Shadowy Snippet: Dite Comes Out
A/N: Been thinking of this one all week while fist fighting covid, given that it is ace awareness week! It's a little Into the Shadows snippet (shadowy snippet) I wrote a while back while having feelings well past ten o'clock. At one point in ItS, the Legates share their deepest fears—and Dite's is very close to home: she's afraid of coming out, as ace, to the other Legates.
Her scene here, her whole spiel, is very near and dear to my heart. Her coming out as Ace was my experience after discovering the term Asexuality, and trying to come out to my friends. It's very...personal, but I really wanted to share it because it's so near and dear to my heart, as is Dite, and it just felt right to share it with you all before the week ended.
So TW for aphobia; Dite shares her experiences with it for the whole first half. But I promise you, after she comes out, the Legates curb stomp any and all aphobia and love and support Dite just the way she is, as we all should do with all our ace/aro pals!
So, please enjoy! Happy ace awareness week!
(And sorry for the kind of like, not quite ending ending. It's a shadowy snippet after all—it's meant to continue into more Legates offering up their fears and such :). I did my best to give it a sort of ending ending)
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Jacqueline sniffled, wiping away the wet with the palms of her hands. “I guess I just thought that maybe if you guys knew the truth, you wouldn’t accept me. You’d treat me different, or be as afraid of me as…as I’ve been.”
“Oh, Jacqueline!” Dite said, a warble in her voice. She was tearing up in a very cartoonish manner; it was very reminiscent of Studio Ghibli. Nearly flipping the table in her haste to fly over to the sprite, she grabbed her tightly and held her very, very close. “We’re you’re friends! We love you! We’d never turn you away. If you were to freeze right here, right now, we’d stay put and be with you the entire time. I’d be with you the entire time.”
Dite held Jacqueline’s cheeks gently, her warm palms wiping away the rest of the wet on her face. Jacqueline leaned into her hands with a happy sigh. “I know that now,” she said, her voice wavering. I am so in love, she thought, glad nobody could hear her thoughts.
Dite sniffled, hugging the sprite tightly and burying her head into Jacqueline’s shoulder. “I’m always here for you,” she said, quietly enough that only Jacqueline could hear. “Always.”
“Thank you,” Jacqueline whispered back, just as quietly with a careful squeeze.
“It’s funny,” Dite said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “I have the same fear as you do. Did you know that?”
“You do?” Jacqueline asked, dumbfounded.
Dite nodded, letting go of the sprite and turning to the table at large. Her fellow Legates—her friends—all stared at her. Curious. Waiting. “I do. Jacqueline’s fear is so similar to coming out, and I’m just as afraid as she was. I’m terrified, actually, to come out to you guys, but I guess I’m about to do it anyway!”
“Come out?” Myles asked. “You already did? You told us ages ago, Dite!”
“You did!”
“I remember that!”
“Yeah! You were all like I’M PAN and we were all like SICK!” Blossom said.
Dite giggled in spite of it all. “I did. You were all very supportive. But I wasn’t referring to that,” Dite said. She took a deep breath before continuing. “I’ve taught you all the difference between romantic versus sexual identity, right?”
The Legates all nodded.
“Okay, good. That’ll make this a bit easier. Coming out as panromantic was surprisingly easy! It wasn’t a problem, at home. I mean, most, if not all the gods are panromantic. My sexual orientation is, uh, is. Is different. It’s, well, none,” she said with a shrug and a flustered laugh. “I’m asexual. Ace for short. I don’t feel sexual attraction. Um, it was. When I learnt about it, about ace as a term, it was a relief. I thought I was broken, and I felt really bad about it. So learning about it from the ace gods was a blessing. Pun unintended,” she added.
“But appreciated,” Charlie said.
“Speak for yourself,” Jacqueline shot back.
Dite giggled. “I told my parents right away. It was so reliving to have the term, I felt, well normal! And Mom and Dad were super supportive. Of course they were! God of Love, Goddess of the Soul? They understood completely and were really happy for me,” she said, hand sliding from her neck to her chest. “It went so well that I thought it’d go just as well with anyone else I told.”
