The Movie Theatre
Estelle wasn't sure how she got here. One minute she had confirmed to Bakugo that she had no idea what a movie theatre was, and the next, she was on the bus riding to one with the stubborn male by her side.
Questioning him further only garnered the response of, "The hell do you think I'm doing?! I'm showing you what you're missing!"
Just accepting it was Estelle's next move, and she couldn't deny that her curiosity was driving her as he explained that it was essentially a room with a giant screen. Estelle didn't even know they could get any bigger, so honestly, she wasn't complaining.
Marching towards the cinema, her body dragged by Bakugo's hand in hers. Estelle lagged as his long strides took them inside in the blink of an eye. Bakugo departed soon after, leaving Estelle by the door as he marched to the booth to buy tickets for the pair of them.
Standing idly, Estelle shifted from the front and the back of her feet as she waited. Turning her head around in interest, she tried to understand the strange sight of people lining up for the movies. They all looked so typical, so carefree. It was pleasant.
"It's the guardian!"
Ah, never mind, the moment was over.
Turning around to face the teens, Estelle gave an unsure smile to the new arrivals. Raising her hand in an awkward wave, she swiftly muttered, "Hello?"
The teen boys shuffled to her, their camera's at the ready as they burst her bubble without any regard. Keeping her face calm, Estelle held back her irritation as they asked for a picture. Without waiting for approval, Estelle was shoved between them as they grinned and pointed to her in the photo.
Holding in her grimace, Estelle reminded herself that she had to keep a good reputation with the humans here. They were the only reason she was able to continue looking for the bridge and essentially could control how she was perceived. If they despised her, she wouldn't even be able to go out there and handle Nyx.
Keeping the thought in mind, Estelle fought off the uncomfortableness as she gave a small smile. 'Likable. You need to look likeable.'
Once the photos were taken, Estelle assumed she was home free. Unfortunately, the boy's photography seemed to capture the attention of the others around the entrance. Feeling her insides shrink, Estelle could see the recognition flicker in their eyes.
'Oh, no.'
Before she had a chance to even escape, Estelle was surrounded. She was completely and utterly lost without her personal bubble. The public had always been divisive toward her, which was evident when she was out working. But, the fact that she was seen at the cinema, clearly not working, seemed to strike a chord within the others.
Clamouring over each other, Estelle winced at the loudness of the group. "The hell is the alien doing here?! Shouldn't you be dealing with the massive problem your world caused?!"
"The child deserves a break now and then!"
"She can take a break when it's safe!" Another screamed.
"Unbelievable, this is who we are supposed to trust?!"
"Two hours to watch a movie is nothing! Give the girl a break!"
"We don't know what she's doing daily?! She could have achieved nothing for all we know!"
"Can I get a picture!?"
On and on it went. The ringing of voices was beginning to get too much for Estelle as the crowd continued to bellow more rampantly. Hissing to herself, Estelle knew she had to remain subdued. Usually, she would have just escaped them by now. But, Bakugo was somewhere on the other side.
Feeling the bodies beginning to push into her, Estelle knew she was on the verge of snapping. Grunting to herself, Estelle communicated firmly to try to garner their attention. "I apologise for intruding. I will take my leave."
The voices around her simmered down in astonishment from her calm demeanour, even though Estelle knew she was anything but. Keeping her breathing, Estelle hoped that would manage the crowd, but they had started back up again with her awful luck.
"See what you have done!? Can't she get breaks like any hero?!"
"Do we ever see All Might at the movies!? No!"
The civilians voices only continued to grow more rampant and had begun to meld together in Estelle's head. Zoning out to keep count of her breathing, she was finally given some reprieve when her saviour's voice shot through the haze her mind had created.
"All right, you extra's! I've fucking had it with you all! Get the hell out of my way!"
Widening her eyes, Estelle watched as Bakugo managed to scream over the hoards of people with his quirk on full display. Tilting her head back in disbelief, Estelle viewed the scene of Bakugo managing to part the crowd with a deadly expression as he marched his way over to her.
"You bastards are so annoying! The guardian doesn't have to give you an explanation! But if you idiots really need one, I dragged her sorry ass here!"
The people standing by with enlarged eyes began to converse even louder than before, only enraging the ruby eyed male further. His eyes darkened the longer his gaze remained on Estelle. His stare never strayed from hers, and the anxiety quickly escalating within Estelle's heart finally began to ease like a blanket.
Bodies began pushing the duo, and Estelle slumped once the blonde stood in front of her like a personal barricade. Hearing a frustrated growl in her ear, she heard him bark, "Come on!"
