Arcade

Kaminari groaned in defeat as Estelle widened her smile at the television screen. She victoriously held up her remote, the elation ringing in her bones at the fact she finally won.

"Tch, you're pleased about that shitty win?"

Pouting, Estelle quickly placed the same smile back on her face. Pointedly ignoring the blonde as she revelled in her win.

"Is Mario Kart the only game you've ever played?" Kaminari questioned with furrowed brows.

Peeking up, Estelle questioned with a hint of awe, "There are more of these?"

Suddenly being reminded of the fact Estelle had never really played games before soured those around her. Thankfully they didn't stay that way for long as Katsuki barked, "Wait, so you've never been to an arcade?"

"Arcade?"

Sputtering, Katsuki knew he shouldn't be surprised. But, he had spent a bucketload of time there as a kid. Knowing she never got to experience that just added to the list of things he needed to do with her. Getting up onto his feet, Katsuki stared down at her, a glare on his face as he growled, "Get a damn jacket! We're leaving!"

"Huh? What?" Estelle faltered, confusion in her veins as she stared into his red eyes.

"Hurry the fuck up, Lioness!"

"Alright, Alright!" Estelle sighed, exasperated. She had a feeling he was doing the same thing he did when she told him she had never been to the cinema. Grabbing her things, Estelle was quickly whisked away to a bus, Katsuki's frustrated ramblings in her ear as he still couldn't fathom her inexperience.

Estelle sat back in her seat, her mind whirring as she tried to understand the male next to her. Why did he even bother? What made him shove her out of the door after saying she had never been to a cinema or arcade? Why did he take her to an animal sanctuary or sea word in the first place? Wasn't he just wasting his time with her? Wasn't there more meaningful things to do with his time than drag her to places she had never been?

It's not that she didn't appreciate it, because she does. Estelle sat back many nights and sifted through her memories, a hint of a smile on her lips as she experienced those moments again. It made her feel warm, like she wasn't a ghost in the wind. It made her feel wanted, especially when he took notice of the places she internally wished to visit or had no idea about but knew she would adore.

It made her entire being flutter at the knowledge he tried vehemently to make her days brighter, but the question would always remain. Turning to him, Estelle questioned, "Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Don't ask stupid questions."

"I'm not! I'm just- don't you have better things to do than take me to these places?"

Whirling his head to stare at her, Katsuki could see the uncertainty in her eyes. Furrowing his brows, he wondered why she struggled to accept the bare minimum he did around her. "Estelle, are you asking me why I'm taking you out?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so."

"I'd take you anywhere if you'd let me," He answered back smoothly, his eyes watching her in a way that made her feel bare in front of him.

Estelle breathed a huff through her red cheeks, grumbling, "That wasn't what I asked."

"Tch, you slow poke. Look at me."

Ignoring his demand to cool the warmness of her cheeks, Estelle let out a squeak as Katsuki pulled her body upwards before yanking her down onto his lap. Opening and closing her mouth from being stunned, Katsuki butted in before she could get her bearings.

"I take you out because I want to, you hear me!? There's nothing else I'd rather do than see your adorable eyes widen at everything around you. But, the cheeky brat on my lap can't seem to understand that she is worthy of my damn time."

"Ruby..."

"Why is that?! Hm? Why can't you let me show you these things without a fight?!"

Estelle withered under his ruby eyes, suddenly feeling small on his lap. Her eyes flickered around the bus, slightly relieved there was only one other person on the travelling machine. The blush blossomed when the individual looked up, widened their eyes and snapped their gaze back to their phone.

Mortified, Estelle ignored the question as she tried to squirm out of his lap. The blonde's only response was to tighten his grip further, his stare digging into her in a way that settled onto her stomach.

"Ruby!" Estelle hissed, her eyes still on the person behind them. "We are on public transport!"

"I don't care if we were in front of a million people; I'm not letting you go until you answer me, woman!"

"Because I'm not worthy of your time! You have so much ahead of you! You are literally on your journey to becoming number one! You have a multitude of people around you! People that will be by your side and stick with you, people that deserve to be in my place, people that you deserve to be surrounded by!" Estelle hurried out, a hiss still in her tone.

