Chapter Sixty-Nine: Pride

They were finally back at school, sitting bored in the classroom while Present Mic droned on about English grammar that no one really cared about. What was the point of learning a language they were never going to use? They could be doing something more important, like combat training. He didn't even mind lectures about combat techniques because at least those were exciting, but English?

He tried to pay attention for the first ten minutes before realizing that it was hopeless. His mind kept shifting to other topics, namely, one involving the pretty blonde currently twirling a lock between slender fingers. It was hard not to think about her after the night they'd shared. Before that, Katsuki didn't think anything could be better than fighting and hero work. But then he was with her. Naked form laid out before him, crystal blue lakes swirling with lust and desire for him, the depths of which begged him to heed her siren's call.

Nerves had made him hesitate, and he'd been this close to turning her away. It wasn't that he didn't want to take that step with her—because god did he want to—but he'd been so afraid of not being good enough for someone like Aisla. She was so beautiful, alluring, and lovely. Who was Katsuki compared to that? He was afraid that if he finally let her see all of him—not just his heart and body, but something deeper, the very essence that was Katsuki Bakugo—she would realize she'd made a mistake by taking him back.

She won't love me if I let her see, he'd thought as she'd stood there shaking in her little blue dress.

She'll see how weak I really am, he'd fretted as his hands sought her skin in the shower.

She'll realize I'm not good enough to be with a goddess,he'd silently worried as she stood before him in only a towel, asking to spend the night together.

But then he looked into those stunning crystal eyes and he saw himself reflected back at him.

I love you, they proclaimed.

You're my strength, they evoked.

You're worthy; you deserve this… they promised.

Then, she let the towel drop.

Katsuki felt his insecurities fade away with that final barrier. As Aisla stood there, gazing into his soul, into the deep recesses of his mind, he felt a sudden wave of calm wash over him and he knew what had to be done.

Even so, he couldn't shake the part of him that worried she wouldn't like what she saw when she truly looked at him. He'd kept his shorts on in the shower, and when he finally removed them, he'd only allowed her a glimpse of his naked form before turning away from her.

Her eyes had wanted to ravish his body, he'd seen it in their ocean depths, but he'd refused her. He should have known better; this was Aisla and she wasn't going to take anything only halfway. He should have known the moment he first laid eyes on her back in this very classroom, when her infinite gaze met his and he became lost within. He'd been drawn to her from the start, and if he was being honest with himself, he'd been in love with her for much longer than he'd realized.

As the teacher went on, Katsuki twisted the onyx ring on his right index finger, remembering the night Aisla had given it to him. He remembered the fear that flooded into him as he stared at this gift she'd so painstakingly chosen just for him. A promise ring, he'd thought as he stared down at the shimmering inscription. At first, he wasn't sure how to feel about a gift like that. Back then, he was still bottling up his feelings and pretending they didn't exist, or at least weren't as strong as they actually were. In that moment, Katsuki was afraid to say yes to her request, to accept the promise of love and forever that ring represented.

Yet, even as he thought that, an image had pried its way into his head, invading all other thoughts. He saw Aisla smiling at him from down a long, carpeted aisle, clothed in white. He saw himself standing at the other end, expression peaceful for once, as he eagerly waited for her to meet him. The image was fleeting, but it was there. That was the true reason he still wore the ring to this day, and why he'd never taken it off since.

One day, Aisla Haru… One day, I'll make you mine.

Katsuki and Aisla ate in the cafeteria for lunch, sharing a table with Kirishima and whatever his girlfriend's name was. Kaminari and Jiro sat with them, along with Iida, Deku-fucking-nerd, and of course…

"Roki!" Aisla chirped happily when the last member of their table sat down on her other side with a stupid half-smile reserved only for her.

"It's nice to see you sitting with us commoners," he observed dryly, though his smile was still there. "I trust you're doing well?"

"Of course!" she affirmed with a brilliant smile. "I didn't want everyone to be lonely!"

"Wise call," the bastard quipped back.

"Oh, how are you feeling, Aisla?" Deku suddenly asked in his loud, obnoxious voice that made pinpricks of irritation spread through Katsuki. He kind of wanted to bail and go have lunch by himself, but he knew Aisla would be upset. So, he forced himself to sit there and tried to tune out that damn nerd's voice.

"I'm fine, Midoriya!" she answered cheerily. "Don't worry, I told you it was a minor tumble. You don't have to feel bad."

