Switch Chapter 5
Three weeks later…
Hiro parked his bike returning home from work early. He'd finally gone back to rehearsing with his band mates again. His sudden dive into depression was gone and everyone, Shuichi and Suguru, wondered what the hell happened. He only grinned at them like he'd swallowed Tweety bird and urged he was perfectly fine. Everything was getting back on track, they had a concert coming up, and they did some airline commercial and got free vacations to Fiji— free to take whenever they pleased. They had also appeared on television for a music show.
Life was moving along like usual.
Sakano had taken over for now as acting manager. He did a fair job, but he seemed very frazzled and looked as if he slept less. When things weren't going the way they'd hoped everyone whined about how much they missed K. He'd been their rock, he'd kept them happy, had given them drive to do better—even if it was under duress.
Hiro didn't say a word about K's reincarnation as a woman. For one he didn't think anyone would believe it and another because he sort of wanted to keep K for himself. At first it was completely insane, the idea that K, in a woman's body, was living at his place. But every night he came home to a beautiful girl, he thought with a grin. Well K was gorgeous as a man too, but as a woman…oh boy—for now she/he was all his. He felt selfish doing that and he knew he couldn't keep K here forever...could he? He tried to stay completely neutral—act like the concerned friend. But man or woman he knew he still loved K more than ever. Love went deeper than flesh and bone.
Now only if K would love him back…
But he was also becoming concerned. K didn't seem to want to leave the place, or talk of ways to fix his life. He just sat staring at the TV and eating Oreo ice cream like it was going out of style. He wasn't taking care of himself—smoking, and drinking his beer. Hiro didn't think that K had even run a brush through his hair once in the whole three weeks he'd been here. Nor had he helped clean up the now filthy apartment.
"I'm home," he called from the doorway, shucking his shoes off. There was no answer. He walked into the livingroom to see K sitting at one end of the couch, knees pulled up, his chin resting on his hand, staring listlessly out the window. He noticed K must have ransacked his closet, because he wore a pair of his jeans—and how they fit perfectly on K's tiny waist Hiro noticed. But they were too short and it made K look like a beachcomber. Ugh, those hairy legs weren't exactly doing anything for him. Hiro brought his eyes north and noticed K was wearing his 'Hold onto your nuts for Hurricane Andrew' t-shirt. It had a picture of two palm trees holding their coconuts—a strange gift from his brother Yuji. If he wasn't careful K would dutifully stretch out his good t-shirts. Mmm, but his t-shirts never had such a wild ride before, Hiro smirked.
He went closer, to see what K was staring at. It was nothing but blue sky and a few puffy clouds from this height. He sighed and sat down. "We cut a new single today," Hiro said from the other end of the couch, telling K what went on like he did every evening. "Oh, Suguru's got a girlfriend but he won't tell us where he met her…strange guy. And Shuichi asked me to come out with him to a club tonight, but I told him no…"
"You should have said yes Hiro," K said tiredly.
"And leave you here all alone?"
"So what? I'm not going anywhere."
"K, don't you think you should get out of the apartment at least for some air?" Hiro wondered with concern.
No answer.
Hiro looked over at K and frowned. "You can't just sit around here moping. Things will never get better that way," Hiro said sternly but regretted it as soon as it left his mouth. Damn he didn't know how to deal with a depressed K.
K sat up a little straighter and glanced over at Hiro. "I'm supposed to follow my heart, that's what the gods told me. They said I'd get to be a man again if I did," he said quietly.
Hiro looked astounded, "Really?" but added, "So why don't you…that is, follow your heart? Is it that hard?" He wondered what that entailed.
"What do you know! You're still a man, living a life like a normal person!" K shouted, his eyes lighting up angrily.
Staring, Hiro's first thought was how pretty K looked when he was angry (it made Hiro think of a vicious kitten), but he cleared his head and retorted, "Why don't you just stop with the normal life bullshit and suck it up already? Nothing's going to change unless you do something about it." Hiro suddenly thought of something, "Did you know Tohma is planning to hire a new manager? Suguru told us that today—says he's having a hard time finding someone that comes even close to your expertise." Hiro sat back calmly and wondered what K would say to that.
K opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Instead he held a finger to his lip in thought. Tohma was going to hire a new manager? Some punk was going to take his place? There wasn't anyone that cared for Bad Luck like he did. Not just anyone could control a pink fur ball like Shuichi, or put up with his cranky boyfriend Yuki. Hmm, what would happen to Bad Luck if the wrong person came into the picture?
