Archive of Our Own

Stargazing is a beautiful thing.

There was always something about the stars that attracted Mashirao. Stars were elegant, bright, luminous, and above all, mesmerizing. Stars were more than just their beauty, though – they were literally one of the embodiments of life and Earth itself.

Mashirao held his head up high, seated on the grass as he gazed upward at the sky. It was dark outside, but the stars were bright enough to give off some sort of reflection to light. The short, stubbled grass smelled fresh and strangely therapeutic through each inhale he’d take.

He wrapped his arms around his brought-up knees, hugging them close as he continued to gaze upon the stars.

Some days were just… Harder than others. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but today, nothing seemed to be going too well. He couldn't help but feel down and just in his own head, and everyone’s constant comments of how plain he was certainly didn’t help.

It wasn’t like they were wrong, either. That’s what made it all the more frustrating. He could get agitated all he wanted by the continuous comments of how average he was, but it wouldn’t change the fact that it was true. No matter how hard he tried, everything about him seemed to be impressively on par – nothing extraordinary or special in the slightest. From his looks, to his personality, to his quirk, even to his own fighting style – all ordinary. It wasn’t like he was referred to as “The King of Normal” for nothing.

He exhaled through his nose, gritting his teeth as he set his arms behind him in clenched fists. He was desperate for his mind to just shut up for a second, but no matter what he had been trying all day –meditation, working out, running; anything to try and clear or distract his head– it was to no avail.

It seemed like anything he tried to do wasn’t enough, to the point where even his thoughts weren’t cooperating. And, normally, he wasn’t the type to lose his composure. But there was something about today that just made him borderline lose it. Maybe it was the fact of it all finally getting in his head, about how all of this really was a mistake.

Maybe he should’ve just stayed back in Tokyo, alongside his father and grandfather, to help with the family dojo. He’d still be helping people that way, and maybe he’d even be able to make his parents proud if he kept on that route instead of.. This.

His tail whipped behind him, each swish and thump becoming more aggressive than the last.

God, he felt pathetic. He could only imagine how stupid he looked right now.

Mashirao bit his bottom lip, trying to force his body to relax as he shut his eyes. He gave a sharp inhale, a long hold, and then a shaky exhale as he reopened his eyes, lifting up his chin to let his gaze fully fawn over the constellations above.

He did what he could to keep focus on the bright stars that illuminated around him. He couldn’t help but notice how brightly they seemed to shine, all on their own, without the assistance of any stars beside them. 

It was a shame that he knew he wouldn’t be able to do the same.

“Girls, have any of you guys seen Ojiro?” Toru called aloud as she came down the stairs.

“Awh, you’re still looking for him?” Mina beamed, a sly and mischievous smile creeping on her dark pink lips.

“I’m being seriousss!” Toru rang out. “I can’t find him.”

Kyoka shook their head, looking over at her. “You checked his room yet?” she asked. “I mean, whatever it is, I’m sure he’s fine, there’s no reason to be so worried.”

Toru wasn’t convinced. Mashirao wouldn’t miss dinner like this –she knew he wouldn’t miss a meal for the world–, or if he did, he’d at least come downstairs to visit with his classmates and colleagues. Maybe something was off…

“I already checked. He wasn’t in there.” Toru huffed, plopping herself down to the couch.

She tried to remember how he was at school or during training, but she couldn’t think of anything out of the ordinary for Mashirao. He was, quite literally, ordinary, so generally people would have trouble picking out his flaws in the first place.

Still, she couldn’t get the thought that ‘something was wrong’ out of her mind. Call it pure intuition, but she knew Mashirao. He wouldn’t just not be here without saying something especially to her. Besides, she knew how Mashirao was a man of routine; workout, class, eat, workout, study, eat – It was almost always the same with him.

“Are you sure you guys haven’t seen him?” she asked, pulling her pink polka-dot hoodie over her head to help herself with the chill around the room. 

“Maybe you can call him?” A suggestion was promptly made by another student, Ochaco. 

“Oh – DUH!” Toru smacked her forehead as if it were obvious. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and quickly dialed in Mashirao’s number.

The phone rang for a couple seconds, then went to voicemail.

Toru bit the inside of her cheek, ending the call and looking around once more. Mashirao wouldn’t just… Not answer her. At the very least, he’d immediately send some kind of text message explaining why he didn’t answer. But there was nothing. 

