Attempted Recovery

Estelle was exhausted. She had hoped from the adventurous outing with Bakugo the previous day would have settled her enough to catch some sleep but to no avail. Estelle avoided visiting the living room that night; she had spent enough time with Bakugo. It was bad enough that Estelle had spent the day with him, but she couldn't do the night on top of that. It would only end poorly, and Estelle couldn't do more of that.

The nights were filled with nightmares that she tried to avoid, and the day was full of thoughts that she could not escape. Even though she had managed to get some reprieve yesterday, it seems that she was crowded to the point of insanity when she was back to her thoughts. Nevertheless, Estelle held it together like she always did.

It was early morning at this point, and Estelle floated into the kitchen absentmindedly since she was so lost in thought. The class were sitting, having their own meals, when Estelle took the plate and sat at their table. She was mute as she bit into her food, ignoring the chatter around her.

'Ah, Bakugo's cooking again.'

The class attempted to speak to her but were ignored. Estelle was staring into her bowl and twirling her chopsticks. She had barely eaten anything. For them, they had seen a mellower, Estelle, the last few days. Her words were even shorter, her eyes always seemed deep in thought, and she just seemed so much more melancholy.

It concerned them. The class let Estelle be; they understood a little more of her cues. But they were unsure of what to do. What they could do to help her. Since they didn't know the cause, they were left in the dark on the answer.

"Estelle", Tokoyami repeated gently as he brushed his hand against her shoulder. Estelle jumped within her seat, startled from the interruption, and her fingers moved to seize his hand. She froze midway through as if she had managed to stop herself in time. They guessed it was another reflex of hers.

"Sorry. How can I help you?" Estelle muttered back, her eyes trailing back to the bowl in front of her.

"Are you okay?"

"Huh, yeah, um, I'm fine", Estelle stuttered before giving a half-smile of assurance.

That was strange.

Estelle grimaced from the silence penetrating the room. Clearly, they didn't believe a single word she had just uttered. Estelle just focused back on the food to avoid the stillness. The clatter of chopsticks rung out in the room. The chatter slowly started back up to Estelle's alleviation. Finishing her meal quickly, Estelle moved to escape.

"Estelle."

"Hm?"

"We won't force you to speak. But I just wanted to make sure that you knew. We'll be here."

Estelle stilled at the exit. She was taken aback by Izuku's response. The whole time she had been with them, they were almost forceful with her. Like they were entitled to have her answers and time. They irritated her with how overbearing they were. If she didn't eat with them, they would chase her and ask her why. If she didn't answer their questions, they would demand them. The change was...pleasant.

It seems they had finally understood what she was asking for.

Turning towards the class, silently sitting behind her. Estelle gave a tiny smile; her gaze was the lightest they had seen from the last few days. They slackened to the realisation.

They had been doing it wrong this whole time.

"Thank you", Estelle muttered, the door closing shut behind her as she departed.

"Midoriya! How did you do that!??" Ashido blurted, grabbing onto the male shoulders frantically.

"Wahh! I thought about it, and I feel like we've been pressuring her a lot. Maybe, if we take a step back, I think it might do some good. When we invaded her privacy, we took a billion steps back. She asked for us to respect her boundaries and wait for when she's ready." Izuku considered out loud as he stared at the table.

The class were muted as they all viewed their memories of their time with Estelle. They agreed with their classmate, they had been forcefully imposing themselves on her, and it had made little progress. The genuine smile Estelle provided from Izuku's simple gesture allowed them to see it.

Estelle stared at the television peacefully as the nature show conversed quietly in the background. The tilt to the couch was familiar, and Estelle didn't have to look to know that it was Bakugo once again. Without taking a moment, Bakugo's hand thrust out to push Estelle down onto his lap. Estelle fell into his thighs without argument, but internally, she knew she would have to stop this soon.

Bakugo felt too warm. Estelle didn't deserve that.

A thump stopped her thoughts, and Estelle turned to face the blond with a glower. He had his own scowl on his face as he stared down at her. "Stop it. I can feel you thinking some dumb shit."

Estelle grumbled incoherently before answering, "How can you tell? It's ridiculous."

"No. What's ridiculous is how you wallow," Bakugo answered candidly. Estelle ignored his retort and moved to face back to the television. She was startled when hands stopped her movements. Her eyes trailed back to the male in question but halted at his expression.

His sights were focused on the side of her cheek. With the amount of mental turmoil Estelle had been encased in recently. Estelle had used physical harm an embarrassing amount. The issue was - the increased amount of bruises on her face.

"Tell me that was from spirits or some shit."

"Sure," Estelle answered bluntly as she tried to move. His fingers against her face made her feel weird. She guessed it was the lack of physical contact that she was used to. Estelle tensed as his thumb rubbed back and forth lightly close to her bruise. The change in the air caused Bakugo to snap out of his stare, and he grumbled.

"You have got to stop doing that."

Estelle just shrugged. "It works."

Hearing a growl over her, Estelle jolted as his face came closer to her own. Estelle stared down his ruby eyes as her fingers fidgeted at the close proximity.

"If you don't, I'll sock you instead."

Estelle scoffed with a smirk. "That'll work too."

"Tch."

Silence rang out in the room as they fell back into a comfortable silence. It was Estelle that broke it, a thought that had been bugging her ever since he started joining her on the couch. It was only when the adverts were on that Estelle spoke up.

