original: "I Remember Love" (het/trans)
I hope the addition of "trans" to my category is acceptable, I felt it only fair to include. I was unsure about the status tags, since this is sort of a unique situation, so mods, feel free to pick one or the other if you feel it's necessary! Otherwise, I tend to think both actually apply in this case :)
"Dane? Dane Gray?"
Dane jumped a little, looking up and searching for the source of the voice. When he found it, it was in the form of a gorgeous blonde woman. A gorgeous blonde woman he couldn't recall ever having met.
His confusion must have shown more on his face than he'd have liked, because she approached him, grinning, and explained, "It's me, Cale."
Dane had to blink once before recognition slammed into him like a semi-truck. Cale. Cale, his best friend from elementary school. Cale, who lived next door to his godfather's house. Cale, the first person he'd ever kissed.
The first boy he'd ever kissed.
"Wow," he said, for lack of anything better to say. He blinked a few more times to banish the shock, and mentally shook himself, realizing how stupid and potentially offensive his response had been. He grinned back at Cale, continuing (with complete honesty), "You look amazing."
Cale blushed. It looked fantastic. "Thanks. So do you." She looked down at her watch, looking legitimately upset. "Listen, I have to make an appointment, but I can't believe I've run into you after all this time. Would you like to meet up later for coffee or something so we can catch up? I can't believe my rotten timing!"
Dane was already snagging a napkin from the counter and jotting down his cell. "Of course, I'd love to. Are you free later today?"
"I'll be off at four."
Cale had taken the napkin, torn off the bottom and written her number on the other half. Dane took it, still grinning like an idiot, inexplicably happy to see... her after all this time. "Great. How about you meet me back here at four-thirty?"
"It's a date!" Cale looked awkward for a brief moment before leaning forward and pulling Dane into a hug. "I'm so glad I ran into you. I'll see you later."
"Me, too." He hugged her back, somewhat startled by the odd familiarity of the sensation. He couldn't wait until four-thirty.
--
Having nothing better to do, Dane had hung around the coffee shop with his netbook to pass the three long hours until Cale was due to arrive.
It gave him plenty of time to think. His brain hadn't quite caught up with the new pronouns, yet, but he tried not to blame himself; he'd never had problems with any of his other trans friends' pronouns before, but he figured he had a bit of a bigger window when he'd been intimate with Cale before. Besides, she was stunning. Once he'd realized who she was, Dane had recognized all the features he'd loved on Cale in high school had only been enhanced by his--damnit, her femininity. Her hair was still short, but it was a cute pixie cut that looked adorable framing her soft, round face. She'd been wearing a little makeup, but it looked very natural, and a gray skirt suit with a jewel-purple blouse and black pumps. Dane had definitely not been lying when he'd said she looked amazing.
She was beautiful, but he was still having a hard time reconciling her with the Cale he'd known before. He couldn't help berating himself a little; Granddad was trans, as well as at least half of his friends from film school. He himself identified as pansexual; gender didn't--and shouldn't--matter to him in this context. But he'd known Cale as a boy, or rather, as what he'd thought was a boy. He had vivid memories of her, complete with definite apparent male-ness. The Cale he'd run into just hours before felt like she should be a different person. A different person who happened to have the same name (for which he was selfishly grateful), the same memories, the same soft green eyes and blonde hair....
He felt the grin return to his face as she stepped through the door at quarter-past four, and his mind snapped instantly back to the present. He closed his netbook and stood to wave his old friend to the table.
"Hi!"
This time the awkward pause was barely perceptible before Cale reached up to hug Dane around the shoulders.
"It's so good to see you," she said, a tinge of pink rising in her cheeks as Dane pulled out a chair for her. That was certainly familiar. She thanked him and continued, "I keep thinking how I should stop by your dad's, or call, but I wasn't sure if you were still around and I kept putting it off."
"How long have you been back?"
Cale had moved down to New York with his--her moms the summer before their senior year in high school. They'd stayed in touch for almost a year, but had lost track of each other after that.
"Almost two months, now."
"Well you should have stopped by!" Dane chided kindly. "Dad and Jamie are still at the old place, though Mom and Glenn did finally get an actual house a few years after you left."
"No kidding? I did always wonder how you managed to fit in that tiny apartment."
Dane laughed, "Why do you think I spent so much time with Dad?"
Cale pressed a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "I always thought it was because you wanted to spend time with me!"
