Page 19 of Shifter Omegaverse AU

From the outside looking in, it would seem like Milo had asked them to pamper him in his shifted pony form, but it had actually been Ethel and Ray’s idea.

Earlier that year, the retirement community had scheduled a field trip for the residents to visit a local farm to meet some of the horses. Apparently, performing basic grooming tasks was good for dexterity and mental acuity. Ethel had complained until she was blue in the face about what a waste of money and energy it would be for her to go all the way out of town and pay an entrance fee for the farm, just so she could “do what Anabelle’s kid will let me do for free.”

Milo had told Ray the story as a joke, but the following week, Ray had shyly explained that he’d mentioned it to the therapist he’d been seeing since everything went down with Andrew.

“I guess having something to do with your hands can let your brain process things you may not want to think about or deal with otherwise?” Ray said, his cute little nose scrunched up the way it got when he would try to convince Milo that this time, the guy he was seeing was definitely different.

Milo wasn’t sure how much he believed Ray’s therapist or Ethel’s activity coordinator about the benefits of grooming his pony, but his pony was always on board to help his two most important people. Thus began their monthly tradition of gathering in the large yard behind the retirement home for some supposedly therapeutic grooming.

“Really, Milo?” Ethel said, tapping Milo’s flank with the back of the large brush she was holding.

Milo knew for a fact Ethel could put some real power behind her smacks, because he’d seen the way she went after a pickleball when given the opportunity. She always handled Milo and his pony with the utmost care and gentleness, though, never even accidentally pulling a hair in his mane or tail.

Milo’s pony flicked his head, making the fringe of hair on his forehead flop in and out of his eyes.

“You’re hopeless,” Ethel said, switching to running her fingers through Milo’s mane. “That man was staring at you with heart eyes, and you looked at him the same.”

Milo’s pony stomped one of his back feet, careful to keep his front hooves planted solidly on the ground to avoid startling Ray.

“That’s how they looked at each other in the coffee shop, too,” Ray said, and Milo considered shifting back right then and there out of spite.

Many shifters struggled to understand human speech while shifted. Milo had too when he was younger, but Anabelle liked to go on long hikes and as she’d gotten older, it had been easier for Milo to carry their packs on his pony’s back and shift to human when they got to wherever they were going. He’d gotten really good at keeping his human mind front and center when being shifted, and his pony was expressive enough for the two of them.

“You know, if I was in my prime, Rowan is just the sort of man I’d go after,” Ethel said. Milo’s pony pulled back his lips and huffed through his large teeth. “You doubt me, child, but I was quite forward back in my day. Didn’t matter if a man was alpha, beta, or omega, big, small, short, tall. I courted them all.”

Milo’s pony nickered at the thought of Ethel out on the prowl. He could picture it, almost too well, given how she liked to skulk around the retirement home playing pranks.

“Were you forward with women, too?” Ray asked.

“Oh, absolutely not,” Ethel said, laughing her raspy laugh. “I was always intimidated by women. Never really worked up the courage to approach one until I was much, much older.”

This sounded like the perfect moment for Ray to go in for the final question, but he surprised Milo by asking, “What about genderqueer folk?”

Ethel hummed, and her fingers stilled on Milo’s flank. “You know, I never really encountered many of them. At least, not until moving into the city.”

Ethel had a niece and nephew in the city who came to visit on occasion. They’d helped Ethel settle in the retirement home, where she’d be closer to her beloved movie theater and favorite all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant. Before that, she’d lived far out in the suburbs.

“I believe Dee is transgender,” Ethel said, speaking of the woman who lived in the room next to hers. “I’ve never dated anyone like her, but I’m definitely not opposed to it.”

Ray smiled up at Milo’s pony, who merely rolled his big, green eyes. He hadn’t been particularly worried about how Ethel would respond if he started exploring his gender again, but of course, Ray would want to investigate for him. He probably would have even lectured Ethel if she said something Ray didn’t deem suitable.

“You know,” Ethel said, bringing her hand up to rest on Milo’s head. “Many of the kids who come in to visit are genderqueer as well. Like our Milo, of course.”

Milo lost hold of his connection to his pony, both of them so shocked that Milo ended up sprawled out completely naked on the grass.

“Our dramatic Milo,” Ray said, grabbing the blanket they had spread out and flipping up the corner so it covered Milo.

Like most shifters, none of them particularly minded nudity, but it was a crisp spring day, which was perfect for playing with his pony but a little less perfect for being naked.

“You…know that I’m genderqueer?” Milo asked, shimmying until he could wrap the blanket around his shoulders.

Ray popped up from his seat and went to fetch Milo’s clothes, while Ethel pulled her walker closer and sat down on the foldable seat. “Well, I had my suspicions after Anabelle would go from calling you he to she to they in the span of a week.”

Milo’s pony whinnied softly, and Milo clutched the blanket a little tighter, like he was clinging to the edge of that chasm. “I didn’t know she did that when I wasn’t around.”

The wrinkles around Ethel’s eyes deepened. “I believe she did it with the best of intentions.”

“Oh, no, I know,” Milo said, releasing one corner of the blanket to flap a hand in the air. “I just…I’m surprised, I guess. You never said anything about it.”