a/n: Couldn’t get Michael’s full side story to kick off, but I found a compromise in this Epilogue! 

::

Epilogue- Michael’s POV

“Big bro! Wow, you’re actually a few shades darker. You obviously had a good time,” I commented slyly as I regarded my brother’s lightly tanned face.

I had my brother Seth on FaceClock, since he had recently returned from his honeymoon with his husband Liam. I didn’t want to steal too much time away from him, and I certainly would have stolen way too much if I had gone to see him in person. The two of us shared that close of a bond.

“Little bro! Yeah, it’s been amazing,” he admitted with a grin that reached his blue-gray eyes.

Wow, look at that smile. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw my brother smile so carefree like that. Must have been years, really. I had to remember to find Liam a pretty good Christmas gift as thanks. The guy was really upholding his end of the bargain in terms of making my brother happy.

“Is that Mike?”

Speak of the devil, the redhead was suddenly on the screen waving at me. “Hey, new bro,” I greeted.

“When are you coming over so that I can beat you at another round of Cards Against Society?” Liam taunted.

I sent him an exaggerated pout. “You can’t win all the time, Liam,” I warned. The two of us had a friendly competition going, but the brown-eyed man won a lot more games than he lost.

“Which is why it’s awesome whenever I do win,” Liam countered.

“Yeah yeah,” I drawled. “Just let me have my brother for a few more minutes.”

“I’ll give you forty-five minutes,” my in-law conceded. “After that, I’m not going to be responsible for what you may or may not witness.”

I made a disgusted face. “TMI, man. TMI.”

I heard his laughter through the speakers of my tablet even as he stepped out of the room. When he was gone, I couldn’t help but smile. The redhead had really integrated himself seamlessly into the family.

“It’s been months, so I’m sure you have a lot to rant about,” my brother mused.

I nodded. “I was groped twice from behind before they realized I was a guy,” I relayed. “Vivi got into three fights. And I have another interview on Tuesday.”

Seth nodded, hearing me out patiently.

“The only solid job offer I’ve gotten thus far is this small company that barely pays above minimum wage,” I continued. “And I’m not sure if I should take it or not, since I still have five other places that I’ve yet to hear from.”

“Does the position have anything to do with technology?” my brother questioned.

“Yeah, it seems to be some basic IT work,” I replied.

“Then, I’d say go for it,” Seth suggested. “Build up your experience there, even if it’s only for six months, and it’ll definitely help you land more interviews later on.”

“I dunno...the pay’s so low I’ll probably end up staying at mom and dad’s for the entire six months,” I pointed out. “The whole point of going to college in the first place was to help pay them back, not to continue living off of them.”

“You have to start somewhere, Mike,” Seth replied. “The family will understand.”

I let out a big sigh. “We’ll see. If it comes to that, I’ll do it,” I concluded. “I really missed you, Seth. But, I’m glad you’ve been having fun.”

A small glint of mischief lit up my brother’s eyes. That usually spelled out a world of trouble for me, but at the moment, I couldn’t be more relieved that he got his old spark back. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten all of your teasing with Liam. You’re going to know just how it felt when you bring someone home yourself,” he warned.

I winced at the thought. He sure knew how to pick his battles. “What if I never bring anyone home?” I prompted. The sentiment was part bluff; part truth. Though I had promised myself to not be distracted by romantic relationships in college, I was surprised with how hard it was to actually find free time to even look at any possible prospects. Since I was already hunting for a job, I felt my window of opportunity in terms of romantic relationships was steadily dwindling.

“Michael,” Seth responded. “You’re a Slater. You’ll bring someone home soon enough.”

“Why does that sound so daunting when you say it?” I whined, which drew forth laughter from Seth. Though I didn’t pick favorites between my siblings and generally got along well with all of them, I knew that I was Seth’s favorite and we got along just a bit better than the others. Seeing him happy made me happy. “Anyway, let me let you go before Liam really does come back and scar me for life. I’m glad you guys are back.”

“We’ll see you soon!” he promised.

“Later!”

::::

As much as I wanted to see Seth in person, I figured that it would be best to avoid him for a few more days. When the two of them started working again, I’d surely have less of a chance of seeing something I’d rather not see. The reason I had so quickly moved out in the first place was due to catching unintentional glimpses.

In the meantime, I continued to apply to job openings and spent some time with my best friend, Vivi. Vivi was a lesbian. She was fearless the majority of the time. But, when it came to communicating with her parents, she couldn’t even pull herself together.

“No, absolutely not,” I hissed as I turned down my best friend’s outrageous request.

“But, just look at you!” Vivi insisted as she shoved a mini album in my face. The image was of my younger self dressed as a maid in a school play…a female maid.

“Vi,” I countered. “I was still a teenager, of course I could easily pass as a girl back then. Don’t I look much manlier now?” I questioned as I straightened up, lifted my chin, and placed my hands on my hips in what I felt was a heroic pose.

“Mike, all you need is some make-up and a collar,” Vivi responded back in a dry tone of voice. “You don’t even need a wig.”

I scowled at that, feeling my shoulders slump as I cursed my androgynous looks once again. “Why can’t I just go as I am?” I questioned. “I could even pretend to be a temporary boyfriend.”

“My parents know for a fact that I’ve been dating Natalie for two years. They refuse to remember her name,” Vivi responded. “And they still try to hook me up with their company underlings. But, I’m not bringing her there for her to get all pawed up by other people.”

