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"Champagne?" Momo offered the glass of golden liquid to Kendo, who accepted it graciously and clinked her glass to Momo's. They both took a sip, and Kendo grinned lazily at her, already half-drunk, it seemed.
"To another great year at UA," she said, and Momo echoed the sentiment as Kendo leaned on her and wrapped her in a sort of awkward hug.
It was ten minutes until midnight, before the fireworks would go off at Momo's family estate and the confetti would be shot into the air and the live band would go into their classic set to ring in the new year. There were people laughing and dancing and drinking as the music played loudly into the cold, windy night, but the icky weather didn't seem to bother anyone. Least of all Momo. She was happy seeing all of her classmates smiling and enjoying themselves. She would do anything for them; she had decided that a long time ago. Throwing a party to give them a much needed break from their busy lives was the least that she could do after all they had given her. They were her best friends, after all, and they had respected her for all of the things that she never thought anyone would see.
"Congratulations on your wonderful party, second in command."
Momo smiled at the sound of the class representative's voice behind her, and she turned around to throw her arms around him in a tight hug. She wouldn't necessarily say they were close, but they had been through a lot together. "Iida," she said. "I feel like I haven't seen you all night."
"I've been trying to keep the party under control. Mineta has been harassing the girls in 1-B, and they do not appreciate it."
"Ugh." Momo rolled her eyes. It wasn't a surprise, but it was still disgusting. "Thank you for taking care of that. I feel like I'm being pulled in every direction tonight." She sighed, pushing the strands of hair out of her eyes that had fallen from her ponytail. She was so, so tired, but it was all worth it to see everyone's smiles. "Champagne?"
"I guess one glass wouldn't hurt to ring in the new year," Iida said with a smile as they clinked their glasses together. "To new adventures."
"To new adventures." She checked the time on her phone and shifted uncomfortably. Nine minutes until midnight. She ran a hand over her dress to smooth it out -- a nervous habit she had picked up recently -- and cleared her throat, scanning the crowd. She could see Mina and Sero dancing together and Kaminari hanging drunkenly off of Shinsou's arm laughing about something. Everyone, it seemed, was coupled up, and she was sure that they would ring in the new year with a kiss.
"Will you be kissing anyone at midnight?" Momo found herself asking the class rep, though she wasn't sure why she was talking to him of all people. They worked together to keep the class under control; they weren't exactly friends. Maybe she wanted someone with a level head to tell her that she wasn't crazy.
"Hmm? Oh, no, I don't think so. There isn't anyone I feel that close with besides --" Iida stopped himself, then shook his head and readjusted his glasses. "No, I won't."
Momo did not say anything for a long time, just watched her classmates as they partied on into the night. There was a specific person that she was looking for, but she did not seem to be with the rest of their class. She wouldn't have gone home early without saying goodbye...would she?
Seven minutes until midnight. There were no texts on her phone because everyone was here, and Jirou would have said something to her if she was planning on leaving early. "Have you seen Jirou?" she finally asked. "I haven't had a chance to speak with her all night, and…" She sighed. The thought of the clock striking midnight without Jirou being by her side made her feel more stressed than she cared to admit. They had become really close over the past few months. Or, at least she thought they had. Maybe things had been different for Jirou.
And that was okay. As long as she was happy.
"I haven't seen her for a while, no," Iida replied, then shouted, "Hey! Stop that! That's dangerous! And I'm sure those are very expensive plants!" He turned to Momo with an apologetic look on his face and offered a smile. "I'll take care of the troublemakers if you want to go find her. We certainly wouldn't want the countdown to start without her."
Momo nodded enthusiastically, grateful that she could count on her friend to keep things under control when she herself felt like she was spiraling. Everything was so loud and bright, and the whole night had been one issue after another. She normally loved throwing parties, but there were just so many people here, and it was hard to manage. Too many people, and the one person she'd really, truly cared about being here had disappeared.
Six minutes until midnight. She wandered through the crowd, peering over people's heads to see if maybe Jirou was hiding behind someone, but the girl was nowhere to be seen. Kaminari and Kirishima crashed into her while she roamed, chasing each other with lit sparklers, which she thought was a fire hazard considering the strong smell of alcohol wafting off of them, but the disapproving boyfriends were already on the case, so she didn't feel like she had to worry about it too much.
