Chapter Fifty-Four: Penitence

Waiting an entire week to hear the results of their final exams was a nightmare. Katsuki spent the first few days hitting trees and avoiding his classmates, then roamed the near-empty halls while everyone else finished their exams. He wondered if his other classmates were having as hard of a time as Katsuki and his team had, but then decided that Aizawa had probably been screwing with him again—targeting Katsuki's group simply because he was in it.

On the day of the results, Katsuki was the first one in the classroom. He'd made it a full ten minutes before Iida or Yaoyorozu came into the room, then waited impatiently for their teacher to show up. He waited while all the other students filed in, including a frazzled-looking Aisla who actually gave him a small nod of greeting for once before settling into her chair.

His cheeks heated when he recalled how she'd cried out his name during their test. In her panic, it was his name she'd called out—not the name of her beloved Todo.

Pride filled him at this knowledge, even though she hadn't given him the time of day even once since then. He knew she'd been in and out of the infirmary for a few days, recovering from the damage she'd taken during the exam, but he didn't see her at all when she finally came back to the dorms. He thought she might have been avoiding him again, but…

That smile.

He couldn't resist the twitching of his own lips in response, even after she turned away.

Finally, their teacher walked into the room, dragging his sleeping bag behind him with one hand. He had a stack of papers tucked under one arm, and held an applesauce pouch between his lips. Katsuki wondered why a grown-ass man would be caught dead sucking on baby food, but he didn't really care at the moment.

Katsuki needed to know what was written on the papers that he lazily placed on the edge of his desk. He scowled as his teacher took his sweet time setting down his sleeping bag, stretching, rearranging papers, drawing his own damn name on the chalkboard as if they were all too stupid to remember it. Then, at last, he turned to face them all.

"Good morning," he greeted. "I know you're all eager to know the results of your exams, and I just have to say…" he paused and looked them each dead in the eyes, landing lastly on Katsuki's red-eyed gaze. "You all have passed."

Cheers erupted around them as everyone jumped up from their chairs and celebrated the good news.

Aisla looked back and gave him a beaming smile that made his heart melt. "We did it," she said softly.

Because of you, he silently added. He didn't miss the shiny black ribbon in her hair as she turned back around, or the cursive 'A' that winked back at him from one of its tails. Katsuki allowed a small, pleased smile at the sight of it as he recalled the day he'd given it to her. The way her face had lit up as if he'd presented her with diamonds rather than a simple hair ribbon, and how she'd worn it nearly every day after that.

You're still wearing it, he thought as his class continued to cheer around him. I wonder if you think of me when you wear it, the same way I think of you when I wear this ring…

"SILENCE!" Mr. Aizawa roared, eyes gleaming red from his quirk. They instantly stopped talking and sat at attention, waiting for what their teacher would say next. "I understand you're all excited, but we're still in class, which means I get to do the talking. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" they all agreed simultaneously.

"Good." Mr. Aizawa walked around his desk and leaned casually against it, arms crossed over his chest as his gaze moved over his students. "This morning we will be discussing your upcoming summer vacation."

Everyone perked up at that but remained quiet as their teacher continued speaking.

"Principal Nezu has been talking with the teachers, myself included, to decide whether you should be allowed to go home for the break," he went on. "We all believe that it would be in the best interest of our students to send you to a summer training retreat again this year. This decision has been met with some opposition after what happened last year, but we're all confident in the location we've chosen for this summer's training."

Katsuki scowled at the idea of another training camp. The last one he'd attended had been god-awful. Not only had he been forced to create his own meals, but then he'd been kidnapped by villains, and rescued by Deku. He would never live down that humiliation as long as he lived.

"However," Mr. Aizawa added, interrupting the murmuring in the room, "that's not all. Principal Nezu insisted on throwing a celebration sometime during the last week for all students who managed to pass their exams."

More hollering from his classmates, including a small, pleased grin from the girl in front of him. He couldn't see her whole face, but he could tell what expression she wore based on the soft sigh she let out and the slight lifting of her cheek on her left side.

