Yeah. He really hadn't made it easy on the kid. Touch still wasn't a thing that came so easily to him; even if Char had been predisposed to seek out contact like Bulba, the mark of Aiden's neglect wasn't washed off so easily. For almost half his lifespan, physcal contact had only been a thing that happened when you were fighting somebody off. It'd taken a decade and a brush with death for Char to progress beyond the split-second shy touches with Green, and that was with somebody who was completely attuned to his way of thinking.
Bulba was a whole different kettle of fish. He meant well, yes, but that anxious desire to somehow just make the kid happy could be just as much of a hinderance -- the more Char second-guessed his actions, the more his guard went up. Never quite knowing exactly what it was that the kid needed of him, never being certain when his attempts to reach out would just burn the Ivysaur yet again... it was easy to start thinking that any sort of proximity might end up hurting him. Even now, when Bulba was making it perfectly clear what it was he wanted from Char, there was the split-second of hesitation. Like he was faced with something so fragile that he wasn't entirely sure his rough blood-splattered hands could even take hold of it without breaking it.
It was, however, only that: a split second. Even if the smarter part of him whispered of the risks of setting Bulba off once again, even if the aloof Charizard part resisted this kind of sentimental stuff, the big brother part of him couldn't keep from trying one more time. He wasn't quite sure if Bulba's words were comforting or had him even more uneasy about what he'd done, so he said nothing in response. Instead, those nervous hands ceased their scratching, and pulled the Ivysaur in for a hug. It wasn't really anything special, as far as hugs went: the gesture was awkward and unnatural at best. Char hadn't given anyone a hug -- a proper one -- since... well, probably since his Charmander days, and he couldn't quite shake off the idea that he needed to treat with the utmost caution -- like anything beyond a feather-light touch would shatter Bulba like glass. Still, imperfect though it may have been, the gesture was there nonetheless.
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Bulba was a whole different kettle of fish. He meant well, yes, but that anxious desire to somehow just make the kid happy could be just as much of a hinderance -- the more Char second-guessed his actions, the more his guard went up. Never quite knowing exactly what it was that the kid needed of him, never being certain when his attempts to reach out would just burn the Ivysaur yet again... it was easy to start thinking that any sort of proximity might end up hurting him. Even now, when Bulba was making it perfectly clear what it was he wanted from Char, there was the split-second of hesitation. Like he was faced with something so fragile that he wasn't entirely sure his rough blood-splattered hands could even take hold of it without breaking it.
It was, however, only that: a split second. Even if the smarter part of him whispered of the risks of setting Bulba off once again, even if the aloof Charizard part resisted this kind of sentimental stuff, the big brother part of him couldn't keep from trying one more time. He wasn't quite sure if Bulba's words were comforting or had him even more uneasy about what he'd done, so he said nothing in response. Instead, those nervous hands ceased their scratching, and pulled the Ivysaur in for a hug. It wasn't really anything special, as far as hugs went: the gesture was awkward and unnatural at best. Char hadn't given anyone a hug -- a proper one -- since... well, probably since his Charmander days, and he couldn't quite shake off the idea that he needed to treat with the utmost caution -- like anything beyond a feather-light touch would shatter Bulba like glass. Still, imperfect though it may have been, the gesture was there nonetheless.