A/N: Thank you to lolz3, who provided the idea for this one-shot! I tweaked that idea a bit, because I couldn't really see Sonny being so bold as to ask Chad after only knowing him a couple weeks or so (or at least, a couple episodes). Not like this is exactly realistic. :P But I hope you like it anyways!
What to Wear?
Sonny looked around anxiously, nervous that someone, namely one of her castmates, would see her. Not that she disliked them - far from it. She was simply straying into forbidden territory. That's right - the Falls. And considering what had happened last week (it was a long story, but the gist of it was that Sonny had "betrayed" her cast and been temporarily consoled by Chad and his cast until she came back to her senses), the other "Randoms" probably wouldn't be happy to see her back at stage 2. But it couldn't be helped. This was an emergency.
There was a bit of a situation over in Chuckle City. More than a bit. It was a huge problem, and the worst part was that Sonny had caused it. Not to mention that Sonny was the only one who would be humiliated by it. Simply put, things weren't looking good for Sonny. Succumbing to Tawni's jabs about a lack of fan letters, Sonny had written herself a letter from "Eric," and read it to Marshall himself.
Marshall, the kind person that he was, had taken it upon himself to not only call Eric (which gave Sonny quite a workout, running back and forth), but also to invite him - or rather, demand that he come - to So Random!, seeing as he was Sonny's "first fan." There was only one thing to do. And that was to be Eric.
Sonny knew it wasn't going to be easy. After all, dressing up like someone else while also being yourself is never without complications. She had watched "Mrs. Doubtfire" enough times to know that. Robin Williams had also taught her that a convincing costume was essential. But that was another dilemma. Because Eric was a boy, and Sonny was a girl. This would make it more difficult for anyone to tell that Eric was really Sonny, but it also made it much harder to find an appropriate costume, simply because Sonny didn't own any male apparel. What was a girl to do?
She couldn't borrow Nico or Grady's clothes, obviously. They would know in a heartbeat that Eric wasn't real if she showed up wearing their clothes. The So Random! wardrobe department was likewise out of the question. And apart from Nico and Grady, Sonny really only knew one guy at Condor Studios.
Chad Dylan Cooper.
Who, she happened to know, was currently in So Random! territory, working hard at learning how to be a perfect mail delivery guy. It was only fitting, then, that Sonny was in Mackenzie Falls territory at the same time. She had been admitted to the set without any trouble, the bodyguard having recognized her from last week. She knew where Chad's dressing room was (only because she had changed into her Falls uniform there last week, not for any other reason, of course). It was almost too easy. And since the burly bodyguard was outside the set, there was no way that her castmates from the Do Not Admit wall would be able to find her. With these reassuring thoughts in mind, Sonny slipped into Chad's dressing room.
It was an expansive room, the same size as the one that Sonny herself shared with Tawni, but he had it all to himself. In fact, it was in reality about twice as big, as was revealed when Sonny crossed the room and opened the door to Chad's closet. Two long racks were devoted to slightly differing variations of Mackenzie Falls uniforms, while one smaller rack contained casual clothes. It was this rack that Sonny began to search for a costume that wouldn't be too conspicuous.
Jeans. Lots and lots of jeans lined the rack, and Sonny pulled off a random pair. After all, they couldn't be too different from one another, could they? As for the top, however, that was a bigger problem. It had to be loose, so she could - well, pass for a guy. It also had to be able to fit two casts on her arms, since she had foolishly told Marshall that both of Eric's arms were broken. Long-sleeved, tight red shirt with design on the front? Failed in both requirements. Green T-shirt with plaid overshirt? Cute, but still not quite right. And then Sonny saw the perfect one. It was a dark red, loose-sleeved hoodie with a gray and white striped T-shirt, shoved in between two other shirts in a manner that clearly said "You're not important." And if Chad didn't think it was important, he might not recognize it, which would be better for all concerned.
Grabbing the clothes and rolling them into a bundle for easy carrying, Sonny glanced around once more before sneaking to the doorway of Chad's dressing room, peeking out into the hall. No one was there. She stepped out of the room, walking quickly to the exit.
"Sonny?" Chad, pushing open the door that had been Sonny's destination, entered the hallway. "What are you doing here? Change your mind about last week yet?" It seemed almost as if there was a hopeful tone in his voice, but Sonny dismissed the thought as soon it came, focusing instead on the clothes in her hands, which she hid behind her back as Chad drew nearer.
"Nooo," she dragged the word out, trying to think of an excuse. "I was...looking for you," Sonny improvised when no other source of inspiration was forthcoming. Chad lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"Me? I mean, I'm sure you were. But why in particular?" He tilted his head to the side, looking at her in that special way, the way that he never looked at anyone else.
"Because..." Sonny did her best to think quickly, but all she could really think about was how cute Chad looked in his black leather jacket with the pencil behind his ear, still giving her that quizzical expression. "Because I - needed to give you something," she finally replied, moving closer and making sure the clothes were still concealed from him.
"You needed to - " Chad broke off suddenly as Sonny leaned forward and hugged him tightly. Speechless for a few moments, he froze before tentatively wrapping his right arm around her in return. Sonny, for her part, did her best to keep the clothes in a crumpled ball at his back, still invisible, while enjoying the "distraction" in the meantime.
"Yup. Thanks for last week, see you, bye!" Sonny said in a rush as she abruptly pulled loose and ran out the door, the clothes bunched together in her hands. Chad looked after her for a minute, still trying to comprehend what had just happened. What was with the stuff she was holding so obviously behind her back? Why had she even been over at Mackenzie Falls? Had Sonny just hugged him? But the most prominent question of all was, why did he want her to do it again?
***
When someone with a weird beard collided with Chad in the hallway later on, Chad knew that the person was familiar. It was only a minute after the mysterious person left that he realized it was Sonny. And the outfit she had been wearing looked vaguely recognizable. Didn't he have a shirt like that? And hadn't she been by his dressing room earlier? Suddenly, the puzzle pieces were falling together.
***
Sonny went onstage after their confrontation, ready to embarrass herself. But Chad wasn't about to let that happen. He slipped on the Eric costume, noting as he did so that it fit him just right. Clearly his. So Sonny had been in his closet after all. He'd have to question her about that later. But as for now…
"Eric…is…"
"Your biggest fan!"
A/N: So, what did you think? Please review!