Switch Chapter 7
Later that evening K walked into the apartment with a shopping bag in his bruised hand. He'd stopped at the store to buy razors. He decided he couldn't wear any of those skirts unless he once and for all shaved the jungle growing on his legs. At least the other day he had stockings. Man, the thought made him heat up in the face. He felt so perverted somehow, knowing he'd worn something he at one time had found so intimate about a woman. The way the material felt, the places it hugged so close to…the heat on his cheeks flourished into a raging blush.
It was fun at the time, buying all those clothes, being silly and ogling the other women in the change rooms…
But when he stopped to think about it all, he still felt like he was dreaming.
And today he'd gone and beat up a bunch of men, stupid men, men that couldn't see past him for being a woman. If only they knew what truly lay beneath it all, inside his very soul—they'd feel pretty stupid then, K thought. But he'd gotten his identity, it was enough to apply for all the other important documents he desperately needed to regain a job, a drivers license…a life. And it was enough for him to attend an interview.
The card he held out in front of himself read, Claudia K. Winchester. Yup, he was going to pretend to be his own sister. K's sister from the good ole U. S. of A. He hoped his plan would work and Tohma would be convinced, but he had only to try. There was nothing else to lose, he'd go tomorrow and bang on El Presidente's door.
K had nothing but confidence, sure he'd taken a huge blow to the ego for three weeks. But what schmo wouldn't spiral into a funk after changing genders unwillingly? It had taken time, time he realized he had to thank Hiro for.
Thinking of Hiro, K looked about for the humble musician. It was dead silent in the apartment as K unzipped and dumped his boots at the entrance. Oh sigh… His feet were on solid ground again. But each step hurt and he had to urge his feet forward, wincing. He didn't understand why, but he felt so tired. He felt hungry too. So he padded to the kitchen and hunted through the cupboards. K wasn't sure what he wanted and he sighed at the sparsely filled fridge. Then he spotted a box of chocolate fudge cookies.
Drool!
He grabbed the box and a beer and took it with him to the bathroom. Peeling off stuffy clothes, K set out to have a bath. He wanted nothing more than to just disappear and eat chocolate and shave his legs. Ack! What was coming over him? Despair riddled his features. He should feel happy; he'd gotten past one of the biggest hurdles today.
But he didn't…
Today had showed him what men could really be like to a woman. Sure, he'd seen it before as a man. But to experience it was something else. It made him feel a bit small, weak and nameless. It also made him angry and frustrated. It was like those men only saw the outside and not the inside…K contemplated this as he filled the tub. He fished in the bag with the razors—oh, and a pretty new hair brush, some shiny new eye shadow…plus this new shampoo, made especially for blondes! He just couldn't resist.
This lightened his mood for the moment.
Placing the box of cookies on the closed toilet lid, K sunk into the hot bath. He sighed contentedly and rested back. Maybe he should just be grateful to be alive again, he thought suddenly. If he didn't inadvertently cut a deal with those gods he'd truly be dead. But being a woman was hard, it took work, there were so many things to do that he didn't have to as a man. All the steps it took to fit in, it was tough, but he had to succeed. He was still himself inside, so he'd live being a woman, he decided.
And he could still fight like a champ!
He sat up and felt a tingle of a headache searing over his brain. He'd never felt like this before…it wasn't like beating people up gave him a headache. K shrugged and stuffed his face with cookies…mmm…they'd make it all better. Chilling out, he ate half the box before thinking of tackling shaving.
Hiro came home late as he'd decided to hang out with Shuichi for dinner and a movie tonight. He needed to distract himself for a little bit and not think of K. But Shuichi was relentless tonight, he must have gotten into the sugar because he was bouncing off the walls. He talked endlessly about Yuki, about how he'd shoved him out of bed last night, how worried he was that Yuki was not eating enough, about how the novelist gave him trouble for leaving hair in all the combs. As much as he loved his best friend it was a mind numbing evening.
But Shu had also questioned him about love. When was he going to get a girlfriend? Was he interested in anyone? Would he consider putting his profile on a site called 'A Pond of Hiro had quickly detoured around all the questions, but when Shuichi asked why he was so eager to go home so much these days Hiro blushed. It was then and there that Hiro decided to prove Shuichi right and went home for the night.
He put his jacket over the back of the chair and eagerly looked for signs of K. There were boots in the doorway, a black jacket tossed over the sofa arm. His heart leapt as he hunted K down. He treaded down the hall. He passed the bathroom where the door stood wide open.
Hiro peered in and did a double take. Naked woman! His tongue suddenly felt glued to the roof of his mouth.
"Oh, hi Hiro. You're home," K mumbled lazily over a cigarette in his mouth.
Hiro stood like a deer caught in the headlights, there was K in the bathtub, currently shaving a propped up leg against the other end of the tub. "You're…you're naked, oh I'm sorry," Hiro pleaded covering his eyes and turning to go somewhere—anywhere else. His face burned hotly.
