#original brew

“Me?” Daichi points to himself, searching the circle for confirmation. He makes eye contact with you for a moment and before looking again at the bottle.

“Yes, you!” Suga laughs and claps him on the shoulder. 

“I thought you all were joking about playing spin the bottle.” Daichi says, raising his hands apologetically. “I didn’t know we started.”

“I can spin again.” You manage in a mostly-steady voice. This hesitation stings like rejection. “If you didn’t think we were playing or if you don’t want to play, I can re-spin.”

“No! Just… give me a second.  Let me get over there.”

There’s a chorus of oohs. Daichi shushes them as he clambers across the circle, and soon you can’t see the circle at all because all you can see is Daichi in front of you. You’re reminded that he’s so handsome up close, which doesn’t help your rising heart rate. He takes your hand in his and gauges your reaction.

“Ready?” He asks. You nod. 

You have imagined the scene before you, but never dreamed that it would actually happen. Everything feels warm. The loud music and conversation numbed your senses. You think you’re still smiling when Daichi swoops in and kisses you.

Someone whoops loudly. You can’t tell who and it doesn’t matter. Not now, not when this dream is briefly reality, not when Daichi is kissing you with emotion that’s beyond playing a party game. Daichi pulls away after a beat but keeps your hand in his for as long as he can before he’s called back to his previous spot. The game continues in a blur, more cheers and challenges, but soon the group scatters into farewells. 

“I can take that.” You reach towards the empty bottle in Daichi’s hands, but he holds it close his chest.

“No, I’m keeping it.”

“Why? You don’t think that’s weird?” 

Daichi considers this and shakes his head. “I don’t think so. In a way, I think it’ll remind me that dreams do come true.”

“Dreams?” 

Daichi glances around and then steps closer to you. His voice drops to a conspiratorial whisper as he says, “Don’t laugh. I’ve had this long, recurring dream that I’d kiss you playing spin the bottle.”

“Me too!” You laugh.

“Hey!” He tenses at the laughter.

You shuffle away from the register, your pre-coffee brain struggling to make sense of everything that’s happening. You wonder if the lack of caffeine has affected your vision and or grip on reality.

“Order for Noya!” The barista at the far end of the bar calls loudly and interrupts your thoughts.

“That was fast!” Noya claps once before retrieving the drinks. He thankfully doesn’t sprint back with the two steaming cups in his hands.

“You know you didn’t need to do that.” You say as you accept your drink from him.

“I wanted to.” Noya replies, pausing to brush a strand of hair away from his forehead. “It helps to have a cool entrance when trying to get someone’s number. Makes an impression. Were you impressed?” He can’t seem to stop the smile from spreading across his face, even though it’s completely ruining his cool facade.

“I was… surprised.” You finally find the word. Your heart and mind are working hard waiting for the caffeine to kick in. You could have sworn that he had asked you for your number.

“Surprised enough to get your number?” Noya tries again, earnestly, while gazing longingly at you from behind his cup. Now you know it’s real.

“We’ll take anything... and cost is no concern,” Bokuto offers. The receptionist nods in understanding and considers the search. Bokuto squeezes your hand gently to hush any oncoming protest and whispers, “Consider it a gift.”

The gift is a plain, dark room and a large, solitary bed. Curtains are drawn tight on a long wall. Agreeing to the room to it in the cozy comfort of the lobby and then being in the room are two completely different experiences. Agreeing to share a room was different than sharing a bed.

It’s strange to be in a room alone with Bokuto, several stories high, watching him casually take a seat on the side of the bed. He tosses himself backwards, so that his hair splays against the comforter. 

“This is really nice. You gotta try it.” Bokuto pats the space next to him, his hand creating small divots in the blanket. You sigh and sit next to him. He’s right. The bed is really soft but to your dismay it seems smaller with Bokuto being right next to you.

“No, you gotta try it like this!” You feel his strong arm loop around your waist and pull you down towards him. You land partially on his chest, half on the bed next to him. He still smells strongly of the party but being this close you can catch the smell of his usual cologne that causes your head to spin. His heart beat thuds rapidly in his chest and you wonder if it matches your own. 

