Lucy's POV

  The music in my ears didn't feel loud enough, the thoughts slowly filling my brain as I tried to distract myself with the beat of the music. It was the best coping mechanism I had figured out myself, for when I was anxious, I learned it when I was thrown into the adult world. Focus on the music and your path; the voices won't get to you. It was invaluable, though. Who knew getting proper help and finally fixing that constant unbearing feeling of disgust with one's body could improve it even further? Now, anxiety only loomed at times like this, or when I had due dates of things coming up, or maybe a conversation or two with people I didn't know well. No amount of improvement on my anxiety and overall problems will ever make me feel comfortable talking to people like him. However, my anxiety was propping up today for a more unique reason.

  I didn't have any thought except excitement when I said, of course, to meet up with THE ALBERT. The guy who I'd been chatting online with for two years now, flirting and supporting me in my transition. He lived on the other side of Australia, so we'd never really pushed past a slightly sexual chat alongside just being close and super supportive of each other. So when a request from his company came to request he head to their office in MY city, I excitedly replied of course!

  The excitement fttened out, but I wasn't still extremely excited to meet the man I'd gotten so close to and trusted so much with the real me. The adventures we had from our computers would be different from meeting in person. I couldn't be her, and I would be clocked almost instantly, which meant I would disappoint him. He'd be looked at like he was just with a guy. Of course, I told him, and he had reassured me that he hadn't expected I'd be confident enough to go out in girlmode (he did say more words than that, leaving me in a blushing mess that night). Right now, though, I was still nervous as I sat on the train into the inner city to meet him; I was still anxious.

  I had Mary reassuring me that everything would be okay. However, now I regret rejecting her invitation to chaperone me there to greet Albert. They had both met online when Albert joined my friend group of game nights. Yet here I was, rejecting the offer cause I thought it would not be very comfortable to come here with my roommate or best friend. So, instead, I was now going to give her my locations and updates every so often so she could ensure I was safe. Mary had taken over what you'd expected a worried parent to do. Still, my parents had no idea I was a) seeing anyone and b) seeing a guy as a girl (in boymode). So Mary, as my best friend, had taken up the role to ensure I was safe and had a good night.

  The train slowed down as I gnced at the sign outside that read out where we were. I was getting close, and that realization did nothing but push my nerves up even more. I continued to try to focus on my music as I said goodbye to Mary and sent her the tracker while letting Albert know I'd be there soon.

  'It will all be okay,' I told myself as I looked out at the train, feeling it begin to move again. I gently started to focus on my breathing as I prepped for what would be a fantastic night. I knew (probably), but right now, I was so scared.

  'It will be super fun!' I spoke more measured, the same way Mary and Albert always guided me when I was anxious.

  'I look fine, well... I don't, but as he said, he wouldn't be bothered' the breaths slowly became more controlled.

  'He had seen me before' I thought about the exact line that he had sent me st night when I was freaking out. He reassured me that seeing me in boymode wouldn't explode two years of seeing me precisely the way I adored. I'd still be Lucy to him. No amount of clothes would change that. He wanted me happy and comfy, and today, he'd be getting a slightly comfy and hopefully delighted one as the night went on. We had pnned the night for ages, and it would be fun. The sort of things that I dreamt would happen when we first met in person.

  Our pns had slightly changed due to my wrongdoing. With all the excitement and nervousness today, I could barely eat. She was too anxious to eat anything not in mouse bites without wanting to throw up. That feeling had slowly developed into the evening, and I'd barely eaten anything all day. I told Albert, and after a quick scolding from him over a few messages, he got me to at least nibble on a few biscuits and change our pns slightly for the evening. I tried my best and slowly nibbled on some biscuits. He told me he'd make sure after we greeted each other, he'd bring me to a restaurant he knew I'd like, and then we'd go back to his pce to let me have a slightly more private so I could more easily rex with him. I wanted to escape the need to boymode. I desperately tried to rip myself out of these clothes to get into something nicer and cuter. Luckily, I did have a change of clothes, though, just some nightwear. Even if I'd end up heading home, I wanted to wear my nightwear because it was so comfortable and cute!

