... [Most would never have noticed it even if pointed out to them, but there's a certain sense of control in the way Minato presents himself to the world and his friends that's subtle, almost impossible to notice in the careful words he uses in everyday conversations, how he deflects attention from himself by focusing on the other person and in the way he tends to mirror others, not so much repeating words as providing a different perspective that still says more about the other person than it says anything much about Minato.
It's also the main reason why he'd ended up fleeing from Yu during the library event, not out of concern for his personal space as one might have assumed given his nature, but as he truly had no idea why he'd even reciprocated a little.
That part he'd been forthcoming with since Minato feels that Yu deserved to know as much, but it's only now when he's pulled into a hug that he can put a word to how he feels like having someone hugging him without having to ask first.
Safety.
Yu's already seen him suffering worse than this without pitying him or trying to fix him the way someone less understanding might have, and in leaning into the hug with a single breath drawn he acknowledges that he doesn't mind being held like this.]
You're my friend too. [His tone's wry, but it does say something that he can afford to crack a joke.] ...Thanks.
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It's also the main reason why he'd ended up fleeing from Yu during the library event, not out of concern for his personal space as one might have assumed given his nature, but as he truly had no idea why he'd even reciprocated a little.
That part he'd been forthcoming with since Minato feels that Yu deserved to know as much, but it's only now when he's pulled into a hug that he can put a word to how he feels like having someone hugging him without having to ask first.
Safety.
Yu's already seen him suffering worse than this without pitying him or trying to fix him the way someone less understanding might have, and in leaning into the hug with a single breath drawn he acknowledges that he doesn't mind being held like this.]
You're my friend too. [His tone's wry, but it does say something that he can afford to crack a joke.] ...Thanks.