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This was the worst day of his life.
Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it definitely was the worst day he's had since moving to Makochi.
You see, Sakura may not be dumb, but he can be quite an idiot sometimes. And that idiocy is what landed him in this situation, hiding in a bathroom stall at school because he forgot to bring some goddamn menstrual pads!
The boy fought the urge to bang his head against the door. How could he have been so careless? He knew he had used the last one he carried in his school bag yesterday, and yet he still forgot to restock when he came home. And of course he had to find out about this little detail after throwing the used one away.
So now here he was, stuck in a bathroom stall without any sanitary products, contemplating life. If it was one of the last days of his period he might have thought 'fuck it' and gone without for a bit, but this was only the second day! If he didn't shove something in his underwear the blood would for sure leak through his pants sooner or later. And if there's anything he doesn't want right now, it's to announce his fucking period to the whole town!
So yeah, worst day in Makochi so far.
His eyes glared at the roll of toilet paper hanging on the wall beside him. He technically could grab some of that and bunch it up in his underwear as a makeshift pad, but it wouldn't hold up for long. This school had that cheap kind of toilet paper that basically disintegrates when exposed to any kind of liquid. Nope, not doing that. He needed to figure something else out.
He almost jumped up from where he sat as the door to the bathroom slammed open. "Sakura-san, are you still in here?" Nirei's voice rang out. Good god, why was Nirei here? Had he really been away long enough for his friends to come looking for him? How embarrassing..
"Still here." he confirmed from within the stall. Footsteps were heard before his vice captain stopped in front of the stall door. "Are you okay? Do you have a stomach ache?" the boy asked concerned. Well yeah, that too, but that wasn't the main problem right now.
"I'm.. uhh.." he trailed off. He actually hadn't told any of his friends about him having been a girl before yet. It just never came up! And besides, what does it matter what he has between his legs anyway? It's not something he was embarrassed about, but he didn't feel like it was something everyone needed to know.
But that range of thoughts now landed him in this situation; having to explain everything to his friend through a bathroom stall door. He didn't want to, but it was probably the best thing right now. He needed to get his hands on some pads if he ever wanted to be able to leave this damn bathroom again.
He let out a sigh. Best to just be blunt with it. Nirei was an understanding person. If there was anyone he was certain would not judge him for this, it was Nirei.
"I'm.. on my period." he finally admitted. His hands grasped his bare thighs as the silence beyond the door stretched out while his friend digested the information. Then, finally, Nirei responded.
"Oh," the blond boy replied dumbly. Sakura almost rolled his eyes. He just learned that one of his best friends was transgender and his reaction was just 'oh'? Well, at least he didn't immediately whip out his notebook so that's a plus.
"Ah, so, uh, d-do you need anything?" the freckled teen stuttered out after a moment of silence. The other was relieved to hear none of the dreaded disgust in his voice, only surprise and concern. He let out a little huff. "I ran out of pads.." he said quietly. "Can you- Is there- Do you think they have any here at school somewhere? Maybe at the nurse's office or something?" he asked cautiously. This is an all boy's school so the chance of there being any was small, but who knows. Maybe his friend knew of a secret stash somewhere hidden in the building.
Nirei let out a little thoughtful hum. "I don't know about the school itself, but I do know of someone here who might have some for you!" he replied. Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Someone here? Like a student?" he asked curiously. Nirei nodded, though he obviously couldn't see that from where he sat. "I can go ask him for you? He's like you, so I'm sure he'll understand!"
Sakura's eyes widened. There was someone like him here at Furin? He never noticed anyone who was different from the others, but then again he himself also never announced the truth about his body to the rest of the world. "Who?" he asked.
Nirei turned on his heels and walked to the door. "Someone from our class. I'll go ask him right now and send him over if he's fine with it. He's probably more qualified to help with this than I am." the freckled teen said. He then left the bathroom, leaving Sakura to wonder who this person could possibly be.
It was about eight minutes later when the door to the bathroom opened again. Sakura perked up from where he was still hiding in the stall. The person who entered strode over to the sinks lining one of the walls and the sound of a bag being sat down on them was heard.
"Soooo, Sakura-chan. I heard you needed some help." the person on the other end said. The two-toned teen's eyes widened and he almost gasped out loud. That voice.. Not only was it someone from their class like Nirei had said, it was actually someone he was pretty close with too!
"Kiryu?"
His pink-haired friend let out a laugh. "The one and only!" he replied. "Sorry I took so long. I had gone to get some snacks from the vending machine, so it took a bit for Nire-chan to track me down." The other teen let out a small huff of amusement at that. Of course his friend was off getting food again.
