Next chapter is the epilogue :'(
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{Night of Our Lives}
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Word Count; 5,332
The next few hours were a blur.
Costa nearly passed out after the boys set her back down on the ground and she had to be helped by both Katsuki and Kirishima to Recovery Girl's office. She was treated, coerced into taking a forty-five minute power nap, before waking up with a start.
School was letting out early, so that all the students had time to get ready for the dance. Costa was bombarded by people wishing her congratulations and telling her how cool she was in the competition as soon as she stepped into the hallway. It was like the past few months had just disappeared with the snap of her fingers and suddenly, she was popular again.
Students she'd never seen before walked right up to her, trying to grab her arm or snap a photo with her.
"We should totally each lunch together sometime!"
"I need some tips on how you do your hair, it's so pretty!"
"Could I like- get your number?"
Costa pushed past everyone like a professional, knocking bodies aside with her shoulders and shouting out, "Everyone get the fuck out of my way!" Those who weren't aware of her fiery attitude looked taken aback while others laughed it off, saying, 'oh, that's just Miriara being Miriara' , as if they knew her personally.
Costa changed back into her school clothes and met the class back at 2A with Aizawa just before dismissal. Everyone lit up when they saw her hurry into the room, spitting out comments like, "Hey champ, how ya feeling?" or "There's our class champion!"
"How's it feel to be our official female UA representative?" Kaminari waggled his eyebrows at Costa, who couldn't seem wipe the cocky grin off her face. She slumped into her designated seat, right in front of Katsuki, with an exasperated smile. "Incredible."
She leaned her elbow on Katsuki's desk, eyes sliding over to meet his. He scoffed, one of his hands subtly inching forward so he could stroke her arm with his fingertips. She bit her lip, shivering a bit at the soft touch, "Hey."
"Hey." His eyes were light and teasing, and her lips broke into the smile she couldn't suppress.
Kaminari face crumpled in disgust. "Ewww grosss, take your couple stuff somewhere else. I can't stand it anymore."
"That's cause you're just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend," Jiro muttered from beside him, nose deep in a book about philosophy. Kaminari scoff, pressing a hand to his chest in offense. Costa covered her amused smile with one hand, eyes once again flitting back at Katsuki, who was already staring at her.
They both shared a long look and Katsuki letting out a soft sigh as Kaminari bickered in the background about how he'd "rate" himself on a scale of 1 to 10. They tuned everyone out, eyes and ears solely trained on one another before Katsuki spoke. "So about this lame ass dance tonight, do we really have to g-"
"Oi! I deserve a reward for winning, remember?" She clicked her tongue at him, nudging him with her elbow. "The deal was if I won, you'd go with me for two hou-"
"It was an hour, don't push it." He narrowed his eyes at her. She rolled hers, "Okay, an hour."
"Miriara- Am I attractive?" Kaminari blurted out, causing everyone to glance back at her expectantly. Having no context to the question, Costa slowly turned to blink at him. Katsuki, on the other hand, growled in annoyance, whipping his head to face the dimwit. "Shut your trap, ugly."
Kaminari gasped before clapping back, "I'm asking for a girl's perspective, I don't remember asking for your opinion!"
"Alright boys, calm down. You're both pretty." Costa rose a hand to halt the argument before it went any further.
"See! She thinks I'm pretty!" Kaminari whipped his head around, smiling like an idiot. Everyone sighed in annoyance, turning back around to talk to one another. Katsuki rolled his eyes and grumbled lowly to Costa. "Annoying ass..."
She quirked an eyebrow at him knowingly. "So is that a yes then?"
He pursed his lips, sighing through his nose. "Yeah, whatever. I'll take you to the stupid dance."
"No way, he asked you to the dance?" Mina shrieked as Costa stood very still before floor-length mirror, cautiously swiping black mascara onto her eyelashes.
