Revel In The Dark

The darkness couldn't hide the noise of Tokoyami's panting breath as he bent over to his knees. Estelle stood to his right, a light flicker of brightness that seemed to beam through the pitch-black cave. The rays glimmered on her face as she viewed him with a concerned frown, hushed as she gave him a moment to compose himself.

Eventually, once the male stood straight again, Estelle muttered, "You're fighting him too much."

"It's practically instinct; I don't know what else to do," Tokoyami responded, his voice tinged with a layer of defeat that Estelle noted immediately. Feeling her heart pinch at his tone, Estelle knew it was vital for him to keep a positive mindset. It wasn't easy, especially when he wasn't making as much progress as quickly as he wanted to, but it was progress nonetheless, so it was a win in Estelle's book.

"What if we eased him into darkness?" She queried, a little hopeful as her mind worked on the idea of having the cave lit and lowering the light in increments. It would give a base on exactly what stage it was that the battle became too much for her classmate.

"Very well," Tokoyami agreed, liking her idea as he mentally prepared himself again.

"Not now; you need a break. Come, sit outside with me," Estelle started, her eyes flickering up to the sheen of condensation on his feathers. The male nodded, following Estelle out of the cave before sitting by her at the cliff's edge. The duo marinated in the silence, deep breaths taking lungfuls of the clean air as they enjoyed the scenery in front of them. Estelle had found it nearby and knew it was the perfect place for his training, which resembled the cave from training camp.

Estelle enjoyed Tokoyami's presence, as whenever she was with him, it was as if her simple presence was enough. The teen never asked for more, never broached any preconceived notions of Estelle, and always seemed to respect her silence. He always seemed to understand what she wanted, and his easygoing and calming nature was happy to follow along.

"How have you been feeling about the training?" Estelle questioned, her mind curious about his opinion on the whole matter.

"Why do you ask?"

"Your emotions could be holding you back still. Talk to me."

"Like how you talk to others?" Tokoyami asked dryly, his head turning to her with knowing eyes.

Surprised he had redirected the conversation back to her, Estelle scoffed before shaking her head. She knew the male had a point, which made her sound a little hypocritical, but this wasn't her training; it was Tokoyami's. Still, if his feelings of guilt from the previous attack interfered with his training, he needed to overcome them. Though, she knew telling him that wouldn't help anything because all of that came from within. Estelle hadn't even managed to accomplish that herself, so she knew putting a timer on it would only make things worse.

"That's different."

"Hm. Whatever you say. I still feel remorseful, of course, but that's to be expected. I doubt ill be able to overcome it until I have full control over my quirk."

"Remember what we talked about? It's not control that you need, it's co-operation. You both are a team."

"Ah, yes, you're right," The feathered male consented, nodding along like he was internally correcting himself for his mistake.

"Can Dark Shadow come out? I think he should be involved in the conversation."

Startled, Tokoyami leaned back as if he had been told he was going to a place full of rainbows and sprinkles. The expression made her chuckle as he slowly nodded in agreement, and it was in a blink of an eye that Dark Shadow suddenly faced Estelle. "What's cookin' good lookin'!"

"Sup," Estelle deadpanned, ignoring Tokoyami's groan of displeasure.

"You wanting to talk, yo!?"

"Yeah, can you tell me what it's like to feel yourself losing control?"

"It's not just the dark, I feel Tokyo's feelings, and it makes me feel all types of ways," He called out, his body making exaggerated trembles as he floated in front of her.

"Hm, If I was to call it a manifestation of his emotions. Would that be right?"

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner! You're so smart, pretty superwoman!"

Smiling at Tokoyami's lament, his blush was evident on his face as he avoided gazing at the female. Estelle couldn't help but grin from his reaction, her chuckle making the male lurch in on himself in mortification. Laughing loudly from the expression, she huffed, "Thank you for the kind words!"

Tokoyami turned to Estelle once they made it through the doors of Heights Alliance. The embarrassed glance was evident in his eyes before he turned his head away. "I would like to thank you for all you've done. You've helped us a lot, and I'm not sure how to repay you for your kindness."

Feeling her heart constrict from Tokoyami's words, Estelle shook her head with a soft smile. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she murmured smoothly, "You don't need to worry about that; just knowing you feel better is good enough."

