Clothes and Conversation

Hunger and the need to tend company won out over Adrienne's embarrassment, but only slightly. Much to Adrienne's simultaneous delight and despair, Gwen was indeed pretty. Sitting down beside her put a flush to the petite girl's cheeks, but there was promise of pancakes. When was the last time Adrienne ate something hot that didn't taste like microwaved plastic? Oh, but Gwen's wide hips... the couch was woefully small to fit in her apartment; more of a loveseat with too many cushions. It took a bit of effort to sit with Gwen and not rub against her side, given she wasn't also pushing herself to the arm of the couch. Just focus on the pancakes, girl.

Adrienne glanced across at Charlie, growing sullen as she nibbled at her food. "I'm sorry, Charlie. You could have sat on the couch with your sister, I don't mind at all."

"It's fine, really. I'm gonna be up in a minute anyway to get the other totes." The guy had already inhaled half of one of his biscuits, washing it down with a drink. Did nothing phase people in Charlie's family? How could he be so passé about everything? Adrienne knew her apartment was a dump, but her two guests hadn't so much as curled their noses. Obviously they were being polite on her behalf, but... it felt a little strange. People doing things for her sake.

"So, um... Gwen? How much were the pancakes?"

The brunette gave Adrienne a wry smirk. "Pssh, I'm not tellin' you. I told you, I got it."

"But—"

"It's fine!" She patted Adrienne's knee, making her blush a little. "I gooooot it."

"There's really no fighting her on this stuff," Charlie added. "She's been like this ever since her first job back in high school. It's like having money makes her wallet itch or something."

"Didn't hear you complaining when you didn't have a car yet, bruh." The siblings stuck their tongues out at each other and shared a laugh. The warmth in the room put a small smile on Adrienne's face as she stared down at her bottle of juice.

"Reminds me of my big brother, Gordon," Adrienne murmured. The other two grew quiet, looking over at their new friend. "He's selfless to a fault, always doing things for me or for Zeke, but never for himself. After..." She swallowed, memories welling up behind her eyes. "After the change, he was the one who helped me get settled in. I'd be homeless and alone without him."

Not willing to let the mood dip so low, Gwen shifted the topic a little. "So... Adrienne, huh? Did you pick that name after TTP?"

"Mm-mm." Adrienne shakes her head. "I just changed the spelling. Used to be A-d-r-i-a-n."

"It's a very cute name. I'm glad you kept it." Gwen leans over, bumping her shoulder into Adrienne's, trying to get her to smile again. "Charlie didn't even have the change his spelling, didja? I call him Chichi, though, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway."

"Chichi? Why?"

"She heard chichis was slang for boobs," Charlie said with a wry smirk, "and Gwen was always jealous of my tits."

"Yours were huge, you bimbo-turned-himbo!" Gwen throws some straw paper at her brother, grinning. "But now you're a dude and I get to call biggest boobs in the family, so nyeh!"

Pleasant little bubbles of warmth tickled Adrienne, putting a meek smile on her face. "Maybe it's an older sibling thing? Gordon started calling me Addie after the change. He said it made more sense, now that I'm a girl, but..."

Gwen put a hand over her heart as if struck, gasping loudly. "Can I call you Addie, too?? Please?"

'Addie' leaned back, confused by Gwen's sudden excitement. "Um... sure, if you want? I don't mind." Gwen pumped her fist in victory, even giddier than before.

"I love nicknames," she explained. "When your whole name is fucking Guinevere, you start snipping. Nicknames are special! They make me feel closer to my friends." Were they friends? Addie had known Gwen for less than an hour, but she already seemed quite attached. Not a bad thing, she thinks.

Charlie rolled his eyes with a grin. "Addie is a really cute nickname. You sure you don't mind if we use it? I think it suits you." He thumbed over at his sister with a mean smirk. "You can call her 'Assbag' if you want to. I do." Gwen gasped, a hand over her chest in feigned offense, scoffing loudly.

Before Gwen could give a scathing retort, the siblings were greeted to the tinkling sound of a sweet wind chime. Covering her mouth politely, Addie's bubbly titter quickly built into a fit of giggles, her chest bouncing along with her growing laughter. Gwen and Charlie looked at each other, feeling smiles creeping onto their faces in unison. Addie's happiness seemed to be contagious.

"It seems like you two get along really well," said Adrienne once her laughter started to die down. "I'm glad. When Charlie had told me he'd had a... a similar experience with his procedure, I was worried that..." Her eyes cast down, drawing in again. "...that it hadn't gone well." Gwen's soft hand on her knee didn't make Addie flinch this time. She was reaching for her hand, trying to be supportive. What a good person Gwen was. "Were your parents alright with it?"

Gwen and Charlie looked at each other, sharing a silent conversation with thoughts Addie wasn't privy to. Gwen chimed in first with a wry smile. "Well, it was one hell of a shock, I'll tell you that. One day I've got a bombshell sister, and the next I see Kate walking in with some studmuffin and trying to tell that it's Charlie! Also, man, fuck you for being hot as a guy and a girl, that is not fair."

Charlie laughed, but Addie was totally floored. "You didn't even tell them you were having the procedure??"