The words only annoyed Katsuki. They simmered in his brain, how she had always wanted to travel and see the world, but the assholes controlling her life would never let her.

He wanted her to be able to see as much as she could because she deserved it, dammit! Even though he knew it wasn't exactly what she was referring to, it was the closest he could give her. He wanted her to experience everything life had to offer, to look at life as a way to enjoy herself, not drown in the memories of her past as she locked herself away.

After so many years of imprisonment, it almost felt like Estelle was locking herself away, imprisoning herself as if she deserved it as she had always been told. He hated it. And he couldn't even fathom letting her return to her world, knowing she would be miserable as she hid from herself and everyone else.

As much as the idea of her leaving left a sour taste in his mouth, the picture of herself going only to be sucked into a prison made him want to tear apart everything within his vicinity. Because it was like rejecting happiness for a lifetime of grief.

Jerking himself out of his thoughts, Katsuki's voice was ice-cold as he leaned forward to murmur into her ear. "That's got to be the most ridiculous thing you have ever said to me."

"What-"

"Shut up!" He snarled, pulling her in, so she was millimetres away from his face. "I hate that you look down on yourself so much that you can't even fathom the idea of someone wanting to show you the world. You said you wanted to see it, right?!"

"I mean-"

"Yes, or no?!"

"Yeah."

"Then let me show you! I couldn't give a flying fuck if other people wanted to spend time with me! Because the only person I want to share my time with is you! My fearsome Lioness!"

The hitch in Estelle's breath was evident as she watched the heat in Katsuki's face as he demanded his words to get through to her. His heaving chest moved up and down whilst he held her, making her core tighten. Estelle could only remain stunned as she took him in, her heartbeat accelerating to match his.

At that moment, Estelle recognised how much she liked his demanding side. Even enjoyed their back and forth and the different ways he would respond to her. She could never guess where Katsuki would go; that was a breath of fresh air. Sometimes he would get angrier, turning red and sweaty as his tongue lashed at her, or he would admit defeat, grumbling to himself as she blatantly refused his demanding words.

It made her feel like she was her own person, and it validated her own feelings in a way. His responses could be so over dramatic sometimes, but she didn't mind it because he still took her words into account, listened to her and responded out of his emotions. His defeats made her feel more in control, knowing she wasn't following orders and had the choice to fight for what she wanted. It was as if she was no longer a machine, a person.

Estelle knew she could dominate anyone and crush others to follow her whim if she wanted to. Beings feared her power when she wasn't flaunting it, and she could only imagine what it would become if she did. The fact that Katsuki responded back, fearless and determined, struck a chord within her. It warmed her how he treated her. She did not deserve it, but the more time she spent with him, she longed for it.

It was perfect.

He was perfect.

Katsuki's face turned the same shade as his eyes as he sputtered on his tongue. Wheezing as he choked on his own saliva, Estelle tilted her head to the side in puzzlement as she watched him melt into a puddle.

The blonde's hand on her quickly moved away, and Estelle realised his quirk was going off more than usual. Furrowing her brows, she surveyed as the blonde tried to collect himself, heaving as he clutched onto his chest. "Don't do that to me."

"Do what?!"

"Call me stuff like that! How the hell am I supposed to react?!" He screamed, unable to calm himself from the moment.

Her breath stopped once Estelle realised she had said those words out loud. Forcing herself to let the air out of her lungs, she knew she had to remain subdued, so he didn't see how unsettled she was that he had heard her. Shrugging her shoulder, she rasped, "It's the truth."

Katsuki's face remained red as he scowled, his body literally unable to take in the double whammy Estelle bestowed onto him. Estelle never gave compliments often, so Katsuki didn't know how to react when she did. It lit his fuse as if it were the sun, and as uncomfortable as it was, he would sit in it all day and burn if he could experience it again.

They also confused him slightly; with how hot and cold Estelle could be, it was difficult to gauge where her feelings were. He had an inkling that these were her authentic moments, and the fear she held led her to forcefully become cold because she didn't know what else to do.

