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caswellprmanager · 3 years

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the caswell wears prada

read it on ao3!

Summary: EJ's style is simple and functional but Ricky discovers he's capable of more than just letterman jackets and white sneakers. (Part 4 of my trans!ej and genderqueer!ricky AU.)

Author's Notes: I have this little headcanon that EJ used to model baby clothes when he was a baby. Then only went back to modelling once he transitioned to the point he was comfortable enough. Also not me giving Ashlyn's parents a purpose except for just leaving the house empty enough for Ashlyn to throw parties. Hope you guys enjoy!

Warning: Implied Sexual Content at the very end but since it's not explicit, I'll just let y'all use your imaginations.

Ricky has almost exclusively seen EJ in basic white boy clothes. It's usually just a nice fitting t-shirt, some branded jacket, jeans, and branded sneakers. It's not exactly avant-garde but Ricky can appreciate the fact that EJ has found a distinct style that's both understated yet elevates his already good looks.

But from what Ricky has learned in the few months that they've been dating EJ is that just because he dresses like that, it doesn't mean EJ does not have an eye for fashion.

Ricky learned this one day when the two of them were hanging out with Gina and Ashlyn at Ashlyn's house.

Ashlyn's mom was the Editor-In-Chief of an editorial fashion magazine that focuses on highlighting brands that promote sustainable fashion. She also runs a design company herself. Every other minute, she'd be going in and out of her design studio with a phone against her ear and a different meter of fabric in her hands. Her job is also the reason why Ashlyn's parents aren't usually home. Ashlyn's mom would be invited to different fashion events or she'd meet with a client about a new start-up. Ashlyn's dad accompanies her so that she wouldn't overwork herself.

None of that is new to Ricky. What is new, however, is EJ's involvement in her work.

"Ashlyn!" Mrs. Caswell rushes in, a hundred different scarves wrapped around her neck. Ricky wonders if she can breathe beneath all that cashmere and silk. "Darling, I need your help."

"What is it, mom?" Ashlyn asks, pausing the movie the four of them were watching.

Instead of responding, Mrs. Caswell just runs back to her home studio with a hurried click of her heels. Ashlyn looks at the rest of the group with a shrug, moving to stand up until her mom comes rushing back in – this time with a little purple hat perched on her strawberry blond locks.

"EJ, sweetheart! You come too. I need your opinion on a few things." Before any of them could say anything, she's disappeared back into her studio in a flurry of scarves and sequins.

EJ doesn't even bat an eye and moves to follow his cousin out of the living room. Ricky grabs his hand before he could leave, asking him what Ashlyn's mom wants his opinion on. EJ isn't exactly Paris Fashion Week, if Ricky was gonna be honest.

EJ just smiles, placing a chaste kiss on Ricky's lips before saying, "I'll tell you when we get back."

With that statement, Ricky and Gina are left alone, both feeling more confused than before.

"Does that happen often?" Ricky asks Gina, who is picking through the popcorn bowl.

"Ashlyn's mom being weird?" Gina tosses a popcorn kernel up into the air before catching it into her mouth flawlessly. "I've seen Ashlyn help her a few times. But I haven't seen her call EJ into that room before."

"Yeah..." Ricky picks at a loose thread on their jeans. "Didn't really peg EJ as the fashionable type."

Gina pauses in her pursuit of the perfect popcorn kernel and raises a questioning eyebrow towards Ricky. "Hold up... EJ never told you?"

"Told me... what?" Ricky started to panic a little bit. They never liked hearing ominous phrases like that from other people. It fuels their already present anxiety about dating someone who is way out of their league like EJ – someone who could leave Ricky at any time if they realize that Ricky will never be good enough for them.

Gina seems to realize this quickly enough and she tries to diffuse the situation before it gets worse. "Oh! No no no, Ricky, it isn't bad!"

"Then what is it?" Instead of answering, Gina just looks over shoulder at the direction of where the Caswell Cousins went to. After a few seconds of making sure the coast is clear, she tilts her head and motions for Ricky to follow her.

Gina leads Ricky to the spare guest room that EJ occupies sometimes when he doesn't want to sleep at home. In fact, sometimes this room is literally just called EJ's extra room because he's here so frequently. Ricky's napped here a couple of times so it isn't a new place. But he's usually too tired to explore it due to some recent emotional problem or another.

By the far wall is a dresser that Ricky hasn't ever thought to look through. Gina beckons him to come closer as she opens the bottom drawer.

"Ashlyn showed me this when I first moved in. We had to call EJ immediately after because I just had... so many questions." After a few seconds of rummaging, Gina brings out a small stack of magazines triumphantly.

