Interlude 3

It was an early morning in the townhouse. Zayn went downstairs to make coffee and breakfast with Nonna Elena, and after some quick catching up there’s a moment of silence broken by Elena.
 
[I see my grandson and my grandchild again and not so much my granddaughter. You are fluid, there is nothing wrong with that, I am actually happy to see you as my grandchild, but I remember why you stood as a grandson. Why do you do so again?]
 
Zayn stops and thinks. It’s true, before the adventures their primary form was a woman. And now they’re ever shifting, embracing being the spaces in between, but slowly presenting more as masculine-leaning in their androgyny.
 
[I am a parent now. A guardian, protecting me and mine. People are looking up to me...looking AT me…I have to, it is-]
[You think you will be respected more if they see you as a man.] Nonna Elena says rather bluntly. The two could dance around saying it all they want, but she wastes no time.
[…Can you prove me wrong, Nonna?]
She sighs, [I don’t know if I can, Zayn.]
[I used to run on the streets as a boy to help keep myself safe. Now I have a partner and her- our- children. When people hear of the guardian, they expect a man who is strong and stoic. Not many test that man. But this..?] They motion to the softer features of their true face, expressive even through the skin of alabaster.
 
This causes Nonna to stop what she’s doing and look at their grandchild right in their eyes with a fierce conviction.
 
[You are strong, nipote mio. You do not need broad shoulders, muscles, and facial hair to prove it. You are brave, and you have a heart some men cannot even dream to have. Another thing; please do not be stoic. It is your ability to express yourself that has made others feel safe around you, don’t you think? You openly share the warmth of your fire. Yes, no one tests the strong and stoic man, but any person with sense in them will not test the heat of a flame... And if they do, Zayn?] She lights a match and tosses it into the hearth, [Burn them, like fire does when it is not respected.]
[…I can’t tell if you remind me of Peg, or if Peg reminds me of you.]
[She is a lovely woman, I would love to chat with her. But please, don’t forget these words; being yourself is the bravest thing I have seen you do. Keep doing that for me, for your love, your family, and by Fodla’s grace, do it for yourself.]
Zayn nods, [Yes ma’am.]
[Good…now go wake up your love, breakfast is almost ready.]
 
The two hug each other tight, Zayn briefly fighting back tears. She lets them go and Zayn bows their head to her one more time, leaving back to their room to gently wake up Bella and greet the day ahead.