Chapter Fifteen: Expectations

"Katsuki!" His grandfather snapped him out of his thoughts. He'd been trying to come up with a decent escape option for the last ten minutes. The only good excuse he could come up with was to either fake an illness or claim that curfew had been moved up due to students sneaking out or villains on the loose.

"What?" he barked in return, earning himself a painful swat to the back of the head that made his vision go momentarily black. Katsuki rubbed the spot, wondering how someone that old could still be so strong. He had to be pushing ninety, maybe even a hundred, Katsuki couldn't remember. He was ancient, that was all he knew.

"Don't take that tone with me, boy," he chastised. "I asked you what you've been doing in school. I expect you're at the top of your class?" His tone suggested there was no possibility of this assumption not being true.

"I'm in the top three," Katsuki said with a shrug. "I do my classes, I do my training, I kick ass. I'm fucking awesome!"

Another hard smack. "Don't use that language in front of me, sonny. I can still put you on the ground."

Katsuki believed him after those physical attacks. Who knew how strong his quirk was, even at his age?

"What are you even in town for?" Katsuki grumbled, already miserable and wishing he could be anywhere but here in this car. "Don't you hate me? Why did you even ask to see me?"

"Because, Katsuki, I have something to discuss with you." His grandfather paused for a long moment and it was all he could do not to start shouting at him to hurry the hell up. If he had to endure this torturous ride for one more moment, he would combust.

"Is this the part where you tell me you're dying and it's your last wish to make things right with me and your family?" Katsuki muttered. That was how it worked in all the stupid chick-flick dramas Kirishima made him watch.

His grandfather laughed so hard, it sent him into a coughing fit. "Oh, you stupid boy. I'm never going to die."

Katsuki glared at the seat in front of him. I don't doubt that, you old fossil.

"No, it's something far less morbid than that, I'm afraid," he continued in an almost wistful tone. "I'm moving to America…and I want you to come with me."

"Why the hell would I do that?" Katsuki demanded, equally confused and outraged by the mere suggestion.

"You may not have the option, young man," the old man stated with an air of finality. "There is an exceptional school in America that would do well with your particular quirk. Don't get me wrong, Japan has fine Hero schools and churned out arguably the world's most famous symbol of peace, at least—but America is the home of heroes. Additionally, it's the home country of the international hero agency I'm partnered with. You'll enjoy it there. I'll personally see to it that you have everything you desire, and every opportunity imaginable to make you the best hero since All Might."

"I don't need anything," Katsuki said lowly, fists clenched tightly to force them not to strike. "I don't need your damn money or your influence. I don't give a shit about how powerful you are. I can get whatever the hell I want all on my own!"

He braced for the slap that would shatter his brain cells, waited for the sting and the reverberation through his skull. It didn't come. Instead, the pair fell into silence for the rest of the car ride to his family's home. What awaited him inside, however, was the real question. Katsuki felt his nerves start to twist and coil in anxiety. If his parents gave the order for him to go with his grandfather, then Katsuki wouldn't have a choice but to comply.

Aisla was nervous. She still wasn't sure what this meeting with Katsuki was even about. What did she want to happen? She had no expectations of him showing up and offering to buy her anything she wanted, opening doors, and pulling out chairs—he just wasn't that type of guy. She also didn't think he really wanted to discuss whatever "issue" he claimed to have with her quirk.

What are we doing, Katsuki? she wondered as she stepped into the shower and let the warm water soothe some of her anxiety. Katsuki did hang out with her a lot more than he did with anyone else in their class, and he didn't yell at her nearly as often as he used to, but…half the time he still acted like the only thing he wanted from her was a willing training partner.

Maybe he wants to discuss a training strategy? she thought. Or, more likely, he wanted to tell her he was done working with a weakling like her. But…there was also the very slim chance that he simply wanted to be around her tonight, without fighting, without anyone else around. She wasn't counting on that last one, though.

