Chapter Twenty-Eight: Preparations
Katsuki paced the small space in his bedroom, where he'd been grumbling unintelligibly under his breath for the last two hours. His feet were going to wear holes in the floorboards at the rate he was going, but he didn't care. He'd gone from angry to annoyed to downright confused and back again at least fifty times already and the decision wasn't getting any easier.
Why does everything with her have to feel so complicated? he thought in irritation.
Life before her had been so much easier and better.
No, he argued with himself, life definitely wasn't better.
He groaned at the thought and kicked a shirt out of his path that he'd thrown on the floor earlier that day after his morning jog. He could have tossed it into the hamper but he'd been too keyed up on adrenaline and rage to care where the damn thing landed. He couldn't even enjoy his morning routine with how much his mind had been racing.
After Principal Nezu announced that they wouldn't be leaving the school for Christmas and that they'd have to endure a Christmas party of all things, Katsuki hadn't been able to stop the warring thoughts that plagued his every waking moment. He couldn't care less about returning home—his parents would probably just embarrass him anyway, and he'd be forced to entertain his ancient great-grandfather who hated his existence. Staying at school was actually ideal for him, and for a moment—a small fragment of time—he'd been happy about the idea. He didn't have to bother with family traditions or other garbage, he could stay in his dorm room and sleep, enjoying the holidays alone. But then, she had to say something, and after that, spending the holidays alone wasn't as appealing an idea.
"Do you…want to watch the sunrise together, Katsuki?"
Like always, Aisla Haru had to waltz her way right up and make him second-guess himself.
He hadn't told her "no," but he didn't agree to any sunrise viewing, cliché romantic bullshit, and he definitely never agreed to go to any stupid Christmas party with her or anyone else. He had zero intentions of dressing up in another monkey suit and parading around in front of all of his classmates. He didn't want to spend Christmas with them, but…maybe…with her…
The way Aisla looked at him—those pleading crystal irises, the slight coloring of her cheeks, the obvious want she expressed. He hated it as much as he craved it.
"You've got it bad, Bakugo," Kirishima had told him before Katsuki even knew what his feelings meant. He'd been in denial back then, too, just like he was now.
"DAMN YOU, AISLA HARU!" he shouted.
A knock sounded on the door.
He froze as his words echoed in the empty room like a slap.
It was her, it had to be. He'd just cursed her name and here she was, probably with that bodyguard of hers in tow, Todo-Fucking-Roki.
He considered his options. He could pretend he wasn't there, but she'd probably heard his shout and wouldn't leave without seeing him. Maybe he could hide? Jump out the window? Run past her?
Another knock, this one more persistent.
With a groan, he threw open the door, ready to block an attack if need be. But, to his relief, it wasn't Aisla standing there.
"Oh, it's you," he said flatly and walked back in the room without bothering to invite the intruder inside.
"Of course, it is!" Kirishima stepped inside and shut the door behind him. "Who else would be coming to your room at this hour?" he joked, then his eyes widened dramatically. "Wait, were you expecting Aisla? I can leave if you have plans or—"
Katsuki growled. "SHUT UP! I WASN'T EXPECTING ANYONE!"
Kirishima laughed. "Yeah, your face says it all! Speaking of Aisla…"
"WHO THE HELL SAID ANYTHING ABOUT AISLA?!"
"I heard she's going to the Christmas party tonight~" he continued in a sing-song voice.
Katsuki sneered. "I don't give a shit. I'm not going."
"Why not, man?"
"I'M TIRED, OKAY?!" he yelled.
"That's no excuse," Kirishima said with an eye roll. "Come on, just a few minutes? I bet she'll look super cute!"
"I HAVE A HEADACHE!" he roared.
Kirishima snorted. "Nice try, but you don't get headaches. You don't have a good enough excuse not to go other than you're too afraid to see Aisla there." He smirked.
"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR, OKAY?!" he snarled.
Kirishima gave him a triumphant look. "AH-HA! I knew that would be your excuse!" With a flourish, he deposited a garment bag right onto Katsuki's bed.
"KIRISHIMA…" he seethed.
"You know, one day Aisla's gonna use the same kind of excuses and you're not gonna like it," Kirishima warned with a shrug.
"The hell is that supposed to mean?" he barked, feeling an unwarranted heat spread across his cheeks that had nothing to do with his increasing anger.
Kirishima's eyes twinkled as if he had been implying exactly what had crossed Katsuki's mind. "Just saying you're like a chick." He grinned innocently.
"DO YOU WANNA DIE?!"
