Okay, so a few things first. The next chapter of Healing Earth may take awhile because the next chapters follow the last few episodes of the show and I can only work on it while I have access to a computer to watch the show. Sorry. Second, my friend and I were talking when the idea for this piece came up. I've never attempted anything like this before, so I hope it turned out well. I also don't want to see any hate comments regarding the subject matter. Finally, there are going to be a few points in this one where things are a bit more risqué as opposed to what I usually write, but it's nothing that would boost the rating.
WritingIsAGift: Thank you very much,I'm really glad that you like it. I think everybody at one point or another can sympathize with Katrina in that chapter and I feel the same way about wanting to find a Francis of my own. I hope to hear from you more in the future.
.:Line Break:.
It wasn't something she had noticed right away. Before they had started dating, Kathrine had made a conscious effort not to stare at Richie as there had been no point in torturing herself over someone who she thought would never be interested in her. Now that they were dating, she didn't see the harm in looking at him as he was very attractive. It was only when she had started looking that she began to notice it. It had all started after Terra and Gear had returned to the gas station after being on patrol together.
"Did you see the stinger on her?" Gear complained as he walked over to his computer, "She could have impaled me!"
"You really think I would have let that happen to you, genius?" Terra asked, leaning against the drink dispenser, "Besides, your Zap Cap did a pretty good job of knocking Wasp out of the air."
"Yeah, luckily for me. Another second and I would have been a Gear-kabob."
"Like I said, I wouldn't have let that happen. I'll always protect you, Richie."
Kathrine grinned as Richie blushed. He turned away from her to look at his computer, leaning over the desk as he entered the info on the bang baby Wasp into their database.
Kathrine allowed her eyes to linger on his back. Richie's Gear costume left little to the imagination and she felt no shame in silently appreciating the way the lean muscles in his back would flex as he typed. Unbeknownst to him, her eyes wandered lower, then abruptly stopped.
Curiously, she cocked her head to the side. "Are those..."
"Hey, Kat?"
Her eyes instinctively moved back up just in time to meet his. She smiled at him, mentally tucking the information into the back of her mind. She didn't mention it to him that night. After all, it was quite possible that she had been mistaken anyway.
.:Line Break:.
The second time she had noticed it had been a week after the first incident. She and Richie had been walking through the halls after school, just joking around and making plans for the weekend. Richie hadn't been paying attention and lost his balance at the top of the stairs. He flailed for a split second before Kathrine pressed a hand into his back to steady him. Her brow then furrowed, feeling something she wouldn't have expected to feel.
Richie seemed to notice. As soon as he regained his balance, he jumped away from her. His face was pale and his eyes were wide in panic.
Given his reaction, Kathrine decided that the best course of action was to play dumb.
"Geez, genius, you really need to be more careful." she chuckled, "Didn't you say that your mom would kill you if you broke another pair of glasses?"
Richie visibly relaxed. "Yeah, well it's not my fault bad guys keep breaking them. If I could just get contacts it wouldn't be a problem."
"If you wore contacts all the time people would figure out your secret. Besides, I personally think the glasses are sexy."
Richie's face burned red and he began sputtering. Kathrine was beaming. She did think that he was attractive with the glasses, but she only worded it the way she did to get a reaction out of him.
Richie turned away and continued walking. Kathrine followed him, but her mind was still dwelling on what she had felt.
.:Line Break:.
By the third time her suspicions were confirmed. She, Virgil, and Richie had been at the genius' house, hanging out and playing video games, when the blond asked Kathrine if she could retrieve the box of video games he had sitting on a shelf in his closet. Kathrine agreed and ventured upstairs alone to retrieve the box.
She found the box easily as it had been clearly labeled, but there was another, larger box sitting on top of it that read, "CDs". Kathrine sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Not going to make this easy for me, are you?"
Kathrine reached up and grabbed the box of video games, deciding that it would be easier to take both boxes down and put the other bock on the shelf. She almost had the boxes down when she slipped on Richie's horned helmet, causing her and the boxes to come tumbling down.
The box of video games, thankfully, missed her entirely and landed a few feet away from her on its side, still sealed.
The box labeled "CDs" had landed in her lap, now open, and she was vaguely aware that something had landed on her head.
Kathrine groaned and plucked the item off her head, doing a double take when she got a good look at the lacy, blue article of clothing. Peeking inside the box, she found not CDs, but articles of clothing of a similar nature. Kathrine sat stunned for several moments, her brain not really registering the information.
"Hey, Kat? Are you alright up there?"