"So anyway, you needed sanitary products right?" the boy said, rummaging through his bag. "What do you need? I got both pads and tampons with me." Sakura flushed slightly at the casual way the other was talking about these items. "J-just a pad is fine.." he replied. He hadn't tried the other kind just yet, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna try them for the first time at school.
Kiryu hummed. "Alright! Need one for light or heavy flow?" he questioned, taking out a few different packages. The other boy frowned at the closed door. "Heavy what?" he muttered a bit confused. The rummaging stopped for a second. "Ah, I mean- Are you bleeding a lot or just a little bit? There's different kinds of pads for that." the other replied. Sakura raised his eyebrows at that. "Oh. I didn't know that." he said, albeit a bit sheepishly. "Uh.. I'm bleeding a lot right now so.." he answered despite feeling kinda embarrassed. He had never really openly talked about this stuff with anyone.
His pink-haired classmate grabbed one of the packages and approached the door. "Okay, this one should work." he said before reaching down to present the pad from underneath the bottom of the stall door, knowing that Sakura probably wouldn't feel comfortable opening the door to take it from him that way.
The bi-colored boy took the offered item and looked at it. It looked like one of the fancier brands he'd seen at the store, but honestly he didn't really care about that right now. He just wanted to get the hell out of this bathroom stall already.
He swiftly finished his business and opened the stall. Outside, he found Kiryu leaning against the sinks with a small smile. "All settled?" he asked kindly. The two-toned boy nodded. "Yeah, thanks." he replied, unsure how to act in this kind of situation. The piercing-wearing teen waved him off. "It's nothing!" he said before pressing a whole pack of pads into Sakura's hands. "Here, take these with you in case you need to change them again. I got plenty!"
The other hesitantly took them from his friend. "If you're sure.." he murmured with a slight blush. He was secretly very grateful for the gift. Even if pads weren't that expensive, it still ate away at his already meager savings.
"Hey, Sakura-chan." The boy in question turned back to look at his friend, who looked back at him with a soft gaze. "Let's hang out together once you feel better. I think we could both profit from having someone to talk to who knows what you're going through."
Sakura was silent for a bit before nodding. Kiryu was right. They, especially he himself, could probably learn a bit from each other on this topic.
Sakura stared at the large gate in front of him as nervous energy coursed through his body. It was early in the evening and the sun was setting. A week had passed since he told his friends (because he couldn't keep the others in the dark after both Nirei and Kiryu already found out) about everything and tonight he was meeting up with his pink-haired friend at the other boy's home.
His friend insisted on them having a sleepover, so here he was with a small bag with a change of clothes, sleepwear and other necessities. He had never had a sleepover before so he wasn't really sure what to bring, but he hoped he had the right essentials with him.
And besides that, he was also kinda nervous about the conversation he and Kiryu would undoubtedly be having. The whole reason his friend even suggested meeting up was to talk about.. that. He didn't know what to expect.
Before his mind could conjure up all kinds of worst case scenarios about that upcoming conversation, the gate before him opened. Kiryu peeked out from behind it with a grin. "Sakura-chan! Come in, come in!" he said as he ushered the other boy inside. The two walked through the premises to the pink-haired boy's living quarters (or the fancy shed, as Sakura saw it).
The two made some small talk as the host got them both some drinks. Sakura deposited his bag in the corner of the room before taking a seat on the floor, where his friend later joined him.
"So, Sakura-chan, I had an idea." the other boy said after talking about school and other stuff for a while. "It's pretty good weather outside tonight, so why don't we take a dip in the jacuzzi? It's all fenced in and everything, so you don't have to worry about being seen." the other suggested. Sakura looked at him in surprise. A jacuzzi? He didn't even know the other had one. Then again, Kiryu was like filthy rich so it didn't surprise him all that much.
He looked down at his glass. The idea made him a bit anxious, but not overly so. But that aside, he hadn't planned on this at all! "I didn't bring any swimwear." he replied meekly. Kiryu waved him off. "That's alright, you can borrow some of mine." he said. He then looked at the other with a serious expression, obviously having noticed his nervousness. "Hey, we don't have to if you don't wanna. I just thought the warm water might help relax you a bit while we have a chat." he said calmly.
The bi-colored boy thought about the suggestion for a bit. Eventually, he nodded. "Why not." he breathed out. Kiryu's eyes lit up. "Alright! I'll go find you something to wear!" he exclaimed before getting up and rummaging through his closet. First thing he pulled out were swim trunks; a bright pink one that was obvious for himself and a dark blue one. After that he also tossed two bathrobes onto the floor, both simple white ones. After that, he turned to look at his classmate again.