As frustrating as it was, he understood why she was so reluctant to display what she wanted. How many times had her wishes and desires been ripped away from her? He could only guess, but he knew it was enough that she couldn't even try to reach out a hand for what she wanted.

So, if he had to hold his hand for the two of them. He would because inside, he just knew Estelle wanted the same. No matter how much she verbally denied it or how cold she tried to be. She could never entirely hide it. "I'm not perfect", Katsuki gruffly answered, the words still pinging in his brain.

Estelle shook her head wryly and lifted her hand to his face. She could feel the insecurity in his voice, and she understood that he was looking at it the wrong way. He wasn't perfect; nobody was, and to call him that was an impossible standard to set. But that was not her intent, even if she hadn't meant to say it aloud.

"No, you aren't," Estelle started, feeling him freeze beneath her. His hand immediately moved to shove her away, clearly thinking she was now retracting the compliment she had so freely shone on him. She refused his unspoken demand, gazing at him softly as she finished. "But, you are perfect in your own way."

The tenderness in her voice made the blonde stop and stare, his eyes scanning her face for any ounce of deceit but found none. Her soft-spoken words hit him differently, like coming home after a long day. It entered him, flowed through his body and landed gently on his heart. Like a blooming flower, the warmth grew, starting from the chest and spreading throughout his body. Her gaze felt blissful, and Katsuki didn't even notice when his body limped like he was lying on a cloud.

Estelle never lies like this, and the knowledge that she was speaking her truth tightened his chest in a way that could only be described as longing. A yearning to keep her there with him, so he would never be without her. A hunger that psychically hurt his chest in a way that made him wonder if it would ease if he drew her in closer. A deep enough want that made him desire to keep her all to himself.

The ping of the bus brought him out of his daze, allowing Katsuki to realise it wasn't just him lost in her gaze. His awareness now brought to reality, he struggled to voice out the words to wake Estelle up, the same Estelle who hadn't heard the bell of the bus and was still looking at him in a way that made his insides churn.

He didn't do it, wanting to bask in her stare, making him feel like the best man on earth. It was soft, adoring in a way if he could fathom it. It only amplified his craving for her, and he gritted his teeth as he tried to pull himself together. Cursing in his mind when the bus moved on, Katsuki allowed himself to bask in her watchful eyes for one more stop.

When the doors pinged again, Katsuki forced his feet to stand up, his hands holding her thighs as he walked off the bus. It started Estelle out of her daze, but he didn't care, his insides demanding him to keep her close for the time being. Reluctantly putting her down, he made no mention of the occurrence as he started walking, noting the blush on her face as she realised what had happened.

He didn't want to scare her off again, especially not after the last time she had ignored him for days. Those days were more crushing than Estelle realised, making him furious at himself to learn how attached he was to the aloof girl.

"Wait, why are we walking?" Estelle asked dumbly, flummoxed why they weren't already outside the mall.

"Tch, the driver accidentally missed the stop. We'll need to walk an extra five minutes."

Shrugging, Estelle followed beside him, seemingly recovered from the event. Katsuki, however, couldn't get it out of his mind.

"Can we get food too?" Estelle asked innocently, recognising she was hungry.

"Tch, yeah, of course."

"So you just hit the moles that pop up?"

"Yeah."

"That's interesting...but why?"

"It's a game, Lioness! That's why!"

"What's an avocados favourite arcade game?" Katsuki abruptly questioned.

"Huh? What?"

"Guacamole."

Chortling out a laugh, Estelle leaned back as she revelled in the absurd humour of Katsuki. He observed her with a grin, loving the sound leaving her lips. The blonde knew he'd get to hear that sound again but didn't expect that he would still feel the same way. The chiming bells of her laugh were something Katsuki would never get tired of; she was just too beautiful.

Paying for a game on something called an X-Box console, Estelle's button mashed to her heart's content, and Katsuki screamed at her side. "Go left! That's not left, you brat!"

"Why is it going opposite to what I'm pointing to?!" Estelle yelled back, panic underlying her tone as she tried to understand what was happening.

