Who: Alice and Alphonse What: Talking, Asking favors and sharing news When: Early part of January Where: Alice's dad's house Rating/Warnings: Mediumish Status: Complete when posted
Alice was flipping through a magazine on the couch while she waited for her best friend, her twin, to come over. There were a couple of things she wanted, or needed, to talk to him about and one of them they needed to get out of the way before her dad got back from work. Grog’s birthday was coming up and she wanted to give him something...different for it. Something he’d remember. And she wasn’t opposed to what she had in mind herself. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d done this after all.
She heard the doorbell ring and gently moved the sleeping kitten off her lap so she could see who it was, amused at how Dinah could sleep through just about anything. “Al! Perfect timing,” she said with a grin, hugging him before stepping back to let him inside. “Daddy’s not home yet but wants you to stay for dinner. We’re ordering in. I think he just wants a little extra time with Dinah before you take her home with you for a while.” And she couldn’t blame her dad for that. She wanted extra time with the kitten too. She hated having to get her to live somewhere else but the doctor had made it pretty clear - no litter box cleaning for the next several months. She’d just have to go visit Dinah at Al’s CONSTANTLY.
***
Al smiled as he stepped in, his backpack over one shoulder as he walked after her, grinning. “That’s fine.” He hugged her again and smiled warmly. She was a cutie and the most close person he had ever known. His spirit-twin and his friend.
He loved hanging out with her and doing things with her, and he smirked as he listened to her. “Your dad loves that cat. But I will take good care of her, I promise.” he looked around, breathing in the smell of the place that had been a second home to him all his life.
***
“He does. And I can’t blame him one bit. Best dream gift I could have ever asked for. We’re camping out in the living room right now. She seems to like the tree lights. When she’s awake anyway,” Alice said, leading him into the living room and sitting down with her legs curled under her, Dinah sleeping on the cushion beside her. “I’m glad you got here before Daddy got home because there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Other than the fact that you do realize I’m going to be at your house all the time the next few months right?” Was she rambling a little bit? Probably but she knew Al would understand once she told him what was on her mind.
***
Al chuckled as he watched her and smiled. He followed her, curious “That cat is a family member, really.” He smiled at her and settled to face her.
“Oh yeah? You know you can ask me anything, right? I love doing things for you.” he cocked his head to watch her, and grinned, as he did. Something was up. He absently petted the sleeping one, and smiled.
“What’s up, Twin number one? And of course. You should be there more often anyway.” he smirked.
***
“She really is. And she is going to get to spend some time with her best uncle getting absolutely spoiled rotten by him.” Alice said grinning as she watched Al loving on the sleeping kitten.
“This is kind of a big ask and I’ll totally get it if you need to think about it or don’t feel comfortable with it.” She swallowed, wiping her hands on her pajama pants. “Grog’s birthday is coming up next month and I want to do something special for him for it. Which is where you’d come in. He mentioned to me that he has a thing for twins and I was thinking maybe we could make that fantasy come true for him.”
***
Al listened and smiled softly at her. He nodded, thinking for a long few minutes, then smiles softly again.
“Of course I will do it, silly. You know I like this kind of thing, and playing twins with you is fun. Giving you a gift by giving him one sounds good to me.” He hugged her gently, and nodded. “We’ll need to coordinate outfits, and scents, and what we want to do to knock his socks off.”
Al’s voice almost unconsciously started shifting to his ‘Alana’ voice, as he talked about it
***
“I know you do but this is different than in the past.” Alice said, blushing a little as she looked down at the couch cushions. “This isn’t like in high school when a guy I was dating wanted anal. I gave that to Grog.” The first day they were together actually but she wasn’t giving forth that many details right now.
“I was thinking I’d surprise him with it. Maybe figure out a way to get you into his apartment without him seeing you so that when it comes time to go to bed we can. I went shopping for some new things because I needed them and you remember that blue dress I got that you liked so much? I found one really similar to that and I was thinking I could wear the new one while you wear that one? It won’t be identical but it’ll be pretty close?”
