Michael let out a light chuckle, turning to look at Hawthorne. "Don't be upset for asking. I'm just happy I didn't do something dumb!" he said with a grin. The boy rested one of his hands a bit closer to the other's side as he got in a more comfortable position.
"Oh yeah. You didn't do anything wrong at all." Hawthorne replied with a light smile on his face. After a few minutes he looked at Micheal again, "Micheal, you're, um, really nice…Thank you for coming out in the cold and way in a tree to keep me company." He said quietly. He really enjoyed Micheal's company and it made him feel less nervous.
Michael did his best to hide his surprise. This was the most the orphan had ever said to him. Then again it had maybe been an hour since they met. Still!
"It's no problem. I wanted to," he replied simply. As he leaned back onto his palms a bit, his hand inched slightly closer so the boys were almost touching hands.
Hawthorne noticed the bit of surprise in Micheal's eyes that he didn't manage to cover up, making him blush lightly and his smile to grow a bit wider. He felt comfortable and it was unusual. Even back when he still made connections with people, he never felt as comfortable as he did with Micheal right now. What was this feeling? Thorne's hand moved slightly and it touched the other's hand, making Thorne turn more red, "A-ah, oh sorry." He stuttered nervously and pulled his hand away slightly.
The other tilted his head once again. "Why are you sorry? It's only my hand," Michael asked curiously. His smile shrank slightly, noticing the stuttering return. Before Hawthorne could reply, the boy spoke up again. "I really like it when you smile too," he said. Michael had also assumed the reddened cheeks were from the cold air.
"Oh um, I didn't know if you were uncomfortable with our hands touching or not." Hawthorne admitted shyly, "And I really like it when you smile too," He added, the smile on his face returning.
(Bump?)
It took Michael a moment before his cheeks warmed a bit. Did… Did Hawthorne mean… like romantic hand holding? No, no, Thorne was quite shy and neither of them could be ready for that after just a few hours! Neither of them could get those feelings so soon right? At least he hadn't.
"Oh, thanks," he replied, keeping his hand still. Thorne could hold his hand if he wanted to. Friends could hold hands.
(Sorry)
(It's okay!)
Thorne still felt a bit embarrassed so he thought of a way to change the subject, "Do you help out around the orphanage a lot?" He asked curiously, glancing at Micheal before looking back down at his legs, which were slowly swinging back and forth. A nervous tick, but it was easy to play it off as him just swinging his legs for fun.
Michael hummed in response before explaining. "Not until recently, but I'll be here a lot more," he said. In all honesty, he was looking forward to the days to come. Each day he'd get to talk with Hawthorne. Sure, the younger kids were fun, but he liked seeing the other boy lose his timidity, even if it was for just a few moments. Looking at the other's legs a moment, Michael began swinging his as well. It was nice.
Hawthorne smiled softly at the thought that he'd be able to see Micheal often, "Neat." He replied and began thinking of more things to talk about with the other.