The faint sound of the birds chirping colored the sky as the sun beamed into the little café on the side of the road. Dove blinked, and noticed the long, flowing, brown hair in his eyes.

“It’s a bit hot today, isn’t it?” Autumn mentioned. Dove stepped forward, having a bit of trouble with his flat shoes, noticing that his dress was restricting his movement.

“Yep! Reaaally hot. I kind of like it though! You can hear the cicadas and stuff!” Matsuri added. Dove looked down at himself and noticed his soft skin wrapped within his small dress, accentuating his delicate body’s shape, up until its low cut that accentuated his chest ever so slightly.

“Hm, yeah. Think our resident cutie brunette here had the right idea with the sundress, heh.” Edelweiss teased. “I-“ Dove’s heart rate had been increasing, fluttering out of control, as he noticed his high-pitched voice. Edel smiled.

“You really are, such a girly girl, aren’t you, Dove?” She added.

Dove’s eyes widened and he turned his head to the side, looking into a window on a building that reflected his image. Slowly, but surely, his heart, soul and body shook under the heat of the sun as he began to see his face.

“I-“

•  

Dove opened his eyes. He took a few gasps of air, before sitting up and looking at his surroundings. He was in his room. “It was… a dream?” he said in his naturally husky voice. He looked down at himself, then gazed on the mirror across the room, his excitement starting to die down as he began to regain his regular stoic demeanor, his heart rate slowing down to the usual melancholic levels. “It… was just a dream.” He sighed. Whether it was in relief or otherwise, he was unsure.

He suddenly jumped as he heard the sound of a bell chime. He calmed himself down before picking up his phone and regaining a bit of a smile. “Right… today’s the day.”

He opened his wardrobe and took a deep breath, slightly anxious. He started to change. Leggings. Simple, long skirt. Padded bra. Blouse. Headband. Some make up. Done. He looked in the mirror, remembering slightly of the dream he just had. He smiled for a moment, noticing the fruits of his labor-before he noticed the little details. The tiny hair on his chin. His shoulders. His build. The anxiousness returned. He took a deep breath. No matter. It was time to meet a friend.

•  

The beaming sun melted Dove’s Pistachio ice cream, which he quickly finished. He wiped the sweat off his brow, ever so carefully so that he wouldn’t ruin his makeup. He looked around. The old town square was charming, if small. It was lined up with many shops, cafes, and stores. He nervously darted his eyes around the premises. Not because he appreciated the area, though he certainly did, but because of the fear of being noticed and found out. The fear of being exposed. The fear of being looked at with disgust. The fear of-

“Um, hello?”

Dove held in the loudest gasp in his life. As it reverbed in his head, he froze and nervously looked back, cold sweat covering his body and a nervous smile etched on his face.

“Ehehe… earth to Dove? Are you okay?” the very beautiful guy wearing hotpants and an orange hoodie appeared from behind him.

“Oh Jesus Christ it’s just you” Dove thought as he let out a sigh of relief. “H-Hi there.” His smile relaxed. He looked at Matsuri a bit closer. Spotless, long legs. Cute, small face. Delicate hair. Smallish, slender frame. If he hadn’t known any better, he would have had a truly hard time figuring out if he were a boy or not. He wondered why someone like him would want any advice from a nerd like himself. “S-so, where do you want to go first?”

Matsuri smiled brightly, beaming positive energy so radiant that Dove simply had to metaphorically shield his eyes. “I want to buy some cute clothes! I’ve never really had any girl friends who know I like crossdressing before, so I thought you could help me out picking out cute clothes, Dove!” He said. “After all, you’re the only girl who knows my secret~”

Dove’s entire body froze for a moment as pain wracked him from head to toe. “Y-yeah… right… well… I guess I know some places…” He said, nervously standing up before leading Matsuri away, the girlish boy skipping happily behind him. Dove only hoped that nobody would figure out he’s actually a man when he is in the presence of such a superiorly cute being.

“…What kind of clothing do you like, Matsuri? Something not too revealing? Something bright may suit you… But a long dress I think would also be nice.” Dove started going into his meticulous crossdressing analysis mode that he usually uses for himself.

Matsuri simply giggled behind him. “Anything really.” He said. “I feel like your taste in clothes is already so good Dove. You manage to look so cute and feminine without even wearing super feminine clothes~ Ah! Not that I’m not saying you’re not girly, I’m just saying, every time I see you, you look so cute!”

