"Can I hug you?" You suddenly asked as you watched Haru's back while he closed the gate that led to the fields where bigger, bull-like anomalies roamed free.
"What? Now?" He turned around to look at you, eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise. He rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead, wiping the sweat on his brow that glistened under the harsh sun rays. You noticed how the white streaks of sunscreen you had demanded he applied on his face were already trailing down his freckled cheeks. He was already due for another coat.
You shrugged and nodded meekly.
"But I'm all sweaty, and there's dirt on my clothes." He said with a pout. His hands instinctively went to touch the place where Peekaboo would be, if he wasn't napping in his cradle back in the dorm.
"... I know." You muttered.
Haru straightened his posture and put his hands on his hips, leaning towards your face.
"Hmmm... Are you okay?" He asked, scanning your expressions.
You shrugged again and fidgeted with your hands.
He slowly leaned back with a sigh, face softening at your words. His eyebrows shot up again, now morphing his face into a look of sympathy.
"Okay..." he nodded. "But are you sure you wanna hug me?"
You nodded fiercely. Haru frowned.
"Even if I'm a bit yucky?"
"You're not yucky!" You immediately protested. You would never stand for his own self-deprecation.
"I just mean I'm sweaty" Haru raised his hands in surrender with a giggle.
"I don't care." You shook your head and looked at your feet. "I just wanna hug you."
Haru widened his eyes for a moment before raising the corner of his lips in a smile and shaking his head.
"I can't say no after that, now can I? Come here." He opened his arms with a grin and stepped closer to you.
You threw your arms around his neck and pressed yourself flush against his body. And as Haru circled your waist with his arms, your senses were quickly covered by all that encompassed him.
His messy mop of red hair grazed your forehead as you rested your head on the crook of his neck. The darkened tips were plastered together since they were damp, and they tickled your skin as they dragged softly on your face.
From up close, you could see that the freckles that adorned his cheeks and nose were also present on his clavicule, and you couldn't help but wonder if he also had them on his shoulders, on his back, on his chest.
His breathing was steady, grounding. He hummed quietly as his hands traced circles on your back, patiently waiting for you to leave the darker corners of your mind, luring you back to him with his voice.
But most importantly, there was his scent. Haru smelled like a mix of sunscreen, musk, and grocery store-bought baby cologne – he had told you before that it was the best way to make himself smell at least okay without spending too much money. It was all so undeniably "Haru" that, for a moment, you managed to focus only your senses and forget about everything else.
You exhaled shakily, and Haru tightened his hold on your waist, pressing you firmly (and impossibly closer) against his body. You felt supported. Protected. Safe.
You already knew it, but once again, you relished in the realization that Haru felt like home.
And, in that moment, you could believe that things could be okay someday – as long as you had that home to go back to.
