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Kyouka didn’t want to make their coming out a big deal. It’s not like it’s a new revelation or anything—they came out to their parents shortly after starting middle school, and all of their old friends knew. The issue is no one at UA knew them in middle school, and on all of their official records, their gender is still marked as female because there isn’t an option for NONE. So, they get the girls’ school uniform and they’re assigned a dorm room on the girls’ side of the building.
Which isn’t, like, terrible. But it’s starting to grate on Kyouka—always being grouped in with the girls when they’re not one. But they’d hate to command everyone’s attention to make an announcement. They don’t want to have to tell people; they just want everyone to know. It would make things so much easier.
They huff out a sigh, tapping their pencil against their notebook. They’re never going to get any homework done if they keep dwelling on this, but Mina planned another “girls’ night” for this weekend, and invited Kyouka, and Kyouka said yes just because they enjoy hanging out with the girls. But they’d really like for the name to be changed, if they’re going to keep attending. Or Mina could just rescind the invitation on account of Kyouka’s not being a girl. Either works.
Unfortunately, for Mina to think to do either of those things, Kyouka would have to inform her that they are not a girl. Which brings them back to the initial dilemma of the fact that they don’t want to make a big deal out of it. They doubt anyone in class will have a problem with it, so it really doesn’t need to be a whole Thing, but knowing Kyouka’s class, they’ll make it into a whole Thing to show their support, because that’s just how they are.
It would be a lot sweeter of a sentiment if Kyouka didn’t hate being the center of everyone’s attention.
“Heya, Jirou!” Kaminari throws himself into the seat beside them. They didn’t even hear him come into the common room—a testament to how lost in thought they are, considering how difficult it is for them to avoid hearing anything. “You struggling with the math homework too? I swear Ectoplasm-sensei is out to get us.”
Kyouka frowns. “Not really. Why?”
“You look kiiinda distressed right now.” He rests his chin in his hands. “If it’s not homework, it must be something else! Wanna talk about it?”
They shove his face away, skin crawling at the sensation of being stared at. “No thanks. I’m fine.”
Kaminari hums like he doesn’t believe them. And then, to make matters worse, Mina plants herself on Kaminari’s other side. “He’s right, you know,” she comments. “You’re looking way too contemplative for a math assignment. What’s up?”
Kyouka groans. Why do their friends have to be so damn observant? Can’t they just be allowed to commiserate over homework in peace? They never should have risked working in the common room rather than their own dorm room.
“It’s not a big deal,” they mumble, shoulders hunching. This does not deter either Mina or Kaminari. Not that they really thought it would, but it was worth a shot.
“C’mon, let us help you solve your problems!” Mina urges.
“That way we don’t have to solve any math problems,” Kaminari adds, with a shudder.
Kyouka grits their teeth. They’re actually the only three in the common room right now—with the exception of Shinsou, who has headphones over his ears and…might actually be asleep? Regardless, he’s not going to be listening in on their conversation. If Kyouka wants to do a small coming out, this might end up being the best chance they get.
“Fine,” they relent. “It’s…about girls’ night.”
Both Kaminari and Mina look at them with blank expressions.
“Huh?”
“Why?”
“Well…” Kyouka looks away, twirling one earphone jack around their index finger. “I’m…not exactly a girl?” It comes out sounding like a question, despite the fact that Kyouka is very confident in their statement. They’re just not sure how Kaminari and Mina will take it. It won’t be bad, but that doesn’t mean they’ll know the right thing to say either.
“Dude,” Kaminari says. “That’s so cool!”
“I’m not a boy either,” Kyouka adds quickly. “I’m not really anything. Gender-wise, I mean.” They tap their earphone jacks together nervously. “I, um…didn’t want to make a big deal out of it or anything. So that’s the problem, I guess.”
“Then you’re uninvited from girls’ night!” Mina declares. She pauses. “Wait. That sounded mean.”
“You can hang out with me instead!” Kaminari offers.
Kyouka snorts, shaking their head. “Thank you, Mina; I…I really appreciate that, actually.” Their gaze falls on Kaminari. “And I don’t need an alternative to feel better about missing out.”