Ricky recognizes the magazines immediately as the same ones Ashlyn's mom is the Editor-In-Chief for.

"Are those...?" Ricky asks and Gina nods excitedly, motioning for him to sit down next to her. The two of them peer through the old issues together, pointing at things they think would look nice on them.

Before they turn to the middle spread, Gina turns to them with a serious look in her eye. "Ricky, I need you to brace yourself."

Ricky tilts their head in confusion. "For what?"

"Just," And Gina can't even hide her giddy little smile. "Get ready."

Ricky can't even bring themself to respond before Gina is showing them the middle spread of the magazine. Their mind skids to a halt when they see a younger EJ staring back at them from the glossy pages, dressed head to toe in the finest three-piece dress suit Ricky's ever seen.

And it isn't just that, EJ's all over the spread – dressed in all kinds of outfits. From gorgeously crafted lace button downs to tastefully styled overcoats – EJ models the shit out of them. Ricky scans the pages in awe because they've never seen EJ wear stuff like this. Sure, they've seen EJ in a suit during homecoming but not one with embroidered roses across the vest or paired with diamond encrusted gold jewelry.

Gina turns the page and Ricky lets out a small gasp.

It's a two page Ashlyn and EJ spread – the cousins looking absolutely ethereal dressed in the most delicate fabric embroidered with flowers along the seams. Their skin is glowing beneath the sunset, the light catching at the highlights on their cheekbones. But what really got to Ricky is one very small but powerful detail:

The flowers along EJ's shirt and the makeup he's wearing are in the trans flag colors.

"Ricky, look." Gina points at the small interview portion at the corner of the page, smiling when Ricky reads it and realizes that it's about EJ.

E.J. Caswell – Teen Transgender Model

"I've been avoiding modeling since I started transitioning and coming back to it was really scary." Says teen model E.J. Caswell. "But when my aunt gave me the opportunity to finally speak my truth through fashion, I knew that I wouldn't regret this decision in the long run."

"There are still so many moments where I hate my body. It's gonna take a while until that goes away. And maybe it won't. Ever." E.J. tells us with a sad smile. "But this is a start – and I get to style some really cool clothes while I'm at it!"

When Ashlyn Caswell was asked about the significance of this project to her cousin and to future transgender models, she smiled softly, making it abundantly clear how much she adores her older cousin. "E.J. is one of the bravest people I know. He's always been an inspiration to me and I'm so proud of him for doing this on his own terms. Plus, I'm really happy he asked me to be a part of it with him. But don't tell him I said that! I'll never hear the end of it."

"She said that?" E.J. said with barely concealed glee. "Aww, Ashlyn!"

Ricky and Gina giggle at the mental image of EJ probably giving an exasperated Ashlyn a big bear hug after his interview. Ricky can't help but stare at the spread again, lightly trailing his finger over EJ's face with a soft smile. He really is so beautiful. Ricky sometimes can't believe that someone as gorgeous as EJ is real.

"Looks like Gina beat me to it."

The sound of EJ's voice by the doorway makes the two of them freeze and turn to see both Caswell cousins looking at them with knowing smiles. But Ashlyn and EJ weren't wearing what they were wearing before Ashlyn's mom called them for help.

Instead, Ashlyn was wearing a floor length pink chiffon dress with embroidered roses scattered along its sleeves and body. EJ was wearing a dress shirt of similar color and material, pairing it with white dress pants and a ruby encrusted rose broach.

"Well look at you two supermodels!" Gina squealed in glee, bounding over to gush over Ashlyn's outfit. Ricky stays rooted in their spot on the floor, their eyes never leaving EJ's. EJ approaches them slowly and takes a seat on the bed next to Ricky. He moves into an effortless pose, making Ricky blush more than necessary.

EJ smiles at them, eyes sparkling mischievously. "Hi."

"H-Hi." Ricky says, moving to face EJ with shaky legs. "You look nice."

"Just nice?" EJ leans down with a smirk, a lock of hair falling to his forehead like some goddamn romance movie. Ricky didn't even notice that even his hair was styled differently. Was EJ growing his hair out? Why didn't he warn me?

"I'd say something dirtier but I don't wanna traumatize the girls." EJ laughs at that and Ricky could only stare at the way EJ throws his head back with the most beautiful smile they've ever seen.

This isn't fair. EJ is sitting here looking like he was plucked straight out of a Vogue magazine while Ricky's sorry ass is on the floor in pajama pants and an old hoodie. Fuck. They should have texted Kourtney for help with their outfit today.