Hiro could swear there was a number scale of positives and negatives flashing over K's noggin. He knew K was mulling over what he just said.
But suddenly K jumped up, "Let me borrow your credit card?" he asked.
Surprised, Hiro questioned, "For what?"
"Shopping!" K sang and ran to the bathroom.
Oi? Curious, Hiro followed K to the washroom with raised brows, "Can I ask what we're shopping for and why?" He stood in the doorway as K brushed his hair. Oh, brush goes up and brush goes down. Hiro watched complacently.
"I have a plan," K said smugly.
"Oh and this plan involves shopping hmm?" Hiro spoke mesmerized, watching K eagerly.
K stopped and looked at Hiro oddly. "I need clothes so I can get my old job back!" K said excitedly, "Is something wrong Hiro? You look funny."
Hiro snapped his head up, "No I'm fine, let's go shopping!" He took off quickly before K noticed him blushing.
"I borrowed some of you deodorant Hiro, I hope you don't mind!" K yelled from the backseat of Hiro's motorcycle.
"No I don't mind! But you smell like a guy!" Hiro felt K huff about that.
"Also wear that hat of yours and the glasses. You don't want to get found by fans or reporters," K advised loudly.
No he didn't, Hiro thought drolly.
It was odd but the hard thing pressed up against his back was K's gun as he clung on. It was stuck down the front of his pants. But Hiro's mind was not on the gun pressed against him, it was the boobs. Hiro willed himself not to think about it, but holy hell K was driving him crazy.
When they got to a huge mall and parked, Hiro hopped off and immediately stuffed his hands into his pockets. He wore another blush and walked next to K, hiding a major woody.
"I don't know the first thing to get. I never really liked shopping, I still don't…I think. But where do I start? Hiro are you any good…"
"K, don't look at me for advice in women's clothing, you've got the wrong guy," Hiro explained. "You know who we need? He'd love this sorta thing."
"Shuichi," they both said together.
Chuckling Hiro nodded, "Yea, but how could I explain who you are?"
"You can't or it'll ruin my plan," K said.
"What else do you have planned other than getting your job back?" Hiro asked.
"You'll see," chimed K with a daunting look.
So Hiro followed K into the shopping center, hoping no fans would recognize him. They entered a large store and looked around completely intimidated. There was everything from men's clothes, women's, kids and a whole area dedicated to cosmetics and perfume.
"Let's get a shopping cart," K mentioned and let Hiro fetch one. When he returned K said, "Look, over there."
K took off and Hiro followed him into the men's section. "Um, aren't we in the wrong department?" But K only shook his head and added a few pairs of men's underwear to the cart. "K those are men's underwear," he said dryly.
"Remember its Claudia in public Hiro," K told him and ignored the whole point about men's underwear.
Hiro sweatdropped.
But K didn't stay in the men's department and carefully entered the women's like he was entering enemy territory. Easily both felt completely foreign here, looking around like they were inside Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.
The secrets were out.
"Everything is so colourful," K said, not sure where to start. He eyed some women shopping around to see how they dressed.
Hiro noticed a look come over K that he hadn't seen in awhile. It was the mad look, the one he got when he was about to do something crazy. The kind he wore when he got silly and sang with that stupid microphone of his. Hiro gulped.
"I don't know what size I am," K said and picked up a sweater, eyeing it happily.
Hiro put the sweater back, "That'll make you look like a granny."
"Oh…well how about this then?" K held up a red skirt.
Smiling, Hiro nodded, "Much better." He laughed. "You'll have to try these things on you know."
K nodded and ran from rack to rack looking at stuff, his eyes glowing brighter and brighter. If Hiro knew anything he'd say K was enjoying this.
An older sales lady approached K and said, "Oh my, you look dreadful my dear. Can I help you with anything?" She eyed the stuff in the shopping cart and gave Hiro a once over. She gave a little huff and turned back to K. "You look a little lost, do you know what you're looking for?"
K gave the woman a once-over, never realizing he could have asked for help. He didn't know what he wanted exactly and he wasn't sure how to say it. All he said was, "I need clothes for a job interview…and, well…everything else too."
The sales woman smiled with joy. Cha-ching commission! "Oh, well we'll have to fix that now won't we? Here, let's find out your sizes first." She whipped out a tape and measured K's hips, waist and bust.
Hiro noticed K blushing and shook his head sadly.
"Size four waist and bra size, you're a thirty-six C," she explained.
K giggled and Hiro blushed…again.