His face said he did feel guilty for accidentally causing Aisla to fall into the pool a few days ago. While Katsuki still wanted to beat his ugly face in for that, he also couldn't fault the fact that Deku was part of the reason he'd been in that bed with Aisla. He'd sooner die than admit that to anyone, but that was the sole reason that damn nerd was still alive.

"It was an honest mistake," came a new voice. Tokoyami joined their group now as well, and offered Deku a comforting smile he definitely didn't deserve. "Things happen that we cannot always control. Don't beat yourself up over it."

Let me beat you up over it, Katsuki silently offered, and hoped his expression didn't reflect the thought.

"Exactly!" Aisla agreed.

Conversation moved on to less annoying topics after that, and even Katsuki found himself participating. It was becoming less and less of a nuisance to be around their classmates. The more time he spent alongside them, the less he began to detest them. He didn't want to be best friends with everyone, but he no longer wanted to run away the moment he was forced to socialize with them.

After lunch, they all gathered at Ground Beta for training. Katsuki had been looking forward to this class all day, and hoped they'd be fighting today, not rescuing again. He wanted to work on his combat moves, not slink around in the shadows. Either way, he needed to get out of the classroom for a while. He was still groggy from not sleeping well, making it hard to concentrate. Getting some fresh air and a workout would definitely help him wake up and improve his mood.

"Alright, listen up." Mr. Aizawa called them all to attention as he slumped against the wall. "I want you working one-on-one today. There's an odd number of students, so one of you can work in a trio if you'd like, or Ectoplasm can supply clones for anyone who doesn't want to work with their peers. It's up to you to decide how to go about your training for the day."

"What about you, sir?" Aisla asked from Katsuki's right.

"I'm not participating today, Miss Haru," he stated with finality. "Now, go choose your partners or let Ectoplasm know you need a clone." He turned his back on them and entered the training grounds.

Katsuki stole Aisla's hand and pulled her forward before she got any ideas about sparring with anyone else. "Come on," he said.

"You're really going to spar with me, Katsuki?" she asked, tone laced with disbelief.

"We train together all the time!" he reminded her as they followed behind their classmates and teacher.

"Well, yes," she agreed, "but the last time we sparred, you went easy on me."

He glanced down at her as they walked, noting the pronounced pout and slight crinkling of her eyes as if she was offended. Had he…insulted her somehow? He hadn't meant to 'go easy' on her, but maybe he'd unintentionally kept his moves weaker since she was Aisla and not someone he wanted to murder. He understood the expression, though. If their roles had been reversed, Katsuki would have been offended, too, to have someone weaken their attacks for him.

Like that Icy Hot bastard, he thought in irritation as he recalled last year's sports festival. He'd been livid that he wasn't deemed worthy of Todoroki's full power when Deku of all people had been given a real fight. No wonder Aisla had that disappointed look on her face now, the one mixed with uncertainty.

Don't look like that, Aisla, he silently begged.

"Then, get ready to be pulverized!" he said aloud.

Aisla quirked him a grin. "Okay, Katsuki."

He tugged her over to an area that was more or less secluded from their other classmates. Ironically, he found himself in the same place he'd challenged Deku in not that long ago. The memory of that night made a vein pulse in his temple as anger threatened. The feel of Aisla's soft, reassuring hand in his reminded him of how he'd sought her for comfort after Aizawa had scolded them, and how she'd tended to his wounds before he fell asleep in her bed. That was before sharing a bed was second-nature to them, and Katsuki had woken up fearful of being caught.

"Let's do it here," he decided, letting go of her hand as he started to walk away from her.

"Okay~" she sang mischievously as she sauntered in the opposite direction. He watched her movements, unable to shift his gaze from the purposeful sway of her hips as she put distance between them. After a few meters, she slowly turned and gave him a dark, hooded gaze that made his insides burn.

He turned away from her to distract himself from the sudden desire to go to her and claim her lips with his own. There was no way Aizawa wouldn't strangle him in his scarf for lip-locking his favorite student. Katsuki would get detention their first week back, while Aisla would get a hard look and maybe something resembling chastisement if he was in a particularly bad mood.

"Ready?" Aisla asked cheerfully as she stood before him, casually examining her now pink-painted nails as though she knew she was going to beat him and wasn't even going to try.

I love when you make that face, Aisla… I love when you try to challenge me.

His lips pulled back into a devious smirk. "Oh yes," he said, "bring it on, Aisla!"

