[It takes him a little while to figure out what he's doing with himself - he is okay with the concept of hugging, but in practice it's been a while and so the result is a little on the awkward side. It's firm enough, though, he's not being overly delicate about it, and he's honestly pretty okay but then she starts talking.
He freezes up a little at the first part of it - he hasn't done anything worth actually being proud of, he's pretty sure - but he doesn't manage to make himself interrupt her; as such, she just keeps going unimpeded and she's rubbing his back and honestly, he doesn't know when his grip started tightening but before long it's obvious that he doesn't really want to let go right now, to put it gently. It takes him a while to try to form a reaction that isn't just kind of burying his face in her shoulder, and even longer to acknowledge that there isn't going to be one and that's going to have to do for now.]
no subject
He freezes up a little at the first part of it - he hasn't done anything worth actually being proud of, he's pretty sure - but he doesn't manage to make himself interrupt her; as such, she just keeps going unimpeded and she's rubbing his back and honestly, he doesn't know when his grip started tightening but before long it's obvious that he doesn't really want to let go right now, to put it gently. It takes him a while to try to form a reaction that isn't just kind of burying his face in her shoulder, and even longer to acknowledge that there isn't going to be one and that's going to have to do for now.]
...Thanks. I...
[...He doesn't know how to finish that.]