[A/N: Guess who's back with some fluff after a year? XD
Happy New Year's you guys!
This is my gift for nsart on tumblr/Kite1011 for the Kacchako Secret Santa event. I know it's super late, but I had so much fun with Nicole's prompts that it went a little overboard. I hope you enjoy it~ ]
"It's November."
Ochako had the audacity to look confused with the garlands in her lap. Christmas decorations spread around her in a circle, as if a red and green tornado had materialized in the middle of their living room.
"And?" she asked with an innocent tone.
Katsuki rubbed his face annoyed. "It's too early for this shit."
She blinked. "When you used to start decorating then?"
"Didn't care to notice. My folks would suddenly wake up one day and complete the whole thing in a couple hours. It was definitely closer to the actual date though." He sidestepped over the box storing the tree, trying not to crunch anything under his foot.
It had escaped his attention when Ochako managed to sneak all this stuff in the house. Then again, there were a lot more boxes when she moved in with him than when they graduated from U.A. But Katsuki's only thought back then was that she finally had more personal belongings. He was starting to regret that slip of judgment.
Ochako studied him. "You don't like Christmas."
"Obviously." Katsuki picked a yellow ball from the floor. The shiny surface distorted his reflection like a fisheye lens, making his cheeks look elongated. "It's all flash with no substance here," he said throwing the ball at her.
Ochako caught it with ease and furrowed her eyebrows.
The uncanny silence sent all sorts of alarms off in his head. It was never a good sign whenever she wore an expression like that.
"My birthday is right after Christmas," she said. "My parents always felt bad we had to celebrate them together, but I didn't mind. It was fun having everyone gathered. The neighbors pitched in too. It was like having a large extended family over."
He could picture it like a shot from a Western holiday movie. The crowd gathered around the table with ornaments hanging from the walls. Ochako sitting in front of a white cake with strawberries on top and her parents placed on either side of her.
"I guess that's why I loved the season," she said.
Her smile didn't reach her eyes though. Even with his limited perception of human emotion, Katsuki knew he fucked up hard. A cold feeling slithered from his lungs to his stomach and settled there. He could press on even if the world was against him, but disappointing someone he respected was one thing he couldn't handle.
Walking past entangled fairy lights, he lifted her up with a simple tug.
"Okay listen. Forget what I said. This is gonna be the best Christmas you will experience ever." He stared deep into her brown eyes. "I'll make sure of it."
"Really?" A bright spark danced inside her irises, but it dimmed as fast as it appeared. "But you're always busy for Christmas."
Katsuki flinched. Work had been his excuse ever since he moved out to avoid his parents' obnoxious parties. Admitting it would destroy this fragile hope he had managed to build though.
"If I'm telling you we are going out, we are going out. The world be damned," he said.
Ochako hugged him with a joyful scream, almost knocking them both down. Something jingled close to his bare feet before Katsuki felt the pull in his gut from the loss of gravity. He held her tighter as they ascended to the ceiling. Both of their hearts beat fast, but his heartbeats were a lot more frantic. He blurted everything out without thinking about it twice, and now that the rush faded the realization he dug his own grave dawned upon him with crystal clarity.
He had zero ideas on what to do.
However, calling the cavalry didn't help with his anxiety at all. His self-proclaimed squad had nested on the couch and singled out Katsuki on the sole chair facing the rest of the coffee shop. So he took the full blow on his back from the glaring customers when Denki and Mina stood up.
"You never took her out on a Christmas date?!"
"Don't shout, you morons."
They returned to their seats, but the confusion and maybe disgust was there.
"But that's like unheard off!" Denki said. "You've been together, what? Five years?"
"And it never crossed your mind?" Mina asked. "Not once?"
"I had more important things to worry than fucking Christmas."
Hanta sneered. "They moved in together last April. What did you expect?"
"Right. It has always been slow, you guys." Eijirou said with a kind smile. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly from the effort to keep a straight face though.
Katsuki sighed. "If you're done roasting me, spill the beans."
"Roasting you?" Mina crossed her arms. "It's just sad. I wonder why Ochako ever stuck with an unromantic guy like you."
"First of all, you invited yourself here, Ashido. Feel free to scram."
"At least it's not Raccoon Eyes anymore."
Hanta dropped a hand on her shoulder. "Please don't. We seriously need you."