“You have fun at the party?” Bokuto asks.

“Surprisingly, yes.” 

“Surprisingly?” Bokuto raises an eyebrow. “We always have fun together!”

“That’s true….but that’s the two of us, not with several other professional athletes at the fanciest party ever. I was nervous about making a good impression.” 

“Oh! That makes sense. Sor-“ 

“Really, it’s ok! No need to apologize.” You leave out the part of being strangely more nervous now than at the party that went much too late. You can feel exhaustion tugging at your eyelids and Bokuto yawns and stretches. 

“I guess it is getting late…” Bokuto speaks through a yawn and you laugh. “You can use the bathroom first.”

You nod and take your time with changing into pajamas, washing your face, and brushing your teeth. You wouldn’t want to risk walking in on him if he’s in the middle of changing. He probably wouldn’t mind, but it would be too weird now. Not after a full and truly enjoyable evening where Bokuto spoke openly about how wonderful he thinks you are and how he is grateful to know you to his teammates. 

You knock from inside the bathroom door as a warning. “Bo? You decent?” 

“All good! Turn off the light when you come out.” 

You open the door and turn off the bathroom light and the switch that operates the bedside lamp. When the lights are off you see now that the bedroom is cast in flickering blue lights. Bokuto stands silhouetted by the large window, the curtains now open to reveal the twinkling city below. 

“Surprise!” Bokuto says, ushering you again towards him. You approach to get a better view of the night cityscape. 

“This is incredible,” You continue to look out the window. Bokuto’s gaze keeps landing on you and your smile.

“Well, you enjoy the view. I’ll be right back.” 

You crawl into bed, leaving the curtains open so you can still look outside. It isn’t long until Bokuto returns, dramatically closing the curtains. 

“I’m not smart. Maybe I’m not even good enough for the hero course. Or UA for that matter.” The frustration that had built up for weeks after endless comparison, and struggles not producing the results you expected, finally snaps inside you. Now that you’ve started confessing the thoughts on your mind, it’s hard for you to stop. 

Bakugou listens carefully. You’ve always had his attention, but he hadn’t expected this struggle. Truly, you had the respect and admiration from other classmates and faculty who saw your potential. Bakugou respected the focus that you had on your goals and ambitions. 

“Stop.” Bakugou says, but you completely ignore him. 

“Am I even pretty enough to be a hero?” You choke out another doubting question you’ve asked yourself. Bakugou is horrified.

“What does pretty have to do with anything?” He asks, hoping that it doesn’t sound like he’s teasing. He just cannot understand why you are thinking like this. 

You pause. Hearing the question out loud makes you think a little bit more about the thoughts that been circling in the back of your mind. The doubts that pulled heavily on your confidence, the insecurity that seemed to show up at the worst moments. Like… now, in front of Bakugou, a strong and brazen classmate who is clearly on the path to a bright future. Surely he’s never had a moment of insecurity.

“I don’t know. I guess it would be nice.” You mutter, embarrassed that Bakugou’s making you acknowledge this in front of him. 

He takes a deep breath. You can’t tell if it’s because he’s frustrated or trying to give himself confidence. It makes you smile - Bakugou being unconfident just did not fit your mental picture.   

“Listen. You’re good. Really good. You deserve your place here in UA and no one - including you - should try to tell you that that’s not true.” 

You look at him and you finally can see the expression that he had hidden so well behind the teasing and the distance. You swear you’ve never seen his gaze so soft as he searches your face for the thoughts that you hadn’t spoken. Yet he’s serious, keeping his hands firmly on your shoulders to keep you from running away. He finds that this also keeps him steady. 

“For what it’s worth… I think you’re pretty.” Bakugou confesses and you feel your shoulders heat up just a little bit more. Or maybe it’s your own body heat rising as Bakugou pulls you in for a hug. You can hear his rapid heartbeat. 

Even though you’ve kissed your husband plenty of times before, you have to admit that the cliche of kissing under the mistletoe is still pretty cute. 

Sugawara doesn’t miss the small laugh that escapes your lips when he finally, finally presses his lips against yours, or the taste of peppermint from the giant mug of hot chocolate you shared. It feels like Christmas came early and his wishes are already coming true just by hanging the mistletoe. He’s even more pleased knowing that it’s in the primary walkway so he’ll be sure to catch you there often.

