Time to take a ✨oneshot✨

Lin is confused :D

A/N: teen au

"What're your pronouns?" Karen asked Lin. It wasn't a question he'd expected. He really didn't know much about pronouns so he wasn't sure how to answer.

"Uh..." he stammered a bit. Karen smiled, raising their eyebrows.

"It's okay if you don't know."

"I mean," he chuckled nervously, "what pronouns can I use?" God, it felt like a dumb question. She didn't take it as one, though, which he thought was sweet.

"Oh, there's tons! A lot of them are Neo-pronouns but the well known ones are she/her, he/him and they/them. Mine are she/they."

"Oh, cool," he kicked at the ground nervously, thinking a bit. "Well I don't think I'd like she/her at all. But he/him is good, I mean it's always been good so. And I guess- they/them? That's fine I guess."

She smiled wide, excited, "Ooh he/they then. That's awesome! And good to know." Lin offered them a half smile in return.

They spent the rest of the day at the park, gliding head first down the slide, seeing who could swing the highest, sliding down the pole like strippers. It was a blast! So much fun that Karen couldn't shut up the next day about it, especially talking about all the times Lin tripped over his own shoes.

"Anyways, so I was walking behind them and they...." Lin tuned out the rest of whatever she was saying. He felt a sudden burst of happiness. It just sounded so fucking satisfying. They. God, that felt really good. It reminded him of the ocean swaying with the wind, or the sunset, reflecting tints of pink and purple into the sky, or some poetic shit like that.

It felt poetic. And, really, that's all he felt he was about. His essence was consumed by it. It was perfect.

Everyone around him noticed he'd gotten a little red, pinkish tints around his ears and cheeks. And they also noticed that little giddy grin he wore, excitement barely contained.

----

Now, at first, Lin thought he was cis. He honestly did, no denial no delaying. He just really thought he was. But, for a while now, every walk by a mirror was something of an examination. He would examine himself (not in a weird way) and he didn't know what or why but something wasn't right about it. Though, to be fair, it wasn't anything big. He didn't wish he had boobs or a slimmer waist or anything like that. Actually, it really wasn't something physical at all it was just, when he looked in the mirror and saw himself as a boy, something definitely didn't fit.

There wasn't a way to describe it in words, that he could find. And this frustrated him so much.

They were sitting next to Karen during class, tapping their foot, knee jumping because he couldn't stop the turning in his stomach. He hadn't noticed Karen trying to get his attention, waving a hand in front of his face and it took calling his name for him to snap out of it.

"Sorry were you saying something?" he asked nervously, embarrassed by how out of it he'd gone.

"Lin?" she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. They'd just been assigned partner work for history class. She was just trying to ask if they'd be their partner. "Are you okay?"

"Uhh," he looked down to the side, fingers fiddling. "Actually, could you help me with something?"

She turned to fully face him, "What's up?"

"Okay," he started, "I feel like I'm not a boy but I am a boy like kinda but not really and I don't get it, I don't know what's happening please help...." his voice got smaller near the end as he chuckled nervously.

Karen stared at him for a minute, thinking.

"Y'know, there's a name for that."

"Really?" Lin looked up hopefully.

"Yeah. Well really there's a couple labels you could go by, but it's possible you're a demiboy. Do you think that's it?" He blinked at them. "It's like in between boy and non binary in a way."

"Huh. That sounds nice, I didn't know that was an actual thing, I just thought I was indecisive."

"Well you are," she smirked to which they pushed her shoulder away.

——

"What're your pronouns?" Lin asked Jon nervously. They'd barely talked to Jon in the past, and to be honest it was because he had a crush on him. It was hard not to when he looked like that and was so charming and nice. When they did talk though, Jon had always given him his undivided attention (because he was captivated too, with those brown eyes, that goofy grin, jeez)

Jon tilted his head slightly, adorable. "He/him.... what're yours?"

"Uh..." Lin turned a bit pink. "Um," he fiddled with his hands. "He/they."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

"That's awesome!!" Jon smiled wide.

"Really?" Lin's eyes were wide.

"Of course."

Jon and Karen were the people who used they/them pronouns for Lin the most. They loved, additionally, seeing how happy it made him. Lin would get so giddy, they'd jump on their toes a bit, maybe blush.

Jon loved to see them blush.