"Yes," Denki said. "We need a girl's opinion to make this work."
"Says the guy with the biggest dating record here," Eijirou said over his energy drink.
"Only half of them were remotely successful," Mina said with an exaggerated sigh. "Yeah, you need my help."
"Why did this turn out about my love life? I wasn't the one pining for the same girl since high school." Denki was pointing at Katsuki, but his eyes had locked with Hanta.
It was an open secret among the guys that Hanta had been trying to pull a move at Mina ever since they graduated. Eijirou had won the bet when Katsuki was first to get the girl of his affections, much to Denki's annoyance.
Katsuki wasn't in the mood to deal with his saltiness. "We aren't here to talk about my relationship as a whole," he said. "Just what I can do for this specific date."
The distraction worked. Denki dropped his forehead on his palms like the world came crashing down. "I still can't believe you never went on a date with your girlfriend on Christmas. This is like first base stuff."
"Let's forget about bases," Hanta said. "It's Bakugou we are talking about."
"He doesn't even like Christmas in general," Eijirou said.
The other three stared at him shocked before turning to the man in question with raised eyebrows.
He stared back unfazed. "It's commercial bullshit. What's the big fuss about it?"
"The gifts?"
"The food?"
"The joyful atmosphere?"
"Are you seriously telling me we have to help Mr. Scrooge over here to plan a Christmas date?" Denki asked.
"Don't give up hope!" Eijirou said with a lot more enthusiasm than he probably felt. "There must be something you like about Christmas, man."
Katsuki pondered about it. "Setsubun," he said deadpan.
"That's not even in December!" Everyone cried.
But pretending to be a red-faced Ogre and chase his parents around the house with a club was the most fun he had when it came to family events of the season. His parents were fashion designers and attended parties with their colleagues whenever Christmas or New Year's rolled around. They used to drag him along as well, but Katsuki lost interest fast enough after realizing it wasn't possible to meet any of the heroes he admired. Also, there were so many "adult" conversations he could pay attention to and on the off chance kids around his age came too, they were boring extras with insignificant Quirks.
He wondered for a moment how different things would be if Ochako had been there. Her face brightened up with every little thing when it came to festivities like the time they managed to make the fairy lights work around the Christmas tree. She would have been a beacon of joy in the mass of black suits and faceless people.
"It's gonna be her first time celebrating this with me," Katsuki said, his gaze unfocused. "I want to make it count."
He almost failed to notice the mischievous, all-knowing smiles the other three guys shoot to each other.
"So the Green Goblin does care." Mina rested her chin on her braided fingers with a smile. "Alright, Blasty. I'll help you. But this is only because Ochako deserves to be happy."
"You all talk like I'm the son of Satan or something."
"I think we have established that you are indeed the Devil's spawn most of the time," Denki said.
"Fuck off." Katsuki took a sip of his coffee. "So what's the plan?"
As they explained it to him, it sounded like too much work. But at its core, it was pretty simple. They would go shopping and maybe a little sightseeing in the afternoon and then have a lovely dinner at a good restaurant.
Yeah, he could pull that off.
No biggie.
Christmas Eve dawned bleak and gray, but Katsuki remained hopeful.
Ochako arrived at the door of their apartment, bouncing on the tips of her short-heeled boots. She was wearing her signature stockings and a cream-colored dress under a soft brown raincoat. A pale pink scarf and gloves completed the outfit on a cute note.
After realizing he was gaping, Katsuki focused on the keys in his hand. "What's with the bear ears?" he asked.
Two bumps protruded slightly from either side of her hat. They weren't as obvious as he made them to be, but it was the one thing he could mention without being sappy. They've been together for years dammit. He shouldn't get caught off guard by these stunts like he was still a teenager.
Ochako fumbled with the brim of her hat. "I didn't get to wear it before and I thought it fit the season and all," she said. "Is it that bad?"
Katsuki swallowed and opened the door. "No. It suits you," he mumbled.
"What was that?"
"Let's go. We don't have all day."
Even if he said that there was definitely a quicker route to Shimbahashi station than crossing Chuo Avenue. This detour was for basking in the festive mood since every big-name store had more extravagant decorations from the next. Pine trees made from LED lights, mountains of wrapped gifts and reindeer mannequins pulling Santa's sleigh midair were among those that caught his eye.
