Strange Feelings

It was another day of hunting spirits, and Estelle was fed up. How many times would she have to kill these dark spirits? How many years of her life has she spent hunting them in the knowledge that they would just come back in a few years. It was never a permanent fix, and the spirit realm flooded in a never-ending cycle of hopelessness.

As she endlessly drowned in her thoughts, Estelle glimpsed the haze of silver through the trees. Her heart lightened in hope as she bounded through the green to the source.

To her astonishment, she found a ghoul who was a child crying amidst the bushes and her heart dropped. Ghouls differentiated from the ordinary spirits of her world. They were once human but couldn't pass on like the rest when they died. There was always something, no matter how small, holding them back.

Hushing the little boy, Estelle gave a comforting smile to ease his fears. "Hey, I know this is scary. You're safe with me. I'll help you."

The little boy gazed up at her in relief and cried out, "I was going to the white light, and then it went away! I got here, and I was so scared cuz mama was gone! Can you help me find mama!?"

Estelle felt the weight of the world at that moment, his emotions sparking her own.

"I'm so sorry, dear; mama seems to have lost you. Now, why don't you tell me everything about you so I can try to find mama."

And so he did. Estelle remained by the little boy's side as he told her everything he could remember. From the first time he got a toy to the time his father abandoned them to the point, he was victim to an unfortunate shooting that took his and his mother's life.

"Oh hun, you sure have had an exciting life! You seemed so sad about daddy-"

"Yeah! Cuz he left mama and me. Did he not love us anymore? Does he hate us?"

"Oh, no-no. I'm sure daddy loved you both very much. Sometimes big people make dumb choices. He made a big one! You had a mama who loved you very much for both of them. So don't make mama wait, okay?"

The little boy's eyes widened as his gaze moved up to the sky.

"Okay."

"Go on, dear, go to mama."

Estelle watched as the little boy faded into sparkling golden flecks. The reflection of his soul. Estelle smiled as he soared into the sky, a whisper of a thank you tinkling at her ears. Estelle was glad she gave him a helping hand to pass on.

Bowing deeply to the spot he faded away at. Estelle grew a peace lily plant at the green below.

Walking through the entrance, Estelle quickly made her way to her dorm to get changed into her jammies. After marking her map, she strolled back down for some dinner. Estelle scowled when most of her class were roaming around the dining pace and decided to relax on the couch until they left. There weren't many people within the common room, so she figured she would have some peace.

Unexpectedly, Bakugo launched himself onto the couch, so he was beside her. Startled, Estelle flew back on the couch in shock. The action caused the loud blonde to smirk. Estelle didn't notice as his face was still smushed against the pillow. His ruby eyes could still be seen in humour.

"Rude" Estelle muttered.

"Says you", He countered back.

Estelle ignored his childish retort and leaned back against the pillow for comfort. The blonde watched her as she did so with apt attention. His smirk broadened into a grin still hidden by the cushion. He was entertained at how Estelle curled against the couch like a baby looking for comfort.

"Shut it. I can feel how amused you are, ruby."

Bakugo didn't respond in fear that removing the pillow would show her how much he liked her actions. Nevertheless, Estelle didn't mind his silent company. Bakugo could tell that she would have fallen asleep if he had left her alone. He wasn't down for that at all.

Violently turning to the remote, Bakugo switched on the television. Uncaring what was on TV, Bakugo moved to change the channel. Startled, he found his hand stopped by Estelle. He had nearly moved back when he felt the texture of her hand but paused when he looked up at the girl.

Estelle was sat up straight on the couch with inquisitive eyes. Her eyes scanned the screen as the TV spoke. Following her eyes, Bakugo found himself looking at a panda.

It was a nature show.

"What is that?" Estelle asked quietly.

"It's a panda. These animals usually live in china. They're lazy bastards and like to eat trees n shit." Bakugo explained roughly.

"It's an animal?"

"Yeah?" Bakugo answered and asked at the same time. His eyes watched her, his brain speeding through questions surrounding the situation.

"They don't eat people?" Estelle asked, a tilt to her head.

Bakugo scoffed, "No! As I said, they like trees - bamboo."

"Oh."

It took a few more moments until it finally dawned on him. "You ain't ever seen animals before, have you?"

Estelle shook her head. To her, it was a shock to find other living creatures that were not surrounded by death and destruction. The food she ate in the spirit world was all plant-based. Her eyes widened in understanding. Was meat...animals?

The panda looked adorable, and she thought it just had to be a facade to lure in victims. She wondered if beings like that existed back in her world, if not the spirit, then the human side.

Estelle was brought out of her thoughts by a Bakugo attempting to hold back his smile. The look of innocent wonder-struck a chord within him. It contrasted the fire he desperately searched for whenever he saw Estelle. He found that he didn't mind the hurricane or the ocean. It all suited Estelle. It was Estelle.

The duo watched as the television changed from the panda to something else entirely.

"A tiger?"

"Yeah, their ferocious predators who usually come from Africa. They hunt smaller mammals."

"Like people?"

"What's with the people thing!? Nobody eats people. You get a few accidents sometimes when provoked, but they leave us alone. Tigers eat zebra's or some shit."

"They are other animals?"

"YES!"

"Hmm. Fascinating. Do we eat animals?"

"Uh. Yeah."

Estelle held in her gag. Bakugo raised his brows in shock.