  I wore light brown jeans that tightly hugged my body and a light blue T-shirt that I thought was super cute. However, the comforting grey jumper hid it, even if the weather didn't warrant any sort of extra clothing. I still enjoyed the jumper, especially when it wasn't extremely hot; it was just comfortable. It slid down to hide my hands and snuggled right around my body. He knew I liked the jumper; it was my go-to dysphoria hoodie, though, honestly, it wasn't hiding much- was is people just dumb. snuggled years, most of the photos I had sent him were not in boymode. I had sent plenty of photos; he'd seen many of my attempts at looking feminine, cute, and her. It did worry me that he would now vividly see me as a lot more masculine. Will that change how he treats me? Will he think I'm still adorable?

  He'd given me so much praise over the time we'd known each other online. It called me cute, adorable, and pretty in the photos I've shared, but I could be very selective with what I showed. Now, I will be showing him all my fws. I would have no control over my fws, which would be pretty obvious: I was born in the wrong body. My breathing hitched as I felt even worse as the wave of dysphoria hit my body, and I felt even worse, but then I saw my screen light up and vibrate.

  AlbertHeartHart: See you in a few, Lucy, I can't wait to meet you!

  God, I was simple; the message warmed my heart as I felt the train begin to slow down. I picked myself up and hooked my bag onto my back. A simple message like that and my panic resided and let me focus on what was important. I was about to meet Albert Hart! I was about to meet the best person in the world, one of the first to finally understand me. That I didn't hide parts of myself from.

  With that reassurance, I hopped off the train, music still pying in my ear at a perfect volume. The underground train station was quite busy, but that was expected on a Friday afternoon just after 5pm. Central inner city, the breeding ground for corporate skyscrapers, and I had to navigate it to get to Albert. Venturing through the halls, I slowly figured out which exit I wanted to find, and soon, I was finally out in the open with fewer people rushing past me, thankfully. It was time to see my way to the Street Pza he was at.

  Albert's POV

  I sent a message back to the poor thing as she let me know she had arrived at the station; the pce looked busy, and standing on the Pza barely gave me a view of the station. I gnced back at my phone as I conversed with a coworker. I had to decline a st-minute Friday afternoon meeting. Fortunately, it wasn't mandatory, and another friend of mine at work was able to take my pce. A final message letting me know what had occurred made me contempte turning my phone on weekend mode and finally just focus on the poor woman, who'd been freaking out for most of the day. I think helpless; this is how I always helped her, but it felt different when I was finally so close to her. I'd be able to see her and give her the physical reassurance and comfort she deserved. So right now, those little messages to help calm her nerves felt useless compared to what I could do. Lucy's anxiety was always worse just before an event; once she was there and in the moment, she always seemed to report being so happy. I was gd for one of these events; I'd be more than just a spectator, hoping for her happiness.

  After all, this had come by from an opportunity given at work. I just had to make sure that I was provided a night I wouldn't be expected to go out for dinner with people so that I could have a night to myself and see Lucy. This trip was a perfect opportunity to meet her; I wanted to ensure I had time for her. She was definitely just as excited. I informed her mid-meeting that I'd be in her city within the same meeting I was informed. I received a flood of excited notifications from her a few minutes ter. Of course, over the next few days, especially this st week, she'd gotten much more anxious about everything. I'd spent time reassuring her worries about the encounter. She wanted to meet, but sometimes, she could get it in her head that she wasn't cute enough or a girl sufficient to meet in person. Supposedly, I had just fallen for the fa?ade she had created with her photos. The poor girl didn't see how amazing she was.

  Last night stressed her out a lot, and I wasn't there as much as I would have liked. Work has been pushing over the standard 9 to 5 times, although it was expected until the weekend; it meant I had to leave Lucy, who was catastrophizing the event. Thankfully, over the two years, Lucy had become more open and had other people to help her. They also knew of the beautiful girl who was forced to hide away. Once home, I kept her company that night. We continued to talk it over and worked out a pn for what we'd do, and she slowly became slightly less worried. Though I assume she was still hiding some of her fears, I'd help deal with those once we met in person. After developing a pn, I distracted her from her silly thoughts as the rest of the night went on, giving her a pce to chat about more enjoyable topics.

  A day ter, I was waiting at the end of Pax Street Mall, a pretty busy pce, on a Thursday afternoon. It felt like a good pce to meet her, entirely open, where she could feel safe to greet and see me for the first time. We'd immediately head to somewhere for dinner. There was no way I was letting her stay starving for longer. This was fine anyway; taking her out with someone nice to have some food would be fun.

  After that, we'd go somewhere private where she could be herself and be happy, which meant my hotel room. I wanted to give the cute woman I knew space to come out of that shell. A shell with multiple yers of fears, anxiety and self-doubt that sometimes I could break through in our chats, and she'd be this cute little ball of excitement. Excited to chat about her work, excited to show off how she looked in her newest outfit she'd gotten, that was the real her. That was my goal, to see that honest her, and hopefully, one day, I could completely break her free from that shell.

