Disbelief

Estelle sat in the living room in shock. She remembered Bakugo picking her up quietly, the students behind him with worried faces as they stared at the frozen and broken Estelle. Her eyes were wide on the floor like her mind had halted for a moment.

Lifting her up, Bakugo held Estelle close to his chest as they trailed back into Heights Alliance. The air was thick with tension as the student's eyes flickered to each other and Estelle with the startling revelation.

Placing her on the couch, the students remained silent around her as they waited for Estelle to come back to herself. Her face was pale like she had just woken up from death. The cuts on her arms were still bleeding lightly, and Bakugo moved into the kitchen to bring back a wet towel.

Sitting next to her, Bakugo lightly wiped the blood from her cuts, so they were ready to heal when she snapped out of it. Her arm was limp in Bakugo's hand as he dabbed away, as his heart tore as how vulnerable she seemed in this moment.

God, he just wanted to shield her from it all. But he knew he couldn't. Frankly, he knew that Estelle would pull through like she always did. But, she should have time to process, like a normal human being. He wondered how often she was forced to shut off her emotions during the war. He guessed there was no choice in that type of environment.

But at least she didn't have to do that here.

Finally, the colour started to show on her face. But, it was apparent she wasn't entirely back. Still, they waited by her side until she returned to herself. Mumbling over her words, the class turned to Estelle as she tried to speak.

"Don't rush yourself, idiot," Bakugo sternly voiced as he focused on her arms.

Estelle had to; she was being weak. She had to get her shit together. "He's alive," She muttered, still stunned at the simple fact.

"It's okay."

"I'll kill him."

"Shh."

"I'll kill him."

"Estelle!"

"I'll fucking kill him!"

Stunned from the violent twist of her hand, her air bending shot out. The books were thrown off the table and into the wall with an ear-piercing slam. Taking multiple deep breaths to calm herself, Estelle's eyes opened with a fierce intensity that rivalled anything else the class had ever seen.

It was the last thing they had been expecting. Every emotion related to Estelle's past was usually sadness, pain and grief. This was sheer and unwavering anger, the opposite of how she last reacted to his potential livelihood.

The students themselves were a little put off by the sheer easiness of those words. Murder innately felt wrong to them, and even though they understood Estelle's world worked differently, it was hard to hear her say that.

She had no choice, though. Nyx was a dark spirit, and even though she couldn't actually kill spirits, what she would have to do would be a version of that. As much as they hated to admit it, he would continue to wreak havoc otherwise. But still, they despised the thought of Estelle committing murder, even temporarily.

Mr Aizawa stepped forward, crouching down to face Estelle at eye level. "You will kill him; I know it."

The students stared, stunned at his easy approval of Estelle's words. It was like a slap in the face, but they had to remind themselves that this was different. Mr Aizawa understood that, and he was old enough to know better than they did.

Estelle nodded resolutely in response. "Thank you."

Understanding bloomed. Estelle needed someone to acknowledge her words right now. She wanted the support that she could do this and defeat the person who raised her. The cruel man wreaked havoc on her life once again. Mr Aizawa understood immediately what she needed.

Stepping forward, Iida forced out his following words. "You'll get him."

"Yeah! Badass Estelle could take anyone down!"

"Nobody has anything against our captain."

Estelle's lips tilted up from their words, and she nodded again in appreciation. Her heart warmed to those around her, and Estelle couldn't help but feel glad to have them there. The heavyweight sitting on her heart was relieved at the confirmation that she would take the boss down. She would not leave until it was done, and he was gone.

"Estelle, how is he alive if you were so sure he was dead?" Sato questioned.

"He used elves to shield the fact he was a dark spirit. With his aura shielded, I assumed he was a ghoul. So, when I killed him, he must have known full well he would reform quicker than I thought."

"I see."

Turning to her arms, Estelle nodded to Bakugo in appreciation as she moved to heal them. He also brought back a glass of water, so she lifted her hand to make the water surround her arm as she healed herself. The green glow made her face look sickly, but they watched as the cuts slowly closed on her arms.

"Estelle, you were glowing earlier," Izuku brought up, hoping the change in conversation would make it easier for her to speak.

"It's a power I don't use often. Spirit bending allows me to open up my heart to allow others to view my memories. But it isn't all it does. Spirit bending can also allow me to siphon the energy from the spirits around me and create a prison. It's hazardous to use."

"What do you mean, dangerous?"

