Melissa burst out in laughter. As she continued cackling, I looked to Estus and saw an equally confused face looking back at me. I swiveled my head back and forth between the two of them for a few moments. “I don't get it…I mean I guess parts are funny but like…not that funny…” I trailed off, not sure what to do. That only made her laugh harder. We had just finished answering her questions and were not expecting this outcome.

We waited for another minute before Mel finally managed to start speaking between continued giggle fits. “I…I can't breathe. Y’all are so…bad. At telling a story. I get that I asked questions in a specific order, but that doesn’t mean…you need to tell the entire story practically backwards! Especially since it’s been an hour or two! Also, you have to realize that you just told me…I’m secretly a genius!” At that she broke into such a fit that she snorted which got her to only laugh harder.

“I mean you still ended up in a coma for a week though. Not exactly genius level last time I checked.” Estus dryly cut in. I was still just too stunned at the response to come up with any words.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Details! What you’ve told me is that the one time I try to mess with someone magically. They turn out to not only come out of it better for it. But also are extra sensitive so they should have been learning magic anyway?  What even…what kind of odds are these? This probably isn't the lesson I should be getting out of this!” I opened my mouth to reply, but as I thought about it like that, it was pretty funny. Estus simply rolled their eyes as I couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

"I don't know if I'd go so far as to say she should be learning just because of that, but given that sounds like an offer to teach her, I'll give it to you." Estus smirked back at her in victory.

"Aww really? You're too kind." She turned her eyes to me as she continued. "I'm sure there are all sorts of things I could teach you that he couldn't after all. He might have quite the keen sense of spell, but all the best witches know how to find the perfect taste." I couldn't tell if I should be blushing at the implications she was making or laughing at the terrible pun. My vocal cords made the decision for me when I heard a giggle escape.

"Please don't encourage how bad that was," Estus sighed as they held their face in mock pain. "I can only take so much bad flirting."

“Wait, can we back up for a minute? I thought you went by they them pronouns, Estus? But Mel has been using masc pronouns. And what was Mel saying about a spell earlier?” Mel facepalmed at my question.

“Oh you've been holding that one for hours. I may have oversimplified when we met? I’m actually genderfluid but thought that might be a bit…complicated to explain given your background?” Estus gave an awkward laugh. “And to answer the other part, I might…use magic to make people gender me correctly? I tell most people to use either neutral or any pronouns and my spell does the rest. Much easier and has better results than people trying to guess.”

I giggled and smacked his shoulder. “And here I was thinking you didn’t cheat with magic because you were such a goody two shoes!” That got Melissa cackling again. It seemed that her lungs never got the memo they were supposed to be tired from the week in a coma. “I uh…I don’t suppose there’s a way for me to cheat your spell? I think it might be…too subtle for me to get affected?” I scratched my head as I caught Mel looking at me with a strange grin.

She took that moment to jump in. “Look at that, Sophia’s proving she’s a very good girl. I guess that introductory course into gender identities I gave her last year stuck around. Even if she seemed very confused by the whole thing at the time. Guess the discomfort with digging into the topic makes even more sense now.“ She teased me with a wink and I felt a familiar warmth bloom on my face. 

The warmth in my stomach wasn’t as familiar, but I tried my best to ignore it as I looked at my feet. I halfheartedly muttered, "of course I did. You introduced the whole thing by telling me we needed to talk about fucking. How the hell could I not remember?" She cackled in response.

"Your face got almost as adorably red as it is right now! The hour I spent coming up with the full name was so worth it. Almost wish I still remembered it." She scrunched up her face as she searched her memory.

I stared at her cute face as I filled in the answer automatically. "Friends Using Queer Knowledge In Negating Griefers. It was kinda impressive just how bad it was. Then you actually started it and kept using different descriptors for me and it felt weird…" I blushed again at the memory. I had squirmed so much when she called me a girl to illustrate a point that it was a wonder I hadn't realized sooner.

“I don’t know which is worse. The fact that you both like acronyms so much or the fact that you spent a whole hour on an acronym and still had a letter wrong.” Estus said.

“No idea what you mean. Everyone knows fucking is spelled with a Q. Tell him Sophia.”

“I uh…was on the other side of this last time and I’m gonna stay here.” Estus opened his mouth to gloat until I continued. “Everyone knows the issue is that there’s two Qs and knowledge has a silent k and not a silent Q. Unforgivable really.” My sass finally got him to laugh.