But that kiss… She recalled the day she'd sought him out in his room. She'd gone to tell him that she wasn't going to be an annoying pest anymore, but then they'd shared another kiss and she'd lost all will to leave him alone. She stayed true to her word, though. She didn't try to steal all of his time or force her affection on him. She would let him come to her.

And here we are, Katsuki Bakugo…

Despite her worries, she took extra care washing her hair, shaving her legs, then blowing her hair dry. She considered curling the ends but thought better of it at the last minute. If she showed up with curled hair it would be too obvious that she'd been expecting a date. So she straightened out the wrinkles instead and wound a white ribbon into the back, tying a bow on the side to hold some of the strands back. It was a look she used a lot at school so it shouldn't be noticed.

Not that she thought he would notice her at all but…

She shook off the doubt. It didn't matter if he did or not, what mattered was that she was confident and felt cute as hell! She would look good for herself and no one else. If Katsuki also happened to find her attractive tonight, then that was a bonus she wouldn't stress about!

She slipped into the white dress Kanzashi had made for her, found a pair of silver ballet flats, and left her room to go meet Katsuki. When she stepped outside, she was surprised to find Shoto standing near the front gate. She grinned widely as she skipped over to him, did a twirl to show off her dress, then gave him her best curtsy.

"Why hello, best friend Roki!" She gave him a wink to which he rolled his eyes in return.

"Hello, Aisla," he greeted flatly. "Off to the café?"

Aisla nodded and nervously twisted a strand of hair between her fingers. "Yeah…I'm still on the fence about it, though."

"He hasn't spoken to you since this morning?" he guessed.

She shook her head. "No, but that's normal for Bakugo. He goes a long time without talking to me every once in a while." She thought about that for a moment. "I should really get his phone number…"

"You're dating someone and you don't even have his phone number?" he asked incredulously.

Aisla shrugged. "Uh, yeah. He's Katsuki Bakugo. And we're not even dating," she said, as if that explained everything.

"Right…" Shoto took a deep breath then let it out in a huff of air. "Look, Aisla, I'm just going to be blunt." She waited for him to continue. When he met her eyes again he blurted out, "I don't think you should go tonight. To see Bakugo, I mean."

Her blue eyes widened. "Why not?" Her tone was pettier than she'd meant for it to come out, but something like annoyance or betrayal flared inside of her.

He had the decency to look embarrassed. "I have a bad feeling about tonight. I saw Bakugo take off in a black Jag a couple of hours ago and he hasn't come back yet. I don't think he's coming to your…date or whatever." He paused a moment to let that sink in. "If you want, there's that new anime on Bunimation? We could watch it up in my room until curfew…" He trailed off and had to avert his gaze.

Aisla narrowed her eyes at him and, for the first time since she'd met him, felt anger make her blood hot and her fists clench. She wondered if this was how Katsuki often felt, like he wanted nothing more than to hit something. Or cry… She kind of wanted to do that, too.

"Why," she began, then had to stop to take a deep breath before she could unclench her teeth. "Why would you say that to me?"

He peered over at her, expression unreadable. "Because we're friends, Aisla, and I care about you. I don't want you getting hurt because of him."

She took a long moment to consider her answer. Finally, in a low, frosty tone she said, "I'm not hurt because of him, Shoto. I'm hurt because of you."

Then, she turned her back on him and walked through the gates without another glance.

He's not being fair, she thought bitterly as she rode the shuttle downtown. He thought he could just ruin her first potential date with Katsuki? This was the first time he'd given her even the smallest amount of hope that he might actually want to be more than just friends. They'd only kissed once—or twice if the second one even counted. Besides that, his signals were always mixed, more hot and cold than Shoto's quirk. He'd never given her anything solid to hold onto, nothing that said, "I don't regret shoving my mouth onto yours and I might want to do it again, so let's hang out in the non-platonic sense." Until today. She was still apprehensive about his note, but she was hopeful that it could be the start of something good.

