Chapter Text
It was really freaking cold.
Akane didn't know what to do with her hands; hide them into her pockets or blow on them or tuck them beneath her arms or set them on fire or-
Whistle, boom.
She flinched, then looked up at the sky. Fiery blue flares of fire lit up the sky, signaling the start of the celebration. She smiled, excited despite her annoyance with the weather. She tucked her hands deeper into her pockets—deciding that was a decent choice—then forgot a little about the cold as she watched the dark night sky light up with color after color. Burst of gold and green and pink and red flashed through the sky. Akane did this thing she did often: she tried to guess the color of the firework before it really flared. She focused on one, and named a color in her head. She got in total five guesses. If the majority were correct, it meant a good year, if she had more wrong than right then it was a bad year. She squinted her gaze and watched one single flare shoot up to the right side of the river.
"Blue," she said under her breath. Whistle, boom.
Pink.
Dammit.
"Why are you not all dressed up?" A voice came from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and grimaced when a gush of wind ruffled her hair and created goosebumps alone her spine. Ranma was wearing a white sweater with blue jeans and a black jacket. His nose was dusted pink from the cold but other than that, there was no signs of freezing. His hair was ruffled from the wind, and he was smiling at her the way he did when he was about to annoy her.
"Because it's cold as shit, I'm not wearing a kimono." She directed her gaze back to the sky, another flare. Purple, she guessed.
Green.
She sighed. Perhaps she should save her guesses.
She heard him step closer, and he stood next to her on the bridge. He planted his elbows on the railing.
"Any New Years resolutions?" She wondered, keeping her gaze ahead.
"Cure my curse." He said, like it was his automated response. She hummed in response.
"You?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and grabbing something, then brought it to his mouth. She glanced over and realized it was grapes.
"You know that's not how it works right?" She chuckled, amused despite herself.
"Let me try it out anyway, any New Years resolutions 'Kane?" He insisted.
She shook her head, amused.
"Well, fix up my grade in geography. Do better in martial arts. That's it." She shrugged. It was his turn to hum.
"Boring," he said under his breath and coughed to cover it. She glared.
"Says you?" She attempted to step on his foot, he evaded.
"You're slower than usual, is it the cold getting to you Akane?" He teased, grinning down at her.
"Any normal human is affected by the cold." She swiftly looked over at Shampoo behind Ranma, who was on her way to them as they spoke.
"Except Shampoo apparently." She said under her breath, feeling bitter despite herself. Ranma glanced over his shoulder then back at Akane—the side of her face at least, hence her turning her face away.
"Yo, Shampoo." Ranma shouted. Shampoo perked up and did the little small subtle jump she did when she was about to tackle Ranma.
"Yes Airen!" She began to hop over.
"Can you get me my gloves from Ryoga? I lent them to him." He smiled at her.
Shampoo blinked.
"You can hold Shampoo hand, it will warm Airen good." She batted her lashes at him. Akane wanted to pull her eyes out. Ranma chuckled nervously, sensing the tension rising from Akane.
"Yeah yeah we can do that. But you know what kind of brute Ryoga is, he won't give them back unless it's a girl like you asking him."
Shampoo made a noise as she thought, then nodded.
"Okay, stay here Airen." She said as she sprinted away. Akane turned around, ready to walk away. She was not interested in seeing Ranma hold hands with Shampoo.
His hand grabbed her elbow, she startled.
"What?" She hissed at him.
"Quick before she comes back." Ranma tugged Akane off down the height of the bridge, and then wrapped his arm around her wait. She didn't have time to question him about whatever the hell he was doing, because he was suddenly jumping up and skipping over rooftops with that swift ease he managed.
"Ranma its cold!" She shrieked as she hid her face in his neck, holding him tighter, not wanting to fall.
"Cold or scary?" He teased with his hand on her lower back. She flushed and was grateful he couldn't see her face. Ranma secretly took a higher jump to make her cling to him tighter. She did. He smiled.
He stopped right on a really high rooftop, at this point fireworks had really started painting the sky with color. He carefully set her back on her feet, and Akane felt the urge to smack him.
"You think too little." She told him.
"You think too much." He tilted his head at her.
The explosion that came next took her mind off Ranmas shenanigans.