“I’m pretty sure the only thing here that’s unforgivable is how cute you are.” Mel mumbled. At my flushed reaction, she added. “I mean, really. I can’t believe how much more comfortable you seem now. Now that I know what to look for, I can still see you in there. Albeit a much happier and adorkable version. A little bit of Rachael too oddly. Any clue what that’s about?”

I couldn’t help but stutter as Estus deadpanned in my place. “I’m going to jump out the window if you two keep flirting so heavily. Just because I predicted this doesn't mean I want to be a witness.” I gasped and held my hand to my chest in mock indignation at his accusation. Not that the faux reaction did anything to reduce my blush, which got another bewitching smile from Mel. “Petunia had a few rough ideas about the interaction between Sophia’s magic and the cancellation spell though. Possibly some stuff about true selves in there too. I'm guessing that this Rachael isn't a sibling for you to ask, so maybe there’s some subconscious thing that happened.” 

I opened my mouth to sass back, but Estus continued before I could with a grin. “Oh and to answer your earlier question Sophia. I probably could build something for you. Going to hold off though since it usually takes a little while before people stop thinking about it hard enough for it to work. Though now I’m wondering what would happen if you triggered the other one. Hmm…” Estus trailed off into thought and I saw Mel roll her eyes.

I yawned and blushed as the noise filled a short gap in conversation. Estus chuckled and Mel grinned. "That yawn doesn't even sound very different. It’s always been adorable. Like a little fox.”

“What? Why a fox? Why not like, a dog or a cat or something normal? Also why do you know what a fox yawn even sounds like?” It was a topic that had been brought up enough times that I didn’t fight it, but the specificity still triggered my curiosity. Not that I minded the comparison. Foxes were adorable after all.

“I don’t know? Because you open your mouth real wide? Or maybe because you tilt your head to the side so cutely when asking questions like that?” Her quick response made me blush again. “Ooh or maybe it’s the red coloring that you seem to have so often! The new hair just adds to it! Makes teasing you so fun! Now that I have the girl context, I can totally see how subby you—"

"Ok nope, it's closer to sunrise than sunset and I am not listening to my sister hit on my friend any more." Estus put his foot down. "Sophia, say goodbye for tonight. I'm sure Mel will be out of here soon now that she's awake and you need sleep. I do too honestly. And I don't trust you two not to make a headache for me if I leave you here."

"W-what's that supposed to mean?" My face turned a new shade of red at the only implication that came to mind. "And. And I'm not ti–red," the yawn in the middle of the word may have undercut my message. I pouted at my body's betrayal as the other two smirked.

"Gonna have to agree with Esty on this one. You've been yawning since I regained consciousness, girly." My eyes widened at the double betrayal as I stared at Mel. "Oh whatever dork, I'm fine and you're tired. Logic dictates you should get some sleep. Honestly I'm surprisingly tired too. Guess being unconscious, even for a full week, isn't exactly resting." Her eyes glinted mischievously as Melissa used my own favorite weapon against me.

I sighed theatrically and grabbed my bag from the seat it had been occupying. "I'll be back after some sleep. Try to eat something if they let you. You two can catch up more when you get out." Melissa rolled her eyes at her sibling's concern but smiled nonetheless.

After grabbing his bag, Estus ruffled her hair affectionately as a goodbye. Surprising both of us, I found myself hugging Melissa in the awkward silence after his words. "I'm um. Really glad you're ok." I all but whispered. I found it difficult to speak louder, almost as if doing so would break a spell. Or maybe I was just scared something would happen again.

As I pulled away from the hug, I saw a stunned expression still on Melissa's face. I scuttled to the doorway while she was still gathering herself. I could feel the fire in my cheeks. What possessed me to do that? Physical touch wasn't something I initiated. Not that I regretted my actions. She was really nice to hug, even in the hospital bed.

"Thanks for helping me. And not waiting any longer to do it.” She suppressed a shudder and I resolved to ask about it in the future. “Means a lot that both of you care so much. Now get home safe and I'll see you tomorrow. Or today for Sophia and her technicalities." I smirked at the last sentence as I saw a hint of color in her cheeks. The smile stayed on my face as Estus pulled me out of the room. I had helped! That was such a wonderful feeling.

 

It wasn't until we were halfway to my place that my brain wandered enough to notice something else. "Wait, you called me your friend!" I blurted out.

