Cooking

Estelle pouted down at the frying pan with intensity. The charred black soot on the metal was so prominent that nobody would have been able to guess it was an egg she had just annihilated. Slumping, Estelle let out a growl as she stomped towards the trash to dump her failure.

"What the fuck are you doing?!"

Looking up with a surprised expression, Estelle sweat-dropped as she tried to shuffle the frying pan out of view. "Absolutely nothing."

"Don't play games with me, Lioness. I could see the smoke from the living room!" Bakugo shouted as he pointed at her with a furious expression. His hand shifted into the air as he tried to shoo away the smoke to get a better look at the female. Did she not think to open a window?! It was like a thick fog had done a hostile takeover.

Estelle shook her head quickly as embarrassment washed over her entire being and gave a nervous laugh. "No, no. I was just admiring the pans. Very fancy."

"The fuck has gotten into you?!" Bakugo questioned, entirely bewildered by the way Estelle was speaking.

Groaning, Estelle slumped in defeat, and she lifted the pan so he could see the awfulness of what she had created. She glanced away as Bakugo's eye twitched, the furious expression on his face leaving an aura of fire around him.

"What have you done!?" He surveyed with horror. The frying pan looked like it had been scalded in a fire. It didn't even seem usable anymore; how was it even possible to fuck it up that much? He couldn't believe it.

Glancing to see if his expression changed, Estelle quickly averted her eyes again when his demeanour turned even more threatening. She wasn't skittish of many things, and Bakugo had never been on that list. But, Estelle knew how much the boy prided himself on his cooking and his work in the kitchen. This was practically his domain with how much he cooked, and it made his reaction all the more mortifying.

She knew if she ran, the boy would never let her live it down. Defeated that she would have to deal with this situation now, she turned back to the male with a frown. "I...never realised how difficult it was to cook."

"How can someone be so skilled at most things in life be so awful at cooking an egg?!" He continued with his hands in the air as he ranted to her.

Shrinking into herself, Estelle felt a sinking sensation as she picked at the charred pan in her hand. The only response she made to his rambling was a shrug, but unfortunately, that seemed to have pissed the male off even more.

Stomping over to her, Bakugo snatched the pan from her hold. Estelle had no expression on her face as she softly intertwined her fingers together, like a child scolded by a parent.

"You could have burned the whole place down! You could have seriously hurt yourself! If you know you're useless at cooking, why the hell would you do it?!" He continued ranting. It was only when he lifted the pan up to get a closer look that his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He could see her face from the corner of his eye, and he took a moment to recognise the emotion.

He could tell she was upset from her downturned expression. Bakugo felt a pain in his heart when he noticed that he had caused it. The anger within him flickered off like a light switch as he stepped forward to place his hand on her head softly.

Darting her gaze to the male in front of her, Estelle was surprised that Bakugo had softened considerably from his seething anger a moment ago. She remained in stunned silence as he spoke, "Tch, the smoke scared the shit out of me. I'm just glad you weren't burned to a crisp."

"Sorry," Estelle muttered back, her gaze moving back to her fingers.

The childlike apology hit a strange part within Bakugo's soul, and he couldn't help his body from leaping forward to engulf her tightly in an embrace. "You idiot. Why would you even do this? Seriously, any longer and there would have been a fire."

Feeling remorseful once again, Estelle muttered, "Well, I can't rely on you forever. Can I?"

Bakugo was conflicted about the response. His own immediate thought nearly slipped past his lips, and he halted from shock. 'I want you to rely on me.'

Instead, he said, "You've let me cook for you all year. Why are you trying to learn now?"

Estelle had been feeling odd about the fact Bakugo cooked for her. She was an independent woman who survived through the worst life has thrown at her, and she could handle just about anything (with a couple of breakdowns in-between, but that didn't matter because Estelle pushed through them, dammit.) Still, she never had to rely on another person like that, even for something as simple as cooking her meals.

It was when he made food for her for when he was gone. She felt a bit useless, and she hated that; she didn't need anybody else. Plus, "What would I do when I'm back home? I've been getting used to the food in this world. I know by the time I get back, everything will feel inedible. I just wanted to get a few skills under my belt, so I didn't have to starve."

Loathing filled his heart when he was reminded of Estelle's departure; Bakugo grumbled in annoyance as he kept her in his grasp. To Estelle, Bakugo was like a warm, comforting blanket right now, so even though she knew she had to back away, her body melted into him instead. 'Curse you, Ruby.'

"Is it really that bad?"

Lifting her head up to view the blonde, Estelle's lip quivered as she responded. "You're cooking is so good; I'll starve when I get back," she muttered overdramatically.

Utterly baffled, Bakugo couldn't help the pride flooding within his bones. Grinning down at her, Bakugo's whole being internally warmed with affection. "Why didn't you say so, Lioness!? You could have just asked me instead of burning down the kitchen!" He started, his hand thumping her head lightly as he shook his own in disbelief.

"I told you before, I didn't think it was going to be this difficult."

