On The Side Of The Pitch With You

Hands

The first time she held it was during the accident. She squeezed it as hard as she could, not just to comfort him, but to stop herself from crying too. They ran all the way to the hospital without letting go, and they kept their hold until his parents arrived.

He was the one who let go first, walking to the barely opened door and peeking inside. His parents were discussing his brother's condition with the doctor. When he heard that he most likely wouldn't be able to walk again, by extension meaning he'd never play soccer again, the tears finally burst out. His mother came out to comfort him.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted her own brother standing at the end of the hallway. He must've spotted them running and followed.

He pointed to the stairs with his thumb, signaling that he had to leave soon. His eyes were asking if she was going to come along. She shook her head slightly, quickly glancing at her crying friend as indication of what she wanted to do. He gave a nod and a single wave before leaving.

Once the arrangements for his brother were made, they headed home. The tears kept falling even as he was led to their car by his mother, all the while she walked a little ways behind them, asking his father if she could stay the night. His father thanked her for her worries and gladly offered to let her stay in her friend's room.

After cleaning up, she and her friend headed for his room, with him immediately dropping to his bed. But knowing that she was staying, he had left enough space for her to get into.

The moment she tucked the blanket over them, his hand landed on top of hers.

"C-Can you do that again?"

He had already run out of tears, but he was still shaking. She gave the best smile she could manage.

"You don't have to ask."

She entwined their fingers and squeezed as tight as she could. He did the same.

They fell asleep that way.

The second time she clearly remembered was years later, around the new year. If it was just a regular day, then they would've been playing at the park as usual.

But that time was different.

It had snowed quite a lot overnight, and another storm was predicted to happen that afternoon too, so they decided to stay inside, with her staying over once again. With his parents away on a business trip, they decided to spend the day experimenting and making up their own meal for dinner.

Everything was going well.

"Ow!"

Until she accidentally cut her finger.

Hearing her yelp, he lowered the stove's temperature before walking over. He then grabbed her hand and pulled her to the sink. "This might sting a little."

She nodded and let him guide the cut to the running water, flinching only slightly. Then, he went to grab the first aid kit from a cupboard by the stairs before going to the living room.

Not once did he let go.

He sat down on the couch, gesturing for her to do the same while placing the kit on the coffee table. As he wrapped the bandage around her finger, he said, "I've never done this before, so sorry if it looks messy."

She chuckled. "It's fine, it's fine. I think it'd be worse if I did it on my own."

"How did you get cut?"