He threw out a blast, knowing she would easily deflect it, then jumped into the air to avoid its rebound as he sent another, more powerful blast toward her. Katsuki and Aisla hadn't trained together much recently, but if he remembered correctly, the limit of his attacks she could reflect at one time was five. He knew she must have improved since then, and he'd witnessed firsthand that she had a few new moves up her sleeve, so he wasn't sure what her limit was now. For all he knew, he could send an infinite number of attacks her way and she'd have no trouble reflecting them all.

He decided to test that out, to give her the fight she wanted so badly. He prepared himself for an attack as he landed roughly on his feet. "AP Shot: Auto-Cannon!" he hollered as his explosion fired out in rapid-fire bursts, aimed right at Aisla's chest. He watched the surprise in her eyes only a fraction of a second before the blast hit her. She didn't cry out, nor did he see her body flying backward into a wall. Instead, he watched the blast swerve around her like she held an invisible shield and pierce the wall behind her.

He wasted no time in sending out another attack, then another, continuing his assault until he finally watched her eyes struggle to stay open, which was obvious since she wasn't wearing her goggles today. She'd wanted a real fight with him, but Katsuki didn't want to actually hurt her, not when he could see her eyelids drifting closed and he knew she wouldn't be able to deflect it. What was the right move here? Use his full power like she wanted so she didn't feel like he was going easy on her? Or hold back so he didn't hurt her?

He spent so long contemplating this that he didn't even notice the sudden light surge from beyond Aisla's form. His eyes widened just as his attacks rewound themselves and flew toward him at insane speed. The force of the hit sent him soaring back, body colliding painfully with a cement wall as his AP Shot continued to blast him. Finally, the attack relented and he dropped to the ground, chest heaving and body aching from the impact.

"What were you saying about 'pulverizing me,' Katsuki?" she taunted, a triumphant grin on her lips.

She beat me, he realized with both horror and amazement. Again.

How could she keep surprising him like that, then turn around and give him that insecure pout whenever the subject of her quirk came up? The way her head would tilt slightly down so that her hair concealed her expression, or the soft tone of her voice that just barely masked the feeling she tried to push down. These were things Katsuki had noticed a long time ago. He knew her every expression, every articulation. He knew the way her body worked, had felt it writhe beneath his touch, or melt into him like they were one being instead of two. He'd charted her skin with both his eyes and his hands, committing every inch of her gorgeous body to memory.

He would know Aisla anywhere. What he didn't understand was the insecurity over her quirk. She was so much more powerful than she realized. Katsuki wished she could see what he did when he looked at her. She wasn't weak at all, and she definitely didn't deserve to be pitied. Aisla Haru was strong and brave.

She was a true hero.

Finally, after what felt like forever staring into her wide, endless eyes, Katsuki offered his best attempt at an arrogant smirk. "I hope you don't think that lame move was enough to defeat me!" he roared as he took to the air and zoomed toward her at top speed. "Howitzer Impact!"

The move was a huge risk, he knew that much, but he'd promised Aisla he wouldn't hold back this time, and he owed it to her to use his full power on her and treat her like the hero she was. He couldn't keep acting like her quirk was inferior to his; Aisla deserved a real fight. So, he didn't hold back. He gave the attack everything he had and waited for her to show him how strong she was.

She didn't look afraid as Katsuki shot forward at missile speed. Her eyes registered surprise, but then her face settled into a look of pride. Then, just as soon as his body had left the ground, he was suddenly flat on his face with a mouth full of concrete and dust. His teeth sang as they hit the ground hard, and he hoped none of them fell out. He spat blood on the ground and coughed before glancing back to see if Aisla was okay. She stood in the exact spot he'd been only a moment before, face equally proud and concerned as she waited for him to get up.

How did you get all the way over there? he wondered, standing on shaky legs and walking over to her. She'd been at least six meters away, if not more, when he'd started his attack. Yet, she looked as if she hadn't moved a single centimeter since their fight had started.

"What did you just do?" he asked her when he stood in front of her, fingers grazing her chin as his eyes searched hers.

"It's called 'Mirror,'" she reminded him with an amused smile. "I mirrored your attack."

He was already shaking his head before she'd even finished speaking. "No…you didn't. I've seen you use your quirk to mirror an attack before… This has never happened."