"Says the person who didn't know you could butter bread with a knife before various ways of stabbing a troll," He stated back humorously as his hands glided up her back to nudge her forward. The closer proximity made the female heat up as his face was millimetres from her own. The humorous glint in his eyes sparkled as he held onto her tightly.

Feeling a hitch in her breath, Estelle forced out a mutter to cover the unintentional reaction. "Touche."

The silence between them droned for a moment as the two bodies were locked in place. The stare from the blonde bore down at Estelle, and her body faced conflict as it heated up and had the urge to run away at the same time. Turning her head away to avoid reciprocating the gaze, Estelle tried to bat the warmth from her cheeks as he continued to watch her intently.

She couldn't figure out what the look was for, and her automatic reaction wasn't helping either. Did she have something on her face? Why were his eyes making her feel so strange?

Fingers gripped her chin and slowly turned her head back to face the rubies she was trying to avoid. Estelle had nowhere to run, stuttering on her breath as she was forced to look back at him. His expression was foreign, filled with a simmering heat that filled her body. Their chests were touching as the two observed each other.

Nudging their noses together, Bakugo snapped back to reality once Estelle widened her eyes. Feeling a blush on his cheeks, he stepped back as he muttered, "Tch, come on. I'll show you."

Standing by Bakugo after they cleared the remaining smoke and dust. Estelle and Bakugo stared down at the ingredients seriously as they double checked they had everything they required.

"Okay, so I think the problem you had with this was the fact you didn't add oil or butter first. It stops the ingredient from sticking to the pan and burning like you just did."

"Oh," Estelle answered, feeling like an idiot as Bakugo continued to speak.

"This time, though, I'm gonna show you how to make simple curry and rice."

"Oh, I like curry."

"I know."

"Oh."

Standing by Bakugo, she watched as the male threw ingredients into the pot with the speed of light. Estelle was thankful she took things in quickly; otherwise, she would have been utterly clueless. He knew what he was doing, and the apron tied around his waist was a view Estelle didn't think she would ever forget.

"What are you staring at?" Bakugo grumbled as he stirred the pot.

"You."

Flushing from the blunt answer, the wooden spoon in his hand sizzled as his quirk frazzled and popped. "Why?!" He yelled out, his head turned away from her so she couldn't see the rosy red on his cheeks.

Watching as he cooked, Estelle found it comforting. It was like he was in his element, rushing around the kitchen with such ease that it made her jealous. His determined and prideful attitude fit his cooking ways as he ran through everything with unrestraint.

The apron helped.

"You look good."

"Hah?!" He startled, spoon flying out of his hand as his quirk set off with harsher intensity. The stunned expression on his face as he stared at her just made him look all the more adorable. Smirking at the look on his face, Estelle let out a wolfish expression as the glee of taking him off guard strangely satisfied her.

"I said, you look good."

"Tch, you'll be the death of me, brat. Of all places to call me good looking, it's when I have a pink apron on."

"I'll repeat, you look good in the kitchen."

"Alright, Alright! Enough! Stop it!" Bakugo screamed, both his hands popping with explosions as his face flushed the most Estelle had ever seen.

Smirking, Estelle's eyes flickered to the tomatoes on the counter. Flicking her eyes back and forth, she could see Bakugo's scowl as he could tell where she was going with this.

"Don't you dare..."

"It's an uncanny resemblance."

"Lioness!"

Laughing lightly, Estelle couldn't help but admire him in some way. Even though she knew he was better off without her. Bakugo was a strong character, resolute in his goal and strong-willed with his determination. Estelle appreciated the qualities, but she could see the good in the down moments. The calm of the kitchen seemed to do some good for him, and she could see why he chose to do cooking duties more than anything else.

Still, he looked handsome in the ruffled apron.

The room turned muted as Estelle unabashedly appreciated the male in the room. It put the blonde on edge. It was different to see Estelle so...herself. There was always a wall up with her, and Bakugo always had to battle to tear them down. But this, this felt like her. He wondered what it was that made her relax so much, but he wasn't complaining. He enjoyed every moment of it. She seemed carefree, and Bakugo couldn't get enough of it.

'But, would she please stop staring?'

Her gaze lit him on fire, and he was finding it hard to focus on the meal. What kind of teacher would he be if he burned it before he finished teaching her how to cook the damn thing? A shitty one and he would never live it down.

Forcing his gaze on the curry. Bakugo muttered out instructions as he continued to cook. Startling when he heard a phone ring behind him, Bakugo peeked at Estelle as she reached for her pocket. He felt a brief disappointment when she answered the call and turned his focus back onto the stove.

"Oh, Shinsou. How can I help you?"

That caught his attention. Jerking his head up to listen to the conversation, Bakugo felt a strange feeling in his gut when he heard Estelle's chuckles. What was that idiot saying?! It couldn't be remotely funny. The nerd didn't have a funny bone in his body.

"Yeah, I could do Wednesday."

Pouting, Bakugo faced the curry and stirred slowly as Estelle voiced her goodbyes. His expression immediately changed just before Estelle turned to him. Stepping forward, so she was looking over his shoulder, she questioned, "Did I miss anything?"

"Tch no. I waited, but now we have to add the vegetables."

"Oh, thanks."

