Genderfluid Mechanics
By: JaquiK

Chapter 1: Wake Up Call

Eyes open to the sight of the pillow and fuzz of a red stuffed animal, the fog of just ended sleep still thick. The level of darkness remaining in the room an indication that it is still early in the morning. Just barely making its way out of the haze is the thought that today is a school day. Morning jog, then breakfast, then school and dealing with…That's later, though. Something else trying to poke through the fog, but not getting out. Worry later. Sleep now.

Eyes closed. A slight yawn. Arms around the stuffed animal. Face buried further into the fluff. Feeling the comforting warmth and light movement of the-

Wait…

The fog lifts ever so slightly. Eyes slowly open again. Letting go, pulling back. The small amount of light coming through the window just enough to show the bright red mane of hair. And attached to that hair…

A new thought shoots through the haze like a bolt from on high.

There's a cute girl in bed with me.

Aki Tendo quickly sat up, any remaining fog completely burned from his mind. Taking a few quick breaths to calm himself, he looked down at the redhead who was clad in his spare set of pajamas. The bright yellow with a fish cake pattern was a nice match to the red set he was currently wearing. He smiled and brushed aside a stray red hair from his bedmate's face as the memories of the previous day came to him.

A normal Sunday that was disrupted with the announcement of a boy named Ranma coming along with an arranged marriage.

Relief when Ranma showed up as a girl instead. An offer of friendship. A friendly spar.

Shock at the girl revealing she could transform into a boy. Shock, anger and envy.

An explanation. A forced engagement. Insults. Yelling. Smashing Ranma with a table.

Guilt. An apology. A confession. How Aki was both a boy and a girl. Not through magic, but in his heart.

A revelation, that Ranma was the same. In their heart.

Talking. Reminiscing. Sorrow. Comfort.

A kiss…

Aki put his free hand to his lips as he looked down at a pair of blue eyes. Deep blue eyes that were currently starting back up at him. While he still had his hand on the redhead's cheek.

He quickly shot back, his face a deep crimson. "Um…h-hey. Good morning…uh…Ran…"

"Yeah. I guess I am feeling a bit 'Ran' right now," she replied, referring to the name they both came up for when she was in a girl mood. "How about you?"

"Oh, still feeling a bit boyish this morning, you know?" Aki said as casually as he could while still ignoring the fact that a boy and a girl were currently sharing a bed together. Even if they didn't dare try anything after that first kiss and just fell asleep in the same place after talking through most of the evening.

"Okay," Ran said, deep in thought. "Maybe we should come up with some kind of hand sign or something so we will not need to keep asking each other."

"Well, if it helps, pretty much every school day I'm in boy mode."

"Really? Why?"

"Well, it may sound dumb, but…" Aki looked away. "I think there should be at least one boy at school that's not a complete jerk, even if none of them know it."

"Hey now, they can't all be that bad."

"Probably not, but it sure feels that way sometimes." Aki turned back and paused, seeing the anxious expression on the redhead's face. "What's wrong?"

Ran blushed and looked away. "It's nothing."

"Hey, come on," Aki said with a smile. "You can tell me."

"Well, I was just…um…I was thinking I maybe, sort of, possibly…wanttokissyouagain."

"Oh." The red returned to Aki's face. "Yeah, I…um…maybe…um…same."

"Really? So…"

"We probably shouldn't," Aki quickly added. "If our dads find out about it…"

"Right, right. That stupid engagement thing. Yeah, my dad was really…ah crap." Ran quickly got up and sat at the edge of the bed looking down at the floor.

"Ran?" Aki asked, failing to hide the concern in his voice.

"W-what time is it?" the redhead asked.

Aki quickly checked his alarm clock. "It's almost five."

"Dammit. I better get outta here before Pops wakes up. I…"

Aki watched the expression on Ran's face as she looked at her hands. Or, was it…?

"Ran…Ranma?"

"You guys got a bathroom up here?" the pigtailed martial artist asked, his voice slightly lower than before.

"What? Oh, sorry. It's kind of an old house and Dad's never bothered to renovate it, no matter how much Nabiki complains."

"Shoot. Well, I guess if I'm quiet enough, I can sneak downstairs to change back and…oh!" Ranma's eyes grew wide and he looked over to Aki. "I'm sorry. I…I wasn't thinking about…"

The anger and jealousy building in Aki's chest immediately dissolved away when he saw the worry and discomfort in Ranma's eyes. "Hey, it's alright."

"No, it's not. I know it's not fair to you and stuff, but all I wanna do right now is go and get a kettle and become a guy again right-"

Anything else that would have been said was immediately silenced as Aki leaned forward and once again claimed the redhead's lips with his own.

Any momentary shock was quickly broken as Ranma leaned into the kiss fully. Aki opened his mouth slightly, allowing the other boy to take the lead and demonstrate some of the experience he picked up in middle school.

As the kiss broke, Ranma had a happy but confused look on his face. "Um…that was really nice, but I thought…?"

Aki gave an embarrassed smile. "I know. I just really wanted to get my first kiss with a boy too."

"Oh! But…shouldn't I have changed first for that?"

"Why?" Aki asked, placing his hands on Ranma's shoulders. "Listen. Right now, you are a boy, in every single way that actually matters."

"Even though my body-"

"Yes!" Aki interrupted, his irritation leaking through like a bargain sale garden hose. "I…trust me, Ranma. I have some experience with this."

"Oh yeah. I guess you do. S-sorry."

"It's fine," Aki said, letting go and leaning back on his hands, looking up at the ceiling. "You've just started figuring this stuff out about yourself, right? Heck, I was just as lost and confused when I first started out. If it weren't for Kasumi, I don't know what…" Aki looked back towards Ranma with a smile. "Hey, if you have any questions or need advice, don't be afraid to ask me, alright? Especially about…" He then made a gesture to Ranma's current form and then himself.

"Thanks, Aki. I should get some hot water, though. Pops gets really annoying when he finds out I've been sleeping as a-I mean, in my girl form."

"Hey, I get it. Just don't forget what we talked about, okay?"

"Sure," Ranma said, getting up to leave. When he reached the door, he stopped. "Hey, Aki?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you can maybe also teach me some stuff about being a girl too? Ya know, when you're up for it I mean."

Aki looked back at Ranma for a moment before giving a gentle smile. "Yeah, of course. Just ask when you're ready." He then gave a small laugh. "Hey, maybe if we both sync up at the right time we could do a full girls day out together."

Ranma let out a laugh of his own. "Sounds like a plan. I'll, uh, see ya later then." He then carefully snuck out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Aki flopped onto his back with a huff. "What the hell am I doing?" he muttered to himself. "Being a mentor? I barely have a clue what I'm doing myself." He glanced over to his clock. Still an hour before he actually had to get up. At this point though, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Slowly he brought a hand up and gently touched his lips.

"I really hope Kasumi and Tofu can help me out here."