Heathers Requests/One Shots

Pronouns and Perspective

I disappeared for a little, didn't I? Were you worried? I wrote some slightly sad gay fluff because... why not? It's fun.

TW//Character death (it already happened), one swear

She wore skirts. She wore makeup. She, in all aspects, was a girl. But that didn't feel right. She shivered internally whenever someone used her pronouns. Or even when Veronica called her her girlfriend. Of course, she was happy being her girlfriend, but it just didn't feel right? If that made any sense.

Heather didn't seem to have a problem with this. She was dead, so she really couldn't. But it felt like she could still be there. There was a little voice in her head; it was like it had appeared to make up for her absence.

And Heather had, one day, just sat up in the cafeteria and told them, "I use neopronouns. Xe/Xem/Xyr. Get it right, or I'll bash my heel into your throat." So, she had been a little scared. The short girl had gone straight back to complaining about her food (which she had been reluctant to eat anyway) getting on her green blazer.

Veronica had merely laughed and continued eating, but it had sent her reeling. So after a lot of frantic, after school Google searches and several search history deletes, she was... confused. Very, very confused.

At first, she had thought it was just girls and boys. Then, suddenly, there were so many more. All the changing ones and the halfway ones and... everything was so overwhelming. But something stuck out to her.

There were the people without a gender, who just... didn't have them. Agender, according to wikipedia. Something clicked. It set something within her aflame. She had a slight panic as she read more and more, because there was just so much.

But it felt right. Or, more right than being a girl. Pronouns were another hurdle. Everything related to neopronouns felt like such an overwhelming amount of information she just wanted to yell. But they/them. Besides her original problem with grammar and wording, those made sense.

But did she have to give up everything else? Did she have to give up what she liked? Cheerleading and mall trips and pedicures? She was about to Google it, but then she looked at her phone. Did she want an answer? Did she want a yes or a no? Maybe she didn't. Maybe she just wanted to be herself- no. They wanted to be themself.

Now it was a matter of telling people. Heather had tossed and turned all night, but they didn't know how to word it. Easiest first, they said as they ate breakfast. It was a Sunday, which meant they could do Heather's first.

They hopped in their car and sped off down the road, maybe leaving skid marks but not caring much either way. Westerburg County Honorable Cemetery. Heather was anything but honorable. She lied and cut throats and stole to get to the top. Who knew that a trench coat and some drain cleaner could topple a queen?

They stopped at the small flower store that profited right outside the ornate gates. They bought a big bunch of red roses. Heather never cared for love, but she did for red, for whatever reason. So it was red. Their stomach twisted as the nice old worker called out for them to, "Have a lovely day, ma'am!" But they just nodded along, trying not to let their discomfort show.

Heather's grave was only a couple months old. It was well kept, with her soft white grave marker and sweet quote that Heather definitely hadn't said and the flowers that never seemed to die. They had never seen anyone there, but there were new bunches of daffodils, daisys, and lavender, as well as one bunch of sunflowers.

They laid their bouquet on the dirt which had just begun to sprout with dirt. A small green and orange caterpillar made its way onto the flowers, and they shooed him off. It grumpily made its way over to the other flowers. They didn't matter as much, because they were all dedicated to someone who wasn't Heather.

"Fancy seeing you here," Heather's voice rang out. The air tightened and sharpened and finally, an image of Heather wavered into place. She looked so real, but there were things that only a best friend could notice. Her eyes had always changed in the sun, becoming bright blue in the sunlight. But now, they were a slate gray. Her posture seemed less stiff than anything Heather would ever do, even when she relaxed.

And then there were things anyone would notice. They were having a hard time keeping their blonde hair back, but Heather's ginger hair lay still and poised. She didn't have a shadow and the tombstone should have tilted under her weight in the loose soil, but it didn't. She wasn't here. She was just a hallucination.

"No, I'm not," she corrected, her face pinching. They shook their head, standing up. Their knees wobbled and Heather's sharp eyes barely reacted as Heather raised their trembling finger at her.

"Yes, you are. How else could you read my mind, how else could you be here! You are dead. I- I saw your corpse! I cried for you!" Their voice shook as their tears fell to the ground. Heather said nothing, merely tilting her head as she watched her best friend cry. More than a best friend. "I loved you."

"I did too. But you see, murder doesn't care," Heather said, reached her hand to feel the blue stains running down her chin. She sighed. "But now you love Veronica. Honestly, I thought you would choose Heather next. How is she holding up, by the way?"

"Fine? Wait, no, stop. You don't get to say that. I..." They shook their head, tapping their foot anxiously.

"Your pronouns. I know stuff, babe. Oh, is babe not allowed?"

"You're nicer when you're dead."

"Perspective. Stop crying over me, and tell her. No point wasting time over someone who already knows everything. The meaning of life is so sappy, by the way." Heather stood up, still towering over Heather. "Got it?"

"I still love you. Is that bad?" They tilted their head to look at Heather in the eyes, shaking their head softly. Heather laughed, kneeling down to brush her fingers through the petals of their roses. They both knew they wouldn't last long.

"I still love you, so...no, because I'm never wrong." They cracked a smile, and Heather smiled. It was more genuine than anything she had shown anyone while she was alive. Perspective, huh?

"Please don't haunt Veronica."

"No promises."

"Wow. Enjoy your afterlife alone, bitch."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

(1097 words)