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“I’m getting out of here,” Bakugo says, standing up and heading for the door.
“Already?” Kirishima asks with a laugh. “That was quick.”
“Shut the fuck up, I didn’t want to room with any of you losers in the first place,” he mutters, opening the hotel room door and disappearing into the hallway.
“He was the one who asked me if my room had any space left,” says Kirishima, shaking his head. “Man, he should have just roomed with Midoriya and skipped all this sneaking out.”
“Tell me about it,” says Kaminari. “But, then again, it’s Bakugo, so what are you gonna do?”
Minoru listens to the exchange, perplexed, before saying, “Wait, what does Midoriya have to do with anything?” The four of them are rooming together on a school trips; rooms were assigned in groups of three to four, and he and Kaminari were quick to pair up, with Kirishima following them, and then Bakugo.
“Come on, you don’t know? It’s pretty obvious there’s something going on between them,” says Kirishima. “But, then again, I can’t blame him for not rooming with him, since he’d also be sharing a room with Iida and Todoroki. I think Tokoyami took the fourth spot in their room?”
“Well, it’s not like he’s much happier being stuck with us,” Kaminari replies.
“Wait, so they’re, like...dating?” asks Minoru.
“It’s...probably a little more complicated than that,” Kirishima says. “Speaking of, signal is terrible in here, so I’m gonna duck out too. I gotta call Tetsutetsu, he’s been blowing up my inbox since we left.” With that, Kirishima leaves as well, and Minoru turns to Kaminari.
“I’m so confused right now. So, Bakugo is going out with Midoriya? And Kirishima’s calling some guy?”
“He’s from another class. They’ve been going out for a while now,” he replies.
“Kirishima’s got a boyfriend?! What the...he and Bakugo both…” Minoru shakes his head, unable to completely grasp this. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”
“No, man, I’m being serious.”
“But they’re so…”
“What?”
“I don’t know. Not gay!”
“Well, it’s not like it’s something you can just tell about a person, you know? Besides, they might like both.”
“That’s weird,” says Minoru. “I like girls, and that’s it.”
This isn’t really a topic that’s come up between the two of them- or with anyone, as far as Minoru remembers- and he feels uncomfortable even addressing it. He’s never felt the need to say that he only likes girls, as he’s always felt like it should be obvious. To him, “liking both” has never made any sense, and he always thought it had to be one or the other. Not that it matters, since he would never have to worry about that, ever.
“Sure, I know you do.”
“So? You do too.” He doesn’t know why he says it, why he feels it’s so important to say in the first place.
“I mean, I guess,” Kaminari says with a shrug, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“You guess?!” What the hell? How did he end up rooming with a bunch of guys who like other guys? Why the hell is his world being turned upside down, and why is he so goddamn nervous?
“I don’t know, lately I’ve just kinda wondered, you know?” Again, he just shrugs, like it’s nothing. “It’s not like it would matter either way, I still probably can’t get a date!” He laughs it off, oblivious to the utter shock he’s just dealt Mineta.
“S-so...that’s how it is, huh…”
At that, Kaminari really laughs, shaking his head. “I knew you’d probably be weird about it.”
“I’m not being weird!” says Minoru, too quickly. Really, it’s not like it’s that big of a deal. Kirishima and Bakugo aren’t really his friends, so it doesn’t matter what they do, and Kaminari is his friend, and he knows this shouldn’t change anything. Hell, he knows he’s at no more risk of being hit on by guys than he is girls, so he really, really has nothing to worry about. So why does he feel so off right now?
“You’re definitely being weird. Does it really bug you that much?”
“It doesn’t bug me, it’s none of my business in the first place.”
“Then why do you seem all creeped out?”
“I’m not creeped out,” he says. “It’s not that, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
Just what, indeed. If only he had even the vaguest idea, but nothing comes to mind, so he just shrugs.
“Say, Mineta...you know, it’s alright if you’re not…”
“Not what?” His voice breaks as he speaks.
“You know.”
“I don’t know! I mean, I know , and it’s not...I mean, I am , so don’t...don’t say stuff like that, alright?!”
“I’m serious, it’s not a big deal. I kinda thought it was at first too, but you know you’re not the only one, especially not in the class, so no one is going to think anything bad about you for it.”
“Whatever! You’re just talking crazy and I don’t have to listen to it. I’m going out too, maybe...maybe one of the girls left the door to their room open and I can like...look in really quick while I’m walking by. We’re in a hotel with girls , so...so I’m not gonna waste that standing around like this!”
“Alright, if that’s what you want to do. Good luck with that, I’ll be here whenever you get back.”
Minoru knows that he’s being a complete ass to one of his closest friends, but he doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t know what’s going on or what he’s doing, and he doesn’t know why he lingers in front of the door, not quite grabbing the doorknob, not turning it, not leaving the room. And he especially doesn’t know why he turns around suddenly, frantically, and asks, “So, is it different?!”
“Is what different?” asks Kaminari with an amused smile.
“You know, like…” He makes a few vague gestures. “I know it’s different , but...but...with a guy!”
Kaminari bursts out laughing, and Minoru doesn’t know why he always tears up when stuff like this happens, but he is so not going to cry right now. “Is that really what’s bothering you? Listen, I don’t know what it’s like with either, but it can’t be that different, you know?”
“I mean...I mean, liking them. Is it different?”
“I think it depends on the person. I mean, wouldn’t liking anyone be different?”
“What if it’s the same with most people but only different with some?”
“I think you’re asking the wrong guy for this kind of advice. Have you been thinking about this a lot or something?”
Has he? Or has he been avoiding it? Has it ever been a possibility, somewhere in the back of his mind? All he can think to say is, But I’m not gay , but he’s pretty sure that they’re already past the point of that being an excuse.
“I need to leave,” he says, but he still doesn’t make any move to do so. He keeps thinking that they might have a little while till Kirishima and Bakugo come back, so what if...what if…
“What’s it like with a guy?”
“Who says I want to find out with you?”
“Who says I want to find out at all?!”
Minoru doesn’t know what he’s doing, why he’s acting like this, or why he feels this way. He doesn’t know how things escalated so much in such a short period of time, or how long this has been building. All he knows is that he hopes the other two don’t come back for a while, and that he’ll never tell anyone about this, ever .
Well, not for a while, at least.