Author Notes - It's a bit of a theory in this fandom that Lynn Jr may be a trans girl. There's certainly evidence for it in the actual show, especially the whole 'she wears jockstraps' thing. So, I decided to write a story about it. I've already written quite a bit and have been debating when to release it. But now it's Trans Day of Visibility, so that seems like a good time. And anti-trans hate has seemingly skyrocketed as of late, and it pisses me off. I don't know what I hope to accomplish with this story, but it's gotta spread the message at least a little.

I should note again that I myself am NOT trans. However, just because I do not fall into that 'category', doesn't mean I can't write about it, as long as it's obvious I did my damn research. Which hopefully is it. To any actual trans person who may or may not be reading this, PLEASE tell me anything and everything I did wrong, if anything.

WARNING: This story will (obviously) be discussing issues relating to being transgender. That should go without saying. That being said, this topic comes with a few other things too. For one, 'male special parts' will be discussed, albeit with hardly any detail. Suicide will be discussed in later chapters, but it will NOT be shown on-screen in any way. Self-harm may also be brought up and attempted, but there won't be any actual self-harm shown.

CHAPTER ONE - IT'S A BOY

Lynn could not keep himself (or his panicking heart) still for a moment. He had to pace back and forth in the hospital's waiting room, much to the confusion and concern of all the other people around him. They weren't important, however; all he cared about was his wife and fifth child. Sweat poured from every place it possibly could have, and his wide eyes stared off into nothing.

'Come on…' He murmured. 'Come on come on COME ON!'

It was far from the first time he had dealt with this exact situation, but nothing had changed. He still freaked out even though there wasn't really anything to worry about. His wife was going to be okay, and his four daughters were being baby-sat by his father-in-law. But there was one thing that was making this birth even more exciting than usual:

This was the first of Lynn's children to be a boy!

Now, he adored all four of his daughters. Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan… they were all amazing in every way, and he certainly wouldn't love them any more if they were born boys. Mostly because he couldn't possibly love them any more than he already did. But the thought of finally having a boy caused excitement that couldn't be matched.

Finally, he would go from being simply 'Lynn Loud' to being 'Lynn Loud Sr'.

When a doctor finally arrived in the room and called his name, he nearly exploded from the anticipation.

'Lynn Loud…' She said, with a warm smile. 'Your son has been born.'

Only Lynn Loud could possibly squeal like a little girl in a crowded waiting room without being embarrassed for the rest of his life. He ran down the hallway before the doctor could even tell him what room his wife was being kept in, so he got lost about ten times before he finally found her, lying in her hospital bed absolutely exhausted..

And Lynn finally found him.

'Oh, Rita… l-look at him…'

Happy tears came to his eyes when they fell upon the teeny-tiny boy wrapped up in Rita's arms. For a moment, he was convinced that he was just looking at his own baby photos; the little boy looked just like him. He was so excited to get close to his new little boy that he tripped over, and had to make his way across the room on his knees.

'H-HE'S SO PRECIOUS!' Lynn yelled, a complete mess at this point.

'I-I know how much you wanted a boy,' Rita said. 'And I'm so happy I was able to give you one.'

'Oh, I wouldn't care if he was a girl. But I'm so happy that he is a boy!'

Lynn gently rubbed his finger over his son's soft and fragile face, barely even touching him. It seemed almost impossible to believe that he could have a little boy at all after four beautiful girls, but there he was.

'Welcome to the family…' He whispered. 'My little Lynn Jr.'

Junior was wide awake, staring intently at the television in the room. Rita had it on solely to serve as a minor distraction, not really caring what the content was. Apparently, the kid was quite invested in the football game that was being live-streamed. In fact, he even frowned when one of the teams failed to score. Did he understand the game already, or was he just confused? Most likely the latter, but Lynn Sr liked to believe it was the former.

Lynn Sr… just the thought of being able to call himself that at last was astounding!