Kaminari slumps.
“Alright!” Mina jumps up from her seat so she can drape herself over Kyouka’s shoulders in a sort of half-hug. “Should I tell the girls why you aren’t coming, or would you rather do it yourself?”
“I don’t mind if you tell them.” In all honesty, Kyouka might prefer Mina do the explanation on their behalf so they don’t have to worry about doing it themself. And if she does it during girls’ night while Kyouka isn’t even around, that erases the whole center-of-attention factor too. “I don’t care who knows. It’s just awkward to say it.”
“I see…” Kaminari muses, scratching his chin. “In that case, do you want me to tell the guys for you?”
“You can mention it if it comes up,” Kyouka mumbles. “Just don’t make it into a big deal or anything, okay?”
“Roger that!”
Mina pats their head. “You can count on us!”
The tension in Kyouka’s body eases, a weight having been lifted from their shoulders. There’s still the issue of whether or not anyone else in the class will want to talk with them about it, but for now, they’re just happy that their girls’ night dilemma was resolved without commotion.
The following changes are subtle. Kyouka’s classmates adjust the way they refer to them, using gender-neutral language rather than strictly feminine terms. Kyouka no longer attends girls’ nights, and if Mina wants them to hang out with all of the girls, she’ll drag at least one of the boys as long as well. There isn’t much that can be done in regards to Kyouka’s legal gender classification, or society at large, but having the quiet support of their classmates vastly improves their general mood towards things.
It feels like they’re walking on air, every time their classmates talk about them in the way they prefer.
They start to forget that not everyone knows, because of how easily it becomes a simple fact of life in the minds of their class. The sky is blue, grass is green, and Kyouka is not a girl or a boy. Simple as that.
And then, during a training exercise, Aizawa asks them to split up into girls and boys.
Mina’s hand immediately shoots in the air. “But Aizawa-sensei,” she says, without waiting to be called on. “Won’t that make teams uneven? It’s so not fair that the boys will get to have literally twice as many people as us!”
“The point of this exercise is—”
“I wanted to be on a team with Ojirou-kun!” Hagakure cries.
Uraraka latches onto Midoriya’s arm. “And I want to be with Deku-kun!”
“I would also like to be with Uraraka and Midoriya,” Todoroki offers.
“And I don’t want to be on a team with those knuckleheads,” Bakugou grumbles. “I hate working with Deku. This is bullshit.”
Aizawa looks at them with raised eyebrows, like he can’t quite believe they’re arguing with his instruction. He doesn’t immediately punish them for it, though, which Kyouka supposes is something, at least. They’d hate for their friends to get in trouble just because they were trying to prevent them having to out themself. They wouldn’t mind Aizawa knowing, really—honestly, they figured someone else would have mentioned it to him by now—but they also would rather avoid having to stand up and say it in front of everyone like this. That’s embarrassing.
Aizawa sighs. “I don’t suppose any of you would be willing to tell me why you’re so against this idea?”
“It sounds sexist, and we’re all woke feminists,” Kaminari responds.
“Yeah!” Satou agrees.
Kyouka facepalms.
Aizawa huffs. “Whatever. Kaminari, Ashido, Hagakure, Todoroki, Uraraka, and Satou—the six of you will be in one group. Everyone else is in the other. No more arguments, or you will all get extra homework.” He levels them with an eerie grin. “Does that work for you?”
A collective Yes, Sensei, is mumbled out as they split into their assigned groups. Mina catches Kyouka’s eye and winks, grinning widely. It eases the anxious twist in their gut, and warmth spreads through their veins at the reminder that, not only are their friends willing to stand up for them, but they’re happy to do so. Even if it means arguing with a teacher who is downright terrifying when he’s upset.
Kyouka lingers after class, steeling themself in preparation for the conversation they’re about to have. Apart from the instance with Kaminari and Mina, they haven’t directly come out to anyone since middle school. They don’t have any sort of script, but they don’t want their classmates to take the fall for talking back to Aizawa when they only did it for Kyouka’s sake, so…
They’re going to just tell him. It’s not a big deal, and Aizawa likely won’t care to make it into one, so it should be easy. Right? Right! This isn’t an oral exam or anything, so it’s not like they need to know exactly what they plan to say beforehand. They can just say whatever feels right in the moment. They’ve totally got this!
