Chapter Sixty-Eight: Shark Bait
Aisla was in the girls' locker room changing into her swimsuit, and giggling as conversation passed between them all. All the girls from class 2-A were gathered here as they prepared for their afternoon pool party.
Aisla wasn't really thrilled about getting into the water, but she agreed with Shoto that their class needed one last hurrah before going back to school. Despite his nonchalant demeanor, Aisla could tell that Katsuki was looking forward to this activity. She wasn't sure what the reason was, but the look in his eyes had begged her to accept the offer, so she'd had to agree for his benefit.
The more Aisla talked with her friends, however, the more excited she became for the upcoming event. She wasn't a huge fan of swimming these days, but hanging out with all her classmates was usually a good time, and they didn't often have the opportunity to do so outside of school and training. There weren't a lot of activities a class of twenty students could all do together, and since it was summertime, a pool party was honestly the best choice.
"Want me to put your hair up for you, Aisla?" Ochaco offered, holding up a pink hairbrush from her bag.
Aisla smiled. "Thanks! That'd be helpful."
"Your hair is so long!" the other girl observed as she brushed out Aisla's meticulously curled locks. "Doesn't it get hot under all this hair?"
Aisla shrugged. "No, it doesn't bother me. I like it."
"It's lovely," said Momo approvingly as she tied back her own hair. It wasn't as long as Aisla's, but Momo also had a lot more than most of the other girls in their class, except for Tsu.
"Sometimes I think mine is too long," the girl in question mused with a ribbit.
"Aw, but you look so cute with your little bow!" Aisla told her.
Tsu nodded. "Thank you, and yours looks pretty when you wear ribbons. If my hair was light like yours, maybe I'd use a ribbon, too."
"My hair is too short to do anything with," Ochaco noted, disappointment evident in her tone.
"You're adorable, Ochaco!" all the girls said in unison.
Ochaco giggled as she fastened the band around Aisla's hair and tugged on the strands to tighten it. "All done! Now your pretty hair won't get in your face."
"Thanks!" Aisla stood up and drew Ochaco into a hug. "You're the best."
"Are we ready to go?" asked Kyoka from the doorway, already clad in a simple black one-piece with a white guitar on the front.
"I'm ready!" Mina cheered as she jumped to her feet, frilly blue bikini making her rear bounce as she hopped up and down.
Aisla giggled and averted her gaze. She reached down to grab her towel and sunscreen, and placed her sunglasses over her eyes to shield them from the offending rays. "I'm ready, too!" she announced, joining the rest of the girls near the door.
They opened it wide, and immediately heat and blinding light assaulted them, momentarily forcing them all to pause in their tracks as their eyes adjusted. Then, they tumbled through the door like a herd of sheep being set free, and everyone, save Aisla and Ochaco, ran straight for the water.
Ochaco offered her a shy smile. "Well, I guess it's just us now. Want me to help you with your sunscreen?" She held out a hand and Aisla allowed her to take the bottle from her as they walked to find some chairs to claim. The other girls had left their things in the locker room, but Aisla and Ochaco had brought theirs outside. They placed their belongings on some chairs under a large umbrella and helped each other apply sunscreen.
"Aisla?" Ochaco asked as the pair sat under the shade to let the sunscreen sink in. "Can I ask you something…kind of personal?" Her tone was soft and shy and she was looking down at her pink painted toes as if too embarrassed to meet her friend's gaze.
"Of course, Ochaco," Aisla agreed easily. "You can ask me anything."
"Well…" she trailed off and picked at a spot on her towel. "I guess I was just wondering…how you got that bruise?"
Aisla froze and felt as if the sun was suddenly scorching her entire body, with the main source of its heat radiating against the skin of her neck.
"I-I mean, I know how!" Ochaco corrected, face just as red as Aisla's felt. "I just mean…was it, you know…fun? Did you like it when…that happened?"
The memory of this morning flashed through her mind. She remembered Katsuki leaning down to kiss her, felt the brush of his lips on her neck, and the bite of his teeth against bare flesh. She felt herself reaching up and pulling his face down harder, unable to stop herself from feeling more. She'd wanted him badly at that moment. If Shoto hadn't shown up when he did, then Aisla would have insisted they go into Kasuki's room and make love again.
She shook off the thought as she came back to the present moment. "I mean, I like it…" Aisla replied, embarrassment turning her cheeks pink. "It feels really good—to me at least—when someone does…um that."
"It doesn't hurt?" Ochaco asked softly.
Aisla suddenly wondered if her friend was even talking about the hickey. Maybe, this was Ochaco's subtle way of asking how sex felt without coming right out and saying the forbidden words.