"Hey, have you guys seen Jirou?" she asked, as Shinsou picked Kaminari up from the ground and dragged him away.
"Who?" Bakugou asked. "Oh, right. The ear girl. She went over there somewhere." He gestured vaguely into the darkness, which wasn't very helpful, but Momo thanked him anyway and wished him luck in his attempt to keep Kirishima at bay for the rest of the night.
Five minutes. She wasn't sure why Jirou would have wandered off when the party was right here. The last glimpse that Momo had caught of her, it looked like she was playing some sort of game with Tsu and some of the class 1-B kids. They had been laughing and enjoying themselves. She hoped nothing had happened to push her away.
Every single one of Momo's friends was near and dear to her heart, and she would do anything in the world for them, but Jirou held a special place. They had formed an unspoken connection, one that could not be broken by anything. Through all of the sleepovers where they stayed up all night talking about nothing and everything and all of the afternoon coffee runs that they went on together, something had shifted between them that Momo could not ignore, no matter how hard she tried.
It didn't happen suddenly. It wasn't as if there was this defining moment when she realized that she had fallen in love. No, it was a gradual process that had taken place over months and months of confiding in one another and letting their walls break down until they could see one another for who they truly were. It was the way that Jirou sometimes brushed Momo's hair out of her face or the times that their hands accidentally touched or they looked at each other during training and just knew what the other was thinking without any words, the ultimate trust that they had spent hours and days and weeks and months perfecting until it was an art.
And after all that, Jirou had wandered away from her without a word. On the night that Momo had decided she was going to confess.
Four minutes.
She roamed through her family's garden, peeking behind hedges and checking every stone bench that decorated the marble pathway to make sure that Jirou was not there, but there was nothing but shadows to greet her. That, and the sound of the party still raging on, growing more and more distant with each footstep. She had to be here somewhere. She had to.
Eventually, she made it to the fountain in the middle of the garden, one of her favorite places to sit when she was home visiting for the weekend and wanted some quiet time to read a book. In the middle was a statue of a massive elephant spewing water from its trunk, which her father had had commissioned for her mother as an anniversary gift one year, which Momo had always thought was the most romantic thing in the world. Her mother loved elephants. This place was her favorite not only because of how secluded it was, but because it was showered in the love that her parents had for one another, and it made her feel at peace.
She had told these things to Jirou before, so it shouldn't have been a surprise to her when she found the other girl sitting on the low stone wall of the fountain and shuffling her feet over the marble path while she drank a beer. It really was the best place to be alone.
Three minutes until midnight. Momo sighed and sat down next to Jirou, staring up at the dark sky glittering with bright white stars as she sipped at her champagne. She felt Jirou's eyes on her, but she chose not to look, afraid that her face would betray all of the complicated feelings that she held for her best friend. Maybe it wasn't exactly the best time to tell her. She didn't seem like she was in a good mood.
But what better time was there than at the stroke of a brand new year?
"Awesome party," Jirou said, holding her beer bottle to her lips. Momo could hear the soft sound of rock music playing from her earphones, the same sad song she listened to whenever she was in a lonely, pensive mood. Momo should know; she'd caught her listening to it several times before.
"Thanks," Momo replied, smoothing out her dress. "It's been kind of crazy, but I managed to get away from it." Clearing her throat, she nudged Jirou with her shoulder. "Why did you leave?"
Jirou let out a breathy laugh and shook her head. "It was mostly because it was loud. Denki is hard to be around when he gets drunk. Mineta gets more handsy than he already is. Monoma starts crying about everything." She sighed. "I just wanted a quiet beginning, I guess."
"Oh." Momo tapped her heel against the stone wall, shuffling nervously. "Want me to leave?"
"No, you can stay. I don't mind you being here."
Momo smiled a little at that. Two minutes until midnight. They sat in silence staring up at the stars and quietly sipping their drinks, their hands resting on the wall in between them and their pinkies just barely brushing. Momo was extremely aware of the contact, but she managed to keep her breathing level, though her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure if she had Jirou's Quirk she could completely destroy her family's entire estate.
"This is my favorite place," she said.
