He hadn't intended on being nosey. The bottle cap from his drink fell to the floor and rolled under the bed, and that was where Miguel noticed the boxes when he reached underneath to retrieve it. That was where he happened to peek into one.
And that was how Hawk found him when he came out of the bathroom. "What are you doing down there?" he asked.
Miguel almost hit his head on the frame as he crawled out. He held up the cap. "Just getting this," he said, sitting on the bed again. Taking a sip of his Coke, he asked innocuously, "Hey, I thought you said you got rid of all your comic books."
He watched Hawk's mouth press in a thin line, and Miguel knew then that he'd stepped in it. "What makes you think you can just go through my stuff?" Hawk demanded.
"Chill," said Miguel, capping his drink, "I didn't go through anything, I only caught a glimpse. The box wasn't even closed."
Hawk's nostrils flared, but he knew what Miguel said was true. "I was gonna toss them, but I was waiting for my parents to have a garage sale, so I could get some money off them."
Miguel didn't believe him. "Well, if you don't want them anymore, can I take some off your hands?"
Hawk's face got hard to read, but there was clearly a journey going on there. The corners of his mouth twitched, and he muttered, "Uh, sure, whatever."
Eyeing how Hawk's hands were fidgeting, Miguel arched an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"Better a nerd like you has them, right?" Hawk tried joking, but his voice cracked as he said it. It sounded like his mouth had gone dry.
Miguel pointed out, "You don't sound like you mean it."
"It's stupid little kid shit, man," retorted Hawk. "Only cringey dweebs care about that stuff."
"Oh, so now I'm a nerd and a dweeb?" challenged Miguel. He knew Hawk well enough by now to spot projecting when he encountered it. He wished Hawk would stop being so hard on himself and enjoy the things that obviously made him happy once. Miguel understood Sensei had opinions about geeks, but Hawk needed to stop taking everything so literally.
Hawk frowned and looked away. "Just go ahead and take them if you want them."
Rolling his eyes, Miguel sighed but got off the bed to reach under it again, lugging out the big box of comics. His fingers flipped through the issues in their protective sleeves, eyes scanning the variety of titles. It was an impressive collection.
His eyes lit up when he spotted a special edition of Deadpool, and he pulled it out to claim.
"Not that one."
Miguel looked at Hawk as he sat on the floor beside him; his face was pinched in uncertainty. Miguel smiled and handed the issue to its original owner, assuring him, "Don't think about it so hard."
Hawk paused for a second, then accepted his comic back.