"What do you prefer to wear for a top? You wore a shirt during our beach trip, but that's probably gonna be too hot right now. I got sports bras, swim binders, one regular bikini top from years ago that's probably too small, and a basic one piece swimsuit if you prefer that. Thought if you don't want to wear anything on top that's fine too." he told the other boy as he showed off each individual item available.
Sakura's mind reeled a bit as he looked at the options. He had never had the money or the need for such items so he didn't really know what was comfortable. His friend seemed to notice his struggle and gave him a gentle smile. "If it helps, I think I'm gonna go in just trunks if you're okay with that. There will be no one there but you and me. But if you want to cover up, I'd suggest the sports bra. It's the most comfortable." he said.
The two-toned boy looked at the offered item, which was a black sports bra. Tentatively he took the bra and stretched the material between his fingers. It was clearly made to be worn in water and felt nice against his skin. "I'll take this one." he said, before looking up at his friend again. "You can do whatever you want. It's your home." he told the other, referring to him wanting to go topless. Kiryu smiled and put the unused clothes away. "If that's what you want~"
A couple of minutes later Sakura found himself in the other boy's bathroom. His friend had told him he could change there while he put on his own swim trunks in the bedroom.
The boy stared down at the items in his hands for a moment longer before he stripped himself down. He put the swim trunks on first and they fit surprisingly well despite his friend being a bit smaller than him.
Before pulling on the sports bra he caught his own reflection in the mirror. He stared at himself, at his form, and huffed. Even if he had become more comfortable with himself and his looks after coming to Makochi, he still felt a bit uneasy when looking at his uncovered body. It just didn't look right. Without the usual hoodie or shirt covering everything, anyone could see he was too.. feminine. Waist too small, hips too wide, and his chest-
He pulled the sports bra over his head and moved it into the right position. It wasn't as effective at flattening his chest as his usual means, but that wasn't really their purpose anyway. He put on the bathrobe Kiryu had provided him and left the bathroom.
Kiryu was already waiting for him, also wearing a robe. "Does everything fit alright?" he asked. Sakura nodded. His friend beamed. "Great! Come on, let's go." he said as he led the other boy out the door and to the back of his little house. He actually had his own fenced in section of garden right behind his room, complete with some plants, a picnic table, fairy lights, and the jacuzzi. The jacuzzi was an actual high quality one with a wooden exterior and acrylic interior, complete with build-in seats and water jets.
The bi-colored boy watched in awe as steam rose up from the warm water. The cover had already been removed by his friend, probably while he was busy changing earlier. The tub was pretty large and probably big enough to host their little friend group if they ever wanted to get in together. There was also a foldable side table next to the hot tub where the other had laid out a variety of snacks and a cooler which likely held some cold drinks.
"You can toss the bathrobe on there." Kiryu said, motioning at the picnic table while he took out two cans of soda from the cooler and poured them into glasses. The other teen hesitated for a short moment, a wave of shyness washing over him. This was probably the most skin he'd ever shown to anyone in years, even if he was still wearing swimwear.
He let out a quiet sigh to steady himself. He knew he had nothing to worry about. Kiryu was the same as him, so he'd probably be the last person to judge his body. And with that in mind, the teen untied the knot holding his robe closed and let the sides fall open. He then shrugged the material off his shoulders and off his arms, folding the bathrobe before placing it on the table. He then walked over to the jacuzzi and stepped out of the slippers his classmate had provided him earlier.
Kiryu finished with the drinks and walked over to the picnic table and started to take off his own robe as well. "Be careful when you get in. It can be slippery sometimes." he called over his shoulder at the other. Sakura nodded absentmindedly and stepped over the rim to get into the water.
He let out a little hiss at the sheer heat of the water, but didn't let that deter him from getting in. The water reached up to his waist as he stood there. After a moment, he lowered himself down to submerge himself up to his neck. And honestly? The hot water did feel kinda nice. He couldn't help but let out a little moan as he let the heat wash over him. Scratch nice, this felt fucking amazing.
A little giggle sounded from behind him. "It's good, isn't it?" his pink-haired friend asked as he also stepped over the edge to enter the jacuzzi. Sakura turned to face him and he couldn't help it when his eyes immediately fell on the other's chest. Like he had said earlier, Kiryu had chosen to forgo any kind of covering on top, which meant that the other boy was able to get a good look at him.
Kiryu's build was pretty similar to his, although maybe a bit slimmer and with less defined muscles. His pink shorts hung loosely off his hips which made his waist look smaller than it already was. And while that on its own wasn't a true sign of him having ever been anything other than a boy, his chest made that fact more than clear. His breasts weren't big or anything, they were probably even smaller than his own, but they were definitely there. Two small mounds that other boys just wouldn't have.
