Zane, Jay, and Cole could tell that something was wrong. It was little things at first, like the occasional weak laugh or smile that was offered up to them. Then it began to grow until it felt like Kylie was no longer the same person they had met all those years ago. She was no longer happy, even when she would smile and joke with them they could see past it, see the pain and anguish desperately trying to burst free. The way Zane put it, it was like Kylie was now constantly holding her breath around everyone.
She was holding something back, keeping a secret from her three friends and they could see it slowly starting to eat away at her.
They decided to take her shopping for the day, hoping to make her feel better and show that they were there for her. They had gone to her favorite noodle restaurant, had a small peak inside an electronics store due to Jay's begging, and had also tried out some fitness equipment at Cole's request. Zane had also managed to persuade them to buy him some state-of-the-art kitchen utensils and cooking books. It was turning out to be a good day so far.
It was almost like they had the old Kylie back, the happy Kylie.
Which was why they couldn't understand why offering to buy her new clothes would cause her to get that guarded, closed-off look that meant she was hiding her sadness and pain.
"We're not saying your clothes don't look nice Kylie, we just thought you might want some new ones," Jay said to his girlfriend's big sister while gesturing to the different clothes stores behind them. It was the favorite store for all girls these days, according to Nya, yet Kylie had an uncomfortable look on her face. She tugged at the baggy red jumper she had taken to wearing about a month ago which underneath hide her tight-fitting black top that showed off her curves and chest.
In fact, if the trio really thought about it, Kylie had started wearing the jumper when her chest started to become noticeable.
It was to be expected that it would happen eventually, she was no longer the ten-year-old girl that they met in the playground three years ago. She was now thirteen, a teenager, so her body was obviously gonna start changing.
"I don't know guys... I mean, I have plenty of clothes already." Kylie mumbled while glancing down at her feet.
"They don't all fit you anymore though Kylie; you're a growing young lady now after all." Cole pointed out which only made the young brunette look even more distressed.
"I know." She whispered and it sounded so broken, so downtrodden and hopeless that it had Cole sending a slightly panicked look to his other friends who just shrugged helplessly. Clearly, whatever it was that was troubling their friend had something to do with clothing. Was Kylie perhaps self-conscious about her body?
"Is everything alright Kylie?" Jay asked worriedly, watching as that fake weak smile slipped into place.
"Of course buddy." She said in a voice that wavered ever so slightly.
"Something is bothering you, has been for months now, you know you can tell us, right?" Cold asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice.
"Yeah." She replied, but it sounded so fake. It was so hollow that the noirette couldn't help but raise an eye ridge at the young girl whose face was starting to crumble.
"What's wrong?" Zane asked as he reached out, only to have Kylie jerk away from his touch, her eyes starting to well up with tears.
"Nothing, I just need some air." She snapped and just like that she was gone, running off like the hounds of hell were on her heels. All three of them stared after her, eyes filled with confusion and worry. Whatever it was that was troubling Kylie, it was starting to come to a head and she was near breaking point. She clearly wouldn't be able to hold her breath much longer at the rate she was going...
They sat on their bed as tears streamed down their face. Each breath stuttered in their chest that felt like it was slowly being squeezed tighter and tighter. The jumper they normally wore was thrown to the side exposing what it had really been hiding. A chest that was surprisingly flat for their owner's age but when looked at more closely it became apparent why. A long roll of bandages was wrapped tightly around their chest, constricting their lungs and making their ribs hurt with each inhale of breath.
They hated how it made them feel.
Not just because it hurt, but because the pain was a constant reminder of what they were lacking and what they were not. It was a constant reminder that their chest was too there, hips too wide, hair too long, voice too high. They hated it just about as much as they hated their name. Kylie Ashley Smith. It was almost frightening how much they hated that horrible name. They hated the way it rang in their ears and curled itself around their body like slim.
When they strained their memory they could recall a moment when they wished their name had been Samantha because then it could have been shortened to Sam.
That was a name often given to young boys. Or even Ashley, like their middle name. That was a name for both boys and girls. It was almost as if the universe was taunting them with having a unisex middle name. The thought makes something ache deep inside them. Boy, male, he, him, his, son, nephew, and brother. The terms haunted them. Not because they disliked them but because they knew they would never be used to refer to them.
When they thought about it, really thought about it, they knew they had always wanted to be a boy.
They just never had to right words to describe how they felt until a month ago. A month ago, when their chest had started to develop along with other female changes which left them feeling so lost, confused, frightened, angry, and wrong. The feeling of wrongness had been the strongest and that had been what drove them to finally look up possible reasons for why they felt so disconnected from their own body. The word transgender had felt like a slap in the face.
It had left them feeling so relieved because there was a word for it, there was an actual reason for why they felt this way!
But it also left them feeling so terrified and hopeless because they knew it could never be. Their friends would never see them as a boy. Their little sister would never see them as a brother. The world would never call them he. Girl, sister, and she would forever be stamped upon their soul. They also knew they could never do that to their friends. It would be selfish to take away Nya's sister and Cole, Jay, Lloyd, and Zane's friend. They couldn't take away their parents' eldest daughter.
They believed if they told Nya and Lloyd then their friends would see it as them replacing the person they had grown to love and cherish so they just couldn't do it, couldn't do that to them...
When Cole, Jay, and Zane got back to the Smith family house it was to find Kylie curled up on one of the small reading chairs with a game controller in her lap, despite no game playing. Nya and their parents were out, so they were alone to talk. When she saw them she smiled but they could see the faint redness of her eyes. They could also see the way her lips trembled ever so slightly. That same red jumper was still on her even though it was a boiling hot day and they could see her sweating.
"Sorry about leaving you guys like that but I remembered I left something on here at home." She lied, they could see she was lying. Why was she lying to them?
