Class Trip

Estelle was startled when she heard frantic knocking on her bedroom door. Cursing as she dropped her materials under her bed, Estelle quickly headed to the entrance. Dialling back in surprise, the class stood outside her room with wide and enthusiastic grins. Stupefied, Estelle took a moment to glance at the bags and towels that surrounded them.

"Um, are you guys going somewhere?" She asked, sceptical of what to make of the situation.

There was a long pause before they finally broke, all of them blurting out with various levels of glee. "We...are going to the beach!"

"Huh?!" Estelle jerked back like the words had slapped her across the face. That was the last thing she expected to leave the group's mouth. "Wait, we?"

"Yeah! Mr Aizawa said he would arrange something nice for us since we've all been working so hard. You would have known if you were in class, but he said you have to come with us! No excuses!"

"But...I have work," Estelle argued, her mind already whirring on all the tasks she had to do today. She was expecting to do a press release because she had joined Hawks and Endeavours hero agencies, but this had just thrown a spanner in the works.

"Not today! Come on, we'll help you get ready! Boys, we'll meet you downstairs!" Hagakure screeched, making those close to her wince.

Bewildered, Estelle stood open-mouthed as the boys trailed away merrily and the girls began to ransack her room. The situation began to enlist in her brain once Ashido pulled out her underwear and yelled, "Do you not have any swimwear!?"

Still befuddled, Estelle muttered, "Um, no."

"I have an extra! You can just use that! Momo, do you have the towel ready!?"

"Guys..."

"I do! Let's go!" Momo called back, blatantly ignoring the stutters of the otherworldly girl as she tried to get a word in.

"But...guys!" Estelle clamoured, her fingers clenching onto her shirt as she suffered through their blatant rudeness of ignoring her.

"Come on, ribbit! Let's get going!" Tsu called, grabbing Estelle's arm with a mischievous smirk. Opening her mouth to query, Estelle was suddenly crowded around the girls, who had their hands raised.

"Wait, guys! Guys!" Estelle roared out, fighting against the females dragging her out of the room. Estelle slumped, her feet sliding against the floor as her weight was carried by the women around her. Scowling, she could practically feel their smug grins as they held on.

Sitting on the bus with a pout, Estelle stared at Mr Aizawa with the most dramatic expression of betrayal anyone had ever seen. Sweatdropping at her childish face, the class's actions only worsened once they heard their teacher's words. "As I told you last week, this is a day trip for you guys as a reward for all the hard work you have been doing. Estelle, you're not getting out of this. Like the rest of them, you deserve it, so stop being a child."

Whining, Estelle flopped her head against the back of the chair in front of her. The class's sweatdrop that was beginning to finally fade away came back into full force. "But, Mr Aizawa!"

"I did not just deal with the commission for you to say no. Enjoy yourself, that's an order," her teacher demanded, his eyes clearly showing his no-nonsense attitude as he stared her down. The class grinned, knowing Estelle wouldn't be able to argue with a tone like that, and smugly watched her lean back in reluctant acceptance.

"Yes, boss."

The atmosphere in the bus quickly dropped below freezing as the class registered the words that had left Estelle's mouth. The student's heads immediately turned to one another as if they were asking each other if their ears were working correctly. It was only when they turned back to Estelle and found that she was sitting rigidly straight with wide eyes that they knew they heard her words right.

Stilling, they wondered what caused that title to leave her mouth. Did she think he was as controlling as her guardian? That didn't make sense; Mr Aizawa was stricter with them than Estelle. He was so lax with her that it was almost astonishing. They had spoken to each other about it, mainly wondering why their teacher sometimes spent time with Estelle outwith class. They could only surmise that Estelle wasn't a full-time student and was thoroughly trained enough that he didn't feel the need to be strict with her like he was with them.

When they saw Mr Aizawa sleeping on the couch, Estelle was to his side as she coloured in the colouring books he got for her. It solidified the assumption that he cared for her more than a student, and they could understand why. From what they knew of Estelle, she didn't really have any parental figures in her life that weren't awful to her. Maybe, they connected on that? It was hard to tell.