"Hiro you idiot, I know I'm naked. Why are you taking off?" K wondered, ash falling into the bath water. "Aww please come back and talk to me…"
"K," Hiro muttered from a few feet down the hall, "have you forgotten I'm a guy…a guy who actually likes girls too. And you're…here, you know, all naked. Don't you think you should have shut the door?"
Laughter came from the bathroom, "Oh right, I forgot about that stuff. I feel like I'm sorta' wearing a costume…so it doesn't bother me."
Oh. Well he'd never thought of it that way before. Hiro heard K curse. "What's wrong?"
"It's this fucking shaving, I keep cutting myself. Maybe I'm doing it all wrong," K groaned. "Plus I have a headache and this crazy craving for chocolate—I didn't think about it before…why now? Plus, men suck." K gave an ironic chuckle. "They really do Hiro." K went on to tell Hiro what he went through during the day, pouring out his heart and soul.
Hiro was touched K was opening up to him again. He found himself grinning at some parts of the story and shocked at others. He treaded carefully back to the doorway of the washroom again. He found some aspirin and handed it to K with closed eyes. "So Tony actually came to your rescue?" Hiro questioned aghast, eyes focusing anywhere but on K. His gaze strayed towards the ceiling. Oh. He hadn't known he had a cobweb there.
"Thanks," K said, popping the pills into his mouth, "Well he came to Bigfoot's rescue actually." K snickered and smiled.
It was such a perfectly comfortable smile, Hiro noticed. K really didn't seem to care about his nudity. "Are you sure you want me to sit here with you?" he asked. Hiro really didn't mind keeping him company.
"Of course I want you to sit. Here, if it makes you feel any better I'll close some of the curtain. I just don't want to be alone…I don't understand it but I feel so emotional," K complained in a whiney way. He closed the curtain so only his shoulders and face were visible. "Better?"
Hiro wasn't sure what to say about feeling emotional—must be a woman thing. But he felt kicking himself for putting up a fuss, because now there was no naked lady to look at. But he also felt more comfortable, talking to K without the naked lady to look at. It was a catch twenty-two. "Better…but damn K, those gods sure did a number on you. I mean you almost gave me an aneurysm," Hiro said goofily and laughed, noticing K's bruised knuckles.
Suddenly it was like old times, like the ones they'd had in K's office. Only tonight it was in the bathroom.
"Haha I know, I could stare at myself all day. Is it weird getting hot looking at yourself?" K asked.
The look was so austere on K's face that Hiro had to chuckle. "Well don't let it get to your head," Hiro warned lightly, "But it is a cruel fate for a man I guess."
A small hrmph erupted from K and he hissed at the shaving again. "But you know Hiro, I'm convinced I can do anything that my old self used to do."
"You mean being completely manic and unpredictable?" Hiro teased, sort of.
Grinning, K chuckled, "Have I ever gotten you hurt?"
No, he never did, Hiro concluded. "No. You know Bad Luck misses you like crazy. I think we've all come to accept your strange ways…although I have always thought you're just like a big kid."
The look on K's face softened and he smirked at the big kid remark, "Really? Aww, so you all miss me? I might just cry…" K made some pretend sobbing noises.
"You're such an idiot," Hiro sighed jokingly and threw a cookie at K—it plopped into the water.
Only K scooped it out and looked it over thoughtfully before eating it.
Hiro gagged visibly, "Damn. I never saw a woman act like you before."
"Nope I bet you never have Hiro. I bet you never have..."
Together they talked for at least two hours. Just sitting there and mulling over old times and now new ones. With every passing minute, Hiro could feel himself succumbing to K's spell more than ever. He was such a free spirit and Hiro was helplessly attracted to it. He was glad the gods didn't make him look like Pamela Anderson, K was perfect just the way he was. But as the time got close to the hour of the dead, Hiro felt tired.
Hiro glanced over, "I'm going to bed now—we both have a busy day tomorrow, eh?"
"Yes we do. Wish me luck Hiro," K said about his job interview the following day.
"Nah, you don't need luck. I know you'll knock 'em dead," Hiro claimed, yawning a little. He stood up and headed for the door.
"Hiro?" The guitarist paused and turned around. "All that stuff that happened in my office…its over with right?"
Trying to look as calm as possible Hiro replied casually, "Oh that. Sure whatever it's history." He lied.
Phew, K knew he'd get over it. "Thanks, you know…for all this. You really are a great friend," K said appreciatively.
Back facing K, Hiro replied, "I'm here for you…anytime K." With that he padded off to his room, heart heavy in his chest.
A/N: Something a little more insightful...K contemplating, and a bit of bonding between Hiro and K. I hope you enjoy it! If I wasn't dying of heat and my brain wasn't melting I'd reply back to you all. But I'm just going to thank you reveiwers and readers for taking a chance on my fic. Thank you muchly! In the next chapter K tries to return to NG.
