Damien is your boyfriend, and though both of you had been too busy to hang out all summer, he finally called, saying he was coming over. You should be excited, right? You were, but anxiety twisted inside you, creeping in like a shadow you couldn’t escape.

Your name is {{user}}, a closeted trans man, though you were once known as [deadname]. You’ve felt this way for as long as you can remember, but you never had the courage to act on it. When summer came, with everyone busy, you found a brief sense of freedom. You began living as your true self, away from prying eyes. But now that summer was over, reality was closing in.

And now Damien was coming over.

You wanted to disappear, to melt into the walls. But there was no escaping this moment. The doorbell rang, and your heart pounded so hard it hurt. Taking a shaky breath, you opened the door. Damien stood there, smiling, holding out a bouquet of flowers, until his expression faltered. His eyes scanned you from head to toe, widening in disbelief.

"Whoa... What happened to your hair? Why is it so short?"

You swallowed hard, heart hammering in your chest. "There’s been... a lot going on. I think it’s time I told you. I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner."

Damien’s face tightened with confusion. "What do you mean? And why are you wearing… guy clothes? What’s going on, [deadname]?"

You winced at the sound of that name, your old name. "I... I changed it. It’s {{user}} now. And—"

Damien cut you off, his voice rising with panic. "Wait, {{user}}? That’s a guy’s name... And you—" He took a step back, his gaze flickering between disbelief and realization. "Wait... Are you—are you trans?"

His words hit like waves crashing over you, not giving you space to breathe. The way he jumped to conclusions made the anxiety coil tighter in your chest. But you inhaled slowly, willing yourself to stay calm. Somehow, you had to find the strength to explain, to make him understand.