 Now that she thought about it, she was eighty percent sure that she saw Mashirao’s phone on his nightstand when she went into his room to look for him.

That means he has to be somewhere around here, right? Nobody just leaves their phone in their room when they leave. Especially teenagers!

“Hmm,” Kyoka said, walking closer to the couch. “I doubt that it's a big deal.”

“Yeah! I’m sure he’s just working out or something.” Momo agreed with a sweet smile. “I doubt anything is wrong.”

Toru slowly nodded her head, trying to force herself to agree. 

“Have you tried looking outside yet?” Mina suggested.

“Why would he be outside?” Toru said in doubt, standing back up. “It’s like, SUPER-DUPER cold out there…!”

Mina shrugged her shoulders. “Girl, why would I know?” she raised a brow, but kept a cheeky smile nonetheless. “It’d be better to check, especially if you’ve already tried other things!”

Fair enough!

Toru slowly made her way to the back porch, moving the curtain and taking a peek outside. It was dark outside, but it still didn’t take her long to spot a darkened silhouette of a figure seated down in the grass.

Once she noticed the figure, she quickly shot her head back at Mina. “Ugh, Did you guys know this whole time?” she accused.

The girls just giggled in unison, not giving a response for Toru to lead on. Toru, in her response, just loudly groaned at the wasted time and opened the backdoor where she quickly left the room and made her way right behind Mashirao.

“Mashirao, there you are! Found you.” Toru exclaimed with a grin once she’d gotten close enough, speaking in a tone that was merely playful and lighthearted.

Mashirao jolted, looking over his shoulder with soft eyes and closed lips, his tail whipping behind him like a violent lasso. “Toru!” He moved his hands behind him. “I… didn’t know you were looking for me.”

Toru’s smile faded as easily as it came. She slowly walked next to him, then took a seat beside him. “What are you doing out here? It’s like, really cold.”

“I was just…” Mashirao visibly took a pause, looking straight at Toru with a weak expression. “Looking at the stars?”

“Yeah, but… Why?” Toru cocked her head to the side in confusion.

Mashirao wasn’t able to come up with a direct answer, so he just turned his head back to the sky. 

Toru pursed her lips, then looked up at the sky as well.

“I don’t know, to be honest,” he said after a few moments of silence. “I just like looking at the stars.” Mashirao shut his eyes, this time keeping them closed as he continued to explain himself. “It kind of puts my mind at ease, and they’re pretty to look at.”

“Oh,” Toru hummed with raised brows, keeping her view on the stars ahead. “Okay, but like… What are you doing out here right now? You haven’t even eaten dinner yet.”

“What’s wrong with someone looking at the stars?” Mashirao brushed it off casually. “Plus, I’m not that hungry…”

Toru raised a single eyebrow at him, now turning to fully face him. That same, uneasy feeling she had when she couldn’t find Mashirao returned as a deep pit in her stomach, one that was impossible for her to avoid. “What?”

“I’m not really hungry,” he repeated, shutting his eyes.

“You’re ‘not hungry’? Is that it?” Toru forced out a laugh, a mix between concern and teasing. “You just wanna hang outside and look at stars for nothing? I don’t believe that.”

“You don’t have to,” Mashirao pointed out matter-of-factly, opening his eyes.

“Okay, seriously, what is going on?” Toru whined, now a strong voice of concern being expressed. 

Mashirao turned to look at her, but this time he had trouble looking away from her gaze once he met it. For someone who was invisible, it was surprising that he felt such a strong and deep stare coming from her. “I’m okay.” he forced out.

“You don’t seem okay,” Toru quipped. “Nobody just sits outside alone at night and looks up at stars unless something’s wrong. Especially someone like you!”

Mashirao couldn’t deny that. He could try, but he knew she’d see right through him (which would only be ironic, given how he’s the one who’s supposed to see right through her).

“Soooooo… tell me what’s up,” she scooted herself closer to him, trying to sound hopeful for both her and Mashirao.

Mashirao said nothing, yet he couldn’t escape her.

Toru frowned, her brows furrowing downward. “You’ve always been there for me, so please just let me help you out!”

Mashirao curled his lip to the side before swallowing a thick breath. “It’s… Stupid.”

Toru shook her head instantly. “I doubt it!” 

Mashirao let silence sink between them for a few seconds, almost as if he was trying to find the proper words to say.