"Kylie." Jay sighed and that had her straightening up, a wary look washing over her face because the frecked teen never sounded so serious. Cole caught on and walked over to gently take one of her hands, preventing her from leaving.
"We know something is bothering you," Zane said, watching as Kylie tensed up.
"Kylie, we're worried about you, you're not yourself anymore; you don't smile as often, and when you do it always looks strained and fake, and you're not eating as much or sleeping and you're not happy, everyone can see it," Jay said, holding her other hand tightly.
"Just tell us what's wrong and we'll help you," Cole added. Kylie stared at them, tears flowing down her face as she tried to hold herself together.
"I... I can't." She whispered.
"Why not?" Zane pressed, watching as she bowed her head and gave a choked-off sob.
"Because you'll hate me." She gasped out.
"We could never hate you! Your our best friend and family! Whatever it is that's troubling you, we'll help you." Jay said as tears of his own began to form.
"These last few months, it's like we could feel you holding your breath! But you don't need to do that anymore; you get to exhale now." Cole explained, and that was when the body-shaking sobs began followed by the loud hiccuping breaths taken between them. All three of them moved in, forming a protective barrier around their friend who curled closer to them, seeking comfort and safety. HE sat in their arms, feeling the pressure leaving him as he finally accepted who he was.
Taking a deep breath he reached up to wipe his teary eyes, smiling down at Jay, who gave him a small hopefully smile back.
The fear was still there. The fear of rejection and being told he was wrong but at the same time, he knew he couldn't keep hiding. He needed to not only accept himself but he needed to make sure other people knew who he truly was.
"There is something that had been bothering me; it has actually been bothering me for my whole life but it wasn't until a few months ago that I finally figure out what was wrong." He sighed as his fingers picking at the tight-fitting skinny jeans that he hated so much.
"Go on buddy, we're here for you." Cole encouraged while gently nudging him on the shoulder. He smiled softly, shoulders slumping as he took a deep breath in.
"I'm transgender... I'm not a girl, I'm a boy and I always have been; I just wasn't born right, and when I was younger I never understood why it made me feel uncomfortable to be called beautiful or cute or why I felt this sense of wrongness when put in dresses; I didn't understand why I hated having long hair or why makeup felt wrong on my face, and I didn't understand why when I looked in the mirror, I hated what I saw; but in these last few months, with that wrong feeling getting to the point where it felt unbearable I went online and began to look for a reason and I found it." She confessed to three of her best friends.
It silent for a long time, so long that he began to panic, thinking they hate him and are disgusted by what he had just said.
He made to get up, to leave, and never come back when he was suddenly pull back into a bone-crushing group hug that makes him feel like something inside him is healing.
"We're so sorry buddy, we should have noticed," Cole mutters with tears of his own starting to gather.
"Y-You guys don't have to apologize." He begins only for Jay to shake his head.
"We've been hurting you, Bro." Jay sobbed and just hearing the male term of endearment left him feeling so breathless and giddy.
"We've been hurting you so we're sorry; we're sorry for making you feel like you had to keep this a secret and for not noticing the signs." Zane continued as he rubbed soothing circles into his friend's back. The brunette sat there, staring at them in awe not quite believing that this was actually happening. It felt too good to be true...
It wasn't long before Cole, Jay, and Zane were all in the shopping center again, standing in another clothing store, waiting outside the changing rooms with bated breath. Cole could feel his feet tapping against the tile floor excitedly while Cole sat giggling within nervous energy. Zane had a faint smile on his face as he stared out the window at the rest of the shopping center. They then heard the door unlock followed by hesitant footsteps. All three turned, freezing in place as their faces both show shock before it melts away into proud smiles.
"Looking good there Kai." Cole offered a thumbs-up as Jay laughing brightly beside him and Zane nodded in agreement. Kai stood before them, a shy but excited smile on his face. He stood there wearing a pair of black boys' jeans that have small rips in the knees. On his feet were a new pair of shoes Jay bought himself that looked far more masculine than his old pair. Gone was the red jumper and tight-fitting blacktop and in their place in a loose-fitting white shirt with a red jacket.
If one were to look closely they would see a black article of clothing under the shirt that was the new half-black binder that Zane had gotten for him.
Kai smiled, looking at himself in the mirror, looking at his newly cut, gelled up hair, new male clothing, and flat chest. Kai Ash Smith looked at himself in the mirror and for the first time in a long time, he actually liked what he saw. For the first time, he finally felt like himself...
AN: Alright people I wanted to do something Ninjago-related for pride month, so I made this is. Now, this isn't my story. Around a year ago, at least I think it was then, my friend was showing me these collections of Sonic One-Shots on and one of the chapters was about Sonic being transgender. I'm not really into Sonic (except for the videogames) so I wasn't really sure what was happening in some of the chapters.
But despite that, it was a very incredible story.
Unfortunately, I can't remember who wrote it. I think the username was Camelot-themed, such as King Arthur or Merlin or something like that. But I'm pretty sure it was of Jack Frost from the Rise of The Guardians movie(LOVE THAT MOVIE!). I tried looking for it online, but I couldn't find them, so I'm not sure whether it's been deleted or I've just been putting the wrong thing in the Google search engine.
I would ask my friend for the author's name but we had a falling out a few weeks ago so I can't go to him.
I really hope it hasn't been deleted because it was a really good story and I could tell the writer put a lot of work into it. This story is not made to offend Transgender people or anyone from the LGBT community. My cousin is transgender. She was born a male but identifies as a woman and she is the sweetest person you could meet. I myself am bisexual, even though I haven't told my parents, so I would never intentionally insult or offend anyone from the LGBT community.
Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this One-Shot, and Happy Pride Month! 🌈❤ 💛💚💙💜