Trapped (egobang trans)

Chapter 37 - He/Him

A/N: why can young Dan not annunciate properly? ^^^^^

"There he is! What time d'ya call this, Danny?"

Danny walked into school the next day, a bit late since there'd been traffic. He blushed as Meouch called to him across the corridor. He'd thought he was prepared for the male pronouns, but the idea that others probably heard that set him on edge all the same.

Meouch had his hands on his hips, shaking his head like a disappointed parent. The others were stood beside him and simply waved. Danny walked up quickly, feeling self conscious now about the pronouns and wanting his friends' protection. Not in a literal sense, but being around them made him more comfortable.

"Hey guys. Sorry, traffic..." he muttered awkwardly as he came up to them.

As Danny took his place against the lockers he found himself practically pressing himself into the panels of metal, subconsciously making himself as flat as possible, like he was trying to melt into them. Meouch started talking enthusiastically about a show he saw on TV last night. Danny tried to hone in on that and not the hundreds of eyes that he imagined were staring at him.

The bell for first lesson rung and made Danny jump. He saw Arin give him a side-glance, his gentle brown eyes silently offering reassurance. He gave a subtle shake of his head to refuse before promptly hurrying away to his first class, hiding behind his hair slightly the whole way - something that he hadn't done in weeks. Maybe this whole pronouns thing wasn't such a good idea.

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The first two lessons were easy enough; Danny was alone in both of them, so none of his friends were around to use male pronouns and reveal the secret. He didn't correct anyone who used the wrong ones, too wary as always. When it came to break, however, he was one of the last to leave, and as he slung his bag over his shoulder he caught his teacher's eye. She gave a polite smile as she packed away some textbooks. She was one of Danny's favourite teachers, long flowing hair and soft features. He very rarely asked teachers for help in class, but with her it had never been an issue. Approachable didn't even scratch the surface.

An idea suddenly formed in Danny's head and he felt his heart pick up speed, walking slowly over. He gripped his shirt self-consciously as he opened his mouth to get her attention. She looked up again first, however, and saw him waiting awkwardly.

"Oh, did you want something Danielle?" she asked.

Danny took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"Uh, y-yeah. I wanted to ask a favour."

"Hm?"

"Would you mind... um, could you start calling me Danny on the register? A-And in class, if that's okay."

The teacher gave a chuckle.

"Danielle does sound quite fancy, doesn't it? Sure, I can start calling you Dani if you'd prefer that."

Danny almost sighed; she didn't understand.

"Uh, no, it's not that," he interjected, "It's D-A-N-N-Y, like a... boy."

For a split second she looked confused. Then, just like Brian, it seemed to click all of a sudden and her eyes widened. Danny held his breath, waiting for judgement. But the teacher simply smiled, sympathetically it looked like. Her next words surprised Danny.

"Oh, okay. Do you want me to use male pronouns too, or tell any other teachers?"

Danny had never experienced a response so understanding. It made sense that teachers would be aware of it, but it was still a shock to hear.