“I think I’m a little… Burned out?” he finally confessed, finally able to escape Toru’s eyes –or, where they would be if he could see them–. He glanced back upward, watching the stars closely. “No, that’s not right…I’ve always liked pushing myself to my best limits, but…” he trailed off, forcing a small shrug. “...I’m not seeing much of an improvement. For anything.” He felt beyond weak, and even more pathetic for saying it out loud, especially in front of someone who he liked so much. He knew Toru could tell, too, which made it all the more worse. 

Toru’s eyes fluttered as she kept looking at him. She felt a strong sense of sympathy for him in a way that she wasn’t able to explain with words, even if she had wanted to. She, personally, thought he was one of the best in their class; he just gets overlooked a lot. She was aware of his talent and passion, too, and there’s a lot of times where she’d hoped that others would be able to see it too.

“I can only imagine how tired you are.” she settled with.

“I don’t want to be tired, though,” Mashirao shot back. “I’m sick of falling behind the others, and it isn’t even from a lack of trying or me just giving up. It’s just–”

“–But you aren’t falling behind,” Toru said slowly, genuinely perplexed. “You have great grades, you’re an amazing fighter, you get along with literally everyone… You’re not falling behind on anything! If anything, you’re right on track!”

“Whatever it is, it isn’t enough.” Mashirao mumbled, pulling his head closer to his hugged-in knees. “God. I don’t even know why I care…” Toru could’ve sworn that she saw his lashes flutter under unusually glossy eyes. “I-I know I’ve said that I don’t care what others think, and I hate to be hypocritical like this, but… I don’t know.”

“Mashirao…” Toru blinked for a few seconds, taking a small glance at the stars before looking back to him. 

“It doesn’t matter what I do, Toru,” he said quietly. “I don’t think it matters how hard I try; nobody sees it or notices it. Even if they did, it clearly wouldn’t be enough. The issue is that I am not enough, despite… Despite everything.”

“That’s not true,” Toru tried to protest.

Mashirao gave her a side-eyed glance, saying nothing. But it wasn’t like he had to – the look on his face said everything it needed to. 

“You really don’t like being called plain, do you?” It was much more of a statement than a question.

It was a strange dilemma. The answer was, obviously, yes, (who would like being called plain, better yet “UA’S King of Normal”?) but it wasn’t like he could blame anyone for calling him that, either. And it wasn’t even that there was anything necessarily wrong with being plain in the first place, but… Constantly pointing it out to where it essentially became his only trait was something that was truly beginning to get the best of him. 

Being called things like “ordinary” and “basic” was one thing, especially since he’s been long used to it. But it was the implication of it all that was starting to get to him; how he wasn’t worthy and nothing would change that.

He couldn’t help but wish that they would give him at least some credit for him to be where he is. After all, he made it to the same spot everyone else with a flashy quirk did!

Even the media had its fair share of retorts, with people not understanding how he managed to get into such a prestigious school as UA in the first place, as if he hadn’t done the exact same things the others had in order to get in. People saying that he didn’t seem to have as much as a “flashy appeal” compared to his classmates and other heroes, and that he wouldn’t make it very far as a result (which, to him, didn't even make sense, as he’s never been in it for fame or popularity). Almost daily, he would see people saying that he didn’t even deserve to be here in the first place. 

He was beginning to wonder if they were right. 

He wasn’t sure how to explain it in words though, so Mashirao just shook his head cautiously. “I… Usually try to brush it off."

“I could tell how much it was starting to bother you,” Toru admitted. “Mainly these past few weeks… I hope you know that I don’t see you as that.”

Mashirao felt his jaw tighten, though he couldn’t really explain why. 

“I see you–” she slightly adjusted his hair, gently brushing his bangs back. “–as a really strong fighter, physically and emotionally. Someone who’s always willing to lend a hand no matter how hard or easy or silly the task. Someone who’s kind, and selfless, and true to themselves.” She continued to run a hand through his hair. “You’re the kind of guy who does the work nobody else wants to do.” 

A small beat went by, and she slowly took her hand off. “I think that’s pretty damn cool!” 

Mashirao once again felt stunned, unsure of what to say or how to take it. His lips rubbed together as he blinked. 

“You think so?” he finally murmured.

“I wouldn’t lie about it!” Toru swiftly reassured him.

Mashirao did his best to keep the eye-contact (or, at the very least, what he assumed to be eye-contact; Toru never told him he was wrong when he would look in her eyes).

