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random_ficceryTitle: Costumes
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,124
Warnings: Costumes, Cross-dressing, Supernatural Creatures, Dream logic
Summary: Two friends dressing up for a party. Some costumes mean more to their wearers than others.
Author's Notes: This actually came from a dream I had – though I edited a few non-sequitur things out – and it’s Halloween themed, so… well, here we are.
“Ta-dah!” Alex called out excitedly.
Coming out from behind the folding screen with a flourish, Alex spun with hands up in a ‘v’, layers of diaphanous skirts whirling outward in layers of subtle colors, changing here and there as the layers separate from and then overlay one another in motion. The peasant blouse above the skirt had ribbons of the same colors as the skirt’s layers, at the neck and just above the sleeve cuffs, held by multi-ribboned bows just above her elbows, matching the bows in an overlapping tier at the center of the neckline. Shimmering low-heeled pumps that looked like pearlescent crystal sparkled in the light from the three lamps in the room. A variety of narrow braids in a seemingly random pattern throughout Alex’s dark, curly hair were tied off in tiny bows that matched the other ribbons, making flashes of color there, too.
Sia, having gasped in surprise at her first sight of the outfit, applauded with an open-mouthed grin. “It’s amazing!” She held out her hands in a staying gesture. “Wait, wait, I have the perfect thing.” Without waiting, Sia scurried down the hall toward her bedroom, long red hair flying out behind her.
“What?” Looking torn between curiosity and a bit of anxiety, Alex waited, skirts swirling to a halt just above both ankles.
“Oh, this is going to be so perfect,” Sia said from halfway down the hall, arriving in the living room on the last word. She held up a fringed rainbow tie-dyed shawl, the bright colors swirled together amidst a black background. “It’s going to be kind of chilly by the time we get there, but your usual coat won’t go with that outfit. Here.”
“Sia!” Alex gasped, already reaching out for the shawl. “Really?”
“Of course really!” Sia helped Alex drape the shawl just so, flipping the beribboned and braid-dappled hair out and fluffing the dark curls and ribbons. “There.”
Alex smiled, dark eyes crinkling, and spun again, the shawl caught around both shoulders and in the corners of both elbows, fringe rippling and dancing with each movement. “You’re the best, Sia.” Turning, Alex gestured at Sia encouragingly. “Now you, go ahead.”
Tilting her head, Sia’s expression was one of reluctance mixed with apology, and she wrung her fingers together nervously. “I don’t know, Alex.”
“Come on, Sia!” Giving Sia an exasperated, wide-eyed look, head tilted almost identically, Alex pointed at Sia sternly, the knuckles of the other hand coming to rest on one hip. “You made me believe I could be pretty, even went shopping with me, and convinced me to stop letting the memory of my judgmental dad make me feel ashamed of who I want to be.” Voice dipping lower than most average females could manage, Alex’s black-painted finger stabbed a bit more vehemently at Sia. “The theme of the party is ‘come as you are inside’ and you, my friend, are going to follow your own advice and be shameless!”
“Alex, it’s different—” began Sia, but her friend cut her off mid protest.
“No, it’s not.” Alex deliberately shifted from a tenor male tone to a contralto female range, breathier and gentler. “I’m going as Alexa, not Alexander. The persona I choose. The person I am inside. You change right now, Sia Murphy, or I’m not going.”
“Alex, you have to!” Sia argued. “You’re beautiful.”
“And so are you,” Alex shot right back. “So change.”
Sighing deeply, shoulders slumping a bit, Sia was still nervous, but lifted her chin a little before nodding. “You’re right. I have to walk the walk if I’m going to talk the talk.”
Alex simply nodded, pasting on an encouraging smile and flapping the ends of the borrowed shawl at Sia without speaking.
Twisting her head to loosen her neck muscles, Sia took a couple of quick, bracing breaths and, with a swirl of sparkling mist that seemed to come out of nowhere, she changed.
Moments later, Sia stood with her arms out at her sides in the middle of her living room, the mirror across the room reflecting her altered appearance.
