"This is a major emergency," said my wife. She was looking at her phone with an expression of horror I had never seen on her face before.
"What is it?" I asked. My wife's job as an event organizer seemed stressful, but she usually handled it well. This time, however, she looked like she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
"My assistant for tonight's event just called in sick. Coronavirus. She's out of commission for the next two weeks, and I don't know how I'll put on the show without her."
"Well, just reschedule--"
"No way! This is my biggest project yet. If it's not perfect, I'll never work in this industry again."
"Or find someone to fill in?"
"How? We have to be there in half an hour to get set up. There's no way I'll find someone in time. Unless....honey, would you be willing to fill in?"
"Maybe, but I don't know..."
"It will be simple. You won't even have to speak. Just be on stage and follow my lead and you'll be fine."
"Hmmm..."
"Please. You have no idea how important this is to me."
"OK, I'll do it."
"Thank you, honey!!!" My wife gave me a big hug and kiss. "You're the best husband ever! Just one thing. Do you have any objection to being in costume?"
"Ummm..." I tried to remember what the event was. My wife had been planning it for weeks, and there was no way I could ask now without incurring her wrath for not paying attention. The event was...something to promote a new Mario video game, I seemed to recall. "That's fine," I replied. How could I possibly object to a cap, overalls and fake mustache?
"We have to head out now to avoid being late," said my wife, and we headed to the car.
***
When we pulled up to the venue, I could tell this was definitely the biggest event of my wife's career so far. The event was being held in what I recognized as the largest convention center in town. Over the door, a giant banner hung, reading "Bowser's Revenge: The Launch Party." My wife flashed her ID at the entrance and we went inside.
Things were already well underway, with a crowd of hundreds of people milling around in front of a stage. Guys in Toad costumes went around handing out hors d'oevures, while up on stage a performer in a Bowser costume entertained the crowd with some impressive breakdancing. The crowd was quite a mix: some were wearing regular clothes, others seemed to be businessmen in suits, and a large fraction were wearing some sort of cosplay as Mario, Luigi, Wario or even Waluigi. To my surprise, a significant fraction of the crowd was female--around a third, which is more than I'd expect for a video game launch party--also in a mixture of regular clothes and Mario cosplay. As we walked through the crowd, I recognized cosplay of Peach and Daisy, among other characters I was less familiar with.
My wife led me backstage. "We're on in 15 minutes. Let's get changed." Next thing I knew, my wife had stripped naked and was putting on her costume. It looked like a black leather leotard, black thigh high stockings, and a metal-studded black leather collar.
"Wow, I didn't know there was a dominatrix in Mario," I said as I began to remove my clothes. "I guess things have changed since the GameCube days. Did they add the S&M with the Wii version or the Switch version?"
"I'm Bowsette, silly."
"Bowsette?"
"Like, girl-Bowser."
"OK, where's the boy-Bowser costume for me?"
"You're not going to be boy-Bowser. Didn't you see him dancing onstage? You're going to be Princess Peach." My wife pointed to a bright pink dress on a hanger. I swallowed. Wear a dress in front of a crowd? It would be the most humiliating thing imaginable. And if word ever go round to the guys at work....
"No one will know it's you," said my wife, as if she had read my mind. "We'll put you in a wig and plenty of makeup. And there will be something else to conceal your identity."
"What's that?" I asked.
A guy with a clipboard and a headset came up to my wife. "We're running late on the Princess Peach scene," he said. "And Bowser can't break dance much longer. He's due for a union break in two minutes."
"I'll go get the crowd warmed up," said my wife, and then she turned to me. "I can't explain now, but you'll find out soon. Just get dressed and have Charlene in makeup prep you. Oh, and be sure to wear the bra and panties that come with the costume. And the stockings too. Trust me, it's important."
I picked up the panties nervously. Like the dress, they were a shiny pink silk. I had never done anything like this before. But my wife's career was riding on it, and I didn't want to let her down. I put on the panties. The soft, smooth material made them comfortable, even if they were a bit tight around my balls. The bra was kind of loose, and I had to struggle behind my back to get it hooked up, but eventually I succeeded. The stockings were opaque white and came up my thighs, ending just below my butt. Then, I put on the dress, which I also noticed came with some long white gloves, and a pair of pink high heels. I was just pulling on the gloves when a woman came in.
"Makeup for Princess Peach," she said. She must be Charlene, I figured. "First, let's do your wig." She put a dollop of thick liquid on my head and then plopped a big blonde wig on my head.