  However, I wanted to ensure she felt safe and comfortable today. I had to take care of her; she'd be anxious and starving, so I'd make sure she felt good. I'd go at her pace and let her fears melt away as she got more and more comfy. All she'd have to do was eat up and enjoy the date.

  It was time. She'd be off the train by now and hopefully reaching me soon. I wondered if meeting her at the station might have helped. However, I decided not to, reasoning that I should give her space and let her come to me when she is comfortable.

  A new notification from her, letting me know she'd escaped the hell of people in close quarters inside the train station. I looked around at my view of the station, excited to meet her in person soon. Of course, due to the message just after she sent it, I would definitely book her private for now with another apology for how she'd look when we meet. For now, though, I would just let her know I didn't care, that it was merely cute wrapping paper to keep her safe until she could rip it open and showcase the version she wanted.

  I didn't get a view of the upcoming crowd. The pza street looked like a crossing, but with the current number of people floating around, it was challenging to discern anyone. Worried she may not know where I was, I sent a photo of the arch I was standing near. She knew what I was wearing from earlier in the day, though she may only remember the little comment I added. I knew she'd be in her boymode, so it should be easy enough. Spotting someone in a jumper in this Australian weather would hopefully be straightforward.

  People were coming out of the train station and slowly building up a crowd on the other side of the road. I couldn't spot her in the crowd, but I was hopeful she'd be in this group. The traffic lights went red, and soon after, people crossed the street as the crowd slowly wandered over. Then I spotted her, the only person in the street with a very adorable grey jumper. She was definitely out of the ordinary for those crossing the street, but wow, she looked amazing. Her dark brunette hair was tied up in a low-hanging ponytail, with two strands hanging on each side of her face. She wore jeans I knew I'd seen before in past photos, though not in her current outfit selection, but they still made her look great. Woman-cut jeans had become one of her favourite clothes for 'boymoding' in, but right now, looking at her, those were just screaming, 'I'm a girl'. She looked gorgeous. I just wished I could see her in a whole outfit that wasn't just for her safety.

  Gosh, she was such a fool to ever think her in boymode would make me feel any different from her. I just looked at her and watched as she wandered onto my side of the street. It was adorable watching her look around until she spotted me. She halted in pce and then seemed to explode in excitement as she did these cute movements with her hands. After a quick smile and wave, she moved finally, skipping over to me with the cutest smile in the world. I smiled back, waiting for her to reach me.

  Yet it wasn't long before she was right in front of me, fidgeting. She looked a little nervous but also extremely excited.

  "Um, h-hi Albert", gosh she was cute. In front of me, the adorable woman I'd only ever seen in photo form was now standing. Don't get me wrong, she was definitely anxious with the way she was holding her body tightly to help battle her anxiety, but gosh, this Lucy was still so much braver than the poor thing I had met at first.

  "Hello, Lucky." I smiled at her. I used her nickname so as not to make her panic. It was a name I knew she used when she didn't want to be called Lucy or more when she couldn't. A cute joke a friend made one time when she wasn't feeling too great. The name caught on, and as the friend disappeared, the joke never did. I knew she loved it almost as much as she loved the name she gave herself. I didn't feel like she'd feel great if I used her name, so Lucky was a good in-between.

  "I'm so happy to meet you, Albert!" she blushed and looked down. The girl was still fidgeting with her hands; it was an adorable sight.

  "God, Lucky you are adorable."

  The cutest little squeak with the words, "Ah T-thanks", rushed over as she gnced around the crowd, slowly dispersing. Then slowly looked back at me with a warm yet nervous smile that filled me with happiness. The smile filled me with a deep-seated fire to ensure this girl's night was amazing. There was a part of me that wished she wore something she actually liked. I knew her little rants about the clothing she was currently wearing, but it was expected we were out in public.

  "Alright, Lucky, we should go get you some food", I spoke, switching my mindset to the more lust-centric part to the more caring role she needed right now, "I found a nice spot you'll like. It has food I know you've tried before. Just some simple stuff to help with that empty stomach of yours. I know you were feeling like you'd vomit if you ate something before, but I want you to at least try to eat a little. I know they do a chicken nuggets meal if needed, so if you're not feeling up for a big meal, I want you to at least eat that". I finished and looked at her; she was obviously still nervous; would I quickly change into how I'd usually treat her?

