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Leaves crinkled and crunched in the deep parts of the forest as Microphone's feet stepped on them one by one, trying her best to quietly make her way to the middle. Or to at least where her hideout is with Taco.
It was a free day for the contestants, MePhone4 addressed with the remaining players that he needs some time off the set to focus on airing the new episode. Honestly, Microphone thought it was a live recording of some sort, but she guessed wrong. When she heard a twig snap, she turned her head toward the noise and noticed the smaller woman who stood there.
"Oh god, Taco! You scared me!" The Mexican food snickered and sat on a log rather elegantly, folding a leg on top of the other. "Apologies, you looked so out of it when I saw you walking here. You looked funny." Taco giggles while the taller girl simply rolls her eyes, sitting on the patch of grass in front of Taco.
In all honesty, Microphone doesn't necessarily remember why she went here in the first place. While talking about the prize money was always an important task for both of them, it would never hurt to take a break from it every once in a while. Which surprisingly Taco encourages the idea of taking breaks as well.
Taco takes a long sip from her cup of tea, and Microphone stares up at her. Setting down her tea, Taco merely raises an eyebrow at her. "What do you need? I thought you'd be taking a break since MePhone called the day off?" Microphone shrugs, resting a hand on her chin. And suddenly she remembers.
Oh, right. That.
Not too long ago, Microphone had to be reminded of her identity. After a few short-lived moments where some contestants would call her "gal" or just use her preferred pronouns in general, it never fails to make her smile. It makes her giddy and happy that she's being respected. She wasn't the type to talk about it unless someone asked, in which case Lightbulb did. Only for Mic to find out they were both in the same situation. Lightbulb was transfeminine, and so was Microphone. Coupled with the fact Paintbrush was Non-Binary!
They were both Bright Lights at the time, yes, but nevertheless, it made her feel right at home. It made her feel accepted and welcome.
It made her feel safe.
She gently pulled out some grass from the ground and stared up at Taco again who was looking at a book with one hand, and her tea in the other.
Then she wondered...
Does Taco know? If not, will she accept me if I tell her?
Microphone always felt more than afraid to tell people about her gender identity. Not that her folks in the place she lived in before joining Inanimate Insanity didn't accept her. Some did, and some didn't. It wasn't surprising. And Microphone was always told to focus on those who do care. Which she does.
But if Taco didn't accept her, then maybe the way people saw her in season 1 truly was justified. If not, understandable.
And if Taco didn't accept her, it would probably still hurt. Whether or not Taco was bad in the first place.
Microphone shook her head side to side and straightened up, placing her hands on her legs. She sighed, and cleared her throat. What would be a good conversation starter that could eventually lead up to the topic of gender identity? She thought, long and hard. But she got too nervous and just blurted out some random crap.
"TACO WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WOMEN?!"
She nervously yelled, but not too loud. She sounded like a sad old bicycle horn, or a baby seal.
Taco choked on the tea that was in her mouth, swallowing it and slightly coughing. She put her book away and slammed it shut as quickly as she could. Microphone cupped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment, her cheeks burning with red. She attempted to reach out a hand to help, but Taco, oddly gently, swatted it away. Mic gave her a few seconds to stop coughing and start breathing normally again.
Taco struggled to regain her composure, still seeming to be in shock as she had already finished coughing. "Mic, I beg your pardon?"
The taller girl did not expect Taco to react so... Wildly to the question. Microphone smiled, rather devilishly. "I was just asking what you think of women. Are you like... Into them? Wait that sounds too invading I'm sorry!"
"No, no, no. It isn't. My apologies for the, uh, mess I was. I was just shocked." Taco successfully regains her composure and fixes her posture, sitting up straight with one leg over the other. "To answer your question though, yes. I am into women. I am romantically and sexually attracted to them and only them."
Microphone opens her mouth slightly and nods, flushing a slight shade of red at her statement. "Straight forward and right on point, love it!" Mic smiles, giving her a thumbs up. Taco smirks, bringing her cup of tea up to her lips. "Ironic. Straight forward. Haha."
Microphone tilted her head a bit, confused.
Then it hit her like a dumpster truck.
"Oh! Oh my god, how did I not frickin' get that?!" She laughs, putting a hand over her mouth.
Taco's humor was rather... Underwhelming. Simple puns and jokes so overused throughout time and history could make her cackle like a child in a circus show. Microphone liked that about her.
