Staying in the Family 5 (Patreon)

“Where the hel-Where are we going?” Nate corrected his anger before Emma accused him of giving her more grief as she drug him out of her room.

“I’d think that’d be obvious Natalie. The mall of course.” She said with a chipper smile that matched her voice.

“The m-The mall?!” he shouted, digging his heels into the floor, stopping her movement at the edge of her room. “You can’t be serious. I can’t go out like this!”

“Are you saying I didn’t do a good enough job?” Emma pouted.

“I..what?” She had to be joking. “I look like-”

“You look beautiful.”

“I look like a fruit at one of them parades!”

“Have you forgotten we had a deal?” She glared at him, her voice dripping with venom.

“And if anyone sees me leave outta here like this they’re gonna tell your mother anyway!”

Emma paused and pretended to consider what Nate was saying. She was glad he had stopped her at the entrance to her room, they were still in frame of her camera. “You have a point.” She spoke gently, “We’re still going to the mall but if you ask me nicely to help you pass as a woman I’ll get you a wig or something first.”

“I don’t wanna be a woman.”

“Then quit complaining, the uber is already on its way and you still need shoes.” She grabbed his hand once again, giving it a strong pull and allowed him to pull away. "Something on your mind, Natalie?" She asked expectantly.

"Gimme a wig." He grumbled.

"Oh that's not what you're supposed to say or how you're supposed to say it."

With a sigh Nate rubbed his fingers around his painted lips, missing the feel of his beard against his fingers now replaced with smooth foundation. "Please can I have a wig?"

"Nathan stone, why on earth would you want a wig?" She said with a loud intake of air, making sure the camera picked up his full name.

"Because I want to be a woman." He pleaded with an angry glint in his eyes.

"It would be my honor to help you be the woman you want to be!" She cheered, and ran into her room. She made a bit of a show of looking through her closet before finally tossing him a patchwork bucket hat. "Put that on." She ordered. In a flash she closed the recording program before grabbing his hand and dragging him to the front door.

"I thought you were giving me a wig?"

"Do you think I just have wigs lying around? No. But don't worry, I know where to get one."

"What if someone sees me?"

"Keep your head up and smile. You'll just look like a girl with a bad fashion sense. Here, put these on.” She forced a pair of wedged sandals in his arms.

Emma pulled Nate out of the back of the uber and thanked the driver. Nate shuddered as he stared up at the building with two rainbow flags proudly displayed over the entrance. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Nate glared.

“Of course not. I told you I would get you a wig. This is the best place for one.”

“Best sounds expensive. And we didn’t have to come here, we could’ve gone to some halloween store.”

“Sure, you could cheap out and you’d be clocked immediately. Possibly by someone you know. But I’m willing to bet you don’t know anyone who’d shop within a mile of this street. Right?”

“Damn right.”

“Then it makes sense we go here. On the plus side no one will question you buying a wig.”

“Yay. They’ll think I’m gay.”

“If you’re worried about that then let me do the talking.”

“Why on earth would I do that?”

“Multiple reasons. Besides what we already talked about at home. One being you keep slipping back into that ugly male voice of yours.”

“Sorry, it’s kind of a habit.” He said sarcastically.

“No problem. Now, just smile and nod and we’ll get this done in ten minutes. Maybe less.” 

Nate rolled his eyes and sighed gruffly, “Fine.”

“What did I just say?” Nate forced a smile to his face and nodded to Emma. “That’s my girl. C’mon.” She wrapped an arm around the feminized Nate and pulled him into the wig store.

“Welcome, darlings!” A short bald man cheered and walked around the counter. 

“Oh God.” Nate grumbled.

Emma gave him a quick pinch as she unwrapped her arm from Nate’s waist. “Hello to you too!” She cheered in kind and hugged the man. “A friend of mine told me this was the best wig shop in the city.”

“Ooh, your friend sounds wonderful. But you can’t possibly need a wig with that beautiful head of hair on your head?”

Emma giggled, “No, but my friend Natalie here does.”

“Does she now?” He looked Nate over as Emma continued in a hushed whisper.

“Natalie just started her transition.”

The man nodded slowly and turned to Emma, “Well, better late than never.” 

“Go on, Natalie. Don’t be shy.”

“Exactly, darling. We’re all friends here.” Nate frowned momentarily before he caught the evil glare from Emma and nodded with a smile. He slowly took off the ugly cap that covered his short hair. “You’re beautiful, darling.” the man smiled as he approached. “Natalie was it?” Nate glanced at the still glaring Emma and nodded at the much shorter man. “What a beautiful name. My name is Fredrico. A pleasure to meet you Momma.” He said as he offered Nate his hand. Nate slowly took the overly gay man’s hand. “Now what are we going for today? Are we just getting a hair system or did you want me to style your hair?”

“That’s something you can do in the store?”

“For my favorite customers it’s no problem.” He smiled before turning to Emma, “You know who my favorite customers are?” She shook her head, “The ones who can pay.” They both laughed loudly before he turned his attention back to Nate. “Now, if you want some new hair that’s something I can still do. But like I said with a little styling, maybe even a little color, you could still pass very well.”

