“So, could it be your child?” Hank asked, as they sat in his office, the letter sitting on the desk between them.

“Maybe?” Romeo said with a small shrug. “I always wear protection, and I don’t know what her sex life is like otherwise.”

“And she… wants to marry you?” Hank replied, letting out a tired sigh.

“Mhm, something about not wanting to have the kid out of wedlock or whatever. I do vaguely remember it being a struggle to convince her to let me use a condom,” Romeo muttered.

“So, what are you going to do?” Hank asked.

“If she does a paternity test and it’s mine I’ll pay support fees. Generous ones. But I’m not marrying someone over a one night stand,” Romeo muttered, leaning back in his chair. “I know you need all the time you can get to hush this all up, though.”

“Time and money,” Hank said with another sigh. “Wish you would stop sleeping around quite so much… it makes these claims so much more plausible.”

“At least now I know I come by it honestly, being the child of the Greek god of lust and all that,” Romeo offered with a slightly forced grin.

Hank said nothing. The man remained an impenetrable wall of vaguely paternal disappointment.

“Also, c’mon. It’s probably another false alarm, like that girl from Sherbrooke,” Romeo said.

“Probably. I would still prefer it if you could stick to sleeping with people you can’t get pregnant in future…” Hank muttered.

“Hey! I’d never even slept with that woman from Brandon and she still tried to claim I’d gotten her pregnant, so my behaviour is tangential at best,” Romeo protested.

That got a tired sigh out of Hank. “I just hope she stays on that side of the Atlantic.”

-

Another day in the recording booth had Rosalind exhausted. The rest of the band was getting some time off, to make up for how busy the last couple of months had been, but it seemed both of the Collins had decided to keep her as busy as possible. Both to keep her out of new trouble and punishment for having stirred up another scandal. Regardless of how innocent she insisted she was.

Which meant she was doing collabs now, to keep her busy while the others rested. And that meant dealing with outsiders who didn’t know about the whole ‘Ancient Greek Curse’ thing. So she was having to keep that whole aspect of herself under wraps. The half-truths and acting were making it all even more tiring. It was especially awkward when she was dealing with people she knew, but only as Romeo. So she was having to feign being a stranger.

Today had been especially awkward, Zoe Livings being an old friend. Rosalind kept almost dropping inside jokes and references that would give her away in an instant. Rachel had insisted they keep the number of people who knew to a minimum, though, so Rosalind was left simply struggling.

She was so very glad to be done for the day and able to sneak into the break room to enjoy some bagels with cream cheese. The delightful spread was even strawberry flavoured.

“Decadence,” she said, wearing a small smile as she savoured the taste.

“Maybe we should overwork you more often. It seems to make you cheaper to please,” Rachel said, strolling up and sitting across from her at the table.

“So, you admit I’m being overworked?” she asked.

“Yes, but so am I,” Rachel replied. “I’ve got a career to launch while not intruding on another well established career, which is getting extra demands pulled on it as people want favours returned for taking a chance on the ‘new’ star. It’s a nightmare to schedule.”

“You can slow the pace down a little? I really wouldn’t mind,” Rosalind said, wearing an innocent smile.

“So you can sneak off and get someone else pregnant?” Rachel muttered, glaring at her while grabbing a bagel of her own.

“I told your dad, odds are good it’s not even mine,” Rosalind protested.

“You sleep with enough women and one of them is going to get pregnant, Romeo… I’m just glad it wasn’t me,” Rachel said, shooting her an icy glare.

“I knew it!”

Rachel and Romeo both spun around towards the doorway of the break room to find Zoe standing there. The brunette was still wearing her stylishly casual fall outfit and still had that fashionable short hairstyle, but she had added an expression of smug satisfaction to really round out the whole look.

“Uh—that you’re Romeo, somehow. That was what I knew. Not that you’d slept with Rachel… though I suppose it makes sense that she’s your type since she and I do both look alike and we’ve slept together,” Zoe said, getting a bit distracted by that angle.

Rachel turned back to glare at Rosalind. “You’ve slept with her?”

“It was in the tabloids?” Rosalind replied.

