Fletcher was pretty sure he hadn't said anything. Well, nothing important, anyway. Nothing earth-shattering. Nothing to warrant any unusual reactions. He'd been expecting a few more gentle and uncomfortable questions, or - given who he was talking to - a sage piece of wisdom passed down through the generations and nothing else. Maybe, at the most, a look of concern.
Well, he got the advice, alright. And the concern. But Fletcher definitely hadn't been expecting the hug.
It wasn't a normal hug, either, any more than a Teleporter was an ordinary sorcerer. It was only frightening and embarrassing for the first few moments; Fletcher tried to pull away a couple of times, but something more than just the Archangel's arms were stopping him. By the time the initial panic passed, Fletcher found himself feeling... not just warm, not just safe. Not just protected, like he'd never felt before in his life, but...
Wanted.
And it wasn't until the feeling flooded him that Fletcher realized how much he'd been missing it. No, not missing; he'd never really had it. Maybe for a couple of years before he learned the true extent of his power, but after that...? Fletcher hadn't really belonged anywhere. The chance to rescue Skulduggery, a man so important to Valkyrie and the others, had been his first real chance, and it had meant much more to him than even Fletcher himself realized.
The teenager surrendered himself to the hug without any more hesitation, barely even caring anymore if anyone saw. Part of him hoped someone would. It would give him bragging rights, for one thing.
A ready retort to Gabriel's advice, annoyingly, hadn't risen to the occasion. Fletcher almost needed to think about what to say, and it got garbled on the way up his throat to transform into the truth. "I hope you're right."
Then he stopped, shook his head, and fell back into his usual attitude. "You're not at all what I thought you'd be. Seriously. I thought you'd be more, sort of... demanding. And towering."
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Well, he got the advice, alright. And the concern. But Fletcher definitely hadn't been expecting the hug.
It wasn't a normal hug, either, any more than a Teleporter was an ordinary sorcerer. It was only frightening and embarrassing for the first few moments; Fletcher tried to pull away a couple of times, but something more than just the Archangel's arms were stopping him. By the time the initial panic passed, Fletcher found himself feeling... not just warm, not just safe. Not just protected, like he'd never felt before in his life, but...
Wanted.
And it wasn't until the feeling flooded him that Fletcher realized how much he'd been missing it. No, not missing; he'd never really had it. Maybe for a couple of years before he learned the true extent of his power, but after that...? Fletcher hadn't really belonged anywhere. The chance to rescue Skulduggery, a man so important to Valkyrie and the others, had been his first real chance, and it had meant much more to him than even Fletcher himself realized.
The teenager surrendered himself to the hug without any more hesitation, barely even caring anymore if anyone saw. Part of him hoped someone would. It would give him bragging rights, for one thing.
A ready retort to Gabriel's advice, annoyingly, hadn't risen to the occasion. Fletcher almost needed to think about what to say, and it got garbled on the way up his throat to transform into the truth. "I hope you're right."
Then he stopped, shook his head, and fell back into his usual attitude. "You're not at all what I thought you'd be. Seriously. I thought you'd be more, sort of... demanding. And towering."