"Why do you even come?"

"Tch. Clearly, something is bothering you. It's annoying when you look pitiful like that."

Estelle turned back around, her head still in his lap as she gazed up at him. "But still, I'll figure it out like I always do."

"Everyone needs a pillar from time to time."

"Who's yours?"

Bakugo was silent for a while; Estelle guessed he would ignore her question. To her surprise, he answered. "My mom. She sets me straight."

Estelle's lips tilted as she responded, "Oh, she must be strong-willed to have to deal with you."

Bakugo's only retort was a light smack to her head. Estelle chuckled before slowly sobering up. Bakugo stared down at her questioningly as her demeanour altered. He lifted a brow, wondering where the shift of pace had come from.

"What's she like?"

"Tch. The wench is annoying as hell; it drives me crazy."

Bakugo tensed under her stare as an uneasy jolt hit his stomach. He didn't know why; Estelle's eyes were full of innocent curiosity, but it also looked discontented. He knew that Estelle never had parents, so he could understand her fascination. Putting his uncomfortable feelings aside, Bakugo continued, "But she's there for me when I need her."

"Oh. That sounds nice."

Bakugo frowned at the response before giving a scoff, "Don't worry, you aren't missing a lot."

"Really? When I met Izuku's mom, it felt like I was."

"You met her?!"

"Well yeah, she had to come to the station to pick him up once."

"Tch."

The blonde glanced down at Estelle's dark eyes. The frown deepened when he could see the melancholy in her orbs. He didn't understand why it dispirited him so much. She looked weary; he guessed she had been struggling with her sleep. It was apparent from how much she'd been visiting the nature shows in the dead of night.

He could see her using it as some form of escapism. But for what? He didn't know. Just like he didn't know anything else about the closed-off girl. His heart skipped a beat as her eyes flicked up back to him in question. She could feel his gaze boring into her. The male looked away as soon as he realised she had noticed.

It seemed they both had this in common. Estelle didn't understand why she let the blonde hang around. It was frustrating that his presence was comforting, like a drug that would soon end. Estelle felt an insistent need to run in the opposite direction.

Estelle scowled when she felt another thump to her head. Glaring up at the male, he expressed, "Stop that; what's got you thinking so much anyway?"

Bakugo really hoped he would get a solid answer.

"It's nothing."

"Haven't I already told you that I can see right through you?"

Estelle was mute at his words before shrugging, "The whole ordeal just brought up some bad memories. I'm just working through them. I'll be fine."

"Tch. I know you will."

Estelle flicked her eyes to him in surprise, the nature show lightly ringing behind her. Her eyes scanned his features in the silence. What was it about him? Estelle couldn't figure it out. His rough exterior seemed so distant during the nights they shared together. His piercing ruby eyes looked at her like he was letting her think through her thoughts. Estelle felt the first glimpse of appreciation towards him at that moment. But, it also furthered her need for distance.

"You know, we probably should stop this."

Bakugo snapped out of his stare, taken aback. "Hah!? What do you mean, idiot?"

"You shouldn't hang around with me."

"I do what I want. Shut up."

"Bakugo. I'm serious."

"So am I."

Estelle marinated in the silence for a moment before coming to her final decision. Standing up, Estelle frowned when the blonde held her arm back. "Bakugo, let me go."

"Why the hell should I?!"

Dropping her head with a sigh, Estelle slumped her shoulders. "I'm serious; it's for the best."

Standing up with a glare, Bakugo kept a tighter grip on her arm as his face came towards Estelle's own. Flicking her own stare up to his eyes, Estelle could not pinpoint the emotions flickering as fast as light. "So, what? You're going to push people away for the rest of your life?! Is that it?"

"If that's what I have to do, so be it."

"Bullshit! You just can't admit to yourself that you enjoyed spending time with me. You said it yourself, you had fun yesterday with the animals. What changed? " Bakugo responded back, his voice toned down harshly. The glare that now rested on his face was reciprocated by Estelle. Her fierce eyes droned into his with the same fervour.

"Nothing changed. I stand by what I said, but it cannot continue."

"Then why didn't you say this earlier, hah?! What was it that made you decide that now was the time? Was it when you realised that you could actually have a friend?!" Bakugo barked back, not even attempting to keep his voice down anymore.

"You weren't even close."

Estelle felt guilt grip her soul when she saw Bakugo physically take a step back from the unkind words. Bakugo was stunned. He should have expected it; Estelle hated the idea of friendship. But for her to say those words so coldly, he couldn't deny the hurt he felt at that moment. Bakugo thought he was making progress, like he was finally making a crack at the cold shell that surrounded the girl. It was then Bakugo realised that maybe he hadn't even dented it.

Staying silent, Bakugo silently moved to the common room exit as Estelle's eyes watched. It was only when the door clicked shut that Estelle fell into the couch with a slump. She couldn't grasp what she was feeling at that moment.

When Bakugo stubbornly rooted his ground on staying, Estelle felt the insistent need to push him away. Evey core of her being was yelling at her to get out of the situation. The danger signs were ringing out to her like a sirens call.

But why is it that instead of relief and gratitude? She feels like she did something wrong. Maybe it was how she went about it. Yeah, that had to be it.

She'll be fine tomorrow.