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Having teenage daughters was not easy. Having teenage daughters as a dad was really not easy. Having teenage daughters going to homecoming is excruciating.
Stolas stood very rigid and straight, hands firmly clasped behind his back. His fingers jerked ever so slightly, and he tightened his grip. He forced his breathing to be steady and calm as he waited for one of his two daughters to come out of the dressing room.
Blitz, on the other hand, sat in the small plush armchair provided. He let his one leg dangle over the armrest and was absently scrolling through his phone. “You need to relax, Stretch,” he said without ever looking up from his phone.
Without moving a muscle, he allowed himself a sideways glance at the man who appeared to have no care in the world other than what was possibly in his for-you feed. “Who says I am not relaxed?”
“Ha! Just look at you.” Blitz belted before placing his phone in his lap.
“This Homecoming is important. It is Octavia’s first and Loona’s last. It needs to be perfect.” Stolas squared his shoulders and lifted his chin.
Blitz eyed the man standing there in front of him a moment before slowly righting himself and meandering towards him.
He now slowly circled the man. “You're so rigid right now. One strong gust of wind and you would snap in half.” He stopped in front of Stolas, leaned closer, and gently wrapped his arms around Stolas in such a way that his arms covered his.
He slowly started rubbing Stolas' arms, then let his hands get to Stolas’ wrist and slowly caressed his fingers, and gently untwined them. “Just relax.”
Stolas tried to stifle a giggle. This was very reminiscent of some roleplaying they would do from time. Becoming aroused in the middle of a department store was not a good idea, but Blitz did things to him.
The fact that they were in a department store and the fact that they were there with their daughters, was, however, enough of a deterrent to keep Stolas from embarrassing himself.
“There he is.” Blitz giggled, standing on his tiptoes. Stolas leaned forward, and they kissed. Very chaste. They had their girls to consider after all.
“Ewwww, Daaaads.” Octavia rolled her eyes as she came out of the dressing room and saw her fathers. “You guys know we are in a store, right?” She turned away to face herself in the full-length mirror.
Stolas gave Blitz a smile and a wink before coming to stand behind his daughter. “You look exquisite.”
Octavia played with the dress, moving it this way and that, adjusting the top, pulling at the waist, all the while a frown on her face. “I take it you do not like it?” Stolas asked her.
“It just feels wrong,” she huffed.
“That is why we are here. To find the dress that makes you happy. We will keep trying on different dresses until you come to the right one.”
As Stolas was talking, Loona came out of her dressing room. She was wearing almost the exact same dress as Octavia. Her bodice was slightly different.
“Oh, what a beautiful picture this would make.” Stolas clasped his hands together. Blitz knew that if it were possible, Stolas’ pupils would have gone heart-shaped. He chuckled at the image.
“The only problem is neither of the girls like their dresses,” Blitz interjected. “Just look at their faces.
“Yeah, this fu-freaking top is weird. And I keep stepping on the hem. I think I need to go shorter.” Loona huffed as she raised the front of the dress slightly off the ground.
“Okay…” Blitz said cautiously. “But let's not go too short. I know how teen boys are.”
“For fu- for- oh never mind.”
Stolas smiled with pride. When Blitz and Stolas first started dating, Loona swore just as badly as Blitz did. When it was time to introduce the girls to each other, Stolas had tried to explain that Octavia was not used to that kind of language and asked if they could possibly tone it down just a bit. That was over ten years ago.
Not only had they both done excellently, they still censored themselves around Octavia. That was what Stolas thought, anyway. The truth was that all three knew how important the idea was to Stolas. So everyone, including Octavia, refrained from swearing when they were all together.
The girls tried on several more dresses. Loona’s were getting shorter and more revealing. While Octavia’s dresses seemed to run the gamut. She tried on frilly, elegant, sequins, silk, long, shorter but not ever very short, sleeves, no sleeves, if it was in the department store, she probably tried it on.
Loona had found a black dress with a sheer black top. The dress was covered in sequins and material at the top that created a star shape on her chest. Loona loved it, Stolas and Octavia liked it very much because they each felt it suited her very well, and naturally, Blitz hated it.
