Tug of War 64.1

The following weekend...

"Gosh, I had, like, totally forgotten how beautiful this place is!" Timothy cried out, sipping his orange juice as he admired the beautiful lake in front of him, surrounded by flowering trees and shrubs, with steep hills in the background.

"I know, right?" Martin agreed, smiling. "It's been a long time since we last came here."

"So true! Like, more than a year, I'd say. Geez, time really flies fast" Timothy added, thinking that the last time he and Martin had been at that place, things were very different... he still didn't have boobs, to start with.

As the boys were growing up, they used to spend a lot of time at the lake, especially during summer vacation. Every morning, they would wake up early and go to the place by bicycle – a half-hour ride to the north end of the town – spending the whole day there, swimming, playing around and chatting.

To Timothy, those memories seemed almost like another life now, and in a certain way they indeed were. Regardless of that, he was very excited on Friday at school when Martin suggested a little trip to the lake. "Just to remember to old days" the guy pointed out, scratching the back of his neck. "I didn't plan anything fancy, though... I guess we could just talk and eat something..."

Is he nervous about 'asking me out'? Timothy wondered, amused. Oh my god, I think he totally is! He looks kinda cute that way, doesn't him? I mean, cute as a friend, of course...

"Like a picnic?" the feminized guy asked, full of expectation.

"Umm... yeah, sure, a picnic! So... w-what do you say? If you already have plans for the weekend, though, I'd fully understand and..."

"It sounds superb, Martin! Yeah, let's have a picnic!"

"Really?" the guy exclaimed, sounding as excited as if Christmas had come early. "That's great! I... umm... I'll think of some snacks to bring, then."

"Fab! I'll do it, as well, just in case you decide to bring curry ice cream or something" Timothy teased him.

"Hey! I told you already that curry ice cream is great!"

"Yeah, sure it is" Timothy giggled. "I have to go now, Martin... I... umm... I'm late for cheer practice..." he added, realizing how weird it was to say something like that to his best buddy. "See you later!" he then hurried down the hallway, his heels clicking on the floor, after kissing Martin on the cheek, of course, something that had already become a habit without him even noticing it.

The next day, to Timothy's surprise, he saw that Martin had been a lot more pragmatic in his choice of snacks than the feminized guy had expected. He had brought a basket full of homemade cake and cookies, alongside with toast and blackberry jam. Timothy suspected that Mrs. Lozano, Martin's mother, had been responsible for choosing and making the menu. Unlike her son, she was a very practical woman. Martin's personality had clearly been inherited from his father, a joiner who had some peculiar ideas on how to build furniture, and perhaps because of that he wasn't the most requested professional in the town.

Timothy had always gotten along pretty well with Martin's parents, but he hadn't seen them in a long time. What would they be thinking about the fact that their son's best friend was now living as a girl? Did they know that Martin was now on a picnic with Tiffany?

The feminized guy had also made some effort preparing for the event, bringing orange juice, fruit salad and yogurt. As for his outfit, he was wearing a plaid shirt tied above his navel and short jean shorts, missing only the cowboy boots in order to look like a perfect farm girl. He had chosen the pieces himself, thinking it seemed appropriate for the occasion. 

Pulling a female outfit together had already become second nature to him at that point. It was just inevitable after being trained so rigorously by his stepmother, and spending so much time with Alyssa. And however much Timothy wanted to deny it, he also begun to experience some amusement while doing so, as an artist proud of his own creation. Women's fashion was something much more complex than almost any guy would guess, after all, and doing it right made him feels some kind of accomplishment.

Timothy and Martin spent the whole morning laughing and remembering the past, as they ate the food. "Here, try this cake" Martin offered, after spreading jam over it meticulously, bringing the cake to Timothy's mouth. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Mmmm... pretty good indeed!" Timothy cried out, cheerfully. "Do you know the recipe? Gosh, I'd definitely like to try making it myself some day. Soo yummy!"

"Sorry, I have no idea" Martin said, looking frustrated. "That's one of my mom's top secret recipes. She can be very possessive about them, you know... But since it's for you, she may be willing to share it this time. I think she uses melon or something..."

"Melon?" Timothy raised his thin eyebrows, as he nibbled another piece of the cake. "No way! You're, like, totally wrong!" he giggled.

"Maybe..." Martin considered the idea for a while. "But since when are you an expert on cooking?" he asked suddenly, as if waking up. "From what I remember, you didn't even know how to fry an egg!"

"Oh, you have no idea what you're talking about, mister" Timothy stated, with a slyly smile. "I've learned a lot since I... well... since started living as a girl. I've been cooking almost every day. I even made the fruit salad you just ate!"

"Yeah, it was delicious, I have to say!" Martin scratched his chin. "But fruit salad can't be that hard to make, can it?" he asked, with the honest curiosity of someone almost too naive to live in society.

"Did you really say that?!" Timothy exclaimed, open-mouthed. "Oh my gosh, you have no idea at all on how to please a girl, do you?" he asked, laughing and hitting Martin on the arm at the same time. "Oh, Martin, you totally are a lost cause!"

"Wait... did I say something wrong?" Martin questioned, truly puzzled. "Ouch, it hurts!"

"Oh, really? Now you want me to believe that a delicate girl like me can hurt big boy like you?" Timothy continued, now laughing so hard that his face was flushed and his belly began to ache. "Oh, Martin, I think..." but whatever Timothy had to say next, it never came out of his pink lips – suddenly, his face turned into a mask of terror as his eyes focused somewhere over Martin's shoulders, not far away...

...there was something definitely wrong going on.

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Sorry for the cliffhanger, guys! I'll post the next part pretty soon ;-)