Summary: The boys knew, she knew, and there was nothing she wanted to do about it. There was nothing anyone can do about it.


Tohru's class had been dismissed earlier that day since their last period had been cancelled – their teacher having to go home due to an emergency. The boys were excitedly talking about playing basketball first in the school's gym before heading home.

"They're all so energetic. Must be the effect of spring." Hana commented as she turned to look at her, now a bit worried. "Are you sure you'll be okay though? It's still quite cold outside."

She nodded her head frantically, though inwardly she wanted to smack herself on the head. "I'll be fine. I'll just hurry home. I still have my scarf so I'm guessing I'll be fine…" She forgot her coat when they were leaving for school that morning. She really is fine, but she couldn't stay too long outside. It was still early in spring so the temperature is still quite cold.

Just then she felt two lean arms snake around her waist, a hard chest pressing against her back, and she felt immediately a hundred times better due to the warmth which enveloped her. She couldn't help the sigh which escaped her lips as she felt lips press against the crown of her head.

"Aren't you even a little cold, Princess?" Momiji asks behind her, the tone of his voice lower, closer to bass as maturity begins creeping up on him and Tohru shivers involuntarily as she feels the ghost of his breath at the back of her neck. For one wild second she wondered if this was actually Momiji, disoriented. Wasn't Momiji the boy with the high-pitched voice?

She turns in his embrace, absent-mindedly nodding at Hana and Uo as they bid her goodbye, knowing that the brunette's attention was already taken by their blond junior and there was nothing they could do about it, even if they wanted to. "Momiji-kun."

She could tell her response was not the one he was expecting, as she looked up to him, his eyes merely meeting her own, narrowed sleepily. Tohru felt in awe. For some reason, the knowledge that Momiji is beginning to mature – evidenced by the sudden growth spurt and the way he nearly towered over her now was catching up to her a little too late.

Seconds passed with them standing like that, both nearly oblivious to the stares beginning to bore at the two of them. The sweet, brunette senior and the handsome sweet-toothed junior in an embrace.

"I am a little cold." Her response were seconds late, they both knew, but Momiji hums, low in his throat as a way to acknowledge her response. He doesn't mind, he doesn't care, Tohru is aware, content on just staying this way probably forever. The blond always has his own way of spending time with her, never mind coming off as clingy to her. Everything and everyone else has to wait whenever he was with her.

Tohru never complained about it.

"You should have more than a scarf." He observed, arms still around her waist. She couldn't bring herself to be embarrassed about it – he felt too good wrapped around her.

"Why do you sound so sleepy, Momiji-kun?" She couldn't resist the urge to push the hair out of his eyes with soft fingers.

"Coming out of winter gets me like this. I don't know why." He yawned, lifting one hand from her waist but still keeping her pressed against him.

Tohru giggles, unable to help herself. He looked too cute, standing here with her in his yellow hoodie she realizes he was wearing over his uniform and she feels almost envious of it. How would it feel wrapped around her instead?

W-What was I thinking!?

Just then Momiji was torn out of her arms, literally, and she couldn't help the sharp cry of her denial and Momiji's yelp of surprise and anger perhaps, of being so rudely pulled away from her when they were both enjoying the warmth of the other. Soma Kyo and Soma Yuki appears behind their younger cousin, a second look tells her that Kyo had a hand on the hood of Momiji's jacket.

"What was that for." Momiji's tone was even, hard; grabbing at Kyo's hand still holding the hood and shaking off his grip with a strength and ease Tohru didn't realize the blond teen had.

"You have your hands all over her and was getting too comfortable you pervert." Kyo fixed the younger man a glare but Momiji rolled his eyes.

So he has these kinds of reactions. Tohru's eyes were fixated on Momiji, having just seen something new from the aspiring violinist. She had only ever seen Momiji happy, energetic, sometimes solemn, quietly sad, but never irritated. Especially not at Kyo. He only used to tease the redhead a lot.

"I do not have my hands all over her. I am embracing her, there's a difference. Please don't paint me as a pervert when all we did was enjoy a minute or two of warmth. She was cold." His tone was factual, and she agreed on it. Momiji would never disrespect her. She knew that.

In fact, she was enjoying being in his arms earlier a little too much, if she were to be honest to herself.

"That doesn't mean you could – "

"You were cold, Honda-san?" Yuki cuts across Kyo meaningfully, giving the redhead a silencing look before he and the blond Soma could devolve into a round of teasing match two of them wouldn't care for.

"Yes, a bit. I forgot my coat. Luckily," she smiled up at Momiji, "Momiji shared his arms with me."

Kyo and Yuki blushed unintentionally, for some reason Tohru didn't want to make out herself, not having the energy to make a simple thing complicated. "Oh. I just remembered – weren't you boys supposed to playing basketball?"

"Yeah, we're on our way to the gym now." Kyo rubbed his neck. "We were wondering if you wanted to watch? Kill some time before going home?"

She wasn't sure about that. She was supposed to go straight home, but she did want to watch the boys play. "I would like to stay and watch." She glanced at Momiji, seeing the question on his face. "Our last period got cancelled since our teacher had an emergency. We were dismissed a little earlier."

