Chapter Text
"I should be over all the butterflies,
But I'm into you!"
He was a grown man, he thought. He should not be nervous about a crush—a crush!—and should not act or feel like a hormonal teenager when he was near her.
He sighed, the cold air puffing out. He wasn’t sure why he was around Shigure’s place more, nor what drew him near it, but there he was, outside, listening to the small talk between those inside. The younger ones had recently graduated. But one voice stood out the most to him, and when she spoke, he had to close his eyes and relish in the sound.
The door behind him opened. When he turned, he started to feel the sweat on his palms. Seriously, he was a grown man.
She was smiling. “Hatori, dinner is ready when you’re ready to come in.”
And he smiled back. “Alright.”
Alright? God, he was even lamer than he realized. But she was still smiling, still looking up at him. Was she expecting something else? He was getting nervous again. He didn’t exactly know what to say, or what she wanted to talk about, but—
Then she turned toward the lawn. “Oh, look!” Her hand grabbed his sleeve. He looked down at her fingers. They were small, but he could feel the slight strength of them tugging toward her. He looked out toward the lawn.
Snow.
He turned back toward her. “I hope it doesn’t snow too much.”
He wanted to ask why, but instead he turned toward her, his free arm reaching toward her, and his hand resting on top of hers. She looked up at him. Her cheeks had drawn a faint red. His stomach was turning in every direction. His heart was racing, and he was sure his cheeks were a faint color as well. But she was still smiling, and slightly shivered. And the first thing that came to his mind was:
“Let’s get you inside before you develop a cold.”
He was a grown man.
And he still needed to make baby steps.
He sighed.