Mirko sat still while Aiko dabbed something warm and stinging across the claw marks on his chest. The air felt heavier now, quieter, like the forest itself was listening.
"Umm… out there in the quarantine zone," Mirko began, eyes drifting away from her hands, "what's it like? Did you… I don't know… do dating and stuff?"
Aiko paused mid-bandage, lifting an eyebrow.
"Is this your way of asking if I'm dating or not?" she teased, a tiny smirk pulling at her lips.
Mirko's throat tightened.
"What? No— I mean— maybe? I mean… yeah? Kinda?"
His voice cracked at the end.
Aiko laughed under her breath and went back to cleaning the wound.
"Nope. I've never dated anyone," she said softly. "Except… I kinda kissed this guy once. Back then. Just out of curiosity, y'know? I saw it in movies and thought, 'why not?'"
Mirko blinked.
"Oh. Cool… umm… lucky you."
He scratched his cheek with his good hand.
"I mean… I think kissing is great. Or— it looks great. I don't know."
Aiko stopped again.
Her eyes lifted to his face—really looking at him this time—studying the awkwardness, the honesty, the way he couldn't keep still.
"You've never kissed anyone," she said quietly.
Mirko swallowed.
"Yeah. I've never. I mean… I grew up all alone. No people. No friends. Just… surviving. Kissing wasn't exactly part of the plan."
Aiko didn't say anything for a moment.
She just kept staring at him—longer than before—like she was seeing him differently. Not the boy who jokes through pain, not the annoying forest kid… but someone who'd spent so long with no one that even talking about closeness felt unfamiliar.
Her gaze finally dropped back to the bandages, but her voice came out softer.
"…That must've felt lonely," she whispered, wrapping another layer gently around his ribs.
Mirko looked at her hands—small, careful, warm against his skin—and for the first time that morning, he forgot about the pain in his chest.
Aiko leaned in a little closer, trying to reach the last part of the bandage that wrapped under his ribs.
"Hold still," she murmured.
"I am holding still," Mirko whispered back.
"No, you're breathing like you're being hunted," she said, trying not to laugh.
"That's just how I breathe when someone's poking my open wounds," Mirko muttered.
She shook her head, but her smile stayed. Her fingers brushed his skin again—light, careful—but it still sent a tiny shock through him. He tried to look anywhere but her face, but then she moved even closer, concentrating on tying the bandage in place.
And that's when her hair slipped over her shoulder and brushed against his chest.
Mirko froze.
Aiko didn't notice at first. She was too focused… until she glanced up and caught him staring—not at her eyes, but a little lower… then immediately snapping his gaze away like he'd touched fire.
Her cheeks warmed.
"Umm… you okay?" she asked, voice softer than before.
Mirko cleared his throat.
"Yeah. Totally fine. Just— bandage feels tight."
"Sure," she said quietly, but she didn't look convinced.
She tied the last knot, her fingers lingering a second longer than necessary. Whether she meant to or not, they rested lightly on his ribs… warm, steady, grounding.
Mirko's breath hitched—just once—but she heard it.
Aiko's eyes lifted to his again, closer now. Almost searching.
For a moment neither of them moved.
No forest sounds.
No pain.
Just the two of them sitting there in the hushed treehouse, staring like they'd both forgotten what they were supposed to be doing.
Aiko was the one who finally blinked, pulling her hand back quickly.
"There," she said, clearing her throat. "All done. You'll be fine."
"Y-yeah," Mirko replied. "I'm good. Thanks."
But his heartbeat didn't slow for a long time.
A light knock hit the wooden floorboard outside the room before Anna popped her head in, hair sticking to her forehead from sweat.
"Hey—" she started, then stopped immediately, eyes flicking between Aiko and Mirko.
Both of them froze. Aiko still had one hand resting awkwardly near Mirko's bandaged side. Mirko looked like he'd just been caught doing something illegal.
Anna raised a brow.
"…Umm… why is it so tense in here?" she asked slowly, like she walked into the wrong scene.
"What?" Aiko said way too fast. "Tense? No—no tension. None. Zero. Totally normal."
