"Everyone ready?"

Oliver and Marcus are both mounting their brooms, with Cundrie standing in the middle front. It has become a tradition for every weekend for both of them to have a race with their brooms, two laps. She looks at the two players playfully as she raised her arm.

"Yom guin dowl, Marc!"

"You wish!"

"Get set!" Both Marcus and Oliver lowered their legs, ready to kick the ground.

"Go!" Cundrie ran their hands down and off they go, both kicking the ground so hard and flying off the Earth. Cundrie laughed, feeling them flying past them so fast that they got a bit carried away. Cundrie went to the side and sat on the edge of the steps, watching as Oliver and Marcus kept racing against themselves. Such a nice sight to see, even though they can only watch from the sidelines.

Guilt gnawed into her as she remembers how rude she was to her siblings whenever they asked her to play with them. She supposed dysphoria was to blame, but it's still a dick move. Cundrie closed her eyes, wanting to push away the guilt from her mind. They're no longer her family, they are. The ones in front of her. She can't be families with people who don't see her as her authentic self. She can't keep lying for their sake, she can't keep killing herself like that.

If only they had been accepting, they wouldn't have estranged themself from their family. But does it matter? If only, what if, if only, but this is what it is. No matter what Cundrie wishes, it'll never change. Their family had not been accepting, and no amount of wishing will turn their hearts. Turn their words, but not their hearts. Not Cundrie's trust.

"I won!" Marcus tapdanced as soon as he reached the ground, Oliver following. Marcus blew a raspberry at Oliver. "I won! You lost! Loser!"

"Naaa, I only let yaouw won-" Oliver rolled xyr eyes, smiling. "I kept winnen the previous ones, it'll be unfair if I won this 'un too."

"You're lying!" Marcus accused, pointing at Oliver. "Dri, back me up! Tell me I won this fair and square!"

"It's pretty square," Cundrie shrugged. She knows it's not.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll goo shower fust-" Oliver pats Marcus' shoulder firmly before xe leaves for inside. Marcus widened his mouth in disbelief.

"Tell me xe's lying," Marcus demanded. "Tell me I won fair and square."

"I mean, that technique wasn't necessary-" Cundrie shook her head.

"What technique?" Marcus asked, his hands to his side. "I didn't do any technique."

"You didn't, Oliver did," Cundrie confirmed, holding laughter back. "When you were near the finish line the second time, Oliver pushed xyr broom down a little so it kinda slows down. But you didn't see, you were so focused on reaching the finish line."

"Shit!" Marcus exclaimed. "That little bitch! Purposefully losing! That's not fair at all!"

"Oh please, you used to purposefully cheat on Quidditch and defend them when you got caught!" Cundrie blew a raspberry at Marcus, who rolled his eyes.

"What'd I miss?" Oliver asked, a towel in xyr shoulders. Xe looks so clean and fresh and out of the shower (which is what just happened).

"You cheated!" Marcus exclaimed. "You purposefully lost! That's not fair!"

"Oh ployz, Mr Cheater-" Oliver rolled xyr eyes. "At leus I chate ter let yaouw win an' mek yaouw chuffed, not the other woy around!"

"I'm still not letting this go-" Marcus huffed before he left. Cundrie turned to look at Oliver, still laughing.

"I know it's not really my business to ask, but why aren't you out to anyone else yet?" Cundrie asked. Oliver furrowed xyr brows, frowning. "You haven't admitted to anyone else that we're dating, you haven't admitted to anyone else that you use xe/xem pronouns or that you're agender. Are you ashamed of those facts?"

"Naaa, I'm not ashamed-" Oliver shook xyr head, leaning to a wall. "Just- I just doy knoo 'oo. I doy knoo ter refer ter yaouw as me ooman or me lover or me transgender ooman or what. I doy knoo 'oo ter soy I use xe/xem pronouns. I'm clueless abart this, I told yaouw."

"I know-" Cundrie nodded. "What if you start admitting to Coach Terri? It hurts me to misgender you. You can tell her that you use xe/xem pronouns and you have a transgender lover. The press keeps asking for rumours of Puddlemere, you can announce your pronouns and me there."

"What if-" Oliver sighed, twiddling with xyr thumbs. "What if they woo loike it?"

"And who are 'they', exactly?"

"The coach, the press, the people," Oliver confirmed, pressing the walls with xyr forefinger repeatedly. "What if they mek crack of me, they'll soy I'm a transtrender! What if Coach fires me? I came ert ter me mom an' me stepdad an' it took them a while ter accept me, but what if they doy at all?"

"Oliver, not everyone will like you-" Cundrie shook their head, walking closer to Oliver as they held xyr hand. Here it goes. "I don't like talking about this, but the scar that's on my hand is the word 'dickgirl'. Everyday I wake up seeing that scar that'll never go away. I've lost my family, they haven't accepted me. Probably they won't ever. I don't regret anything I've done. It's not going to be easy, but you have us. We'll still love you and we'll never see you as a 'transtrender'."

"I'm scared-"

"I know-" Cundrie softly hugs Oliver. "But you can do it. Even if you're fired, even if you'll be hated, we'll still be here, Marcus and I. We're not going to leave you, we'll help you find a new job if you get fired. Don't worry."

"That is the sweetest thing I've ever seen, eww," Marcus interrupted. Cundrie and Oliver pulled apart awkwardly, damn it. "But Dri's right, Ver. You got our support."

"Tar."