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Professor Layton | A Different Kind of Hunger
Rating: G
Fandom: Professor Layton
Characters: Crow, Luke Triton
Relationships: Crow/Luke Triton
Words: 2,743
Content Warnings: N/A
Tropes: Cuddling, Touch-Starved, Established Relationship
Summary: Food, water and shelter are the only things you need. Everything else was a want. But that didn't explain why Crow's skin tingled wherever Luke touched him, almost like he was starving for something other than food.
I don't know what to tell y'all, I'm touch starved and I like to project onto Luke and Crow.
“Crow! I’m glad you could come! Thanks for making time for me.”
Luke’s words were clearly forcedly formal, as, the moment he opened the door, his face flushed and he looked away. Crow almost wanted to tease him about it; the last time they saw each other, Luke greeted him much more casually. But, then again, the last time they greeted each other, Luke had been simply visiting Misthallery with Clark and Brenda, and he was greeting Crow as an old friend that he had gotten closer to over his various trips. This time, he had invited Crow over, and was greeting Crow as a romantic partner, after they got together that last visit.
Crow couldn’t make fun of that as, the second he remembered, he felt himself blushing furiously as well.
The two teens were both silent for a long moment, blushing and avoiding eye contact. Neither of them had dated anyone before, so the typical nervousness filled the air, unsure of what to do next. Hug? Kiss? Nothing at all? In books, couples kissed each other when they were reunited after a while of being away, but would that be too weird for Crow to try and initiate?
In the end, it was Luke who spoke up first, blurting out, “It’s cold out, come inside,” and stepping out of the way so Crow could do just that. Crow didn’t say anything but did as Luke told him to, stepping into the unfamiliar house. He didn’t even bother to try to close the door behind him, as he knew Luke would throw a fit about gentlemen always closing and opening doors for others.
As expected, Luke shut the door and followed Crow inside, grinning in an attempt to hide his nervousness. “Uh…! I hope you traveled safely!”
Luke nodded. “Good!”
Before the flustered silence could start up again, Crow asked, “So, is there a reason you invited me to the Prof’s house instead of… Ya know, your own?”
“Oh! Mom and Dad are both out running errands for most of today. You haven’t been to the Professor’s house, have you?”
Crow shook his head. “Nah, I haven’t.” He had been to Clark and Brenda’s house before, a few times, for Luke’s birthday parties and similar occasions he had been invited to. But, even if it was no secret that Luke spent more time with Hershel than his parents, he had never been to Hershel’s house.
Luke’s eyes lit up; apparently, the opportunity to ramble about his home away from home subsided his nerves. “Oh! I could give you a mini-tour! How’s that?”
Crow nodded with a playful grin. “Yeah, it would be useful to know where the fridge is.”
His efforts earned a giggle from Luke, joyful and small like a bell ringing. “Alright, alright, I’ll show you around!”
With that, Luke took Crow’s wrist into his hand to lead him to the next room, and, just like that, Crow suddenly felt like his ears were filled with cotton. Even if he knew the tour was for him, even when he tried to pay attention to the avid talking of Luke, it was all Greek to him. Everything suddenly felt foreign, unimportant. Everything except for Luke’s hand on his wrist.
He couldn’t hear because the pounding of his heart was in his ears. He didn’t look at the house he was being lead around because his eyes were on Luke’s hand. All of his senses jumped and twisted with every little thing Luke did, like squeezing his wrist to emphasize something he said. When Luke began to lightly rub his wrist with his thumb, Crow thought he might faint.
Crow almost wrote this off as more awkward teenage romance side-effects… But no, that didn’t seem quite right. Maybe that was making it worse, sure. Well, actually, it was definitely making it worse. But that wasn’t all it was. There was something else making Crow’s heart jump into his throat whenever Luke touched him.
That thought made Crow search his mind for the last time he was touched like this; lovingly, for the expressed purpose of just being comforting. But he came to a blank. Maybe that was why.