“So, you’d rather subject me to be pawed up?” I argued.

“Oh please, like you’d let yourself get pawed up if you’re too paranoid about getting caught,” Vivi pointed out. “Just do this one thing for me. I swear I’ll never ask again. This is the day I get it through to my parents that they either have to accept me as I am or they’re not gonna see me again.”

I took a deep breath when I saw the determination on her face. As much as I hated to admit it, it seemed really important to her. What were best friends for? “Alright, so let’s say I actually go through with this…” I prompted. “Wouldn’t they check IDs for guest badges in the first place?”

“Gotcha covered!” Vivi said with a wide grin. She handed me an impressively realistic fake ID. The picture that was used was one where I had longer hair. It had my address and birthdate….

“Wait, Natalie?” I complained. “Are you serious? Couldn’t it at least have been a more fake name like Melanie or even Michelle?”

“So, it’s settled, then!” She announced. “Thanks so much, Mikey, you’re the bestest friend anyone could ever have!”

I let out a groan and face-palmed. Vivi had really gone through a lot just to set up this strange, strange meeting with her parents. A feeling in my gut told me that we weren’t going to come out of that dinner in one piece. Just what had I gotten myself into?

::::

“Wow, Mike, if you were a real girl I’d have totally tried to get into your skirt for sure,” Vivi commented as she looked me over.

I wore flat, rounded slip-ons on my feet and managed to get out of shaving my legs by wearing a pair of thick, black leggings. The baby blue gothic Lolita skirt on top of the leggings had me blushing. It had a waist corset that was thankfully not tied tightly at all, and the skirt nearly reached my knees. Beneath it was a black petticoat with so many layers that it held the skirt wide all around.

The many layers were both a relief and a fright. I didn’t have to tuck myself in, but the fact that I was in downright frills made me feel quite embarrassed. The wideness of the skirt also gave off the illusion that I had hips, which drew the attention away from my broad shoulders. I wore a white, long-sleeved blouse with ruffles on the wrists and the collar. The collar was held closed with a thin black kerchief to hide my Adam’s apple.

She had attacked me with make-up, though the colors were soft. She also added an elaborate hair clip to the top half of my hair, keeping the strands from falling on my face. I didn’t want to look at myself in the mirror, but when Vivi shoved me in front of it, my blush darkened. I was a firm believer in everyone wearing whatever they wanted. But, the fact that the illusion was so successful made me feel like I had no right to be in such feminine clothes…not if it meant deceiving others.

I never liked the idea of deceiving others. Halloween parties, plays, and pranks were one thing; especially since I always made it clear that I was a man in women’s clothes. But, to actually pretend to be a woman was an entirely different thing. Even if it was for my best friend’s sake, I hated having to lie.

Vivi, on the other hand, had on black slacks with matching loafers. She wore a white button-down with short sleeves, a black bowtie, and a vest in the same blue hue as the skirt I wore. Her short blonde hair, which was usually tousled into spikes, was slicked back.

“Vivi…I can’t disguise my voice,” I reminded. “And my sign language is very limited.”

“Easy,” Vivi replied with a grin. “You screamed yourself hoarse during a concert we went to last night. No one will question the huskiness and they’ll back off from getting you to speak.”

I frowned. “Just how long have you been planning this?” I questioned.

“Would you look at time, let’s go!” She stated quickly as she tugged me by the elbow.

“But, Vi…what if I have to go to the bathroom?”

::::

I finally let out the breath I was holding the entire time we went through the ID check at the front lobby. We were printed out sticker-badges and then led to a ballroom. A bar and a few bartenders were near the wall and round tables surrounded a dance floor. The other side of the wall featured live musicians.

Vivi urged me over to the table were her parents sat. I felt their eyes on me as I sat down. When I chanced a glance, I saw them frowning at one another.

“Vivian, this surely isn’t the Natalie you spoke to us about,” Vivi’s mother stated as she motioned an elegant hand towards me.

“What do you mean?” Vivi questioned. Though her face was shooled into a mask of indifference, I could tell that she was panicking by the furtive glance she sent me. She clearly didn’t plan for her parents to figure out her plan so fast.

“You’ve spoken of nothing else for the last two years,” Vivi’s father insisted. “And yet you bring us someone else?”

“Someone else?” Vivi countered. She was trying desperately to feign ignorance.

I had a bad feeling in my gut. By the tones of their voices, they knew. Somehow, they just knew.

“Oh, honey,” Vivi’s mom called out as she placed a hand on top of hers. “We had Natalie investigated within the first few months of you dating her. We had to assure that you were safe.”

“What!” The two of us burst out nearly at the same time.

“I think that a family meeting’s in order,” Vivi’s dad suggested as he shot me a glare. “A private one.”

“If that’s the case, then I’m going to head out now,” I told Vivi as I stood up. “Call me if you need my help with anything.”

“Ok,” Vivi responded dejectedly. “Thanks for trying, Mikey.”

I nodded. As I walked away, I heard the surprised tone in Vivi’s mother’s voice.

“Was that really your friend Michael?”

I let out a groan and resisted the urge to facepalm as I walked out of the room. I needed a place to hold my tablet and cell phone, so Vivi had placed a satchel-like purse across my shoulder. As I unzipped the outer zipper to pull out my phone, I couldn’t help but admit that the bag was quite useful as a carrying case.