CW: Gender Dysphoria
"Come on, sweetheart, it'll be fun!" Kirishima says with a smile. It was his baby girl's first day of karate class, and she was feeling a little nervous.
"But Papa, what if I can't make any friends?" she asks, fidgeting with her uniform.
"Reiki, sweetheart, you're not going to be the only new kid in the class. You know that right?"
"I guess so..." she says. She still needs a little convincing.
"You've been wanting to do karate since you were five, honey! You'll have so much fun! I heard the teacher is really good, too! And hey, when we get home, you can show me and Auntie Mina all the cool stuff you learned! Sound good?" he chirps. She thinks for a second. Hm...she could get really good and make them proud! And maybe she could cheer Papa up sometimes. She's noticed that he seems really sad at night sometimes. She smiles.
"Ok Papa!" she says.
"That's my little warrior!" He turns on the CD player to help encourage her, and the two of them sing along to the Mulan soundtrack together as they drive. By the time they finish 'A Girl Worth Fighting For,' they pull into the parking lot of the Ground Zero Dojo. Reiki's nerves resurface as they walk up to the dojo, but she does her best to hide it...even though her papa can tell she's still a little nervous by the way she's clutching his hand.
They head inside, a wind chime tinkling upon their entrance, entering a small lobby with a front desk and a few chairs for parents to wait in, with a door on either side of the desk. A woman that looks to be about Kirishima's age sits at the desk, her long green hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun as she types on her computer. She looks up upon hearing the wind chime and smiles at them.
"Good afternoon. I'm assuming you two are here for the first Junior Martial Arts class today?" she greets them. Kirishima flashes a bright smile back.
"That we are! I'm Kirishima, and this is my daughter Reiki!" he greets back. The greenette peeks over the desk at the little girl and smiles.
"Hello there! My name is Miss Asui. It's nice to meet you, Reiki," Miss Asui says.
"Hi..." Reiki mutters, offering a small wave. Her eyes grow wide when she spots a little frog pin on Miss Asui's shirt. It's so cute! She just has to say something about it! "I like your frog..."
"Why, thank you!" the receptionist beams. "I really like frogs. What's your favorite animal?" Reiki smiles a little bit, Miss Asui's calm nature helping her relax.
"Pandas!" she beams.
"That's cool!" Miss Asui says. "You can tell me more later, but right now you might want to get to class and meet Sensei. I'll talk to you later, ok?" She nods towards the door on the left.
"Ok!" she says happily as she pulls her papa into the dojo.
It's a pretty big room. Lots of floor space with a big mirror and a barre on one wall. Black floor padding covers most of the hardwood floor, leaving about three feet uncovered between the padding and three walls, with about five feet between it and the mirror wall. Various training tools are hung, stacked, and propped against the side walls, and soft zen music flows through speakers perched up on the walls. The walls, themselves, are decorated with pictures of past graduating classes, famous martial artists, and awards presumably won by the teacher. Near the door is a water fountain, and a few bags and water bottles of the kids that have already arrived. Four kids around Reiki's age are sitting and talking by the mirror wall while two older teenagers supervise. Teacher's assistants, maybe? The next person they notice is the teacher. An ashy blonde in a black sleeveless uniform with gold thread kanji on the chest. His expression is cold and stone faced as he looks at a clipboard, and his crimson eyes nearly pierce their souls as he looks their way. Reiki's nerves spike a little again, and Kirishima is a little shaken by the look, but he shakes it off as the teacher approaches them.
"You two are early too, huh? Good," he says, his voice low and gravely. "Name?"
Kirishima smiles. First impressions are everything.
"Kirishima! I'm Eijiro, and this is my daughter Reiki!" he beams. The teacher quirks an eyebrow, a little surprised by how chipper the guy is. He lowers his brow and looks down at his clipboard, K...K...Kirishima, Reiki. There she is. He marks her as present and looks down at her. The moment his eyes meet hers, she straightens up. He's a professional. She can tell. She has to make a good impression. She lets go of her papa's hand and clicks her heals together, turning out her toes and pressing her hands to her sides. She bows, just like she had practiced so many times at home.
"I-it's nice to meet you, sir," she says. Bakugou's a little surprised by this gesture too. Actually makes him crack the smallest of smiles.
"Nice to meet you too, kid. Why don't you set your stuff down, take off your shoes, and go sit with the others. Alright?" he responds, putting her a little more at ease. She looks up at him and nods, then gives her papa a quick hug before doing what she's told. Kirishima smiles as he watches her go.
"This not her first class?" the teacher asks. Kirishima chuckles and looks at him.
"No, it's her first. She's just a big martial arts fan. She's wanted to take classes since she was five. She'd spend hours on my computer just researching dojo etiquette and watching videos of tournaments."
"Damn," the teacher snorts. "Well, I guarantee I'll teach past her expectations."
