Consequences of a Party

“Shit.”

That was the first word that came to mind as he stared at the small test balancing on the edge of the laminate counter. When he’d taken the test he hadn’t actually thought the results would be positive.

Wiping a hand down his face, Mason’s eyes once again dart to the test to reassure himself of the results. There were three possible outcomes. One, he’d suddenly contracted some sort of cancer that was screwing with the test, two, it was simply a false positive, or three, he was actually pregnant.

Fuck.

This was definitely not supposed to happen, ever. He had taken all the precautionary measures, well, apart from surgery, to make sure he would never be in a situation like this.

Apparently he hadn’t done enough.

Bringing his hands to his face, he runs his fingers through his hair, tugging at the inevitable knots that had occurred during the night.

If he were pregnant, it would explain the fatigue and the stomach aches. Along with the fact that he had begun to feel nauseous. At the same time however, all those symptoms could be something else. It was actually highly likely the test did mean something else. So then why couldn’t he shake the idea away?

Loud banging startles him from his thoughts.

“Dude! Hurry up! You’ve been in there for ages! I need to piss too, you know.” His roommate calls through the bathroom door.

“One sec!” He yells back, still sitting on the closed toilet seat with his head hung low.

“You better not be doing something other than taking a shit, Mason!”

“What? No! Fuck off Ben.” He growls, knowing his roommate was no doubt suggesting something inappropriate.

“It’s totally fine if you are! Just like, maybe hurry it up a little,” There’s a pause, “I really gotta piss.”

Rolling his eyes, Mason reaches for the test he left on the sink, wrapping it securely in toilet paper before burying it in the little bathroom bin.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t tell anyone. They’d think he was a freak, crazy even! He was a guy after all. This kind of crap wasn’t considered normal. What if the test was right? What if he was dying of some unknown cancer? How was he supposed to hide this from people? What about university? His work?

Calm down, calm down. You have to think rationally here, Mason.

Unlatching the bathroom door, he quickly side-steps his eager roommate, who barges straight past him to the loo. Not bothering to close the door as he unzips his pants.

Crinkling his nose, Mason runs another hand through his hair. Waltzing off to his bedroom just down the hall, the floor creaking under his socked feet, Mason begins to chew his bottom lip. He could feel his heart thumping hard in his ribcage, the shock not properly registering.

First things first, he needed to book an appointment with the local clinic and see what this was all about. As much as he hated doctors, he couldn’t afford not to see one. It was the only way to figure out what the fuck was going on with his body, and to see what this test was all about.

Who knows, maybe he did have cancer after all.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he takes out his cell phone and quickly looks up the number to his regular doctor’s office. He hadn’t been in a while, he could only hope Dr Thomas was in.

“Ann Green, Halo Specialist Centre, how may I help you?”

“Um, hi. I would like to book an appointment to see Doctor Thomas?” Mason chews his lip nervously, his knee beginning to bounce.

“Yes sure sweetie, he has one this Thursday at eight. Could I have a name?”

“Oh yeah, sorry, Mason Fain. I haven’t been feeling well and need to speak to him about something.” He scratches his head, feeling embarrassed.

How could he forget to give his own name?

The stress is already getting to me.

“Sure honey, that’s fine. He’ll see you here for an appointment at eight-am this Thursday the twenty-fifth. Is that okay with you?”

“Yep, sounds good. Thank you!” And with that, Mason hangs up the phone without waiting for her reply.

“Dude? You okay?” Ben pops his head through the gap of the door, “I heard you say something about an appointment?”

Mason jumps at the intrusion, eyes darting to his roommate while wiping a hand down the side of his face tiredly, “Yeah I’m fine, just not feeling too great.”

“Oh, well if you need me I’ll be in the lounge watching the footy.” Ben throws him his famous toothy grin before disappearing down the hall, feet thundering against the protesting floor boards.

Falling back on his bed, Mason lets everything sink in.

Why oh why did he go to that party? It wasn’t like him to do something like that! Well actually, that was a lie. Mason often found himself at parties, but still!

He’d never actually shacked up with someone. Of all the stupid things he could have done, it just had to be that. He couldn’t even remember who he slept with for goodness sake! Of course he could remember some parts, but not a name or a face, or anything important.

From a young age Mason knew exactly what he was. He grew up knowing he was different, and to begin with it didn’t really bother him. He had two younger sisters who both loved to play dress ups and with stuffed toys, and he also had an older brother who loved sport and video games. So when his parents asked him what he wanted to do with the fact that his body had parts from both worlds, Mason had simply shrugged and said he didn’t really mind what happened. He would be happy either way, so he let his parents do the deciding for him. Parents know best, right?

Well that was a load of bullshit.

When Mason was about fourteen, his body finally started changing. His mum explained to him that he was always going to be a little different than the other boys, but by then he’d already been convinced by his parents to live his life as a boy. So when his chest started getting a little rounder and, dare he say, perkier, all hell broke loose. His mother encouraged him to continue to live as a boy, and so, as every child does when they’re scared and confused, he listened to his mum.

Immediately his parents were onto it. Taking him to see doctor after doctor about his predicament. He almost changed his mind at one point, but when his mum reminded him that he’d be a girl with a dick, Mason was quick to stick with his parents decision. Soon, they’d organised for his growing chest to be dealt with, and a hormone treatment plan to be put in place.

Mason was to be a boy.

However, since Mason’s luck was never that great to begin with, there were always going to be complications. As he grew older, he grew more rebellious, more lax towards his mum’s strict regiment. He didn’t stick to the hormone plans as well as he should have and now, now he regretted not ever listening to her in the first place.