"I'm a cambion, which allows me to use their energy as a barrier. It still hurts like hell to use it; it feels heavy. But, too much of it will kill me."

Since her cuts had been healed, Estelle turned to Bakugo and ignored his grunt of pain and disapproval as her hand glowed green around his neck. Her body relaxed even further as the bruises receded around his throat.

"What!? Why use it then?!" The students cried out with sheer disbelief.

"Because it's the only way to defeat them. The previous war leader lost their life because he didn't have enough power to lock Aite's life force for good. I had trained to hold more power so I could win the war. I will have to do it again to beat Nyx; it's the only way."

"But, you could die."

"I won't. I worked hard enough to hold that much power and pain. It's either that or let everyone die."

"Oh, I see."

Shaking her head, Estelle stood up in front of the rest of the class. Giving them a small smile, she muttered, "How about we leave the rest of this conversation for later? We have time."

Estelle knew another attack was overwhelming for them, and she didn't want to add to that by throwing mountains of information at them all at once, especially since the event had literally just happened. Estelle was beaten, and all she wanted to do was recuperate her mind.

Oddly, she had a dimmed longing to sleep on the couch. The blonde's arms around her were like a safe haven from all the turmoil she suffered today. The thought was immediately shuffled from her brain once it hit her, a slight panic in her chest at the fact that was what she wanted first. She couldn't do this to herself, to Bakugo. This was not good, but Estelle would think about it another time. It was the middle of the night, and everyone should get some sleep.

She hadn't looked Bakugo in the eye since she saved him, and the innate fear she had felt at that moment still simmered in her bones. It was a shock to the system to see him so vulnerable, and Estelle knew she would have to create distance to keep him safe. It was for the greater good, no matter how painful the thought.

She didn't want to think about why it scared her so much.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot it's like nighttime," Kaminari muttered as he gazed out the window,

Nodding in agreement, Estelle grunted, "Yeah, you guys should get some rest."

"Will you be okay, though?" Izuku questioned, a worried frown on his lips as he regarded her. The class didn't want to leave her alone. The memory of the reactions of her past responses in their minds. The man who had treated her horribly was alive; wouldn't that be a massive trigger for the girl? They didn't want her to suffer through that alone.

Dropping her shoulders, Estelle felt a deep pain in her soul from their concern. It was so warm and inviting that Estelle felt like she could collapse in their arms at any moment. Just curl up into a tiny ball and wail like a stubborn child from all the shit in her mind.

But, Estelle was not weak. The comfort they would provide would be temporary, and Estelle had the rest of her life to be alone. That was what she was used to, and anything else would be like making herself a masochist. Why bother putting herself through that pain later? She could handle this like she always did. Alone.

"There's no need to be concerned. I'm fine," Estelle assured the class as she stared down at the students.

Feeling conflicted, the rest of the class nodded as they stood up from their seats and headed out of the room. Muttering out various goodnights, Estelle followed out behind them.

Before she could exit the room like the rest of them, a hand slammed the door shut before she reached it. Bakugo came into full view once the entrance moved to reveal it was him. Raising a brow, Estelle watched as Bakugo silently observed her.

"Um, goodnight?" Estelle voiced, confused at why he had stopped her from leaving.

"Tch, where do you think you're going?"

"To my room?"

Growling, Bakugo stormed forwards to grab hold of her arm. Estelle could already see the line of fire of where he was headed, so just before he could reach her, Estelle ducked under his outstretched arm to get to the door. With her hand now on the handle, Estelle answered back calmly. "Get changed and get some rest."

Hearing the dullness of her voice, Bakugo's ire grew as he observed her nonchalant response. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded, his brows furrowed as he gazed at her.

At this point, it was practically the norm for Estelle to join him on the couch. She fought him like she always did but was usually quietened by Bakugo's determination. Estelle stayed with him more than she did her own room; it happened too frequently. So, why would Estelle reject his advance like this at this pivotal moment where she had the chance to sleep peacefully?

"Bakugo. You're still in your hero outfit. There's no need to come back. Go, get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Feeling wrongness hit his bones, Bakugo knew her words were reasonable. He wasn't going to have his last few hours of rest in his costume, but the way they came out of her mouth just felt off. She was trying to shoo him away in the politest way possible. Like, she was trying to avoid an argument.

Frustrated, Bakugo gave no response as he watched Estelle leave the room to head to her dorm. Grumbling to himself, her stormed out a few moments later.

