So. It turns out I can't read. Have a random drabble of Mikoto + Tears because I misread one of the requests asdfds (featuring the smoking group :)) I thought of some juicy drama, but I'll admit his situation may not be as dramatic as this lol, just a thought about his emotions I was toying around with.
It had taken a bit of time, persuading, and bribery, but Mikoto reluctantly showed up to the smoking group’s next session. He looked like shit compared to them, but neither seemed to care.
Though he tried to refuse, they’d given him refills for his e-cigarette so he could participate. Shidou claimed he was quitting, but he didn’t strike Mikoto as the type to stop cold turkey. He stayed quiet most of the time, listening to the usual stories of days gone by.
Shidou asked about Kazui’s recent interrogation. Mikoto would have rather spoken about literally anything besides their situation as prisoners and murderers, but Kazui’s unlikely honesty caught his attention. The man admitted to getting rather worked up in front of Es, nearly to the point of tears.
Rather than offer any sort of comfort, Shidou chose to list off the benefits of crying in response.
“It actually releases stress hormones,” he was saying, “and has been linked to better sleep, improved immune systems, and balance within your nervous system.”
Mikoto shared a smirk with Kazui, the cigarette angling between his lips. He wasn’t as quick as he thought.
“And what is that face for?” Shidou turned to him. “I do hope you’re not one of those types who think men shouldn’t cry. I’m sure you have plenty of times. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Mikoto was going to drop it; he wasn’t one of those people, after all. Unexpected thoughts struck him before he could dismiss the accusations. The rapid emotions that flashed over his face had the others waiting for his reply.
“Actually… uh…” He let out a nervous laugh. “I just realized, I haven’t. You know, h-” Mikoto’s voice faltered. It felt strange, speaking about the situation so casually. But he could trust these men. They’d never turned against him, or flinched away from him, even when the others had. Regardless, he was going to have to acknowledge it eventually.
“...He’s the one that gets to cry.”
The others stayed silent. Kazui took another drag. It wasn’t like it was a secret anymore, but he was sure that neither had come prepared for a conversation like this. Wisps of smoke slowly circled them.
"Whenever I got upset, he was there. If anything brought me to tears, then he… took care of it.” Not that Mikoto ever knew it was happening. In hindsight, it was maddeningly obvious how his blackouts corresponded to rough times.
His breath shook the next time he inhaled. He took a pause. He had to stay calm. The line had been thin, these days, for when emotions would prove intense enough to send him over the edge. With all the underlying stress, even the most minor inconveniences could cause him to lose control.
The vapor he blew out left a trembly trail in front of him. He tried to sound lighthearted, but knew he wasn’t fooling anyone.
“I guess I always thought I was one of those guys who didn’t cry as much, or got less worked up about things. My coworkers always talked about breakdowns. I never had a single one. I didn’t really dwell on it. Why would I?” His smile was as wobbly as the laugh that bubbled out of him. “So, uh… I guess you were wrong, Shidou. I can’t remember the last time I shed a single tear.”
It didn’t take a doctor to know the kind of toll that takes on someone.
Mikoto dropped his head, suddenly ashamed of his honesty. He must have sounded completely insane. He ran a hand through his hair. They were probably looking on with horror at what a mess he’d revealed himself to be.
“I should go,” he muttered. He was already pretty upset and couldn’t risk hurting anyone else.
Shidou placed his hand gently on his arm. He didn’t look horrified in the slightest. Neither did Kazui. “Wait...”
He shrugged his arm away. “Leave me alone.”
“Mikoto.”
He paused only a moment in the entryway, as Kazui called to him.
“Thanks. I know it's not easy to talk about your true self.”
He wanted to accept it. He wanted to stay and keep talking and laughing as if nothing were wrong. He wanted to thank them for their kindness. But he couldn’t allow himself the luxury, now. “Whatever. It’s not like it matters.”
“It does.” Shidou told him. “Mikoto, I know things have been difficult. We just want to help you.”
“Yeah,” he said bitterly. The smoke shifted in his wake. “That’s what he said, too.”
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i think its hilarious when asexuals say shit like "weve ALWAYS been here!!!" here being The LGBT Community when we all know a cohesive asexual community pretty much didnt exist until AVEN in the 2000s and david jay himself describe(s/d) being unable to find any mentions of or fellow asexual people in LGBT communities at the time... so clearly they werent always here. early versions of asexuality dot org even say that most asexual ppl blend in well and are minimally affected by heterosexism lol.
people will get so aggressive and irate when you point out that the A in LGBTA did actually once stand for “ally”. everyone acts like it’s a malicious and ahistorical thing to point out but it’s true! the thing about being in your mid 20s is that a decade is actually a long time to have been on social media. when we say things like “the A didn’t always stand for ace/aro” or “aces started ‘no kink at pride’ discourse” it’s because we were actually there. obviously “trust me bro” isn’t a source but like, some of us actually lived through these discussions as they were happening instead of just reading about them afterwards. there isn’t some widespread conspiracy against the ace community, no one is making this stuff up. we saw it. i saw it.
i genuinely think the saddest thing about the online ace community is that their insistence on 1. inclusion above all else and 2. proving themselves to be oppressed and inherently queer has resulted in there being no real collective culture or history for the ace community. the number one thing (and frankly the only thing) the ace community has wanted is visibility— there are no rights being denied, no hate crimes. things like “my life as an amoeba” and david jay’s AVEN are undeniably foundational to the formation of asexual identity yet so frequently left out of conversations about ace history because those things contradict the modern ace-inclusionist worldview. because they state that asexuals don’t want sex or romantic partners, and that recognition and visibility is the ultimate goal. so how else can these people argue that the ace community was destroyed on tumblr by exclusionists? how else can these people argue that aces were at stonewall besides ignoring the notable figures who said otherwise?
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