Chapter Twenty-One: Obstruction

Katsuki didn't even take the time to change out of his sweaty workout clothes before walking across the hall. He raised his fist to beat the door down, but then remembered it was past curfew and others would be in bed now.

He tapped lightly with his knuckles and waited anxiously for an answer. It took longer than he liked, but finally, the door opened a crack and two eyes peered out briefly before registering surprise.

"Katsuki?"

He pushed through the door and slammed it shut with his boot. "Look, I know I've been moody and shit lately and I suck as a friend or a…boyfriend," he choked a little on the word, "BUT THAT DOESNT MEAN I DON'T CARE, YOU GOT THAT?!"

"No one said you don't care—"

"SHUT UP, I'M NOT FINISHED!" Katsuki took a deep breath, then let it out in a rush of words. "Now shut the hell up because I'm never going to repeat this as long as I live! I screwed up and it was all my fault this time and I'm sorry. I have a bad temper and I knew better than to listen to that damn Icy Hot!"

A snort. "Wow…that was almost nice of you."

Katsuki seethed. "THAT WAS THE NICEST YOU'LL EVER GET FROM ME, YOU STUPID IDIOT! NOW TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

"About what?"

Katsuki's expression grew incredulous. "About Aisla, obviously!"

His friend chuckled. "You seriously came here with that heartfelt apology just to ask me for advice on your girlfriend?"

He clenched his fists. "Look here, Kirishima, I'll kill you if you don't take this seriously! And I don't have a girlfriend, dammit!" Never mind the fact that he admitted to being a bad boyfriend a few moments ago. His pride wouldn't allow him to profess the truth of the matter a second time.

The redhead raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? I think that may be the first step, man." Katsuki gave him a blank look. Kirishima sighed. "The first thing you gotta do if you wanna make up with that girl is to stop denying that she's your girlfriend. And maybe save your apologies for the one you've actually hurt? You know I don't take offense to your bad moods." He tapped his chin for a moment, then flashed a toothy grin. "Tell you what, I'll help you be a good boy!"

Katsuki's eyes blazed. "Kirishima!"

The other boy held up his hands. "Hey, it's just an offer. I could help you out, though I'm not exactly one to give advice," he admitted sheepishly. "You're the one with the girlfriend."

Katsuki growled and Kirishima gave him a look. "Katsuki," he said in a warning tone. "Repeat after me: 'I do have a girlfriend.'"

"GO DIE!" Katsuki yelled.

Kirishima shook his head. "Come on, man. You asked for my advice! What are you going to do when you talk to Aisla? Tell her she's not your girlfriend again? Make her cry?"

"I'm not talking to Aisla! I changed my mind!"

"Yes, you are," Kirishima argued. "You like her, don't you? So, go tell her that! And stop pretending that you don't or you'll both be miserable forever."

Katsuki blew out a breath. "Fine," he resigned. "But I won't like it!"

"That's the spirit!" Kirishima cheered. "Now, go tell that girl you like her!"

"DON'T PUSH IT!"

Kirishima laughed. "Okay, okay. But I suggest you go tell her exactly what you told me. I have a feeling she'll forgive you." He gave Katsuki a conspiratorial wink.

He scowled. "Do you know something I don't? I'll kill you if you don't tell me!"

Kirishima held up his hands and gave him an innocent smile. "Of course not, you know I don't know anything!"

Katsuki studied his face for a minute. "Yeah, you're right. You're too damn stupid to know something." He turned for the door.

"Hey, Katsuki?"

"What?" he snapped.

"I think Aisla has been good for you," he observed casually, then added in a cheerful tone, "Don't screw it up!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!"

He heard his friend snicker as he pulled the door shut behind him.

He hated to admit it, but maybe he was right about Aisla. Maybe she had been good for him. People said he'd been less aggressive since Aisla transferred into their class. They also told him he'd gone soft, which he didn't appreciate because he wasn't soft at all, he was badass as hell!

He made his way to her door now with quiet footsteps. It was dark in the hall, with only a few dimly lit floor lights to illuminate his path, but he'd know the way to her room even in pitch darkness.

He was eager to go to her, to do as Kirishima advised, apologize and make it right again. But when he reached her door, all he could do was stand there with his fist raised to knock. He felt frozen, like that night he'd come to her after he hadn't been able to make it to their date. He'd stood outside her door that night as well, too stiff to move. He wondered if, like that night, he'd have the courage to appeal to her.

