(no subject)
Title: Ne pas de change
Author: cat_13145
Disclaimer: Marvel owns it all!
Pairing/Characters:Bucky, Toro, possibly Bucky/Toro
Rating: PG 13
Warning: My first attempt at writing gender bender fic.
Summary: The young Avengers want to know why Toro is calm when Billy's spell accidently turns him to a girl.
“I have to say,” Kate said, as she and Cassie dug through boxes of old clothes. “You’re handling this well.”
Toro shrugged, still clutching the sheet around his chest. “It’s not like it’s the first time.” At the girl’s expression, he called out to Bucky. “Why does everyone assume they invented this?”
Without waiting for Bucky’s reply (which would have been muffled by Billy shouting apologises), he continued, “It didn’t happen as much as it does now, but the Nazi’s did have some magic users and where there’s magic...”
*****
At first he didn’t realise anything was wrong. Well, that’s a lie, he realised that he was slowing down, and that his centre of balance was off, but he didn’t realise what the problem was, until he landed.
“You O.K. Toro lad?” Steve asks, running over. “Looked like that Nazi hit you with something.”
“I’m fine.” He’s still covered with fire through, so he starts turning the flame off. And Steve goes scarlet.
Namor’s jaw drops, which almost makes the whole experience worth it.
“Toro.” Pappy begins, looking shocked and horrified. Bucky is the only person who appears to take stock of the situation. Suddenly, his jacket is off and he’s handing it to Toro.
“Here. Put this on.”
“Why?” It was then he looked down.
“Oh. Hell.”
And for once Cap didn’t even complain about his language.
****
“It’s actually slightly easier now.” He continued, pulling on the clothes they’d laid out.
“How?”
Toro snorted. “Less underwear for a start.”
*****
He’d been convinced that accidentally flashing Cap was the most embarrassing thing that was going to happen.
The universe apparently decided he hadn’t been punished enough, cause he’s now standing in middle of Namor’s plane before Gwenny, naked.
And it doesn’t matter that, as Gwenny already pointed out, there’s nothing here she hasn’t seen. He’s still Toro, even if he doesn’t look it, and Toro doesn’t like standing naked in front of girls.
Particularly not when they’re assaulting his ridiculously sensitive breasts with a measuring tape.
“Right.” Gwenny said, pulling the tape from around his breast and bringing herself in so that she’d pressed against his waist. “Jac, We need a 34D and a...”She glanced down at the tape. “33”.”
“Why can’t I just borrow some of your stuff?” Toro muttered, as Gwenny pulled away, rolling up the tape.
Gwenny stared at him as though he’d just grown two heads. “Toro, I know Steve is too pure, but surely you guys have noticed that I’m...well a little lacking that area.” She indicated her own chest, and Toro had to admit that it was smaller than his own.
“Or Jac’s?”
Gwenny’s eyebrows almost vanished under her hair. Toro groaned.
****
“So you actually wore them?” Tommy asked. Toro laughed.
“Yeah, brassier, girdle, suspenders, shift, blouse, jumper, knee length skirt, and stockings.” He shook his head. “There must have been some annoyed housewives that day, as Jac had to pinch them all off washing lines.”
He sighed, shaking his head. “It didn’t help that it happened at the end of a mission and we were all supposed to fly back to London the next day. That was fun.”
“Why?” Cassie asked.
“Because high command were not amused that the Invaders had returned with a strange girl in tow.” Bucky said, straightening up. “We had a lot of trouble convincing them that it was still Toro.”
“No DNA back then.” Kate observed. Toro nodded.
“Still, once we’d convinced them I was still me, we had to go about trying to fix it.”
******
Toro coughed as the smoke, which had surrounded him, began to clear.
“I’m sorry, Colonel.” The woman standing there, with her dark hair following around her waist shook her head. “But there is nothing I can do. Perhaps, Merlin_”
“No.” The British Colonel, standing to the left shook his head. “No, Thank you, Niniane, but I won’t have that sorcerer in here, unless it’s a matter of the world ending and maybe not even then.”
