A Trans feminine person is a transgender person who identities more with femininity than masculinity. This can encompass other identities such as genderqueer, non-binary, demigirl and female.
Prompt: New Ground (#pw alt30)
Queer people cover a lot of new ground in our journeys, from new names to new ways of navigating relationships. But for now, we've reached the end of the road, folks, and thus the end of the event. Whether proud, melancholy or already eager for next year, take a look at all the new works y'all have created and all the new ground we've covered - and that which we've yet to reach.
He is not her adoptive father, Vee already had one of those and it went exceptionally bad. But Eleanor, her best friend in the world, her dad was someone she didn’t know she needed. Sam did so much for her, but Vee needed her as a sister, as someone who knew her but didn’t try to control her, someone to encourage her to do new things. Eleanor’s dad was a dad, he had advice and information that helped her understand herself. He didn’t talk down to her, but he knew how much she didn’t know, and wanted her to live a safe live with advice and cautions he could give her. He helped so much when she didn’t feel like a girl, which still hit so hard sometimes, like she was lying to herself because that’s what so many people want to tell her. He told her how important she was, and how much she didn’t need to prove herself to anyone. He told her she mattered, as she was, unconditionally.
Vee was visiting Eleanor again, which meant for the seventh time that week, and they both sat in her living room with the TV on in the background. They discussed a dozen things a minute, but kept circling back around to some parties going on that weekend. They both wanted to go, they both had no obligations that stopped them from going, but they were having trouble deciding to actually go. Eleanor stepped away to use the bathroom, and almost at the same second her father got home from work, and caught the tail end of their conversation. “You’re thinking about going to some parties this weekend?”
“Oh yeah, we just haven’t quite decided which, with summer break starting there’s just a lot happening.”
“Will these parties have drinking?”
“Oh, uh,” Vee knew where this conversation was going to go, “Maybe? I mean probably not, but someone might sneak something in.”
“Vee, you don’t need to worry about me judging. I drank underage, everyone who wants to manages too. I’m just curious if you two will want a ride back home.”
“Ah, maybe? I really don’t-“
“Dad! Hi! Don’t worry, we won’t be drinking, no need to worry.” Eleanor rushed down the stairs while whipping her hands on her shirt.
“Alright, if you say so. But do you want a ride anyway? Long night of partying, you might not want to drive yourself.” There was an awkward aura in the room, Vee really didn’t want to disappoint Eleanor’s dad, even though he acted to accepting. “Really girls, I know you two will be drinking, it’s no problem if I know you’re not getting behind a wheel afterwards. Alright?”
“Alright, okay dad. Thanks. We’re going to hang out in my room, can Vee stay for dinner?”
(And for the final day, Brian and Theo being absolute dumbasses who cannot communicate at this point to save their lives lol)
As Theo’s mother disappeared into the house, Theo turned to Brian. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “And don’t say nothing, I know something’s up.”
Brian gritted his teeth, still not meeting Theo’s eyes.
“Brian, come on,” Theo sighed.
“Do you ever think that I’m saying nothing’s wrong because I don’t want to talk about it?” Brian hissed.
“Yeah. And do you think keeping quiet and stewing over it is going to make anything better?”
“Why do you have to be an asshole about everything?” Brian demanded.
“Because sometimes it feels like being nice never gets us anywhere,” Theo retorted. He didn’t understand why Brian had so quickly swung from the guy who teased Theo by saying “I love you” to being closed off and snappy, but Theo was quickly rising to the bait Brian was setting.
“So you don’t even try. Good to know.”
“Look, I did try,” Theo hissed. “I kept asking, but you keep being an asshole and shutting me out, so don’t vilify me for sinking to your level.”
“Go fuck yourself hedgehog.” Brian grabbed his suitcase and let it drop heavily to the ground.
Theo groaned, grabbing his own bags before closing the trunk. “You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that?” he asked.
To his surprise, rather than anger, Brian’s face went blank, his mask snapping back into place. “Kay.”
“I—” Theo was left floundering, so he turned away with a huff and led the way into the house. His mother luckily hadn’t suspected anything and was still in the kitchen, humming along to music Theo could just barely hear.
Theo sighed, ditching his shoes and coat before heading upstairs. The only sign Brian was still following him was the soft sound of footsteps following him.
Once upstairs, Theo dropped his bags just inside his room before turning around. “Yeah. Like Mom said, you’re right across the hall from me.” He gestured at the open door. “I—Do you actually want a tour? Or just… I dunno, wanna get settled?”
Brian looked at him for a long moment. Just as Theo was starting to wonder if he wasn’t going to answer, Brian quietly said, “I’ll just get settled.”
“Okay.” Theo watched as Brian entered the room and shut the door behind him. Only then did Theo go into his own room and kick the door shut before falling onto his bed, muffling a frustrated yell into his pillows. What the hell was wrong?
~
Brian went through the motions almost mechanically; Set down suitcase, text sister back, curl up in bed and cuddle a pillow because fuck he felt like shit, and he didn’t even have Theo to cuddle. Admittedly, that was probably as much his fault as Theo’s, but Theo didn’t have to keep prying.
Brian wasn’t sure how long he laid there, slowly drifting off, but he was startled back into full consciousness by a knock on the door. Reluctantly, he sat up and called, “Come in.”
Unsurprisingly, it was Theo who entered, leaning against the doorframe. “Hi.” He wouldn’t meet Brian’s eye. “I—I’m sorry, okay? I—You keep pushing my buttons and I keep reacting when I know I shouldn’t, and I—Look, I’m sorry for being an asshole. I just want to know what’s wrong so I can help you fix it.”
Brian couldn’t stay mad at him for long. Especially not when he looked so much like a kicked puppy.
Brian held out his arms. Theo hesitated, but when Brian silently insisted, Theo nudged the door shut with his foot and hopped into bed with Brian.
“Can you talk to me?” he asked quietly, even as Brian shoved aside the pillow to cuddle Theo instead.
“Don’t wanna talk about it,” Brian mumbled, burying his face in Theo’s hair.
“I want to help.”
Brian shook his head. How were you supposed to tell your boyfriend-in-everything-but-name that you were lowkey afraid his parents were just like yours?
Theo sighed. “Bri—”
“’M sorry,” Brian mumbled. “I love you. ‘M sorry for upsetting you.”
“I—I want to help,” Theo repeated.
“Cuddles.”
Theo wiggled, moving from his position nestled under Brian’s chin in order to look him in the eye. “At some point, okay?” he asked. “I don’t want you spending all of break miserable when I can help.”
“You can’t help.”
“You don’t know that until you try.”
Brian frowned at Theo, but Theo just pulled him into a kiss. And Brian let Theo distract him, let himself forget for just a little while that everything was shit.
