Skirting the Matter

"No, I have to admit I don't," Josh said.

"Exactly. What do you think, by the way?" she bent one leg and wrapped it around the other flirtatiously.

"I think I'll be lusting after you all day long now."

"Good answer!" She threw herself at him and hugged him tightly, and he took the opportunity to reach under her skirt and fondle her pussy. "Two can play at that game now!" she reminded him, yanking his skirt up and tickling his now-hard cock through his boxers.

"That's going to stick out, isn't it?" he said.

"It would if you were wearing pants, too, if I'm dressed like this," she pointed out.

"Too true."

As Christine had promised, the world did not turn upside down when she and Josh stepped outside. Of course some of their fellow pedestrians looked twice or even stared, but Josh followed Christine's lead in ignoring the rudeness and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it proved to be. He was somewhat mollified the first time he overheard people commenting on the festival being today -- at least they knew why. "You do get accustomed to that," she told him as they made their way down the block. "I hate it, but you do get better at ignoring it."

"Lose your razor?" a teenage boy asked Christine they passed on the first corner.

"Yeah, let me know if you find it!" replied Josh.

"That's the spirit!" Christine squeezed his arm and kissed his cheek. While they waited for the light to turn, she whispered in his ear, "Just looking at you is getting me all wet, you know that?"

"Well, you're something else yourself!" Josh replied.

"Thank you!" Christine kicked up one leg flirtatiously just before the light changed and they stepped into the street.

"I see what you mean about the way it feels," Josh said.

"Isn't it great to be out in the fresh air for a change?" Christine asked. "For me too, after wearing pants all week." She was deliciously aware that it was only a matter of minutes until it dawned on Josh that although plenty of festival attendees would be out and about, he wouldn't see any other men in skirts. Since he seemed to be enjoying the experience, she reasoned, he wasn't likely to be too upset with her at least.

They went to breakfast at their favorite diner, on their neighborhood's high street. Other festival-goers were out and about as well, in all sorts of weird and wonderful costumes, but just as Christine had hoped and feared all at once, none of the guys were dressed like Josh. It was on the walk down that crowded block that Christine began to notice something she hadn't expected: many of the women they passed gave Josh an adoring look not unlike the one she had offered up while getting dressed with him that morning, and then they gave her a look of envy. Christine didn't mind much, but it surprised her, and in turn it made her feel rather silly that other women would have had the same fantasy she'd had all those years.

Josh took note as well. "Who knew I'd get this kind of attention?" he whispered to her as they arrived at the diner.

"Oh, I did," Christine said. It was a lie, but, she mused, she should have seen it coming.

They arrived just in time to take over a booth from a group of middle aged women who were leaving -- for the festival as well, judging from their garish outfits. One of them gave Josh an admiring look as she stood up. "Look at you!" she remarked. "Hope to see more like you at the festival!"

"I hear there are plenty of us," Josh said.

"Really?" asked one of the other women. "I've never noticed that before. Let's hope it's true!"

Christine expected Josh to confront her on that as soon as they were alone. But he didn't. He did, though, surprise her by knowing to smooth out his skirt under his legs before he sat down. "How did you know to do that?" she asked.

"I've been watching women and girls do it all my life," Josh said. "Probably all men know that, or at least all straight men."

"Um, no, Josh," Christine said with a laugh that she hoped wasn't impolite. "You're thinking all guys pay attention to women the way you do. They don't. That's why I love you, dear."

"Wow, I should've agreed to this ages ago," Josh said, giving her hand a final squeeze before the waiter showed up to offer them coffee.

"You can say that again!" Christine crossed her legs and was deliciously aware that her panties were well-moistened already.

The place was busy, and lingering in the booths was frowned upon on days like that, so they wasted no time after finishing their omelets. "Want me to go pay?" Christine asked.

"Nah, I'll do it." Josh grinned as he got up, and for the first time Christine had no doubt he was enjoying the experience just as much as she was. Flicking playfully at her leg hair and thrilling to the knowledge that it was on full display, she watched as Josh strode fearlessly over to the cash register. While he was waiting his turn to pay, a woman dressed like a tourist in a shapeless t-shirt and shorts tapped him on the shoulder and said something to him. Christine was afraid for a moment that the stranger could be taking the wind out of his sails; but to her relief, he only smiled at her and appeared to say thank you. So whatever the out-of-towner had said had rolled off his back, thank heavens!