Estus flinched at the sudden noise but slowly turned to me with evident confusion. "Yes? I thought this was already established?"

"Well we talked about the possibility and how you weren't against the idea and like I hadn't done anything to stop you from deciding to be my friend but you didn't actually say it up until earlier when we were talking to your sister so I wasn’t really sure cuz I didn't wanna assume—" I had to pause my rambling to take a deep breath.

"Goddess, girl. You don't need to explain. I get it." Estus chuckled lightly as he cut in. "We are indeed friends, Sophia. You're great and the fact that my sister seems to think so too just confirms my impression of you so far." I beamed at that comment, hiding the expression behind a long gulp of water. After a beat, he continued. "Speaking of whom, how long have you been crushing on her?"

I promptly sprayed the dashboard with the water in shock. "I- Wha- no- you- but-" I tried starting several sentences before Estus cackled. It held a disturbing similarity to the ones I associated with Mel. Was there a cackling tutorial for magic users? Or was it simply something that ran in their family?

"Is it too soon to ask such a friend-quality question? Or maybe just poorly timed? Had I realized you were mid-sip maybe I would have waited. Though with how spectacular a spit take that was, I don't know. Maybe I should have simply set up a camera instead." He opened the middle console and rummaged around in it blindly until his hand found several napkins. "I know it was my fault but can you clean that up? Can't really take my eyes off the road."

As I cleaned up, I sheepishly asked. "What um…what gave you that impression? Like that seems like a big leap to make since she mostly just teased me like normal. M-maybe I just liked it more cuz it was validating." My hastily constructed defense was met with another cackle as Estus came to a stop sign and looked over at me.

"Sophia. I'm ace, not blind. You are not subtle. I mean maybe you used to be. Maybe it’s the validation that makes it more obvious, or maybe your emotions are just harder to hide with the new hormones or something. I know several people who had that difficulty, myself included. Anyways, point being, last time I saw two people struggling to keep their eyes off each other that hard, they were making out five minutes later." The entire time they were speaking, Estus had a smirk on their face.

I sat there thinking for a moment. And maybe blushing up a storm. I mean I had always thought of Mel as pretty. I mean pretty was an understatement. Gorgeous, cool, and badass were just three other words that came to mind. I might have envied the couple exes I had met. But none of that mattered because— "I'm a girl!" I nearly shouted the words, making Estus swerve with a yelp.

"Shit, Sophia. You scared the hell out of me" They sighed, loosening their posture again. "I know you’re a girl, but is there a specific reason that's relevant?" Their patience was honestly pretty impressive. I should ask them what the secret was at some point.

"Oh um…sorry." I bit my lip trying to figure out what to say. I was already embarrassed and didn't want to make it worse. "I uh. I kinda realized you might be right? But I kinda never considered it cuz like she's gay? And like…yeah." I still felt awkward. "Annnnnd I'm talking to you about your sister. Aaaaahhh," I put my head in my hands as an even stronger wave of embarrassment hit me.

My newest friend simply laughed again. "Oh you're one of those." They reached over and patted my head sympathetically. "Should've guessed you were a disaster gay. Don't worry about who you're talking to. Just because I don't want to watch the awkward flirting doesn't mean I don't approve.” I blushed and resisted the urge to scream into my hands in awkwardness.

It was another few minutes before they spoke again. “In either case, I’ll be rooting for you. Can’t say I’d be opposed to another trans person in the family. Now go get some sleep before one the sun comes out. And I'll be sure to keep you updated." This time I did scream in embarrassment as I bolted from the car. Relatively quietly I think. I was haunted by their laughter as I closed the door to my house. Despite the mortification coursing through me, I fell asleep moments after my head hit the pillow in my bed.

 

I woke up altogether too early. Looking at my phone, I grumbled at the four ones and buried my face back in my pillow. If I was lucky, I might have gotten six hours of sleep. Way too few for a weekend. I tossed and turned for another couple minutes before letting out a combination of a whine and groan into my pillow. Stupid chest getting in the way of stomach sleeping. Why was it so much more in the way than usual?

I flipped onto my back and looked down as my brain finally started booting up properly. A smile slid into place as memory processing came online. I giggled as I reached down to my perfectly hand-sized breasts and remembered I was a girl. Having the weekend leisure to wake up slowly and let the good vibes roll in like this was something I could definitely get used to.

