Costumes and Second Chances

"The joys of IT, huh? Most the C-suite just sees it as money lost, not that the whole business runs on it." Mike had been an IT tech for a couple years out of college before he became a systems engineer. He now helped build the products his brother relied on.

"Amazing we get a budget at all. Hell, I don't think I would have been able to get things backed up as well as they are without the insurance company telling our CFO they would cancel their ransomware insurance if they didn't make the changes I have been insisting on for months. That was a hell of a meeting to sit in on, hard to keep from smiling." Jason said with a laugh and a shake of his head. "What are you up to the rest of the afternoon?"

"Sipping lemonade, maybe watch State get their yearly ass-kicking." Mike's school was good at a lot of things, football was not one of them. Their cross-state rival liked to come in and stomp them every year. State would get their revenge come basketball season.

"Want to hang out and grab a six-pack? Your daughter stole my wife for the day."

"If I remember correctly, Michelle was the one who suggested it to Louise."

"She does have a nasty habit of being an awesome aunt."

He gave his brother a severe fake stare. "Sounds like a damn good plan." Mike suddenly couldn't remember the last time he had just hung out with his brother. The pair had been relatively close growing up, despite the nearly four years between them. By the time Jason was old enough to want to just hang out and drink a beer, Deborah was in the picture. Not that the three of them couldn't kick back together and watch a game, but it wasn't just the two of them. "You fly, I buy?" Mike reached for his wallet.

"You don't want to go with me?"

"Nah, I'm a little ripe. I don't think your new truck needs to smell like some dude funk. It'll give me a chance to catch a shower. Get me something dark, not just that shit that tastes like chewing on pine needles."

"I'll get you into IPAs one day."

"Just not today. Grab six of whatever you want with my six. We got pro ball tomorrow even if it is too much for today."

By the time Mike got out of the shower, Jason was already back. He had poured himself the haziest ale Mike had ever seen. It looked to Mike like there was milky river sediment swirling about in the glass. Jason had made sure to stake his claim to their father's overstuffed leather recliner. Wordlessly Mike picked up Jason's glass and took a sniff. "Yup, smells like the same stuff they used to clean the gym with back when we were kids."

"It's good. Your tar-colored stout is over there. You do know that IPAs are very popular right now."

"Still tastes like a Christmas tree; this tastes like a real beer. How's the game?"

"Close, only down 21 -- 3 at the end of the first quarter."

"Holy shit, we scored this year." Mike laughed and shook his head. "Thanks for picking up the beer, Jace."

"No problem," the pair sat and conversed for a few hours, flipping channels away from their team once they had their fill of embarrassment. Fortunately, there was a veritable buffet of closer games.

"We're moving here permanently. As long as I can find a place that isn't too far out of my price range." Mike told his brother. "I have a realtor looking already."

"It's a sellers' market right now," Jason nodded toward him. "You told the parents yet?"

"I think you have told me that before." Jason liked to unwittingly repeat stores and phrases to him. "I have discussed it with them, but I made my decision this morning. The kids are just so much happier here."

"Alright! My boy will have cousins in town." Michelle had nieces and nephews, but they lived four states away.

"Your boy? Shouldn't it be too early to tell?"

"Michelle had some blood work done or something." Mike cringed instinctually when he heard blood tests; a vision of Deborah in the hospital wasting away flashed into his mind. "Oh shit, I am not supposed to tell anyone yet. Michelle wants to have a reveal party even if we both know."

"I won't tell anyone until you guys do, but after that, I'm telling Michelle you blabbed." Mike teased.

"So, how are you doing with all of this, man?" Jason switched subjects abruptly. "I know Mikey and Louise love their new friends, but what about you?"

"I'm good. I have a new gym and my family; I'm finally kicking ass at work again. What else do I need?"

"Have you been out on a date since Deborah?"

Mike knew that Debbie wanted him to find love again after her. She had been quite insistent that he didn't mope the rest of his life. He had to promise the love of his life that he would live on without her. Have I held up my promise to her? "Phew... It has been a tough five years, Jace." Mike had to blink back tears. The pain had never really lessened; he had just learned to live with the grief a little better every day.

