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“…Can I tell you something?”
Hiiro blinks. Turns to his… he struggles to call Saki a friend. He’s never particularly had one of those before, but for whatever reason, her interest seems different from others.
She seems to understand him, somehow, despite not being close to as genius as himself, and she listens, and so he’s found himself returning the favor, on occasion.
“I don’t see why not,” he says. He likes her, though he can’t entirely explain why.
“Okay,” Saki says. “But this… might be deeper than anything I’ve said before, but I really like you, so—”
Oh no.
“I’m not attracted to women.”
“Oh good. Because I’m not a woman.”
“…What?”
Saki sighs.
“I’m messing this up,” she says. “I’m transgender, Hiiro. I’m… a man.”
(She suddenly switches to Boku, he notes.)
Oh. Oh huh.
Saki sighs, tucking her (his?) hair behind her (his?) ear.
“I figured I could tell you,” she (he?) says. “Because you’re awkward, and somewhat blunt, but I feel like your respect of me won’t change, from this. I haven’t told anyone else, but… I hope you can see me as a man, despite…”
He gestures at his general form.
(Which, yeah, almost definitely a he.)
“So you’re a man,” Hiiro says. “Okay.”
Saki blinks. Smiles at him.
He doesn’t think he’s ever noticed how beautiful his smile was, before.
He does some research. Figures it’s fair, since Saki seemed so relieved when Hiiro just… accepted him. Which yes, definitely a him. Even if he never directly specified.
“Do you have a different name?” He asks. He waits until they’re somewhere private, figuring the other was still being secretive, so he should do the same.
Saki blinks.
“Oh, no.” He says. “It’s. Kind of hard to decide. So I… just keep calling me Saki, for now.”
Hiiro nods.
“And you’re using ‘boku’,” he notes.
“I’m… considering it,” Saki says, switching back. “Maybe when… if I come out. But I don’t know if…”
“I’ll stay by your side,” Hiiro says. “Regardless.”
Saki nods.
“I honestly don’t think it fits me, is the thing,” he says, switching back to Watashi. “I guess some men still use ‘watashi’ so I’m fine. I prefer switching around, at least in my head.” That time he used Ore. “Still… this is. Kind of new for me, too.”
“I see,” Hiiro says. “How long?”
“A couple months,” Saki replies. “Well… years, really, but my parents aren’t accepting. So I could never seriously consider it, and now… if they find out, I won’t have enough money to pay for college.”
Hiiro nods.
“Good to know,” he says.
“They do love me,” Saki says. “Just… maybe not in the ways I need. They love their daughter…”
“They should be proud to have you as a son,” Hiiro replies.
Saki smiles.
“See, this is why I trusted you,” he says. “Thanks for being so great about this.” He sighs. “The newest part, really, is being able to say the words.”
“Here, try this.”
Hiiro stares at the cake in front of him.
“I don’t like sweet things,” he says. Saki just smiles.
“Try it,” he says. “Or at least cut it for me, since you’re so good at it.”
Saki’s challenging him. Well, fine then. He’s good for a challenge. He cuts the cake perfectly.
And unfortunately, is in fact convinced to eat a slice.
It’s… not bad, actually.
Hiiro’s not particularly knowledgeable on the subject of romance. He’d chosen instead to focus on his studies. His few passing attractions, though, had been with men, and even those had felt… minor. Compared to how others described attraction.
Which is why he isn’t sure how to feel about Saki, who is a man, of course, but he didn’t know that when he met her, and who he feels more strongly about than he has for anyone before.
“Is this a date?” He asks, the sixth or seventh time Saki takes him out. Saki just smiles. His soft, beautiful smile framed by tied-back long hair.
“If you want it to be,” Saki replies. “Since you finally noticed.”
“…I’d like that,” Hiiro says.
When Saki sat down across from him at lunch, he certainly never saw it ending with a new boyfriend. But he doesn’t mind.
Not one bit.