A/N: Day 12: hugs/holding hands. This one's very different from the rest. It's similar to the sunset/sunrise oneshots, but, no dialogue here. Just, give it a try?

Chapter Summary: Rayla liked hugs. She always has. Callum likes holding hands. He always has. So why does it feel so different when they do it together?

Word Count: 486

What Embrace Means to Me

Rayla liked hugs.

She was no stranger to affection growing up, and what she lacked from her parents, Runaan made up for in his own way. The occasional comfort from rewarding her for simple things like her first successful knife throw, or her first spar win. She'd look to her mentor with an excited smile, showing full on how proud of herself she was. He'd smile back and openly accept her rush of hugs. His embrace around her made her feel proud, at home, safe.

Her parents' hugs weren't exactly different. Back before the disaster that struck with the Dragon King, she's receive welcome home hugs all the time whenever she came back from training. Her mother's hug was soft, and warm, like a blanket. Her father's was similar to cloak, not as warm as her mother's, but clearly good enough to keep her sheltered and safe. She can faintly remember how it felt to hug them before they betrayed the Dragon King. Before they were cowards.

Grievances aside, their hugs and Runaan's made Rayla embrace the idea of entrapping herself into the comfort of another. She learned it's the best way to make people feel at ease, to ground them, to make them remember they aren't alone. It was the type of thinking that made her hug Ezran and Callum so much. The times they went through hardship, or needed the comradery, they held each other in their arms. Their friendship only signed itself with their contact.

And it was then Rayla learned what friendship hugs were like.

She liked hugging Ezran. He was cuddly, comforting, and felt raw. Like the physically embodiment of joy had actually taken the opportunity to hug her specifically. His probably felt like what hers felt like when she was younger.

But Callum? Callum was different. She didn't feel friend vibes from him, or the same energy she felt with Ezran. She felt comfort, but that was a definite in a friend. It was to be expected. But his warmth reminded her of her mother's, almost, intimate. She felt a lot warmer after hugging Callum. Regardless if it was for comfort or just embracing the moment, Callum's felt different.

It wasn't until he nearly died, when Rayla released why.

Ya mean too much to me.

She felt it. Of course, only she was holding him. But it made sense after that. All her emotions, into one—what she thought to be at the time—final embrace. Her heart quaking at the expectations, the mere idea of him not opening his eyes. But the relief that erupted as soon as he awakened. The flutter in her chest when she saw him expose his sudden mastery for Air. Her instinctive ability to always smile when he smiled back at her.

It was love.

Maybe.

Possibly.

All Rayla knew, was that after that, she loved hugs.

Especially Callum's.

::::

Callum liked holding hands.

It made him feel secure and grounded with his companion. Walking around, holding someone's hand, made him aware. Aware that he wasn't walking alone. Aware that the path he walked, was shared. It made him aware that, regardless of how small the gesture was, the contact between his hands and another's felt reassuring. It felt safe.

His mother's hands made him feel safe. When she walked him around the castle, exposing him to their new home, he felt safer. In a new, bigger, and somewhat colder place, her hands warmed his worried self. Fast forwarding through the years he loved to walk around the castle holding her hands. Even though he had memorized the entire place down to the stone, he liked holding her hands and walking. It was refreshing.

Holding hands with Ezran was sweet. He felt comforted, and he could tell Ezran did too. It felt nice to walk around and hold his younger brother's hand, knowing full well how much faith was put into their grasp. The way Ezran held on when he was younger, felt like his entire life was being entrusted into him. It was reassuring knowing how much his brother trusted him, and how much that trust held on years later. Ezran's hands were nice and soft, fragile but firm when scared. Like during a thunderstorm or snowstorm, walking around late at night to tire him out was the go to strategy for Callum. Of course he'd hold his hand all throughout. Of course he easily accepted his trust and led him around, fully on guard for anything. Ezran's touch was trusting.

Callum had never held hands with his friends before. Soren seemed to want to touch him with a wooden sword more than any basic skin on skin contact. He seemed to reserve his expression of care with more directly physical actions than the clear cut and dry comforting ones. Of course Claudia was a different story. Callum always wanted to hold her hands, to understand what it felt like to hold the hands of—what at the time he considered—a true Mage. He dreamt up the day he could muster up the courage to ask her and walk down the halls of the castle with their fingers intertwined. But after her dark side shown through, Callum couldn't imagine those same hands that conjured magic to destroy their last Hope ever being comforting.

So his last resort was Rayla.

It was merely only for a moment.

Practically could fly by in their heads as nothing but a casual touch.

All it took was one night under the stars, rested beside a small burning campfire. He had taken the opportunity to discuss the constellations that reigned high above, and learned he and her had different constellations from their cultures. The curiosity and interest took priority and they fell into it. It just happened. He wanted to show her all the stars he knew, and vice versa. And their night shifted easily into this nice, tender moment between the two. A moment where they just learned about each other, and their peoples. It was nice.

So nice, that Callum hadn't realized he'd been holding Rayla's hand the entire time. He had her in a firm, soft embrace, intertwining each finger into hers. It was perfect. Her fingers slipped into his like they were meant to, and the way she squeezed his hand, holding onto him with a warm comfort, it was nice.

It wasn't until the next night they tried again, that Callum realized why it felt so nice.

Her safe was different from his mom's. It's refreshing feel was different than that. It was reassuring and nice. It was different from the trusting touch he felt with Ezran. Different in the ways his family's hand felt to him. But it didn't feel worse. It felt sweet in its own way. It felt like the type of touch he hadn't ever felt before. It was the type of touch he imagined he'd feel when holding Claudia's hands.

Rayla's hands fit his.

Like they were meant to.

Maybe that meant something?

Either way, Callum still loved holding hands.

Especially Rayla's.

A/N: So yeah. Sorry it was so short. And had no dialogue. When I wrote this, that's sort of the vibe I just got when I finished. I felt like words couldn't exactly capture their thoughts, especially the way they're illustrated here, and I left it off like that. No talking. Just thoughts. Lemme know if you liked, or if you didn't! I'll make so not to do this more then if people don't like it.

Anyways, tomorrow's teasing! Another College AU! Just thought I'd share that now! See you then!

Until next time,

- Bleh