She jumped at the sound of Richie's voice and quickly put the clothing back in the box and up on the shelf, completely forgetting to close it all the way in her haste. She grabbed the box of video games and rushed down stairs with a smile on her face to mask her inner confusion.
She needed advice.
.:Line Break:.
"Sharon's out on a date tonight and Pops is downstairs making dinner. He won't bother us." Virgil told Kathrine, watching as she glanced around the hallway suspiciously before shutting his bedroom door.
"And... Richie?"
"He said that he and 'Trina were going to be playing some new horror game that just came out. What's up with you two lately? You've both been acting weird."
For the past few weeks Kathrine had been looking unsure around Richie and Richie seemed to run away any time he was left alone with Kathrine.
Kathrine sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She then flopped down next to Virgil on his bed, looking nervous.
"You remember when we were at Richie's house a few weeks ago? Well, when I went to get the games out of his closet this box fell on top of me... I think... I think Richie's a cross dresser."
"How can you be sure?"
"I had a lacy blue bra fall on my head..."
"Uh... well... not that it's any of my business what you guys do behind closed doors, but-"
"It was too small to be mine." she deadpanned, "Besides the fact that we haven't even gotten that far in our relationship yet."
Virgil coughed awkwardly, "Oh, I see..."
"The box had other things like that in there as well as a few nightgowns. And a while ago at school when Richie almost fell down the stairs, I put my hand on his back to stop him from falling and I felt a bra strap."
Virgil was quiet for a moment. Richie was practically family to him. Nothing was ever going to change that, especially not a change of clothes. He regarded Kathrine's troubled expression and tried to choose his next words carefully.
"Does it bother you that Richie cross dresses?"
Kathrine scowled at him, appalled that he would even suggest such a thing. She lightly smacked him upside the head. "Now, I know I've talked to you about asking stupid questions!"
"Ow! It was just a question!"
"Yeah, a stupid question!"
"Well, how was I supposed to know when you're sitting there looking all upset?"
"I'm upset that he didn't tell me!" she paused, taking a moment to calm herself and collect her thoughts. "I'll admit, I was a little... shocked when I found that box. I mean, who wouldn't be? He must know that I know because he's avoiding me. But this is something we need to talk about. He... he needs to know... to understand that I love him and that... that's not something that's going to change just because of what he's wearing."
Virgil smiled sympathetically, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Richie's lucky to have you."
"No, I'm the one who's lucky to have him." she paused, "I... don't suppose you have any idea how to go about bringing it up?"
"No, but I'm sure you'll think of something."
Kathrine rolled her eyes, "Thanks..."
.:Line Break:.
Several weeks had passed and Kathrine still hadn't managed to talk to Richie. Whenever she tried to get him alone he'd come up with some flimsy excuse and bolt. She couldn't even bring it up on patrol because every time she tried, Backpack would go off with a meta human alert. She was starting to get frustrated.
"He's probably just scared." Katrina reasoned as she washed dishes.
"It feels like he doesn't trust me." Kathrine said, lifting her head from the kitchen table, "I mean, does he think so little of me that he thinks I'll just flip out and dump him?"
"Hmm... I don't really think it's a trust issue, but rather a... society issue."
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you remember discussing gender roles and the expectations of specific genders in sociology class?" Katrina reminded her, glancing over her shoulder, "Society would dictate that, as a male, Richie should be more... masculine, that he shouldn't enjoy wearing woman's clothing. Now, you and I both know that that is a very narrow minded way of thinking, that a person's gender shouldn't have anything to do with their likes and dislikes. I don't know why people cross dress and I don't know why Richie does it, that's something you'll have to ask him directly. However, you know as well as I do that there would be many people who would... frown upon him for it because they consider it to fall outside what they believe is socially acceptable."
"That's such bullshit." Kathrine scowled.
"Yes, it is." Katrina agreed, sticking another plate in the dish drain to dry, "I also want you to consider Richie's father. I don't doubt that Mr. Foley loves him, but he has an extremely outdated mindset. Based on that, I would guess that his views on cross dressing would also be negative. He's trying to change and be more accepting, but that's not going to happen overnight. It's going to be a long, arduous process, and this is something Richie has had to deal with his whole life. Between dealing with both his father's narrow mindedness and the expectations of what society deems socially acceptable, I think it's perfectly understandable that Richie is scared."
"... When did you get so smart?"
