He/Him ✹ Shyland

9

The nurse took me back to my hospital room, and she allowed my family in. May was crying, and ran straight to me once I was in view.

"Alex.." She said. "You're okay..."

"I'm pretty sore.... but yeah.." I said. "And... I want to know something..."

"Well, the nurse is in here... she can tel-"

"I wasn't talking about something about my surgery.." I took May's hand as she sat next to my feet on my bed. "I was talking about you. I was talking about us..." May gave me a confused look, and I looked at my family. "Can one of you bring me my pants?" May laughed.

"Why?" She asked. Reid handed me the pants I wore, and I took the box from my pocket. "Oh my god...." May said, and covered her mouth.

"This morning when I said I hoped you'd still want to be my partner.... after I told you I wanted the surgery.... I knew I was going to have to show you that I'll always be around for you.." I blushed. "And.... now that I'm the man I always dreamt of being.... and I have the most beautiful girlfriend in the world.." May gave me a shocked look. "Yes.... girlfriend. I want to ask you something..." I opened the box, and showed the diamond engagement ring. "Will you marry me?" May was crying heavily, but nodded instead of speaking.

"I can't believe it..." She said, wrapping her arms around me. "I love you so much.... I love you...." May kissed me passionately, her hands on my cheeks, my hands around her waist. "I can't wait to marry you..... Alex Miles Yaw.."

"Maybelle Sivan Andersyn..." I said. "It's an honor to be able to say you're my fiancée.... but it'll be even better to call you my wife.. and me your husband."

~

As soon as I was allowed to go home, we started wedding planning. May curled up next to me on our bed, showing me wedding dresses on a few bridal websites.

    "I still can't believe this is happening..." She smiled, looking at her ring. "Oh my god... I didn't even call my family.."

"I took the liberty of contacting both of our families beforehand..." I said. "I even got your father's blessing..." May looked at me, seeming stunned. "What?"

"You got his blessing?" She asked. "That's so cute.... that's so sweet..."

"I knew you would appreciate it..." I said, smiling. "It's being a gentleman, baby..." May laid her head on my chest, her hand on my thigh.

"I know you hate when I do this... but I am questioning how I deserve someone as perfect as you..." She said.

"Thing is.." I chuckled. "I'm not perfect, but neither one of us are. We're only perfect when we are together. When we are hand in hand.... in each other's arms.... able to cuddle up together.... that's when we're stronger. You definitely deserve me... and we're truly meant to be together... because we make each other feel perfect." I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, and kissed her gently. "You're going to be my wife..." I blushed. "After we met as kids, I would've never guessed..."

"That we would end up together... and stay together?" She blushed.

"And that you would actually fall for that dorky..... tomboyish..... extremely gender confused child..." I chuckled. "But I knew that from the moment I saw that gorgeous crystal shine in your eyes that I would fall head over heels for you."

"About that.." She said. "I don't think you ever told me how that night went.... when you came out.."

"Oh.." I smiled. "It was after my fourth birthday party, and I had been in family counseling with a woman, Mrs. Stevens. She had three kids.... Wynter, your sister-in-law, Rose, and Braiden. Wynter was, as I told you before, my best friend and role model as a kid as we were both trans.." I said. "Wynter and her family came back after the party ended because I had fallen asleep.... and woke up after a nightmare. Wynter and I talked in my room while our parents talked... and she helped me identify. I asked her... why the name Alex meant so much to me and what it meant for me.. and she told me she used to be Arther Winter, but transitioned."

"Wow.." May said, taking my hand.

"Yeah.." I smiled. "I said... am I like you? I asked again and again if she thought that was what was happening.... and she told me to introduce myself... introduce my true self. I said my name is Alex, and I'm a boy. I said I have a little brother named Reid, and three parents..." I paused. "Well.... two now... and Wynter gave me a hug. She told me she was proud of me, and then... asked if I was ready to introduce myself to three more people. I was ready. She held her hand on my back and walked out with me.... she told our parents I was ready to speak, and it happened. I said the same thing I said to Wynter, and my dads hugged me. We left the house that night, went to have dinner at a gay bar and grill.... and my dads had stopped at the courthouse to get my name and gender changed on my birth certificate.."

"My coming out was way less abstract.." May giggled. "My parents and siblings already knew I was trans and a hermie, but they didn't know I was into boys and girls. I sat down at the dinner table one night.... and Ty and Layla were sitting there.... staring at me as I walked up to the table with a ukulele.." She smiled. "I had written a song.... I called it I'm Not Straight... and I sang it once everyone was sat down with me."

"You have got to sing this for me..." I teased.

"Baby, I was six when I wrote that.. that was sixteen years ago..." She said. "I'm not going to remember it.." I slowly sat up as I was still a bit sore from the surgery, and grabbed my ukulele.

"Try.." I handed her my ukulele, and she blushed. "Please?"

"Fine.." May giggled, taking the instrument. She made sure it was tuned before starting to strum. "Here's a song to explain everything.... as to why I'm not gonna sit around talking about some cute boy in my class... I'm in love with someone else, so here it goes. I'm not straight... I'm not straight.. I'm LGBT+, not hetero because I'm interested in both. I'm not straight... so don't hate... It's been long enough for the world to accept that no one in the world is the same.... if anyone's to blame.... it's me because I'm not straight....." She sang. "I'm in love with a kid named Alex who's beautiful because they're the only one who understands what it's like to be this way........ I'm not straight..."

"That.... that was.... wow..." I said. "You knew I was trans when we were six?"

"I could tell.... but I was the only one who could tell..... and it was because I related.." May said.