Patrilineality: Making Up For Time We Lost

by Melody Song

Chapter 41: Impacting News

The first thing Metamorphosis saw when he opened his eyes was the tip of Pharynx’s tail as he left the room. Metamorphosis bit his lip nervously and glanced at Thorax. His youngest son was staring at him in shock.

“D-Dad… y-you’re… but then…” he stammered

“Why did you mate with Chrysalis if you were…?” Ocellus trailed off, staring at him.

Metamorphosis sighed and lowered his head. “It’s complicated. Let’s find Pharynx…”

“I think he needs to be alone right now.” Tempest said, glancing in the direction he’d gone.

“Well, he needs to hear this. I need to explain.” Metamorphosis replied, leaving the room and following Pharynx’s scent.

Metamorphosis traced Pharynx’s scent to his room, and found the beta changeling pacing around angrily, throwing a kick or punch at the walls as he passed them. Metamorphosis took a steadying breath before walking in.

“I don’t want to talk to you.” Pharynx snarled without looking at him.

“We need to.”

“No we don’t.” Pharynx kept his back to Metamorphosis. “After all, why should we talk about something you hid from us for this whole time?”

Metamorphosis winced. “Pharynx-”

“Of course you didn’t tell us sooner. Of course, it makes perfect sense.” Pharynx’s body shuddered. “Perfect sense that you didn’t tell your own sons even though they came out to you!”

“Pharynx, please-”

“Did you think it would be better to wait? Hope we’d just never notice you didn’t eye a mare even though you mated with our mother?!”

“Pharynx it’s not like that-!”

“I don’t care what it’s like!” Pharynx whipped around, and Metamorphosis realized that the shudders he’d mistaken for rage had actually been suppressing tears.

“Pharynx-”

“You didn’t tell us! You left us completely in the dark even after we trusted you by outing ourselves! You should have told us!”

“You’re absolutely right.”

Pharynx froze in place, stunned as his father so bluntly responded.

“You were the first I should have told, and would have told… I just felt the time wasn’t right. I was wrong. I offer my deepest apologies for that Pharynx. I should have said something right away.

“But… you still… you had us… what were we then? A regret…? A… stupid mistake?”

Metamorphosis watched silently as tears began to fall, and immediately embraced his son. Pharynx struggled and began punching at him, but he didn’t relent. He simply continued hugging Pharynx, until the beta changeling succumbed to his hold and simply lay stiff in his hooves, crying.

“Pharynx Ray Elytron, I promise you, I can and will explain everything. But I can’t do that unless you will agree to listen. Please, my Dark Warrior, just hear me out, and if you’re still upset with me you can ignore me for the rest of my life, and I won’t bother you again.” Metamorphosis told his son with such certainty that Pharynx’s eyes widened. “Will you hear me out?”

“...Fine.” Pharynx agreed, and Metamorphosis gave him a sad smile.

“Come on then. Let’s rejoin the others, and I’ll tell you all.”

------------------------------------

“Alright, we’re ready.” Thorax said. He and the others; minus Apex, as the conversation was deemed too adult for him; were curled up on his bed, while Metamorphosis stood before them.

“Alright…” Metamorphosis took a breath before beginning to speak. “I never knew for sure until recently what my sexual preferences were. Back during the old days, due to my appearance- and we now know, my unusual heritage-I had no friends. No one wanted to approach me, so I was never able to… discover myself.”

“Okay, that makes sense, but couldn’t you, you know, figure that out when you mated with Chrysalis? Surely you realized you didn’t love her.” Thorax asked

“That’s the thing.” Metamorphosis sighed and closed his eyes. “Up until my… interaction with her, after the nightmare incident with Pharynx… I was sure that I loved her. I see now what really happened… Chrysalis was the first changeling to ever be nice to me. And when she told me that she loved me… she managed to convince me that I loved her too. I’m not sure how she did it. Hypnosis, manipulation… somehow. She made me think I loved her back.”