They passed a storefront having an animatronic polar bear which moved its head from side to side. Katsuki tried to maintain an indifferent expression, but inside he was questioning all his life decisions to this point.
This was a sell-out.
The crowd settled for these frivolous displays instead of the real thing. Christmas didn't even count as a national holiday in Japan for everyone to be so upbeat about it. Of course, having real bears would be animal cruelty and punishable by law, but they could at least have real snow instead of cotton. Considering the humidity, despite the approaching end of the year, meant actual snow was on its merry way at least.
His rapidly declining mood wasn't affecting Ochako in the slightest either. She looked around with no different awe and wonder than when it was her first Christmas in Tokyo.
On December of their first year of high school, class 1-A decided to go out on the 24th. Despite threatening at least five people with murder and having remedial classes for his upcoming license exam the next day, somehow Katsuki went along. At the time he had blamed his decision on Mina's nagging that even the eluding Shouto Todoroki was coming instead of paying a visit to his mom.
The class had visited only popular tourist locations under the teachers' strict orders. Katsuki followed everyone around bored out of his mind with the familiar places. On the other hand, Ochako had gaped and squealed over a bunch of things until the sight of the Blue Cavern had left her speechless. Blue Cavern was called a collection of namely blue Christmas lights on Koen Street, starting from Shibuya station and stretching all the way to the outskirts of Yoyogi Park. Trees on either side of the road were covered from top to bottom with these lights. Their branches sometimes intertwined over their heads, so the street appeared like a magical tunnel into another world. Even Katsuki could admit in the privacy of his own head that it was sort of amazing. And Ochako's eyes had shined brighter than the lights themselves under that blue glow.
"Katsuki! Look at this!" Ochako said, pulling him back to the present.
She had stopped in front of a store selling fitness equipment. Mistletoe and holly branches were scattered among dumbbells of various weights at the feet of a real size All Might figure. He was in buff form, wearing his classic cape-less costume, but being the festive season he was also sporting a long white beard, a red Santa Claus cap and a big red bag of gifts over his shoulder.
Ochako took out her phone. "I'm so sending this to Deku," she said with a grin.
Katsuki admired his girlfriend for her fighting spirit, so he didn't find it odd that some of her hobbies contradicted her cutesy appearance. But people kept asking him how they ended up together. They should have paid more attention when they were bonding over martial arts competitions on TV.
The handles rocked from side to side as the train passed over the canal to reach Odaiba. Their wagon was packed with people, so the couple opted for staying upright by the windows. Katsuki stared at a random spot in the ceiling, waiting for the announcement of their stop instead of appreciating the view. It would be too embarrassing to miss it when there were only two stops close to their destination.
Meanwhile, Ochako gasped in awe, the click of her phone's camera present for most of the ride. On the off chance he looked at her, she would point the bloody thing at him with a playful smile. He would turn away scowling and she would snicker. After replaying the same scene several times, he decided to glare on the rest of the passengers, warning any weirdos to back off.
The train came to a halt inside a covered platform and most passengers disembarked, the metallic grid clanging under their footsteps. Before them, a spacious square opened up. It was paved with grey tiles and elevated patches of greenery leading to a shopping mall just across the station.
Ochako spun around to take everything in.
On their right towered the Fuji TV headquarters like a massive monkey bars complex. Made of enhanced concrete with a metallic shine and huge window panels, the two main towers connected with each other through exterior corridors. The sphere-shaped observatory on the top floor was their first destination. It offered a wide view of the Central Tokyo skyline, the port, and part of Odaiba. Sea surrounded them from every direction, gray and stormy from a chilly gale they were subjected to when they returned outside.
Katsuki shuddered, stuffing his hands deeper into the pockets of his coat.
A downsized replica of The Statue of Liberty stood in front of them with the city and the Rainbow Bridge as a backdrop. It was easy to fool unknowing people with the right perspective even if it wasn't that tall. Ochako tried to snap photos of that sort, but it was too cold and eventually, Katsuki pulled her along to their destination.
The Venus Fort shopping mall was about twenty minutes' walk from the original square. On the outside, the building was shaped like a rectangular box with beige plates covering it like scales. But it wasn't any different from the mall near the station or even those in the mainland. So why did they need to come all the way to Odaiba for a shopping trip?
Katsuki had voiced that thought when his friends first suggested it.
