Chapter Text
Hey, my name is TOTALLYYYY Sahara. If you read the summary, I’m gonna assume you are confused. You’re probably thinking “Who is this chic?”, “I thought this would be about a guy named Mac?”, “yeah, what the heck is this femboy republican shit?” I know I would be confused if I was in your shoes. So let me try to explain a couple things before you get to read on.
Mac is 14 years old and goes to All-Republican High! It is what it sounds like. A high school where only republicans can go! But as you probably have guessed by now, he’s no republican at all! But every day at school he’s had to pretend that he is, since it’s the only way he could get his education in this corrupt country named United Gacha Life! But if he could wish for one thing in life, it would be that everyone could be who they want to be.
That is mostly because he couldn’t be who HE wanted to be in public. Mac is a femboy! All his Twitch fans know him as Femboy_McStar when he streams. Creative name, right? Thanks, I came up with it myself! And also, most of his friends are also femboy streamers alongside him! They play Valorant together, and-
Oops, I’m wasting so much time! My point is, Mac and most of our friends are secret femboys. And do you know what would happen if they ever got caught by our principal, Bonald Frump? They’d get expelled, and could never finish their education, get decent jobs, or live a happy life ever again! So frankly, Mac was pretty scared every day.
But like all stories, one day everything changed…
Macs alarm clock screamed at him to wake up. The screen showed him it was 7:40 on Wednesday morning. How great. He had 30 minutes until school started… wait, HE HAD 30 MINUTES UNTIL SCHOOL STARTED! The realization that he had slept longer than planned made him quite literally jump out of bed. It usually took him about 15 minutes to walk to school, which gave him a short comfort that he might just make it on time.
Leaping over to his gaming chair, he gave his yesterday self some praise for having laid out his school uniform for the day. Or… it wasn’t REALLY a uniform. He could wear any clothes he wanted, as long as the teachers would consider it masculine. And for the girls it was the same, only feminine. As crazy as it was, girls weren’t allowed to wear pants.
But the sort-of uniform part came in with two specific clothing items that ALL students and teachers HAD to wear. A simple red cap and vest, with the words “Make Actual Gacha Again” written on them.
Gacha was a world-renowned art style and had given our country UGL its name. In our time, artists had started upgrading their Gacha works. Both their production quality and finished products. Ever since that started, the republicans made their motto MAGA. They wanted to stop Gacha from evolving into a better form, hence why the republicans are also called conservatives. “Make Actual Gacha Again” has infected every aspect of everything. It’s in political speeches, in our lessons, on our cars, it’s EVERYWHERE.
And to Macs’ everyday disgust, it’s on two pieces of clothing he is forced to wear every day. Two pieces of clothing that would look strange if covered by something else. Two pieces of clothing that would get him in trouble if not worn. Two pieces of clothing that completely disagreed with his identity…
Mac snapped himself out of his dissatisfaction when he remembered he had poor time. Quickly, he got himself into his least disliked pair of jeans, and a basic white T-shirt. Without the MAGA merch, the outfit wasn’t TOO bad. Not at ALL his personal preference, but something he would’ve taken ANY day over how he was left standing when the cap and vest had been put on.
Mac didn’t need to look in the mirror to see how the finished outift was. He had worn it countless times before. But he still did. And he still felt disgusted at the sight. He looked like every singe republican guy that had ever existed. Mac would bet his Twitch account that every boy at school had worn an identical outfit at some point in their lives. And he didn’t like that thought. At least he had scheduled to stream tonight, so he could look forward to being himself later, he comforted himself.
Escaping his trance, Mac grabbed his backpack and phone and ran to the kitchen. His older brother was sitting at the table, on his phone while finishing his breakfast.
“Good morning.” Flix called out to Mac, not bothering to look up. Mac replied with a simple “Morning,” before hurrying, making himself some toast. While getting toppings out of the fridge, he spared himself a couple of seconds to check the time. 7:44. How on earth had he already spent four minutes?! He finished making and eating his breakfast with extra aggression from his stress. He could not be tardy at the beginning of the day. Not for the pledge of allegiance.
At All-Republican High, there were a lot of ways you could get expelled. You’re queer? Expelled. A femboy? Expelled. A girl wearing pants? Expelled. A guy with a skirt or dress? Expelled. Not wearing the MAGA merch? Expelled. Unrighteously missing at the pledge of allegiance? Expelled. Mac thought gloomily. It was crazy how strictly they followed the expelling rules. Although, it truly was effective motivation for the students.
But Mac was dead set on that NOT happening to him today. After having practically inhaled his toast, he didn’t bother setting his plate in the dishwasher. There was no time for that. With luck, one of his siblings would do it for him. If not, Mac would just do it when he came home later.