“It didn’t, did it?” Jacqueline asked quietly, a chilly hand on the goddess’s forearm.
“No,” Dite said, the tears pooling now. “Not at all.”
A few tears fell; her wings fluttered in front of her, wiping them away carefully. “Dad’s side was ah, bad. Mom’s side was somehow worse! Diana and Artemis and Athena and Minerva were super supportive. I mean, of course they were! They’re the ones who taught me about asexuality, and the spectrum, and everything! But the rest of the gods? Holy guacamole,” Dite said, flushing. “It was all, that’s just a fancy way to call yourself a virgin and not feel bad about it! or, like, you just haven’t met the right one yet! And the best? Oh, the best was when my dear old grand mater said I wasn’t living up to my namesake. Um, hello? It’s like, have you ever heard of hedonism at all? Not all pleasure is inherently sexual! I would know! I’m the ding dang Goddess of Pleasure, for goddesses sake! Gods, it is SO on brand for Venus to say something like that. Aphrodite would never!”
Dite huffed, tucking her side bangs back behind her ears. Xander looked like he wanted to speak up; Jacqueline glared at him, making a silent shushing motion.
“Anyway,” Dite continued, her wings fluttering, a few feathers falling down. “I hoped that maybe with some casual friends it’d be better. They’d be more accepting, you know? But that was a mistake. When I told them I was ace and explained it to them, I got laughed at and called. Well. A baby. They thought the whole thing was hilarious, ridiculous; I tried my best to explain that it wasn’t but they were so caught up in the Roast of Hedone that they did not listen. They talked about sex things and when they used a term I didn’t know, I was told ‘oh, don’t worry, we’ll tell you when you’re older’.”
The Legates grimaced; someone hissed.
“Right? It was awful! After that experience, I confided in another friend of mine, who I was very close to. And they were so supportive and accepting and it was so nice! But then it wasn’t. It was all kind of misunderstanding questions, which is fine, you know, I’m all for educating people on various sexual and gender identities, so I was more than happy to clear up any asexual misconceptions they may have had! But then it was like, if I cracked a sex joke they’d be like ‘haha, I didn’t expect THAT from YOU given that you’re ACE!’ I mean, come ON. Just because I don’t experience sexual attraction doesn’t mean I’m not going to leap at the opportunity to make a good that’s what she said joke, right?”
“Oh my god, yeah!”
“Totally!”
“Thank you! GODS it was so FRUSTRATING,” Dite said, blinking tears out of her eyes and clenching her fists. “They kept making comments like that, and it hurt! A lot. But I think what hurt the most was when they outed me to a bunch of mutual pals. And I was RIGHT THERE!” Dite said angrily, gesturing angrily in front of her, hands splayed. “And they just said it like it was nothing! As if being ace was meaningless compared to coming out as gay or trans or non-binary. And don’t get me wrong, coming out as queer in any way shape or form is hard. I don’t want to dismiss the struggles others have had. But so is coming out as ace. It isn’t any less hard as any other queer identities.”
"I hope that friend isn't your friend anymore," Charlie said, darkly.
"They're not," Dite said. "And I miss them! A lot! But someone outing you is a hard thing to forgive and forget."
"Especially when there's fire involved," Jacqueline said.
Dite chuckled. She sighed, closing her eyes tightly. “I stopped coming out, after that. I didn’t tell anyone else.” Her eyes snapped open. “And it’s been like, a growing fear the longer I stay in the closet. And every time I fought the shadows, all I saw were the only people I haven't told say all of those things back to me, but somehow meaner!”
“Us,” Spring asked without asking.
“Yeah,” Dite confirmed, sadly. “And even though I knew deep down that none of you would say or do things like the shadows were making me think, I couldn't be sure. Not with all of my past experiences.”