"You're so cute," EJ leans forward even closer, so close that EJ's able to lightly graze their noses together. "Maybe I should dress like this more often to make you blush like that."

Ricky contemplates on the statement for a bit, imagining what it would be like if EJ were to wear more designer clothes to school everyday. EJ right now certainly looks confident and cool. Plus, he gets the added bonus of Ricky looking extra flustered around him.

But at the end of the day, it's EJ's body and EJ gets to choose whatever makes him feel good.

Besides, Ricky fell for EJ without all the bells and whistles.

"You don't have to wear fancy clothes to make me think you're gorgeous." Ricky says before they can stop themself from saying it. But it's out now and there's no turning back. EJ's eyes widen but they eventually soften after processing what Ricky said.

"It doesn't matter what I think, though." Ricky says, reaching for EJ's hand. "What matters is that you're happy. Whether you're wearing a potato sack or Versace. As long as you feel comfortable and you're seeing your favorite self in the mirror, I'll tell you that you're the most handsome boy in the world."

Ricky scoots closer to place a soft kiss on EJ's nose before pressing their foreheads together. Ricky can't really tell who's smiling wider from this angle but they didn't care.

"My handsome boy." Ricky whispers, lightly tracing EJ's bottom lip with their thumb. EJ smiles even wider at the sound of that and it never fails to make Ricky happy seeing EJ so happy.

They're about to move in for another kiss when they hear Ashlyn cough from the doorway.

The two of them separate abruptly, both blushing profusely as the girls giggle behind their hands.

"We'll leave you two alone," Ashlyn says, grabbing Gina's hand to pull her back to the living room. "I'll tell mom you'll be late for dinner."

As soon as the door closes behind the girls, Ricky turns back to a still blushing EJ, a small but urgent thought manifesting to the front of their mind.

"I should take this off-" EJ doesn't even get the chance to finish his sentence before Ricky is pushing him down on the bed and straddling his hips. "R-Ricky?"

Ricky smirks, placing a single finger on EJ's lips as they lean forward to whisper in his ear,

"I'll help you take it off." EJ lets out the smallest whimper at that but Ricky shushes him, blowing against his earlobe. "But you have to be quiet, handsome."

As soon as EJ shakily nods his head yes, Ricky gets to work.

Unfortunately, they're more than a little late for dinner.

---

A/N: I've added some reference pics below if y'all want a better image of what EJ and Ashlyn were wearing hehe :>

#ej caswell #ricky bowen #caswen #gina porter #ashlyn caswell #hsmtmts #hsmtms fanfiction #trans!ej #genderqueer!ricky #cloud's writing now

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rickyxginaa · 4 years

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Skate Park

a/n: hello everyone !! it’s currently 3:04 a.m. but i had this idea for a while and i just had to write it out. tbh this was planned to be a one shot but i think maybe it could be a 2-3 part kind of thing??? but if this flops, im going to pretend i never posted it

*****

“He’s not going to come.”

Gina just finished putting her beanie onto her curly hair as she looked over at EJ in the driver’s seat. “What are you talking about?” She knew exactly what he was talking about but chose to play dumb instead. EJ rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the guy who you’ve been not so secretly crushing on for the past couple of months. You know, the one who plays guitar and only wears Vans. Ringing any bells?”

Of course EJ knew about Gina’s love for Ricky, even if she didn’t quite realize it herself. After she moved in with his cousin Ashlyn, the two have become very close friends, which was a surprise to everyone. Ever since he’s learned from his past self that the world doesn’t revolve around him, EJ has become much more observant.

For instance, Seb and Carlos finally met each other’s families and are doing better than ever, Kourtney’s joined choir and preparing to take on Stephanie for class president and lastly, Ricky and Nini’s relationship which seems to be falling apart by the seams.

“I am not here for Ricky, EJ. We rarely ever talk to each other.” Gina’s heart ached knowing that her and Ricky went from talking everyday to a simple head nod while passing each other in the hallways. She knows he’s with Nini now, but did that mean they had to cut each other off entirely? She missed the way he used to sing to her, the inside jokes, the way they just got each other. The teenage girl assumed that whatever they had was completely over, she sometimes worried if they ever had anything to begin with.

“Oh, so you’re not making me take you to the skate park almost every Saturday night to rekindle your friendship with Ricky?” Unfortunately, EJ knew Gina more than she could handle. So naturally, she avoided his question.

“You don’t have to drive me here, I can literally walk from Ashlyn’s.”

