Work Text:
Byleth hummed to themselves as they worked on setting up their new classroom. They knew that, ideally, the display board would be filled with students’ work, but they also knew from experience that the amount of dust on that display board meant the work currently up there had been there for years.
As such, they didn’t feel bad about taking down the mini articles on Alliance government from hundreds of years ago. Besides, they had something far more interesting to put in its place.
First went the backing paper, highlighted with some rainbow accents. Just so anyone knew where they stood at a single glance. Then, they stapled on the images of the portraits of the Faerghan King who’d definitely had a husband, and then the charter written by his child who never continued the line of succession and abolished the monarchy entirely.
The right hand side of the board was taken up by information on the novelist whose relationship with their ‘fictional protagonist’ was decidedly homoerotic in tone, coupled with early sketches of technology to create a chest compression vest. After all, some scholars theorised that the sketches and novels had the same point of origin.
And last, they stapled in the heading for the board. ‘LGBTQ+ Figures in History’, it read, and Byleth smiled as they stood back and looked at it. It was a standard of theirs, something they’d used several times in their few years of teaching, and it never failed to provoke debate.
Byleth didn’t listen to ‘debate’ about it, though. The way it made plenty of their students feel was enough for them, and it was something they’d stick to.
“Good morning,” they said, with a little nod of their head as the last student filed into the classroom for the first lesson on the first day of term. Only three minutes late; impressive. “I’m Doctor Eisner, I’m taking over from the vacancy left by your previous teacher at the end of last term.” Said teacher had been arrested for manslaughter, but the students didn’t need to know that.
“Please call me ‘Doctor Eisner’ rather than ‘Miss’ or ‘Sir’, though if you slip up once or twice then you don’t need to worry about it.” And then for the bit that most frequently sparked debate. “I use they and them pronouns, which can be tricky to get a handle on. I’m happy to send anyone a quick resource through email if they find that they struggle with getting a grasp on the grammar.”
To their surprise, there was no hint of laughter rippling around the class. Relieved, Byleth started their lesson, but they continued to look closely at the students. There were always a few, so-
There it was. A student with bright, short hair and a uniform that was slightly too loose, staring at them with wonder in their eyes. The best moment of teaching, when a student realised that they were seen. Understood.
When the student knew that, somehow, someone else had gone through this and made it out the other side, successful and respected. Byleth didn’t tend to smile all that much, but the thought of it made something warm blossom in their chest every time.
Two weeks into term, Byleth stuck up a laminated notice on their door. ‘LGBTQ+ Student Group, all welcome.’ Below, there was a day and time. Simple - but anyone who saw it would know what it meant.
They didn’t know how many students would show up, if any at all. But it almost didn’t matter, if they were being honest. As long as one or two people showed up, it would be completely worth their time.
That said, Byleth couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit nervous when the day rolled around. They wanted to get this right, for the sake of the students who were counting on them, and there were lots of things that could go wrong.
After school that day, there was a tentative knock on the door not thirty seconds after the start time they’d indicated. “Come in!” they called. A face peeked round the door almost immediately - Bernadetta, a student they recognised due to her brief attendance of one of their lessons and the note on the register informing them that she should be allowed to sit by the door.
“Feel free to sit down,” they said. “I’m sure some more people will get here soon.”
“How many, d-do you think?” Bernadetta asked. She looked apprehensive.
“Not a lot,” they reassured. “But if it’s too much, please just leave at any time.” Bernadetta nodded and sat down in the chair at the centre table closest to the door.
Soon enough, more students arrived, including a group of three who Byleth recognised as friends from one of their classes, a slightly older student with bright ginger hair, and the duo formed of the incredibly hyperactive student and his sleepy friend (who Byleth had woken up at least twice in the course of two weeks of teaching).
Once they’d given people a few minutes to collect themselves and get settled down, they began. “Thank you all for coming,” they said. “I think I’ve taught most of you, but for the sake of clarity - I’m Doctor Eisner, and I use they and them pronouns. If we could go around and introduce ourselves, that would be great.”
For the most part, this was an exercise that would run smoothly - it didn’t take much to introduce teenagers to the concept of pronouns (unlike older people Byleth had run workshops with). That said, the purpose of the introductions was twofold: for the students to introduce themselves to each other, and for Byleth to find out if any trans students had slipped through the gaps in the administration.
