WHO: Presto and Vanessa Cleveland WHAT: Presto wants to go out and taps Vanessa to go with him; stuff happens WHEN: Thursday, July 20th WHERE: Presto’s place, then a club WARNINGS: innuendo, gender issues STATUS: Closed and Complete
Presto had been thinking about this odd body of his, and he was not entirely sure it was a bad thing to learn how the other half lived, but he really would be glad to go back to his old life again. Really, really. He was meant to be a man, and felt like a man, even in this body. Even if this body was very much a female body, and sensitive, and got aroused a lot. Even as he thought that, a man walked by, eying Presto up and down and Presto caught himself, for a moment, checking the man out, even as he felt embarrassed and a little like a piece of meat in the man’s gaze.
He blushed as he ducked his head over his coffee, hoping Vanessa would be here soon. Man, he needed to just forget his life right now. It didn’t help that he was wearing a dress borrowed from Ruby, and that his friend had helped put make-up on him, a thing that made him both feel good and weird, at the same time.
Life was odd, okay?
Very, very, odd.
***
Vanessa needed this night out as much as she figured Presto did. A chance to go out and have fun and not worry about things. Okay it was still a little weird that her friend was stuck in a girl’s body but not as weird as it had been that first day. And she had to admit it was a little funny watching him trying to figure out clothes and things. She didn’t know what they were going to be doing but she’d decided to dress up a little bit anyway, because it had been a while since she had dressed up to go spend time with someone.
She grinned as she saw the by now familiar red hair at a table with a cup in front of him and made her way over there, ignoring the looks she was being given. The dresses she’d rejected in favor of this one would have gotten her even more. “Please tell me you haven’t been waiting here for long,” she said bending over to kiss his cheek before sitting down opposite him.
***
Presto stared, and blushed and grinned. “You look amazing!” Yes, he blurted that out a little. Cause, wow. “And no, not long.” He smiled warmly at her.
“This is weird, right? But okay?” He didn’t want to weird out one of his few actual friends. That would suck. “I feel so odd in this body, but I want to try to just… be an adult and get through it, and going out some, just being out some, seems like it could be fun.” Right? Oh god.
***
Vanessa felt her face heat up a little at that compliment and she looked down at his coffee cup before looking back up to meet his gaze. Nothing had gone invisible this time. She was getting better at keeping herself solid when she got emotionally flustered by someone or something. Her exercises were definitely helping.
She smiled back at him and reached out to take his hand. “It’s weird but not as weird as it was that first day. You’re still you. You just don’t look like you. And it’s definitely okay. More than okay actually. Honestly - I’m surprised that there hasn’t been something completely unexpected on this level happening before now. Not to you but - I realized I am kind of surrounded by magical people and it’s a miracle that nothing has backfired before now. I will admit - I hate that it happened to you but at the same time...you do make a really beautiful woman.”
“So! What are we doing tonight?”
***
Presto smiled as he blushed and nodded to her. “I don’t know, just something to get out of the house, have some fun, and maybe get our groove on.”
He paused as he considered his words. “And maybe see what this body can do.” His blush was worse than ever.
***
Vanessa grinned at him when he mentioned getting their groove on. “I promise not to let you go home with any strangers. And I’m pretty sure you wearing that dress will get us into any club we want.” She couldn’t help but tease her friend a little bit. And he really did look sexy in that dress. She could admit it.
***
Presto blushed brighter red. "Good. I'd rather go home with a friend." He nodded, then realized what that likely sounded like, and facepalmed. "Oh God, I didn't mean... I mean... like that. I just... argh. Or maybe I did.”
He headdesked. Then he looked down at his dress and blushed. "Yours is pretty good too." He nodded to her.
"I hope we have fun and can just relax. We deserve a night of relaxation."
He hoped it would go well.
***
Vanessa laughed and squeezed his hand gently before swiping his coffee to take a sip of it. “I know what you meant Presto. I promise I won’t let you go home with anybody but me. ...That did not come out the way I meant it,” she said blushing a little bit.
“Doesn’t one of the guys on the Network own a club? Purgatory?”
***
Presto giggled, giggled! And he sighed, grinning at her, poking her gently. “Promises, promises.”
Then he nodded, thinking. Yeah. “I think so. I never went because, well, i was always a nerd, but I think I need some ‘out’ time. And I can think of no one I would rather be out with than you.”
He paused, then chuckled. “PHrasing.”
***
Vanessa sighed softly. “We are clearly masters of phrasing tonight. Or well...every night we’re together.” She said, taking another sip from the stolen coffee mug. “I never went because I didn’t want to go by myself but I always wanted to go and check it out.”
***
“We’re good at being bad at words.” He chuckled, then poked her.
“I’d like to go with you. To, check it out, dance my ass off, or maybe just shake it some.” He blushed a bit at that.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be stuck this way, but I would like to have some fun while I am here.”