“Jirou-kun, is there a problem?”
Kyouka stiffens. It seems everyone else already departed without them realizing, leaving them alone with Aizawa. Which was their plan! But that doesn’t make it any less nerveracking.
They shake their head, one hand instinctively reaching up for the earphone jack and twirling it around their index finger. “I, um…just wanted to explain what happened in class today.”
Aizawa raises an eyebrow. “Your performance during the training exercise was—”
“Not that!” Kyouka interrupts. They know there were a few slip-ups because they were distracted, but they don’t really need Aizawa to go over that in-depth with them. “I meant, uh, before the exercise. When you were splitting us up into groups.” They take a deep breath, and Aizawa waits patiently for them to continue. “I don’t like making a big deal out of it, but I’m not actually a girl. Or a boy, for that matter. So they were arguing against the split for my sake.” They bow their head. “Sorry.”
“There is no need to apologize,” Aizawa assures them. He takes a step closer, placing one hand on their shoulder. Kyouka looks up to meet his gaze. “I am sorry if my initial instruction brought you discomfort. My thought process was that that would be the easiest way to split the class into groups with the numbers necessary for the exercise, but I will not attempt it again.”
Kyouka breathes out a sigh of relief. “It’s fine. It’s not like you knew.”
Aizawa nods his head once, then takes a step back. “If there is anything else you need from me concerning this matter, please do not be afraid to ask. I will support you in any way I can.”
“Thank you, Sensei!” Kyouka turns to leave, but pauses before they can actually take a step. Slowly, they pivot until they’re facing Aizawa once more. “Actually… There is one thing I’ve been thinking about recently.” There are two big gender segregation-related issues at UA that irk Kyouka. One is the set up of the dorm buildings, but there isn’t much that can be done about that. Besides, moving rooms would be a hassle and they’re not sure they’d rather be on the boys’ side even if that was a possibility.
The other thing is uniforms.
Everyone’s gym uniform is pretty much the same, and obviously hero costumes are tailored towards each student’s individual preferences, but the typical day-to-day attire is…not exactly what Kyouka would choose to wear. They don’t mind a skirt every once in a while, but it heavily depends on the aesthetic of the rest of the outfit. They’ve been just layering a vest over their shirt in an attempt to make it a little different from the rest of the girls’ uniforms, but the more they have to wear it, the more they hate that damned skirt.
“Do you think it would be possible to change my uniform?”
Aizawa hums. “I don’t see why not.”
Kyouka knows the change will garner them attention they don’t want, but when they pull on their new uniform pants in the safety of their dorm room and turn to face their reflection in the mirror, they know it will be worth it. They can actually stand to look at themself now—and they look so much more like themself that their throat swells with unshed tears. It’s only a small change, and according to Aizawa took no more than simply asking to get approved, but it’s such a relief to finally have a uniform that doesn’t make Kyouka’s skin crawl every time they put it on.
They smooth their hands over the stiff, new, fabric of their pants. They can’t stop admiring the way it looks.
It’s exactly what they dreamed wearing a UA uniform would feel like back when they first determined they wanted to be a hero.
Kyouka won’t lie and say they aren’t nervous about their first day wearing their new uniform out, but wearing something they actually like does boost their confidence significantly.
Mina whistles as soon as they step into the classroom. “Lookin’ good, Jirou-kun!” she calls. “I wish I could make a school uniform look that sexy.” She winks.
“Oui,” Aoyama agrees. “You look magnifique!”
Kyouka’s face heats, and they duck their head. “Thanks,” they mumble as they make their way to their seat.
Several others in the class compliment them, and Kaminari even leans over to whisper, “Dude, I did not know it was possible to look so hot in these uniforms until you walked in just now.”
Kyouka shoots him a half-hearted glare, whacking his cheek with one of their earphone jacks.
(But, really, they couldn’t be happier about their friends’ reactions. The easy acceptance from those around them fills them with an indescribable sense of joy.)