A Day In The Mountains

Estelle was startled the next day when she heard a knock on her door. Staying silent, Estelle snuck to the exit and eyed the door as she tried to figure out who it could be and if there was a chance she could evade them.

"Oi, Lioness. Open the door."

Sighing in defeat, Estelle knew there was no chance of avoiding the blonde. She was also confused at why Bakugo was outside her room. Once Estelle opened the door, she lifted a brow in confusion as she noticed he had his gym gear on. Before she could raise her question, the pomeranian grunted before storming into the room.

Estelle had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"We're going out today."

"Huh? What if I had plans?" She retorted, suddenly feeling stubborn from the abrupt intrusion.

"You don't. I checked."

Still utterly bewildered, Estelle wracked her brain for any opportunity to decline his demand. "I'm sure I had training with Ochako today."

"No. You don't, I checked. I can see right through you. You're coming."

Slumping over in defeat, Estelle felt guilt that she was raining on his parade. But he shouldn't be doing this? Bakugo was good, Estelle knew that. Underneath his yelling, angry exterior, he was a good man. She had no right to spend time with him, not like this. She had to stand her ground. She told herself that it would be the last time. She had to say no, even if she hated the look in his eyes when she did.

"Stop overthinking it. Did it sound like I'm giving you a choice?!" Bakugo yelled out, frustration blooming from the silence emanating around the room.

"Bakugo..."

"Tch," The blonde grunted, his eyes rolling before he stormed up to Estelle's frame. "You don't have a choice; you're coming with me, dammit!"

"You should take Kiri- Ruby!" Estelle growled as she dodged the arms of the blonde that leapt out towards her. "The hell you doing?!" Estelle continued to ask in complete bafflement, still avoiding the barreling arms of the blonde.

"The hell do you think I'm doing! I'm getting your stubborn ass to listen to me!"

Annoyed as they continued to play a game of cat and mouse, Estelle knew there was no stopping this stubborn boy. Halting slightly in failure, Bakugo barreled into Estelle and lifted her up. Estelle slumped in defeat as she was planted over his shoulder. Grabbing his bag he dropped from the brief tussle, Bakugo headed out of the room.

Bakugo was too smug to say anything else.

Stomping his way to the elevator, the pair reminded silent as Bakugo revelled in his win. "You can let me go now, y'know?"

"Tch, and have you run away. Not likely."

Pouting in annoyance, Estelle raised her hand to plant it against her cheek. Her lips were pouted to show everyone in the common room that she was unhappy about this arrangement. What she didn't expect was their flabbergasted expression as they watched Bakugo march out of the elevator and storm through the common room towards the exit.

"Bakugo? What are you doing with Estelle?" Kirishima asked, stunned at the scene he was watching. The class around the room followed suit, eyes widening at the fact Estelle was just laying over his shoulder without a word of complaint.

Now that they looked further, they all let out a laugh at the pout on her face. Glaring back at them in response, she watched as the students gave various beams and thumbs up in the answer. Scowling, Estelle's pout deepened. Her fingers raised up in the middle to flip them off as Bakugo victoriously marched out of Height's Alliance.

Plopping her down by the bus stop, Bakugo's grip remained on her arm. His eyes were serious as he gazed down at her. "You ain't gonna run, are ya?"

Stubbornly glaring at him, Estelle grunted out, "Well, I'm here now, aren't I?"

"Tch, cheeky brat. You need to stop fighting me so much." Bakugo grumbled to himself.

Perking up, Estelle retorted back quickly. "You can't get everything you wish for."

"Tch, yes I can. I always get what I want."

"Are you sure about that?" Estelle questioned with a brow raised.

"Yes, and if you start running now just to prove a point, I'll tear you to shreds."

"Hmpt, I don't know why I let you bully me so much."

"Tch, because you love fighting to the very end."

"Touche."

There was a stark difference between rock climbing on the gymnasium walls and mountain climbing for Estelle. The rocks at the gym were bare and sturdy, but mountain climbing was a bit more unreliable since the strength of the stones could weaken, effectively letting the user fall. But, Estelle could see how it would feel more rewarding this way.

"There are separate climbing trails, so everything had been checked to make sure it's safe," Bakugo assured, seemingly aware of Estelle's thought process.

"Sometimes, I wonder if you can hear my thoughts," Estelle grumbled back.

"Tch, no. It's more like you're an open book sometimes, and then other times it's fucking impossible to get a read on you."

"Good."

"Why am I not surprised? Get on the harness."

"Bossy."

Strapping herself into the pre-set harness, Estelle tied the climber's knot before checking that she had the rest of her gear. Once she was done, and Bakugo was strapped in, Estelle had to stand like a toddler as the blonde checked every buckle.

Sulking, Estelle could hear Bakugo's chuckle of amusement over her as he pulled at the metal clasps. "Stop that. I'm making sure you won't be a piece of meat hundreds of feet on the ground."

"Ugh, I wish", Estelle groaned, her head tilted back childishly.

