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{Yeah, Yeah, Merry Fucking Christmas}
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Word Count; 6,033
Autumn had given way to Winter, the end of November closing in on Class 2A with its demand for hats, gloves, and thicker coats. After exams and work studies had ended, winter break had swiftly crept up on them, allowing for a couple of long weeks away from school.
Costa wasn't fond of the cold, she never had been. She was a summer kind of girl. She loved days that consisted of pools, sun tans, and long-ass runs in the scorching heat that left her literally glowing on her jog back due to the amount of light she'd absorbed from the mid-day sun.
This weather, however, wasn't her favorite.
"Fuck you and your damn sweaters.." Costa grumbled as she watched Katsuki fold his thick, zip-up, red sweater into a bulky, black suitcase. She had a piece of licorice hanging from her mouth, the same piece she'd been gnawing on for the past ten minutes. "This sucks."
Katsuki finally lifted his gaze to meet hers and sent her a critical, pointed look, to which she scowled and glanced away.
"We both know it's not the damn weather that's got you this fucking cranky." He clicked his tongue at her, crossing the room to rummage through his dresser. Costa only huffed out a loud, obnoxious breath. She spun around in his desk chair, keeping her eyes trained on his moving form. She tilted her head to one side, examining him as he pulled his deodorant stick out of his drawer, flipped it in the air, and caught it swiftly before tossing it into his suitcase.
"I just don't understand why you have to be up there all break... Can't you just go for a week and call it...?" Costa finally broke off a piece of licorice rather viciously, her jaw flexing and contracting as she chewed.
A side smirk appeared on his face as he made his way back into his closet. "Just fucking say you're gonna miss me, brat."
She didn't reply to that, only huffed out an annoyed breath and looked out his window. She could see the wind blowing leaves right off the frail trees in the yard and she shivered at the thought of how cold it must be out there. It was almost the end of December and they'd been suffering in the relentless cold for weeks.
Okay, maybe she was being dramatic, for it didn't get much lower than the freezing point in Japan around this time of the year, but she was a total baby when it came to Winter, no matter where she was.
Katsuki paused his packing, drawing Costa's attention. As soon as she caught his gaze, her expression softened. "What?"
He was trying his best not to smirk, his eyes squinting as he looked at her.
Her hair had gotten a little longer within the past two months since the championship, as well as the night of the dance, when they'd had one of the best nights of their lives. She now looked much less tired and drained than she did back then, her eyes once again bright and lively. His gaze flickered down to her curled-up form, wide hips taking up the entire seat of his desk chair. She'd filled out much more since then, regaining those muscular curves he couldn't take his eyes off of when he first realized his attraction toward her.
"My mother invited you to come with us, I don't know why you're complaining so much." He shook his head at her and Costa started, planting her feet flat on the ground.
"And I told you I can't leave Hana alone for the holidays! What kind of niece would I be?!"
"One that has separation anxiety from her boyfriend."
Costa gaped, "I do not have separation anxiety! Who the fuck do you think you are saying tha-"
"Guess you'll just have to prove it these next few weeks then." Katsuki snickered, shrugging his shoulders at her. Her jaw dropped open in offense at his obvious mocking. She let out a frustrated groan and crossed her arms over her chest, only getting more agitated with him the longer they held this conversation. "Now you're making me think you're not even gonna miss me..."
He sent her a glare, "Shut the fuck up."
"I'm neglected, disrespected, betrayed..." She started counting all of her points on her fingers, shaking her head in disappointment. "Unappreciated, taken for granted-"
In seconds, he was across the room, wrapping his hand around Costa's wrist. Costa's mouth hung open, her words falling off the tip of her tongue as his other hand came to grab her chin and force her to look up into his vermillion eyes that stared at her with such intensity.
"You know how hard it's gonna be? Not to be able to see you and touch you..." His thumb swiped across her jaw, dipping slightly to brush the smooth skin of her neck. She fought back a shiver, refusing to tear her gaze away from his. Then, he felt her swallow hard under his thumb and a wolfish grin spread over his face. "I still think you should come with me. I want you to come."
"I can't." Costa sighed, nuzzling into his hand that was now cupping her face. "I wish I could but... I have to stay with Hana this year. Holidays are hard for us Miriara's nowadays."