Estelle slouched over her desk with a defeated expression. Once she had gotten out of her hero outfit, she tried to lie down but knew it was fruitless. No matter how tired she was, her mind refused to shut off as thousands of thoughts ran through her brain.

Nyx was alive.

That simple fact alone was enough to set her off into a spiral. The implications of Nyx's words were just icing on the cake, this was nowhere near over, and Estelle felt unprepared.

She had trained for years; she knew what she was doing on the battlefield. But, the man watched her train all these years. He knew her better than anybody else because he had seen her move a thousand times. Granted, she had learned a lot since then. But, you can break anything down if you know the basics of how someone fights.

Then again, she knew his moves somewhat. She had seen him fight, but never to this extent, considering he hid the fact he was a fucking dark spirit.

How on earth was that even possible?

It just spiralled her even more. She felt like she had a thousand different people in her head, shouting out other thoughts like children trying to be heard. She was getting a headache, and her mind needed to pull itself together.

Nyx wanted war.

Why else would he be garnering his kind in flocks? He was preparing for battle, and Estelle would most likely have to fight them alone.

As her thoughts grew rampant, Estelle failed to hear the harsh knocking against her door. It was only when the door slammed open that Estelle jumped from her chair, her air-bending on full display as she prepared to slaughter the intruder in her room.

Throwing out a blast of air, Estelle widened her eyes when she realised who it was.

Bakugo.

Thankfully, the male immediately ducked to the side of the doorway. The blast of air she shot out hitting the wall outside the door rather than the blonde. Slumping with deep relief, Estelle thanked the gods she didn't hurt him.

She watched as he took a slow step forward. He was good at stuff like that, taking things slow when Estelle needed him to. He stood silently at the entrance as Estelle recuperated from her dip in mental state.

Growing furious, Estelle's eyes quickly blazed as she stepped forward. "Are you an idiot? What the hell were you thinking storming in like that? I could have hit you!"

"You didn't. I'm fine."

"That's not the point, Bakugo!" She hissed before placing her hands on her head to take a deep calming breath.

"You weren't answering when I knocked. I couldn't stand there forever," Bakugo grumbled back, his fingers twitching in annoyance. "You weren't even trying to get some rest, were you?"

"Go to bed, Bakugo."

"Hm. It's strange hearing you call me by my last name."

Freezing from the fact he caught onto that so quickly, Estelle didn't respond as the blonde walked over to her desk. Leaning back against the wood, he watched her fists clench in frustration.

He knew what she was doing.

It was another attempt at pushing him away. He could see it in Estelle's eyes. She knew reasoning with him wouldn't work; she had tried that already. Instead, he had to deal with Estelle raising her walls back up, and he was pissed. But, he also knew he had to work quickly before the cement hardened, and it was too late.

This time, he wouldn't leave.

"Seriously, I want to be alone. Go to sleep."

"Fine, " He growled, stomping towards her to grab her.

Enlarging her eyes with surprise, Estelle let out a noise of aggravation as the male clutched his arm around her. Breaking his hold, Estelle held a scowl on her face as she hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Going to bed."

"I meant, go to bed in your own damn dorm, Bakugo," She continued, her tone rising in frustration.

"I know."

"Get out," She finalised.

"No."

"Bakugo, get the fuck out of my room."

"No," Bakugo repeated calmly, his arms folded as he watched Estelle fume over his actions.

"Why? Why won't you leave me be?!" Estelle shot back loudly, vexation in her arms as she lifted them.

The rising frustration was burning with Estelle. Why couldn't he see that she was doing this for the both of them? Why couldn't he understand that his adamant refusal to leave would lead them to a horrible outcome? Estelle was trying to save them from that pain, but the boy's blatant refusal to co-operate was raising a frenzy inside of her. Why didn't he just leave like everyone else in her life? Why couldn't he just be like them? The hell she had suffered through today made this situation even more unbearable. He nearly died because of her! Didn't that make an ounce of a difference?!

"Because you deserve someone in your corner."

"You don't know shit."

"I know enough," he shot back immediately. "I know that the only reason you're doing this right now is that this scares the shit out of you. Why else would you call me by my last name? Why else would you refuse to stay with me? Especially after you saved me!"

"Because I realised I want nothing to do with you," Estelle hissed back. She was at her wit's end from the mayhem in her mind.

Bakugo knew she was lying. But he couldn't lie; that one hurt.