"It's because the controls are inverted, you dumbass!"

"And you never thought to say anything?!" Estelle responded with a bite to her tone.

"Arghh, don't blame me!"

"Who else am I going to blame?! What person makes a controller do the opposite you want it to do!?"

Yelling in frustration, Katsuki nearly broke his controller as he moved to throw it onto the ground. Estelle, who widened her eyes in disbelief, lunged towards him and sighed in consolation when she caught it in time. The blonde was too busy whining about his loss to notice the disapproval in her eyes, but she soughed in exasperation before placing the remote back into the slot.

Standing for a few moments whilst he grumbled to himself, Estelle muttered, "Pft, go console yourself about it. It's not my fault."

Stopping in incredulity, Katsuki turned around slowly to face her. His finger raised up to a point as he tried to fathom her words. Sputtering, he voiced, "How did you manage to make a pun about this?"

"Skillz."

"Shut up."

Katsuki and Estelle ambled around the mall as they looked for a place to eat. Estelle stopped numerous times as she continued to get distracted by everything around her, forcing Katsuki to grab her hand like a parent unwilling to lose their child. Estelle's head swivelled around, continuously grumbling to herself as she tried to glance at everything in sight.

"Tch, you act as if you've never been to a mall before."

"Well, not really. I came with the class before but didn't stay long as Shigiraki showed up. I never really got to explore it."

"Well, I'll bring you here another time to see it properly."

Opening her mouth to argue, Estelle snapped it shut once Katsuki knowingly glared at her. He was satisfied once he realised she wasn't going to say anything and continued to drag her down the long halls. Once they were nearing the food markets, the blonde had stopped at the first place he saw. Stepping in, Katsuki remained by Estelle's side as they looked up at the menu on the boards above the tills.

It was then that Estelle realised this was a soba place. Frowning, Estelle felt strange as they got closer to the register. Pursing her eyebrows in confusion, Estelle pondered within her mind for the cause of the peculiar emotion. It was like her mind was telling her to leave, but it wouldn't give her a reason why she needed to.

She didn't know why she was feeling this way, and it was only when Katsuki nudged her in curiosity that she looked up at him. "What is it? You look like you ate a lemon."

"Can we eat somewhere else?" Estelle queried, allowing her perplexity to choose her words.

Confused, Katsuki furrowed his brows as he gazed down at the uncomfortable female. The puzzlement grew once he looked around the room to find a cause, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Do you see someone you know or something?"

"Um, no. I just feel weird eating here; I don't know why." Estelle answered honestly, not thinking much of it.

It was when Katsuki looked up at the menu again that it clicked. Scowling, the words quickly slipped by his frowning lips. "Is it because you are not with your so-called soba buddy?"

Freezing, Estelle widened her eyes as understanding hit her bones. She had only ever eaten this meal with Shoto by her side, and she didn't know how to feel about how it impacted her so much that she was uncomfortable when he wasn't there with her. That couldn't have been it; there was no way his absence caused those feelings to rise within her. But, the longer the thought lingered, the more Estelle knew he was right, and the more it bothered her.

Katsuki had no idea how to feel about it either. On the one hand, he wanted to eat with her and show that damn IcyHot that Estelle had no ties with him. To show that Estelle only shared things with him and nobody else. But he knew that was his selfishness talking. Because, in all honesty, it was actually a huge thing that Estelle was building companionship with the other extras. He knew that as much as he wanted her to stay for him, the whole class also wanted that.

They wanted to share a bond with her in their own ways. They were already building trust with her, and the fact Estelle couldn't recognise the off feelings she had simply because that boy wasn't there with her only showed that it was working.

She deserved to have everything, and that included friends. It included having her own private things with them, and as much as he hated it, this was hers and Shoto's thing. He couldn't take that away from them, not if it would only hinder her than help her. She would feel guilty that she did it, which would be tied to Katsuki. He wasn't having that, and a small satisfaction wasn't worth it.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter," Estelle muttered, seemingly distancing herself from her misgivings whilst Katsuki thought his through.