His friend laughed. "Come on, Katsuki. You have to admit that seeing Aisla in a pretty dress wouldn't be so horrible. Maybe she'll even dance with you."
"DO I LOOK LIKE I DANCE?!" Katsuki kicked the shirt across the floor in his rage. It slid under his bed.
"Not really," he admitted casually.
Katsuki growled.
"You know, if you don't go then she'll just end up dancing with someone else." His eyes lit up with mischief. "Actually, maybe I'll just ask her myself. She can dance with me and Hana!"
Katsuki had no idea if this was a genuine idea or not. Kirishima was an idiot sometimes. If he thought he was really going to dance with Aisla in Katsuki's place, then…
"FINE! I'LL GO, DAMMIT!"
"That's my boy!" Kirishima slapped his back, earning a rage-filled glare in return. He laughed uncomfortably. "Anyway…how about that suit?"
Katsuki ignored him and locked himself in the bathroom. He stared at his reflection while Kirishima prattled on in his bedroom about Kanzashi. His mirrored image looked angry, mean, and disappointed all at the same time. But there was another emotion hidden just below the surface, one that he refused to really see.
He turned away from his other self and decided he may as well get this thing over with. He'd make an appearance, only because he wanted Kirishima to get the hell off his back, then he'd leave the first chance he got. He didn't even care if Aisla was there because he wasn't going to look for her and he'd be damned if anyone thought he was getting himself anywhere near a dancefloor. He was just going to appease Kirishima and to get in on the buffet table. That was all.
"Come on, Princess! Let's get going before Aisla and Hana start dancing with each other instead of us!" A short pause. "On second thought, take your time, man. I'd love to see that!"
Katsuki burst through the bathroom door, red eyes furious. "GET. OUT."
Kirishima jumped up from his spot on Katsuki's bed and nearly tripped in his haste to stand. He put his hands out in a placating gesture as if warding off an angry animal and not his best friend. "I-I was only joking! Of course, the girls wouldn't dance with each other! I mean, Hana wouldn't, but maybe Aisla—"
"KIRISHIMA!"
He winked. "Don't sweat it. You know she doesn't want anyone but you!"
"I hate this stupid suit," Katsuki complained as he snatched the thing from the garment bag. It was a red button-down with a black vest. Fortunately, it didn't come with a stupid jacket, but it did have a tie. "Why didn't you bring me something cooler?!"
"Because you looked so good in it the last time you wore it!" he expressed.
Katsuki bristled. "I'VE NEVER WORN THIS SHIT BEFORE!"
Kirishima thought about it. "Hmm, nope, you definitely have! I distinctly remember you wearing this during our summer vacation to I-Island."
He took the suit into the bathroom to change, grumbling under his breath about how ridiculous that whole trip had been. The last time he'd had to put on this thing was when they were attacked by villains during summer vacation. He could only hope to be that fortunate tonight.
He put the thing on, then stared angrily at his hair for ten straight minutes until Kirishima came pushing through the door without so much as a knock.
"Hey, man, we gotta—oh." He saw Katsuki's attempt at 'hairstyling' and laughed boisterously. "Wow, you could really use a few pointers!"
"DO YOU WANNA DIE?!" he threatened. "YOURS LOOKS JUST AS STUPID!"
"Let me help you tame that mane! You'll look so great!"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT HAIR!"
"I think you do," Kirishima argued, already pulling the brush from Katsuki's hand and trying to force it through his tangled hair. "Hold still a minute!"
"THAT FUCKING HURTS!" he roared.
"Then stop wiggling around!" Kirishima yelled back, tugging some more.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Stop being such a chick and let me do your hair!" Kirishima chastised.
"I. HATE. YOU." Katsuki raged.
After what felt like an hour of abuse from Katsuki's hairbrush, Kirishima finally gave up trying to style the unruly locks.
"Well, that's the best I can do," he said with a shrug. He plucked out a whole head of hair from the brush and deposited it in the waste bin next to the sink.
"It looks the same," Katsuki grumbled. "That was such a waste of time!"
"It wasn't a total waste of time. Now, when Aisla runs her long, girly fingers through your hair they won't get stuck in a rat's nest! You're welcome!"
Katsuki gave him a death glare to which he promptly ignored in favor of pulling Katsuki from the bathroom and out into the hallway.
"Time to go, Romeo! Let's go find our hot dates!"
"YOU ARE SO DEAD!"