  "T-thanks, b-but I should be fine, plus... if I got that meal, it would be embarrassing." The adorable slight stuttering didn't help me want to bonk her. She was so silly, preferring starving and only hurting herself more instead of thinking it would embarrass her.

  "You are starving, Lucky, you are eating something."

  "Okay," she nodded obediently, "I'm sorry I changed the pns. I couldn't eat earlier; I was too nervous to eat."

  "It's fine. We had pnned to just order in; there's not much difference except for going out to eat. It will be fun to chat and hear about how you've been doing instead of just walking around until we go up to my pce to watch some movies," I reassured her, giving her a gentle smile as she quickly smiled back, though still quite nervous to look at me.

  "Alright, follow me, Lucky", I said as we left from just below the arch and went towards the restaurant where we'd have dinner.

  The waiter brought us to a lovely table with a fantastic view of the river around the city. As the waiter left to grab menus, she merely stared out the window into the darkness of the night and the city lights shining onto the river, her eyes sparkling with the moonlight.

  "This is amazing!" She spoke quietly, still not wholly able to look at me. Her eyes focused on little parts of the table.

  "It's a charming spot. I found the restaurant and tried it with two coworkers. The food was wonderful, and I knew the menu would suit you. Plus, it's inside the hotel I'm staying at, so I knew the view was amazing."

  "Well, I guess I should see if you're right about the menu," she smiled, looking down at the menu.

  "Oh, I wonder if you can see your apartment from my room", I commented, wondering if it was close enough to here.

  "I can probably at least see the area I live in. It will probably be hard to see the apartment, though—" she paused, giggling as she darted her hand to cover her mouth. I'll make sure to bring binocurs next time."

  "That sounds like a pn. Or maybe we can see if we can see the hotel from your pce." I made a sly smile as she blushed at the idea.

  "Y-yeah, we can do that."

  "Oh, did you bring your ptop?" I asked, reminding myself of our pn tonight instead of the one slowly rising in my head.

  "Yep! You think we can plug it into the TV?"

  "I believe so; if not, we can just watch from the ptop."

  "I guess, but like the photo you shared, I really want to listen to the sound effects with those speakers."

  "Oh, so am I just a ticket for nice speakers?" I looked at her to tease the girl. Some light teasing before our meal would be fine.

  "Of course not!" she squeaked as I began to chuckle. "Mhmm, meanie..."

  "Alright, Lucky", I teased, which caused her to pnt her head in her hands. The only thing saving her from another little tease was the waiter returning with two menus.

  "Here you both are. Do you have an idea of what you'd like to drink tonight, or would you like a drinks menu?" the waiter said, looking at both of us as Lucy's eye darted over to look at me. I quietly smiled at Lucy and then looked at the young waiter.

  "Thank you," I broke the silence. "Lucky you'll have a lemonade, right? " She quickly smiled and nodded. "Alright, can we get two lemonades, and could we also get a drinks menu? We might as well take a look."

  "Of course, sir. I'll have drinks for both of you in a minute." He smiled and left us as I gnced at the sheet of minated paper with a list of drinks.

  "Are you feeling adventurous about any drinks?" I asked, not really interested in any drinks on the menu. "I didn't know if you wanted to speak, so I just handled it for you," I replied, wishing I could give her a head pat and watch her squirm and blush in embarrassment. Still, I'll wait until she feels more comfortable before I make her into a blushing mess.

  "Thank you. I am in boymode, but something made me nervous about speaking. Lemonade was a perfect choice anyway, so thank you."

  "Oh, so you aren't disappointed I hadn't checked if there was chocote milk?" I couldn't help myself; I wanted to see her reaction. I'll keep my composure and make sure she stays comfortable.

  As I chuckled, the little roll of her eyes was all I needed. It all did nothing to sedate my desire to grab her more, to watch her squirm and blush and show that adorable side when she got to be herself. She was already way too cute, and she was still boymoding. Her photos of clothing she had sent me coming up in my mind only made me more eager to see her like that.

  "No, we are in the middle of a fancy restaurant. I wouldn't expect them to have chocote milk. Lemonade is a wonderful drink to order for me."

  "Sure it is", I finished ughing, happy with how flustered she was getting, though knowing I was still walking on a delicate edge of her anxiety. I wanted to treat her the way she enjoyed but not upset her anxiety. The number one thing I needed to do for her was make sure I wasn't paying attention to her.