Katrina turned off the faucet and dried her hands with a smile. "When you're quiet, you tend to learn more about the people and the world around you. That's not to say that you're unobservant. You've just never really cared about social norms or gender roles. You accept a person as they are. That being said, you really do need to talk to Richie about this."
"What do you think I've been trying to do?" she grumbled, "I told you, every time I try to get him alone, he bolts."
Katrina reached into her pocket, pulled out a piece of paper that was folded in half, and handed it to her sister. "So put him in a position where he doesn't have the option of running away."
Kathrine took the paper and opened it up. It was an invitation to Frieda's upcoming Halloween party. She raised a brow at her younger sister. "Are you implying what I think you're implying?"
"Yes." Absolutely no hesitation. "Just let me know what theme you want your costumes to be and I'll get to work."
"... Aren't you supposed to be the nice one?"
"Oh, you mean that isn't nice?"
.:Line Break:.
The next day, Kathrine managed to flag down Richie in the halls after school.
"Sorry, Kat, I've got to go. I promised V that I'd meet him after school today." he said in a rush.
"Then Virgil obviously forgot your promise 'cause he just left with Daisy on a date ten minutes ago."
Richie looked around nervously for any other excuse to leave, knowing he had already been caught lying.
"Besides, I wanted to talk to you about Frieda's Halloween party."
He visibly relaxed. "What about it?"
"Well, Virgil and Daisy are going together as vampires, and 'Trina and Hotstreak are going together as Beauty and the Beast. I was hoping that you and I could go together with a theme, too."
The blond grinned excitedly, "Of course, Kat. I already have a great idea for a theme!"
Kathrine smiled, a scheming glint in her eyes that the genius failed to notice. "Actually, I had an idea for a theme, too. That's why I thought that we could have a contest of sorts. Katrina got this new fighting game on her computer about two weeks ago. I thought that the two of us could go a few rounds in it and the winner gets to decide on the costumes."
"That sounds fair. Though I must warn you, I am an expert at fighting games."
"I'll just have to do my best."
Kathrine wisely didn't mention that she had stayed up all night practicing until she was finally able to win a match against her sister, who had been playing the game nonstop since the day she had gotten it and had already beaten story mode on the hardest difficulty.
.:Line Break:.
Predictably, Kathrine had crushed Richie, winning two rounds in a row with very little effort on her part. Richie was gaping at the screen in disbelief, not seeing Kathrine's triumphant grin. Finally, he sighed in defeat and leaned back into the couch.
"There goes my idea for Link and Midna. What was your idea, Kat?"
"We're going as Anastasia and Dimitri from the movie Anastasia."
Richie chuckled, "I never would have pegged you as the type to want to be a princess on Halloween."
His smile fell when Kathrine's grin morphed into a devious smirk. "Oh, my dear genius. I never specified which of us would be Dimitri and which would be Anastasia."
"... What?"
.:Line Break:.
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" Richie hissed, blushing furiously as he walked arm in arm with his girlfriend up to Frieda's doorstep.
"Technically, I didn't talk you into this. You lost a bet and complied with your end of the bargain." Kathrine pointed out, looking all too pleased with herself, "Stop freaking out, will you? You look gorgeous."
The two were indeed dressed up as Anastasia and Dimitri, just as Kathrine had declared, but Kathrine was Dimitri and Richie was Anastasia.
Richie was wearing the yellow gown with the blue sash from the movie, as well as the matching accessories. Thankfully, Kathrine had allowed him to wear sneakers instead of heels, though. Kathrine was wearing the three piece suit Dimitri wore in the same scene and had even tried parting her hair in a similar fashion, though with her hair as long as it was she had had to tie it back in a ponytail at the base of her neck.
Richie's blush darkened at the compliment, almost causing his glasses to fog up, and continued to frown. "Stop freaking out?! I'm wearing a dress!"
"And it's a very pretty dress. Katrina really outdid herself this time."
"But I'm a guy! I'm not supposed..." he paused, a pained look flashing through his eyes. Kathrine noticed. "I'm not supposed to wear a dress..."
Kathrine scoffed and rolled her eyes, knocking on the door. "Says who? Besides, it's Halloween, genius. No one's going to think twice about a guy wearing a dress."
He opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off when Frieda answered the door. She was dressed in a very colorful and ornate gown complete with fairy wings and a crown.
Frieda took a good look at the couple and gasped. Richie shut his eyes tightly, tensing up as he braced himself for ridicule.
"Oh, my gosh!" she exclaimed, "You two look fabulous!"
The blond's eyes flew open in confusion. "What?"
"I loved the movie Anastasia and your costumes are just amazing!"