He sighed through his nose, brief disappointment flickering across his face. "Yeah, I know. I just- fuck, this is like summer break all over again... except worse cause there's no work study to keep us together."
Costa twisted her lips to the side before she shrugged one shoulder, "At least we have Hakone to look forward to on our last weekend before school starts up again. The others seem pretty excited, they won't shut up about it."
Sero had invited some of them to visit his family's guest house in Hakone at the end of their winter break. It was located right in the valley of the Hakone mountains with complete access to the hot springs there. He'd invited them before he'd left the dorms to go home yesterday and Costa had accepted for the both of them, despite Katsuki's protests.
Most everyone was already gone, leaving only a lingering few to pack up the rest of their belongings for the break. Costa dropped her stuff off at Hana's place yesterday as well but Katsuki coerced her to stay with him, in the dorms, for an extra night before he left.
"I forgot about that. Why are we going again?" He snarled. She could tell the thought of being around their friends 24/7 for one weekend was not exactly thrilling to him.
"Because I'm staying home all break and don't I deserve a vacation too?" Costa scoffed, placing her hand over his and intertwining their fingers. "And don't I get to be with my boyfriend after he's gone for weeks and weeks?"
This sold him, she could see it in the way his eyes closely analyzed every inch of her face before he let out a defeated sigh.
Katsuki rolled his eyes in annoyance, pulling back to sit on the edge of his bed, disconnecting from Costa. Costa was quick to rise from his desk chair and follow him to the lip of the bed. She stood in between his legs, forcing him to look up at her as he spoke, returning to their previous subject. "It's always so boring every year. Me, the old hag, my old man, fucking nana..."
Costa snorted. Katsuki spent every Christmas and New Year up in Sapporo, Japan with his grandma, ever since his grandfather passed away a few years ago. He'd complained to Costa about it before- how her house always smelt like old people and how he was always forced to sleep in this tiny, cold room in the basement while his parents snagged the guest room upstairs.
"At least you still have family to visit, ya know..." Costa found herself automatically uttering as she looked off toward the posters, medals, and awards on his wall. He was silent for a few beats before pulling back, forcing her to refocus her attention back on him. "What?"
"Whatever happened to your grandparents?"
Costa let out a 'pfft' noise, shaking her head a few times. "My grandfather was never in the picture, my mom never met him. Then, my grandma basically kicked her out as soon as she turned sixteen. Supposedly, my grandparents on my... dad's side... live in the United States or something. I don't know, we didn't really talk about them a whole lot. They're off doing their own thing or whatever."
Katsuki furrowed his eyebrows, letting out a soft hum. Costa shrugged her shoulders, pinching a strand of his hair between her index and thumb fingers. "It's fine, if there wasn't a relationship there in the first place, it's not much of a disappointment anymore. I'm used to the whole complicated, dysfunctional, familial story at this point, but we already knew this."
She laughed and Katsuki continued his bout of silence. When Costa's laugh faded, she noticed how directly he was staring up at her, "What?"
He watched the way she slid that laughter over her pain. At first, when he'd met her, he was convinced it was something she did to be somebody else. He thought she hid who she really was by doing so, but eventually, he realized it'd been a coping mechanism she'd acquired from years of lying and covering up her past.
The laughter was because she wanted to move on, not because she wanted to mask what scars were left. He still found himself ridiculously worried about her, no matter if she could handle these things on her own. He still wanted to remind her she could tell him how she really felt and be who she really was under all of the coping mechanisms.
"Are you gonna be alright?" He grumbled and Costa could see the concern swimming in his eyes. She couldn't help but curve her lips into a soft smile, her finger swiping across his bottom lip.
"Don't you dare start worrying about me now."
"How can I not after everything that's happened?" His eyes widened for a brief second and Costa pursed her lips together. He had a point. If he'd gone through the same series of horrible events in the span of a year and a half, she'd be watching him like a hawk. But Katsuki wasn't one to be overbearing, not in the slightest, although, she knew sometimes he couldn't help but check in, just to make sure she was doing alright.
There were moments she wasn't, but in those moments, he always stayed right by her side, so she knew she wouldn't have to go through any of the after-effects alone.
