not a male - tenkiyo (tenko x korekiyo)

this is probably cringey mb

—

One day, Korekiyo wore a skirt to school. It wasn't anything special, just a floor-length dress.

Tenko had immediately stared at them, unsure of what to think. Korekiyo is a guy, right? Then why would he be wearing a woman's outfit? Tenko wanted to be mad. She didn't know why. She was sure that Himiko and Angie noticed her glaring when they were talking together as usual.

It wasn't the only time Korekiyo had done something similar. The next time, Korekiyo tied his hair up in a ponytail and wore 1-inch heels. It wasn't anything too important, but Tenko had insisted it was when ranting to Himiko again, trying to think of some reason she was justified. Himiko had dozed off.

It was when she started noticing even subtler things about Korekiyo that her obsession seemingly got worse. The meticulous black eyeliner he wore every day that no one seemed to mention; the matching mascara, giving his feminine eyelashes more... femininity? At least, Tenko thinks so. There was also his hair. It was something most of the class had gotten over, but Tenko seemed to fixate on it for a while now, convinced it was a fetish thing before she eventually gave up. There just had to be a reason why he would... why he would dress like he does!!! She was determined to find out.

Tenko had finally talked to Korekiyo—she dreaded talking to him. He was creepy and talked all weirdly. And he was a male. She refused to be seen with him, so she cornered and confronted him privately before he left one of their shared classes.

"Korekiyo." She had said, holding her hand out in front of his chest in a 'halt' motion, careful not to actually touch him. His response was his strange laugh, tucking something into his bag before he stepped back, giving her space while looking down at her.

"Kehehehe... Why, Tenko, I never would have expected one of beliefs such as yours would approach me, but I am pleased nonetheless. What is it that you require?" He spoke, and she almost just turned around and left that moment. She glared at him as she slowly set her arm down on the desk, prepared to attack if he did anything mildly suspicious... or at least more distrustful than usual.

"Tenko has a few questions, male!" Tenko declared, staying in a defensive position. "Don't try anything!" She assumed that was a smile beneath his mask as his eyes crinkled upwards, and he held a hand up to his mask, a strange habit of his that she despised.

"I shall do my best to answer." He didn't seem surprised in the slightest. He nodded as he spoke, and he gave his attention to Tenko.

The time was ticking, and she had to be fast if she wanted to finish this before the next period started. She took a deep breath in.

"Why are you like that?" She yells out, gesturing at him. He looks down at himself before standing up straighter, shifting on his feet, before he responds, a small laugh audible in his voice.

"Why am I so suspicious? Or why am I dressed like a woman?" He seemed to be teasing somewhat as he spoke, and Tenko wanted nothing to do besides glare and punch him. She held back.

"You already know the answer to that, male!" He laughed again, and Tenko wanted to scratch her ears out. She watches as he thinks for a moment, a hand under his chin before he seems to get an appropriate answer and smiles—she believes he smiles, at least.

"Why, I am simply exploring my gender, is all." His tone is flat but amused, and he moves, seemingly embracing himself. She makes sure to keep an eye on every little movement.

He takes a moment to look down at his outfit, and Tenko notices. He's currently wearing a similar outfit to the one that first captured her attention; his signature bandages on his arms and mask still on but alongside a cardigan and a skin-tight grey t-shirt, a matching darker grey floor-length skirt and a pair of tiny black traditional-style heels. Strangely feminine.

Tenko raises an eyebrow, and she keeps her glare fixated on him, eyeing him curiously. She straightens her posture, and she gestures for him to continue. He obliges and explains.

"I have been attempting to 'break out of my comfort zone' and try wearing outfits that I would not usually align with gender-wise." She thinks he smiled as his hand rests on the bottom of his mask, his other hand crossed over his chest. "I have been debating whether or not I am truly male, so I have been testing the waters, so to speak."

For a moment, Tenko could do nothing but stare as she processed the new information, making sure, for certain, that she knew what he had said. The room is silent for around a minute before she speaks again, just as bold as before.

"Are you saying you think you're a woman?" She asks, and she still hasn't quite figured out what her opinion or thoughts on this idea are. He...? responds with another creepy laugh and a more in-depth answer.

"Kehehe... nothing of the sort; I have been thinking that I may be non-binary or something similar. You are aware of what that means, correct?" He tilts his head to the side, almost curiously, as always. When Tenko hears this, her thoughts become even more messy and uncertain. She actually can't come to a final review just yet as she continues to debate herself in her mind.

"So you're not a male?" is the first thing that happens to fall from her mouth in slight confusion—she knows what being non-binary is, yes, but what does that mean exactly for her? What does she do now if he...? Isn't a male? He seems to relax slightly at the question, and he almost seems to sigh in relief, probably expecting something more aggressive from her.

"Well, not quite. I am not entirely sure this is how I wish to be perceived just yet. If you wish, you may view me that way, but I will continue to be a male in everyone's eyes until I reach a conclusion." He seems utterly calm as he speaks in the same elegant yet strangely unsettling way he usually does, and she watches him closely for a few seconds. "I will be taking my leave now, as I believe I have answered all of your questions."

He finishes as he nods, giving a small, almost friendly wave as he walks out of the classroom silently, except for the door opening and shutting behind him. Tenko keeps her eye on him the entire way, and she stays in the same position until she sighs and grabs her stuff to head out as well, her thoughts still tentative and confused. Not for long, though, as the second she walks into class and sees Himiko again, she sits down happily, almost forgetting everything that just happened as she starts to cheer Himiko on for no particular reason.

It isn't long until the thought is almost cast from her mind, though it also isn't long until it comes right back when she's alone or when she sees... him... again in passing. Tenko decides that she needs to figure something out soon before she talks to Korekiyo again.

—

"Himiko! I need your help!"

"Nyeh...?"

"Did you know that Korekiyo—"

"Why are you so obsessed with him recently...?"

"I-It's important!"

————

(tenko has a week-long crush on kiyo after this when she realises kiyo might not be a man. it goes away then comes back for longer when they officially come out to the class)