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Jirou adjusted the tie around their neck, removed the gold clasp, and placed it on the table. Now it was perfect. Still, they swallowed hard, and the ringing in their ears wouldn’t stop. They took a deep breath. It didn’t help. Just a few minutes ago, they’d been fine, confident, proud—but now they were starting to withdraw into themselves and feel afraid.
They ran their fingers through their hair. It was much shorter than usual, with the sides slightly shaved. They had new piercings in their ears, as well as on their lip. They’d gotten it done last week after receiving money from their parents and permission—which had brought them to tears. It looked good. It went perfectly with their sharper features and sincere eyes. They were wearing their school uniforms, but unlike last year, their shirt were looser and longer, and their skirt were draped over the backs of their chair, while they wore pants held up by a dark brown belt with pointed metal buckles. They were a little too big for them, slipping down their slender hips, but it was better than constantly pulling up their skirts and feeling uncomfortable all day because they perceived it as a personal attack. Although—now they were wondering if it might be better to wear it after all. It was safer. Heroes, students, society—everyone was used to all sorts of things, but the quirky were accepted into human life more quickly and with open arms, while being different in something as ordinary as human life was still considered a provocation and a deviation.
They shifted slightly. They linked arms and stared at the floor. The tips of their shoes rubbed against each other ever so slightly. They always did that when they were nervous. They started to sweat.
They were already reaching for the skirt, trying to convince themselves that this would be for the best, when they heard a knock. They jumped. They looked toward the door, which was still closed. So it wasn’t one of the girls who hadn’t bothered to wait for their answer and had just walked right into the room. “Y-Yes?” they stammered.
“Jirou, hurry up!” Kaminari. Of course. “Sero’s almost done with breakfast, and if we’re late on the first day, Bakugou’s going to eat us all alive!”
Jirou swallowed. They took a breath. They looked at the skirt again. No. They couldn’t give up now. They were so close! “I’m going!” they shouted, slung their bag over their shoulder, and opened the door. “Next time you could—what the fu…,” they trailed off and stopped in the doorway.
Kaminari was leaning against the railing, a contented expression on his face. His hair was styled with a shiny gel he’d borrowed from Ashido, and he was wearing his school uniform. It was ironed, clean, and still smelled of fabric softener, which even made their noses tingle. But what caught their attention was what he was wearing under his school uniform. Instead of pants, he was wearing a dark green skirt that reached halfway down his thighs. He had knee-high socks on his legs; the right one had rolled down comically and was sliding lower toward his shoes with every step he took. “What’s up?” Kaminari asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
“You… You…,” they didn’t know what to say.
Kaminari looked himself over and smiled. He spun around to make his skirt twirl. “Nice, huh? I’ve never felt as free as I do right now. It’s got really great ventilation! My balls are happy.”
Jirou frowned. “Don’t talk about your balls in front of me,” they told him.
Kaminari laughed again. “Come on! Bakugou’s threatening to blow us all up.”
“When doesn’t he?” They laughed as they finally stepped out of the room, locked the door, and took one last look at Kaminari. They opened their mouths to say something, but Kaminari happily grabbed them by the elbow and started dragging them toward the elevators. The whole way to the main hall, he talked about how much he was looking forward to the new year and how he couldn’t believe they were already in their junior year—and that just the thought of it ending soon and them becoming adults with work responsibilities was already making him want to cry.
Jirou didn’t even notice that they’d already reached the others in the common room when Kaminari took a loud breath and shouted, “Sero! I told you to let me have those muffins!” Sero was holding the last chocolate muffin that Sato had baked yesterday. Sero quickly tore off the wrapper and began stuffing it into his mouth while fending off Kaminari’s attacks.
Jirou stood there, stunned by what they saw. Just like Kaminari, Sero was wearing a skirt, which he had paired with dark leggings like the ones Uraraka wore. Their gaze drifted a little further, where Kirishima stood; his skirt hugged his hips tightly and was shorter than the others’ because of how much he’d bulked up over the past few months. His hairy legs, clad in high white socks reaching halfway up his calves, looked comical paired with something as delicate as a skirt. Still, Kirishima smiled and waved at them. “Good morning, Jirou.”
“Good fucking morning,” Bakugou growled, leaning against the doorframe, “it’s already fucking half past!” Jirou looked in his direction and her mouth fell open in amazement. Even Bakugou had added a new piece to his school uniform, wearing a skirt that suited him in a strangely fitting way. His slender yet toned legs, with their golden-hued skin, looked—just right—peeking out from under the hem of the skirt. Jirou swallowed. What on earth was going on here?
“Jirou!” Before Jirou could even turn around, Ashido jumped around their shoulders, hugging them happily and kissing them on the cheek. “I missed you!” she exclaimed excitedly. She had returned that morning from a vacation in Dubai, and for the entire two weeks of her vacation, she had thought of nothing but seeing her friends again. “Wow, you guys look so beautiful!” she complimented them as she pulled away and took them in from head to toe.
Jirou did the same. Unlike the boys, Ashido was wearing the boys’ version of their school uniform. Jirou blinked. “M-Mina…,” they whispered.
“It doesn’t look as good on me,” Ashido complained as she looked herself over, “these pants are way too big.”
“That’s for a dick,” Kaminari said with his mouth full of a stolen muffin, while Sero pinched his cheek.
“So that’s why they’re always so big on you. You don’t have anything to fill them out,” Ashido laughed, and Kaminari stuck his tongue out at her.
“Can you two stop messing around and go already!?” Bakugou shouted at them. It was funny how strictly he followed the rules; it was unimaginable for him to be late on the first day of school.
“We’re coming, Mom,” Kirishima laughed as he walked over to him and slung his arm around his shoulders, “You didn’t let loose at all over the break. Don’t you want some help with that?” He raised an eyebrow and grinned at him, as if offering his best services.
Bakugou pinched his nipple through his shirt, making Kirishima wince in pain. “Stop thinking with your dick and start using this!” He smacked him on the forehead. “Your brain!”
“But there isn’t that much blood flowing there.”
“Ugh, disgusting guys,” Ashido groaned, rolling her eyes. “Shall we go?” she asked excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Jirou’s elbows and pulled them toward her.
“Y-Yeah,” they stammered. They glanced again at their friends, who were putting on their shoes and waiting by the entrance for them to join them. Even though they were trying to look nonchalant, Jirou noticed how they were watching them, and those glances reassured them that everything would be all right. Their hearts leapt with joy. They had no idea that in high school they would meet a group of friends who would become like family to them, a place where they would feel so safe. “Thank you,” they whispered. Everyone smiled at them, and together they stepped outside, marking the beginning of their final year at UA.