phalanges. what is their relationship with touch ?
@flowerchained / bare bones ( headcanons )
it all kind of depends on timeline ——
pre-fracture/paris — flighty, particular. enjoys touch on his own terms. when flirting, likes little touches, teasing touches like a hand on an arm or a brush of fingers against shoulders or a brush of fingers. a little reserved otherwise unless with people he's close to; he's more casual and easy-going with things like hugs and casual touch with family and close friends, but he's not really someone driven by it. when in a relationship, he does really enjoy casual touch from his partner.
overall, during this time he has a healthy relationship with it: enjoying it when it's appropriate but not craving it or missing it.
post-fracture — well, specifically, post expedition zero: he swings between touch averse and touch-starved, often in a single breath. he's wildly out of touch with his own needs and wants and well-being, and after a series of bad experiences he also just flat out doesn't trust folk from Lumiére very much anymore. he's often avoidant. there's some periods where esquie and monoco and a handful of other gestrals are probably the only touch from and to another sentient being he has for years.
when he finally lets his guard down enough to let another human in, he's so touch-starved that the first hug makes him want to just break down and cry.