He wanted to see her smile at him again, but then she pulled out a strand of hair from behind her ear and started twisting it around her fingers as Aizawa droned on. Katsuki had the sudden urge to reach out and feel the strands between his own fingers, like he used to do when she was in his arms…

He sighed and shook off the thought as he tuned back into what his teacher was saying.

"This year, we'll be attending a two-week training event with class 2-B. This is not a competition—I'm talking to you, Bakugo," he warned.

Katsuki scoffed and crossed his arms.

"All hero course students have been invited to participate in this training," Mr. Aizawa went on. "A special event has been set up in order to help you all get some extra training over summer break. I know some of you were looking forward to taking trips with your families this year, but we were all in agreement that this was the safest option for everyone."

Mr. Aizawa paced in front of them as he continued explaining.

"We'll also be implementing some extra events geared toward your enjoyment, as well as offering you all some free time so your summer isn't entirely wasted on training. We want you all to improve, but we aren't trying to take away your vacation. Or mine," he added dryly.

Katsuki didn't think this was very funny, but he did appreciate the idea of some down time. While training and getting stronger was his primary goal, he also wanted some time to himself. Another, more prominent, part of him also hoped to find some time to be with Aisla over the break. He wasn't sure where their relationship was at this point in time, but he was still working hard to mend what was left of it. He wanted to go back to how things were before, but he'd settle for being her friend if she would allow it. So long as he was able to be around her, he'd be happy enough.

Class continued for the next few hours until Mr. Aizawa called a break for lunch. He barely got the words out before he fell over in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes. He was snoring the moment his head hit the floor.

Katsuki let out a snort of amusement and saw Aisla glance back at him with a small smile of her own.

"He's pretty weird sometimes," she said, blue eyes sparkling.

She's happy today, he noted, and a pleased grin made its way onto his lips. He was sure her current mood had more to do with them passing their final exams than it did with him, but he still enjoyed seeing her look brighter.

"Do you want to eat lunch with me?" she asked softly, still looking at him with those shimmering lakes.

"Yes," he said before she'd even finished her question.

Her smile grew. "Good. because I have a surprise for you."

The 'surprise' turned out to be a specially made bento box courtesy of Aisla Haru. They were up on the school's roof again, which had somehow become their place in a matter of weeks. They spent almost every day there together, sharing a meal and conversation. An unspoken sort of rule had developed that Todoroki was excluded from these meetups, which Katsuki counted as a solid win. They'd been talking a lot more lately, which made him feel hopeful for their mending relationship.

"I thought you hated peanuts?" he suddenly realized as he poked around the carefully crafted bento box. There was a small section of sliced strawberries and blueberries, another filled with edamame and peanuts, and the middle compartment held two cat-shaped rice balls.

"I don't like them, but you do," she answered matter-of-factly. "You mentioned once that your mom used to put them with your edamame."

How does she remember that? he wondered as he picked up a nut with his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth along with an edamame. He couldn't remember ever telling her his strange food choice, but it pleased him that she had kept that bit of information about him. She was always good at remembering stuff like that… I was the one who never paid attention.

"Are you disappointed?" she suddenly murmured. He glanced over at her with a frown. She was biting her lip again, expression anxious.

"About the food?" he guessed stupidly.

She shook her head, causing strands of gold to conceal her face from him. "No. About us."

"Us?" he repeated quietly, heart doing a quick flip in his chest at the intimate word.

"Our team," she corrected mildly. "Our scores weren't the best, and a lot of that was because of me."

Oh. That kind of 'us.' "Aisla…" He stabbed a blueberry with the end of a chopstick. "We passed. That's what you should be focusing on, not the breakdown of our scores given to us by the same man who spent the first part of the test napping in a sewer tunnel and stuffing his face with apples and pocky."

"I know you care about the individual scores, too," she accused softly. "How you perform in battle always matters. And I know how proud you can be."