"That's not the point, man." Eijirou looked up from the map spread across their coffee table. "Think of it as the highlight of the day."
"A mall?" Katsuki asked.
Mina pocked his cheek despite her better judgment. "If we leave it to you, you'll skip the dinner all together. We are making sure there is something fun and memorable," she said.
He slapped her hand away. "Remind me again why the fuck I can't make her dinner at home."
"You do it all the time so it won't count as special," Denki said pointing his spoon at him.
"And she deserves going out to a fancy restaurant once in a while," Hanta said. "Even if your god-tier cooking is why she is staying with you."
Mina took the travel guide out of Katsuki's hands to prevent any casualties. "And this mall is a cool place," she said with a grin. "Trust me on this."
Considering he was already placing some sort of faith in their plan, Katsuki crossed the automatic doors despite his reservations.
The main lobby was an ordinary marble-floored hall, but after another set of doors, it turned into a stone-paved road. Porticos stretched on either side of it, floral patterns curving on the parapets above each archway. The sphere-shaped lampposts stationed at intervals in the middle of the road completed the impression they were in Italy or Spain and not Japan. A screen display in the ceiling imitated a misleading clear sky with a handful of fluffy white clouds.
Even Katsuki could admit it was impressive.
They browsed around, contemplating over the lack of skull-themed sweatshirts in stores and going further in the alley walks until a certain display shed its fluorescent lights on Ochako.
It was a 100 yen shop. She gravitated towards it like a moth towards a flame and Katsuki followed her inside. He lost sight of her soon enough among the twisting rows of shelves full of knick-knacks. The store had everything, from snacks and bathroom supplies to toys and little gadgets.
As he was pondering over a set of knives that weren't probably of any decent quality, Ochako showed up again and pulled at his sleeve.
"C'mon, you gotta see this!" she said with a sparkle in her eyes.
He let her guide him to the opposite side of the store. Maybe it was his gut warning him, but an intense feeling of dread spread inside his chest when "Jingle Bells" started playing over the speakers as they were about to reach their destination.
Ochako stopped and let go of his arm. She gestured like she was a TV hostess presenting the rewards of a reality show. It was the Christmas section. All sorts of decorations adorned the shelves, but the particular display she was pointing at was an assortment of headpieces. Reindeer antlers, stars and pine trees on springs, or the plain old Santa Claus hats were all there.
Katsuki turned around. "No."
"Eh? Why?" Ochako looked from the display back to him with determination. "It's gonna be fun!"
"It's stupid," he said.
Just as he took the first step to leave, she grabbed him by the waist. "Just this time," she said and her hold tightened. "Please."
On second thought, it was her day. It wouldn't hurt to play along just once.
"Okay, fine!" He said with a deep sigh. "But only one photo and you're not showing it to anyone."
She grinned. "Okay!"
Of course, it didn't end with only one, but she kept her end of the agreement and snapped only one solo.
Both had to take off their hat and beanie respectively to wear the different headpieces, so leaving the AC of the store for the main hallway sent a chill at the back of his head. Katsuki had let his hair grow into a respectable stubble back there, but it was still short enough to be sensitive to the cold. Even his earrings bit at the flesh of his earlobes. He rubbed them annoyed. Winter was never his favorite time of the year and he kept adding reasons as to why.
They reached a circle-shaped junction. Its ceiling rose higher than it had been so far, turning into a dome at the top. There were six different hallways to choose, with even more elaborate flower patterns in the columns that framed each exit.
Ochako pulled him forward to get a closer look at the fountain in the center. It was styled as something one would find in 18th Century Europe. The gold and copper coins stood out against the navy blue painted bottom like unmoving schools of shiny fish.
It was in that moment when a voice cut above the crowd around them. "Hey, isn't that…"
Katsuki knew there were two types of people calling his hero name outside of a fight in public. If it was high-pitched with a sense of awe, it was some kid that had seen through his disguise and was shitting his pants. Those little shits always accomplished that like they had some sort of inner radar, no matter how much layers of camouflage he could be wearing.
But if the voice sounded older and more mature, it meant one thing.
"Fucking paparazzi!"
They were approaching from the hallway on across the fountain. Two dudes, one holding a TV crew camera and the other a regular DSLR. Katsuki realized Ochako had already bolted. Her bear-eared hat was on her head again and she was heading for the exit to their right. He ran after her with the paparazzi on toe.