***
Vanessa laughed as she tried to dodge his pokes, skirt riding up a bit as she shifted. “It’s a talent we have.” It really only seemed to come up around Presto, this tendency of hers to make comments that could be seen as inappropriate. Luckily her friend always seemed to know what she meant. And accepted her little slips of the tongue.
“Well then - let’s get ready to go have some fun.” She grinned at him as she drained the coffee cup. “Especially since your coffee is all gone.” She didn’t feel at all bad about having stolen his drink and finishing it. He could have taken it back from her at any time.
***
At her skirt riding up, well, that area got a poke too, or an attempted one. “True, yes.” he chuckled as he hugged her lightly. “Slips of the tongue and mind.” He smiled at her. “I trust you.”
He nodded and then he bounced a little, and laughed.
“Come on. We can get more drinks on the way, or there.” He nodded again, eyes bright with excitement, and caffeine.
***
Vanessa tried to slap at his hand when he went to poke her thigh but she missed, hand brushing near his arm instead. “You just wait. I’ll make you pay for all those pokes,” she said laughing as she hugged him back. “I trust you too. Be careful with the bouncing. I’m not looking to get another look at those tonight,” she teased him pointing at his chest.
“Lets go! Driving, cab or...other?”
***
“Promises, promises.” He chuckled and then blushed brightly. “Yes, ma’am. I'll try not to flash you.” He settled, glancing down, then grinned at her. “Cab, maybe? That way, if we get a little tipsy, we don’t have to try to drive home that way or leave our car there.”
Presto grinned and flipped open his phone. “Jenkins. You in the area? Yeah, I need a… yeah., good.’
He closed the phone and grinned at her. “Favorite cabbie. Never asks questions, no matter what.” He led the way out and not too long later, the cab picked them up, then had them at the club.
“This place looks busy, and wild!”
***
Vanessa pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to one of her foster brothers to ask him to pick up her car and drop it off at her apartment. She’d told Penny that she might be out late with Presto (and immediately walked out the room to avoid whatever response he might have to that) so he shouldn’t be too worried about her being out. If he said anything to her about it she’d tell him the truth. They’d gone clubbing and she’d had her brother drop the car off so she wouldn’t have to worry about it.
“You have your own cabbie on speed dial? You’ve been keeping secrets,” she teased. She had to admit the club looked pretty busy but she took that as a good thing. If it was that popular it had to be a good club - lots of fun to be had inside those walls. “Well...it’s called Purgatory. Ready to see if it lives up to the name?”
***
Presto smiled at her, glancing around, smiling as he looked back at her, and he found this was a wild thing, a very wild thing. Could be fun, though. He smiled to Vanessa. He had been having a really long week, and he was tired, but also so tired of this mess and trying to be okay as a woman.
“Yes. I really am. Let’s explore this place.”
Looking out across the club, he pointed to the bar. “Drinks first, yes?”
***
Vanessa reached out to give him a quick hug. “Order me something you think I’ll like. I need to go find the bathrooms and then I’ll meet you at the bar.” She said before walking off. There weren’t a lot of people she’d trust to pick a drink for her but she’d learned with Presto - they pretty much had the same taste about food and drinks so she trusted his judgement. And benefit of living with Penny - she knew a little more about handling her drinking than she had when she’d first come back to California.
***
Presto smiled at her and he moved to the bar, ordering drinks and waving at the bartender. He discussed the best drinks so far, waved of a guy who was trying to hit on him, rather stammeringly, and waited for Vanessa, realizing it was a little too busy, a little too wild here. Maybe he should have chosen another place for his first dance hall time?
He kept his eyes on their drinks the whole time, not taking any chances, and waited nervously for Vanessa. When he did spot her, he waved and smiled. “This place is… wild!” He wasn’t sure he liked that…
***
Vanessa was trying to avoid over exuberant guys grabbing at her as she made her way over to the bar and found Presto. She slid up next to him and grabbed her drink, sipping at it gingerly. “My thoughts exactly,” she said, leaning over to speak in his ear. “Not sure if this was a good idea for our first club outing.”
***
“I think you’re right.” He sipped his drink, slapped the hand of another guy coming nearby and getting handsy. He sighed. “I am also not drink enough yet. “
He chuckled. “I’ve heard of the Hanged Man. A calmer place than this.” He sipped more of his drink, thinking, then nodded. “You know what? Yeah. Let’s go. This place is kind of making me twitch. What do you say?”
He already had his phone out, but he waited for her decision.
***
Vanessa gave him a soft smile and took another sip of her drink. “I think we should come back and check it out another night. When we’re both more into it.” Meaning probably after they got him turned back into a guy (because she was not letting herself think that this mishap was irreversible because she could tell how much her friend missed his regular body) and when she was more in the mood to deal with drunk guys grabbing at her.
“Go ahead and call the cab. I’ll finish my drink while we’re waiting.” Or at least drink some more of it.