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"Guys! Look at what my mom bought me!" Houtaro came bursting into the lab in excitement.
The others in the room all turned at his loud entrance.
Houraro smiled as he held out a flag. The trans flag.
"Isn't it awesome?" He asked, still bouncing up and down.
"Uh..." No one knew what to say.
Houtaro's hyperness dwindled at the lackluster reaction. His smile started to fade.
"Ichinose, I believe you missed a step here." Minato broke the tension.
"Eh?" Houtaro looked confused as he stared at Minato.
"I believe you failed to actually come out to anyone first."
Houtaro's eyes widened at the news. "I... oh. My bad I forgot..."
He let out a nervous laugh. How had he managed to forget that part of this? He swore he had told them. Did he really not?
"How did you forget?" Rinne questioned.
"You thought you told us?" Renge added on.
"This is... awkward..." Sabimaru whispered.
Houtaro nodded. "I guess I thought I told you already."
"Only you..." Spanner shook his head.
"So uh... I'm trans." Houtaro said. "Uh, like my flag?"
He held up the trans flag again, giving everyone an awkward smile. There was much more nervousness in his actions this time.
"It's very nice your mother gave you that." Minato was the first to reply.
"Yeah. She's been really supportive ever since I came out. I'm really glad she took it so well." Houtaro said.
"Where are you going to put that flag at?" Renge questioned.
Houtaro shrugged. "I don't know yet. I can't decide where I want to put it. There's too many options for me to run through."
"Are you planning to put it in your house?"
"Yeah. Probably just hang it somewhere in my room."
"We could all go help you find a place to put it." Rinne offered.
"No thanks." Spanner stood. "I'm glad you get to be yourself, but I'm not taking part in this."
With that, he left the room.
"Us four can go still." Rinne said.
"You guys would really come help me find the perfect spot for this?" Houtaro asked, the life slowly coming back into him.
"Of course. That's what friends are for."
"Then let's do it!"
"Have fun." Minato waved them off. "Stay out of trouble."
"Will do, sensei!"
Houtaro happily lead the way to his house and guided them all to his room. The four of them stood around, looking over all the possible spots they could call home for the flag.
Houtaro had been right. There were a lot of really good options to choose from. No one seemed to be able to find a spot they could all agree on. It was a lot harder than expected.
"Why not hang it over your bed?" Renge suggested. "Front and center."
"If you want to be proud of who you are, that seems like a good spot." Sabimaru agreed, communicating through Isaac this time.
"Sounds like a good idea." Rinne nodded as well.
Houtaro brought the flag to the spot and held it out. "You think this looks good?"
They all nodded. Houtaro smiled and then began to hang it up. It became a group effort very quickly, but soon enough they got it into its place.
Everyone stood back and admired it.
"Looks perfect." Houtaro smiled. "Thanks for the help, everyone!"