  "So then, how is work?" I asked her as I noticed her face was slowly returning to her natural colour.

  Her eyes lit up, ignoring the teasing that occurred mere seconds ago, "Good! Albert, they got me working on the setup for the enemies' AI for the demo. I've been working out this new technique so the enemies can use the items we have set up for pyers. They loved having enemies have the same weapons as the pyers. So, all I have to do is set it up and demo it to the team, and then we'll design what items to showcase. I think I have enough time-"

  Lucy's POV

  Dinner was excellent so far. I was so happy. I'd scouted out a perfect meal to help appeal to the monster starving in my stomach, and chatting with Albert in person was a dream come true. He was just as fun to talk to in person as online. He told me all about the new business proposal his team was doing here in the city with this tech firm I had no idea about, and he had me talk his ear off about my new job. The topics made me slowly not think about my worries about how I looked and how this could be super strange for him; it all soothed away as I realized we were both just having fun. I really hope that he felt the same way. His eyes sparked with glee whenever I told him about anything; he was fascinated with what I was doing, and it was exactly as I dreamt it could be back when I'd just be ying in bed with my phone lying up to whatever plushie I was snuggling that night. The idea that this was his reaction whenever we spoke online made it so alluring. I really did adore this man.

  Dinner came only 10 minutes after we'd ordered, though it may have taken longer; it was harder to keep track of time tonight. I had this lovely small chicken schnitzel that looked delicious, and I quietly asked the waiter if I could get tomato sauce, which he smiled and told me, of course, I could. It still felt a little embarrassing; things like that made me feel like a child.

  "The food looks delicious", I commented as I messed around with the formation of the cutlery and moved back my cup of water, which I'd hastily moved out of the way for the waiter.

  "Yep, it looks lovely. Now dig in before I feed it to you myself," he told me, which made me pout.

  "I'm not a child doofus. I was going to eat it, but I'm just going to take it slowly," I retorted as he smiled at me.

  "Of course, just have to ensure you eat at least something."

  "I will!" I smiled.

  The two of us continued chatting whenever our mouths were not complete. The conversations had been so lovely. I think Albert was a little worried about scaring me or something, but I was going okay, which seemed to be communicated as he got more and more flirty with me.

  Soon, with the teasing and eating, time passed, and it was soon time for us to head back to Alberts's room. It had been the pn since we set up the night. I wanted to, after all, not for anything nefarious, but a space I could really show him me. The woman I desperately wanted to be, the person I wanted him to see. I know he had reassured me, but it felt wrong. Albert was supposed to be on a date with a woman, yet he was with a boy. It felt wrong, was bad, and wasn't what I wanted.

  Albert looked at me a few times as I felt increasingly bad about what I'd done to him. A look of concern could sometimes be seen, but he kept quiet for now as I tried to settle myself down. I knew it was stupid, but I didn't want to admit it.

  Other than being myself, the rest of the time would be spent just watching stuff on my ptop. I wanted to watch a new anime and rex slowly together. Forever, we had only been able to give company through our phone screens, but now I would cherish even the most minor things.

  Only a minute ter, I was awestruck to see that we were already in the lobby and heading to the elevator. I couldn't help but hug his side. I was nervous. People might have been looking at us and judging us. Albert said no one ever would, but still, I feared it. I feared what their eyes were doing when they looked over at us.

  He wrapped an arm gently around me. It was nice; it was the measurement I needed to remind me of what he told me. He didn't care, nor would passerby; I had nothing to worry about. So I tried my best to just enjoy the moment of being held close to Albert. I could imagine it, me in some cute dress, out on some sort of date, and Albert and I were wandering back. Just boyfriend and girlfriend wandering.

  Soon, with my little fantasy buzzing away in my head, it didn't take long for me to find myself in the elevator, where I gently began to nuzzle up against him. I couldn't help it; I was just happy to be here and feel his warmth. Albert didn't do much while we waited; he just held onto me and let me press closer to his side. Though he did let out a little chuckle at one point as I brushed up against him.

  The doors finally opened as we reached his floor, and he said, " Come on, Kitty."

  My brain fried at that moment—the more intimate moments—and I was standing in front of him. I wasn't even looking good, and he was eager to call me that word. Ahh, it was doing things to my brain, and the most I could do was follow as he guided me towards the room.

  "That really frazzled you, didn't it" he commented, looking at me.

  "Y-yeah", I nervously spoke. He'd let go of me, and I couldn't help but barely be able to work.

