Aeryn blinked, trying not to show how much the words had taken her off guard. Though in all honesty, she probably ought to have expected them from Ikael.
It wasn’t that he let just anyone touch him, of course, or wanted to cuddle random strangers, or even regular acquaintances. Still, Aeryn was fairly certain without at least a brush of affectionate touch from someone familiar on a more or less consistent basis, Ikael would simply wither like a flower in the Sagolii.
It made her wonder at his upbringing, compared to her own. That early Coerthan propriety, mixed with the more free aspects of her mother’s people–though even then, physical displays of affection were kept to the family, not for outsiders; not even often for friends.
She was hovering in silence perhaps a tick too long, as Ikael stood there, in one of his ridiculous outfits–the tunic was a color one could only describe as ‘creamsicle orange’ over loose, eye-searing yellow pants–and shifting one foot to the other, as if gauging how best to step in if she assented. His hair was mussed, one longer black lock falling in front of his face as he gave her a wide-eyed, hopeful look. An endearing fashion disaster of a miqo’te, their Ikael.
“I…yes,” Aeryn finally answered, vaguely gesturing with her own arms.
Ikael beamed and bounced in, the breath whumped out of her as he wrapped her in an embrace. It was easy to forget how strong he actually was, when he was prancing about Revenant’s Toll dressed like a hazard sign.
Aeryn felt awkward at first, but it was perhaps his sincerity that helped her melt just a little, sighing as they leaned on one another.
She had to admit, he was good at giving hugs.
“There,” he…purred? Yes, that seemed the right word for it. “There, it’ll be…right again. Sometime. Right? Right.” He patted her back.
She felt the hitch in his voice and her brow furrowed. It took a moment to click; Ikael wasn’t doing this because he needed the anchor of affection.
He thought she needed it more.
Aeryn pulled away, perhaps a bit too suddenly, given the concern that flashed across his face. “Thank you,” she said, and smiled, hoping to allay any panicked assumptions. “I think I needed that. It’s been…something lately.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, as both their gazes drifted toward the Rising Stones, before focusing back on each other. “Anyway! I have everything I need to bake lemon cakes, I’ll bring you some later, okay?” He turned away quickly, some nervous tension evident to her in how his shoulders hunched.
“I’d like that,” she called. “Thank you; you’re a good friend.”
He paused and looked back, blinking in surprise, then beamed again. “Give me two hours–” he stopped, thought. “Maybe three. I’ll find you!”
She nodded, having no doubt about that.
((Ikael belongs to @draw-you-coward / @fly-for-a-lifetime
I don’t even know, man, a version of Ikael came to visit and whined a little ‘til I wrote something. No idea if this is accurate or IC or whatever, but it’s obviously some lil’ sidealong AU thing that assumes a lot of backstory anyway so hey! This is what happens when I decide to try to write “soft angst” on a rainy day where I have been unreasonably moody and am up too late despite being super tired.))