It was true, she knew him better than anyone. He wasn't fooling anyone by pretending he didn't care about his individual grade, but…the degree of his concern was so minor this time in comparison to… "What matters to me, Aisla," Katsuki said firmly, "isn't how I look when I'm doing some stupid fake battles with my teachers. What matters…" he paused and waited until her shimmering eyes met his, "is how I look to you."

Crystal lakes widened and soft pink lips parted slightly in surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked, voice small and quiet.

"I know I make a big deal out of wanting to be the best," he said, "but that's not as important to me anymore. What I really want…"

"What?" she prompted when he trailed off.

He closed his eyes, unable to stare into that knowing gaze another moment. "I just don't want you to see me as a monster anymore."

That wasn't what he really wanted to say, but those words were still locked inside, unable to come out. He wanted to tell her so many things, and promise her the world. But he couldn't do that—not yet. He wasn't brave enough.

"I don't think you're a monster," Aisla whispered. "I've never thought that way about you."

He shrugged and stabbed another berry. He didn't really feel like eating anymore, but he popped one into his mouth so she wouldn't get her feelings hurt. She'd put in the effort to make this dish for him, and that meant he was going to eat every bite of it.

A small hand touched his arm and his gaze instinctively flicked over to meet hers. Ocean-blue eyes shone back at him with a tender look in them. "It's okay, you know."

"What is?" he asked, hating the way his voice cracked at the end.

Her lips formed a gentle smile. "I know it was you. When the rumors suddenly stopped and people no longer looked at me with disdain…" She paused and sighed. "That girl from 2-B came up to me one day—Tokage, I think?—and apologized for everything. She told me that she was the one who started all those stories about me and she was working on settling them down now."

Katsuki stared in astonishment as she kept talking.

"She said some 'angry boy' came and threatened her." Aisla's lips turned up in an amused smile. "I already suspected it was you before she told me anything. Do you know why I came to that conclusion?" she asked, but didn't wait for his answer. "Because you're a hero. I saw you in the hallway that day when you hit Monoma, and people have been saying some strange things about you… But I already knew you would be the one that stepped up where no one else would because I know you."

"I hurt you!" he blurted.

Aisla winced at this. "Yes…you did."

"I really hurt you."

She sighed. "You don't have to rub it in, I was there…"

"I'm not a hero anymore, Aisla," he said tiredly. "I caused you so much pain these last few months. I caused this… If I'd never been in your life, then you wouldn't have had to deal with all that."

"Did you forget I used to be bullied?" she teased lightly. "There's always going to be something that comes into your life that brings sorrow, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the world. Yes, you did hurt me, but I've watched you try to make it better. I've seen the changes in you every day, and it makes me so happy."

"That doesn't change the past," he argued, unsure why he was fighting her right now. Wasn't this what he'd wanted to happen? Didn't he want Aisla to tell him that she noticed he'd changed?

Yes, he thought, but there was more to it than that. He didn't just want her to see he was trying to be better for her sake, he wanted—no, needed—to earn her forgiveness back. That was the only thing that mattered.

"I should never have yelled at you like that," he whispered, fists clenching so hard that both chopsticks broke in half. Aisla flinched but didn't say anything as he continued speaking. "When you gave me that picture…" he squeezed his eyes shut. "I was so stupid, Aisla. A good boyfriend doesn't scream at his girlfriend. And I did that in front of your whole family." The words were a pained moan. "And then I had the balls to blame you for my own idiocy when I should have just…"

"Just… what?" she prodded gently.

He let out a shaky breath, unsure where he was even going with this whole confession. She was letting him off the hook, like she always did. He could have just accepted what she offered and they probably would have been fine after that, but…he couldn't let her keep doing that. He couldn't allow her to keep putting others above herself as if her own feelings didn't matter.

"I treated you so badly," he admitted in a hoarse tone. His eyes were wet with unshed tears and he desperately tried to force them back down. He couldn't cry right now, he was trying to make things right!

"It's okay…" she crooned, touching his arm again with tentative fingers.