"I feel good right now." Costa inhaled sharply, "Not completely back to normal but c'est la vie. It'll be nice to spend some time with Hana, plus Mina and Kiri are here for me to bother whenever I want."
Katsuki snickered as Costa grinned. They shared one long glance before Katsuki sighed and nodded, pulling her closer so that she was basically in his lap. She laughed, squirming as he pulled them back onto his mattress, rolling over so they were now lying side-by-side, staring at one another.
"I love you." She told him, brushing a feather-light kiss to his nose.
He breathed out a sigh and she giggled as it tickled the skin on her neck. Then his eyes flickered down to her lips before returning to meet her gaze. "I love you. If you change your mind, we technically don't leave til the morning."
Costa smiled, "Okay. Not happening, but you're cute for saying it anyway."
Then he kissed her, his hands raising to scoop her jaw into his palms. She felt him push against her, his lips forcefully capturing hers. His breathing picked up, his fingers trailing down her neck, his thumb brushing the hot skin of her collarbone. She felt him shudder against her right before he pulled back and gave her the look.
"Katsuki, your mom is gonna be here to pick you up in like twenty minutes." She laughed and he totally disregarded her statement, kicking off his shoes and going to unbutton her shirt. Her jaw dropped as his head dipped under her jaw and he began sucking and kissing her neck fervidly. She bit her lip, clearing her throat. "Katsuki."
"I am not going to see you for three weeks, I need at least fifteen minutes to memorize exactly how you say my name when I'm taking you against that desk."
Costa shut her mouth real fast, just in time for Katsuki to pull her cardigan off of her and press his lips against hers once more. She sighed against his mouth as his fingers slipped under her shirt, skittering across her stomach.
It didn't take long before she breathlessly whispered, "Okay, but be quick."
"Of course," He grinned wolfishly, "But don't you dare bother keeping that pretty little mouth of yours quiet. It's a rare moment we have the entire floor to ourselves..."
There was dinner on the stove when Costa walked through the front door, kicking off her boots and letting out a loud, obnoxious groan that drew attention to her.
"Cos?" She heard Hana yell from the kitchen. Costa scrunched up her numb, pink nose, unwrapping the thick navy scarf she'd wrapped around her neck and hooking it onto the coat rack.
"Yeah?" She yelled back, shrugging off her coat and throwing it onto the same rack. It smelt of garlic, minced herbs, and possibly... tomato sauce. Costa followed the scent of dinner with her nose in the air, her stomach gurgling with hunger noisily.
When she stepped into the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile at the image of Hana. She was dressed in a long-sleeved, black dress, with t-strap heels. He hair was pulled into a tight, slick-back ponytail and her lips were coated in red. She was standing in front of the stove, stirring the pot with one hand while the other rested on her hip. Costa noticed her nails had been painted red too.
"Well look at you, you look amazing. Did I miss the dress code?" Costa smirked, swaggering into the kitchen. She glanced down at the cutting board and swiped a piece of green pepper off of it, popping it into her mouth cheerily.
Hana glanced at her and sighed, her mouth forming a straight line that showed the state of her mood.
Costa frowned, "What's wrong?"
"I... had a date tonight." Hana hesitantly admitted, scratching the back of her neck. Costa's eyes widened briefly before a sly smile formed on her lips. "Yeah? Who's the lucky guy?"
"A male nurse I work with but..." Hana pursed her lips. It was silent for a solid few seconds, only the sound of bubbling water filling the air. "He stood me up. God, I'm so sick of dating."
Costa bit her lip, reaching forward to place her hand on Hana's shoulder. "Well he's a fucking idiot, and that's cause you're a total knockout who doesn't settle. You gotta sift through all the bad eggs to get to the rare, good ones."
"I don't like eggs." Hana sent her a look that had her stifling her laughter.
"What about..." Costa suppressed a smile and failed. Hana side-eyed her, already predicting what she was about to say. "A certain rugged, home-room teaching... egg..."
Hana laughed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She balanced the wooden spoon she'd been using on the handle of the pot and turned to face Costa, "He does not want me, Costa."
"False, he has to. You're a total babe." Costa immediately replied, shrugging a single shoulder. Hana couldn't suppress her smile as she winked at Costa.
