LOST // BAKUGO X OC

Art and Crafts

Estelle hunched over the table, her hands holding the cardboard steady as her tongue peeked out of her lips in concentration. The class watched the television, quiet murmurs breaking the stillness every so often like a gentle reminder of their presence. She paid them no mind, the ever-remaining warmth lingering in her soul like a steady waterfall they always seemed to bring these days.

Her eyes glanced up to the male, evident concentration on his face as he finished the project they had been diligently working on. The expression matched hers so effortlessly, and Estelle failed to hold back her smile at the fact he cared about the object just as much as she did.

Fastening the tape, Sero beamed at Estelle once the roof of the house they were building was complete. Raising his hand in a thumbs-up position, he cheered, "It's secure! You just need to cut out the windows and doors before we tape them together."

Estelle nodded, a thoughtful countenance on her face as she leaned over the table for a pair of scissors. Her session with Hound-Dog had prompted the sudden arts and crafts she was doing, and it was only when she plopped the materials down onto the table that she found an eager Sero leaning over her, his quirk in full view as he requested to help.

Estelle found the idea fantastic, and it was evident from how her face lit up and how she enthusiastically nodded that she was all for it. The class, watching a movie, was awed at the endearing scene as the duo instantly jumped to action.

They observed how the two teens avidly discussed their ideas for the project and started making plans immediately once they settled on a house. They decided to go for something a little easier in case they couldn't manage it, but from the sounds of their discussion, they had no trouble. The matching smiles refused to leave their faces when they overheard Sero talking about making a windmill next time to challenge themselves. And the students found themselves positively beaming when Estelle chimed in her agreement.

Their sights constantly drifted to the two, finding it too precious to comprehend. Eventually, they gave up on their subtly, randomly complimenting them throughout their enterprise.

"It's coming together! Can I ask what made you do this today, Estelle?" Izuku questioned as his body leaned forward from the couch to get a better view.

The curiosity spiked for the rest of the students, eying Estelle's attention on the door she was cutting out before she responded. "Hound-Dog had wondered why I liked colouring so much. He asked if it was because I lacked a childhood."

The class broadened their eyes, taken aback by the casual tone in Estelle's voice as she carried on, the scissors in her hand. "I told him I didn't know. But, he said to try something else like arts and crafts and see how I felt about it for our next session."

The students dropped their jaws, their minds whirling on the fact that Estelle was attending therapy. Katsuki and Izuku were the only ones who didn't react, already aware of Estelle's trips to his office from prior discussions, but their interest was piqued by her words. Calming themselves, they noted how comfortable the girl was and wondered if the teacher was onto something.

"How do you feel?" Momo asked softly.

Estelle's eyes closed as her cheeks lifted, not realising that the class were grinning like Cheshire cats in front of her shut eyelids. "Surprisingly, I feel pretty happy! It feels good to do something that doesn't feel crushing. Maybe it's because every decision or action I made led to consequences, but this? It doesn't matter if I mess up; all I have to think about is how to build it. I feel....full."

A wave of emotion surrounded the class, their lips faltering as they failed to figure out how they should feel. On the one hand, they wanted to celebrate that Estelle was sitting before them, tape stuck to her hands as she happily cut into the cardboard, utterly relaxed to the world around her. On the other, it was a bullet to the heart to be reminded of the extent of Estelle's pain, so much so it was hard to deconstruct. The awareness that she enjoyed such tasks mainly because she was delighted she didn't have to make life-altering decisions made them want to hunch over and cry.