"It's not okay, Aisla," he protested. He wasn't sure what came over him, but suddenly he knew he had to get it all off his chest—every thought and feeling and regret that he'd been clinging onto ever since their breakup. Maybe it was because this was the first time they were actually talking about it, and he was terrified that if he didn't say what he needed to say now, he'd never get another chance. "I rejected you in front of your family, and then I sat there and watched day after day as you grew more depressed and upset, and I did nothing to stop it. Those rumors were a result of me breaking your heart. Everything that happened was my fault. I know that. Even when I came to you and told you those stupid words…" He growled and tossed the broken chopsticks across the roof. "You don't need my forgiveness, Aisla, I always knew that. A part of me was just so wrapped up in my own humiliation that I completely ignored the fact that I'd been the asshole. You didn't do anything wrong that night, Aisla. I lashed out at you because I was afraid. I reacted like an idiot, and I'm…" the word lodged itself between his tongue and his teeth and it took every ounce of willpower he had to spit it into the open air, "...sorry."

He blinked away the tears, then shifted his gaze back to hers, surprised to see a wetness in her eyes as well. "I am so sorry, Aisla," he whispered. "I never meant to hurt you. I—"

The rest of his words were cut off as Aisla suddenly threw her arms around his shoulders and clung to him tightly. She sobbed against him, straddling his lap and sending the bento boxes tumbling to the ground. Neither of them spared them a second thought. He returned the embrace, letting his arms encircle her like he'd been dreaming of doing for months. The sweet scent of orchids and honey filled his nostrils as he buried his face in her hair. He fisted a hand in her curls, fingers shaking as he too let the tears finally fall.

Too long… It had been too long since she'd been in his arms like this. He'd taken this simple act of embracing her for granted before, and now realized how foolish that was. Holding her like this, feeling her warm body tucked against his own, was what he'd been so desperately needing in his life ever since he'd lost it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been allowed to wrap his arms around her and feel her emotions pouring into him.

"I'm so sorry," he repeated, over and over until the word became a hoarse rasp and his tongue was too dry to speak. Still, Aisla's arms held strong as her sobs slowly became soft sniffles, and finally stopped altogether. They stayed that way until their breaths calmed and their arms grew tired from the effort of holding them up.

At last, her small arms slid from his shoulders and her crystal eyes met his, now puffy and red from crying. "Thank you," she breathed, fingers lightly cupping his face as her eyes searched his. He wasn't sure what she was looking for just then, but prayed she'd see the sincerity in them.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," he echoed, unable to keep the words back now that they'd finally fallen from his lips. He cupped her face with one hand and brushed his thumb across her cheek and jaw. "You deserve so much better."

"It's okay," she murmured. "I forgive you…Katsuki."

He closed his eyes and breathed in a long, deep breath. "You shouldn't…" he said, even though his heart was soaring now that she'd said his name like that, like it belonged to her.

"I forgive you," she repeated, the words barely audible. "Katsuki, I…" His eyes slowly peeled open as he waited for her to continue. Hers were big and full of meaning. The words she wanted to express were written so plainly inside of them, as if she was already screaming them aloud, demanding him to accept them.

Say it, he silently pleaded. If she did. He wouldn't reject them this time. If she said those words…

"Katsuki," she tried again, then her eyes pinched shut and a single tear escaped. "I…have to go." The words were a choked whisper that tugged at his heart. She climbed off his lap and stood to her feet, ignoring the discarded bento boxes as she made her way toward the roof's door.

"Wait." He pushed to his own feet and scrambled after her, nearly tripping in his haste to reach her before she disappeared yet again. He pinched her sleeve between two fingers, forcing her to come to a stop. She didn't look back at him, her eyes were downcast, hair concealing her expression.

"Aisla," he said fiercely, giving her sleeve a soft tug to get her attention. Finally, she glanced up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes.

You're afraid, he realized with dread. She was afraid to say those words to him because he'd reacted so cruelly before. She didn't trust him not to do the same thing this time.

"Aisla," he murmured, gripping her sleeve tightly, afraid of her slipping out of his grasp again. "Don't go."

"Why?" she whispered, eyes begging him to say it, to say anything that would convince her to stay with him.