And you want to ruin that…

No, she couldn't think that way. She was being petty and emotional because she was nervous. She knew deep down that Shoto had good intentions. He wasn't trying to hurt her, but at the surface of her mind, she only saw him trying to keep her from that one chance she may never get again. She'd apologize to him later, but for now, she needed to calm down and focus on getting through the rest of the night.

Katsuki sat in the living room with his mother and father on one couch, his grandfather occupying the second—with his two Russian bodyguards standing right behind him like the damn mafia—and Katsuki was forced to sit on the floor in case his grandfather needed to stretch out. He was glaring holes into the carpet as his parents and grandfather talked about total bullshit: the weather, Katsuki's grades, the mortgage, their recent trip to Tokyo, his grandfather's pet cat—who was just as vicious as him and twice as ugly.

"And then there's my upcoming trip to America," his grandfather was saying.

Katsuki tensed, waiting for him to bring up taking him there to live. Would his parents allow it? Or would they let him choose?

"Oh, yes," his father said, "I think we're all in agreement about that."

They're talking about me, he realized.

"Absolutely," his mother agreed with a fierce nod. "There's no argument here. At least you'll have someone there to keep an eye on you in case anything goes wrong with your health."

Katsuki ground his teeth together. Were they seriously going to talk about his future like he wasn't even there? Were they just going to pretend that his opinion didn't even matter? What if he refused to go? How could they force him to move to a whole different country?

"Elizabeth III and I are looking forward to giving him the tour of a lifetime," his grandfather continued. Said cat sat on his lap at that very moment, and Katsuki swore it was glaring at him. He thought it was the ugliest creature alive—with one missing eye, singed fur that never grew in properly, an amputated tail, and a face that looked more like a rat's than a cat's. Its personality was somewhere between evil incarnate and lazy asshole.

"WELL, I THINK THIS IS ALL BULLSHIT!" Katsuki finally roared. "YOU CAN'T MAKE SOMEONE GO TO ANOTHER COUNTRY WITHOUT ASKING HIM FIRST, DAMMIT!"

Everyone turned and blinked at him in surprise, except for his grandfather who looked equally smug and irritated, and the cat who just looked ready to eat him alive.

His father's brows furrowed in confusion. "Katsuki, you're…really worked up about this."

"OF COURSE I'M WORKED UP! DON'T YOU THINK I SHOULD HAVE A SAY?!"

"Aw, my wittle Katsuki!" His mother suddenly caught him in a chokehold and rubbed his scalp so hard with her knuckles that he thought he'd definitely lose some hair. "Look at you, practicing empathy like they taught you in your anger management classes!"

"HUH?!" He scrambled to get out of her grip.

"If it makes you feel better, you can go ask Mochi if he consents to going to America with your grandfather."

"Although…" His father adjusted his glasses. "I'm not sure how a dog can give you an affirmative answer."

"WHAT DOG?! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

"Mochi," his grandfather said coolly as he inspected his yellowing nails. "The service animal I'm taking with me while I visit America before my official move."

Katsuki stared at him in disbelief. "Hold on. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT A DAMN DOG?!" He shook his mother off of him at last, then practically snarled at the living pile of dust and bones behind him. "WELL, THEN TAKE THE DUMB ASS DOG, YOU DON'T NEED ME. I'M NOT MOVING TO AMERICA WITH YOU, SO GO TO HELL!"

His parents' eyes widened and they shared a look that told Katsuki that his grandfather hadn't run his plans by them yet. That made Katsuki feel better. A little. At least they weren't nonchalantly signing his life away.

"Thought I told you not to use that sort of language?" his grandfather scolded, petting the cat's mangy head. "You do as you're told, you little brat."

Katsuki got to his feet, rage completely filling his entire body. He couldn't hold it in another moment. "THE HELL I WILL, OLD MAN! I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING YOU SAY! YOU'RE A VILE EXCUSE FOR A LIVING CORPSE AND I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT RESPECTING YOU!"

