A/N: Yes, I spelled the title that way on purpose, for those of you who don't know! It wasn't a typo lol.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Dynamight

Katsuki was currently shivering in his button-down shirt and uniform coat, and swearing under his breath at the total absurdity that was a morning assembly. Why they couldn't have the damn meeting inside was beyond him. He was growing moodier by the minute and had half the mind to just bail and say to hell with anyone who cared.

"Katsuki?" murmured Aisla. "You seem a little cold… Are you sure you don't want to go back and get your jacket?"

"I'M NOT COLD!" he argued through chattering teeth. "I'm a badass! Badasses don't get cold!"

She gave him a look that said she wasn't buying it for a second. "If you say so…"

He didn't even know what this annoying-ass assembly was about. They'd all been called from their rooms to gather out in the frigid morning air and instructed to wait in their perfect little lines for Principal Nezu to make an announcement. They could have told them all over the loudspeakers. Or better yet, sent a telegram. That way, by the time it reached him, he wouldn't even have to deal with the stupidity of whatever they were about to announce.

"What do you think this assembly is about?" Aisla wondered aloud, echoing his thoughts.

"Who cares?" he grumbled. "I just want it to be over with."

"Because you're cold?" she teased. He growled in response. "I could warm you up if you want~" she sang.

He tensed but chose not to answer rather than snap at her as he normally would. He'd been making an effort these last few weeks to hold his tongue. He wasn't great at it, but he was better than he used to be.

He caught Kirishima's gaze from the corner of his eye. He mouthed the words "be good" then shot him a wink. Katsuki scowled and looked away.

Finally, their principal strode onto the stage. He spread his hands out wide before them like he was about to conduct a symphony rather than engage students in an assembly.

"Good morning, students!" he intoned. "Isn't the weather lovely! My fur makes wonderful insulation for the cold, and it's the best season for drinking tea!"

"I hate this stupid bullshit," Katsuki muttered under his breath.

Aisla reached out and took one of his bare hands in her gloved ones. It did little to alleviate the cold, but he decided to let her hold onto it anyway. She probably needed his masculine presence for security or something. Luckily he was there to protect her!

"I'll cut to the chase now," Principal Nezu announced. "I have good news and bad news."

Katsuki scoffed. "Of course he does…"

"The bad news is," he continued, "due to the uprise in criminal activity since All Might's retirement, we will not be allowing students to return home for winter break."

"Oh no," Aisla moaned beside him. "I promised my little sister I'd be home for her birthday…" Her lip puckered.

"What?!" Yaoyorozo complained. "But New Year's is supposed to be when families stay home and spend time with each other!"

"All you losers do is complain," Katsuki grumbled. "Who cares?"

Beside him, Aisla sniffled and pulled her hand away from his. He gave her a shocked look but then Kirishima started complaining, too.

"Dude, literally everyone except you," he said. "Just because you don't care about your parents, doesn't mean the rest of us don't."

"Who said I don't care about my parents?!" he snarled. "I'm just not going to whine about not seeing their annoying-ass faces!"

"Settle down!" Mr. Aizawa chastised them.

"We understand that this is upsetting to many of you," the principal went on, "which is why we have decided to hold our own holiday festivities! I know this cannot make up for lost time with your families. However, I do hope you can find comfort and enjoyment in what the school has to offer."

"What kind of festivities?" Shoji asked.

"We will be hosting a Christmas party as well as a New Year's festival. Curfew will also be pushed back an extra hour for that week, and there will be no curfew at all on New Year's Eve. There will be a sunrise viewing event, and no homework assigned over the vacation."

"They're just trying to bribe us so our parents don't sue the school," Katsuki muttered in annoyance. This was all bullshit.

"You should be thrilled about this, Bakugo. If everyone's stuck at school, that means you get to spend New Year's Eve with Aisla~" Kaminari sent a suggestive wink toward the two of them.

New Year's with Aisla… Katsuki thought as another shiver ran down his spine, this time not from the cold. He could spend New Year's with her instead of his asshole great-grandfather, who had not so subtly ordered him to come to family dinner. Given the choice, he'd rather be stuck at school.