Pulling her through the crowd, Bakugo barged past the humans so intensely that the people bounced off him. Feeling his arm wrap around her neck, Bakugo shielded her as he extracted her from the crowd. Finally reaching the other side, Estelle sank against the male in salvation, her breathing easing at the space she now had.
Keeping his arm around her, but much more loosely. Bakugo huffed in indignation before tilting his head to the bench around the corner. The debating crowd hadn't even noticed that Estelle wasn't even there anymore, too engrossed in their argument.
Leading her to the bench, Bakugo tensed his arm to give her a reassuring squeeze. Once they sat down, Estelle leaned her head against his chest, and she closed her eyes to the quieter atmosphere. When she felt like she finally got her wits together, Estelle opened her eyes to gaze up at the blonde, only to find he was already observing her thoughtfully. "You feeling better now?"
"Hmhmm. Thank you."
"Tch, do they always get that ridiculous?"
"Yeah, the crowds can get pretty bad sometimes. But, usually, I can just fly away," Estelle answered, her eyes now on the floor.
Feeling his arms move slightly, Estelle was surprised when the hand over her shoulder shifted to her face to push her stare in his direction. Startling, Estelle broadened her eyes at the furious look on his face. "Do they always say shit like that?!"
Feeling a blip in her chest, Estelle pushed the sensation away as she shrugged. "The public is divisive, so yeah."
"You know how to stand up for yourself. So, why the hell don't you do it?!"
Alarmed by the rage vibrating from his chest, Estelle narrowed her eyes as she explained. "The public's opinion determines how much I'm able to work. If I start lashing out, they could decide that they don't want me on the streets anymore. If that happens, the Commission won't be able to help. So, I just have to keep my mouth shut until I finish my job."
"Fucking ridiculous. I would have already ripped those extra's to shreds; I nearly did!"
"You don't have to worry about it, but it was nice to see them getting what they deserve. Even just a little," Estelle smirked back, her heart lightening at the concern hiding within his words.
"Damn right. I'll be happy to do it anytime. Just say the word," Bakugo snickered back.
"Don't I know it."
Sharing a grin, Bakugo and Estelle gazed at each other fondly as they simmered in the bubble of warmth. Butting his head against hers lightly, he muttered, "Must'a been overwhelming being surrounded by so many people like that when you're not used to it."
Feeling the brume of his gaze, Estelle's mouth moved before she could recognise the words. "Yeah, but you were there this time."
Broadening her eyes to backtrack on her words, Estelle's breath stopped at the beaming grin on the male opposite her. Stilling, Estelle instinctively closed her eyes to the warmth on her forehead. The heat of his kiss ran through her whole body, and she couldn't stop the shiver from showing itself as he watched her, his eyes seemingly holding a depth to them that made her stomach curl. "Yeah. Whenever you need me."
With his forehead leaning against hers, Estelle felt the world around her dull as she soaked in those ruby eyes. The comfort of his soft gaze was almost too much for the girl as she tried to get her eyes to break away to no avail. It was only when his eyes flicked down that Estelle realised he was experiencing the same emotion, and her heart sped up. Feeling tension within her shoulders, Estelle remained stock still whilst trapped within his embrace.
Her head leaned forward without her control, and Estelle could only berate herself as they continued to close the gap between them. Sensing the tickle of his breath on her lips and the searing heat of his eyes on her face, Estelle felt like she was drowning, and he was the lifeline keeping her afloat.
The air in her lungs only ceased to exist when his eyes finally moved from her own and landed on her lips. It was as if he was entranced by her, just like she was by him. The simmering heat within her stoked into a burning flame when his eyes darkened and flickered back into her own wide globes.
Inching forward, Estelle prepared herself for the press of her lips as she internally wondered if he would also taste like spices and caramel, the scent connected so deeply to him. But, she only discerned a light brush before a cough could be heard.
Jerking back with panicked eyes, Estelle quickly yanked her sanity back together as she shook off the plethora of emotions. Bakugo's gaze didn't even move to the new arrival, stuck on her face with a strange sentiment of what seemed like a disappointment. Furrowing her brows at the older male standing in front of the pair, Estelle cocked her head to the side in question.
"You are the guardian, arent you?"
Nodding in silent agreement, Estelle pointedly ignored the raging face of Bakugo next to her. The older man was scruffy, wearing baggy clothes and a large camera that dangled around his neck. His glasses were round, and his hair curly. He wasn't bad looking for an older guy, but the smile on his face put her on edge. "Yes, how may I help you?"
"I...am a huge fan. I've followed your movements ever since you've gone public. We've met before, but I don't blame you for not recognising me since you're always getting crowded on the streets," The man explained, a deep grimace on his face appearing before it was quickly covered by his smile.
