LOST // BAKUGO X OC

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'!"