Play Your Part, Shizuka
Chapter 2
Makeup
Katsuya ran a hand trough his hair in anticipation as he marched into the living room. His father had already left for work, even before the boy had woken up. This was the day Shizuka and Katsuya had decided to put their plan into motion. Now the only thing missing was the one single person who could help Katsuya with his 'disguise'. The very thought of what he was supposed to do had Katsuya feeling uneasy but it was too late to back down now. It could not be that bad, the blond tried to assure himself. He was only supposed to be cross-dressing for a month. That was not time at all, right?
With a heavy sigh Katsuya plopped himself down on the couch, right before the doorbell rang. Katsuya immediately jumped back up again, a clear sign of how much on the edge he was currently. He quickly rushed to the door and opened it to reveal the face of the one person he was able to get to help him.
"Hi there, Mai", Jou greeted the blond woman right outside his door. The painted lips turned into a friendly smile as the usually frightening woman greeted him fondly: "Hello, Jou. It's good to see you again."
"Yeah", Katsuya said with a nod as he opened the door more to let his guest inside. "It's been a while."
"Well, that tends to happen when one works on a ship's casino", Mai said in a flippant manner as she walked past Katsuya into the apartment. "There really aren't many chances to come and see friends." It was really a miracle that Katsuya and Mai had become friends. They had met by pure chance, when Katsuya had been in junior high and a member of a neighbourhood gang. Mai had been the one to help Katsuya get out of the gang life along with his childhood friend Honda Hiroto. Sure Katsuya and Honda were still considered their school's 'bad boys' but they had left most of their pasts behind themselves before the end of junior high, managing to get into senior high school. That would never had happened if the two of them had not run into Kujaku Mai on one faithful night in the harbor. The two boys had gotten a thorough beating but that had been just the thing they had needed to come into their senses.
"I really can't believe you're going through with this", Mai commented as she dropped her handbag on the living room coffee table and began unloading its contents on the table. "I mean, it takes a lot of guts for a guy like you to dress in drag."
"Do you have to say it like that?" Katsuya groaned as he watched Mai's equipment warily from the living room doorway. "I would even prefer if you said I was cross dressing. Saying that I dress in drag makes it sound so..." Katsuya shivered. "Perverted."
There was a slight laugh from Mai as the woman kept her attention on the sorting of all the different kinds of make-up she had brought with her. They did not have much time but Katsuya hoped he would learn enough from the woman to make himself pass for a girl for the duration of the summer vacation.
That was when the doorbell rang again, startling Katsuya enough to have the blond exclaiming in surprise and watching to the direction of the door with a guilty expression.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mai commented. "Go see who it is."
Katsuya bit back a comment about the woman's bossy nature as he walked to the door and yanked it open, the gesture bringing him face to face with a pair of brown eyes and a wide grin.
"How's it going, Jou?" Honda greeted his friend with a grin.
"Hi, Honda", Katsuya said as he opened to door to allow his friend in as well. "You're early."
"Of course", Honda said in a gleeful manner. "Why would I want to merely see you dressed in drag when I can also see you getting dressed in drag?"
"Do you have to call it that?" Katsuya exclaimed as he grabbed Honda's arm and pulled his friend inside the apartment. "And don't say it so loudly! The neighbours might hear you!" With that the door was securely locked once more.
Honda only laughed at Katsuya's antics as he walked over to the living room where Mai was working.
"Hiya, Mai", Katsuya heard the brunet greet the woman.
"Hello, Honda", came the slightly off-handed response. Katsuya followed his male friend into the living room right on time to hear Mai order him: "Go get us something to drink. You're such an awful host."
"And you're the worst kind of a guest", Katsuya shot back as he turned around to walk to the kitchen, adding over his shoulder: "Bossy too."
Mai called something back after him but whatever it was, Katsuya missed it as he started to dig through the fridge. Grabbing three cans of grape soda he kicked the fridge door shut and walked back to the living room. He placed Mai's drink on the table next to a bottle that looked suspiciously like perfume and threw Honda his own to where the brunet was sitting in an armchair. Katsuya himself moved to sit down next to Mai on the couch and opened his can of soda. Taking a deep gulp of the liquid sugar he braced himself to what was to come and said the words he had been dreading since Mai had finished placing the first dozen beauty products on the table.
"Okay, then. Hit me."
&&&&&&&
Katsuya observed his reflection in the full-length mirror in the hallway. Honda was standing right next to him while Mai was observing him from the living room doorway.
"Man, Jou", Honda started. "If I didn't know that you were actually a guy I would try to hit on you."
"DON'T SAY THAT!" Katsuya exclaimed with a beet red face as he crossed his arms over his chest, where Honda's eyes kept travelling all the time. How embarrassing was this, getting stared at because of fake cleavage?
"The wig's a bit too dark", Katsuya commented as he turned his reddened face to Mai. "This is strawberry brown whereas Shizuka's hair is strawberry blond."
"No one is going to notice a thing", Mai assured him as she waved her hand slightly, the hand holding a picture of Shizuka she had been using for reference. "And once it gets some sunlight it's going to turn a lighter shade, trust me on this one."
"Okay", Katsuya said with a nod as he glanced back into the mirror, fixing the longhaired wig's position a bit. "I trust you, Mai." He allowed his gaze to move over the light-colored makeup on his face, the palely shaded eyelids and glossed lips. He was actually quite astonished to notice that he did look a lot like a girl like this, even if he did not look exactly like Shizuka. He could probably say that he looked like an older version of Shizuka with brown eyes instead of brownish green.
"What about the eye-color?" Katsuya questioned as he turned to look at Mai. "You got any contacts that I could use?"
"Nope, sorry, hon", Mai said in an apologetic manner. "I don't have any contacts that could make that deep brown of yours look even remotely green." She gave Katsuya an encouraging smile. "You can just tell people you're wearing brown contacts, that should do the trick."
"Right", Katsuya said with a nod. "I just hope I don't have to face my mom like this. She would see through this farce immediately."
"Everything's going to turn out okay", Mai said as she gave Katsuya a smaller bag where she had sorted all the equipment Katsuya would need to maintain the so-called Shizuka-look. "You just wait and see."
"Yeah", Honda agreed as he slapped Katsuya on the shoulder. "And who knows; you might score yourself a good-looking guy." Some low laughter followed this statement.
"Honda!" Katsuya exclaimed as he attempted to take a swing at the brunet howling in laughter. "If you don't cut that out right now you'll end up sporting a black eye and a swollen lip! If you're lucky that is!" Honda only laughed harder, collapsing down on the floor in a heap of snickers and groans of pain as his sides began to hurt from laughing so much. Katsuya was finding the idea of adding to the pain a bit strangely appealing. Before he could kick the brunet, however, Mai did, her sharp foot digging into Honda's side effectively. The brunet's laughter immediately cut off with a loud yelp of pain.
"Gah..." Honda groaned as he sat up on his knees, rubbing his sore side. "Women have no sense of humour." At that the brunet learned a whack on his head from both blonds in the room.
"Don't categorize!" Mai snapped heatedly.
"Who are you calling a woman?" Katsuya sneered viciously at the same time.
Honda decided to stay quiet after that. It really was not worth it.
To be continued...