Rockclimbing

Estelle put on her gym gear as she waited for Bakugo to arrive for their trip. She had thought about backing out numerous times, but she couldn't get the picture of Bakugo's smile out of her head. She couldn't be the one to burn that to the ground.

As if he had read her doubtful thoughts, Estelle heard a knock on her bedroom door. Knowing who it was, Estelle opened the door for the blonde male. Eyeing him quickly, she could see that he had better gear than she did. That was understandable, considering he was more familiar with the sport than she was.

She could also tell that it was nearly new. She guessed Bakugo had taken her advice and started implementing it into his training again. Feeling a strange warmness that he followed her advice, Estelle gave a small smile in hello before she turned around to bend over for her bag by the bed.

Startled when she turned back, Estelle found a pouting Bakugo whilst his head was turned away. Raising a brow at the slight red flush on his cheeks, Estelle shrugged to herself before moving towards the exit.

Gripping onto Bakugo's arm tightly, Estelle realised his arm was wrapped around her waist in an attempt to stop her from leaving.

Holding back her instinct of obliterating him, Estelle gazed up at the blonde in question. Her body was tensed, her arm slightly raised in a ready stance to flip him onto his back. Feeling Bakugo's fingers pressed against her side, Estelle remained silent to allow him to speak.

"Tch, are you okay?"

Giving a muted nod, Estelle gave Bakugo's arm a light pat of reassurance and warning for him to let go. Surprisingly, his grip only tightened on Estelle briefly before letting go.

Eyeing the male, Bakugo didn't make eye contact as he gazed towards the exit. "We're going to try the gym since it's your first time. We can think about heading to the mountains later."

"I'll follow your lead." Estelle retorted blandly as she held in her surprise. This was a whole day thing? She kept her mouth shut nevertheless, the words of Bakugo ringing out in her head from yesterday.

"You better. You need to learn the basics first before anything else. No powers allowed."

"Hmpt, okay."

The journey to the gym was mediocre. The pair mainly discussed the gear Estelle was unfamiliar with and its purposes. By the time they had reached the climbing gym, Estelle felt a little bit better now that she had the extra bit of knowledge. It seemed quieter today as there weren't many people in the centre.

"You need to rent out some gear first-timer. I can help you suit up," The clerk muttered to an underprepared Estelle with a slight smile on his face. Estelle nodded in understanding as she avoided the awkwardness in the air. When she reached into her bag to pull out money, she was stopped by the blonde next to her.

"I have her gear."

Stunned, Estelle gazed up with wide eyes but received no answer as Bakugo was too busy glaring at the man behind the counter. A strange feeling emanated in the air for a moment until the clerk finally nodded and handed the pair their entrance wristbands.

Before Estelle could voice her thanks, she was already pulled away by Bakugo. The female rolled her eyes and stopped before him once they reached an open locker room. Estelle didn't question why he had gear for her and waited for him to pull the strange straps out of his sports rucksack.

"Put this on", he muttered as he pulled out his own brace to put on. Nodding, Estelle stepped into the straps and pulled upwards. It was a bunch of cinctures that Bakugo explained earlier would connect to a harness if she fell.

Estelle awkwardly waited when she was strapped in; Bakugo had decided to check them over. She could only describe the incident like a child waiting for approval. Estelle felt a glimpse of relief when he nodded after checking each buckle.

"Oh, I forgot. This is a chalk pouch; it's a white powder that keeps your hands from sweating when you climb. Dip into it whenever you start feeling a slip." Bakugo illustrated as he attached a black pouch to her buckle.

The whole experience was strange; Estelle couldn't describe why. She could only guess the cause was Bakugo's actions. Finally, the pair stepped onto the casual climbing course after Bakugo stated that beginners set were too easy. Heading over to the harness, Estelle was directed to take the ropes to tie them into her buckles.

Following his words, Estelle looked up when she heard Bakugo's heavy footsteps heading towards her. "Tch, not like that. You need to do a climbers knot; let me show you," He muttered as he pulled her forward by a buckle.

Out of her comfort zone, Estelle gave a light scowl towards the blonde as he tied one of the knots to her right. "Yes, because I defiantly know what a climbers knot is."

"Tch, don't be cheeky with me. Watch me."