Mirko nodded way too aggressively. "Yeah. Completely normal. We just—uh—"
"We saw a spider," Aiko blurted out. "A big one. Huge. Like… monster-size."
Anna stared at her.
"…And?" she asked.
"It's gone," Aiko added quickly, clearing her throat. "Yup. All good."
Anna narrowed her eyes at both of them. They both smiled in the fakest, most suspicious way possible.
"Mhm."
She clearly didn't buy a single word.
"Anyway, I just came to get this—" She walked forward and picked up the extra axe leaning against the corner. "Tenya's yelling like he's building a skyscraper down there."
"Okay, great," Mirko said, trying to sound casual.
"Good luck with… uh… wood."
"Yeah," Aiko added, folding her hands to hide how flustered she still was. "Be safe. Lots of—logs—down there."
Anna gave them a long, knowing look.
"…Right. Logs."
She turned to leave, pausing once more at the ladder.
"You two… behave," she said, then descended before either of them could react.
Aiko shot up instantly.
"Okay—I'm gonna go check on them," she said, grabbing the edge of the ladder.
"You don't have to—" Mirko began.
"Nope. Nope, I do. Fresh air. Need it. Right now," she said, face still warm.
And she climbed down quickly, leaving Mirko alone, leaning back with a sigh.
…Spider. Really?" he muttered to himself.
Aiko climbed down the ladder with a deep breath, still feeling the awkward heat on her cheeks. The moment her feet hit the ground, Anna was already staring at her with a smirk.
"Well well…" Anna said, leaning on her axe. "Spider, huh?"
Aiko's face instantly darkened.
"Don't start."
Izuku didn't even look up from sharpening a branch, but a tiny smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Tenya on the other hand was too busy swinging the axe like his life depended on it.
"You okay?" Tenya asked between chops.
"Yes. Perfectly fine," Aiko said, voice stiff.
Anna nudged her playfully.
"Sure you are."
Aiko rolled her eyes and grabbed a fallen branch to help with clearing, mumbling, "I hate you," under her breath.
Anna laughed. "Love you too."
The Work Scene – 15 Minutes Later
Sweat dripped. Wood cracked. Leaves flew everywhere.
Tenya swung the axe with military precision, each strike echoing through the trees.
Izuku was dragging heavy logs with one arm like he was used to doing this every day.
Anna kept clearing bushes, complaining dramatically every five seconds but working faster than she admitted.
Aiko joined in, tying branches together, creating makeshift posts for the fence line. The four of them actually looked like a small construction crew.
"Okay," Tenya said between breaths, "if we keep this up… we might have half a fence by tomorrow."
"Might," Izuku corrected flatly. "If someone stops whining."
Anna snapped her head at him. "I SWEAR—"
He smirked.
Mirko Appears
A loud creaking sound from above made all of them look up.
Mirko was halfway down the ladder, still pale but determined as hell.
Aiko's jaw dropped.
"…Are you f**king kidding me?!"
Mirko paused mid-step, giving an innocent shrug.
"What? I'm fine! It's boring up there! And someone abandoned me."
He shot Aiko a dramatic look.
"I DIDN'T— THAT'S NOT—" She threw her hands up in frustration.
Mirko continued climbing down anyway.
"I just came to see what y'all did and— WOW!" he called out, grinning. "This looks actually awesome! I think this fence will be standing by tomorrow!"
He jumped the last step and winced slightly—subtle, but Aiko still saw it.
Anna facepalmed loudly.
Tenya sighed like a disappointed father.
Izuku muttered without looking up:
"He's an asshole. Too stubborn."
Mirko heard that.
"HEY! I am not stubborn—"
"You're literally bleeding through your shirt," Aiko snapped, marching toward him. "Go sit down before you collapse, idiot!"
Mirko blinked innocently.
"Okay, okay! Jeez. I'm just impressed by the fence!"
Anna laughed. "Sit before she murders you."
Mirko finally sat on a nearby log, still smiling.
"You guys did amazing," he said softly, pride in his voice.
Aiko huffed, crossing her arms, but there was a small smile on her lips.