Jirou hummed in response. "Yeah, you told me. I thought that I would see what all the fuss was about."
"And what do you think?"
"It's nice." Jirou dipped her fingers into the ice cold water and splashed it in Momo's direction, and Momo squealed and nearly toppled off the wall in an attempt to get away.
"Kyoka!" she exclaimed, amidst her friend's laughter. "It's freezing outside! Don't do that!"
"Sorry, sorry," Jirou said. "Want my jacket?"
"Oh. Um...no, I'm okay. Thanks."
"Seriously, I don't mind." Jirou stood, slipping her black jacket off and draping it over Momo's bare shoulders. She had no idea why she had chosen this dress to wear tonight -- for the fashion, she supposed -- but now that she had Jirou's jacket on, she was warm, and her belly was bubbling with butterflies and champagne. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.
One minute until midnight. She could hear the faint voices of her classmates counting down in the distance, preparing to ring in the new year without her and Jirou. That was perfectly fine. She was happy right here, more at peace than she had been all night.
She didn't have to say anything, she supposed. She didn't want to ruin the moment. Starting a new year just like this was perfect when it was with her.
“You’ll have to show me your favorite place now,” Momo said and, deciding to take a risk, laid her head down on Jirou’s shoulder. The other girl sighed peacefully, leaning her cheek against the top of Momo’s head, and Momo felt her eyes flutter shut. She was tired, she realized, far more tired than she had thought she was. Fighting and training all day was one thing, but planning a party and managing her drunk idiot friends was another thing entirely. She could sleep right here, cold or not, surrounded by the feeling of swimming in tranquility, floating on the obvious affection that Jirou had for her. Romantic or platonic, it didn’t matter.
“I don’t really have a favorite place,” Jirou told her.
“Hmm? Nowhere that makes you feel safe and happy?”
She felt Jirou shift underneath her, and then suddenly her hand was on top of Momo’s, shaking and tentative. Momo’s eyes flew open, and a breath shuddered through her as she stared straight ahead, too afraid to meet Jirou’s eyes. It wasn’t as if they had never held hands, but this felt...different.
“I feel safe and happy when I’m with you.”
Her voice was soft and sweet, so innocent that it made the butterflies in Momo’s stomach spread their wings and take flight. She removed her head from Jirou’s shoulder and finally mustered enough courage to look at her, and what she saw there nearly knocked the breath right out of her.
Jirou felt the same way about her. There was no doubt about it. Her pupils were dilated, making her eyes nearly black, and she sat there with her lips parted and trembling, her cheeks a deep red as her gaze flicked between Momo’s eyes and her mouth. Then slowly, shyly, she averted her gaze and pushed a strand of purple hair behind her ear.
“Momo, I…”
Momo could hear the chanting voices of her classmates ringing in her ears, counting down from ten. They were so close. Smiling, she clinked her champagne glass against Momo’s beer bottle and said, “To new beginnings.”
She took a sip of her champagne, sighing as the warmth traveled down her throat and into her belly, and watched as Jirou brought the bottle to her lips but didn’t drink. There was only a second of hesitation, and as their eyes met over the bottle, Jirou sighed and set her drink aside.
“Five...four...three…”
“Momo.”
“Two…”
“Yes?”
“One!”
The confetti cannons went off, and fireworks exploded in the air, but Momo was not paying any attention to that because Jirou’s lips were on hers, and they were warm and soft and comforting and everything that Momo had ever imagined them to be and more. Jirou’s hands were on her hips, drawing her close as she wrapped her arms around the other girl’s neck, her eyes closing as she melted into her, allowing her to take the lead in whatever was happening. Why did the fireworks matter when there were fireworks exploding behind her eyes and in her veins? Every part of her was waking up, stirring from the deep slumber of constantly going through the motions.
Everything was perfect.
She wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, wrapped in each other's arms and kissing one another like they would never get the chance again, but Jirou finally pulled away as the confetti cannons died and the fireworks dissipated and the sounds of the party died down into idle chatter. Momo was breathless, craving more, but she stopped herself and instead just closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Jirou's, settling into the sound of her heartbeat.
"To new beginnings," Jirou whispered.
"To new beginnings. Happy New Year, Kyoka."
"Happy New Year, Momo."