Tug of War 17

When Timothy returned, he looked apprehensively at the huge variety of brushes and makeup products that his stepmother had placed on a small table in the center of the room. "Susan, I know what you are planning to do, but I don’t think this is a good idea… Not at all!" the boy cried out, stomping his foot. 

The woman had to smile at that, seeing her stepson acting like a stubborn little girl. "Stop being silly right now, Timmy! Don't you remember what we just talked about? Do you want to defeat your father or not?"

"Yes, but..."

"And don't you want to be free to go out with this girl you like so much as soon as possible?"

"Of course, Susan, but…"

"Then no more 'buts', young lady! Just sit your pretty little butt right here and relax while I pamper you. You'll see it won't be so bad."

Timothy could hardly believe it when he found himself obeying the woman. Was he really going to let her put makeup on him face? When Nurse Grant had done it, he wasn’t aware of what was going on. But what would his excuse be now? He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't think of any argument good enough to beat Susan's logic.

"Promise me you won't do anything too extravagant, okay?" he meekly asked her as he sat down.

"Don't worry, sweetie" she whispered in his ear, stroking his shoulders. "Just a little bit of mascara and lipstick will do the trick. You'll see how much your father will hate it! I just think it would be so much easier if you just had a vanity here in your room to keep and organize your makeup, you know…" 

"M-my makeup?!" the boy got horrified. 

"Of course, Timmy!" the woman rolled her eyes. "Tonight I'm going to use my products on you, but this is only a temporary solution. Our skin tones aren't the same, after all, so it won't look that good. That's why you need your own stuff."

"But isn't it too much, Susan? I mean, how long to do you intend to keep me wearing makeup?"

"I don’t intend anything, sweetie. It's all up to you, right? The faster you commit yourself fully to this plan, the faster your father will admit defeat. Now enough talk. Let me see your face." 

And so she did. Grabbing Timothy's chin, the woman looked at his features closely. "Yeah, you certainly have pretty features... high cheekbones... delicate jaw line... plump lips... big green eyes… but your eyebrows won't do."

"Why? What's wrong with my eyebrows?"

"Are you really asking me that, young lady? Honestly, I expected more from you! Have you ever seen any girl with brows like yours?"

"Umm... No" Timothy was forced to admit.

"And you want to convince your father that you love being a girl, isn't it right?"

"Y-yes?" the boy stammered, afraid about the direction of that conversation. 

"Then that's it, sweetie. I'm glad you agree that we need to do something about the eyebrows."

"D-did I really say that?" Timothy asked, about to freak out. "I mean…"

"Now, now don't start it again, honey! It's all about commitment, remember? I'm just going to tweeze and shape your brows a little bit, anyway. No one will notice it. It’s not like I’m going to turn them into thin, high arches… at least not today." she added, smiling. 

Susan then got her tweezers as Timothy tried to calm down. He trusted his stepmother and he was sure she wouldn't do something to screw him up. However, he didn't expect it to hurt so much… 

"Ouch!" the boy screamed, as soon as the woman started plucking his brows. 

"Don’t be such a drama queen, Timmy. We women do it all the time! Hang in there and soon it'll be over." 

Timothy wasn't sure how long the process took, but it definitely was much longer than he would have wished! When the woman finally laid her tweezers aside, the boy had tears in his eyes and was feeling his forehead burning like hell. 

"Done, sweetie!" the woman hugged him. "It wasn't so difficult, was it? And I assure you the next step will be much more pleasing... Oh, I know I said before that just a bit of mascara and lipstick would be enough, but thinking better… If you really want to annoy your father, I think we need to be a little bolder. You don't need to look so worried, though. It will still be a casual makeup." 

After putting foundation and concealer on his face, Susan then went on working on his eyes, with light pink eyeshadow, eyeliner, and a generous amount of mascara on his eyelashes; next, she put some light blush on his cheeks, telling him to smile, which was the last thing Timothy wanted to do at that moment. Finally, it was time for his lips. 

Timothy knew he was overreacting, but as he spread his lips allowing his stepmother to put lipstick on them he felt as if he were giving up his masculinity. It was all happening so fast… A few days before he had agreed to put his hair on a ponytail and now he was having his makeup done! What would happen in the future if he did not win that game quickly?

"Oh, sweetie! I can't believe how lovely you look! Gosh, you have just no idea!" the woman clapped excitedly after putting a coat of lip gloss on the boy’s lips. 

"Umm... Can I see my face now?" Timothy asked, not so sure if he really wanted that. 

"In a minute, honey. Let me just work on your hair while you paint your nails first, okay? So you can get the full effect."

And so Timothy had to wait another twenty minutes before seeing what had been done to him. When Susan finally allowed the boy to look into the mirror, he unwittingly let out a sharp, girly squeal that disturbed him almost as much as his reflection. 

He had no idea how much a little bit of makeup could change someone's appearance. It wasn’t like he was looking at different person in the mirror or something, but a female version of himself. He thought sadly that with the right attitude he perhaps could even pass as a girl – Not a very attractive one, but he had seen much worse at school. 

His eyes looked somehow much bigger and brighter, his cheekbones seemed higher, and his lips looked plumper and kissable. Oh, and there was also his eyebrows! As promised, Susan hadn't tweezed them so much, but it had been enough to make a huge difference, softening his features a lot. Would his brows look normal once he took off his makeup? That was one of the questions that were tormenting him as he kept staring at the mirror…   

"So, what you think, sweetie?" Susan asked him.

"I... I don't know, Susan... This is all so weird..."

"I understand, honey, but you must overcome this feeling. Remember that you need to be ready for war, just like your father…"

"Yeah, Susan…" the boy looked down. "I’ll try my best."

"I’m sure you will" she patted on his back. "Let's do some training now then, so that you can have the right attitude in front of your father. Look at the mirror and say: I love being a pretty girl."

"W-what? Why would I..."

"Just do it!"

"I l-love being..."

"Do you really think that’s the voice you should use, young lady?"

"I love being a pretty girl!" Timothy said, this time sounding like a girly girl.

"Again, and remember to smile!" 

"I love being a pretty girl!" 

"And again…"

And so the training went on for many and many minutes. As Timothy kept smiling and saying something like that in front of the mirror, he wondered if he would be able to see a guy when he looked at his reflection ever again...