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

8

CW: homophobic mindsets, threats, and violent behavior.

Mrs. Kaminari grabbed Shinso's hair and dragged him off of the bed. She threw his clothes on his face and kicked his leg with all her might. "What were you doing to my son?! Get the fuck out of my house!" she stared above him as if he were some disease to be caught. All of the history of friendship erased from her mind. Shinso winced and threw on his pants. He didn't bother putting on the shirt and limped out, grabbing his ankle. 

"Don't you ever come near Denki again!" she picked up the lamp on Denki's nightstand and threw it at Shinso's head. Without saying another word, he walked to the door. Denki stumbled off of the bed and moved toward him but a single look from his mother stopped him in his tracks. 

"Shinso...?" Denki reached out for him mildly but his mother slapped his hand away. 

"If I find out you've come within one foot of him after this, I don't care who you are, I will slaughter you!" she snapped, tempted to pick up another object and throw it at him. 

Shinso didn't say anything and left. As long as he was the problem, Denki should be safe. Blame it all on him and leave Denki out of it. Maybe he could still remain in the house that way. Blood from the lamp injury pooled over the side of his face. He wiped it away and walked out of Denki's home, briefly wondering if he'd ever see him again after this. 

Wandering back to his own home, Shinso wasn't sure how he made it. Maybe it was because he was used to walking around half-awake. But the moment the door opened and he saw Shota Aizawa there, he collapsed into him. "What the ever-living fuck happened to you?" the concerned guardian dragged Shinso inside and laid him on the ground, running for the first aid kit that he wasn't even sure if they had. 

"I enjoyed too much happiness and karma came back to bite me," Shinso muttered, closing his eyes as blood dripped on the floor. 

...

"Are you awake now?" Shota was sitting in front of the couch, keeping an eye on Shinso to make sure he was still breathing. He didn't think the injury caused a concussion but it bled a lot for being shallow. He guessed that Shinso had fallen asleep from a different sort of exhaustion. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" 

"If I tell you," Shinso's eyes remained closed, "are you going to throw a lamp at me too?" 

"Does this have to do with you liking Denki?" 

Shinso's eyes fluttered open immediately. "How did you-" 

"Shinso," Shota sighed and shifted to sit crisscrossed. He placed one hand on his knee and the other rubbed his temple. "I don't know how to say this other than to say it but..." he sighed again. "I'm not your father." 

"What do you mean? Of course you are. I'm from your first marriage, right?" Shinso's voice cracked, trying to let the denial control everything. 

"No, Shinso, I-" Shota glanced away for a moment. "I'm also...I've never..." Shota slapped his hand against his forehead, angry at himself for not knowing how to word this. "I'm also interested in men. I've never been attracted to a woman ever, not even while drunk so-" 

Shinso clambered off of the couch and sat in Shota's lap, hugging him like a koala child. He clung to him tightly and tried not to cry in his arms. "You're still my dad. But it kind of sucks that we both have to deal with being gay." Shota slowly moved his arms to return the hug but felt incredibly awkward doing it. He wasn't much for physical contact. 

"There's nothing wrong with-" Shota couldn't finish the sentence. "I would really love to be able to tell that to you but I've been in the closet my entire life." 

Shinso remained silent for a moment. "So...how did you end up raising me?" 

"Uhm...well," Shota felt bad, thinking about it. "I was working part-time in a hospital when you were born. You were abandoned there right after your mother gave birth. She hobbled out without anyone noticing and never came back. Didn't even sign your papers. Luckily, I knew the director of the hospital so I just ended up adopting you without all of the hassles of adoption papers." 

"I feel like that is illegal on a lot of accounts...did you just claim to be my dad and steal me?" 

"Pretty much...yeah..." 

"I'm glad you did," Shinso gave him another squeeze. 

"I thought it would be easier for you and everyone else if I just said my wife died in childbirth," he explained. "I haven't been in a relationship but I did have an unrequited love in high school." 

"Was he cute?" Shinso snickered. 

"I thought so." 

"Mrs. Kaminari walked in on Denki and me," Shinso muttered. "She didn't take it very well."

"I didn't even know you confessed-" 

"I didn't, well, not really? A lot has happened I can't make sense of it all." 

"It's okay," Shota placed his hand on Shinso's head and pet his hair, patting him for emotional support. "If it makes you feel better, the real reason I quit my last job is because someone caught me in an awkward situation with another staff member. I was reported for 'indecent behavior' and advised to resign quietly." 

"Was he cute?" Shinso snickered. 

"I think he is," he admitted. "I was crushing on him for a bit before that incident. I was just pushing him out of the way from a falling ceiling light and ended up on top of him. A student walked into the auditorium with us like that and got the wrong idea. Working at a private school is difficult in its own way but...the closemindedness of people is on an entirely different level." 

"Is that the real reason you started tutoring?" 

"Yeah..." 

"We both have it pretty rough, huh?" 

"Like father like son?" Shota forced a laugh.