So I forgot to add an A/N last time with my update schedule, but I'm planning to update this story once weekly for a total of 4-5 chapters. Next update scheduled for 1/16. Rating will go up, but not this chapter. Thanks for all the support! Keep it coming!
TiredOfBeingNice: Yes he is (in for the time of his life)!
Unikitty101: Those are good questions. I've personally thought a lot about the differences between being male vs female in a physical sense. I don't really go into too much detail in this chapter; although I do address your bathroom issue (hopefully it's not gross)
MBAV fan66: Quite frankly this is fan fic. You're very welcome to reuse my exact prompt or even story elements/ideas I write. (And personally I would love to see more gender swap stories!). Buckle your seatbelt because you are indeed going to see how this goes!
TheQuietSongbird: Haha, your excitement is infectious.
Century'sRain: I was hoping you'd comment! You're this elusive mysterious reader that I've been lucky enough to have review all my stories. I know there wasn't a lot to comment on last chapter (being setup and all), but I'm pleased you liked it :-D
Bethan Forever: Oops, I edited out a line saying how Elise got an invite to the wedding and forgot to put that info back. And it'll be like another two chapters before I'll have the opportunity to add it (ok so basically she convinced one of Benny's cousins to take her). Ethan and Benny might have a little tension ;-) but in this AU they always attributed it to just being comfortable with each other. Always good to hear from you!
The girls had insisted that they needed all day to get Ethan ready. As such Benny had agreed to wake up early to cast the spell (and then immediately go back to sleep); however waking him up required three solid minutes of pounding on the door, and calling his cell, before Benny opened the door eyes half closed, in pj pants, and pulling a shirt on.
Ethan and the girls file in. Jenny, Monica, and Sarah (apparently Jenny told Sarah) are doing that girl thing were it seems like everyone talks at once, and yet they still understand each other. Periodically giggles spread among them like a virus. Most women Ethan knew had a morbid desire to feminize guys.
Tobias groans a complaint about the noise from the top bunk. Luckily for today's escapades, Tobias was a selkie, and as such well aware of magic.
"Tolle hunc, et faciam eum in mulieribus. Ante dies revertens habet ad corpus," Benny recites arhythmically, shooting a stream of pink sparks at Ethan.
The small crowd cheers as Ethan shrinks. Immediately Ethan realizes how poorly he thought this through. His jeans begin slipping down his now narrower waist, threatening to take his boxers with them. Ethan grabs his pants, his heartbeat speeding up with embarrassment. He wasn't even wearing a belt today.
"Oh my god, you're hair is long!" Jenny squeals. In loud delighted whispers to Monica, she adds, "I can cut it. Maybe with layers to emphasize her curls." Monica agrees.
Benny clears his throat awkwardly, his eyes on the floor. Looking over to see what Benny was trying to communicate, Ethan's breath catches seeing Benny through girl eyes. Fuck. Benny is... attractive.
Benny has to repeat himself before Ethan hears it, "On the chair behind you, take my sweatshirt."
Ethan twists his torso around, his feet inhibited by long pant legs. Benny's black and teal striped hoody is hanging half off his desk chair. Ethan isn't cold. "Uh thanks, but I don't think I need it," Ethan responds diplomatically.
"Honey you've got breasts now," Monica speaks up, "and they are quite perky. Wear the hoodie." Sarah is covering her mouth, but her caramel eyes are crinkled with stifled laughter. Why did the girls think his misery was so funny?
Ethan looks down at his chest and realizes that his t-shirt doesn't disguise the shape of his new breasts. He feels strangely exposed. Ethan quickly pulls Benny's hoodie on. Dear god it smells good. That means... Benny smells good. Warm and musky like honey and wood chips.
"Okay I'm decent. Decenter." Ethan announces. Trying to act natural (whatever that means when you're suddenly a girl), he surreptitiously checks Benny out. Some part of his male brain had realized that Benny had attractive features, but he had never cared. And frankly Benny's face was too malleable, becoming either overly expressive or completely slack. He had thought his best friend was kinda goofy looking, like genetics had predestined him to be a massive dork.
Girl Ethan was noticing very different things. Like how tall he is, which seemed even more impressive now that Ethan had lost nearly five inches of height. And his shoulders are broad and strong. Benny's t-shirt hangs shapelessly on his frame, but Ethan knows that his torso slims down to his hipbones. Benny is by no means built, but there is only a small layer of softness over his functional muscles. Even his wide mouth struck girl Ethan as soft and kissable. Cute and goofy.
"Damn," Benny laments. "He looks the same. I mean boobs obviously and shorter, but his face is the same." Benny directs this at Sarah. "And hair," Benny adds as Sarah crowds Ethan's space to inspect him. Her critical scanning stare is unnerving.
"No his face is softer. Especially his jawline. Her jawline. Your jawline." Sarah finally meets Ethan's eyes, smiling sympathetically.
"And with makeup, she'll look way different," Jenny promises with a toss of her auburn hair. "Don't worry Benny, Veronica is in good hands."
