Dan’s breath came slow and unsteady. He should have said something—should have done something. Pushed Josh away. Shaken him out of whatever spell had consumed him.
But he stood there, paralyzed.
Josh stretched, rolling his shoulders, his perfectly sculpted body slick with sweat. His sports bra clung tighter now, accentuating his fuller chest, every trace of his old form vanishing with each slow breath.
Then—his ponytail detached.
Dan’s stomach twisted as the thick strands unraveled, slipping free from his scalp like discarded fabric, dissolving before they could touch the ground.
Josh sighed, a slow, contented breath—the last piece of resistance leaving him.
Dan could feel it happening. Not just to Josh, but to himself.
A creeping warmth slithered up his spine, sinking into his chest, his arms, his legs. His knees buckled. A sharp pulse of exhaustion hit him like he’d just sprinted through an entire workout in an instant. His vision blurred.
He fell backward, hitting the floor with a thud.
Something was inside him.
Something foreign, invasive.
He gasped, trying to push himself up, but his body felt like dead weight. A lingering pulse from the choker wrapped around his throat, feeding into his skin, into his mind.
And in front of him, Josh had never looked more perfect.
His hips had fully settled into their new, feminine shape, his leggings hugging smooth curves where there had once been none. He tilted his head, placing a hand on his waist like it had always belonged there.
Josh blinked at him, then smirked. A knowing smirk.
“What’s with the look?” His voice was soft, teasing, effortlessly sweet.
Dan’s breath hitched.
Josh giggled, stepping past him, his yoga pants hugging every shift of his stride. “C’mon, I’m warmed up. Let’s hit the weights before you keep staring.”
Dan barely heard him. His head was swimming, his limbs tingling, his breath unsteady.
Josh wasn’t just changed.
Josh had always been this way.
Dan’s fingers curled weakly against the floor. Or had he?
The warmth lingered inside him.
And it wasn’t going away.