Ochaco blushed, sitting in the corner of Mina's room, fiddling with a lipgloss tube. Jiro laid sprawled out on the bed with her ear phone jacks plugged into her phone. She had her eyes shut closed as she listened to some heavy metal song that the other three girls could faintly hear the music to. Momo rummaged through Mina's closet, trying to find shoes to borrow for the night. Her sleek, black hair was down, cascading down her spine effortlessly.
"Yeah... he was so awkward about it too. It was cute." Ochaco giggled, her fingers plucking at the ends of her hair nervously. Mina bounced around the room, clapping her hands together loudly. Costa flinched at the loud 'clap' and a clump of mascara landed on her eyelid, causing her to curse out, "God damn it!"
Mina glanced over at Costa and clicked her tongue, "You're so hopeless, Cos." She was quick, swiping a packet of makeup wipes off her vanity before waltzing on over to Costa. She jumped right back into her conversation with Ochaco as she grabbed Costa's chin and pulled her down to her eye level. "Are you two color coordinating?"
"Well- I guess so. My dress is cream and his tie is cream, but his suit is black." Ochaco explained as Mina carefully wiped the clump of mascara off Costa's eyelid and nodded once, "There ya go."
"Thanks." Costa winked, turning back to the mirror. Mina whipped around toward Ochaco and beamed, "So like a bride and groom sort of theme??"
Ochaco's entire face turned red and she threw her hands up to cover her blushing features. Momo giggled in amusement and Mina smirked, sharing a mischievous look with Costa through the mirror that said 'I said that on purpose'. Costa snorted as if to say, 'yeah, I know', before screwing the mascara wand back into the tube.
When Costa pulled back, she twisted her lips to the side, gazing at her reflection; straightened black-and-white hair cut off an inch past her collar bones, highlighted glittery cheekbones, dark thick lashes, and a layer of dark mauve lip stain on her lips. Her jewelry was gold, real gold, stolen from Mina's messy jewelry box full of nick-nacks.
Two dangly golden chains hung from her earlobes while the amber necklace Katsuki got her for her birthday settled on a thin chain around her collarbones.
"Cos, what dress are you wearing tonight?" Mina turned over her shoulder, clad only in her bra and underwear. Costa looked up at her through the mirror and smirked knowingly, "You'll just have to see."
Mina deadpanned, "Oh come on! I've been asking all week and that's still your answer?"
Momo pulled a pair of bright red pumps out of the closet and her eyes widened like saucers. Costa shrugged nonchalantly, pulling her hair back behind her shoulders. "Yup."
"You're going with Bakugou tonight, right?" Momo asked, turning toward Mina to show her the shoes she'd picked out. Mina nodded, grinning in approval and Momo smiled, setting the pumps onto the floor so she could slip her dainty feet into them. Costa propped herself up on the lip of the vanity, facing the other girls. "Yeah, I bet him into it with my coercive ways and everything."
"You bet him?" Ochaco asked with a raised brow, sticking shimmery clips into the front of her hair. Costa smiled just from thinking about how he was looking at her earlier, placing Mina's mascara back into her messy cup of makeup brushes and utensils. Costa wasn't sure of half the things Mina owned, sometimes she was concerned she'd one day become a hoarder.
"I said if I won the competition, he'd have to go with me for at least an hour." Costa explained, looking smug. Ochaco let out an 'ah' noise, nodding slowly, just as Mina slipped into a flowy, purple dress. She waltzed up to the floor-length mirror and twisted her lips to one side, thoroughly examining the dress. Then, she immediately turned toward Costa and asked, "Well?"
"Cute but eh." Costa shrugged one shoulder and Mina nodded, strutting back to her closet to try on a another one. Jiro had finally tuned into the conversation and piped up, "How's that going though? You and Bakugou?"
Costa noticed how all of their eyes switched over to her simultaneously, as if the subject of conversation was finally worth halting the chaos of school-dance-preparation for. She snorted, shaking her head in amusement. "It's going well...." Silence. "What else do you want me to say?"
