Sanders Sides One-shots

Fitting In (no ship) [1/2]

Ship: No ship

TW: Identities (if you're judgmental on the fact that people will have issues with their identities, this isn't for you. The exit door is over there, a**hole)

Okay, I don't know anything about being non-binary, so I'm really sorry about anything I get wrong.

I also really had a few issues with using they/them pronouns because I've never had to use it, so if you notice any mistakes, please point them out.

I dare you to read this without getting confused. Using they/them pronouns so many times gets really confusing, haha. Good luck!

Note at the bottom!

Virgil knew who he was. But the others didn't.

He'd already established the fact that he wasn't the villain. But he still had a secret he had yet to reveal; 'he' was non-binary.

'He'd' been able to work out why 'he' felt strange when being referred to as a male thanks to the help of Joan and Talyn. 

You see, whenever Virgil was editing a video with Thomas, Joan, Talyn and the other traits, they would all work together in a room, each sitting on the couches. 

With Joan being experienced with identities, they noticed how uncomfortable Virgil would feel when referred to as 'he'. Suspecting that Virgil was having identity issues, they observed 'him' closely but subtly, sometimes noticing small flinches. 

Once they had collected a sufficient amount of evidence, a convenient opportunity appeared. Everyone, excluding the two of them, had fallen asleep on the couch in the midst of editing. Tiptoeing over to 'him', they tapped onto 'his' shoulder to get 'his' attention. 'He' was confused because they hardly ever interacted alone. 

Making sure to keep their voice to a whisper, Joan gestured to the kitchen.

"Hey, Virgil, can I talk to you for a bit? It's kinda private." Nodding, Virgil stood up carefully, making sure that 'he' didn't wake anyone up. 'He' followed Joan to the kitchen where they cut straight to the chase.

"Virgil. Are you uncomfortable when we use 'he/him' pronouns or when we refer to you as a male?" 

Virgil looked at them confused, but mulled over what they had said. A few slow seconds passed by, but 'he' hesitantly nodded, not trusting 'his' voice, but trusting Joan. 

"Non-binary? Or not sure?" They questioned. This time, Virgil took 'his' time thinking it over. 'He' constantly shifted 'his' weight between each foot. 'He' picked at 'his' fingers. 'He' gnawed so much at 'his' lip, Joan was worried it would start bleeding. 

But after what felt like hours, Virgil nodded. 

"Non-binary, probably..." Joan wouldn't have noticed the whispered reply if they hadn't been reading Virgil's lips. They completely accepted the reply. They just wanted their friend to be comfortable.

"Do you prefer they/them or something else?" The moment Joan mentioned the different pronouns, they just sound right to Virgil. So 'he' nodded without any doubt in mind.

(A/N: I'll be referring to Virgil using they/them pronouns from this point)

Giving 'them' a reassuring smile, Joan held out a hand to offer them a handshake, which Virgil accepted in bewilderment.

"Welcome to the 'non-binary pal' club, Virg." Giving a light chuckle, Virgil felt glad they had worked things out.

"Joan, can we... keep this conversation to ourselves? I just figured things out. I just came to a conclusion I wasn't expecting and it puts me under a new label that I didn't think would be brought into the picture, so I don't want to be put under the pressure of coming out yet." 

"Sure," was the immediate reply, followed by, "But can I tell Talyn? They can help you out. I can't always be here to help you if you need it, so having another person who has roughly the same experiences is a good idea. At least that's what I think." 

Talyn, in Virgil's opinion, was a good conversationalist. The two of them were pretty similar, which is probably why Talyn was the first person they were turned into during the Changes video. They were good at keeping secrets and had an interesting range of insight on quite a few topics. The two of them got along considerably well. 

Shyly nodding, Virgil peeked at the couch, relieved to notice that everyone was still asleep. Joan gestured for Virgil to stay in the kitchen whilst they awake Talyn. They walked quietly to the couch where Talyn was asleep and gently shook them awake. Slightly disoriented, they looked around confused until they realised where they were and what had happened. Looking at Joan questioningly, Joan signed for them to stay silent and pointed to the kitchen. 

Understanding, Talyn stood up and made their way to the kitchen where Virgil was nervously fidgeting with their hands. 

"Virgil? What's wrong?" Shaking their head, Virgil couldn't find the strength in their voice to respond, thus making Talyn turn to Joan.

"Joan, what's wrong with him?" Joan didn't miss the very noticeable flinch that Virgil gave when they heard the pronoun. It seemed like Talyn noticed as well.

"That's exactly the problem. They are non-binary. I've noticed their uncomfort with the he/him pronouns, so I kept an eye on them for a while. Tonight, when everyone fell asleep, I thought it was a convenient time to ask. I then helped them work out why they felt so uncomfortable. I also thought it would be a good idea to get you in on it as well. Because they aren't comfortable coming out when they just worked things out and may need support. I can't always be around to help, so I thought  you could help." Talyn was a little startled to learn the information so suddenly, but showed no signs of unacceptance.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. That's great to know, Virgil. I'm glad you trusted me." 

It was then that Virgil promised to text either of them if they ever needed the help. 

~~~~~~~~~~

The three grew closer. Thomas and the other traits were surprised by how much more excited 'he' was when they visited and how much 'he' talked to them. They were amazed to notice that 'he' joked, laughed and smiled around with them and was comfortable around them. 

Of course, they wanted to figure out why they had grown closer all of a sudden, but were never given straight answers. Eventually, they just gave up and decided to accept that Virgil was just becoming more social and happy. 

They were glad that 'he' was happier. But they never noticed or paid mind to the occasional shiver and flinch that would happen whenever they mentioned 'him'. 

'He' seemed to become more closed off around them, which worried Patton that they had done something wrong. Virgil assured him that he hadn't done anything wrong and so Patton left it at that.

~~~~~~~~~~

But one day, Virgil got sick of hearing the use of the 'he/him' pronouns. They didn't decide to come out because they were brave. No way. They decided to come out because they were sick of it. They felt unbearably restless and edgy whenever they heard them. 

They were going to do it. 

But not without taking some precautions. 

I tried my best not to end on a cliffhanger, so I hope this was okay.

Yes! There is a part two coming! This would have been really long if I did it all in one chapter. 

Maybe in 2 days the next chapter will be done? I'm not sure. We'll see, depending on homework. 

And yes, I know, I make Virgil the main character really often, but I can only picture Virgil resolving things like this (like what? Find out next chapter!), so yeah.

If you have requests, please put them below.

Okay, I have homework that is due tomorrow. I shouldn't have even been working on this, but I dunno. I feel like you guys needed a treat for dealing with my random posts recently.

Till next time!

~Corynn