Addie sleepily joined the two of them in the car, totally unaware of what Rayas had said earlier.

“Hey. Sorry for falling asleep back there. I’m so tired,” Addie yawned.

“It’s okay. I’ll probably join you in bed right afterwards,” Rayas said.

“I love youuuuu,” Addie slurred due to a combination of being drunk and sleepy.

Rayas smiled. “Love you too.” “Dork,” they added.

Rayas told Vaughn their address and drove the two of them home. At about 3:30 in the morning, they arrived at the apartment. Addie stumbled in the lobby ahead of Rayas, eager to collapse in her bed. Rayas smiled as they stayed in the car for a bit.

“Hey… uh, thanks again dude, both for driving us home and for well… listening to me earlier,” they sheepishly said to Vaughn.

“No problem. And like I said, text me if you need anything. I know I would have appreciated someone to talk to when I was questioning,” he said.

“Y-yeah.”

“Also, I’m gonna text you some like. Trans and questioning forums and stuff. If that’s alright.”

“That sounds uh… really helpful. Thank you,” Rayas said with an awkward smile as they opened the car door.

“Any time. Take care,” he calmly said.

Rayas hopped out of the car while Vaughn started looking for an Uber. Their mind raced with loads of questions but at the same time they felt completely braindead. They wanted nothing more than to just curl up in bed next to their loving girlfriend. They made their way back to their room and opened the door. Addie looked to be already asleep, not even changing out of her dress or wiping off her make-up. Rayas giggled, between the two of them they were usually the one most likely to fall asleep with last night’s clothes still on. They took off their suit and tie and unhooked their bra and haphazardly tossed them all onto the floor next to their side of the bed. They grabbed the nearest T-shirt and slipped it on. They got in the covers next to Addie.

“Goodnight babe,” they whispered as they gently stroked Addie’s forehead.

More gender thoughts popped up in their head, each one harder to answer than the last. Were they still a girl? Were they just gender non-conforming? Were they still a lesbian? Were they non-binary? Were they trans? Were they male? Rayas didn’t know the answer to any of them at this point. Just as Rayas was about to start crying, they felt Addie cuddling up against their tail, something she did often when the two were in bed together. It always made Rayas feel more comfortable, especially when Rayas felt depressed. They started to feel more at ease with their situation as they felt Addie snuggling their tail. With strong support from her and their other friends, everything was going to be okay. Rayas closed their eyes and drifted to sleep.