"'Course I did." The backrub refusal caught him by surprise, as did the hug, a bit. Zelda was demonstrative but usually there'd be tickling or hair-mussing or some attempt to get him to make a funny face by now. This was...different. But not bad. Anything but bad.
Duncan wrapped an arm around her waist and held the back of her head with his other hand, hugging her back. Her breath was tickling his neck, which was pretty distracting really, but he didn't want it to stop. "'Course I did," he repeated, quieter. "I'll always come whenever you need me." Maybe he shouldn't admit that, but hell. It was true. And given how fucking worried he'd been while she was gone, he just didn't care about whether saying it made him look like an idiot or not.