He glanced over at the aforementioned blonde girl who looked up at him with hopeful eyes, oblivious to his inner dilemma. "Do you…want to watch the sunrise together, Katsuki?" she asked.

Katsuki could feel everyone's stares on him from all angles, watching him, waiting to see how he'd react to this girl.

You're going to pay big time for all this attention, Aisla, he silently promised her.

Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off.

"Didn't I tell you not to talk to me in public?!" he snapped, ignoring her rejected expression.

"Bakugo…" Kirishima warned. "We talked about this."

God. I can't let them think I actually want to be with her at that hour! Everyone will think we're doing something weird… New Year's Eve is for making out or whatever, and I don't need anyone to think I'm doing that with her!

"Who says I'm going to be awake at sunrise?!" he yelled, not looking to see if he was hurting her feelings or not. "Don't ask me stupid questions!"

Kirishima quirked her a grin over Katsuki's shoulder. "That wasn't a 'no,'" he observed, then pet Katsuki right on the head. "Good boy, that was almost nice!"

Katsuki seethed with rage. "KIRISHIMA!" he bellowed.

"Aisla."

Katsuki shifted his attention toward the bastard dubbed 'Todo' as he made his way through the crowd of students. Evidently, the assembly had been dismissed sometime during Katuski's public humiliation. Aisla halted her conversation with Uraraka to greet him with a smile and, so help him, a hug! He clenched his fists again as hot jealousy coursed through him.

"Hey, sorry about the holidays," he told her with a girlfriend-stealing grin. "I know you were excited to see Airi."

Katsuki frowned as he tried to place the name. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember what Aisla had said about it. He remembered she had a sister and guessed that was probably it, but just in case he was dead wrong, he waited for them to continue talking.

Aisla's face fell a little at Icy Hot's words, though she still managed to hold a pretty believable smile.

"Yeah, she'll be so disappointed," Aisla agreed. "I promised her I'd bring her back an Eraser Head souvenir."

Todoroki laughed. "Does such a thing even exist?"

Now, she looked sheepish. "It does," she admitted, "though I kind of doubt Mr. Aizawa lets his own merch be sold on campus. Honestly, I was just hoping to ask him to sign something for her."

"Why would anyone want Mr. Aizawa's signature?" Katsuki cut in, forgetting that he was supposed to be pretending not to eavesdrop.

Todo snorted. Aisla elbowed him in the gut and offered Katsuki her fake smile. "My sister and I are just really big Eraser Head fans. He's…you know…" she blushed, "my favorite hero?"

"Oh," he responded, unsure what else to say. He didn't know Aisla's teacher was her favorite hero. Or maybe he did… Had she told him that before? How many details about her had he passed off in the months they'd known each other? He didn't even know her parents' names or any hobbies she had besides drawing. How could he not know these simple things about her? He was supposed to be her boyfriend, yet her best friend knew more things about her than Katsuki did!

"I love your drawings!" he blurted out because for some reason he needed at least one thing that he had over Icy Hot.

Aisla smiled up at him. "Thank you, Katsuki! That's sweet of you to say."

"I like the one you drew for your mother for her birthday," Todoroki added like the shithead he was. "It was quite elegant. The way you captured those lilies was amazing."

Katsuki was digging his fingernails into the palms of his hands but he barely even registered the pain. He felt like a fool. What did he know about Aisla that Todoroki didn't? All he could see in that moment was someone else one-upping him.

Maybe I don't pay enough attention to her? he wondered as the pair conversed like he wasn't even there. It's definitely my fault.

He shook the thought from his mind and said the first thing he could come up with so he could be a part of the conversation. "I-I need you!"

They both turned to him with equal expressions of surprise.

"Okay, Katsuki," Aisla agreed easily. "What do you need?"

You, he thought, feeling his cheeks redden from more than just the cold now. I need you to tell me the things you tell him. I need you to be mine.

But he couldn't say that aloud. Instead, he cleared his throat and told her, "I need a study partner!"

She stared unblinkingly at him.

Aisla…please hear me. You read my mind all the time. Don't choose this moment to be oblivious to the signs, I beg of you!

