Waving, Derek watched as Stacy's hatchback disappeared around the bend, already trying to compose a text to her in his mind.

Fuck, she had been hot: a brunette with curves in just the right places. And the flush on her neck when she looked at him, let him know she didn't even realize how hot she was, which somehow made her even hotter.

And the way she bit her lip when she was nervous. Just, damn.

She had large brown eyes and long lashes, and her V-neck t-shirt showed off the soft shadow at the edge of her clavicle. She'd gob smacked him. He'd barely been able to talk.

He looked over at Brody, who was watching him with an amused grin. "Feel like a knight in shining armor?"

Derek rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, she was a literal damsel in distress, wasn't she?"

They turned and headed back up to the park, Brody swinging the GoPro in one hand.

"Better delete that number," Brody said. "Don't even think about it."

With dramatic flair, Derek slipped his cell phone back into his pocket and gave it a gentle pat. "Don't want to disappoint my damsel."

As they reached the park, Derek saw that their water bottles and his shirt were still on the bench where they had left them. It was a lucky coincidence that he'd been showing off his urban-equipment workout routine when Stacy had wrecked her tire. Most girls seemed to find his abs irresistible.

"Seriously, dude? Another straight girl?" Brody quipped, his tone light but with a subtle undertone of concern. The sun glinted off his GoPro as he set it down on the bench, casting a shadow that danced on the ground. He picked up his water bottle and unscrewed the top.

Derek sucked his teeth. "Why not? She seemed interested, and besides, I'm fully transitioned now. Why can't I date a hot girl like her?" His voice was confident, with a touch of defiance.

With the water bottle hovering before his mouth, Brody's eyes drifted over Derek's well-sculpted body, and he shot back with a teasing grin, "Fully, huh? Are you sure? Although you were giving off some serious BDE back there." Brody laughed. "Especially for someone with such a small dick." He tilted his head back and took a long drink.

"Fuck you, man, you don't know what I'm packing." Derek bumped Brody with his shoulder, causing a splash of water to dribble down his beard.

"Oh, I don't?" Brody lifted an eyebrow as he turned his chin and wiped it on his sleeve. "Pretty sure you left your packer drying on the dish rack just last night."

Derek grabbed his crotch. "Exactly. And you don't know which one I chose for today."

Brody's laughter rang out, genuine and unguarded.

Right at that moment, a young mom entered the park, pushing a stroller with an apple-juice drinking toddler kicking at his footrest. She gave Derek and Brody a suspicious look as she parked the stroller near the swing set.

Derek slipped his shirt back on over his head and picked up his water bottle. He smiled and nodded at the woman, but she didn't return the courtesy.

Grabbing the GoPro, Brody tilted his head toward their apartment and they left. Once they were on the sidewalk, he looked back over at Derek, his eyes softening. "Look, I just don't want to see you get hurt again. The thing with Emily wasn't that long ago."

Derek's smile waned. "Emily was different," he said. Then his voice dropped to a whisper, "She was a fangirl who knew I was trans when we met."

"Well..." Brody shrugged. "If you date Stacy, you're going to need to tell her, eventually."

Derek took a deep inhale, his eyes gliding up the clouds darkening in the sky. "Looks like it's gonna rain soon," he said, sidestepping the subject. He didn't want to think about Emily. She had seen him as an adventure, a rebellion, a way to shock her religiously conservative family. He didn't know Stacy, but if she said yes to coffee, it wouldn't be because she wanted to dip her toe into queer waters. It would be because she wanted to know him. Not some "trans guy".

Brody's hand found Derek's shoulder, his grip reassuring, grounding. "I get it, man. Just be careful, that's all I'm saying."

They reached their apartment building and Brody reached into his pocket and took out his keys.

Derek stepped back and patted his pocket to make sure he had his set. "You know," he said, "I think I'm going to go get a session in at the gym."

Brody nodded. "Okay, man. I'm going to go through the footage, make some edits, and throw something up on the channel. Cool?"

"Thanks man." Derek patted Brody's shoulder and jogged back down the hill. He needed to clear his mind, and a little iron therapy would do him good.

He'd always worked out. Played sports. Been good with his hands. But since starting T, shit. He could mold his body like clay. Testosterone was like magic. When he started it, his energy surged, and with just a little focus, his muscles developed like they never had before.

There was a time he'd been jealous of cis guys, and how easily they had it. And yeah, he would never be tall, and there weren't any surgeries for virility, but for the past couple of years, he'd built a physique that put most guys to shame, no matter what sex they'd been assigned at birth.

When he got to the gym, he stashed his phone, keys, and shirt in his usual locker and then warmed up on his favorite treadmill.

He focused on his breathing. Let his eyes relax. Cleared his mind.

Endorphins flooded through his veins as he went through his usual circuit, counting reps, pushing his limits.

Every time he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, a small thrill of excitement went through him. This body had cost him almost everything. Family members. Childhood friends. And thousands and thousands of dollars.

But it was worth it.

And seeing his undeniable masculinity staring back at him in the mirror would never get old.

By the time he got home, all of his jitters and dating insecurities had been sweated away. He pounded a protein shake, hopped in the shower, and threw on some basketball shorts.

Brody had a class tonight, so, home alone, Derek plopped down on the couch and unlocked his phone. He clicked on the TikTok icon to open the app and was greeted by thousands of notifications. Most were likes, but a couple hundred were new comments clamoring for his attention.

He clicked over to his videos to see what Brody had come up with. It had catchy music, and he'd done a sweet job of editing together different angles of Derek's workout on the playground monkey bars.

Brody had the magic touch. Derek didn't know why he was wasting his time getting a teaching degree when he had such a knack for tech.

This new post already had over ten-thousand views.

If Derek had any real influence, #TransMenAreRealMen would be trending soon.

The thrill of public adoration sent a jolt of excitement through him. He scrolled through the list of new comments. There were lots of "Looking good, buddy!" and "Damn, you make it look easy," but most were simply emojis. The best comments were from young trans guys who told him he gave them hope.

And yeah, sure, some comments were from haters, but Derek just deleted and blocked any that were too offensive. But he just laughed at the comments that called him a girl. There was one of those on this video. Some people were so stupid.

Online fame was a double-edged sword, but mostly he was appreciative.

Then, amid the heady rush of all sorting through his notifications, Stacy's image floated to the surface: her smile, her voice. He swiped out of TikTok, opened contacts, and his finger lingered over her number.

Was Brody right? Was this just asking for trouble?

After Emily, he swore to only date women who identified as pan.

He hesitated, his heart pounding in his chest, a myriad of questions swirling in his mind. Would she be accepting? Would she understand?

But he reminded himself of how flirty she'd been when telling him her number. The way her cheeks blushed when she looked at him.

There was mutual attraction. There was no harm in going on one date and learning a little more about her.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, he summoned his courage and typed out a simple message: "Hey, it's Derek. Hope you made it home safely. Would you like to grab a coffee sometime?"

He pressed send, and a mixture of hope and anxiety flooded through his veins as the message was "delivered" and then "read."

After three excruciating seconds, no texting bubbles had popped up.

She'd read the message, but wasn't writing back?

He swiped back to TikTok, scrolling through videos, trying to distract himself.

Finally, a minute later, she responded: "Hey, Derek. Coffee sounds great! I'd love to meet up sometime."

Relief washed over him, a fresh surge of excitement bubbling within. With a wide grin, he typed a reply. Maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

_____

A/N: Did you expect our bad boy to be trans? 

I hope you stick around to find out what happens next. It's gonna get spicy ;)

Don't forget to vote <3