The thing was, he didn't know if this situation was better or worse compared to that one. Standing her up, leaving her sitting in a restaurant alone for an hour, wondering where he was… Did that trump what he'd done this time?

Probably not, he decided.

Four nights ago, Aisla had slept in his bed and he'd held her against his chest throughout the night. The next morning, she'd left in a rush, and then he hadn't spoken to her since. He was ashamed to admit that his first instinct after the conversation he had with Todoroki had been to avoid her completely, to break off any and all ties between them. He didn't want to be selfish anymore, not with her. He knew he wasn't good enough for her and may never be. Todoroki had been right in that fact, even if he was a total ass for spelling it out to him.

The worst part of this was that Katsuki kept pulling this shit. Maybe last time he'd been able to beg for forgiveness, but did it even matter? He'd turned around and hurt her again, and if he was being totally honest with himself, he knew it wouldn't be the last time either. He was trying, really he was, but he was Katsuki Bakugo. An explosive hothead who wasn't cut out for this kind of thing. He was like his mother and grandfather—none of them wired for kindness, compassion, or empathy. So, if he couldn't magically become the doting boyfriend that Aisla deserved, then…was there even a point in apologizing now?

He sighed and let the hand drop to his side, though his fist remained clenched as if seconds away from striking something. It shook at his side as anger and pain filled him. He was stupid to think he could be with someone like her. She was so pure and gentle… He was a monster in comparison.

He put his back against the wall next to her door and slid down to the floor. He sat there like that, staring at the wall across from him for an immeasurable amount of time. He suddenly felt numb. He couldn't go to her; what was he thinking? It didn't matter what Kirishima said. Katsuki was a bad person and he deserved to feel exactly the way he did. Miserable. Alone. Guilty.

He didn't know how long he sat there like that, but suddenly he felt cool hands touch the arms that rested against his knees. His eyes blinked rapidly, trying to clear his blurred vision. Had he seriously fallen asleep out here? No, he must have been spacing out. His eyes burned as if he hadn't blinked in a while. If he'd fallen asleep, surely he would have closed them.

His eyes focused on the person kneeling in front of him and widened slightly in surprise. "Aisla," he croaked, then cleared his throat and tried again. "What are you doing?"

"I was just…getting some water," she said.

He heard the lie in her voice but couldn't say why she felt the need to suppress the truth in the first place. Maybe she was sneaking out to be with her beloved Todo and didn't want to hurt his feelings. He had no right to ask, though, and decided to just let her pretend, if that was what she wanted.

"Well, you can go get your water if you want," he offered, trying to keep the bitter edge out of his tone. He couldn't let himself sound like a jealous idiot.

"Katsuki," she breathed. Her gaze refused to leave his, and he found it difficult to pull away from that intense stare. "What's going on with you?"

He looked into her pleading eyes and it was all he could do not to break down and cry right in front of her. He wouldn't do that. This wasn't about him right now, it was about Aisla and the hurt he'd caused her. He wasn't an expert on relationships, and he was about as socially inept as one could get, but even Katsuki could tell he'd made her feel rejected and abandoned.

"You promised…" she whispered as the tears began to shine in her eyes. "You promised not to do this to me again. You can't keep…" Her voice trailed off as a sob forced its way through her body.

His eyes widened. "Aisla…please don't cry."

"Kat-suki," she managed to get out through a hiccuping sob. "You can't keep… I hate this… You…"

"God, stop." He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest. He didn't even think about the fact that they were having this cry session right out in the hallway for anyone to see. He couldn't stand to see her sob like that another minute.

Her head was tucked between his neck and shoulder, and her fingers gripped the back of his shirt as she tried to muffle her cries. Her body shook from the effort, even as Katsuki wrapped his whole body around her and embraced her with everything he had.

"Aisla…" he moaned painfully into her hair. "Please don't cry for me… I'm not worth crying over. You can't cry for me…"

"I can't help it," she whispered. "I just…"

"Come on, Aisla… You shouldn't cry out here. Let's go to your room," he suggested. "I can… I don't know, I can get Todo or—"

"No!" The exclamation was sharp and pained. She pulled away from him and cupped his face in her hands. Her blue eyes still spilled tears as they flicked between his. "Why do you keep trying to leave me?" she demanded in a harsh whisper.

