Mariko bypasses the hand entirely, clinging to Togusa because she's never been afraid to lose Togusa to the field. She knows that either of them could catch a bullet, be on the wrong end of a grisly case - but this has come too close to what her greatest fear for Hitori. His mind goes, like a shot and it makes him brilliant - but sometimes he chases ghosts that she can't follow and no matter what she does, he will never hear her.

"I've got you, you idiot."

The hug is crushing and she just stays there for a moment. Mariko closes her eyes, blocking all the images and sound in this world his mind has made because she thinks maybe, that she can feel his heartbeat. She hopes that he can feel hers.

Unfortunately, Mariko only has room for one bit of unsullied sentimentality and she knows that it's not for Togusa. So she shifts, forcing his head under her arm before palming his head and ruining his hair beyond all reason. It's extremely childish, sure, but it's the first thing makes her feel like herself in months.

She releases him with a laugh, after a suitable amount of protest before sighing. They're going to wake up and Hikari's still going to be gone. That's the shitty part of all of this.

"Hey. If you need somewhere to not be okay, my door's always open."