Chapter 12: The Pair (part 2)

Not once had she ever spoken to me. She hissed, and I heard her hum once, but nothing more than those noises. Everytime, she hugged me, showed a perverse affection, and when I needed it, protected me.

Those actions spoke for her.

“Please, go.” I took a step towards the door and gestured at it. I wasn’t sure if she took the hint.

In any case, I managed to grab a towel from the open closet and wrap myself up in it. I took down the outfit that Adam had given me from the closet door.

When I opened the bathroom door, I watched Adam flinch and back away from the doorway.

“Wow, hot shower?” Hearing him choke on the humidity, I stood for a moment in stunned silence.

A quick glance over my shoulder revealed the mirror was entirely fogged up. I’d had the shower on full cold. Either the water temperature had somehow gotten turned up, or she was personally raising the humidity. I figured it was possible that had happened when she was giving me treatment for my self-injury.

“Sorry, I won’t use all the hot water next time.” I cleared my throat as it sounded froggy.

“Did it catch in your throat?” I assumed he meant my illness and I shook my head.

“No. Just had some neck pain and -- Stuff.” I shrugged, not really certain it was a good idea to draw attention to my neck in the first place. With that on my mind, I decided it was best to change the subject before Adam spotted my injury or more. “Your mother?”

“Oh uh, ah, yeah… Like I thought, she’s not going to leave me alone now that she knows you’re here.” He smiled at me and said, “You look cool. I take it the shower helped calm you down, then?”

I nodded. “To a degree, yeah. Not sure for how long.”

“Ah, in that case, maybe we should go back and see my mom now before --” He had to pause and wipe his glasses before continuing. “Sorry. Well, ya know what I mean? When you get like that.”

That would have made me laugh. The image in my head was of us together, unable to keep our hands to ourselves, while his mom tried to hold a conversation. It was a funny picture, but thankfully I wasn’t in the mood.

“I’ll get dressed. Would you please close the door?” Adam nodded and closed the door behind himself.

...I had expected him to give me some privacy, but I thought about it. ’What’s the point anymore?’ Adam almost knew me from the inside, let alone what I had and would show him right as I was about to get dressed.

But there were some things I didn’t want him to see, like the scissors. I turned my attention towards it, as I removed my towel and let it fall to the floor, I quickly scooped the metal ball up. in an act, I pretended my towel was snagged the partially open drawer. Being inconspicuous, I attempted to roll the scissors back where I initially discovered the pair.

“Clint?” Adam said my name and I glanced over my shoulder with a guilty grin. I thought I was caught, but I was wrong. “I’ve been thinking a little more about us --”

“Adam, not right now.” I wasn’t ready to listen. My head might be clear, but it wasn’t pure. I still thought about him more than my own dad. “After we see your mother, I want to go out alone for some fresh air. I need it more than I needed this shower.”

“Will you be coming back?” I nodded in response. “When you do, can we talk then?”

“Yes. We can talk about anything you want.” I closed my eyes for a moment and remembered the subjects I wanted to ask him about. Like, if he had siblings. “I’ll work on a list of questions.”

“A list? What for?” He was directly behind me. I could feel the smallest trace of his warmth right over my shoulders as he spoke.

“I -- I want to know more about you.” My thoughts were focusing on him.

I could feel an intense heat rise up through me until I felt the scorching line of its origin reach the core within my bosom. It was intolerable and radiated in a rhythmic pulse with each breath I took.

He was affecting me again. If he stood behind me any longer, I was going to lose it.

“Adam, do you think you could wait outside?” I felt dizzy and closed my eyes. This was likely because I was fighting my arousal. “I’m trying to get dressed.”

“Ah, yeah, sorry about that.” After I waited a moment, he still stood behind me in a hesitant silence. I could hear a small, “Ahmm,” come from him, but he didn’t say anything.

I was curious and thought, ’Does he notice something different about me? Has she done something to me again?’

As much as I wanted him, and for him to leave, I had to first know what was on his mind. “What is it?”

“I, ah…” I wondered, ’Why is he hesitating?’

Seconds passed, I was breathing harder, and my eyes flew open once again as something hot and liquid began to flow from within me.

He was taking too long, so I hastily began to throw the clothes on. I started with the shirt and yanked it quickly over my head. As I pulled my arms through, he hugged me from behind.

“Adam!” I froze.

“I really like you and -- Clint, I want to thank you for choosing me to be your friend and boyfriend.” Despite my fear of what I would do in this position, I smiled. I leaned back against him and turned around to see his face. “One day, I promise, if you still want to be with me, we can have a kid.”

I could feel my jaw tremble and teeth chatter in excitement. I swallowed, doing all I could to restrain myself from kissing him here and now.