“They claim you’ve slept with half the female celebrities in North America… and about a fifth of the male ones… which is too much even for you to have managed,” Rachel muttered. “If I’d known you two had slept together I never would have agreed to this collab.”

“What? That’s not—It was the friends side of the ‘friends with benefits’ that was why I recognised Rosalind was Romeo. If anything, the ‘benefits’ side made me confused by trying to mesh the idea together… but, anyway, I knew that body language and those lame sorts of jokes you love,” Zoe said with a nod. “So I made sure to stay behind and snoop around until I found the truth.”

“My jokes aren’t that lame,” Rosalind protested.

Rachel decided to spend a few moments with her face buried in her hands, a quiet sigh of defeat escaping her.

“So, what I want to know is how you’re doing the height thing,” Zoe said, ignoring Rachel’s sighs and Rosalind’s protests. “The boobs bit I get, it’s those cosplay silicon things, right? But height… you’re a good couple inches shorter, but when you’ve done appearances as Romeo again you looked full height. So it can’t be hips shifting from hormones or anything…”

“Do you promise not to tell anyone?” Rosalind asked, realising there was no stopping Hurricane Zoe once she was on a roll.

“I—obviously? I’m not going to squeal something you’re clearly keeping secret for a reason,” she said, slipping over and taking an empty chair. “So. Spill.”

“Magic,” Rosalind replied.

“…. magic?” Zoe repeated, actually sounding a bit thrown off for once in her life.

“My disaster client got herself cursed by an ancient Greek god,” Rachel said in a cold and ‘all business’ tone. “Specifically with some sort of magical spring.”

“A magical spring? No kidding? Like that anime you love?” Zoe asked, her tone making it seem like she’d managed to accept the idea magic was real in a matter of seconds.

Rosalind somewhat wished most people could handle their world being thrown sideways as easily.

“Ani—I don’t love it. I’ve watched it, but it’s more Frankie and Logan’s thing… and Jovita’s, I guess. Since she’s generally an anime buff,” Rosalind replied.

“I distinctly remember you showing me the first episode one time and saying how much you wished you had that curse,” Zoe countered.

“I—I did?” Rosalind asked.

“You were a little drunk, but… yes,” Zoe said. “That was when I figured you probably weren’t exactly a guy and I’d limit things to friends-with-benefits rather than trying anything more formal.”

Rachel blinked, giving Zoe a look of confusion.

“What? I’m straight,” Zoe said, remaining the whirlwind of confidence as she always was. “I’ve tried making out with a girl or two, but it did nothing for me. But, anyway… magic? Really?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rosalind said. “I’ve got it sort of under control now, but it’s still not perfect.”

“We are trying to find a way to make it ‘perfect’, but we have found no way to waterproof the sealing sigil yet,” Rachel said, trying to keep in business mode.

That got a few slow and thoughtful nods from Zoe, before she finally spoke, tilting her head slightly. “Why not just tell the world? Aliens blew up a city. I’m sure people can handle a little gender magic?”

“I’m not sure how well people would handle ‘Greek Gods are real’,” Rosalind replied. “Probably all sorts of theological chaos would follow.”

“Conservative Christian types, especially down the States, already hate us enough for having a bisexual lead, a trans band member, a lesbian band member, and an asexual band member,” Rachel explained, counting out the issues on her fingers. “We would prefer not to get any more threats to have to deal with.”

“Mhm,” Rosalind said.

Zoe gave a small nod, slowly accepting that. “Well, I am still a bit disappointed you didn’t tell me. But I am willing to help out all the same. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

“Ah, so the benefits our friendship comes with isn’t just sleeping together about once a year,” Rosalind replied with a smirk.

Zoe turned to Rachel. “See? Lame jokes… wait, if it’s magic, does that mean the boobs are real?”

“Yes,” Rosalind and Rachel both replied, the latter blushing.

Zoe gave a small node, clearly picking up on just why Rachel was blushing. 

“Well, I do have to get going, but remember the offer stands. Even if all you need is someone to talk to.”

“It’s appreciated,” Rosalind replied.

-

Disguising when Rosalind felt easier. ‘She’ was less famous than Romeo was, after all. So the standards weren’t as high. To be honest, she didn’t even need a disguise for most activities, like going for groceries or shopping for new clothes. Life for Rosalind was closer to the rest of the band’s. Rather than being seen as a constant source of tabloid fodder like Romeo’s life was, just because he’d had a few dramatic relationships.