Kathrine beamed with pride. "Yeah, well, I came up with the idea, but 'Trina made the costumes. Your costume is great, too. I had no idea that our host for the night would be the great Queen Titania. Will King Oberon also be joining us?"
"No, I kicked him out for the night." she giggled, playing along, "You and your sister are the only ones who knew who I was. I had to explain it to everyone one else."
"Shame on them for not recognizing famous literature."
Richie watched the two girls talk like nothing was out of the ordinary in utter confusion. He felt like he was missing something.
"So, is Katrina here already?" Kathrine asked Frieda.
Katrina had actually gone to the Hawkins household to get ready for the party, as Sharon volunteered to help her with styling her hair and makeup. That had allowed Kathrine and Richie to get ready at the Blake household, as Kathrine wasn't forcing Richie to wear makeup and the blond was unable to get dressed at his house because of his father.
"Yeah, come in! You have to see this!" Frieda ushered them inside and into the living room where most of the party guests were gathered.
They made their way over to Virgil, Daisy, and Katrina who were chatting by the snack table. Virgil and Daisy were dressed as classic vampires complete with fake fangs and dark makeup around their eyes. Katrina was wearing an exact replica of Belle's yellow ball gown and even had her hair styled the same way hers had been.
Daisy was the first to notice Frieda approach with Kathrine and Richie. "Oh, my gosh! You two look amazing!" she gushed, "Anastasia, right?"
Richie stared at the floor as Kathrine smiled. "Yes, that's right."
"You look good, man." Virgil told the blond.
Richie scowled, feeling like the butt of a bad joke. "Not funny, Virgil." he snapped quietly, "I can't believe you'd make jokes at a time like this!"
"No, man. I'm serious." Virgil rested a hand on Richie's shoulder, dark brown eyes locking onto blue, "You look good."
There was no malice or mirth to be found. Feeling unsure of himself, he returned his gaze to the floor. "... Thanks."
"Where did you get these costumes from?" Daisy asked, bringing their attention back to the girls.
"She said that Katrina made them." Frieda responded.
"You made costumes for your sister, Richie, Hotstreak, and yourself?"
Katrina nodded, smiling shyly.
"Speaking of the hothead," Kathrine frowned, "where is he exactly? He better not have bailed on you."
"See for yourself." Virgil chuckled, pointing to the dance floor.
Francis was wearing the prince's outfit from Beauty and the Beast. He hadn't spiked up his hair and had even tied it back in a ponytail at the base of neck with the blue bow. He was surrounded by several grinning, giggly girls, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
"They swarmed him as soon as they saw him." Katrina explained, not sounding the least bit upset or jealous, "I think they all want him to dance with them."
"So, he basically ditched you for a gaggle of girls." Kathrine glared at the redhead from across the room, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's not like that and you know it." Katrina scolded her, "Though, I did want the chance to dance with him myself..."
"I might be able to do something about that. Just hold on for a few minutes." Frieda told her before disappearing into the crowd.
"Well, until then..." Katrina grabbed Richie by the arm and dragged him to the dance floor before he could protest, "I'm borrowing your date, Kathrine."
"That's fine. Just have him back before midnight."
"Wrong movie."
"I know."
Katrina smiled warmly at Richie as they began to dance. Richie glanced around at his classmates distractedly. He spotted at least two boys who were also cross dressing, one as some sort of swamp witch and the other as a female zombie cheerleader. What surprised him most was that no one was staring at him. There were no dirty looks, no one was jeering at him, and there was no disgust on anyone's face. The few people who did glance in his direction merely offered him friendly smiles. Even when he caught Hotstreak's gaze, the pyro simply nodded at him as he usually did in a silent greeting. The genius was baffled.
"Is something wrong?" Katrina had been watching his facial expressions change rapidly within the past few minutes.
"You're all... acting weird."
The healer tilted her head in confusion, "How do you mean?"
"I'm wearing a dress!" he hissed, as though it was obvious.
"And? It's Halloween, Richie. No one is going to bat an eye at a guy wearing a dress." she paused, giving the blond a meaningful stare, "Of course, that's not to say that there's anything wrong with a guy wearing a dress any other day of the year."
For awhile, Richie didn't say anything, his expression carefully guarded. "... What are you trying to say, Katrina?"
"We're your friends, Richie. We care about you and we'll always care about you and accept you. No matter what."
He opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off when the music changed abruptly. He recognized the tune to be Beauty and the Beast. Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder and the blond turned to find Hotstreak standing behind him, looking rather awkward.