"I think I hear breakfast calling," Todoroki announced abruptly. "I'm going to go get in line. Should I reserve a table for three, or…?" He let the question hang there as they both stared at Katsuki with questioning eyes.

Fuck you, Todo. Fuck you and your contagious jealousy!

"Whatever," he grumbled. "I don't give a shit."

"We'll talk about it," Aisla told Todoroki, then watched him walk away for a moment. Once he was out of earshot, she turned back to Katsuki with confusion and hurt in those crystal eyes. "Katsuki…why are you acting weird?"

"I'M NOT ACTING WEIRD!" he griped.

Aisla reached for his hand and stepped toward him. He swallowed, tightened his hand in hers, and let her place her free hand on his chest. "You don't have to be jealous of Shoto," she told him. She kept her gaze locked on his so he could see the sincerity within. "I like you, Katsuki. I want to be with you, not him. I even told him that, if it makes you feel better. You're the one I want to hold hands with and kiss, and the one I want holding me in b—"

He clamped a hand over her mouth as his gaze shot frantically around them.

Aisla removed his hand, laughing. "Relax," she murmured. "No one is looking at us. No one would care anyway."

"You can't say stuff like that!" he hissed.

She grinned mischievously. "Oh, but who's going to stop me~?" she trilled. She took a step away from him, then did a little hop. "Surely not shy, embarrassed Dynamight."

I see how it is, he thought. She was teasing him now, trying to get a rise out of him. That little vixen… Should he play her game? Or call her bluff?

Well, what the hell? He'd already embarrassed himself once, what was one more thing?

He gave her a devilish smile. "Better run fast before this stick of Dynamight explodes!" he hollered, then started after her.

"No!" she squealed and ran at full speed across the lawn. They pushed through clusters of gathered students, but Katsuki didn't even care if they were mad or not. He was grinning ear to ear, watching this silly, optimistic girl trying her best to make him feel better.

You know what, Aisla Haru? he silently conveyed. I think I could get used to having you around.

It took him three days to pluck up the courage to ask her out. He paced in his room the first day, telling himself over and over to call Aisla his girlfriend out loud. Kirishima had advised that he start getting used to the word or he wasn't going to like it when someone else decided to call her that instead.

The second day was spent trying to convince himself that it was perfectly normal to ask a girl who was already his girlfriend to eat with him. They ate together all the time! There was nothing strange about asking her to have food with him alone…in his room…where they'd slept in the same bed once…

It took him more than half of the third day to recover from the shock of that memory juxtaposed with the one he'd made the night he'd pushed her against the wall of her room. He hadn't meant for things to go that far with her—he'd just wanted to kiss her and show her that he really meant it this time—but she'd been so sexy in that t-shirt, and her thighs had been bare, practically begging for his hands to brush them. All he'd wanted to do was touch her everywhere and have her touch him in return.

He'd given in to temptation that night, so to speak, once Mr. Aizawa had delivered the letter his grandfather had sent for him. He hadn't even read the thing before he'd fallen onto his bed and pumped himself to a quick finish. He remembered the shame he felt for doing such an act while thinking about her doing it to him instead. She would never do something so crude to him. She was too innocent and pure. Would she even want to touch him there?

He shook off the thoughts now, trying to remember what his objective was today. Three days ago, when they'd been outside freezing at the assembly, Katsuki had learned that he didn't really know Aisla at all. The amount of guilt and jealousy each time Todoroki knew something he didn't had been weighing on him ever since. When he'd gone back to his dorm that night, he'd made a promise to himself to be better for her. He needed to make an effort.

Today is the day, he silently swore as class droned on and on for what felt like forever. He was so tired of algebra. He already knew all of this shit, so why was he forced to be in this class?! He should get a pass to go train instead while the rest of the idiots participated. That would be more productive.

Instead of paying attention to the lecture, Katsuki had spent his morning trying to come up with a plan. He couldn't just go up to her and say something stupid like, 'hey, Aisla, come to my room for some pre-packaged food.' That was so lame. But what could he say? He almost broke down and asked Kirishima for advice, since things seemed to be going alright between him and that second year he was dating, but he wanted to be the one to come up with his own idea. He wanted it to be his plan. Plus, Kirishima would never shut up about how he'd helped him.