  "Bad frazzled or excited frazzled?" he asked, slightly concerned.

  "Good frazzled, just I um, you calling me that... it was just a dream in our messages, and now it's-" he ran up and hugged me before I could finish the sentence. The only thing coming out was the slight squeak that I made from the sudden contact.

  "You are way too cute, Lucy; I want to do much more than just call you Kitty. Though for tonight's operation, make Kitty comfortable," he whispered in my ears as I purred with what he was saying. I couldn't help but imagine what the more could be, but I was thankful tonight; it was just cute and fun. It's the sort of thing I wanted tonight—just a night with him, a night in his company.

  "Sounds like you're good with that," he purred in my ear and then gently moved slightly away. Now, come on, let's get you to the room."

  So we did that, walking alongside each other until we reached his room, and I got to see what the business had brought him as a thank you. The first thing you saw in the room was the massive window at the river. It was beautiful; the city lights of a Thursday night brightened up the river, and you could see it all from his room. The room was just as attractive; as you stepped in, there was one main room, and on my left, I could only assume it was the bedroom, with the door shut. The main room contained a small kitchen area with a fridge, microwave and a high-tech coffee machine, though maybe that was just how most machines looked these days. The rest of the room was left for a massive ft-screen TV that was watched by a rge bck leather couch and a swivel chair I think I had seen before at my father's.

  "The pce is so nice", I said as Albert walked past and started to take off his shoes.

  "Business expense, a thank you for pushing me to dey my holiday, " he told me, "little did they know after recognizing the location they needed to send me. I was already set on agreeing."

  I let out a little giggle and blushed. ' He wanted to come here for me,' I thought.

  "Wow, your giggles are so cute, Lucy, " he praised me as we sat on the couch. Though the vibrations from my jeans woke me up.

  "Oh shoot, sorry", I apologized, looking at his eyes.

  "It's okay. Should you check it?" he gave me a light tap on the head as I nodded. Albert waltzed over to the kitchen space as I went to sit on the couch. I grabbed my phone and looked at the message from Mary checking in. I quickly tapped away a reply, telling her I was up in his room now and would let her know if I was staying the night ter.

  A few messages ter, with so many insinuations sent my way by Emily while I was in the presence of ALBERT HART, he gracefully returned from the kitchen with two gss cups filled with water. He sat down close by but with a generous amount of space between us, which only reminded me how significant this couch was for a hotel room.

  I sighed quietly, closed my phone, and returned it to my pocket.

  "Everything okay?" he asked, facing me.

  I nodded and replied, "Yep, Mary just keeping track of me to ensure I'm safe. There was a light amount of teasing when she heard we were in your room."

  "Ah, I see," he smiled, "so, princess, what are your royal demands for the rest of our evening?" I liked that pet name. He chose one early on in our chats, and it was so lovely; it made me feel unique and warm. The ability to envision me as his princess was something I couldn't dream of ever hating. Though in this body, it still... felt wrong.

  A frown must have slowly built up as I got stuck in thought. I was a guy right now, and everything about my look was designed to make me look male or at least to hide my body's more feminine features. So how could I...

  "I, um, I don't know" I sniffled and took a breath as I looked down. Stupid veiny hands, silly, stupid, stupid. How could I let myself be called princess?

  "Lucy!" his voice called out in concern as he looked at me. "Lucy, may I hug you?"

  I nodded as his arms flung around me and brought me in. The warmth of his coat and body slowly made me ignore all my thoughts. His smell was intoxicating, and his warmth made me feel so protected. This man liked me, he wanted me as a girl, and was going to protect me.

  "I'm going to let go of you, Lucy. I'm going to guide you to the couch so you can just rest" he let go, and I let out a slight moan of disappointment at him leaving me.

  Albert let out a little chuckle as he spoke once again, "Come here, my cute Lucy." He gently guided me to the couch with a hand on my back. Soon, he guided me onto the couch and joined me as I sat down. His hand never left my back as he gently rubbed it, helping different lessons from therapy come to the top of my mind. Deep breathing exercises kicked in as I slowly steadied myself.

  "Good girl," his words hit me instantly, and I felt so happy. I shook in pleasure from the words. The feeling, the happiness, the euphoria that struck me from those words, the words I desperately wanted to hear in person every time he said them online, helped my exercises. Yes, I got shivers, but that didn't stop me from being a good girl.