"Do you love each other?" Ochaco's question was immediate and she seemed to lean forward with anticipation, waiting for Costa's response. All of the girls eyes narrowed in on Costa, whose eyes widened. She opened her mouth, then closed it, before stuttering out an embarrassed, "Uh y-yeah, I guess."
"Aw look, she's blushing!" Mina swooned, stepping up to Costa and squishing her cheeks. "You are most adorable when you're in love!"
"I wook wuh shame." Costa said in-between Mina's squishes before she smacked her hands away. "-and it's not any different than you and Kiri."
"Right, I just like you two together." Mina said excitedly, now slipping into a whole new dress. This one was short, hot pink, strapless, and covered in sequins. Ochaco squealed when Mina twirled around, spreading her arms apart wildly, "Well? You think this is the one?"
"Oh most definitely." Ochaco clapped her hands.
"It looks amazing!" Momo added.
Jiro shrugged, indifferent. "Sure."
Mina turned to Costa and looked up at her expectantly, wiggling her eyebrows. Costa took her in; strappy white heels, silver jewelry, and a disco-ball pink dress. She nodded once, then twice. It was just sooo Mina. "Oh, it's the one for sure."
Mina squealed in excitement before a look of realization took over her face, "Costa- you just have to let me see your dress."
"No! It's a surprise!"
"That makes me want to see it even mooooorrrreeee! Please, I'll do anything!" Mina literally fell to her knees before Costa, hands clasped together in a prayer motion. Costa's eyes widened as her friend grabbed her by the leg and squeezed, begging. "Pleeeeaaaassseee!"
After a minute, Costa became annoyed and scoffed, uttering out a, "Fine but only you."
"YES!" Mina immediately got to her feet and grabbed Costa by the wrist, pulling her out of the room by force. "Hey!" Ochaco called after them as they slipped out of the door and shuffled down the hall, toward Costa's bedroom. Mina was antsy as Costa's hand closed over the handle and they both walked in.
Mina sunk into the seat at her desk as Costa meandered over to her closet. "Yay, I can't wait."
"You're so impatient." Costa muttered to herself, flipping through her hangers until the bag covering for the dress she'd bought just a couple days ago touched her fingertips. She plucked it off the hanger and walked back into the room, setting it down flat on her bedspread.
Mina held her breath as Costa unzipped the bag and pulled the dress out.
Mina had expected gold. She'd expected something simplistic- something Costa would walk right into a store and chose without much thought or care. Mina realized she'd expected wrong as her hands flew up to her mouth and she gasped, "Wow!"
Costa smiled, peeling off her clothes and tossing them on the ground. She stepped into the dress, shimmying into the waist, "Can you zip me up?"
"Of course!"
Mina bounded toward Costa, who turned around, pulling her hair up against the back of her head. Mina grabbed the zipper and pulled it all the way up her back. When she stepped away, Costa turned to face the mirror hanging off her door. Mina went feral, "Oh my god, you look so good. Bakugou's literally gonna drop dead when he sees you."
Costa inhaled sharply, her hands smoothing over the fabric around her hips. "You think?"
"You look like a million bucks." Mina still had her hands covering her mouth. "But this wasn't the kind of dress I'd have expected you to get."
Costa looked over her shoulder and shrugged. "I was feeling something.. new. Something different."
"Well it fits with the new hair, that's for sure." Mina laughed, nodding her approval. "But I love it. I love it!"
"Good cause I'm not getting a new one."
Mina saluted her, "You have my approval."
The two of them laughed together before Mina returned to her own room to finish getting ready and helping out the other girls. Costa stayed back in her own room. She spent the next twenty minutes moseying around, snapping a few pictures of herself in the mirror, selecting the best one, and sending her finished look to both Hana and Mirko.
Hana had immediately replied: 'Okay miss stunning and mysterious, you look amazing!' Mirko, on the other hand, had replied with, 'DAMN! Someone call the fire department!'