He hadn’t particularly noticed it before, but when he thought about it, Crow realized that, as close as the Black Ravens were emotionally, they kept each other physically at arm’s length. Was everybody like that? Or was it just because of the typical ‘everyone for themselves’ environment that comes with the lower class that all of them grew up in? His father wasn’t in the picture at all, and his mother was typically too busy bending over backwards to make ends meet to give him physical affection…
Crow shook those sorts of thoughts out of his head, and jerked his hand away from Luke’s while he was mid-sentence. Luke immediately stopped talking and looked at Crow, confused and curious. “Hm? Is something the matter?”
Crow looked away, rubbing his wrist with his free hand. “No, I… Think I’m just gonna show myself around the house now.” He didn’t wait for Luke’s response, walking away to find a place to be alone before he started sweating too much.
He blindly looked around until he found a door, which he lurched to open and he slammed behind him, immediately going limp against the door as he leaned onto it. Crow slowly slid down until he was sitting, taking deep breaths and resting his hand on his heart, waiting for it to slow down. His body felt like it was on fire, burning him from the inside, but that one spot on his wrist was cool and almost tingling, feeling safe among the numbing heat.
It was less than a week into Crow having his first boyfriend, and he had already begun to long for regular touch from his friends and family like some sort of soft, internet sadboy. And on top of that, a touch on the wrist had reduced him to hot, sweaty, trembling mess. It wasn’t even holding hands, it was so much more impersonal then that, just a way to guide him, but he felt like he would melt nonetheless.
He had to stay in that room for a long time for him to fully calm down; longer than he’d like to think about. It took a while for him to even notice where he was; he had managed to stumble into Luke’s room, of all places. Or at least what he assumed was Luke’s room; Toppy was there, as were a few stuffed animals and Cinnamoroll plushes that Crow recognized as the ones Luke used to carry around. And, if Crow had blurted out about showing himself around, then immediately locked himself in boyfriend’s room and didn’t leave for a long time… Well, that would look suspicious, at best.
With that in mind, Crow took a last calming breath, before heading out of Luke’s room.
He found Luke again in the kitchen, stirring some sugar into a cup of tea (something his American friend had told him about), before he heard Crow and turned around. “Oh, you’re back! Here.” He picked up the cup that didn’t have sugar in it and held it for Crow to take, which he did. Luke took his own sweet tea into his hands, too, but didn’t drink from it while Crow did; his throat felt dry after all of that.
As Crow drank, Luke fidgeted with his cup, staring down into it. “So… Did I… Uhm… Do something wrong?” He tried to look at Crow after speaking, appearing embarrassed and ashamed, like he already had himself convinced that he was guilty.
Crow swallowed his current mouthful, and set the cup onto the counter. “Nah, you didn’t.”
“Then, if I can ask, why did you take off like that?”
Crow furrowed his eyebrows, pausing, trying to think of how to phrase how he was feeling without sounding too terribly pathetic. “It’s just… Uh, I guess m’not used to being with people… Like that.” He hoped Luke wouldn’t ask for clarification.
But, of course, he did, immediately asking, “Do you mean… Like, dating…?” Again, his eyes darted to his cup, his cheeks tinting a light red.
“No. Well, yes. I mean…” Crow shook his head, like trying to shake the nervousness off. “Yes, I’m not used to dating, but that’s not what I meant.”
“Well then, what is what you meant?”
Crow sighed, leaning up against the counter and crossing his arms. “Just…” He searched his mind for some sort of way to avoid saying the truth while also soothing Luke’s worries, but he came up blank. And, even if he came up with something, he wasn’t completely sure he wanted to lie. Not to Luke, at least.
Finally, he gave in, tilting his head a bit to the side with another sigh. “I’m not used to my wrist being held, is all.”
Luke seemed confused by that response, taking a sip of his sweet tea as he thought. But even so, he ended on, “I don’t know what you mean.”
