Title: It's Not a Mask
Summary: Jack doesn't wear a mask, who he is at school is the real him. He's not hiding his gender, nor is he in the Host Club because of a debt or blackmail of any kind. He thought his life was pretty good when he was with the host club, but when his secret is revealed Jack will unwillingly become who he's not. This fanfiction is not about a girl pretending to be a boy. This is a story with a transgender protagonist, Jack is a female to male trans guy.
Warnings: This fanfiction heavily involves transphobia and homophobia in the later chapters. If you're uncomfortable with either or are triggered by said things, then continue at your own risk.
Chapter Length: 1577 | Total Length: 1577

Chapter I
We Have to Join a Club?

Jack couldn't help but heave a large sigh.

He stared across the classroom and out the window from his seat with his head on his desk. It had only been a week since he started attending Ouran Academy, and he was already bored with it. Sure, he could get good grades and feel like he had a high intelligence but it was barely any fun in class if there wasn't any rebel characters or class clowns, or just plain old fun people. Whilst it did make for a statistically perfect class, it was not a class he enjoyed being in.

He was beginning to miss his time in class 1-D. He had been placed there because of a mishap with his application, but he beyond loved his time there. There were class clowns, rebels and the guys who just want to have fun. Everyone was familiar with the rest of the class, and Jack would even go as far as calling each of them his friends.

Jack had even considered messing up his grades just so he could get back there.

"Psst." Jack heard the whisper from beside him. His lips twitched into a smile. The source of the whisper was one of the reasons he wouldn't screw up his grades. He probably wouldn't last very long on his own.

"Dude, wake up. I need your answers." Jack lifted an eyelid as he looked to his left. His ashen blond friend looked lost as the teacher continued her lecture on Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights. Jack chuckled lightly. His best friend Danny would never have made it into class 1-B if it wasn't for Jack's study sessions and "help" in class.

Unfortunately for Danny, Jack hadn't felt like paying any attention in class today. With a smirk, he showed his best friend a notebook which bared only a slightly ridiculous doodle on it.

"No..." Danny muttered in horror whilst Jack's smirk widened into a devilish grin.

"And on that note, class is dismissed. Ah, Dawson and Bradwell. Before you leave so soon, I would like you come forwards and see me." The teacher informed the class, giving two mentioned males a stern gaze.

They looked at each other, worry predominant on one face, utter neutrality on the other. Jack shrugged, he wasn't afraid of punishment, he had accepted the odds of punishment before he slacked off today. Danny however, was freaking out on the inside, he was the epitome of scaredy cat. Though he buried it deep down, Jack knew his friend too well for Danny to pull it off perfectly.

The two packed their things in their shoulder bags before walking up to the front desk.

"Dawson and Bradwell. Before you assume this is to do with the fact you were both not paying attention through my class and blatantly daydreaming – it is not."

Danny couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief before gulping as he realised for her to comment on it, she would have had to have noticed. Thus he wasn't completely out of the woods for punishment.

"So then...why did you want to see us?" Jack asked, slightly confused.

"It is required for a student to participate in a club to pass homeroom, whether they are a member or just a visitor. As I recall, I don't remember seeing either of you on any club rosters, is that correct?"

"Yes ma'am." Danny nodded.

"Great. So you can guess what I'm going to say. Everyone in class 1-B has already joined a club or declared that they attend a club. And as such, I would like you both to look at this list of the clubs Ouran has to offer and join one." The teacher said as she slid a piece of paper over the desk towards the duo. "All you need to do is go to the club, talk to the president and then come back to me when everything is is."

Jack picked up the list, briefly looked it over before nodding at the teacher. "Alright will do, teach."

Danny could only nod his head in a farewell gesture before following his friend out.

Jack looked over the details list, the first thought that came to his head was holy cow, Ouran has a lot of clubs.

