𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕪 𝕃𝕠𝕧𝕖 𝔾𝕠𝕖𝕤

𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕞 ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕖𝕤

The atmosphere of embarrassment was so thick you could cut it with a knife. One boy quietly awaiting the others questions and the other not wanting to seem too intrusive or God forbid interested.

"Well c'mon, I'm not gonna bite you or something just cause you're curious." Jonah teased patting Tsukishima on the back a little too hard, making him almost fall off the desk he was perched upon.

'I don't even know what to ask him, what do you even ask someone in a situation like this?!'

He then tried to compose himself -keyword tried-,

"How did you even figure out you were trans?" His voice shaky as the question finally passed his lips.

Jonah gave him a wry smile almost as if he expected the question.

"How did you figure out you needed glasses?" The smile got wider as he saw the confused look on Tsukishima's face.

"What does that have to do with you being trans-"

"Just answer the question Kei."

"I couldn't see and I needed to see jackass."

"Ooh I'm shaking in my tighty whities, you really don't sound as tough as you think you do."

"Your point?" his feet tapped against the tile rapidly in frustration.

"You needed your glasses to see right? Well it's the same for me, I needed to transition because I couldn't live as a girl. I guess you could say I was born in the wrong body but I liked myself just not the fact that I had the wrong parts." He really did try to explain his feelings, but it was especially hard to do it for someone who he hasn't seen in years.

Tsukishima was quiet for a while, pondering, before he asked his next question,

"Why did you guys move so suddenly?" His voice took a slightly sullen tone.

"....Part of it was dad finding a better job back home and the other half was all the judgment we got from mom and dad accepting me. Obaasan was particularly mad, she thought she had two granddaughters and then I showed up." He quivered, starting to tear up. "Then we went to see my aunt in Maryland and got all my surgeries done. It was my birthday present, after years and years of therapy and psych evaluations." He looked over at Tsukishima who looked intently at him, hanging on to every word he had said. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, his smile looking awkward and crooked.

"I'm not boring you, am I?"

Tsukishima just looked at him, in shock or awe he couldn't tell.

"Why didn't you ever call?"

Jonah's face molded into one of surprise, "...I...actually...don't exactly know the reason"," He looked away in shame.

"Part of me was scared you would be repulsed, that you would think I was sick or something, that you wouldn't want to talk to me ever again, and I just couldn't take-" His clear tone was undercut with a choking heaviness that forced him to pause several times. His watery eyes closed and a single tear, as clear as spring water flowed down his cheeks. Eventually he stopped trying and lowered his head in a quiet sob.

Tsukishima carefully reached out to him, before softly resting his hand on his back, rubbing slow circles as Jonah moved his head to cry into his shoulder.

"You don't have to say anything else, I get it." He squeezed him closer letting his own tears fall.

He moved his head to look Jonah in the eye.

"I don't hate you, and I want to get to know Kai and you all over again, you won't ever be disgusting to me, and you never will be and anyone who says otherwise is a fucking idiot, got it?" he pressed their foreheads together, his intense gaze piercing through Jonah.

Jonah reached out again, petting him on the head and ruffling his hair, smug smile coming back in full effect.

"Well that was very touching and I'm holding you to that, but I think Kai might call the police if I don't show up soon," He stood up collecting his bag and wiping his face, the only trace of his breakdown left was the red tinted whites of his eyes. "And if she doesn't call them, mom will."

He turned back to look at Kei gathering his own things.

"You want to maybe see them this weekend?" He tilted his head to the side, a little quirk from childhood he still kept to this day.

"Auntie Peypey and Uncle Moro? Are you sure?" All Kei got back was a raise of Jonah's right eyebrow, the only one that was visible under his mountain of hair.

"You saw Kai's reaction, you really think mom and dad are gonna be any different?" He drawled on looking down at him.

Kei gave a strained smile back,"Guess we'll find out this weekend."

His cheeks flushed at the toothy smile he was given in return, yeah Jonah Yamamoto was going to be the death of him someday, and Kei was not ready to accept that reality.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Kai stretched her arms out as her brother twisted her hair for the night, which in turn made him yank at her scalp even more than he already was.

"OWWW!!! WATCH YOUR FUCKING HANDS!!!" She slapped him on the shoulder, roughly pushing him away to finish the rest on her own.

"Not my fault you're so fucking tenderheaded." He muttered under his breath, tying up his own twisted hair in a silk scarf.

"Not my fault your fucking man hands are so heavy with this shit." She twisted the last strands as she put on her own silk bonnet.

She looked over at Jonah, who had a small smile present on his mostly indifferent face. Her brain working overtime to twist its gears as to why it was there.

"How was your talk with Kei?" She smirked as he froze, hands gripping the scarf much tighter than it needed to be.

"......You were right, is that what you wanted to hear?" He glared at her out of the corner of his eye.

"So now you know never to doubt me correct?" God he could practically hear the smug tone of her voice.

"Yeah, yeah now get out of my room, I need sleep." He kicked her, literally, out of his room quickly shutting the door behind her.

Kai sat there stunned for a few minutes as her father walked past her and lightly tapped her with his rolled up magazine. His crows feet more prominent as he smiled at her.

"Got kicked out too?" He joked as he extended a hand to her.

"C'mon you both have a long week ahead, you need just as much sleep as he does."

She gave a soft smile as she took one last look at her brother's door.

'I know what my plans are for the rest of the year are now'