***
“I know.” He gently squeezed her shoulder, and rubbed it lightly. “Hey, I said yes, and I mean it. Grog is special to you. And you want to do something special for him. I understand. Tell me how this works.” And he listened as she laid it out.
He was smiling by the time she finished. “It sounds good. Probably the purple shading makeup set, too, with the various colors? And we should get accents in our hair.” Al smirked at her. “Ones that will match the dresses.”
He leaned in and gently kissed her cheek. “It’ll be okay, Alice, I promise.” He stroked her cheek for a second, then nodded.
“My little twin is growing up.”
***
Alice picked up the end of one of her curls. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice the color fading. We’ll have to find a company that is more on the natural end of things for coloring than what I normally use. And hopefully they’ll have a purple that I like to switch over to when the blue fades.” She said giving him a small smile.
“It wasn’t as bad as I’d always been afraid it would be. But I’m still glad I waited until him for that.” She admitted.
***
Al chuckled. “I didn't. I just figured we could do matching color highlights for fun.” he kissed her cheek. And he nodded. “I like that idea. You always did look good in purple.”
Al chuckled. “Told you, silly. And good on you. I’m glad you found someone for you, Alice, You deserve the best.”
He nodded.
***
Alice blushed a little bit when Al told her he hadn’t noticed. “It will be fun to have matching highlights and play up the twin thing a bit more. Just wait. One day I’ll be able to get away with dyeing all of it purple and not just the ends.” She said, teasing a little bit.
“You were right and I should have listened to you. Although….then you might not have had some of the experiences in high school we did. He makes me ridiculously happy. And when all this started...he didn’t run for the hills. And I was terrified that he was going to. Daddy was right. When I finally did fall for someone it was hard and fast.”
***
“I’m so happy for you, twin.” He hugged her tight, and smiled. “You make me ridiculously so, just hearing that.” he grinned at her and poked her nose.
“This is going to be cool and fun. And then you and he are going to be sillily happy, for the rest of your lives.” he nodded.
***
Alice curled up against him, moving Dinah so that she was stretched out over the laps laughing as the little kitten woke up and meowed at both of them. “Awake now silly girl? I told you we were having company today. And that you were going to be going on a little trip with them.” She said, petting under Dinah’s chin to make the little kitten purr.
“Daddy said he’d pack up her litter and everything when he got home. And most of her toys are already packed. And he got her the most adorable cat carrier. It looks like a backpack but it has a little window bubble so she can see out.”
***
“That sounds amazing. I can’t wait to see it.” Alphonse gently stroked her hair and pet Dinah gently too. He was enjoying snuggling with them. Sometimes, he felt like high school all over again, sometimes, he just felt completely new.
He cleared his throat. “There is something i wanted to talk to you about, too.”
***
Alice looked up at him in a mixture of concern and curiosity. “Oh? Everything okay? You know you can talk to me about anything.”
***
“I know.” He smiled softly and sat back. “I am thinking about changing. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.” He sat back.
Al looked down, then at her. “You know that, for me, gender and sex have been meaningless for a long time.” He smiled wider. “I’ve been living, at home at least, as a woman for almost a year, and talking to a counselor for a few months. I’m going to transition, Alice. Within a year or so, I really will be close to a twin to you.”
***
Alice stared at him almost in shock for a minute before smacking him gently on the arm and speaking. “Why didn’t you tell me! I thought one of the key things you were supposed to do in transitioning was tell your family!” She said, eyes narrowing as she mock glared at him. She gave him a smile as she reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.
“I’m happy for you taking this step. And if you need anything...especially a shopping partner...you know I’m here.”
***
Al winced and poked her. “When you are ready to. And I am ready to, now. I just wanted to be sure i wanted this, and that it wasn’t just a passing thing. That I would not go to wanting to do both, instead of being one or the other.” He smiled softly.
“I am sure, now.”
***
Alice smiled back at him apologetically. “Sorry.” She rubbed his arm lightly. “Having another sister won’t be too bad. Just don’t start trying to talk me into wearing pants more like Mina okay?”
***
Al laughed. “I like skirts, and dresses, remember?” He snickered and hugged her, smiling warmly. This was a good day, and now it was time to face the future.