Leviathan86

CW: Bigotry, slight violence

Nora’s POV

Getting home from class, I flopped on the couch as I got into my apartment. Labs that ran late were always a bitch. It looked like it was nearly five, as I slung my backpack off and finally walked into the hallway. Just as I was about to enter my room, I heard my roommate’s voice call to me meekly.

“Um, hey, Nora, could I ask a really big favor?”

I turned to them to see them shaking. Whatever it was probably was not as big a deal as they were making it out to be, so I just said “sure”.

“Could you be with me while I transform? I think I feel it coming on earlier than it’s ever come on,” they meekly asked.

“Of course,” I said, grinning, “it’s no problem!”, secretly excited at the prospect of seeing them in their eminently adorable wolf state again. I was worried they were going to hide in their room tonight, in the back of my mind, as much I hated to admit it.

As I walked into the room, I noticed their neck hair had already lengthened considerably, and their legs were not nearly as human as they had appeared this morning. They were staying in their clothes, though. Knowing the size of the woman I had seen the previous night, whether those clothes would last was absolutely out of the question.

“Hey, don’t you think it’d be a good idea to disrobe?” I suggested.

They froze and shook their head, blushing furiously. “Not around you, can’t let you see.”

I nodded and replied, “I understand that feeling, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before, and it’ll be a whole lot less uncomfortable.”

They seemed to blush at this comment and agreed, at least, to take their shirt and shorts off, leaving their boxers intact. Those probably would not last for long, but I understood the need for some privacy.

It shocked me how quickly the changes seemed to come, and yet how smoothly. Their fur had already covered most of their body, and their chest had become full and muscular in a matter of seconds. I gazed upon their body, and remembering last night, almost blushed. How could someone so anxious, small, and reclusive turn into someone so in control, self-assured, and absolutely rippling with muscle?

Noticing me looking at their changing body, they grinned and gave me a kiss on the head, looking momentarily shocked that they had done that, but seeming to suppress that instinct after a few seconds. I grinned at them and put my hand on their massive shoulder as they finished transforming.

“Thank you, Nora,” they said, “it seems like I was really anxious about transforming so soon.”

Taken aback at the change in attitude, I replied, “aren’t you anxious now?”

They paused and then shook their head. “I don’t understand why I’m so anxious about it, I feel great! I just need to learn to relax, I think. After all we had a lot of fun together last night, didn’t we?” she said, wrapping her paw around my shoulder.

“I...um...yeah,” I stammered, “it’s just that it’s such a change from your attitude earlier, and I guess I don’t want to do anything with you that you would regret later?”

She sighed and took her hand off my shoulder. “I get it, it’s probably pretty hard to believe I’m the same person. To be honest with you, I’m not even sure I’m the same person. I remember everything when I transform, but I think I just can’t get back into my headspace from the other version of me, whatever version I’m in, if that makes sense.”

I nodded, then a few seconds later, asked, “Do you feel uncomfortable at all as you are right now?”

She smirked and shook her head. “I feel great. I feel like I could run a double marathon, then go at it all night with someone, then go to a party. In fact, I think I’m the most comfortable right now I’ve been in years. I love being Selena, as much as I try to deny it as a human.”

That...definitely wasn’t any dysphoria I had heard of. In fact, it almost seemed like the exact opposite. I shook those thoughts free. Whatever her experience was, it wasn’t for me to judge. I wasn’t totally sure how lycanthropy worked, but being cursed into a female body you later came to regret being in just seemed somehow even worse. Like, you didn’t even have a choice in whether you disliked it or not at that moment, it forced you to like it.

Selena began to rub my shoulders and I blushed. Whatever it was, I was going to be firm tonight. I didn’t want to take advantage of her when she was like this, to have her be more dysphoric later.

“Hey Nora?” she asked, “I know you might be anxious about a repeat of last night, and I want you to know that we don’t have to do that, if you’re not into it. I’d love to treat you to a date once I get some proper clothes, though.”

A...a date? I had my share of dates, but usually I did the asking out, and mostly, none of them worked out, especially once they found out I was trans.