"Don't you want to stay down there and warm up your hands good with Shampoo?" She asked, licking her lips. She focused on one of the flares. Red, she guessed.
Red.
"No thanks," he said as he glanced off to the distance—he could see Shampoo and Ukyo fighting, trying to figure out where Ranma was. He noticed Ryoga walking around like an idiot, trying to figure out why Shampoo had taken his gloves while also holding flowers in his hands. Roses. Ranma rolled his eyes, knowing they were for Akane. Kuno was reciting poetry and attempting to summon the pigtailed girl.
Ranma glanced at Akane, at the calm look on her face that rarely took place. She was so pretty when she wasn't glaring at him. Although—he thought she looked gorgeous when she was yelling at him too, but he wouldn't admit that.
"I think I'm right where I should be." He said absentmindedly. He saw her cheeks flush pink, emboldened by that, he reached his hand to her pocket and grabbed hers. She tensed before relaxing, then exclaimed:
"Your hands are literally boiling." She turned her hand around in his, using him as a warmer. He chuckled.
"True martial artists don't get cold." He said, just because he knew it would irk her.
To his surprise, she grabbed his other hand and put it around hers.
"Well make yourself useful." She demanded.
He obliged.
He rubbed his hands over hers, rubbing circles with his thumbs to encourage blood flow. Akane looked at the sky again, and focused on a flare.
"Pink," she murmured.
Pink flashed from it. She smiled. It was even now, one last guess decides it all.
"When is the count down?" He asked, rubbing his thumb over a muscle in her palm.
"A minute," she looked at her wrist watch. Ranma hummed.
Ranma knew what he wanted. But he also knew he was an idiot.
How do you kiss a girl without making it awkward? That was perhaps not a very difficult task.
How do you kiss Akane and make it decent? Yeah no, impossible.
He wet his lips. She flexed her hands in his.
"Wow, I'm actually warm now." She smiled, looking bewildered. His gaze dropped to her mouth, but he yanked it back to her eyes.
Behave, Saotome.
Somewhere far away, he heard people begin to count down from forty.
"Really, already?" Akane frowned. "Do people not know it starts from ten?" She cocked a brow.
Ranma knew he had to think, figure out a way to smoothy do this. But also, he needed to make sure she wanted this too. It wasn't about his ego, it was rather his heart. He couldn't survive the thought of her kissing him and not liking it. He cracked his neck. They were already at thirty.
Fuck, fuckity fuck.
Think Saotome! Think!
They were in the twenties. At this point he might've just given up. On the cheek counts as a kiss, right? He was aware how much of a coward he was being. But it was Akane goddammit.
Fifteen.
Fourteen.
Thirteen.
Akane focused on a smoke. Blue, she guessed.
Blue flashed there. She had won.
He grabbed her jaw with one hand, and leaned down, she was a little shocked but stayed still even when he gave her a chance to pull away. He kissed her cheek. It was soft and short, his own cheek brushed against hers, and it felt a little intimate in some way.
Twelve.
Eleven.
"Happy New Years," he pulled away. He kept his gaze far, far away from hers. To say he was embarrassed was not a big enough of a word. He wanted to die right there and then. He was sure he was going to have nightmares about this for weeks.
Ten.
Nine.
"You call this a kiss Ranma?" She chuckled, his face burned brighter.
"Get off my back, alright." He huffed.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
"You didn't even time it right." She laughed louder. He grumbled, rubbing a hand over his face.
Five.
Four.
Three—
"You're such an idiot." She said, the words almost soft. He turned to face her and come to his own defense.
"Hey at least I—"
Two.
Her arms wrapped around his neck, and she stood on her tippy toes as she tilted her head up and pressed her mouth to his in the softest of kisses.
One.
Ranma felt his brain melt. His eyes closed, his hands slid beneath her jacket, wrapping around her waist.
He kissed her back. He felt her smile against his lips, and he couldn't help but tilt his head and linger just a little longer. She brushed her thumb over his cheekbone as she slowly pulled away.
He had to fight the urge to chase her mouth with his, not nearly satisfied with just this. She gave him a tap on the nose.
"Happy New Years." She said as she pulled away. He blinked slowly, like his mind was catching up to what just happened.
His eyes focused on hers. Warmth filled him like honey in a cup of tea.
"Happy New Years Akane."