They were both ready to part ways and to return to their own dorms for the night. Jekyll lifted his hand to tip his hat to Lanyon when he looked up, startled at how close he was to him. Before he could react, Lanyon's arms were wrapped tightly around his body, so tightly he could hardly breathe for a moment. He tensed up, afraid. What had he done wrong? Why was he being restrained? Had he misjudged his new friend? But before he could think of an answer to those questions, the moment passed and Lanyon released him, steadying him at arms length, smiling. 

Jekyll didn't know how to respond to... that, so he just smiled back. Lanyon gave him an odd look, Jekyll could see gears turning in his head and he seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Oh!" he said, letting go of him, "I'm sorry, do you not like being hugged?"

"Hm?" was all Jekyll could say, still shaken from the hug, though he was relieved he hadn't gotten himself into any trouble. 

Lanyon looked earnestly at him, his brown eyes full of awkward guilt. "I never asked, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed. I like giving big hugs, you see, but I suppose I got ahead of myself." He punctuated his sentence with a guilty chuckle.

"That's er, that's alright." Jekyll said, trying not to sound stupid. He decided his fear wasn't an ideal response, so he came up with an excuse. He smiled, "You startled me, that's all." He mimicked Lanyon's chuckle as a sign of forgiveness, "Shall we try that again?"

Lanyon laughed his hearty laugh and outstretched his arms, waiting for Jekyll to meet him halfway. Jekyll matched his pose and stepped forward, letting him wrap his arms around his torso. He let himself relax into the embrace, wrapping his arms around Lanyon's shoulders and matching his intense grip -- slightly less intense than the first hug, however -- and smiling to himself at the warmth of it. He took in the reassuring pressure of Lanyon's thick arms around his back, and the feeling of his chest expanding and contracting against his own as he sighed. He sighed himself, and as he took in that breath, he caught the faint scent of coffee. He noted the tickle of Lanyon's pale hair against the side of his face. He would've forgotten himself if it weren't for the somewhat jarring "pat-pat" of Lanyon's firm hand upon Jekyll's back, and the hug ended. 

They bid each other a proper goodbye and parted for the evening. Lanyon left still feeling a tad guilty for startling his new friend, while Jekyll left pondering this new sensation. It had been so warm and pleasant. The closest thing he could think of to relate it to was wrapping himself tightly in his blanket, but that wasn't nearly as firm. Not nearly as... alive, as that embrace.

...

Days had passed since Jekyll's first meeting with Utterson. The tension that had been between them had subsided already, and he was enjoying his new friend's company. He and Lanyon were an interesting pair to watch, as they were so different from each other. Lanyon's booming voice and boisterous nature contrasted starkly with but also complimented Utterson's calm, soft-spoken one. He began noting their differences in mannerisms as well, such as Lanyon's dramatic gesticulations as he spoke versus Utterson's subtle change in expression as he did, or Lanyon's habit of gently slapping him on his upper body with the back of his hand to show enthusiasm versus Utterson's habit of keeping his hands to himself and instead gasping softly or doing little "oohs" or "aahs" when enthused. Jekyll found Utterson to be, at least in contrast to Lanyon, very dull. And he relished it immensely. 

Soon enough, there came a day that all three young gentlemen parted ways at the same time. By now, Jekyll and Lanyon had made hugging each other goodbye their usual, so he wasn't surprised when he went in for another tight embrace. He stepped back and Lanyon turned to hug Utterson as well, and he realized that he may end up taking a turn to hug his newest companion.

Jekyll and Utterson had only shaken hands thus far, and even that simple and common occurrence was so was notably different between he and Lanyon. Lanyon's large, knuckled fingers gripped firmly, almost challenging the other person to grip harder themself, while Utterson's handshakes -- while appropriately firm -- were made notable by the softness of his palms and the way his small fingers wrapped gently around the other person's hand. 

He waited patiently for Lanyon to let go of his new friend, and as Utterson turned towards him, he outstretched his arms welcomingly. Jekyll stepped forward almost eagerly and smiled at him. He felt Utterson's arms wrap around him. He felt his face nestle between his neck and shoulder. It was gentle, very gentle. His arms did not crush his ribcage or even grip him in a way that he would describe as tight. They simply rested comfortably upon Jekyll's back. The soft weight of his arms was comforting to him, like a warm blanket laid upon him, only heavier. 

He felt Utterson's soft body against him as well, warm and pressed tentatively against his chest. Jekyll gently wrapped his arms around his shoulders and as he did so, he caught a whiff of what smelled something like a library. Like dusty, old books, though it was not unpleasant. He also smelled, only very very faintly, something like baked goods. He sighed, melting into Utterson's embrace. It was so warm and gentle and comforting. He could've fallen asleep right there, snoring into that soft, blonde hair. He wrapped his arms tighter, resting his head between his arm and Utterson's head.

Then Jekyll felt, through what was at least eight layers of clothing between them, the faint but rapid thumping of Utterson's heartbeat. He snapped out of his trance and pulled back from him. That hug had lasted... a few seconds too long, he decided. He looked at Utterson, who wouldn't meet his gaze, but instead turned his now reddened face away from Jekyll.

"I..." Jekyll started, nervous. He couldn't think of an excuse, so he just smiled. "I'm sorry..."

"That's alright," said Utterson, still half turned away from him. "I like hugs."

Jekyll could see in his face that he was kicking himself, though he thought it was an acceptable response. Maybe not the best one, but better than any excuse he could think of for himself. 

"Well, it was lovely seeing you again." He said instead, giving a slight bow.

"Y-Yes it was very lovely." Utterson responded. He seemed to want to leave as fast as Jekyll did. 

They bid each other goodbye and off Utterson went, walking quickly to his own dorm. Before leaving himself, Lanyon leaned over to Jekyll.

"He gives good hugs, doesn't he?" He said, smiling that rosy Lanyon-smile.

"Oh, yes, it was- it was nice." Jekyll said, unsure of just how much of his excitement he should express.

"I call them Utter-hugs. His whole family gives the best ones."

"Really?"

"M-hm, very pleasant. I don't blame you for lingering." He didn't seem to be any shade of sarcastic, so Jekyll accepted his input with a smile.

They bid each other a final farewell and retreated to their respective dorms. That night, Jekyll stayed awake, thinking about that ever-so-gentle embrace, and found himself trying to recreate it with his pillows and blankets to no avail. The warmth of his body heat, the weight of his arms wrapped around him, the faint beating of his heart... The sheer life of that embrace could never be replicated with shallow blankets and empty pillows.