Chapter Thirty-Three: The Mysterious Gift

Valentine's Day was Aisla's new favorite holiday. She'd never given the day much thought before; Valentine's Day had just been another day. There was never a reason for her to think about it before now. She didn't have a boyfriend, and she'd been too young to fully grasp what a romantic holiday even was. Now, she had Katsuki. He made her life complete in ways she never even knew she needed until she'd met him. Every day was a new adventure with him. Some weren't always the most fun, others made her question her own sanity, but then there were days like today.

This morning, Katsuki had shown up at her door with muffins and coffee he'd acquired from a café off campus. They'd spent the early morning teasing one another and acting like children. They had fun together. She loved seeing his smile more than anything else. It was such a rare sight that each time she saw it she had to catalog it in her memory. She felt proud whenever she was able to bring forth one of his boyish grins.

Their special morning hadn't lasted long since it was a school day, but she would treasure it forever. Now, Aisla and her classmates sat at their desks while Mr. Aizawa droned on in his usual deadpan tone that no one was really paying much attention to, including Aisla. Normally, she was prompt and ready to take notes, but today, along with her fellow classmates, she had other matters on her mind.

One such matter lay wrapped in silver at the bottom of her school bag, protected by a rectangular black box. She'd been stressing over when to give him the gift and what would be the best way to do so. Traditionally, it was the girl's job to give the boy a gift on Valentine's Day, while the boy returned the favor on White Day. Katsuki had surprised her by throwing tradition to the wind and showing up this morning with presents. Not only that, but he hadn't once looked at her expectantly or commented on how she should have been spoiling him, even though girls had been handing chocolates out to their boyfriends and friends all day. Maybe Katsuki wasn't someone who paid any attention to holiday customs, or maybe…deep down he was truly just a selfless person who didn't expect handouts from anyone. Whatever the case, he didn't press her about giving him a gift, which was a relief, because Aisla was saving her present for the perfect moment. All she needed to do was find an excuse to be alone with him later. The only problem was…

Mina's party… she thought glumly, wishing she'd thought up an excuse to give Mina so she didn't have to attend.

It wasn't that she didn't want to hang out with her friends, but it seemed more important to spend time with Katsuki on a day like today. Even if this holiday was just a scam to sell cards and chocolates, Aisla thought it was romantic and wanted to use this day to get closer to her boyfriend. They were finally becoming a serious couple, the type that others knew were together and maybe even envied for their happiness. Katsuki no longer pushed her away, either. In fact, it seemed the exact opposite. They spent a lot more time together than ever before.

So, how do I get you alone tonight…? she wondered.

She knew he wasn't into candlelit dinners or anything overly romantic and/or cheesy, so her options were limited. She wanted it to be romantic and sweet and just the two of them, but she also didn't want to scare him off. And there was still the party issue—if Mina was the one organizing it, then it was sure to run until the late hours of the night. Unfortunately for Aisla, her friend had the eyes of a hawk and could detect someone trying to sneak off from a mile away.

Aisla would have to politely excuse them from the party early, but she needed a good reason that wouldn't hurt her friend's feelings and also wouldn't tip Katsuki and everyone else in the room off to her plan. She wanted it to be a surprise, though that made it even more nerve-wracking.

She turned slightly in her chair and found Katsuki's eyes. He gave her a soft smile and she couldn't help the breath she let out in response. She wanted to go to him right then and there, sit in his lap, and press her lips against his.

Flustered by his warm smile and afraid of being caught blushing by her classmates, she turned back around and focused on the board. She wasn't even sure what they were discussing today, but she was certain of one thing: she wasn't the only one spacing out and yawning during the lecture. Even Mr. Aizawa couldn't have been unaware of the lack of class participation today. He kept glowering around the room every few minutes as if irritated that he was speaking to an empty room. Aisla was no exception. She was getting his full glare right now, and his expression told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.

She slumped in her seat.

"Alright!" Mr. Aizawa finally snapped, slapping the marker he'd been using down on his desk and leaning over it to get their attention. "I know none of you want to be here today. You all probably have plans you're anxious to get to, but class is in session. Whether you like it or not, you're all stuck here for another four and a half hours, and if you can't bother to pay attention for that long, then I'm going to keep you even longer until I'm sure you've all taken in the knowledge that I'm offering. Is that clear?"