'Oh, the girls are gonna love him!' He declared.

Rita chuckled, somewhat tiredly. 'I don't know about that. Most of them, sure, but Lori made it pretty clear that she thinks that boys are gross.'

'She won't be saying that when she lays her eyes on this little guy!'

Little Lynn Jr stared at the television, like no one was talking about him at all. Of course he ignored everything else. The language was no different to the background noise to him, and the world was still a confusing mess of colours and shades to his undeveloped eyes. But seeing all those moving colours on the wall kept him intrigued.

So intrigued, in fact, that it took him forever to go to sleep.

'Meet your new little brother!' Lynn Sr said when he and Rita walked through the front door.

Albert gladly stepped aside so the four Loud Sisters could get a closer look at their new brother. Rita and Lynn Sr sat down on the old couch, Lynn Jr kept close and safe while cradled in his father's arms. Most of the little girls got closer, with Rita holding tiny Luan so she could get a good look. The only girl who wasn't crowding around them was Lori. She sat away from them on the floor, pouting.

'Broffer!' Luna said happily, to the best of her ability. 'Liddle broffer!'

Rita nodded. 'That's right, Luna. This is your little brother. We named him Lynn Jr.'

Leni tilted her head in confusion. 'Isn't that daddy's name?'

'That's why we're calling him Lynn Jr,' Lynn Sr said. 'So there's no confusion. But, to make it easier, you can keep calling me 'Daddy', and this little guy is just Lynn.'

The three-year-old smiled. 'Oh, I get it! Hello, Lynny! I'm Leni, your big sister!'

Since the little boy was only a few weeks old at this point, he didn't respond to this strange mass of colours with anything other than adorable but incoherent babbling sounds.

'Come on, Lori!' Rita said. 'I think your little brother would love to meet you.'

Lori only pouted harder. 'I don't wanna meet him! He's a stinky boy. I wish he was a girl…'

Rita sighed. 'Lori, no amount of wishing is going to make him a girl. Come on. Just say hi.'

The four-year-old huffed and grumbled, but did as her mother said. Lori got to her feet and sat down on the couch next to the little baby. She prepared herself to gag upon seeing this stinky little boy, only to find herself reacting the totally opposite way. Now that she got a good look at little Lynn Jr, her heart almost exploded from the cuteness on display.

'AWWW!' She said, her eyes twinkling. 'He's so cute!'

'What did we tell ya, Lori?' Lynn Sr said. 'He's our little angel!'

Lori realised what she was doing, and turned away with another huff. 'W-Well, he'd be even cuter if he was a girl.'

'You've already got three sisters,' Rita said. 'You'll be fine.'

After it took so long to have a boy the first time around, Rita and Lynn Sr weren't expecting to have another one any time soon. So you can imagine how shocked they were when it turned out that their next kid - who they were so certain would be a girl - ended up being a boy too. A boy with his grandfather's snow white hair, no less.

Then again, considering the strange way he had been delivered (by the First Lady!), perhaps they should've expected some more surprises. Seeing how his birth had been connected to the American president, there was only one name that suited this white-haired boy.

Lincoln.

'Say hello to your new little brother!' Lynn Sr declared, bursting through the door. 'Please ignore the eagle. And the American agents following us inside.'

Once the situation finally died down, the other five Loud Kids gathered around to meet their newest little brother, just like they did about three years before. Two-year-old Lynn Jr bounded over the back of the couch and perched himself right next to his little brother, laughing at his sisters who couldn't possibly keep up with him.

Despite being so young, he had already proven himself to be an athletic ball of energy.

'Got here first!' He declared, laughing loudly about it. 'Too slow!'

Lori rolled her eyes. 'Why did you have to be a boy?'

Lynn Jr's laughter came to an abrupt stop. For a moment, he began to seriously ponder that question. Why did he have to be a boy? His very young brain dropped the query completely when his little brother caught his attention.

