Okay, I forgot one word from the last chapter.

Wöl: no

Also, just to clear things up so no one gets confused: the school year for Ninjago in this fanfic is most closely related to a Japanese school year. However, the school day schedule for classes is somewhat like a block schedule, like those in France.

Okay, let's read on!

Cole woke up later than the others, so he almost missed seeing Kai's parents and Nya for the first time. While he ate the breakfast Edna had prepared for the boys, he had to admit to it:

Kai's parents were incredibly attractive. Models had nothing on them compared to the brunet's mom and dad. Kai's mother ran her fingers through his hair soothingly while she held a conversation with Edna, while Kai's father chatted with Ed and the other boys.

"Your name is Cole, right?" Kai's father, Ray, began. The aforementioned boy nodded, swallowing his hash browns. "Butskháta talks about you and your friends a lot. All he ever talks about! 'Cole did this, Jay made that, Zane said it.' Nonstop!" Ray cackled. Cole felt his cheeks warm. Kai talked about them? He supposed that would make sense.

"'Chāito, too loud," Kai whined, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Kai's mother, Maya, kissed the top of his head.

"I assume you boys are treating my son well?" she asked in a way that seemed kind but had the undertone of a threat were they to say the opposite of what she expected. Jay nodded vigorously, his mouth full of waffles.

"Yeah, definitely! Besides, Kai's super nice! And really pretty and cute! I see where he and Nya get it from! You two are so beautiful!" Jay blurted out after he swallowed his mouthful of food. Then his face reddened once he realized what he had just said. "I-I meant- It's just that you- um," the freckled boy stuttered trying to explain himself. He felt a gentle kick on his leg and looked up to see Kai looking at him. He gave him a sleepy wink.

"Thanks, Jay," Kai said with a smile. Jay blushed again and grinned back. "'Chāito, 'misha, doesn't Jay have such pretty eyes?" Maya leaned closer and smiled.

She's like a mermaid, Jay thought.

"Truly beautiful eyes. I've never seen such eyes before," she commented. Ray nodded, stroking his chin and the facial hair there.

"Very nice. You're a unique kid," the man said, nudging Jay's shoulder ever so slightly. Nya ran into the kitchen, followed by Zane. He had finished breakfast earlier and had taken upon the task of entertaining the young girl. She jumped onto her father's lap. "Ah, pyunìchi! Ready to go home yet?"

"Yeah. Zane is fun to play with," Nya told her father. She waved at the boys at the table. "Kai, eat!"

"I am. Just tired," the darker brunette grumbled. Cole watched from the scene from his peripheral vision when something caught his attention.

"Kai, are you wearing nail polish?" he pointed out. Maya and Ray looked down at their son's nails. Sure enough, they were painted a shiny red coat. The woman grabbed her son's hand and inspected his nails with a gentle smile.

"Tsuyé. You've gotten better, Kai." She planted another kiss on his head. He grinned and looked back at Cole.

"Do you like them? I can paint yours before I leave if you want." Cole could hear Nya's whining and Ray shushing the little girl's whines. He shook his head.

"No thanks. I'd rather not." Besides, was nail polish not for girls? Why would a boy need to paint his nails?

"Do you have a clear polish?" Jay asked so quietly, he almost went unheard. Kai nodded and snapped out of his sleepiness, grabbing his backpack. He pulled out a nail polish bottle from one of the outer pockets.

"Hands," he ordered. Jay complied, spreading out his fingers. Kai got to work and painted each chewed nail with ease.

Cole stared at the two boys in the middle of a nail-painting session. So Kai was the one who made Jay come to the conclusion he had the previous night? Apparently, Jay had no standards. Cole definitely did even though he had never liked anyone before. It still applied, though.

"Done! Bye Jay. Bye Mr. and Mrs. Walker!" Kai said with a quick bow before returning his empty plate to the sink. He gave Zane a high-five and Jay a hug. (His small body looked ready to combust.) The darker brunet held out his hand in a fist, waiting for Cole to complete the act. Reluctantly, he returned the fist bump. "Bye guys!"

"Dýou-megh!"

"Goodbye!"

"Bye-bye!"

The entire Smith family left the Walker residence, and Cole accepted the truth that the family of four were indeed the world's greatest models.

Zane left some time after Kai, leaving Cole and Jay in the living room while the noiret waited for his father.

"So Jay, about last night," Cole started, sketching on a scrap of paper he found under the couch. "How'd you find out?" Jay blushed and tightened his grip on the controller in his hands.

"I guess I've just been liking boys about as often as I like girls. It's not weird, right?" he asked nervously. He wanted to tell his other friends but not at the risk of being bullied. Cole shook his head without looking up from his drawing.

"Of course not. Pretty sure there are tons of people like you. Why wouldn't there be?" Jay grinned and jumped, landing on his belly on top of Cole's back.

"Thanks, Cole. You're the greatest!"

"Yeah, I know," the noiret joked. "Now get off me. You may be skinny, but I'd still rather not have you laying on top of me."

