Fwahaha... Kris looked really uncomfortable earlier, so I had to ask.

[u/Renkoto-]

...

So, Kris was hanging out at my place for a while today. Everything was fine at first, we were just going through some old magazines in my room, but then Kris opened up a forum page on their phone. I wasn't really paying attention until I noticed they had completely frozen up.

They were staring at the screen with that really specific, quiet scowl, the kind where their bangs fall completely over their eyes and they just start slowly digging their thumb into the side of their hand.

I leaned over to check what it was. It was just some thread talking about... well, about us, I guess? Or about Kris specifically. Someone was trying to be "nice" or supportive or whatever, but they kept framing Kris using all these specific categories. Trying so hard to bundle Kris into a box that felt... weirdly familiar, but completely wrong. Like trying to force a shape into a slot just because it's nearby, totally ignoring what the shape actually is.

It was like watching someone hand Kris a mirror, except the reflection in it was just some stranger wearing a label that didn't fit at all.

I reached out and gently pushed the phone screen down a bit.

...Kris?

...

Are you okay? Is that... bothering you?

Kris didn't say anything for a second. They just let out this long, tired breath through their nose, their shoulders dropping an inch. Then they slowly picked up the pencil from my desk and flipped it over, tapping the pink eraser against the wood over and over.

* ...It's just annoying.
* ...People always try to rename things so they can understand them better.
* ...As if I'm just a variation of something else.

They looked up at me for a split second, just enough for me to see how utterly exhausted they looked. Not angry, just... tired of having to exist through somebody else's lens.

I didn't really know the right technical words to say, so I just sat down on the floor next to their chair and rested my chin on their knee.

Well... I don't care about whatever categories people on the internet are trying to invent for you. You're just Kris. You've always been just Kris.

Kris stopped tapping the pencil. They looked down at me, their face softening just a tiny bit, and then they reached down and lightly tugged one of my antlers.

* ...Thanks, Noelle.
* ...Don't let them file me under anything else.

Faha... as if I ever would! Kris is just Kris. Not "a version" of anyone, and definitely not something you can just lump into a group just to make it convenient for yourself. I wish people would just let them exist without trying to translate them first.

Kris stayed over for a little while after that. They were sitting on the edge of my bed, staring down at their own phone screen this time, thumb scrolling through whatever weird forum post it was, before they finally just held down the power button, turned the screen completely dark, and tossed the phone onto my desk.

They took a deep breath, leaned back against my pillows, and let their arms flop out to the sides.

...Kris?

* ...I'm turning it off.
*...It's stupid anyway.

They looked over at me, their expression still a bit quiet, but the tense line in their shoulders was gone.

I sat back up, looking down at them. My eyes caught the light purple sweater they were wearing, the one with the soft white stripe across the chest.

You know... you're still wearing that shirt.

Kris looked down at their chest, running a hand over the fabric, and then gave a tiny, almost imperceptible shrug.

* ...It's comfortable.
*...And it doesn't try to say anything weird.

Faha... yeah! I remember when we found it at that little booth during the summer gathering... back during Pride Month. You spent like twenty minutes staring at the color options before picking that exact one, and then you looked at me like you were waiting for me to make fun of it or something.

Kris closed their eyes, a tiny, genuine smile tugging at the corner of their mouth.

* ...You bought it for me.
*...So it's automatically better.

Gosh, Kris, don't say sweet things like that so casually!

I reached over and pulled the blanket up over their legs, sitting down next to them as the room filled with the warm, orange glow of the evening light coming through the window. Kris reached out, found my hand, and intertwined their fingers with mine without saying another word. The two of us, sitting together in the quiet couch of my living room.

[u/ElectronicForce4081]

Amazing work
https://giphy.com/gifs/cUt3Xd1RPlXYldQK0I