And of course Luke didn’t get it. His immediate reaction to liking something someone has done was physical affection. He touched people all the time; teasing nudges, shoulder squeezes, loving embraces. He wouldn’t understand nearly fainting at someone holding his wrist. He didn’t have that barrier up, nor did anyone he usually hung around, as far as Crow knew.
He shrugged, trying to play off what he was about to say as no big deal. “It’s just that I haven’t had physical affection in a while, that’s all. That, on top of the ‘first boyfriend’ deal.”
“Well, does that mean that holding your wrist made you feel sad or uncomfortable?” Luke seemed to think for a moment, before adding quickly, “Like, would a kiss be the same sort of sad and un-uncomfortable?” He stuttered on the last word, and he seemed embarrassed by it.
Crow tried desperately to hide his blush at the mere mention of a kiss, covering his face with his hand for a moment and playing it off like he was rubbing his eye. “Uh, I can’t exactly promise that if you kiss me I won’t immediately melt. But, it’s not a bad sort of melting and stuff. Touch and affection like that… S’just… Good, but not normal.”
“Good, but not normal,” Luke echoed back, as if considering the phrase. He set his cup aside, sighing. “I can’t imagine it. That’s so…”
“Don’t call it sad,” Crow said with a grimace. He couldn’t stand pity. It made him want to throw up.
“Well, it is. To me, at least.”
Crow fake-gagged.
“Crow, I’m being serious. Physical affection is one of the core things that people need to grow and thrive, and feel emotionally supported! There are tons of studies on it and everything!” Luke made a large motion with his whole arms to emphasize his point, before letting them drop with a sad, small murmur of, “I just think it must be lonely.”
Crow refused to respond to that. Probably because he couldn’t think of a way to respond without admitting that, yes, he supposed it was rather lonely.
After a moment to consider his options, Luke’s charming determination quickly returned, looking at Crow with an earnest glint in his eye. “I want to help!”
Crow cocked his eyebrow and curled his lip, about to ask exactly what ‘help’ would mean in this context, but he felt like the air was knocked out of him when Luke stepped forward and gently cupped his face with his hands. Crow thought the touch on the wrist was a lot, but this almost felt like it was something else entirely. With just one move, Luke had managed to reduce him back into a blushing, shaking pile of putty, trying to talk but it only coming out as squeaks.
His lack of his ability to speak seemed to concern Luke, as he frowned and asked, “I-is this okay?”
Crow nodded vigorously, and inadvertently shook off Luke’s hands, but he didn’t have a chance to miss them as Luke put them right back, holding his face so gently and staying there for a while, leaving Crow time to enjoy it. He hummed gratefully, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to not get overwhelmed. That tingling feeling was back, singing wherever Luke’s hand lied, feeling so safe and cool compared to the rest of his face, which was all sorts of hot from the sudden affection and attention.
After a while, one of Luke’s hands moved, trailing down his arm to take Crow’s hand into his, keeping the other hand cupping Crow’s cheek. Crow tried not to physically react, but his breathing became shaky even when he tried to steady it. His heart was going so fast that he was almost worried Luke would be able to hear it.
“Still okay?”
Crow nodded slowly this time, to not force Luke’s hand away from his face.
“I’m glad.” Even without looking, Crow could hear the smile in Luke’s voice.
Almost like he was waiting for that last nod to do it, Luke let go of him completely for a moment, but quickly brought his arms around Crow’s torso and pulled him in for a hug. Crow tried to focus on only his breathing then, not wanting to freak out and have Luke be frightened off. He refused to think about Luke gently rubbing his back, and how he had his chin rested on Crow’s shoulder, leaning on his scarf as a sort of pillow. He didn’t think at all about how close they were, and how long it had been since he had been held like this.
“You’re shaking,” Luke eventually muttered.
