tw for slight misgendering

Luck is my personal name for Good Yuck/Oliver/however you wanna name him from Upstanding Yuck

o - o - o - o - o

"Yang said WHAT."

"I-I'm sure he didn't mean to!" Luck interjected, forcing a smile in hopes that it would pacify Yin (although it seemed to have the opposite effect so far). "I know it sounds bad, but really, it's no big deal!"

"I know he didn't really mean to, but that doesn't change the fact that it wasn't right!" Yin hadn't even been looking at him the whole time she had been pacing angrily around the room. The moment she did though, her eyes widened before narrowing back into a scowl. "And it clearly IS a big deal if it's enough to make you THIS upset."

Luck frowned in confusion before noticing his right hand. His claws were out and clumps of aquamarine were stuck to them; he still hadn't been able to kick the nervous habit of combing his fur. Blushing, he hid it behind his back even though he knew the damage had been done. "Yin, r-really! It was my fault for snooping around! I was cleaning you guys' room-"

"Which, for the last time, you don't have to do no matter how much Yang begs you to-"

"And while I was dusting off your vanity, I saw this...p-pretty nail polish..." Luck's ears pressed flat against his head, his face turning even redder; "And then Yang saw me and...b-but I know he was just joking-"

"Oh I am going to WRING his neck when I see him. Maybe that'll clear the toxic masculinity brainrot from his head!" Yin was back to pacing, waving her arms around and making choking gestures at the empty air; "What century is he still living in!? Boys doing 'girly' stuff like wearing dresses and using makeup is perfectly normal, so I don't understand why-"

From the corner of her vision, Luck's expression made her stop mid-rant. "Luck? What's wrong?"

She'd expected something like relief, knowing that she was on his side. But instead, he had an expression like he'd gotten a Paw of Pain-Power to the gut. The moment she turned around though, he tried hiding it again with a smile - a much weaker one this time. "N-nothing! It's nothing, forget about it-"

"Luck."

The smile dropped, and he looked away from her. He finally mumbled something, but she could barely hear him. "What was that? You have to speak louder-"

"I said-" He paused, hand raised to comb his hair but he caught himself this time and lowered it again. "-that I'm not a boy."

Yin's eyebrows shot upwards.

"And before you say anything, I'm not a girl either! I'm...I'm just me!" Luck's face was bright red like a tomato, knuckles nearly turned white with how hard he was gripping the edge of his uniform while still refusing to look at her in the eye. "I mean, I don't mind being called a 'he' or a 'she' or a 'they', but I don't like being called 'young man' or 'young lady' because it just feels wrong, and I-I know I'm not making any sense right now but this is how I feel and-and-and-"

"Luck, it's fine! I get it!" The green rabbit nearly jumped out of his skin the moment he felt Yin's hands grab his own. She wasn't angry anymore, but there was something - something sad, something scared, something hurt - in her eyes that made his heart drop. "I'm sorry- Oh my gosh, I'm SO sorry, I didn't know! I didn't think- I never thought that you..."

"...Y-Yin?"

The girl had paused, deep in thought with her hands still intertwined with his. And suddenly her eyes light up with determination, her grip still gently but much more firm.

"Come with me for a sec."

o - o - o - o - o

Luck wrung his hands nervously as he watched Yin search through her drawer. Blouses, skirts and dresses of all pastel hues he could think of flew through the air as she rummaged through her clothes, for a purpose he still didn't know of. "I don't wanna be rude but, um, what are we doing again?"

"Gimme a sec! I know I have it around here somewhere-AHA!" His ears twitched as Yin finally stepped back, smiling triumphantly as she held her prize in her hands. "I can't believe I had this baby hidden so far back. What do you think?"

He looked down, eyes widening as he took in the garment she held in her hands. "Oh, it's so pretty! What are you gonna wear it for?"

"Me? No, I..." Realization dawned on her, and she jokingly smacked her own forehead, "Sheesh, and I thought Yang was scatterbrained. This is for you!"