The only problem was…Katsuki Bakugo was not much of a planner, at least when it came to dating. Maybe he could think of it as another training exercise. There was no way in hell he was doing that romantic, candlelight bullshit they did in the movies. He wouldn't be caught dead wearing a suit and tie and buying roses or whatever garbage girls liked, and he definitely wouldn't waste hours of his time slaving over hot stoves for one damn meal. He had better things to do.

Even so, he resigned himself to talking to her right after classes. He would ask if she wanted to meet him the following day at the clearing. Or…maybe he could ask to walk her there?

"Bakugo!"

He started at the sound of his own name and blinked around the room for a moment before his eyes found the culprit. Ectoplasm stared over at him with that terrifying glower. Katsuki huffed and folded his arms across his chest.

"Are we interrupting nap time, Bakugo?" he admonished. A few of his classmates snickered in response. "Maybe you'd like to teach the class today since you're so ahead of everyone else?"

Katsuki clenched his teeth in annoyance but chose to stay silent, even though everything in his body was screaming at him to defend his pride. As Ectoplasm continued, Katsuki thought about how Aisla was probably proud of him for holding his tongue. Normally, he would have gone off on anyone who dared make a fool out of him, even a teacher. But he knew Aisla didn't like that, and she was right…he usually felt better when he didn't engage.

Thinking about her calmed him down a little bit, though he was still angry as the class continued. Maybe that was just the anxiety, though. He kept thinking about how he needed to talk to her and wondered what he would say. Words didn't always matter when Aisla was involved, but that didn't mean he wanted to risk screwing up and hurting her feelings.

When the bell finally rang at the end of class, he jumped up from his seat and swiveled around to talk to Aisla before he lost the nerve.

"Aisla!" he hissed at the same time the teacher called out, "Miss Haru, Mr. Aizawa needs to see you in his office after class."

Aisla gave Ectoplasm a polite nod. "Of course, sir." Then to Katsuki, "Meet me later?"

He nodded, growled something uncomplimentary about their teacher under his breath, and walked away.

"Rejected again, eh, Bakugo?" Mineta drawled from the doorway.

Katsuki balled up his fists. "Shut up, you little imp! You don't know anything."

Mineta feigned offense. "Wow, your insults sure have gone soft since you met that girl over there." He snickered. "Guess she stole your man card along with your—"

Katsuki grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to his face. "I. SAID. SHUT. UP." He snarled.

Mineta's eyes were wide with terror. "O-okay, Bakugo! Geez! Put me down, you monster!"

Katsuki let him go and the little perv scurried off like a rat in the opposite direction.

Katsuki rolled his eyes as he stomped down the hallway. It was fine, he would just catch Aisla at dinner or something. It wasn't a total loss. She wasn't rejecting him as that idiot insinuated. She wanted to hang out with him…right? She was always pestering him to do things with her. That hadn't suddenly changed.

He thought about waiting around Aizawa's door for her to be done, but that felt too much like stalking and he wasn't a creep like that! Instead, he waited by her bedroom door, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed like a bodyguard. Not like a stalker.

After half an hour went by and she still didn't show up, he grew bored, restless, and irritable. He felt a little stupid, too. He'd waited by her door for half an hour just so he could talk to some girl. How lame was that? Mineta was right, he really was turning soft.

Katsuki was about to turn around and give up when a voice called out to him.

"She's not coming back."

He froze mid-turn and felt his fists clench once more. This was a voice he hadn't wanted to hear. Not after he'd literally told Katsuki he wasn't good enough to be with Aisla. He was still angry about that. He'd almost lost her for good because of that bastard.

He turned around slowly to face Todoroki and offered him a scathing look.

"Aizawa asked her to do some extra training with him," the bastard explained.

Katsuki narrowed his eyes. "How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "She texted me. Maybe you should check your phone before skulking around someone's room all night like a creepy stalker."