He puts his hand forward.
"Katsuki Bakugou." Kirishima beams and shakes his hand.
"Nice to meet you! Oh, by the way, sorry if she's a little timid at first," he says as he retracts his hand. "We just moved here last month. We wanted to get settled in during the summer so she could start school at the normal time. She hasn't really met any kids her age yet, and she's nervous, y'know?" he explains. Bakugou nods.
"Yeah. I get it. Don't worry. I'll make sure she feels welcome," he assures him. Kirishima sighs.
"That would be great. Thank you so much." Bakugou shrugs.
"'S nothing. I gotta watch them. See you at the end of class," he says, turning to go back to his previous spot.
"Oh! Yeah! See you then!" Kirishima says. He gives Reiki one last wave before heading out. Looks like she's in good hands.
—————
Class started after the other kids showed up, about ten in all. Everyone was told to sit in line, and everyone sat still as stone as their Sensei and senior students stood in front of them.
"Good afternoon students. My name is Sensei Bakugou. You will call me Sensei, and when I give an order or beg a response you will respond with 'Hai Sensei!' Understood?" Bakugou says. Reiki and a few other students respond with 'hai Sensei,' in and out of unison. Bakugou's brows furrow.
"What was that?" he asks. All of the students respond this time, still out of unison. "Once more! Together, and louder! Understood?!"
"Hai Sensei!" the class responds. Bakugou nods.
"Good. Now, today we'll be learning dojo etiquette and the dojo kun. I don't expect you to learn it right away, but the faster you learn it, the closer you'll be to earning your next belt, so don't slack off! Understood?!"
"Hai Sensei!" the kids respond.
"Good. Before we begin, we'll be getting to know each other. We are a dojo, and we compete with each other as well as against each other, so general familiarity with each other is important in practicing unity and teamwork." Or whatever.
He steps back and gestures to the senior students. One, a girl with red eyes, a bright smile, and silvery hair tied back in a ponytail. The other, a boy that looks just as serious and angry as Sensei, with black eyes and spiky black hair held out of his face by a headband. "These are your senior students and my assistants. You will respect them as you respect me. They will lead this exercise. Understood?" Bakugou explains.
"Hai Sensei!" the class responds. Bakugou nods and steps back and crosses his arms to watch his assistants take over. The silver haired girl speaks first.
"My name is Eri! You may call me Eri-Senpai!" she says proudly. The black haired boy speaks next.
"My name is Kota! You may call me Kota-Senpai! Just as you respond to Sensei, you will respond to us with 'Hai Senpai!' Understood?" he says sternly. The class has gotten used to this patter at this point.
"Hai Senpai!" they respond in unison.
"Good! Now for the 'get to know you' exercise!" Eri starts. "Each of you will stand and tell us your name, age, and favorite movie as if you were giving your best kiai! Kota and I will start!" she instructs.
Kota seems unenthusiastic about this. He rolls his eyes and begins.
"My name is Kota Izumi!" he shouts. "I'm 17 and my favorite movie is Big Hero 6!"
"Nice to meet you!" Eri shouts in reply, then turns back to the class. "Reply like I just did once everyone goes! Now it's my turn. My name is Eri Aizawa-Yamada! I'm 17 and my favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast!"
"Nice to meet you!" the class replies. Eri directs the exercise. One kid after another stands up and introduces themself, and soon enough, it's Reiki's turn. She's still a little nervous, but she remembers her goal of making her papa and Auntie Mina proud. She'll do her best! She puts on her best game face and stands up proudly, giving her presentation like her best kiai.
"My name is Reiki Kirishima! I'm seven years old and my favorite movie is Mulan!" She sits back down after the class responds. She quickly realizes that her presentation was a lot louder than the previous kids. She can feel her cheeks heat up in embarrassment as she looks down at the floor. It's only her first class and she's made a fool of herself...or so she thinks.
To her surprise, the next students to present try to match her volume. She's confused at first, and she looks at her classmates. Did she...hype them up? She looks up at Eri and Kota. Eri's smile is wider than ever, and Kota seems to have a bit of a grin on his face too...huh. She looks over at Sensei and...he's smiling! It's not a big smile, it's just a grin like Kota's, with a trace of smugness, as if he were saying 'show them how it's done, kid.' Her eyes sparkle. Did she impress her Sensei on day one?! And her Senpais too?! Her silent excitement seems to catch the eye of her teacher, and they make eye contact. In that split second before his stoic scowl returns, it's as if he's silently saying 'you didn't see anything, kid.' He turns his attention back to the other students as they finish up and begins his lesson. Reiki smiles throughout the lesson. Maybe this won't be so bad.