Luck's ears perked right up, staring at the garment and then at Yin back and forth in astonishment. Like he was waiting for her to yell 'SIKE' any second. "F-for me?"

"Yeah! I mean, I can tell you like 'girly' things too! You know, with the makeup thing and...well, I didn't wanna assume anything out loud, but I've noticed you stare at me whenever we get to use our regular clothes, and I connected the dots from there!"

"T-the clothes, r-right! You got me there!" Luck laughed nervously, looking away and hoping Yin wouldn't notice his face getting red again. And well, it's not like she was wrong, anyways...but she wasn't completely right either.

"Look, I hope I'm not going too fast or forcing this on you or anything, but after seeing you like that, with what Yang told you and then with what I said..." Yin's expression had turned downcast, and Luck forgot his embarrassment for that moment. "What I'm trying to say is...I get it."

He blinked.

"You know..." Her fingers rubbed anxiously against the fabric in her hands. "Being called a boy when you're not."

"Being called a- Oh." The gears turning inside Luck's brain came to a screeching halt as realization finally hit him. "Oh."

"Yeah." She offered a soft smile, and sat by the edge of her bed, clothing still in her hands. She patted the spot beside her, inviting the other rabbit to sit next to her, which he hesitantly did. "I've always known I was a girl. I've always liked girly things, playing girly games...but when we were younger, grown ups always told me I had to stop doing girly things and do boy things instead, because I looked more like Yang back then and somehow that made them think I was a boy too."

Luck looked at her sympathetically.

"And the sad thing is; I nearly believed them! Cuz adults are supposed to know best, right? But then..." She raised her hand over her head and untied her purple bow, the ribbon intertwining between her fingers for Luck to take a closer look; "One day, I saw it. From the moment I saw this ribbon, I knew I had to try it on. And even though it was only Yang and me and we didn't have much, I saved every penny i could so I could buy it myself."

Luck admired the ribbon with wonder, looking at Yin as is asking for permission. When she nodded, he held the silk ribbon in his hands, letting it cascade between his fingers.

"And the moment I put it on, I knew." She whispered, taking in the marvel in his eyes. "No matter what anyone else said, I knew I was a girl because wearing that ribbon made me feel like a girl more than anything else and it felt SO right."

Luck gave her the ribbon back, holding it like it was a precious heirloom, and watched her tie it back into a bow right below her ears. "And I know my...situation and yours aren't the exact same, but they're similar. And I just...I just wanted to let you know that there's nothing wrong with who you are, and that no one else gets to tell you who or what you should be, cuz...cuz only you get to decide that!"

Realizing her voice had gotten a little too loud, she coughed and sat back down, offering Luck a reassuring smile. "I mean...that's what I would've wanted to hear back then, so I thought you needed to hear it too."

The whole story, Luck had remained silent, staring intently at Yin. And even though she was done talking, he was still staring at her with his mouth slightly open. She wondered if she had said something wrong when she noticed his eyes getting damp and shiny.

"Aw Luck, please don't cry again-"

"S-sorry, sorry!" He hiccuped, rubbing his eyes and letting out a shaky laugh; "It's just...your story...and you're being so nice to me, and-and-!" Another hiccup and a sniff. "T-thank you."

Yin smiled, and she held out the garment for Luck to grab. "So...do you wanna try it now?

o - o - o - o - o

"Yin?"

The pink rabbit in question looked up from her book, looking at the changing screen between her and Luck. "Yeah?"

There was a pause, then Luck's uniform - in mint condition, as always - was carefully placed over the screen. "If it's OK for me to ask...how many people know?"

"About me being trans?" Yin returned to her book, flipping over to the next page. "Well, Yang, obviously. And despite his toxic masculinity brainrot, he's always tried his best which really means a lot to me. And then Master Yo, and then Lena, and now you!"

"...And that's it?"

