Muichiro looked over to Y/n, and then back at the medicine girl.
Despite knowing that he had to lie, he wanted his fingers to heal... Breathing in deep, he stared up at the ceiling for a few seconds to think before he responded.
"We're um, hunters..." It felt weird saying that, but it was the best lie he could think of.
"We were out here looking for a um... a bird. That only lives in the mountains. We heard that it could be dangerous, so we brought swords to be safe." Nervous sweat built around his neck, but the mist hashira kept his face straight, praying to himself that she would believe him.
Y/n couldn't help but smile at his quick thinking as the medicine girl nodded slowly in response.
"Hmm, how odd... Anyways, it looks like you'll both make a fine recovery. Although your hands will have to be bandaged for a while, young man." Muichiro breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor paused and turned to the silent girl.
"To be honest, I'm surprised that you won't be eating from a tube the rest of your life. You almost wrecked your throat completely! For some reason, your body heat seemed to shift around your body and guard your vital spots... I have no idea how though. As far as treatment goes, all I can say is minimal talking for you... that is, if you can talk at all."
Y/n opened her mouth to protest, but quickly realised that she was right. She couldn't... she couldn't get words out!
She forced an odd croak from her throat, but instantly choked on it.
Damn, I guess I won't be talking anytime soon.
Muichiro looked over at the medicine girl, with a slight look of concern on his face.
"Is she gonna be okay? I mean, she almost broke her throat entirely... Is that fixable?" He asked her.
He looked back at Y/n, hoping that she would be okay in the end. The thought of never being able to speak with her again was terrifying, and his eyes widened a bit.
"Oh yes, yes!" The girl rolled her eyes at his deep concern. "She'll be good as new in a few days."
Y/n's eyes lit up when she said that. She jumped up and hugged the girl tightly, making Muichiro laugh.
Good as new... The doctor's words played over in her head. That's amazing...
A sharp knock broke up their hug; the owner of the inn was standing at the door. She had reluctantly agreed to house them for 3 more days so that they could recover... However, Y/n was hoping to be back on the road before then.
Muichiro thanked them all graciously before they left, since Y/n couldn't talk. As soon as the door shut, he sighed and sank to the floor, staring at his bandaged hands. The two of them had managed to get some time to rest and heal up, and Muichiro did feel much better than earlier... Still, he couldn't help but fret over their injuries.
"You doing okay?" He smiled softly and checked on Y/N. Cheerily, she nodded, making her way over to him and sitting on her pillow. They had shuffled the two futons over from either side of the wall so that they could lay near eachother. Sleeping next to eachother was embarrassing but... comforting.
I hope he doesn't mind us sleeping so close together... After all, it was me who moved the futons.
Muichiro mimicked her and moved over to one of the futons, plonking down on it. He looked over at her and grinned bashfully.
"You okay with this?"
He meant sleeping next to one another, he felt comfortable like this, but he wanted to know how she felt.
"Do you think we need to move the futons?" He asked.
He didn't really mind being near her, it felt kind of nice, the company. She smiled, but nodded. She did want to move the futons... closer together. She pulled them closer until the edges of eachothers beds were touching. Finally she blushed and smiled, content.
Muichiro didn't say anything, but his shocked smile spoke for him. He was clearly quite pleased with the way the two of them were laying down, as he felt warmer and more comfortable than if they were further apart.
At first he looked away, not wanting to seem awkward, but after a few seconds... he turned back to look at her.
It was strange being this close to a girl, especially someone like her...
He didn't make eye contact, but he didn't make any effort to move away either. They laid like that for a while, facing eachother yet not making eye contact, and Y/n took this opportunity to stare at him for a while. His hair fanning out on the pillow looked so cute, and the dark circles under his eyes made her heart flutter.
Suddenly, a massive urge to yawn overcame her. She stretched and yawned softly, being careful not to hurt her throat. When she looked back... Muichiro was staring at her, blushing. He was caught, but he didn't bother averting his gaze.
Both their faces flushed pink.
"I.. uh.. well.." He muttered awkwardly, not sure what to say. She smiled and flopped back down next to him. Y/n went red... she had sat closed than she intended to. Their arms were brushing together and... If she rolled over, there faces would be almost touching.
Despite this, she didn't want to move away.
Instead, she placed her hand on top of his. Muichiro winced and she recoiled; she had forgotten that his hands were hurting. Slowly, carefully, she snaked her fingers between his, being extra cautious not to cause him any pain. He winced again as her hand touched his fingers, they felt raw and the temperature difference was causing a bit of pain.
But then she wrapped her fingers between his, and the pain slowly went away.
He looked down at their hands, his face turning a bright pink.
She was touching him.. His hands..
He didn't know how to react. But he didn't pull his hand away, it felt slightly warm.
He just stared for a solid ten seconds, a slightly confused look on his face.
"Mu..?" Y/n breathed, attempting to say his name. She was wondering what he was thinking about... and she wanted to hear his voice.
I like laying with him like this... It's nice. He's warm.
He looked up at her, his face still bright pink.
He didn't say anything for a few seconds, then he spoke in a hushed tone.
"I like holding your hand..." He mumbled, still looking at their interlocked fingers.
...
Chapter 24 will be published on 06/09/23
A/N: I'm not sure if you saw my announcement, but I'm changing my upload schedule from 1 chapter a day to 1 every other day! Since school is starting I will have less time to write and I want to make sure the chapters don't get messy because of it <3
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Mirrors | T.Muichiro X Reader
Fanfiction"I think I've fallen for you, Y/n." The mist hashira whispered. Muichiro looked at her, waiting for her answer. His stomach was tied up in a nervous knot as he watched her eyes light up. The mirror hashira blinked at him. A gentle smile appeared on...