“Why though?” Ember asked

“She wanted heirs.” Metamorphosis glanced at his sons, and while Thorax looked down sadly, Pharynx merely glared back at him. “That’s why she convinced me I loved her.”

“So we are mistakes.” Pharynx spat, and the others all turned to him. “Hard to want kids with a bitch you didn’t even love.”

“Just because I didn’t really love her doesn’t mean I don’t love you.” Metamorphosis snapped right back, and Pharynx fell silent. Metamorphosis sighed and continued. “After the incident where I confronted Chrysalis… that’s when I realized it. I didn’t love her. I meant what I said that day, I could no longer see how I ever loved her, for more than one reason.”

“Both because she hurt your children and because…” Ocellus trailed off.

“Because in all honesty, I had never considered her attractive.” Metamorphosis finished for her.

“But then how did you figure out it was because you were gay?” Tempest asked

“I, well… it was confusing at first, but… it was after the boys came out to me…” Metamorphosis gave a soft smile. “Things began to click into place after that… I didn’t recall ever finding any female attractive before, even though when I was younger I had witnessed plenty of other teenaged changelings doing anything to get their hooves on ones they deemed beautiful.”

“There’s got to be something else.” Ember spoke up, and Metamorphosis blushed.

“Yes, well, before that… I noticed how when Thorax and Pharynx were introducing me to Shining Armor-”

“You thought he was hot didn’t you?” Pharynx asked bluntly, and they all turned to look at him. “What? He may be a meathead and a sore loser in a sparring match but I’m not going to deny he’s pretty attractive.”

“Well… yes…” Metamorphosis admitted with a blush. “I found him handsome, and while I originally dismissed it… a number of male changelings I spotted made me feel the same way, and…”

“You figured out you were gay.” Thorax concluded softly. Metamorphosis nodded.

“By the time I was sure, it was too late to say anything. I hid it from you because I didn’t know how to tell you.” Metamorphosis sighed and glanced at Pharynx. “I understand completely if you’re mad at me.”

Pharynx sighed and stood up, walking over to him. Metamorphosis watched him silently.

“...I may be very mad at you right now, but… I’m not dumb enough to keep hating you for being scared to say anything.” Pharynx said after a minute. “You don’t deserve that, dad.”

Metamorphosis brought him in for a hug, and this time his son didn’t pull away. He smiled slightly, feeling the others join him. Pharynx hesitated, then spoke again.

“In all honesty, I… I haven’t been completely straight-”

“Well you’re not straight, are you?”

“Shut up Ocellus. What I mean is… I… I figured out recently that I might be… genderfluid… but prefer a male pronouns… so… genderfluid… pronouns he/them?” Pharynx tried

“If that’s what you feel fits best with you, then those are the pronouns we’ll use.” Metamorphosis told him, and Tempest smiled, kissing Pharynx on the cheek.

“Agreed. We love you, both of you, no matter what.” Thorax said. Pharynx and Metamorphosis smiled, the elder chuckling softly.

“I love you too, kids.”

Comments

[Late_Night]

alright imma catch several shades of hell for this, but i don't believe that genderfluid's an actual thing
and if that won't catch me hell, this statement surely will: it feels too "special snowflake", like you're trying too hard to be different
like if it's he/them, imma just call ya he

[Melody Song]

10875088
Okay, first of all, being Genderfluid is an actual thing, I have a few very close friends who use the pronouns they/them and such. Second of all, the he/them pronouns Pharynx mentions are in fact important. Maybe some days Pharynx would rather be adressed as "they" and on other days Pharynx feels that "he" is the more appropriate pronoun. That is possible.

[Late_Night]

10875093
still not buyin it, but w/e

[Melody Song]

10875115
Fine

[Xanderfox]

Ganna have to Argue he loved who he thought Chrysalis was not who she turned out to be.

[Melody Song]

10893452
Fair, but she still manipulated him into thinking he loved her