That sobered them all up. Aisla tried to pay closer attention from then on. The day felt like it was dragging agonizingly slow, as if it would never end. At the same time, her anxiety over Katsuki's potential reaction to her gift had her willing the minutes to freeze in place. Part of her, a small, almost insignificant part, was afraid that he'd reject her gift. But they'd been so good lately, she was almost positive he'd accept it. She was more excited than nervous, especially after he'd done such a thoughtful thing for her that morning.

When class finally ended for the day, Aisla and her classmates breathed a collective sigh of relief. They resisted the urge to jump up and whoop for joy while their teacher was still in the room, but as soon as he hurried out the door—probably anxious to get away from all the teenage hormones—they let loose.

"HURRAY!" Came the simultaneous cry as they leapt into the air, stood on chairs, and danced in the aisles. They may as well have already started the party with the amount of happiness going around. There weren't a lot of couples in Class 1-A, but everyone liked half days at school and any excuse to party and have fun.

Since it was just past lunch hour, they still had a few hours until they were supposed to meet up. Aisla was hoping to catch Katsuki alone to talk, in case it didn't work out later in the evening, but the girls had other plans. They surrounded her the moment she stood up from her chair, effectively blocking any escape.

"Hey, girl!" Mina chirped in her ear, landing a sloppy kiss on her cheek that Aisla promptly wiped off with her hand. "Are you ready for your big day?"

Aisla froze, eyes going wide and cheeks heating. "W-what do you mean?" she stuttered lamely.

"It's cookie baking day, duh!" Mina exclaimed dramatically.

"Well, it's cookie decorating day," Uraraka corrected with a giggle.

"Mina was up all-night baking with Sato and Kanzashi," Tsu offered.

Aisla nodded. She thought she'd heard a lot of noise drifting upstairs last night, but she'd been deep in her studying until late and hadn't even thought to take a break to investigate.

"You're going to help us, aren't you, Aisla?" Mina's tone was challenging, like she was daring Aisla to deny her request.

She tried looking past them to find Katsuki, to silently beg him to get her out of this impromptu girl-fest, but he was nowhere to be seen. Of course, when she needed him the most, he was gone.

Letting out a resigned sigh, she put on her best smile. "Of course, I'll help with the cookies!"

"Yay!" Ochaco and Hagakure cried simultaneously as they threw their arms around Aisla in an embrace.

This time, her smile wasn't forced.

Spending three hours painting cookies wasn't Aisla's first choice when it came to 'fun,' but it was admittedly much more enjoyable than she'd anticipated. She found herself laughing and making jokes with the other girls and completely lost track of time. Before she knew it, dinner time had rolled around and they were packing up their spoils for the party.

Since this wasn't a UA sponsored event, like the Christmas and New Year's parties, it was up to the students themselves to handle all of the decorations, entertainment, and food. A venue was also not included. They were, however, given permission to extend curfew an extra hour so long as the music didn't disturb the nearby dorms. Which really meant, don't disturb Mr. Aizawa.

With nowhere else to go, they were setting up in their own dorm common area, with refreshments conveniently placed in the kitchen, waiting and ready to be consumed in the next few hours. As far as entertainment was concerned…

"We were hoping you could convince your boyfriend to be the drummer for tonight," said Momo.

"It would be so fun to have a live band!" Mina agreed. "But it wouldn't be very fun without a drummer, and Bakugo is the only one we know!"

Aisla giggled. "I'm not sure if he'll listen to me, but I'll give it a shot!"

"Hurray!" Mina cheered. "If we can get Grouchugo to drum for us, then we've got ourselves a party!" She hugged her tightly, then left an arm around her waist as she steered her away from the group, whispering conspiratorially into her ear. "So, Aisla, what do you think about…making out?"

Aisla choked on air for a long moment before she was able to pull herself together. Mina was looking at her with an expectant expression. "What?" she hissed in return, hoping she'd heard her wrong.

