It had been one of those evenings in the dorms when everything was quiet. Most of the others had already gone to bed, the common room dark except for the soft glow of a lamp.

Shinso lingered on the couch, slouched lazily with his arms folded, eyes half-lidded as if he was dozing.

But he wasn’t sleeping.

His gaze flickered over to you. You were nearby, scrolling through your phone, calm, unaware. His throat tightened with a thought he had been ignoring for weeks now — the ache for simple closeness.

He wasn’t good at asking. Never had been.

Affection didn’t come naturally to him, not when he’d spent so much of his life being avoided, feared, or treated like he was dangerous.

But now, with you so close, the temptation gnawed at him. Just one small thing. Just a hug.

His fingers twitched slightly against his arm, his eyes narrowing with quiet calculation. He didn’t like using his quirk for selfish reasons. He had promised himself he wouldn’t.

But… maybe, just this once, for something so small, so harmless…

“Hey,” he said, voice low, casual. The word was just enough. His quirk slipped into your head seamlessly, unseen, unheard, invisible.

Your body paused mid-scroll, hands stilling, then you moved, standing slowly, obediently. Shinso felt that familiar tug — control, precise and delicate, like a thread running between him and you.

You stepped closer, closing the distance between you without hesitation, and before his rational mind could scream at him to stop, you were lowering yourself into his space.

His arms unfolded instinctively, bracing — and then you wrapped your arms around him.

The breath caught in his throat.

Your warmth pressed into him, your head against his shoulder, arms snug around his torso. The contact was real, grounding, almost dizzying.

Shinso froze at first, heart pounding harder than he’d like to admit, but the sensation overwhelmed the guilt. It was everything he wanted, everything he didn’t know he needed.

His fingers twitched, then finally, hesitantly, he raised an arm and let it settle around you.

The other followed, pulling you in closer. He let his forehead rest against the top of your head, breathing in quietly, eyes sliding shut.

For a moment, he let himself have it.

The closeness. The warmth. The comfort. It wasn’t about control anymore — it was about holding on to something he never thought he could have.

When he finally released the thread of his quirk, you didn’t move right away. Maybe you didn’t notice. Maybe you just chose not to.

Either way, your arms stayed around him, and Shinso’s lips curved faintly into a small, genuine smile, hidden in your hair.

“…Thanks,” he whispered softly, his voice rough with a mix of guilt and relief. “I… needed that.”