Chapter Seventy-Six: Halloween

Katsuki sat at his desk that morning, scribbling nonsense in his notebook so he could pretend that he was following the lecture. In truth, he was trying not to fall asleep and earn Aizawa's wrath, even though the pro looked about as worn as Katsuki felt. He was pretty sure his teacher was counting the minutes until lunch period so he could take a nap. Katsuki was considering doing the same when something Aizawa said finally reached his ears.

"Halloween."

Katsuki immediately perked up and sat straighter in his chair. His pencil hovered over the page as he waited for his teacher to continue.

"UA doesn't typically take part in such a fiasco," Aizawa remarked almost grudgingly, "but this year we've decided to do a festival."

"Like the school festival, sir?" asked Yaoyorozu.

Aizawa shook his head. "Nothing of that magnitude. It will be a small carnival type event with a few booths and maybe some events if the teachers can come up with anything on time. Oh, and a costume contest."

Katsuki noted the way Aisla sat up at this news as if she was excited at the prospect of a challenge. That's my girl, he thought, feeling proud that his girlfriend was just as competitive as he was.

"Are we allowed to wear whatever we want?" asked Ashido with a devious edge to her voice that implied she would take full advantage of the opportunity. Katsuki almost wished their teacher would say no so he wouldn't be subjected to Ashido and her posse of girls wearing scantily clad costumes, but…

His gaze shifted back to Aisla and took note of the eager way she leaned forward on her desk, hands gripping the sides as she waited for an answer. He wondered what sweet Aisla would choose for a Halloween costume. Would she wear something simple and cute, like an angel or a fairy, or would she choose something more…exciting? Images flooded his mind, so real for a moment that his groin began to pulse at the idea of his girlfriend dressed up in something short and sexy. He shook his head to clear them and focused on Mr. Aizawa.

The older man closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. "…Yes," he answered at last, "but within reason, Ashido. Nezu is allowing you students a lot more freedom than he normally might for this type of event, but don't try to take advantage of that and wear something inappropriate."

"Yes, sir!" they all agreed.

Katsuki stayed silent and secretly hoped Aisla would wear something inappropriate anyway. Or maybe that wasn't true. If she wore something revealing, then all the guys in school would see her like that. He frowned at the sudden realization, wondering if he was okay with the whole school ogling his girlfriend right in front of him.

He'd think about that later. For now, he had to come up with the best costume idea that would impress Aisla. He already had a few ideas and hoped that she would like whichever one he went with. If not, he was still going to look badass as hell and earn himself a sweeping victory at the costume contest!

"It's getting cold," mused Aisla as they sat on the rooftop for lunch. It was Katsuki's turn to bring food, so he'd packed them a meal of rice balls, edamame (with peanuts for himself), and sushi. Katsuki wasn't very good at rolling sushi so it looked like shit, but he'd done his best. It tasted fine and that was what really mattered.

He hoped Aisla agreed with that as he popped another edamame into his mouth and chewed, mulling over her comment. "Nah, this kind of weather is nice."

It was October, which meant it was just barely starting to cool down. It was a comfortable temperature for him, but he could see Aisla shivering from the corner of his eye. He sort of wished he could do the boyfriend thing and offer her his coat but he wasn't wearing one today. It might be nice to see Aisla walking around campus in his coat, showing the world that she belonged to Katsuki Bakugo. The thought made heat rise to his cheeks.

"For an eskimo, maybe," she retorted with a dramatic shiver. "Why are we having lunch out here in the arctic?"

He shook his head, grinning with amusement at her theatrics. "How have you survived this long without freezing to death in the sixty-five degree winter wasteland?"

She turned wide-eyed. "I know, right?!" she squealed. "It's a miracle!"

He laughed. "Are you going to be an eskimo for Halloween?" he teased.

