Every shapeshifter should be nonbinary I don't make the rules (I guess I kind of make the rules).
I know I typically write BBRae and it's technically my OTP but y'know what I also like the option of Beast Boy and Robin. Except my new Nonbinary fave isn't gonna go by Beast BOY anymore if they don't even identify as a boy anymore. Anyways, enjoy.
If you hate nonbinary people then you technically hate me and you shouldn't be reading this if that's the case.
Light swearing lol.
"I want to change my name," the sixteen-year-old shapeshifter mentioned, peering into the living room from the doorway. Robin was the only other person in the room, which actually worked out perfectly.
Seventeen-year-old Robin looked up, eyeing his significant other, "Cool. What's your new name?"
"Changeling."
"Nice, babe." Robin went back to his book.
"Are you not going to ask me why I'm changing my name?" Changeling asked, perching on the arm of the couch, reading over Robin's shoulder.
Robin set his book down again, upside down so he wouldn't lose his place.
"Okay, why did you change your name from Beast Boy?"
Changeling grinned, "Because I don't feel like a boy anymore."
Robin's eyes widened a little and he smiled, "Love that for you. What pronouns do you want me to use?"
"They/them."
"I suppose I can't call you my boyfriend anymore, then," Robin said, pulling them down into a hug.
"No we're going to have come up with something cute and neutral."
"I'm proud of you," Robin said, kissing his partner's cheek, "I want you to live comfortably as yourself."
"Thanks, Bird," Changeling wrapped their arms around their boyfriend, not wanting to get up. Robin didn't force them to get up.
"Hey, are you going to change your name?" Robin asked.
"Yeah, I just did? Did you hit your head on our last mission?" Changeling ran their fingers through Robin's hair, which was blissfully free of product on this lazy Sunday in.
"I meant your first name, dumbass. I don't wanna slip up and call you your deadname in front of my family if you don't vibe with Garfield anymore."
"1. I've never vibed with Garfield, 2. Never use vibe in that way anymore." Changeling shifted in Robin's lap, putting their head in Robin's neck. Robin held them close.
"So? You want to change your name?"
"Do I have to? I don't wanna identify as a person with a name."
Robin laughed, "Beast, you can't do that. You can't just be some rogue nonentity."
"That's exactly what I want to be. A rogue nonbinary nonentity," they laughed as well.
"You'll always be an entity to me," Robin promised, kissing the corner of Changeling's mouth.
"No," they groaned, but there was a twinkle in their eyes, "Maybe I'll change my name to Dick."
Robin opened his mouth like a fish, "You can't, that's my name."
"Mm. You could always change it, Richard."
"I guess you can be a nonentity if you want."
"I just haven't really thought about…" Changeling stalled, looking a little embarrassed.
"What? What is it?"
"Well you and Star and Rae all go to an actual high school but I don't. I just do this, I'm just Changeling. I didn't stop being Gar Logan when I discovered I was nonbinary I stopped being Gar Logan when I became a superhero. So sometimes I forget that there's a life outside of this and us. I forget that I have a civilian name and future in-laws who are probably going to want to use it."
Robin turned tomato red when Changeling implied that they were going to get married one day.
"Well there's no reason to force yourself to be something you're not, but I will always be here to help you figure out who you are. I just want you to be happy, Beast. You don't mind if I keep calling you that, do you? Because I'll stop if you want me to."
"I don't mind, Bird." They leaned over to kiss Robin's lips.
"We can brainstorm civilian names if you want. I'll pull up one of those baby naming websites."
"Babies already? We're not even married, Mr. Grayson. What would your father say?"
"He'd say it's about time I found a nice nonentity and settled down."
"I cannot accept your proposal at this time, Richard, as you don't have a ring."
"It's cute that you think I'll be the one to propose when you're the one who's brought up marriage twice in the past 15 minutes."
Changeling laughed, "You've got me there. I don't think you or Batman have anything to worry about for a couple of years anyway. I'm not in a rush. Like you said, we gotta figure out who I am before I commit to us."