Taller than Alex now, Sia’s body was leaner and covered in short, sleek fur the same bright red as her hair had been moments before. A mane of thicker hair swept back from her altered face, triangular head narrowing to an almost dainty muzzle with fine pale whiskers and a dark brown nose. Her bright green eyes now bearing slit pupils, Sia blinked, ruddy lashes still rather long on her larger, tilted eyes. A fluffy tail swept back and forth behind her legs, which were crooked back with tufts of longer fur at her much elevated ankles, her digigrade feet showing wickedly sharp claw-tips that she nervously dug into the rug as she turned to face Alex.
Sharp white teeth showed when she spoke, her voice a rough-edged, slightly deeper version, but still fairly recognizable as her own. “You see? Werewolves are one thing, but no one ever seems to have heard of a werecat!” She caught the tip of her own tail and shook it for emphasis, “And still a red-head, Alex!”
Head shaking, Alex gave Sia a fond eye-roll and said warmly, “Half our friends are jealous as hell about that red hair, sweetie. And I think you underestimate the allure of the unusual. C’mon,” Alex extended one hand, fingers curling in a come-hither gesture. “If anyone makes fun of either of us, I’ll knock ‘em on their butts and you can bite ‘em.” Alex winked and made a fist, uncurling it again with the obvious expectation that Sia would take that now open hand.
A hissing sort of giggle emerged from Sia’s altered throat and she put a claw-tipped hand in her friend’s waiting palm, letting Alex pull her into a hug. “Okay, okay.” She stepped away after a minute or two, catching up a sleeveless black tunic dress decorated in shimmering black beadwork which reflected the lamps in iridescent colors, forming ghostly stars and moons against the velveteen fabric. Pulling it over her head, Sia settled it properly. The length was only down to about mid-thigh, the flared bottom allowing her tail to move freely and not hindering her altered legs’ larger stride. “I was planning to wear it either way,” she explained, pointed ears lifting as she awaited Alex’s commentary.
“Gorgeous,” Alex said decisively. “You and the dress. Now, get a move on; we’ve got a Halloween party to go to!”
Slinging her purse strap over one narrow shoulder, Sia waved her free hand at the door. “Let’s do it, then.”
Holding hands, they walked out to Sia’s car and—in case anyone was wondering—they both definitely had a great time at their Halloween party.
~~~
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,124
Warnings: Costumes, Cross-dressing, Supernatural Creatures, Dream logic
Summary: Two friends dressing up for a party. Some costumes mean more to their wearers than others.
Author's Notes: This actually came from a dream I had – though I edited a few non-sequitur things out – and it’s Halloween themed, so… well, here we are.
“Ta-dah!” Alex called out excitedly.
Coming out from behind the folding screen with a flourish, Alex spun with hands up in a ‘v’, layers of diaphanous skirts whirling outward in layers of subtle colors, changing here and there as the layers separate from and then overlay one another in motion. The peasant blouse above the skirt had ribbons of the same colors as the skirt’s layers, at the neck and just above the sleeve cuffs, held by multi-ribboned bows just above her elbows, matching the bows in an overlapping tier at the center of the neckline. Shimmering low-heeled pumps that looked like pearlescent crystal sparkled in the light from the three lamps in the room. A variety of narrow braids in a seemingly random pattern throughout Alex’s dark, curly hair were tied off in tiny bows that matched the other ribbons, making flashes of color there, too.
Sia, having gasped in surprise at her first sight of the outfit, applauded with an open-mouthed grin. “It’s amazing!” She held out her hands in a staying gesture. “Wait, wait, I have the perfect thing.” Without waiting, Sia scurried down the hall toward her bedroom, long red hair flying out behind her.
“What?” Looking torn between curiosity and a bit of anxiety, Alex waited, skirts swirling to a halt just above both ankles.
“Oh, this is going to be so perfect,” Sia said from halfway down the hall, arriving in the living room on the last word. She held up a fringed rainbow tie-dyed shawl, the bright colors swirled together amidst a black background. “It’s going to be kind of chilly by the time we get there, but your usual coat won’t go with that outfit. Here.”
“Sia!” Alex gasped, already reaching out for the shawl. “Really?”
“Of course really!” Sia helped Alex drape the shawl just so, flipping the beribboned and braid-dappled hair out and fluffing the dark curls and ribbons. “There.”