After a couple minutes of just enjoying stretching in the warmth of my bed, my tummy rumbled and I begrudgingly got up. A wave of hair fell in front of my face as I did and I grinned. Moving it out of my face though, I realized it had gotten pretty tangled in the night. I looked at the tiny comb I normally used on my hair and sighed. That would not do the trick any more. Even when my hair was short, it would get tangled. Thinking about how long it would take to use it now made me cringe internally. Maybe I could borrow Amanda’s?

I tossed on the first shirt I grabbed and found it halfway down my thighs. I couldn't be completely sure without a mirror, but there was a significant chance this was an adorable look. It should be enough for walking through the living room. I stepped into the hallway and made my way to Amanda's room. Luckily I didn't run into the boys and I knocked on her door softly.

I heard some shuffling from inside as she spoke "you know, for someone so forward, I really didn't think you'd bother knoc—" Amanda cut herself off as she opened the door. She blinked down at me sleepily a few times before asking, "um do I know you?"

"Wow. You really forgot what I looked like so quickly? I only just left!" I put on a pout as I pretended to be whoever she was expecting. The look of horror that quickly morphed to confusion was so worth the joke. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" I quickly added as I giggled. "It's actually me, your favorite gender-bent roommate. Didn't realize you wouldn't recognize me."

She visibly relaxed her posture in relief and she smacked my arm. "Not cool! God, you're the absolute worst! Of course I didn’t recognize you! I’m not wearing glasses and you’re even shorter than last time we talked!" Her reaction only made me laugh harder. She turned away from the door to grab said glasses. 

"Guess you can still be a dick even if you’re a girl. Or um. Look like one or whatever.” The correction made me stop laughing. It had hurt more than I would have expected. “So what brings your mischief to my door this morning?”

I tried to push the pain away as I responded with a partially forced grin. “Oh um, I was kinda hoping I could borrow a brush?” I ran a hand through my hair until it got stuck. “I’m kinda running into a lot of knots this morning?” She glanced back and giggled as she put her glasses on. Her brush was nearby so she grabbed it as she made her way back to the door.

“Didn’t realize you had it in you to be so naughty already!" I giggled at the wordplay with a  blush. It took me another moment to realize she would be expecting whoever she had brought home back soon. "Think you need help with the brush?" She continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil.

"Nope, I should be totally fine! Can't be too hard! Thank you!" I rushed through my thanks and about-faced, dashing back across the living room in hopes that I could make it back to my room without having to meet a new person.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for me as I bumped into someone that deftly used my momentum to spin me around into a dip. “Goddess girly, you travel like this inside your house too?” I found myself staring up at Luna yet again in complete and utter confusion. “At least this time I managed to catch you though. Much more in theme with my sweeping women off their feet, don’t you agree?”

“Bwuh?” My eloquence was truly second to none as my brain shortwired. Her wolfish smile at my reaction finally managed to replace the wire and I rolled out of her arms. I felt myself slow down just before I hit the floor. It was just enough that the landing didn’t hurt, but the pain was replaced with even more confusion.

Firstly, what was I thinking? The one time I had a chance at not being on the floor in front of her, and I put myself there. Typical me. I closed my eyes and sighed into the rug as I contemplated my life choices. The fact that I could hear her giggling above me made me blush as I continued to lay face down on the ground.

“I think you might have broken my roommate. Sounds like this is somehow a recurring thing?” Amanda’s voice made its way over to the scene and I wanted to crawl into a hole even more. I pondered the second question instead of thinking about my shame. Where did that magic come from? Falls didn’t slow down on their own and I definitely could feel a trace of it around me.

“Yeah I think this is the 3rd time we’ve run into each other? And yes, I do mean literally. I technically TA for her too though.” Amanda guffawed at the specification and I rolled over, deciding I needed to ask my questions despite my burning face. I was immediately met with more focus. “Oh right! What’s your actual name? I never did get it last time!”

The question threw me off so much that I answered automatically as I pushed myself to a sitting position. “Sophia. And no, I don’t normally travel like this inside. I was just trying to get out of the way to avoid an awkward situation exactly like this.” I clamped my mouth shut as soon as my brain caught up.

“Aww, that’s an adorable name! And what do you mean? What’s awk—”

“Wait, does that mean what I think it means?!” Amanda excitedly cut her off before she could finish her question. She even pushed herself into the hallway entrance despite how cramped it had become. That was not the reaction I had been expecting and I just stared up at her for a moment. “Or is that like a cover name?” She actually looked a little disappointed at the prospect.