Mic turned her head back to Taco after a short fit of laughter and put her back against a tree stump. "I like girls too. They're pretty, nice, and... I just like 'em." Microphone smiles, playing with her fingers nervously. Taco eyes her movements, and smiles a bit. "Good to know." She smiled wider, looking back down at her book.
Then another beat of silence looms over them. But the silence wasn't awkward, or weird, or anything like that. It was calming, and comforting. And it buys Microphone more time to think about how she can word her next sentence.
This fit of silence is an opportunity to finally tell Taco.
It's now or never.
Okay, you can do this. Come on, Mic. Just say it already!
Mic sucks in her lower lip and scoots closer to the girl in front of her.
"Mic, if you have something to tell me, just say it." Taco says without even looking up from her book, taking another sip of tea. Microphone sat in silence, shocked at how she could have possibly known. Then again, Taco was good at reading people's auras. Let alone facial expressions and what emotions you could possibly derive from that.
"How did... How did you know?" Taco, still not looking up from her book, casually responded. "I could sense it since earlier. You were hesitant to say something many times, and it seems you asked me that question earlier as some sort of stairwell you're building to be able to ask me the awaited question."
Taco flipped the page, eyes moving slowly as she read and spoke.
Microphone sunk deeper into the tree stump, face beet red. I hate that she can read people like that.
She inhales, then sits up against the stump again. "It's not really a question, more like some info I want you to be aware of. Look, I'm just nervous about how I'm gonna tell you this without being... Hurt? From your response. Since uh, people have said stuff about you before and how you were like during last season's finale."
Taco looks up from her book. Finally.
Her eyes meet with Microphone's for a few seconds.
In what Taco's eyes used to be mischief, untrustworthiness, and cunningness, now have calmness, trustworthiness, and oddly enough, sympathy. She and Taco have come a long way since the maze challenge, about a few episodes into their alliance now. After days and weeks spent together, even she notices Taco changing. Mostly because of Microphone.
Mic smiles, and finally, she feels a dumbbell of weight lift off her chest. Confidence seeps into her mind, and she opens her mouth.
"It's never normally this hard for me to come out anymore but ever since you and I became somewhat 'allies' in this game, I've been trying to be careful about what I say around you. And I've finally gotten to confidence to tell you I'm transgender."
Microphone looks to the side, ripping her gaze away from Taco. She could feel herself begin to sweat, her cheeks growing in heat as she became red again. After a few seconds of silence, regret fills her chest.
Shit, I shouldn't have said anything. I should have just kept my mouth shut-
"That's it?"
Microphone snaps her head back to Taco who stared at her. She looked rather bored, her eyes still soft and looking at Microphone in such a... Way.
"After all that fidgeting, nervous shifting, and stammering, you were just going to tell me you were transgender?" Mic nods slowly, interlocking her hands together. She gripped onto herself tightly, nervous about what Taco would say next. "Oh, Mic, come on." Taco hopped off the log and sat in front of Microphone who only stared as she moved.
After a beat of hesitance, Taco places a hand on Microphone's arm. "I never normally engage in heart-to-heart moments where I comfort someone, but because this is a matter of acceptance and coming out, I'd say it's important for me to say this; I accept you for who you are and I do not really care how you identify yourself as. To me, you're still Microphone."
She has never really seen this side of Taco before. Her voice was soft and genuine, her movements less aggressive and sharp, and her tone was gentle. So was her touch. Taco's warm, soft hands felt like tiny pillows against Microphone's cold arm.
She was more than thankful someone like Taco accepted her.
She didn't care anymore and just wrapped her hands around Taco, embracing her in a tight hug. "God, I am so grateful, Taco. You have no idea how much this means to m-me!" Taco sat frozen, unable to move or think fast enough. A few seconds pass and Taco felt awkward without hugging back, so she simply pats Mic's back, rubbing circles around it.
Taco didn't expect the sudden hug, or the kind of reaction Microphone gave when Taco accepted her. But she smiled widely, knowing she made Microphone that happy.
Microphone was happy the rest of that day. She didn't dare go back out into the contestant grounds after that. She spent the entire day talking to Taco, laying in the grass as they stared up at the leaves above them, talking about sweet nothings and how Microphone was able to figure herself out.
Even if her facade was tough, Microphone could tell she enjoyed having her around in their little hideout. And after Mic came out to her, she felt the need to keep her much closer to her heart.