Meetings

Estelle gazed at the commission's board with stern eyes as they debated around her. The people were still wary of the situation, and their fear continued to spike with continued spirit sightings around Japan. Estelle was doing all she could to manage the problem now, but there was only so much she could do.

The commission was getting angsty about the lack of progress, but the main reason they had called her was because of Hawks. That damn hero.

Apparently, he was working as a double agent for the commission, so it was a surprise when they found out Estelle had met with the league of villains and had not informed Mr Aizawa of the encounter. Her action had caused them to doubt her once again, and it was only when Estelle explained that telling Mr Aizawa about the number two hero casually strolling into the room full of villains would have caused chaos.

They relaxed after that, realising she was right. If Estelle had informed Mr Aizawa about Hawks, their secret spy would no longer be a covert mission. And, it could have caused a leak. Estelle was still processing the fact that Hawks was an undercover agent at all.

When she had seen him walk into the room, Estelle was so done with this world she was ready to ask Dabi to end it right there and then. She was glad she waited at least; this was much better than having to worry if all heroes were just flukes.

Actually, now that she thought about it. If there was someone strong enough with a well together message, the actual heroes would be fucked. Shaking her thoughts away, Estelle had to remind herself that this wasn't her problem.

Why was she thinking like this? This topic didn't matter to her at all; it wasn't her problem. She just needed to focus on her mission. Everything else could wait.

So, here she was, gazing at the commission as they prodded her for the information on Nabu island. The shock was evident on their faces as they realised what this meant. "So, you're telling me that the man in a red cloak is actually a dark spirit? How is that possible?"

"I don't know. Old folk stories of light spirits going dark after experiencing trauma have been told. I can only guess that's what happened here. The fact that this individual has managed to keep his sanity in the process is perilous, and he probably has a lot more in store for us."

"I see. Still, this is shocking. We had seen what Aite had managed to do - and he had turned dark himself. We'll need to proceed with caution. In the meantime, you mentioned you have the blueprints for your device?"

"I do. I would suggest putting the devices in populated areas. I had requested the support course to create a larger device to cover a wide spread of land so you won't need to produce a lot. Issue out a statement that the people will need to exit the area if it rings. Other than that, it's connected to my device, so I will be able to arrive as swiftly as possible."

"You have done well. We will have these issued immediately. Was there anything else you needed to mention?"

"That's all for now."

"We will see you soon then."

Estelle was lying on the couch, her eyes gazing onto the ceiling, when the door slammed open. Keeping her stare on the tiles, Estelle could hear the rustling of the classmates and their bags as they strolled into Heights Alliance.

They were back.

Smirking slightly when they started to joyfully shout her name, Estelle turned her head to face the new arrivals. "No need to shout, I'm right here, y'know? Welcome back."

With wide beams, most of the students chirped their hello's as they shuffled further into the room. Furrowing her brows, she could feel the tangible happiness surrounding them.

"Oh, it's so good to be back!" Momo exclaimed with a joyful smile.

"I know, right! Hey, Estelle! Didya miss us?"

"Hmpt, you wish."

"Rude!"

"Yeah yeah, go get settled in. You've had a journey."

"Rodger, Captain!" Students voiced back as they headed to their dorms to drop off their things.

Surprised, Estelle jerked when her legs were raised slightly as Bakugo sat down. Plopping her legs on his thighs, the blonde kept his hand on her ankle as he stared at her. Looking to her right, she realised Bakugo must have ditched his things as soon as he arrived and returned downstairs. Bobbing her head with a small smile, she lifted a brow at the male who held no expression on his face.

It was hushed between the two of them as his eyes trailed over her frame. Averting her own eyes from his, Estelle shrunk slightly from the memory of their last conversation in person. Recalling how she blushed as she dashed away, Estelle internally forced back the heat on her cheeks.

Keeping her face rather emotionless, Estelle waited for him to break the silence. But as time ticked on, Estelle realised he had no intention of doing so. Flicking her gaze back up to the blonde, Estelle surveyed him and detected that the male appeared exhausted. Frowning at the downturn of his lips and the dark circles under his eyes, Estelle didn't even register her following words as they slipped past her lips.

"Come here."

The blond gave a groan of approval as he flopped onto her side. Giving a light sound of surprise, Estelle could feel the spikiness of his hair as they lightly stabbed her face. His head was buried into her neck as he leaned over, so when she raised her hand to brush through his locks, Estelle felt his breath hit her throat.

Trailing her fingers to the back of his neck, Estelle made circle motions as she twirled the softer hairs around her fingers. Floored, Estelle hid her noise of stupefaction as Bakugo groaned again in approval and wrapped an arm around her waist, gripping her hip as he pulled her closer.

Feeling a warmth from where his hand lay on her skin, Estelle ignored it to soothe the tired boy. Time passed slowly as the pair revelled in their brief peace. She stared back up at the ceiling as she continued playing with his hair, and her body slowly unwinded within the calm atmosphere.

Realising that the students would come back any minute, Estelle angled her head down to face Bakugo. Stilling slightly when her eyes caught rubies, Estelle wondered how long he had been observing her.

"Tch, what is it?"

"The class will be down soon."

"Fuck them, I don't care."

"Alright."

"Ochako"

"Huh?!" The female responded at the dinner table, wholly bewildered that Estelle had started the conversation. Ochako gazed at Estelle, worry lining her features as her fingers tensed around the chopsticks. A few students had noticed the interaction and stilled, confused at the new situation.

"Meet me at the gym the day after tomorrow."

"Huh?!" Ochako responded even more loudly, stunned as her eyes flickered around the room nervously. Did Estelle want to murder her or something?

Rolling her eyes, Estelle snapped back, "I'm not murdering you knucklehead; I'll save that for when you piss me off. I'm starting your training on Sunday, be ready."