"You know… kissing?" She made a kissy face at Aisla for emphasis.

"What are you asking me exactly?" Aisla asked in confusion.

Mina sighed and dropped the arm holding Aisla hostage. "It's Roan," she confessed.

Aisla frowned. "That business course student you forced to ask me to dance at the Christmas party?" she teased. She had a really hard time keeping up with that roller coaster of a relationship, but she thought that maybe they were officially dating now?

Mina gave her an embarrassed laugh. "Yeah…we've been sort of…I don't know, hanging out, I guess?" She shrugged one shoulder.

"You guess?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I mean sometimes we watch movies or play games, but mostly he just wants to…you know."

Aisla blinked, having no idea what she was getting at.

Her friend sighed. "You know," she repeated with emphasis. "Kissing stuff?" She put the fingers together on both hands and made her hands kiss each other to really drive the point home.

Aisla's mouth formed a silent 'O.'

"Yeah," Mina agreed. "But he's being weird about it." Her hands fell and she groaned.

"Um, weird how?" Then a thought came to mind and her eyes widened. "He's not trying to like, pressure you, is he?" It was so hard to imagine something like that. Mina was so outspoken and strong-willed, while the creepy forest gargoyle kid was more timid than a mouse. Was he really forcing himself on her?

"No, no!" Mina said quickly. "Nothing like that, I swear. Actually, it's kind of the opposite. But since I've never really been in a relationship before and you seem to be doing a pretty great job, I wanted to ask your opinions. Maybe even get some advice on how to deal with shy little cuties?" She batted her eyes hopefully.

Aisla shook her head in amusement. "What can I help with?"

"Okay, so you and Bakugo make out, right?" she asked bluntly.

Aisla coughed, then cleared her throat. "I mean…y-yeah?" They weren't very public about their displays of affection, but she knew better than to try to lie to Mina about what they were doing in private.

"Okay, but like how often would you say?" she pressed. "Like, can you count the times on your hands?" She held up her pink ones for emphasis.

Aisla gave a breathy laugh. "Uh, I haven't really counted to be perfectly honest, but if I had to say…" she grew thoughtful for a moment. "Less than ten? Um…that's like, actual making out, not just kissing."

Mina deflated. "That's all? You mean it's not like an everyday thing where he doesn't want to do anything except make out with you for hours and refuses to call you his girlfriend even though the two of you went through hell together, were in a fake relationship, broke up, and got back together again for real?" Aisla frowned at this extremely specific scenario while Mina heaved out a sigh and puckered her lips. "I guess it really is me."

"What is?"

Mina brushed off her comment. "Oh, nothing! I just need to have a conversation with RoRo sometime. But not today!" She pumped a fist into the air. "Today, we celebrate!"

"With kissing?" Aisla teased.

Mina gave her a wink. "Keep being cute and I might just kiss you!" She turned on her and tickled her sides, making Aisla laugh. She recalled her morning with Katsuki when he had done something similar. Mina released her much faster than he had and stepped back with a grandiose bow. "Good day, my fair Aisla! Go and speak with your most angriest count, and tonight, our wicked plan will commence!" she proclaimed, making Aisla feel more like this was a Halloween party than a Valentine's Day one.

Aisla giggled, promised once more to speak with Katsuki, then waved as her friend skipped off toward the 1-J dorm.

Aisla shook her head in amusement before turning back inside. Only, her ankle twisted on her way through the door and she tumbled right onto her face.

"Ow," she complained as she started to get up.

Suddenly, a strong pair of arms went around her and helped her to her feet. She'd been in Katsuki's arms enough times to know it wasn't him who had come to her aid, but she was surprised to find who had helped her.

Her eyes registered her shock. "M-Mr. Aizawa!" she exclaimed, feeling suddenly nervous under his watchful eye. "What are you doing here, sir?"

He quirked his head to the side and gave her a curious expression. "What are you doing tonight?" His tone was accusatory as if he'd already made up his mind on what he thought they were doing.

Aisla felt flustered but wasn't sure why. Why was her teacher in her dorm at this hour? Usually, once classes ended, he tried his best to avoid Class 1-A. So, what was he doing looming in the doorway?

