[He returns the hug, glad for it. He might not be the huggiest person in the world, but sometimes, you just need a goddamn hug. He sinks into it a little, glad for the comfort. Glad for her. He didn't know how she would have responded to any of this- a part of him was always just expected to be left in the dirt again.
He stills when she says that- because he definately hadn't been expecting it. Those are three little words he really hasn't heard a whole lot in his life. Hell, he could probably count on both hands the number of times his father ever said those words to him- much less when they weren't in response to Varian saying them to him first. He knew his dad loved him, of course, but knowing and hearing are two very different things.
His friends back home have said it, once in a while- in their own ways, if not the actual words. Usagi definitely told him that, and that means the world to him. He takes them when he can- rare as those words are, keeping them like precious gems. Hearing it from Ruby is... different. It makes his chest tighten, she can probably hear him suck in a sharp breath, his arms tightening a little around her, his head drooping a little over her shoulder. ]
2/3
He stills when she says that- because he definately hadn't been expecting it. Those are three little words he really hasn't heard a whole lot in his life. Hell, he could probably count on both hands the number of times his father ever said those words to him- much less when they weren't in response to Varian saying them to him first. He knew his dad loved him, of course, but knowing and hearing are two very different things.
His friends back home have said it, once in a while- in their own ways, if not the actual words. Usagi definitely told him that, and that means the world to him. He takes them when he can- rare as those words are, keeping them like precious gems. Hearing it from Ruby is... different. It makes his chest tighten, she can probably hear him suck in a sharp breath, his arms tightening a little around her, his head drooping a little over her shoulder. ]