Stunned, Estelle leaned back as she racked her brain for memory. The faint image of the man asking for a picture suddenly popped up, and Estelle realised that he was right. She was surrounded by journalists and civilians and managed to answer a few people before departing with her wings. But, she had already given a picture, so what did he want now?
"Ah, yes. Apologies for that. I see many faces, so it can be difficult to remember. Do you want another picture?" She offered, hoping to end the conversation quickly.
"Ah, no. I was wondering if we could talk in private?"
Staggered once again, Estelle leaned back with perplexity. What on earth does a random civilian want with her? It was just strange. The way his eyes bore down at her was a stark difference from the rubies she had just experienced a moment ago. It made her want to avert her eyes as if his intentions were rubbing off on her, and she endeavoured to steer clear.
"The hell you want to speak to her for?!" Bakugo growled, already peeved that the older man had interrupted the duo from their moment. 'I was so close.'
"I just want..."
"Spit it out, loser!"
"I just...need to speak to you alone," He breathed out, his attention still fixated on the female.
Putting a hand on Bakugo's shoulder to prevent the male from jumping out and ripping the civilian to shreds, Estelle knew this was getting nowhere. Dispising the fact that this male exuded horrible energy, Estelle pushed that thought aside as she questioned smoothly, "Can you give us a moment first?"
"Uh, sure!"
Turning to the furious blonde once the new guy walked away, Estelle gave a long tired sigh as he leapt into the conversation. "You aren't seriously going to let a complete stranger talk to you alone, Lioness? Seriously?"
"The guy won't say anything if you're there. Plus, he's giving me crazy vibes, so I should check him out before anything else. But, stay close by. I have a bad feeling."
"Then don't do it!"
"And wonder what he wanted? Nah."
"You idiot. Fine, ill be behind the wall. I'm watching you," The blonde breathed out, shaking his head at her decision.
"Good. I feel better knowing that you are."
Storming away so she couldn't see the warmth her words had brought his cheeks, Bakugo marched around the corner and stood with his back against the wall. His ears craned over to try and listen in on the conversation.
On the other hand, Estelle stood tensely as the man walked back over to her. He held a wide beam on his face as he scanned her features like he was looking for something. Nodding to himself in answer, he asked, "Will you go on a date with me, angel?"
Taken aback, Estelle sputtered on her words in disbelief. Did he seriously make a fuss only to ask her such a stupid question? Composing herself, Estelle declared, "No, I'm not interested in courting. Plus, I will be returning to my world soon." She ignored the enormous fact that this guy was probably twenty years older than her.
The irritated scowl slipped through again before being covered up by a fake smile. "But, why? You are on a date with the blonde, no?"
"No, we are friends," Estelle stated blandly, stilling at the word that slipped by her lips so simply. She hadn't intended to say that, but she hoped the blonde was far away enough to miss her words.
"So, can we be friends then?"
"Are you sure you should be asking a teenager to be friends?" She retorted, not hiding her distaste for the older man's questions.
"Well, you aren't an ordinary teen."
"That doesn't exempt you from the fact that it is weird."
Examining him as his body shifted and tensed up, she held back her disgust from his near-desperate words. "Can I at least smell your hair, angel?"
"Please, leave." Estelle voiced, her aggravation skyrocketing from the words that just kept getting stranger. The offputting feeling was in full effect, and all Estelle wanted was to get as far away as possible from the older man.
"But Nyx said I could have you."
Her breath was suspended as her brain computed the abrupt admission. Disturbed, Estelle whipped her head back to the male and opened her mouth to demand answers. But, before the words could leave her mouth, she heard a shout from a closing distance.
"Estelle, watch out! He-"
Turning her head to the voice, Estelle widened her eyes at Bakugo, running headfirst in their direction. Unfortunately, before he could finish his sentence. Estelle felt light speckles hit her face. Furrowing her brows in confusion, Estelle angled her head back to the ecstatic man as her mind whirred to connect the dots. 'Did he...just blow dust in my face?'
Losing her balance, Estelle stumbled on her legs which suddenly felt like jelly, as her mind slowly began to cloud. 'What is this feeling?'
"Oh, angel. We are going to have so much fun."
Feeling the edges of her gaze darken, her sight's fading image was that of the man's achieving expression as he licked his lips in appreciation. Beffudled at what made him so happy, she tried to open her mouth to articulate her thoughts. Her perplexity only grew as her eyes forcefully closed to the distant voice yelling out to the pair.
"Don't you dare touch her! You'll fucking pay for that!"