"And I'm glad you think so, but he hasn't called me since..." Hana flicked her gaze up at Costa, who immediately knew what the "since" meant. Since Costa's dilemma with the League which left her in the hospital for a while.
"Well, he has been busy trying to keep my problems under wraps... speaking of..." Costa sent Hana an excited yet nervous look. Hana cocked her head to one side in confusion before realization hit her and her eyes widened like saucers.
"How is that new quirk of yours?"
"See for yourself..." Costa shrugged nonchalantly, a proud smile spreading across her face. They held their breath as Costa raised her palm up, staring down at the center of it. The room went silent and slightly cold as a whisper of darkness began to protrude from her hand. Hana's jaw dropped as it weaved through her fingers like a snake, growing darker and thicker the longer Costa activated it.
"When did you get that in control of it?" Hana was at a loss for words, pride flashing in her brown eyes.
"Not that long ago. It took long enough, I'll tell you that. This motherfucker is one stubborn bit-"
Costa winced as a sharp pain raced through her head and her darkness tightened over her fingers and squeezed slightly- not enough to damage her limbs but enough to hurt. She cursed, pursing her lips together before spitting out, "Fine, I won't talk shit about you."
"You better not, human."
She shook her head at the words that echoed in her mind.
Hana sent her a bewildered look to which she sighed at, "Tesha isn't fond of my attitude."
"Clearly." Hana laughed, shaking her head. She returned to the stove and stirred a couple more times. Then she turned it off and carried the pot over to the sink to drain the noodles. Costa sighed, swiping another pepper off the cutting board and slowly perusing about the kitchen.
"Bakugou leaving in the morning?" Hana asked, causing Costa to bite down hard on a pepper. She hummed in response, mhm, which caused Hana to look over her shoulder, taking in Costa's sour look.
She laughed, "You know, I told you you could go."
"I know you did but I'm not leaving you here alone." Costa sent her a pointed look that told her it was no longer up for discussion. Hana shook her head, smiling. "Plus, you're letting me go to the mountains in a couple of weeks. I won't leave you here alone for both."
"You're sweet for that Cos, really, but I'll be working most of the holidays and you'll be here alone. I feel better about you being around a family than just waiting on me over New Year's." Hana sighed, wiping her hands off her dress. Costa rolled her eyes at the response she'd heard several times over the past couple of weeks.
"Yeah yeah, you're so chivalrous." Costa scoffed, "But the answer is no. I'm not letting you spend Christmas and New Year's alone."
As soon as Hana opened her mouth to give Costa another retort, her cell phone started buzzing from where it sat on the countertop. Hana pursed her lips together and reached for her phone. The second she saw the screen, her entire expression morphed into one of horror and excitement at the same time.
Costa raised a brow, ready to ask who called her when Hana uttered a quick, "Hold that thought," and booked it out of the kitchen.
Costa stared at the empty doorway for a minute, murmuring, "Okay then..."
Costa spent the next ten minutes setting the table, turning on some Spanish Christmas songs to set the mood for the week's festivities. She slumped against her chair at the dinner table, drumming a random tune against the wooden table's edge.
She supposed Christmas wouldn't be too bad this year, even if she only saw Hana for part of the time. Hana still worked a lot, as she always did, but her role in society was just as, if not more, important than Costa's was. She devoted her life to saving the lives of civilians, similar to Costa's promise to the world.
Costa never resented her for it, she only cheered her remaining family member on as much as she could, but she could tell Hana often felt guilty for it.
"I wish I could be there for you more, you know." Hana had told her one night when Costa had nearly drifted off to sleep on the sofa. Hana and Costa had spent another night watching their favorite reality TV shows, stuffing their mouths with takeout, and talking about their week until past midnight when exhaustion had finally hit.
"Hm?" Costa hummed, heavy eyelids barely open enough to see her aunt.
Hana hummed out a laugh as Costa yawned, snuggling deeper into the cushions with a contented sigh. She'd changed out of her scrubs, wearing her plaid pajama set- pants and a baggy sleep shirt.
"I just wish I could be here for you more. I work too much..." Hana sighed, gazing down into her mug of tea. She had this disappointed glint in her eyes as she twisted her lips to one side. Costa finally began to sit up, rubbing at her eyes to keep herself from dozing off.