"There are a lot of gender neutral names. Logan is gender neutral, you could make Logan your first name."
"But then I wouldn't have a last name."
"You could borrow Grayson," Robin said with a blush.
"Maybe I'll borrow Wayne. Logan Wayne has a nice ring to it."
"You can do whatever you want," Robin muttered, rolling his eyes and putting his book down, "Do you want to look up names?"
"Yeah, why not?" The pair was sprawled out on the couch, Robin wrapping an arm around his date mate, who was essentially in his lap. Robin pulled up Google on his phone, not sure exactly where to start. They flitted from website to website, trying to find names that actually felt genuine and gender-neutral. Changeling cringed at an auto-complete suggesting unisex names for girls, which utterly defeated the purpose of a unisex name. They also didn't vibe with how Nameberry color-coded their unisex names in pink and blue for names that traditionally went with one side of the binary. Upon finding that Robin's last name was Unisex, Changeling insisted for a few minutes that their name could be Grayson Grayson, though Robin finally stopped laughing for long enough to win that battle.
"None of these are good. I want something short, something strong but comfortable. I don't know who I am yet but I'm not any of these people. Their names are too normal, too dull."
"It's okay," Robin assured, rubbing circles on Changeling's back, "Take your time. Do your own research. You're going to find something that's totally 100% you. There's no need to rush anything right now."
Raven rushed into the room, looking a little pissed, "Where have you guys been? We've been searching and calling for you for 20 minutes."
"You could've just texted us," Changeling pointed out, rolling off of robin and standing, "What's the emergency?"
"Cy says we have to run training simulations. We're getting soft, apparently."
"I'm not soft," Changeling said, offering Robin their arm, "Are you soft, Bird?"
"I don't think so," Robin said, letting Changeling help him up.
"Maybe you're soft, Second Bird." Changeling smirked at Raven.
"Don't call me that, Beast Boy."
"Oh, I want to go by Changeling now. I'm nonbinary."
"Cool."
"We were trying to find a good gender neutral name for them but none of the unisex names we found were unisex enough."
"Nature names are pretty neutral."
"Maybe I could go by Robin," Changeling mused, but they really appreciated Raven's idea.
"Dumbass," Robin said affectionately.
"You're both soft," Raven muttered with an eye roll.
"Beast Boy, Robin, took you long enough. No slacking just because it's the weekend." Cyborg crossed his arms and looked at the pair.
"Hey, uh, I'm going to start going by Changeling. I'm nonbinary, they/them pronouns," Changeling said.
"Awesome, dude, wait are you still good with being called dude?" Cy asked.
"As far as I'm concerned dude isn't a gendered word."
"Well, I'm proud of you, dude. You still both need to get to work."
"I will do everything I can to remember to call you your chosen name," Starfire said solemnly, "I like it very much, Changeling."
They blushed and grinned, "Thanks, Star, Cy."
After training but at some point before dinner Changeling burst through the door into the busy kitchen grinning like a maniac.
"I figured it out!"
"Figured what out?" Cy asked and Raven just rolled her eyes.
"My name. Maybe. I wanted something short but strong and I think I like Elm."
"Like the tree?" Robin asked.
"Like the Pokemon Professor?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes." Elm did not elaborate.
"I like it," Robin grinned, going over and mussing up Elm's hair.
"It suits you. You do look quite a bit like a tree," Starfire said, smiling with no malice behind her words. Raven and Cyborg burst out laughing.
"Hey, don't laugh at my happy little tree." Robin stuck his tongue out at the others, surprised when the aforementioned tongue ended up in a French kiss.
"Yeah yeah. Don't start climbing them, Robin," Cy teased.
"I wouldn't mind," Elm whispered. Robin turned red and pulled away from his partner, embarrassment quickly turning to admiration, so proud that Elm had found themself. So proud to call Elm his better half.