Unmask (An Adam Young Fanfic)

Chapter Eleven

Josh sat on his stepsisters couch in her apartment. Tears streamed down his face as he managed to tell her everything that's been going on.

"Josh. Calm down," Kate said as she sat next to him. "Look. You can stay here till things settle down."

Kate handed him some tissues and he composed himself.

He shook his head. "I can't. Cole is staying with you right?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah but he doesn't care. You took us in after dad almost beat him to death. Please. It's the least we can do."

Josh sighed, defeated. "Alright."

Kate smiled and hugged him. Josh knew that Adam is clueless that Kate and Cole are his step-siblings. He didn't like acting dumb to Adam when he saw the message Matt sent in the group chat last year.

"What are you doing with Adam?" Josh asked.

"We're making music. Planning to go on tour in the fall," Kate said without hesitation.

"Cool. I feel bad about lying to Adam that I didn't know who you guys were," Josh said. "As weird as it sounds I wanted to make sure that he wasn't cheating on me."

Kate let go and shook her head. "No way. We're family. That'd be weird."

"Not everyone in the group. Jasper used to date Adam."

"I'll make sure that nothing happens between them," Kate said.

Josh smiled faintly and Cole walked in. He smiled at Josh.

"Hey. What are you doing here?"

"Josh is gonna stay with us till things settle down at his house. Adam's acting up again," Kate told him.

"Stay as long as you like man," Cole said as he sat next to him. "He isn't like dad is he?"

Josh shook his head. "Thankfully no. If he was I would've left him a long time ago."

Cole put a hand on his shoulder and glanced at his stomach, he wasn't showing a bump. "If he happens to get worse please leave. For your sake and your children's. I want to see my niece and nephew alive."

"You sound like Mike," Josh said.

"Can we meet him?" Kate asked. "Please?"

Josh nodded and they both smiled and gently hugged him. They let go and Kate showed Josh to his room. His room he had as a teenager full of girly stuff before he transitioned.

"Sorry. I haven't had time to clean it out," Kate said.

"It's fine. It's not a burden to remember my past," Josh reassured.

"Hey Kate. Can you come here," Cole said.

Kate walked out and Josh went straight for a picture of him as a girl with his brother. His brother supported him for the transition when his step-mother threw him out for wearing a chest binder. During college, he stayed female and when Matt got him pregnant, he lived with his brother. Josh turned the photo on its face and opened the closet. It was full of his brother's clothes. Smelled like him too. Memories flooded back to him as he sat down on the bed. One memory stuck out. The memory of Josh telling his brother that he was going to transition.

A large grin spread across her brothers face.

"Change your name to mine Amy," Joshua said. "I'll go by my middle name."

"I can't. I'll pick something else."

Joshua shook his head. "No. Please. Josh suits you better. Mikey thinks so too. Right bud?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "Please dad. I want you to be happy."

Amy looked at her son. He was smiling. "Alright."

They both hugged him. Joshua had cut her hair short and Mike brought out some of Joshua's clothes.

"You have a date with Adam tonight, right?" Joshua asked. "Does he know?"

"He knows."

Amy looked in the mirror at her brother. Joshua had green eyes instead of blue and brown hair instead of blond. He was muscular and gentle. Amy's blonde hair fell to the floor and a few minuets later she had a buzz cut with bangs that reached the side of her face. Just like her brothers haircut. Amy stood up and hugged her brother tight.

"Thank you."

"You're very welcome brother," Joshua replied.

Amy went into her room and got dressed. She walked out wearing her brothers clothes.

"You look good. If I wasn't your brother I'd date you," Joshua said.

"Shut up." Amy said with a smile.

Mike ran over and handed her a necklace. His shark tooth necklace that Joshua gave him.

"I want you to keep it dad," Michale said. "Uncle Josh told me to give it to you."

She took the necklace and put it on.

"You, my dude, have a date with another handsome young man." Joshua told him.

Her heart was pounding in her chest. Excitement and nervousness filled her. She put on shoes and walked out the front door.

The date went very well.

After the date did not.

That was the night she got the phone call saying that her brother had died in a car accident.

That was the night she legally changed her name to Joshua and legally became a man pre-T.

"Josh?" Kate asked.

Josh snapped out of his memory and looked at Kate. She was frowning.

"You alright? I thought you'd passed out."

"I...I'm fine. Just lost in thought," Josh said.

"Oh. Sorry that his stuff was still there. I thought you would've liked to come collect it," Kate said. "It wasn't a bad memory was it?"

"A bitter sweet memory."

Kate nodded. The look on her face said that she knew which memory.

"Lunch is ready if you're hungry," Cole called. "We have Kate's world famous homemade chicken and dumplings with sweet baby carrots."

Josh stood up and he and Kate walked to the kitchen. They got their food and ate while discussing family stuff. Cole said a few jokes which caused Kate to laugh so hard her face turned red. A warm feeling filled Josh. For a while, he forgot about his troubles. He had forgotten that a family can be truly nice for once and not hide behind a mask.