"Um…" she stammered, "the party? I mean, it's nothing huge!" she quickly added. "It's just a small get-together here at the dorm, which was approved by yourself and Principal Nezu."

"I'm aware," he deadpanned.

"We won't be loud, and we already cleaned up our cookie mess, oh and don't worry, we'll totally clean up our—" she paused mid-sentence as an idea struck her. "Oh! Did you want to join us, Mr. Aizawa? Is that why you're here?"

His eyes dilated. "God no," he replied with a visible shudder. "I was looking for you, not a cesspool of hormones."

She frowned. "But you asked—"

"What you're doing tonight," he finished. "Well?"

Her eyes widened. "Wait, just me?"

He shrugged. "It's my job as a professor at this institution to keep an eye on my students. And you, Miss Haru, are spending a lot of time spacing out and even more time neglecting your lessons."

It was the lecture about her quirk all over again. When she'd been caught trying to practice her ultimate move with Katsuki and Todoroki and he'd chewed her out. But she hadn't done that in secret, not since he'd offered to—

Oh.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, dipping into a low bow. "I know I haven't been showing up to the extra lessons as often—"

"Try not at all," he corrected. He was using his 'no-nonsense' tone, and his expression said he wasn't going to buy whatever excuse she concocted.

She let out a resigned sigh. "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't neglect my lessons."

"Aisla." Mr. Aizawa put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay not to show up to every extra lesson. It's okay if you need to take some time to do your own thing. You're a teenage girl; I don't expect for you to submit all of your free time to training with your boring instructor. What I do expect," he went on, "is for you to at least let me know when you're going to bail so I don't have to stand around waiting."

Aisla thought there was a silent, 'I have better things to do, you know,' at the end of that spiel.

She bowed as low as a dress like hers would allow. "I apologize for any inconvenience. I promise to let you know if I plan on taking some time off from now on!"

"Good." He let out an audible breath. "Now, get out of my sight before Bakugo's eyes bore holes into both of our skulls."

Aisla snapped to attention at once, eyes immediately searching the room for blond hair and red eyes. When she found him, he was staring unabashedly at the two of them, expression hard.

She let out a nervous laugh. "Right…I'll take care of that. Have a good night, sir!"

She raced off to greet Katsuki and threw herself right into his arms. He stumbled, regained his footing, and chuckled in her ear.

"You weirdo," he greeted, then wrapped his arms around her back to keep her from falling. "Why are you being such a spaz?"

"Because I—"

"Aisla!" shouted a feminine voice. "Did you ask him?!"

Katsuki growled and let her slowly slide back onto her feet. He kept a protective—or maybe it was more possessive—hand clamped around her arm when she turned around.

Hagakure stood there in her bright red tank top with the fluffy pink heart in the center.

"Not yet," said Aisla pointedly, glancing up at a fuming Katsuki before reverting her gaze back to Hagakure's. "I just found him, actually. I was talking to Mina."

"Well, hurry and ask him, girl!" Hagakure cried. "We have a song to rehearse!"

"What's she going on about?" he asked when she left them alone.

Aisla turned back to him. "Katsuki?" she said sweetly, eyelashes fluttering in that way she knew he hated. His eyes narrowed as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do. "Remember at the school festival…when you made everyone shout our name from the rooftops because of your awesome drumming?" More eyelash batting.

"Of course. I rocked their world!" he agreed.

Aisla placed an arm on his chest and gave him her best demure look. "Would you maybe…rock my world?"

As soon as the words were out, she wished she could take them back, fling them deep in outer space and join them there for eternity. What was wrong with her? That wasn't what she meant to say! She was supposed to ask him to be their drummer for the night, not…whatever the heck that meant!

"Oh god," she fretted, pulling away from him and tugging on her hair. "I-I-I didn't mean that!" she finally spat. "I'm sorry! I just meant that…" Her whole body was hot as a flame and she was certain he could see the blush that took over her usually pale skin. "Well, the girls and I were talking and…"

"Hey." He grabbed hold of her hands as they threatened to rip the strands from her head in her sudden panic. "Stop that. You'll mess up your curls."