It was undeniable now.
Kiryu truly was like him.
"My eyes are up here, Sakura-chan~" a teasing voice rang out, snapping the other from his thoughts. "Shit- sorry!" he yelped as he all but dove to the other side of the tub, face beet red. Kiryu cackled at the other's reaction. "No, it's fine! It's fine!" he laughed. "You can look all you want, I really don't mind." he said with a smile before moving to sit on one of the build-in seats opposite of his friend. When he sat down, the water reached up to just above his bust, which helped calm the other down just a tad. Even if his friend said it was okay to look, he didn't want to be stuck staring at the other's chest all evening.
He let out a deep breath and sat down properly. "Sorry, I-I've just never.." he trailed off. Kiryu tilted his head. "Seen another trans person before?" he finished for him, to which the other nodded. The piercing-wearing teen leaned back against the border of the tub. "Well, that makes two of us."
Sakura was only slightly surprised at that. He knew that there weren't a lot of people like them around here, but he thought that maybe Kiryu would've encountered one before. He just seemed way too calm about all of this. But then again, he was quite a chill person to begin with.
After a moment, his classmate reached over to a small panel located on the rim of the hot tub. "You ready, Sakura-chan?" he asked with a playful glint in his eyes. The other blinked. "Ready for wha-" he started to ask, but was cut off when his friend pressed down on a button and the jets inside of the jacuzzi spontaneously came to life.
The bi-colored boy yelped in surprise when he was suddenly all but assaulted by hard jets of water shooting at him from all angles underneath the surface. At the bottom of the jacuzzi more jets started up and created bubbles, which turned the previously calm water into a sea of motion.
Kiryu couldn't help but laugh when he saw his captain's panicked expression. "Relax! I just turned on the bubbles!" he exclaimed with a grin. When the other finally realized that he was, in fact, not getting murdered by water he settled down again and actually started enjoying the jets. They were surprisingly nice against his tense muscles.
The two sat there for a little while before Sakura started to get a bit anxious again. They still hasn't said a word about the thing they actually come to discuss and, as much as he didn't like talking about it, he was a bit curious about how his friend had dealt with his transition and everything connected to that.
Seeing that the other was perfectly content on just sitting there and relaxing in the water, Sakura decided to broach the topic himself. "How.. How did your family react when you.. you know.." he asked. Maybe a bit of a heavy first question but he was curious! Kiryu seemed to have anticipated him starting the conversation and smiled, looking up at the night sky. It was dark without clouds, so the stars were visible tonight.
"Well, my dad yelled a lot when he found out. Honestly didn't expect any different. But he did end up coming around after a while. Or, he at least doesn't refer to me as a girl anymore." he told the other. "My mom and brothers were pretty indifferent about it. I don't think they care all that much about what I am. Akari, however.." a grin appeared on his face. "She was absolutely pissed!"
Sakura sat up straight and looked at his friend with wide eyes. "Your sister was upset?!" he yelped in disbelief. His friend laughed. "Yes! It was quite a shock actually!" he replied. "But it only lasted for a few days. Turns out she was just upset her only sister was now her little brother. We already have two brothers so when I was born she was just so excited to have another girl in the house. She was afraid she'd lose the only sibling she could relate to and do girly stuff with."
A soft smile appeared on the boy's face. "But, as you know, I'm really not all that manly anyway so in the end she just gained a brother who will still braid her hair and talk about boys with her." he finished. In the end nothing had really changed between them, other than him now refusing the hand-me-down skirts and dresses when his sister grew out of them.
The Two-toned teen nodded as he listened to the other's story. He supposed Akari's reaction made sense in a way. It probably was quite a shock for her. At least she came around pretty quickly unlike some people he knew.
"How about you?" Kiryu then asked, his smile fading a bit like he already knew what was coming. The other boy sunk down a bit lower into the water. "They didn't take it too well." he said quietly. "I was already basically living in a supply closet at home, but once they discovered that I didn't want to be a girl anymore they kicked me out to live outside in the shed. They even attached a bathroom and everything so they wouldn't have a reason to let me inside ever again."
A saddened expression appeared on his friend's face. "I'm sorry that happened.." he said. Sakura just shook his head. "They were jerks long before I came out, so nothing really changed for me in the end." he replied with a sigh. He had always been the black sheep of the family and while expressing his desires to become a boy worsened his living situation significantly, it didn't really change much emotionally.
They couldn't really take away their love and affection when he had never even received it in the first place.
The pink-haired boy let out a sigh. "Still, I will never understand the old-fashioned way of thinking some people have." he muttered. "Like, why do people hate anything that doesn't conform to the norm? It's so stupid. What does it matter if we want to be happy? It's our life, not theirs."