Crow sputtered, feeling his like his pride was being poked at by the verbal acknowledgement of his nervousness and weakness (or, at least, what he perceived as weakness). “H-hey, I don’t need this, I’m just letting you ‘cause-”
“Hey, hey, don’t start with that, now. It’s alright. I was just telling you in case you wanted to say you were scared.”
Even though Crow wanted to argue back to save face, he didn’t, because if he and Luke started arguing, the hug would end, and, as mortifying as it was to admit it to himself, he didn’t want for it to be cut short. And it was so much better, more calming, if he relaxed into it and tried to shove his pride into a corner.
Once Luke seemed to be convinced that Crow was satiated, he backed away from the hug, but kept his hands on Crow’s arms, still staying close. “Like I said, physical affection and hugs isn’t something that’s ‘optional’ for people, and I’m sorry that people haven’t been giving you what you need. But…” Even though Luke had seemed extremely confident up until that point, his blush suddenly returned with a soft chuckle. “I would really like it if you would let me try and be there for you. I mean… That’s what, uhm, boyfriends are for, right?”
The mention of Luke being his boyfriend made Crow's face flush red, as well, as if to match Luke’s. “It’s…”
He found himself almost saying, ‘it’s not a need’. He hadn’t been raised to think it was a need. The thing that he had been told, over and over, was, ‘The three things you need are food, water, and shelter.’ He thought that, if he had those things, everything else was a want. Secondary.
But the way he felt when Luke had been holding him… It felt like something he needed. Like he had been starved his whole life and he was at a buffet, or a dehydrated person at an oasis. Devouring every little thing desperately, wondering how he had gone this long without it.
It wasn’t a lack of food, a lack of water, or no shelter that had made him like that. He wasn’t thirsty, or hungry. But maybe this was a different type of hunger. Something that he needed, that he needed help for.
Crow nodded, with a hesitant grin. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”
Luke beamed at him, and Crow once again felt like a dehydrated person at an oasis, drinking up the sight.
Fandom: Professor Layton
Characters: Crow, Luke Triton
Relationships: Crow/Luke Triton
Words: 2,743
Content Warnings: N/A
Tropes: Cuddling, Touch-Starved, Established Relationship
Summary: Food, water and shelter are the only things you need. Everything else was a want. But that didn't explain why Crow's skin tingled wherever Luke touched him, almost like he was starving for something other than food.
I don't know what to tell y'all, I'm touch starved and I like to project onto Luke and Crow.
“Crow! I’m glad you could come! Thanks for making time for me.”
Luke’s words were clearly forcedly formal, as, the moment he opened the door, his face flushed and he looked away. Crow almost wanted to tease him about it; the last time they saw each other, Luke greeted him much more casually. But, then again, the last time they greeted each other, Luke had been simply visiting Misthallery with Clark and Brenda, and he was greeting Crow as an old friend that he had gotten closer to over his various trips. This time, he had invited Crow over, and was greeting Crow as a romantic partner, after they got together that last visit.
Crow couldn’t make fun of that as, the second he remembered, he felt himself blushing furiously as well.
The two teens were both silent for a long moment, blushing and avoiding eye contact. Neither of them had dated anyone before, so the typical nervousness filled the air, unsure of what to do next. Hug? Kiss? Nothing at all? In books, couples kissed each other when they were reunited after a while of being away, but would that be too weird for Crow to try and initiate?
In the end, it was Luke who spoke up first, blurting out, “It’s cold out, come inside,” and stepping out of the way so Crow could do just that. Crow didn’t say anything but did as Luke told him to, stepping into the unfamiliar house. He didn’t even bother to try to close the door behind him, as he knew Luke would throw a fit about gentlemen always closing and opening doors for others.
As expected, Luke shut the door and followed Crow inside, grinning in an attempt to hide his nervousness. “Uh…! I hope you traveled safely!”
Crow didn’t have the heart to tell him that he sneaked onto a bus without paying, so he simply said, “Yeah, I did. No worries.”