—————
An hour and a half later, Kirishima pulls back into the parking lot and heads into the dojo to pick Reiki up. He walks in as she's putting her shoes back on, and as soon as she sees him she scrambles to her feet, nearly tripping on the shoe she was putting on and kicking it off as she runs to her papa with the biggest smile on her face.
"Papa!" she shouts happily as she runs into his arms. Kirishima laughs, pulling his daughter into a hug and hoisting her onto his hip.
"Hey there sweetheart! How was class?" he asks.
"It was great! I learned more dojo etiquette, and Sensei-" her explanation is cut off when she sees her Sensei approaching them with her shoe in his hand. She must've kicked it further than she thought. She smiles brightly. "Oh, hi Sensei!" Bakugou snorts.
"Hey kid," he says. He holds up her shoe. "I get you're excited, just try not to fling your shoes next time. Alright?" Reiki blushes a little bit and laughs bashfully.
"Hai Sensei. I'll be careful next time!" she beams. He hands her her shoe and Kirishima whispers to her.
"Hey, why don't you put your shoe on and go get your stuff while I talk to Sensei, ok?" She nods and slips out of his grasp.
Once she's gone, Kirishima looks at her teacher.
"So, how did she do?"
"She was fine. She actually hyped the other kids up. Kid really knows her stuff," Bakugou says. Kirishima chuckles.
"Yeah. Like I said, she did her research. I'm glad she had a good time!"
"'M surprised she didn't just take over for me and my assistants. If she's this gutsy during combat training, she could be closer to her next belt before these other kids by next week," Bakugou says, glancing over at her as she says goodbye to Eri and Kota.
"You really think so?" Kirishima asks. Bakugou shrugs.
"If she's willing to work for it." Reiki jogs back over with her bag over her shoulder and water bottle in hand.
"Ok Papa! I'm ready to go!" she beams. Kirishima smiles down at her.
"Alright! We'll get going then!" he looks back to Bakugou. "We'll see you next class, then! Thanks so much!" Bakugou hums in reply. Halfway out the door, Reiki turns back and smiles as wide as she can.
"Bye Sensei!" she beams. Bakugou sighs.
"Later kid."
—————
The drive home was filled with chatter as Reiki told her papa about her day. He was really glad to hear that it went so well, and that she already likes her teacher. To celebrate, Kirishima decides to get a special takeout dinner, and when they get home, Mina is greeted by the wonderful smell of teriyaki beef and lo mien noodles. She rushes out to meet them.
"There's the little butt kicker!" she shouts as she squats down and opens her arms. Reiki drops her stuff and runs to her, throwing her arms around her neck.
"Hi Auntie!" she squeals as she's hugged so tight she nearly loses her breath.
"Go change and then you can tell me about your day!" Mina instructs as she releases her and stands up. Reiki nods and kicks off her shoes. She leaves them by the front door and picks up her stuff, then scurries down the hall to her room. Mina chuckles and approaches Kirishima. She snatches dinner out of his hands.
"You too, ya big lug. Go take off your binder," she says. Kirishima chuckles and follows Reiki down the hall.
"Alright, alright." Honestly, if Mina weren't there to tell him to take the thing off, he'd have kept it on far past his limit.
He heads to his room and grabs a sports bra before peeling off his shirt. He breathes a deep sigh once the pressure on his chest is gone. He slips into his sports bra and is about to put his shirt back on, when he spots himself in the mirror. He's bulked up a lot in the past few years. Before all this, he was relatively pear shaped aside from his broader shoulders. Small chest, wide hips and thighs. After he recovered from having Reiki, he worked hard to get a more fit, masculine figure. He had lost the baby weight, and had gotten a bit more muscle mass, but his figure was still...well, less than ideal. His chest was still swollen from chest feeding, and they never seemed to go back to their original size. They stopped at a B-cup, rather than his previous A-cup, and he had to buy a whole new binder. The pregnancy and labor seemed to make his hips even wider, and working out just toned his thighs and ass. His waist wasn't as thin as it was. It had spread out a bit too, but there were still stretch marks. If anything, he felt like he looked more feminine than before! Sure, legally, his name and gender had changed, but physically...he was still a woman.
He managed to save up enough for hormone therapy when Reiki was four, and since then, his figure has changed significantly. Fat was slowly replaced with muscle as he worked harder, hair started thickening up on his legs, and even sprouting on his face! The harder he worked, the more he bulked up. And best of all, his manstruation cycle eventually stopped! He started feeling good about himself again, especially now that he was starting to look like his ID card said... but, the Dysphoria never went away. He looks at himself in the mirror. Up and down. Spiky red hair. Square jaw, clean shaven. Broad shoulders... Full chest. Full, feminine chest. The beginning of prominent abs... Stretch marks. Pregnancy stretch marks. Hips...flat pants. The wrong parts...snap out of it. The girls are waiting. He pulls on his shirt and puts on his smile as he heads into the kitchen for dinner.