Ignoring his scold, Estelle watched as he tied the knot slowly to visually show her what to do. Spices and burnt sugar filled her nose as he was close to her. She could feel the bristles of his hair hitting her neck as he faced downwards towards her clasps.

Feeling a strange flush, Estelle bated her breath as she moved to back away but was immediately pulled back by the buckle once again. "Don't run away from me, idiot."

Finally, it was all done, and the pair were fully geared up for some rock climbing. Stepping forward onto the matted flooring, the two students faced the multi-coloured rocks on the wall. Gazing at each other briefly, Bakugo spoke up once again. "You go first, so I can watch you and correct your form."

Unsure where to even start, Estelle, asked "So what? Do I climb it like a ladder?"

"Keep your body slightly to the side, and point your feet outward for now. It's easier to point out changes than throwing it all at you like a brick wall."

"Touché" Estelle muttered out. She's had some prior experience with teaching, and it seemed like Bakugo wasn't an awful one either. She just hoped it wouldn't be hours of him screaming at her. The memory of Kirishima and Bakugo studying at the cafe was brought to the forefront of her mind.

Starting their climb, Estelle found it to be more simple than her mind made it out to be. Keeping her torso by the wall, Estelle continued the climb step by step. Bakugo was slightly beneath her to her right to see Estelle correctly. Surprisingly, he didn't shoot out hundreds of corrections.

If Estelle was being honest, what surprised her the most was Bakugo. She had expected a loud, brash, annoying, egotistical and patronising teacher. But Bakugo was calm, his breathing even and his words gruff but considerably softer whenever he spoke up to correct her form.

He even muttered out words of praise. Well, as praiseworthy that Bakugo could voice.

"That's good enough, but I'm still better."

"This is literally my first time, Ruby," Estelle sighed back in exasperation.

"I'm still better than you."

"Loser."

"Liar."

"You learn quickly," Bakugo grunted.

"I have to adapt to any situation."

"Mhmm"

"Use more of your leg strength to pull yourself up. It saves more energy when climbing."

"Understood, captain."

"You idiot."

"You look like your running out of chalk, use mine," Estelle monotoned, noticing that he was beginning to slip more than he should.

"Tch, I'm fine."

"Don't be a moron. Of course, you use it more since your hand's sweat. Take some."

"Fine, whatever."

"I'm still surprised you haven't done this before."

"To be fair, why would I when I can fly and reach my destination within seconds?"

"Touché"

"Stop for a second."

"Uh, okay?"

"You're strap is getting loose."

Standing on a piece of rock beside her, Bakugo leaned over, his hand tightly gripped on another rock to keep his balance. His fingers trailed over the clasp to point out the cause of the stop.

Shrugging, Estelle moved to keep climbing but was immediately stopped by Bakugo's index finger curled around the metal clasp strapped to her. Turning her head to face his scowl, his ruby eyes glared at her as he attempted to keep her in place.

"Fix it."

Sighing in annoyance, Estelle grumbled to herself as she clumsily reattached the rope to herself.

"Stop being a brat; I'm not having you break your legs."

"Ugh, I wish. Plus, did you forget that I can fly?"

"Shut up. No powers allowed, remember?"

"Hmpt. Ruby eyed asshole."

"Tch, dark-eyed Lioness."

Shaking her head in amusement, Estelle continued moving now that her gear was back in order. Bakugo followed behind soon after, his eyes watching over her as she climbed to fix any errors. Eventually, the pair moved onto the more complex and more mountain-like training sections. Bakugo's voice was no longer trainer-like as he had begun to feel more confident in Estelle's abilities.

"At least I know you won't die."

"I wish."

"Shut up."

It was a slow change between the pair as Bakugo's comments became less frequent. Instead, to pass the time. The duo conversed as they climbed various terrains. Estelle found herself smiling at the harsh words of the blonde as they kept moving upwards.

"I used to come here when I was younger. Once I was fully trained up, that's when my parents would take me mountain climbing in the surrounding public mountain trails."

"How old were you when you started?"

"I was six."

"Oh, so pretty young. What made you ask me to come along if this is practically beginner for you?"

"Tch, because you needed a break", Bakugo started before coming to an abrupt stop. Estelle tilted her head in curiosity about the answer, but Bakugo continued before she could ask further. "Plus, I don't hate your company."