Christine got up and, with a wave to the waiter behind the counter, walked proudly out to the sidewalk to wait for Josh. She gave him a pat on the rear end and a kiss on the cheek as she walked by, and made sure the stranger got a good look at her legs. Out on the sidewalk, a trio of drag queens were waiting for a table. One of them looked at Christine and said, "Girlfriend! What a look!"

"Thank you," Christine said, though she was unsure about how sincere the compliment was. "Nice dress," she added, though it wasn't particularly -- it was a gaudy green number that clashed ridiculously with her shoes. "I could never pull that off."

"We're not sure if she can either," added one of the other queens, and Christine was promptly forgotten amidst a flurry of good-natured insults. Her new friends didn't even notice Josh's attire when he arrived outside.

"What did that bitch say to you?" Christine asked as they resumed their stroll.

"Bitch?! She said I looked great and she wished more men were as brave as I was."

"No kidding!" Christine was immensely relieved. "I was sure she was a tourist from the Midwest."

"She was, Christine. She said you never saw anything like this in Des Moines, and more's the pity."

"Wow, my bad," Christine said. "Maybe the world's a better place than I thought."

"I'm starting to think so," Josh said, looking down at himself.

They killed the rest of the morning window shopping, sipping iced tea at their favorite coffeehouse, and exchanging knowing smiles with fellow festival-goers. There were more rude stares, but also some positive responses. "Good on both of you!" called out a man on a bicycle as he whizzed past them at one point.

"Thank you!" Christine called over her shoulder.

"Wow..." Josh mused.

"Yeah, I figured some people would be impressed," Christine said.

"No, that's not what I meant. It took me a second there to realize what he was talking about. I never thought I'd adjust that fast."

"Neither did I, I have to admit," Christine said. "Like he said, then, good on you!"

Josh stopped then and there, and swept Christine up in a hug, which she eagerly returned. "To what do I owe this?" she asked him.

"Pushing me to try new things! Now let's get over there!"

Christine wasn't sure if she'd been more nervous about how Josh might be received at the festival, or how she might be. Two weeks of putting on a brave face for Josh's benefit had almost convinced her that it would be no big deal...but not quite. Now, though, it was clear to her that Josh was feeling as good as he looked his gender-bending outfit anyway, and she resolved to try her best to do the same. As he strolled three steps or so ahead of her across the grass toward the cluster of tents, she saw no sign of self-consciousness.

It wasn't long before she realized why not. Before they were even halfway to the tents, a trio of teenage girls called out to him. "Hey, excuse me!" one of them said. "Nice looking!"

"Can you talk my boyfriend into trying that?" asked another.

"Real men wear skirts, it's about time!" exclaimed the third.

"I couldn't agree more," said Christine, taking his arm.

"How'd you ever convince him to do this?" asked the one who had called out to him in the first place.

"With my own little twist, of course," Christine said, kicking up one leg to show off.

All three of them tried not to look repulsed, Christine and Josh could both see that; but they couldn't quite do it. "N...nice," said one of them.

"Actually," Josh said. "I think it is. And she's right, that's how she got me to wear this."

"I'm sorry," one of the other girls said. "It's only...I could never do that!"

"I thought I could never do this either," Josh told her. "Unorthodox beauty is still beauty, you know."

"Whatever you like, then," said the third girl.

"Open your minds, girls, seriously," Christine said. "That's how you'll get the best guys." She smiled defiantly at them, and pulled Josh along toward the festival, which was now buzzing along nicely.

"Don't mind them," Josh said. "They're young, they'll learn. Maybe."

"I don't mind," Christine insisted. "I feel sorry for them, so closed-minded about a complete stranger."

"But they do have good taste in men," Josh quipped.