  "What was upsetting you, Lucy?" He asked. He gently stroked my back, and I shivered once again from the feeling. How could one guy have so much power? I'd talked about my dysphoria before with Albert. He knew I dealt with it a lot.

  "I don't... I shouldn..." the words choked out, I didn't want to say it, "I can't be a princess... I look like a guy".

  "Lucy, have you looked at yourself?" he snorted, stroking my back.

  "Of course not, I'm icky. I don't wanna ruin the image in my head right now", I quickly retorted.

  "Lucy, your current image makes you think you aren't my adorable princess."

  I mumbled, "It isn't that; there's still a little confidence." I had confidence. I showed up with clothes I thought I'd look okay in; I didn't need to know I didn't look good in them.

  "Oh, Lucy," he sighed, "that doesn't make any sense, and I bet it makes no sense in your head. Now then, up we go." He lifted me off the couch, off my two feet, and into a princess carry as he walked us somewhere, giving up any protest of being manhandled when I saw his lovely smile looking down at me. "Lucy, can you trust me?"

  I simply nodded and let him carry me over wherever we went. Only seconds ter, I gulped, realizing he was taking me to the bathroom.

  The bathroom was gorgeous, with a pristine tiled floor with a nice marble finish that looked amazing on the walls, and right in front of me, as Albert pced me down in front of a full-body mirror, I instantly shut my eyes. I didn't want to see it. I didn't want to see how bad I was. Closing my eyes instantly became regrettable as I squeaked from the slight touch of wind hitting my ears as I heard him come close. My sensitivity felt like it skyrocketed as soon as I took away my sight.

  "Cute!" he excimed quietly as his voice loomed around the room.

  Next, his voice sat right next to my left ear as his arms gripped my waist, "Ahem, cause it seems you believe you're unfit to be my princess; I believe you'll be a wonderful kitty, don't you think?". Kitty was his other pet name for me when I was a bit more stubby than usual. Subspace was an escape for me, a pce to be smaller and just a cute sub for Albert. He'd take care of me, look after me, and all I needed to think about was being a good kitty unless I wanted to be bratty. Though right now I wanted to compin, I wanted to aid the dysphoria and insult myself.

  "Alb—" I started but halted as I felt his finger gently sit in front of my mouth. The gesture itself made me crumble, and he knew it. I'd talked about gestures and commands, how hot I found them both, and how he used them while I was in Subspace.

  "Now, Kitty, I will take away talking permission for a bit, so be a good girl and listen. If this gets uncomfortable, use our lights; those are the only words you can say. This isn't going to end up with us doing anything. All I want to do is stop those silly brainworms of yours." His voice echoed as I shuttered from the air he breathed onto me. Holy, I was so sensitive, so desperately puddy in his hand.

  "You're so cute!" His words followed my whole body as I kept my eyes shut. I was holding myself in pce, so as soon as I looked, I would see myself in the mirror.

  "Super duper cute", his praise continued to make me shiver.

  "Honestly, your silly brainworms are the only thing stopping you from realizing how cute you are".

  "Now, Kitty, I'm going to ask a question, and you can answer, but then go back to being a good girl and just listen to my voice. Can you give me a little nod, please?" I quickly nodded as I felt him go back to stroking my back, and the voice moved further away from my ear.

  "Why do you boymode?" he asked that simple question as the stroking stopped, and he quietly waited.

  "Cause... cause I'm not out, so I must hide the changes. T-they aren't g-" he stopped me again as his hand came across my mouth to cover it. Of course, I instantly stopped. I'd let the man do things like this online, and now, in person, it was ever more powerful. I- Gawd... I was definitely falling into Subspace. Not that it was like I was defiant; otherwise, it just made me feel warm and fuzzy to obey.

  "Good girl, correct answer. Luckily, I saved you cause I think you were about to make it incorrect, and we don't want that. Now, Lucy, can you open your eyes for me? I know it's scary, but I want to show you how much you miss, how much you've changed, how much all of this barely does anything to hide that you're an adorable girl trying to hide in guy clothes," his voice soothed any fears I had as his hand stopped blocking my mouth. The desire to open my eyes wasn't there. I didn't want to see HIM, not when I was with Albert. Yet it sounded like Albert didn't see him at all, though maybe he was just a good liar.

  "Come on, princess. I promise I'm not going anywhere," he reassured me as I hesitantly opened my eyes. I trusted him; he wasn't a liar; he would be here with me, seeing the mess of me and him behind me. I couldn't really see what he saw. I saw each scar of masculinity, each reason to keep hiding.