"For now, yeah, but I do want to come out to the rest of the Woo Foo Army eventually. And then the rest of the town after." She paused mid-flip to the next page, cheek pressed against her other hand pensively. "I just wanna be 100% ready for it first, you know?"

No answer. She looked up at the screen again. "Luck?"

"I-I'm here! It's just..." Oh no, his voice sounded like he was going to cry again. "I really appreciate it. That you came out to me. Y-you didn't have to."

"Yeah, but I wanted to! Like I said, I wanted you to know you weren't alone. And it's only fair, since you technically came out to me first and you really didn't have to either." Grabbing her bookmark, she closed her book and levitated closer to the screen. "So uh, how's it going over there?"

"Oh, I-I think I'm done, actually!"

"You are?" Yin clapped her hands excitedly, floating back to the ground right in front of the screen. She bounced on the balls of her feet impatiently; "Oohhh, let's see it, let's see it!"

There was shuffling behind the screen, and Luck stepped out from behind. The moment he did, Yin's eyes widened.

The garment she'd given him was a sleeveless sundress, starting off snow-white from the top but gradually changing color all the way down to the skirt's hem, painted a bright sunny yellow that matched the smile on his face as he admired the dress himself, fingers rubbing the soft fabric.

The sight made her chest...warm. And the warmth intensified the moment Luck looked back at her expectantly; "So...how do I look?"

"How do you look?" Why was her face so hot? Why did talking feel so hard to do all of a sudden? Yin laughed it off, focusing on admiring the rabbit before her; "Luck, you look INCREDIBLE! I knew that dress was perfect for you! The real question is: how do YOU feel?"

"Me? I...I feel amazing!" The rabbit giggled - and oh, her heart felt funny again at the sound - as he turned around, letting the skirt twirl with his movements. "It makes me feel so pretty! It just feels..."

He paused, and this time Yin had a clear view of his eyes as he stared at her. Those orange eyes, warm and bright, that felt like gazing at the sunset more than ever.

"It feels right."

"I'm so happy to hear that." And she was. Even if her heart was doing weird flips inside her chest and the room - it HAD to be the room - felt so warm all of a sudden, seeing the same joy in him that she had felt back then made her happeir than anything else. Happier than she could describe.

And Luck seemed to share that happiness with her, until she noticed his excitement die down as he looked down at the dress. "Well, uh...I should be giving this back now, right?"

"Give it back? But the dress is yours now!" She froze in realization when he looked back up at her with eyes wider than saucers. "Wait, did I not explain that part either?"

"I c-can keep it? Really!? But...it's so pretty, and it's yours..."

"Of course you can keep it! It's a gift from me! And besides, let's face it:" Yin held his hands in hers, and when he looked at her quizzically she couldn't resist winking; "That shade of yellow looks WAY prettier on green than it does on pink. Goes great with your eyes, don't you think?"

He didn't say a word for a long time. He just kept looking between her eyes and their intertwined hands, his own eyes getting increasingly shinier again.

"I love you."

Yin's smile dropped in confusion. "Huh?"

"IT! I LOVE IT!" She cringed, Luck's suddenly high-pitched voice nearly shattering her vanity's mirror. He pulled his hands back, holding them up defensively as his face - no, nearly his entire head - turned bright red with mortified embarrassment. "I LOVE THE DRESS THAT'S WHAT I MEANT!"

"Luck-"

"I JUST REMEMBERED I HAVE TO BE SOMEWHERE ELSE SONOWIGOTTAGOBYE!" And he was out the door before she could blink, fave buried in his hands...and then returned 5 seconds later, taking back his uniform from the dressing screen and booking it before Yin could stop him.

She just watched him go, blinking a couple of times in surprise while registering what had just happened. She sat by her vanity, looking at her different accessories and makeup before grabbing the nail polish bottle.

She sighed, her cheeks turning a warmer, deeper shade of red as she remembered Luck's smile while he twirled his dress.

"Guess we'll have to leave nail painting for another day."