“What? I…” Taking a breath, I resisted the urge to facepalm. “Ok. So not how I thought I would be coming out to you. But really? A cover name? What am I, a spy? And if that were the case, wouldn’t asking if that’s what it was kinda defeat the point?” I couldn’t help but snark as I rubbed some sleep from my eyes.

“Oh. Yeah that’s a pretty good point. Guess I might still need some caffeine. But that’s so awesome! I’m so happy for you!” She tackled me back to the floor with a squeal of excitement.

“Wha! Mandy! No tackle hugs! We’ve been over this! Especially if I’m on the floor!” I whined as I tried to escape from her clutches. Sadly, my strength had definitely taken a hit with the full transformation and I couldn’t quite push her off.

“I’m so confused right now. You didn’t know? How? Look at her! She’s so cute! And girly!” Luna’s compliments made me giggle despite my trapped state. Luckily it also got Amanda to retract herself.

“I got too excited and forgot! Sorry Sophia!” She fully pushed off of me and I sighed as I immediately felt less claustrophobic. “And I mean I kinda suspected after our last conversation, but it was supposed to be a curse earlier this week.”

“Mandy, Didn’t I ask you not to bring up magic to anyone?” I sighed, pushing myself back to a seated position. I sighed again as I looked up at Luna and took a chance. “I guess it doesn’t matter, since you can cast magic too though?”

“Wait, you know magic too?!” In a blink, Luna was on the ground with us, pushing into my personal space. “How did you know? And does that mean you accidentally transed yourself? That’s so cool, if a bit funny! I wish I had known that was an option! I’ve been doing it the slow way! Is that how you changed so quickly I didn’t notice until Tuesday?” The number of questions combined with the closeness overwhelmed my poor brain and I just blinked at her for a moment.

“Oh hey, look at that. You broke her again. Give her some space Luna.” As Luna followed her directions, Amanda conspiratorially added, “she’s a creature of distance I’ve learned.”

My speaking facility finally rebooted at her words and I snapped my head towards her. “Hey! I’ve initiated hugs with 3 people this week! This creature is making progress, thank you very much!"

“Oh really now? That must be some sort of record. Does being a girl really make it that much easier?” I opened my mouth to respond to Amanda’s sass in kind but closed it in thought. Was that what was going on? My stomach took the opportunity to make its presence known as it rumbled loudly.

My face turned red and the other two girls giggled. “We were gonna go grab some brunch at the cafeteria. How about we take some time to finish getting ready and you can join? That sound like enough time?” I hesitantly nodded at Amanda's question as I continued pondering her flippant question.

I jumped in the shower as they went back to Amanda’s room, letting myself relax as the water washed away my thoughts. I simply enjoyed the feel of water running down my skin. Having the extra hair made it a little more annoying to rinse it all, but I couldn’t complain since it gave me an excuse to stay in the shower longer.

I ended up losing track of time enough that by the time I stepped out of the shower, I could hear the other two chatting in the living room. I hurried into my room and changed as quickly as I could, tossing on Racheal’s jeans as trying to wear the shorts would likely just leave me showing off my boy underwear. It wasn’t until after I had tossed on my shirt that I realized I had lost track of the brush I had borrowed.

Cursing, I stepped into the hallway to look for it and was met with a giggle from the living room. “I win! Pay up!” At my confused look, Luna elaborated from her position leaning against the wall. “I bet that you’d wash your hair even though you hadn’t brushed it. She thought you’d know better.” I blinked at her blankly.

“Is that not something I’m supposed to do? Also how’d you know I didn’t brush my hair beforehand?” In answer, she held up the brush with a smirk. “Oh. Yeah, that would do it.”

“Come over here, and I’ll show you how to brush your hair properly since I’m guessing you don’t know how to do that either.” I could tell she was mostly joking by the giggle but I still pouted at being called out. “Oh whatever cutie. Everyone should learn at some point. I mean, even I only learned last year!” I smiled as I made my way over to sit on the edge of the couch as she stood behind me.

She started out by blowing on my hair. Or at least that’s what I thought she was doing until I felt the prickle of magic flow over me. In moments my hair was perfectly dry and she started carefully brushing it. "You gotta start from the ends and work your way up girly." She lectured me as she went, which I found oddly endearing.

