Chapter Text
One to two weeks. That’s how long it would take to get the new, corrected student ID printed. Katsuki was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed. He had already been through this whole process in requesting an ID with his preferred name and gender marker. But somewhere along the school bureaucracy, someone royally fucked up, and on orientation day, he got handed a card with a big fat F on it.
Paying the fee to get a new ID wasn’t a nonstarter. Katsuki’s family had plenty of money to send him to this golden shining beacon of an institution, so they had plenty enough more to pay a measly fee. What pissed off Katsuki the most was that the school was already aware of his “situation,” and yet this fuck up still happened.
Sure, the student services office apologized profusely and offered to wave the fee as compensation. But that wasn’t enough. The whole thing just made him itch uncomfortably in his skin. If this switch-up happened, then what other switch-up’s could happen? Were his teachers going to call him by his birth name when classes started? Did other students know?
He wore his suit slacks as baggy as possible – per uniform code – and made sure to keep his brows low – since scowling made him seem more masculine. He walked the halls with a purpose, his hands stuffed into his pockets.
Katsuki needed a way to combat this growing, itchy anxiety. He needed a way to prove to his peers that he was undoubtedly and absolutely a guy, before any misconceptions or rumors started floating around. People knowing he was trans he could deal with. People doubting his gender identity was license for a fist to the face.
(But, unfortunately, fighting in the first week of school wasn’t conductive to keeping as nice and clean of a record as he wanted.)
Katsuki saw the solution to his problems right up ahead. The office of extracurricular activities. Yes. That was perfect.
He shoved the door open and swaggered in, right up to the third-year girl sitting behind the reception desk; she was wearing one of those nauseating sunflower yellow dresses. Katsuki was so glad he was able to at least buy the men's uniform for the school. He would've vomited had he had to wear such a froo-froo getup, dysphoria aside.
“Oi. What’s the manliest, most popular club you got here on campus?” He demanded, as a greeting.
The third-year took a moment to blink in offense, but Katsuki had bigger problems to worry about than upsetting an upperclassman.
“Are… are you looking to join a sport?” She asked back, starting to reach for pamphlets and whatnot on the different extracurricular activities.
“I don’t really care what it is, as long as it isn’t something sissy like badminton or poetry.”
“I see…” The volunteer receptionist frowned and continued to shift through pamphlets. “Well, there’s soccer,”
Playing with a bunch of pampered shits, whose parents probably bribed the coaches? No, fucking thanks.
“health and fitness club,”
Code for yoga and kale smoothies.
“equestrian club,”
Did Katsuki look like some whimsy girl from a horse movie?
“or…” the girl paused over a note sitting on their desk. Katsuki couldn’t quite read the small, neat handwriting from the angle he looked down. The girl picked up the note and squinted at it, and then looked back to Katsuki, and then back to the note.
“Actually, there’s a club that’s currently holding auditions this week, and I think you might be what they’re looking for.”
At Katsuki’s apprehensive expression, the girl quickly added on, “It’s a boys-only club, and it’s one of the most eminent clubs on campus. Very exclusive.”
That sounded good enough for him.
“Alright, where do I sign up for these… auditions?”
The girl smiled, relieved that he was being somewhat cooperative. She picked out a map of the school campus and circled the room. The second he had his metaphorical ticket, Katsuki muttered out an obligatory thanks and sped right out of there.
He found the room easy enough. Music Room 3. That made him uneasy. He really hoped this wasn’t some acapella group or pompous film club. But the volunteer receptionist had said that these guys, whoever they were, were looking for someone like him. At the very worst, they were a film club and needed someone to play the role of the badass protagonist.
That thought made Katsuki feel a little better. So, he pushed open the door and went inside.
He was greeted with actual fucking rose petals and a group of various pretty boys.
“Hello, welcome to the Host Club!”