Dane laughed again and subconsciously reached across the table to lay his hand on her free one. The contact startled them both, but neither moved their hand.
Dane sighed softly, unable to move his eyes from the back of his hand covering Cale's. He brushed his fingers softly across the soft, peachy skin, remembering.
"It's been... damn, nearly ten years?"
Cale blinked, shocked, then seemed to consider. "Wow. It has."
They just sat there for a few moments in the relative silence of the busy coffee shop, Dane staring at their hands on the table, unaware of Cale's eyes on his face.
"I haven't really... been in a serious relationship. Since... since high school."
Dane looked up at the softly spoken statement. He knew she meant since him; they'd been an item since they first made out in Dane's bedroom when they were thirteen, and stayed that way until Cale had moved. She looked like she was expecting a response, so Dane thought back on the past ten years, squashing the feeling of getting old way too fast.
"There was one. A few years after you left. After two years, he decided he wasn't right for me. Took me a while, but... now it's obvious he was right. We're still friends, though I don't see him much, anymore."
Cale was still watching him, but Dane had to look back down at their hands. Something was there. It was something important, and he was missing it. There must have been a really good reason for him to have put his hand on hers, for him to be stroking it like he was, remembering.
Remembering.
"Dane...." When he looked up, Cale looked conflicted. Dane realized suddenly that he would do anything to make her look happy again. He thought she was about to say something else, but not a moment after his first realization, a second hit him like a slap in the face.
A good slap in the face.
He started laughing, squeezing Cale's hand reassuringly when she pulled a confused frown. "No, no, I'm sorry, I just... I just realized." He looked steadily into her gorgeous green eyes. "All this time I've been looking for tall, blond and handsome. When I should have been looking for tall, blonde and gorgeous."
Cale remained still for a moment, but then she slumped down with a relieved puff of air. "I love you."
As she kissed him, Dane realized he loved her, too. Had always loved her, even when he hadn't known she was a 'she'. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed how much Matt had resembled her--or rather, how much he'd resembled the Cale he'd dated in high school. It seemed so obvious, now.
He gasped softly as Cale suddenly gave a short tug on the handful of hair she'd been gathering gently at the base of his neck, acutely aware of the public setting. She leaned in close to his ear and breathed:
"Do you still like it rough?"
Dane grinned. "God, yes."
"Dane? Dane Gray?"
Dane jumped a little, looking up and searching for the source of the voice. When he found it, it was in the form of a gorgeous blonde woman. A gorgeous blonde woman he couldn't recall ever having met.
His confusion must have shown more on his face than he'd have liked, because she approached him, grinning, and explained, "It's me, Cale."
Dane had to blink once before recognition slammed into him like a semi-truck. Cale. Cale, his best friend from elementary school. Cale, who lived next door to his godfather's house. Cale, the first person he'd ever kissed.
The first boy he'd ever kissed.
"Wow," he said, for lack of anything better to say. He blinked a few more times to banish the shock, and mentally shook himself, realizing how stupid and potentially offensive his response had been. He grinned back at Cale, continuing (with complete honesty), "You look amazing."
Cale blushed. It looked fantastic. "Thanks. So do you." She looked down at her watch, looking legitimately upset. "Listen, I have to make an appointment, but I can't believe I've run into you after all this time. Would you like to meet up later for coffee or something so we can catch up? I can't believe my rotten timing!"
Dane was already snagging a napkin from the counter and jotting down his cell. "Of course, I'd love to. Are you free later today?"
"I'll be off at four."
Cale had taken the napkin, torn off the bottom and written her number on the other half. Dane took it, still grinning like an idiot, inexplicably happy to see... her after all this time. "Great. How about you meet me back here at four-thirty?"
"It's a date!" Cale looked awkward for a brief moment before leaning forward and pulling Dane into a hug. "I'm so glad I ran into you. I'll see you later."
"Me, too." He hugged her back, somewhat startled by the odd familiarity of the sensation. He couldn't wait until four-thirty.
--
Having nothing better to do, Dane had hung around the coffee shop with his netbook to pass the three long hours until Cale was due to arrive.
