LOST // BAKUGO X OC

They Don't Deserve You

Estelle bit her tongue as she overlooked the crowd surrounding her. Their shouts clanged in her ears like potted pans slamming together repeatedly. Every accusatory word hit her like a dagger into the soul; no, Estelle wasn't wounded by it; she was furious. She could not fathom how she ended up in this position, but everything within her scorched as if her skin had become molten flesh.

As if the gods had finally given her some sort of penance, Estelle let out a sigh of relief as the sound of her ringtone quietened the raging spirits. Taking multiple steps back as if that would shield them from the conversation, Estelle clenched her jaw as their voices began to disrupt the blissful silence once more.

"Estelle, some spirits have fallen from the sky and onto our training pitch. They seemed pretty spooked, but they calmed down after I explained that we knew who you were. Can you pick them up?"

Opening her mouth to respond to the teacher, Estelle winced as a spirit behind her bellowed, "They snuck into our camp, and we welcomed them with open arms! Our general allowed them to get the intel they needed!"

A chorus of agreement followed suit leading to the female slumping as her eyes closed in defeat. "I'm sorry, but I'm dealing with something now. Can they wait?"

It was evident that Mr Aizawa had noted the racket behind Estelle's emotionally drained tone. His effort to keep his tone neutral was apparent, his voice steady after a long quiet beat. "Not really, they don't seem to like us very much. Haven't said a word after demanding us to take them to you."

Estelle groaned, her eyes rolling at how these spirits were always such a pain in the backside. Couldn't they just be civil for once? She understood how their history with humans had caused such turmoil, but it made things so much more complicated when they refused to cooperate. Because of this, Estelle couldn't leave the spirits with the class. They could be a hazard and accidentally lash out at her classmates. "It's dangerous, and I don't really want to ask, but can you bring them here? As you can hear, a lot is going on. I can't leave. But, if you are uncomfortable with that, I'll figure something out."

Surprisingly, his answer was swifter than a heartbeat, and Estelle could feel the weight on her shoulders lighten as she listened to the lack of reservation in his tone. "I'll bring them over. Don't worry about it."

-_-

Mr Aizawa didn't know what to expect when he arrived at Estelle's camp. It was the first time he had ever stepped near so many spirits, and the awareness that he was walking into a shark's den was very much on his mind. He was comforted by the fact Estelle was there, but as his eyes began to witness the scene around the field, that consolation quickly waned.

Disbelieving what he was seeing, the teacher did a double take at the atmosphere around him. The last thing he had been anticipating was an angry mob surrounding his student like she was a prisoner of the witch trials. They screamed from every direction, leering eyes staring directly at the person who stood in the middle of it all as they raised their hands like aggressive men watching a football match. He couldn't acknowledge the gall of these creatures, spitting out horrible words to the one who had to lead them all into battle before.

"What does this say about you?!"

The teacher didn't like how they spoke to her, like someone who bore the responsibility for everything. Their daggered eyes searing right into Estelle seemed almost inhumane, like snarling beasts baring their fangs at a weakened prey. It lit his core, a fierce urge filling him to stand before her to ensure he was shielding her from their prying eyes. But he knew she would not like that; Estelle probably had never felt protected, not when she was always the protector.

"Look at her! She doesn't even know what to say to the truth!"

He had no idea what had riled them up to such an extreme. They salivated over Estelle's silence, seemingly taking that as a weakness to whatever was going on. These spirits jumped at the opportunity, and Mr Aizawa could feel the disgust rising within his core at how they treated one of their own. The spirits he had led to camp finally left his side, bumping into his shoulder harshly as they trekked into the crowd. They didn't hesitate, joining their comrades despite not knowing why. His lips curled downwards, his body smouldering under the fire the scene had caused.