My Demon

10. Why not?

"Why won't, don't you want to be my boyfriend?"

"I don't like labels. We're fine like this." Zion says avoiding Mike's gaze.

Mike moves Zion's chin, so that he can look at him. "Why?" Mike asks again.

Zion makes eye contact. Can I tell him? What if he think's I'm weak? What if he doesn't ever want to see me again?

"What makes you not want to be my boyfriend?"

"I--" Zion tries to shake his head.

"You can trust me." Mike says softly.

"I know."

Mike nods for him to continue.

"It's just I'm transgender."

"I know. Is that why?" Mike asks in a neutral voice.

"Yes, no." Zion whispers. "I don't want us changing."

He still doesn't trust me. Mike's heart breaks a little at the knowledge. "I still like you for who you are not because of your physical looks. Becoming boyfriends wouldn't change our relationship." Mike reiterates.

Zion's heart starts beating rapidly. I know. "It would make it more real."

Mike nods. "I mean your physical looks are part of why I like you, but they are not the whole reason why I like you. I enjoy spending time with you. You have a great personality and when you let your guard down, your happiness is contagious that it never fails to make me feel happy no matter what kind of day I had." Mike says never taking his eyes from Zion's. "I don't care that you may be female in some ways--not trying to say that it's not important, but that doesn't make your whole you. Believe me when I say that your personality is a lot more than your physical looks. I like all of you."

Zion bites his lower lip and squeezes his eyes shut to prevent the tears from falling. Not even Hunter said that to me or how Mike said it. He opens his eyes.

Mike caresses Zion's cheek trying to comfort him. Zion's closes his eyes. I wonder what else happened to him. Mike thinks. He was so afraid. He still is. I'll keep proving it to him that I like him for who he is. "I'm going to kiss you." Mike says; his lips above Zion's.

Zion responds by running his tongue over his lips. Mike closes the distance between them. He tries to tell him everything through the kiss. He feels Zion's tears. He breaks the kiss to wipe them away with his thumb. "You are a caring person." He continues to whisper positive things until Zion is no longer crying. Zion leans on him. They stay like that for a while until Zion breaks the silence.

"You know when we met it had been a month, over a month that my relationship had ended with my ex-boyfriend." Zion feels Mike nods.

"We had dated for about a year and we had been living together for awhile. I had planned a trip for our anniversary." Zion laughs wryly. "It was a stupid idea. When I got home that night, I heard voices. I heard him, Hunter. What an appropriate name. I heard him say, "Why don't you go get ready for bed?" I wondered why he would be telling that to someone. I didn't know anyone was sleeping overnight. Then, I heard Mario's voice. He worked with Hunter. I walked in and I saw them basically on each other. Hunter broke it off and told me to get out."

Mike's arm tightens around Zion.

"He didn't give much of an explanation. I couldn't believe it ended or it had ended without me realizing and Mario was more than a coworker to him. He told me...that he needed a real man not someone like me."