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"Come on, Katsuki, we'll miss the fireworks show!"
"Oi, slow down, Cheeks, we got plenty of damn time!"
Ochako turns to face her boyfriend with a pout. They've come to this summer festival every year since they were kids, and every year they watch the fireworks show that light up the sky to signal the end of the festival. They haven't missed a year, and Ochako seems keen to keep it that way.
"You're walking so slow ," she whines, dragging the last word out. She puffs out her cheeks and crosses her arms across her chest, the pink and white yukata bunching under her arms at the movement.
Katsuki rolls his eyes and continues to calmly walk up to her. "And you're rushing," he responds, "for no damn reason. As usual."
"I just wanna be at our spot already…" She pouts. "We're usually there by now."
'Their spot' is a small hill a few minutes walk from the festival, near a shrine and a large magnolia tree. Every year, they sit under the white blooms of the tree and watch the colors light up the sky. Every year, they get there early.
This year, however… Katsuki is procrastinating. The small weight in his black yukata reminds him why, and the nervous fluttering returns at the thought.
"Hey." A warm hand cups his cheek, and he leans into it. "Are you ok? You've been acting kinda weird all night…" Hiding his panic and schooling his expression, carmine eyes lift to meet chocolate. He grunts. Thankfully, she understands him. "Are you sure? We can go home if you're not feeling up to it-"
Katsuki bristles at that. "Fuck that, we're not going home!" He didn't put all that time and effort in planning this to just go home! Besides, the nerd should be done setting up by now.
"Are you sure-?"
"Yes, Pink Cheeks, I'm fucking fine!" He rolls his eyes and continues to growl, " Tch , wanna go home my ass… Let's go to the fucking spot already since you're itching to go, fucking-"
Ochako giggles as Katsuki pulls her by the hand and stomps away. A few minutes later, he feels a vibration in his kinchaku . He lifts his wrist discreetly to view his smartwatch connected to his phone and sees a text:
[DEKU 21:49] Operation Kacchako is a go
What a dumbass codename, he thinks to himself as nerves grip his throat. They leave the brightly lit pathways of the festival to follow a less lit path leading to their spot in comfortable silence.
Suddenly she gasps, and he finds it difficult to hide his smile. Tea lights surround the tiny wooden structure of the shrine. Underneath the tree, a dark woven blanket is laid out with a small basket that has wine, two glasses, and assorted mochi.
"C'mon, let's sit, yeah?" Katsuki smirks as he pulls her gently towards the shrine to pay their respects before going to the blanket.
She slides down towards the blanket as she looks up at him with gleeful eyes. A tug on his sleeve pulls him down, and he allows it. The moment he plops himself on the blanket, she wraps herself around him and nuzzles into his shoulder. He inhales. I can do this.
A bang followed by a whistle catches their attention. They look up in time to see a display of red lights explode in the night sky. Ochako squeals and stands up to get a better view.
Katsuki takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. It's now or never. He carefully takes out the small black box he's been carrying with him for almost a year and moves to kneel. He shakily opens the box to reveal a silver ring with a single circular stone in the center. Simple, traditional, but elegant and beautiful, just like her.
He gulps in an attempt to swallow his nerves and calm his heart. Right as he opens his mouth to call out to her, she turns around. "Katsuki, look! They really upped their-”
Brown eyes blink in confusion at the sight. He can see the exact moment realization dawns on her by how quickly her expression brightens. She gasps loudly.
Clearing his throat, he opens his mouth to recite the speech he's been practicing-
"YES!"
And closes his mouth with a scowl. "Ochako," he growls with a frown, "I didn't even-"
"Yes yes yes!" She gasps, "Oh gosh, that's why you've been so sneaky recently! It makes sense!"
A blonde brow twitches. "Oi-"
"The lights, the basket- oh gosh, you've been preparing this for months-"
"Pink Cheeks." Katsuki stares incredulously at Ochako, who is covering her mouth with both hands. Feeling his love for her triple, and feeling ridiculous for ever being nervous, he meets her glittering coffee brown eyes.
"Ochako…" Gods, she's beautiful. "I-" He interrupts himself to chuckle and shakes his head. "Ah, fuck it. Ochako, you gonna marry me or what?"
She squeals and tackles him to the ground, barely giving him time to breathe.
~o~
A few years after Katsuki's proposal, they couldn't be happier. They had a small wedding where they invited only their immediate families and closest friends (yes, including Katsuki's). Afterwards, they went hiking in the mountains and spent their honeymoon under the stars.
Now, three years later, they sit at their usual spot under the tree, waiting for the fireworks to begin. Ochako is leaning her head on Katsuki's chest, his arm wrapped around her tightly.
She tilts her head to look at her husband’s smartwatch. Five minutes until the show starts. She takes a deep breath and settles back into her husband's chest.
"What's wrong, Cheeks?" she can feel more than hear her husband grumble.
Ochako giggles, "Nothing. I'm just… thinking."
"'Bout what?"
She hums, thinking of what to say. "Our future."
"What about it?"
"Well… Have you ever thought about what we want for us?"
She feels him shift and sit up, bringing Ochako up with him. "'Course I did. Married you, didn't I?"
