"Stop by the office. It's important."

Dreaded words. Was it performance? Issues with another employee?

To his surprise they were smiling when he walked in. Well, "she" was the preferred pronoun now. He'd made the jump to "she," starting crossdressing, taking the female pronoun at work.

The switch had left her nervy and self-conscious at first, which led to uncharacteristic mistakes. She worried it would be a failed novelty.

But with each outfit worn she quickly found herself more open to trying new ideas without ruminating. Asking questions. She did not track things. But her managers did.

All she remembered were the struggles at the start. Mistakes she still made. But her managers remembered their initial struggles.

"Your work has always been good, but it's taken a bump up. Yearly reviews and salary adjustments are a few months away, but accounting agreed. This, to buy work clothes you've dreamt about, now."

"Did--did I really earn it?"

"Lots of people who don't see themselves as alpha males feel that way. But yes."