Luke nodded. “Good!”
Before the flustered silence could start up again, Crow asked, “So, is there a reason you invited me to the Prof’s house instead of… Ya know, your own?”
“Oh! Mom and Dad are both out running errands for most of today. You haven’t been to the Professor’s house, have you?”
Crow shook his head. “Nah, I haven’t.” He had been to Clark and Brenda’s house before, a few times, for Luke’s birthday parties and similar occasions he had been invited to. But, even if it was no secret that Luke spent more time with Hershel than his parents, he had never been to Hershel’s house.
Luke’s eyes lit up; apparently, the opportunity to ramble about his home away from home subsided his nerves. “Oh! I could give you a mini-tour! How’s that?”
Crow nodded with a playful grin. “Yeah, it would be useful to know where the fridge is.”
His efforts earned a giggle from Luke, joyful and small like a bell ringing. “Alright, alright, I’ll show you around!”
With that, Luke took Crow’s wrist into his hand to lead him to the next room, and, just like that, Crow suddenly felt like his ears were filled with cotton. Even if he knew the tour was for him, even when he tried to pay attention to the avid talking of Luke, it was all Greek to him. Everything suddenly felt foreign, unimportant. Everything except for Luke’s hand on his wrist.
He couldn’t hear because the pounding of his heart was in his ears. He didn’t look at the house he was being lead around because his eyes were on Luke’s hand. All of his senses jumped and twisted with every little thing Luke did, like squeezing his wrist to emphasize something he said. When Luke began to lightly rub his wrist with his thumb, Crow thought he might faint.
Crow almost wrote this off as more awkward teenage romance side-effects… But no, that didn’t seem quite right. Maybe that was making it worse, sure. Well, actually, it was definitely making it worse. But that wasn’t all it was. There was something else making Crow’s heart jump into his throat whenever Luke touched him.
That thought made Crow search his mind for the last time he was touched like this; lovingly, for the expressed purpose of just being comforting. But he came to a blank. Maybe that was why.
He hadn’t particularly noticed it before, but when he thought about it, Crow realized that, as close as the Black Ravens were emotionally, they kept each other physically at arm’s length. Was everybody like that? Or was it just because of the typical ‘everyone for themselves’ environment that comes with the lower class that all of them grew up in? His father wasn’t in the picture at all, and his mother was typically too busy bending over backwards to make ends meet to give him physical affection…
Crow shook those sorts of thoughts out of his head, and jerked his hand away from Luke’s while he was mid-sentence. Luke immediately stopped talking and looked at Crow, confused and curious. “Hm? Is something the matter?”
Crow looked away, rubbing his wrist with his free hand. “No, I… Think I’m just gonna show myself around the house now.” He didn’t wait for Luke’s response, walking away to find a place to be alone before he started sweating too much.
He blindly looked around until he found a door, which he lurched to open and he slammed behind him, immediately going limp against the door as he leaned onto it. Crow slowly slid down until he was sitting, taking deep breaths and resting his hand on his heart, waiting for it to slow down. His body felt like it was on fire, burning him from the inside, but that one spot on his wrist was cool and almost tingling, feeling safe among the numbing heat.
It was less than a week into Crow having his first boyfriend, and he had already begun to long for regular touch from his friends and family like some sort of soft, internet sadboy. And on top of that, a touch on the wrist had reduced him to hot, sweaty, trembling mess. It wasn’t even holding hands, it was so much more impersonal then that, just a way to guide him, but he felt like he would melt nonetheless.
He had to stay in that room for a long time for him to fully calm down; longer than he’d like to think about. It took a while for him to even notice where he was; he had managed to stumble into Luke’s room, of all places. Or at least what he assumed was Luke’s room; Toppy was there, as were a few stuffed animals and Cinnamoroll plushes that Crow recognized as the ones Luke used to carry around. And, if Crow had blurted out about showing himself around, then immediately locked himself in boyfriend’s room and didn’t leave for a long time… Well, that would look suspicious, at best.