"Lucky." Momiji sounded envious, and she was sure he was. He never did take school too seriously, and Tohru loved that about him. She hoped she can learn to look at life and enjoy it the way he does instead of stressing too hard about it. "Our class is using this break to practice playing basketball as well. Physical education stuff."

"Oh?" Kyo lifted a brow. "Then why don't you play against us? You'll learn a lot."

"I think I'll learn more from Yuki, thanks."

"What is that supposed to mean, brat!"

Yuki grabbed at the scruff of Kyo's uniform to drag him forward as Momiji took her hand and started leading her towards the school gymnasium, winking at her. She couldn't help her giggle.

In what must have been no time at all, they were entering the gym, Momiji waving at his classmates who started gleefully yelling his name as soon as they entered. Tohru looked around, seeing second years and third years (from her class) warming up.

"Tell your classmates to come over to us so we can try to practice together instead." Yuki said over to Momiji as Kyo stumbled in after them, disgruntled at having been dragged over by the silver-haired Soma. "Kyo, stop being such a pain and get over here already."

"I don't take orders from you, idiot! Get your ass over here as well, Momiji!"

"I don't take orders from you either, Kyo." Momiji calls out uncaringly, making Tohru giggle in spite of herself. "Now then. Are you sure you wanted to watch? You'll get to see how spectacularly lame I was compared to those two."

She nodded her head. "I won't care either way, I just wanted to cheer you on."

He laughed. "Even if it is just practice?"

"Especially since its practice." She gave him a wink herself, which got him chuckling to himself again.

"Momiji!"

"Coming!" he yelled back, turning to her one last time. "You might get cold again though. This will take a bit of time."

Before she could answer though, he seems to get an idea, pounding his fist on his other hand in a gesture of someone getting an idea. "Oh wait. I won't be able to wear this since I'm running around and gonna get myself all sweaty so…" he hurries to take off his hoodie, pulling it over his head in one swift movement. "Wear this. It'll keep you warm."

She was dumbfounded as the fabric drapes over her surprised, outstretched arms as he winks at her again and begins to run over to his classmates. "Eh – wait, Momiji-kun, are you sure!?"

"Yeah! I won't be able to hug you, but at least you have something to keep you out of the cold for a while longer!"

She blushes, unable to respond to that as some of the boys crowd over to him and starts bullying him into telling them what he meant by that as Yuki grabs Kyo again, the redhead probably intending to put Momiji into a headlock for daring to announce such a thing.

She stared at the fabric she now held, still warm from the body heat of the boy who had tossed it to her. She couldn't help but redden, in spite of herself.

Wearing something of another's can be considered as close friendship. It means one has stepped over the boundary of just friends to closer friends.

But wearing something someone had taken off from their body directly? From a young man? It felt downright…

Downright…

Intimate.

Especially to a girl like her. Tohru was naïve, but not too naïve to recognize that this is an action similar to a girlfriend wearing their boyfriend's hoodie. She had read this in some of Shigure's novels, had seen it in some dramas. Girls see it as a comfort, boys see it as some form of showing their claim on a girl.

Why was she overthinking it though?

Tohru knew it was because she cannot – should not – treat Momiji as a child, even if unconsciously. He is a teen, a seventeen year old at that. He deserves to be seen as a young man, not as a child. Someone who had always put her and her welfare first.

Tohru stared at the piece of cloth in her arms.

She wanted to wear it.

The fabric was thick, and still warm. Inviting.

So Tohru breathed in deeply, watching the game start as the second years and third years finally worked things out. She pulled Momiji's hoodie over her head, affixing it over her correctly, getting her arms in the correct holes. She breathed out a sigh of relief as she was finally able to settle it over her body.

It was larger than her, a surprise, since Momiji seemed lankier compared to other teens his age. But the size alone is a testament to the fact that her favorite Soma is already a young adult.

She felt incredibly snug in it.

As she cheered the three Somas on (her cheers were mostly for Momiji though and if the other two noticed, she didn't really know,) she was struck with the sudden realization as to why girls who had boyfriends loved wearing their hoodies.

It gives off the feeling of their significant other's arms around them, a substitute for their embrace if they weren't together. A sense of belonging to the other. A sense of security as well.

Staking a claim.

She couldn't bring herself to take it off.

Momiji doesn't say anything when she 'forgets' to give his hoodie back even after days pass after that basketball practice, and Tohru watches the unmistakable pride lighting his eyes when she continued wearing it to school. She could also see his bright topaz eyes darkening moments later whenever he sees it on her.

It was ridiculous, it should be, how wearing an article of clothing which belonged from the opposite sex could be seen as marking a territory of theirs. It was irrational, almost unreasonable.

And yet, Tohru didn't mind. Even when she could see Kyo visibly gritting his teeth at the sight of it or Yuki's eyes narrowing infinitesimally whenever she wore it in front of them.

Momiji had staked a claim on her, even if unintentional. The boys knew, she knew, and there was nothing she wanted to do about it. There was nothing anyone can do about it.

Because she wanted it. Wanted to belong to him.