It means that the warm fuzzies I was feeling took on a physical form to show you exactly how I felt, apparently they didn't realize how strong they'd be in the flesh, so to speak. And I'm glad you find my place to be so soothing, particularly with you moving in at some point.

I keep seeing the costume with a long coat, almost like a lab coat, with minimal armor under it, and I'm not entirely sure why.

Well, I'm quite fond of the multiple sets of optics as well.