"That’s some cool magic! Or I guess hot? Whatever. Earlier you said something about coming out. Are you trans too?" I asked after a short silence. My brain was still bouncing around pretty erratically, especially since I needed something to distract me from how nice the brushing felt.

"Ooh that question never fails to make me euphoric! But yeah. Came out as trans a couple years ago. Figured out I was bi and poly in the couple years since. And thanks, it’s a really useful spell I could teach you sometime.” I didn’t really know what the third meant but my brain was still a little too overloaded to risk asking. Luna was being as gentle as she could be while working out tangles and it kept distracting me. Her fingers kept slipping over the back and sides of my neck, sending tiny shivers down my spine. I tried my best not to let them show, but it was taking a lot of my focus.

It was another couple minutes of silence before anybody spoke up. “There we go! Now we can head out and get all those answers out of you!” Luna hopped up and ran her hand through my hair one last time, getting a gasp out of me. I blushed and hoped that it hadn’t been heard as I wondered at how sensitive my skin had become. I hadn’t quite internalized just how much it would influence touch with how much I avoided it usually.

With that, we made our way to the cafeteria while I gave them the rundown of the first half of the week. Most of it was information Amanda already had, but Luna’s questions caused me to go into more detail so she didn’t seem bored by the recap. We paused the conversation as we split apart to grab food and find a table.

I was about to settle at an empty table when I spotted a familiar silhouette and thought better of it. I walked over to the table and slid next to my friend as she continued staring off into space, munching on her food with evident distraction as the pasta speared on her fork fell off without her noticing until it reached her mouth.

That finally broke her concentration and she looked down at her plate to grab some properly. The movement must have brought me into her periphery because she yelped with a jump. "Hey sis, what’s new with the wall?" I casually took a bite out of my pizza to punctuate the question. Rachael swiveled her head to glare at me but the look melted off her face almost immediately.

I quietly watched in amusement as her brain processed my appearance. Her face went through the initial surprise, confusion, and finally amazement in the span of the next few moments. "Holy shit! You look so different! It’s a really cute look though! I was just expecting you to look the same? Does this mean the plan went correctly? Tell me everything!" Her voice strained with obvious excitement as she tried to restrict her volume. 

I was about to answer when the moment was broken by our outgoing friend. "Oh hey Rach! Didn't expect to find you here!" Amanda plopped into a seat across from us and Luna wasn't far behind. "Oh and this is my friend Luna. We were just about to get the mysteries of the past couple days out of little miss Sophia!"

"Hey, I'm not little!" I couldn't help but argue. "You're just…" I trailed off, losing the last word as I saw the wolfish grin on Luna's face. It made me blush and look back at Rachael in search of help. I was met with a traitorous giggle.

“Don’t look at me. It serves you right after how many times you’ve teased me for my height.” Rachael stuck her tongue out at me and I realized I had miscalculated. I pouted as I realized I was surrounded by girls that were more than happy to tease me. Rachael grabbed me in a hug as she continued. “Aww I have the cutest little sister!”

As much as I wanted to, the validation of being treated like a girl overwhelmed my urge to push back further. I found myself smiling as I responded. “Ugh whatever, I’ll allow it, but only because you’re older than me. And only this once. Do y’all wanna hear the rest of the week’s events or should I just eat in silence?”

That managed to shut them up even though the two girls across from me had massive grins on their faces. I couldn't see Rachael’s face since she was still hugging me but I wouldn’t be surprised if she was sporting a similar smile. I continued from where I had left off, starting with being teleported to Petunia’s house. 

I left out any mention of Petunia’s secret room of course. Between the teasing I knew I would receive over getting in trouble so quickly and the threat she had offered, I was more than happy to skip it. It took a good amount of time before I finally wrapped up. “But yeah, Mel seems fine, so Estus is going to try getting her out tomorrow. It’ll be nice to have her back around and stuff.” I found myself blushing as I thought about the flirting and following conversation that had happened last night. It hadn’t really sunk in, but their words kept echoing in my mind.

“That doesn’t explain the new look though?” Amanda cut into my thoughts and I looked up, realizing I had skipped a few details. They didn’t seem important now that they were in the rearview mirror. Or maybe thinking about the smile Mel had given me when I was leaving was just distracting.

“She’s totally hiding something else too. That ending was way too undetailed. And I’ve had her explain full conversations by accident. Which I can guarantee they were a lot less interesting.” I couldn’t prove it, but Rachale’s tone made me feel like she winked at the others as she called me out.

