Warnings: None, unless your queerphobic. Genderqueer Mabel.

A/N: I just really wanted a "feminine" genderqueer Mabel. Kinda sick of androgyny at this point. I'm going to try and continue this with other GF characters being queer (whether it's their gender, sexuality, or romantic orientation), so let me know what you think.

Also, shout out to Animal Crossing with Dipper's birth name. I couldn't resist.

Cross posted on AO3.

They'd be Okay

Mabel always knew they were different. It went beyond brightly colored sweaters, braces, and over-enthusiasm for, well, everything. They knew when they flinched at being called a girl, when they cried after getting their first bra (mom thought it was from happiness), when the girls' signs on bathrooms and locker rooms made them flinch just the tiniest bit. They just didn't have a name for that unease, that sickness they felt at the sight of their breasts budding. They felt very confused and very alone for a long, long time.

When they were 11, Mabel's sister, Sable, came out as boy. He cried at the dinner table, talking about his discomfort and fear. Their parents didn't understand completely, but they tried their best. He got a binder and a therapist, and it was decided he would start hormone treatments within the year. Very quietly, Mable was asked if they felt the same. They didn't understand (they didn't want to be a boy), but they did at the same time (they don't want to be a girl either).

Their parents didn't understand, and life continued.

Theywere 12 when everything changed. When they were sent to their Grunkle Stan's house, and thrown into a life of demons and gnomes and ghosts, Mabel had less time to focus on the itching of their chest. Then they overheard Wendy's friends talking about gender and sexualities and "I'm pretty sure I'm nonbinary, 'cause I just don't feel any of that, ya know", and everything changed. Research began, long hours spent on the library computers. Terms like "dysphoria" and "genderqueer" and "neutrois" bounced through their head, and everything slowly slotted into place.

They presented their findings at the dinner table, a thick stack of papers amidst burgers and soggy fries, and quickly began to speak. There were no tears, but there was still talk of pain and fear and relief. Dipper, their ever loyal brother, pored over the papers and asked question after question, wanting to know everything he could to make his sister- no, sibling as comfortable as possible. Stan stayed silent until the plates were cleared and a thick tension hung in the air.

"Look, kid, just tell me what you want to be called, and, I dunno, smack me or something if I get it wrong."

It wasn't perfect by any means. Mabel knew they would face obstacles ("That's not a real gender"), and maybe, one day, they would find a better name for what they were, and they still had to tell their parents. Until then, though, they would spend their days being called the correct pronouns and researching binders, and their nights would be filled with whispers about genders and names and crushes on pretty girls with red hair.

They'd be okay.