Dove stopped for a second and hid his now blushing face “Is he... also a pickup artist? What’s up with all these compliments…” He thought. “W-well, even if that is true, Matsuri… I think you should pick things based on your personal preference. It’s important after all to match your person…ality….” He trailed off as he saw an adorable, fluttery, simple, white, one piece sundress in the display of a store. His dreams flashed in his mind as he couldn’t keep his eyes off it. His heart beat rapidly, before he saw his own reflection in the display glass. He was in girl clothes, yet he knew, his shoulders, his build… it won’t fit the dress on the display. He simply sighed deeply.

“What’s with the sigh? Did you see something you like?” Matsuri tried to take a glimpse at what Dove was looking at.

Dove quickly blocked the way and hastily shook his head. “N-Nothing… let’s take a look around, okay? Oh, that place looks nice! I-It fits your current…. Uh… sporty look.” He quickly pointed at another clothing shop.

Matsuri tilted his head a little but shrugged it off in the end. “Alright then. Lead the way~”

Dove nodded and started to lead him to the other shop. His eyes, however, couldn’t help but take a few glances back at the dress that he really liked. He tried to shake it off, instead attempting to make conversation with Matsuri. “S-So Matsuri… do you like this sporty style? At our first meetup, you wore something a bit flashier as I recall…”

Matsuri grinned widely. “Mhm! I like a bunch of styles! Well… some styles don’t really work with guys though, you know? But I think I fit into quite a few! I like cute stuff that feels… bright and expressive, you know?”

Dove chuckled a bit. “Yeah… I can see that. It fits your personality.”

Matsuri gave Dove a thumbs up as they arrived at the store and began looking around. “What about you, Dove? Any kind of styles you particularly like? I mean… I can kinda tell but I don’t wanna assume!”

Dove froze a bit. “I can’t possibly tell him that I base my style to minimize the possibility of me getting found out as a guy, can I?” He thought before looking back at Matsuri and answering. “I… uh… I like practical things… that also look cute. Like… balanced, you know? I like to wear cute stuff too, but overly feminine clothes won’t look too good on me…”

“Awh, really? I’m sure that’s not true!” Matsuri looked right and left, before reaching up to Dove and whispering into his ear. “After all, you’re the girl here, aren’t you?”

Dove gulped as he turned as red as a tomato. “I… uh… I suppose so… yeah… thank you for the vote of confidence… Matsuri…” He looked away and continued to sift through some clothes.

Matsuri smirked. “You really are cute, you know~”

“I’m not sure if he’s a flirt or if he just can’t read the room…” Dove thought as he continued to calm himself down.

•  

Time passed. Dove and Matsuri sat together at a bench in front of a convenience store, both drinking strawberry milk, a bag of clothes in the middle of them.

“That was fun.” Matsuri lazily spoke up.

Dove nodded.

“But Dove… you didn’t really buy much though… you barely bought any clothes…”

“Erm… it’s not like you were buying too much either Matsuri…”

“True but…” Matsuri furrowed his brow a bit. “Don’t you want to buy something, you know, super cute? I feel like outside of looking at clothes for me, you’ve been absent-minded this whole trip… Is it not fun for you?”

Dove frantically shook his head. “No, no, no! Of course it’s fun! I’m just… well, I’m sorry… I just don’t go out with friends as often as I should, I guess… haha…”

“If you say so…” Matsuri dropped the issue and finished his drink. Dove did much the same and helped him up, taking another stroll through the streets. He did start to worry if Matsuri noticed him feeling uncomfortable. It’s not like he was uninterested, it was just that he was preoccupied with not being found out in public. “Well, I guess I was also thinking about that…” he thought as his eyes fixated on the very thing he was thinking of. He stopped for a split second as he passed the first store he saw this morning. The beautiful, elegant sundress was still displayed on the front. “…Dress…”

“Hmm~? Are you interested in that dress, Dove?” Matsuri said immediately this time.

“H-Huh… N-No… I just-”

Matsuri smiled. “It’s pretty cute! You know what? Maybe I’ll try it on too! Let’s go!” Matsuri grabbed Dove’s hand and dragged him into the store without waiting for an answer. Dove, still dazed, could barely fight back as he was dragged into the store, witnessing Matsuri quickly communicating to a store clerk about trying out the sundress.