  "Now, ahem, let's see, this beautiful flowing hair that looks so lovely doesn't help at all, and look at these" his hands slowly caressed my body, lowering themselves down until they hit my hips. "Look at these adorable hips you have, Lucy; they are barely hidden by your jumper and shirt. Now… Lucy, can you take off your jumper? Cause I feel like I could point out the obvious bumps as you are, but your brain needs to understand how easy it is to see you as a woman?" he smiled at the mirror as I looked up at him. His hands gave shape to my body; it did look different. It looked a lot different, but these things were ordinarily unnoticeable. Yet I did what he said and took off my jumper.

  "Silly Kitty, it is even more obvious now," he excimed as we looked at each other in the mirror. His hands on my hips helped shape my shirt to fit tightly to my body.

  "How can you call this a guy's body?" I watched him speak as he loomed above me, looking at me through the window. Holy, we were together, standing in the mirror. This was real. My height was still a little tall, but I still looked good before him. I could kind of see what he meant by this body.

  "Like ignoring those two lovely bumps. No guy has that. Just look at how your body is shaped and this adorable butt. Lucy, you look stunning," he said as he stood beside me. I couldn't help but look up through the mirror at his face and lips. He made me feel so happy, even if admitting he could be right was hard.

  "You've been taking hormones for a while, Lucy; there is a lot more of your body that screams I'm a woman than anything else, and none of it screams I'm a man. Can you see the difference between us two?" "Y-yeah", I replied, blushing bright red as he patted me.

  "Gosh, you are really adorable, Lucy. I'm so happy to have met you in person." I stopped looking at the mirror and instead looked at her, eyeing the man in front of me—Albert Hart, who I'd been interested in for years. That had helped me be brave enough to take the steps I needed. Here he was, and I, well, I wanted to kiss him too severely.

  "A-Albert," I said quietly, looking at him. His face had this warm, gentle smile.

  "Yeah, Lucy?"

  "Can you- I um, can you please?" I stuttered, too nervous to say what exactly I wanted. Yet, looking directly at him, there was the most incredible smile in the world.

  "I can guess what you want" he smiled as his face approached mine. He looked so amazing.

  "Please", I begged helplessly as he instantly went for it, and his lips met mine.

  The gentleness of his lips and hands began to wrap around me as time passed. It was fireworks; every expectation I had for this moment was blown apart as his lips met mine. Taking a hole in the situation as his arms held my body close. It made me so happy; the gentleness and the warmth just felt so right. The gentle kiss ended as he gently moved his lips away, as I gasped for air. I hadn't kissed well like that, and I forgot to breathe.

  He didn't take his hands away. He just smiled at me as I wrapped my arms around him and began to rest on his shoulder.

  "How was that, Lucy?" he asked as I snuggled deeper against his body. I was doing things I probably shouldn't have been, but I just wanted to rest tightly against his body.

  "Amazing!" I gasped. It was terrific—better than impressive, the best thing ever—but I couldn't help saying anything except excellent. I'd tell him ter when I'm not just in the moment.

  "Cute!" he excimed, "now Lucy, did you bring some clothes with you?"

  "I did, though it was just some thigh highs and a nightie for the night", I replied.

  "That is perfect, Lucy. Would you like to go get changed? Then we can watch TV and get a good night's rest?" He smiled, giving me a gentle pat as he let go of the hug and began to walk out of the bathroom. I quickly grabbed my jumper and followed him back to my bag. "Oh, have a shower, Lucy, as well. Might as well if we are getting changed into pjs."

  I nodded and walked back to the bathroom, closing and locking it. I started to take off my clothes, facing towards the shower and watching it pour down. Soon, I was hopping into the shower and cleaning myself up, loving every moment of thinking back to what felt like years ago but was merely a minute ago. Soon, my soaped-up body was clean, and my hair was being dried. I wrapped my hair in a towel with my nighty already on and thigh highs on but not entirely pulled up as I walked out and saw Albert smiling at me.

  "You look amazing!" he smiled and walked up to me.

  "It's just thigh highs and a nighty. It isn't that amazing", I argued.

  "You still look amazing in it," he hugged me and began walking to the bathroom himself, carrying a towel and a few things he had picked up after hugging me. He even kissed my forehead for lucky little me.

  "Be right back, Lucy", he said as he strolled to the bathroom, leaving me awestruck at everything we had. Tonight was the most incredible night ever. How could I be anyone but Lucy. The world was just so much brighter this way.