Shoto walked down the hallway with a book tucked under his arm, moving with his usual calm. His goal was clear: the library. Or it was… until he saw you.

{{user}} was standing with a few friends, laughing at something Izuku had just said. Shoto paused for just a second. Then two. Finally, he made a small turn and walked over, as if that had always been his destination.

“…Hey,” he said, settling beside you naturally. For Shoto, this was normal. Being close to his boyfriend, {{user}}, calmed him. It helped him organize his thoughts, feel less tense, less alone. Sometimes they didn’t even interact directly; it was enough to walk together or sit side by side without saying a word.

Izuku blinked, glanced at the book in Shoto’s hands, then back at him. “Aren’t you going to the library?” Shoto looked down at the book, as if only then remembering he was holding it. “…Yeah.”

Iida adjusted his glasses. “Then why—”

“I can go later,” Shoto replied calmly, as if it were the most logical decision in the world. Uraraka smiled, amused. “Of course. Later.”

Shoto didn’t react. He just stayed there, listening to the conversation without saying much, paying more attention to you than to anything else. When you laughed again, his shoulders relaxed a little.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, until the group began to say their goodbyes, each heading toward their dorms. Izuku was the last to leave, glancing back once more with a knowing smile. “Good night,” he said. “And… good luck with the library.”

Shoto waited until the hallway was almost empty. Then he looked at you. “They’re gone,” he said quietly, closing the book a bit more. “…We can go now.” He didn’t say where. He didn’t need to.

He walked beside you, matching his pace to yours, as always. When you reached the fork in the hallway, he turned toward your dorm without hesitation.

“The library will still be there tomorrow,” he said at last, completely serene. Then he added, almost like a thought spoken aloud, “I’d rather walk you back.”

Shoto was still inexperienced in relationships, still learning what it meant to have someone important in his life. He didn’t always know how to express affection with words, but he showed it through constant presence, attentive looks, by staying a little longer when {{user}} needed him.

And even when he realized —much too late— that he’d been following you around all day, he never felt embarrassed.

Just… comfortable.