The other boy nodded along with his words. The people in this country, especially the older generations, tends to view everything 'odd' or 'unnatural' as something that needs to be chased off. Be it unusual looks, personality, sexuality or anything else that does not meet the standard, people don't want to see, hear or know about it.
"That's just how things are." Sakura said, eyes looking around the yard. "And I guess people are allowed to hate what they hate. I just wish they wouldn't make it so obvious. I mean, do they get some kind of sick pleasure from hurting us? That's just weird!" he spat, annoyance growing. "Seriously, just let us live our own lives. Don't make it harder by denying our identities and doing stupid shit like not giving us a boy's uniform at school." he grumbled that last part as he crossed his arms. He was still bitter about that particular detail.
Kiryu let out a groan. "Oh, don't remind me!" he whined. "I had to beg my father for almost a full month straight to get him to order me the boy's uniform. I was so sick of that fucking skirt I was forced to wear I literally lit it on fire as soon as I got the new uniform in the mail." The bi-colored teen let out a snort at the mental image of his friend practically yeeting a skirt into the fireplace.
"I asked once to try to get my parents to get it for me, but surprise! They didn't give a fuck. Neither did school, so I just stole someone's clothes from a locker during PE." he said with a grin. "I bet they knew it was me, but no one ever dared to get them back."
The other teen gasped loudly before laughing. "Why didn't I think of that!" he exclaimed as he wiped a tear from his eye. Sakura shrugged. "Lack of skill." he replied, making his friend laugh even harder.
Once the laughter died down, Kiryu turned off the jets and the water slowly stilled. He then reached over to the small side table and grabbed a small bag of paprika chips. The other looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You're gonna get crumbs in the water." he said with a small smirk. His friend let out a little huff. "Am not." he replied, voice muffled by the handful of chips he just stuffed inside.
The two-toned teen rolled his eyes, but he too came over to grab a bag of chips. "You say that, but I have to dust off that damn cushion every time you eat something at my place. You get that shit everywhere." he said before tearing into the chips with vigor. Kiryu bought the good kind, not the cheap store brand ones. Good shit.
The piercing-wearing boy shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I don't care if it gets in the tub. The water filter will deal with it." he said. He eyed the chips in his friends hands, which were a different flavor than his own. "This reminds me, what's your comfort food during your period? I always keep a small stash of my favorites in my school bag, and I wouldn't mind adding some for you for when you need em." he said as he looked up at his classmate.
Sakura flushed slightly as they went back on topic. Frankly, he didn't even know there was a thing called 'comfort food', but he supposed it meant like things you like to eat more than usual or something? He could barely even afford normal food, let alone extras to consume when he had his monthly troubles.
"I guess I tend to eat more sweet things at that time." he mumbled after a moment of thinking. It wasn't like he was normally opposed to sweets and stuff, but he supposed he did notice an increased appetite for more sugary foods when it was that time of the month.
Kiryu hummed. "Ah, like chocolate? I've heard that's a common craving during periods." he replied. Sakura nodded. He supposed chocolate was one of those things, yeah. His friend looked down in thought. "I guess my craving is a bit more specific. There's these cookies I have that I just can't get enough of." he started, rattling on about some fancy ass cookies he apparently keeps a stash of. They sounded quite good.
The two talked back and forth about food they liked for a little while. As time went by, Sakura felt more and more at ease being in such close proximity to Kiryu in this setting. His own embarrassment about the things they had been discussing faded away as well. So much in fact that he initiated the next topic on his own.
"You know," Sakura started, crumpling up the now empty bag of chips and tossing it back onto the table. "I didn't even know what a period was when I got my first one. No one ever told me about it. I literally thought I was dying." he told his friend. His mind flashed back to the day when he found himself bleeding down there for the first time. It scared him so bad he threw himself into a full-blown panic attack. Only after somehow managing to look it up on the internet did he learn what it entailed.
Kiryu bit his lip. "Really? Didn't your mom- wait, never mind." he stopped himself, knowing just how bad of a relationship his friend had with his family. Still, for a parent to not even warn their child of these upcoming changes was pretty cruel. "I already knew it would happen at some point since I learned it at school and from my mom, but yeah. It still scared the shit out of me." he admitted with a smile.
"I suppose it also made it dawn on me that I really was different from other boys. Before that, it didn't really matter to me that I was born with different genitals than everyone else. It didn't even occur to me that was something that was different. But when I got my period and the other boys obviously didn't, it made me realize that I would have to put in a bit more effort to be a guy than the rest."