And it was true, just at a glance he could see no less than fifty clubs. Perhaps even more if he tried to count them. There were the clubs that you'd consider normal, such as the sports clubs and gardening club, but the further down the list you went the more...obscure the clubs became. Unique clubs such as the tea club, commoners appreciation club, and the Tamaki Suoh fan club. Jack couldn't help but shrug. Ouran did have an admittedly odd blend of people.

Jack glanced to his left and sure enough Danny had now regained his cool and trying his hardest to act cool. Jack nudged his friend slightly in the ribs, "Hey so what club you thinking about joining? Personally I think I'd love to be in the commoners appreciation club. What about you?" Jack tried his hardest not to laugh.

"Oh no way! There's one here? Holy smokes, I thought I was the only one to appreciate the beauty of the commoners!" Danny giggled, catching onto the game almost immediately.

Jack couldn't contain his laughter as the two then went on to make fun of all the other obscure and bizarre clubs they could find. Suddenly in tears, the two stood there for a full fifteen minutes, whilst people walked past them hurrying to get to their clubs in time.

"Alright, alright." Danny said wiping the tears from his eyes. "So are we going to join a club or do we not care for passing homeroom?"

Jack settled his laughter down as he also wiped the tears from his eyes. "I guess I have to, it'll get my father off my back at least. Hey, maybe homeroom will be the only class you can pass without my help!"

"Low blow dude." Danny muttered with a roll of his eyes. "Last year I totally passed maths on my own."

"Dude, you literally passed by the skin of your teeth. One mark away from failing miserably, the only reason I refused to help you was because I the teacher was afraid that I was copying off you." Jack scoffed, folding his arms. "Anyway, which club do you wanna join? I don't quite fancy any of the weird sounding clubs like a fan club, appreciation club or that...Host Club?"

"Well how about we start at the gardening club? I mean that's the easiest." Danny shrugged. In his mind all that entailed was water plants, maybe putting plants in the dirt. He could see himself doing that just to pass a class.

Jack looked down at the list, yep. The club wasn't full, so they were possibly able to join it. "They meet in the gardens near the rose maze. I think we'll get in, I mean. What's the worst we could do?"

Apparently the worst they could do was accidentally tip an entire jug of weed killer all over the club's prized roses. Then they had lost the tools the club had needed. And then they accidentally pulled up half the herb garden when weeding. After that incident, the club had unanimously agreed that they couldn't join.

They then headed over to try basketball. Again, how bad could the mess it up? Well, they gave their best player a black eye and a mild concussion, the second best player a broken ankle, the third best player a cracked rib and accidentally talked him into quitting the tea,

And the list went on. They had tried so many clubs, even going so far as to trying to get into some of the obscure ones they had zero interest in, but even those they messed up joining in. The further down the list they went, the more the clubs had been warned of them.

"There's just one club left that we haven't tried." Danny voiced as they stared at the list of numerous cross off clubs. Right at the bottom there stood one, "Ouran High School Host Club – 3rd Music Room – 7 members".

"We have to get into this one." Jack suddenly stated with a fierce determination.

"Why? We've screwed over every other club we've tried to join. Why shouldn't we just quit before we destroy another club."

"Because we've screwed over every other club. That's why."

"I...still don't get it."

Jack heaved a sigh. "Well, I'd hate to give up when there's just one left we haven't tried. And then even if we don't get in then wouldn't you want to go out with a bang? 'The two who failed at joining every club in Ouran'. We'd be infamous. I mean no one gets recognised for failing at joining almost every club in Ouran. That's just exaggeration." Jack grinned as he explained his logic. "We either join this club or die trying."

Danny sighed at his friend's schemes. "I'd rather not die thank you, but sure. Let's go out with a bang. But you bet your sweet ass they're going to remember s as Danny and Jack.

Jack laughed. "In your dreams, man. Never going to happen. It'd be Jack and Danny for sure."

Hey there, thanks for checking out It's Not a Mask. This is currently version 1.2.0 so if you're returning to read this once again and notice some differences that's the reason, don't worry you're not going crazy ^^