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

10

There was a slight knock on the door. Shinso answered quickly, fully prepared to torment his father some more expecting it to be Present Mic. However, it was not Present Mic. Instead, it was Denki. He stood there frozen, blinked a few times, and opened his mouth only to close it again. 

"Can I stay here? I've kind of been disowned..." he forced a laugh. Shinso still didn't speak. He just stepped to the side and nodded, closing the door after Denki entered. Denki went straight for Shinso's room and threw his bag down before returning. He ran from the door all the way to Shinso again and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry...this is all my fault. I should've listened and I didn't and then she reacted like that and I completely understand why you didn't tell me at first now and I feel like an idiot and-" 

Shinso lifted his hand and covered Denki's mouth. "I'm not going to tell you it's fine, 'cause it's not and honestly it's never going to be fine if people keep reacting like that to things that are different. But you don't have to apologize or anything." 

"Are you okay?" Denki looked up at him and placed his hand lightly over Shinso's bandage. "It's not that bad, is it?" 

"It's almost scabbed over already," Shinso smiled slightly. 

"You two are cute and all but if you're going to do anything remotely sexual please do so in the privacy of Shinso's room. I would rather not witness it," Shota didn't glance up from the couch and continued staring at the TV screen. He took a sip from his mug. 

"Mr. Aizawa!" Denki jumped out of his skin and flew back at least three feet from Shinso. "Do you know? Does he know?" he asked Shota and then Shinso. 

"I'm not sure how I wouldn't have known after witnessing that lovely display of affection," Shota muttered. 

"Is he-?" Denki's face turned pale, remembering his mother and imagining terrible potential futures. 

"Relax, he is gay like me," Shinso assured. "So no, the only homophobia he has is toward himself based on societal expectations." 

"Shinso!" Shota turned his head abruptly to look at him. 

"Am I wrong though?" Shinso pointed at him and grinned slightly. 

"That's not the point- The point is, I have been in the closet my entire life you can't just out me to everyone you know." 

"Denki isn't everyone," Shinso crossed his arms. 

"No, yes, ugh," Shota placed the mug down and held his face in his hands. 

"Besides, if you get a boyfriend I'm pretty sure people are going to know..." Shinso laughed. 

"A boyfriend?" Denki's eyes lit up. "Who is your crush?!" he ran over to the couch, suddenly interested in everything about this and desperately looking for something outside of his own trauma to think about. Shinso followed Denki and sat next to him. 

"I- it was just- oh, fuck," Shota curled up into a ball on the end of the couch and hugged the throw pillow. 

"His coworker is Present Mic and he saved him from some falling lights." 

"Present Mic?!" Denki gasped. "I love that podcast!" 

"Right?" 

There was another knock on the door and everyone slowly turned their head toward it. "Do you think that's him?" Shinso nearly whispered. 

"Are you going to say that every damn time? I'm telling you," Shota stood up to get the door. "There is no way he woul-" he opened it and then immediately closed it. Realizing he closed it in Hizashi's face, he opened it again and then apologized. "Sorry about that..."