Work Text:
Mornings at St. Churnley's were hard for Monty. For a few reasons. Most of it was fine. She'd adjusted mostly to waking up when she needed, and her routine was… well. Her routine wasn't the same, and that was hard. She didn't get to take exactly 20 steps to the bathroom, and she had to share with the other first years, and she didn't know how she was going to get more of her toothpaste. She couldn't stand normal toothpaste, the way it foamed in her mouth. If she had to use school provided toothpaste, she would prefer going without brushing her teeth- but then that would ruin her routine even more, and—
She was spiraling. Monty took a deep breath, in and out. But even with all that, none of it was the worst part of mornings. Because the worst part of mornings was also the worst part of afternoons, and sometimes evenings, if she wasn't on her own. The worst part was-
"Good morning, boys!" That. That was the worst part. Nobody here knew Monty was a girl. She had to spend the whole day listening to "Pay attention, boys" and "Boys, this is important." But she wasn't a boy! She wasn't! And she had to wear her stupid uniform with a wool jacket that was scratchy and trousers instead of a skirt. Her old school let her wear the girls uniform, but St. Churnley's didn't have a girls uniform. For a moment, one glorious moment, when Monty first saw Sarge, she thought maybe they were the same. Sarge's response quickly dampened that flame though.
Monty took a deep breath. She tucked in the revulsion, the pain, the itching. She hid it all away inside. Her normal lack of a smile meant at least she didn't have to fake it. "Morning, Kevin."