Clingy

-. Effervescent
     off the depths of flesh
  rainfall flecks .-

How they hadn't noticed sooner amazed them.

He leaned into every touch, shivered at fingers grazing his skin, hands lingered for a minute too long, seemed to feel sad when he lost their touch.

Jin Sakai was touch starved.

They had only realized it when he confessed it while dealing with the side effects of medicine after a bad fight.

Yuna held a hand out and placed the back of it on Jin's forehead to feel his temperature.

She was about to retreat when he gently grabbed her hand and placed it back on his forehead. He looked up at her with dopey eyes, clearly out of it.

"I like your touch. It's warm. It makes me feel safe."

And there were other times where it was so obvious.

Taka had held his hand on Jin's shoulder for a long time while talking. After they were done with their conversation and Taka took his hand away Jin seemed to be in a slightly bad mood, nobody knew why.

He also had odd habits in his sleep too. If anyone placed their bedrolls too close to his he seemed to cling to them. All 3 of them had learned that individually.

- - -

"How did this happen?" Yuna scolded

"I don't know! I just woke up and he was here!" Kenji gestured to his right side where Jin rested, gripping onto his arm

"He won't let go and he's stronger than me! Yuna, help, please!" Kenji whined. Yuna rolled her eyes as she pried a sleeping Jin off of him.

- - -

Taka blearily opened his eyes. It was cold out, he could feel the wind on his face and yet his backside felt oddly warm. He moved his hands down to his hips and could feel a pair of arms.

Actually, now that he was waking up he could feel someone behind him, and their head resting on his shoulder.

He knows he didn't fall asleep like this, did Jin do this? Why? He knows Jin fell asleep before all of them so why was he here?

- - -

After what happened with Taka and Kenji Yuna decided to place her bedroll closest to Jin instead.

She thought she would be safe but when she woke up Jin laid on her stomach, his hand over where hers was laying idly. She chuckled at that.

- - -

They never confronted Jin on that as to not embarrass him or make him feel bad. They never really minded it anyways so they would take turns sleeping closer to Jin every night.

It seems like he picked up on their pattern and his behaviors because he was always gone in the morning or awake before anyone else. Sometimes even sleeping away from everyone.

But it was clear now that all he really craves from them is touch, and they're happy to oblige.