Realising she was getting the reaction she wanted, the fire lit in his eyes. Bakugo forced his breathing through his mouth in an attempt to calm himself. He knew he had to play this right; he refused to lose her stubbornness. Not after all the time they spent together. Not after he was beginning to realise how much she fucking meant to him.

Realising that the two of them had been moving around the room without noticing. Bakugo and Estelle were by the wall as he tried to corner her. Slamming his hand onto the wall by her head, Bakugo leaned forward. "Nothin' you say will get me to leave. Deal with it. Come on, we're going to bed."

Moving his arms to wrap around the female. Estelle was furious at the fact she was being ignored. The pent up feelings of the day rushed out of her mouth before she could even realise the words she was uttering.

"Fuck you, don't touch me."

"And you wonder why I'm sick of you guys? Sticking your nose into my business as if you belong there. You don't belong anywhere near me."

"Get off of me, asshole!"

"You seriously think we're friends! Don't make me laugh! I'm sick of you! I hate you!"

Every word was like a bullet for Bakugo, but he made no expression, no response to the venom she spat out as he tried to grasp her. She was fighting back with every instinct, like a frightened animal trying to scare away a predator with her last breath. He remained silent through it all, his chest aching as he tried to get a hold of her.

Once he finally did, Bakugo gripped onto her tightly as she wiggled in his hold. She tried to push him away, and when it inevitably failed, she moved to land a blow with her hand. Freezing from the raised hand, Bakugo watched as Estelle stilled in shock as she stared at her own fist.

She hadn't hit him; Bakugo always knew she would never. Estelle always stopped herself in time, and this time was like any other. But, what surprised him was the devastation on her face as she stared at her curled fist.

"Tch, you can hit me if you want. I don't care; I'm not leaving." Bakugo grumbled, tightening his grip now that she had finally stopped fucking moving.

Her bottom lip trembled slightly as she shook her head. She answered with a shaky gasp, "I'm not Nyx; I'll never be like him."

Lifting her up, so he was holding her bridal style, Bakugo muttered, "I know. You're so much better."

The shock from her move clearly caught her off guard, as she didn't struggle as much after that. Honestly, Bakugo thinks it brought her back to reality. Rather than a fighting animal, she was now scared and traumatised. Bakugo hated it all, but at least she wasn't fighting against him anymore.

He didn't know how much more of her words he could bear. Every comment struck a chord in him, even though he knew she was just trying to push him away with her words. It still hurt, but he wouldn't let her slip from her grasp, not after everything.

Laying Estelle on her bed, Bakugo lifted her blanket to cover her before joining himself. Laying by her side, he watched as Estelle curled herself into a ball, her head on her knees as she tried to block out the world.

Honestly, he was surprised her reaction wasn't worse. From the things he had heard about Nyx, the man was terrible to her. He treated her like property, like a non-living being. He could only imagine the suffering she lived through, day in and day out. He wondered if that was the only thing that set her off, but he wouldn't pry right now. Estelle needed someone, and he would be there for her.

"Come here," he murmured softly, his arm raised up invitingly.

Peeking her eyes out from her knees, Estelle made a pained noise before putting her head back.

Furrowing his brows, Bakugo pursed his lips as he tried to figure out the strange change in demeanour. It wasn't as strong as it usually was. It was fragile, and he knew he needed to be careful to not hurt her further. "Come here, my little lioness."

Glimpsing up again, Estelle slowly lifted her head to face the blonde's stern expression. Relaxing now that her body wasn't wound up like a tightrope, Bakugo wrapped his arm around her waist. Pulling her to his chest with a sigh of genuine relief, Bakugo relaxed when she wrapped her arms around his middle. "That's it."

Sighing in despair, Estelle failed to bat away the full feeling in her chest. She had failed once again to stop him, and now that her mind was beginning to calm, she felt guilty.

Snapping her eyes open when Bakugo kissed her forehead, she heard him speak again. "I know you didn't mean it. Get some rest."

The words that quickly rolled off Bakugo's tongue made Estelle's throat close up. He should hate her for what she said; they were so cruel that anybody else would have turned away. But he stayed. "You deserve better, " she mumbled.

"No, you do. Now hush, rest your mind."

Holding onto him closer, Estelle held onto him so tightly she could feel the surprise radiating off the male. Giving her a lazy smirk that she missed from closed eyes, Bakugo placed another kiss on her forehead before relaxing in her embrace.

He did good.