To the Clothing Store The New World of SwapTech chapter 5 by deleted_user

Jonas stepped out of the SwapPort and immediately started scanning the street.

Clothing store. Costume shop. Thrift store. Anything.

The yoga pants and tank top felt like a neon sign screaming I DIDN'T PLAN THIS, and every step reminded him that he was in a body he didn't understand. The way his thighs moved. The gentle jostle of his chest. The strange lightness of his step without the weight he was used to carrying.

He spotted a shop three blocks down: Coastal Costumes & Curiosities. The sign was hand-painted, slightly crooked, and the display window showed a mannequin in what looked like a steampunk pirate outfit.

Good enough.

Jonas pushed through the door, and a little bell jangled overhead. The shop was crammed with racks of clothing, boxes of accessories, and mannequin heads wearing wigs of every color. The air smelled like fabric and glue and something faintly sweet.

A woman behind the counter — fifties, silver-streaked hair, reading glasses perched on her nose — looked up and smiled. "Morning, hon. You here for the con?"

"Yeah," Jonas said, and his voice still caught him off guard. "I need a costume. Something... I don't know. Something that fits."

The woman's eyes swept over him appraisingly. "You're about a size six, I'd say. Maybe a small in most things. What kind of character are you thinking?"

Jonas opened his mouth to say something male, something that covers me up — but then he looked at the racks. He saw the costumes. Batgirl. Wonder Woman. A dozen different anime schoolgirls. Black Widow. All of them cut for women's bodies. All of them with plunging necklines and short hemlines and fabric that seemed to assume the wearer wanted to show skin.

"Is there anything... less revealing?"

The woman tilted her head. "Less revealing?"

"Yeah. Like, full coverage. Pants. A shirt that isn't a bodice."

She studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "We've got some gender-neutral options in the back. Jedi robes. A few cloaks. But I'll be honest, hon — most of my stock is cut for women because that's what sells at these cons. Women buy costumes. Men tend to just wear t-shirts."

Jonas felt a flush creep up his neck. "I'm not... I mean, I'm a guy. I'm a guy in a woman's body. I don't want to wear something that's—" He gestured vaguely at a nearby mannequin wearing a corset. "That."

The woman's expression softened. "Ah. SwapPort mix-up?"

"Yeah."

"Oof. I've seen a few folks in your shoes. Or, uh, not in your shoes, given the bare feet." She chuckled. "Alright. Let's see what we can do. Take a look around and see what suits you."