"Aisla," he said again, stepping closer to her and lifting his free hand to her face. He didn't touch her, though. The hand hovered between them, inches away from cupping her soft cheek. "Aisla, I…"

Say it, goddammit! Say those damn words to her! You're going to let her get away again. She's right there, Katsuki. Just say it!

They were trapped deep inside of his mind and he couldn't seem to figure out how to use them. He knew, too, from the expectant, hopeful expression she wore, that if Katsuki was able to say the words she needed to hear, then Aisla would stay there. She would return them in kind with fervor and they would finally be okay. They would be together again.

But he couldn't say them. He tried with everything inside of him, but his mouth was dry and his lips were clamped shut like some physical force held them together. He felt grossly like he had when he was attacked by the sludge monster as a middle-schooler. Like thick, mucusy sludge was clogging his throat, suffocating him, and trapping his confession before it could even hope to reach his tongue. He knew that if he didn't say something fast, Aisla would leave him there and she wouldn't look back. She might never look back again.

A long moment of silence ensued as the light slowly left Aisla's blue eyes until, finally, she gently pulled her hand free and turned away from him. "I have to go," she repeated flatly, then fled the roof.

Katsuki sank to his knees and buried his face in his palms.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! he silently screamed. What was so hard about a few simple words? He shouldn't be having such a hard time saying them! Hell, he couldn't even seem to allow himself to think them. He knew that was part of the problem, but for his whole life Katsuki had pushed away such feelings and pretended to be someone who didn't care about anyone. Since he met Aisla, it was getting harder to deny those feelings and keep them hidden, not just from her but from himself as well. It was only a matter of time before they all came flooding out like a bursting dam.

You stupid, broken fool…

He stayed like that for a few more minutes while he calmed down. He knew the lunch hour had long since passed, but going back to class with all of these feelings raging inside of him wouldn't be such a great idea. He would take the punishment for arriving late rather than try and pretend he was his normal self.

Once he was sure he wouldn't blast anyone into oblivion, Katsuki stood on shaky legs and retrieved the two forgotten bentos, carefully picking up each piece of food that had fallen before wrapping them back up and placing them in his bag. He took his time getting back to class since he had no real desire to see Aizawa's fuming face or Aisla's disappointment. Part of him thought it would be better to go back to the dorms and claim he was sick, but his teacher would probably punish him twice as much for that.

Dutifully, Katsuki walked down the stairs and across the hall to class 2-A. He pushed open the door, and was immediately wrapped up in Mr. Aizawa's scarf. He let out an irritated groan as he was pulled right beside his raging teacher.

"Where have you been, Bakugo?" he demanded.

Katsuki held strong. "Nowhere! I had a headache!"

"Do you want me to give you a headache?" his teacher warned, tightening the binds around him.

"No, sir," Katsuki said through gritted teeth.

The scarf retracted. "Then don't be late to my class. Sit down."

Katsuki turned back to the class and ignored the amused glances from his peers as he made his way to his seat. Aisla was already there, of course, but she wasn't looking at him. Despite their earlier encounter on the roof, Katsuki didn't get the impression her downcast eyes had anything to do with him. Her expression was focused, lip pulled between her teeth in an almost painful way as she scribbled on her paper.

She's drawing, he realized with shock and amusement.

"Miss Haru," Mr. Aizawa suddenly barked, causing Aisla to give a jerk of surprise and break her pencil lead. She frowned at it for a moment before glancing back up at their teacher with a dazed expression as if just realizing he was there.

Katsuki shook his head and sat down, wondering what held her attention so intently that she'd forgotten she was in class.

"If you want to devote your time to your hobbies, do so in your own time," Aizawa scolded. "Detention."

Aisla slumped in her seat and muttered, "Yes, sir…"

"Bakugo," the pro called. "You can join her there for being late. As for the rest of you, I don't want another interruption for the remainder of class."

"Yes, sir!"