With that in mind, Crow took a last calming breath, before heading out of Luke’s room.
He found Luke again in the kitchen, stirring some sugar into a cup of tea (something his American friend had told him about), before he heard Crow and turned around. “Oh, you’re back! Here.” He picked up the cup that didn’t have sugar in it and held it for Crow to take, which he did. Luke took his own sweet tea into his hands, too, but didn’t drink from it while Crow did; his throat felt dry after all of that.
As Crow drank, Luke fidgeted with his cup, staring down into it. “So… Did I… Uhm… Do something wrong?” He tried to look at Crow after speaking, appearing embarrassed and ashamed, like he already had himself convinced that he was guilty.
Crow swallowed his current mouthful, and set the cup onto the counter. “Nah, you didn’t.”
“Then, if I can ask, why did you take off like that?”
Crow furrowed his eyebrows, pausing, trying to think of how to phrase how he was feeling without sounding too terribly pathetic. “It’s just… Uh, I guess m’not used to being with people… Like that.” He hoped Luke wouldn’t ask for clarification.
But, of course, he did, immediately asking, “Do you mean… Like, dating…?” Again, his eyes darted to his cup, his cheeks tinting a light red.
“No. Well, yes. I mean…” Crow shook his head, like trying to shake the nervousness off. “Yes, I’m not used to dating, but that’s not what I meant.”
“Well then, what is what you meant?”
Crow sighed, leaning up against the counter and crossing his arms. “Just…” He searched his mind for some sort of way to avoid saying the truth while also soothing Luke’s worries, but he came up blank. And, even if he came up with something, he wasn’t completely sure he wanted to lie. Not to Luke, at least.
Finally, he gave in, tilting his head a bit to the side with another sigh. “I’m not used to my wrist being held, is all.”
Luke seemed confused by that response, taking a sip of his sweet tea as he thought. But even so, he ended on, “I don’t know what you mean.”
And of course Luke didn’t get it. His immediate reaction to liking something someone has done was physical affection. He touched people all the time; teasing nudges, shoulder squeezes, loving embraces. He wouldn’t understand nearly fainting at someone holding his wrist. He didn’t have that barrier up, nor did anyone he usually hung around, as far as Crow knew.
He shrugged, trying to play off what he was about to say as no big deal. “It’s just that I haven’t had physical affection in a while, that’s all. That, on top of the ‘first boyfriend’ deal.”
“Well, does that mean that holding your wrist made you feel sad or uncomfortable?” Luke seemed to think for a moment, before adding quickly, “Like, would a kiss be the same sort of sad and un-uncomfortable?” He stuttered on the last word, and he seemed embarrassed by it.
Crow tried desperately to hide his blush at the mere mention of a kiss, covering his face with his hand for a moment and playing it off like he was rubbing his eye. “Uh, I can’t exactly promise that if you kiss me I won’t immediately melt. But, it’s not a bad sort of melting and stuff. Touch and affection like that… S’just… Good, but not normal.”
“Good, but not normal,” Luke echoed back, as if considering the phrase. He set his cup aside, sighing. “I can’t imagine it. That’s so…”
“Don’t call it sad,” Crow said with a grimace. He couldn’t stand pity. It made him want to throw up.
“Well, it is. To me, at least.”
Crow fake-gagged.
“Crow, I’m being serious. Physical affection is one of the core things that people need to grow and thrive, and feel emotionally supported! There are tons of studies on it and everything!” Luke made a large motion with his whole arms to emphasize his point, before letting them drop with a sad, small murmur of, “I just think it must be lonely.”
Crow refused to respond to that. Probably because he couldn’t think of a way to respond without admitting that, yes, he supposed it was rather lonely.
After a moment to consider his options, Luke’s charming determination quickly returned, looking at Crow with an earnest glint in his eye. “I want to help!”