The bi-colored teen silently nodded along with his classmate. Obviously he knew there was a difference between boys and girls, but the real ins and outs of these differences didn't really set in until he started puberty.
He blushed slightly and scratched at the back of his neck. "This probably sounds even more stupid, but I didn't even know there was.. uh.. a-another hole down there." he admitted sheepishly. Because why would he ever think there was more going on down there beside the parts he used to go to the bathroom when no one ever told him about it? As a kid you don't think about needing another part for the purpose of procreating.
Kiryu all but choked on some chips. "Wha- Please tell me you're joking, Sakura-chan." he said with a little whine. The other shifted in place as wide green eyes stared at him. "I had to learn it from pictures on the internet." he admitted. Kiryu gaped at him for a moment before furrowing his brows.
"..I don't have to give you The Talk, do I?"
Sakura choked on his own spit.
"God no!"
His friend held up his hand. "Just checking!" he said. He supposed it would be a bit awkward to talk about the birds and the bees with his friend anyway. "Well, feel free to hit me up if you ever have any questions or need advice on that front. I may not have a lot of experience, but at least I'm more trustworthy than whatever strangers write on the internet."
Sakura rolled his eyes. Like he'd ever ask anyone about stuff like that. He'd probably burst a blood vessel trying to even get the question out of his throat. He appreciated the offer though.
Kiryu then launched into a couple of short stories of his past of how he had dealt with certain things during his transition, like clothes, hairstyles, the decoration in his room, etc etc. Sakura wasn't that surprised to hear that the other boy's style hadn't changed that much since he was young. It was basically the same, just without the forced skirts and dresses.
As he listened, he got curious about one thing though. His friend's given name, Mitsuki. He assumed the other hadn't chosen that one himself as it was a name more commonly used for girls rather than boys. Wouldn't he prefer to go by a different one now that he's changed his gender identity?
"Your name.. you haven't changed it, have you?" he asked tentatively, interrupting the other's story briefly. Kiryu looked up from where he had been staring at the water. "No, I haven't." he confirmed. "I thought about it, but in the end I guess I've grown attached to the one my parents gave me. Sure, it sounds a bit feminine, but it's been a part of me for 16 years. I don't have to change everything to finally be true to myself." he told the other with a smile.
"How about you?" he then asked. "Haruka is a pretty girly name too." The two-toned boy looked up in thought. "I don't know. I mean, I'm not a big fan of it, but I haven't found anything else that really fits me yet." he replied. "I want to say that I've grown attached to it like you have, but that's just not true. Nobody really used to call me by my name before I arrived here, so it sounds weirdly unfamiliar to me when someone does end up using it." Instead of using his name, his family and anyone else around him just referred to him with insults, slurs, and 'that girl'. He barely felt any attachment to his family name, let alone his given name.
Kiryu splashed his hand around in the water. "Well, if you do find something you might like me and the rest of our group could try it out with you. You know, to see if it fits." he suggested. Sakura's eyes widened momentarily before he smiled. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind." he replied. He wasn't sure if he'll ever even find something that suits him, but if he does he might take his friend up on that offer.
The two talked for a little while longer before deciding to get out of the tub. They had been in there for well over an hour and the skin on their hands and feet probably looked like that of old men by now. Sakura got out first, shivering slightly as the nighttime air touched his skin. Even if it wasn't that cold outside, the difference in temperature between the water and the air was quite shocking.
He was about to reach for the bathrobe he had used earlier when Kiryu called out to him. "Sakura-chan? Can you come here for a sec?" The bi-colored teen complied without hesitation and returned to the side of the jacuzzi. His friend was still standing waist-deep in the water with a small frown on his face. Sakura had to put in some effort not to let his eyes wander down to the other's unclothed chest again.
"Need something?" he asked, trying not to sound nervous as the other eyed him. Why did his friend look upset? Did he do something wrong? As soon as he was within reach, the pink-haired boy grasped his arm and pulled him closer. "Wha- hey!" he yelped as he felt a hand worm its way underneath the band of the sports bra he was wearing. What the fuck was Kiryu doing?!
"Ah, sorry Sakura-chan." the other said, sounding only slightly apologetic. His hand lifted the bottom of the sports bra up slightly and gently moved his fingers over the sensitive reddened skin underneath. It looked very typical of a binding rash. "It's just.. I didn't notice this until now, but your skin is pretty damaged here." he told the other as he looked up at his friend, frown still present. "Sakura-chan, you are binding safely, right?"
Sakura didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent and looked away. Unfortunately, something like that doesn't work with Kiryu. "Sakura." he said sternly. The other teen let out a small growl. "I bind when necessary." he replied curtly. The grip on the bra tightened. "Which is?" his friend pressed again. The two-toned boy stubbornly refused to answer.
