Hello! Since I'm bored and I don't plan on Axel going into too much depth about his bullying situation or anything, I thought I'd write you guys a little background. You can reference this if you want, or not, doesn't matter to me. I just thought you guys might want to see what actually happened because at the moment I'm really just thinking Axel's gonna vaguely mention some of the things said when bullying or his depression is questioned... Mainly in his talk with Cal about gender/sexuality actually.

TW: Transphobia, homophobia, and mentions of sexual assault. Stay safe :)

(P.S. Ana = Axel's dead name)

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The morning started off the same as every other, a soft knock on the door and his mother's voice calling to him. "Axel, it's time for school darling, get up!"

"O-okay mom!" Axel replied, standing and cursing softly when his head spun. He paused a moment, then blinked and walked over to his closet, grabbing some clothes and heading to the bathroom. After taking a shower, the sickly boy paused and looked at himself in the mirror, wrinkling his nose in disgust before dressing, carefully making sure his shirt completely cover his binder.

Once he was finished, Axel headed down the hall to the kitchen where his mother was making pancakes. She looked up when he entered. "Hey, sweetie! How are you feeling today?"

Axel shrugged. "Where's dad?"

His mother's lips tugged down at the corners. "At work, he's got an extra shift again today, he should be home for dinner tonight though."

"B-but you won't be," Axel stated, knowing the answer.

"I'm sorry, baby, you know how it can be."

Axel dropped his eyes to the table and nodded. His parents tried their best to make sure Axel was never alone, mostly because of his medical conditions, but in truth, they just didn't have time. They were always busy with work, and his father worked minimum wage while his mother ran a small business of her own... One that was slowly collapsing. Neither of them had any free time anymore, and they were always so tired.

"Here, take your meds, Axel." His mother said, placing several pill bottles in front of him which Axel obediently picked up and took the correct dosage of.

Oh, that was another thing, despite lack of money, Axel just had to be a problem. Nearly a fourth of his parent's income went towards medical bills for him every year.

"T-Thanks mom," Axel said, standing.

"You haven't eaten yet, Axel."

"I-I'm not hungry r-right now."

A worried frown. "You're sure you feel alright."

"I-I'm sure."

"Okay then... Have a good day, sweetie, and stay safe, okay?"

"Okay, m-mom."

"I love you."

"L-love you too."

-

Because of where he lived, there were no buses that could take Axel to school, he had to walk. It wasn't too long, only about fifteen minutes, but with Axel's health issues, he was always extremely winded by the time he got to the actual school building. And, unfortunately, there were normally people there to greet him.

Today was no different.

"Well, well, if it isn't the freak of a girl."

Axel quickly dropped his gaze to the ground and shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Ana~ What's wrong?" There was a chorus of laughter as Ivan, Axel's main bully, and his little gang watched Axel stumble forward, desperately trying to just get to school.

"I think she's scared, boss." One said.

"Is that so? Hmmm, why would that be?"

"Not sure, I think she's just a coward." Another ripple of laughter.

"That does sound right. Ana, come on, look at me! There's nothing to be scared of."

"M-my name's A-Axel." Axel said softly, his voice shaking even more than normal. He was surrounded at this point, the gang on all sides.

"What was that? Look at me when you talk, little girl."

"M-my name i-is Axel, and I-I'm a boy!" Axel said, finally looking up, though his hands were still shoved in his pockets, hiding how badly they were shaking.

The gang laughed.

"A boy, she says! She wants to be a boy!" Ivan exclaimed, craking up. The rest of the group followed along, pointing fingers at Axel and laughing 'she wants to be a boy!'

Axel cringed back, his breathing was fast and his mouth had gone dry with anxiety. Ivan stepped forward, grabbing Axel's wrist hard.

"Who wants to see the truth?" He questioned, lifting Axel's arm in the air. The small crowd cheered, and it was only when Ivan's other hand reached for the hem of his shirt that Axel realized what was happening.

"S-stop! Please! P-please stop!" He gasped, struggling against Ivan's grip, but it was too late, the larger male ripped Axel's shirt off to reveal his binder underneath. The whole group laughed and jeered. Ivan shoved a sobbing Axel on the ground and kicked his stomach hard, causing him to double over, gasping for air. Then he knelt and grabbed Axel's face, lowering his voice so only he could hear.

"You can never be a man, you'll never be anything more than a disgusting little queer who can't get her pretty little head right." He snarled. "And you better listen to me, girl, keep your mouth shut and don't ever talk back to me, otherwise, next time I see you it'll be more than just your shirt." Ivan dropped Axel's chin and shoved him back again. "Let's go, guys, this one is worthless anyway."

With that, the gang disappeared, still laughing and joking among themselves as they went. Axel slowly picked himself up, he pulled his shirt back on, wiping his face and brushing off his pants. Physically, he was aware that he was going to have a bruised stomach, but it was the words that hurt him the most.

After a few more minutes of gathering his courage, Axel finished his short walk to school and made it to the building a few minutes before the bell. His friend, Ethan, was there as always, waiting with a far-off, sad look in his eye.

"H-hey, E," Axel said softly, approaching. Ethan jumped slightly, then smiled, waving. His eyes narrowed, however, when he saw Axel's shirt. He walked over and gently tugged it to more fully cover Axel's binder. "O-oh, thanks."

Ethan nodded and looked at Axel a moment longer before dipping his head and gesturing towards the door. As always, the other boy was wearing long sleeves and pants, dark circles under his eyes. Axel had often wondered how similar the two of them really were when it came to their current situation. Maybe, he thought, they weren't different at all, but neither was willing to confess to the other. That could put them in danger.

So, heads down and shoulders lightly brushing, the two boys walked into the building. Ready, Axel thought, for another day of torture.