She huffed and turned back to her bento, plucking out a bite of sushi before sticking the whole thing into her mouth. Her cheeks extended like a chipmunk storing food. Katsuki lost it, laughing so hard tears came into his eyes. She chewed for an eternity, then finally cut him a glare and stuck out her tongue.

"I'm sorry," he said through barely contained laughter. "You looked so funny just now."

Try as she might, Aisla couldn't resist the urge to smile back at him. Soon, they were both laughing like they were five years old again, and it felt so good to let loose and not worry about anything for a while. When he was with Aisla, he could be himself—happy, sad, angry, childish, it didn't matter. Aisla accepted all of it.

"What are you going to be for Halloween?" he asked when they finally calmed down. Aisla was picking at the remainder of her food as if trying to decide if she wanted to finish it, but glanced over at him with a sly smile when he asked this.

"Oh, that's a surprise," she said mysteriously. "But trust me, it's going to be great!"

Back in his room, Katsuki scrolled through websites on his laptop, trying to find the perfect costume. He couldn't decide if he wanted to buy a shitty one or try to create one himself. He'd never tried it before, but something told him he wouldn't be very good at it. He supposed he could get his dad to help him out if he really needed it. That man was surprisingly creative and had made a number of Katsuki's costumes over the years. His mom couldn't even thread a sewing needle, so his dad did all of the hard work. Sometimes, she would offer some suggestions for color or design, but most of that was all his dad. He couldn't decide whether to be thankful or ashamed that his father was a glorified house-husband.

A website dubbed "House of Fright" caught his attention, and after only a moment of perusing, Katsuki found the perfect costume. He grinned widely and clicked on the option to "add to cart." Snickering, Katsuki shut down his laptop and closed the lid. He was going to look so epic for Halloween!

He got ready for bed after that—a shower was necessary after an hour of training, then he slipped into some shorts and a white t-shirt before picking up his phone and plopping onto the bed with it. He mindlessly scrolled through messages and social media until he was relaxed enough to sleep. Once he felt like he could fall asleep with the phone in his hand—it had happened before—he placed it on the bedside table and reached for the lightswitch. Before he could turn it off, a soft knock sounded on his door, the knock that told him she was there, asking for permission to come inside.

Aisla had come up with the knock signal when they came back to UA after summer break. Before their breakup, Aisla had simply crawled right into bed with him, but since they'd gotten back together, she'd only ever used this new method. He wondered if she was afraid that he'd turn her away if she snuck inside again, even when he assured her that she was always welcome.

He slipped from the bed and made his way quickly over to the door before she disappeared. She was still there when he opened it, standing before him in his black t-shirt and a pair of leggings. Socks covered her feet, and blonde waves framed her face, hiding the expression she wore.

"Get in here," he commanded softly, reaching forward to grasp her hand. She looked up with a grateful smile and placed a hand in his before allowing him to pull her inside. He shut and locked the door, then captured his girl in a hug. Her soft sigh made him wrap her up even tighter. "How are you?" he asked without pulling away.

"I was cold," she admitted with a soft laugh. Hands slid under his shirt and fingers fanned out on his bare skin. The shudder this caused had nothing to do with the cold. "And I really missed you. I wanted to see you before bed."

Katsuki pulled back slightly and frowned down at her. "Aren't you going to stay?"

Her expression turned surprised. "I…do you want me to? I thought… You said you didn't want to raise suspicion."

Oh. That's why you haven't been here.

He had said something like that, but he didn't mean Aisla shouldn't ever sleep in his room or that he didn't want her to. When he'd said that, his reasoning was that if she slept in his room they'd probably have sex, and that was what they needed to avoid. Even with that temptation, he didn't want to never have her in his bed again. They'd spent too many nights apart after their breakup, and Katsuki had missed her more than he'd thought possible. Even something as simple as sleeping in the same bed, an act he'd taken for granted before, had been something he'd missed greatly. Now, in the few times she'd spent the night with him, he made sure to cherish each moment she gave him.