A frustrated sigh left the shorter of the two. "Please tell me you haven't been doing it overnight as well as during the day." he said almost desperately. No answer. Kiryu sighed again and let go of his friend, who immediately took a step backwards.
"You know that's damaging to your body, don't you? Why would you do that to yourself?" the piercing-wearing teen asked. Sakura huffed and crossed his arms. "I didn't use to, but ever since I got sick people keep barging into my apartment without asking! I don't want them to see me without it." he finally replied with a grumble.
Kiryu's harsh look softened at those words. As much as he wanted to be upset, he understood his friend's reasoning. Having someone discover you in such a position when you aren't out yet can mess with your head and make you do unreasonable things.
"Well, no more of that." he stated, hands now firmly planted on his hips like an upset mother. "From now on, the binder goes off as soon as you get home. No exceptions!" Before his friend could protest he added, "I'll deal with our classmates, so don't worry about them entering without permission again. You need to give your body time to heal in between binding, especially after all that fighting we do, or you'll get more of that rash or potential other problems and we do not want that."
The bi-colored teen looked like he wanted to object, but eventually just relented. "Fine. No more binding at home." he confirmed with a small blush, embarrassed that his friend had to scold him like this. The other nodded with a grin, satisfied that issue had now been resolved.
Kiryu then quickly ushured his friend to go to the bathroom first so the boy could take a shower and change while the other took care of closing the hot tub and bringing the snacks and drinks back inside. When the two-toned boy was done, the other took a quick shower as well to get rid of the slight chlorine smell the chemicals in the water had left behind.
The two then settled down at the pink-haired boy's table again, not ready to head to bed just yet. Kiryu crunched away on even more snacks while Sakura was content on just nursing a glass of water. He knew that if he consumed any more sugary things he wouldn't get any sleep at all.
They ended up playing some good old card games (Sakura was honestly surprised Kiryu had games other than digital ones) for another hour or so. Granted, the host had to teach his guest how to play most of these games because the bi-colored boy hadn't played any of them before. Still, they had a good time!
It was just after midnight when the two decided to get ready for bed. They brushed their teeth and rolled out a futon for Sakura. They settled under the covers and the piercing-wearing teen put on a move on his TV. It was some popular kids movie he had seen dozens of times, but his friend hadn't even seen it once! This was another thing he and the rest of their little group enjoyed doing; showing their captain movies he had never seen before and watching his reactions. It was both sad to know he missed out on this all his life and exciting to be the ones to witness him experience these movies for the first time.
They were about halfway through said movie when Kiryu spoke up again. "Sakura-chan, there's another thing I wanted to ask you about." he said, effectively gaining his friend's attention. He smiled a little as he looked down at the other boy. "Do you have everything you need at home? I know some of the things people like us need can be expensive and you're not the richest person among us." he asked gently.
He already knew he wouldn't hesitate to help financially if his classmate as much as suggested he couldn't afford something. There's no way he'd leave his friend to struggle with his expenses when he himself had more than enough money at his disposal.
The other teen raised an eyebrow, eyes still trained on the screen. "You mean like pads 'n shit? I can get those myself just fine." he told the other, mind flashing back to when Kiryu had lent him some just last week. "I just forgot to restock my bag last week. They're not that expensive to get when you get the cheaper brands."
The pink-haired boy laughed. "Well yeah, pads too, but that's not really what I meant." he said. "I meant more like binders or binding tape, fitting clothes and, well, hormone treatment? Stuff like that." he clarified carefully. Especially that last one was something he was very curious about. Sakura's parents don't seem like people to agree to something like that..
Much to his surprise, Sakura smiled. "I actually got that last one figured out." he said. "Believe it or not, but our family doctor actually took pity on me when my parents sent me to him to see if he could 'fix' me or something. He's been providing me with hormone shots ever since. He kept it from my parents too, just bills them some extra which they somehow haven't noticed yet." he explained with a grin. "I still have to go back every once in a while to get another injection, but honestly if that's the worst thing about this then I think I got it pretty good." How legal it all was he didn't know, but he honestly didn't care either.
Kiryu released a breath he didn't even know he had been holding. "Ah, that's good to know. I was worried we'd have to figure out a way to get you access to those." he said. "I hope the side effects at least went easy on you. I tend to get terrible acne." he said with a groan. At least he had his sister to teach him how to cover all of that up with make-up.