Content with his decision, he ran to the bathroom and took a sigh of relief when he saw it was unoccupied. Had his mother been there, Mac would’ve been in BIG trouble. But he got to brush his teeth in nice solitude. Daring a quick look at his watch, he saw the time was 7:49. Six more minutes until he really, really had to leave. Mac shot a look in the mirror. Oh crap, did his hair really need to look this bad TODAY? He spent about a minute wrestling with it and some hair gel until he felt like it was- “Good enough.” He told himself.
Ready to go get his shoes on, he turned around to exit the bathroom. That was until something resting on the bathroom counter caught his eye. His makeup bag glared invitingly towards him. Eyeliner, concealer, lipsticks and more just BEGGING to be applied this morning. But he couldn’t. And he’ll never get to use makeup on normal mornings. A boy wearing makeup? Expelled. The phrase chanted repeatedly in his head as he left for the very place that made his mornings so filled with anxiety.
But at least he made it to school on time. Mac entered the classroom about three minutes before the pledge would begin. It was nearly not enough to just take a calming breath and say “Hey,” to his friends Leonardo, Sahara, Elise, Livvie, and Eliza. There were four more remaining of the “ping-pong friend group”, but they didn’t share the same class. It was fine. He would see them later in the breaks and at lunch. Elle threw an insult at his hair, and he was about to respond when something caught his eye.
In front of the class, Ethan was checking the time. Ethan, oh that boy, with his gorgeous blonde hair, comically identical outfit, mesmerizing blue eyes, but most captivating of all, his pure-hearted smile that would put even the sweetest of puppies at shame. Mac's heart fluttered at the sight of him, like it always does. How did a femboy like Mac fall for a republican? He didn’t have a clue. But something he DID know was that he was head over heels for him.
There was just one thing about Ethan that Mac couldn’t place his finger on. He was different from all the other students at school. His energy and kindness were out of character for his republican identity. Perhaps THAT was what drove Mac so obsessed with him.
Ethan had always shown him kindness. When Mac first had started at All-Republican High, it was quickly known he was one of the “weird kids”. Of course, only his friends knew his secret, but his social status was low. And yet as one of the most popular guys at school, Ethan had never been anything but kind to him.
As one could expect, kindness was not a common trait for republicans. Even finding only one was like finding a crystal in your compost. So, when Mac found Ethan, he knew he just couldn’t let him go. Even if they could ONLY ever become friends.
And become friends they did! Mac had gritted his teeth through the beginning of the social effort of introducing himself. Thankfully Ethan being Ethan made it oh so easy. And oh, SO worth it.
Mac reminisced back to memories they had gotten to make so far. The times where Ethan had spared his precious time playing a few rounds by the ping-pong table. Some evenings they had played football together, where Ethan had been trying to teach Mac the rules, but to no avail. Weekends Mac had skipped streaming so he and his… friend, could play video games all day.
Mac’s memory shot back to one of them. An evening that he and Ethan had been sitting around the whole day. They played Rocket League, had popcorn fights, invented a whole new humor, and straight up had the best day of their lives! But that weekend HAUNTED Mac. That weekend, that day, that night.
Mac had gotten to see something that night. Something he had never seen before. A light shimmering in Ethans eyes. It was a light that he had never seen before. A warmth in his gaze that zapped butterflies into existence in Mac’s core. But the thought of it sent him into a spiral of confusion, so he had avoided thinking about it since. Or perhaps, he was avoiding it because he was hoping the light truly meant something?...
But no matter what it was or wasn’t, Mac would continue to ignore the memory. Because no matter how high his hopes were, he knew they could never be together. It was simply forbidden. Mac knew that. Cause he was a femboy at an all-republican school. And Ethan proudly stood with his politically questionable identity. Even though Ethan had never said something homophobic himself, he had never expressed a dislike for the other republicans’ jokes. Maybe that was something that also held Mac from confessing. And also, the fact that he would very likely be expelled. But he couldn’t help but wonder if there sometimes was something there…
There were certain moments between them that made Mac question him. Subtle looks and jokes that sometimes seemed to have a bigger meaning behind them. Random pats and always laughing at his not-really-that-funny jokes. Just small things that made Mac question it ALL. Could it ever be possible that Ethan wasn’t really… no, he was getting his hopes up for nothing. Just like always.
The sudden stop of chatter made Mac snap back to earth. Everyone sat down at their seats as their class president, Ethan Fjohn Hondson, grabbed everyone’s attention. To increase student engagement, the teachers had come to the agreement that the student representatives would be the ones to lead the morning allegiance pledge. Mac felt like it was surprisingly nice of them, but he would’ve preferred it to be anyone other than Ethan. ANYONE other than him. It could’ve been the class vice-president, Ulrich. But nooooo. It just HAD to be Ethan. Whatever.
“Good morning, everyone!” Ethan called out to the class, his smile warming up the students’ day. Or at least just Mac’s. Still, the students answered wholeheartedly to the greeting. Mac tried to answer as nonchalantly as the rest of the class, but a slight side-eye and smirk from Leonardo let him know his attempt was likely failed. But thankfully it didn’t seem like Ethan had noticed it from where he was standing.