Aisla was surrounded by girls. Every girl in class UA invaded her room. The only person noticeably absent was Mina, who claimed she needed to go pick up her dress that she'd had specially made for this event. Aisla would have appreciated her advice since she was the only other person she knew with a boyfriend at the moment—even though that situation was weird and had happened out of nowhere and Roan Fujinari looked about as dateable as a crocodile—but she respected her decision to get ready alone. There were enough girls around her already and there was only so much Aisla could take at one time.
The group had gathered in Aisla's room a full three hours before the Christmas party. She'd invited them all over in the hopes of gaining some advice on how to go about her evening. Even though she and Katsuki were a couple now, that didn't mean they always acted like it. There were times when he'd want to hang out with her all the time, and then there were the moments where he'd avoid her for no reason.
Since their almost-breakup thanks to Katsuki's great-grandfather, things had been significantly better between them. He spent a lot more time with her and was even making an effort to get to know her on a more personal level. They spent a lot of mornings simply talking over breakfast. It was her favorite time of day. He would ask her questions about herself or her life and would offer up answers to anything she asked in return.
Then, there were the late-night cuddle sessions that had become a more regular part of their lives. Sometimes, after everyone had already gone to sleep, Aisla would sneak into his room and snuggle up against his back. Nothing felt better than that sort of intimate contact with another person. It felt comforting and safe to be in his arms.
And yet, when she'd asked him if he would go with her to this party, his reaction had been…questionable. Maybe it was because it was a formal event and there would be dancing, but for whatever reason, Katsuki kept dodging the question as to whether or not he'd show up tonight. So, here she was trying to doll herself up for a boy she wasn't even sure would be there. There was a good chance that his pride would keep him in his room alone. Aisla wouldn't be able to hide her disappointment if that happened. She didn't want to spend the whole night hanging out with the girls, as much as she loved doing that. It was Christmas, and if she couldn't spend it with her parents and sister, then she wanted to spend it with everyone else she cared about, including Katsuki.
She needed to come up with a plan, just in case he actually came tonight. She knew without a doubt that there was no way she would get him to dance with her. He was too insecure to be seen dancing in front of the whole school. She didn't blame him…still, despite knowing her chances were next to nil, she dared to hope for at least one dance.
"Hello! Earth to Aisla!" Hagakure snapped her invisible fingers in front of her face.
Aisla shook her head to clear the daze from her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"I asked if you had a dress picked out already!" Hagakure cried.
Aisla laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry! No, I haven't decided what to wear yet. I was hoping for some advice on that, honestly…" She looked away and twirled the ends of her long hair. It was freshly cleaned and blown dry, leaving it silky and free from hair spray or mousse.
"We can totally help you with that!" Ochaco exclaimed.
"You want to impress Bakugo, right?" Momo guessed.
Aisla flushed and decided now was a really good time to look through her drawing pad. "I, uh, don't know what you're talking about!" she stammered as she casually flipped through pages. She stopped when she reached the one she'd drawn with Katsuki's help. His Jail Bird villain looked back at her with a knowing smirk, as if taunting her.
"We already know you two are a couple," Hagakure added seriously.
"Yeah, totally!" Ochaco agreed. "You two are adorable! Although, I do find it surprising that you'd go for Bakugo of all people."
"Same," Tsu said with a ribbit. "You're so nice and Bakugo is so…"
"Not," finished Jiro. They all burst into laughter. Even Aisla couldn't stop herself from joining in. They were right, after all. Katsuki Bakugo was rarely nice to anyone, even Aisla. She thought he was probably nicer to her than anyone else, but that wasn't always the case either. At least, not when he was feeling embarrassed.
"What were you thinking as far as a color scheme?" Momo asked, turning thoughtful. "If you have an image in mind, I can probably make something for you."
Aisla started. "Oh, no! I wouldn't ask you to do that! It's Christmas—"
"Exactly!" Momo cut her off. "Think of it as a Christmas gift. Now, let's think, girls! What colors would look best on our darling Aisla?"
"I think blue would bring out her eyes!" Hagakure suggested.
"That's too cliché," Tsu commented.
"How about red?" Jiro offered. "Like an explosion."
They all laughed again at that.
"I don't know…" Aisla thought about it. She wore red occasionally but didn't think it was really her color. Plus, the red seemed more cliché to her than blue, seeing as everyone wore that color on Christmas. She agreed that blue was off the table, though, since she'd already worn her blue dress several times. She wanted something different for this occasion. Something special.
"What about white?"
They all turned to Ochaco who had a serious look in her eyes.
"It's angelic," she explained with a shrug.
