Page 32 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

Milo smacked a kiss on Ray’s forehead, sans lip product because they still had to do theirs. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Please try to make good decisions tonight.”

This time, Ray didn’t just bat his eyes, he rolled them. “Yes, nonbinary parental unit, whatever you say.”

Milo’s pony snorted through their large nostrils, and Milo scrunched up their human nose.

“Sorry,” Ray said, his face falling. “Is that…too gendered still?”

“You tried, and that’s what matters,” Milo said, applying the final swipe of eyeliner to Ray’s lids.

“Could you maybe explain why that isn’t right?” Ray asked, his cat ears popping out, messing up the hairstyle he’d spent twenty minutes working on.

Milo rose from their crouch and stepped in front of the mirror to do their own makeup. They had told Rowan they needed to talk to Ray, and although this wasn’t exactly a convenient time, it would be nice to tell Rowan tomorrow that they had followed through.

“I can try, but I’m not entirely sure either.”

Ray’s ears twitched, but other than that, he sat perfectly still as Milo attempted to explain while dodging the fog in their head and trying not to stab out their eye with the eyeliner pen.

“So, back when Anabelle and I were trying new pronouns basically every week, I had a similar problem,” Milo said. “Nothing was wrong with any of the pronouns, but none of them actually fit. He/him sort of feels like a tight pair of socks that I’ve been wearing for so long, I mostly forget how uncomfortable they are. She/her is at least something different, but after a while, it starts to have that same too-tight feeling. They/them is a little more ambiguous, but still isn’t quite right. It’s almost like I need some fourth thing, or maybe a combination of all three.”

“I think that actually makes total sense,” Ray said. “So instead of using they/them to express being nonbinary, it’s sort of like you’re using they/them because no pronouns are quite right, but at the same time, they’re all sort of right? And at least they/them is a bit more neutral?”

Milo blinked several times against the mascara wand before turning to face Ray. “Yeah, that’s exactly it. I don’t think I’m a cis man, a trans woman, or nonbinary. I’m genderqueer and…” They moved the word around in their mouth for a moment before deciding to give it a shot. “And I like to dress and express that in gender nonconforming ways, including my pronouns.”

“So, it’s almost like you’re using they/he/she pronouns. Or they/she/he?”

Milo’s pony whinnied and sunlight broke through the fog in their head. For just a moment, they could see across the chasm. Anabelle wasn’t waiting on the other side of it, and the fact that she never would be again had Milo grasping for the edge of the sink, but…

They could almost make out Rowan, with his steady encouragement; Ethel, with her unwavering acceptance; and Ray, with his steadfast commitment to being there for Milo.

“Oh my gods,” Milo whispered, blinking hard down at the sink to try and keep their tears at bay. They didn’t have time to redo their makeup, and they definitely didn’t have time to explain everything going on in their head.

“What?” Ray asked, his whiskers sprouting as he glanced into the sink, as if there was some imminent threat coming up out of the drain.

“I love that,” Milo whispered, blinking two more times just to be safe. “They/he/she. That’s exactly how I feel! Not any one of them over the other. Any and all. A mix.”

Ray beamed at them but then his brow creased again. “Does that mean you want me to switch back and forth between them?”

Milo turned back to the mirror and stared deep into the eyes of their reflection. They were feeling a little more on the masculine side today, but nothing so distinct that they would want to ask for he/him pronouns. They’d done a little reading on gender fluidity, and that wasn’t how they felt. It was almost like the soda concoctions they used to create with Anabelle.

Growing up, they hadn’t eaten out very often, and when they did, it was usually fast food. That had been fine with Milo, because whenever they ate out, they got to create what Anabelle called their “magic potions” by mixing all the fountain drinks together. As if by magic, every sip had them discovering new flavors and flavor combinations. Even though each sip was a unique experience, the ingredients were always there, mixed together in the giant cup they passed back and forth between them.

“I think I may still lead with they/them, but with the understanding that androgyny is not my entire identity, it’s just one part of it,” Milo said, the taste of fizzy, too-sweet soda on their tongue. “And you can feel free to use those pronouns around other people, but don’t feel the need to correct anyone. I’ll do that in my own time.”

“Okay! I hear you, and I got you,” Ray said, hopping up from the toilet seat.

“You always do,” Milo said, wrapping an arm around Ray’s shoulders.

After Milo did their own WWPDP check, they headed out. Ray had been right, and the road closures didn’t affect the drive over, but it took nearly 30 minutes to find parking, and by the time they arrived at the door, Milo and their pony were a bit on edge.

When they walked in, and someone immediately called Ray’s name, a not-so-tiny part of Milo wanted to turn around and walk out. Thankfully, it was just Hank, the gruff bartender.

“Hi, boys, what can I get for you?” Hank asked as he slid four beers across the bar to a group of shifters. “Busy night tonight, so you’ll want to get your orders in early.”

That was an understatement. The club was rapidly filling up with eager-looking shifters.