LOST // BAKUGO X OC

A Small Rest

Estelle didn't know what day it was when she returned to the dorms. She had attempted to fly back, but after she tumbled from the sky a second time, Estelle had resolved to herself that she could walk it. The voyage was difficult; her body strained under the pressure of battle to the point it appeared to her like she was dreaming.

If she had the stamina, she would have noticed some of the looks she had gotten from the few passersby that had bumped into her. The faint calls barely made it past her ringing ears, alerting her that they must have tried to communicate with her fragile state. But Estelle couldn't stop; she needed to reach her destination, so all her focus was applied to placing one foot in front of the other.

She had never anticipated a battle with a Hypnos would turn out this way. When Estelle discovered that the Hypnos was a means to draw her out, it was too late to retreat, which signified that they had to fight their way out. It was a complete disaster; her only focus throughout her time on the field was the hungry beasts that rushed forward in the heat of combat.

Estelle couldn't remember night from day; her determination not to become fodder had become so prevalent that the days melded together. Her squads had created a rotation for situations where they were overwhelmed so that the injured could be supported. But the enemy numbers were so extreme that she had to be left out of her rotation. She needed to be on the front lines to maintain the tide, and her efforts paid off eventually. But, goddamn, was she drained of everything she had in the process.

The warrior never needed to be on the battlefield consistently for a prolonged time. However, she never lacked the numbers she does now. It reminded her as she fought that no matter how many soldiers she rescued, it would never be enough when Nyx had unlimited access to her world. But it didn't matter now; she would think about that later. Estelle required sleep. She wanted a bed. She had no idea how long she had before she needed to return to the battleground.

The sun was straining her eyes when she finally blundered through the doors of Height's Alliance. Estelle had tried to straighten up her body, a merger attempt to not look like death incarnate, but only found herself wincing at the spark of pain up her back. Squinting her eyes over to the elevator, the female braced herself as she tried to make her way to the metal doors, the goal chanting in her mind to keep her unfocused mind on her task.

Propelling her sore feet forward with the promise of some rest, Estelle lifted each leg like it weighed a thousand tons, ignoring the wobble in her balance as she tried to persist. Finding herself suddenly halted, the general frowned as she pushed onwards, a light groan leaving her lips when she realised she was failing such a simple assignment. Why the hell wasn't she getting any closer?!

The white noise ringing in her ears seemed to muffle slightly as a voice began to pierce through the fog in Estelle's mind. Moving her head upwards as slowly as a turtle, Estelle was met with daggering ruby eyes filled with so much venom that any average human would have winced. Estelle did not react, her head tilting when his voice reached her again. "Goddammit! Can't you hear us, woman?!"

Like a switch that had been flicked, Estelle peeked downwards as she noted that the blonde had been holding her back from completing her mission. Withering that he had been the reason for her failure, the warrior forced some energy into her arm, weakly pushing his hand away so she could continue her journey. 'Not now, Katsuki. Bed.'

The grip on Estelle's chest constricted instead, pulling her back to redirect her attention to his infuriated gaze. His chest raced up and down in an attempt to contain himself. It clearly didn't work as he finally trembled, "You think this is some kind of joke!? It's been five days!"

Furrowing her brows, Estelle pursed her lips as the words had difficulty sinking into her hazed senses. She was astonished that she was still lucid since everything looked slightly tilted in her brain. It was as if the female wasn't here, standing in front of him, but instead was looking through a glass separating her from everyone else. It was a little perplexing, but she reduced it to sleep deprivation. Nevertheless, she attempted to respond, "Hm?"