“Wh-what? Objection! I deny all allegations made against me and declare this hearsay.” I tried my best to speed through the customary denial, but I could tell Rachael would get more out of me eventually. I tried not to think about it too much as I continued. 

“I hadn’t explained the new look because there’s not really a good explanation. We’re not really sure what the deal is? The cancellation spell kinda just went screwy and I ended up like this. Estus and Petunia think it had something to do with my being extra sensitive to magic? They think that combined with my anxiety let me skip out on having to go back to that old body. Guess being a weird freak of nature has some upsides?”

“I still can’t believe y’all simply canceled the curse. You talk about it as if it’s the simplest thing in the world, and I guess with the way Melissa set it up, that makes a little bit of sense, but it sounds like you just used some sort of catch all spell! That seems like it should be so much harder!” Luna finally spoke up, having been the quietest during my tale. “I knew that there were people who knew more about magic than me, but this seems ridiculous.”

“Sounds like both Mel and Estus were taught by their parents or their aunt.” Rachael answered for me as I had my mouth too full to answer. I hadn’t realized just how famished I was until now. “Sophia was telling me the other day about how Estus had books and everything. Did you not get something similar growing up?”

Luna winced a little before responding. “Oh no, not even a little. My parents still don’t even believe in magic and honestly the fact that I did drove them nuts. I’m pretty sure I would have given up on the belief too if it weren’t for an old friend that taught me some simple stuff before he had to move away. I basically had to teach myself everything.” Her upbeat attitude had taken a hit momentarily at the memory, but her energy returned just as quickly.

“Wait, is that why you didn’t seem to care about how blatant my changes are?” I asked before taking a sip of soda.

“Sure? Why, is there some secret society or something that wants to keep the hush hush on magic? Some nonsense rules about how it shouldn’t become common knowledge?” I guiltily avoided her eyes. “Oh…shit. Of course there is. Why wouldn’t there be? Gotta keep the power for themselves somehow, right? Ugh.”

“Heh. You sound like Mel when she starts going. Not that I disagree. It’s still a little foreign agreeing with that view over what I was raised on.” I grimaced at the thought of my parents.

“Well yeah that’s just because your parents are controlling idiots though. Now you’re getting to learn things for yourself. And you’re so much better for it.” Rachael gave me a giant toothy smile.

Luna giggled before looking confused. “Wait, I thought you two were siblings?”

“Oh that’s my bad.” Amanda took up the explanation. “They might as well be, since these two have been besties for fucking ever. Like, baby forever. With the new look though, they really could be confused for real siblings. It’s totally wild.”

“She’s right. You have my mom’s nose honestly. Magic really is wild. Oh! Between that and the whole gender change, strangers will finally stop assuming we’re dating!” Rachael giggled at the realization and I joined her.

“Anyways, maybe I can convince Estus and Mel to teach us some stuff. Worst case though, you and I can learn together!” My declaration brought a fiendish grin to Luna’s face and I could feel my own answering it.

Meanwhile Rachael facepalmed. “Great, yet another thing to worry about. It’ll be a wonder if either of you survive that path. Are you aware of this one’s chaotic tendencies, Luna? You sure you wanna sign up for that?”

“I think I’m getting an idea pretty quickly.” She winked at me and I found myself blushing as I looked away. “And it’s not like I don’t carry my own chaotic streak. I love doing anything that looks like fun. Right, Amanda?” I heard a squeak and looked up to find Amanda taking a turn blushing.

“Wow, that’s a new sound from her. How did you manage that?” Rachael’s odd fascination over her friends’ noises had always confused me, but I had to admit it was one of the endearing charms that kept us friends. It had a tendency to lead to more entertainment.

We continued going back and forth for another quarter hour before Rachael had to get back to her latest project. Luna needed to go study and Amanda realized she had a group project meeting within the hour. With everyone else busy, I decided it might be a good time to do some homework as well.  The last thing we did before going our different ways was making plans to go to the mall within the next few days. It was a scary prospect, but I had to admit I was excited.

 

I found myself pacing back and forth in the living room. Estus had messaged me almost half an hour ago that Mel was finally getting released. When I got the message, I was finishing up dinner and I had rushed home. I knew it was silly to do so since it would take longer for them to drive home than it took for me to walk there, but I really wanted to be here to welcome her back for some reason.

