Note: I really want to say thanks to everyone for, well, bearing with me and this fic! (Yeah, sorry for the pun.) I had a fun time figuring out how I could get it as realistic as possible, and also had a fun time researching intersex conditions, as well as trying to figure how that would affect gender identity and sexual orientation, especially in a post-apocalyptic world.

Looks like this is the last part of "Terolalaine", and I kind of don't anticipate writing a sequel. (Of course, I didn't expect it to be four parts, either.) There's some other stuff I'd like to work on/finish now, one of which I'm picking up after five years of leaving it a WIP. (...Oops.)

Terolalaine
by Estirose
c 2010

part 4

"You're not my boyfriend," Ziggy said, once he'd had a moment to get himself together. He wanted to tear off, because he did so not want to deal with this right now, but he didn't. Dillon and the others needed to hear why. "The last thing I need is a boyfriend."

"Why?" Dillon asked. "I'd think they'd think twice about grabbing someone who has someone to protect him."

"Yeah. And you can protect me just as well by being my teammate." Ziggy took a deep breath. It was flattering to have people to protect him, especially someone tall and broad like Dillon. The him that had been in the cartel would have been glad for a friend like that, for protection purposes. Benny had been kind of that way, but he wasn't as imposing as Dillon.

But Ziggy wasn't a minor, would-be Cartel member any more, and he'd like to think that he had a clue about defending himself now. And even if he couldn't, at the moment he had six teammates and Doctor K, who had proved that she wasn't exactly someone to piss off either. He was sure that the high up illegal elements of Corinth were likely to give Doctor K a really wide berth after that demonstration of her underwear gun.

"Drop it, Dillon," Scott said. It was rare that he had to intervene in something that could be considered an argument between them, but Ziggy was glad for the reprieve. "If Ziggy doesn't want a boyfriend, then you should respect that."

Dillon glared at Scott, and then looked at Ziggy as if expecting him to change his mind. Which was so not happening. To be honest, Ziggy should have said it himself, but it was good that one of the others had been there. Dillon tended to fold, he noticed, when more than one teammate applied the pressure.

Admittedly, he was more likely to listen to Summer or Flynn over Scott, but Ziggy was still glad for Scott's gesture. It was nice to have everyone accept him for who he was, or at least accept that he was a guy. No matter what organs he had.

"So, why shouldn't I be?" Dillon asked. Ziggy had never asked if Dillon was straight or not; it wasn't like it was his business. He had to wonder if his teammate was in love with him and just had never thought to say anything.

"Because I don't want to be stereotyped." He thought of how easy it would be to slide into that stereotype, and shuddered. "I want to be me. I don't want people to assume I prefer guys just because I can get pregnant."

It tended to confuse people, he noticed. He'd been brought up as a guy, but somewhere in there, there was a cultural thing that if you had a womb, you wanted to have kids, therefore you hooked up with someone who could give you kids. Never mind that he'd met more than a few girls that would rather burn out their fallopian tubes than be mothers. He wasn't childfree like those girls were, he wanted kids, he was just not going to be the one having them unless there was absolutely no choice.

"I'm not interested in you having my kids, I'm interested in you being safe." Dillon folded his arms, and Ziggy had to wonder if Dillon was gay and was interested in dating him. And had just never brought it up before now.

"You know what? So am I. But you also know what? I've got seven people living here who would likely rip the Cartels apart if they tried anything stupid like that." It was funny, having everyone know that he was taking birth control, because he'd felt like it made him vulnerable and a freak. But now that everyone knew, they could better defend him. Better make up for his weaknesses.

It still didn't give Dillon the right to declare he was dating Ziggy.

"What are we-"

"Missing?"

Gem and Gemma joined them, seemingly done with their meeting.

"Let me ask you a question." He looked at them. "If someone was to kidnap me because, you know, I could have kids, would you get me back?"

"Would it-" Gem started

"Involve explosives?" Gemma finished, a smile on her and her brother's faces.

"Um. However you like." He hoped that said explosives would be a diversion. Or that they'd rescue him even if it didn't. "I'd kind of hope that you'd rescue me regardless, though."

The twins looked a little disappointed, but Gem spoke up. "Of course. We're-"

"Teammates, of course!" Gemma said.

"See?" Ziggy asked, motioning at them. Even the twins would rescue him, if it came down to it.

Dillon glared at him instead and walked off.

"That could have gone better," Flynn observed.

"Yeah." Ziggy watched Dillon return to working on the Fury, thought of the times they'd spent together. He really did want Dillon to be there if he needed rescuing. He just didn't need a boyfriend.

Doctor K's voice over the intercom interrupted his thoughts. "Ranger Operator Series Green, please report to the training room."

Taking one last glance at Dillon, he headed in that direction. Best to keep on Doctor K's good side.

Later on that evening, he went to talk to Dillon. Doctor K had deigned to tell him that Dillon was hanging out on the roof, which was okay, because it was reasonably quiet given it was a roof. It wasn't the most private place in the world, but it was a place where he felt comfortable discussing things.

"Hey," he said, settling down besides his friend.

"I thought you didn't want to be considered my boyfriend." Dillon's irritated tone was mixed with some amusement. Or so Ziggy thought.

"What's wrong with hanging out on the roof with a friend?" Ziggy asked lightly. "'Cause that's what you are to me." Time to get into the heavy stuff later, when he had felt out Dillon's mood. "Well, that and a teammate, too."

"What if I did want to have a relationship with you?" Dillon asked suddenly.

"That would be kind of hard," Ziggy said, "'Cause I'm not interested, but I'm flattered that you'd want to date me." If he hadn't been straight, he would have chosen Dillon in a heartbeat. Despite Dillon's broodiness, he was someone that Ziggy liked to be around.

Dillon being able to protect him, even though he didn't need it as much anymore, was probably part of it.

"Are you saying that to be nice?" Dillon asked. "Because if you are, I don't want to hear it."

"Nah," Ziggy said. "I wouldn't mind dating you, but kind of not into guys, you know?"

"Yeah. Well. I'm not interested in having kids with you, I just like you."

"Thanks." There wasn't anything he could really say to that. He and Dillon were two of a kind on that team, him being intersex and Dillon being a hybrid. Both freaks in their own ways. Both with one foot in one world and one foot in another.

"I'm serious about the dating thing." Dillon didn't look up, but he didn't need to.

"Yeah. Well." There was nothing he could do about that, and he wasn't going to start dating just to make Dillon feel better. It was strange, having to fight the perception that he was supposed to be into guys where everyone else of his apparent gender was assumed to be after girls. "Can't do anything about that."

At least things weren't so bad. For what he was, he had a hell of a support network, including a brilliant scientist who was now working on a way to make sure he'd be covered even if he was captured or kidnapped. It was what Doctor K had called him in for after Dillon had taken off.

"Let me know if you change your mind." Dillon's tone was gruff, but the offer was genuine. At least he wasn't being insistent about it, but Ziggy guessed he'd had time to cool off since they'd talked.

"Will do." Ziggy looked at the simulated stars. He never would, but he wasn't going to say that. Dillon had it pretty much figured out anyway. And they were still friends.

To Ziggy, that was all that mattered.

-end