Estelle was still fumbling with her words as she tried to explain herself, but she seemed to lose more grip the longer their teacher stared at her. His eyes were narrowed as if he was unsure of what to make of the title himself, and it eased them knowing they were all in the same boat. Finally, she managed to utter, "It slipped out-"

"It's fine. I understand. You can call me whatever you like," The teacher answered, his voice more gentle as he saw the unease ripping through the young girl.

"Hey, that's so not fair!"

Giving Kaminari a death stare, Mr Aizawa gave a deadly grin as he muttered, "Just for that, you can call me your highness!"

"Wahh, I'm good, thanks!" Kaminari cried, slouching behind the seat in front of him to block the horrid sight.

Thanking the gods that the whole debacle was over, Estelle slumped back in her seat and turned her head to the right. Jerking, Estelle realised that Bakugo was watching her with a severe expression. She tilted her head in question, but he was too lost in his thoughts to realise he had been caught. It was as if he was contemplating something, and she couldn't help but wonder what was running through his aggressive head.

"You okay?" Estelle asked when she realised he hadn't blinked. Thankfully, the moisture returned to his eyes as he shook his head in answer. Shrugging at his lack of response, Estelle leaned back to get some shut-eye for the few hours they would be travelling. They had all left exceptionally early in the morning to have the whole day at the beach.

It wasn't long after the blonde opened his mouth to communicate, but it quickly morphed into a scowl as another voice cut him off. Snapping his eyes upwards, the half-snarl of his lips couldn't be avoided as he watched the scene in front of him.

"Hey, Estelle. I figured we could meet up for soba tomorrow. Is that okay with you?"

"Huh?" Estelle questioned as she jerked from her resting position. Flicking her eyes up to gaze at the male before him, she was quickly reminded of their previous agreement. Surprised, Estelle wondered how he hadn't completely forgotten it as she had. Nodding in answer, Estelle voiced, "Oh yeah, sure, that's fine."

"Hah?! The hell you going out with IcyHot for?!" Bakugo barked, his eyes fiercely glaring at the duo. The snappy tone made Estelle jump in her seat again, causing the two-toned male to give the blonde a look of disapproval. Unfortunately, it only seemed to aggravate Bakugo further.

"Because we are soba buddies," Shoto voiced out sternly, his manner showing that he wasn't backing down from the blonde. His shoulders straightened as he watched Ruby's hackles rise, and Estelle bobbed her head back and forth as they argued amongst themselves.

"She isn't going anywhere with you!"

"You don't control her, Bakugo."

"She doesn't want to!"

"She can tell me that for herself," Shoto rebuked, stiff as a board as he remained firm in his answers. It was as if they were night and day, Shoto's calm demeanour against the explosive blonde.

Realising they couldn't settle the dispute amongst themselves, Estelle soughed as she opened her mouth. "Ruby, It's fine. Just text me the time, Shoto."

"Wha!?" Bakugo squawked, utterly bamboozled by the fact Estelle had agreed to the outing.

"Great, it's a date," the two-toned male answered softly, with a gentle smile as he scanned her features.

A loud slam vibrated throughout the bus before the words could compute in Estelle's mind. Looking up quickly to find Bakugo furiously rubbing the top of his head, she realised he had hit the bus's roof in his outrage. Opening her mouth to question if he was okay, she was interrupted by Bakugo's yell. "A date! Hell no!"

Catching the attention of the other classmates, Estelle winced in disbelief at the blonde standing next to her. The confirmation of Shoto's words had finally sunk into her brain with Bakugo's actions, and Estelle immediately dialled back in shock as red began to enter her cheeks. Embarrassed by her stutters, Estelle couldn't stop it as she whirled her head back to Shoto. "A...date? You want to court me?!"

The loud complaints and groans filled her ears from the females sitting around the bus from the outdated term, but Estelle couldn't help but word it the way she was used to. The question seemed to skyrocket the seething anger within the ruby eyed male. He was salivating in his fury, his fingers clenched, and his body tensed so profoundly that it put concern at the forefront of her emotions. The whole situation put her on edge, and all she wanted to do now was a return to a peaceful silence. But, alas, she had to handle this first.

She had never thought about entering a courtship with Shoto. The male was handsome, Estelle couldn't deny that, and the thought of it didn't horrify her. But it wasn't logical. Estelle had worked hard to maintain a distance from her classmates to ensure smoothness when she returned home. Indeed, he would have known this? Wasn't it evident that Estelle wouldn't date anyone in that knowledge? Hell, would she even want to enter a courtship in general?