"SHUT THE HELL UP, ICY HOT!" he hollered.

He held up his hands as he backed away. "I'm just saying it like it is, Bakugo. Or maybe she hasn't texted you yet…" He turned and made his way back down the stairs, leaving a fuming Katsuki alone in the hall.

He stormed across the hall to his room and threw open the door. He immediately retrieved the phone from its charger and swiped the screen to unlock it. He blew out a sigh of both relief and frustration when he saw there was a new message from Aisla. He shouldn't have let Icy Hot work him up like that. Of course, she texted him! Ever since he gave her his stupid number, she'd been texting him every damn day.

"I'm sorry to bail on you, K.!" she wrote, "Mr. Aizawa really wants to work with me on my ultimate move today. I know I said we could talk tonight but I think this might run late. Can it wait until tomorrow? If not, you can text me whatever you wanted and I'll respond when I get back to my room! I'll see you in class tomorrow, okay? Have a good night!"

"'K.,'" he grumbled. "I hate when she shortens my name in texts." Was she trying to be cute? His name was Katsuki, goddammit! Although, he supposed that was preferable to her giving him a dumbass nickname like "darling" or "sweetie". He hated when couples used pet names. He would die a painful death before ever uttering the name "babe."

He chewed the inside of his lip while he decided what he should say in return. It would be easier to ask her to hang out with him if it was through the phone, but…

No, I have to do this in person for once, he reminded himself.

With that in mind, he changed into some shorts and a black t-shirt before heading down for dinner. He ate quickly and tried to ignore his annoying classmates who attempted to engage him in conversation. He was too irritated to talk to any of them—even Kirishima, who gave him a dejected look when Katsuki snapped at him before stomping out of the room.

After dinner, he got ready for bed because he would rather sleep than hang out with any of those losers downstairs. It sounded like they were having some kind of video game duel, which would have been fun if Katsuki's head hadn't been pounding like a jackhammer against his skull. It didn't take long for him to drift off, despite the headache, and soon he felt the sweet relief of sleep.

Unfortunately, that didn't last as long as he'd hoped. After what felt like minutes or even seconds later, he heard his door creak open and saw light spilling in momentarily. At first, he thought he must have only dreamed the interruption and chose to ignore it. Then, he felt something slide into the bed with him and wrap a hesitant arm around him from behind. A small hand splayed out on his chest and his eyes shot open.

"Your heart is beating so fast," she remarked in a whisper.

"Aisla!" he hissed through gritted teeth. "You can't be in here!"

"You didn't answer my message…" she explained as she buried her face in his shoulder. "I was worried you were upset."

"So, you decided to break into my room?" he deadpanned.

"I didn't break in," she protested. "The door was unlocked. I just…I don't know. I wanted to make sure we were okay."

He let out a soft sigh. "Aisla, you can't keep doing this. Someone is going to—"

"Shh…" she shushed him softly as her hand glided up his chest, making his heart race even faster. "I was having another nightmare…" she whispered against him, and this time he felt her breath tickle his neck.

Shit. He couldn't just kick her out after that confession. He knew she was prone to nightmares about her previous bullying and about him. All those insecurities stacked up and sometimes she was like this—scared and lonely. "What happened?"

She breathed out a sigh. "You were there…" she began in a barely audible tone. "You changed sides, decided to become a part of the league of villains." He felt her shudder as her arm tightened around him, and when she spoke again her voice was hoarse like she was choking back sobs. "You…you tried to kill me."

Abruptly and without thinking, he peeled her arm from his body and turned around to face her. Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes.

So she didn't just come here to check if I was upset, he realized. She came to make sure that dream wasn't real.

He brushed the tears from her eyes. "Stop that. I'd never become a villain, you know me. I'm too awesome to be like them! Didn't you see me on the news during the summer? Those League assholes tried to get me to switch sides but it didn't work! I put up with their bullshit for days and not even that was enough to win me over." He wasn't fond of talking about those memories, mostly because they led him to remembering All Might's fall from grace and the burden of guilt he still held. But Aisla needed something concrete to assure her that Katsuki was good, that he was here, that he was hers.

