Felix felt very nervous as they began readying his costume. It wasn't anything magnificent, but it also looked just right to him.

Scouring thrift stores and places online, they'd found everything they'd decided on.

Now it was just laid out on Felix's bed, waiting.

"Felix," Mom said, "are you sure you want to do this?"

He swallowed, and stood up straighter, and more firmly.

"Yeah."

"We don't have to go with the costume as is though," Mom said. "We can just find some tan shorts."

Felix shook his head. "No," he said, "that wouldn't look as good. And... and Fern likes wearing skirts."

"Okay," Mom said. She handed him a few items of the costume, and he took them into the bathroom.

Taking a deep breath, he looked into the mirror. He looked back down to the floor, and stripped off his clothes. He then picked up the first item he'd need to wear. 

A pair of panties.

He felt very strange and tingly as he pulled them up his now smooth legs, which he'd shaved earlier.

As he pulled it up against his privates, he felt oddly as though he enjoyed the feeling of it hugging against him. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

After this, he pulled on the muted brown skirt over the panties. It was simple, with no patterns or fancy cut to it, but it did look neat, which was how Fern liked it.

His privates now covered, he left the bathroom, and sheepishly rejoined his mom back in his room.

Mom simply smiled, and picked up the next part of the costume. A bra.

He stood silently as Mom put it on him. Again, like the skirt, it was simple, and they were a modest size. Mom took carefully shaped bundles of soft cloth, and inserted them into the bra's cups. It was an incredibly odd sensation for Felix, to look down and see that sitting on his chest.

Felix puffed out a slow exhale.

"Are you doing okay sweetie?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," Felix answered, "that... that was just the hardest part."

With that out of the way, Felix pulled on a fantasy looking shirt, also a shade of brown. He then put on a belt with a pouch they'd put on it. Over the shirt he pulled on a fantasy cloak they'd found online.

"Well," Mom smiled, "I'd say it looks like Fern Nightshade is here."

Felix smiled slightly.

He walked back to the bathroom, with Mom following. He felt very, very weird when he looked in the mirror. Fern, the character he'd been adding on to for months now, was brought to life. 

"I guess," Mom said, "being a ranger and all, you have rather roughed up hair."

Felix saw Mom's hands go toward his hair to start making it look messy.

"No."

"What?"

"Um," he said, "uh... Fern... Fern she... she kind of likes her hair to look clean. And straight."

"And what does Felix like?" Mom asked.

"My messy hair has been bothering me," Felix said. "I... I want to try styling it a bit."

"Hmm."

He stood quietly, as his Mom pulled out her hair straightener, and proceeded to begin working on his hair.

It was just one of the many strange things that had been occuring in the past hour or so. But when Mom was finished, he was surprised at how different his hair looked. It hung straight down the sides of his face, rather than going everywhere. At the fringes on the bottom, it was now curled slightly.

Mom had done other things he didn't fully understand with his hair, and now... now it looked like the hair of a girl.

In his reflection, Felix saw himself disappear. 

"How does it look?" Mom asked.

He was silent for several seconds. Hesitant.

"It looks... pretty."

Never had Felix imagined he could look this way.

And he liked it.

"Well you make a pretty girl Fern," Mom smiled, her hands on his shoulders. 

There was one last thing that they needed to add to his costume.

Mom left the bathroom, and came back with them. A small pair of blue butterfly fairy wings.

Felix found himself involunatarily smiling as his Mom put them on him. He did want this. He did want to dress up as Fern.

When Mom finished, he turned twisted his torso so he could see his wings in the mirror. He wiggled them slightly so they looked like they moved. To Felix's surprise, a girlish giggle escaped from his mouth.

Mom simply smiled.

"I'm just a cute little fairy."

Mom let out a little giggle. "Yeah... you are."

As Felix had developed the character of Fern, he decided he didn't like the idea of the strictly warrior character, and always tough. Instead, he'd begun to form in his mind that... that Fern was a strong fighter, and she could act tough when she wanted to... but she also enjoyed the soft, pleasant things of the world too.

Returning to his room, Felix pulled on a pair of moccasins. He then grabbed the last piece of his costume, his wooden short bow. He couldn't bring any arrows with him of course, but this would be all he needed.

Felix felt a grin coming on as he picked up his bow. Yes... this was right. He was Fern now.

"Mom?"

"Yes Fern?" she smiled.

"Can you take my picture?"

"Of course."

Mom took several pictures of him, all in dramatic poses. 

"I daresay Fern," Mom smiled, "you look good enough to be in a movie."

A smile and blush came on.

There was a feeling of comfort about him. When he'd put on Fern's persona, he'd felt more confident and in control. He'd felt changed. And now, wearing Fern's clothes, he felt like it came into reality. His anxieties faded away, for a moment.

Until he took the costume off, he was no longer Felix. She was Fern.