I wanted to tell him how much I would love that, but I couldn’t. There was still some part of me that screamed in my head. That all of this was wrong.

“Adam.” I knew what was wrong, but I had an idea how to make it right. “You liked me before I was a girl, right?”

He nodded and confirmed it. “Yeah. That’s sort of the reason why I like to still call you Clint.” I grinned a little more than smiled at that. “Why do you ask?”

“The part of me that’s fighting this. He’s not happy.” Adam’s arms became slack and dropped. “I’m sorry, but that’s why I need time out of here. Just a few hours.” I reached behind him and held Adam by his waist. Gradually, I stroked down to his hips. “I’ll come back. I don’t want you hurt. Especially by me.”

My eyes darted past him as I felt the heat in here shift. I searched until I saw her. She’d never left, but I could tell she was hugging the wall tightly to inch past us. It would have been amusing because I could tell she was doing all she could to stay away and not influence Adam.

It occurred to me, ’How did she get in here?’ The source of heat in the house was outside of the bathroom before I came in here, but she was in the shower with me.

I could only think of one answer: there was more than one. And I couldn’t yet tell them apart, but I had started.

This one wanted me with Adam. I wasn’t sure about the other one, but that was if it was just one more.

Then again, I could be entirely wrong. This creature could quite possibly be capable of unimaginable abilities. I had never imagined being transformed into a girl, but she’d done it.

And apparently, this female part of me had paid for it gladly.

I had gripped Adam’s hips tightly. Before she did anything to either of us, by accident or not, I pulled him into me as I pressed back onto him.

In a whisper, I said his name over his shoulder. “Adam…”

But now I thought, ’What do I say?’ I couldn’t just tell him to keep still and wait for this infernal demon to leave.

He was aroused. I could feel him. All it would take for him is to tip me over onto the wet floor, to feel him lean over me, his breath down my neck as I imagined him kissing me, those hands someplace to warm me up and stir me crazy, anything to tell me he wanted to start something here and now.

He was silent for a moment. Then he softly spoke to me. “...Clint? If I -- If we did something now, before you find peace with yourself, he’s going to hate me.” His face was close to mine as he told me his thoughts. “You. The real you will hate me.”

Quite gently, I shook my head. “No. No, I won’t hate -- Not you. Myself, maybe, but never you.” He was close enough. I brought my lips close to his. “Please believe me. I’ll never hate you.”

I watched him smile at me. “Clint. Let’s go with your idea and take a break. A few hours, like you said.”

After being so close, I couldn’t end it with that. Softer than before, I negotiated with him. “I’ll go after seeing your mom, but please --” The dizziness in my head escalated. He was right about there being two of me fighting. “Please, one kiss and that’s that. Please?”

“You want more than that, don’t ya?” His smile had changed into a knowing grin. He shook his head. “I’d be taking advantage of you. Let go and I’ll give you a few minutes to be alone.”

That was the wrong thing to say. I gripped him more tightly to myself.

“Don’t leave me.” He almost laughed. I think it was a nervous one. I found it cute.

What I did was slow, to not drive him away from me. I gradually was letting go of his hips long enough to give him the freedom to do what he wanted. He had not pushed me away. Not this time.

So, I embraced him and brought my lips to meet his. I held him in my hug and kiss.

Without any thought of it, my hand had started on a course of no return. I began to push his pants down by the side of his hip. He took my wrist in a gentle grip and broke the kiss.

“Clint.” I pressed my forehead onto his and nuzzled with many kisses to shield myself from his protests.

He sighed pleasantly as I pressed my body against him. He only held one of my hands from removing his pants. I dropped my embrace around him fully to try the other side of his waist to bring the pants down to his hip.

I caught him closing his eyes for a moment. I wondered, ’Is he surrendering?’

Every breath he took came out in a shudder from my kisses and touches. If I kept this up, I could drive him into what I desired. I wanted him.

All I needed was for him to give himself to me.

“Ah -- Alright, but I want Clint. Not Clementine.” I stopped kissing him to listen fully. “Give Clint to me.”

“What?” I was confused. “I am Clint.” He placed a kiss on my cheek and shook his head.

“No. You offered yourself to me as Clementine this morning. I want Clint.” He let go of my wrists and continued to explain. “Before we went to bed, I wanted to sleep in the sleeping bag on the floor because of what I saw. You crawling up on the bed with your cute butt in the air. You have no idea how much it turned me on.”

It clicked. He was gay.

I knew what he wanted and knew that rebellious conscience in me would truly hate me if I accepted the offer.

Very slowly, I processed what I wanted to say. “Clint, right, as a guy, yeah… I understand.”