Costa had laughed at both replies before the silence of her room settled around her. Her thumb scrolled through her contacts, hovering over a particular one, before she gave in and pulled up a new message.
Sent at 7:15pmfrom Glowstick
Are you all tux-ed up or are you taking longer than I am?
It only took a minute for him to respond. Her phone dinged loudly, causing her to flinch slightly.
Sent at 7:16pm from Boomie <3
I've been ready for over an hour.
Costa snickered, glancing up at the door where she knew Katsuki was across the hall, behind his own door, most likely sitting around in his desk chair, bored out of his mind.
Sent at 7:16pm from Glowstick
Well you could've just told me that, I would've come over to keep you company ;)
His reply was immediate.
Sent at 7:16pm from Boomie
Then come right now.
Costa rolled her eyes and stood up, glancing back at the mirror one last time. She narrowed her eyes at her reflection before reaching over to swipe a thin black headband off her desk, using it to pull her sleek hair back behind her face. Then she flattened out her dress, took a deep breath, and made her way over to the door.
She swiped her black, strappy heels on the way out, also grabbing her purse, in case she left without coming back to her room.
When she opened the door, barefoot and holding her shoes, she paused.
Katsuki was leaning his back against the door across the corridor. Costa's breath hitched, for he was wearing a suit; a black set he'd lended from his father. His dress shirt was the palest of blues, almost white, and he had it unbuttoned all the way down to his sternum. Instead of tying his tie around his neck, he let it hang loose around his collar.
Their eyes met and both of their mouths parted, breath leaving them all at once. Costa's eyes flicked up to his hair- oh god, his hair.
He had the sides smoothed back, most likely with whatever super-hair-gel Kirishima used, and his front spikes dangled over his forehead. His red eyes roamed over her figure the moment he took her in and he breathed out a guttural, "Fucking hell..."
Costa blushed, suddenly aware of her own, formal appearance. She glanced down at her dress. She wore a raven-black, silk dress with a strapless, sweetheart neckline. It hugged every one of her curves and hung all the way down to her ankles. The slit that traveled all the way up to her thigh revealed one shiny, tanned leg that had immediately drawn Katsuki's attention.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets, unable to tear his eyes away from her body, then her face, her hair, her everything. "God, Costa."
"Holy smokes, you look handsome." She was the first to move, slipping into her heels and attempting to walk over to him. Both of their eyes widened when she wobbled and stumbled forward, failing instantly at wearing heels. But Katsuki met her halfway, catching her by the elbows before she could fully lose her footing.
Costa laughed and glanced up at him, eyes meeting his precious ruby ones. He chuckled lowly, but it slowly died off as he noticed her expression soften. They stood in the center of the hallway, staring at one another like that for what felt like forever.
It was like time had stopped.
After a while, Katsuki finally rose his hand, eyes focusing on each one of her features, and swiped a thumb over her cheekbone. He breathed out a long breath, shaking his head slightly. "You're like a painting. I never thought someone could be this beautiful."
"Shut up, you're being too nice, it's weird." Costa laughed to hide her cheesy smile, nudging him with her bare shoulder. He inhaled sharply as his eyes dropped to her skin, on full display; her distinct collarbones, her shiny round shoulders. His lips flattened into a straight line. "You look too good like this. I wish I could say I wasn't bothered by people being able to see you like this but I am. I really fucking am."
Cost rolled her eyes, smacking him in the chest playfully. "What happened to showing me off, huh?"
His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest and she squealed. His hands travelled up the bare skin of her back and she shivered, suddenly aching for his touch. He saw the way her eyelids went heavy when he'd touched her and smirked wolfishly, one of his hands traveling down to grab a handful of her ass.