The crowd was thicker this way, consisting of couples on their respective dates. Katsuki pushed and squeezed through several of them in his attempt to lose his pursuers. Alas, the one thing those fuckers were good at was being persistent. For someone fighting Villains and scary guys for a living, the press was the most insufferable enemy; especially because it was illegal to punch these guys too. They were trying to get a scoop out of his relationship with Uravity ever since the gossip they were living together started spreading. No way in hell he would give those leeches the satisfaction of confirming it.
Katsuki stopped to catch his breath.
Overhead an 8-bit rendition of "All I want for Christmas is You" blasted through the speakers. The fact he actually recognized it left a sour aftertaste in his mouth. It was Ochako's fault for playing her festive playlist and singing along every morning for the past couple of weeks. Speaking of the devil, he had lost her from his sight. He scanned the hallway on either side, but she was nowhere to be found.
Just great, he thought, reaching into the pocket of his coat.
But instead of his phone, he found his beanie. As he pulled it out, two things happened simultaneously. The paparazzi showed up from the nearest corner and someone pulled him backward from his coat. When he passed under the shade of the portico, he turned around with sparks dancing in his palms. Ochako lowered his arms and pressed a finger to her lips. They hid behind the nearest column, waiting for the annoying duo to pass.
When they were way out of earshot, Ochako let a sigh of relief. "This was close," she said.
"Yeah," Katsuki put on his beanie, lowering it as far down that only a few locks of his fringe popped out. He noticed she was studying him. "If you wanna say it's my fault, just do it."
"I'm not the one with the instantly recognizable undercut."
"It's because you made me try those shitty antlers. And you're one to talk. You look like a stag-beetle with these longer side-bangs."
She scoffed. "Whatever you say, hedgehog."
"Hey! It's a cool haircut!"
"Yeah, yeah, fear-inspiring at the hearts of Villains everywhere."
Ochako pulled out her phone to check the time. She had changed her lock screen picture to one of the photos they took together earlier. Katsuki had rested his head on her shoulder for that selfie, wearing the above-mentioned abominations while she sported a regular Santa hat. As per usual, her smile was wide and cheery, but somehow she had caught him smiling a little too.
Nobody's gonna see it my ass, he thought.
He tried to grab the phone, but she instantly put it back in her pocket. His eye twitched, already thinking of the possibilities the phone could end up in his hands before the day was over.
She looked up with a smug smile. "So what's next?"
By the time they left the mall in general, the sun had already set.
Cold nipped at the skin of Katsuki's face as they made their way back to the station. There weren't any flashy LED displays in these parts. It could count as an ordinary walk if it wasn't Christmas Eve.
Ochako, still on high spirits, swung the shopping bags in her hands back and forth under the humming of "Santa Claus is coming to Town". But after sitting down, she rested her head on his shoulder and was out cold before the train was even in motion.
There were fewer passengers on board this time, and as he didn't have to be alert for the right stop, Katsuki observed the view without distractions. The lights from the ships docked in the harbor illuminated the dark waters around them like lines of glowing ink. On the supporting columns of the Rainbow Bridge flashed a LED sequence in the namesake rainbow colors from indigo to red and backward again. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling something was missing. Except maybe for their brush with the press, the day had been pretty uneventful. They had gone to similar dates before, so what made this one any different? Would it be memorable just because it happened on Christmas Eve?
From the speakers came the announcement for their stop and he shook Ochako awake. She apologized with a meek smile for the slip and he teased her like it didn't mean anything. But as they disembarked, he was glad she couldn't see the red tint in his ears. He wasn't a person fond of close contact, but her warmth was always welcome; especially when it had kept the void from spreading further in his chest. After all, most of today's plans were those his friends had set out for him. It pained him to admit that not even half of them would have crossed his mind, but there must be something he could contribute to this day too.
As they passed under a map of the city, Shibuya station caught his attention and the calm light of the Blue Cavern unraveled in front of his eyes again. They still had time to kill until their reservation, so it wouldn't be such a big detour if they stopped by that place first.
"Hey," he called.
Ochako turned around. "What is it?"
"How about we go-" Katsuki didn't manage to finish his sentence.
An explosion resonated through the street.
Civilians screamed in panic, running away from the center of the commotion. Katsuki whipped his head in that direction. Black smoke rose from inside a broken shop front to his right. He followed Ochako as she dashed to the store.