"Of course, I want you to," he assured her, brushing a kiss over her forehead. "I just meant that we need to be careful, okay? I want to be with you, Aisla. I want you to spend the night with me." His cheeks flared and he had to look away before stamming, "I-I mean, if you want to…"

She pressed a kiss to his chest. "I always want to sleep with you, Katsuki~"

God, does she have to say it like that?

"O-okay," he sputtered, then cleared his throat and added, "Good."

She let out a tinkling laugh, then slid her hands around to his stomach, causing another shudder to ripple through him. "Will you hold me while we sleep?" she asked him sweetly.

"Yes," he said, voice a breathy reply.

Her fingers slid down and tugged on the edge of his shirt. "Come to bed with me," she whispered. He felt himself nodding as she pulled him over to the bed and sat down, gazing up at him with that expression that said he was the only thing in her world. He loved when she looked at him that way. In those eyes, those brilliant crystal orbs, he could see her love for him.

He crawled into the bed with her and pressed a lingering kiss against her lips. She moaned in response and tried to pull him in for another, but he chuckled and settled in beside her. "I thought you wanted to go to sleep?" he teased, wrapping his arms around her and placing a chaste kiss on her neck.

"We can sleep anytime," she retorted, a subtle purr to her words that made Katsuki want to forget about their no-sex rule. But then she let out a contented sigh and snuggled into him. That was for the better. They couldn't risk Aizawa catching them having sex. If one or both of them got expelled, then he couldn't be with her anymore. Katsuki wanted to be the world's greatest hero someday, but more than that…he wanted to be her hero.

On the day of the festival, Katsuki was up in his room putting the last few touches to his costume. Looking in the mirror, he thought he looked pretty damn great and was excited to see Aisla's reaction when he met up with her later.

The festival was being held outside on the grounds between the main campus and the dorms. According to Aizawa, there were less than ten booths total, including food trucks manned by either teachers or students. Katsuki wasn't sure how much he trusted his teachers to cook for him—especially if Aizawa was one of them—but he was still eager to see what they had to offer. If he was lucky, they'd have funnel cake somewhere. Katsuki still adamantly refused to eat the stuff, but he remembered how much Aisla liked it from the time they went to the fair together. He could still picture her delighted face when she was presented with the fried food. If someone was selling it tonight, Katsuki was going to get her some.

"Admission" to this event was technically free, but they had to purchase tickets with their own money to play games and buy food. Katsuki thought an event put on by the school should be free, but he couldn't really complain. He didn't expect there to be much to waste his money on anyway, and he appreciated any excuse to hang out with Aisla.

Satisfied that he looked presentable, he donned the black cape that went with his costume and headed out to find Aisla. He'd wanted to pick her up at her door like a gentleman, but she'd adamantly refused, telling him that she wanted to meet him downstairs instead. The hallways were quiet since most of their classmates would already be at the festival, so Katsuki didn't feel too conspicuous stepping into the elevator with an ear-splitting grin in place.

When the elevator doors slid open, Katsuki halted halfway through and almost got crushed between them. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell slack. Aisla stood there, leaning casually against the side wall with one leg propped up behind her. She looked up at his approach, eyes sparkling and grin devious.

"Hello, Katsuki," she said darkly as she dropped her booted heel onto the floor and faced him fully. "I've been waiting for you."

Katsuki couldn't speak. His eyes scanned down her body slowly, taking in every feature of her costume. The tight fitting bodice, the skirt that barely covered her ass, the fishnet tights, all the way down to the knee-high boots that gave her an extra five-inches at least, putting them almost at eye-level. She also wore a wig, concealing her normal blonde waves, which made it difficult for Katsuki to form words then. He couldn't decide if she was the sexiest creature he'd ever seen, or if he wanted to run in terror.

After a long moment of silence, Aisla's devious smile faltered and she shifted uncomfortably. "Um…Katsuki? Is everything okay?"