Katsuki had to hold back a smirk as class continued. He couldn't even find it in himself to be angry about the detention because now he would spend it with Aisla. Sure, they wouldn't be allowed to talk or hang out, but he'd take any opportunity to be in the same room as her. He had homework to take care of anyway, so he could finish that up instead of going to the forest after class to train alone. That was all he seemed to do these days.

Look at yourself, Katsuki. Getting excited to spend time in detention. There's something seriously wrong in your head. Aisla doesn't want to see you, remember? You ruined your chances with her because you're a coward.

He shook off the unwelcome thoughts and tried to concentrate on the lecture. They were all true, but that didn't mean he should be dwelling on them during class. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if what conspired between him and Aisla on the roof had been an improvement to their relationship, or if he'd made the whole matter that much worse. He'd managed to apologize to her, which had been a huge deal for him, but he knew she'd been expecting something more.

That's not true, he decided a moment later. Aisla had been content with his apology, she'd even forgiven him for being a complete shithead these last few months. Forgiveness was no longer the issue between them—it was trust. Aisla hadn't invited him to have lunch with her because she'd been expecting him to shower her with pretty words and gestures, her goal had been to thank him for putting a stop to the rumors. When he'd tried to make amends with her, it had been of his own free will. Aisla hadn't known he would say those words, and she hadn't asked for them.

Even after all this time, she'd never once come to him demanding apologies. Aisla wasn't that type of girl. That was why, when she'd looked at him with those big blue eyes and he'd read the meaning in them, he'd desperately wanted to give her what she was asking for. It wasn't the fact that she craved the words themselves, but he wanted to give them to her. He needed to show her how he felt and make her feel things in return.

I'm not giving up on us, Aisla, he thought as a sudden wave of determination flowed through him. I will say those words to you. Just wait a little while longer.

At the end of the very long, boring class day, Katsuki was starting to question his earlier excitement to stay in detention. He swore Mr. Aizawa had purposely droned on in that deadpan tone of his as slowly as possible just to screw with him. He couldn't even remember half of what was discussed because he spent the entire last part of the day trying not to fall asleep.

Aisla didn't seem to be doing much better, if her slouching frame was any indication. Her posture was usually straight, pen at the ready as her eyes stayed fixed on their teacher's. Today, Aisla spent the majority of her time pouting. He knew the look well and had a hard time not smirking or letting out a snort of amusement. Aisla wasn't someone who got detention very often—he honestly couldn't remember even a single time she'd had it—so he could somewhat understand her sudden mood change. However, as someone who was always in detention, he didn't think it was that big of a deal and definitely not worth pouting about.

"Alright," Mr. Aizawa began when the rest of the students filed out, leaving Katsuki and Aisla alone with the pro hero. He stood before them with arms folded across his chest and an expression that said he was reaching his wits end. "Let's get one thing straight, the two of you are seriously pissing me off."

Katsuki bristled at this. "Are you even allowed to say that?!"

"You're always late," he accused, gesturing at Aisla who only slid further into her seat under his disapproving gaze. "And you're always getting into fights!" he finished, pointing an accusing finger at Katsuki. "Both of you have done your fair share of sulking in my class, showing up late, and causing problems for your classmates and for me. Stop pulling your hair, Miss Haru," he barked, causing Aisla to give a start and drop the hair she'd been tugging.

"Sorry…" she mumbled.

"'Sorry' isn't going to cut it this time, Miss Haru," he reprimanded. "You can't skip anymore classes, or I will fail you, is that understood?" He gave her a stern look. Katsuki couldn't see her face but he could picture it in his mind. He could tell from the way she abruptly straightened in her seat that she was taking every word he said seriously.

"As for you, Bakugo…" He sighed and shook his head. "Where do I even start? How many visits have you paid to our principal this year?"

Katsuki took that as a rhetorical question and decided not to answer. He scowled at his desk instead and stabbed at a pencil shaving with his finger.

"Besides that," Aizawa continued, "you've been in more fights and scandals this term than anyone I've ever taught in my ten years of working at this institution."

Katsuki's mouth formed a hard line as he bit back any comments.

