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“What?” Steve looked at her incredulously.
“I said what I said, sex doesn’t sound that good.” Robin defends.
“But you’ve never had it, have you? How would you know?”
“It just isn’t appealing, like being touched like that or touching someone else like that makes me feel super uncomfortable. I just don’t understand how you can look at someone, guy or girl and think ‘I want to fuck them/them to fuck me’. Like that's so bizarre to me, I don’t feel that. Ever.”
“Oh.” Steve muses for a second. “Maybe you’re asexual?”
“Maybe I’m what?”
“Asexual. You know, don’t feel sexual attraction, stuff like that. And before you ask why I know this, I had a girlfriend who was ace.”
“Oh.” That explained a bit too much she thought. She wasn’t ready to have another crisis. Granted realizing that she liked girls hadn't really ever caused a crisis for her. But this, why couldn't she just be like everyone else for once?
Pulled out of her thoughts by Steve asking. “...Robin?”
“Yeah?”
“You ok?”
“Yes?”
He gave her a pointed look. “You sure about that?”
“No?”
“Come here Robs.” He held his arms open for a hug. She awkwardly shuffled into his arms, Steve gave great hugs but she barely registered it, thoughts consumed by panic.
Why is she panicking? This isn’t that big of a deal (it was). Sex hadn't been that important to her, but is it really that important? Was her not wanting sex going to be the dealbreaker?
Robin was spiraling. Steve could see it in the way she clenched her fists at her sides, stared blankly past his shoulder, not relaxing into the hug like she normally would.
“Robin it’s going to be ok, it’s not the ‘end all be all’”
“It sure feels like it could be, I thought I could be at least a little normal, but no I’m not just a lesbian, I also don’t like sex.” She whisper-shouted.
“You don’t like sex or you don’t feel sexual attraction and feel like you should or that you’re supposed to?”
“Yes…”
“You do remember that ‘you can’t be a girl that likes other girls’ and yet you don’t beat yourself over that.”
“Anymore.”
“What?”
“I don't beat myself up over it anymore, I hated myself, especially at first. Now I just hate myself for other reasons.”
“Oh Robin.” Steve looked at her unintentionally pitifully. She hated being pitied.
“Don’t do that.” She almost snapped, emotions high from her slight crisis.
“Do what?” Steve asked, holding her out in front of him.
“Pity me, I don’t like it.”
“I wasn't trying to, I promise, I just really love you and I hate that you think there is any reason for you to hate yourself.” She calmed down as he continued. “When you get a girlfriend, just know thst they don't deserve you if they get all upset over the no sex thing, and that its ok if you do want to try sex.”
She wrinkled her nose at that last bit. “Uh no thanks, I’m good.”
“You’re surprisingly good at this supportive best friend thing. Who'd've thought the guy who I helped through a bisexual crisis would help me through an asexual crisis?"
“I try… You do know I love you, right? Platonically of course.”
She smiled softly. “Yeah I know. I guess I love you too dingus.”