katsuki pinched Izuku’s side and leaned over for a kiss.
Normally, they’d share otoso around the dinner table on New Year’s Day, but Izuku had other plans for them this year; plans that involved just the two of them. And when Masaru pulled Katsuki away to collect the camping gear they needed for the night, Izuku took the opportunity to pull the little black box from his jacket pocket to show off the white gold band inlaid with emerald and garnet stones.
Inko and Mitsuki squealed silently, with hands pressed against their cheeks as they examined the ring and hugged Izuku tightly; he put a finger to his lips, encouraging them to keep up the silence, lest they grow too excitable. They beamed at him with pride and admiration for the man he’d become, he knew the look well, and also with something like hope for his future. His future and Katsuki’s.
“Okay nerd, looks like we’ve got everything. You ready to go?”
“You bet!”
They said goodbye to their parents, the moms hugging Katsuki a little too long. Izuku widened his eyes at them, pleadingly, lest they accidentally give him any hints. But even Mitsuki, who was prone to teasing him, kept a straight face, and without too much fuss, they made their way towards the beach to set up camp.
It was cold by the water, so Katsuki struck up a fire while Izuku set up the chairs and a tent in case they couldn’t make it the night, or wanted some privacy. He felt a little sleepy, but also invigorated. The goal was to stay up all night or at the very least to doze only a little. They’d enjoyed several sunrises together for the New Year before but it had been a while since they’d done so from right at the beach.
“You’re staring, Deku,” Kacchan said with a grin as they sat by the fire.
He couldn’t help it. Something about the moonlit night, the beach, Katsuki. He was in awe of Katsuki and of his life. Their life, he reminded himself. He squeezed the little box in his pocket, a small smile forming on his face, despite the fluttering nerves as well.
“Am I?” Izuku asked. He knew he was.
“Yeah, nerd.”
“Hmm. I guess I just don’t want to look away from you. We’re here to watch the first sunrise, but in a way, you are my first sunrise. If I start the new year off looking at you, I know I’m sure to have good luck.”
“Wow,” Katsuki replied, his face turning absolutely pink; even in the darkness, Izuku could notice it easily. “You’ve got to be the sappiest fucking person I’ve ever met in my life.”
But he leaned in even as he spoke, rewarding Izuku with the tenderest brush of lips, one that conveyed the depth of Katsuki’s feelings in a way no words ever could.
“I know,” said Izuku. “Fortunately for me, you put up with it. I’m starting to suspect you even like it.”
“ Pfft. Don’t get carried away.” Katsuki reached out a hand, clasping Izuku’s in his. It was still a few hours before the first light would spread on the horizon.
A few more people were starting to set up their own camps, trickling onto the beach in pairs of friends or lovers, or as groups, families with aged grandparents or with young kids laughing and running, happy to be awake well past their usual bedtimes. As if on cue, reading Izuku’s thoughts, Katsuki yawned into the back of his hand.
“Don’t get sleepy on me,” Izuku scolded, squeezing Katsuki’s hand.
“I’m not,” Katsuki insisted, but he scooted closer and rested his head on Izuku’s shoulder all the same.
If any of the others on the beach recognized them as famous pro heroes, they didn’t say anything, not even the odd glance or double-take. That suited Izuku just fine and it would make his plan that much smoother.
He wound his arm through Katsuki’s, resting his own head on top of the pillow of Katsuki’s surprisingly soft blonde hair. He closed his eyes, allowing the sound of the waves to gently crash over him, the small bursts of laughter or loud splashes keeping him from falling asleep completely. His hand clutched the ring box in his pocket, both anchoring and buoying him.
Izuku had no doubts Katsuki would say ‘yes.’ Maybe he’d be pissed that Izuku had decided to do it first, and maybe that thought amused him to no end; it would be so patently Kacchan . And in truth, Izuku had bought a ring and was planning to propose, but it wasn’t exclusively his idea. They’d bandied the idea around for several years, but had left it to drowsy, late night bedroom conversations and after-dinner chats, with both of them concluding that maybe it was best to put it off until things settled down with work, whatever that meant.
But Izuku was starting to realize that in their profession, maybe things never would settle down and he was through with letting that hinder him from living his life the way he wanted to. He wanted to marry Katsuki. Full stop. No, they were no less busy now, but they were older, wiser, and maybe even if things hadn’t settled down, they had.
He must have dozed off because Katsuki was poking his side and calling his name, jolting him awake with a final, more forceful, “Deku!”
“Hauhgehr? Oh…” Izuku yawned and rubbed at his eyes. “How long was I out?”
“Beats me. I slept too but look. Sunrise.” Katsuki pushed an unruly green curl out of Izuku’s eyes and softly grazed a finger down his jawline, sending little shivers across his skin there. Izuku smiled. Sure enough, the first beams of light had started to creep over the edge of the sea.
They both stood and stretched, and Katsuki wrapped his arms around Izuku from behind, resting his head atop his, having just enough extra height to do so.
“I'm happy to spend another year with you, Kacchan.”
“Me too, nerd.”
Izuku took a deep breath, then said, “let’s spend every year together. Be my husband.”
He knelt down in front of Katsuki, then, pulling the velvet box out of his pocket and opening it to reveal the ring, the gemstones glinting in the early morning sunlight. His eyes flooded instantly with happy tears as he heard Katsuki’s breath hitch and noticed the quiver of his lip.
And Katsuki lunged at him, tackling Izuku into the ground, showering kisses all over his face, not seeming to mind the feel of the cold, wet sand they were kicking up in the process. Izuku burst into a fit of laughter until Katsuki kissed him firmly on the mouth, long and deep, calloused hands gripping the sides of his face with both a fierceness and tenderness that made Izuku melt.
“Yes, Deku. Hell, yeah, I’ll be your husband! And you’ll be mine.”
“Mmm, yes, Kacchan.” With Katsuki pinned above him, Izuku had to twist a bit awkwardly to reach between them and extract the ring box, but Katsuki shifted to make it easier and sat up, pulling Izuku with him.
“I bet you think you’re real slick, doing this before me,” Katsuki said as Izuku slipped the band on his finger; he brushed the sand off of both of them with his other hand.
“I knew you’d say that.”
“ Tch. ”
Izuku pulled him into another searing kiss and it wasn’t until Katsuki wrapped his arms around him that Izuku realized that he was cold, the embers from their fire long since burned out.
“You’re shivering.” Katsuki rubbed Izuku’s arms and they held each other in the growing sunlight until a huge yawn broke between them both, starting with Izuku and catching Katsuki too.
“I have a plan for us to spend the day together, Kacchan, just us.”
“Mmm, I like the sound of that, nerd. Let’s warm up and sleep then huh?”
Izuku nodded and pulled Katsuki with him into the tent. And bundled together in their sleeping bag, Katsuki kissed Izuku’s forehead.
“Happy New Year, Deku.”
“Yes, Kacchan, it is.”