Crow cocked his eyebrow and curled his lip, about to ask exactly what ‘help’ would mean in this context, but he felt like the air was knocked out of him when Luke stepped forward and gently cupped his face with his hands. Crow thought the touch on the wrist was a lot, but this almost felt like it was something else entirely. With just one move, Luke had managed to reduce him back into a blushing, shaking pile of putty, trying to talk but it only coming out as squeaks.
His lack of his ability to speak seemed to concern Luke, as he frowned and asked, “I-is this okay?”
Crow nodded vigorously, and inadvertently shook off Luke’s hands, but he didn’t have a chance to miss them as Luke put them right back, holding his face so gently and staying there for a while, leaving Crow time to enjoy it. He hummed gratefully, shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath, trying to not get overwhelmed. That tingling feeling was back, singing wherever Luke’s hand lied, feeling so safe and cool compared to the rest of his face, which was all sorts of hot from the sudden affection and attention.
After a while, one of Luke’s hands moved, trailing down his arm to take Crow’s hand into his, keeping the other hand cupping Crow’s cheek. Crow tried not to physically react, but his breathing became shaky even when he tried to steady it. His heart was going so fast that he was almost worried Luke would be able to hear it.
“Still okay?”
Crow nodded slowly this time, to not force Luke’s hand away from his face.
“I’m glad.” Even without looking, Crow could hear the smile in Luke’s voice.
Almost like he was waiting for that last nod to do it, Luke let go of him completely for a moment, but quickly brought his arms around Crow’s torso and pulled him in for a hug. Crow tried to focus on only his breathing then, not wanting to freak out and have Luke be frightened off. He refused to think about Luke gently rubbing his back, and how he had his chin rested on Crow’s shoulder, leaning on his scarf as a sort of pillow. He didn’t think at all about how close they were, and how long it had been since he had been held like this.
“You’re shaking,” Luke eventually muttered.
Crow sputtered, feeling his like his pride was being poked at by the verbal acknowledgement of his nervousness and weakness (or, at least, what he perceived as weakness). “H-hey, I don’t need this, I’m just letting you ‘cause-”
“Hey, hey, don’t start with that, now. It’s alright. I was just telling you in case you wanted to say you were scared.”
Even though Crow wanted to argue back to save face, he didn’t, because if he and Luke started arguing, the hug would end, and, as mortifying as it was to admit it to himself, he didn’t want for it to be cut short. And it was so much better, more calming, if he relaxed into it and tried to shove his pride into a corner.
Once Luke seemed to be convinced that Crow was satiated, he backed away from the hug, but kept his hands on Crow’s arms, still staying close. “Like I said, physical affection and hugs isn’t something that’s ‘optional’ for people, and I’m sorry that people haven’t been giving you what you need. But…” Even though Luke had seemed extremely confident up until that point, his blush suddenly returned with a soft chuckle. “I would really like it if you would let me try and be there for you. I mean… That’s what, uhm, boyfriends are for, right?”
The mention of Luke being his boyfriend made Crow's face flush red, as well, as if to match Luke’s. “It’s…”
He found himself almost saying, ‘it’s not a need’. He hadn’t been raised to think it was a need. The thing that he had been told, over and over, was, ‘The three things you need are food, water, and shelter.’ He thought that, if he had those things, everything else was a want. Secondary.
But the way he felt when Luke had been holding him… It felt like something he needed. Like he had been starved his whole life and he was at a buffet, or a dehydrated person at an oasis. Devouring every little thing desperately, wondering how he had gone this long without it.
It wasn’t a lack of food, a lack of water, or no shelter that had made him like that. He wasn’t thirsty, or hungry. But maybe this was a different type of hunger. Something that he needed, that he needed help for.
Crow nodded, with a hesitant grin. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”
Luke beamed at him, and Crow once again felt like a dehydrated person at an oasis, drinking up the sight.