Estelle had never really thought about that either. She had always known she would never marry like the humans in her world; she was too different, too dangerous for something like a family and a partner. Because of that, Estelle never bothered to wishful think such a ridiculous idea. She knew she would settle down alone, with the occasional visit to check up on her.

Only one other Cambion was alive by the time the war ended. The male had briefly spoken about keeping each other sane in old age, but Estelle never got the chance to digest it because of her work in the military. He had chosen to remain hidden in the spirit realm, and Estelle never questioned it considering his circumstances. Because of that, the comment had slipped from her mind, her focus on the humans who controlled her actions.

Realising Shoto was waiting for Estelle to glimpse up at him, the shimmering eyes of the male glimmered with innocence. He didn't seem fazed with the current situation, and the lack of embarrassment made the otherworldly girl simmer in her envy. His smooth voice chimed out gently, firmly committing his intentions for a final time. "Yes, I would like to court you."

Uncomfortable with the squealing, Estelle didn't have the heart to have the discussion of her thoughts with an audience. Shoto was good, kind and gentle, and Estelle wasn't horrible enough to do that to him. She could have that discussion with him privately and in a much more comfortable place than a bus. "Okay, we'll discuss the courting thing further tomorrow. For now, let's leave this discussion before Ruby explodes."

"I...see. Okay, we'll do that," Shoto agreed, his eyes flickering to Bakugo before returning to his seat.

Turning back to face the chair in front, Estelle breathed in and out intensely to work the frenzy of emotions bounding inside of her. She didn't know what she was supposed to feel, and the situation was entirely too stressful for her to comprehend. But, thankfully, she'll have some time to think about it.

"You aren't seriously going to date him?!" Bakugo lowly growled, his hand still rubbing his temple from when he hurt it. The slight concern she held for him returned in full force as she scanned the injury, and it was when he grimaced that she finally leaned over to reach into her bag to pull out a water bottle. "The hell you doing?"

"You're hurt," she answered simply, uncapping the water bottle in preparation for what she was about to do.

"Tch, I'm fine. Answer my question!"

Glaring at his stubbornness, Estelle's fingertips glowed green as she held a low water concentration. The unspoken battle was won as Bakugo's head dropped once again from the pain emanating from his temple. Feeling a wave of worry, Estelle wasted no time as she muttered, "Lean on my chest." She could already see his mouth extending up to argue, but her eyes softened, causing him to immediately halt in his place. "You're in pain; let me take care of it."

The gentle tone in her firm demand caused Bakugo to follow her instructions. Leaning over lightly onto her chest, Estelle's fingers soothingly rubbed over his temple for a few long moments. The blonde's body seemed to ease at the action, and she could see the relief in his brows now that the injury was gone. Smiling lightly, Estelle pushed away from the brief flicker of ease and comfort that he was okay.

"Thank you," Bakugo grumbled as he sat up and returned to his previous state of vexation, "So, are you going to?!"

"Ruby, the whole class is listening in. We'll talk about this later," She frowned, upset by his persistence. It would be rude to answer now, especially when Shoto was literally a few seats down from them.

"Tch, whatever."

The rest of the ride had been awkward as Bakugo remained pouting by her side the whole time. She had tried to initiate a conversation once, but the blonde wasn't having it. Thankfully, Sato sat in front, and he continuously flung his arm around his chair with a box of treats. Happily munching away, Estelle resorted to ignoring the blonde as she ate.

Leaving the bus was a relief, but she wasn't given much chance to revel in it before the girls dragged her into the changing rooms. Standing slumped as she watched Hagakure pull her swimsuit out of her bag, Estelle winced at the lack of clothing. "Why is it so thin!?"

"Because girls have to show off their curves. Now get in it!"

"No way. That is ridiculous," She scoffed, shaking her head in displeasure.

Momo sighed and bobbed her head. "I had a feeling you would say that, so I made you one on the bus just in case. Here you go."

Holding the much thicker piece of clothing, Estelle gave a slightly dramatic thank you in response. The girls who were chuckling at the female sweatdropped at her actions as she moved to get changed.