“I’m sorry, this all sounds selfish of me,” Mashirao suddenly croaked, turning his head the opposite way. “I’m not sure why I said anything, I-I’m just being dramatic–”

“–I don’t know if it matters,” Toru whispered, lightly resting her head on Mashirao’s shoulder as an act of affection. “But I’ve noticed.

“I notice how hard you try. I notice the look on your face when you fail or mess up; you, like, squint your eyes and barely crinkle your nose and you put your lips together. I notice your gritted teeth every time you know you did something wrong and the way that your jaw clenches up when you make a mistake. I notice the way you look after everyone else gets complimented for the same thing except for you; Your eyes get, like, dull and your eyebrows go soft and sometimes you even run your hands through your hair.

“I notice when everyone leaves the gym except for you, and how you workout more than any of us. I notice when you scratch your cheek whenever you get nervous during a lecture or exam or just about anything because you’re scared people are gonna think less of you if you don’t do it right,” she sighed.

“I notice how you’re one of the hardest workers here and still get the least amount of credit.” She lifted her head off of his shoulder, quickly replacing it with her invisible hand.

By now, the moon and stars were bright enough to reflect off of herself, revealing every expression and glint that was given.

Mashirao sat there stunned, unsure of what to say or better yet where to start. He blinked and perked his body up and straight, his thin eyes not knowing where to look at the now visible sight of Toru. It wasn’t often that her looks could be reflected (only with Aoyama’s quirk was it noticeable), but this was the first time that Mashirao actually got to… Acknowledge it. Study it. 

Her hair was a light, faded shade of green along with transparent sections of pink, blue, and even white. Her eyes were wide and big with wispy, light lashes with a foggy shade of blue around the iris. Her face shape was somewhat round, with a soft jawline yet a dignified chin. Her nose was thin and small, though with a lower nose bridge. Her lips were small but were a perfect natural rosy shade.

She was bright, elegant, luminous, beyond mesmerizing–

–looking at her reminded him of the stars.

Mashirao must have not noticed how long he had been staring, but Toru was quick to catch on. “Hello?” Toru said, raising her long brows as she waved her other hand across his face. “Earth to Mashiraooo!”

“I’m sorry,” Mashirao said gingerly, the corners of his cheeks now flared up with the same shade of pink as Toru’s polka-dot jacket. He pointed to her see-through hand. “I just, uh … I’ve never seen you before. Like this.” 

Toru paused, then took a quick glance at the brightened stars. That’s when she realized, and she dramatically gasped and clasped both of her hands together. “OH MY GOSH!” she said with a grin. “Can you really see me? Like, right now?”

Mashirao nodded his head somewhat frantically. She was transparent, but nonetheless, he could see her features.

Hagakure seemed as if she was about to cheer, but upon further realization, she then squeaked out a hectic, “What!?”, moving her head and frantically frailing her arms so that she was now covering her face. “That’s not fair! Being invisible is, like, my whole thing! My hair’s not done or anything!”

Now it was Mashirao’s turn to wave his arms, his movements more reassuring and gentle in contrast to her frantic frailing. “I-I promise I can’t see that much! It’s just a little bit!” he tried.

“Still!” she nearly squealed. She then stopped for a few seconds. “Wait a minute–” she pointed a finger at him. “–you’re trying to change the subject!”

That wasn’t necessarily Mashirao’s intention, but he was a little disappointed that he didn’t get away with it. 

“For once, I wanna talk about you!” she teasingly whined, punching his bicep. “You’re speaking your feelings! I’m trying to help you!”

“Right,” Mashirao said sheepishly, beginning to scratch at his cheek – to which Toru noticed, and she quickly swatted his hand away to stop the poor habit.

“Ugh, you’re so not used to this, are you?” Toru sighed, playfully rolling her eyes and looking back to the glistening stars with a cracked smile.

“Not really, no,” Mashirao chuckled with no humor behind it, slowly looking back to the stars just as Toru did. 

The two roamed in silence for what felt like a million years. However, the silence wasn’t anything uncomfortable or unbearable. If anything, the silence was just as peaceful.

For once, Mashirao was the one to firstly break the silence. “What you said…” he began. “Is that true? Did you really notice all that?”

Toru didn’t say anything for a few seconds. When she finally spoke, her voice was soft and sincere. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh,” Mashirao didn’t know how to properly respond to a message that was so sweet, and it was painfully obvious, too.

“You remember when we first really met? After the villain attack at the USJ our first year?”

