with how open he is, i take it that elliott is quite affectionate with people !! possibly likes physical touch a lot and struggles with boundaries when it comes to people who don’t mind it vs. people who really don’t want to be touched.
in canon he apologizes a lot about his “weird” demeanor and the things he says; relevant to this specifically, he’s apologized for being seemingly too forward when he and the farmer first meet. because he was excited to have a friend, to be close to someone. he’s probably made people uncomfortable completely by accident by being too heavy-handed with his affection for the people he cares about, openly saying “i love you” to his friends or calling them ‘dear’ (and it doesn’t help that men, especially of his background, are shamed for being affectionate in the first place, as it’s seen as weakness). this goes for verbally, physically, etc.
so, walk with me here, the more bonded he feels towards the farmer the more he wants to be physically affectionate with them, or express how much they mean to him, but is terrified of doing anything to make farmer uncomfortable. maybe he actively has to resist giving hugs, or stop himself from reaching out for the farmer’s hand to hold, even just having their bodies close to each other he’s holding his breath, hoping the proximity isn’t making them uneasy.
if they start dating, he’ll be more forward with verbalizing how he cares for the farmer in little actions he takes. for physical affection though, he probably would still be apprehensive, until he asks how the farmer feels about being touched. as soon as the farmer makes it clear that they’re open to this, it’d probably be like the breaking of a dam.
suddenly, it’s all the time. a hand resting at the small of your back to gently guide you through a crowd. hands gently caressing your cheek. fingers interlocked with yours as you take a walk together. leaning his head over yours as you sit next to each other to work or read or parallel play. taking your hands into his own and up to his lips to press kisses to your knuckles. gently touching your shoulder as he listens to you speak. soothing hands kneading the muscles in your back for a long-needed massage. not even taking a second thought to wiping food off your face. rubbing the side of your arm reassuringly.
all very casual, not necessarily always romantically charged.
little touches full of affection to communicate just how much he loves you.
