Tosiek hated school with every fiber of his being. he was always ridiculed and made fun of, and as much as he tried to pretend it didn't bother him, it did.
but he wasn't blind enough to ignore that he had some good friends backing him up. Konrad never really bothered, but he didn't have a thirst for his friendship or ally ship. Maks had started to defind him more recently, even though he'd been such a bully to him in the past.
Tosiek walked into class and took his seat. today they had a new teacher teaching their class.
Tosiek felt a little anxious about it, knowing that he'd have to correct them on his name and pronouns, and he was worried about how they would take it. but mostly he was angry. he was angry that he wasn't born a boy, that his life was controversial, that people were still battling over whether he should exist or not.
the teacher waltzed into the room and clapped for everyone's attention. Tosiek barely registered her name and didn't even notice her start to take attendance until he was slapped in the face by his deadname.
"Actually it's Tosiek." He said, trying to keep the anger from his voice. Leon was staring at him, like he could read his mind and sense how frustrated he was.
the teacher paused, then pulled out a pen from her pocket and scribbled his name down on the paper.
"thank you, Tosiek." she said, giving him a kind smile.
Tosiek's heart nearly skipped a beat. she hadn't put up a fuss or lectured him in front of the class. she had simply corrected herself and moved on.
Tosiek glanced at Leon, and he had the look of surprise on his face that Tosiek was feeling. he actually couldn't believe it.
and for the rest of class, she called him by his name, never slipping up once. and she was also a fairly good teacher. she made all of his classmates laugh and they actually got work done that wasn't actually so bad.
after class was over, Leon caught up with him.
"that was unbelievable." he breathed. "It's amazing how she took it so easily."
Leon grabbed Tosiek's hand and squeezed in excitement.
Tosiek grinned at him, feeling like he was on a cloud. he couldn't believe that he was validated so quickly.
they walked out of the front doors of the school and walked down the street, both silently communicating that they were skipping the next class.
they chatted all the way back to Leon's place, and once they got there, they collapsed on Leon's mattress, and talked for hours.
Tosiek never got bored of talking to Leon. he always had something new to say, something that both shocked and delighted Tosiek. Leon was the perfect person the hang out with. though sometimes Tosiek didn't understand when he got upset about his parents, and he was never sure what to do to comfort him. Tosiek wasn't the greatest at comforting, but he was slowly learning how to get better at it. and a lot faster learning how to do it because it was Leon that he was trying to comfort.
Tosiek curled up on Leon, resting his head on his lap. Leon played with his hair, and Tosiek started to feel relaxed, like he used to when he was younger.
"what's that?" Leon asked, grabbing Tosiek's arm.
Tosiek cringed as Leon observed his scars.
"did you hurt yourself?" Leon asked, he sounded so heartbroken.
Tosiek pulled his arm away. "I'm fine." he said under his breath.
"Tosiek, talk to me." Leon begged, giving him a kiss on his forehead. "I'm concerned about you."
Tosiek sighed, meeting his gaze. "it was a while ago. I would get so upset and angry and I didn't know how to express it in any other way."
Leon looked sad. "I considered doing it once." he admitted. "after I told my parents I was gay. but I didn't, I don't know why. but I understand where you're coming from."
Tosiek reached up and touched Leon's cheek. he didn't talk about his parents much, maybe because Tosiek refrained from asking because he didn't want Leon to have to relive it every second of his life. but now Tosiek realized that whether they talked about it or not, it would still run through his mind 24/7 no matter what.
"It's alright." Tosiek said. "I'll be okay. you'll be okay. I promise."
Leon rested his chin on Tosiek's forehead.
"I really hope so."
they stayed there for longer than Tosiek could count, just relishing the silence and the feelings that were arising. Tosiek was very uncomfortable sitting with his thoughts and feelings, but doing it with Leon made it better.
in fact, Tosiek had a hard time picturing life before Leon. he had been so lonely, always drifting from one fanfic to the next, only the characters keeping him company.
but it wasn't like that anymore, and Leon was not a character on his computer, he was real.
Tosiek wasn't sure if he believed in any higher power, but he thanked it for giving him Leon, and for giving Leon him.
