To Be Devoted Like a Yellow Rose [Roses are Red, Violets are...Purple? Part 3]

2

Today was the fateful day that Denki had set aside to confess. He asked Kyouka to the park where he'd confess his feelings. Shinso observed from a bench on the other side of the park. He was ready to be there whether Denki needed a shoulder to cry on (should he be rejected) or someone to share his excitement with (should he have a new girlfriend in the next twenty minutes). 

Shinso didn't turn his head when someone sat down next to him. Not at first, anyway, but then that stupid laugh happened. He remembered this guy in his class a while back. Neito Monoma? Was that his name? 

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Shinso Aizawa," he grinned, Shinso turned his head to stare at him. He was kind of annoying with a very twisted personality. But, then again, Shinso had one too. 

"Are you watching your best friend and childhood crush confess today?" he smiled, as if it was obvious. 

"How do you-" 

Neito placed his finger on Shinso's lips and smirked. "I've been watching you for a while, of course I could tell, because... I like you, Shinso." What? That was the first he'd heard of this. The two barely spoke...well, that wasn't true. They did sit next to each other for an entire year in class. They were lab partners in another but Shinso was too busy focusing on Denki to notice anyone around him. He didn't even expect someone to have a crush on him! 

Neito moved his finger and cupped Shinso's face in his hand. "I know you like your friend but will you go out with me?" Shinso didn't like the idea of going out with someone when he had feelings for someone else. But he also didn't like the feeling of endless loneliness if Denki did get a girlfriend today. 

"I-" 

"Let me put it this way then," Neito tilted his head and smirked, "if you don't go out with me I'll tell Denki how you feel." Shinso's heart twisted over itself. He couldn't have that. He didn't want to know how Denki would react. He was afraid of ruining their relationship. He couldn't even tell him he liked guys! He couldn't imagine what it would be like if he told Denki his feelings for Denki!

"Fine," Shinso sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. "I'll go-" 

Neito kissed Shinso without further notice. He grabbed his face with both of his hands and pressed their lips together just like that, without a care as to who saw them. His hope was that if Shinso could like someone else, then in time, Shinso could like him too. He wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by. It was Shinso's first kiss. He'd expected it to be with Denki but obviously, that wasn't going to happen. So, although he was planning on resisting...he found himself swept up in Neito's mood. He placed his hand on the base of Neito's neck and pushed him into his mouth further, completely forgetting that Denki was on the other side of this park. 

"S-Shinso?" Denki's voice snapped him back to reality. He pushed Neito away and stood up. 

"Denki-!" 

"You...and Neito are...?" Denki glanced back and forth between him and Neito and then turned on his heel and ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Neito crossed his legs on the bench and smirked, watching as Shinso chased after him.

"I'll let you do that this once, but you're my boyfriend now whether you like it or not, Shinso," he snickered. "I don't plan on giving you up that easily." 

"Denki wait!" Shinso ran as fast as he could to catch up, but he was an indoor type, not the sports type. "Denki..." he panted, having to stop and hold his knees. "Oh for Pete's sake..." he wheezed. 

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Denki turned around and looked at Shinso. The hurt on his face was evident. "I thought we were best friends! I didn't realize we kept secrets from each other! Why didn't you tell me-!" he started crying. 

"Neito just confessed to me right now...I didn't know either-" Shinso began. 

"Not that!" Denki snapped, taking a few steps toward Shinso. "Why didn't you tell me you were gay?! I thought you trusted me! I thought we were closer to each other than anyone...so how come..." he bit his lower lip. "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I would hate you for it or something?!" 

"No...that's not..." Shinso waved his hands around, panicking, not sure what to say. "I just never found the right time...I guess?" 

"When did it first start? When did you know? How long have you been keeping this from me?" Denki grabbed Shinso's shoulders and shook him slightly. 

"Do you remember when we went to the beach the summer after 5th grade?" Shinso asked. Denki nodded. "That's probably when I first started to notice..." he confessed, "I just didn't understand why everyone was getting so worked up about swimsuits until I saw some guys with nice abs..." it sounded stupid when he said this out loud. But he wasn't lying completely. Denki didn't know that it was his body that got him worked up. 

"That was years ago..." Denki let go of Shinso's shoulders and let his hands fall. "You've been keeping this from me for that long?" Shinso didn't want Denki to feel hurt or betrayed but he also couldn't stand this anymore. 

"I didn't tell you because I was too busy figuring it out myself!" Shinso slapped his hand on his chest and snapped. "Maybe it was a freak incident! Maybe I did actually like girls and didn't realize! Maybe I was fucked up! I don't know but I didn't want to tell you until I knew for sure! And even if I did find out, it's my secret to tell and it's a pretty big one so I should get to decide when I tell it to you! This isn't like stealing cookies in Kindergarten, Denki! People exist-" Shinso gestured around at the sky, "that actively commit hate crimes for just thinking about any one of the same sex! Don't you remember what happened with Tomura? All of the assumptions people made about hearing what he did as a kid? Maybe I just wasn't ready to face that yet! And admitting to you," he pointed at Denki's chest, "would make it real. Admitting it means I can't go back, I can't deny anything anymore, and maybe I just wasn't ready!" It wasn't often that Shinso really ranted about things. Denki's shocked expression at his raised voice shattered him when he was finished. He grabbed his own arm and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry, I just...I..." He ran his hand through his hair and looked up at the sky, turning around and walking away. "I know you're hurt but you can't make this all about you, Denki."