The encounter had Christine feeling nervous once again as they stepped into the freak show that was the festival grounds. But it didn't last, as there were partygoers there in every manner of dress and nearly any of undress, and no one seemed to care as usual as a folk band played in one clearing and a pair of jugglers in swimsuits and full-body makeup showed off in another and college kids looking like they were from the cast of Hair frolicked about. Christine had spent weeks promising Josh that they would blend right in, and now he saw she was right. The only comment he received about his skirt was a laughing note of approval from a woman who sold him a watermelon juice, because she was wearing a very similar one. There were other women with hairy legs about as well -- not many, but enough for Josh to think of joking about how his true love had started a trend.

As for Christine, she'd had her mind made up already to ignore any barbs and enjoy herself, and she did have a great time enjoying both her own sense of freedom and the sight of Josh doing the same. After a tasty but messy barbecue lunch sent them to the bathrooms to wash off a bit, she was feeling confident enough to tease him a bit. "Aren't you going in the wrong one?" she asked as he headed for the men's room.

"Hey, maybe they'll like what they see," he replied with a grin.

"Did they like what they saw?" she asked a moment later when he emerged.

"Couple of funny looks, but that's their problem," he said. "Thanks for pushing this on me. I've never felt so free!"

"You know what?" Christine asked. "So do I."

"What is it we always say?" Josh asked, taking her in a playful hug by the fountain, where their unorthodox appearance garnered a bit of attention from others caught up in the moment.

"Screw gender norms!" they said in unison.

"And speaking of screw," Christine said with an unusually shy grin, "Have you had enough of the show?"

Josh grinned back at her, not looking at all shy. "No," he said. "I'm enjoying this too much to stop now. And Happy April Fool's Day. Congratulations, you got me."

Christine laughed nervously, hoping he wasn't just working around to announcing he was upset with her. When he didn't do that, she asked, "When did you know?"

"I started suspecting it back at the diner," he said. "When those other women said they'd never seen it before. I'd already noticed there weren't any other guys dressed like I was, but that didn't raise any red flags alone. That plus what she said about never seeing it before, well, I started putting two and two together."

"That makes sense," Christine said. When he didn't reply, she continued. "I would apologize, but it looks to me like you're enjoying it an awful lot, Josh! Maybe the joke's on me."

"Only if you wanted to humiliate me," he said. "You didn't, did you?"

"No!" Christine reassured him. "I only..." She pulled back and took his hand and led him into a graceful twirl around. His skirt swirled elegantly about his shapely legs and a clutch of women enjoying a picnic nearby burst into applause at the sight. "I only wanted to see you like this, just once, Josh. It's a fantasy of mine, just like this --" She kicked up one of her furry legs -- "is for you."

"It was sneaky of you," Josh noted. "But thank you. It's been really liberating and fun!" He swept her back into his arms and she could feel his hard cock against her. After admiring him all day, she desperately wanted it inside her now...but that would just have to wait. That only made her feel even hornier, but she contented herself with the thought of how satisfying it would be when she finally got him home.

"Are you sure you don't want to take care of that now?" she teased him.

"I'm sure you want to take care of it right now!" he teased back.

The final event of the festival was an amateur-hour folk concert on the lawn, and Josh wouldn't be deterred from the chance to spot some promising newcomer. As they snuggled together in the grass, Christine playing absentmindedly with her leg-hair and ignoring the negative looks she received, she was aware of at least one positive one. A young man -- probably not even really a man yet -- was gazing at her with a smile when she happened to look up and make eye contact with him. He darted his glance away immediately, but Christine grinned and waved, and on seeing she didn't mind, he returned the gesture and drank in the fascinating sight of her legs once again. Christine rubbed the right one playfully and winked at him, and turned away just as he dissolved into nervous laughter. Christine was content -- the day was a success in more ways than one!

Josh took no notice of Christine's admirer, as he was absorbed in the music. He did, though, notice her rubbing her leg, and soon afterward he began rubbing the other one, teasing the hair gently, rubbing his hand just above the skin so that the hair tickled her in the loveliest way, caressing her skin as far and wide as was acceptable in public and maybe a bit more.

"I'm beginning to think you're enjoying this even more than I am, Josh," Christine said as they were making their way home at last, Josh still basking in the appreciative gazes of many of the women they passed.

"I find that hard to believe. But..." He twirled around like a schoolgirl in her first party dress. "It is a nice change! All day I've been feeling so..."

"Liberated? Feminine?"

"That too, but...natural! I'm glad you finally talked me into this!"