The test could still be wrong! That was still a possibility. Mason couldn’t dislodge his paranoia though. What would he do if the test was right?

Taking a deep breath Mason picks up his phone once again and dials a number he knows off by heart. His mum’s.

“Hello? Mace? You okay dear?” Mason bites his lip at the sound of her voice.

He could feel the tears beginning to form, his throat closing up.

“M-Mum?” He timidly croaks, voice wobbling.

“Sweetie? What’s wrong? What happened? Are you sick?”

Mason shakes his head even though she can’t see him, “I fucked up. I fucked up so bad Mum, I don’t know what to do.” Mason lets out the smallest of sobs.

He wouldn’t usually swear in her presence, or over the phone, but he was way too stressed to care, “I did something really, really stupid.”

“What happened?”

“I- I’m, well, I- I took a test...”

“Yes?”

“A-and...I’m pregnant.” He whispers.

Mason squeezes his eyes shut, willing the tears to disappear. One hand comes up to his hair and begins nervously tugging at the strands.

“Sweetie are you sure? Have you gone to the do-” Mason cuts her off.

“I’ve booked an appointment for this Thursday, so that they can check. I don’t know what to do Ma, what do I do?” Mason whines into the phone, rolling onto his side away from the door.

Mason was well into his adult years, and he knew that he was sounding like an immature brat right about now, but he was too overwhelmed to care. It’s not everyday that you learn you might be pregnant.

“Mason. I know that this must be really hard for you, but its your decision. I can’t- I can’t help you until you go to the doctors, okay sweetie?”

That wasn’t really what he wanted to hear. She couldn’t help him? Mason could hear the disappointment in her voice and he couldn’t really blame her for that, but for her to just brush it off?

“And if it’s not a baby, but something else, you can come back home anytime you need. You hear me? We’ll figure out what to do. You can still get your degree and keep your job. You’ll be alright. Just stay calm and level headed okay Mace?”

“Yes Ma. Thank you.” Mason picks at his quilt.

“You’re welcome, sweet pea. Let me know how it goes, okay?”

“I-I will... love you Ma.” Mason whispers.

“I love you too, sweetie.”

Ending the call, Mason stays on his bed a little longer, pondering over what his mother said. She was right. It was his choice what to do. He had to be level headed and do what was right. He would have to tell Ben at some point as well, considering he lived with the guy.

Ben already knew that Mason was a bit unique, but he still let him live under the same roof. He treated Mason like he would treat anyone else and didn’t ask any questions unless Mason was okay with it.

It probably helped that they’d known each other since school.

“Yo Mace! You coming to watch or nah?” Ben shouts through the house.

Mason sniffs once, sitting up on the bed. Getting up, he makes his way out of his room and down the hall to the little apartment kitchen. He could see Ben from there, sitting on the second hand couch with a large bowl of popcorn.

“Nah, I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll just go to bed early tonight. Sorry Ben.” Mason quietly announces, shuffling to the fridge for a bottle of water.

He prays that his face ins’t too blotchy from crying as Ben turns his head to look at him from over the top of the couch.

“You alright man? You don’t look so good.”

“I’m fine, I just need some sleep. I’m going to the doctors anyways this week, so it’s fine.”

“If you say so.” With a shrug, Ben turns back to the tv, feet propped up on the cheap brown coffee table they bought together when they moved in.

Tossing popcorn into his gob, Ben throws a piece at the screen, mumbling incoherent noises through his popcorn filled mouth. Shaking his head, Mason heads back to his room with the water in hand. Planning to get some much needed rest.

Mason has been living with Ben since they both graduated from high school. When they did, they happened to decide on the same university and thought it would be much easier to move in together to share the bills than live in a shitty college dormitory. Who better to live with than your best friend from high school?

The first time the two met could have been under better circumstances, Mason could admit that. It was in the boy’s locker room after a soccer lesson in the rain. The coach had told them all to go and change before they caught a cold – as per usual in the winter season.

Being the shy person Mason was, he didn’t want anyone to see his scars or the fact that he was a bit different down south. So he had decided to change in one of the shower stalls instead of out in the open with the rest of the boys. Unfortunately, one of the boys was a little too curious about Mason and popped his head under the door, just at the wrong time.

Mason, of course, freaked out and managed to somehow kick the kid in the head in his kafuffle to cover himself, falling over in the process. The boy by then had already ran to tell all the others, teasing and baiting Mason as soon as he exited the stall.

That was when Ben had shown up. Told them all to ‘shut the fuck up’ and leave Mason alone. When the boy went to argue, Ben had kicked him right where the sun didn’t shine. He threatened the kid that if he ever harassed Mason again, he’d do more than bash him around a little. Mason to this day could still remember the squeal that escaped the teenage boy as he fell to the floor.

Since then, the two had stuck together; two peas in a pod. Ben never judged Mason for who he was, and Mason always stood up for the troublesome red head in return.

Smiling at the memory, Mason climbs into bed, the lights already switched off and the grey curtains shut.

He had to tell Ben at some point, he knew that for a fact. The only issue was when, and how. How on earth did he tell his best mate, his roommate, that he was pregnant? How did someone even bring that up in a conversation?

That’s if I am pregnant.

Sighing, Mason turns in his bed to face the closed door. He could hear Ben softly yelling at the tv, trying to keep quiet for Mason’s sake.

Mason smiles to himself, closing his eyes. Everything had to work out, it just had to.

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