His own eyes widened once more. "I-I don't know," he admitted. "I'm just…not good for you. You'd be better off with Todoroki or—"

"But I don't want to be with Todoroki or anyone else," she moaned. "I want to be with you, Katsuki. But I need to know right now if you want to be with me, too. I need you to tell me this time, Katsuki. I need you. To tell. Me. Please." Her last word was a breathy plea.

He hated this. He hated seeing her so broken, especially because of him. Did she really feel so strongly for him that she'd shed tears for him? Would he feel the same way if he'd been in her position? He couldn't say for sure, but what he did know in that moment was that he'd do anything to stop those tears from falling.

"I want you…" he whispered, forcing his gaze to stay locked on hers. "I really, really want you."

She closed her eyes, sniffled, then opened them again. When she did, some of the pain had dissipated, though tears still shone there, making her blue eyes look even prettier, like a shimmering ocean.

"Promise me you're not just saying those words," she commanded.

He swallowed hard. "I swear to you, Aisla. I'm sorry I hurt you again. You know that…that I'm not a good person. I can't help myself sometimes. That's why you deserve better. But," he added quickly when she opened her mouth to protest, "that doesn't mean I don't want to be with you. I've never felt this way about anyone and it scares me. But…I really like what we have. Please, Aisla…" he took a steadying breath, "please stay with me. Don't let me go."

Her lips found his in the space between heartbeats, pressing against his own in an almost desperate way. Her fingers slid into his hair and tilted his head to the side. He let her do what she wanted with him, though his hands resisted his command to stay at his sides where they belonged. They moved without permission, snaking around her body and up her shirt to caress bare skin. She let out a breathy moan into his mouth as his nails dragged lightly down her back.

He wanted to apologize for the action, but the words got lost as her tongue darted out and slid hesitantly along his bottom lip. He shuddered at the new sensation and felt his lips part slightly. Aisla let out another soft sigh against his mouth but did nothing else. Was she waiting for permission? Or maybe…

One of his hands moved into her silky hair and held her head firmly in place. She sucked in a breath that quickly morphed into a whine as he pulled her face closer and pushed his tongue inside her mouth. He felt hers respond immediately, sliding against his awkwardly as they tried to figure out how to do this. She tasted like mint toothpaste and a little bit like coffee. He wondered briefly where she'd acquired the substance so late at night, but his thoughts quickly vanished as Aisla's hips ground down, bringing attention to what little clothing was between them. For a moment, his vision went black with lust.

He came to his senses quickly and pushed her back gently. "Sorry," he said, though he didn't really feel that apologetic anymore. "We should…go back to our rooms now."

"Spend the night with me," she pleaded, eyes slightly dazed.

Good god, don't say those words to me right now…

He found himself shaking his head before she'd even finished speaking. "That's not a good idea, Aisla."

Hurt registered in her eyes and almost made him reconsider. "I want to be close to you," she begged. "I haven't seen you for days…"

"Don't guilt-trip me, Aisla, please," he implored. "We can't be having slumber parties or whatever. Aizawa will be pissed if he finds us in the same room. And besides…" He took a deep breath before pushing forward with his next words "It's probably not such a good idea for us to, you know, share a bed. So…go back to your own room, please."

Her lips puckered in a pout. He couldn't help the amused smile that made its way onto his own lips. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Don't be like that," he murmured. "I won't avoid you, I promise." He kissed her again, tenderly this time, then gently moved her off his lap, He pushed to his feet and held out a hand.

"I'm still mad at you," she whispered as she took the proffered hand.

He smiled at the familiar words, recalling the last time she'd said them. "I know. Trust me, I'm mad at me, too."

It was the day of the school festival and Katsuki was feeling good. He'd made up with Aisla a few weeks ago and things between them had been going great ever since. He felt confident in their relationship for the first time since he'd met her. Sure, he still had moments where embarrassment made him act out, but she was patient when he needed it and put him in his place when he went too far.

Katsuki was excited for the concert that would take place in the next two hours. He'd been getting ready in his room for the better part of the morning, but now he was setting everything up with the rest of his classmates. He'd wanted to rehearse one last time, but nooo. Deku had to go running off on some personal mission and leave the rest of them to do all the setup!

"Lazy ass, mother—"

"What was that, Katsuki?" Aisla suddenly came up behind him and placed a hand on his arm.