“Yeah?”

“And I said you were a really good fighter?”

“Oh, yeah,” He looked away from the stars and at her. Of course he remembered.

“I really meant that, and I’ve kinda been keeping an eye on you ever since,” she paused, noticing how she phrased it. “Ew, wait, not like, in a creepy way! I’m totally not like that!”

Mashirao exhaled a small laugh, holding his hand up for reassurance. “I know you aren’t,” he said with full honesty. “But, I really do appreciate it,” He turned his body to fully face her. “How can I repay you?”

Toru couldn’t help but chuckle at the silly offer. “Pfft, are you kidding?” she said. “Repay me for what?”

Mashirao thought for a moment. “For everything you’ve done?”  his tail naturally wrapped above his shoulder.

Toru smiled again. “You don’t have to, Mashirao!” she answered, talking as if he were silly. “Seriously! We’ve known each other long enough, you still don’t have to act all formal and stuff. I mean, we’re literally on a first-name basis.”

“I know,” Mashirao put a hand on the back of his neck, beginning to rub it. “Still…” It was clear that he wasn’t used to having such conversations like this, where he was acting vulnerable and outwardly expressing his feelings rather than letting the moment pass by. 

Toru took the time to analyze Mashirao’s side profile as he looked away from her. His dark, small, and thin eyes seemed cautious and his body language seemed hesitant, his tail whipping behind him like a rattlesnake. He clearly still seemed to be thinking about something, but with all this new knowledge that she just took in about his insecurity, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to push out anything more. The last thing she wanted to do was pry into personal matters!

“You don’t have to do anything, I promise!” Toru reassured him after a short time of silence. 

“Are you sure?” Mashirao couldn’t help but ask, looking over his shoulder.

“Positive! You always give other people advice, and you don’t expect them to give you anything in return, right?!” Toru gave him a serious look, with furrowed brows and puckered lips. Though, knowing her, she was never one-hundred percent serious, and Mashirao finally being able to look at the expression only made it harder for him to believe her sternness.

Regardless, Mashirao nodded his head, though in his mind he wasn’t completely convinced. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m not used to… This.”

“And stop apologizing!”

“Right, sorry–”

“Ma-shi-rao.” Toru could tell that Mashirao remained uneasy, even after her constant reassurance. She frowned, then exhaled as she leaned herself onto Mashirao’s side. “Stop thinking about it. Now!”

“You’re the invisible one. How are you the one that’s able to see through me?” Mashirao narrowed his eyes and stared, a subtle frown returning on his face. It was ironic how the girl who was quite literally invisible (granted, she wasn’t entirely invisible at the moment, but normally she was) was the only one who seemed to understand him. At this point, he wondered if he was more invisible than her.

Toru slyly shrugged her shoulders, keeping her body close to Mashirao. “Like I said, I’ve noticed. Being invisible will do that!”

Mashirao pressed his lips together, then let out the smallest smirk. “I guess you really have,” he looked above, leaning closer to Toru just as she was doing with him. He leaned his head over hers, leaning over his own shoulder. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t thank me,” Toru said sweetly, though clearly flattered, turning her head back to the night sky as well.

The stars glistened and glowed while the two sat in comfortable silence. By now, the weather had gained its gentle wind, though little-to-no clouds were visible in the sky above. It remained quiet between the two as they just gazed upon the stars.

“Do you always stargaze?” Toru couldn’t help but ask, moving her head away from his shoulder and tilting it to the side.

Mashirao thought for a few extra seconds. “Not always,” he responded. “It’s been a while, to be honest.”

Toru let out a swift hum. “Is there a reason why you do it? Like, a real reason?”

Mashirao bit the inside of his cheek, looking in her direction. “What do you mean?”

Toru realized how it sounded more pitiful than anything else, so she quickly retracted herself. “I mean, like, do you always stargaze outside like this? Or is tonight just… Different? When you’re feeling a bit down?”

“Oh.” That made much more sense. Mashirao momentarily crossed his arms, rolling his head and shoulders back. He moved his arms behind them, stretching and spreading them behind his back as he leaned back ever so slightly. Technically, he wasn’t really able to lay all the way down, so he had to use his arms as some kind of support.  “I… I guess I just do it whenever I’m feeling out of place.” he settled on carefully before adding a soft, “The stars are nice to look at. I guess that, in a way, they calm me down a bit…?”

