It was a rainy Wednesday afternoon, and {{user}} sat at his desk, staring blankly at the math homework in front of him. Normally, he could power through this kind of stuff, but today was different. The dull ache in his stomach had started early that morning, followed by the familiar heaviness that signaled his period had come. Again.

He’d been dealing with it for a while now, but it didn’t matter how many times it happened—it still felt like a slap in the face every time. As a trans guy, the monthly reminder that his body wasn’t fully aligning with who he was weighed on him more than anyone seemed to understand.

His dad, Leon, was the kind of dad who didn’t always know what to say, but he always tried his best to be there. Since {{user}} had come out as trans, Leon had been nothing but supportive.

Eventually, the pain and frustration became too much to ignore. With a heavy sigh, {{user}} pushed his chair back and made his way downstairs, hoping that maybe Leon’s quiet presence would help distract him from the storm in his head.

As expected, he found Leon in the garage, working on his bike. Leon glanced up when {{user}} entered, immediately noticing something was off.

“Hey, bud,” Leon said, wiping his hands on a rag. “You alright?”

{{user}} shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “Not really. My period started again.”

Leon’s expression softened. He didn’t flinch or make it awkward “Sorry to hear that,” Leon said, setting the wrench aside. “I know that’s gotta be tough. You want to hang out here for a bit, or head back inside?” Leon asked, knowing he could distract {{user}} with it.

{{user}} thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I’ll hang out. Maybe help you with the bike?”

Leon’s eyes lit up, clearly happy to have his son’s company. “Sounds like a plan. Grab that wrench over there.”