"I know, Mike. I couldn't imagine losing Michelle." Jason looked away, a solemn look in his eyes. "Deb is probably the reason she wanted all the blood tests."

"Maybe, I'll think about dating when they graduate high school." He tried to joke.

"You can't do that to yourself, Mike."

Mike sighed and leaned back on the couch. "I don't know if I'm ready."

"I don't think we are ready for much if we wait for the opportune time." Jason wasn't allowing him to drop the conversation. "Would you have had Louise if you two had waited until you were ready?"

"No," he conceded his brother's point. "I haven't dated in fifteen years; I'm not sure if I know how to."

"Did you ever?"

"Hell no, I never had any game. I was damn lucky that Deb decided to chase me."

"You did pretty well in high school, and college, before Debbie. At least you had a few good-looking girls that liked to hang around you."

Jason wasn't wrong; it wasn't like Deborah was his first and only. There were others before, but it was different. He had employed a mental trick back then that allowed him to get beyond his anxious tendencies back then. Although he was an introvert and somewhat shy in public, he had also been a theatre kid. When he was part of a production, he could pretend to be more like his part in a play. Someone that was far cooler and more confident around women, at least until he got to know them. "It was different back then."

His mind flashed to one radiant woman. It was the summer after high school; he spent a week at a theatre conference. He and a breathtaking young woman spent the entire week together, sneaking out of their hotel rooms to spend the night on the town. Each evening they would inevitably end up having sex in a new and more exciting location. Going to colleges across the state meant that there was no real future for them, but their brief affair burned like a falling star.

"It wasn't the stone age, Mike."

"Might as well have been; it was before smart phones. No, I had the plays I was in to be another person."

"Couldn't you just do that now?"

"It's not the same; I need something tangible. I can't just pretend to be someone else."

"No way," Jason sat forward, a smirk appearing on his face. "I got an idea. It might not work more than once, but at least we could get you some practice."

"Am I going to like this idea?"

"Probably not, but you would be helping Michelle out for all the free childcare." His brother couldn't help the cocky grin that plastered all over his face. "So, you know how Michelle is making Halloween costumes for Louise and Mikey..."

Ellie -- Three weeks from Halloween

The cool air from the locker room felt fantastic as they escaped from an hour of hot yoga. Her sports bra and leggings were soaking with sweat. Ellie always hated hot yoga while it was happening, but the sense of accomplishment afterward always lured her back. Combined with it and catching a run every morning, it had her in the best shape of her life. Heather and Cheryl were a few steps ahead of her. As soon as Cheryl heard the door close, off came her sports bra, not even bothered by the other women in the locker room or the fact that their locker alcove was clear down at the end of the row.

"That feels better." She announced into the space.

"Cheryl, getting a little ahead of yourself?" Ellie said in mock outrage; the giggle gave her away.

"I'm sweating my tits off." Cheryl turned around with a shrug. She had spent a few summers as a tour guide in college, her ability to walk backward without tripping or running into anyone was a little obnoxious. Looking at Cheryl, she was also constantly reminded why she was not shy about being topless. Her large natural breasts barely sagged even after nursing two babies and being near forty. Half-dollar-sized areolae were a dark splash of contrast on otherwise pale skin. Cheryl was four years older than her two partners in crime and had a fuller figure than the other two. She wasn't exactly fat, but her tall form was thicker even though she was in fantastic shape.

"So am I," Heather said with a giggle. She lifted her purple sports bra up over her head. It looked like she was just as impetuous as Cheryl, but they had just arrived in their row of lockers. Heather was tall, one inch taller than Cheryl. Even though Ellie was just an inch under average height, she always felt short beside the pair. Where Cheryl looked like a farm girl, her thickness coming naturally from manual labor as a kid, Heather was svelte, lithe, and elfin. Long, dark, straight hair and her ears that almost looked a little pointy led more credence to her likeness of a creature of fantasy. Heather had small but shapely tits, each dark pink nipple pierced by a silver barbell. While Heather seemed ordinarily quiet and reserved, there was an exception when she was out on the town or hearing her stories about her bedroom with her latest conquest.

Ellie just shook her head silently as she opened her locker without joining the two in partial nudity. "You two."