“I don’t want you walking alone at night, it’s not safe.”

“EJ, we live in Salt Lake City. The only thing unsafe around here is your singing.” The two started to laugh as EJ gently pushed her.

“Besides, I’m a big girl. I’m pretty sure I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, make sure to remember that the next time you ask me to kill a spider for you.”

“Whatever asshole, I’ll see you in a few hours.” Gina hopped out of the car with her black and purple skateboard, ignoring whatever EJ called out to her as she walked away. Their conversation lingered in her mind as she pulled her helmet out of her bag. She may be better than your average skateboarder but she wasn’t quite fond of cracking her skull open anytime soon.

“Not so secretly crushing on” ... was she that obvious? She’d been putting an immense amount of effort in trying to suppress her feelings for Ricky as soon as she found out he got back together with Nini. Whether that meant skipping out on group hangouts in Big Red’s basement knowing the curly haired boy would be there or sitting with EJ and his senior friends at lunch because she couldn’t stand the sight of Ricky’s arm around Nini at their table.

Gina shook her head. No wonder he started distancing himself from her, she’s been doing the exact same thing to him.

Luckily, she still has the rest of her friends to lean on. She lives with Ashlyn and EJ is pretty much always at the house, so one thing led to another and an automatic power trio they were. After learning Big Red beautifully tap dances, she convinced him to take classes with her at her dance studio. Carlos and her share a passion for theater so it was only inevitable for them to reach BFF status. She even visits Seb’s farm from time to time and if that doesn’t show how much she’s grown then ask the multiple pairs of shoes she’s voluntarily ruined by stepping in mud and dirt.

“Gina?” A familiar voice interrupted her train of thought. She looked up and locked eyes with the boy whose name stayed on her mind day and night.

“H-Hey Ricky. What are you doing here?” He chuckled, making Gina’s heart skip a beat.

“I should be asking you the same thing. I thought I was the skateboarder in this friendship.” Although surprised, Ricky couldn’t be more glad to see the girl in front of him. He can’t even recall the last time they spoke more than two sentences to each other so he hoped that this was the chance for them to catch up.

“Well you were, but then you stopped showing up. So now, l’m king of the skate park.” Gina grinned from ear to ear feeling proud of herself. Her bright smile made the butterflies erupt in his stomach, a feeling he had long forgotten. Him and Nini have been arguing for weeks now and everything between them has changed.

The daily phone calls stopped, every time they do talk it somehow ends up in a disagreement , and even when they kiss or hold hands, it doesn’t compare to the feeling he just experienced. It’s like they don’t fit anymore, the passion has disappeared. Was it his fault? Should he just give up? The whole childhood best friends to lovers fantasy felt like a huge joke to him now. Nonetheless, he knew having these thoughts were wrong considering he was still in fact, dating the girl he’s known since kindergarten.

“Um, yeah. I’ve been busy with school and all the musicals and stuff. I actually only came here tonight because Nini and I just got into a big fight.” He nervously said while rubbing the back of his neck, one of his many habits.

“Oh my gosh, Ricky. I’m so sorry, do you want to talk about it?” Gina took a step towards him, allowing Ricky to catch a whiff of her jasmine-scented perfume. Some things never change, Ricky thought as he reminisced of one particular weekend where Gina dragged him to their local mall to shop for clothes and stock up on any and everything that Bath & Body Works sold that was jasmine-scented. The only downside was that she thought it would be funny to spray perfume on his sweatshirt multiple times. Ricky didn’t mind but he ended up giving her his hoodie since the fragrance was a little bit too strong for his liking. He wondered if she still had it...

“Don’t be, its not your fault. But actually I’d rather not think about it. Kinda need a distraction.”

Gina nodded in understanding and an awkward silence fell among them. The urge to reach out and wrap her arms around him was so intense she had to clasp her hands together for restraint. She knew it wasn’t her place to comfort him, especially after weeks of no communication whatsoever. But that doesn’t make it any less harder for her to ignore the absolute pain in his eyes. If it was a distraction he wanted, then it’s a distraction he’ll get. She picked up her skateboard.

“Then you came to the right place my friend. Come on, let’s go see if you still live up to your reputation. Unless, of course, you’re scared of being shown up the one and only Gina Porter.”

Ricky’s mood began to change, feeling lighter than he did moments before. That’s what Gina did best, she always managed to make him feel better no matter the circumstances.

“Nah, you’re not that scary.”

#ricky x gina #rina #sofia wylie #gina porter #ej caswell #ashlyn x big red #seb x carlos #rina fic #rina fanfiction

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