Chapter Text
Late at night, the 18-year-old Hiroto Kuga sighed, resting in his bed as he looked at the calendar on his phone. It was almost October, also known as LGBT+ History Month by the LGBTQ+ community. He was planning on coming out to his friends from his GBN group, the BUILD DiVERs. The problem was...that Hiroto was anxious about how his friends would react. While he was aware how GBN handled hate speech, the young man had met his group in real life. Hiroto wasn’t sure how he’d been able to handle their reactions.
He had found out how he was bisexual and panromanic quite early in his life...and realized how easy it made sense. The diver had told a select few about his sexuality before this, namely Kyoya Kisugi, also known by his diver name, Kyoya Kujo, Hinata Mukai, and his parents. Hiroto rubbed his eyes as he thought back on how he came out to his parents. He was about 15 when he did and remembered how anxious he was back then too.
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(3 years ago…)
Hiroto was at a cafe with his mother, Yuriko. As the two sat down at a table, Yuriko raised an eyebrow, “You’ve been quiet all day, Hiroto.” The Teenager snapped out of his own thoughts, before nodding apologetically, “Sorry.” His mom looked at him, concerned, “Is everything okay, hun? Are you...worried about something?” Hiroto opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. If he said what was going on, he was worried that his mother might freak out.
He ultimately decided to be honest though, saying, “There’s...something I need to tell you and Dad.” Yuriko nodded, still a little worried, “Would you like to wait until we get home?” The teenager nodded, “Please…” After Yuriko nodded, Hiroto went to get a water bottle, while Yuriko texted her husband and Hiroto’s father, Osamu. She didn’t want to gossip about something like this, but she also knew Hiroto’s dad should be notified about Hiroto’s future discussion.
Yuriko: Dear? Our son would like to have a private conversation with us.
Osamu: Got it. About what though?
Yuriko: Don’t know. But it seems he’s been thinking about it all day. He’s been extremely quiet since morning.
Osamu: Do you think something happened at school?
Yuriko: I hope it’s nothing too serious, but whatever it is, we should support in any way possible.
Osamu: Agreed. Though...what if he’s getting into something dangerous?
Yuriko: Then we’ll talk to him about it. He needs help with whatever’s on his mind.
Osamu: Certainly sounds like it. How about we talk before dinner?
Yuriko: That sounds good. I’ll let Hiroto know.
Osamu: Got it. See you two when you get home. Love you. :)
Yuriko: Love you too. :)
After putting her phone away, Yuriko looked at her son as he returned to his seat, who was trying to keep himself calm. “Hiroto?” She called out. “I talked to your father and decided about having a conversation before dinner when we get back. How does that sound?” The teenager nodded, “That sounds good…” After finishing their drinks, the two headed for home. However, Yuriko could still spot the anxiety in her son’s eyes. She didn’t bring it up though, as she hoped the conversation would help with that.
After arriving home, the brown haired woman looked at her son, asking, “Do you still want to have the conversation before dinner?” Hiroto just nodded, “I’d like to talk about it now, before it distracts me from school and other things I should be doing.” The translator could understand that, as she too had done the same back in her youth. Nodding, she gave Hiroto a hug, before heading to Osamu's office. “Osamu? We’re home.” She said.
The author looked up from his desk, before nodding, “Is Hiroto ready? We can wait until he is.” Yuriko sighed, “I said that too, but he said he would like to get it done now before it causes distraction.” Osamu nodded, “Makes sense. We did the same back in the day, right?” His wife chuckled, “Yes, we did. He certainly learns from the best.” The author chuckled as well, before the two headed into the living room, where their son sat in a chair in front of the couch.
As his parents sat on the couch, the teenager felt his anxiety increase. He was having second thoughts about having the conversation, but if he didn’t talk now, he would be thinking about it constantly...and it would cause issues during his education. “So...what do you wanna chat about, kiddo?” Osamu asked. Hiroto clenched his fists, “Full disclosure, I don’t fully know what’s happening, as I’m relatively new to this. But…” It was now or never. With every bit of honest he had, he said, “I think I’m bisexual.”
He stayed silent as he prepared himself for hatred. He was terrified that his parents would despise him....so, of course, the teenager was surprised when his father put a hand on his shoulder with a smile. “We’re very proud that you were able to tell us that.” Osamu said. Hiroto just looked at him, dumbfounded and silent. “Hiroto…” Yuriko called out, sitting next to her son. “Being bisexual is not a bad thing. Being a part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum is not a bad thing.”
“But I’m…” Hiroto started, stopping when his dad said, “Different?” Hiroto nodded, queuing Osamu to explain, “Son, being a part of the LGBTQ+ spectrum is just as normal as a male being a male, a female being a female, and a male and a female loving each other.” “It is just as normal as believing other religions and being a part of another ethnicity.” He said. “Sadly, some parts of society still don’t understand that, even though we’re a couple decades after the 2010s.”
The teenager could tell his father was upset by that. “Sweetie, all we want for you is to be happy.” Yuriko said, rubbing her son’s back. “Just like your father said, it’s just as normal as everything else. And you are most certainly not alone.” The two then noticed tears running down their son’s face. “Hiroto?” Osamu called out, concern rising in his voice. The teenager perked up, wiping away his tears, before saying, “Sorry…” His voice cracked a bit as he spoke.
“How long have you...been worrying about our reaction…?” Yuriko asked, gently holding her son. Hiroto shrugged, “Probably...about 2 and a half weeks…?” He sat silently as his dad got him some tea to drink. “I wanted to be open…” He said. His mom smiled, “And we’re proud that you were open and honest with us.” “There’s...something else we should talk about…” The teenager said. “It’s about school. Nothing happened, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
Osamu and Yuriko nodded slowly, as their son said, “I’ve been looking up high schools and found that some have LGBTQ+ lunch or after school clubs.” “I was thinking about signing up for one.” He said. Osamu nodded with a smile, handing his son the cup of tea, “That’s great! Would you like help in choosing a school?” Hiroto nodded, “Please.I have a couple of ideas printed out if you would like to take a look.” Yuriko and Osamu nodded, with Yuriko saying, “Sure.”
After nodding, Hiroto gave his parents a quick hug, before heading to his room to get the papers. The translator let out a sigh of relief, laying back on the couch, “Not gonna lie...I almost panicked there.” “You certainly looked like it.” The author said. “Though I’m glad he’s safe.” Yurko nodded, before chuckling, “That kid takes after us more than we notice.” Osamu laughed, “Yes, he does. I am really proud and happy for him.” Yuriko nodded in agreement, “I just hope any new friends he meets are as supportive as us.”
“Agreed.” Osamu said. He then sighed, “I hope Hinata is supportive as well.” Yuriko nodded, a small bit of anxiety returning. Both parents knew how close Hinata and Hiroto were...and dreaded the possibility of Hiroto losing his currently only friend. “We’ll get through this.” The brown haired woman said. “If our kid receives discrimination or harassment, I’m gonna raise hell.” Osamu nodded, “Welcome to the club.” “We should also see the schools’ tolerance on hate speech and harassment.” Yuriko said.
“Agreed.” The author said as Hiroto returned with several sheets of paper, all for a few high schools.
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(Present day…)
The diver sighed, before putting his phone up. He was lucky to have supportive and accepting parents, but he was also lucky to have friends before his new team who accepted him with open arms. “Maybe I should ask Hinata for advice tomorrow…” Hiroto whispered to himself, before attempting to get to sleep for school tomorrow.