"There must be something I can do," Tokoyami argued, turning back to face her with a seriousness that made her pause. Halting her words of promise that it honestly wasn't needed, she could tell that the male didn't like the fact he wasn't able to return the favour. She never expected anything out of it; that was never part of her thinking, though now, she could see it was a lingering thought within him. She realised he was a male who desired to give as much as he took.

Scanning the teen, she offhandedly tried to think of something that would make him feel better. Racking her brain, it was suddenly struck alight as an idea floated into her mind, making her feel warm and a little embarrassed as she debated broaching the topic.

Forcing down her rosiness, Estelle blurted, "Get me a choker that looks like yours, and we'll call it even."

Taking a step back, Tokoyami's mouth dropped open as he stared at Estelle with wide eyes. Sputtering out a few unintelligible words, it struck him, even more when he realised that Estelle was completely serious. It didn't seem like a fair comparison, not for everything she had done for the two of them. Of all things she could have asked of him, the last thing he would have expected was something he always used, something that he thought others would overlook, and she wanted one.

But, if she asked, then Tokoyami would provide.

Though now that the shock had worn off, Tokoyami simmered in the slight elation within his soul. The request was flattering, and the hesitation she tried to hide was apparent to him. It helped solidify that Estelle was more than she ever thought of herself. A genuine soul who asked for so little after providing so much. He almost didn't even know how to react.

"Your wish is my command. Wait here."

Startled, Estelle didn't expect the request to be taken so quickly. Nodding, the cambion patiently waited in the living room alone. Estelle had no idea where the other students were, but she guessed they were studying or training. The female noticed that the class would do it whenever she was out. Like clockwork, it reminded them they needed to get their butts moving. Seeing their motivation spark from it was nice, but if it worked, it worked.

Tokoyami returned amid her thoughts, his hand holding onto a replica of the choker he was currently wearing. Raising a brow in question, he answered readily. "I have multiples of these since I wear them every day. Here you go."

"Thank you," Estelle answered, her voice a bit bashful as she slowly reached over to take the piece from him, her fingers brushing his gently.

"Can I ask what sparked your interest in them?" Tokoyami wondered, his thoughts on that single question as he retrieved it.

"They look good on you; I wanted to try one," Estelle stated simply, her tone almost like a kid's, as she raised the fabric to her eyes to inspect it further. Her eyes were open, filled with innocent intrigue as she played around with it, a small smile on her face as she opened the clasp.

"Huh", Tokoyami's sweat dropped, internally cooing at the childlike purity as she toyed around with it. The blush came soon after, not used to compliments about his appearance. "I usually use it to hide a part of my neck. Plus, it fits my style. Thank you, though."

The heartfelt thanks caught her attention, and it didn't take long for Estelle to realise what he was implying. Her soul throbbed slightly at the shyness within the male, almost uncomfortable within the moment the duo was in, and she realised the implications. Frowning, Estelle didn't like the fact he was disbelieving of the truth Estelle could easily see, and it wasn't a hard decision to make when Estelle decided to ensure that she always made it known how much she appreciated Tokoyami, how much she liked that he always strived to be himself.

He never tried to fit into norms, and maybe that stemmed from previous experiences she didn't know. But she didn't have to. Tokoyami was filled with exciting knowledge, revelling in everything he enjoyed, just like the dark. Estelle appreciated it, and she wasn't prepared for him to lose that in any sense of the word.

"Doesn't matter what it's for if you look good in it, your dress sense is one of the things I like about you."

Flushing, Tokoyami was grateful he had his feathers somewhat covering the redness of his cheekbones. Shaking his head, he mumbled with a slight whine, "Please, my heart cannot take anymore."

Grinning, Estelle decided to stop torturing him and instead focus on the item in her hands. Continuing to fiddle with it, she was interrupted by his hand. "Here, let me help. Turn around."

Following his instructions, Estelle lifted her hair for the male to clasp it around her neck. Feeling the coldness on her skin, she shivered before her attention was caught by the noise of Tokoyami clearing his throat.

"How did you get this scar?" The male questioned, fixing the clasp on the back of her neck.

