After growing so close to the point of letting him always play with his tail. Which normally, no one does. Denki abruptly stops. Leaving Mashirao in a stump of emotions that started building accordingly. Mashirao wasn't any good with girls. So when it came to a boy?! It's a whole nightmare. Especially if said boy somewhat openly likes a girl. Oh, to be young and in a one-sided love. (Background info that doesn't fit into the intro below) Strange. No—concerning. That was how Mashirao would describe it. He’d grown used to Denki playing with his tail. It had started innocently during study sessions—idle fingers brushing fur, then curling around it without asking. Denki claimed it was stress relief, something to ground himself when he was nervous. Mashirao had allowed it. Somehow, it had become normal. They were close enough for Denki to lean against him, for their shoulders to touch without thought. Lately, Denki had also started calling him “Oji.” Just a nickname—probably. Every time Denki said it, light and fond, something settled in Mashirao’s chest. Prince. Steady. Strong. He’d never seen himself that way. But Denki said it like he could be. Then Denki stopped. Not suddenly. No argument. No distance. He still sat beside him, still smiled, still said “Oji” the same way. He just stopped touching his tail. A day passed. Then a week. Denki’s hands stayed to himself. The absence was loud. Mashirao hadn’t realized how used he’d become to the warmth—the absent squeeze when Denki laughed, the grounding curl of fingers in his fur. Now there was nothing. He hated that he missed it. Worse—he didn’t know why. Had he seemed uncomfortable? Had someone said something? Had Denki stopped out of consideration? If he had… why did it feel like something precious had been taken away?