He thinks for a moment longer and decides that this simply won’t be enough. When he parts from you with a theatrical smack, he’s already mapping out ways to fully enjoy the tradition for the rest of the season.

A few days later, you hear Sugawara in the kitchen getting ready to head out for work, the coffee pot chirping and and the toaster chiming. The hallway floor creaks as you approach and you brace yourself for Sugawara to come bounding into the hallway demanding his mistletoe kiss like he has for the past few days.

It doesn’t happen. You glance up and notice that the mistletoe isn’t hanging in the hallway.

“Good morn-” You manage to say before Sugawara drags you into the kitchen. He presses two kisses to the top of your head. 

“Where’s the mistletoe today?” 

“Right here,” Sugawara taps you on the shoulder, prompting you to look up. Several large magnets hold the mistletoe in place at the top of the refrigerator. The weight of it pulls on the magnets and the bushel is sliding down. 

Sugawara grabs it and places it in his pocket, a smile pulling across his face. 

“It’ll be somewhere else later. I promise.”

To your amusement but not to your surprise, he keeps his promise. He continues to hide the mistletoe. Sometimes the spots are in plain sight and others are a little bit more hidden. He has a reason for each location too in addition to just wanting a “festive reason” to kiss you. 

After the hallway and the kitchen, your shameless flirt of a husband hangs the mistletoe just above your bed’s headboard. Another week, you find it hanging in each closet in your home - yours, the linen closet, his - and you begin to wonder if he’s acquired multiple mistletoes to scatter around the house.

Sugawara even surprises you with pulling out a branch from his coat pocket while you two are out for a walk. You grab it from his mittened hands and run away with it, just for a chance to possibly hide it for yourself. 

You almost don’t see the new one when you welcome him home after he had to work later than usual. You’re already embracing him in the entryway when he reminds you that the mistletoe above you ensures that he gets goodbye and welcome home kisses. 

“I didn’t even see it and I’m here greeting you anyways,” you smile, feeling your face heat from Sugawara’s adoring gaze. Even after all this time being married, he still could effortlessly give you butterflies. The mistletoe you stole from him still is hidden in your coat.

“But now it’s a festive greeting,” Sugawara replies, wrapping his arms around you again and holding you close. The mistletoe stays there for a few days and then it’s gone again, waiting to be discovered like a gift tucked away in precious wrapping. 

It’s when you find yourself staring up at the ceiling, incredulous, questioning the lengths that your husband has gone to be committed to this mistletoe comedy bit. 

“Koushi?” You call and he’s tripping over himself to get to you. He’s been waiting for you to finally see it - a small branch of mistletoe hanging from the highest point of your home. You’re dying to know how he got the mistletoe there but frankly, it’s probably better to not know the details.

“You found the mistletoe!” He sighs dreamily and looks over at you. “You know what that means…”

You do. Your sweet and mildly chaotic husband - all in the name of holiday cheer - has kissed you dozens of times underneath the mistletoe. 

Yet each time he’s made it feel special. After all, despite his repetitive theatrics,  Sugawara is anything but boring. Sugawara’s strength and love comes from his commitment to you and the need for certain routines. The balance of responsibility, loyalty, and spontaneity make your husband who he is. It isn’t lost on you that Sugawara has placed the mistletoe in the places that he knew you would be. It also is clear that the magic of the mistletoe for you and him as the self-declared “mistletoe menace.” 

You both get to see the magic for others in action at a party hosted by the Tanakas. Everyone, including Sugawara, is aware of the mistletoe prominently placed right in the middle of the party. When you bring Sugawara towards the window under the guise of looking at the snow flurries, you seize your own opportunity. You pull out the mistletoe from your pocket.

“Oh look…” you say and before Sugawara can properly see what’s happening, you kiss him. You drop the leaves on his head in the process and let it tumble to your feet. And finally, after a full season of kissing under mistletoe, you finally got your kiss without it. 