Toru watched as Mashirao sort-of laid across the freshly-cut grass, and she took a few moments before following along, plopping down right beside him as she laid down. She let out a small, unintentional giggle as her head hit the ground, turning her neck so that she was facing Mashirao. “I didn’t know that about you,” she spoke truthfully. 

“It really isn’t much.”

“Mmm. Maybe not, but it’s still nice to know.”

Mashirao bit the side of his lip. “They’re... Oddly therapeutic to look at."

Toru hummed, glancing up at a moment before returning her original gaze to him.

“Do you ever stargaze?” Mashirao was quick to return the question – or, at the very least, redirect the attention from him.

Toru shook her head, and thanks to the brightened view, the action was ever so slightly shown through the illumination. “I don’t really know anything about stars,” she held her right hand out above her, trying to angle it towards the alignment of the stars. “Like, what constellations are what and things like that.”

Mashirao let out a small exhale. “Yeah, uh…Me neither.” he couldn’t help but release the weakest laugh, turning his head to face Toru in return. “I just like looking at them.”

Toru giggled again. “Oh thank God!” she stretched her arms outward, letting them fall over her head. “I was worried that, like, I’d seem really dumb next to you right now.”

Mashirao chuckled again. “You never do,”

“Never what?”

“Seem dumb.” Mashirao spoke like it wasn’t already obvious. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re really smart.”

Toru flapped her arm, smacking his elbow (and earning yet another laugh from him) before putting it back over her head. “Now you’re being all corny,” if she was fully visible, she bet that her smile would be as bright as the moon-lit sky.

“Oh, so you can say all of that about me, but when I try, I’m ‘corny’?” Mashirao raised a single brow, yet his smile remained as simple as ever as he turned his body to fully face her.

“Uh, yeah, exactly!” Toru shrugged, kicking her feet.

Mashirao playfully rolled his eyes, his tail swishing from each side as he clicked his tongue and turned away.“Right, okay, I’m sorry,” he spoke in a purposefully sweet tone. He hadn’t even realized how quickly his mind felt more… Clear. Elevated, almost. Just being around her.

“Now you totally know what you’re doing!” Toru’s upper body rose up, and she playfully shoved him further into the grass. His laugh was pure, now, practically in loud giggles as the invisible girl smacked his chest.

As his upper back hit the ground, his tail whipped upward, smacking Toru’s back just enough to have her fully hit the grass, too, forcing her to land on her side. The two burst into a fit of silly, almost childish laughter as they were back side-by-side, their shoulders just barely pressing against each other’s.

Eventually, their laughter died down, and Toru pulled herself back up to a sitting position, angling herself so that she was now practically leaning over Mashirao.

Maybe it was a controversial opinion, but she liked this side of Mashirao much more; his wide, almost uneven smile, the way his canines –he hated them, Toru never saw why– were prominent and flashing, the way his eyes, although as dark as onyx, now had the smallest spark to them, his playful yet strangely smooth banter… It was all just more real.

“Hey,” Mashirao raised his chin to fully look at the girl who was practically reeling over him. “Can I be honest…?”

Toru tilted her own head, leaning in. “Yeah?”

“I’m actually really hungry.” he gave a sheepish smile. “I just didn’t want to be in there with everyone with the mood I was in…”

Toru let out a small gasp. “You idiot!” she teasfully smacked his body again, and he just yelped between small laughs. “Well, good, because I’m REALLY cold!”

“Should we head inside, then–”

“–You don’t have to tell me twice!” Toru’s hoodie was already shifting, indicating that she was beginning to stand up.

Mashirao lifted himself up, too, leaning up before he noticed the hoodie reaching out. His eyes darted down to the sleeves, then back to where her face barely reflected.

Holding her arms out, Mashirao took Toru’s hands, lifting himself up to his feet.

“Are you, y’know… Feeling any better?” Toru asked, her voice unusually quiet – almost low.

Mashirao nodded his head in honesty. “I am,” he replied. “Thanks to you.” he intentionally paused when he realized that he had kept his hands folded with hers, and he was quick to pull away. “I, uh – Thank you. Again.”

“I told you, you don’t have to thank me,” Toru urged on, taking hold of both of his wrists and barely raising them. She intertwined her hands in his, this time making sure that he knew it was in fact intentional. “Now, let’s get inside! I’m freezing my butt off!”

Mashirao gave her a smirk, interlocking his fingers. “Okay, okay, let’s go.”