Unfortunately, Octavia was not having any luck. “Maybe if you describe what you are wanting in a dress, we can try and find something easier?” Stolas was wandering next to her, weaving through the clothes racks and mannequins. He wanted his little Star Fire to be comfortable and happy with her choice.
Octavia sighed. “I don’t know. That’s part of the problem.” She closed her eyes tightly in frustration, throwing her head back. “Maybe I should just stay home.” Her voice was wet and heavy.
“Sweetheart, I know that you have been looking forward to this evening with your friends since the beginning of the school year. We will find something.”
Their wandering had carried them into the young men's section, and they found themselves surrounded by suits of varying colors and cuts.
Octavia stopped in her tracks and blinked several times before slowly approaching a mannequin wearing a black tuxedo-like suit. It had purple piping and coat tails. The shirt displayed with it was a crisp, white, silky material that almost shimmered in the light. The silky purple tie matched the piping perfectly. The pant legs were simple but had the purple piping going down the side.
Stolas came up beside her. He looked at the suite thoughtfully, then looked at his daughter. Her eyes were big and bright. She hesitantly reached out a hand to stroke the material almost reverently.
“Would you like to try it on?” Stolas asked gently.
Without thinking, Octavia nodded. She suddenly seemed to snap out of a trance, pulling her hand back and turning away. “I have to go find a dress, I don’t really have time for… I- I just– I shouldn’t.” She lowered her gaze to the ground and wrapped her arms around herself.
Stolas gently laid his arms over her shoulder. “Let’s just try it on. It may spark an idea.”
Octavia looked back and forth from the suit to the ground. She played with her fingers in what Stolas recognized as a grounding technique he used. Finally, she nodded her head very slightly.
They found the rack that had the suits on it, and found one that Stolas thought might fit her. The sizing was different for men’s clothing, so he simply hazard a guess.
When Octavia came out of the dressing room, her face was beaming. Eyes bright, smile big. She looked at herself in the mirror. She turned in every possible direction. She loved it.
“I think you found it dear,” Stolas said, smiling at her joy.
Blitz came up next to Stolas and wrapped an arm around his waist. He was beaming with pride. “Octavia, just look at you, you look amazing.”
Loona smiled and gave her a thumbs up when Octavia looked at her for her opinion. After all, a sister’s opinions mattered much more than a father’s opinions. Everyone knew that.
Octavia’s shoulders suddenly fell, and she dropped her head. “But it isn’t a dress. I have to wear a dress, don’t I?”
“Says who?” Blitz demanded.
In a much calmer voice, Stolas added, “There is nothing in the dress code that says you have to wear a dress. And if they try to change the rules at the last minute, they will have to deal with us.”
Octavia practically jumped for joy. Stolas smiled at her, but his thoughts were suddenly elsewhere. After the outfits were bought, everyone agreed that a stop at the food courts would be the best idea.
Stolas stared at his food, playing with a fry for a few moments before he finally gathered up the courage to ask Octavia what he had been wanting to, since speaking with the sales clerk.
“Star Fire, may I ask you something?”
Octavia, who had just taken a giant bite of her burger, simply nodded.
“The clerk had mentioned how there were those assigned female at birth who bought the suit. Admittedly, I do not know a lot about this, but I do know that there are those who… feel as if they were born in the wrong body? If this is something… I …. Your Dad and I…”
“Oh, for fuck sake, Stolas,” Blitz said, throwing his fry at him. “What your Dad is trying to say is that if you are trans, we are in full support of you. We just want you to know that.”
Octavia nearly choked on the last bite of her burger. When she was finally able to swallow it down and after a swig of soda to clear her throat, she was finally able to speak.
“I don’t feel like I am a boy…. But I also don’t really feel like I am a girl? There are times I feel a bit more… girly, and at times I feel a bit more boyish. But … I don’t know. I think I am still trying to figure it out.”
Stolas placed a hand over hers. “There is nothing wrong with that. Just know that we all support you no matter what.”
“Thanks, Dad. I know.” She smiled at her family. Sure, they were crazy, and they were strange as all get out, but they were hers, and they always supported and loved one another. Even when they didn’t quite get each other.