She rolls her eyes. "Not like that, like… What we want for us. Like a house, a dog, a picket fence-"
"A picket- Since when did you want that ?"
Ochako laughs. "Ok, not that. But- you know, you ever thought about it in that way?"
He's silent, but she knows it's because he's thinking. She glances at his watch again. Three more minutes.
"Yeah," he answers gruffly after a moment. Ochako hums and waits for him to continue, feeling him take a deep breath. "I see us owning a house, having a dog run around in a large yard we don't use and I complain about us having…” She giggles at that. He grips her forearm and pulls her tighter to him. "I see me owning my own restaurant, and you… After a long day of teaching, coming home to me cooking for you… And for our kids…"
She lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "You see us having kids?" she asks softly, tilting her head upward to meet his gaze.
He smirks softly as he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "'Course I do. I mentioned it before, didn't I?"
"We never talked about it again," she says softly.
Katsuki scoffs, "'Course I still want kids. Hell, if ya said that you wanted to start trying I'd support ya. We're stable enough and have frien- people to help… You say the word, Cheeks. We'll do it."
Humming and feeling a warm, fluttering feeling in her chest, she looks away from her husband briefly to pull out a small picture from her kinchaku . Puzzled and curious, he takes the photo from her and looks at it.
His brow laxes as he continues to look at the photo. Just as his eyes widen and his jaw slackens, the first firework of the night bangs. Neither are paying attention, however, both invested and indulging in this moment.
He's silent, and Ochako bites her lip to stop herself from laughing at his expression. Eventually, he shuts his mouth with a clack and attempts to speak. "H… H-how long…? How far-?"
"Ten weeks," she answers softly, knowing what he's trying to ask. She watches his Adam's apple bob as he swallows.
"And… How…? You know…"
"Well, Katsuki," she teases, "when two people love each other very much-"
His face instantly flushes as he his eyes flick up to meet her own. "Not that, dumbass!" he exclaims, and she laughs at his reaction.
She continues to giggle as lights from the fireworks show reflect in his light hair. His red eyes return to the picture, an awe-stricken expression on his countenance. "How long have you known?" he asks softly.
"About a week. I took a test and then booked an appointment after. This," she says, tapping the photo with her forefinger, "is from two days ago. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure." She smiles softly at the look of awe on his features. Still, she can't help but feel anxious. "I… I'd understand if you aren't ready or sure or-"
Katsuki gapes. "Wha- not sure? Ochako-" He grips her chin and gently pulls her into a kiss, quickly pulling away with a breathy laugh. "This is the best damn gift you could've ever given me. Holy shit-"
His red eyes glitter with unadulterated love and joy. "Ochako, we're gonna be parents."
~o~
It's warmer than past festivals, and despite it being nighttime already, Katsuki feels his yakata sticking to him. He tries to not let it bother him, though. Tonight, they're bringing their daughter, Atsuki, to the festival for the first time. In the past, they'd leave her with one of their parents or the nerd. Now at four-years-old, she's old enough to appreciate the festival.
"Ochako, slow the fuck down!" he snaps, unintentionally making it sound harsher than he meant. His tone might have something to do with the squirming kid on his hip.
"Language!" he hears her automatically call out, but she slows down and stops before turning towards him patiently.
Atsuki chooses that moment to squeal and thrust herself in the direction of one of the vendors and Katsuki tightens his grip. Despite the overly curious blonde attempting to throw herself onto the street, he's able to catch up to his wife easily.
"How the hell are you walking so damn fast with a human being inside you?" he growls loudly, pulling the giggling child back to him.
Ochako rolls her eyes as she rubs her very swollen stomach. "I'm pregnant, not disabled."
Katsuki gives her a bland look. "You're nearly nine months pregnant."
"So?"
"That's not ‘pregnant’; that's '’boutta pop a brat’."
"Oh my gosh, Katsuki," Ochako giggles, "I can walk around just fine. You're just upset you can't walk fast enough to catch up to me."
He bristles, but can't deny that she's right. Dammit. "Whatever," he grumbles as Atsuki bounces on his hip painfully.
Somehow, the three make it to their spot. Katsuki places the diaper bag they're repurposing next to the magnolia tree along with Atsuki and immediately has to grab her by the collar of her yakata to keep her from running off. They pay their respects to the shrine and set up the blanket as Atsuki launches off a game of twenty questions.
At some point, she asks for permission to chase the fireflies at the bottom of the hill and Ochako grants it before Katsuki can say no. Just before the fireworks show, he calls for her to come back and tries to hide his grimace at the amount of dirt and grass stains covering her brand new yakata while his wife laughs.
As the first light blasts into the sky, Katsuki gazes at his family and smiles fondly at their matching looks of excitement. He thinks of the first time he and his wife met (that dumb ice cream incident), their childhood friendship turned romance, and finally his proposal to her seven years ago and her pregnancy surprise to him two years later at this very spot…
Now, the little replica of him stares wide-eyed and astonished at the fireworks show in front of her. Pride swell in his chest and tears in his eyes. He's so proud and thankful for his growing family, especially Ochako. He can't imagine anywhere else he'd rather be.