The Strangely Comforting Hug
It wasn't the way The Jackal had imagined placing his hands upon The Wounded Blond One for the first time. In fact, at that moment he had not even been putting those thoughts into the universe. She was just a girl who had caused him a lot of grief, but she too was grieving at that moment. She was grieving for her sister, and her lost love, and a few things Spinelli was sure he didn't know about.
Maxie had started to tear up at a rather inconvenient time, considering the killer could be lurking just outside the door. The Jackal had a weakness for tears though, with wanting to make the pain subside, not to mention he had a gargantuan thing for blonds.
"Not so long ago my mom used to hold me, and then Coop, and Georgie. And now, I mean..." Spinelli watched as one of the strongest, toughest girls he knew turned into a scared little girl.
He sat down next to here, unsure if she was requesting solace in the form of human contact, or just rambling as he so often did himself. Spinelli took a deep breath, and then as if attempting his first jump off the high dive, jumped into the hug.
The Jackal couldn't help but notice the fragility of the bones that made her, the narrowness of her sparrow shoulders. She could be easily broken, and part of him hoped she never would be. Spinelli wasn't foolish enough to think that he could ever protect someone like Maxie, but then he felt her tiny hand grasp his forearm through his bulky jacket.
Maxie was holding onto him.
He smelt her perfume, or body lotion, or whatever it was that made girls smell so deliciously unattainable. Her beautiful blond hair brushed softly against his cheek, and mentally he sighed a little. Unsure of what to do he patted her back awkwardly.
She hopped out of his arms suddenly, as if realizing where she was and who was holding her. Spinelli refused to acknowledge the pang of sudden disappointment and let her go. He continued to sit on the bed, trying to figure out what had just happened.
"Thanks, Spinelli. That was strangely comforting," Maxie said as she pulled her sweater tight against her body.
Strangely comforting, Spinelli thought, that was one way to describe it.