"Katsuki!" She nudged him, eyes flashing in warning. He only sighed, his nose brushing hers, his hands now traveling down her sides, her waist, running up her neck. The self-restraint it took to keep from throwing her head back and screwing her eyes shut was ridiculous and Costa found herself gritting her teeth to keep herself in check.
"Fuck, how do you do this to me?" Katsuki growled into her ear and she could tell he was feeling that exact same way she was. "Ever since the first time, every time I see you, you make me like this..."
She gasped as he grabbed her by the neck and kissed her, in the middle of the hallway, and Costa melted. She moaned against his lips as threw her arms around the back of his neck. His grip on her neck tightened and she opened her mouth to him. His tongue stroked hers, swirling around her mouth like an expert, his wandering hands falling back down to caress her shoulders, her back, traveling right back down to cup that delicious ass-
A door swung open and Costa flinched. Katsuki, who didn't give a shit, only pulled her closer, continuing to French her in the hallway like some deranged animal. Costa made a 'hmph' noise, before placing her hands on his chest and pushing him off from her, right as they heard an, "We- Oh."
Costa pulled back, panting, only to turn and see all the girls standing outside Mina's door, watching them. Katsuki's eyes were heavy-lidded as he continued staring down at her, glancing down the front of her dress shamelessly, sighing with want. He wanted to take her right there, right now. Costa, on the other hand, cleared her throat in embarrassment and stepped away from him and his grabby hands. "Um hey."
Dead silence.
Jiro snorted as Ochaco covered the blush on her face. "Busy, huh?"
"We were just-" Costa glanced up at Katsuki, who only ignored them and stuffed his hands into his pockets, grumbling in annoyance. Jiro smirked, crossing her arms over her chest, and Costa knew right then that they saw everything- even the ass grab. Costa hugged her arms close to herself, suffocating in the awkward silence until she finally breathed out, "Yeah, I don't really know what to say..."
"You got a little-" Momo was trying not to laugh as she pointed to her lips.
Costa's eyes widened and she immediately whipped out her phone, only to see her lipstick was very smeared. Then she looked up at Katsuki, noticing how his lips were awfully pigmented by the color of her lip stain. She threw her head back and laughed, "Well shit. Guess that stuff's not kiss proof, got it."
Mina tossed her a compact mirror, which she caught swiftly and nervously chuckled, "Ahem- thanks."
The dance had already begun when their class arrived, all together.
Costa walked hand in hand with Katsuki, and marveled at the large stadium they'd transformed into a dance venue. There was flashing lights, thumping music, and a shit ton of students wildly dancing around in a large group.
"Drink?" Katsuki had asked her right when they walked in and she nodded, "Any soda's fine. Thank you."
She'd kissed him once before he walked off toward the drink table, followed by Kirishima. Costa looked out across the spacious room, noting the scattered, white-clothed tables paired with assorted flowers arrangements and sprinkled confetti. She blinked down at her shoes, at the shiny floor they must've waxed beneath her, before tilting her head up to the open sky. Stars blinked back at her and she grinned, silently thanking whoever's idea it was to have a dance in the stadium.
"Miri-ara!" Kaminari shimmied up to her in his bright yellow suit and Costa snorted, shaking her head in amusement. He did a little 360-spin before smoothly holding his hand out for her. She blinked at him as he bowed lowly, "Will you do me the pleasure of being my first dance?"
Costa glanced over his shoulder, noticing Katsuki at the drink station, pouring soda into a cup, standing next to a chattering Kirishima. She looked back at Kaminari and clasped her hand around his, smiling. "Sure, why not?"
Kaminari made a cute, giddy noise and immediately pulled her into the crowd, weaving through the people on the dance floor. It was then that a cheerful, "Hey, wait for me!" was heard and soon, Mina came bounding toward them at full speed.
Her pink dress was the first thing Costa saw before another hand interlaced with her free one. The two of them pulled her into the crowd and Costa immediately felt the swell of body heat surround her on all sides. Students cheered when they saw her, clapping their hands in celebration, and Costa nodded at them, before glancing back up at the sky, the stars. She took a long, deep breath before fully letting the music and rhythm suck her in.