Going out as Rosalind with a single and specific friend, however, seemed a bit riskier. Tabloids loved relationship speculation, no matter how baseless. So that was why she’d generally slipped into disguises, even in her less famous form.

All that said… he was Romeo right now, and heading off to hang out alone with Teddy, so it was leaving him deeply paranoid. He double checked the face mask he had on, glad that the weather was finally cooling down enough that it wasn’t unpleasant to wear. The baggy hoodie was nicely warm while also disguising his figure a bit, which he hoped would help. The jeans were also a type that hadn’t been in fashion for years (but not enough years to be daringly retro), so wasn’t something anyone would expect him to wear. Plus, he’d dug out the pair of old runners he’d kept around for days like this.

It all added up to let him sneak out the door of his condo tower unnoticed, and he was soon walking down Queen towards China Town. The plan was to meet up for lunch and then just sort of drift around the neighbourhood, looking at various things. The odd part, though, was how Teddy had asked that Romeo come as a man, if he could.

They had talked gender enough for Teddy to know that he wasn’t always able to handle it. Sometimes she was completely and totally a girl now. Today, though, he was fairly certain he was leaning masculine. Ish. Maybe a little to the side.

His sense of gender was a little wonky sometimes.

All, like, metaphorical and whatnot. He wasn’t sure he liked it. They might have been ‘demi-god’ genders, though, and that was a thought that helped him feel important.

But, to get back on the subject of Teddy asking him to be a man for the meet up, he was a bit unsure what that meant. Was it because he was adorable and so slightly confusing to be around when in feminine form? 

That made sense. He was gorgeous either way, so must have been weird for a lesbian to hang around with.

“Hey there,” Teddy said, strolling over from a streetcar stop.

Romeo found himself doing a brief double take, realising he was now taller than she was. The last time they’d met up he’d been so distracted by matters of magic he hadn’t realised it. 

She still had a solid sort of build that left him with little doubt she could carry him around for fun, which made his heart flutter as much as it did when he was a woman. But, well, it was odd to be taller than her.

“Uh, hey,” he finally managed, having at last realised he should say something.

After a brief exchange of ‘how are you’ and equally vague ‘good’ from both of them, Teddy asked an actually significant question. “What do you think, something quick or a proper sit down meal?”

“It’s getting a bit chillier. Hotpot sounds good to me?” he offered.

That got a nod out of Teddy, “I think there’s a Mongolian place I’ve been curious about trying over by Huron.”

“Lead away,” Romeo replied, happy to fall into step slightly behind her.

They continued some vague small talk as they walked. Mostly complaining about work. Teddy had some stories about particularly bad customers at the club. Romeo had complaints about how busy he was being kept.

The conversation flowed smoothly as they found a booth in a darker portion of the restaurant. Their focus had been on a story about a particularly odd customer Teddy had had to kick out of the club. The woman had seemed deeply baffled by the concept of people being trans, which, perhaps unsurprisingly, had sparked more conversation than most of her stories so far.

“But, she didn’t seem transphobic?” Romeo asked, honestly a bit thrown about how that could be the case.

“No. She seemed like she’d genuinely never heard of trans people before and had lots of questions… but she wasn’t very good at reading that people weren’t at a club to give someone a lesson on gender. And, well, I didn’t really kick her out. I more just led her back to the door, explaining that she should respect others’ privacy and trying asking questions elsewhere. I—well, no, that’s probably going to sound like nonsense,” Teddy said, trailing off to eat some of her hotpot.

“My dad is apparently a Greek god. My ‘nonsense’ threshold is a bit looser than most people’s,” Romeo replied.

“Fair,” Teddy said, after swallowing her mouthful of soup. “It… there was just something about her that felt… alien? There were other things, beyond trans people, that she seemed just as perplexed by. And she had an accent not quite like any I’ve heard before… which is saying something, since we’re in Toronto.”

“Huh,” Romeo replied.

“I—yeah. It’s an odd feeling to have. Probably just paranoid,” Teddy said, shaking her head. “The world went crazy for, like, three months after Halifax blew up and then we were told to pretend nothing happened and go back to our jobs… that can’t be good for our mental health.”

