Make It Up to Him, Part 2

Phew!

"Make It Up to Him" won the poll!

I'm sorry this is a little late. As you can see, the story ran away with me. It's over a thousand words!

And, I imagine, this may not be the last we see of Tommy and friends... 🙂

Text

Tommy’s body continued to change. Looking down at himself, he realized he was totally unrecognizable. Gone was the scrawny man. The weekly injections had turned his body into a land of tall hills and deep valleys. Worse, the hormones did a number on his emotions. He cried at the drop of a hat, which only made Victoria taunt him even worse. She took a lot of delight in his suffering. But as weeks turned to months, Tommy had a lot of time to think, and he was finding it harder to blame her. The more he replayed the events leading up to the fight, the more he realized there was only one conclusion: He was an asshole.

Mike had been his best friend since childhood. He’d been there for him when his father left, and when his mother was on one of her benders. When they were kids, he beat the shit out of the bullies who tormented Tommy for being little. And how had Tommy thanked him? He nearly killed him, all because he gave Tommy a little peck on the cheek and asked (sweetly) if he’d ever thought about being with a guy.

But that simple question had unlocked some dark door inside Tommy. He barely remembered the next five minutes. One minute, Mike was trying to calm him down, and the next Tommy was staring down at his best friend’s bloody, unrecognizable face. He beat him so badly, they had to intubate him to keep him breathing. The worst part? The cops didn’t give a shit.

“Don’t worry, Tom,” they said. “Everybody knows Mike’s a fag. But you did the only thing a man could do. You defended yourself.”

The next time Victoria gave Tommy his estrogen shot, he didn’t even squirm. He just bent over and let her stick the needle in his butt.

“My, my,” she said. “You’re passive today. You sick or something?”

Tommy nodded. “That’s the only explanation. For what I did to Mike, I mean. Is he any better? God, Vicky, I’m so...so sorry.”

She frowned. “Are you trying to get me to feel sorry for you? It won’t work.”

“No, I’m not bullshitting you. I deserve this. I deserve worse! Maybe by being his wife—being his beard, like you said—I can protect him from all the homophobes around here, instead of hurting him.”

Victoria’s frown deepened. “So, what? You’ll just give in and let me make you as girly as I want?”

Tommy nodded slowly. His future as a man was dissolving right before his eyes, but if this is what it took to make things right, then so be it. “I’ll do it. I’ll marry Mike.”

What would their life be like, Tommy wondered? Definitely they’d have to leave their hometown. Everyone knew them, and if they’d been so hateful toward Mike just for being gay, what would they think about Tommy once he’d turned into a girl?

“Can I seem him?” Tommy asked. “I promise I won’t run away or anything.”

“I don’t trust you,” Victoria said. “But, sure. You can see him. You can see him right now, in fact. Follow me upstairs.”

Tommy’s heart raced. Was Mike out of the hospital? Victoria led him upstairs and pointed to a sofa. “Sit there.” Tommy obeyed. Then, with a little smile, she turned toward the door and raised her voice. “Mike, get in here!”

Tommy’s stomach leaped into his throat as he heard the familiar heavy footsteps of his best friend come down the hall. “What’s going—” Mike stopped when he spotted Tommy. “Oh…” he said, his voice barely audible.

Staring at his friend, Tommy felt sick to his stomach. Mike must’ve not been out of the hospital for long. Although the stitches had healed long ago, months in a medically-induced coma had left Mike looking gaunt and pale.

“Hi Mikey,” Tommy managed to squeak.

“Hi, uh, Tommy. I heard what Vicky was doing to you. I’m sorry I haven’t come down to see you.”

Tommy shook his head in disbelief. Mike was apologizing to him?

“At first, I thought you deserved it all,” Mike went on. “I was so pissed at you. But now, seeing you like this...” He shook his head. “Vicky, we have to let him go.”

“What?” Victoria exclaimed. “No way, Mike. He’ll go to the cops. Besides, I’m making him pay for what he did.”

“You already have!” Mike said. “Look at him. He ain’t even a man anymore.”

Suddenly feeling very naked, Tommy cupped his large breasts. “I...I want to marry you,” Tommy said. “To make up for what I did.”

Mike shook his head. “Tom, I ain’t marrying you. I’m not marrying a...a girl.”

“Please, Mikey,” Victoria said. “I know this is hard, but it’s what’s best for you.”

Mike tightened his fists. “I’ve been doing what’s ‘best’ for me my whole life, and all it got me is this!” He gestured to his scarred face. “And that was by my supposed best friend. I’m not staying in this shithole town, Vicky. I’m going away. Tom, I don’t know what to say. I hope what my sister has done will make you a better person. But I…I don’t want to marry you. Hell, I don’t even ever want to see you again.”

Tommy’s eyes welled up with tears. He looked down at the floor, not wanting Mike to see him cry.

“Goodbye, Tom,” Mike said, and stomped back down the hall.

“Mike, wait!” Victoria cried, and followed.

Tommy put his face in his hands, overcome with sobs. He’d almost killed his best friend, and now he wouldn’t even get a chance to redeem himself.

No. Now wasn’t the time to give up. Sniffling, he wiped his eyes and ran after Mike, his large breasts jiggling on his chest. “Mike, please. We…we don’t have to get married. That was your sister’s dumb idea.”

“Hey!”

Tommy grasped Mike’s hand. “But I’ll do anything to be your best friend again.”

Mike looked at him skeptically. “I don’t know. How can I ever trust you again?”

Tommy laughed and gestured at himself. “I won’t be beating up anyone ever again. Besides, wherever you’re going, won’t you need a… What’s it called? A fag hag?”

“Austin,” Mike said, then a small smile came over his face. “We’re going to Austin. But I’ll have to teach you a couple things on the way. Like how not to say ‘fag hag’ ever again.”

Tommy let out a squeal and wrapped his small arms around Mike’s big shoulders. Then he pulled away and said, “I know this doesn’t mean all is forgiven, but…thank you for giving me a second chance.” He turned to Victoria. “That goes for both of you.”

Victoria looked too stunned by this turn to say anything right away. Finally, she rolled her eyes and walked away before muttering under her breath she said, “Damn queers.”