He wrenched his arm away from her. "GO PRACTICE WITH THE OTHER DANCERS, DAMMIT!"

Her face fell. "Okay…"

She turned to walk away. Katsuki sighed and reached out to grab her arm, pulling her to a stop. He spun her around and placed a swift kiss on her surprised lips. "Sorry," he mumbled without meeting her gaze. "I'm pissed off because of Deku and—"

"Eww, no PDA on campus, Bakugo," Mineta snickered from behind them.

Katsuki released her and spun around so fast that the little imp let out a shriek of surprise. "YOU WANNA SAY THAT TO MY FACE, BALL BOY?!" he shouted and took off after him.

"Someone save me!" he squealed as he ran off in the opposite direction.

"COME BACK AND FACE ME, YOU BASTARD!"

Katsuki was suddenly caught by the arm, effectively halting his progress. "LET ME GO!" he hollered.

"Not gonna happen," Kirishima argued with an amused smirk. "Come on, man. This isn't the time to be picking fights, right? Today we're gonna rock! Let's see that Bakugo spirit!"

"GO TO HELL!" he bellowed.

"That's the Bakugo we all know and love!" his friend slapped him on the shoulder. "Let's go finish setting up your drums. You can bang on them and pretend it's Mineta's face if you want. Doesn't that sound fun?"

Katsuki stopped his struggles to get free. "That's a fucking great idea!"

"Language, Bakugo."

Their teacher, Mr. Aizawa stood near them with crossed arms and a disapproving expression.

"You wouldn't want me to have to call your mother again, would you?"

Katsuki clenched his fists but said nothing in return. He'd already gotten in enough trouble with his mother for foul language. He didn't want to deal with her during the festival of all days. Today, he was flying high! He wanted to get through the festival and then…

And then…what? He didn't really have any plans for what he'd do once they were done murdering the other classes with their kickass music. There were other events, like a haunted house and obstacle course, so maybe he'd show off his moves. Maybe, he'd buy Aisla some kind of festival funnel cake or something just to see her dumb smile.

His eyes scanned the crowd of students for a moment until they found what they were searching for. Aisla stood with the group of dancers, eyes alight with joy and lips parted slightly in a half-smile. She was practicing their opening number, hips swaying from side to side, hands brushing her waist, her chest more pronounced in that little orange outfit than it normally was in her school uniform.

His cheeks reddened at the image as he recalled their heated kiss from a couple of weeks ago.

"Bakugo," Mr. Aizawa chastised. "This isn't the time for your pre-pubescent fantasies. Get your head in the game and go finish setting up the equipment."

"I WASN'T LOOKING AT AISLA!" he exclaimed defensively.

His teacher arched an eyebrow at him. "No one said you were." Then he turned and walked away to go torment some other poor idiot.

Katsuki blew out an annoyed breath just as Kirishima came up and patted his shoulder roughly. "Still wanna beat the crap out of those drums, buddy?"

"BRING IT ON!"

The festival went by in a blur of activity. Katsuki found himself getting lost in the chaos that ensued and loved every moment of it. His favorite part was when he got to show off to the whole school how badass he was on the drums. The others did okay with their parts, but Katsuki was the real star. If it hadn't been for him, their number would have been a total flop. Luckily for Class 1A, Katsuki was willing to help them out.

He hadn't really been interested in the stupid pageant portion of the festival, but Aisla insisted he accompany her and he didn't want to deal with her being disappointed in him for telling her to go alone. So, he dutifully followed along behind her, though he refused to hold her hand in the crowd. She didn't seem upset by his rejection today, however. She just smiled and continued walking as if nothing happened.

They watched the girls acting like dramatic barbie dolls on-stage for what felt like hours before it was finally over. Of course, it was Nejire Hado who won in the end. Not that he'd been paying enough attention to notice, but she was the obvious choice. He didn't give a shit who won, but he knew someone who did.

Kirishima stood beside them with a stupid puppy dog grin on his face the whole time that second-year support chick was on-stage. Apparently things had been going well for him and Rainbow Hair, if Kirishima's countless hours spent gushing about it to Katsuki was any indication. Poor fool was wrapped around her finger. Everything she did was mesmerizing to him. He looked damn-near close to swooning when she chopped all her hair off on stage, and the moment she finished her act, that idiot took off toward backstage as if caught in a siren's call.