"Can you believe Shoto asked you out?! That was so unexpected, ribbit," Tsu expressed, her curious mind already trying to get answers.

"The boy is confused," Estelle responded blandly, her voice muffled slightly as the top went over her head to temporarily cover some of her body.

"No way! Look at you!" Jiro vocalised in disbelief.

"I'm sure you can understand why; Shoto is a kind boy, but I am not from this world. I'm not going to entertain anything for the sake of it, especially something this abrupt."

"You're just saying that because of Bakugo!" Ashido cried out.

Raising her brows in alarm, Estelle froze in place as her jaw dropped. Feeling her mind whirl from the accusation, Estelle felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she shook her head rapidly. The image of the blonde came to the forefront of her brain, and her stomach flipped as she tried to get her sentence out. Thankfully, her stern voice didn't hint at the internal turmoil. "No, it applies to everyone. I have more things to worry about than foolish courtships."

"Relationships, Estelle! Relationships!" Hagakure corrected with a shriek.

"Yeah, yeah."

Exiting the cubicle, Estelle followed the girls to the sand waiting outside. Their feet pattered on the grains as they ran to put down their towels and rush into the water. Estelle was still far behind, her toes curling into the sand with each step. She had seen the beach before, but it was never this stunning.

In her world, the beach was like piles of rock with pockets of sand, and she would enjoy sitting on them to listen to the crashing waves. But this, it was serene with the calm ocean. The sand glittered in the sun, and it was warm as it connected with her skin. The sky was an appealing blue that melded into the water like one and the same.

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Estelle tilted her head upwards to bask in the sun. Still, the sounds of the laughing classmates in the background seemingly made the picture all the warmer.

There were very few moments that Estelle wished to capture in time, and the longer she stayed here, the more moments she wanted to treasure. This was one of them, and the female didn't care how much she would miss it because she would be grateful she even got to do it. Estelle wished she could put the sun into a bottle, so it would brighten up her darkest hours.

Enjoying the serenity, Estelle removed her top and trailed over to the water. Once she reached them, the girls were already preparing for their first game, and Estelle stood to the side to watch.

"Are you not going to join us?" Ochako wondered out loud, a tilt to her head.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine watching you guys."

Halting, the girls gave quick glances to each other in understanding. They all could remember when Estelle joined them at the swimming pool, and she crushed them at the sport without pause. Now that they knew her better, they understood that it was probably the first time she had ever played for fun. The whole concept must have been unknown to her at the time, and it wasn't fair to single her out because of that.

Tsu sternly declared, "There's no harm in joining us; we get why you stopped last time. Just have fun with it. It's not a serious competition."

Unsure and uneasy, Estelle nodded as she strode forward to play. Hearing the giggle of happiness around her, Estelle let the small smile slip as the ball began to get thrown around their designated spot.

Joining in, Estelle let out a laugh when Jiro fell into the water. Seeing her head pop back up, the teen gave a loud noise before snarking, "The water hasn't defeated me; I defeat the water."

Chuckling, Estelle used her water bending to push against the female lightly, causing her to slip again. Hearing her moan of disappointment, Estelle responded, "I think the water has won the battle."

"Best out of three!"

It was roughly two hours later that Estelle left the girls in the water. The sun was still beaming high, but she internally craved some time to bask in the sun; she would never know if she would ever get to experience it again. The girls happily let her go, seemingly overjoyed that Estelle had stuck around as long as she did.

Plopping onto the towel, Estelle fell onto her back, her hands behind her head as she closed her eyes to soak in the sun. Letting out deep, calming breaths, she gave a soft smile as she got a little taste of heaven. Time ticked away, and it was only when she could not feel the rays on her face anymore that she opened her eyes.

Surprised that she wasn't greeted by blue skies, Estelle flickered her eyes to the male scowling down at her with his arms folded. She wondered how long he had been standing there, but deciding it didn't matter, she motioned for the blonde to sit.

Forcefully falling on his ass to land beside her, Estelle could feel the restlessness inside the blonde as he picked at the sand. Watching him silently, the side of her lips tilted up at the familiar scene. 'Old habits die hard, I guess.'