"Aisla Haru, the angel of Christmas!" Hagakure cried dramatically. "You'll look just like the tree topper! It's perfect!"
Aisla didn't wear a lot of white since it tended to make her look paler than her already translucent skin tone, but…
You'll look just like the tree topper!
What would Katsuki think about that? Would he think she looked angelic? Would she shine enough to encourage just one dance?
"Maybe it could work?" she offered with a half-hearted shrug.
"Yeah!" they agreed in unison.
Momo set to work coming up with a design for a dress with Ochaco and Hagakure, while Tsu and Jiro painted Aisla's nails and helped curl the ends of her hair into natural waves.
"Now, some makeup!" Hagakure cheered and pulled out a bag with a flourish.
Aisla slumped.
Jiro laughed. "Just a little bit, to accentuate your already adorable features."
"Yeah!" Ochaco agreed, looking up from where she was helping Momo sketch out a dress. She pulled the paper out from under the other girl's pen and held it up for the other's inspection. "How's this, ladies?"
Hagakure oohed. "Oh, that would look so cute on you!"
"It would suit you," Jiro said with a nod.
Aisla inspected the design carefully, then gave the girls a thumbs-up. "It looks great!"
They all cheered and Momo used her quirk to bring the design to life.
"Put it on!" Ochaco exclaimed, jumping up and down as if she was more excited than Aisla was. That was probably the case, honestly. Aisla was too nervous to be excited, not about the dress itself but for the reason she would be wearing it.
Is this enough? she wondered. Will you see me, Katsuki?
She slipped it on and took in the completed look in the full-length mirror. It was a simple knee-length dress that hugged the waist tightly and fanned out in a double skirt. The inside layer was white lace, and there was a pattern of cherry blossom petals scattered throughout the top like they were falling through the air. The petals were a pastel pink reminiscent of the real thing. The dress straps were thin, showing off more of her shoulders than she usually allowed, but somehow it felt right on this dress. There was a matching pink ribbon that laced up her back and tied around the base of her neck in a bow.
The shoes were a glittering silver and surprisingly more comfortable than they looked. They were a short wedge, which she appreciated since she didn't like wearing tall heels. She was fairly short but that wasn't a feature she cared too much about, so she didn't go out of her way to look taller as some of the other girls did.
She spun slowly in a circle to get the full look before turning to her friends with questioning brows as if to say, what do you think?
"Awesome!" Hagakure cheered.
"Just like an angel!" Ochaco cooed.
"Lovely," Tsu and Momo said simultaneously.
Jiro nodded. "I think your boyfriend will like it."
Aisla's whole face flushed. "Oh…well…do you really think so?"
They all nodded in affirmation.
Just then, a new voice chimed in. "He'll totally dig you, girl! Get your hot ass out there!"
They all turned toward the door in surprise. Aisla didn't even hear it open in all the chaos surrounding her dress. When she saw the person standing there, her eyes widened.
"Mina! You came!"
The other girl shot her a thumbs-up and a wink. "That's right! Mina Ashido to the rescue!"
"But I thought you were…busy, or something?" Ochaco mumbled.
Mina's smile slipped, but only for a fraction of a second. "I had a few spare minutes, don't worry! So, what's the plan, girls?"
"Plan?" Aisla echoed.
"To get your boy to fall head over heels in love with you, duh!" She rolled her dark eyes. "Any ideas?"
"We use the power of feminine wiles!" Hagakure suggested dramatically.
"No," Aisla said with finality. "That never works. And besides…I'm not, you know, sexy or whatever…"
Mina burst into laughter. "It's not about being sexy, you cutie. It's all about confidence! What's that saying? Oh yeah! Fake it til ya make it!"
"Yeah!" Hagakure chirped.
Aisla slumped in a chair. "I don't know. I'm not naturally very confident."
Mina considered this, then walked across the room to stand in front of Aisla. She leaned in close until they were at eye level. "You wanna know a secret, Aisla Haru?"
The blonde nodded slowly.
"None of us here is confident. We all struggle with simple tasks like turning in a paper on time or talking to a cute boy. Making lunches for someone you don't know that well and hope they'll still enjoy. We're all scared, deep down." She straightened abruptly and turned to the others. "Right, girls?!"
"I get so embarrassed every time I go out in public!" Hagakure fretted. "I always feel like everyone is staring at me!"
Aisla opened her mouth to say something but then closed it. She was only trying to help. No reason to point out that people probably did stare at the invisible girl walking by. Even in the age where people had all sorts of different quirks, it was probably still a strange sight to see clothes floating by with no one inside them.