Aisla moved to her chair so she could pull one of Ochaco's hands into her own. She gave her a warm smile as she squeezed the hand. "It doesn't hurt, Ochaco. It feels good, really good. I don't regret anything. It was…perfect."
Her friend took in every word with wide, awestruck eyes. "Wow… That's so—"
"There you two are!" Mina's loud voice made them both jump. "Why are you sitting around like a couple of lumps on a log instead of swimming?! This is a pool party, remember? No one except Aisla got to swim last night, so let's make the most of it today!"
"I didn't exactly swim, either…" Aisla pointed out, but her words fell on deaf ears as Mina forcibly pulled them up by their hands and dragged them over to the water. That was when Aisla finally caught sight of him—standing near the water's edge in black board shorts, dark-tinted glasses concealing the red gleam of his eyes as he stared over at her. His chest was fully exposed to her, still dry but shimmering from a recent application of sunblock. If Aisla hadn't been suddenly aroused by the sight of her sexy boyfriend staring at her like that, she would have laughed. She remembered encouraging him to use sunblock when they had their pool date a few days ago, and the resulting sunburn from his stubborn refusal to apply any. Now, he'd apparently agreed to use so much of the stuff that it left his skin glistening.
Aisla couldn't stop her feet from moving toward him, unable to resist the pull of his eyes, even while hidden behind black glass. She found herself breaking away from her friend's grasp as the siren song beckoned her forward, silencing everything else around them. He stood there, refusing to meet her halfway, still as a statue as he waited for his lover to answer his call.
I'm coming to you, Katsuki, she silently conveyed as she closed the space between them. I'll be in your arms soon enough.
'Soon enough' turned out to be 'not at all' as Aisla was suddenly gripped around the waist and tossed into the pool with a painful splash. She came up sputtering and coughing, sunglasses lost somewhere beneath the water from the force of her plunge.
"Aisla!" Katsuki suddenly surfaced right in front of her, glasses still perched on his nose and another smaller pair dangling from his fingers. "Are you okay?" he asked, passing over her now dripping shades. She took them and pushed them back onto her face to block the offending sunlight, then threw her arms around Katsuki's neck. "Whoa, are you alright?" He sounded worried now.
"Yes," she assured him, wrapping her legs around his middle and burying her face in his dripping neck. "I just can't stay away from you."
She felt him shudder against her as he circled her with his arms. "It's the shades, right?"
"Mm…" She kissed his neck, then drew her teeth across the slick surface as he'd done to hers that morning. "No, but those are a nice touch." She bit down and felt the rumbling moan from within his chest.
"God, you're so sexy, Aisla…" he murmured into her flesh as his fingers gripped the bare skin of her back tightly. "I love the way you look in this bikini…"
Aisla had half the mind to tell him to just take it off, when they were suddenly tackled, sending them both plunging into the water once more. Aisla was really starting to hate the pool. When she resurfaced, she saw Kirishima and Kaminari standing there with equally devious expressions as they stared Katsuki down, seemingly unaware of Aisla's presence.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Katsuki roared.
"Wait a second!" Kirishima jumped out of the way before Katsuki could push him under the water—probably to drown him. "We just want to start the game!"
Katsuki's lips pulled back in a dangerous smile. "A game? As in…an opportunity to crush you all?!"
"Exactly!" Kaminari agreed with a raised thumb.
"What are you playing?" Aisla asked, still pouting about being dumped in the pool—twice. Three times if last night counted.
"Shark Bait!" Kirishima and Kaminari announced with fists raised in the air.
"You just made that up," Aisla accused.
"No, listen!" Kaminari insisted, turning to her now. "So the game starts out with one shark who stands in the middle of the pool. Everyone else is bait, and they all wait at one end of the pool. When the shark says go, all the bait swim across the pool as fast as they can! If the shark tags you, then you're a shark, too. The game continues until there's only one person left." He lifted his chin in the air proudly.
Aisla shrugged. "Alright, sounds fun to me."
Just then, the girls all swam over to their little group.
"What's going on?" asked Ochaco as they gathered around Aisla and the boys.
"Are we playing Shark Bite or what?!" Katsuki growled, ignoring the question.
"Shark Bait!" Kirishima corrected.
"I'll be the first shark," Katsuki announced, ignoring the clarification, "so you'd all better swim fast." His eyes landed on Aisla, and in them she could see the challenge mixed with his excitement to do something new. "That includes you, Aisla. I won't go easy on you just because you're my girlfriend."