He shook his head and willed himself to speak. She's going to think I hate it! Say something! "I…uh…"

Her lip jutted. "You hate it, don't you?"

"N-no!" he quickly protested, closing the space between them so he could take her hand. "I don't hate it. You look…uh, well…" He scratched the back of his neck as he tried to decide how he felt. "I mean, you're hot, Aisla, you know that, but…"

"Is it weird?" she asked in a small voice.

A little, he silently agreed.

"No!" he said, too loudly and too quickly. She narrowed her eyes, which he noticed bore colored contact lenses. "Of course not! Come on, let's go meet the others." He gripped her hand and started pulling her down the hall, despite the huff of annoyance he got in return.

Oh, Aisla… He resisted the urge to shake his head in amusement. Of course, that would be the costume you chose.

"I like your costume," Aisla said as they walked. Fortunately, her tone didn't sound upset. If he'd offended her by not responding in the way she'd hoped, then she wasn't showing it. "You look pretty sexy." When he glanced down at her, she offered him a wink.

He chuckled. "I don't know about that, but thanks. I was pretty excited about it." He didn't want to brag, but he did look good. He'd paid a lot of money for this costume and it almost hadn't gotten here on time with the short notice they'd all been given about the Halloween festival. Fortunately, it arrived two days early and the fit was perfect. The black slacks were a little tighter than he preferred, but he knew Aisla would appreciate it. The shirt was a black colonial style with a white ruffled jabot. The cape he wore was also black with red silk underneath and a gold chain serving as a clasp positioned just below the collar.

"The fangs are a nice touch!" Aisla said as they walked outside. The costume came with a pair of pointed canines that could be pressed into his own teeth with a special sort of glue. It was supposed to last for four-to-six hours, but he wasn't counting on it. At least he'd have enough time to win himself a trophy for Best Costume. Then he could pluck them out if they didn't fall out already.

Katsuki puffed out his chest proudly. "Yeah? So you know what I am?"

Aisla giggled. "Of course, I do!" she exclaimed. "You're a sexy vampire!" She bared her 'fangs' at him, making him sputter a laugh. "Man, I should have gone as a vampire, then we could have matched!"

Katsuki scoffed. "Hell no. I never understand when couples do that."

Aisla pouted. "Well, I think it's cute…"

They were nearing the section on campus where the festival was being held. Music blared from some speakers, and rainbow colored lights danced across the sky and along the path as they made their way closer. Katsuki could feel the vibrations in the earth as they walked, tickling the bottoms of his feet and making its way all the way up his spine until a shudder passed through him.

Aisla squeezed his hand and offered him a smile. "Katsuki?" she asked, voice honey-sweet.

They stepped in line behind some students he didn't recognize. "Yes?" He was kind of afraid to ask, but knew she'd probably say whatever it was anyway.

"Do you like my costume?" She batted her eyelashes at him, which were somehow longer and thicker than usual, and accentuated the glowing pits in her eyes.

Before he could come up with an answer, a loud squeal made them both jump. Katsuki grumbled irritably as Ashido, dressed in nothing but a cream colored toga that covered even less skin than Aisla's skirt, and a brown belt made of some kind of rope. She also had a headband which he thought was supposed to be a crown but looked more like a leafy mess with flowers glued all over it.

"Aisla!" she cooed as she wrapped herself around Aisla and kissed her cheeks. "You're lookin' hot tonight, girl! Damn!" Ashido waved a hand in front of her face. "I should have gone with your idea!"

"Please don't," Katsuki mumbled, but neither girl heard him as they moved forward in line. They could see a few booths now, and he could just barely make out the very distinct smell of funnel cake. Aisla was too busy chatting so she hadn't noticed yet, but Katsuki made a note of it so he would remember to buy her some later.

"Did you just get here, too?" Aisla asked.

Ashido nodded. "Yup! Fashionably late, as usual! I'm surprised you weren't here earlier, Aisla. Couldn't get your eyelashes to stick?"