"Are far more comfortable," Cheryl stated as she peeled off her yoga pants, her shoes, and sports bra already stacked on the wooden bench. "How's the costume making going?" She took off her panties and added them to the pile before finally starting to undo her lock. Cheryl may have been curvier than the other two, but she never lacked body confidence. The thin strip of dark hair over her otherwise waxed womanhood did not match the current blonde layered with auburn atop her scalp in two short put fetching pigtails.

"Pretty good; I got Kate's whole ensemble done; I'm just waiting to get a few more things that were out of stock for mine. Hopefully, they will get here by next weekend." Ellie wanted to wait to disrobe until Heather and Cheryl headed toward the shower. It had to be getting pretty obvious that she always played on her phone until they left, then was wrapped in a towel when they came back. Before Katelynn, Ellie had been as confident about her body as the other two; since the pregnancy, she'd been hiding. Perhaps if she could just go topless around them again, that confidence might just start to grow again. Elanor didn't care if they saw her in a bikini; why should she care about her breasts. She lifted the maroon sports bra over her not quite shoulder-length, wavy blonde mop of hair.

"Whoo, dem titties!" Heather immediately made her question the decision. "I haven't seen the girls in years!" She went back to untying her tie-dyed high-waisted yoga pants. "They look even better than I remembered." She said with a smile without looking back up; with a quick shimmy, her tight pants started to roll off her sweaty body, her typical lack of panties hastening her stripping. Heather had a body that made Ellie a little jealous. She had honest to god abs since she took working out very seriously in lockdown. Her hairless quim looked very smooth, and she had the perfect thigh gap.

For a moment, Ellie's mind flashed back to her one experience with a woman, with Heather. They had both been between boyfriends; after spending a night in, they had a little too much wine. Heather joined Ellie in her bed; though she still remembered the intense orgasms and how her close friend tasted, they both decided it was a one-time thing, and they liked cock better than pussy. Times like now, when she had been without a partner for so long, she felt the pull of that night pulse.

"I don't know what you are ashamed of, girl; those are still very nice." Cheryl turned and smiled at her. Ellie looked at the mirror in her locker. Her natural breasts were pretty large and perky, though not nearly as large as Cheryl's. She felt self-conscious about her pale complexion, but her small light-pink nipples contrasted nicely with the light shade. In her youth, it had been pockmarked with acne, but it finally cleared up without having to hide beneath foundation. Back in her cosplay heyday, she did have to cover up with makeup on her skimpier outfits. "So, are you going with Lady Anna or the thief?" Ellie was relieved that she switched the subjects off her breasts.

"Queen Anna, it wouldn't make sense to be the thief if Katelynn is going to be the princess." In the cartoon, Queen Anna and the thief are the same woman, just at different points in her life. The thief appeared in flashbacks when Anna was on her own quest to save the world. A lowly commoner and a thief saved the prince's life, and he won her heart. Sometimes, the cartoon was a little too intense for Katelynn, but Cheryl's older daughter had introduced it to her. Now it was her daughter's favorite. Ellie had to screen episodes before Katelynn watched them, but most made it into her streaming rotation.

"Aww, but the Queen is so reserved. Don't you remember how Michelle beat you last time?" Heather should have no idea who these characters were but had more than her fair share of exposure from her unofficial nieces.

"She had a better costume?"

"Your costume was as least as nice, nicer, I would say, but she showed some skin." Cheryl reached over and grasped her shoulders as she said that; it didn't make Ellie uncomfortable like she thought it would. Perhaps she had been spiraling in her dread of showing her body. Finally, giving in and stripping down had the opposite effect precipitously. "You seemed to get more comfortable when you cosplayed later."

"Yeah, but that was how I got a Todd." Ellie smiled a bit. "Besides, the first costume contest is far down on the priority list. Making Katie happy on her birthday is the first."

"Why couldn't you do both? The skirt, sword, and shield are the same between the two. You would just need two wigs and two tops." Heather slipped on a pair of flip-flops and slung a towel over her shoulder. She was always calm and confident without her kit on, a strange inversion of her normal personality.

"You do have plenty of wigs." Cheryl pointed out as she similarly prepared to shower. Queen Anna had long, straight, silver hair, a symbol of what she gave up to save the world. The thief had luscious, blood-red locks. The thief wore a cloak and a golden metallic bodice armor combination piece that showed off her ample bosom and taut tummy. Ellie was glad that the provocative costume was not shared with her precocious daughter's character of choice.

