They sat on the couch talking for hours. Jessie spilled her heart about the little things over the years. About how she had known since she was a teenager, but had shoved it down and denied it. Changing her name to something gender neutral had been a conscious decision.
While she talked, she would often misgender herself, catch it and correct herself while looking to Namine for encouragement. The wolf would smile and squeeze the bunny’s hand. The whole time Jessie expelled what she had been fighting for years, Namine offered a kind ear. The little rabbit didn’t know how she had known she could trust the wolf despite how they had come into each other’s lives, but she was the one Jessie needed the most.
After hours, Jessie found herself out of tears and exhausted. “Just to make one thing clear, Patricia knew none of this?” Namine looked hardened for the first time since the train. Jessie only weakly shook her head.
“That bitch..” a spark lit in her eye for a moment. Jessie had no idea what that was, but she was glad to not be the anteater that she had spent years of her life with.
“Honey, I’m sorry. The reason I took you into my life and went down the baby girl route… she said you were a closet sissy and that you needed this push to be your true self. In a way she was right, but it doesn’t feel like her motives were to actually benefit you at all. I can never apologize enough for that, but she will get what’s coming to her in time. For now, would you like your old clothes back? You can stay in my spare room tonight and I can help you figure out the future in the morning if you’d like.”
Jessie took her paw and was led to the bedroom. “Thank you mom… ummm… miss?”
“Namine dear, my name is Namine.”
“Thank you Namine, I really needed to get that out and… I look forward to actually getting to know each other for real now? If… if that’s something you’d be okay with?” The little bunny looked worried.
“I kidnapped you. I forced you to live as a baby girl for a week and now you’re afraid I won’t want to be your friend?” The wolf started crying and pulled Jessie into a hug. “Sweetheart, you’re too good for this world.”
<Edited by @Aliceko_chan over on Twitter!>
Playpen of Ko 