"What did the nerd want?" he asked calmly, his eyes focused on the dish.

"He was just asking about training."

"Why do you even bother? He isn't even in the hero course."

"He will be."

Clicking his tongue, he murmured, "Someone's confident."

Squinting her eyes, Estelle challenged, "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know!" Bakugo exclaimed harshly.

Estelle gazed at him with confusion as he pouted and turned back to the pot on the stove. As the minute ticked on, the silence dug into the blonde's brain. Estelle kept her eyes on him, hoping he would break his facade from her deep stare.

"It's just...You agreed so easily. Sounds like you two are closer than you let on."

Giving a chuckle, Estelle shook her head. The laugh heightened once Bakugo's eyes widened and his head snapped up to look at her in disbelief. Growling in aggravation, he yelled, "What?! What are you laughing at?!"

"It's training, Ruby. It's entirely different," She explained whilst she internally wondered why they were having this conversation.

"Tch, if you say so," He grumbled back. Flickering his gaze to Estelle, Bakugo gave a mischievous smirk before quickly grabbing her arm to pull her forward. The sudden move surprised the female since she couldn't stop her reflexive response of pinning the male on the counter with her forearm. Pressing down on him intensely, Estelle fought her instincts as she tried not to harm the male.

Blinking rapidly, Estelle scowled at the pomeranian. Her confused eyes scanned over him as she thought, 'He normally warns me. Did he just forget?'

Before she could voice her perplexion, Estelle was greeted by the sight of Bakugo's smirk. The confusion was evident on her face, which only helped widen his smile, and before she could register what happened next, Estelle was looking at the pot on the stove.

Thoroughly bewildered, Estelle snapped her head back to find the male behind her. Understanding bloomed, and Estelle couldn't stop her glare as she watched the blonde revel in his victory.

He took advantage of her confusion.

This was the plan all along.

'He waited until I was stuck in my head and then moved me! That asshole.'

"It's your turn. Which one was the cayenne pepper?" Bakugo stated, the victorious grin still on his lips.

Accepting her loss, Estelle swivelled her head back to stare at the ingredients on the side of the stove. Warily pointing to a red tub, Estelle jumped when Bakugo's arms slowly landed on each side of the counter, his body pressed against her back.

"Good. Now put three spoonfuls in and mix," Bakugo directed, ignoring the fact his arms were now barricading her from leaving.

Shrugging, Estelle followed his orders and dumped the spice into the pot. The scent was familiar to her, and Estelle realised it contributed to the spicy scent of Ruby. Mixing the pan, Estelle waited for her next instruction.

The pair lulled themselves to a peaceful moment as Bakugo stated his instructions for Estelle to follow. As she continued, the understanding soon settled in after. Estelle could see why people loved cooking so much; there was something serene about it. The more she spent time with Ruby, the more she understood his activities, why he did the things he did, and his drive.

Startled out of her thoughts, Estelle felt a dip on her shoulder. The spikiness of Bakugo's hair was felt immediately after, and Estelle took a moment of surprise to register the fact he was leaning his head on her shoulder. Flushing slightly as his head tilted against hers, she heard him mutter into her ear with a low tone.

"Good, now for the final ingredient. Add the spinach leaves."

Silently following his direction, Estelle finally mixed the pot before placing the lid on to leave the curry to simmer. Turning to start the rice, Estelle was startled again by Bakugo's arms shifting from the counter to wrap around her middle.

The breath in Estelle's throat immediately got caught as he pulled her in closer to his chest. The close proximity caused the red on her cheeks to bloom as she stood frozen in his arms.

"Bakugo..." she murmured quietly like she was afraid of breaking the gentle atmosphere in the room.

"Shhh, it's no different from the couch," he hushed in reassurance as his grip tautened around her slightly.

Placing her hand on top of his, Estelle marinated in her thoughts whilst she was held within his warm embrace. There was a deep tidal wave of a battle within her. The urge to break from his grasp and shatter the moment they were in or to revel in it. Two opposites pulled at each other constantly whenever she was with Bakugo.

There was also the guilt like she was wasting his time. He had so much better things to do than teach her how to cook. It was why she had tried to do it herself, because the more time she spent with Bakugo, the more she realised how good of a person he was. Estelle just felt like she tainted him just by being in his presence.

Her mind in circles once again, Estelle was given a reprieve when the blonde finally let go. Letting out a deep breath that hit the back of her neck, Estelle shivered from the action before pulling herself back together.

"Come, I'll show you how to make kickass rice," he gruffed out, his low tone vibrating through her body.

Shaking the after-effects of the whole experience, Estelle nodded in agreement before following his instructions again. Holding a low smile, Estelle pushed back her thoughts for another time.

Estelle watched the class eat the meal Bakugo and her cooked today with serious eyes. She was expecting gagging and the whole nine yards, but their responses were the usual, which was a good sign.

Sighing in hidden relief, Bakugo watched her with a knowing grin. Scoffing to catch her attention, he muttered, "What? Did you think I'd let you ruin another meal?"

"Well, no..." Estelle drawled back, beginning to get used to the fact he could recognise what she was thinking.

"Tch, sure."