Rita sighed. 'You're still going on about that? I thought you moved on years ago.'

'And you can never be sure,' Lynn Sr said. 'He might still be a little menace even if he was a girl!'

'Look at that, Lynn!' Leni said. 'You're not our only brother anymore!'

Lynn Jr got a good look at the little boy in front of him. He would never say this to anyone… but he thought that li'l Lincoln was absolutely adorable.

A year-and-a-half passed since Lincoln's birth. The little guy was already up and walking, albeit just barely. Lynn couldn't help laughing when he watched him stumble across the floor; when Lynn was that age, he was already running! Okay, he didn't run very well, but he could still do it.

Lynn was three now, and his fourth birthday was coming up soon. Apparently, wanting an entire basketball court for his birthday was 'too expensive and probably impossible', so he had to settle with just a simple basketball hoop.

To pass the time until then, he was going to have the living room couch all to himself. The only thing he ever watched was the sports channel. As far as he was aware, all the other channels were irrelevant.

'MOOOMMYYY!'

Lynn cringed; Lori's shrill voice would never fail to take him right out of things. For as long as he could remember (which wasn't very long, to be fair), the eldest Loud Kid had always been a big demanding jerk.

'Lynn's taking up the television again!'

Rita was on the couch too, holding Leni close to her body. The little girl had apparently been given a drink with pebble-shaped ice cubes from a friend, and it had messed with her senses beyond belief. Just minutes before, Leni couldn't stop crying about how it was like 'eating baby rocks'. The simple hug from her mother, however, had relaxed her quite a bit. Still, she was a little on edge and needed more support.

'Sorry, Lori,' Rita said. 'But it is Lynn's turn. Let your little brother have it.'

Lori groaned. 'Stupid boys!'

She was about to stomp off in frustration, until she saw her littler brother sitting down at her feet. Lincoln's hair hadn't developed any colour, so he still looked just like a baby version of Pop-Pop. The scowl upon Lori's face immediately relaxed.

'Aw, you're not stupid, Lincoln,' She said. 'Maybe it isn't boys that are stupid. I think it's just Lynn. He's a big stinking boy, isn't he?'

Lincoln nodded, even though he wasn't entirely sure what Lori was trying to say. She scooped him up into her arms and sat down on the bottom step with him. Unlike Lynn, who always tried to squirm out of her grasp, Lincoln cuddled up in her arms and enjoyed every moment of it.

Lynn tried to keep watching his show, but found himself thinking too hard about what Lori had said about him. 'A big stinking boy'. Something about that was wrong. Not the 'stinking' part, of course; he was, in fact, quite proud of his sweaty aroma. It was evidence that he was a star sports player. No, it was the 'boy' part.

Is that what he was? It wasn't really something he had thought about until now, but thinking about it… the word made him cringe. It was the same word used to describe his brother and father, but not his sister; they were girls. That was easy to understand. What confused him was that 'boy' was also the word used to describe him.

'Momma…' He said, catching Rita off guard. 'Am I a boy?'

Rita wasn't sure where this question came from, but answered it nonetheless. 'Yes you are, Lynn. Just like your father and Lincoln. Why do you ask?'

It was a genuine question; none of her daughters had ever asked her if they were girls. It seemed like something they already knew and accepted. Lynn did not provide an answer, staring at the TV in a way that made it clear he wasn't actually watching it.

'Lynn?'

Boy… Why did that word make him cringe? His mother said that's what he was, so why did he feel disconnected from it? Suddenly desperate for answers, he leapt off the couch and ran up the stairs as fast as his little legs would carry him.

'Lynn!' Rita shouted, standing up. 'What's wrong?!'

Lynn didn't stop running until he reached the bathroom mirror. The door to the bathroom was closed when he arrived, and he almost smacked into it in his attempt to open it. It was locked.

'Com'on!' He yelled. 'Lemme in!'

'Wait your turn!' Luna cried from inside. 'I'm almost done.'