Aisla blushed at the word "girlfriend" but somehow managed a meek smile. "I'm not worried, Katsuki. I'm a fast swimmer." She winked, then turned back to the girls to explain the game to them. They were all just as eager to play at Katsuki, so they all swam over to the deepest side of the pool and hung onto the ledge for support. The rest of the boys joined them as well, including Todoroki—who admittedly looked pretty fine with dripping wet hair.
"Good luck, Ru," he murmured as he swam past her to find an empty part of the ledge.
Aisla smirked at the challenge in his words as she focused back on Katsuki. She couldn't tell where his gaze was fixed through his sunglasses, but she was pretty sure he was staring right at her. Aisla knew that he was probably going to target her first, as revenge for annihilating him in a race the other day. She knew he'd been a little sour about that, and was secretly waiting for the opportunity to triumph over her.
Not today, Katsuki Bakugo, she thought as she quickly came up with a plan in her mind. When she thought of something that might work against him, she turned to the girls and asked them what they thought, pitching her voice low so Katsuki and the other boys wouldn't overhear.
"That's a great idea, Aisla!" Mina squealed in excitement. "We've got you, girl! Don't even worry!"
Aisla gave her a grateful smile just as Katsuki yelled the word, "GO!"
They all pushed off the wall and swam toward him. His arms were outstretched and his smile wide and toothy as he waited for someone to tag. She saw Mineta get tagged almost instantly, then Momo who wasn't the best swimmer, then Koda and Ojiro, whose long tail ended up putting him at a disadvantage.
Aisla lunged forward after a beat, swimming fast and hard until she was about halfway between the wall and Katsuki, then fell back slightly, catching him off-guard. His eyes had been glued to her the whole time, even as he tagged their other classmates, like he was more eager to tag her out than anyone else. Kirishima and Midoriya raced by right next to him and he didn't even register them as Aisla came to a sudden halt in the water and dipped below the surface. When she came back up, Mina, Tsu, Ochaco, and Kyoka all formed a sort of barrier between Aisla and the 'shark.' Together, the girls sped forward, angled slightly away from Katsuki who instantly dove to tag them.
He managed to touch Mina, who floated away with a parting wave. "Goodbye, Aisla-cat!" she said dramatically.
The rest of the girls raced by, with Aisla in the center of the group. They reached the end of the pool with the others and let out a simultaneous whoop of joy. Aisla turned a victorious smile over at Katsuki, who looked equally proud and infuriated. The look only made her grin widen.
"I told you, you can't catch me, Sharky!" she taunted, then blew him a kiss.
"GO, EXTRAS!" he hollered, eyes trained on Aisla once more as everyone started swimming back to the deep side. Again, Aisla was flanked by the girls as they made their way across the pool and desperately tried to evade all the new 'sharks' that tried to tag them. This time, more of her shields got touched by the growing shark army, leaving Aisla with only Tsu as her backup as they reached the end. Now, the only people left as bait were Aisla, Tsu, Midoriya, Iida, Tokoyami, Todoroki, and the floating bikini belonging to Toru. Everyone else had already been tagged and now waited in the center of the pool with Katsuki.
"This is getting trickier," Aisla mused with a frown as she locked gazes with him. He still had it out for her, but that hardly mattered now that more than half of their class had been turned into sharks. Aisla didn't have much of a plan at this point other than to try and swim as fast as possible. There were so many of her classmates waiting in the center of the pool that none of them had much hope of getting past now, except for maybe Tsu and Toru. Tsu was arguably the fastest swimmer they had, and Toru's quirk allowed her to easily slip by unnoticed. Aisla, on the other hand, with her black bikini pressed against her stark white skin, was one of the more obvious choices. She was fast, but she wasn't fast enough to evade fourteen people, even if they weren't all aiming for her. She could just as easily get tagged by accident than on purpose.
"GO!" Katsuki roared. Aisla and the rest of the bait lunged forward again, and she immediately dove under the water as deep as she could, pushing past her normal abilities to soar through the water like a missile. She barely evaded Momo's touch, and almost drowned trying to flip out of the way of Ojiro's tail. Finally, the end was in sight and Aisla was about to cry out in victory. Then suddenly, arms encircled her waist and hoisted her out of the water and into the air.
"I win!" Katsuki growled triumphantly in her face as she spat out water.
She laughed as he dropped her back into the water next to him and gave her an expectant look, like he was waiting for her praise. "You win!" she agreed breathlessly. "You caught me."
He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I'll always catch you, baby~"
Her heart swooned, but then someone shouted that they had a winner. Tsu stood on the shallow end of the pool, looking around her with a sheepish expression as if she couldn't believe she was the only one left.