"It's normal, Lioness. It's a natural cycle of nature," Bakugo assured when he saw the green in her face. She relaxed at that but still felt uncomfortable at the thought. It would be a while before she touched meat again.

Her attention was caught by the bald eagle now being talked about. Her curious eyes soaked in the new animal. Bakugo just sat with her calmly as she asked more questions. He found the back and forth calming. It was different from how the pair usually were to each other. The new revelation clearly took up most of Estelle's thoughts.

Conscious that she hadn't eaten, Bakugo travelled to the kitchen to pick up the meal he had cooked and returned to her side.

"Eat. You can watch while you do."

"Thank you." Estelle returned. Her eyes didn't stray from the television as if she didn't want to miss anything.

A few of her classmates that roamed around the dining room had returned to retreat to their dorms. Their eyes widened because Estelle was downstairs in her jammies and relaxed like an average person. When they had moved to approach her, they were scared off by Bakugo's death stare.

'Don't you dare come any closer,' His eyes warned.

They wanted to not die.

Thankfully, they left the pair in peace. Not wanting to intrude and make Estelle uncomfortable. Bakugo relaxed his shoulders in hidden relief that the crisis was averted.

Estelle had no idea what had just occurred as she invested in the new knowledge. Bakugo stayed beside her through it all, occasionally eyeing the wonder in her eyes when a new species showed up on the video. The warmth simmered in his bones as he leaned further back on the couch. His muscles relaxed to the evening serenity.

He watched as her eyes would turn wide every time but dimmed slightly as if she would reprimand herself that she wasn't alone. The smile would ghost over her lips whenever the prey would escape the predator. Her smirk would arrive when they did so in a cunning way. How she pursed her lips when the predator won. How her eyes would dim when an animal would be seen with their family.

Bakugo watched it all, occasionally being brought out of his daze when she asked him a question. His voice remained gruff whenever he answered like he was compensating for the dumbstruck look he probably had on his face. He was glad she was so taken by the nature show; he would probably explode if she had noticed his gaze.

Nevertheless, Bakugo managed to see the entire spectrum of Estelle's emotions. The frustration he always had when he viewed her melted away as she finally let loose a little. He wanted to see that all the time, not when she was too lost in something to notice. Why did she hide so much? Still, why did he care? He struggled to grasp it. The constant attention that would drive towards her constantly. When he couldn't find her, he unintentionally looked. It was annoying to him.

It had been a few hours into the evening, and it was getting late. Bakugo wasn't the type to stay awake into the night, but for Estelle, he couldn't find it within himself to leave. Getting up, he grabbed a water bottle for her and brought it back.

"Drink; you haven't had anything since dinner."

Estelle's head whirred back in surprise. The thoughtful offering jolted her heart, and she gave a small smile in thanks. The male turned his head away as fire crawled up his neck.

Estelle looked as if she had finally realised how much time had passed when she gazed at the windows. "Oh, I'm sorry for keeping you", she responded politely. Bakugo only nudged her head with a scowl.

"You weren't keeping me, idiot. I do what I want."

Estelle grinned at that.

"What're you smiling about, hah?!"

Estelle chuckled and shook her head. "It's nothing. I just thought that it was such a you answer."

"Is sleep getting to your head or something? I am me."

Snorting at his smart-ass response, Estelle moved onto the couch to get more comfortable since she was laid in the same position this whole time. Annoyance simmered within Bakugo as he struggled through the torture of Estelle, constantly moving in an attempt to find her sweet spot.

His scowl continued when it kept going.

on and on

on and on

on and on

"Okay! Get on my lap." The blonde finally growled, his face red. Estelle bit her lip in humour at how angry he was until she registered his words.

"Uh, what?"

Bakugo didn't answer and roughly put his hand behind Estelle's head and pushed it down onto his lap. Estelle held a bewildered look as she processed what had just happened, but before she could say a word, Bakugo spoke up.

"You liked it fine last time, so shut up and get comfy."

Estelle inwardly shrugged and curled up around his lap, her legs up to her chest like previously, so she looked like a newborn baby once again. Her head remained in his lap.

Leaning back on the seat again, Bakugo changed the show to David Attenborough. He knew that the guy's show always showed the prey escaping so he wouldn't have to deal with that pitful look from earlier.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to bed? It's past your bedtime."

"Hah?! Shut up; I do what I want." Bakugo retorted as he bumped the remote on her head. Estelle accepted the answer. The show was placed on, and the two silently watched the television together. Bakugo wasn't sure if he made the right call as he couldn't see her face anymore, but she continued asking questions as expected.

With the number of queries she had, Bakugo felt like he needed to become an encyclopedia just to answer some of the stuff that came out of her mouth.

Eventually, Bakugo's fingers landed in Estelle's hair, and he found the action tranquillising. Twirling the strands around his fingers, he was delicate as he danced it around his digits. It was sometime later that his fingers eventually found her scalp. Estelle stilled in wonder at that since it had broken her fixation from the show. His thumbs traced shapes on her skull, which caused her to melt under his ministrations.

Estelle found it therapeutic.

Estelle found the whole experience strange. When Bakugo did this initially, Estelle wasn't in the headspace to fully take his action. Now though, she was given the ability to gauge the experience fully. She couldn't place a finger on the warmth she was feeling. It was like coming home after a long day. Just relieving. Estelle wondered if this was what the dealing of safe felt like. When was the last time she felt that? Estelle didn't know. Before she could ponder that thought any longer, Estelle's thoughts were lulled into a dream.