"Huh?!"

Moaning in utter disbelief, Estelle nodded at Bakugo in thanks as he took her plate to the kitchen. Turning her head back to the bubblegum female, Estelle frowned. "Are you declining?"

"Wha?! No! I would love to train with you!" Ochako yelled back, complete elation in her voice as she stood up with resolve. Estelle smirked. She liked determination.

Standing up with a solemn nod, Estelle grunted back, "Good. Then we will begin training soon."

Stunned silence filled the room as they all quietly contemplated over the fact Estelle was offering to spend time with another classmate. It didn't happen often, but it put them in for a loop when it did. Why would she disregard her own words to offer training? It just didn't make sense to them. Thankfully, a bashful and shy Ochako managed to ask what they were all wondering.

"Estelle, I really appreciate you offering me. Thank you! Really! But why?"

Sighing deeply, Estelle wondered if they sat and questioned every move she made. How bothersome. Realising she hadn't answered, Estelle explained, "In a war, the soldiers can't get far without their support. In a war, there are times when an individual cannot be a support, but they need to lead; take charge. In a war, people crumble under that pressure because all they ever have been was support for someone else. So, tell me, Ochako. Are you just support?"

The class stayed dumbfounded as Ochako stood straighter than a board, fierce and unwavering eyes staring into Estelle's as she shook her head. They all understood what Estelle was asking her, and it was unexpected.

Smirking, Estelle gave a quiet nod of approval before leaving the dining room. A final word of parting on her lips before the door clicked shut behind her. "Good."

Ochako slumped in her seat afterwards, the stunned expression still on her face as she mulled over Estelle's words. Nodding to herself in quiet agreement, the students quietly watched as her resolve grew and her eyes hardened.

'Holy shit.'

Estelle and Bakugo huddled together on the couch as they peacefully watched the next episode of Bake Off. Honestly, Estelle wasn't sure if she could even call it peacefully, considering Bakugo liked to insult every little thing the chefs do, but it was a different kind of tranquil.

She was lying on his stomach as he played with her hair, and Estelle could have fallen asleep with how warm he was. He just radiated a heat that was so foreign to her, and she was starting to believe he was a better pillow than anything else she had ever used.

She had even noticed in the shower that she had to shampoo twice. She guessed it was the nitroglycerin that caught in her hair whenever Bakugo played with it, and it had an oil-like texture when she tried to get it out. She hadn't mentioned that to him as she guessed he would be embarrassed that his quirk caused the extra hassle when she washed it.

But honestly, she didn't mind it in the face of his head pats. They were comforting, and the heat that radiated off of him just amplified the cocoon he created during their nights together. It was like a warm, safe room, and she had to constantly remind herself that it was only temporary.

"Get your crusty hands off the doe, Jackass! Unbelievable, these idiots can't cook for shit!" Bakugo screamed, causing Estelle to jump up like a spooked cat.

"Not like you could cook it any better," Estelle snarked back with a smirk as she gazed at him.

"The hell!? I could cook bread a hundred times better than that asshole!"

"Don't call James an asshole. He is a perfectly able-bodied cook," Estelle responded with mock horror.

"Tch, you're just saying that because he's your favourite chef."

"I have no favourites."

"Tell that to your head; it pops up every time he speaks."

"He has a nice voice," Estelle defended.

"What the hell does that have to do with his shitty cooking?!" Bakugo yelled back in annoyance.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Tch. Nice voice, my ass. Lie back down," He snarled as he pushed her head back onto his chest.

Chuckling, Estelle couldn't help but find his aggravation humorous. Lifting her head up, she pushed against his hand as he tried to apply pressure to keep her in place. Smirking, she cooed, "Awh, is someone upset?"

"Shut up, Lioness!" He growled back, his ruby eyes glaring at her as a red flush on his face appeared.

The furnace on his cheeks warmed her in a way she could not pinpoint. Keeping the smirk on her face, she pushed him further as she coyly added, "Oh, you are! Don't worry, it's just a voice after all."

Vexed, Bakugo grabbed Estelle's arms and pulled her upwards to face him directly. The red on his face was prominent as he turned his head to her ear. "That shitty voice has nothing on me. Got it, Lioness?"

Staggered, Estelle widened her eyes at the low baritone of his voice. The deep huskiness of his tone shot electricity down her spine that she had to double-take to make sure it was still the blonde speaking. Estelle wasn't expecting that; it reminded her of the time he spoke when he had just woken up. It left the same feeling of conflict within her, and she tried to brush it off before he noticed.

Too bad he was watching her the whole time.

The roles reversed; Bakugo watched as Estelle briefly flushed before shaking her head. Snickering, he growled, "It looks like I win. The four-eyed cook never made you react like that, hm?"

Turning her head away with a slight pout, Estelle pridefully mumbled, "James's voice is still better."

"You lying brat!" Bakugo growled as he lifted the hand off her head to wrap around her neck.

"Oof!" Estelle grunted as Bakugo pulled her forwards to rub the top of her head aggressively. Laying there, Estelle glared at him as he bestowed lighthearted punishment. "There's no need to be so vocal, Ruby."

Grunting at her awful pun, he snarked back, "Says the one I rendered speechless."

Laughing lightly, Estelle shuffled out of Bakugo's grip to turn to the screen where the cook James spoke once again. Heading an irritated growl next to her, Estelle was alarmed when the channel switched to an advert. "Huh?"

"If you're just watching for his shitty voice, there's no fucking point when I'm here!" Dazed, Estelle watched him with widened eyes, and he turned to look at her. "Because you clearly like mine better. I'll just talk you to death instead!"

"Ruby..."

"What?!"

"Please don't."

"Tch, it's too late for that. Come here."