You walk with the host to rejoin your friends, each holding their own drinks of choice. There’s only a few minutes left until the clock strikes midnight and you all can welcome in the new year together. 

With each passing moment you feel your plan for the evening slipping away. The irony isn’t lost on you. It feels fitting for a year where other plans and dreams didn’t happen that this one would come short too. After all, you had pushed back your goal of finally confessing to Izuku back all year. A midnight kiss seemed like something doable to end the year and start a new one in a better way. While a New Year’s Eve kiss was a cliche, it would at least cheer you up a little. It would be a moment to share with Izuku that you could call your own. 

Cheers continue, clueing you in to the countdown. Denki and Kirishima are making a game of handing out as many confetti poppers as possible in the minute of the year. They take a lap around the room, nearly toppling over the furniture in the frenzied process, but they succeed.

“Happy New Year!” Everyone shouts, raising their glasses. 

You stand in the crowded room and pull the confetti popper open. Couples are kissing and streamers are flying through the air.  Gold and silver streamers fly out with a puff of smoke, revealing a paper purple crown inside. You place the crown on your head, happy to see everyone so happy. For a moment you think you can feel it too, until your face feels too hot and you can’t hide the discomfort anymore. 

The winter air outside on the balcony provides instant relief. It’s much quieter out here, sparing the occasional shouts and the sporadic firework explosions from below. You see a group of what looks like middle-school kids, shouting out happily to be up this late. 

You look up to the sky and see green shocks of light rapidly approaching you. The speed is alarming but you recognize it immediately and wave as Izuku launches himself from an adjacent building and lands next to you. 

“H-hey, I’m so sorry I’m late. Mind if I join you out here?” Izuku asks, surprisingly casual for someone who just flew through the air from his quirk and his own two feet to get to you.

You nod, unable to really speak yet. Your mouth feels sticky from the champagne.

“I can’t believe it’s been another year.” Izuku starts up the conversation again, watching you turn the champagne flute in your hand. You inspect it as if there are still bubbles in the glass. 

“Me either. So much has happened and I still haven’t...” you trail off, looking out at the cityscape before you. You bite back the tears that have finally decided to form. The pressure had built up all night or maybe even days. You especially hated that you were crying in front of him. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go. 

You take in one shaky breath and Izuku has closed the already slight distance between you, pulling you into a hug.  

“Oh no, haven’t what? I’m here.” He states the obvious. His voice makes his chest rumble against you and it nearly makes you laugh. It only makes the tears fall faster. You can’t tell whether he’s acting as the concerned friend or as a comforting hero - and that’s what makes the entire situation worse. The conflict strains against your heart, weighing you down despite his presence naturally assuring you. 

“You weren’t here for the countdown.” You mumble into his shoulder. Saying it out loud sounds embarrassing but it’s true - you wanted him here with you for that moment. While that moment had passed, you wonder if this moment here is even better.  

“That’s what’s bothering you?” He sounds surprised and you’re thankful that he’s not teasing you for it. He continues, “You know, I promised Todoroki that I would be here by midnight. I really, really wanted to be...” 

“But you got held up by some villain?”

Izuku shakes his head, suddenly bashful. 

“My alarm didn’t go off. I crashed really hard after my shift ended and then I saw all those texts from Todoroki telling me that I had to be here and that I’d be disappointed if I didn’t show.” 

You’re steady now in his arms, the tears no longer flowing. Even though you’re a bit paranoid of what Todoroki hinted at in those texts, you’re grateful that you can at least breathe again. Izuku peers at you, taking his thumb to softly brush against your cheek. His heart fully breaks at the sight of you teary-eyed but then he finds himself moving before he can think. 

He brushes his lips against yours. To him, it seemed the best thing to do with you on a starry evening with fireworks still blasting off indiscriminately.

“Oh my God I should have as-” he panics when his thoughts catch up to his actions. You smile at the flustered hero before you, thankful for his little bit of courage that built yours up in return. You pull him back by the collar of his hoodie to kiss him again and again. 

It’s clumsy but it just feels right. It’s not perfect, but it’s yours.

“It’s not a midnight kiss but I’ll take it.” You admit.

“I’d kiss you any time if I could. Every day.” Izuku promises.