Three times Mash and Tonelico kissed each other's hand

1.

“Man, this one was tougher than I expected.”

Contrary to her words, Tonelico’s tone is rather lighthearted. She doesn’t look shaken in the slightest by the battle that just occurred. Her magical power is- something akin to the divine, at this point. Her spell tore the calamity apart with the might of a tiger.

Already, Totrot and Ector set off for damage control. They know the motion by now. Find the survivors. Heal the wounded. Ensure everyone is safe. And then leave as fast as one possibly can.

Tonelico doesn’t move, though. She’s leaning on her staff. “Mash? Were you hurt?”

She looks so casual. Her gentle smile hasn’t faltered on bit. Her demeanor is open, trusting.

Her fingers are charred black.

It’s a detail. Something inconsequential. Mash doubts anyone else has noticed it- she only has because Senpai’s hands carry a tremble from their constant nerve damages, so she’s come to pay attention to them. It’s a detail, surely something Tonelico has handled, but she does have to ask: “Does it hurt?”

At Tonelico’s confusion, Mash points at her hands.

“Ah.” She says, looking down. “A little, I suppose.”

Mash trusts Tonelico. She really does. But sometimes she reminds her of Senpai, and Senpai lies when it comes to pain.

She takes the fae’s hand. She feels Tonelico twitch, oh so slightly.

“They’ll go back to normal soon.” Says the fae, which Mash hears as this has happened before. “You don’t need to worry.”

Perhaps not, but she will regardless.

Softly, Mash brings Tonelico’s hand up, and presses her lips to the back of her fingers, the way the Doctor did to her when she was a child. Her skin is cold. When Mash lowers the fae’s hand, she moves her own to cover Tonelico’s fingers, trying to warm them up.

Tonelico is staring at her. “What are you doing?”

Ah. Right. It must have looked odd from the outside. “It’s a gesture of comfort. To keep the pain away.” Mash says, internally cringing at how childish her explanation sounds. “Someone… dear to me used to do that for me. I thought it could help.”

She hopes Tonelico does not ask her to elaborate. She still doesn’t know how to describe the Doctor to people who have not seen that selfless brilliance for themselves.

Thankfully, Tonelico doesn’t. She merely nods. “I see. Thank you, Mash.” And then the two of them have to get back to the others, and they have to run again, and the conversation is all but forgotten.

(Still, Tonelico did not pry her hand away from Mash’s.)

2.

Had she been human, the impact would have torn her arm clean off her body. As it stands, it merely sent Mash flying through the trees.

“Are you certain you aren’t hurt? No dislocated shoulder? No broken bones?”

“I’m fine. The shield is really sturdy.” Mash flexes each of her joints, checking for injuries. “I sprained my wrist a bit, but it should heal on its own.”

Tonelico immediately picks up Mash’s arm, examining it for herself. She pours some mana into the bruised skin, which alienates the already dull pain. Then, looking satisfied, she-

“Tonelico?”

She kisses the back of Mash’s hand.

“Did I do it wrong?” She inquires, raising her head.

“No, no! I just… didn’t expect you to do it.” She replies. It has been a very long time since anyone has done that to her. Senpai has other ways to comfort her, through handholding and hugs and headpats. The Doctor and Da Vinci being gone, she didn’t think she’d feel lips on her hands ever again. “I was surprised.”

Tonelico stares up at her. There’s something about her eyes. Sometimes, it feels like she’s looking straight into her soul. Mash can only hope that what she sees in here brings up warmth rather than pain. “Then I’ll keep doing it, if you don’t mind.”

“It’s fine. By all means.” Mash likes Tonelico. She likes Totrot, and Ector, and even that grumpy Wryneck. But… it’s not her home. She could use the comfort.

Tonelico smiles like she always does, squeezing her hand. “Good.”

3.

“So you couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

Tonelico plops herself down next to Mash. The night is cold. The fae presses her shoulder to Mash’s, surely seeking some warmth.

“I’m so nervous.” Mash admits. “We’ve worked so hard for Uther’s coronation. It’s surreal to think that it’s finally happening tomorrow.”

“Hah, same.” Tonelico nods understandingly. “We just have to get through this, and then it will all be fine.”

Mash does not reply.

She has heard the stories. She knows what will happen. She knows Uther’s fate, Tonelico’s fate. She knows. She knows. She hopes she’s wrong, but. She knows.

Instead, she wraps her hand around Tonelico’s, and brings it to her lips, as she has done a dozen times now. “Did you know that it’s customary for knights to kiss the back of their liege’s hands?” Or maybe only to kiss the back of ladies’ hands, Mash isn’t sure- she was never that close to the Round Table knights, and for so long talking to the one knight who sought her out was made impossible by Galahad’s hatred nested deep between her ribs.

“Oh, I didn’t know.” Tonelico replies, glancing at their joined hands. “Would you have been my knight, had I been a ruler?”

“… I think you would be miserable as a Queen.” Mash replies honestly. “It would be nice if we could keep traveling together, though. You, me. The rest of your team. All of Chaldea. And Senpai. You’d love Senpai. The two of you are very much alike.”

“It would be nice.” Tonelico nods. A sincere wish that can never come true.

Mash likes Tonelico. A lot. More than she can ever admit to herself. Tonelico gets Mash, gets the feeling of alienation that comes from being displaced in time. And Mash likes to think that she gets Tonelico too, if only a little, if only because she can see both Senpai and the Doctor inside of her. Tonelico stuck to her side despite her impossible story, and Mash did the same despite the hardships of this story whose conclusion she already knows.

Mash likes Tonelico. Really. Sometimes, she thinks Tonelico might even like her back.

She does not speak that feeling into existence. Neither does Tonelico.

They belong to different worlds. They belong to different times. The two of them, this wish they speak of- it can never be. So Mash holds her hand, under this starry sky, and she hopes it’s enough to convey to her that even if it was doomed, even if it didn’t change a thing- there was love here.

+1

“Good job, everyone!”

Senpai congratulates the team they exit the simulator. While they give each servant a complete review of their performance, Mash leans onto the Ortinax to catch her breath. This was a good session. This team composition is truly amazing-

“Are you injuried?”

Ah. Morgan.

 “I am fine, thank you.” Mash says, forcing out a smile. She knows, rationally, that Morgan is no longer Tonelico- that Morgan doesn’t even know who Mash is. It’s unfair of her to force her issues upon Morgan. But she can’t help it. Anytime she sees these eyes, these empty eyes that used to shine so bright- she finds her chest hurting.

“That is good.” Morgan replies. Her tone is flat and devoid of emotions. She extends a hand, and-

Morgan always looks so cold. So aloof. Mash startles at the warmth of her fingers around her wrist.

Morgan kisses the back of her hand.

Mash does not say anything. She does not do anything at all. She can’t even find it in herself to breathe.

Morgan blinks. The angle is a bit awkward. She’s so tall, compared to Mash. Slowly, she lowers Mash’s hand. “Apologies. I do not know what came over me.”

“I-” Mash’s heart is beating so fast she thinks it might breach out of her chest. Tonelico, Tonelico, Tonelico, my friend, my companion, my love, Tonelico, Tonelico, do you remember me? Does any part of you, heart or liver or brain or finger, does any part of you remember us at all? “Have to go right now immediately.”

Under the confused gaze of these too-familiar eyes, Mash flees.