“You all know the drill guys! Stand up with your hand on your heart for the pledge.” He ordered his fellow students, and everyone did as they were told. As quick as a blink, everyone was on their feet and chanting the words they knew by heart by now:
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Gacha Life.
And to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation,
under Gacha,
unchangeable,
with life and goodness for all.
And shockingly enough, that was the highlight of the class. The rest of the class was just spent revising some math equations. BORINGGGGGGG. Mac could almost cry tears of joy when the bell rang out! He heavily wanted to BOOK IT out of the classroom, but he was kind enough to wait for Leonardo. Together they basically jogged through the corridors to join the others at their signature hangout spot.
Hidden away in a corner of the cafeteria, behind a randomly placed wall that’s main function was probably to give the building some architectural interest, and some vending machines, was a crazily worn-down ping-pong table. Its state was most definitely his friends’ fault. They had colonized it when they first started at All-Republican High and hung out there quite literally every single recess. Mac didn’t want to admit it, but it was soon time for it to get a funeral.
When they threw their bags down beside the table, the rest of their friends were already there. John and Thor were playing a match, and for some reason John was carrying a chair while playing? He was weird like that sometimes. But he still had Mac’s full respect, because John was the first of the friends to admit to being a femboy. That courage and trust couldn’t Mac oversee.
Waiting in line was Shaun, then Leon, and last in line was- ETHAN! Mac’s heart JUMPED. Ethan usually didn’t play with them in the shorter breaks. Most of the time he just came around during lunch. What a great day this had become! Ethan and Mac shared a smile, and with that Mac and Leonardo got in line.
“The hair’s looking great today.” Ethan joked sarcastically. His little smirk brought a chuckle from Mac. “Shut up!” he laughed, but in reality, he didn’t want him to. Ever. Ethan could insult him as much as he wanted. Mac REALLY didn’t mind.
The line moved forwards. Even when dragging along a chair with him, John STILL managed to win! LITERALLY HOW? Mac really had no clue.
“No! no, it was a hindrance!” Thor cried out, but John had already tackled him away from the king-spot. “Dang it.” Thor whined as he waddled to the line. But when Shaun started playing, he started to yap about Arcane and how PC parts are so expensive, so Mac started to ignore THAT conversation. Shaun was literally ALWAYS talking about Arcane, and how he’s upgrading his PC or something. Mac swore he knew the entire series now, despite having never seen it.
Instead, he tried starting up a conversation with Ethan. Cause that was always nice hehe. “What’cha doing playing with us? You usually just join us in lunch occasionally.” Mac said, looking at Ethan. Ugh, his beautiful eyes. Ethan smiled and held the back of his neck almost like he was embarrassed. “I don’t know, I kind’a just felt like it? The others were gonna go to the store, but I didn’t feel like joining then.”
Ethan looked back at Mac, and they shared one of those smiles that Mac would take for something else if it weren’t for Ethan’s identity. But Mac kicked those thoughts out of his head. Instead, he admired Ethan’s features. It was all so perfect. From his brows to his lips to the redness on his cheeks. The blush on his cheeks was as perfect as it could get, in Mac’s opinion. High on the cheekbone, fading in on the temple.
Then he noticed something off about the redness. It really looked too perfect to be natural. Way too perfect… almost like… it wasn’t natural at all. Wait, was he wearing blush?!! Mac couldn’t believe his eyes. Ethan, the popular, school driven, rule-driven, perfect republican… was wearing blush!?
Mac must’ve been staring at him horrified, since Ethan was frowning at him. “What’s wrong?” he asked. But Mac couldn’t make a sound. His WHOLE WORLD was flipped upside down. Boys wearing makeup? Expelled. And here ETHAN was, wearing blush. The picture-perfect role model at school breaking a rule that would be difficult to even notice. Sneakily testing the trust of the teachers. Was he crazy!?
“Mac, you’re looking at me like I just killed your parents,” Ethan met his eyes. “What’s wrong?” his frown had deepened, and there was genuine worry in his eyes. He was probably worrying about Mac, but really it should’ve been for himself. Mac didn’t know what to say. Was he even seeing right? His gaze broke from Ethans piercing eyes.
“Ethan... are you wearing blush?” Mac whispered. Although no one other than his friends were around, he was still cautious for anyone who may be eavesdropping. Mac carefully watched Ethan’s reaction to him getting caught. His eyes seemed to widen for a couple seconds. He knew he was busted. But then his expression changed, and Ethan put on a smile that Mac was unfamiliar with.
“How would you know that? Are you some kind’a femboy?” Ethan smirked. But something in the smile sent a bad shiver down Mac’s spine. Ethans eyes, usually gentle and innocent, now shone with a cold glimmer of… knowingness? No… oh no… did- did he know?!