Mrs. Brightside– Coming Out Of My Cage Extras

by Boopy Doopy

Ordinary World

Mrs. Wiley thought it was very interesting the way her son, Mark, acted.

She didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t like her other sons. Heck, it wasn’t even like her daughter. It was hard to figure out how to describe it exactly, but after a while of thinking, she came up with the word ‘feminine’. He acted extremely feminine, much more like the girls his age rather than boys. It was even more so than Sam, somehow.

He was at home with her right now from his father’s yearly camping trip, like he would be for the next two weeks, on account of being sick the day they were supposed to leave. He didn’t seem to mind much though. In fact, he was probably more comfortable at home than he was out there. He never seemed to really enjoy it like his other siblings did. He was the kind of kid who much preferred to stay indoors and read a book or write a story than go hiking or adventuring.

Inside was where he was right now, laying down in the living room, a few toy figurines in his possession, moving them around and talking to himself as he played with them. There were a couple of regular action figures in the pile, but most of them were toy dolls, she noticed. There was also a dollhouse that he made them move in and out of, something that belonged to his sister, and a couple of other of Sam's toys in the pile he was messing with. It was things like this that made her curious like she was right now.

“What are you doing, sweetheart?” she asked casually as she sat down in front of him, Mark only looking up for a second before going back to the toys.

“I’m playing house,” he said as he moved the toys around. “This one’s the mom, and this one’s the dad, and they have a lot of kids. Mostly girls. They’re all about to go to the park.”

“I see. Very interesting, Markie,” she said politely. “You have a good imagination. But you know, if you want to, you can play the 64. You do have it to yourself until they all come back.”

“It’s okay. I like doing this.”

“Okay, honey. Just as long as you know. You’re very cute though. My cute, little boy.”

He smiled at that, before looking back down and going back to playing. It was weird for his mother to see, she had to say that. And adorable, very much so. He might have been a bit old to still be playing things like house, especially house with dolls, but it was very cute to watch anyway. If he was her daughter, she was sure he’d enjoy things like having his hair braided or going shopping with her for clothes, more than Sam seemed to. His sister might have been a bit of a tomboy, but he was definitely very girly.

It was more than just playing house with dolls though. It was how he spoke and his more sensitive nature and being closer to his sister than his brothers and the things he was interested in. It was also the fact that he still enjoyed affection. Neither Sam nor Trent at twelve and thirteen years old did. Heck, even her son, Jason, at just six, was already getting leery of the affection she gave her. Mark still enjoyed it, though, and in fact, even asked her for hugs from time to time. It made her smile whenever he did. It was very cute.

Her husband didn’t like it, but what did he like? Whenever they talked about Mark, he always highlighted how he needed to be more manly, like Trent, as if he wasn’t only a ten-year-old. He talked a few times about toughening him up, but never put those words into practice, thankfully. As far as she was concerned, it didn’t matter how he acted. He’d be just the same as everyone else when he grew up.

“I’m gonna go make some dinner now, Markie,” she told him after a while, getting up from her spot on the couch. "Are beans and rice okay for you?” He nodded, not looking up, and she went into the kitchen for a little while to cook.

She wasn’t gone for that long, maybe ten or fifteen minutes before she was stepping out into the living room again to sit back down. Mark was gone though, having disappeared from his spot on the floor. He left the toys he was playing with right where they were, so he was clearly intending to come back.

She checked around for him anyway, not bothering with calling his name. It wasn’t very long she had to check, only a couple of minutes before she found him in his sister’s bedroom. It wasn’t that strange of a place to find him in– as far as she knew, he and Sam were basically best friends. What he was doing in there did leave her quite surprised.

She watched quietly through a crack in the door as he turned from side to side, looking at himself in the mirror mounted on Sam’s closet door. He was grinning from ear to ear as he examined himself in the dress he had on, one of Sam’s long, flowery ones that she wore on special occasions. He seemed to be quite enjoying himself, moving his hips back and forth so that the dress twirled a little bit.

