LOST // BAKUGO X OC

Rising conflict

Estelle struggled for breath as she hid in an alleyway nearby. Frustration ebbed in her veins as she attempted to process the events that had passed. She couldn't believe it; why were spirits rampaging around humans? What was the cause? And why did this have to happen now?

Holding her head in her hands, Estelle forced the air into her lungs and back out as she tried to count. The frantic thrumming of her heartbeat and rapidly changing thoughts wouldn't allow her to just focus.

'Come on, breathe, breathe! Spirits. Breathe. Fucking disaster. Breathe. This is bad. Breathe. Focus on the problem. Breathe. There were cameras. FUCKING BREATHE.'

Raising her hand in blind panic, Estelle rushed her knuckles to her cheek. Coughing in shock from the blow she had given herself. Estelle slumped against the alleyway wall as blood slowly slid down her face. Sighing, Estelle bumped her head against the back wall and closed her eyes, letting the pain suck away her frenzy for the moment.

Relaxing, finally, Estelle opens an eye to the phone on the ground beside her. She hadn't even realised the device had constantly been ringing. Sighing, Estelle raised the device to her ear after pressing the green button.

"Report."

"Hey, Estelle. It's us, your classmates."

Closing her eyes in irritation and disbelief, Estelle stayed quiet on the line as she waited for them to explain the reason for their call.

"We just wanted to make sure-"

"That you ain't dead, Lioness. You alive?"

Scoffing, Estelle muttered, "Unfortunately."

"What do you mean?!" Bakugo demanded roughly. The bubbling emotions under her veins fired back up from his blunt words, and she couldn't stop her hissing response.

"I mean that this was a fucking shitshow. Gods, I knew they were acting up. But, to attack as a collective? Like a fucking hivemind! Goddammit! Not again! Fucking spirits!

Bakugo was quiet as Estelle spit out the words with venom. It was an out of character outburst for someone like her. The students could be heard in the background, gasping in astonishment from the words Estelle had just uttered.

"You done?" Bakugo voiced calmly.

Taking multiple deep breaths into the receiver, Estelle murmured a weary "Yeah, sorry."

"You took down those creatures, did you not?"

"Yeah."

"So, you did your job. You can figure this out; you said it yourself. You won a war. You are not weak."

Feeling a painful warmth and energy from his brief pep talk, Estelle nodded in the dark alleyway before standing up. Before she could utter another word, Bakugo communicated once again. "Now, get back to the dorms. Dinner is soon."

Estelle was interrupted from her retort as a black limousine stopped at the end of the alleyway. A figure slowly moved out of the vehicle and stood by the door, his hands folded at his front.

Estelle recognised him.

It was the bodyguard from the Commission.

"I don't think I'm going to be back for dinner."

"What?! Where are you goi-"

Estelle hung up, her eyes focused on the man walking towards her with a frown. When he finally reached her, he announced, "The Commission has requested your presence. Come with me."

Nodding, Estelle followed him into the car and healed herself on the silent journey to another potential shitshow.

-_-