Katsuki scoffed. "That loser."

Beside him, Aisla laughed. "Be nice, he just likes her! I think they'll make such a cute couple!" She swooned and Katsuki tried not to gag.

"Let's get out of here now," he said with finality, leaving no room for arguments. When she opened her mouth to reply, he stuck a finger to her lips. "We're leaving." Then he took her hand in his, ignored the suggestive comments from Mineta and Kaminari, and led her away.

"Where are we going?" Aisla asked from his right.

"Away," he told her. "I hate this stupid cluster of humans."

She giggled. "Alright. What do you want to do now?"

He considered this as they made their way through the crowd. He hadn't really thought of what he'd do, he just wanted to go somewhere that wasn't around people. He'd had enough social interaction for one day. He'd shown up those general studies haters, he'd been forced to see girls doing pointless acts of 'beauty' or whatever, and now he wanted to be alone.

Aisla squeezed his hand as they walked, reminding him that he wasn't actually alone. He didn't mind, though. He liked being around her.

"Well, well…Would you look at that."

Katsuki came to an abrupt halt when he heard the familiar voice. He stood there, frozen in both indignation and surprise. He saw Aisla peering up at him curiously from the corner of his eye but couldn't find his voice to warn her. He wanted to tell her to get out of there and go find her friends, but the words were lost somewhere in his mind.

"I see now why you have not bothered to come and pay me a visit, Katsuki." The old man narrowed his eyes at their clasped hands. Katsuki wanted to drop her hand immediately but he was still paralyzed under this man's intense stare. "Is this what you have been doing instead of getting ahead in your classes, Katsuki? Playing house?"

"Shut up," he said through clenched teeth.

His grandfather's two security guards, Alexei and Kolya, stood behind him, looking mean as ever. One of them held the demonic thing his grandfather called a 'cat,' and the other held a briefcase that probably contained the old fart's crazy drugs or whatever the hell he took to stay alive all this time.

Aisla glanced between them, looking confused and uncomfortable.

Get out of here, he silently begged her, and willed himself to let go of her hand, but his mind still wasn't working.

His grandfather glowered at him. "That is no way to speak to your elders, son. Tell me, how are your studies going? Are you at the top of your class yet? I suspect not."

Something like understanding registered in her eyes then, and it was Aisla who spoke up before he had the chance to. "Excuse me, sir," she said kindly, "but would you happen to be Bakugo's grandfather?"

The man turned his glare on her now. "Indeed, I am…" he answered carefully. "And who do you think you are, young lady? Are you the reason my great-grandson has not surpassed his classmates? If you're doing something—"

"Hey!" Katsuki cut in, finally coming to his senses and pulling Aisla slightly behind him. "Don't talk to her like that! She has nothing to do with this!"

His grandfather gave a mocking laugh. "Oh, I think she just might. If you're out here holding hands and doing god only knows what else with this girl, then you aren't out there perfecting your quirk as you should be. School and quirk training are the only things you should be worried about right now."

Katsuki was shaking with rage, and it took everything inside of him not to strike the old man right in the face. The guard holding the briefcase stepped forward a few feet as if he knew exactly what Katsuki was thinking about doing.

"We aren't doing anything!" he protested loudly. Already, their altercation was causing a scene and several people had either stopped to watch or simply gave them curious glances on their way by.

His grandfather folded his arms across his chest. "Do you really expect me to believe that, Katsuki? I hope you know that I plan on making a trip to see all of your teachers while I'm here. I want a full report on how you're doing in school. And," he glanced at Aisla again and gave her a scathing look, "I'm going to tell them to keep this girl away from you."

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS, ALL!I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas this year! I appreciate each and every one of you! Does anyone have any Christmas traditions? One of ours is to go to the Hallmark store each year to find a new, special ornament for the tree. I hope you've enjoyed this extra spicy chapter and look forward to more in the future XD.

Reviews:

MeMyselfAndI82907: That's funny, because an ongoing gag in this story, as you'll soon notice, is that Katsuki thinks Aisla can read minds and vice versa. Neither of them knows for sure if the other person can actually read minds or if they're just really intuitive!

Oooh, very interesting! I'd love to hear your theories on this! If/when our two lovebirds have children, tell me what you think they would be like! Keep in mind, no one has seen the full extent of Aisla's power as of yet, so try to imagine what that will be like, too!

Beta: yellowchikadee