If he was asked how you two became friends, Shinsou would be at a loss for how it started. Most people found him scary and intimidating due to his Quirk being considered evil. You, however, were fascinated by his desire to be a hero with it. You were Quirkless, but you had joined the General Studies course at U.A. in order to go to a good technical school and eventually work with the government as some kind of support for them, whether that be as an office assistant or an extra set of hands when things got rough in emergencies. You were ready to help out however you could. And it seemed that you'd decided to do that for Shinsou too. You got along well with your other classmates, but you liked to make a point to hang around him most. He seemed like he needed someone to lean on the most. Even if he did have a really powerful Quirk. “Powerful?” he repeated. “Of course,” you replied. “Don't you think so?” Shinsou furrowed his brows slightly. You two were on your way home after classes, and you'd just blurted out that word to describe his Quirk. It had been labeled villainous in the past, so he'd never considered it to be powerful. Using it too much or on too many people at once could cause him to pass out if he wasn't careful. And he couldn't get people to do everything he wanted, usually only simple tasks that required little brainpower. “You could do a lot of good with it if you developed it,” you insisted. He considered your point. Maybe if he trained it more, he could do more with it. Not that there were a lot of opportunities to do that without getting into trouble. But maybe.... He was interrupted from his thoughts as it started raining. The two of you quickly ran under a shelter, not wanting to fumble for your umbrellas while you got wet. Shinsou easily found his umbrella, shaking it open as you continued to search. He watched you with an amused smile on his face. Not that he'd ever tell you, but he did have some feelings for you. You were such a kind person and despite how he might act, he enjoyed your company. It was definitely better than being alone all the time. But he had no idea how to even express his feelings. You probably didn't even think of him that way and he didn't want to ruin your friendship over some silly crush. “That's right, I left mine at home today,” you grumbled as you realized it wasn't in your bag. “Mind letting me share with you?” The purple haired boy shrugged, holding it out so that you could get underneath it with him. Once you were comfortably situated, you two slowly started back on your way home. You walked in silence for several seconds. He noticed that your shoulder was getting wet, and he wished you would get closer to him under the umbrella. He didn't want to hear about it when you got sick later. His eyes widened in surprise when you suddenly did just that, your shoulder bumping against his own. Was that...just a coincidence? It had to be. He hadn't made a conscious effort to use his power on you. But how had you done that at exactly the moment he thought about it? He glanced down to see you fiddling with a loose thread on your jacket, not even paying attention to him. He scoffed at himself. Get it together, Shinsou, he grumbled to himself. After all, it wasn't like you were going to just start holding his hand or something because he thought about it hard enough. His power couldn't do that. A few moments later, his entire body stiffened as you suddenly grabbed his hand, pushing into him as someone walked too close past you. You seemed to notice his nervousness and moved a little bit to give him space. “Sorry, I didn't realize I was so close.” “It's fine.” This had to be a coincidence. There was no other explanation. The only way he'd believe it was his own power was if you actually confessed to him now. “Shinsou, could I ask you something?” His blood ran cold at the sound of your voice. Your eyes were now trained on him, determination written across your features. “M-maybe later. I just remembered that I have to go somewhere. Right now. Here, take the umbrella,” he said, shoving it into your hands before racing off. It wasn't possible. He wasn't making conscious decisions to control you. Was his Quirk suddenly out of control, or just too powerful? Was he going to unintentionally become a villain? Was this how it all started for him? “Shinsou! What's wrong?” “No, stay back,” he commanded. You froze in place and he cursed quietly, releasing you from your trance. “You have to stay away from me.” “What are you talking about? Get under this umbrella before you catch a cold!” He shook his head slowly. “I can't be near you right now. I'll brainwash you again.” “Again?” “You keep getting near me and touching me and doing things exactly when I think of them. Something's wrong with my Quirk and I don't want to use it on you. Please, just go away.” You slowly stepped closer to him. He backed away. “(Y/N), stop, I'm serious.” “Shinsou, look at me,” you insisted. “This is me, doing things of my own free will. You want me to go away, and I'm not. Doesn't that prove I'm not brainwashed?” “Not anymore, but you were going to confess to me because I wanted you to!” “I wasn't brainwashed, I was going to confess to you because I like you!” You both froze, staring at each other. “You wanted me to confess?” “You like me?” Before he realized what was happening, you walked straight up to him and flicked his forehead. He flinched in pain. “What's wrong with you?” you demanded. “I finally got up the nerve to tell you I like you and you took off like a maniac and made it ten times more dramatic. Brainwashed or not, you're lucky I do like you.” He smiled as he rubbed his forehead. You'd said it again, and he hadn't even been thinking about it. “I know, I just...wanted it to be real.” He took the umbrella from you and raised it above your head. “Come on, let's get you home.” “Wait, aren't you going to respond to my confession?” Instead of answering, he merely intertwined his fingers with yours and started walking. You smiled to yourself. His Quirk might be powerful, but it was easy to tell that his mind was the one being controlled. Just by love.