Scowling, Katsuki knew she had done what she had done with him countless times. She was closing herself away to create a gap from the apparent feelings that had landed right on her lap. He wasn't having that; no way in hell.

Scoffing, Katsuki's hand dragged her out of the shop, Estelle's sputtering following behind. "Hey! What are you doing?!"

Grunting, he replied, "We're getting something else."

"But, why? I said it was okay!" Estelle argued, her feet picking up the pace so her arm wasn't stretched like string cheese.

"Tch, I don't care. He's your soba buddy, right?!" The blonde barked back, a glare on his face as he stopped walking to face her directly.

"Hmpt, I guess."

"Don't be a brat. You clearly care about it, and I'm not going to break your pact when it clearly matters. So, we're eating somewhere else!"

"But, why do you care?"

"Tch, I couldn't care less about half and half. The bastard can rot, but I care about you. And I'm not ruining that."

"Honestly, it's okay," Estelle sighed, ignoring the warmth in her chest from his lack of shyness in saying those words out loud.

"Are you saying that because it really is okay? Or are you saying that because you're shit scared of acknowledging that having that idiot as your soba buddy is important to you?!" Katsuki gravelled out, his face centimetres from hers as his eyes forced her to reflect on her thoughts.

"I..."

"We're eating somewhere else."

"I...okay."

"Tch, finally. Now, come on, slow poke."

"How do you look so cute yet so disgusting eating that?"

"Says you, the meal practically flew off the table; you were eating that fast, weirdough."

"Tch, touche", Katsuki grumbled, nudging her slightly under the table with his foot. "Stop that, or I'll give you a pizza my mind."

Estelle, too interested in having the last win, nudged him back. It was at that moment that the battle commenced. A battle called footsie.

Standing by the bus stop, the duo waited underneath the shelter for the travelling machine to arrive. Katsuki was leaning against a metal pole as Estelle stood by his side, their eyes watching the pelting rain with boredom.

"Hey, pretty lady!" Someone seemed to shout from behind them.

Scowling instantly from the slurred speech, Estelle turned her head slightly with a glare. "Shut up and walk away."

"Awww, why so mean? I just wanted to talk!"

Rolling her eyes, Estelle opened her mouth again to utter a final response and ruin their pride, but before her lips could even part, an arm snaked around her shoulder. She could instantly tell it was Ruby's and was surprised that her body remained relaxed. But, before the thought could register in her brain, his voice echoed throughout the bus stop shelter. "Beat it, dickwad."

"Girly has a protector! How cute! I bet I could show you a better time than-hey!"

Startled from the hand on her arm, Estelle hissed through her lips as her body immediately turned to counteract the annoyance. Surprisingly, Katsuki's arm that rested around her shoulder had moved, so it covered her front. His forearm touched her neck, his fingers landing on her other shoulder as he pushed her back onto him. Flickering her eyes upwards, Estelle was impressed by the blonde's reflexes as she viewed his other arm holding the annoyance's hand away from her.

The mundane older man winced at the tension the aggressive blonde was putting into the hold, and it was only when he let out a final demand that he began to flee from the duo. "Get lost before I break them!"

Estelle barely paid attention to the fleeing male, her eyes drawn to the aggravated frown on Katsuki's face. The back of her neck felt warm from the scene, and Estelle could only wonder if she was getting a cold. Why would her insides flush from a glare like that? It wasn't a conventionally attractive expression, yet she was biting her lip to compensate for her stomach's flurry.

Turning to face her with a smirk, Katsuki's other arm dropped, so he was hugging her from behind. "Why are you the one who gets dragged into all these situations?"

Scoffing, Estelle answered dryly, "I ask myself that every day. Thank you, though I had it handled."

"Tch, of course, you did. Just let me do the protecting from time to time, will ya? It's kinda difficult to do that when you're you."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Snickering, the blonde answered, "It means that you don't always have to rely on yourself. Now, get your cute butt moving. The bus is here."

"Hmpt."

"Think I should get some cuddles for that."

"You wish."

"Don't need to wish."