“I don’t know. Nat, what did you think? Do you want the hair or do you want Fredrico to style it?” Seeing a possible way out Nate nodded eagerly. It would be embarrassing but if having a fruity hairstyle was enough then he would jump on the chance. “You’re right.” Emma said with a slow nod of her own, “Give her the works, Fredrico.”

“Wonderful!” He cheered and pulled a relieved Nate into a backroom with three salon chairs.  At first Nate was confused as Fredico grabbed a pair of scissors and a comb after being sat in the first chair, “Oh don’t worry none, hun. I’m just evening you up and getting rid of your split ends. I know how important hair can be to women.”

After a few minutes of clipping and snipping Fredrico picked up different gels and ran them through Nathan’s hair, a sensation that had relaxed Nate when Sarah would do it to him was rendered unpleasant by the strange gay man that now caressed his head.

Ninety minutes passed before Nate stepped out of the backroom, his hair was still just as short but noticeably neater and now styled in a short pixie cut. With that and his hair color he now sported a more androgynous look, or he would have if he weren’t wearing women’s clothes. His originally dirty blonde hair was now completely blonde, something he had begun to balk at but decided against exposing himself. If Sarah asked he would just say he wanted to recapture a bit of his youth. Better to let her think he was going through a midlife crisis than being blackmailed by her hellspawn.

“Oh you look so beautiful!” Emma cheered.

“Doesn’t she?” Fredrico smiled. “Don’t you just love it?” He looked up at the sullen Nate who simply smiled and nodded. “Wonderful!” He applauded triumphantly, “Now let’s get you the rest of your hair.”

“Huh?” 

“She speaks!” Fredrico chuckled. “Sort of.” He added, “You said you wanted the works, right?” Nate nodded slowly, “The works is a nice trim, a color treatment, and of course, your new hair system. Now, let’s see what we can set you up with that will look glamorous and natural. That is what you want, right? Me I’d go full glamor but that’s me and I’m not a woman. But you are so…?”

“Y-yes.” Nate lied, trying his best to speak with a much higher pitch than normal.

“Great. Let’s start with colors.” Fredrico didn’t mention that Natalie’s voice needed work. He led Nate around by his wrist to a section of the store with two walls of wigs ranging from overly garish and large hairstyles reminiscent of metal bands and drag queens in every color to more natural looking hairstyles and colors. “Remember, while you can style these beauties, I don’t recommend cutting them unless you’re absolutely sure you want them shorter.”

“Who would want them to be shorter?” Emma asked as she played with a short black bob cut wig.

“It’s better to err on the side of caution, darling. See…this one?” Fredrico picked up a red wig from the bottom rack and held up the plaster model head. “This one would stop just at the small of your back.” He answered Emma but looked at Nate as he held up the wig, as if he cared about the length of the wig, “Which is great if that is what you so desire. But if you wanted it somewhere closer to your shoulder blades, let’s say, you’d take this one, cut it to the length you want, then we’d style it.”

“Good point.” Emma nodded before looking at Nate, “What do you think? Want to be a redhead?"

"No." Nate said quickly.

“That’s okay.” Fredrico said slowly as he returned the wig to the plaster head. “I think, if you’ll allow me, you would look better in something more natural. We're not ready to stand out just yet it seems." Fredrico said as he picked up and placed a curly black wig that came just to Nate's shoulders. Nate started to resist until he saw the glare from Emma. This was clearly part of his humiliation and he needed to let this…man put this wig on him. “What do we think?” He asked in his cheerful manner.

Nate groaned but continued to smile as he watched Emma for a cue. “I don’t know, I don’t think that’s her color.”

“You’re absolutely right.” Fredrico cheered as he returned the wig. “You have a very good friend. Most so-called friends will just say you look great no matter what. A true friend will be honest when she has too.”

“Lucky me.” Nate smiled unenthusiastically at the college girl torturing him.

“If we want to go with her color, why not a nice blonde wig!” Fredrico reached up for a wig on a higher shelf, before turning to the taller Nate, “Would you be a dear and hand me that one please?” Nate groaned silently, it was bad enough he was being forced to stand here and endure all of this, but now he had to actively help in his own humiliation. “Thank you, dear.” 

Another few seconds and a wavy blonde wig was placed on Nate’s head. With a few quick adjustments the wig sat near seamlessly on his head. “There, what do we think?”

“I love it!” Emma gasped. 

“That’s wonderful!” He cheered, “Come, follow me darling.” Fredrico took Nate’s wrist again, dragging him back to the salon, “You have the final say after all.”

Nate gasped when he saw the vision of wavy blonde hair that came past his shoulders. He looked like, like, a woman. With everything done to him this morning and now this wig, no one would look twice at him, or mistake him for a man. Which he had to figure was better than being seen as a man or worse someone recognizing him like this. But He had been picked on enough, for being a girl or a sissy, due to his baby face and slight frame growing up, and here he was proving them just how right they were.

“What do you think?” 

“Don’t you just love it?” Emma asked with a heaviness to her voice, implying how he should answer.

“I…I love it.” Nate faked a smile to the well dressed girl in the mirror.

“Wonderful! I love to hear that.” Fredrico giggled, pulling Nate into the salon chair once again, “Now, sit down for me one more time and we’ll make it perfectly, absolutely, beautiful rather than just beautiful.”