The three of them jumped around to some pop songs for a few minutes, Costa having to hold onto the front of her dress to keep it from riding down. Mina and her clasped hands and spun around each other, turning their faces up to the night sky and laughing freely. People around them would not stop recognizing her and smiling in excitement, sometimes coming up to her to tell her 'congratulations!' or 'you were so amazing today! can't wait to see you at nationals!'
Costa thanked all of them, her heart swelling with pride. She soaked in the celebratory ambiance, the flow of the music and dance. She soon found herself letting go, letting the music flow through her until she was dancing wildly with Mina, unable to rip the smile off of her face.
Eventually, Katsuki had spotted her and wormed his way in through the crowd- aka, elbowing people and yelling 'move it, extras'- before making his way up to her. The adrenaline from the dancing and the swell of happiness from all the praise had caused Costa to feel warm and fuzzy. So, the moment she saw Katsuki appear behind her, she gasped in delight, overcome with joy.
He was about to hand her her drink when she grabbed his face in both of her hands and planted a hard kiss on his lips. She had to stretch onto her tippy toes, even in heels. Everyone around them watched as Katsuki slowly snaked his arms around her waist, drink still in hand, and kissed her back.
"Aw man..."
"That is so cute!"
"Ugh, get a room."
When Costa pulled back, she was smiling and he was looking at her in surprise. "What was that for?"
"Nothing, I just love you." She laughed and swiped her drink out of his hand, taking a long, dehydrated sip. They could barely hear one another over the loud music. When she swallowed, she made an 'ah' sound that had the corners of his lips curving upward.
"Oh my god, Bakugou's smiling!" Kaminari whisper-shouted to Mina, who giggled in amusement. "Yeah, he does that sometimes. But only when she's around."
Katsuki dipped his head down to whisper in her ear, "I love you more."
"No way, Jose!" Costa mocked offense, poking him in the chest with her index finger. "I love you mo-"
"We're not doing this cheesy shit." He deadpanned and she laughed in amusement.
She let him lead her out of the crowd to get another drink. Then, they found a wall to lean against together, bobbing their heads to the music and sipping on their drinks. When their eyes caught, Costa had reached over and interlaced their fingers, letting her head fall against the padding of his shoulder. She sighed in contentment and he glanced down at her.
There was a sheen that passed through his vision and Costa glanced up through her eyelashes, smiling at him, "What?"
"I like seeing you like this," His fingers came up to clasp her chin. She let him tilt her head to the side so he could get a better view of her face. She chuckled, her hand resting on his wrist. Her thumb swooped down to graze the underside of his wrist and he shivered at the touch. "Like what?"
"Happy." He whispered and although she couldn't hear it over the loud music, she could see the movement of the vowels and consonants on his lips.
She hummed in response and he took that as his queue to plant a long, lingering close-lipped kiss on her lips. When they pulled away and looked at one another, Costa had a mischievous glint in her eyes. "C'mon," She grabbed both of their cups and set them down before clasping his hand in hers, pulling him toward the dance floor.
His eyes widened in realized and he planted his feet into the ground. "I don't fucking dance."
"Well now you do, because it's a requirement as my boyfriend. Sorry not sorry." Costa sent him a sarcastic look before tugging on his arm, but he wouldn't budge. He glared at her as she clicked her tongue and tried tugging him again. "Katsuki."
"I don't dance." He grumbled lowly, looking around at the people watching them. Costa squinted, taking a step forward. It was then that she noticed the blush on his cheeks, the hint of embarrassment and sighed.
He wasn't good at dancing then, for he never liked doing things he didn't feel confident in. She reached up and pinched one of his cheeks, causing him to flinch and smack her hand away. "Ow!"
