Shoto Todoroki had never imagined himself in a relationship. Not because he thought he was incapable of it—he just never really considered it. Love, romance, affection… those things always seemed like something meant for other people. But now, it belonged to him, too.

At first, it had been strange. Not bad, just… new. He had never been the type to seek out physical affection, and yet, the first time his boyfriend reached for his hand, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he let himself feel it, fingers laced together as if they had always fit that way.

Spending time together, though—that was what Shoto cherished the most. He didn’t need words to feel close. Just being with him was enough. Whether they were studying, eating lunch, or even just sitting in silence.

Which is why, right now, Shoto found himself sitting cross-legged on his dorm room floor, letting his boyfriend comb his fingers through his hair. It wasn’t the first time this had happened, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

The soft pull of fingers moving through his hair—it was enough to make his eyelids feel heavier. He had fallen asleep like this once before, head resting in his boyfriend’s lap. Waking up had been slightly embarrassing, but if it happened again, Shoto wouldn’t mind.

“You’re really enjoying this, huh?” his boyfriend teased, fingers scratching at his scalp.

Shoto hummed, barely opening his eyes. “It’s nice.”

His boyfriend laughed quietly. “You sound like a cat.”

Shoto thought about that for a moment. “Cats are good.”

“That’s not an argument.”

Shoto didn’t reply, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward slightly.

His boyfriend shifted, setting down the hair tie he had been about to use. “You’d look cute with pigtails,” he mused.

Shoto blinked. “You think I’d look cute?”

His boyfriend gave him a look. “That’s what you got out of that?”

“Yes.”

Moments like these were what he held onto—the soft ones, the quiet ones, the ones that reminded him of all the things he never got to have before.