"I was training, and Nyx told my opponents not to hold back. I wasn't prepared and was sliced across my neck for it. He stated I should have paid attention afterwards, and I had to suffer with the pain of it until it healed on its own," Estelle answered with ease; her voice seemed like she was simply talking about the weather.

Halting from shock, Tokoyami gritted his teeth in answer, suddenly filled with an emotion he didn't experience very often in the light to even bother fathoming a response. But, he couldn't help but feel the urge to pet the top of her head, unsure if he was comforting himself or her from the words she had just uttered.

Estelle leaned into the contact for a moment, appreciating his unspoken words, before shifting to the window to look at her reflection. Admiring the red chocker, Estelle found that she favoured the look, which seemed to cover up her scar pretty well. Not that it bothered her, but it gave her something else to look at instead. Like she wasn't just the scars on her body and mind from her past, she was something more. She was strong.

"Hm, what do you think?" She asked, her eyes trailing over herself in appreciation.

"I think you look great."

"Thank you. I know it was a strange request, so I appreciate you indulging me."

"No, no. I'm flattered, and I think this represents the bond of our friendship quite well," Tokoyami commented, his hand patting the top of her head again as he internally braced himself for her answer. It was evident to the class that Estelle did everything she could not become their friend, but he wanted to make it known that even though she feared the title, he thought of her as one.

Estelle was Tokoyami's friend.

Biting her lip, Estelle didn't have the heart to correct him in any way. Tokoyami wasn't vocal about these things, and she wasn't cruel enough to do that to him. But even then, it touched her soul deeply. Touching the neck chocker lightly, she murmured, "Then I'll keep it on."

Sharing a smile with the male, Estelle felt warm as they remained together for the rest of the afternoon.

Colouring into her books, she was surprised when Tokoyami remained by her side, taking in the peace as she coloured in.

"I have dark colours too; you can join me?"

"I would love to."

The class slowly trickled in one by one, sweaty or tired from the day's events. But as each one made their way inside, their eyes immediately darted to the pair in the living room. Their lips tilted up in humour from their profound discussion. Craning their ears further, they raised their brows at Estelle and Tokoyami's concentration as they sat in the living room.

"Maybe if we use black here..."

"Yes, it would indeed contrast with the wolf," Tokoyami readily agreed with a nod.

Peering over at his section, Estelle asked with a hint of awe, "How did you do that?"

"I press hard and then use my fingers to blend it. It makes it look more visible."

"I'm stealing that idea. It looks amazing," Estelle continued to compliment, her praise flustering the male next to her as he answered.

"Thank you."

"Hey, Katsuki," Estelle pondered aloud, ignoring the cooking show in front of her as she turned to the male. His hand was placed around the sofa's headrest, stroking the skin of her shoulder, but he halted immediately at her interruption with intrigue.

Tilting his head to view her, Katsuki hummed to show that he was listening. Suddenly unsure if she should ask the question lingering within her mind, Estelle decided to bite the bullet. Her mouth moved quickly, her eyes watching him curiously, "What's a crush?"

Katsuki felt like he had just stood on a landmine, his mind suddenly disconnecting from his brain as he stared down at her like she was a ghost. The room was quiet, the only sound of the tv filling the gap between them as his mind computed her words at a snail's pace.

The blonde could feel the steam leaving his ears as he tried to figure out where the question had fucking come from. Why was Estelle asking him?! Did one of the extras let it slip?! Has she found out how hopeless he was over her?! Did he understand the situation correctly?! Was she trying to confess something?!

Forcing himself to breathe, Katsuki's brain worked overtime as he tried to get himself to calm the fuck down before he detonated and woke up his classmates. Closing his eyes to shield himself from her inquisitive gaze, the blonde failed to conjure up a coherent thought as his mind stayed in a constant state of screaming. He had no idea if she had said anything else or if he was being too obvious because he was losing it right now.

Was now going to be the time where he confessed?! Was this it?! Now?! Katsuki was indeed not fucking prepared for this; he had imagined it to be so much better than a late-night confession. How lame was that?!

Katsuki had wanted to be sure that Estelle would reciprocate it before he admitted a single thing. He may have no idea what he was doing, but he knew that at least. Woo her to his heart's content, and get her to stop running away from him. But now, that seems to have been ripped away from him before he even got the chance to start.

