Hello World, My Name Is Love
After being stuck with her own thoughts for the entire night when morning finally came, Lev decided that she needed to talk to someone about this and she needed to do it as soon as possible.
After getting ready Lev immediately went where she needed to go and knocked on the door. She knew it was only 8:00 AM, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
After waiting about a minute the door opened.
“Hey Lev, what’s up?” Ash said with a towel around his neck. It seems that he was lifting some weights right before Lev got here.
“...I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to wake you up so early…”
“You didn’t wake me up. I get up at about 7:00 on weekends to work out.”
Ash gestured for Lev to come inside. Lev sat down on the couch as Ash went to sit back down on his workout bench.
“...So…what did you want to talk about?” Ash asks.
“...I was…I was just curious…how did you…get those scars on your chest?” Lev responded sheepishly.
“Oh, these.” Ash gestures towards his own chest. “They are top surgery scars.” He is now mentally preparing himself on all of the things that he might have to explain right now.
“...Interesting…” Lev said while staring down at the ground.
Ash thought he might as well explain this just to make sure they were both on the same page.
“Alright, let me explain.” Ash says after a long sigh. “I am a transgender man. I used to look more feminine, but I didn’t prefer looking that way so I decided to make a change.”
Lev nodded her head in response.
“...How exactly…did you figure out that you were transgender?” Lev said with a blush.
“I guess…when I was younger I always felt like things…weren’t right. Generally speaking, girly things that I was expected to like never really gelled with me. Could care less about dresses or dolls. I would always prefer to play with the boys in my class and would join them in basketball or superheroes or whatever. As I got older people thought that this behavior was getting less acceptable and people started giving me odd looks. One day somebody called me a certain word that I refuse to repeat here and I decided to look into it. After researching it I figured out what it meant to be trans. I then decided that this definition fit my situation almost perfectly so when I was in high school I told my parents about this who were honestly surprisingly cool about it and after talking with a therapist I was put on hormone blockers soon after. Right when I turned 18 I got started on testosterone and got top surgery soon after and well…I guess you are now mostly up to speed.”
“...Ummm…well…” Lev was struggling to come up with a way to say what she really wanted to say.
“I think that I know where this is going, but I am going to let you say it first.”
Lev took a deep breath before giving her response.
“Ash…I just wanted to tell you…what I am trying to say is…that…I’m…I am…” Lev’s heart was beating out of her chest. She knew what she wanted to say and she knew it was a safe place to do so. Why was it so hard for her to just say it? Just say it already. It shouldn’t be this hard.
Ash got up and walked over to the couch to sit directly next to Lev and put his hand on her shoulder. “Just take a deep breath and take your time. You don’t have to tell me anything until you are ready.”
Lev followed Ash’s instructions and calmed herself down.
‘It was now or never.’ Lev thought.
“...Ash…I…I am…trans…” Lev was finally able to say what she was feeling.
She immediately put her hands over her chest. A warm, tingling sensation ran all throughout her body.
‘I can’t believe I just said that.” Lev thought to herself. ‘...and I can’t believe…how good that felt…’
“...I am a transgender woman…” Lev said with a big smile on her face.
Ash immediately gave Lev a big hug.
“Feels nice to say it, right?”
“...Yeah…I…I feel great…” Lev felt tears start forming at the corners of her eyes.
“I am glad to hear it.”
They just sat there for a moment while not saying anything. Lev just wanted to let it sink in that this was real.
“So, Miss Hart” Ash breaks the silence. “Have you thought of a new name yet?”
“...I…” Lev rubs the back of her neck. “...haven’t thought about that yet…”
“I can help you come up with something.”
“...Thank you Ash…That would be great.”
“So…” Ash says as he begins to brainstorm. “...Do…you know what your parents would have named you if you had been assigned female at birth?”
Lev shakes her head no.
“...Hmmm…” Ash goes back to thinking. “...What…what about…Chloe?”
“...Ummm…” Lev starts to blush a little bit. “...That…is a little generic…don’t you think?”
“Fair enough.” Ash says with a shrug.
“...I…I think I would like it to still start with an L.”
“...Luna…” Ash suggests.
“...No…That doesn’t feel right either…”
“...Lily…Linda…L…Louisa…” Ash squints his eyes while saying the third name.
Lev shakes her head no.
“Alright…let’s keep thinking. We have eventually got to come up with a name that you’ll love.”
Lev’s ears perked up at the end of that sentence.
“...Can…you say that again?”
“Eventually we’ll come up with a name?”
“...No…specifically the last word of that sentence you said before…”
“...Alright…” Ash scratched his head. “We…have eventually…got to come up…with a name that…you’ll…”
“Love?”
Love feels a tingling sensation suddenly course through her body.
“...I…think that…I have found a name that I like…”
“Okay.” Ash stands up.
“I am so sorry miss, but I don’t think that I caught your name. What was it again?”
“...My name is…Love…Love Hart…It’s nice to meet you!” Love says with a huge grin.
“Nice to meet you Miss Love Hart. I’m Ash.” He says while holding his hand out.
Love takes Ash’s hand and quickly pulls him in for a hug.
“...Thank you Ash…thank you so much…” Love says with tears in her eyes.
“Don’t mention it. We’ve got to take care of our own, right?”
Love just nods while bawling into Ash’s shoulder. These weren’t tears of sadness like usual though. These were tears of joy.
“...Ash…how can I ever repay you for this?”
Ash just puts his hands onto Love’s shoulders.
“By being yourself.”