One of the bodyguards—Katsuki was pretty sure his name was Alexei but sometimes the two men were hard to differentiate—stepped forward slightly as if ready to restrain Katsuki. His grandfather held up a hand.

"Young man, sit down right this instance," he ordered. "If you want us to treat you like an adult then start acting like one. Shouting curses at your elders is disrespectful and won't get you your way."

"Forcing someone to move to a new country is disrespectful," Katsuki shot right back. "I'm not going!"

"You will go if I desire you to do so." His grandfather's voice turned dark and almost menacing. Even Katsuki backed down, clenching his teeth and crossing his arms, but refused to sit down.

"Now wait just a minute, Grandfather," Katsuki's mom started. She stood up, too, looking at least an eighth as pissed as Katsuki felt.

"Hush, Mitsuki," the old man snapped. "I've decided that Katsuki should go back to America with me for his last year of high school. He'll train under the best heroes and then work at one of the most elite companies until he's ready to start one of his own. He'll be the best, and in a few years he'll earn the right to my fortune."

Katsuki just stared open-mouthed in astonishment. He wanted to…prime him? To inherit his fortune? Katsuki didn't want any part of that. He wanted to be the number one hero, not someone's prized pig.

"You'll never get a better opportunity than this one," said his grandfather. "You'll want for nothing."

"I ALREADY WANT FOR NOTHING!" Katsuki cried. "ALL I WANT IS FOR YOU TO STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

The old man's eyes narrowed but he stayed quiet for a long time as if considering Katsuki's words. "I'll tell you what, son. If you can prove to me that this school and this life can bring you success, then I'll consider taking back my proposal. But heed my words, Katsuki, you won't get a yen from my fortune if you refuse to cooperate and do what's good for you."

Katsuki took a step forward, fists still clenched, eyes burning with hatred. "I'll show you, old man. I will become the greatest hero you've ever seen! And I'll do it without anything from you."

"So be it," the man replied. "You have until graduation to achieve your end of the deal. If you are unable to do so, then you will come live with me in America. That's final."

The room went totally silent after that. His mother's temple was pulsing, his father was shrinking back on the couch until he was the size of a cowardly little ant, and the Dark Lord himself looked perfectly pleased with how this family get-together had gone.

"I'd like to be excused now," Katsuki said coolly. "I'm not interested in this conversation anymore."

"Katsuki," his mother called but the old man held up a hand to silence her.

"That will be all from you, boy. Take your leave, but don't forget what we discussed."

"I won't forget," he promised, then turned and walked out the front door.

At 6:45 the shuttle pulled up to the downtown station. Aisla grabbed her purse and exited the bus alongside the other passengers. If her research had been correct then it was another ten-minute walk to the restaurant. She'd be cutting it close but she wasn't too concerned. Knowing Katsuki, he would probably be late. She hadn't seen him on the shuttle with her so he'd either taken an earlier one or…

"I saw him get into a black Jag a couple of hours ago…"

She shook the thought from her mind. He would be there, he just might be a little late. She could wait for him. She liked Katsuki—as a friend, or as a…what? A boyfriend? Would she ever have that with a guy like him? Did she want to try?

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, she decided as she got closer to her destination. He'll be there. He will.

When she finally reached the café, Aisla asked for a table for two and told the hostess she was expecting someone with Katsuki's description. The woman nodded and told her she would keep an eye out for him. She led Aisla to a table near the back of the small café, a dimly lit area with few other patrons nearby. The hostess gave her a wink then said her server would be by in a moment to take her drink order.

Aisla sat down and pulled her phone out to send a text to Shoto while she waited.

"I'm sorry I was a jerk."

It took several minutes before he sent a reply.

"You weren't a jerk but you are stubborn." The dreaded triple dots flashed and she waited for him to continue. "I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not then I'll be here for you."

