A True Hero

Chapter 19

Three in a day!?

You guys deserve it anyways.

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Micah's pov

"You should show Papa and Dad your outfits." I nudged the back of Niko's head and he nodded, heading upstairs to change. When I heard his door shut I got everyone's attention, speaking quietly. "Everyone is to tell him he looks amazing in every outfit he shows us. One negative thing, and I'm smacking you."

"You can't-"

"Yes, even you, Parents." I pointed to Pops and he held his hands up in surrender. "Also, if he tells you he goes by different pronouns, we call him those pronouns, got it?" Everyone nodded and I sat next Titus, waiting for the first outfit.

He came down in one of the outfits we had picked from the boy's section. A dark green and blue flannel with black jeans. He got multiple compliments and he smiled before racing back upstairs. After the other two outfits he came down in the blue overalls and showed them off. It wasn't obvious they were from the girls section, but I knew he'd be shy about showing the skirts and dress.

"You should show the butterfly one next!" I called to him as he went back up. Kai gave me an odd look and I just responded with a quiet, "you'll see."

"Um..." I heard his voice from the stairwell, but we couldn't quite see him. "I dunno about it this one Micah..."

"Come on! It looked so good on you! They'll love it!" He peeked his head out before stepping out fully and everyone erupted in smiles and cheers.

"Wow! That looks great!"

"I love the shirt!"

"Do a spin! Do a spin!"

He spun and giggled as the skirt flared, whistles sounding throughout the room. Once he stopped I could see his face was red and he was still laughing. He eventually made his way back up to continue showing off the outfits.

"Did he ask to try on a skirt?" I looked to Dad and shook my head.

"Not directly. He was worried I'd think he was weird. I just told him it's okay to be himself and he said he wanted to. So we picked a few outfits out, and he ended up with more of those than the boy's." I shrugged and Dad nodded.

"Alright. I'll make sure to ask what section he wants to shop in next time." Everyone shared smiles and my name was eventually called from the stairwell again.

"Micah? Can you help me?" I stood and walked over, seeing him in the black and yellow dress with the clip in his hand. "I don't know how to do it." He handed me the clip and I smiled before putting it in his hair.

"There. Now go knock 'em out." I watched as he showed the rest of the family and even struck a few poses as he smiled brightly. He came running back over and pulled me up the stairs with him.

Once we were in his room, he shut the door and hugged me tight around my waist. I hugged him back and heard a whispered, 'thank you.' I smiled and ran my hand through his hair.

"You're welcome." Tilting his head up, I made him look at me as I squished his cheeks. "Just know it's always ok to be yourself. No can tell you otherwise." He nodded and I hugged him again. As he pulled away to change, I sat in the chair at his desk and faced away from him for privacy. It was silent for a minute, save for the rustling of clothes before he spoke up.

"Sometimes..." He paused but I stayed quiet to listen. "Sometimes I feel like your brother...and sometimes I feel like your sister. But sometimes, I just feel like...me?" I made sure he was done talking before speaking myself.

"Well, maybe you're what's called genderfluid. Some days you feel like a boy, and some days you might feel like a girl. And sometimes you just feel like neither. Like you're just yourself." I shrugged and I could practically feel the gears turning in his head.

"So what would you call me then? Your brother or your sister?" I tilted my head and gestured with my hands as I spoke.

"Well, that just depends on how you're feeling that day. If you feel like a boy, I'd call you my brother. If you felt like a girl, you'd be my sister. Neither, and you'd be my little sibling." He hummed.

"If I felt like a boy, you'd call me a he. And if I was a girl, it'd be she?"

"Yep."

"But What if I feel like neither? What do you call me then?" I heard hangers moving in his closet and assumed he was hanging his clothes up, yet I stayed turned around, knowing it was easier to talk if you weren't being stared at.

"Then we'd use They/them pronouns." I shrugged and he hummed quietly.

"Okay..." It was silent again and I asked,

"Do you like the sound of that? Genderfluid?" I tilted my head as I waited for a response, smiling when I finally got one.

"I-I think I do......Yeah, I do." His closet shut and I finally turned around to see Niko smiling.

"Awesome. Ya know what? Where's your bracelet stuff?" They pulled a box out from under their bed and sat it on the floor, sitting by it.

"Why?" I sat next to them and opened the box.

"Because, we're gonna make you some bracelets. How do you feel now?" I looked over and they hummed.

"Brother." I nodded and pointed to the different colored strings.

"Pick a color to wear when you feel like my brother." He grabbed a dark green string. "What about when you just feel like you?" A grey string. "And what about my little sister?" He though for a moment before grabbing a pastel purple string.

We sat together for a while, making bracelets and laughing at my fails. I finally snapped the green one to his wrist and he smiled, tying off his grey one. I started on the purple and he grabbed a red string, tying a knot before braiding it intricately. Once he tied it to the snaps, it went around my own wrist, a perfect fit. I tied off the purple one and handed it to him.

"There. Now, whichever you feel like, you can wear and we don't have to ask you." He smiled before jumping at me and hugging my neck tightly.

"Thank you! I love you!" I laughed and hugged him back.

"I love you too, buddy." I rubbed his back before he jumped up.

"Let's go tell everybody!" He pulled me up and I quickly snapped his bracelet box shut before heading downstairs and into the living room with him.

I cleared my throat and Everyone looked in our direction, smiles coming across their faces. Gesturing, I introduced Niko.

"Everyone! Meet genderfluid Niko!" I held up his wrist to show the green bracelet. "He/him pronouns right now, but grey means they/them and purple is she/her." Everyone started clapping and cheering as we both sat on the couch, him leaning into my side.

We all decided to play a board game, so we crowded around the small coffee table and voted on games. Monopoly won the vote and in honor of Niko, he got the first roll.

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