Romeo shrugged. “If aliens are anywhere in this country they’re probably in—ok, they’re probably in Hammer City, but Toronto is the second most likely place, along with being right next door. And, I’d definitely rather be busy wondering about aliens over having to deal with a Polish woman who’s claiming I got her pregnant…”

“Pardon?” Teddy said, blinking and staring at him.

“I… I suppose that’s not a thing your friend group deals with much,” Romeo replied, suddenly feeling like the heat of the hotpot burner was getting to him.. “It… uh… it’s not the first time it’s happened. I’m rich and famous and I do sleep around a bit, so there’s logic to the claims, but the last two weren’t mine so I doubt this one is either.”

“You… doubt? You don’t know?” Teddy said, eyeing him judgementally.

He felt the desire to shrink, but couldn’t manage it anywhere so public. Even if there was liquid right in front of him… the broth would also end up smelling. Plus it was probably too hot to want to have on his skin.

“I… I did sleep with her, but, y’know. I used protection. It’s very unlikely it was me. Especially when she didn’t seem the type to normally have condoms involved, being all Polish Catholic,” he said, hoping the defense would stand.

Teddy gave a small nod. “If you say so…”

“Hey. If it is mine I will be more than happy to provide all the financial support that is deemed reasonable by law. And then I’ll probably send gifts to the kid. But… I just don’t want to have to marry some stranger,” Romeo said, pouting slightly.

That seemed to assure Teddy somewhat. “Well, I suppose that puts you a step better than your own father.”

Romeo felt himself go flush at the comparison. With the ongoing mystery as to what his father was like… why he’d yet to contact Romeo, even now that Romeo’s uncle/aunt/whatever-the-gender-neutral-term-was had shown up to cause chaos. Had the apple really not fallen far from the tree? Was he comfortable with that idea?

“I… I’m not sure I feel hungry anymore,” he muttered, leaning back in the booth.

“Sorry,” Teddy said in a soft voice, poking at her own bowl for a moment.

“It’s… it’s my own fault,” Romeo mumbled. “But… can I go change? I don’t… I don’t feel great about my masculinity right now.”

“Oh. Sure,” Teddy replied.

Romeo gave a smile and got up, slipping over to the mens’ room. The inside was surprisingly large, with two guys already present, discussing something in reasonably hushed tones. Whatever it was didn’t really interest Romeo, however, and he focused on heading over to the sink, activating the motion sensor for the water, and then washing away the sigil on his left forearm. It took a little scrubbing, but then the tingle of transformation washed over his body and she found a cuter and more feminine face in the mirror before her.

“Much better,” she said, letting out a soft sigh. So much of the discomfort and guilt from before washed away, as she felt her self image shift.

Women didn’t really have to worry about being seen as deadbeat dads. The relief brought a small smile to her face.

Then she realised the two guys who’d been sharply whispering in the corner were staring at her. The one was a redhead, a bit short and pudgy, though in a way that made him seem kind of adorable. Like someone should protect him. The other, though… dang. He was handsome. Slightly androgynous, with a face that felt worthy of being a model or even also a popstar too. Adding to that nice face was long dark hair up in a messy bun and she could tell he was in pretty good shape under those baggy clothes of his. If she hadn’t been here with Teddy, and hadn’t had the slight complications of her cursed form…

“Kevin, am I going crazy or was that cute girl a guy five seconds ago?” the redhead whispered, just barely loud enough for her to hear.

“I… I…” ‘Kevin’ stammered, as both men’s eyes moved towards the sink she’d just used.

“You’re cute,” Rosalind said, giving a finger guns to ‘Kevin’, “but I do not have time for a relationship right now. Sorry.”

She then slipped out towards the booth, as the two men approached the sink nervously. They could wonder about the mysteries of magic, she was going back to her booth.

“That lifted your mood more than I expected,” Teddy said, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, it was a very guy problem, and I’m not a guy now,” Rosalind replied with what she was sure was a cute smile.

Teddy opened her mouth, seeming ready to argue. Then she closed it, apparently deciding not to ruin the mood further. They still had a while left in their planned afternoon.