Broken glass and jewelry littered the road. Two civilians, both covered in soot, were sitting on the sidewalk. Judging from the suit the elderly man wore, he was probably the owner. The woman with him, either a client or an employee, was pressing a handkerchief on his forehead. Blood had stained it a little but wasn't enough to be considered life-threatening.
"Are you alright?" Ochako asked in her regular on-the-job voice.
Both civilians looked up.
The shop owner winced from the sudden move. "Do I look alright to you, miss?" he snarked.
"Watch it," Katsuki said through gritted teeth.
Ochako pressed a hand on his chest and shook her head.
He huffed annoyed but dropped the subject.
"Have you called an ambulance?" she asked the woman.
"Not yet," she said. "The counter is in pieces, I couldn't find the phone."
"It's alright. I'll call one right away."
Meanwhile, Katsuki scanned the scene.
The glass display and door frame were shuttered to oblivion, leaving a gaping hole at the front. Flames had consumed parts of the wooden cases inside before the sprinkler system kicked in and put them out.
"Was anyone else inside?" he asked.
"No. Just me and Mr. Tomatsu," the woman said. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"
Before Katsuki could answer, pointed a finger at him. "I know you. You're that troublemaker Hero with the explosion Quirk. The news mentioned you the other day for excessive damage to public property."
That case had been an exaggeration by the press since the Villain had destroyed half of the street before he even got to the scene. However, the fact he was recognized again in civilian form, by an old guy no less, made him wonder for a moment if his appearance was indeed too flashy. Then Katsuki decided he didn't care.
"Since your memory is so sharp, old man, do you remember how the Villains looked like?"
"Villains? Ha! Those amateurs didn't even wear marks! They were two men. One tall and lanky like a tree. The other sturdy like a boxer with a weasel face. He was the one pretending to be a customer. The tall one brought the box as if he was a courier. Said I had an order. When I tried to shoo him away because I wasn't expecting anything, he threw the box to my front display and both ducked. Then the box exploded. When I came about, they had filled two bags. Run away when Ms. Chihara started calling for help."
"They shouldn't be far then," Katsuki said looking up and down the street.
A curious mob of onlookers had gathered around them, trying to get a better look at the point of destruction.
"The paramedics are on the way," Ochako said. "Are you sure nothing hurts?"
"Everything hurts miss, but I'm sturdy as a rock. No worries!" Mr. Tomatsu started coughing and Ms. Chihara held him steady.
"I'm alright," she said. "I was in the storage when the explosion happened."
"Then please wait for the ambulance. The police are probably on their way too."
Katsuki noticed something at that exact moment. "Hey, Uravity?"
"Yes?"
"That tall guy in the back row. His clothes are smoking."
The man in question held his hands leisurely to his sides with an indifferent expression, but his slightly torn and emanating smoke clothes where suspicious.
"There is someone fitting the boxer's description on your left," Ochako said kneeling down and pushed their bags closer to the civilians.
Katsuki spared a quick glance. Between a family of four was a stout guy trying hard to blend in. "Should we wait for the police?" he asked.
"They are reaching the station as we speak," She locked eyes with Ms. Chihara. "Could you please look after our belongings?"
The woman widened her eyes surprised, but nodded nonetheless.
Katsuki snorted. They were the only Heroes in the scene and the culprits had been stupid enough to return to the scene of their crime. Of course, it was time for some ass-whooping.
"Say, old man. The one carrying the bomb, did he look like that guy?" he asked, pointing at the man with the beret hat in the crowd.
The shop owner didn't get a chance to look because the man bolted. Katsuki ran after him, scattering the crowd in his wake. Behind his back, Ochako shouted at the other suspect that they were under arrest. The thief he was tailing ducked into the nearest alley and the sounds of the street died out. They run past full smelling garbage cans. Stray cats complained in their wake about the interruption to their meal.
For some small-time thief, he sure was fast. Even Katsuki with his physical training was falling behind.
He grinned nonetheless. The insides of his palms had warmed up and were ready to go.
However, the thief raised his hand mid-run. Something came out of it and coiled around the nearest rain drain pipe.
Katsuki's eyes widened in annoyance. Who does he think he is? Motherfucking Spiderman?!