"Ooo bras, I forgot about those," K said animatedly and the woman's face faulted.
"Well, depends on your budget, but we carry only the best lingerie." Both sales lady and K looked at Hiro pensively.
Hiro balked. It was like one of those weird sitcoms and he was the punch line just now, he could swear he heard an audience laughing at him. "Let her pick what she wants," Hiro said squeamishly, feeling terribly out of place. Hiro had to raise an eyebrow when K gave a cheerful, 'Yay', and the sales woman smiled courteously and told K to follow her. But before K followed, he promised to pay Hiro back every penny—then trotted happily after the miracle sales woman.
Thank god he actually got a decent pay check, Hiro thought gratefully.
For the next four hours K and the sales woman orchestrated a small wardrobe. A few other sales women got involved in the so called "makeover" fun. They taught K all he ever wanted to know about walking in high heels, how to mix and match his clothes, how to attract a man…they'd all looked at Hiro at that point—and giggled! They showed him how to put on make up and demanded that he shave his legs when he got home. The only time Hiro almost fled was when he heard K whining loudly from the change room about the bras. "How do women do this? I feel like I'm being suffocated!" he'd moaned a few times. That started a whole debate with a group of ladies, with K right in the middle of it. By the end K declared Friday's braless day. Hiro stood looking embarrassed, tempted to crawl into the nearest clothing rack to hide.
But it also had its up side: for one, he hadn't seen K looking so happy in a long time. His goofy self soaked up this attention as he clowned about. Some of the women thought he was SO cool when they spotted the magnum and voiced that they all wanted one too. Hiro gaped, women were crazy, he decided then and there.
Long after closing hours, Hiro sat yawning, sitting on the edge of some mannequins' pedestal, bored out of his mind. He was going to be so tired at work tomorrow, all he wanted was to go home and sleep. He was quietly dozing off when he heard 'Hiro…Hiro'.
He looked up slowly, eyes starting at a pair of suede high heels, moving up along long legs—over a beige skirt in which a crisp linen shirt was tucked into, and a matching jacket over it all. He looked at a face perfected more by make-up and K's golden crown shimmering like an angel. "K…" he breathed, stupefied. "You look…wow, you look beautiful," Hiro murmured and stood up. He felt tongue tied, the woman before him took his breath away.
"Remember, it's Claudia," K reminded him again, wobbling in the high heels. "I think I've got all I need, I'm fucking beat, let's go home…I need a beer."
Chuckling, Hiro felt more energized again and followed K. Maybe it was that skirt, he thought as he followed K out of the store, carrying a few bags. His eyes were glued to K's butt, even as he walked awkwardly in those high heeled shoes. But he did have the look of professional woman now. Hiro tried not to drool as the Japanese version of Simply Irresistible went through his head.
They strapped the bags to the motorcycle and headed home just as the sun began to set.
"You were right Hiro…all I needed to do was accept it!" K hollered again from the back, his hands clutching the back rail this time.
Toot Toot!
A trucker smiled and waved at him as he drove past. "I'm being honked at! The nerve! He's lucky my hands are full or I'd shoot out his tires!" K shouted evilly and let out a manic laugh.
Even as a woman that laugh was scary.
A/N: Well it had to happen. K needed to learn how to dress, its not written in the hormones lol. I always imagine him turning into things into jokes of his. He loved the shopping hehe! Yeah he's got a lot to get his life back on track after losing it all. Don't worry everything will come together. Although I think this fic will be longer than others. I hope you continue to get a few laughs, things will get a little odder...well in my mind it is haha.
Reviewers:
smile78mtl: Aww thank you for the feeling to take my time. Although I'm completely opposite. It's maddness, I'm quite ahead of myself already. Lets say I'm working on chapter 12 XD But I like to stay ahead in case I change plot and have to fix things a few chapters back. But I think I have this all planned out so its cool! Much love hun, thanks for the kind review.
catmum56: OH Wow! Thanks for your thoughts. I'm glad you are finding it flowing well with the right amount of humour and such. YAY. This has got to be the hardest if done for fear that I'm going mess it up. haha maybe i still will, but I will seriously try not to lol! Most definitely K will have a run in with Tohma. K has a lot to go -winks-
the2evils: Hehe oh if K wasn't looking at Hiro's ass, then I'll eat my -looks around- what do pencils taste like? Anyways no way! I never give up on a story. Sometimes I feel depressed when I can't think of plots, but they always come to me eventually lol Thanks hun!
Darka-chan: Thank you kindly for your review! I really hope you enjoy the rest.