Voices bounced around the walls of the gymnasium as children ran around, shooting hoops, or tackling one another. Zane and Jay sent on the bottom row of bleachers, conversing with each other, while Cole did pushups by their feet. Today was a free day in P.E., so the students did whatever they wanted to do.

"All I'm saying is that maybe we shouldn't compare everything to sliced bread," Jay concluded before looking around the packed gym. "Hey Zane, Cole. Have you guys seen Kai?"

"He had gotten in trouble earlier today for what he was wearing," Zane informed. Jay had been gone for the morning, having to attend a doctor's appointment.

"Yeah, he came to school wearing a jean skirt and leggings," Cole added, straining to complete his last set of pushups before collapsing to the floor. "Oh god, I'm tired." Jay chuckled.

"I bet he looked adorable. So, who reported him? Mrs. Misako doesn't seem like she'd do something like that," the freckled brunet wondered.

"It wasn't her. It was the headmaster," Zane stated. She smiled. "And you're right. Kai did look adorable. He had his nails painted again, too. He might have been wearing makeup, but I couldn't tell since I sit behind him." Cole rolled his eyes and sat up, crossing his legs.

"Whatever. It shouldn't have been that big of a deal. It's just clothing and fancy face products." Just as the noiret finished speaking, the door to the boys' locker room opened and Kai walked out, dressed in the required gym uniform. Zane noted that the brunet was indeed wearing makeup- eyeliner and mascara. His cheekbones were also glittery. "Well, speak of the devil."

Kai sat down at the edge of the bench Jay and Zane sat on, crossing his arms and pouted. His eyes were burning with anger. To avoid being bitten by the fire of Kai's temper, Jay scooted closer circumspectly to the darker brunet.

"Hey Kai, how you doing? Sorry I wasn't here this morning; had a doctor's appointment." The spiky-haired boy showed no sign of acknowledgment. "I, uh, I heard you wore a skirt to school today. I wish I had seen it."

"You'll see it after P.E., but I won't be able to do that anymore," Kai spoke up, glaring holes into the floorboards of the gym. "I can't wear anything considered 'girly' ever again. That means makeup and nail polish, too." Although it was subtle, Jay could hear a waver in the brunet's voice. He gasped and turned his body to face Kai more directly.

"What, why?! That's not fair! Why did I have to go to the doctor today?!" Jay shouted, falling backward. His head landed on Zane's thigh. The blond patted his curls down. Kai chuckled and Cole rolled his eyes again.

"It's because I was born a boy and should conform to the standards and stereotypes society placed on me the moment I was born," Kai said, the words falling from his tongue so smoothly and quickly, it was as if he had given the answer before. He gave a sly smile at the three of them. Jay lifted his head, Cole raised an eyebrow, and Zane tilted his head to the side.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying you do not feel like a boy, but you feel more like a girl?" Zane asked. Jay reddened from his ears to his neck. Cole sighed. The freckled boy was hopeless.

"Oh no, I do feel like a boy. But sometimes, I feel like a girl. Then there are the odd days where I either feel like both or neither," Kai told them. Looking around the gym, the brunet leaned closer to the others and whispered, "My parents already know how I feel and let me do what I want. I just don't have a name for it."

Huffing, Jay pulled out his phone from the pocket of his gym shorts and began to tap the screen. Cole stood up and used his body to cover for the freckled boy. Students were not supposed to have their phones out during school hours. "Okay, I found something! There's something called 'genderqueer' and it's sort of like an umbrella term for other identities. Hold on, let me look through these..." Jay scrolled. Zane reached out and touched Kai's cheeks.

"What's this?" the blond asked. The brunet smiled.

"Highlighter. Makes it look like there is a natural glow. I've gotten better from last year," Kai explained, a proud look on his countenance.

"It looks nice."

"Mætçjoœ."

"Found it!" Jay announced a bit too loudly. "Okay, so. 'Genderfluid' is what I think it is. Basically, it means someone doesn't have a fixed gender and is, well, fluid," Jay explained. He looked up, his blue and brown eyes looking puppyish. "Does that sound right? Because if it isn't, then I can try to find another-"

"Jay, it's okay. I think that fits me just fine," Kai interrupted the freckled brunet's rambling before he could begin to spiral. He frowned, crossing his arms again and sighed. "Not that it matters anymore. Even if I feel like I want to wear a dress, I can't wear anything that is deemed remotely feminine," the brunet muttered. His sadness, for some reason, affected his friends. Suddenly, Jay sprang up like a jack-in-a-box.

"I have an idea! Kai, what's your phone number?!" the smaller brunet asked frantically.

Before Cole could say, "Now is not the time to flirt with the cute guy!" (and then he began to question why he thought-said Kai was cute), Kai shook his head. "Wöl, my parents can't get me one yet. Why?"

"Dang. Well, never mind. My plan will be a surprise for you!" Jay hopped around and almost fell and dropped his phone had Zane not grabbed the back of his shirt. "Thank you for saving my life, Zane."

The three of them had been accompanying Kai pick up his sister from the elementary school ever since summer break ended. The siblings had already left, but the remaining three boys were on the playground's swing set.