"Ah, well... Mom knew, to a degree. She's the one who paid for it. She's a cardiologist, so as long as we're making healthy choices, she doesn't pry too deeply into things. She said that what I want to do with my body is my choice and mine alone, which was the best answer she could give me, I think. It was a birthday present for my sixteenth, back when Encephalon still did it that young." Something stung behind Charlie's eyes, but his firm smile didn't allude to anything Addie could pick up on. Gwen seemed a little tense, too, but neither of them spoke up about it.

"All in all," Gwen started, "It was a big change and we were all really surprised, but... we adapted. It took a little getting used to, but... Charlie is Charlie. I want him to be happy in whatever form he takes." Leaning over, Gwen bumped her elbow to Addie's, smiling gently at her. "That goes for you, too. You should be happy with yourself. Chichi told me a little about... your situation, and I agree with him. What they did was wrong, and you shouldn't suffer for their stubbornness. If they're not going to be there for you, then... Charlie and I want to be."

Addie could already feel a lump growing in her chest, tears building in her eyes. "Why...? You don't even know me, why are you being so nice to me?"

Gwen gave Addie a compassionate smile, bringing her in for a hug, letting Addie's head rest on her shoulder. "Because I'm a stubborn ho, that's why. If Charlie vouches for you, then that's good enough for me, and I've heard more than enough to make the call myself. Everyone should feel loved, so... let your friends love you, okay?"

While Addie sniffled and mumbled gratitude into Gwen's shoulder, Charlie had a prideful smile on his face. He knew he could count on his sister to be just as good a pillar of support for Addie as she had been for him, way back when. She wasted no time making decisions. Once she'd bonded to someone, that was that. Addie was stuck with Gwen as a new friend, for better or worse. Fast friends.

By the time Addie brought her face away and looked around, Charlie was bringing in even more totes of old clothes into her tiny apartment. Her eyes were wide as she wiped the wetness from her face, daunted by the sheer quantity of heavily packed totes filling her room. "So many...! Charlie, that's so much! I couldn't possibly..!"

"You shoulda seen my poor car, draggin' it's ass trying to haul all this stuff," Gwen quipped with a snicker. "Charlie was stuffed into the seat, knees in the dashboard. Told him if we crashed, we could cram him into a jack-in-the-box instead of a coffin." Everyone had a good giggle.

Big strong Charlie didn't even seem winded by the rapid trips up and down the stairs with those heavy boxes. "Like I said before, Addie, anything you don't want or doesn't fit is gonna get donated, so don't feel like you have to pick and choose. I can't half believe I've let all this sit in a storage room for as long as I have, so you're doing me a favor taking it off my hands."

"I'd have nabbed it all if any of it fit," Gwen grumbled. "You and your damn bazookas."

"If you'd had a chest like mine, sis, you wouldn't have been able to do gymnastics and would've griped even more about that. Besides, you've always beaten me in the cake department."

"You do gymnastics?" Addie asked, trying to distract herself from the topic of curves.

"Used to," Gwen began. "I did some competitive stuff in my later high school years, but once college started up I kinda lost the time and focus for it. I still do a little for exercise and stuff, but I'm no pro or anything."

~

From there, the conversation became free and casual as the three of them began unpacking the totes for Addie to peruse. She learned that the siblings both went to the same college, Gwen as a literature major while Charlie specialized in theatre. Addie hadn't even humored the idea of getting into a university, already barely able to afford the lifestyle she currently had. Gordon had mentioned trying to help her get in with some financial aid, but being at such a low point in her life made it hard to even consider. Gwen and Charlie tucked that information away for another day, gears turning on another helpful scheme for their new friend. But first, clothes!

And boy, were there a lot of clothes. Addie was quite firm that shorts and shorter skirts were an immediate no-go for her, so those were quickly re-packed into a tote on their own. Watching the petite girl's eyes light up at all the cute sweaters and fall clothes warmed the siblings' souls, pleased to see their clothing therapy doing its job. She seemed a lot more apprehensive about the summer wear, blushing at the thought of showing off as much of herself with crop tops and spaghetti strap tanks. Many of Charlie's old tops had a deeper neckline than Addie seemed ready for, but the other two assured her that she would look adorable in just about any of them.

All in all, Addie secured herself a good week's worth of outfits for each season, which threatened to stuff her suitcase-turned-wardrobe to bursting. She'd never be able to thank Charlie properly for his saintly generosity, but she was determined to try someday. Looking at the selected piles of clothes and Addie's pitiful storage system, Charlie nodded firmly, sharing another telepathic look with his sister.

"Alright, well! Addie, what say you to doing a little shopping?"

"Oh, let's hit the mall!" Gwen clapped, eager to get out and move in more open space.

Addie, however, failed to meet Charlie's eyes. "Oh, I couldn't... I really don't have a budget for any superfluous purchases."

"Pssh, miss me with that," Gwen snorted, giving a cocky smirk. "We'll treat you! Our budgets are just fine for a little splurging, right brah?"

Charlie nodded, standing confidently. "Let us help you with some essentials, please? You at least need a space to store all these new clothes."

"You guys..." Don't cry, you big baby, not again. The aura of determination coming off the siblings told Addie that she simply couldn't refuse. She nodded, smiling to keep the tears at bay.

The best of fast friends.