Rivener buried his head against Isi's shoulder as the boy accepted the Scorpion's hug. Riv felt like he was clinging for dear life. His brows furrowed deeply and his mouth drew itself into a tight line to keep the sobs inside.
It felt so warm, so safe. Riv never let people hug him, usually. Apart for Eiry, that is, but the Minty Frei's hugs never carried this meaning to it. It was just flippant, playful hugs. This was different. Only a few rare times had Rivener allowed even Aphi to hold him like this, but now Riv couldn't think of any reason why he'd push people away. He wanted to feel warm and safe, he wanted to feel-... loved.
The large gap that had forged itself between Rivener and the rest of the Delaran household was shrinking. The dark Raevan could feel the beginnings of a bridge being built over the last of the chasm, which would never fully close. Things would be better now. Between Rivener and Isikoro. Between Rivener and everyone. Not fully healed yet, but much better.
"Dreamcatcher?..." Rivener pondered. "...Maybe I need one too. But first, I wanna watch the Grudge." Riv smiled shyly, but with more feeling than he had in a while, and he floated towards the hallway.
Tomorrow or the day after, Aphismet would tear up that floor and replace the boards. The paint splatter would be gone. And while Rivener did have a picture of it, he never intended to look at that picture ever again.
