WARNINGS: Transphobia, homophobia, minor verbal abuse
Last part of this installment of three Barbie & Ken remixes between three different fandoms. This time it's the nonbinary remix by dakotaskyeofficial on TikTok, the original is by Kate Gill.
Parents always sayin'
'Now when you grow up,
You're gonna find a nice person
Make sure you're enough.
You'll be living a life like Barbie and Ken
C'mon suck it up and
Forget this nonsense
Another family meal with the grandparents, another few hours where Kei had to deal with being misgendered. They'd been out for years, since before high school, but Akiteru was the only one who used their correct pronouns. Their parents and extended family never did, nor were they supportive of their relationship with Tadashi; being AMAB, they always saw it as two boys being together, even when one of them wasn't a boy at all and the other didn't completely identify as male either.
"Kei's been doing great in school, he's been tutoring some other boys on the volleyball team even," their mom praised, as if she wasn't being blatantly disrespectful with her words.
"I've never liked the idea of your boys joining volleyball, Eiko," their grandfather tutted, "a bunch of homos in that sport."
"Well, that may be true, but at least he's getting out of the house and hanging out with people other than Tadashi, and being on the boys volleyball team hopefully he'll get over this shit," their father replied.
Kei's knuckles were white around their spoon, jaw gritted harshly as they endured being talked about like they weren't there. They shot warning glances at their brother, who they'd made promise not to make a scene at dinner ("Kei, they can't treat you like that, whether you're there or not!" "I understand that, but it's just a few hours, I don't want to get in a massive fight. Please?" "Fine, I won't make a scene. But no promises on laying off the pettiness. They can't speak about my little sibling, whoever they are!" "I'll take it, I guess.") yet was looking very close to breaking it as they disrespected them so much, right in front of them.
"They're also building muscle!" And there's the pettiness, now he'd use their pronouns more than necessary (Kei couldn't say they didn't appreciate it). "They aren't that scrawny little twig anymore. You still look like it though, baby sib."
"I'm hardly a baby, Akiteru." Despite the jab, they couldn't help but smile at him trying to cheer them up.
But what if they're not Ken or Barbie
"You know, Akiteru, you don't have to indulge in your brothers fantasies."
"It's not indulging them, mom, I'm being respectful." Kei kicked his leg under the table.
They shouldn't have to say sorry
"Oh dear, it's alright, he'll get over it," their grandma piped up. "You did, remember that phase you had with that one boy?"
"Yeah, see son? You got over being gay, and so will your brother."
Kei never said they couldn't make a scene. The siblings were fiercely protective of each other, and their parents bringing up Akiteru's bisexuality, then saying he "got over it" just because the last relationship he was in was opposite sex, that pissed Kei off.
"Tell me do you even listen
To all the dumb shit you're slippin'?"
"Tsukishima Kei!"
"You will not speak that way to your father, young man."
"Kei, it's fine. Really."
"It's not fine! Akiteru didn't 'get over it,' he's bisexual. Just because he dated a girl last time, doesn't mean he won't date a guy again!"
"That's preposterous, you can't like men and women."
"You said you can't be neither man nor woman, yet here I am!"
"I don't know what got into your mind about all this 'nonbinary' shit, but it's not real! You're a boy, Kei!"
"I'm not! I'm not a boy, and Tadashi isn't fully a boy either, and we're dating whether you like it or not! I didn't join volleyball because it's a 'gay sport,' I joined it because I like it! Not that you'd ever know, you only pay attention to me to tell me that I'm faking when I tell you I'm not a cishet man!"
We can be who we want to
So don't say we're not supposed to
"Listen here you brat, I will not have the likes of you-"
"Well too bad, you have two of them!" Akiteru grabbed his father's hand before it could land on Kei, the athlete easily stronger than the older, smaller man. "You have two of them, whether you like it or not! Kei is not a boy, their pronouns are they/them, and neither of us are straight! Face the fucking reality, dad!"
If they don't feel like Ken or Barbie
They shouldn't have to say sorry
"TO YOUR ROOMS! BOTH OF YOU! THIS DINNER IS DONE!" Both teens cringed away, never having heard their mother scream at them, but Akiteru just grabbed Kei (who was shaking now) and led them up to his room, not wanting either of them to be alone.
No not to you,
Not to me,
Not to anyone, anyone, anyone
They ended up building a fort in the older's room, watching the two's favorite childhood movie (The Land Before Time) and soaking in each others presence.
Things wouldn't be the same. Not in the way they weren't the same when Akiteru brought home his first boyfriend, and their parents became less nurturing toward him. Not in the way when Kei first came out, and their smiles became forced and the misgendering hurt more because they were doing it on purpose, not because of ignorance. Not even in the way when Kei announced that they and Tadashi were dating, and they began to stay at the green-haired demiboy's house more and more, and their own less and less.
No. It would be more tense, more hostile, more uncomfortable. But they would get through it. They both knew this day would come eventually (though they assumed they had a bit more time, expecting the blow up to happen when Akiteru announced his current boyfriend, Tenma), and they'd been preparing for it mentally for long enough. It hurt, but they were ready to stick it out until they could leave this place.
Not to you
Not to me
Not to anyone, anyone, anyone
[A/N: YES I ship Akiteru with the Little Giant and absolutely NOTHING and NOONE can stop me.]