"Mind if I cut in, Foley?"
"Uh, no! Of course not! Go ahead!"
The genius handed Katrina off to the pyro, watching as she shot him a grin over her shoulder before Francis led her away. Richie jumped when someone gently spun him around and grabbed him by the waist.
"May I have this dance?" Kathrine grinned.
"Why are you doing this?"
The green eyed girl became serious and tightened her grip on Richie, fearing that he might try to flee again. "Doing what?"
"This!" he hissed under his breath, exasperated, "All of this! I know you found the box in my closet, it was left open! I didn't think that you'd go out of your way to openly mock me like this!"
Kathrine was taken aback as tears gathered in the blond's eyes. He looked hurt, betrayed.
"What-"
"I can't believe that you'd drag Virgil and Katrina into this, too!" he continued, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing everyone's attention to them. The others were all focusing on Katrina and Francis slow dancing, completely oblivious to the elder Blake and her boyfriend.
"Look, I'm sorry that I can't be normal," he choked, missing the way Kathrine's face was slowly going from confused to dark, "but if you're that disgusted by it, we don't have to date-"
Kathrine grabbed Richie's chin in a gentle grip mid sentence, bringing her lips to his. His eyes widened as she moved her hand to the back of his neck, the other around his waist hauling his form up against hers so that there was no space between them. Kathrine bit his lip, surprising him. He gasped and she seized the opportunity. Richie's glasses fogged up as he let out a tiny, quiet moan, blushing madly. Finally, Kathrine pulled away, leaving him panting.
"Does that feel like I'm disgusted?" she all but growled.
"... No..." he responded in a tiny voice.
Kathrine had fixed him with a stern gaze, all previous traces of amusement gone. Richie fidgeted under her scrutiny. "So are you finally ready to talk about this like adults instead of constantly running away from me?"
He nodded slowly, avoiding her eyes.
"Okay, then." Kathrine looked to where her sister was just in time to catch her eye. She signaled that she and Richie were leaving and Katrina nodded in understanding.
"Let's go." Kathrine took hold of the genius by the arm and began leading him out of Frieda's house.
"Uh, wait! Shouldn't we tell someone we're leaving?"
"Just did." she said, "Come on, genius. You're not getting away from me this time."
.:Line Break:.
It was about half an hour later when the two arrived at the Blake household. They went inside and made their way to Kathrine's bedroom. Kathrine shut the door as Richie took a seat on her bed, sitting next to his folded up street clothes that he had left there when he had changed into the dress. Kathrine took a seat next to him.
"So who do you want to talk first? I'm sure you have questions you want to ask me, too."
"For starters, how did you react when you found the box?"
She sighed, "I was... kinda surprised, but not at the same time. I had been noticing small signs for weeks, like the incident at school where you almost fell down the stairs." she thought for a moment, "By the way, your Gear costume hides nothing, especially when you bend over."
He sputtered, "Y-you were looking?!"
"Was I not supposed to?"
Richie gaped, clearly embarrassed. Had the situation not been so serious, she probably would have laughed at him and how cute he was.
"B-but doesn't it... bother you? At all?"
"Why? Because you like to wear women's clothing?" she asked as though the answer was obvious, "Richie, I know you love me and I love you. This," she gestured to his dress, "isn't going to change how I feel about you. And what I told you earlier, about you looking gorgeous, I meant that. You know I wouldn't say anything I don't mean. What bothers me is the fact that you didn't tell me about it! Did you think I would break up with you over it? Do I really seem like such a shallow person to you?"
He sighed and shakily ran a hand through his hair, "Kat, I didn't know what to think. I calculated about 286 different scenarios and outcomes and most of them didn't end well. I was scared. I didn't want to lose you..."
"Why do you think you'd lose me?"
"Because it's not normal, Kat."
Kathrine bristled, "Says who?"
"Other people-"
"Fuck those people!" Kathrine took Richie's hands in hers, gazing earnestly at him, "Richie, you're a fantastic guy. You're smart, funny, caring. If other people are too caught up in what you're wearing to see that, then they don't deserve to know you. I may be reckless, but I'm not stupid. I know what's right in front of me and I don't plan on letting go of you for any reason."
The genius broke eye contact, suddenly feeling bashful. In all of his 286 different scenarios, he hadn't predicted an outcome like this. He hadn't predicted total acceptance.
"You... you're right." he told her, "You shouldn't have had to find out that way. I... I should have been the one to tell you. I should have... known that you wouldn't have made a big deal over it. You're not like that. I was just... scared, you know?"