It only took a minute for Luna to emerge from the bathroom, so determined to get Lynn out of the way that she didn't even bother drying her hands. The second she left the doorway, Lynn zoomed past her so fast that he nearly knocked her over.

'LYNN!' She shouted. 'Boys are supposed to be nice to girls!'

Lynn ignored her and the rest of the world around him, climbing up onto the sink so he could see himself in the mirror. It was the first time in his life that he ever bothered to look at himself this closely. And now that he did, he wasn't really certain if that was him after all.

His mother was right. Lori was right. Luna was right. The kid before him was indeed a boy. He certainly looked like a boy, at least. Lynn reached out and touched the glass; his reflection did the same thing. The more he stared at his own reflection, the more uneasy his stomach became. He could feel his eyes beginning to water and sting, but he used all of his willpower to push them back.

He was a boy. Just like his father and brother.

So why did it hurt so much to see himself in the mirror?

'Son!'

Lynn Sr barged his way into the bathroom, with an annoyed Luna standing right behind him. Junior hadn't even noticed him coming in.

'Son, what's going on?' Lynn Sr asked, approaching him slowly.

Lynn cringed upon hearing that word: 'son'. Only he and Lincoln were ever called that. His sisters were 'daughters' instead. Daughter… He repeated that word in his mind. Sister… they all called him 'brother', and for months it had left him with an icky feeling. They called him 'brother' the same way they called Lincoln that, as though they were the same thing.

And they were not the same thing. Lynn knew that. He was not the same as Lincoln. If there was anyone he was the same as, it was his older sisters.

'I'm… I'm a boy…' He murmured.

'Uh, yes, you are,' Lynn Sr said. 'That makes you my awesome son!'

The boy's grip on the sink weakened and his arms shook.

'My first son, actually. You know, I had given up on having any boys after the first four girls, but when you came along, I-'

Lynn spun around and gave his father a pleading look. A look resembling that of a young child on the playground about to get beaten up. It made Lynn Sr stop dead in his tracks.

'W-Why am I a boy?' The kid asked.

Lynn Sr found himself lost for words for a moment. 'Well, uh… I'm not quite sure, son, but-'

'DON'T CALL ME SON!'

Lynn hadn't yelled so loudly in his life. He screamed out as loudly as his lungs could manage. Possibly even more because his chest began to hurt, and he had to take heavy breaths to get his air back. Luna ran away with tears already rolling down her face, while their father took several steps backwards.

'W-Why not?' He asked. 'That's what you are.'

The young boy - that very word made him cringe just thinking about it - wasn't sure what to say. His throat felt so constricted that speech seemed near impossible anyway. He curled into himself, ashamed that he was acting so differently to the brave little boy he always was.

Boy… no. He couldn't use that word. He hated it more than anything in the world.

'Because… b-because…'

'Because why?' Lynn Sr asked. 'Kiddo, I need to know.'

Lynn took the deepest breath he could. Every part of him was screaming the answer. His father was not at all expecting the response.

'BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE A BOY!'

Author Notes - Before anyone asks, YES. Transgender kids are a thing. Otherwise, transgender adults would just suddenly appear out of thin air already fully grown. Kids are actually aware of their gender identity at around 3-5 years old. In the original version of this story, I had Lynn realise this at age 8, but I changed it to be more accurate to many people's experiences. Note, of course, that plenty of people only realise they're trans much later in life. Those who transition well into their adulthood are equally valid. Anyone who says otherwise can get the hell away from me and this story, because you don't belong here. Sorry, but I have nothing else to say to you without raising the rating of this story.

So Lynn Loud Jr was referred to with male pronouns throughout this entire chapter, essentially misgendering her. Do NOT under any circumstances do this in real life when it comes to trans people, even when discussing their past. Using the wrong pronouns is a dick move. I'm only doing it here because Lynn doesn't yet realise that she's a girl, and I think having the pronouns switch later on would be neat.