She tried not to sigh. She hoped he was wrong, too. Katsuki would come. He wasn't always the nicest person, but he never purposely chose not to show up when they made a plan. Plus, he'd gone through all the trouble of getting her permission to leave campus tonight, so surely he wouldn't stand her up… would he?

"I think he deserves the benefit of the doubt," she typed. "If he doesn't show up by 8:00 then I'll call it a night. But I'm going to wait until then. He's never let me down before."

She watched the ellipses appear, indicating that he was typing a reply. She waited for him to tell her she was being stupid and that an hour was a ridiculous amount of time to wait for a date. But he surprised her by offering words of encouragement.

"You're right, Ru. Everyone deserves the benefit of the doubt. You certainly showed me that was true. I hope he shows up tonight, but either way, I'll be in my room if you want to talk. And I'm sorry I wasn't supportive before. "

Aisla smiled warmly at the screen, sent back a thumbs-up emoji, then sat her phone down. She didn't have Katsuki's number so she couldn't shoot him a text or even call to ask where he was, so she just had to sit and wait. It was just past seven now, so hopefully he was on his way.

"Hello! My name is Emica and I'll be your waitress for this evening!" chirped a cheerful woman. "Would you like to order something to drink?"

Aisla thought about it. She could wait for Katsuki but…

"I'll just have some tea," she said. "Oolong, if you have it. And a cup for my, uh, friend." She tried for a smile.

The waitress gave her a smile. "Coming right up, sweetie!"

Aisla sighed and checked her phone again, just in case Katsuki had gotten her number or asked someone else to pass along a message. Nothing but a text from her dad telling her she needed to call him ASAP or he'd surely die from loneliness. It made her smile.

"Here's your tea, miss!" A steaming cup was placed in front of her and one on the opposite side of the table, along with a kettle in the center. "Would you like to order now or wait for your gentleman friend to arrive?"

Aisla sighed. "I'll wait a little longer, if that's okay?"

Emica smiled but there was a knowing sadness there too, as if she knew Aisla was being stood up. "Wait as long as you like, darling."

Aisla slumped in her chair when the waitress left. She sipped her tea in silence and tried to occupy herself by reading some webcomics, but she just wasn't able to enjoy them as much as she normally did. She switched to some phone games while she started on a second cup of tea but those soon grew boring as well.

She'd been messing around on her phone for half an hour and already she wanted to bail and just go back to her dorm. Even if he showed up now, it was nearly a quarter to eight. They wouldn't even have time to eat before they needed to catch the next shuttle back to school. Still, she'd made him a silent promise to wait until eight o'clock, so she poured herself a third cup of tea and watched the minutes tick by on her evening.

"Are you sure you don't want anything, Miss?" asked Emica, who'd been coming by every ten minutes to check on her. The expression she wore was pitying and Aisla kind of hated seeing it and being the person who put it there. She didn't want to be the type of person others had to pity.

"I think I'll just take the check now," Aisla said, tone completely void of feeling. She felt defeated and was this close to breaking down in tears right there in the restaurant.

"It's on the house, hon," the waitress patted her head comfortingly. "And you know, if he hasn't shown up after all this time, you'd better make sure he had a good reason for leaving you here. Don't let that boy walk all over you."

She left, and Aisla couldn't help but agree. He was now almost an hour late. Sure, he hadn't explicitly said this was a "date" but it was implied. Even if it was never meant to be one, he'd still made plans with her that he'd broken. Either way, he'd hurt her and she wasn't going to easily forgive him this time.

She texted a quick message to Shoto when she got on the bus home.

"You were right. Guess I'm just an idiot."

Her battery was down to ten-percent thanks to all her phone apps, so she hoped it wouldn't die before she got back. She waited for a reply, wondering if he felt smug for guessing correctly. She should have listened to him.

"You're not an idiot," he replied. "Bakugo is a piece of shit."