Still, the two remained in silence. Unsure of what to say but knowing that it needed to be discussed. Wanting to get back to the sunshine, Estelle muttered into the light. She could feel Bakugo's gaze snap to her as soon as she unfurled her mouth. "What is it that's bothering you?"

"Tch, you know what's bothering me! What the hell was that?! Why didn't you say no!?" Bakugo growled, his hands raised up furiously, leaving sand to fly into the air. Estelle was thankful she had chosen a more secluded spot; otherwise, she would have had to be warier of others' hearing.

Turning her head to the side, her eyes open again, she monotoned, "No, I really don't. Why does it matter to you?"

It seemed to be the wrong words as the spark behind Bakugo's eyes shuttered for a moment. Frowning at the jump in her body, Estelle bit her lips from nervousness as he moved to stand up. "Tch, whatever, I'm leaving."

Deciding to bite the bullet and guess what it was, Estelle turned back to the sky to avoid Ruby's expression towards her remarks. "Well, even though I have no idea what's gotten you so angry about Shoto. I'm going to reject his proposal."

The movements he was taking froze instantly from her answer. Estelle didn't even have to turn her head to know he was fully sitting again. She could feel his solid stare on her face, and she suddenly felt exposed under those ruby eyes. She compelled herself to remain still, not wanting him to know how much his eyes made her want to squirm, especially when he looked at her like that.

It was a few long moments before he finally replied, "Tch, so why the hell didn't you say that to him?!"

Sharply turning to him whilst she sat up, Estelle gave him steely eyes as she disputed. "Isn't it considered rude to reject someone in front of others? Even if I don't want to enter a courtship with him, he's still a nice boy, and he doesn't deserve that."

"Tch, that smug asshole defiantly deserved that," he snorted back without missing a beat.

"Ruby, you didn't seriously think I would say yes? I thought you knew me better than that." Estelle sighed, wondering what was going through his skull for him to believe such a thing.

Silence rang out between the two, and Bakugo was slightly embarrassed because she was right. The Estelle he had gotten to know over the last seven months still rejected the thought of friendships, never mind a relationship. But, even though he knew that - it still pissed him the fuck off to see her somehow accept that idiot's advances in front of him. "Your right."

"I know, but still, what caused the reaction?" Estelle questioned in curiosity. The response was unorthodox, and no matter how much she pondered it, she couldn't figure out the cause or reason behind it. It was strange, but she figured that maybe she was missing some facts.

Feeling vulnerable after being corrected, Bakugo murmured, "You know I hate seeing you accept others so easily, especially when I have to try so hard to get you to stay."

Estelle's breath caught in her throat from his blunt honesty. That was the one thing she liked and hated about Bakugo; he always said what was on his mind. She hated moments like these because they would draw out the most unexpected emotions. Her heart squeezed, a tight gripping feeling as if Bakugo had his hand around it, holding on so tightly she was falling because of it. It surrounded her, and her eyes immediately met his with an intensity that landed right on Bakugo's stomach.

Letting her back fall to land onto her towel, Estelle quickly jerked her hand to wrap around his arm to pull him down. She didn't want his eyes on her when she answered, hoping that the static between them would ease from the interruption. Ignoring his noise of surprise, Estelle's hand slowly drifted from his arm to clasp onto his hand.

"I'm sorry."

Hearing Bakugo's breath stop, Estelle kept her gaze on the sky as his head turned to face her. They were both muted as if basking in the apology that had left the female's lips. Her body remained tense as his observing globes kept her on edge. When Bakugo huddled closer to her, his face practically nuzzling into her neck, he muttered, "Doesn't matter anyway, not like you could get rid of me."

Her body relaxed at his stubborn response, and she couldn't help but laugh at how he had accepted her apology so readily. Shaking her head fondly, she answered, "Of course, you wouldn't, despite the warning signs that you should."

"Fuck the warning signs," He grumbled back as his body shifted to wrap his free hand around her waist, his other hand still clasped in Estelle's. The brief thought flickered through her head; it must have been uncomfortable, but he didn't seem to care. Feeling his breath warm her neck, Estelle's body slowly slackened to the lull of his comfort. His hand rested against her hip, and she couldn't find it against herself to care. Closing her eyes, she heard him mumble, "You don't look horrible."

Estelle fought back her smirk as she voiced, "Hm? Sounds like you're really struggling to give me a compliment there."