A quick glance over my shoulder, I searched and spotted my invisible fiend. I had no idea if she could help me with this or not because I was about ready to give into Adam’s desire. I wanted him in any way I could gain him, but that might be different later.

It was a problem because I thought, ’What if I wake up again?’ I’d nearly killed myself with a pair of scissors and the next time might be worse. Much worse if I realized what I’d done.

“Clint?”

I glanced back to him. “Yes?”

“Will you do that for me?” In response, I hooked a naked leg around his hip. “Really?” He sounded surprised. I thought, ’Isn’t this what he wants?’ He stared at me in his surprised state. He shook his head. “Not now. When you come back. I have to get protection, remember?”

I was ever more confused. “I’m not going to get pregnant from --”

“No. Please, Clint, calm down.” There was more than just surprise in his voice. He was scared.

I clenched my teeth and shook my head. Then I buried my face in his neck and shoulder to muffle my pained breathing. I didn’t stop trying. I began to grind myself against him since I already had my leg around.

“Clint, stop. Please, my mother is waiting to meet you.” I shook my head against his shoulder. “Please?” Again, I shook my head. He sighed. “Later tonight, Clint. Okay? Deal? -- Ow!” I bit him on the shoulder to muffle my excitement. “Okay, okay. Ah, jeeze, um… The counter?”

My mind was railroaded on a single intimate track towards sex. I glanced to the side at the counter’s top and wondered if he wanted me to sit on it or turn around. He didn’t give me the chance to ponder long. We turned and he pulled me slightly up to sit on the cool surface. I was trembling in anticipation for what he was about to do to me.

“Do you mind if I just use my fingers? I kind of want to settle you rather than, ah, well... ya know, I’ve never done this before, and I don’t know what it is going to be like for you.” He shrugged, but I shook my head to reject his idea.

He wasn’t moving in. “Adam, please?” ’Was he having second thoughts?’ I wanted him fully.

At that moment, I felt an odd sensation wash over me. It was like a hot layer of skin being rinsed off of me, my mind being cooled, collected.

Over his shoulder and behind him, I watched the blurry figure of the invisible third person in the bathroom flatten herself and gradually creep across the wall towards the door. Watching her was reminding me of why I didn’t want her to touch Adam. I didn’t desire Adam to be influenced and hurt.

But that was what I was doing…

It pained me, but I told him to stop. “Adam, stop. Wait…”

He kept still while I struggled with myself. I felt myself breaking at the thought of what I had been about to do to Adam. A swollen lump filled my chest, like I had wounded my own heart and it became putrid.

Unclean.

I pressed my face hard down onto his shoulder. My eyes welled up and I quietly cried.

He warmed me with a hug that pulled me off the counter to rest against him. I figured, if he was the type, he would have said something like, ’I told you so.’

The bully, Clint, would have said that. I was conflicted.

Instead, Adam said, “It’s okay. I won’t hurt you.” I only responded by hugging him tightly.

Both of us jumped when we heard a knock on the door. I kept my face down on his shoulder, but I think I felt him turn to face the door as it opened.

The same woman’s voice, his mother, spoke. “Adam, what’s taking -- What’s the matter. Adam, what did you do?”

I quickly rubbed my tears the best I could on his shoulder before I turned to face her.

Adam’s mom stepped in, stood still, and casually leaned on her arm that held the door wide open. The only thing she wore was a pair of pink and white floral-patterned pajamas with enough of her midriff on display to give me an idea what good shape she was in. Just like her son, she had mousy-brown hair, freckles, and big brown eyes, but still had a knockout figure for a middle-aged mother.

She had an interesting tattoo on her neck. The end tip of her collar concealed some of it, but didn’t obscure what the tattoo displayed itself as: A green feathered cartoon parrot flipping the bird while holding a broken booze bottle threateningly as it smoked a stogie in its yellow beak.

She gave me this punk vibe. Like she was some kind of badass mama.

I made a hasty attempt to compose myself to speak up before Adam got into trouble because of me. “It’s my fault. He was trying to help me.” My voice cracked, but I still tried to defend him.

Adam spoke as well. “She’s not feeling well, Mom.”

After a moment, she nodded to me and acknowledged the fact. “I can see that, but why did it take so long for you two to come see me? I had to get out of bed just to find the two of you still in the bathroom. I half-expected to discover the both of you playing games with each other in here.” At that, my face felt like it had turned red and I buried it back into his shoulder. “Oh, you were. Next time, let me know and I won’t interrupt.”

Adam made a high pitched, “What? Mom!”

His mother reminded her son about a very good suggestion. “Adam, remember to wear a rubber.”

“Mom! C’mon!” He let one arm drop to wave at her to indicate she should stop.