Aisla sighed and tapped out a response. "Maybe he had a good reason, but this could have all been avoided if he'd just given me his number."

Shoto's reply was quick, like he was waiting for her text.

"Bakugo doesn't give his number to anyone. It's not personal. But you're right, in this instance, he should have done you that courtesy. Want to come by my room? I'll let you cry into my pillow and complain about your shitty love life. I won't even kick you out this time. I can get snacks?"

His message brought a smile to her lips but she was already fighting back tears, making his words blur together until they were unrecognizable. She blinked back the traitorous tears and texted back.

"Thanks, but I think I'll just go cry into my own pillow tonight. It's almost curfew anyway."

His response was instantaneous.

"Spend the night."

She rolled her eyes. Typical Shoto, saying the things any normal person would be too afraid to.

"You know they'd chastise us for it when they found out. Mr. Aizawa would have a field day. And everyone would think we were doing…stuff that's not sleeping."

He responded instantly. "I'll just freeze up the door so no one can get in. And I'll kick anyone's ass who even tries to talk shit."

Aisla smiled fondly. She didn't deserve a friend like Shoto, but she was more than grateful she'd found him.

"That's okay," she told him. "I'll be fine. We can have girl talk tomorrow."

He sent back a simple reply. "It's a date."

Katsuki was running. He was so late. His grandfather's driver had taken him to his family's home but he hadn't waited around to ask for a return trip, so he had to hoof it on foot, racing as fast as he could, trying desperately to make it there on time. The clock was ticking—he wouldn't make it like this. He pushed past his limits and plunged forward anyway, emitting a battle cry of rage that echoed through the streets around him as he ran.

You can make it, just a little farther!

He could see the building now with the lights on in all the windows, several shapes moving around inside, completely unaware of his current predicament. If only he could force the building to be just a little closer…

"You're late," a voice said flatly as Katsuki all but fell through the door.

"By like a second!" he argued, heaving for breath on the floor and unable to get back up. He'd run far and pushed his body hard.

"By two and a half minutes," Mr. Aizawa chastised him. "Miss Haru was back an hour ago. The next time you decide to leave campus, you'd better return at the appointed time."

Aisla… Katsuki slammed a fist onto the ground in front of him. Shit.

"Is she in her room?" he asked, pushing back to his feet despite how dead he felt.

Mr. Aizawa stared at him for a long moment before crossing his arms over his chest. "Curfew was three minutes ago," he said by way of answer.

Katsuki took that as affirmation and sprang toward the stairs, ignoring his teacher yelling at him to not run in the building. He didn't care, he just needed to get to her and explain himself. He hadn't meant to stand her up. He'd been planning on meeting her and would have been there if his family hadn't forced him to meet with them instead.

Should have gotten her damn number, you piece of shit.

He sprinted down the hall, ignoring the random groups of giggling girls getting ready for bed. They all made way for him as he raced by. He knew what door was hers—the one right across from his own. He couldn't see it yet but he knew it was close. He pushed himself harder even though his legs were jelly—she needed to know; she needed to understand.

When he reached her door he raised his hand to beat the living daylights out of it but… Something stopped him. His hand hovered there, frozen as if unwilling to do the job he'd commanded it to do. He was panting for breath and more than a little shaky from his run. Or maybe his nerves were the culprit. What if she didn't understand? What if she hated him now? He didn't want her to feel that way. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want her to hate him.

Finally, the order to knock reached his hand but it ignored his pleas to beat the shit out of it. He gave three hesitant knocks to the wood then waited, hand still frozen mid-air. The door opened after a long moment, and Aisla stood before him, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks wet with tears. Her expression was unreadable as she scanned him over quickly as if searching for something.

"Bakugo," she said stiffly.

He flinched at the use of his surname. She definitely hates me.

"Aisla, I can explain…" he began as calmly as he could manage. He was still heaving for breath so his words came out more rushed than he wanted.