Moving his hand slightly to pinch the fabric on her hip, Bakugo pulled the strap upwards and let go so the material snapped against her hip. She could hear the grin in his voice as he mumbled, "Tch, you brat. Just take it as it is. You look good."

"I'll do you one better. You look good all the time. You handsome jerk." She instantly rebuked, internally cheering at the startled expression on his face.

Stunned, Bakugo accidentally let his quirk slip through for a moment until he composed himself. Feeling Estelle jerk slightly in shock caused his inferno of blush to darken once he realised what had happened. "Sorry," he whispered apologetically, his brows furrowed in concern as his eyes flickered down to the skin on her hip.

Chuckling, Estelle shook her head, "Nah, you just surprised me, that's all. It felt nice."

"Hah?! How the hell do my explosions feel nice?! You weirdo?!" Bakugo leaned back, his voice harsh as he tried to compute her bizarre response.

"Well, it didn't hurt. Shh, relax. I can take your explosions easily," The female soothed back in between her light chuckles.

"Tch, I know you freak. Have you put your suncream on?" Ruby demanded, his eyes trailing over her skin that was beginning to look pink.

"My what?"

"What the hell do you mean what?! The shit that's supposed to stop you from burning like a beef jerky?!" He yowled, sitting up as he glared at her with scolding eyes.

"I'm confused. Am I being cooked?" Estelle wondered.

"Oh, my god. Sometimes I wonder if you have moments where your brain shuts down," he hissed, his body moving to stand with aggressive intent.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it did. Where are you going!?" Estelle yelled before realising she didn't care that much. Slumping back onto the towel, Estelle's silence didn't last for long before the blonde was stomping his way back over to her. Feeling coldness on her skin, Estelle opened her eyes to the sight of Bakugo squirting cream all over her. Sputtering, Estelle opened her mouth to question him but was only gifted with a glare. Silent, she observed as the blonde leaned over angrily, only to start rubbing the substance all over her arm.

"Annoying and precious brat. Seriously? How does she not fucking know what sun cream is? Did she just burn in her old world? Jesus, did she even take care of herself at all? How did she even survive without me? Adorable and an idiot all at the same time. What have I gotten myself into?"

Deadpanning, Estelle gave a deadly glare as she muttered, "I am right here, you know? Plus, I can do it myself."

Freezing, Bakugo's hands stilled on her shoulders as he came to a complete stop. Estelle watched as the blonde computed her words and flushed bright pink from embarrassment. Withering, Bakugo slowly retreated his hands to hand over the bottle. Grumbling to himself, he landed back next to her and forced his eyes away, mortified at the moment.

Smirking, Estelle found the whole action endearing. His words didn't help; it sounded like someone who had been dragged into a mess he couldn't get out of - and in the context of the situation, that was funny.

Finishing off the job, she realised that the blonde was still avoiding gazing at her. Leaning forward, she stated, "It's alright. From what you were saying earlier, I was taking up your time."

"Of course, that's what you would take from that," Bakugo groaned, his hands landing on his face in exasperation.

"What do you mean?" Estelle innocently voiced, perplexed at what he was implying.

"Everyone needs to have someone to take care of them sometimes. You're just too stubborn to let anyone. Turn around," the male demanded calmly.

Following his instructions obediently, Estelle furrowed her brows as she tried to comprehend his words. So, is he saying that he wants to take care of her? It was a neverending cycle of confusion with this boy. Before she could think on it further, Estelle realised he was putting the cream onto her back which she had missed entirely in her application. His thoughtfulness struck her, and Estelle was left feeling guilty that she was the one receiving this attention.

She didn't get it. Why her of all people? She couldn't see why he wouldn't just leave her be. Apart from her battle prowess, Estelle had nothing to give him. nothing permanent to provide him with, so why bother doing so much for a lost cause? What he saw in her turned him into such a stubborn mule. Estelle believed she would never know why, especially since time was beginning to run out.

With the thoughts rampaging around Estelle's head, she missed that Bakugo had stopped rubbing the cream on her back. His eyes surveyed her, lowering in apprehension as he recognised she was lost in thought. "What is it, sweetheart?" He questioned softly, not wanting to jerk her back into reality too quickly that she closed herself off.

