Work Text:
“Amazing! ☆” Wataru exclaims quite loudly, though not in anyway out of character, “You’ve come a long way Hokuto-kun~”
“Not without any help from you,” Hokuto replies.
The Theater Club was all gathered together (not that there were many people to gather) and practicing for their next performance. Another cliche’d princess and prince story, but with a prominent element of craziness that only Wataru could pull off. Of course the casting led to Hokuto as the prince and Tomoya as the princess (not without much argument).
“I’m flattered by your words ☆, but you aren’t the only one in this club,” Wataru turns to Tomoya who looked even more annoyed then usual. “Tomoya-kun,” Wataru addressed.
“Huh? What, what more do you want from me?” Tomoya snapped. He’d been off most of the practice, it was quite obvious to the other two. His acting skills were even worse then normal.
Wataru sighs, figuring this situation needed a bit more seriousness then the usual fun and games. “Is something bothering you?”
“Bothering me? Why would you even ask, of *course* something is bothering me!” Tomoya began, raising his voice more, “I’m not like you, I can’t just play any role that’s given to me, *especially* feminine roles. I’m a boy after all, I’m not some girl! But trying to play these roles I just, I feel like I’m losing sight of “me”,” Tomoya scoffs, “You wouldn’t understand, you’re too... you, for that. If we’re done here, I’m leaving.” Tomoya finishes, throwing his script down onto the nearby couch and exciting the room.
“Oh dear, well this will certainly put a dent in our progress until it gets solved...” Wataru states.
“Uhm, I’m going to go talk to him then,” Hokuto announces, handing his script to Wataru and walking out of the room in pursuit of Tomoya.
‘I do hope he figures it out, a way to be “free” from the confines of gender.’ Wataru thinks.
—
“Tomoya!” Hokuto calls, trying to not disturb other clubs, but also trying to reach Tomoya.
“Hidaka-senpai?” A familiar sweet sounding voice calls to Hokuto.
“Hm? Ah, Shino-kun,” Hokuto turns around, “Have gosh seen Tomoya?”
“Tomoya-kun? Why? Did something happen during club?” Hajime asks, obviously concerned for his best friend.
“You could say that... we were practicing for our roles in our newest play and as always I got the prince while Tomoya’s stuck as the princess. Considering that this has happened many times before it makes me wonder why he’s so resistant to it. But he just ended up walking out after getting upset,” Hokuto retells.
“Ah so it’s about that again...” Hokuto looks Hajime quizzically, silently asking for more context, “He’s always been insecure about things like that... gender...”
“Gender..?” Hokuto questions.
“Ah but I don’t think I should be the one to tell you. Try to talk to him yourself, he looks up to you a lot you know,” Hajime smiles, “Well I’m going back to my club, good luck finding Tomoya-kun!”
Hokuto watches as Hajime walks down the hall back to his club. ‘I really hope he’s okay...’ Hokuto thinks about Tomoya, continuing to try and find him.
—
The 1-A classroom, it made sense that he’d be in here, and Hokuto internally criticizes himself for not checking here first. He stands in front of the closed door, hearing muffled sobs from the other side.
“Tomoya..? I’m coming in!” He announces, opening the door to see Tomoya in the back, huddled on the floor in front of one of the windows. “Tomoya!” Hokuto calls again, running towards Tomoya and kneeling down to his level.
Tomoya looks up from where he’s hidden his face behind his knees, “H-Hokuto-senpai? What are you...”
“I was looking for you, I was worried, are you okay? Do you wanna talk?”
Tomoya’s eyes widened a little. ‘He was... that worried about me?’ Tomoya thought, his heart fluttering a bit at the sentiment. “It’s... nothing, really, just some insecurities I can’t seem to get over.”
‘Right, Hajime mentioned something like this,’ Hokuto remembers. “Is it about the whole princess thing?” Tomoya visibly flinches at the question, ‘So it is,’ Hokuto notes.
“I just wish I wasn’t so... “cute”. I wanna be cool like you, I wanna play the role of prince, like a guy would...”
“You know being cute isn’t necessarily a bad thing right? I mean Shino-kun is a perfect examples, he’s cute isn’t he?”
“Well, yea, people often mistake him for a girl. But that’s exactly what I *don’t* want, I don’t want to be seen as a girl anymore!”
“Seen as a girl... anymore?”
