Izuku stood on top of the mountain. The monumental, daunting task of skiing was frightening when the perspective was sky-high. It paled in comparison to the bunny hills he practiced on. And his cat ears let him know by fluttering with uneasiness.

The exhilarating sensation reminded him of the time he first rode a bicycle. His mom was there for him, but after a couple of days, she encouraged him to venture independently.

Sure, he conquered the fear after a couple of painful falls, but it didn't ease his dread and excitement about the possibility of losing balance. And the same fear coerced his stomach to flip pancakes.

Hopefully, the pancakes were delicious to help ease his apprehension.

In addition to his fear, another part of it was the notion of failing. It was difficult to have fun when he wanted to ski flawlessly, the desire to impress Nejire weighing heavily on his mind. After all, she had spent effort, time, and money to teach him all she knew.

It was an absurd concern, but still one.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Izuku noticed Nejire slide to his position and halt. With a yelp, Izuku instinctually raised his ski poles to protect himself. When said impact didn't occur and chunks of ice drifted down his snow pants, Izuku lowered his hands with an expression of fright.

Nejire lifted her goggles to her head and giggled. "Did that scare you~?" She sang.

"A-A bit."

"You know, I can tell when you are nervous… But I believe you can do this, Izuku! And if you think I'm saying this just because I'm good at skiing, then you're wrong! I think you'll achieve it because you persevered. Much like pushing yourself to be the best hero you can be, right?"

"R-Right..."

"Then come on! What are we waiting for? I thought you said you were ready for this big day!" Nejire said.

Izuku's heartbeat heightened to the heavens as Nejire nudged him to the edge of the declination with her hands on his back.

"Ah, w-wait, Nejire! Give me a second!"

Nejire stopped and smirked. "You're delaying the inevitable, don't you think~? Don't tell me you're trying to think of a way to escape. Because if you do, I'm going to... Hmm, I don't know what I'm going to do, but I'll think of something."

"No, it's not that. I'm just trying to prepare myself right now. You know, like trying to create the perfect emotions for this tremendous achievement. It's been a while since I did something as significant as this and I want to reflect on this moment in a way that I'll remember forever, but I need to build up the confidence to-"

"Izuku~," Nejire said, drawing his name out to get his attention. "You're going off on a tangent."

"Oh, I am? I-I guess I would... I mean, I guess I am."

"How about this, Izuku? If you go down this mountain successfully, I'll reward you."

"Huh? What kind of reward?"

"If you make it down there successfully, I'll give you another kiss."

At first, it didn't register with Izuku, but when it did, the memory of his first kiss with her flashed across his mind.

Izuku blushed crimson as he hid his expression from Nejire, but when she giggled, it was obvious she had already seen it. It was difficult to deny the positive reward, but if he kissed her again, he didn't know if he could survive because of his embarrassment.

Still, it was a magical one. And something he wanted to experience again.

It was a conflicting emotion.

"I... I guess that could work." Izuku muttered.

"Hmm? What was that?" Nejire asked, leaning a little closer.

"Uh, never mind..."

"Too late, haha! I already heard from you the first time, Izuku! I'll give you another kiss when you accomplish the goal I set before you. Now are you psyched up to try your best?" Nejire asked, a mischievous smile crossing her face.

"Y-Yes, but you're embarrassing me now," Izuku murmured.

"Aww, am I now?" Nejire asked, patting him on the head.

Izuku closed his eyes, relishing her comforting touch until she pulled away. When he reopened his eyes, he found Nejire staring at him. She giggled and grabbed his hand, leading him to an invisible starting line at the edge of the mountain before she let him take the lead.

Izuku inched closer to the edge and released a heavy exhale. Nejire settled next to him with her goggles over her eyes.

"Hey, hey. Remember all the tips and tricks I taught you, okay? And I'll be right behind you, so if you fall, I'll pick you right back up. But not too close, since I don't want to crash into you."

Izuku nodded his head and strapped the goggles around his head. As he peered down the trail they chose, fear returned with intensity. But with a tilt forward and a push of his ski poles, the world partially slanted until he adjusted to its slope.

With each second down the lengthy descent, speed accumulated. Izuku bent his knees and leaned forward, adjusting to the velocity. Despite the moderate decline, Izuku blasted down the trail. Brisk winds whistled over his face, the shrill screams adding to the illusion of extraordinary acceleration. The scenery of trees and skiers blurred into each other as he shot past them.

Izuku used his skis to mimic a slithering snake to slow his pace when he got a taste of the galvanic speed.

Unintentionally, Izuku leaned in one direction, losing balance. The world rushed to strike him in the face. Izuku assumed the worst and braced for impact. He tumbled across the snowy terrain until he came to a halt.

Izuku gazed at the sky and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a sigh of relief. Relief he was alive after suffering such a fall. He knew it wasn't enough to kill him, but there were times when adrenaline told him otherwise.

