[Gideon]

[callofkaren]

Gideon was done with this switch shit, and it hadn't even been a fucking day yet. After seeing what'd been done to him, he could only imagine things getting worse, and for all he knew, he was going to wake up in his own body and spend the next few days doing fucking damage control

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[all_happening]

Penny had mostly calmed down by the time they reached the hut, though it had taken her most of the walk to do so. Exploding like she had in the kitchen wasn't much like her at all, and so she'd kept quiet, if only for that. She didn't regret it, though. Whoever that 'Vanessa' chick was, she'd deserved every single word Penny had said. With the way things had escalated, she'd nearly forgotten what she'd let slip; still, were she to think about it, she wouldn't have regretted it. She might have freaked about the possibility of his being her boyfriend before, but after Clementine's disappearing, she knew better than to just stand back and watch until something went wrong. Besides, she was pretty sure they both knew that things were going to be different, this time around. If it was fucking terrifying, that wasn't going to matter.

The question took her a little by surprise, but she just shrugged. "Yeah," she replied casually, giving him a long look when she saw the one he was shooting her. "I mean, that bitch got me all worked up, but I'm fine now. Really." Biting her lower lip, she paused. Gideon being in Karen's body wasn't getting any less weird, even as hard as she was trying not to think too much about it. "Why, are you? Aside from the whole wrong body thing, anyway."

[callofkaren]

"Yeah, I'm alright," he shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. There were probably fucking worse things that could have happened, but at the moment, he couldn't see beyond the fact some chick was running around fucking things up. "Pissed, but alright. I can't believe how fucked up that chick is. I mean, shit, she has me walking around looking like a fucking dumbass, now."

[all_happening]

Rolling her eyes, Penny nodded in agreement. "She cut your hair," she said, surprisingly close to whining. It might've been funny, if the whole situation wasn't so fucked up. "You better grow it back out, man. That's all I'm saying." Long hair on guys had always been a preference of hers, but it was far more common back where and when she came from than it was on the island. She could only hope the heat would make it grow faster, or something. She'd heard once that happened, or so she thought.

[callofkaren]

Despite the situation, he couldn't help but look a little fucking amused. He admittedly wore it long because he was too fucking lazy to cut it often, so it was a bonus that apparently Penny liked it that way.

"I guess I can grow it back out for you," he replied, though he knew he would've done it either way. He figured she knew that, too. "Hopefully you can fucking stomach what she did to me until I do."

[all_happening]

Acting as if the proposition required serious consideration, she paused, an exaggeratedly thoughtful look on her face. "Mmm, no," she decided finally, doing her best to bite back a grin. "Sorry, Gideon, I hate to admit it, but I only really liked you for your hair."

Being comfortable enough to joke around with him like this again was a relief, after everything that had happened. It was beginning to feel like the longer they spent together, even with him in a girl's body, the more she regretted that she'd left at all. She still didn't deserve a guy like him, especially one who'd taken her back after that stunt she pulled. Now, though, she wasn't going to take that for granted.

[callofkaren]

"Well, I'm sure she fucking trashed it somewhere, if you want to go find it," he responded dryly. Despite taking the teasing in stride, it did bring the question he had on his mind back up again. He was still debating whether or not bringing it up would fuck things over again, though the situation was a bit different this time. She'd said it herself, right in fucking front of him.

"Hey, by the way, I wanted to ask -" he started, then paused, already starting to lose his nerve. He didn't really have to know. It wasn't like it was a fucking make or break kind of thing. He regretted even starting the sentence. "Shit, nevermind. What do you want to do now?"

[all_happening]

Penny had known him long enough to know that when he cut himself off like that, it usually involved something serious, especially when he so quickly changed the subject. With the way things had been going, she didn't want to just let something like that slide. She had no idea what it could have been, but that was really all the more reason to get him to say it.

"No, wait," she replied, shaking her head gently. "What were you gonna ask?" It was genuine curiousity more than concern that made her wonder, if only because she didn't know what it was about.

[callofkaren]

Gideon scratched the side of his cheek, feeling awkward now. He wasn't all that fucking interested in getting into a fight, or shit, even upsetting her with how pissed off she'd been before. He also knew she'd probably take him not talking as something being wrong, so he was pretty fucking stuck.

"Shit, um," he began again, blanking out on anything else he could say instead. He eventually just figured he had no other choice. "Look, I mean, it's not a big fucking deal if you didn't mean it, but - is that how you think about me, now? You know, what you said before to that...chick in my body."

[all_happening]

Though she hadn't even recalled saying it until he mentioned it, she knew exactly what he was referring to. She froze for a moment, mouth dropping open, as she tried to figure out what she should say, what he'd even meant by it. He'd used the title once before, but that was before she'd gone and walked out on him; it had come out without her meaning to say it, anyway.

