Trans-Male Imagines

pure supportive fluff - Alex Calvert

it's been a bad day; someone made me wear a dress (and without my binder, too, wtf) even after i said i wasn't comfortable, i keep botching my ballet company's dances, i'm about to have an anxiety attack, and the request i'm working on doesn't want to cooperate. so enjoy this self-indulgent fluff while i work on the next "real" chapter.

~

You smile as you feel Alex's hand slip into yours, swinging between the both of you as you walk. It's the most gorgeous day of the year so far. The sky is a perfect light-to-bright-blue gradient, broken up by clouds so crisp and clean they look like fresh-popped popcorn. The velvety soft petals of magnolia trees swirl in compendious circles on a gentle breeze, bringing with them their characteristic verbena scent. The walkway Alex has led you down is lined with giant purple alliums, and they sway in the wind. He spots a worn wooden bench near the edge of the winding river you have been following, and he curves your path towards it. 

As you walk your way over, a little girl comes sprinting down a conjoined path, her mother frantically calling from behind her. Her blonde hair flies around her round face in soft waves, and her face is red from crying. She reaches up to rub at her eyes, and subsequently loses sight of the path. She barrels straight into Alex's legs, and he stumbles backwards into you. You trip a little and step back a couple of steps, dropping his hand. The kid looks like she's going to bolt again but Alex is quick to drop to eye level with her. 

"Are you okay?" he asks kindly, pulling out the voice he usually reserves for when his character Jack is being especially naive. She starts to nod, but then her lip quivers and she shakes her head, hair bouncing. "It's okay, sweetheart. Are you hurt?"

She shakes her head again, just as her mother comes back into your view. She stalks over to Alex and grabs the girl's shoulder, and the child cries out again- "No! Leave me alone!" 

Her mother scowls, "Amelia, it's time to go home." Alex is frowning, and you can tell that something isn't right here. You take a step forward to stand level with Amelia's mother. 

"My name's not Amelia! It's Ian! I'm not a girl!" Her mother breathes a sigh that you remember coming from your own parents all too well. You decide to intervene- you won't let this kid go through life being as unhappy as you were. 

"Excuse me, ma'am, can I talk with you? Just for a minute," you ask as politely as you can manage. She rolls her eyes but agrees, and you walk her a few paces away. Looking back, you see that Alex has taken sat down on the ground next to Ian and is drawing pictures in the dirt with them. 

"What do you want," the mother gripes. You take a deep breath. 

"Look, I'm not usually one to intervene in parent-child relationships, but if your kid has been calling themselves a different name and saying that they don't want to be a girl for how long-?" you pause, and she fills in. 

"Six goddamn months." You bite the inside of your mouth at her tone. 

"For six months," you continue. "Then maybe you should start respecting that they would like to be addressed as something different. Okay? Growing up transgender is really hard for a lot of kids, and your child seems like they'll grow up to be a really good person, regardless of gender, if they get the support that they need. I grew up believing that no one would care about me, until I met Alex." 

The mother looks a little shamefaced, and splotches of red have appeared on her cheeks. 

"I guess I just- I never considered it," she mumbles. "God, I feel terrible." You give her a small, sad smile. 

"Just learn to love them the way that they see themselves, yeah? It'll make them so happy to see that you care about them the way that they want to be known. Trust me," you finish. She takes a deep breath and nods, before walking back over to Alex and Ian. 

"Hey, Ian," she starts, a soft smile on her face. "What have you and Alex been drawing?" Your husband smiles at Ian, nudging them to face their mom. 

"Ducks," Ian says minutely. "We like ducks." 

"Those look really good, buddy!" she exclaims, taking a look at the pictures. Alex's are a little more even, more proportional, but you can tell that Ian put in their best effort. "How about we go get pretzels before we go home and you can tell me all about ducks and what you want me and your mom to call you now, yeah?" 

Ian breaks out into a thrilled grin. "Really?"

"Yeah, Ian. Me and you and mom can all talk about what you want to do from now on," she says. Alex stands up from Ian's side and walks over to you, slinging his arm around your shoulders. As Ian nods, she gives the both of you a grateful smile. She turns to guide Ian away, but not a minute later, Ian comes sprinting back over. They hug Alex as best they can (even though they really only reach his legs), and you swear your heart melts. 

"Bye!" Ian yells as they race back to their mom. 

"Goodbye!" Alex laughs as he watches Ian weave around other passers-by. Grinning, you take Alex's hand again and resume walking. 

"You're a good person, you know that?" Alex says simply as you get to a more deserted part of the park. "You made that kid so, so happy."

"They deserve it. Everything I couldn't have like that as a kid I want other kids like me to have. They deserve it," you reply. "Everyone deserves acceptance."

Alex stops and turns, pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. 

"I'm proud of you."