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The cold.
To be frank, she wasn’t quite used to it. It's ironic seeing how she was literally found in ice, so she of all people should be accustomed to it. But as much as she’s not its biggest fan, she didn’t dislike it.
March 7th was told she was quite warm, in regards to both personality and general body temperature. She could see it, you’d think she’s cold to the touch thanks to her ice element, but according to others she was, in fact, the total opposite.
Although she does know of someone a bit chillier.
Of course, this ‘someone’ was Dan Heng, her friend, her perfect counterpart (In Himeko’s own words) if you will.
Cold exterior, warm interior. That is how March 7th chooses to describe him in a simplified way. He’s a kind and caring person… Once you get past that surface layer of distant attitude and little to no words, that is. Of course, Dan Heng is way more complicated than that, and she’s always found herself absorbed in the desire to earn his trust and friendship because she genuinely wants to learn more about him. And she’s had the chance to witness a few moments where he showed off his softer, less known side.
To say she loved being trusted by him enough for him to be alright showing some bits of vulnerability was an understatement. It brought her this giddy feeling to know Dan Heng is slowly warming up to her even with their silly bickering on missions. Really, she wouldn’t trade their bond for anything. And as she always said, he was quite literally cold. His body temperature was always cooler than hers. How exactly did she know that…? Well, it’s a long story. She’s had to avoid explaining it to people knowing fully well she’d end up rambling.
——————
The first time she was able to touch Dan Heng, it was a total accident. March 7th was quite reckless, and a bit clumsy. These were known facts about her. On her first few expeditions with Dan Heng, who had been assigned to accompany her for that exact reason, it was not uncommon for Dan Heng to have to catch her before she trips and falls… Or before she rushes into danger without a plan and gets hurt.
Although the first time, it really wasn’t too dramatic. She wasn’t looking and lost her balance after stumbling on a rock she hadn’t paid attention to. That’s when Dan Heng grabbed her hand. A surprising act, he didn’t say anything either. She assumed it was easier for him to hold her hand than to completely hold onto her arm to keep her from falling. It was also quicker.
The contact of their skins must’ve been involuntary though, seeing as Dan Heng immediately retracted from the physical touch, and if you looked closely you could see a hint of embarrassment. To March it wasn’t a big deal but to him? He must not be used to this type of thing. That didn’t mean she wasn’t surprised by the sudden touch.
Dan Heng’s hands were cold, that’s what she learnt that day. They were cold despite the few seconds she held onto them… But she just blamed it on the breeze that day. Still, it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, even back then.
——————
The second time, it lasted a bit longer.
It was overall a pretty simple mission. They were out on patrol just to make sure the surroundings were safe. They’ve been involved in much worst before so this shouldn’t have been too big of an issue. Except it was.
Somehow, perhaps due to her distracted mind that day, March 7th ended up getting in trouble. She had run into some opponents. In theory, she could take them on. She isn’t weak by any means but she was a bit less confident running into a fight without Dan Heng near to comfort her she’d have some backup worst-case scenario. Maybe deciding to split up to cover the area faster was a bad idea… Why did she insist again despite Dan Heng’s hesitation? Who knows. Perhaps Dan Heng already had an idea that this could happen, hence why he seemed to not be too into the idea of splitting up.
Yet again she recalled she mentioned how she wanted to show off how her training helped her and how she could handle this on her own. And she could!.. Except she felt much more confident with a friend around. And this tiny bit of doubt seemed to have cost her a lot because after a few hits landed, it was her turn to receive a surprise attack. Nothing fatal, luckily. But it still caught her off guard.
This is also when Dan Heng stepped in, he could’ve decided to fight off the remaining enemies but once he noticed she had been slightly injured he didn’t think twice before grabbing her hand and running back towards base.
“Are you okay? Can you walk?” He had said once they’d gotten closer.
Seriously, March felt a little drained but the adrenaline kept her from feeling pain if she had any at the moment. Overall, she was just confused.
“Well, yeah! I was able to run all this way after all… I think I’m fine..!”
She heard Dan Heng sigh then. March 7th had also noticed he had been holding her hand all along and still hadn’t let go. And just like last time, it was cold, but it felt nice against her warm body which had only heated up further while running. But she wasn’t going to tell him, it felt quite nice to have her hand in his. Her thoughts were disrupted by sudden quiet words.
“…You were great out there, but be more careful, will you?”
And that was all it took to set her entire self ablaze, her heart skipping a beat, only being cooled down by a pair of hands belonging to her reserved friend and teammate.
——————
The third time was a little different, it was casual. They held hands in a very normal situation like walking together.
It was a chilly day, the breeze cooler than usual. Dan Heng and her had been taking a stroll together for fun, but obviously, March felt a little cold. And somehow her first instinct was to look at her friend, asking for consent to hold onto him to warm herself up with her gestures… Knowing fully well he wasn’t exactly what you’d call a human heater, but still, she knew whenever they accidentally brushed their hands together it sent a burning feeling in her heart, warming up her entire body. She had thought about labeling this feeling as ‘love’ once or twice, but she was never certain and definitely didn’t want to ruin her friendship with Dan Heng.
Still, at that moment, Dan Heng understood her want and initiated the contact, he didn’t say a word, he took her hand in his as March 7th smiled.
And as she thought, it had warmed her up better than any fire could. She didn’t let go either, not wanting to end this comforting contact. She only retracted her hand once their walk was over, to say she had appreciated it wasn’t nearly enough to describe what she had felt.
——————
Now that March 7th thinks about it, ever since that day, hand holding became something ordinary for them. They gradually started sharing more moments where their fingers interlocked, and even turning into other displays of physical affection. Like hugs, something March knew Dan Heng wasn’t used to, yet still tried and gradually got more comfortable with (to her absolute joy).
It’s crazy to her how it always felt so right. Everything about being around Dan Heng felt right, and even if she wasn’t ready to say “I love you”, she knew she felt those feelings and hopefully one day will be able to confess them to her friend.
One day, after perhaps hundreds or thousands more times they’ll have held hands.