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

9

"Uhm," Shinso applied a new bandage to his head and walked out of the bathroom toward his adoptive dad. He took one headphone out and stared at Shota (lying on the couch) completely bewildered. "Is that coworker you saved...Present Mic?" 

"Who the hell is Present Mic?" Shota covered his eyes with his arm and groaned. He'd stayed up way too late last night and the fourth cup of coffee hadn't kicked in yet. 

"He runs a podcast of the same title and this story he is telling is oddly similar to yours..." Shinso pulled out his headphone wire from his phone. Shota listened to the obnoxiously loud voice for a few minutes and shook his head, staring up at Shinso. 

"The guy is way too quiet to be that loudmouth..." Shota pondered that for a moment. "But, then again, it's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for." 

"I'm going to send him an email with our address..." Shinso said. "He is asking for it and if it isn't the same guy then at least I get to meet my favorite podcast-er." 

"What the fuc-" Shota sat up immediately and reached for the phone. Shinso skillfully avoided his hand and pressed the send button. "Why did you do that?!" 

"I don't see why we both have to be single," Shinso shrugged and then smirked. 

"I don't- it wasn't-" Shota's cheeks flushed slightly. 

"Mhmm," Shinso didn't believe it. "Sure." 

"He doesn't even know I'm gay! I don't even know if he is-" 

Shinso cut him off by holding up his hand. He backtracked in the podcast a bit, put the volume all the way up, and pressed play with a deadpanned expression. "So, funny story, but have you ever been caught with the man of your dreams without him knowing he was the man of your dreams and then he did something extremely manly and you fall for him all over again even though it was already love at first sight? Well, I was at work a few-" Shinso paused and continued to stare at Shota Aizawa. 

"What does that have to do with anything?" Shota crossed his arms. 

"It's you, Dad," Shinso gestured. "The story was you saving him from the light or whatever." 

"It could've been someone else...and an oddly similar story?" 

"Oh my fucking God, your gay denial is really strong," Shinso facepalmed and slid his hand down his face. "He describes you as a 'tall, dark, and handsome man with a scruffy beard and eyebags'." 

"I'm sure I am not the only person-" 

"How many people do you know with that fucking scar?" Shinso pointed to the place under his own eye where Shota's scar was. 

"Fuck," Shota groaned, leaning back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. "What the fuck am I going to do if he shows up here? I haven't flirted a day in my life Shinso! Do you realize what you've done?!" Shota stood up and walked over to Shinso, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him lightly. "I might as well drop dead right now!" 

"Don't be dramatic," Shinso snickered. "Stop acting like you're younger than I am. Are you in high school?" 

"Shinso! That's the problem! I'm a nasty-crusty-ass old man! You know how awkward it would be to date at my age?!" 

"Calm down, I doubt he'd ask you out on the first encounter since you were fired." 

"But what if he does?" 

"Then say yes?" Shinso shrugged. "Listen, Dad," Shinso placed his hand on Shota's shoulder and let out a long sigh. "I just lost my one chance at a relationship because of my childhood friend's homophobic mother. I need to live through you, understand?" He gave a thumbs up and tried to put on his best grin. 

"I want to murder you." 

"Glad we've come to an understanding," Shinso cackled. 

...

It was a few nights after the incident with Shinso, Denki was sitting at dinner as if everything were perfectly normal. His father hadn't said anything and his mother was acting as if she hadn't been a living nightmare that day. Denki didn't know what to do. Every time he thought he could bring it up calmly, she got this look on her face and he dropped it. She'd stolen his phone so he hadn't been able to contact Shinso and he couldn't even leave the house. It was eating him alive from the inside out. They'd just started some kind of relationship and then were torn apart. He couldn't handle it. Shinso was always on his mind and he hadn't been able to sleep or eat a single thing since watching Shinso get hit in the head and start bleeding. Why didn't he say anything then? Why didn't he rush to protect him or something? Why did he feel like such a shitty person? 

"You're not eating anything, are you okay?" his father asked. He probably hadn't been told anything. Would he react the same as well? He couldn't handle it anymore. Denki placed his fork down. It wasn't as if he was eating anything, he was just toying with the food. 

"I love Shinso," he announced quietly. 

"What was that?" his mother smiled, pretending not to have heard. "Who's Shinso?" 

"You know who Shinso is!" he snapped. "He is my childhood friend! We've been together for as long as I can remember! Why is it so strange for me to love him?!" Denki stood up, chair falling down to the ground as he did so. 

"You two have always been close..." his father agreed. "I don't see why this is any differ-" 

"You can't honestly be okay with this...this-- indecency!" his mother snapped and slammed her hand down on the table. "You don't know what I saw!" 

"Dear," he sighed. "They're horny teenage boys. You can't expect them not to do anything." 

"He can do whatever he wants as long as it is safe and with a girl! No son of mine is going to be a damn sodomite!" 

"Fine!" Denki shouted. "Then I won't be your son anymore!" He stormed off into his room, grabbing everything of importance and walked right out of the house with his single backpack full of essentials. 

"You get back here right now!" she yelled while standing in the door, but didn't take a step forward to chase him. He didn't look back and kept walking.