#SFF #AtoZChallenge Gender Identity

A speculative fiction short story from a dreamer

A continuous #sff story during April. May Rose is the main character (🧑🏽 they/them pronouns).

All of the students eventually came to the table to eat. May and Jade were done first.

"Your rooms will have a countdown again to the next session. Breakfast will appear in the morning room." May said, rising from the table and pointing toward the morning room. "I shall retire to my quarters now."

"Are we allowed to look around this place?" Opal asked.

May nodded while helping Jade to her feet. "Of course. You can always touch one of the pads and ask the manor for directions. There's one in each room, except the washroom. The sauna and pool interfere with them, so that pad is in the hall."

"There's a pool?" Honey bounced in her seat. 

May yawned. "Yes. Try not to stay up too late, ladies."

Once May and Jade were back in their room, Jade wrapped her arms around May and hugged tight.

"I didn't speak too much, did I?"

May soothed her hair. "No. You did fine. Are you all right? I know the first lesson is a lot."

Jade rubbed her head against May's chest. "You looked at me at one point. You know a secret, don't you?"

"I do. That thing the retrievers put on your head, it learned everything from inside your mind. All of your memories."

Jade dug her fingertips into May. "You really did want my sister."

May reached for Jade's chin, lifting until their gazes met. "I have no control over the selection. But no, I don't want your sister."

Jade's lips crushed against May's. Never before had a student been so bold. May reached around Jade and lifted her off the ground. Jade's legs wrapped around May. 

"Please don't let me be sold," Jade whimpered between kisses. 

May set Jade on the couch. "Is that what this is? Do you hope I'm a way to avoid the alternatives?"

"No," Jade shook her head and reached for May, but May had taken a step back. "No, please, that isn't it. I've wanted to kiss you since the moment that wormhole dropped me onto the pile of naked women. You. You who were fully clothed. I wanted to kiss you more than I wanted to be on a pile of naked girls."

May sat on the chair nearest to the couch. "Do you know what a chimera hermaphrodite is? Your memories showed your attractions vary. But someone with my ambiguity was much rarer in your time." 

Jade took May's hand. "Biological sex could be difficult to determine, and gender identity could be expressed in multiple ways. Simplified, anyway. It doesn't matter to me. Do you know what a pansexual is?"

May smirked. "Yeah. I consider myself to be one."

"So do I. Yes, my limited experience in desire has been mostly female. But I'm guessing you also know how rare it was that I could leave my house."

Gently tugging Jade's hand, May pulled her into their lap. "And now you're shut-in here. Unable to even leave my suite without me."

Jade kissed May's neck. "I don't want to be anywhere without you anyway. Did you feel what I did when you washed my hands?"

Sweat formed on May's brow again from recalling the memory. 

"Perhaps I was always meant to come here. Maybe it isn't a mistake." 

"Student Opal is at the door," the room announced. 

Question: Have you read many stories with pansexual characters in the main roles?

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