"The skirt is a little different too." Ellie was envisioning how she could make easy changes between the two. Whether she was ready to admit it or not, she was really enjoying all the sewing and creating. She wasn't worried about her body issues as she too shed her leggings.

"Not that different; you could do a different belt on the queen's that has the extra decoration hanging down on it." Cheryl pointed out as she covered herself with a towel.

"That could work, I need to get some more leather or vinyl, but it is a great idea." Ellie's mind was in overdrive as she absent-mindedly pushed off her simple cotton panties. For the first time since Todd, she was naked in front of someone other than herself. Her heart accelerated momentarily, but she pushed into worrying about coming creation instead.

"How come I'm the only one of us that gained weight during the quarantine?" Cheryl pouted and pointed to the other two.

"I gained five pounds!" Heather declared with a huff.

"Yeah, but it was all muscle. Damn, Ellie! You look better than before you got knocked up!"

"Thanks," Ellie still grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her; she still wouldn't be showing off like Heather anytime soon.

"You're definitely coming to the bonfire after the contest," Heather told her. The bonfire was a debaucherous, unofficial after-party for the official, boozy, but sanctioned party that went with the contest. It had survived even after budget cuts, and some religious groups put the kibosh on the Halloween festivities and costume contest. Rebranding it as a harvest festival and getting corporate sponsors had brought it back. "Might need to get those hedges trimmed before then." She said with a wink.

"Swimsuit season ended a while ago; no one else has been seeing me naked," Ellie said with a shrug.

"You always used to wax," Heather said with a wink. Their one night together was where Heather decided to start waxing from Ellie. "I'll schedule you something with my girl; we are going to get you laid at the bonfire."

Mike -- The Friday before Halloween

It felt weird stripping naked in the bathroom and the convention center. Odder still that Jason was in the bathroom, but he had to keep watch while Mike changed into his costume. He took one last look in the mirror before he put on a new persona. For the first time since Deborah got sick, Mike had clipped his pubic hair close. It made his already substantial cock look even larger, and from what Jason said, women expected some manscaping. It had been fifteen years since he had to actively worry about someone new seeing his crotch. It seemed appropriate since Mike had to shave what little chest hair he had. He pulled on the tiny shorts atop his tight briefs, he was usually a boxer-briefs wearer, but those might escape his costume. Mike had to admit he was a little excited at the prospect of getting out again.

"You look good, man!" Jason smiled as he turned around, and Mike stepped out of the open bathroom stall where he had gone to change into his costume to at least block the head-on view of nuding up in front of his younger brother.

"I feel like I'm wearing a pair of briefs."

"At least you have the loincloth and some chest armor."

"That chest armor looks like belts."

"That's what Michelle started with, yeah. Don't forget your axe and battle helm."

"How's this supposed to protect the prince?" Mike looked in the mirror; nearly two years of concerted effort had changed flab into muscle. Mike had been into weight training before the kids came around, and Deborah got sick. It was nice to know that he could still mold his tall form into something after near ten years. His blue eyes stared back at him, and he gave a slight nod back; it was time to go out and do something for himself. Powerful legs spoke of his reverence for leg day. His skin was sun-bronzed lightly still this late in the season, coming honestly from running and yard work. His brown hair was no longer sun-bleached but still a little lighter than typical.

"Magic," Jason replied; Mike gave him an incredulous look. Jason may be younger, but he stood a couple inches taller than Mike's already tall height. He also had the gift from her father of a couple of shades darker skin tone so that he looked like he had a nice tan except in the dead of winter. "I'm serious; those belts create some sort of magic barrier."

"I get to wear pants when I play the king, right?"

"And a shirt. Michelle made armor for the king, but this gets to put you on display for the single girls." Mike knew the source material well. Whether wearing armor or not, the magic provided the same protection. The man wore a more primitive ensemble as a prince, as it was a tradition to constantly remind them of where the kingdom had come from. If the prince and his retinue failed their quest, it would also be where the kingdom quickly fell back. On his coronation, the prince would receive far more regal attire.