"Alright well, that's it for me." Benny climbs back into bed, still fully clothed. He'll probably strip to his boxers when they leave. One of his previous girlfriends had convinced him to switch from nerdy patterned boxers to soft form-fitting boxer-briefs. At the time Ethan had rolled his eyes, but now... Ethan shakes the image from his head.
"Wha!" Ethan startles as Sarah is suddenly threading a belt through his pants, but let's her once he realizes what she's doing. There's a chance it's Tobias's belt—it's too messy in here to be sure. Sarah fastens the belt. Thus begins Ethan's day as an oversized doll.
"Monica, I think Eth-Veronica will fit into your clothes?" Sarah poses it as a question.
"Yup, miss perky here can borrow a bra too. I have some saucy ones." Monica winks at Ethan. Ethan is sure his smile conveys the appropriate amount of horror.
"Does this store have a bathroom? I really need to pee." Ethan asks looking around. Due to his shoestring college budget, they were dress shopping at thrift stores. This was the third one. As far as Ethan was concerned, the first dress at the first store would've sufficed.
"Yeah over there," Monica waves vaguely towards the back left of the store. Her attention is focused on the dress rack.
"I'll go with you," Sarah says a little too purposefully.
"I've never understood that," Ethan says, walking next to Sarah. "Why girls go to the bathroom together?"
Sarah laughs, "There's not any big secret to it. Like maybe someone else going to the bathroom makes you realize you need to. Or like you feel like you want to check your makeup anyways, so you go too." Sarah shrugs. Even being a girl there were things Ethan would never understand about them.
Ethan feels slightly weird walking into the girls bathroom, but is relieved to discover it's just a normal bathroom minus urinals. Sarah grabs his arm, stopping him from picking a stall.
"What?" Ethan asks thrown off guard.
"Okay this is embarrassing, but there is some female bathroom hygiene stuff you should be aware of." Sarah looks sheepish saying the words.
"Okay. What?" Ethan gulps.
Sarah releases her hold and tucks her hands into her pockets, "Okay well you're only a girl for one day, so this might not matter at all, but you have to always wipe front to back. That's it," Sarah rushes off.
"Will something bad happen if I don't?" Ethan asks tentatively, slightly horrified at his own body.
Yesterday he thought having boobs would be sexy-awesome. Instead the boobs were mostly just there. The myriad of other changes were unsettling: being shorter and curvier. Every time his hair fell into his eyes or he failed to pick up something heavy, he felt wrong.
After successfully emptying his bladder, Ethan waits at the sink washing his hands slowly. He's waiting for Sarah to come out of the stall.
"Sarah, can I ask you something? About being a girl?" He asks uncertainly.
"Of course," Sarah smiles encouragingly. After Benny, Sarah was probably the person he trusted the most.
"I think that, um... I'm straight," Ethan chokes out. It's more a confession than a question.
"Yeah I kinda got that," Sarah says, "Like when we dated. Or last week."
Ethan smiles. Who knows why they didn't work as a couple, but they were great friends and occasionally (like last week) they still had great sex. But, a sideways glance at Sarah confirmed that he really had no attraction to her right now.
"No, like I'm still straight," Ethan hopes that's clear enough. "As a girl." He shuts the water off, shaking water droplets off his hands into the sink.
"Oh. That has to be weird for you," Sarah says neutrally.
Ethan dries his hands slowly, he wants to say more but he doesn't want to actually say it. Thankfully Sarah picks up on his hesitation, "Okay there's more, spill."
"Benny..." Ethan can't get the whole sentence out. Hearing himself just say his best friend's name in this context, in his softer girl voice, is bizarro world.
"Oh? OH!" Sarah's eyes bug out. "Well I hate to be callous, but if you're supposed to be flirting with Benny this will make it easier, right?"
"I guess." Ethan throws the paper towel away. "I don't want to be attracted to Benny. And I don't want him to know. Tomorrow I'll be me again, and what if this ruins our friendship. You should have seen him freak out when I suggested faking flirting with him." Ethan is getting more worked up the longer he talks about it.
"Nothing," Sarah says emphatically, "nothing will ever make you and Benny stop being friends."
Ethan nods. She's right. Benny would forgive him anything eventually. Irregardless, Ethan would have to live through it all first.
"Oh come on," Sarah shoves his shoulder, slamming him into the wall. "Sorry, you're smaller. I have to recalibrate the force I use."
"No problem," Ethan grunts picking himself up from the floor.
"I just wanted to say," Sarah says, offering him a hand, "Maybe you're over thinking this. I mean, would it be too out there to suggest, just enjoying it? I mean this is happening no matter what. It could be fun."
"Fun?" Ethan intones. "I can have fun."
Their phones vibrate with a group text, reading, "Where are you guys. Found a super cute dress in just Veronica's color!"
"We should head back. Are you going to be okay?" Sarah asks, placing a hand gently on Ethan's shoulder.
"Ask me tomorrow," Ethan answers non-committedly.