His touch made her feel calmer, though only for a moment. "Would you want to be the drummer tonight?" she pleaded softly, eyes downcast in her shame. She was never going to live those words down. She would have to move to another country, back to America, maybe—was she still technically a citizen there? She would have to get a new name, a new identity and hide for—

He pinched the side of her arm.

"Ow!" she cried. "What was that for?"

"I'll do it if you stop beating yourself up," he said. He couldn't quite meet her gaze either, but she thought she saw a barely discernible blush on his cheeks.

"You…will?" She was surprised by his immediate acceptance. She'd expected a fight, war even, and had planned out a multitude of different conversations in her head where she would beg for his help. But all she'd had to do was ask? "You're not gonna ask what song it is or who's in the band?"

He snorted. "Aisla, if I'm up there, it won't matter who else is in the band because all anyone will see is me." He flashed her a wide-toothed grin.

She giggled in response. "Okay! Thank you, Katsuki. I can't wait to see you up there! And then…" she trailed off, feeling the embarrassment sink in once more.

"Talk to me, Aisla," he commanded gently.

She took a deep, steadying breath. "Well, later, if it's okay with you…would you mind…going somewhere with me? Like…alone?" She pleaded with her eyes, hoping he'd take her offer, even after her humiliating words.

He studied her for a moment with an unreadable expression. She wondered what he was thinking about. Finally, he gave her a soft smile. "I'll go with you, Aisla." Then he looked away and scowled. "Has to be better than this stupid Valentine's Day party Racoon Eyes has planned anyway."

She giggled. "I don't know about that. I just want to give you something."

Surprise lit his features. "Me?"

"Of course!" she laughed. "Who else?"

"I just…" He cupped the back of his neck nervously. "I figured you don't buy into the Valentine's Day bullshit and that was why you didn't…" He cleared his throat. "Not like I expected you to or anything! I don't like chocolates anyway, and I'd rather be the one giving presents, so—"

She interrupted his rant with a smile. "I didn't forget and I do care. I want to give you something. Please?"

He hesitated. "I don't know, Aisla…" He closed his eyes.

She took his hand in hers and squeezed. "You've already done so much for me today. I had the best morning because of you. And…if you accept my gift, that will make me so happy."

He allowed himself a small smile. "Alright. Let's go right now."

She giggled as he tried to pull her away. "No! Mina will hunt us down if we don't at least make an appearance. Besides…" her stomach rumbled, and she trailed off with a sheepish smile.

He laughed. "Oh, I see. You want me to feed you. Can't have you withering away before this lame ass party, can we?"

She beamed up at him. "I knew you'd understand!"

"Wait, what song are we doing?" he asked as they walked toward the dining hall.

She turned a mischievous grin behind her. "Oh, I think you'll just love it."

A/N: Welcome back to this mini-arc! Fun fact: when I started writing this Valentine's Day thing it was only supposed to be one chapter. Somehow, it ended up being three. Not sure what happened there. But lucky for you all, the fun goes on! I think you'll find the next chapter to be quite entertaining, as well! Come back next week to see how this party turns out! Have a great week, everyone! And thank you all SO MUCH for taking this journey with me! You're an awesome audience!

Reviews:

MeMyselfAndI82907: That is a trope that I utilize on occasion, for sure! It's always more fun when someone interrupts lol. Oooh, interesting quirk idea! Love it~

Blasttyrant: "When he tries to be" is correct! Sometimes, that boy astounds me. But I loved seeing him go out of his way to do something simple like getting Aisla muffins. I also really like the grouchy old man XD

Kibaschick: Oh my, such flattery! Thank you so much! I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying it so far! Thank you for the thoughtful review, once more! Good to see you back!

LilFoxDemon666: Welcome back! It's so good to hear from you again! Thank you for taking the time to read this and review! It is much appreciated! I'm glad you find the dialogue to be entertaining! Sometimes, it's hard to find something funny to say. Oh, I think we were all disappointed that Katsuki was only dreaming. Except for Aisla, who was unaware lol.

Beta: yellowchikadee

(PS: If you all hate the title, blame my beta. She chose it lol. My suggestion was worse, trust me.)