"Great job, Tsu!" Aisla cheered as the girl blushed under all the praise.
"I can't believe I lost another race," Iida moaned quietly.
"Don't worry, Iida," Ochaco encouraged, "you'll win next time for sure!"
They played another round of Shark Bait with Tsu as the first shark. Everyone was out in the first two rounds, thanks to her speed and skill. The winner of that round was Katsuki, of course, who was more than eager to take the place as the 'it' person. This went on for about an hour until Aisla couldn't feel her legs anymore and had to excuse herself from the fun. Some of their classmates had already given up at this point and were laid out on chairs tanning or chatting with one another.
Aisla made her way over to the chairs she'd claimed with Ochaco earlier and reached for her paw print towel. Before her fingers could grasp the soft material, another hand beat her to it, snatching the towel up and wrapping it around her before she'd even had a chance to register its disappearance. She stared at the empty space on her chair for a moment in confusion, looked down at her towel clad shoulders, then shifted her gaze slowly behind her, catching the warm smile of her boyfriend.
"Katsuki," she said affectionately, "you could have kept playing, you know."
He shrugged and sat down on the end of her chair. "I'd rather be with you."
She smiled and sat down against the back before draping her feet over his lap. "That's sweet of you. Are you sure you aren't sick of me yet?" she teased.
His smile never faltered. "Never," he promised, then quickly lifted a foot from his lap and kissed one of her white-painted toes.
She giggled and wrenched her foot free. "That tickles!" she whined, but placed the foot back in his lap anyway. His hands captured it once more, but this time he set to working the tender flesh here with his fingers, making her let out a pleased moan as he massaged her sore feet. "That feels nice," she murmured in appreciation as she let her head lean back against the chair and her eyes flutter closed.
"You have…very cute feet," he observed almost silently.
She peeked one eye at him but she couldn't see if he was looking back through his tinted shades. "Oh?" she asked curiously. "Is that so?"
"Yeah…" He used his thumbs to push against the arch of her foot with an expert touch, making her eyes close once more. "They're so small and soft."
His voice was gentle and slow, melodic almost, like he was trying to lull her into a trance. She felt her body relax as the heat of the sun warmed her wet body, and the feel of Katsuki's firm hands coaxed her muscles to loosen up.
"Mm…" She let out a soft sigh.
"So pretty…" Katsuki whispered as he tended to her other foot next, taking great care to rub every inch of skin, and even going so far as to massage up her calves.
Aisla felt her lips smile in response to his sweet words and gentle touch, but it was a small, fleeting thing. She could feel the tendrils of sleep starting to close around her, bringing her closer to the peaceful world of slumber. Katsuki murmured something else, but she barely heard the words as her body drifted over the edge and sleep tugged her under.
When she awoke, she was still laid out on the hard chair, but now she wasn't alone. Katsuki was curled up around her, blond head resting against her shoulder and one arm wrapped around her bare stomach. They'd linked hands sometime during their nap, and Aisla's fingers ached from their bones pressing together. Even so, she didn't remove his hand as she studied the slow rise and fall of his chest, indicating sleep.
The idea that he'd purposely embraced her like this, with everyone around to see it happen, made something flutter inside of her. He was trying so hard to love her and cherish her without reservation. He wanted to show her that he didn't care who saw them together because she was his and he was hers. Aisla liked that. It made the love they'd so carefully formed blossom between them even further. Every day, Katsuki showed her that he loved her and wanted her and needed her just as badly as she did him.
I love you so much, Katsuki… she thought as she traced shapes into his arm. She wished she could see his face while he slept, but that wasn't possible from this angle. She remembered it clearly, though, from all the times they'd shared a bed. It was moments like these that Aisla felt the closest to him; simple acts of comfort that made her love him even more.
When he finally began to stir, Aisla released their linked fingers and moved hers up to cup his face. He lifted his head to look down at her, eyes still hazy from sleep. She smiled lovingly up at him as her thumb brushed against his cheek and eyelid, relishing in the feel of his skin and the pleased expression on his face.
"That's nice…" he whispered almost reluctantly. His eyes opened once more and he peered down at her with love and wonder in his eyes. "Aisla…" He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to her lips, "I love you. You're mine…"
A violent shudder passed between them as her hand slipped into his hair and pulled him closer. "I love you, Katsuki." They kissed again, slow and sweet, like thick honey being poured from a bottle. When they broke the kiss, Katsuki leaned his forehead against hers for a long moment while they caught their breath.