Most of the students didn’t say anything out of the ordinary, and they recognised almost all the names around the circle. But then the flow of introductions stopped, with one student looking over at their friends. Dimitri, who’d just spoken, nodded encouragement.
“My name is Felix,” the student said, voice shaking slightly. “I use he and him pronouns.” He looked up at Byleth, an unreadable expression in his eyes, and Byleth just nodded. Immediately, he relaxed, letting out a shuddering sigh. Dimitri patted him on the shoulder, his gesture being returned with a half-hearted glare.
The flow of conversation moved on, and when they got round to the end of the circle there was another surprise - Claude, who always responded enthusiastically and confidently to another name. A name that didn’t get a single mention now, in the confines of this group.
As the talking continued, the topic of conversation drifted towards the place Byleth knew it would. “So have any of you...?” Ingrid asked. “You know. Come out?”
Bernadetta, who'd been mostly silent through the session, opened her mouth. “I did a few years ago,” she said. “It wasn't really a choice and it was an absolute nightmare. I try not to think of it most of the time.”
Leonie nodded, a sympathetic note entering her tone. “I can't say it was a good experience on my end either,” she said. “It's difficult to know when a good time is, and predicting someone's reaction is more difficult than I thought it would be.”
“We have a friend who…” Dimitri glanced at Ingrid as if for permission, and she nodded gently, mouthing something to him that Byleth didn’t catch. “He sincerely hopes that no one will ever know about this. So even though he’s bi, he didn’t want to come here. Just in case someone accidentally told someone else about him.”
“I don’t get the big deal,” Felix said. “If it happens, it happens. It might be- not awful if my father knew.” His voice was firm, unwavering. He felt strongly about it, one way or the other, but his words disguised whether he really did want his father to know or not.
“It’s a tricky issue to approach,” Byleth said, finally deciding to cut in. The students didn’t do it on purpose, of course, but there was a decidedly pessimistic tone to their words, and it wouldn’t help anyone in going away feeling like they’d had a positive experience that afternoon.
“When did you talk to people about things?” Caspar asked. “I mean- you have, right?”
“I talk about it with someone new every week, still,” Byleth admitted. They couldn’t lie - coming out was something they did continuously, with almost every new person they met. It was exhausting sometimes, but there was the occasional reward. Like this group. “I was a lot older than anyone in this room when I first came out to someone, however.”
Their father, now long gone. He’d never seen them do something like this, not in his lifetime, but if he saw it now they imagined he wouldn’t be surprised.
“Older than anyone in this room?” Claude asked, his voice full of something decidedly mischievous. They were a little apprehensive about what could come next. “What about your cardboard cutout of the Emperor Edelgard?”
Their mouth dropped open in surprise - they hadn’t been expecting that one. The entire room burst into laughter and Byleth almost felt a smile form on their face. The exchange told them something in particular: this year was going to be interesting.
“Next week we’ll be talking about video games,” Byleth said, “with the kinds of LGBTQ+ stories we’ve found within and the ones we still want to see.”
The students started chattering immediately as they began to file out of the classroom. As the last group got up to go, Byleth opened their mouth again. “Claude, Felix, could you stay behind for a moment? It’s not for anything scary, I promise.”
Felix tensed, freezing on the spot, while Claude’s posture immediately took on something Byleth would describe as exaggerated confidence. So much for trying to allay their fears, but they’d done their best. This wasn’t a conversation that multiple people should be present for.
“I’ll wait outside,” Dimitri said with a smile to both of them.
“Don’t bother,” Felix said, but his lips still quirked upwards when he replied.
Once they were alone in the room with just the pair of them, Byleth began. “Seeing as we’ve been talking for a few weeks, I thought I’d pose a quick suggestion to you both. The issue of coming out and school came up recently, so I thought I'd just ask you both if you wanted me to talk to your teachers and the school administration to get them on the same page as I am.”
“Yes,” Felix said immediately. No hesitation. In his case, maybe they should have asked earlier. Especially after what he’d said a few weeks ago in the first meeting. “Anything you can do, I’ll take it.”
