MHA REINCARNATION!

The sunlight stabbed through the gaps in the curtains, a relentless assault on my throbbing head. Ugh, Mina's party. It all came back in blurry flashes: the pulsing music, the cheap beer, the desperate need to escape the suffocating pressure of my family. I'd come to this party to forget, just for a night, that my mother was already planning my wedding when I'm barely figuring out how to survive college.

And then I looked down.

Jiro was curled up next to me, peaceful as a sleeping kitten, and a wave of guilt washed over me. We were comfortable, a little too comfortable, and I wasn't sure how we ended up this way. I slipped out from under the covers, careful not to wake her. The guest bedroom was a disaster, testament to the night's debauchery—empty cups, discarded clothes, and a general sense of chaos. But it wasn't the mess that stopped me cold.

It was the reflection in the dusty mirror. Two velvety, spiraled antlers sprouted from my hairline, and a short, fluffy tail bobbed behind me. Holy… what the heck just happened!? Thankfully, there was no fur. I looked like some messed-up mythological creature.

Panic seized me. I had to get out of here, had to get home before I could even think about what the hell was going on. I threw on the first clothes I could find, a hoodie to hide my antlers and a pair of loose pants to conceal my tail, and bolted out of the apartment.

My house came into view, and I expected the usual—empty, quiet, echoing with the absence of my perpetually patrolling parents. But there, perched on the front steps, was Shinso. My heart hammered against my ribs. What were the chances? He looked up as I approached, his violet eyes widening slightly, and my face flushed with a heat that had nothing to do with the lingering hangover.

"Denki?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.

"Shinso, hey. What're you doing here?" I mumbled, trying to keep my posture as nonchalant as possible. It was hard when I felt like I was a circus freak in a hoodie and a pair of overly baggy pants.

I rushed past him and inside, and I heard him follow after me. I tried to explain my absurd situation, my voice a nervous, rambling mess, but nothing I said could possibly begin to account for the antlers on my head or the tail twitching against the back of my pants. I avoided eye contact, pulling the hood of my sweatshirt tighter, desperately hoping the illusion was enough.

But then I laughed at something he said, a genuine laugh, and I looked up at him. His eyes were soft, almost… doe-eyed. And he was blushing! I hadn't seen Shinso blush before. It was kind of… adorable. I'd liked Shinso for a while, but I'd never believed he could feel the same way.

And then, before I could even process what was happening, he reached out, cupped my face in his hands, and kissed me. It was quick, a fleeting touch of his lips against mine, but it was enough to send a jolt of electricity through me that rivaled my quirk.

Then he pulled away. He didn't say anything, just looked at me, a mixture of intensity and… something else, maybe fear? Before I could react, he walked out, leaving me standing there, my head spinning, my heart pounding, and my mind completely and utterly blank.

I was alone, utterly and completely alone. Confused. Scared. Lost in a haze of drunk party shenanigans, morphing into some kind of deer-human hybrid, kissing a guy I'd been secretly pining after, and having zero clue what to do next.

Later that night, the telltale sounds of my parents returning from patrol filled the house. We had dinner, my dad trying to pry some conversation out of me, my mom barely even looking at me. They were always too stressed and busy to even recognize I existed. After the stifling dinner, I retreated to the balcony, the cool night air a welcome relief.

I was staring at the city lights, trying to untangle the mess in my head, when I sensed him behind me. My father. He didn't say anything at first, just stood there in his hero costume watching me like a predator might watch its prey.

Finally, he spoke. "What's wrong, Denki?" His voice was gruff, but there was a hint of concern in his deep tone.

I just sighed at first, the silence somehow more comforting than any forced attempt at conversation. But he waited, patiently, and eventually, I couldn't hold it in any longer. I started to talk, the words pouring out of me, a jumbled confession of bad decisions and complicated emotions. I told him about the party, about getting drunk, about ending up in bed with Jiro, my best friend and how we clearly like other people. I admitted that I was a mess, completely and utterly confused, and told him that the person I liked had actually come by today and kissed me but I'm still confused about what that means.

He listened, without interrupting, his gaze steady. When I was done, he nodded, the gesture surprisingly comforting. He didn't dismiss me, didn't tell me to man up or get over it. He just offered quiet advice, practical and surprisingly gentle, and it was enough to make the knot in my chest loosen just a little.

As his words settled in, I felt a small smile tug at my lips. It wasn't a cure-all, but it was something. I took a deep breath, letting it clear up my thoughts just a bit. I nodded slowly, finally feeling just a sliver of hope. I had no idea what the hell was happening, but at least I wasn't alone, not really. And maybe, just maybe, that was enough to keep me moving forward.