Katsuki frowned, wondering what the hell that meant. He assumed it had something to do with how long they were tonight, but he had no idea what weird things girls did to their faces when they wore makeup.

Aisla groaned. "I'm so bad at doing makeup! And that stupid eyelash glue burned my eyes!"

"Whoa, where'd you get those contacts?" a boy he didn't know asked, turning around in line to gawk at Aisla.

Now Aisla was the one who looked proud. "Oh, I found them online. They were pretty cheap, too."

"Cool!" The newcomer walked away and Katsuki shook his head in amusement. How had he not expected this outcome from her? It was so obvious what she would wear. He should have known it the moment she refused to tell him what it was.

"Oh, there's Ochaco!" Ashido cried, then started waving frantically and yelled, "OCHACO! OVER HERE, GIRL!"

Katsuki winced at her volume, but Aisla giggled and slipped a hand into his. He allowed it to stay, so he wouldn't be tempted to run off and ditch her here with the squealing girls.

"Mina! Aisla!" Pink Cheek's eyes widened. "Oh. My. Gosh. Aisla! You look so hot!"

"That's what I said!" Ashido exclaimed. "She's a friggin' bombshell!"

Aisla let out an embarrassed laugh, cheeks glowing red. "O-oh, I don't think it's that good… I just threw something together with the materials I already had."

"Doesn't mean you're not hot stuff," Ashido argued seriously.

Finally, they reached the front of the line where they were taking pictures for the costume contest. Katsuki could see All Might off to one side, acting as cameraman for the event. He was dressed as a skeleton, which Katsuki thought was pretty hilarious. His black pants and shirt displayed cartoonish bones down the torso and legs. He wore a cape similar to Katsuki's except his had coat tails. White gloves and a yellow bowtie completed the outfit.

He beamed at their group as they stepped in front of a Halloween themed backdrop with spiders, pumpkins, and bats as a frame. "Look at the lot of you!" His eyes fell on Aisla and grew a little wider in surprise. "Oh, Miss Haru. That's an interesting choice. Now, everyone say 'cheese,' then you'll take individual photos. These are the ones we'll use for the costume contest. Be sure to put your votes in at the red tent by eleven o'clock. And no, you can't vote for yourself," he added when Katsuki opened his mouth to ask. He clamped it shut.

Fine, I'll vote for Aisla, I guess.

"This'll be so fun!" Aisla exclaimed when they were finished taking pictures.

The event was concealed by tall booths, but once they were all the way inside, Katsuki could see there weren't as many there as it appeared. They formed a sort of semi-circle around a makeshift dance floor, which no one was even using. Not that he blamed them. The current song that was playing was old and reminded him of his great-grandfather, Hironori. Despite all that, it looked like every student at UA had come out to join the fun. Katsuki noticed a few of their other classmates as he dutifully followed alongside Aisla, but most of the kids roaming about were from other classes and he couldn't remember their names.

"Let's get tickets!" Ashido suggested, leading their group over to a booth selling paper tickets manned by Vlad, who looked even more excited than some of the students. He was dressed similarly to Katsuki, except his vampire getup looked like it came straight out of a horror movie, complete with blood trails down the sides of his mouth and horns that made him look more like a demon than a vampire. Katsuki thought his own interpretation was much better, but he wasn't going to say so aloud. At least, not until he won the costume contest.

"Stop, mortals!" he commanded when they stepped up to his booth. He held out a hand, which sported a silver band holding a very large fake ruby. Katsuki thought it was fake anyway. "Offer me a sacrifice in order to pass through the gates to my castle." He spoke in a 'spooky' voice that Katsuki thought was way over the top, but the three girls at his side shrieked in unison, clearly way more entertained by their teacher than he was.

"Don't eat us, sir!" Aisla cried dramatically.

Katsuki pushed forward and slapped some bills down on the wooden counter before Vlad. "There's my damn sacrifice."