"That's what Katrina thought."
"Katrina?"
"Yeah, I asked her for advice because you kept running away from me. She's actually the one who suggested that I get you dressed up like this and go to Frieda's Halloween party. She said, put him in a position where he doesn't have the option of running away."
"I thought she was supposed to be the nice one!"
"I know! She's always been like that. She seems like an angel, but she can be a real devil when she wants to be." Kathrine chuckled, leaning back on the bed, "I have to hand it to her, though. It was totally worth it, especially since I got to see you all dressed up for me."
The blond's face started turning red again and he frowned playfully, "Will you stop saying things like that?"
She gave him a devious grin and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into her. "No! Never! You're so damn cute when you blush!"
He rolled his eyes and they laughed, all of the tension and awkwardness that had built up over the past few weeks melting away in an instant. Nothing was "wrong" or "broken" between them. Everything felt right again.
"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Kathrine quietly asked, still holding her boyfriend.
"Shoot."
"You know that I love you regardless, but I'm curious. Why do you cross dress? And how did that happen?"
Richie's expression turned thoughtful as he let out a sigh, trying to think of the best way to explain it. He had never had to before, so finding the right words took a few minutes.
"You know how my dad is, right? And how rocky my relationship is with him right now?"
She nodded. She very vividly remembered meeting Mr. Foley. It had been a fiasco from start to finish.
"Well when I was younger, he was much worse." he continued, "He was... it was like he was always angry and aggressive. He never really directed it at me or mom and he never got violent or hit us or anything like that. It was just..."
"It was suffocating. Unbearable." Kathrine finished, recalling all the times her own father had gotten angry and abusive towards Katrina. It was never directed at her, but it was still awful to be around. Not only because he was hurting her sister, but because of the atmosphere it created.
"Yeah... I... didn't really want to be around him because of that. For the most part, I clung to my mom. She was always nice and understanding. She never raised her voice, even when she was angry. When she did get mad at me, we'd sit down and talk it out." the blond smiled fondly, "I told her that I wanted to be just like her when I grew up."
Richie's smile fell, "It started out small at first. I tried on a pair of mom's heels, I don't even know why. I went to show her and dad was there. Dad... he took one look at me and stormed out of the room. Mom thought it was cute and took a picture. That night, when they thought I was asleep, I overheard them talking. Dad said that mom should stop me from doing things like that, that it wasn't right for a boy. Mom just told him to leave me alone."
He paused again, taking a deep breath, "I went back to bed, but I kept thinking about what my dad said, that it wasn't right. The heels had been awkward because I wasn't used to them, but it hadn't felt wrong. The next day, when dad was at work and mom was downstairs, I snuck into their bedroom. I tried on one of my dad's shirts this time. I looked in the mirror and thought about how much I looked like him. I-I... I hated it. It felt wrong. So I tried on one of mom's dresses and... I liked it. I liked the way it felt, I liked the way it looked. And... I liked the way it made me less like him and more like her."
"And... that's when it started?"
"Yeah... When I got a little older, I started buying my own things. It... was awkward and scary at first because I was afraid of what people would say and think. I only bought... underwear and nightgowns, because I figured those would be easiest to hide. I... I'm not ready to tell my dad yet. He's trying, but it's slow."
Kathrine held Richie tighter, silently letting him know that she was there for him. She then grinned as an idea popped into her mind. "Does this mean that you really like the dress then?"
The genius gave her a reserved smile, "Yeah, I really do. I need to apologize to 'Trina later and thank her. I just wish I could take it home."
"How about this? You can leave the dress, as well as any other clothes you want here and you can wear them whenever you come over."
His jaw dropped as his eyes widened, "Are... are you serious?"
"Sure. 'Trina won't mind and Virgil won't care. And... I love you."
Richie grinned widely, his face lighting up like a kid on Christmas as he threw his arms around her neck. "Thank you." he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of her neck.
"You're welcome." Kathrine idly traced circles on his back as he clung to her before another clever smile tugged at her lips. "So," she began in a coy tone, "does this mean that you'll wear that sexy little blue bra with the lace for me if I ask nicely?"
Richie sputtered, his face crimson. Kathrine threw her head back and laughed.
"Though I'm starting to think red suits you much more!"
Despite his blush, Richie couldn't help but smile.
.:Line Break:.
It's been awhile since I've seen Anastasia, so I had to look on Google for the outfits of Anastasia and Dimitri. Sorry about that.