"You're cute when you're embarrassed, but I thought we weren't gonna care about others?" Costa hummed, peering up at him with her head tilted to one side. He rolled his eyes, avoiding hers, and uttered out. "Not this time..."
She grabbed his chin and forced him to look down at her. "Eyes on me, okay? We're the only ones that matter, alright? None of these extras opinions actually mean anything."
His lips twitched when he heard the word 'extras' come out of her mouth. A memory suddenly bubbled to the surface of his brain. It was like getting deja vu, the feeling pulling him back to the very first interaction they'd ever had.
"Get the fuck out of my way, extra", he growled, pushing past her roughly. His shoulder knocked into hers, tipping her over the edge. Her eyes glowed viciously, catching everyone's attention as she whipped around.
"Who are you calling extra, extra?", she said with such confidence, stepping right in Bakugou's way. There was an excited gleam in her eyes that no one seemed to notice as Bakugou's head snapped back at her, scarlet eyes filled with rage.
"What? Can't handle getting called out by a girl? Is your poor toxic masculinity okay?"
He shook his head and she cocked her head again, confused, "What?"
"Nothing, just remembered something." He had to keep himself from smiling as he looked down at her. How far had they come since that day, since that first meeting? He remembered it as clear as day, as well as the emotions that followed. He'd hated Costa back then, or at least that was what he thought he felt at the time. But no, it wasn't hate. Not really anyway.
It was a kind of familiarity he'd never had before. At first, it felt like confrontation, like throwing all of the things that made him different right back into his face. He didn't know what to do with somebody like her, like himself, for he'd never seen a reflection in another's eyes.
But then he met Costa and they just- clicked. He'd never clicked with another person before. Then it was as if everything happened all at once, an inevitable cycle of events that led him to falling in love with his best friend. That was what she was. Truly, before any other title, Costa was his favorite person in the entire world.
"You're my best friend, you know that?" He said and her eyes widened, her spine straightening a little. Her shock faded into a loving look and suddenly she had her fingers laced through his. She squeezed once and then twice. "I know, and you're mine, so shut up and dance with me, will ya?"
She smiled and laughed and how could he possible say no when she was looking at him like that?
He inhaled sharply as she slowly tugged him forward before pulling him all the way into the crowd of other students. He watched as she led him, hand-in-hand, and he couldn't help but glance down at how perfectly her hand fit into his.
He'd never needed anyone. He'd always correlated the idea of needing someone else to weakness. It threatened his pride, made him put his guard up. He'd had so many walls up, protecting his pride and ego, how could she have possibly melted them into oblivion? How could she have pulled him so far deep into this thing that there was never any way of going back to the way things were?
It was a good thing he didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay. Forever. Unguarded and with her.
The two of them joined their friends in the dance circle. Sero, Kaminari, Kirishima, and Mina all hollered when Bakugou emerged into their little group. Costa threw her head back and laughed as Sero and Kaminari launched themselves at him and began jumping up and down, causing him to start screaming in their ears.
Mina grabbed Costa's hands and began swaying them to the music, causing Costa to sigh. They danced wildly, without care, for God knew how long. They laughed and screamed and sang, taking off their shoes and returning to the dance floor. Costa made Katsuki spin her around and then she'd throw her arms over his neck and he'd pick her up and spin her some more.
The deal of an hour turned into two, before turning into the rest of the night as Katsuki couldn't bring himself to ask Costa to leave with him. She looked exhilarated when she was dancing, like a fairy on the wind. She was in her element.
He'd snatch glimpses of her when she'd look up at the night sky and just laugh, freely laugh.
It was as if, after all the time he'd known her, this huge weight finally lifted off her shoulders, and carried on into the cool, night breeze. And when she looked back at him to see if he was watching the stars too, their eyes met.
She nodded at him, unable to stop laughing, and he realized something as he surged forward to grab her face in his hands and kiss her.
She was his starry, night sky and his wild, blazing sun.
And when he was holding her, he held the entire world in his arms.