[As absorbed in his work as he is, Ed doesn't pay too much attention to the entrance. Whoever it was would announce themselves soon enough and it was barely a thought, the sound of the door opening and closing in the back of his mind.
When the person makes their way around the counter there is the briefest tug at his thoughts. That was Weird, unless it was Al, no one really belonged behind the counter here. It had been far too long since he'd had employees and his friends certainly wouldn't - but before he even had a chance to process questioning who or why there are arms wrapping around him and something catches, because in all his life there weren't nearly as many people that had hugged him as in Riverview. Of all the possibilities, Al, Lola, Yuffie - and he ignores the pain in his chest at that reminder - the one that made the least sense was the one standing before him right then.
In all the time that passed he hadn't forgotten the familiar feeling, the way her arms wrapped around him when they did hug and there was a sense of belonging there- where normally he'd jerk back and confront whoever dared to touch him without warning, Where not even a single word had passed between them first, his subconscious is what catches on before the rest of him. The rational, logical part of his brain insisting that some random person has just invaded his personal space is ignored in favor of giving in to the touch because this wasn't some awkward hug from some girl that barely knew him. This wasn't a hug of comfort, this was desperation and clinging and so tight he could feel all of the emotion built up inside of it, but he knew this hug - even if it shouldn't be possible, even if it couldn't be because she wasn't there and there was no way that she would be, not any version that remembered him anyway - but he knew it, his body knew this sensation already, because it was the one that felt most like home.
There is the briefest moment of hesitation as all of this plays in his thoughts before he turns to wrap his own arms around her in response. Possibly with the slightest bit of awkward adjustment because he'd grown in the time they were separated, and they wouldn't fit together quite like they might have before. Still, he's hugging her back for the moment before shifting to withdraw. To know if this was really her, not some illusion his mind had conjured up or another trick of this place. Ed knew that people were talking about seeing ghosts of their pasts and he was hardly expecting to be immune to that - but the idea that this could be any part of that illusion seemed too unlikely to entertain. Even more so than the thought that she was actually there.]
no subject
When the person makes their way around the counter there is the briefest tug at his thoughts. That was Weird, unless it was Al, no one really belonged behind the counter here. It had been far too long since he'd had employees and his friends certainly wouldn't - but before he even had a chance to process questioning who or why there are arms wrapping around him and something catches, because in all his life there weren't nearly as many people that had hugged him as in Riverview. Of all the possibilities, Al, Lola, Yuffie - and he ignores the pain in his chest at that reminder - the one that made the least sense was the one standing before him right then.
In all the time that passed he hadn't forgotten the familiar feeling, the way her arms wrapped around him when they did hug and there was a sense of belonging there- where normally he'd jerk back and confront whoever dared to touch him without warning, Where not even a single word had passed between them first, his subconscious is what catches on before the rest of him. The rational, logical part of his brain insisting that some random person has just invaded his personal space is ignored in favor of giving in to the touch because this wasn't some awkward hug from some girl that barely knew him. This wasn't a hug of comfort, this was desperation and clinging and so tight he could feel all of the emotion built up inside of it, but he knew this hug - even if it shouldn't be possible, even if it couldn't be because she wasn't there and there was no way that she would be, not any version that remembered him anyway - but he knew it, his body knew this sensation already, because it was the one that felt most like home.
There is the briefest moment of hesitation as all of this plays in his thoughts before he turns to wrap his own arms around her in response. Possibly with the slightest bit of awkward adjustment because he'd grown in the time they were separated, and they wouldn't fit together quite like they might have before. Still, he's hugging her back for the moment before shifting to withdraw. To know if this was really her, not some illusion his mind had conjured up or another trick of this place. Ed knew that people were talking about seeing ghosts of their pasts and he was hardly expecting to be immune to that - but the idea that this could be any part of that illusion seemed too unlikely to entertain. Even more so than the thought that she was actually there.]