Catch Up

Your mom's arrival comes just in time for winter break.

A whole two weeks off from school. And with some money in your pocket from the allowance Jeff gave you, some new anime airing, and a few games you had your eyes on, life was... strange. Really strange.

It was great seeing your mom again, finally, after months of her being gone. But it never stopped feeling weird to be in masculine clothes again. You had to hide the one pair of panties you'd borrowed from Megan, and couldn't wear them again until you washed them - which was impossible while your mom was there. She insisted on taking care of all the chores that had fallen to you while she was away. As far as she knew, you didn't even know how to do laundry or clean the house.

You sit uncomfortably at the breakfast table across from Jeff while your mom cooks up bacon, eggs, and hash browns for you both.

"You're up early, honey!" she remarks to you as she sets a mug of coffee in front of Jeff. "Normally I'd catch you sleeping in till noon on the weekend. And during a holiday? I'm surprised to see you up by one o'clock!"

Her and Jeff both laugh as she plates your food. Your step-dad shrugs and says, "What can I say? I told you I'd help him shape-up, didn't I? I can't take all the credit, though. He's been so disciplined for these past months. I was sure you'd hardly recognize him!"

You stretch your lips into a smile and nod along, leaning on your elbow, "Yeah, mhm. Really disciplined." You hated watching them flirt with each other. It was gross.

"And with you only popping in a couple days a week, I was sure Aiken would just go right back to sleeping the day day away and playing those games through the night! Proud of you, buddy. It's a whole other world this early isn't it?" she laughs.

A scrunch your face up. "A couple days a week? But he's been here-"

Jeff cuts in ahead of you. "I think he surprised us both! Wait till you see his grades. And he's made new friends, and even joined the Swim team. Isn't that right, tiger?"

"Er, yes Sir," you say without thinking. You couldn't help but notice that he left out any mention of gymnastics, or what you had to wear for Halloween, or you know... cross-dressing every day and doing chores non-stop like... well like what your mom was doing.

Your mom snorts. "'Yes Sir?' What is this, the 50s? What did you do to the poor boy, Jeff?"

Your step-dad laughs awkwardly. "Oh, haha, he's joking. I was a bit of a drill sergeant when I popped in - you know how it is for us guys. If the lesson isn't tough, it doesn't stick - so he started saying stuff like that to be funny. It's sort of an inside joke with us, right buddy?" He pushes the last words out through grit teeth so that you get the picture.

"Yeah, sorry. I meant 'yes, Jeff'."

You take some slight pleasure in the fact that he squirms for a moment when you call him by his name again. At least you aren't the only one that's uncomfortable.

"So, what did you two get up to while I was gone? Any bonding moments?" your mom asks, setting a plate down in front of each of you. "Any pictures I can look at?"

You glance at each other nervously. You were sure the same thing must be crossing his mind at that moment. The only pictures you remember taking with him were ones where you were dressed girly. Shopping for bikinis, wearing slutty costumes. Nothing you could ever show your mom.

"Oh uh, I guess us guys just don't really think about pictures, haha. We uh... we bonded over, you know... guy things. Sports and stuff," Jeff says.

Your mom nods, forking some breakfast into her mouth. "Oh, I see. Tell me all about that. I was so stuck in my work the past months, I want to hear what my guys got up to."

"Well, heh heh.... Go ahead, tell her, Aiken." Jeff says.

You nearly **** on your orange juice. Damn him for throwing you under the bus like that.

"Uh... Baseball," you blurt out. "We watched baseball and... played catch and stuff."

There's a moment of tense silence in which you and your step-dad silently will your mom to buy your terrible lie. You had never watched a single baseball game in your life. You barely knew the rules. You quickly try recalling everything you knew about it from an old anime you watched. If you had to, you could maybe BS your way through the lie, but not if she probed.

"Hmm, sounds fun!" she says. "As long as it gets you out of your room. I'm glad you two got so close. I was worried it would be awkward with you two. Especially since, you know..." she looks at Jeff but he just looks uncomfortably into his food.

You look between the two of them for a second then break the strange sudden silence. "Um, well I should get going. Megan's coming to pick me up to hang out soon."

Your mom says, "Aw, Megan? Who's she? Do you have a girlfriend?"

You have to hold in your laughter. If only she knew how wrong she was.