"Why do you say that? I really don't mind." Costa said groggily.
"I know you don't, but that's cause you're too selfless," Hana said with a knowing laugh, shaking her head. "You're just like your mom, you know that? Always putting others' needs before your own. You don't question when I'm at work all night, you never complain."
"How could I complain when you had no choice whether you took me in or not?" Costa blinked at her, slightly taken aback by the suggestion that Costa should be ungrateful in any way for Hana's lack of presence at times. "You put food at my place at the table, buy me clothes, let me stay under your roof, get me the greasy takeout I like while watching trashy TV with me- how could I complain?"
Hana stared at her for a long moment before smiling fondly. "You're a good kid. Sofia really did raise you right."
Costa didn't respond, only shifting her gaze to her hands, which sat idly in her lap. The truth was, she thought Hana had given more to her than what she deserved. After her mother died, it felt as if her entire life- her whole world- had been ripped away, right from under her. Moving to Musutafu, moving in with Hana, who'd been so patient and familiar and loving- it was what had gotten her through hell and back. That among other things.
"I just think you do deserve more, Cos. Even if you don't think you do, even if you believe everything you have is enough. I've always thought you deserved more than this." Hana explained when Costa didn't reply. "Consistency and presence and... stability. Two parents that never abandon you."
"But I already have-"
"I'm not always here." Hana interrupted, enabling her to refute her statement. "Your mother was only there sometimes too. I know you're used to it, that's why it's never bothered you, but being surrounded by people who support you and not having to rely on yourself for comfort- you deserve that."
Costa shook her head at the memory, sighing through her nose.
She was content with her state of 'now', especially after the past few months. Healing and training and mourning had left her stripped down and the only sense of normalcy she had was coming home and seeing a fleeting, uniformed, Hana. Having those quick conversations during 10-minute meals before shifts, was so routine by now. Normal.
She could never feel discontent about that.
However, she understood what Hana meant by that, about not being able to give Costa that sense of consistent comfort because she was so caught up in her career. Sometimes it was lonely to come home to an empty apartment.
That's what the dorms were for. She had the common area where her friends hung out. She had Katsuki. She only really came home for Hana. So truly, it was okay.
But this winter break, she'd have to be alone the majority of the time. But to keep Hana company over the holidays, she'd already decided it was worth the brief moments of silence and loneliness. She fully planned on dragging Mina and Kirishima over whenever it got too much anyway.
Slipping out of the memory, she heard the clacking of Hana's heels before she'd rounded the corner, clutching her phone tightly in one hand. Costa glanced up at Hana, noticing the way her expression was contorted into one of exhilaration. She pushed any loose strands of hair back from her face, her mouth teetering between a smile and a gape.
"Is everything alright?" Costa rose a brow. Hana swallowed hard before crossing the room and taking a seat next to Costa. Costa furrowed her brows when Hana scooted closer to Costa and took her hands.
Costa blinked at her as she watched Hana open, and close her mouth before covering her face with her hands.
"Well, Aizawa just called me." Hana finally blurted out, the corners of her mouth threatening to curve into a grin. Costa's eyes widened before she grinned from ear to ear, staring at Hana in half-shock, half-delight.
"Do you have another date?"
"Maybe."
There was a beat of silence before they both let out celebratory noises and squeals, Costa grabbing Hana by the shoulders and pulling her into a hug. "I know you've been crushing on him. I hope he treats you like the top-notch woman you are."
Hana let out a quiet laugh before she pulled away and looked at Costa peculiarly. Costa tilted her head to one side in a questioning manner, "What? What's wrong? This is a good thing, right?"
She pursed her lips before hesitantly saying, "I uh- I said I'd have to think about it."
Costa looked taken aback before her eyes narrowed. Several beats of silence passed and the two stared at each other. Then, Costa asked, "Is this like a hard-to-get sort of strategy you're doing or...? What's going on?"
"Like I said, I wanna spend time with you when I'm not working," Hana said matter-of-factly, "Especially since you're gonna be staying here all break-"
"Hana, shut up, you're going!" Costa shook her head, deciding for her. "I am a lot of things but I'm not a cockblocker. You work so much that I've taken up your social life and I thoroughly apologize for that but trust me when I say this... You desperately need to get laid."
