[Of course Joshua was suspicious. When wasn't he suspicious about something Ryoji was about to do? Especially nowadays, even if what ended up happening wasn't quite as shocking anymore.
The gentle tug caught Joshua off guard, and with a quick intake of breath, he stepped forward to avoid losing his balance. He hadn't expected Ryoji to pull him like that. At all.
And then, there were arms around him.
It wasn't even a firm sort of hug. It was soft and incredibly gentle, like he was made of hollow glass and Ryoji was afraid of breaking him. Joshua tensed up for a moment, eyes widening, not moving at all. Physical contact without his consent was something that Joshua wasn't comfortable with to begin with, but...
But this was hardly uncomfortable. The only thing uncomfortable about it was the sudden memory that practically slammed into him because of it. Because the last person that had held him had been his mother, just before he had died. And she had held him in much the same way as this.
It was... comforting. But at the same time, it made his heart clench in a way he thought it was no longer capable of.
... a moment of hesitation went by, and very carefully - not to mention awkwardly - Joshua's hands lifted, palms pressing lightly against Ryoji's back. He... had no idea how else to react, honestly. Remaining still wasn't a good option, and he didn't particularly want to push Ryoji away. So, it was all that was left.]
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The gentle tug caught Joshua off guard, and with a quick intake of breath, he stepped forward to avoid losing his balance. He hadn't expected Ryoji to pull him like that. At all.
And then, there were arms around him.
It wasn't even a firm sort of hug. It was soft and incredibly gentle, like he was made of hollow glass and Ryoji was afraid of breaking him. Joshua tensed up for a moment, eyes widening, not moving at all. Physical contact without his consent was something that Joshua wasn't comfortable with to begin with, but...
But this was hardly uncomfortable. The only thing uncomfortable about it was the sudden memory that practically slammed into him because of it. Because the last person that had held him had been his mother, just before he had died. And she had held him in much the same way as this.
It was... comforting. But at the same time, it made his heart clench in a way he thought it was no longer capable of.
... a moment of hesitation went by, and very carefully - not to mention awkwardly - Joshua's hands lifted, palms pressing lightly against Ryoji's back. He... had no idea how else to react, honestly. Remaining still wasn't a good option, and he didn't particularly want to push Ryoji away. So, it was all that was left.]