New Year’s Eve had never meant much to Itoshi Sae.

It was just another date on the calendar, another arbitrary line people drew between days that felt no different from the ones before. Fireworks were loud. Countdowns were pointless, meaningless. Midnight came whether you acknowledged it or not. To him, it had always been simple. Time moved forward, regardless of whether people spent time celebrating it or not.

That belief had followed him for years, unchallenged.

Until you. The sweet you who had turned his whole world upside down, turned left to right and right to left.

Dating you had been nothing like he expected. You loved so brightly—openly, and unapologetically. You touched him like you meant it, gifted him things not because he asked, but because you thought of him. You celebrated everything. Not just the holidays, but moments too. Small wins. Quiet days. Even him. And somehow, without forcing it, you’d made space for him in that warmth.

Sae never said it out loud, but he noticed.

He remember his birthday this year more clearly than he thought he ever would. How you’d decorated his apartment; soft lights, little details everywhere, messy but nonetheless perfect—it was as though you were trying to stitch pieces of yourself into his space. How you’d smile so brightly when he walked in, like it was the most natural thing in the world to make him feel special. He’d acted the same as always, calm, composed—but something in his chest had shifted. For the first time, a place he lived in felt like home.

So, when New Year’s Eve came around, Sae pretended it was nothing.

He shrugged it off when you mentioned it, brushed past your excitement with casual indifference he wore well. But the truth sat quietly beneath the surface—he wanted to give something back. Not because you expected it. But because you deserved it.

That was how he found himself taking you out that night.

Nothing extravagant. Just a date. Somewhere warm, familiar, comfortable. He listened to you talk, watched the way your eyes lit up when you laughed, the way your hand always found his without thinking. He didn’t say much, but he stayed close, attentive in the way only he could be.

By the time you returned home, the city was alive with noise.

You leaned against the balcony railing together, the night air cool against your skin, distant fireworks already beginning to bloom across the skyline. Sae stood beside you, his arm loosely around your waist—not holding, just there. Present. The city lights reflected softly in his eyes as he watched the sky.

The countdown began somewhere far below.

You laughed softly, glancing up at him, voice teasing. “You know,” you said, “I heard you’re supposed to kiss someone at midnight if you want good luck for the new year.”

Sae huffed quietly, barely a sound. “That’s superstition,” he replied, his tone even. “Whether you kiss someone or not doesn’t affect anything.”

You turned slightly, smiling up at him anyways. “So…are you saying you won’t?”

He looked down at you then, really looked at you.

“Don’t twist my words,” he murmured, one hand coming up to cup your cheek. The fireworks grew louder, the numbers counting down faster. “I’m saying, luck doesn’t matter.”

The final seconds ticked away.

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

Sae leaned in closer, forehead brushing yours.

“Two.”

His thumb gently tilted your chin up.

“One.”

Midnight came, and Sae kissed you.

Not rushed. Not dramatic. Just soft, certain, warm. A kiss meant only for you, dealing the moment like a promise he didn’t need to say out loud. Fireworks exploded across the skyline, but all you felt was him—steady, grounding, real.

When he pulled back, his lips hovered close, voice low and quiet.

“…If this is how the year starts,” he said, almost thoughtfully, “then I don’t mind it.”

And for the first time, Itoshi Sae meant it when he said he was looking forward to what came next.