"When I try to talk to Deku, I get so nervous sometimes that I can't even speak actual words," Ochaco offered meekly.
Aisla couldn't help but smile at that. At least one person knew the struggles of trying to get a boy to notice you.
"Even though I may look sure of myself," Momo began, "the way my quirk works is pretty embarrassing sometimes. I mean, I have to open my shirt."
Aisla giggled. "That's true. At least I can keep my clothes on."
"You see? We all have things we're scared of or embarrassed about!" Mina pointed out. "And we all find a way to look past it and do what has to be done. Like talking to your grenade!"
Aisla thought about it. Her friends did have a point. Maybe she could try to be a little more confident?
She smiled. "Okay, I'll do it!"
"Yay!" Mina and Hagakure cheered.
"So, what's the goal for tonight?" asked Jiro.
"I really just want to spend time with him," Aisla admitted sheepishly, tugging at the end of a curl while she spoke and letting it spring back into place. "Is that lame?" She spent a lot of time with him as it was, but most of that involved training together or small-talk over breakfast. Tonight felt special. It felt romantic. She wanted him to really see her.
"No!" they all exclaimed in unison.
"Of course not," Tsu said sincerely. "But maybe you could ask him to dance, too?"
"I think a huge part will be trying to get him there at all," Mina mused.
"That's for sure," Aisla agreed tiredly. Already, the disappointment for what was to come was weighing her down. She had half the mind to fake a headache and stay in her room for the rest of the night, but she knew her friends wouldn't buy it. They would probably drag her there by her hair if she didn't suck it up and go.
I wish I was more like you, Mina.
"I bet I know how to get that hothead to dance with you!" Mina suddenly exclaimed. "We make him jealous!"
Aisla sighed. "I don't know if he's the jealous type…"
This was met with several stunned faces, as if none of the girls could believe she'd said it.
Aisla shrugged, feeling embarrassed. She didn't think Katsuki was the jealous type. Was he?
Tsu nodded. "Oh, he definitely is."
"Yeah, you can tell he's jealous whenever he sees you around any other guy," Ochaco agreed with a giggle.
Aisla tried to remember a time she'd talked with any guy besides Katsuki or Shoto but couldn't pull up a memory thanks to her current anxiety.
"Like Deku," Ochaco pointed out, reminding her of the times she and Deku geeked out over their favorite hero merch, comparing All Might and Eraser Head figurines in the common last time they'd been laughing over an old poster of All Might, Katsuki had grabbed her by the waist and forcibly removed her from the room.
"And that one time you were hanging out with Kirishima," Mina put in. Not that Aisla spent a ton of time with the redhead, but they did have a friend in common, so sometimes they hung out, until Katsuki came and broke them apart, that is.
"And when you were baking that cake with Sato," Momo said with a nod. That had been during one of the times when Kanzashi was visiting the dorm to hang out with Kirishima. She'd been baking cookies and Sato had been baking a cake. Aisla was drawn by all the sweet smells and asked to lend a hand. She'd barely cracked an egg before Katuski stormed down the stairs and forced himself between her and Sato, offering to help bake instead.
"I remember his face when he saw you talking with Tokoyami," Tsu offered. This interaction had occurred yesterday morning. It was nothing but a morning chat, but it went over the time that she was supposed to meet up with Katsuki, so he showed up, face red and indignant, snapping something about how she preferred "bird brains" over him.
"Okay, okay!" Aisla laughed, now that the evidence was laid out before her. "I get it, he's jealous. But how am I supposed to make him jealous at a Christmas party?"
"Easy," Mina began with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "you force him to want to dance with you by making all the other boys ask you first!"
A/N: So this is PART ONE of the Christmas scene I have posted as an EC for In Denial. If any of you read that one, this was the first sort of teaser I gave for Don't Deny Me, back when I had just started working on this story. I'm excited that it has finally made its way back into the story, especially now that we have context for what's been going on between Katsuki and Aisla. I hope you all enjoy this and look forward to the next part coming up soon! Have a great day!
Reviews:
blasttyrant: Oh good, I'm glad that was as entertaining for you as it was in my head XD I thought it was so funny! And thanks for sending the meme, it was perfect!
Oh yes, my boy Shoto is something else, alright! Just you wait and see, my friend. Keep a close eye on that one.
Beta: yellowchikadee
—For those of you who are curious, this scene coincides with a scene from my darling beta's story, The Contract, which you can find in chapter 13, How to Get Ready! We decided to write our Christmas scenes together, so if you see similarities, that's the reason!