A small smile tried to make its way onto her lips but failed in the end.

"I won't do that stupid shit," he promised. "You don't have to be…scared of me or whatever…"

Her eyes widened even further and her hands gripped his shirt. "No, Katsuki!" she cried. "I would never think that about you. I was just…feeling vulnerable, I guess. I didn't feel safe in my own room. I needed you."

Her eyes were pleading with him, her fingers still clutching his shirt tightly as if afraid to let go. Her body trembled, and he could no longer put up a fight.

He let out a resigned sigh. "You're safe, Aisla…" he whispered. He allowed his arms to wrap around her and pull her against him so that her head lay against his chest.

They stayed like that in silence for a long moment as her sobs settled and her breathing returned to normal. And as the tendrils of sleep began to brush against his mind, he heard her say, "I've never felt safer than when I'm with you…" just before the darkness pulled him under.

END

A/N: The part with Aisla confiding in Katsuki about her nightmare is another little section pulled from In Denial. Both are small, seemingly insignificant parts, but still powerful for the characters themselves. Aisla is showing Katsuki that, no matter what it is, she feels comfortable enough to go to him. He is the person she wants to confide in. This is important for Katsuki to realize since earlier in the chapter he's doubting himself and his relationship with Aisla. He thinks she talks to Todoroki more than she does him. But in the end, it's Katsuki who Aisla goes to when she's feeling worried. Katsuki allowing her to stay with him even though it's against the rules is his way of confirming to Aisla that she's safe to come to him.

Alright, guys. Let's do the whole "resolution" thing. Who has one and what is it? I used to make a resolution list every year, but I never really followed through with any of them. I haven't made one in a few years now, honestly! If I had to make one now, I think I'd say…My resolution is to be more active. And, to write! At least one of those things will probably work! As for sweet Aisla… I believe if she were to make a resolution, she would choose something to do with her quirk. She's always trying to improve herself and become stronger. This version of Katsuki, the one who lives in Don't Deny Me, would probably make a resolution that had to do with Aisla. Maybe he wants to be a better boyfriend for her. Or maybe he just wants to be awesome in general. Who knows! XD

ALSOOOO, the assembly part of this scene was originally a part of yellowchikaddee's "The Ribbon" series. When she first started writing her own Christmas arc, we decided it would be fun to see it from different POV's. So, there's one version in "The Ribbon," one in "The Contract," and there will be a version coming up here pretty soon on Don't Deny Me!

Reviews:

LilFoxDemon666: It has definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions writing for these two! It seems like there's always something going on! I had to throw in just a little bit of drama, but the spice was definitely more fun XD I'm sorry I made you worry! That's so cute that your fiancé was worried about you! I hope this one was better!

The New Aged Hippie: It is very tricky working with Katsuki in a romantic setting for sure! I'm constantly trying to decide how he would react and think, and what things he would actually do. Thank you for saying that! It's nice to know I've been doing an okay job! XD Happy New Year to you as well!

blasttyrant: He's definitely doing better! He wants to try not to be so closed off with his feelings. But getting him there can be a challenge! He's Katsuki after all. He has to be stubborn about everything. And Aisla isn't much better. She just doesn't know she's stubborn lol. No Way Home was FREAKING GREAT! I loved it! I loved that special twist they threw in there that I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it. I had no idea they'd do that. It was so fun to see it in theaters, too. We watched so many Spider-Man movies over the holidays lol. Worth it.

MeMyselfAndI82907: So, you're saying I'm cliché? Because you're right! Lol, I can't help it. I didn't want it to escalate further than it already did, so I conveniently asked for an interruption! IRL, they probably wouldn't have been interrupted. Too bad for them this is fiction. Hey, Bakugo is awesome so if your friends want to compare you to him, thank them! He's a passionate guy. He's a hothead, sure, but he's always there to help his friends and he's always got a plan. I "mind barf" in my A/N at the end of every chapter. I get made fun of for it. Probably I'll be made fun of for what I wrote here, too. But oh well! I appreciate your thoughts and surely someone will feel the same about mine!

Beta: yellowchikadee