It gave him plenty of time to think. His brain hadn't quite caught up with the new pronouns, yet, but he tried not to blame himself; he'd never had problems with any of his other trans friends' pronouns before, but he figured he had a bit of a bigger window when he'd been intimate with Cale before. Besides, she was stunning. Once he'd realized who she was, Dane had recognized all the features he'd loved on Cale in high school had only been enhanced by his--damnit, her femininity. Her hair was still short, but it was a cute pixie cut that looked adorable framing her soft, round face. She'd been wearing a little makeup, but it looked very natural, and a gray skirt suit with a jewel-purple blouse and black pumps. Dane had definitely not been lying when he'd said she looked amazing.
She was beautiful, but he was still having a hard time reconciling her with the Cale he'd known before. He couldn't help berating himself a little; Granddad was trans, as well as at least half of his friends from film school. He himself identified as pansexual; gender didn't--and shouldn't--matter to him in this context. But he'd known Cale as a boy, or rather, as what he'd thought was a boy. He had vivid memories of her, complete with definite apparent male-ness. The Cale he'd run into just hours before felt like she should be a different person. A different person who happened to have the same name (for which he was selfishly grateful), the same memories, the same soft green eyes and blonde hair....
He felt the grin return to his face as she stepped through the door at quarter-past four, and his mind snapped instantly back to the present. He closed his netbook and stood to wave his old friend to the table.
"Hi!"
This time the awkward pause was barely perceptible before Cale reached up to hug Dane around the shoulders.
"It's so good to see you," she said, a tinge of pink rising in her cheeks as Dane pulled out a chair for her. That was certainly familiar. She thanked him and continued, "I keep thinking how I should stop by your dad's, or call, but I wasn't sure if you were still around and I kept putting it off."
"How long have you been back?"
Cale had moved down to New York with his--her moms the summer before their senior year in high school. They'd stayed in touch for almost a year, but had lost track of each other after that.
"Almost two months, now."
"Well you should have stopped by!" Dane chided kindly. "Dad and Jamie are still at the old place, though Mom and Glenn did finally get an actual house a few years after you left."
"No kidding? I did always wonder how you managed to fit in that tiny apartment."
Dane laughed, "Why do you think I spent so much time with Dad?"
Cale pressed a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "I always thought it was because you wanted to spend time with me!"
Dane laughed again and subconsciously reached across the table to lay his hand on her free one. The contact startled them both, but neither moved their hand.
Dane sighed softly, unable to move his eyes from the back of his hand covering Cale's. He brushed his fingers softly across the soft, peachy skin, remembering.
"It's been... damn, nearly ten years?"
Cale blinked, shocked, then seemed to consider. "Wow. It has."
They just sat there for a few moments in the relative silence of the busy coffee shop, Dane staring at their hands on the table, unaware of Cale's eyes on his face.
"I haven't really... been in a serious relationship. Since... since high school."
Dane looked up at the softly spoken statement. He knew she meant since him; they'd been an item since they first made out in Dane's bedroom when they were thirteen, and stayed that way until Cale had moved. She looked like she was expecting a response, so Dane thought back on the past ten years, squashing the feeling of getting old way too fast.
"There was one. A few years after you left. After two years, he decided he wasn't right for me. Took me a while, but... now it's obvious he was right. We're still friends, though I don't see him much, anymore."
Cale was still watching him, but Dane had to look back down at their hands. Something was there. It was something important, and he was missing it. There must have been a really good reason for him to have put his hand on hers, for him to be stroking it like he was, remembering.
Remembering.
"Dane...." When he looked up, Cale looked conflicted. Dane realized suddenly that he would do anything to make her look happy again. He thought she was about to say something else, but not a moment after his first realization, a second hit him like a slap in the face.
A good slap in the face.
He started laughing, squeezing Cale's hand reassuringly when she pulled a confused frown. "No, no, I'm sorry, I just... I just realized." He looked steadily into her gorgeous green eyes. "All this time I've been looking for tall, blond and handsome. When I should have been looking for tall, blonde and gorgeous."
Cale remained still for a moment, but then she slumped down with a relieved puff of air. "I love you."
As she kissed him, Dane realized he loved her, too. Had always loved her, even when he hadn't known she was a 'she'. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed how much Matt had resembled her--or rather, how much he'd resembled the Cale he'd dated in high school. It seemed so obvious, now.
He gasped softly as Cale suddenly gave a short tug on the handful of hair she'd been gathering gently at the base of his neck, acutely aware of the public setting. She leaned in close to his ear and breathed:
"Do you still like it rough?"
Dane grinned. "God, yes."