Hearing an annoyed growl, Estelle glared from the light hit against her head. "You have seriously got to stop talking like that."

"Hmpt."

"Tch, whatever. Follow me."

"Hold on!" Estelle grunted out, looping her fingers around one of his tied buckles to bring him back. She was gifted with a glower and a raised brow as he internally wondered what the hell she was doing.

"I believe in; equality. So, I'm checking your buckles."

"The hell!? - "

"Boop," Estelle muttered, her pointer finger touching the tip of Bakugo's nose for a second as she made the noise. Hearing a crackle and a pop, Estelle realised he activated his quirk for a second from her surprise move. Estelle smiled at his blushing face and wide, surprised eyes but couldn't help it when her smile grew into a grin. She couldn't deny it; a Bakugo so caught off guard and flustered like that was adorable. Taking in the rare moment, Estelle cooed, "Gotta make sure you're safe too."

Bakugo seemed lost for words as Estelle tugged on each buckle, making sure they were fastened and secure enough to hold his weight. It was only as soon as she checked each one over that Estelle looked up to find Bakugo pouting, his head turned away with the redness of his cheeks in full view.

Deciding that she had tortured him long enough, Estelle let go, her smirk still resting on her face. Grunting, Bakugo stomped next to her as they began their climb. They started off slow, so Estelle had enough time to get used to the rocks.

"How is it that you know about equality but had no fucking idea what music was?"

"Hm? Oh, I researched the laws when I arrived here."

"Really? Of all things you could have done?"

"Well, duh. How else was I going to know what the general rules were? It's probably the only reason I made it out of the commission a free woman."

"Huh..." Bakugo started an acknowledging hum to his voice. "So, what's different between the two?"

Halting since Estelle needed a second to think about the answer. Bakugo stopped, mirroring her movements as he gazed at her with furrowed brows.

"Honestly, I wasn't on the human territory long enough to find out. It's not like I had a search engine like you guys do here. I know that my world is a lot more lawless than yours. Killing, for one, isn't usually a crime unless it's someone of importance; everyone else is pretty much uncared for. The spirit side is a lot worse like I said earlier; they're no people to really govern it."

"What about light spirits? You haven't really talked about them much."

"Oh, yeah, I haven't really. Light spirits are humanlike in a way, but they only control their territories."

"So, they don't look like crazy creatures?"

"Well... The best way to explain it is like this. A stalker is a dark spirit and turns invisible to the naked eye to kill Cambions. It's their best form of offence and defence. An Elf is a light spirit. They look almost like a human, but their eyes a much larger, and their ears are pointed. They usually have abilities in craft, so they spend their time in makeshift workshops and trade them to others."

"Hm. So, abilities reflect the type of spirit they are."

"Exactly. You can get light spirits that seem humanlike, but you can also get them in different forms. Smaller differences similar to quirk mutations or large ones, like dragons."

"Holy shit, yeah. I've heard talks about a dragon's den."

"Hmm. Dragons are mighty and private creatures but wise beyond anything I've ever known."

"Do they look like the photos you see online?"

"Your imaginations have captured them pretty well; there are a few minor differences, but yes."

"That's fucking insane."

"I guess, but then again, there is the dragon hero Ryuko. So, the thought shouldn't be that far fetched."

"It sounds far-fetched, Lioness. Fucking dragons, Jesus Christ."

"It would be funny to see your jaw drop at the sight of one," Estelle thought out loud with a chuckle.

"Tch, I could take a dragon any day."

"Somone's a bit too confident."

"The hell you trying to say?! You'll pay for that!"

Laughing at the angry yells of the blonde, Estelle pushed onwards as she continued to traverse up the mountain. She found that she actually enjoyed climbing; it kept your mind working as you had to consistently check every rock before you climbed. It was almost like her head was on a breather, not racing like it usually would with thousands of theories and ideas of a way to get back home. It was like flying in a way, but with more heavy lifting. She understood why Bakugo loved it so much.

The duo had spent many hours climbing and talking as they made their way up the enormous mountain. They could have stopped and gone back down at any time, but Bakugo seemed to be fired up, determined to make it to the top before the day was over.

Estelle was physically fine, so she figured it was best to let the blonde push himself to the top. Technically he was still training, so it was a win-win. Eventually, though, she could see the fatigue in Bakugo's arms, but she knew he would be too stubborn to admit it.

To give him the final push to the top, Estelle resorted to other means, ones that were entirely unlike her. "My dead parents could climb faster than you. Looks like I'm winning this race."

"Gahh! The hell! Just you wait, Lioness!"

"I am waiting...all the way up here...because I'm beating you."

"Hah! Seriously, I'm gonna fucking kill you."

"Ooooh, is someone upset they are losing? Aww, don't worry. I'll wipe your tears away when you reach me at the top."

"Estelle..."

"Lost for words? Don't worry. You won't need them when I cheer about my win."