Then again, Katsuki preferred to just go in and get shit done. Maybe he just needed to get it out of the way so she knew his intentions. He wouldn't have to hide it, and hell, perhaps it would even help convince her to stay with him when she realised she liked him back - if she liked him back. She would probably run away initially, but she never disappeared for long.

'That could change when you admit it to her, though,'

Gahh! He was going to go crazy!

"-suki?"

His jaw clenched, his teeth gnashing against each other to the point he wouldn't be surprised if they cracked. Katsuki couldn't stop himself from standing up abruptly; his arms raised with a thunderous scream that vibrated around the room. His explosions followed soon after, continuously getting more vociferous as the room began to fill up with smoke. Still shouting like a banshee, Katsuki didn't have to look back to know that Estelle was staring at him in bewilderment.

Eventually, he finally mustered out an ear-splitting, "Gahhh! Why are you asking me?!"

His loud screech of a question caused Estelle to wince, her eyes widening further as she realised how wound up Katsuki was. His explosions continued to pop through his palms, his eyes frantic as he roared his question so loudly she wondered if Mr Aizawa would come down to question what was going on.

Furrowing her brows, Estelle's voice was unsure as she slowly answered, "Because one of the girls mentioned it, and I didn't know what it meant?"

Oh.

Katsuki froze, his bright pink face flushing red as he failed to hold back another embarrassing cry. Estelle's mouth dropped open in astonishment from the reaction, her feet jumping up from the couch as she watched him strut to the wall and bash his head against it.

Startled by the action, Estelle's feet pattered on the floorboards quickly as she moved to reach him. The sound of Katsuki hitting his head against the concrete repeatedly struck her as she vented, "You'll hurt yourself! Relax!"

Any other time of day, and Katsuki would have melted under the fact that Estelle's tone was concerned. Right now, though, he wanted All Might to come in and Texas Smash his face in right now. He couldn't believe he had jumped to conclusions that quickly. Why did the thought not even occur to him?! Dammit! He should have known Estelle wouldn't be the type to just lay it all out on the table. But, god-damn it, he hoped it would have been that easy.

Estelle had reached him at this point, her hand on his back tentatively as she observed his silence. The blonde's muscles tensed up from the action, but he forced himself to relax so it wouldn't come across as unwanted, which it wasn't. Though mortified, he didn't want to allow her to believe he wanted anything other than her affection.

'I sound like a love-struck idiot,' Katsuki snarled, not as aggravated as his thoughts turned out to be.

"Ruby, I apologise for asking. Just say the word, and we'll drop it," Estelle spoke gradually, her eyes showing evident trouble from the acts of the male in front of her.

Katsuki's heart pinched at the apparent hesitancy within her voice, which seemed frightened she had pressed a button she didn't know existed. Cursing himself for acting out so rashly, the ruby-eyed male was quick to turn around, his tone much softer than he had intended. "Tch, no. Come sit; I'll explain."

"Oh, okay," Estelle murmured, a grunt leaving her lips as the male tugged her behind him to their couch. Estelle was unsurprised at the fact he had pulled her onto his lap since she was beginning to get used to the action. Thankfully muting her response to the move, she observed as Katsuki took a lungful of air, his eyes not meeting hers as he began to explain.

"You know what dating is, right?"

"Uh-huh, the girls explained it to me. A modern version of courting, yes?"

"Right. Well, a crush is..."

"A boyfriend?!" Estelle interrupted, hoping she got the answer right with her limited knowledge.

"Not really. It's when a person likes another person enough to want to date them."

"So, they're interested in entering a courtship?"

"Uh, well, yes," Katsuki replied awkwardly, the pink flush on his cheeks not fading even after his emotional explosion.

"Oh, so why do they call it a crush then?" Estelle continued to ask peculiarly.

"I don't fucking know! Maybe because they're crushed under the weight of liking the person so much it hurts!" The male burst out; his breath was slightly ragged from the sudden eruption.

"It's painful?"

"It's a metaphor, Estelle," He moaned, exasperated as he slouched back onto the couch, his hands holding her thighs lightly in case she lost balance.

"So, if they have a crush on someone, they just send an invitation to enter a courtship?"

"Invitations?!" Katsuki choked out, realising how outdated her view was. "How the hell does that work?!"