Sakura shrugged. "I think I lucked out on that part. I haven't experienced any of the side effects the doctor warned me about." he said. The piercing-wearing boy whined loudly and threw himself at the other. "Oh my god, please give me some of your luck! I can't handle it anymore~" he said dramatically. The two-toned boy let out a yelp and scrambled to get away from the other's grabby hands. Seriously, why does this guy always have to be so touchy?!
"To answer your other other question. I'm.. managing." he admitted after they settled down again. "I actually bought my first binder when I first moved here since now there's no one who steals my shit when I buy something. Before that I just used tape."
Kiryu raised an eyebrow as he felt some worry rise up within him again. "Binding tape you mean?" he asked hopefully. Sakura looked away. "I just used whatever tape I could find in my parents' shed." he replied embarrassed. "It wasn't very comfortable and quite painful to rip off again, but it got the job done."
"Oh, Sakura-chan.." his friend murmured, a saddened expression on his face. The other boy waved him off. "It's fine, I don't do that anymore. I have a roll of actual binding tape as well for when I need to clean my binder or something." he clarified. "I have to say that that shit is a lot more comfortable than duct tape.." he then muttered quietly.
Kiryu definitely had more to say on the whole tape thing, but he decided to let it go for now. "Do you have any spare binders? If not, I can help order a few for you. I know a few good online shops that sell very comfortable ones." he asked instead. Sakura grumbled a bit at that. "I don't, but it's fine. You don't have to get-" But his friend was already opening the browser tab on his phone. The bi-colored boy sighed, already knowing this was a lost battle.
The two sat there for another while, with Sakura watching the movie and giving his input whenever his friend asked, and Kiryu putting at least ten different binders and other gender-affirming items in a basket and placing the order to be delivered as soon as possible. The other had balked when he glanced over and saw the price tags, but the pink-haired boy just shushed him with "I'm using my father's credit card.", which effectively shut him up.
When the movie finished a while later and they were ready to call it a night, the two settled down in their bed and futon. Kiryu switched off the light via a remote (rich people things) before looking through the darkness down at his friend.
"Comfortable?" he asked. The bi-colored teen hummed affirmatively. The other smiled and laid down in his bed. "Good! Well, if you need anything feel free to wake me. I'm a heavy sleeper but a bit of poking should do the trick." he said as he unlocked his phone to do a few last things before sleeping. "Goodnight, Sakura-chan."
Sakura adjusted the pillow under his head (because how the fuck are you supposed to use these?) and turned on his side. " 'night." he replied, voice already heavy with sleep. He didn't think he was that tired, but spending several hours with a friend really emptied his social battery. He should probably be used to being among his friends for longer periods of time by now, but it still took a lot out of him.
Which is why, despite sleeping in someone else's room and not in his own futon, he still fell asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes.
The following morning was pretty nice. Sakura woke up before Kiryu and lazed around on his futon until his friend finally rose from his dead-like sleep. It was the weekend and they didn't have patrol, so they were in no hurry to get up and out of the house.
They actually ended up having a nice late breakfast or early lunch with Kiryu's sister. Akari was always happy to talk to her brother's friends, even if Sakura himself didn't talk all that much. She brought along some more of those expensive treats, which the two-toned boy practically inhaled. The siblings didn't mind though. They just smiled as they watched him enjoy the treat.
After that, Sakura gathered his things and put everything back in his bag. He could stay here for a while longer since neither of them had anything planned, but that would probably be too much for him at this moment. They had talked about a lot of things yesterday and he needed a bit of time to himself to digest everything.
"I'll come by to bring the binders and everything over when they arrive." the pink-haired teen said as they stood at the gate of the residence. "And if you need anything else, don't hesitate to message me. I'm always happy to help a friend~"
The other boy looked away with a slightly flustered expression. "I'll let you know." he replied. "And thank you. For.. everything." he said shyly. The things they had talked about yesterday were, albeit a bit embarrassing, very calming and reassuring to him. It was good to know he wasn't alone in these struggles and now he knew he had someone to talk to if he ever ran into any trouble regarding this quite sensitive topic.
The shorter boy smiled. "It's no trouble! I'm happy you decided to come by, Sakura-chan." he replied. Sakura nodded, stood there awkwardly for a moment, before turning away. "Bye." he quickly said before leaving. "See you on Monday!" the other called after him with a grin, receiving a small wave in return from his captain.
Kiryu smiled as he watched his friend vanish in the distance. Honestly, he had a lot of fun hanging out with Sakura last night and this morning. He may act a bit grumpy at times, but he truly is a sweetheart!
Finding out his captain was also trans was definitely not something he expected, but he can't say he isn't glad to have someone to talk to who understood his feelings on the matter. It also reassured him that both of them will always have someone in their corner, even if other people don't accept them for who they are.
No matter what, they'll always have each other's back in this.