Mrs. Wiley watched for a second before stepping back quietly, wondering what she should do. She felt like she should say something, but didn’t want to suddenly step in and embarrass him. However, she knew wearing his sister’s dress was a step above just being girly. A few steps actually. It wasn’t something that should go unsaid, certainly not something her husband would let go unsaid if he saw.

But then again, he did look happy, and who was it hurting? No one, she thought as she made her way back into the living room quietly. He wasn’t hurting anyone, but that didn’t make it any less strange. Almost worrying. It gave her something to think about at the very least. Questions like if he would group up and turn out gay, or something else. What was that word? Transsexual? Transgender? She couldn’t remember, but it was a possibility that automatically entered her mind. She didn’t know what she would say if he ever said he was that, but she was certain it wasn’t something her husband would like. Knowing Scott and how he was, she wouldn’t be surprised if he disowned their kids over something like that. Not that she ever would. She couldn’t. She loved all her children dearly.

The question of whether or not she should say something remained on her mind when her son finally reappeared, casually laying back down in front of the dolls he was playing with, the dress no longer in sight. She couldn’t help but look at him a little bit differently now after that, but remained silent. It was probably best to not say anything. Scott would just ride his back about it until he grew up and moved out, something she didn’t want to happen. Besides, it was probably nothing. More than likely, he’d grow out of whoever he was now and grow into a strong, young man like his older brother was.

Whether Mark grew out of it or not though, she would love him just the same, no matter what.

---

There she was, nearly twenty years later now, sitting and drinking hot chocolate with her daughter. It might have been June, but it was a drink they both enjoyed. It always fit whatever mood they were in, no matter the time of year.

The woman in front of her looked different from the little boy she knew in her memories, and even the young man she was talking to just a couple of years ago. Different, and yet still the same. Her eyes were still that light brown they always were, hair still more blonde than all of her other siblings, almost as long as her own, a pointed nose that she still shared with her father. But it was mostly differences she saw. Her face looked… she didn’t know. Softer? Gentler? Her hair was shinier, and she filled out her clothes a little bit better, no longer the twig she used to be.

And most importantly, she looked happier. She was actually smiling, something Mrs. Wiley hardly ever saw after she started puberty. It was a nice change of pace, a change that made her seem brighter. Her son was nice looking in his own right, handsome even, but he always looked so depressed. The girl in front of her had a look in her eye like there was absolutely nothing wrong with the world, something that made her more beautiful than her son ever could aspire to be. It made her heart melt to see happiness in her child’s eyes that she hardly ever got before.

“Did you really catch me wearing Sam’s dress?” Katrina asked, giggling at the thought of it. “I don’t remember that.”

“You weren’t older than twelve, I know that,” her mother said as she sipped hot chocolate. “I do remember though. I keep imagining what your father would’ve said if it was him that caught you.”

“Probably something about how I needed to buck up and be a man,” she replied. “I know that’s what he wanted since he told me that about a million times. I guess I kind of messed up on his instructions though. Oopsie.” She giggled at her little joke.

“Hehe, I guess you did stray a little bit from what he wanted,” her mother agreed. “But it makes me so happy to see you able to be yourself. You always acted that way when you were a kid. I’m glad to see you smiling again after so long.”

“Thanks, Mom, I love you so much. I’m glad you’re always there for me.”

“What else am I supposed to do? You’re my daughter after all.” Then she gave a little sigh, and said, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything back then. I debated for a long time saying something before deciding not to. But seeing you so happy right now makes me realize that I should’ve said something. You might have been smiling more if I had.”

“It’s fine, Mom,” Katrina assured her genuinely, still smiling. “I said before I was nineteen or twenty when I realized. All of that waiting to be myself is on me. And besides, I’m just happy to be able to be happy right now. Being myself is wonderful.”

“Watching you be yourself is wonderful, honey,” her mother agreed. “I’m happy to see you being who you’ve always been. You’re my daughter, and I love you, Katrina.”

“I love you, Mom,” Katrina smiled. “Thank you for being there for me.”

Comments

[softponies]

aaa this hits different
this is literally the relationship my mom and i have and it's just the best ever,,, extremely good chapter i wanted to know how katrina's mom felt so bad and this was just, absolutely perfect