She tilted her head and made a note. “Hm, might be good to start with one, but if you still plan on going raw… No. I don’t recommend it. Accidents happen, even if you plan to pull out.” I heard a loud slap as Adam smacked his forehead and groaned. His mom shrugged. “It happens. Trust me, I’ve seen a few in my day think they had it well timed and goofed.” I cracked a smile and tried to keep myself from laughing. “Ah, there’s a smile.”

Removing his hand, Adam introduced the two of us to each other. “Cli-- Clementine, this is my mom, Helen. Mom, this is Clementine.”

I peeked back at his mother and waved with a greeting. “Hi.”

She smiled at me, and as I dropped my waving hand, her smile grew wider. She waved back before addressing the both of us about another related subject.

“Adam, do I have to worry?” When she asked that, I felt that stirring sensation within me burn and drive me to want Adam. It was a struggle to do anything other than gently nuzzle my cheek for a moment into his shoulder.

A shoulder that shrugged at his mother in response.

Helen looked at her son, then at me, as if she was studying us, but her smile never wavered. “Don’t do it again unless you’re absolutely ready to take responsibility. I’ve had my fair share from my own kids and don’t plan on bringing up any grandkids.” That comment at least told me Adam had siblings.

“Mom! It wasn’t like that. I, ah, didn’t --” I felt him take a deep breath, and he tried his explanation again. “We didn’t really do anything. Just -- Ya know, a, ah, a lot of, I guess, petting?”

“So you two didn’t --” I watched his mom bring her hands together by sticking her index finger into a tight fist.

“What? No. Oh, c’mon mom! Are you trying to embarrass me here?” Despite his discomfort, I found their interaction amusing and laughed a little.

She broke up her hands and stared at her son. “Come clear here. You two take a tumble or not?”

I said it. “He stopped.”

Helen glanced at me. “Stopped?” Then she looked back at Adam. “You blue balled yourself?”

“Could we not have this conversation?” His voice sounded shaky. I hugged him tightly in hope that would calm him down. He sounded better when he spoke again. “Please, Mom? I thought you had something better to ask her about?”

“In my room.” I noticed Helen had tilted her head as she looked at us. “Cute butt.” I pressed myself tighter to Adam as she grinned at me before waving. Then she walked away.

“I’m so sorry --” He took another deep breath before he said any more. “You ever watch one of those eighties flicks with punks in them? Ya know, like the spiky green hair, and the studs and rings in lip, nose, ears, belly button, and other places? Wears black leather jackets with spikes and stuff?” He shrugged and I lifted my head off his shoulder to look at him. “Well, that was my mom back in the day.”

“She seems cool.” I smiled at him. “Kinda funny too.”

“Yeah, at my expense. Just wait until you meet my dad. Those two together are an even better stand up comedy act.” He took a step away from me, and I let go as he knelt down to pick up the boxers I had dropped. “You might want to put these on before she makes fun of you again.”

“My cute butt? I thought of it as a compliment.” I took the pair when he offered them to me. With reluctance, I pulled them up and fastened the drawstring tightly around my narrow waist. I stared down at my boxers for a few seconds in confusion. “Adam? Earlier, did you really mean what you said?”

“About what?” I looked back up at him as he tried to figure out what I was talking about.

“You wanted to have sex with me. With Clint, in that way.” If he wasn’t already blushing from his mother’s talk with us, I bet he would have gone bright red.

“I, ah… I’d like to, but back then, I was just trying to dissuade you.” He grinned and shrugged a single shoulder. “I’ve heard women don’t like it. That men are the only ones to gain pleasure from it because, ah, they have a prostate.”

I wondered, ’Did that mean he’s not gay?’ I really needed to know more about him. His sexual orientation would be an added question to the list I’d present to him tonight.

Very slowly, I nodded, and spoke softly. “Thanks for trying.” Again, I had to feel happy about how Adam -- Well, this time he’d tried to be considerate in a tricky way, but it kinda backfired. “Tonight.”

“Huh?”

“We can try it tonight,” I added quickly. “If you still want to?”

He stared at me in shock. Adam was speechless for a minute before I decided to give him a tug towards the hallway.

Then he spoke up. “Clint --”

Instantly, I reminded him of my name. “Clementine. Your mom’s here.”

“Right, Clementine. I like you a lot, but doing that might hurt.” He sounded nervous again. “We don’t have to do it that way.”

“We could always do it my way.” I told him what he should know. “It’s your choice. I’ll come back and we can talk.” I thought about what I said and clarified my intended meaning. “Just talk, if that’s all you want to do tonight.” I saw him about to lay a kiss on me and I drew back from him. “Sorry, but I don’t want to lose control again. Please?”

Adam smiled and shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. It’s me who should be more careful. C’mon, let’s go.”