Wings droopy, Dite sniffled, wiping more wet off of her face with her forearm. Her hand got cold, suddenly; she looked down, blinking away tears, her heart (and wings) fluttering when she saw Jacqueline’s pale hand entwined in her tan one.
“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that,” Jacqueline said, voice heavy. She gazed up at the goddess, her eyes looking watery. “We’ve come a long way, but people are still spiteful and afraid of what they don’t understand.”
“Or just bigots,” Night added.
Dite gave a watery laugh; Jacqueline squeezed her hand. “That too.”
“And with how hyper sexualized ordibeing culture is?” Olivia said, looking cross. “Everyone is like, sex obsessed! It’s…” she searched for words, coming up empty.
“Yucky,” Myles said wisely.
“Yes! Exactly! It’s yucky,” Olivia agreed.
Dite’s wings gave a hopeful flutter.
“And the emphasis in most cultures on the nuclear lifestyle, and children,” Xander added. “It’s mind boggling. They don’t care about your sex life when you’re hetero, but the MOMENT you come out as anything but, let alone ace? It’s suddenly a Big Deal,” Xander said, angrily. “Dite, I need you to know something. It’s very important,” he continued, reaching over the table and placing his hand gently over top of Dite’s free hand. “You are not alone,” he began, looking right into her teary brown eyes. “I’m also ace! Ace and aro!” He said with a grin.
“Really?!”
Xander nodded. “Really! I’ve known about the label for years, but I’ve never felt the need to come out. Just knowing the terms existed and defined what I was feeling was good enough for me! It makes me feel like less of an outsider. And I hope that sharing this with you makes you feel far more welcome than anyone has ever been any time you’ve tried to express yourself. You are not alone, Hedone.”
“Yeah!” Myles said, shooting up in his seat so fast that the chair fell over. “This is an ace safe space!” he declared, hoping onto the table. “Safe ace space? I think that’s got a better ring to it,” he said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, and yes, still standing on the table. "A safe space for aces! That's the one. Safe space for aces!" he declared again.
“Awwh, you guys,” Dite said, with a wobbly smile, her free hand on her heart. “You’re all so sweet, I’m… this means so much to me,” she admitted, “I can’t even find the words to express how much I…ah! Just! Ah!”
“You mean a lot to us,” Jacqueline said, grabbing Dite’s hand in both of hers now. “We love you for you, Dite. And we’re here for you! Listen,” she said, standing up from her seat and grabbing the goddesses head, turning it towards her. “If anyone, anyone, ever makes you feel that way again, or makes comments like those people did about you, I will freeze them right solid. Like, it’s on sight.”
“That’s very sweet Jacqueline, thank you,” Dite said with a soft smile.
“I would happily kill for you, Dite,” Jacqueline replied, earnestly.
“Okay, maybe tone down the murder, Jacqueline?” Spring asked.
“Never."
“We could also just disappear them for you,” Night said. “Right into the void,” he added.
“Night!” Spring chided.
“Ou yeah! You chuck someone into the void, you’re never seeing them again. Erases them right out of existence!” Day added, chipper.
“Day!” Spring chided again.
“Cleaner too,” Night added.
“Hang on a sec,” Myles interrupted, turning to face Xander now, yes, still on the table. “Aro? What’s that mean?”
“Aromantic! It’s the flipside of asexual,” Xander explained. "So while Asexual is little to no sexual attraction, Aromantic is little to no romantic attraction."
“THERE’S A WORD FOR IT?!” Myles shouted.
“Yes!” Dite said with a laugh. “Of course there is!”
“AND I’M ONLY JUST LEARNING IT?!"
"Apparently!"
"AMAZING!”
The other Legates laughed, Olivia gently pulling her brother down from the table. Dite smiled to herself; seeing the reactions of her friends be so positive? And warm? And knowing it wasn't just her? She found herself filled with so much warmth, hope and confidence! Those shadows had been wrong. Dead wrong.
And Dite couldn’t wait to pummel them the next time they tossed some casual aphobia her way.
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