Alex smiled, dark eyes crinkling, and spun again, the shawl caught around both shoulders and in the corners of both elbows, fringe rippling and dancing with each movement. “You’re the best, Sia.” Turning, Alex gestured at Sia encouragingly. “Now you, go ahead.”
Tilting her head, Sia’s expression was one of reluctance mixed with apology, and she wrung her fingers together nervously. “I don’t know, Alex.”
“Come on, Sia!” Giving Sia an exasperated, wide-eyed look, head tilted almost identically, Alex pointed at Sia sternly, the knuckles of the other hand coming to rest on one hip. “You made me believe I could be pretty, even went shopping with me, and convinced me to stop letting the memory of my judgmental dad make me feel ashamed of who I want to be.” Voice dipping lower than most average females could manage, Alex’s black-painted finger stabbed a bit more vehemently at Sia. “The theme of the party is ‘come as you are inside’ and you, my friend, are going to follow your own advice and be shameless!”
“Alex, it’s different—” began Sia, but her friend cut her off mid protest.
“No, it’s not.” Alex deliberately shifted from a tenor male tone to a contralto female range, breathier and gentler. “I’m going as Alexa, not Alexander. The persona I choose. The person I am inside. You change right now, Sia Murphy, or I’m not going.”
“Alex, you have to!” Sia argued. “You’re beautiful.”
“And so are you,” Alex shot right back. “So change.”
Sighing deeply, shoulders slumping a bit, Sia was still nervous, but lifted her chin a little before nodding. “You’re right. I have to walk the walk if I’m going to talk the talk.”
Alex simply nodded, pasting on an encouraging smile and flapping the ends of the borrowed shawl at Sia without speaking.
Twisting her head to loosen her neck muscles, Sia took a couple of quick, bracing breaths and, with a swirl of sparkling mist that seemed to come out of nowhere, she changed.
Moments later, Sia stood with her arms out at her sides in the middle of her living room, the mirror across the room reflecting her altered appearance.
Taller than Alex now, Sia’s body was leaner and covered in short, sleek fur the same bright red as her hair had been moments before. A mane of thicker hair swept back from her altered face, triangular head narrowing to an almost dainty muzzle with fine pale whiskers and a dark brown nose. Her bright green eyes now bearing slit pupils, Sia blinked, ruddy lashes still rather long on her larger, tilted eyes. A fluffy tail swept back and forth behind her legs, which were crooked back with tufts of longer fur at her much elevated ankles, her digigrade feet showing wickedly sharp claw-tips that she nervously dug into the rug as she turned to face Alex.
Sharp white teeth showed when she spoke, her voice a rough-edged, slightly deeper version, but still fairly recognizable as her own. “You see? Werewolves are one thing, but no one ever seems to have heard of a werecat!” She caught the tip of her own tail and shook it for emphasis, “And still a red-head, Alex!”
Head shaking, Alex gave Sia a fond eye-roll and said warmly, “Half our friends are jealous as hell about that red hair, sweetie. And I think you underestimate the allure of the unusual. C’mon,” Alex extended one hand, fingers curling in a come-hither gesture. “If anyone makes fun of either of us, I’ll knock ‘em on their butts and you can bite ‘em.” Alex winked and made a fist, uncurling it again with the obvious expectation that Sia would take that now open hand.
A hissing sort of giggle emerged from Sia’s altered throat and she put a claw-tipped hand in her friend’s waiting palm, letting Alex pull her into a hug. “Okay, okay.” She stepped away after a minute or two, catching up a sleeveless black tunic dress decorated in shimmering black beadwork which reflected the lamps in iridescent colors, forming ghostly stars and moons against the velveteen fabric. Pulling it over her head, Sia settled it properly. The length was only down to about mid-thigh, the flared bottom allowing her tail to move freely and not hindering her altered legs’ larger stride. “I was planning to wear it either way,” she explained, pointed ears lifting as she awaited Alex’s commentary.
“Gorgeous,” Alex said decisively. “You and the dress. Now, get a move on; we’ve got a Halloween party to go to!”
Slinging her purse strap over one narrow shoulder, Sia waved her free hand at the door. “Let’s do it, then.”
Holding hands, they walked out to Sia’s car and—in case anyone was wondering—they both definitely had a great time at their Halloween party.
~~~