"Any reasonable teacher would probably expel you," he said darkly, forcing Katsuki's shocked gaze back up. Dark eyes looked down at him with a warning glint in them. "I can't keep making up excuses for the two of you. Both of you need to get your acts together and stop screwing around. This is an elite school for heroes, and you're both wasting the opportunity over petty feelings." He took a deep breath. "I understand that you two went through something. I'm not interested in knowing or being involved in the details of your relationship, but I do remember what it was like to be a teenager and I know how even simple things can feel like the end of the world. I know that whatever's going on must have been hard on you since you live in the same building and see each other every day in class. But," he added quickly, "that doesn't give you the excuse to slack off. You're two of my best students and I don't want to have to take drastic measures. Are we in agreement? Or should I keep going?"

"I understand, sir," Aisla said meekly.

"Yeah, I get it," Katsuki reluctantly agreed. It was clear that they were both sharing the humiliation of listening to their homeroom teacher address their romantic relationship directly for the first time, and neither wanted to relive this experience ever again.

"Very well then." Mr. Aizawa stretched, groaned, then checked the time on the clock. "Both of you sit here for another half an hour and then pretend you served your detention. I'm going home." He moved to his desk, drew out an apple and his sleeping bag, then headed for the door.

"Wait!" Aisla called out. "What are we supposed to do?"

The pro hero took a bite of the apple, chewed, then shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I said my piece."

"What about training?" Aisla asked in a hesitant voice.

He gave her what Katsuki thought might have been a smile but was too terrifying to really count. "Oh, you're still expected to show up for training, Miss Haru." He paused as the smile was replaced with an annoyed frown. "And don't wear those yellow goggles again."

Aisla flushed. "I told you, it was an accident!" she insisted.

"And I told you, I don't care."

When he left, Katsuki let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that could have gone worse."

"He's right, you know," Aisla suddenly said.

"About the yellow goggles?" he teased.

She turned to face him, a small, barely concealed smile on her lips. "No, about us not taking our positions at this school seriously enough. I skipped out on a lot of classes last term. I know I must have missed out on a lot of important information. I…probably deserve to be expelled."

"Hey." Katsuki stood and leaned against the desk next to hers. "Don't be like that. It was all my fault, remember? Aizawa knows it, too. That's why he never punished you. Well, that and the fact that you're his favorite student." He rolled his eyes.

Aisla kicked him with her shoe, but there was a smile on her face now. "Stop! I am not!" The smile fell. "It's not all your fault, Katsuki," she said softly. "I know I made it seem like it was…but honestly, a lot of it was just me overdramatizing the whole situation. That's why I never called you out or told my friends what a jackass you were…even though I sometimes thought it."

Katsuki snorted. "Well, you aren't the only one who thinks that about me."

"But you're not!" she protested adamantly, getting to her feet as well. "You reacted poorly to the gift I gave you, but I know that was because of the situation I put you in. I shouldn't have forced that on you in front of my family. You blew things out of proportion, but I didn't make them any easier. We are both at fault here, Katsuki. I am just as much to blame for Mr. Aizawa yelling at us as you are." She took in a deep pull of air and closed her eyes for a long moment before finally letting it out. "I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I tried to force my feelings on you, and I'm sorry for the way I did it. It was wrong and selfish of me. I know how you are with feelings, and I should have known better."

"Aisla…" he tried, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

"Don't, Katsuki, please. I just…wanted to tell you that. I don't need you to say anything this time, alright? I can't…" She averted her gaze as tears shimmered inside. "I can't do this right now. I need to be alone now so I can think."

"Don't avoid me, Aisla," he pleaded, voice barely above a whisper. He didn't even care that he was begging, or that he sounded like a pathetic loser. He couldn't bear to have her avoid him again.

She turned back to him in surprise. "I'm not, Katsuki. I just need to be alone for a while, not forever."

"What does that mean?" he asked, hating the begging tone that came out.

She closed her eyes again. "I don't know," she admitted. "For now, I just need you to let me go."

I can't, he tried to say, but again the words got lost in his throat and Aisla was already out the door before he could find his voice.

Beta: yellowchikadee