She said nothing, just stood there with that blank expression. Was she angry with him? Did she feel betrayed? Maybe she finally realized that he wasn't the guy for her, friend or otherwise.

"My great-grandfather is in town," he blurted. "He has a lot of influence with my family, so when he says I have to visit then I don't have a say in the matter. I didn't know about him being in town until today. I…I wasn't trying to…that is, I didn't want to…" He groaned and shoved his palms into his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her damn tear-streaked face any longer.

Something warm and small wrapped around his wrist, forcing it down. He peered down at her through one eye and saw curiosity mixed in with all the hurt. She gave another hard pull, forcing him to move forward until he was in the room, then shut the door behind him. She turned her back on him to cross the room and sat on the edge of her bed.

"No one is listening now," she spoke carefully, body tensed and on alert.

"That's not the problem," he grumbled, annoyed at himself for being such a coward. "My dumbass grandfather made me go home tonight. I tried to refuse but there's no arguing with that man."

A slight narrowing of the eyes as if to say, you're the same damn way.

He stepped closer until he was only a few feet away from her. He arched an eyebrow in question and she scooted over to make room on the small bed. He sat, leaving only inches between them. They stayed like that for a while, neither one saying anything until he couldn't take it another moment.

"I'm sorry, Aisla," he whispered, eyes pinched shut and fingers fisting in his shirt as if to force them to stay there, to not move and touch anything else. The last time they'd been in this position, he'd held her hand, really held it, for the first time. It had been a big moment for him and for their fledgling relationship. He'd liked holding her hand, but he didn't think now was the right time for that. She was mad at him. He'd fucked up and he had to make it right before he could try to touch her again. "I'm sorry I let you down."

For a minute, he thought she must have not heard him because she was so silent he couldn't even hear her breathing. Maybe he needed to say it again, a little louder? It was just so hard for him to say those words aloud—he'd never had to before. Or, at least, he'd never felt like he had to.

Finally, he couldn't take the silence anymore and peered over at her. She was twisting her shirt hem between her fingers as fresh tears fell from her eyes. His own widened. Shit, he shouldn't have said that, he'd made her cry again. What did I do now?!

"Katsuki," she breathed out. "You really hurt me today."

Something like anguish filled him, and disappointment. He never meant to hurt her like this. He couldn't remember ever seeing her cry like this before now. He'd probably made girls cry before with his brash attitude but he'd never cared about any of them. Why now? Why this girl?

"I know," he said apologetically. "I fucked up."

"I sat there for an hour." She looked up at him with an expression he recognized as anger. "I felt so embarrassed. The waitress there looked at me with so much pity. She thought I was so pathetic for waiting around for some guy who couldn't even be bothered to call."

He recoiled back a little. She'd waited for him that long? He thought that she'd wait at the front gates and when he didn't show up on time she'd go back to her room. He didn't expect her to go to the restaurant alone and sit there like that…

"I didn't know," he admitted. "I—"

"Why, Katsuki?" she demanded. "Why did you ask me to meet you at that place? Was it really just so you could ask me about my quirk?"

His heart was beating hard in his chest and his eyes darted back and forth between hers, unable to look away. She was doing it again, he realized. She was using her quirk to force his gaze to stay fixed on hers. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe.

"I…" he tried but the words wouldn't come. Embarrassment and fear held his tongue captive.

Aisla sighed. "Look, I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt, Katsuki, but if you really just needed someone to yell at—"

"Not someone," he blurted out. "You…just…you." His cheeks heated at the admission.

Her eyes softened at his words. "What does that mean?"

He looked away and grumbled unintelligibly. "You know…" he mumbled after a moment. You have to know. Hear me, Aisla, please.

"Not really," she answered.

He sighed. "Aisla… I'm not saying it. I…can't."

She stayed quiet for a long moment until he was sure he should just leave and never show his face again. But then, she finally spoke and her words were completely unexpected. "If you can't say the words out loud, then I understand," she said, slow and careful. "But, if you can't tell me what you're thinking, then maybe…you could show me?" The words were barely audible by the time she got them all out.