Izuku heard someone slide to a stop and unbuckle their straps. Footsteps approached him until Nejire peeked into his vision, obscuring parts of the cloudy blue skies. Nejire withdrew for a moment as she unbuckled his skis and returned to his view.

"Are you okay, Izuku? You took a beating by falling a lot during this trip…" Nejire said, removing her goggles.

"Yup... Just, uh, give me a second." Izuku said, lifting his goggles to his forehead.

Nejire stared at him with concern before she sprinted to remove her skis from the path of other skiers. When she returned, she stuck the ski poles into the snow and sat next to him. A couple of seconds later, Nejire shuffled a little closer to him and lay on the snow, attracting Izuku's attention as he stared at her with confusion.

"Um, Nejire? What are you doing?" Izuku asked.

Nejire glanced at him and smiled. "What do you think?"

"I…" Izuku trailed off.

Something about the moment sparked an occasion of tranquility. Suddenly, he was reluctant to move, afraid it would ruin something nice between them. Together, they stared at the skies and the majestic formations of clouds passing by. Like a moment stuck in the eternity of his mind, Izuku concentrated on breathing.

It was a nice detour.

"Hey, hey. Just to tell you my thoughts, I think you did a great job. Better than me since I only got the hang of it on the last day of my first ski trip. I think you have the potential to surpass me this week. We could even go on another trip to a more difficult location. Imagine that! If we went on another trip? Wouldn't that be great?"

Izuku felt his heart skip a beat. More than once. Their first vacation together wasn't over and they were already planning another one? He couldn't deny her request, because he was eagerly anticipating it, too. Whatever it may be.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Izuku said.

Nejire smiled and returned her gaze to the skies until Izuku used his arms to sit up. Nejire noticed his movements and stood to help him. Her hands closed around his as she lifted him to his feet. Izuku accepted her help and watched the world accommodate his upright view.

He stared at her before his eyes wandered to a couple of streaks of snow stuck to her jacket. Without thinking twice, Izuku extended his hand and patted her jacket to remove the powdery crystals of ice. Nejire noticed it and stared at him with a playful smile. A twinkle of mirth shone brightly in her irises.

"Are you having fun cleaning snow off me?"

"Eh? Oh! S-Sorry... I got carried away." Izuku said, retracting his hand.

"Well, don't stop now~. I don't mind it."

"Um... Sorry to disappoint you, but there's no more snow left to clean."

"Aw, what a bummer..." Nejire muttered, bending down to pick some snow off the ground and sprinkling it on her scarf. "How about now?"

Izuku chuckled, unable to contain his laughter. "Well, now there's some."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Nejire asked.

Izuku lifted his hand and plucked the bits of snow off her scarf, his fingers careful not to crush the delicate flakes. The sacred moment of silence and affection between the two of them bled into the reality of their world. At that moment, nothing mattered except for each other. It was euphoric.

Only two people in the world could feel what they were feeling, and Izuku was grateful to be one of them.

Nejire smiled and reached to adjust his scarf that had suffered disorder from the fall. Then she wrapped her arms around him and embraced him.

Izuku's heartbeat quickened. It had been growing ever since he cleaned the snow off Nejire. But with each step of their intimacy, it hastened.

Izuku returned her display of love by wrapping his arms around her and holding her as gently as he could. He was afraid to hurt her. It felt like any degree of strength was a demonstration of animosity. And even if it was a construct in his mind, he didn't want to cross the line any further. It was already a blessing to hug her and to experience everything they did together.

Nejire released a sigh of satisfaction as she rested her head on his chest and rocked back and forth. Slowly, but surely.

Nejire interrupted what felt like an eternity of paradise by retreating from his chest and looking at him. Should he kiss her now? It was the perfect moment, but Izuku knew in the back of his mind he didn't deserve it until he made it to the bottom of the ski trail.

However, as his mind fought itself, he noticed Nejire leaning closer to his lips. Izuku didn't have to think any further. Their lips met for the second time that day.

It was as wonderful as the first one. Each second with her was an hour in heaven. Who knew how good a kiss could feel?

When their lips separated, Izuku blinked twice and looked at her in shock. "N-Nejire? Weren't you supposed to kiss me when I finished the ski trail successfully?"

"Meh, why keep a promise when we both know it was going to be broken soon enough?" Nejire asked.

"Oh… I guess you're right." Izuku agreed.

With a look around, Izuku noticed the world was still moving around them as people zipped by. Nejire witnessed the same thing. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Shall we make our way to the beginning of the trail and see if you can make it in one shot?" Nejire asked.

Izuku nodded his head. He never imagined everything would develop so swiftly from an invitation to a ski resort. But here they were.

He fervently prayed his love for Nejire wasn't fleeting, but a genuine feeling lasting beyond their shared moments. And it lasted until his old age.

Author's Note: Christmas is almost here! Friends, I hope you are taking care of yourselves and making sure you stay warm in this chilly weather! My area got proper snow for the first time in a while!

Also, they kissed again muahahaha!

I wish you all the best in your lives and Merry Early Christmas!

With merry love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!