"Are you happy, Aisla?" he asked, eyes searching hers, looking for any trace of uncertainty in her blue orbs.
Aisla offered him a warm smile. "I'm so happy, Katsuki. Don't worry about me. I've never been happier."
"Is that true?" he murmured, expression wondering now.
She nodded and placed another swift kiss against his lips. "Yes…" she breathed. "You've made me so happy. You're amazing."
"I think you're talking about yourself," he teased as a shy smile touched his lips. He pecked her forehead, then sat up and stretched before standing to his feet and offering her a hand. "Come on, it's hot out here."
She took the proffered hand, then did a stretch of her own as she got to her feet, feeling both relaxed and refreshed. "That was a nice nap," she said through a yawn.
He chuckled and poked her nose. "You hum in your sleep, you know."
Aisla blushed. "R-really? You never told me that before!"
His grin was infectious. "Come on, let's go upstairs. Looks like we're one of the last stragglers."
Aisla followed his gaze around the pool area and realized he was right. They must have been sleeping longer than she'd thought. The only people who remained were Ochaco and Midoriya, Kyoka and Kaminari, and a few class B students who were currently occupying the pool. Everyone else must have left while they were sleeping.
Aisla and Katsuki parted ways into their separate locker rooms to rinse off and change. She pulled out the hair tie and rinsed her hair quickly, knowing it would take Katsuki much less time to finish. She didn't want to keep him waiting, so she hurriedly dried off and dressed in fresh clothes before meeting him in the lobby. He was already standing there, as expected, hands stuffed in gray shorts as he stared off into space.
Aisla skipped over to him with her pool bag slung over one shoulder and instantly slipped her hand into his. He gazed down at her with a small smile and reached out to tuck a stray strand of blonde behind her ear.
"Beautiful," he murmured.
"You don't think I look all soggy?" she asked as she tugged on a lock and examined the damp strand.
He laughed under his breath. "Aisla, you are unfairly sexy right now, even with that stupid leopard print bag over your shoulder."
Aisla gave him a look of mock offense. "Excuse you, but this bag is cute!"
His smile widened. "Want me to carry it for you?" He held out a hand and waited. Aisla raised an eyebrow, but allowed him to take the bag from her and sling it over his own shoulder before claiming her hand once more. "Come on, I'll walk you to your room."
"You're really going to carry my pink bag for me?" she asked in astonishment as they walked toward the elevators.
"Yup," he replied easily. "I read somewhere that's what a good boyfriend is supposed to do."
The statement was so serious, Aisla didn't know how to respond for a moment. "Is that so?" she finally asked. "What were you reading that gave you that information?"
"I Googled it," he admitted sheepishly. "Also…" He averted his gaze as his cheeks colored, "your dad might have sent me a book on dating…"
Aisla groaned as they stepped into the elevator. "Did he really? I'm sorry, he's kind of overprotective." She thought for a moment. "He's also just weird."
Katsuki chuckled. "He's a cool guy, I like him. Which reminds me…" He let out a resigned sigh. "Aisla, I need to do something, to make up for what I did."
"Katsuki—" she tried, but he placed a finger against her lips to silence her.
"No, I need to do this," he said fiercely. "I know you've forgiven me, and that's more than I could ever hope for, but…I need to apologize to your family. The things I said, the way I acted, it wasn't okay. I know that, Aisla. I was wrong, and I need to tell them that. In person. I need to atone."
Her eyes shone with tears. He really had come a long way. The Katsuki she knew today was so much different from the brash hothead she'd met when she first came to UA. He was softer, kinder, and a lot more patient. He was sweet, loving…and he was hers.
She lifted onto her toes to brush her lips against his. "You are a wonderful man, Katsuki Bakugo… Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."
He shuddered in response to her words. "I'm not done proving myself yet, Aisla. I have a long way to go before I can truly say that I deserve you. Let me continue to atone for my actions, please. In the meantime, I promise you that I won't abandon you again, no matter what happens between us. Nothing can take away the girl I love."
"Nothing," she agreed softly, then allowed his lips to claim hers as the elevator rose higher, and her heart soared up into the sky, above the clouds, and into the infinite universe beyond. The world was at their fingertips now, and nothing was going to come between them.
A/N: Hey guys! Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday with their families. And I hope you're all ready to get back into Don't Deny Me! This chapter was mostly filler, so I apologize to those who don't like that. I wrote this forever ago, but I remember spending a long time on Google trying to find something fun for them to do that I could write about. The game they played, Shark Bait, is something I found during my research. Maybe some of you have heard of it, I certainly hadn't! It does sound like a fun game though, and I hope you enjoyed reading about it!