He ignited his Quirk, propelling himself forward and crashed on the thief. Both toppled to the ground in a mess of limbs. The thief elbowed him in the ribs, but the blow was weak.
Katsuki managed to pin him face down on the concrete. "You're under arrest, asshat," he said. "Stay still!"
Something heavy struck his back. He relaxed his hold on reflex and the thief slipped out like an eel.
With one explosion, Katsuki was in front of him again in no time. "I said. Stay. Still."
The thief's fingers wobbled like freshly cooked spaghetti as he raised his hands. "I'm innocent!"
"Then why the fuck did you run?"
"You pointed at me and accused me of carrying a bomb! What would you do in my place?"
"Listen here, Octopus Fingers. I'm the explosions expert here. All the splinters and holes in your jacket are obviously from being close to one. So cut the crap before I lose my patience."
"That's no proof. You're just looking for someone to blame."
"Why don't we go back then and see if the old man recognizes you? It's not like you have anything to lose."
The thief clicked his tongue and the whip-like fingers lashed at Katsuki.
He ducked to the left. Then rolled to the right, avoiding the fingers of the other hand. He stood up as the thief found himself entangled. Katsuki punched him square in the face, knocking him unconscious.
"It's not fun fighting weaklings like you, so stay down."
Someone shouted from behind him. He turned around, hand outstretched and ready to go.
But Ochako swooped down on the boxer thief like the Angel of Death. He struggled but there was so much he could do with an arm around his neck. Katsuki had been on the receiving end of that hold several times and it hurt like hell. But could help his heart beating a bit faster from seeing Ochako's determined expression.
The thief collapsed a few seconds later.
Thankfully they hadn't strayed too deep into the alleyways, so the trip back was fast. Ochako made the unconscious thieves float. She dragged them behind her like oversized balloons with the cables they found in the trash.
The police stared at them flabbergasted when they stepped back to the main street. A fire truck and an ambulance had also made it to the scene. Yellow tape marked the perimeter, pushing back the still present crowd. Several officers took the criminals into custody with some reservation in their gazes.
When the senior officer responsible for this case approached them, Ochako informed him they didn't find any of the valuables in the possession of the thieves. For a moment the officer thought they were random civilians and was prepared to lecture them, but both showed their hero licenses. Still, he asked them to come along and complete the usual procedure back in the station.
Just as they were about to board one of the police cars, Ms. Chihara showed up. She had a few patches here and there, but overall she looked fine.
"Mr. Tomatsu is a bit too stubborn for this. So I'm delivering his 'Thank You'," she said and returned their shopping bags with a smile. "He did tell me though that when it's time for a wedding ring, you should totally prefer him."
Katsuki blushed like a new bloomed poppy. "The geezer would probably overprice it just to be nice," he said. "So no chance in hell."
"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you!" Ochako pushed him to get in the car. He couldn't see her face, but her side bangs parted to reveal her bright red ears.
Ms. Chihara's smile didn't falter as she waved them goodbye.
It was way past nine o'clock when they left the police station. Katsuki grumbled while they descended the steps of the entrance. Paperwork was always the most boring part of being a Hero. This time there wasn't any damage to public property and their testimonies were brief because there wasn't much they knew about the whole incident. Explosion happened. Bad guys returned to the scene of the crime. They chased them, beat them and delivered to the police.
But no! We had to fill all the documents and lose our reservation! He thought.
He had booked that restaurant two weeks in advance because most were always packed on Christmas Eve. Their chances of finding one at this moment were so little it was laughable to try and calculate them. He was counting on this dinner to set the record straight for the day. But when he had looked at the clock, it was already too late.
Katsuki turned around, even if facing Ochako was painful after this failure.
"Look, I-"
His words failed him as she smiled.
"What got your thoughts twisted in a knot?"
"You're not angry?"
Ochako widened her eyes in a matter that suggested she had been oblivious to the possibility. Then she snorted, trying to suppress her laughter.
His face flared up. "What's the big idea?" he shouted embarrassed.
"Why would I be angry?"
"This date was a fucking mess!" He averted his gaze to the floor. "And certainly not perfect."
Something seemed to click as Ochako's mouth went slack. "You got worried about that? Geez, Mr. Perfectionist."
"Oh, fuck off." He crossed his arms. "This is what I get for caring about you?"
"You're hopeless." She went down the last couple of stairs until she was on his eye level. "I wasn't expecting much."