Feeling the sun on her skin, the hands on her back, Estelle looked at the scenery with lost eyes. She observed the students at a far distance; the females and males joined together in a single spot as they splashed in the water. Their gleeful laughter tenured into the air but reached her like a soft melody. Her mind couldn't help but compare the two worlds, how much darker hers was than the brightness of the places she had seen here. There was so much more hope, happiness, and wonder than she had ever seen back home.

"Nothing," Estelle sighed, her eyes lowering to the towel beneath her, "I think I will miss this."

Bakugo's eyes widened as he watched her, and he could feel the bottomless pit of hope within his chest. It was the first sign he had ever seen of Estelle looking at the return to her world as something other than a mission she had to do. It was the first time she seemed sad about it. There were too many emotions swirling within Estelle's gaze to fully pinpoint the crux of her feelings, but it was hope. And, Bakugo wasn't prepared to lose it. "You don't have to."

Estelle nodded to herself, her voice still small as she kept her gaze in front of her. "Yeah, I do."

His heart sank; Bakugo was again hit with a wave of longing as he watched her. He just wanted her to stay, the thought of her leaving hitting some unrecognised part of him like a sore thumb. Even though his instincts yelled at him to pull her down to the sand and just scream everything he wanted to say, Bakugo knew it would do more bad than good. He would be as patient as he needed to because the knowledge that Estelle could remain by his side made it worthwhile.

Moving so he was sitting in front of her, Bakugo reached over to cup the side of her face. The action was rough, and Estelle bit back her smile at the effort he continued to exercise to be more delicate in his movements. She didn't mind if his actions were harsh, but the attempts he made did cause her heart to melt. "I think I'm going to miss you."

Estelle's lungs halted as she leaned her cheek into his palm. Her eyes fell into his, his demeanour like a comforting embrace. Her heart throbbed, and her mouth tilted up solemnly as she knew what would become of her five months from now. Yet, even though she knew they would part, her eyes would not at this moment. They refused her internal commands as they soaked in those sapphire, red eyes, and she eventually allowed herself to bask in the sun that was Katsuki Bakugo.

'I think I'm going to miss you too,'

Feeling his eyes draw closer, every fibre of Estelle's being tensed at the closed proximity. Their eyes refused to break from each other. It was as if the heat of Bakugo and the sun itself had become too much. Her fingers instinctively dug into the sand, and it was when their noses touched, that Bakugo finally moved his gaze from hers to flicker down to her lips.

Only when he looked into her eyes again did Estelle feel like she needed more suncream. The static between them frazzled and crackled under the heat the duo had inadvertently created, and the air had suffered. Their chests heaved as if there wasn't enough air to intake from the space they were now in.

Stilling as he got closer, Estelle barely got to register her astonishment as he let out a wolfish grin. His searing eyes dug into hers, and the smile ignited something she had never felt before. Estelle let out a noise of wonderment before the emotions could even begin to settle as Bakugo dived into the side of her neck to blow raspberries.

Laughing from shock, Estelle tried to escape his attack with gasping breaths. "Okay! Okay! Stop!"

The blonde didn't listen, his hands moving to her waist as he held her squirming body down onto the sand. "I never would have guessed you were ticklish, Lioness!"

"No! Wait! Wait! Stop!" Estelle wheezed before the fingers on her hips moved to her stomach. Unable to hold back her cackles, Estelle tried her best to push him away but failed miserably due to his torture. The ruby-eyed male laughed alongside her, thoroughly enjoying every moment Estelle suffered through within his grasp. The gleeful grin on his lips, his eye alight as his fingers attacked every visible part of her upper body.

"Stop! Bakugo! Ruby! hahaha! Stop!"

"Why would I when you look so pretty like this?" Bakugo cackled between his laughter. His eyes drank her in, out of breath and panting for air, but entirely at his mercy.

Unable to register the compliment, a tear left Estelle's eye as she tried to take in some air. "I'm dying here!"

"My face is a great thing to see before you go then, no?!"

"Ruby! Please! I concede!"

Finally letting his fingers go, Bakugo didn't give her any time to gain her bearings before standing, lugging Estelle over his shoulder as he ran towards the ocean. "Looks like you need something to help you cool down, Lioness!"

"Ruby!"