Is it supposed to be easy to write themes on random subjects?

Title: Makeover
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #18, Straight Perm

Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: AU, Shoujo-ai disguised as het, cross-dressing

 

            When Red gets her hair straightened, it comes as a surprise to all. They’re so used to her sharp black spikes that without them there, it almost seems as though she’s a different person.

            Lance thinks it’s cute. Now Red has long hair she can braid, and she happily weaves layers of silky ribbons and fancy glass beads through it, and Red laughs when Lance buys her butterfly-shipped combs, studded with pink gemstone.

            Of course, Lance doesn’t need to perm her hair – it’s naturally straight. She has to gel it into a more masculine formation daily, but at night, she’ll take it down, and Red will smile as she undoes the bindings Lance wears to bind her chest tight.

            It’s nice, having Lance be the boy. She has nothing to hide, and though the League Council scoffed and said having a tomboy as the Pokemon League Champion was bad for the media, it really wasn’t, and now they’re proven wrong.

            But the downside is when Red becomes more feminine, a lot more fan letters pour in. Charizard happily toasts them for her, but Sneasal and Meowth search for money or gifts first.

            How mercenary of them!

           

            She doesn’t accept outright bribes, but when she wins an all-expenses paid spa trip for two, she takes Lance with her. They bring Poliwhirl just in case they need to hypnotize the attendants to keep their silence after they find out Lance’s true gender.

            Of course, neither of them have done this before, so it’s a new experience.

 

            The mud bath is actually very comfortable. She thought she’d be squicked, but the mud is warm and nice, and they provide hot drinks, like thick chocolate milk swirled through with vanilla, laden with crunchy nuggets of peppermint. Yum!

            Lance rather revels in the sensation. It’s nice to be soothed instead of constrained, and she can go without the corset for a few weeks.

            They go through the whole enchilada. Facials, nails, massage therapy… and when they return to Indigo Plateau, Lorelei almost doesn’t recognize them.

            But too soon, vacation ends, and Lance once again dons her disguise.

 

            She’s braiding accessories into Red’s hair now, and Red leans back. It’s nice not to worry about poking someone’s eye out with her hair, as outrageous as it sounds, it actually happened once on the S.S. Anne. It was very fortunate the old gentlemen had glasses!

            The little bells tinkle, as she risks a glance. The ribbons are light blue but the bells are silver, and she doesn’t really feel the gilt wire, so Lance is doing a good job. Well, it’s not that she wouldn’t be brilliant at everything she does. It’s just…different.

            Feminine.

            Red wonders if these are the only times Lance can play a girl. Of course, if her real gender were revealed to the public, there would be shocked outrage. Homosexuality overtones were very bad for publicity.

            But for now, she was at peace, new hair and all.

            Lance finished, and gave her a quick kiss. Red gripped her arm as she rose to leave, and pulled her into a real kiss.

            Neither one complained. Their laughter echoed through the room cheerfully, peals of pure joy.

            Why meddle with something so perfect?

 

End Fic

Completed 9/6/06

Fluff! I think Red would be cute with long straight hair…