"So Jay, what's your 'plan'?" Cole quoted the word with his fingers. Jay kicked his shins.

"Because you're so rude, I'm going to tell Zane instead," Jay huffed. The pale blond clapped.

"Yay, please tell."

"Okay, so I'm going to send a mass text to everyone in our grade to come to school wearing whatever they can that's girly. So that includes dresses, skirts, makeup, heels, whatever!" Jay threw his hands in the air. "How does that sound?"

"It's nice, but there are a few flaws," Zane started. "One, some people might not own such items in their households."

"Well, then I'll add to the text that they should borrow from people who do have those things at home!"

"Secondly, what if not everyone likes Kai and would rather not participate? I know for a fact that Shade, Chamille, and Tox are not very fond of Kai," Zane continued. Cole made a noise in disagreement.

"Nah, they kinda do like him. They just act like they don't. I think everyone in our grade likes Kai, which is weird since he's still so new," the dark-skinned boy explained. Zane moved his head in a side-to-side "so-so" gesture.

"So, you guys ready? I was typing out the text while you two were talking, and now it's ready to send!" Jay shouted, holding out his phone, his thumb hovering over the "Send" button. "If you two don't have anything to use or wear, just stop by my house either tonight or before school," the freckled brunet grinned. "Countdown with me! 5... 4..."

"3..." Zane joined. Cole grinned. This was so childish. That was what made it fun.

"2... 1!" The text message was sent.

"Butkhá, are you okay?" Nya asked first thing in the morning. She was young, but Nya was a shrewd third grader. She knew when her older brother was upset. Especially since she had seen him put a bow in his hair only to sadly remove it. Kai smiled sadly.

"I'm fine, pyunū. Just sleepy," he told Nya. Their mother came out of the kitchen and placed their plates with their breakfast. Maya kissed the top of her son's head.

"Butskháta, if it is about what your szkopýe headmaster said about your clothes and makeup, ignore it. Do what makes you feel real," she said, poking Kai's cheeks. "Although, wear less of that shiny powder. I like seeing your freckles." The young boy laughed, which made the younger girl laugh too. Nya liked to see her brother happy. "Now eat, both of you. Do not be late for school. Where is that szkopýe of your father? He must eat as well."

"Ah, I'm here, aiiché," Ray said, smoothing out his work uniform shirt. He kissed her cheek and then his children's. "Don't call me that," he chuckled seriously.

"Techāito, værmisha, when do you think I can get a phone?" Kai blurted out. The entire room was silent.

"Perhaps," Ray began, smiling at his son, "if you get a good grade in your common language class." The man grinned even wider when he saw the fire spark within his son's eyes. Kai mimicked his father's smile, flashing his braces.

"Then I'll get the bestest grade ever!" he shouted, pumping his fist in the air. Nya cheered with him.

"'Bestest' is not a word, Kai," their mother corrected.

Kai did his best not to be upset that his friends did not walk to school with him that morning. He just wondered what he had done for them to leave him so suddenly. Did they not like the fact that there are days when he felt like a boy, other times a girl, or moments of an in-between? That might be it.

He wanted to wear a skirt at that moment but could not. He no longer liked the headmaster.

"Hey, Kai!" the brunet heard Jay's high-pitched voice. When he looked up from his feet and the sidewalk, he took a step back.

Jay was wearing a slightly oversized dress. His hair was in a weak attempt of pigtails. Behind him were Cole and Zane, dressed in similar attire. Cole had on makeup and a purple shirt of a butterfly that most would call girly. Zane had a long skirt and clip-on earrings.

When he looked around, Kai saw the same thing over and over: boys and girls were all wearing girl clothes, accessories, and even makeup on varying levels.

"Do you like my plan? Someone must have told the older kids what we were doing, so basically, the whole school's in on my plan," Jay said, swishing the fabric of the dress with his hands. "Headmaster can't tell people what they should and shouldn't wear!" the freckled boy screeched. Cole and Zane chuckled. They hoped Jay would never change.

"You guys... I," Kai shuddered, holding back tears. People he did not even know were doing this for him. Just so he could wear what he wanted to school and possibly others that were still hiding. He needed a hug, so he grabbed the closest person. It was Jay, which was perfect. "Thank you so much, Jay." Slowly, he felt the smaller boy's arms wrap around his body. He reached out for the others. "Join this! I need to hug you both as well!"

Although the headmaster had threatened to suspend multiple students, he had eventually given up. No one ratted Jay out as the mastermind of the entire situation.

The next day, Kai came to school with a braid in his hair and a dress. However, he had taken his mother's words to heart and wore less highlighter.

Jay may or may not have tried to count the faint freckles during class, and Cole may have felt his heart skip slightly when Kai smiled at him.

*banging pots* MY HEADCANON IS THAT KAI IS GENDERFLUID, THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK!

Tsuyé: Pretty

Mætçjoœ: Thank you

Also, there is a poll on my profile for this fic. Please vote on it! It's important!

Okay, bye.