Hana stared at her in shock before she burst out laughing, her face turning as red as it could get. She shook her head in disbelief, her hands covering her face, "I can't believe a seventeen-year-old just told me I needed to get laid... desperately even... what has my life come to..."
"You are way too hot to be this celibate." Costa grabbed each side of her face. "You are going on that date. I will find something to do but please please go on the date."
Hana took a long moment to read Costa's expression, noting the desperation and seriousness of her face and tone. She swallowed, hesitating before she said. "Okay."
"YES!"
"I'll go call him back..." Hana's lips started to turn upward, the excitement finally hitting her, "I'm gonna call him and say yes."
"Hell yeah, you are!" Costa called as she stood back up and left the room with her phone in hand. Then, Costa turned back to the food on the table and shrugged. "I guess I can eat now."
And she dug in.
+
Christmas was small but lovely.
Costa had spent the first week before the holiday hanging out with Mina almost every day Hana worked and spent time with her aunt during the evenings. Her calls with Katsuki were sporadic and usually rushed but she took any time she could to see his face or hear his voice.
On Christmas Eve, Hana went out with Aizawa. Therefore, Costa invited Kirishima, Mina, and even Todoroki to go shopping with her in town.
Things had been weird for a while after Todoroki had confessed his feelings for her but after the whole near-death situation, a switch had occurred in their friendship. Things started to go back to normal, in a completely platonic way, and he'd verbally accepted her and Katsuki's relationship.
He'd told her so one night when they'd both gone downstairs to get some water from the dorm kitchen. They weren't sure how to interact with one another, stumbling over their words awkwardly, when Todoroki said, "I'm really sorry about how I approached my feelings for you. I've felt guilty about it ever since and... I just want you to know I respect that you're with Bakugou now and I'm happy if you're happy. That's all I want."
It was a relief, to say the least, after all the avoidance and awkward glances in each other's direction over the past couple of months, "Thank you."
"I hope that we can start over and be friends again," Todorkoi looked very genuine and sincere, "I fully intend to respect your boundaries and feelings this time, as a companion. If you'll have me, of course..."
She'd smiled at him, immediately forgiving his actions. He'd given her lots of time and space after the confession incident and after the kidnapping, the new quirk, her father, and the competition- she had no room for another grudge to hold. It'd only make her feel heavy again.
So she'd reached for his hand and shook it, "I'd love to be your friend, Todoroki."
He looked so relieved and grateful, "I'm really glad."
The four of them had stayed in Musutafu over break, at least for Christmas time. Lucky for Costa.
They walked around the shopping center Katsuki had taken her to on her birthday. It was slightly snowy, causing each of them to be bundled up in coats and hats. They weaved in and out of stores, buying any last-minute presents and even getting gifts for their classmates.
Todoroki had gotten his mother this beautiful white shawl with shiny, silver trimming from a clothing store in the square. Costa had helped him pick it out as Mina and Kirishima checked out the home decor section since Kirishima was getting his parents a new rug for their living room.
"I think she'll love it." Costa had told him when he asked her if it was a good gift. He'd even shown her a picture of his mother, to gauge whether the coloring would look good on her. Costa had immediately told him 'yes' when she'd seen his mother, who was fair-skinned with white hair. She would look angelic in something like this.
"I'll buy it then." He nodded with that mechanic tone of his, taking the shawl off the rack. They ventured off to peruse around the rest of the store when he'd asked her. "So, what'd you get Bakugou this year?"
Costa grinned just thinking about it.
"Oh, you'll see it. He's totally gonna wear it when we come back to school." Costa said giddily, imagining his reaction when he'd rip open his present, which he would because that's how he opened anything. "He's too obsessed with himself not to."
"I see. And your aunt?"
"A cookbook by her favorite celebrity chef and I made a photo album for her while she's been at work... Mina's been helping me." Costa smiled to herself. Over the past week, she's been printing out photos to put together a photo album of Hana and Sofia's life. She had to be sneaky and steal Hana's laptop while she was sleeping just to access the photos Hana had kept from when they were little.