As they turned the corner on to their street, Christine felt a lovely tickle inside as she realized she might be in for many more days like this one.

"Look at these freaks!"

Christine didn't even realize the three teenage boys on the corner of their block were talking about her and Josh at first. She was too wrapped up in the joy of the moment, and like most women, she was used to ignoring catcalls. But Josh wasn't, and he knew. His hand tightened in hers and he picked up the pace a bit; only then did Christine notice.

"Just ignore them," she whispered.

Josh complied, but the boys didn't give up. "What the fuck is this?" demanded their ringleader, who stepped up from the curb to the sidewalk to block their way. "Why don'tcha go back to San Francisco, faggots?"

Christine and Josh kept their eyes to the ground and tried to step around the boy, but he stepped back into their way, trapping them between him and the brick wall that met the sidewalk. The other two followed his lead, forming a blockade. "You guys both boys or girls or what?" one of the others demanded.

"Let's find out!" sneered the third. As Christine kept her head held high and tried to step off the sidewalk to get around them, he shoved her up against a parked car and lifted up her skirt.

All at once, the three bullies got to see under Josh's skirt as well, as he yanked it out of the way and gave Christine's accoster a swift kick in the back that sent him sprawling onto the hood of the car. Josh whipped around in a defensive position, expecting the kid's two friends to hit back. But they had cut and run, and were already halfway up the block before Josh had a chance to focus.

Meanwhile, Christine had the third boy pinned to the ground and was well on her way to giving him two black eyes.

"Knock it off, bitch!" he whined. "Let me go or my buddies'll kick the shit out of you both!"

"Like they did just now?" Josh taunted.

"They will when I tell them what you did!"

"When you tell them you got beaten up by a girl and a guy in a skirt?" Christine said. "I doubt you're going to tell them that, kiddo." She released her grip and stood up. "Now get lost before I change my mind about letting you go."

"Freaks," he muttered, scrambling to his feet and brushing himself off. With one last dirty look at Christine's legs, he ran off.

Josh was impressed. "Christine, that was...wow."

"What do we always say, Josh?"

"Fuck gender norms," they recited together, and sealed it with a triumphant embrace.

"I hope I didn't just awaken a fighting fetish in you," Christine teased a few minutes later in their bedroom, after she'd had a chance to wash the gravel and grass-stains off her knees.

"Wouldn't go that far," Josh said. "But it sure got my blood pumping." He sat gingerly on the bed.

"Listen, if you're too shaken up to bother with..."

"Oh no you don't," Christine said with a grin. "You're not getting out of it that easy, dear! Lie down!" She pulled her top off, but when Josh started to follow suit she held her hand up. "Don't undress yet, Josh. Just lie back and enjoy the view, okay?"

She had every intention of working him into as big a lather as she was in with a striptease by the window. But then she saw he was looking glum and her beloved bulge had disappeared. "Josh?" she asked in her gentlest tone. "Don't tell me those assholes got to you. We won the fight, didn't we?"

"I just hate that we had to fight, just because of what we're wearing or shaving or not shaving," Josh confessed. "Such a lovely day, feeling absolutely free, and then a thing like that to end it all? It just isn't fair."

Christine joined him on the bed and put her arms around him. "There are always going to be jerks out there who just can't stand anyone who isn't like them. I think the best way to beat them is to enjoy who we are and be happy about it." On that note, she took his hand and placed it on her thigh so he could flick at the hair again. "That felt soooo good at the concert, Josh," she cooed. "And the way you showed in public how comfortable you were with me like this?" Words couldn't do justice to how that had made her felt, and so she kissed him instead.

He did begin rubbing again, and she grinned as once again the hair tickled her leg. She was also rewarded with the sight of a renewed bulge in his skirt. "That's what I wanted to see!" she declared. "And feel," she added. Feel she did, giving him a gentle squeeze through the soft fabric, to his delight.

Once she was sure she had him out of his funk, Christine got up again and returned to her spot by the window. "You think those little punks are going to spend tonight in the arms of anyone who adores them?" she asked as, swaying to imaginary music, she undid her bra. Slowly she pulled it away but held both hands over her breasts, rubbing them in the most enticing fashion she could muster.