Show you? he thought in bewilderment. How can I do that?

Then he got it. He remembered the old adage "actions speak louder than words." He was never good with words but he was good at taking action. However…he wasn't sure how good he'd be at showing Aisla what he wished he could say aloud. Maybe if he was a normal person he could, but he wasn't. The words were sealed tightly away in his brain and he couldn't release them, at least not yet.

He took a deep breath and hesitantly reached out. His fingers brushed hers, which were trembling slightly. His heart panicked inside his chest but he ignored it and gripped her hand in his. He wasn't sure what to do with it once he held it, so he just let his fingers entwine with hers and felt her warmth spread through him.

He looked down at her to see if this was okay and found her peering up at him intently. She seemed to be waiting for something, but he wasn't sure what. Did she want him to stop holding her hand? No…when he tried to pull it back she tightened her hold and pulled it into her lap, forcing him to move closer.

She was so close already, he could smell her orchid-scented shampoo. He felt her hot breath on his face and mouth, and saw his own eyes reflected back in hers. Her mirror quirk seemed to cast back his own image, forcing him to see ember eyes that burned with all the words he wished he could say. When she blinked it was in slow motion, like the world around them had suddenly slowed to a crawl and every movement was exaggerated. The way her lips parted in anticipation…the way his were already there, ready to oblige…the way their mouths moved together, slow as honey…

He didn't even realize he'd pushed her down on the bed until her hands found either side of his face and time caught up with itself once more. They pulled apart at the exact same moment, both panting for air. Katsuki saw wonder in her eyes, and something else too, though he couldn't quite decipher what it was.

"I'm still mad at you," she panted between breaths.

He smiled down at her. "Me too."

"Katsuki…" she breathed, her smile fading and ocean-blue eyes turning contemplative, maybe even…needy. "What are we? What's safe for me to expect from this? From you?"

These were the questions with sealed answers. His mind was a sea of confusing feelings and his throat was a trench on the ocean floor, the answers locked up and buried in a shipwreck of emotions at the very bottom, too deep for him to pull to the surface. Show her. You have to show her.

He pinned her hands down with his own, interlacing their fingers on her pillow. Then, wordlessly, he lifted one set of interlocked hands and brought her finger to his lips. He ghosted over the knuckles, let her feel the softness of his mouth with her fingertips. He squeezed her hand, then breathed the only word he could manage to fish up from the wreckage, letting it wisp over their clasped hands.

"Together," he croaked. Even this was too difficult to say and he felt the way it made his palms sweat in hers. His teeth clenched and he looked at his reflection in her eyes once more—seeing the stalwart determination there. "We're together."

A/N: Good morning, all! Welcome back to Don't Deny Me! I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter! Poor Aisla thought Katsuki just forgot about her. Did he have a good enough reason for standing her up? Or maybe we're more in agreement with Mr. Shoto Todoroki? He is equally as dense as he is suave, but so is Katsuki. He did his best trying to get his feelings through to Aisla. I think he did a pretty great job. I certainly wouldn't complain if it was me!

ANYWAY! That's it for this week's chapter. I hope everyone enjoys their weekend and has a wonderful week!

Reviews:

LilFoxDemon666: I would totally go on a date not date with Katsuki, too XD Poor Aisla wishes she could go on one with him. Poor girl didn't quite make it there. The movie was great! I saw it twice and it was just as awesome the second time! I've rented the other two movies probably three times now. Should probably just buy them one of these times! And CONGRATS on your engagement! That's wonderful!

Mercymadness: Welcome! Thank you for the comment! I appreciate it!

Betareader: yellowchikadee

Test Audience: yellowchikadee; Ashteriax

Thank you so much for all your help on this chapter! It was so much better after some words of wisdom and a few tweaks here and there. I appreciate you!