“…Ah, if it’s him… then maybe it’ll fit better…” Dove thought as he looked at his feet with a bittersweet smile. “…As for me…I…”

Suddenly, Dove’s train of thought is interrupted as Matsuri threw the sundress at him. “Changed my mind.” He said in a very mischievous tone. “I’d like to try this floral one more~ I’m gonna go to the changing booth, okay?” As he passed by Dove, he reached up once more and whispered “You were worried they didn’t have the right sizing, right? Tall girls sure have it tough, huh Dove~?”

Dove’s eyes widened as he just saw Matsuri head into the changing booth, biting his lower lip a bit as he blushed lightly, seeing the XXL sizing on the dress he was now carrying. “Geez… I don’t know if I should feel happy or dejected…” He sighed as he walked into another changing room, slowly undressing part of his clothes, leaving the leggings and underwear as he wore the dress. At first, he was stunned. He remembered the dream he had, and saw the person reflected in the mirror. He started getting butterflies in his stomach as his soft blush radiated a bit of happiness, seeing himself so pretty in the mirror, even for just a moment. It was as if he was at the beach in his dream, and he was just with the girls… and Matsuri, not feeling out of place at all.

Just as he began to feel an odd euphoria upon his self-image though, it slowly died down as his gaze narrowed down to his shoulders… to his build… to his chest that he knew was only aided by small padding… and the lack of subtle curves on the sides of his body. His bright smile slowly turned bittersweet as he took off the dress and changed back, slowly walking outside the changing booth as the occupant of the one right beside his revealed himself.

“How does it look? Hehe~” The husky voice almost betrayed the boy’s illusion as Matsuri revealed himself, wearing the floral sundress, looking radiant and beautiful as ever in Dove’s eyes. His delicate shoulders. His slender build. The soft, slight curves of his body. It all meshed in perfectly with the dress. If it were not for the husky voice, Matsuri would never be mistaken for a boy – and even then, it’d be a tall ask to assume so… Or at least that’s what Dove thought.

“You look… beautiful… it really suits you Matsuri. It perfectly fits you, even if you’re a boy…Nobody would think so… and even knowing the truth… I still think you’re incredibly cute…” Dove said with a tinge of envy that he felt incredibly guilty about.

Matsuri simply smiled softly at Dove. “Really? That’s amazing! Thank you! What about you Dove, are you gonna-woah!”

“!!” Dove caught Matsuri as he almost fell from the higher floored changing booth. Time stopped for a moment, with Matsuri in Dove’s arms. Dove sighed in relief. Matsuri blushed a bit and stood back up. “T-Thank you Dove! A-Are you alright?? I’m sorry that a girl had to catch a guy like that… sheesh, that was a bit of role reversal was it not? Haha!” Matsuri tried to de-escalate the situation, still a bit red. Dove smiled and nodded. He disagreed though, of course. He thought it was natural, that he, being secretly a man, who is taller and unsuited in his eyes for such an adorable feminine appearance, would be willing to save such a dazzlingly feminine figure.

“…I don’t mind…” Dove said softly.

“A-ah… well, if you say so~ say, I’m gonna change back! I think I might buy this today! Are you okay with waiting for me Dove? I have something else to do after this… that I just remembered, but I’d be happy if you’d at least walk me back to the entrance of the town square!” he said, still slightly blushing, but camouflaged with an awkward smile.

“…Sure.” Dove quietly said as Matsuri returned to the changing room. Dove looked at the dress in his arms and sighed.

A few minutes later, Matsuri came out of the changing room and purchased the dress. “I’m sorry! Have you been waiting for long?” he asked. Dove merely shook his head and stood up. “A-Alright then, Let’s go!” Matsuri smiled brightly once more.

And so, the date ended, almost as if in an instant. Dove saw Matsuri leaving the town square and calling in a car from a ride hailing app. Dove could only smile back at Matsuri’s bright smile as the sun began to dim. Once Matsuri was gone, Dove looked into his tote bag, and saw the white sundress that he bought impulsively. “Honestly… why did I even buy this…” he thought to himself as he recalled Matsuri’s almost perfectly feminine figure, as well as when he caught him from falling. “…So light and… soft… Was he wearing pads…? Is he just naturally that soft…?” Dove scoffed as he looked up at the sky. “Even though we’re both male…” He sighed “Sometimes… the world is really unfair, huh?”

•  

Matsuri quickly got out of the car and ran towards his room in his apartment, panting. “…That was close…” He said to himself as he took off his hoodie, before releasing the binding fabric on his chest, letting him take a deep, uninhibited breath to calm down. He then stood up and went to the mirror while catching his breath, feeling his slightly hefty chest again. “She… didn’t find out… did she…?”