Seeing me blush, her eyes widened and she corrected course, “No, uh, I mean like, friendship date. As friends.”

“Um, yeah, sure, let me see if I can go find something big enough and maybe we can go to a store to get something more in your size first?”

We compromised on a very, very baggy sweater my dad had given me years ago and a pair of leggings that worked surprisingly well to contain the fur within. Underwear would have to be bought at the store, so for now, distractingly, she was very much braless.

We got into my car to drive to the mall. Her having to put the seat waaaaaay back caused me to blush. When she was a guy, she was so small and slouchy, and now she was so tall, and filled with a confidence that was flustering even when she wasn’t trying. The drive was pockmarked with her glancing over at me and grinning, with me trying desperately not to let her distracting presence cause me to get in an accident.

Our first goal for the trip was obvious, get her some proper underwear. As we walked in, she spoke to the clerk first, “Hi, I’m a lycanthrope who just got transformed for the first time, and I need a new size of just about everything. Could you have someone measure me?”

The clerk nodded, looking a bit intimidated by her stature and size, “I can do that, if need be.”

She grinned reassuringly, “That’d be great! Thank you sooo much!”

I strategically opted to stand outside the changing rooms as she was measured. Hearing her make small talk, and the clerk saying the bare minimum possible, I started to be concerned. I knew that anti-lycanthrope sentiment was a bit of an issue among more conservative groups, and while that had abated some recently, there was no guarantee we wouldn’t run into one of those assholes. The clerk seemed nice enough, but nice didn’t mean accepting.

But should I be worried about her? This was obviously a temporary lapse in her typical life. Tomorrow, she’d be her old self again. Furthermore, it seemed like anyone causing her trouble was bound to get a punch to the face they wouldn’t get up from. Still, that didn’t make it okay.

As she exited, I noticed once again how breathtaking her figure was. The clerk had managed to convince her to buy a dress in her size, or rather, he mentioned it and she answered with an enthusiastic chorus of YES’s. The dress was a deep navy blue, with ripples and a fit that somehow managed to suggest her curves without making them explicit.

She noticed my gaping mouth, and walked over to me. “What do you think?” she said, planting a paw firmly on her hip, tail wagging out from underneath.

I managed to speak clearly, somehow, “You’re breathtaking.”

I could make out the blushing beneath her grey fur on her face, which meant she was definitely feeling the same way as me. “Thanks!” she replied.

A few sets of clothes and sets of stores later, and we were in the center court, bags surrounding us, and me talking to her about the history of some medieval kingdom, and how cool it was, as we embraced on the bench.

All of a sudden, I heard a sound and felt something wet on my face. As I wiped it off I saw, spit? I put two and two together as I saw my girlfriend up in a potbellied middle aged man’s face.

“Did you just fucking spit at my friend?” she asked, clearly fuming.

“Maybe I did, what are you going to do about it, freak?” he smirked.

Furtively glancing around the mall, which was mostly empty by this point in the evening, she swiftly punched him in the groin, grabbed our bags and my hand, and walked along. Looking back, he seemed to have crumpled over. Whatever was going to happen, both of us seemed to agree that now seemed like a great time to get the fuck out of there.

We decided to eat dinner on the other end of town, Selena arguing that he might be bold enough to call the cops on us if we stayed in the area. We ended up deciding on a steakhouse on the other side of town. The car ride there was mostly silent, Selena looking out the window guiltily.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “I really shouldn’t have punched him, especially since that could’ve endangered both of us.”

“He was being a jerk to me and you wanted to protect me, I’m not upset about that,” I replied, “besides, it’s good to see men like that getting their comeuppance, for once. I just wish you’d warn me when you’re about to sterilize someone next time.”

That elicited a snort of laughter from her, and we returned to lighter conversation topics. Truth be told, I really didn’t mind at all. I had had my share of transphobes harassing me in the past, and while this time it seemed like he was more upset about Selena being a lycanthrope, it was the same stupid thought process and entitlement behind it. Besides, seeing her so strong, standing up to a man who thought he was hot shit and then knocking him down a peg on my behalf, it made me feel...other things.