"You've seen me reflect attacks," she corrected gently. "Mr. Aizawa taught me that there's a slight difference in mirroring an attack and reflecting one. When I mirrored yours, I basically just switched places with you. I put you on the opposite side of the mirror, so to speak. It's actually not very useful…" she finished with a frown.

"That looked pretty damned useful to me," he mumbled, remembering how confused he'd been when he was suddenly on the ground and Aisla was in his place. "Your quirk is amazing, Aisla."

She twisted a strand of hair anxiously with a finger. "Oh, well… I mean, not really! That first move really took a lot out of me, and using Mirror totally drained what was left of my energy. When I've trained with Mr. Aizawa, I've only ever been able to use that once in a single fight before I'm spent. It also doesn't work on all moves, based on what little experience I have, anyway. So far, we've gathered that it works primarily on attacks like yours that move your physical body. It doesn't seem to work on quirks. That's where the reflection comes in handy."

"Like I said, your quirk is amazing, Aisla," he told her fiercely. "It's almost as awesome as mine." He puffed his chest proudly, which had the desired effect of making her giggle.

"Almost," she agreed. "Do you want to work on combat now?"

"Do you want to live to see tomorrow?" he retorted with a sly grin.

She laughed. "Oh, is that so? You think you can take the master? Then come at me, Katsuki Bakugo!"

Before he had the chance to think, she shot out with a right hook. He easily dodged this, but then she sent out a swift kick that forced him to jump into the air. She was relentless with her attacks, quickly pushing forward with one thing after another as she tried to gain the upper hand. Katsuki thought about letting her get away with that, but he was a little wounded that she'd beaten him already today. After a moment of her trying to land a hit on him, he shot a hand out fast and caught her wrist, then flipped her over his shoulder and onto her back in a flash. He pinned her there with his knee as they both heaved for breath.

"Okay," she panted, "I guess you win this time."

"That didn't even count!" Despite the complaint, he couldn't seem to wipe the grin from his face. He'd missed training with Aisla, and he was pleased to see how much progress she'd made in just a few months. However…her hand-to-hand could use some work.

"Let me try again!" she insisted as she tried to squirm out of his hold. "I'll get you for sure this time!"

He allowed her to rise, but didn't give her the chance to stay upright for long. Six times, he pinned her to the ground before she finally relented and called an end to their combat. She lay there beneath him, chest heaving and face sticky with sweat. One hand was clamped so tightly in his shirt that he could see her knuckles turn white in protest. He held her other hand against the ground with one of his own, while the other was pressed firmly against her stomach to hold her down. Katsuki was breathing hard, too, and sweating so much he was at risk of igniting an explosion by accident.

He pushed to his feet and wiped his hands on his pants before offering her help up. She took the proffered hand with a smile and he pulled her onto her feet. She swayed there for a moment, then shook her head and worked to steady herself.

"That was fun," she said cheerily.

Katsuki grinned back. "Yeah, it was! There's nothing better than fighting!" The smile faltered as he recalled his earlier thoughts. There was something better than fighting, but between Aisla's knowing smirk and his classmates' battle cries in the background, he definitely wasn't going to say that aloud.

"Katsuki?" she asked as they walked back toward the entrance. "Do you think…I did okay?"

"Of course, you did!" he said without hesitation. "You were awesome, Aisla, the best you've ever been."

A blush spread across her cheeks. "Thanks, Katsuki!"

"Alright, move it along," Aizawa grouched as his students walked by at a leisurely pace, like everyone was too tired to move faster. "You still have two more hours left in school, then you can slack off and be lazy."

And you can take a nap, Katsuki silently finished, and worked to hide a snicker at his teacher's expense.

"Do you want to play a game with me after school?" Aisla asked conversationally as they made their way across campus.

"A game?" he asked stupidly. "What game?"

She shrugged. "Any game, I don't care. I know you like Sword Gale Online and most first-person shooters, but is there anything else you like to play? Do you like board games, too? Puzzles?"

He made a face at that last one. "I do not like puzzles. I can't sit still long enough to finish one, and I get angry when I can't find the right pieces."

Aisla giggled. "Okay, what about the rest?"

He thought about it. "I like strategy games," he decided. "Seven Wonders, Risk, those types of games."

"Dungeons and Dragons?"

He rolled his eyes. "Hell no, that takes too long to finish. I just like beating people, and I'm good with strategy. Also, that's a nerd game!"

"At least you're honest," she said with a laugh. "Okay, what about Monopoly?"