"Oh," she began, still looking uncertain. The way she saw it, there was no reason for him not to be now, but it hadn't even crossed her mind that maybe he didn't want that anymore. "Um, right, that. I - I guess I just thought..." Trailing off, she shook her head, gesturing vaguely out in front of her with one hand. "Whatever, just forget it," she continued, her voice considerably quieter. "I just needed to make a point, you don't - I mean, we don't -"

Had she not felt like such an idiot for assuming he'd still feel the same way, she might have found it amusing, the way they'd suddenly switched roles. It was her fucking fault for leaving, if things were different now.

[callofkaren]

He'd really been ready to hear it was a slip up, and while he did fucking get that, the stuff she said before it was what caught his attention.

"No, that's - that's not what I fucking meant," he replied, cutting her off before she said anymore. He just hoped he was getting her right, because he knew he probably wouldn't be able to talk himself out of what he was going to say. "I want to be. I just didn't know if you fucking wanted that. I mean, the last time - you know."

[all_happening]

The reference to their first conversation on the subject was enough to make her cringe, though she knew better than to think about that too long. His first mention of her saying it had taken her by surprise, but hearing that did even more, when she'd already gotten herself half-convinced that she'd screwed things up even more. Not knowing what to do, she fell silent again, biting her lower lip. This would've been a hell of a lot easier if she weren't talking to a girl, but it was unavoidable now.

"Wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," she muttered finally, half under her breath, as she looked down at her feet, arms folding across her chest. She blamed her initial reaction, how awkward she suddenly felt admitting it, on the fact that it'd upset her so much when they'd talked about it before. This would've been so much easier otherwise.

[callofkaren]

He felt like shit the moment he realized what he'd said, because while it'd explained his own reaction, he was pretty sure it was shit he shouldn't have brought up. It was around then he'd probably would have fucking kissed her, or done something to make it fucking obvious, but that wasn't an option right then. He really wished it was.

"Well, I fucking mean it, too," he replied, and while he had the urge to look away because it was awkward as fucking hell, he didn't. "I want you as my girlfriend. Which, okay, would sound a lot fucking better if I wasn't a chick right now, but you know what I mean."

There were probably less blunt ways he could've said it, but at that fucking point, he just wanted to get it out and over with. No more fucking second guessing himself. He'd learned already how fucking stupid putting off a subject was, and he knew he would've kept avoiding the subject if he didn't make himself then.

[all_happening]

It wasn't startling this time, but instead felt oddly good to hear, even if Gideon was in the body of a girl. Almost nervously, she let out a short laugh, finally glancing back up with a crooked grin on her face. "Well, alright, then," she said, still a little uncertain, but only because this was such unfamiliar territory for her. Beyond that, she didn't know what else to say; she was content enough to leave it at that, though.

Even with everything that had happened in the past day or so, she still couldn't make sense of why or how he apparently still cared so much about it. It was an unusual feeling, but not at all a bad one, someone liking her like that. No one ever had before.

"I wish you weren't a chick, though," she added wryly, knowing he'd get what she meant without her needing to elaborate. She didn't know how long this switched-bodies thing was going to last, but as far as she was concerned, it couldn't end soon enough.

[callofkaren]

He'd been thinking the same fucking thing. It was weird as hell having a barrier between them like there was, and it was moments like these where he really fucking felt it. Still, the was something satisfying as hell about hearing her say she would, though he'd never admit that shit outloud.

"Well, we'll obviously just have to make up for whatever time we lost with this fucking thing," he replied, sensibly, a half-smirk forming on his face. "You know, once I'm back to normal."

[all_happening]

"Oh, you're telling me," Penny sighed, shaking her head almost bemusedly. "I swear to god, if this thing fucking lasts long, I'll..." There was no real way to end that threat, though, so she lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "Well, I don't know, but it won't be pretty."

She cast him another long look then. He may have been in someone else's body, but somewhere in that tiny frame was Gideon; she wasn't going to act completely different or weirded out, even if they couldn't do what they normally did. "So, my boyfriend's a girl," she said slowly, mock-thoughtful, affecting a puzzled look to go with it. "I've gotta say, that's a first."

[callofkaren]

That made two of them. He was already itching for shit to go back to normal, especially in light of everything that'd just happened. They'd only had a day to enjoy being back together after a week, too, so it just made shit worse. Still, he grinned when he saw her looking him over, folding her arms just under his chest.

"And may I just fucking say I'm touched you're willing to be a lesbian for a couple of days for me," he replied, having a hard time keeping a straight face as he did. And though he was teasing, he did appreciate she was fucking sticking around. He didn't know if he could keep sane during this shitty thing if he didn't have at least her around to distract him.