Tomoya suddenly goes quiet, refusing to meet Hokuto’s gaze. “Y-you would just judge me...” he says quietly.
“And how can you be so sure, I want to know more about you Tomoya, I want to be able to help you. No matter what it is I promise I won’t think less of you because of it, so please.”
Tomoya takes a deep breath, “Then... since you promise, I’ll tell you. I’m... trans, I’m a trans guy. Unlike you I wasn’t born into the princely role, I know that but. I don’t like acting like I’m a girl, I’m not you know! I’m a guy so, why do I still have to be a girl...” Tears start falling from Tomoya’s eyes again, and Hokuto does what he think he should, enwrap Tomoya in a hug.
“It sounds like it’s been rough for you, does Buchou know about this?”
“Mhm, he does, but he’s “eccentric”, he doesn’t need to worry about silly things like identities issues. He wouldn’t understand...”
“I’m not trying to take his side but, maybe he has a point. Because even if you play a princess, even if you play a prince, you’re still you Tomoya. You aren’t just some girl, or some boy, you’re my- er, everyone’s dear friend Tomoya.” Hokuto internally smacks himself for the slip up, maybe he was getting a bit too into his princely role.
Tomoya stays quiet for a moment, simply tightening his hold on Hokuto as he processes what he said. “So... you think it doesn’t matter?”
“Hm?”
“About what I am, who I am.”
“I already told you, to me you’re simply Tomoya, even if you play another role, I know you’ll go back to being the Tomoya I love,” Hokuto says, immediately regretting the last part.
“L-love..?”
“A-ah sorry that was just uhm, a slip of the tongue! Yea, that, d-don’t worry about it,” Hokuto quickly covers up.
“Oh, w-was it?” Tomoya asks, looks like he’s about to cry again.
“Wh-what did I do wrong now, uhg sorry, I’m so bad at this,” Hokuto thinks for a moment. “A-ah uhm, see the thing is, that was a lie...”
“A... lie?” Tomoya asks, looking at Hokuto with wet hopeful eyes.
“I- I love you Tomoya!” Hokuto quickly gets out, a bit louder then wanted.
“H-huh!?”
“Uhm, for awhile now I’ve felt so many emotions when around you, I didn’t know what they were or what to call them but, I think I know now,” Hokuto unwraps his arms from Tomoya had places hide hands on his cheeks, wiping away some of his tears. “I love you Tomoya, no matter what role you may play, no matter what insecurities you may have, I want to help you through it all.”
“H-Hokuto-senpaiii,” Tomoya full on cries now, making more noise then he’d had since Hokuto had walked in.
“T-Tomoya?”
“M-Me too! I love you too, so much, I wanna be with you Hokuto-senpai!”
Hokuto smiles, “Then... do you want to be... b-boyfriends?”
“If you’d allow it,” Tomoya finally smiles back.
They stay in that classroom a bit longer, being in each others’ arms, talking more about the upcoming play. Hokuto would do his best to help Tomoya with his insecurities, and Tomoya would allow Hokuto to guide him through it.
—
It was finally the day of the play, Tomoya was nervous, but ready. After having his talk with Hokuto, the two talked a lot more and Tomoya became more comfortable playing the “feminine” role he was supposed to.
“Are you ready?” Hokuto asks, squeezing Tomoya’s hand which has in his own.
“Y-yea! I think I am!” Tomoya replies.
“I see you two are raring to go! Good good~ Let’s make this an Amazing ☆ show!” Wataru exclaims from behind the boyfriends, making them both jump.
“Uhg and you just had to go and ruin the mood as always,” Tomoya complains.
“Let’s try not to fight right before the play,” Hokuto reminds the other two.
The announcer called for the play to start, and it began without too many mistakes. Wataru was impressed with Tomoya’s improvements from the day they started practice. Hokuto proud of how far Tomoya had come.
Then came the final scene, where the prince defeats the zombie invasion and rescues the princess, a happy ending. The script was supposed to end with just Hokuto taking Tomoya’s hand and declaring “her” as his.
But like most plays by the theater club, it wasn’t as by the script as normal.
Hokuto had walked up to Tomoya, and instead of merely taking his hand, he pulled him forward, pressing their lips together. That day, on the stage in front of all those Yumenosaki students, Hokuto and Tomoya shared their first kiss.
The curtains closed as new ones opened, the wonderful rom com of Tomoya and Hokuto’s love.
Fin~