"Well, it can be in person, but usually, it's done through a letter. They formally invite you to court, and you marry if you like them after a few meetings. If it's political, then they don't tend to meet beforehand."

"Wha-what?!"

Ignoring his disbelief, Estelle was struck with a thought. "Oh, wait. Momo mentioned that you guys date for long periods before deciding on marriage. Is that correct?"

"Y-yeah."

"I see. Very instructive, thank you."

"Why do you sound so damn formal?!" Katsuki screeched, unsure how to feel from the way she was talking.

"Well, I have nothing to base this knowledge on. How else am I supposed to react?!" Estelle exclaimed, her voice raised to match his.

"You've never courted anyone?" He queried, calming since he already knew the answer.

"No, I was too busy, plus I'm an outsider. Who in their right mind would court me? What about you?"

"Not yet." Katsuki was quick to respond, his mind whirring on Estelle's previous words on how she was due to spend the rest of her days in the woods alone. No family, friends or kids. It had always bothered him. "Plus, anyone with half a brain would."

Ignoring his second answer, Estelle straightened up as she vocalised, "Well, you have plenty of time anyways to find a partner."

"Tch, no, I don't."

"Hm?"

Ignoring the question in her voice, Katsuki leaned forward, his eyes scrutinising as his mind seemed to click with an idea. "Tell me, how does one court in your world?"

"Hm? Why do you want to know?"

"Jus' curious since it's so different from here," The teen replied with a nonchalant shrug, his eyes betraying his interest.

Flustered slightly as his gaze seemed too deep for her not to fall into, Estelle kept her stare on his shoulder as she explained. "Human courting typically means showing the person that you can fulfil their needs and wants. So, letters would usually be sent filled with promises. Or they would give gifts and take them out for tea. Human women don't tend to work, so they look for stability more than anything. Men naturally are looking for solid heirs."

"You want that?"

"Huh? No, I'm not cut out for that," Estelle was prompt to reply, shaking her head as if the idea was ridiculous.

"Why the hell not?!"

"My world wants my bloodline to end with me, remember?"

"I'm not asking about the idiots from your world; I'm asking about you. That prison still has a hold on you even from here," Katsuki snapped back, his head leaning forward as he demanded a truthful answer.

Fidgeting on his lap, Estelle bit her lip before sighing out, "It doesn't matter what I want-"

"Yes, the fuck it does. You never wanted to experience love before?!" He clamoured, his voice so deep it made Estelle pay attention to every word. There was something within his tone she couldn't pinpoint, yet it made her back straighten, her eyes unable to leave his.

"Love," Estelle soughed with a chuff, "I don't even know if I'm capable of it."

"Yes, you are."

Katsuki knew; he knew you were. Because he felt the remnants of it building every moment he spent with you, he knew you felt it too, which became more apparent as the days passed. Estelle just hadn't become fully aware of it; she hadn't been able to put a label on it - but she sensed it.

As he observed her, a woman who claimed to be incapable of love. Katsuki knew this woman was filled to the brim of it but forced herself to keep it within her shell because it was all she knew. Katsuki knew he would prove her wrong. He had every intention to, but it didn't make it any less painful to hear her say such things about herself. Even if she believed it, it wasn't the truth, and he would show her that.

Shifting his hand to clasp it around her wrist, Katsuki kept her stare as he lifted her limb to his lips. Placing a light kiss on her pulse, he kept it there as he felt the thumps increase. It was a comforting truth because he knew their pulses matched in a symphony, like a hidden promise to not let one another go.

She could not hide behind her words when everything else told a different story.

Katsuki's breath lingered on her wrist as he pulled back slightly, his red eyes still watching her intently as he murmured a question. "What do you feel right now?"

Feeling as if he was asking about much more than what was happening at that current moment, Estelle's voice caught in her throat. The mirage of emotions was too much to comprehend, and she stared at him like an idiot as she struggled to vocalise a single response. Estelle hated that Katsuki could quickly render her speechless; it made her feel more vulnerable around him.

Estelle didn't know what she was feeling, but she knew she didn't want him to let go; something within her just reached out to keep him there. With no ability to express that physically and mentally, Estelle remained silent as Katsuki sighed to himself.

"It'll come to you eventually."

But inside.

He knew it was love.

And maybe she did too.