[a double act this time as there is no sex but we need to go through here to get to more fun]
Chapter 6: Confrontation
Meredith had gone home but returned once she knew Jeff was there.
Jeff opened the front door still in his hoodie and socks, phone in hand. “Hey—wait, Mom?”
Meredith didn’t wait for an invitation. She stepped inside, eyes locked on him, arms crossed over her chest like armor. She looked shaken, but not angry. Not yet.
“I saw David today,” she said quietly.
Jeff blinked. “You did?”
“I recognized him,” she added, voice tighter now. “Took me a while. But once I knew, I knew.” She took a breath. “Jeff… what did you do to your father?”
Jeff’s jaw tensed. He put the phone down on the table.
“I didn’t hurt him.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Jeff paused, choosing his words. “I used the Chronivac. I helped him be who he really is. He’s happy now. You saw that.”
She stepped closer. “He told me you made him gay.”
Jeff nodded slowly. “I did. It was… part of the transformation. To make sure he’d want me the way I want him.”
Her mouth opened in disbelief. “Jeff, that’s not okay. You took away his autonomy.”
“No, I gave him clarity,” Jeff shot back, but there was no venom — just urgency. “You don’t understand. He wasn’t free before. He was miserable. Angry. Controlling. He didn’t even like himself.”
“And you thought rewriting him would fix that?”
“I thought—” Jeff stopped himself. “I asked him. I showed him what he could be. I didn’t force it. I just… opened the door.”
Meredith looked away, jaw tight. “He was my ex husband and your father.”
“He was. Now he’s someone better. Someone softer. Someone who smiles when he touches me. Did you ever see him like that?”
She swallowed hard.
“Yes,” she admitted, barely a whisper. “Today.”
Jeff’s expression softened. “Then you saw he’s not broken. He’s found.”
They stood in silence a long time, the air between them thick with something that wasn’t quite anger and wasn’t quite peace.
“I’m not mad he changed,” she finally said. “I’m mad I didn’t know how much he wanted to. I’m mad I never saw it. And I’m scared that you made it happen in a way that makes it hard to know if it was really his choice.”
Jeff nodded once. “I think it was. And he tells me every day he’s grateful. But if you need to hear it from him… ask him.”
“I already did,” she said, voice quieter now. “And I believe him.”
Jeff blinked.
“But I’m still his ex-wife. And you’re still my son. And he is still your father. And this is going to mess with my head for a long time.”
Jeff looked down. “Yeah. I get that.”
She gave him one last look. “Take care of him. Not just his body. All of him. He gave you everything.”
Jeff nodded. “I will.”
And Meredith left without another word — full of questions, full of loss, and full of a kind of aching awe for the strange, beautiful person David had become.
Chapter 6.5: Scene: The Truth Between Them
Jeff found David curled up on the couch, legs tucked beneath him, hoodie two sizes too big, bare thighs peeking out. He was sipping tea and watching something light on mute — more as a distraction than entertainment.
“You saw her?” Jeff asked gently, stepping into the room.
David didn’t look over right away. He took another sip.
“She came over,” he said at last. “I didn’t plan it. I was just running errands. And then… there she was.”
Jeff sat down beside him, quiet. “She came here too.”
David nodded. “I figured.”
There was a pause — the air cautious, but not tense.
“I slept with her,” David said simply.
Jeff looked at him, unreadable. “Okay.”
“I didn’t expect it to happen. But once she figured it out — who I was — she had to see it for herself. And I… I let her.”
Jeff didn’t speak.
David set down the mug and turned toward him, his voice softer now. “It was… amazing, honestly. Not because I’m not gay — I am. She’s not what I want anymore. But it was something else. Like… like making peace with a part of me that never fit.”
He hesitated. “She touched me like I used to touch her — or should have. And I let her. I let myself be open in a way I never was with her before. And when it was over, I felt clean.”
Jeff finally nodded, his hand reaching for David’s. “I’m not mad.”
David searched his face. “Really?”
“I mean… I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel weird. But you’re not mine because I rewrote you. You’re mine because you chose me. And if part of choosing yourself meant closing that door with her the way you needed to?” Jeff shrugged. “I trust you.”
David squeezed his hand, eyes stinging slightly. “Thank you.”
Jeff pulled him closer, resting David’s head on his shoulder.
“I love who you are now,” Jeff said. “Not because you’re cute. Not because you’re soft. But because you know yourself now — and that means I get all of you, not just a version you think you’re supposed to be.”
David smiled, pressed against his chest. “You’re not even a little jealous?”
“I mean,” Jeff smirked, “maybe enough to make you moan louder next time I finger you on the beach.”
David laughed — bright and open — and kissed his boyfriend’s cheek.
“Deal.”