Vlad let out a barking laugh. "You silly boy! I don't want your money!"

Katsuki frowned. "Then, what the hell do you want?"

Vlad leaned forward and gave Katsuki a menacing grin. "I want…" He pitched his voice low so only he could hear, "your blood." He laughed once more, then slapped some paper onto the table between them. "I'm only joking, boy. Tickets are free. Take some and get out of my sight."

Katsuki stood there in confusion for a long moment until Aisla stepped beside him and took the tickets and his dollars. She pressed the latter into his palm and closed his fingers around them. When he looked down at her, she was grinning, eyes alight with amusement.

"Come on," she said. "Let's do something fun."

After a moment, he smiled in return and allowed her to pull him forward. "I thought the flier said tickets cost money?" he mused as they walked.

"Not for students in costume," Aisla explained. "I think you still have to pay for food, though."

"Speaking of food," he began, but then someone jumped out in front of them, red cape blowing in the slight breeze and face contorted into some victorious expression.

"I AM HERE!" he yelled, then ducked as Katsuki's fist flew toward his face.

"Shut the hell up, Deku!" Katsuki roared. "And can you be any more obvious?!"

Deku's face paled. "Y-you think this is too obvious?" He was dressed as All Might, of course, which Katsuki thought looked like a huge sign that read, "Hello, I have All Might's power now."

"Of course it is, you idiot!" Katsuki snapped.

"I think you look great!" Uraraka chirped with a stupid grin. Deku's whole face burned red and he started stuttering out a reply.

"OH, SHUT UP ALREADY!" Katsuki bellowed, irritation growing by the minute. "Go take Pink Cheeks to get some food and get out of my face!"

Somehow, that idiot's face grew even redder. Katsuki thought he might pass out, but didn't think he'd get that lucky.

"O-oh, food?" he sputtered, eyes darting everywhere like he was having some kind of fit. "I-I like food! Food is great, right?!"

"Yeah!" Ashido cheered, then gave Uraraka a shove toward Deku. "Go have fun, lovebirds!"

"L-lovebirds?!" Deku squeaked.

"Okay!" Uraraka agreed, either oblivious to the drama or ignoring it. "Let's go, Deku!" She gripped his wrist and pulled him away.

"Speaking of lovebirds," Aisla said, turning to Ashido. "Where is yours?"

"Huh?" Ashido shifted her gaze on Aisla's. "Oh! RoRo said that if I made him come to this event, he'd break up with me."

Aisla clapped a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened. Katsuki wondered if she did this out of surprise or to cover up a laugh at the serious note in her friend's tone. Katsuki honestly couldn't tell if she was serious or not, but if he'd been in "RoRo's" place a few months ago, he might have done the same thing.

"I know," Ashido agreed, shaking her head and letting out a dramatic sigh. "He's just so difficult sometimes."

"Well, you can hang out with us if you—"

"Miss Haru," came a deep, terrifying growl of a voice. Katsuki spun around, expecting to see a demon standing there. What he did see was almost the same thing.

Oh Aisla, he thought as the man loomed over them. You should have known this would happen.

A/N: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Okay, in all honesty, I literally wrote this chapter around Halloween time. The crazy part? It was Halloween of 2021! If that gives you guys any context of just how long I've been writing this story. It's crazy to me that two Halloweens have passed before I could post this themed chapter. It doesn't seen like I've been writing DDM for that long, but the proof is out there! I can't even tell you how many months I was writing this before I even let anyone read the first chapter.

Can anyone guess who showed up right at the end to scold Aisla? And who can guess what costume Aisla is wearing? If not, come back next week to find out! The next chapter of our mini Halloween arc continues then!

Fun Fact: So all of their costumes, except for Aisla of course, came from some art I found back in 2021 (at least I think it was published then). I honestly can't remember, but I'm pretty sure it was official art for the show. For those of you who are interested, you can look these up online and see them for yourself!