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He was kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard with his grandpa. He kept missing the goal, or tripping over his own feet. His head was really elsewhere today. Eventually Darryl just stopped the ball to look at him, head tilted to the side slightly in a look of concern.
"Alright champ, Let's go sit and you can tell me what's on your mind," He nodded toward the low wall in their backyard and went over to sit leaving space beside him.
"What? Nah- no. It's- It's nothing-" He said quickly.
Darryl's brow furrowed, "Listen uh- If you don't want to talk about it, obviously it's your choice but… I'd really like it if you talked to someone if you're upset sooner rather than later y'know? I know I'm just some old dude and I'm probably not super with it or whatever but you've seemed pretty stressed today."
He still didn't sit, just shifted from foot to foot, "Listen, I've got sort of a… weird question maybe?"
"Hit me with it, not much that would startle me at this point I think. Oh wait- if it's about like girl stuff? Like picking up girls? Probably ask… anybody else. Maybe your uncle Sparrow? Not that I'm unsupportive of you being a lesbian if you are but I don't think I'm qualified to talk about what women want."
He winced at the word lesbian, "No no- uh- it's like? Kinda the opposite of girl stuff?"
Darryl gave a gentle encouraging smile, "Boy stuff then?"
"Yeah its uhm-" He took a big breath in, and rushed out the sentence all in one exhale, "Yeah I'm pretty sure I'm a boy."
Darryl didn't hide surprise well, "Oh! oh! So you meant- You meant like Boy Stuff Boy stuff."
"...yeah?" He said tentatively.
"Okay, okay, yeah, alright cool, So like… grandson?" Darryl pointed at him as if to clarify.
He immediately felt himself tear up at being called that and his voice came out thick as he said, "Yeah.'
"Oh hey, heyyyy," Darryl said rising from his seat and opening his arms. The invitation was accepted as quickly as it was offered.
"I'm sorry. You okay champ? You alright? This is… well it seems big?" Darryl hugged him and then pulled back to look at him.
"I'm okay," He sniffled, "Sorry."
"No no hey your fine kiddo, uh- god Henry's better at this stuff than I am, so If I say something dumb just tell me that its dumb or whatever, but uh? Do you… have new pronouns or like? I guess a name right?"
"I use he/him?" He said, "and… I don't really know my name yet? Is that weird?"
"I don't think so? It's definitely not bad, you can take however long you need and like, If you gotta try a couple to see what sticks that's alright too."
"That's uh- sorta what my question was about?" He stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Oh?"
"Yeah like- listen I know my dads would be cool about this- I mean, I assume? But I feel like they'd also get super stressed about trying to like- fix everything right away? And I think It'd just be a little easier if I could just introduce myself? And I figured if I told you first you'd probably be… okay? And maybe you could help me pick out a name?"
"Oh! Uh yeah, yeah of course. I'd be happy to uh- hey you know what I'm supposed to be making sure you get your english work done today but," He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "why don't we go get ice cream instead and talk this over."
*
"Timothee?"
"No," He said around a mouthful of cherry ice cream.
"Dustin?"
He frowned at the beginnings of a brain freeze for a second before he focused again, "Nuh-uh."
"Naruto?"
"Yeah no."
"Welp that's it for the list of popular boys names the year you were born. You sure you don't have any ideas?" Darryl scratched his beard.
He slumped a little, "No I'm sorry, I'm making this difficult."
"No hey it's okay!"
"I just, I feel like it should be important you know?"
Darryl nodded, with a sympathetic smile.
"Do you have like, any guys you knew who had good names?"
"Anyone I knew?"
"I guess like… cool guys?" He said feeling a little lost himself.
"I mean uh… there's Yeet?"
He frowned, "Like the verb?"
"Yeah nevermind. Uh- Vincent?"
He wrinkled his nose a little and shook his head.
Darryl thought for a moment, "I uh- knew a really cool guy named Paeden…"
He mouthed the name, Paeden, not bad, "Hmm uh- maybe? Anything else?"
Darryl looked a little relieved to have something to write in the maybe column, "Uh? I mean I didn't really know him personally but I think Lincoln was pretty cool right?"
Lincoln froze, "oh…"
"Oh?"
"I think that's it," He looked up and grinned, "That's my name!"
Darryl lit up, "Oh hell yeah! Thank god honestly because if you ended up calling yourself Yeet I'm pretty sure your dad would have killed me. But no that's great bud! Lincoln?"
Lincoln nodded in confirmation.
"Heck yeah, dude!"
Link grinned, "Great now I just gotta tell my dads! …By the way though who's Paeden?"
Darryl's look softened a bit, "He was just… it was a nickname my dad went by for a bit. He was the coolest guy."
Lincoln looked at his grandpa for a long moment, "Dad says a lot of stuff about him… did he like soccer too?"
If he did that would make four generations.
Darryl chuckled, "He was uh- more into football I think, boxing too. He was better at football than boxing though… your dad and I got to go on this… really long road trip with him once. It was sorta all the guys in the family really, the oaks, the stamplers…"
Link… had known he was getting himself into a long story when he asked. He didn't really mind it though, the road trip stories were some of his favorites.