"That's it! No way in hell I'm losing to a fucking beginner! Out of the way, Lioness! I'll show you who the damn best is! Just watch!" Bakugo yelled as he frantically climbed the last leg of the mountain at the fastest pace she had ever seen in her life. He was practically running up the wall, a furious expression on his face as he pushed past her.

Laughing at the absurd expression on his face, the pure rage was hilarious to her as she watched him reach the top in record time. Grinning, Estelle quickly headed up the last leg and reached the peak. Taking the blonde's hand to hoist her up, the smile remained on her face as Bakugo's angry expression remained. He was fuming; every breath emphasised that fact as he breathed out deeply.

Raising a pointer finger at Estelle, Bakugo held his scowl as he yelled. "So!? Who's the winner now, hah?! Me, that's who! Because I am the goddamn best climber, there ever was! The rock climbing master, Bitch!"

Bursting out into laughter, Estelle lost it as she tried to rein her emotions back in. She couldn't help it; his eyes were practically out of his head as he had his hissy fit. She always found his aggressive personality humorous, but this was on another level.

Lowering his finger slightly, Bakugo held a bewildered expression on his face as he watched Estelle lose all her inhibitions for a moment and just laugh. A full-on belly laugh as she gazed at him. Feeling his breath halt in his throat, Bakugo scanned every inch of her as he tried to ingrain the image into his memory. Every time he thought he found a picture that fit her, Estelle would do something else that would make the last seem utterly meaningless.

Her laugh was like chiming bells.

It was captivating.

His anger dissipated slowly as he continued to watch her clutch at her stomach, her eyes watering from the sheer humour she had just experienced. Grunting, Bakugo pouted as he folded his arms, looking away as Estelle continued to laugh at him. He could feel a knot in his stomach that he couldn't explain as she tried to calm herself down. Bakugo wanted to tell her not to, just to let it all out because he didn't want it to end. But, the blonde knew those would be the words that would alert her more than anything else.

He would just have to replay the memory in his mind for now. Eventually, though, he would hear that laugh again. He just had to.

Still smiling, Estelle wiped a fragment of a tear away as she shook her head with a deep sigh. Turning to face the scenery, Estelle and Bakugo could see the sun beginning to set as the night reached closer.

Grunting to himself, Bakugo clasped Estelle's arm slowly and pulled her down with him to sit on the peak of the mountain. They remained in blissful silence as they watched the orange and the yellow beam through the horizon and onto the green trees below. It was always beautiful at sunset, but it looked like the world was at a standstill from this height.

Estelle took in a deep breath as she watched the scene. Honestly, she doesn't remember sitting just to enjoy the sunset. There were always more important things to do, more important things to handle. So, she never realised how pretty the world could be like this.

Estelle enjoyed the stars; she had loved watching them ever since she was a little girl. It used to give her hope that something else was out there besides death and destruction. And, now that Estelle was watching the serene sunset, she realised that there was so much more than that.

She wondered what else she had missed in her lifetime that was clouded by her own troubles. Estelle had to have a one-track mind with these things; otherwise, she never would have accomplished anything. So, she wasn't sure if it was a good thing that she was taking this in now, because wouldn't that mean that Estelle was changing?

She didn't know, and quite frankly, she was a little scared to find out.

Feeling the brush of Bakugo's shoulder against her own caused Estelle to lean her head on his shoulder as she watched the sky. The whole atmosphere gave Estelle some sense of peace she doesn't think she had ever experienced, and Estelle wished that she could stay there in that moment forever. Up in the clouds, far away from everything else in the world. But that just wasn't realistic. She couldn't put her mind up in the sky as the mountain did.

Still, that sense of peace felt inherently good, like an empty bucket that had finally experienced what it was like to be filled with water. Estelle hoped that now she had experienced it, she wouldn't miss it. But Estelle knew that she would, and she would cherish that memory.

Wrapping an arm around the female, Bakugo's flush remained on his face as he watched a serene Estelle look the most relaxed he had ever seen her. He had thought the animals brought out the joy in her, which it did. But, this was different, she looked like she had reached some form of peace, and Bakugo couldn't keep his eyes off her.

Gosh, why was she always so fucking beautiful. It infuriated Bakugo, but at the same time, he wanted it to stay there. Clutching onto her tighter, Bakugo pulled her into his side as their eyes stared at the view. Feeling a hitch in his breath, Bakugo was internally stunned when Estelle snuggled into his body.

'She probably doesn't even know she's doing it. Look at her. She's like a completely different person.'

Turning his head back to watch her, the sun shone off her features. Bakugo couldn't tell which suited her more, the sun or the moon. They both radiated certain parts of her, and he realised that it didn't matter; it all matched a specific aspect of her.

Seeing the glint of a smile on her lips, Bakugo marinated in the feelings brewing inside of him. His eyes scanned every inch he could as he tried to pinpoint the bubbling warmth, frustration and joy.

'I wonder if her lips taste as good as they look.'

Widening his eyes, Bakugo snapped his head back to look at the scenery once again. Internal panic overrode his mind as he tried to understand what the fuck just went through his head.

'There's no way...'