Something About Him

A/N: I should be doing something else that is important. At this moment.

Short and random musings. Do you call this a ficlet?

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If there was anything that she understood about the man she had decided to spend the rest of her life with, it was that he was fond of physical contact.

Anything from a reassuring pat to a friendly hug, to an intimate kiss or even something bordering on dangerous like a punch to the gut, he was all for giving and receiving. It was all part of the friendliness she had come to associate with him. He was giving whereas she would have hesitated, perhaps even retaliated had she been on the receiving end of any unexpected contact.

He wasn't biased with his attention either. So long as the person was at the very least a close acquiantance, they could be sure to be on the receiving end of many a sudden gesture. That explained the few times she saw the charred edges of his robes, or even some slight bruising that could have been done by the more easily annoyed members of her surrogate family and guild. Needless to say, he was upset about the more negative reactions, but he was too stubborn to quit feeding that overriding need to touch. Stupid priest, really.

But despite the different reactions his actions garner, the man was liked by a majority of the people he met. Including her.

'I can't help it, Blue. This is who I am.' He once had told her, and she was kind enough to overlook it most of the time. Sometimes though, she questioned his words. She'd seen many affectionate people before, but the man came off as more than affectionate. There was something in his touches, something very subtle that irked her until now. Or perhaps it was just her thinking. The others never thought so much about his gestures.

But she was different. She often argued to herself. Of course, he would be more open to her. Everything and anything that was within his power and place to give her, he would. And his actions spoke more than his tendency for incessant chattering ever did.

They hid something desperate within him, a certain urgency that was indeed so subtle she doubted it was actually real. But that was what her feelings told her and whenever it was involved, she often thought twice. Yet the reasons as to why it could be despair, out of all things possible, simply eluded her. She didn't know, and he wouldn't tell her no matter how innocent her questions were put. It was maddening to think so much about it, and yet she couldn't take it off her mind as easily as that.

She wanted to know, but she was simply too kind to the people she loved.

"Hey, you're not dozing off on me are you?"

The woman blinked her eyes, belatedly realizing that she had closed them and was nodding off. She sat up straighter and turned her head, glancing at the man seated behind her. His expression showed curiosity and amusement, his lips curled up in a slight smile. Semi-toned arms were wrapped around her waist and had her pressed against his body, whilst his legs were lax on either side of her. Save for a small meep, she didn't utter anything.

He nuzzled his cheek against hers. "Troubling thoughts?" The man ventured to ask, resting his head on her shoulder.

"... No. Just thinking." Came her stony reply, "About many things." Her vague answer only served to make him pout, but a split second after, his face lit up again as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. She let out a grunt, caught between surprise and disapproval, but didn't push herself away.

She could live with her thoughts and troubles about the priest, however that she knew they were a source of restlessness. It was an unhealthy practice that may doom her in the end, this she knew as well. But for now, she wanted to be a selfish.

And--

"Saint! Are you trying to chew my ear off?!"

She had much to learn about intimacy.

END ENTRY.