Byleth nodded. “I’ll do what I can,” they confirmed, their eyes moving to Claude. He was looking down at the gum stuck to the carpet an inch from his shoes. “Claude? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t know,” he admitted, moving to scuff one shoe slightly against the floor. “Maybe I should wait a bit. I don’t think it’s the right time yet.”
Byleth nodded again. “I understand,” they said. “You’re welcome to talk to me about it any time you like, or to just contact me through an email. It’s something to take at your own pace, just also...keep it in mind. And don’t let waiting for what you think is the right moment hold you back from something you really need to do.”
Claude’s gaze lifted to their eyes, and he offered them a small smile. “I get it,” he said. “Maybe the right time will come soon anyway.”
The pair of them left the classroom in silence, though Byleth could hear the way they both burst into conversation the moment they were outside. It was always a tricky conversation to approach, and they never knew if what they did worked best for their students. Regardless, Felix’s quick acceptance and Claude’s careful consideration told them that it was, at least, a move in the right direction for the both of them.
Within a few months the group that they lead was fairly solidified, but every so often someone brought a friend with them or someone overcame their shyness and showed up themselves. In this particular case, it was clear from the moment Leonie entered the room that the person she brought with her wasn't entirely comfortable.
“My name is Lorenz,” they said when Byleth asked them to introduce themselves. “I use he and him pronouns, but I'm also…” he paused, “trying out the feel of they and them.”
From then, Lorenz didn't say anything. They stayed quiet almost through the whole session of the group, not saying a word even when people said things but Byleth knew he would normally object to - if he heard them in a classroom setting. It was clear they belonged in the group because Leonie wouldn't have brought them if she thought they couldn't get something out of it, but it was obvious they needed a little more time to get used to things.
Even from the next meeting there was a clear change in Lorenz’s confidence. Little by little, they said more and more, interacting with people in the group they'd never spoken to before and having conversations Byleth had never imagined them having when they thought back to the person they knew from the early sessions.
Weeks turned into months, the seasons changed, and the group didn’t grow all that much in number but plenty in spirit. Byleth couldn’t help but note the positive way it impacted everyone in the group and the lessons they taught. Claude and Lorenz in particular blossomed, and their conversations in class became far more lively and varied, with Lorenz relying far less on the idea that they already knew everything and thinking more. It made everything a lot more interesting.
At the end of the year, Byleth was almost sad when it came to the last session. They stood in front of the small group of students they’d never imagined they would know as well as this and...they smiled genuinely for the first time in quite a long time.
“I'm proud of you,'' they said, watching the way some of the students grinned at the words while others grimaced. “Perhaps that's too cliched, but I really think you've come a long way in the past two terms and it's been a joy to watch you all grow.
“I've seen some of you go from strength to strength, and it's been a privilege to be on that journey with you. I had no idea that this little group could be a force of such positive change for so many of you, and I've loved seeing you all build friendships together. I suppose I just want to say thank you for letting me be here while you talk about all those little things about your lives that are so important.”
“Nonsense,” Dimitri said. “It’s you who we should be thanking, Doctor. You're the one who facilitated this group and invited us all here for an experience that we otherwise would not have had. I'm not alone in this sentiment, but I truly feel you’ve made a positive difference to my life. I'm almost sad to see the school year end, just because we'll have to wait so long for another group meeting.”
As they listened, emotion swelled in their chest when they saw the way that so many students in the room nodded along with Dimitri’s words. They really would miss these kids over the next few months.
“And this is for you, Teach,” Claude said, bringing a box out from behind his back. Byleth looked between the gathered students, who’d turned expectant eyes towards them.
They took the box. “Thank you,” they said.
“But you didn’t open it yet, Doctor Eisner!” Lorenz said, their voice full of indignation.
“Thank you anyway,” they repeated, pulling back the flaps on the plain brown box. Inside, there was tissue paper, and inside that there was another box. Ah, a classic. They looked up at Claude again, and there was an absolute shit eating grin on his face.
They opened that box, and inside was more paper. This time, however, there was something of substance buried inside, and Byleth lifted it out carefully.
A purple mug, which read, in neatly lettered script they recognised as Ingrid’s meticulous handwriting, ‘Doctor “Gender is Fake” Eisner’. They looked back up at the students and smiled. “I’ll use it proudly,” they said. “Thank you, all of you.”
Byleth loved teaching. They really did.