Startled by his blunt honesty, Estelle stilled mid-climb. Fumbling as her heart twinged painfully, Estelle shook her head to shake the feeling away. The otherworldy girl turned her head away to avoid his gaze when she realised he was observing her. The subtle chuckle of Bakugo could be heard as she continued moving.

"How old were you when you started training?" Bakugo questioned, continuing the previous conversation.

Furrowing her brows in thought, Estelle answered. "I'm not sure, but if I were to guess - maybe four or five?"

"Hmm, I'm not surprised."

"Why? Because I can kick your butt?"

"Tch, just you wait."

"Yeah, well, you'll need to be quick since my time here is limited."

"Shut up."

"Rodger, captain Ruby."

It was getting later into the evening when Bakugo turned to Estelle with a shit-eating grin. Estelle stared back at him with a pit in her stomach as she muttered, "What's gotten into you now?"

Cackling, Bakugo took a step forward to voice his brilliant thought. "We're going to have a race."

Doubling back, Estelle stared at the blonde in bewilderment as his features lit up with fierce determination and a jittering body like he was ready to go. Sighing in defeat, Estelle should have known that his competitive nature would come out at some point. Nodding in assent, the pair stood at the bottom of the fake mountain and prepared their bodies to move.

"Three, two, one. Go!"

Moving quickly, Bakugo and Estelle climbed the rocks with precision. Estelle was still having difficulty from time to time as she was still a newbie, but she was keeping up with Bakugo well. Smiling as Bakugo laughed out in glee, Estelle pushed forward, so she was ahead by a couple of climbs.

Staggered, Estelle stood in shock as Bakugo practically climbed on top and over her to win. "Hah! You wish you could beat me, Lioness!"

Smirking back at the blonde, she shouted, "The race isn't over yet!"

Feeling a strange fire under her belly from his jab, Estelle moved quicker than before. The two were neck and neck as they continued to move upwards.

When they reached the same rock, the two stilled, their hands on each other as they prepared to take the next leap up. Staring each other down, the pair tried taking the jump simultaneously. Bumping into each other, Bakugo screamed, "The hell, Lioness!"

"Says you! I touched the rock first!"

Laughing, Bakugo responded, "What, are you five?!"

"Are you an idiot?!"

"Take that back!" Bakugo growled, the grin still on his face as they finally reached back to the same spot they crashed into each other on. Estelle gave a wide smirk as she pushed his hand off the rock.

Snarling, Bakugo raised his leg to push her off balance, causing Estelle to fight back. Having a battle for this little piece of rock, Bakugo and Estelle forgot about the race in the face of adversity. Pushing each other away from each other, the people watching below wondered how they were still balancing up there.

"Just accept your defeat!"

"Never!" Estelle yelled back, all inhibitions lost in the face of this battle. A battle of pride.

Finally, the two eventually just climbed on the rock practically on top of each other and continued. They hollered words to each other as they reached the finishing line. Slipping on a bit of rock, Bakugo managed to beat her at the top by a few seconds.

Standing at the cliff with glee, Bakugo screamed, "That's right! Bow down to the rock climbing master bitch!"

"You're a shitty winner."

Laughing with elation from the win, Bakugo leaned over to help Estelle over the last rock and pulled her upwards onto the platform. Grinning still, Estelle rolled her eyes from the look on his face; the utter glee was palpable.

Slowing his winner grin down to a smile, Bakugo watched as Estelle gazed out at the gym with a happy sigh. This was what he wanted. This is how he wanted to see her, and now that he had.

He never thought she looked more beautiful.

Sweat was beginning to form on her face from using her body strength all day. She was worn, greasy and tired. But peaceful and relaxed, like the weight of the world wasn't on her shoulders. Captivating.

Turning her gaze back to the blonde, Estelle once again felt the warmth of his stare. Feeling a rush of fuzz, Estelle moved her gaze away quickly to avert her eyes from the moment.

"Come on, we've done enough for today. We can do real mountains another day."

"Hm."

"Tch, just because you don't say okay, it doesn't mean it won't happen."

"Whatever you say..."

"Grrr! C'mere!" Bakugo barked as he lunged towards the female.