The woman bowed her head in acknowledgement. “Then there is nothing I can do.”
“So I’m stuck like this?” Toro demanded desperately. Niniane blinked. “No. The spell is breakable, I just can’t break it.” She smiled. “Only you can do that.”
“How?” Toro demanded. Niniane smiled again.
“You’ll figure it out.” She said.
*******
“Things were different back then.” Bucky observed. “No sorcerer Supreme in New York.”
“And different attitudes towards women.” Toro observed. He glanced at the two girls. “You two wouldn’t think anything of going into a bar with a group of friends, right?”
At their nods, he continued. “Wasn’t done back then, or be more accurate, it was, but it wasn’t viewed as correct behavior.”
“So Steve wouldn’t let you get away with it.” Kate guessed. Toro smiled.
“I’m not as brave as Jac or Gwenny. They both told Steve where he could put it, when he tried to talk them out of it, and usually embarrassed him into the bargain. I wasn’t used to having to fight him.”
“You probably would have done.” Bucky observed. “If you’d been stuck as woman longer, but it only lasted a week.”
“How did it end?” Eli asked. He’d been sitting at the end of the couch, trying to appear very uninterested in the story, but it was oblivious this had caught even his interest.
Toro groaned. “I was_”
“You were hiding out in the girl’s room.” Bucky interrupted. At the others expression, he explained. “Steve decided that as Toro was a girl, technically, then he should stay with the other girls in their room. Command backed him up.” He shook his head. “Anyway, Toro was hiding out.”
*****
“Toro?” he pulled the covers further over his head. “Hey come on matchstick, quit hiding.”
Before he could react, the covers were pulled off and Toro’s staring at Bucky. “Come on matchstick.”
“Thought you went out with the guys.” He muttered, wishing it was true.
Bucky grinned. “nah. Got something for you.”
“What?” He asked cautiously. Grinning, Bucky pulled out a red sleeveless top with gold edging around the edges. “Here. Least you can train with us now.”
“How did you..? I mean, Command refused to approve the extra rations...”
Bucky grin broadened. “Jim had some old tops. Just cut them.” He grinned. “Come on, Tor. While the cap’s away, the kid commandos will play.”
****
“Wait you can sew?” Eli demanded staring at Bucky, who flushed.
“Lot of guys could sew back them,” He muttered.
“Whatever happened to that top?” Toro murmured, eyes closed. “Never got a chance to wear it.”
Bucky shrugged. “Either Jac got it, or it’ll still be in MIs. Probably 13 got hold of it.” He shook his head. “Anyway...”
*****
Cards somehow or other turned into spin the bottle, mostly Toro suspects because of the Russian brandy that Bucky had “liberated” from the howling commandoes.
Thus far Toro had managed to avoid kisses. Gwenny had been kissed by both Bucky and Davey, and Bucky had kissed Davey (who looked extremely uncomfortable). Rolling his eyes, Bucky spun the bottle again, laughing as it came to rest face Toro.
“Pucker up Match stick.” He muttered, crawling across ignoring Toro’s frantic protests.
Bucky was a good kisser. Toro wasn’t quite sure why that surprised him, maybe because as a guy in these games, he’d never got anything more than a peck on the cheek. But after a few moments he relaxed and started to return the kiss.
“Toro!” Davey’s yell burst through the kiss, causing them both to fall apart. “You’re...You’re...”
He flushed, looking around, expecting to see expressions of horror and disgust on all the faces present. Instead everyone was staring at him.
“Huh.” Bucky said, rolling back across the circle. “Guess Disney was on to something.”
****
“Your first kiss.” Kate smiled.
“Hardly what I would have chosen.” Toro observed.
“What you’d rather have bee stuck as woman?”
Toro shrugged. “Things...might have been easier that way.”
“Or you might have found yourself liking dames in a woman’s body.” Bucky pointed. “Wouldn’t have solved the problem. Plus, Can’t see you as a housewife.”
“Least I can cook.”
“Never had any complaints.”
“Cause you never left anyone alive.”
The Young Avengers grabbed their gear and ran out of the room, leaving the two still bickering at each other.