He glared.
She frantically waved her hands. "Don't get me wrong. It's just not your thing," she said. "I was actually worried that with all my excitement about the season, I forced you into this."
Katsuki snorted. "If I didn't want to, I wouldn't do it. Simple as that." Then as an afterthought, he added. "Though your playlist is godawful and outdated."
Ochako stuck her tongue out. "Idiot," she said. Her expression softened right after. "Celebrating Christmas here on my own used to be weird. The house suddenly felt so big and empty, it was hard to stay there. That's why I always tried to avoid it by going home or spending it with friends. But today was so much fun! We got to see some beautiful places and do silly stuff together. So even without following this plan to the letter, the fact you gave it your all it's enough for me."
"Isn't it lame to wrap it up like this though?"
"We are Heroes. Stuff like these happens all the time." Ochako stepped down onto the sidewalk. "And you'd find an excuse to avoid the reports if we left it for another day."
Katsuki clicked his tongue. "It's annoying."
"Thought so," she said. "And don't worry so much about it! Havin' paparazzi after us and kickin' Villain butt were you adding your flare to the day."
"As in disaster follows me everywhere?"
"As in you make life more interesting." Ochako hooked elbows with him and rested her head on his shoulder.
One of the things Katsuki never understood was how she found the silver lining in his bad luck. "Still, a dinner would've been nice," he said.
"Doubt it would've been as good as your cooking," she said.
The comment filled him with a lot more pride than he dared to show.
Apartment complexes gave away to boutiques and shops as they reached another main street. Fancy suits and spectacular gowns stood on display, reminding people of the upcoming New Year's gatherings. Above the road, yellow lights were suspended in the air like stars.
Looking around Katsuki realized the train line for his parents' house was just a block away. An idea popped up in his head just as the first snowflake hit the ground.
"Say, what do you think of going to a party?" he asked.
"A party?!"
"Yeah. My folks gather their colleagues, you know the rest of designers, models, whatever and have a party on Christmas Eve. It's too noisy, but there is food. And you may find the sorry-ass that made your costume and have a word with them too."
Ochako brightened up for a moment before her brows furrowed in worry. "But isn't that kinda formal? We aren't dressed properly."
Their clothes were casual from the start, but their encounter with the thieves had left its mark on them. She was sporting a tear on her tights around her right knee. His coat and jeans had dirt all over them.
He grinned. "It just so happens I have the keys to my folks' studio which is around here."
"You 'borrowed' them?" she asked with an accusatory tone.
"Nah, it's my own. They had me running ridiculous errands lately, so I made one."
"But wouldn't that be stealing?"
"We'll be borrowing them. And you know the old hag likes it when you wear her designs."
"Not true! You are the one staring every time."
"I do not."
"For someone claiming he never lies, you are awfully dishonest."
She had the smile of a challenger, the one with the mischievous spark in her eyes. One he knew was meant for him alone. It had been a tough process to figure out what each smile of hers meant, but he was getting there. And he was sure this Christmas party will be a blast for Ochako, the brightest of all the lights around them would be there with him.
[A/N: Please, someone, take Bakugou away from me. He turns out so calm and cheezy whenever I write him into fluff. XD
Honestly, five years for a Christmas date is me making a joke about my obsession with number five. But well I agree with Kirishima that the kacchako relationship would be a slow one (Sero was totally going for "He is too Ace for second base" there, but this fic is already full of headcanons so I decided to drop that XD). And the squad just likes messing with him. I hope they didn't turn out too harsh ^^"
Also, Uraraka continues to be incredibly hard to write. She is a cheery person overall, but I wonder if she is too much here. I have to practice more to get into her head I suppose! ^w^
This is one of the longest one-shots I've written in general tbh. I even took some stuff out to make it flow better. Everyone who saw the handwritten draft was like "Damn girl! That's a lot..." Even Chris was too busy to read the whole thing before I set out to edit it. But I'm happy I finished the first draft as fast as I did. 2017 was one trainwreck after the other tbh, especially the last three months felt like three years on their own right.
My goal for 2018 is to finish at least three one-shots and the first draft of The Better Hero. There is a multi-chap fic on the works too, which I'm going to upload in ye old as-I-finish-each-chapter way. So look out for it!
That's all for me. ;) I hope 2018 is the year you'll reach your goals and please take care of yourself!]