It was in chronological order, continuing into Costa's life and her appearance in the photos with her mom and Hana. The last photos were of the present day, in the period of time when it'd just been the two of them.
"That's a great gift." Todoroki nodded in approval, "It requires a lot of effort, I'm sure she'll enjoy it very much."
"I hope so." She replied.
The rest of their trip had been fun, yet chilly. They stopped for ramen to warm up and talked about the past school year and the rest of their plans for the break. Kirishima and Mina were cozy in their booth across from hers and Costa found herself slightly envious that they got to be so close when she'd spent every day missing Katsuki.
Hana's date had apparently gone very well, given she'd come home that night flushed and grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm glad you're happy," Costa had told her through a hug, "You deserve a good man."
"He is a good man, isn't he?" She'd smiled some more before they moved on to make dinner. Their Christmas Eve dinner consisted of suckling roasted pig, galettes, hot vegetables in a spiced sauce, and deliciously powdered roscos de vino. Hana allowed Costa a couple of glasses of wine as they ate and talked and relayed her date with Aizawa.
Costa went to bed that night happy and slightly fuzzy. She woke up even happier on Christmas morning.
Hana had to work at noon, so they spent the entire morning together. They opened presents in their pajamas, playing Spanish Christmas songs over the TV. Hana absolutely loved Costa's presents for her, coming to tears when she opened the photo album.
"Cos..." She'd pressed a hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes. "I love you."
Hana had bought Costa new running shoes, nice ones too, most likely way too expensive. She'd also gotten her a bracelet, except, it wasn't any bracelet. Costa almost immediately recognized it as she held the golden band in her hand.
"It was my great-aunt's. She gave it to Sofia first, who gave it to me when I moved to Japan." Hana explained, helping Costa clasp it over her wrist. She smiled at it, on her niece this time, and said, "And now it's yours."
Costa stared at it for a very long time, a rush of gratefulness filling her to the brim, "Thank you. Thank you, Hana. It's so beautiful."
They made pancakes for breakfast, dancing around the kitchen, still clad in their pajamas. They ate until they were stuffed and Hana had to leave for work. She tried to mask her guilty expression when she left in her scrubs, kissing Costa on the head before she muttered a "Merry Christmas, mi sobrina," and left.
Costa went on a run after that, enjoying the bitterly cold air and the decorative, twinkling city as she tried out a new route. It was refreshing to set out into the city, in the middle of Christmas Day, just to see how happy everyone was.
Her heart ached when she saw a couple kissing under a mistletoe and she decided to call Katsuki.
He answered in two rings, "Hello?"
"Hey." She was toeing the edge of a curb, slightly out of breath from her run. "Merry Christmas."
"Yeah, yeah, merry fucking Christmas." He was so annoying, "Are you celebrating with your aunt right now?"
"We did this morning but then she had to work." She shrugged a shoulder, running a hand through her hair. "I wonder if I can suit up and do patrols on Christmas. I just want an excuse to see the city right now."
He was silent for a few beats, "You're an idiot."
"Maybe but..." She let out a long sigh, shutting her eyes closed. "I miss you."
Silent again, except for the background noise of laughter and voices. Most likely his family. She suddenly realized she was interrupting his Christmas with his family that was still very much together and... and happy... and unbroken.
"Sorry, I should go. I just wanted to wish you a-"
"I miss you too, a lot..." He responded seriously and she shut her mouth closed. "Only like... twelve more days and then... then I can kiss you again."
She couldn't help the smile that took over her face. The picture of his eyes and his lips came to mind and she was biting her lip with anticipation. She would kill for one of his warm hugs right about now, but she'd wait however long it took to get it.
"Twelve days, I'm going to count down every second."
He snorted and she could practically hear the eye roll, "Don't be an idiot, just... call me later okay?"
"I will." Costa sighed, "I... I love you, Katsuki."
"I love you too and... I just really fucking wish you were here right now."
Costa looked at the city, the twinkling lights, the holiday cheer, the lit signs outside of shops, the nearly melted sheet of snow on the ground. She smiled, wishing Katsuki could see what she was seeing, in the flesh. Next year, maybe, he could spare a couple of days to see it with her.
"I wish you were here too."
To be continued...