"That game?" He scoffed. "That one's the worst of them all! No one likes Monopoly!"

"Katsuki, everyone likes Monopoly!" Aisla argued.

Suddenly, he realized where this was going. He cut her a sideways glance. "Who's everyone, Aisla?"

"Uh…I just meant, like, most people like the game!" she stammered. "I didn't mean that, you know, they like to play it… um, tonight at seven o'clock in the common area?" She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

He sighed. "Aisla, I don't want to play Monopoly with those people. It'll just piss me off. You can play without me."

"You're right," she agreed, with the faintest note of disappointment in her words. "It would be more fun with you there, though, so if you decide you want to join us… I'd love that. I understand if you'd rather hang out alone, though."

"Who said I'd be alone?" he said with a frown. "I'll hang out with you, Aisla, but I won't play."

Her eyes lit up when she glanced up at him again. "Really? You will?"

"I'll watch," he reiterated. "I don't play Monopoly; it makes me angry. You don't want me to be a grouch, do you?"

Aisla giggled. "Of course not!" She pulled him to a stop just before they went inside and lifted onto her toes to kiss his cheek. "See you later, sweetie~!"

Sweetie, he thought with an eye roll as he followed her inside. You're the only person in the world who would ever look at me and see something like that, Aisla Haru.

When class ended, Katsuki issued a sigh of relief. He'd been eager to do hero training, but once that was finished he found himself insanely bored and restless. His body kept tensing up like it was itching to move and escape the endless hours of sitting around. He gave a lazy stretch and groaned as his muscles popped with the effort.

Aisla spun around in her seat, eyes alight with either happiness or mischief, it was hard to say. "Katsuki! Guess what?"

He pursed his lips and tried to think of anything exciting that could have happened to her in the last two hours. "I don't know," he finally said.

"It's been exactly one-year today since we first met!" she declared proudly. "Isn't that exciting?!"

His whole body tensed as guilt squeezed his insides.

Shit, is this an anniversary thing I was supposed to know about?! Goddammit, I didn't even think about that being a thing. I don't even remember the exact day we met! Is she expecting me to give her a gift or do something nice for her? Maybe I can make up some excuse about how the gift got back ordered or something… No, I can't lie, that wouldn't help the situation. She'd definitely know. Honesty—that was the only way.

"That's exciting!" he agreed through clenched teeth, voice coming out hard.

Aisla's smile didn't waver, though. The grin spread even further up her cheeks as she tilted her head to one side and peered at him. Amusement flickered in her eyes now, as if she was secretly laughing at him about something. "Silly Katsuki, I know you don't remember. Honestly, I didn't even think about it until a little while ago. I realized that we moved into the dorms right after summer vacation last year, and when I looked at the calendar, I noticed that it was on this very day!"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh. Good."

"Let's celebrate!" she cheered, standing up from her chair. "I want coffee!"

"No."

They both turned at the unexpected voice and found Mr. Aizawa leaning against the doorframe as he waited for students to file out of the room.

Aisla pouted. "Aw, why not?!"

"There's a reason we don't offer it on campus, Miss Haru," he chastised. "You don't need coffee. Drink some tea instead."

"But tea isn't coffee," she whined, slumping as though seriously put out by this. "Besides, we're all out of oolong."

Mr. Aizawa sighed, rolled his eyes, then moved to his desk. He rifled through a drawer, then produced a box of oolong tea. He took out two bags and held them out toward them expectantly. "Well, do you want some or not? Last chance or I'm putting them back."

"Don't you dare!" Aisla lunged forward and snatched the bags from his fingers in a flash. She tucked them into her blazer pocket before turning back to Katsuki. "Let's go!" she declared and started for the door.

He exchanged glances with his teacher, who looked about as annoyed as ever, then followed Aisla out the door. When he caught up to her, he snatched her hand up and interlaced their fingers. She beamed up at him, looking pleased with the simple gesture. He returned the smile as they walked back to the dorm, feeling peaceful now that this girl—his girl—was back where she belonged…right by his side.

A/N: Fun fact you guys, chapter 69 USED to be the second smut chapter. It just so happened to fall like that and I thought it was so perfect. Too bad I added extra chapters and now it's no longer smut (insert crying emoji here). Ah well, I guess you'll all just have to stick around to see when the next one will pop up! There's a few more in store for you real soon! There's also a mini Halloween arc, too I think you'll all find pretty fun! See you guys next week!