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Even in the industrial district of Tokyo the crowds from downtown could be heard. Laughter, joy, hope, and cheers rang out over the chilled night.
Gojo smirked up at the clear sky. There were no stars from the light pollution of the city. The dark, cold of mid-winter in the city was the perfect condition for curses, and yet on this day, almost every human was filled with joy.
“Gojo-san?” Nanami called from the alleyway. Gojo turned slowly, his gaze piercing through the cloud of his own exhale. “Are you alright?”
Everyone else in the world was celebrating and here they were wandering the dark streets between factories looking for the curses picking off any humans that wander into the maze of alleys.
“Do you celebrate New Years, Nanami-kun?” Gojo asked instead of answering Nanami.
“If you could focus on this mission then maybe I could,” Nanami grumbled.
Gojo quirked his head to the side before putting his hands into warm pockets. He stood there, wasting Nanami’s time until he got his way.
Nanami sighed, dropping his blade to hang loosely from his hand.
“No. Not particularly. Not anymore,” Nanami finally said. He knew it was only a punishment for himself to resist Gojo. Not that he ever really put up much of a fight when it came to Gojo.
“Any more?” Gojo probed. To reward Nanami for his compliance, Gojo finally moved his feet. He wandered slowly down the alleyway with Nanami. He used infinity around his shoes to keep the oil-stained puddles from splashing on either of them.
“Yes,” Nanami replied curtly. He was clearly uninterested in sharing more. Gojo was very much interested in the complete opposite.
“Tell me about before. Did my Nanami-kun get wild back in the day?” Gojo said with a smile. He hoped Nanami could feel the suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows even behind the dark blindfold. The way Nanami shook his head to cover a slight chuckle proved he had felt it.
“‘My Namami?’”
“I don’t have any other one,” Gojo explained. The possessive pronoun was a bit risky, but Gojo was willing to gamble on it paying off. Nanami took a deep breath.
“I was not wild, but I didn’t always spend my New Years working,” Nanami started. Gojo bumped his shoulder as they walked, prompting him to continue.
Another sigh, this one more tight. “When I was a child my father would make senko hanabi sparklers. My sisters would run through the snow with them until their noses froze. My mother would make kagami mochi. We’d be asleep before midnight and walk to the temple first thing the next morning.”
Nanami had stopped walking. Gojo was only a few steps ahead. He stared at Nanami who was slightly entranced by his own memories.
The moon pushed through a cloud, illuminating the alley. The cool light glanced off Nanami’s glasses and shone to the amber eyes beneath. Nanami raised his head to look at Gojo.
“And you?”
Gojo snorted and waved a hand in the air.
“Please. Mine were horribly boring. Visiting important clan members, demonstrating my technique, and praying for more prosperity we didn’t need,” Gojo said casually. He tried to shake off the hollow feeling in his chest.
“So tell me, college graduate, did you go to New Years Parties?”
Gojo gestured for Nanami to follow him. He led them up a set of fire escape stairs. They squealed underfoot and dripped old rainwater onto the street below.
Nanami groaned a little when Gojo turned back, refusing to forget his curiosity.
“If you must know, yes. I did. They were exactly as you’d expect.”
“Ha! Just imagining you at a college party is so far outside of my expectations already,” Gojo laughed and Nanami readjusted his glasses.
They reached the roof. The view extended over all of Tokyo. The city glowed like a winter fire, every new block was a glittering ember of life.
Gojo leaned back on his heels as he stared into that living flame. Some days he wished to burn inside it himself, to no longer stand apart guarding it from the cold breezes that dare to snuff it out.
“It’s beautiful, huh?” Gojo murmured. He felt Nanami shift next to him, head turning toward him.
“Mhmm. Very,” Nanami agreed even as he stared at Gojo instead of the cityscape. Gojo turned back and caught Nanami in the act. Nanami didn’t look away.
They stared for a long moment. Too long. A small sound in a side street a few blocks away finally stole Nanami’s attention from Gojo.
“There aren’t any curses up here. We should keep moving. It’s almost midnight,” Nanami decided. He was right of course. Nanami pivoted on his heel and turned to return down the fire escape.
As if summoned by Nanami’s words a small whistling sound grew in Gojo’s ear. It rose high into the air. Two more followed it.
“Wait!” Gojo called and reached out for Nanami’s arm. He found a hold around Nanami’s wrist, tugging the other man back to the edge of the roof.
Nanami regained his balance in time to see the first firework burst into a million fragments of light. The others exploded soon after.
Once it began it didn’t stop. As each firework exploded another went whistling up high into the sky after it. The shards of red, green, and white lit up the night sky above Tokyo, rivaling the moon in their brilliance.
Gojo stood with his mouth slightly ajar as he watched. He had forgotten his still existing hold on Nanami’s wrist. It was loose enough Nanami could have easily shoved it off, but he didn’t.
Gojo watched the night sky and Nanami watched the colors play across Gojo’s skin. They stood in equal awe.
Nanami shifted a bit and that hollow feeling crawled back between Gojo’s ribs. It ached between concussions of the fireworks above them. He licked his lips and swallowed.
“Can I confess something to you, Nanami-kun?”
“Do you really need my permission? You never held back before,” Nanami replied dryly but didn’t move away. They both watched the concert of lights over the skyline.
“I suppose not, but I’d like it anyway. Just this once,” Gojo said. His own nerves were popping and exploding up and down his limbs. The whistling of rockets swooped through Gojo’s stomach.
“Alright. Only because it’s New Years.”
Gojo couldn’t help but smirk at that. He let go of Nanami but did not turn to face him. He didn’t really want to see Nanami’s reaction. He simply wished to say it out loud.
“I’ve never had a New Years Kiss before,” Gojo said. He said it with a note of humor, hoping it would come off as irreverent. The complete opposite of how Gojo felt about it.
Nanami turned his head to stare but didn’t speak. Not that there was much to say. The fireworks filled their silence and Gojo was grateful for their company.
After saying something so silly out loud Gojo could admit a feeling of ridiculousness. Such a trivial thing, really. So why weren’t fireworks enough to light up that space inside of him?
“Gojo-san,” the call was muffled by a firework. It was quickly followed by a brushing of Nanami’s knuckles against Gojo’s upper arm. They nudged at his shoulder and Gojo turned his head to the touch.
Nanami’s fingers moved up until they curled against Gojo’s neck. A warm, rough thumb dragged on his jaw.
“What are you-” Gojo was cut off by a whizzing explosion in the distance. The sound was high-pitched and alluring but nothing could pull Gojo from Nanami who was not distant at all.
They had been like this before. It was always tentative and unsure. This wasn’t like those other times.
Nanami pulled Gojo down to meet him with no hesitation. It was a strong and intentional hold that had Gojo reaching out for Nanami’s shoulders to steady himself.
The air on the rooftop was bone-chilling but the determined press of Nanami’s lips on Gojo was so warm it nearly burned. The sudden hot feeling ran over Gojo’s skin in bright lines.
They closed their eyes and leaned into one another. The hand that wasn’t cradling Gojo’s jaw secured a hold on Gojo’s waist.
The kiss itself was a firework of its own. It was broken apart by moments of separation for air and curses before the next explosion of their meeting mouth.
The New Year tasted bright and exactly like Nanami.
The fireworks over Tokyo stopped even as those shared between them continued. It wasn’t until they realized the rest of Japan had moved on that they took a proper break. Nanami's hand squeezed at Gojo’s waist again, holding him firmly in the breeze that smelled of explosives and ash.
“Happy New Year, Gojo-san,” Nanami whispered against Gojo’s mouth before setting off the next round of fireworks.