Now that I had actually gotten back though, I wasn’t sure what my plan was. The conversation with Estus from the ride home kept replaying in my head. They were obviously right about me crushing on their sister. I couldn’t deny that any longer. What was I supposed to do with the information though? Should I say something? I mean, just because I was a girl now didn’t mean she’d suddenly like me. Sure, Esus had called our exchange flirting, but she had teased me like that before. And back then I was a guy so maybe she just enjoyed messing with me, right?

Why couldn’t I get those eyes out of my mind though? They seemed so different last night. The normal shimmer of mirth and happiness that colored them wasn’t alone. There had been some other emotion there. And I kept getting caught in them while the doctors and nurses were running their tests. She seemed to be devouring me as I was trapped each time. And then the moment would pass and she’d look away and pretend it never happened. Why was that so hot?

And why hadn’t I noticed any of these feelings sooner? Had I really just locked everything away that well? I mean I was usually oblivious to feelings until they overwhelmed me, so I suppose that could make sense. I mean I usually hadn’t noticed them until a girl had asked me out in the past. I didn’t remember feeling like this with any of my old girlfriends though. Had I? “Mind if I get past you real quick?”

“Oh sure, no problem Rich.” I stopped pacing for a moment so he could get to the kitchen. I definitely had felt anxious about my first dates with them. But I hadn’t ever really crushed on them until after those first dates. I think. Was that normal? Or was that why— “Wait, I didn’t even notice you there Rich! Have I been that much in my head?”

I suddenly felt foolish as my surroundings snapped back into focus. “Well, I was only watching you for a couple minutes before I finally said something.” Richard admitted as he rummaged around in the kitchen. “To be honest, I was more shocked by the new look than anything. What're you freaking out about this time dude?"

"Mel's coming back and I'm nervous." The words left my mouth before I could stop them. "Wait, how did you know it was me?"

He chuckled as he stepped out of the kitchen with a large glass of protein shake he was still mixing. "Simple deduction? You're the only person I know that enjoys trying to set rugs on fire with their feet. And last time we spoke, you did yell at us that you were magically cursed to slowly become a girl. Totally deserved by the way. The yelling I mean. We were being shit."

It took a moment for me to shut my jaw from his nonchalance. "I…guess when you say it like that, it is kinda simple…"

He shrugged as he continued. "And I don't know why you're nervous Mel is coming back. Isn't that a good thing? Amanda said she was in the hospital." He took a sip of his drink and made a face as he went back to stirring a little more roughly. "Or is this some sort of cliche moment where you're trying to figure out how to tell her it's not a curse and you wanna keep it or something?"

"I-what? No! Or yes? I mean that's not what’s happening! Don’t make assumptions based on movie plots! She already knows, but how did you know I like being a girl?" My mouth had to play catch up as his questions were processed properly.

"Oh, I didn't. But hey! Congrats on realizing though. That's huge!" He held his fist out for a first bump and I blankly stared at it. "Oh uh…are fist bumps too—"

"How are you so cool with this? What the hell? Aren't football players supposed to be all…?" I trailed off, already feeling like an idiot for my surprise.

"Wow. You really need to work on this whole stereotype thing still. Even if that were true though, you really think Mel would be willing to live with that type of idiot?" He simply stated all his words with the same monotone cadence that one would make small talk with.

"Oh. Shit. That's a good point. Sorry." I looked away from him awkwardly. "I guess I just…"

Before I could continue, he very delicately patted me on the head. "Dude, you were assuming the worst cuz you always do. No need to apologize."

"Did…Did you just pat me on the head?"

"Well yeah. You're shorter now so it’s less awkward than it used to be. And it seemed like you'd have less of a problem with this amount of contact versus a hug?" The logic was sound, I had to admit. “So if not that, what is making you so nervous then?”

“I’m back bitchesssss!!!” I jumped at the sheer volume Mel used and promptly skittered around Richard into the kitchen.

“Oh hey Mel! Glad to hear you're better!" Richard gave me a strange look as he made his way towards the front of the house. "Need help with anything? I don't really know the details of what had you in the hospital so sorry if that’s a dumb question."

"Oh no worries. I just have a bag of papers my sibling borrowed. Are you the only one home? Might be easier to explain to everyone at once." She laughed and rogue heat made its way to my face at the melody.

"Oh yeah that would make sense. I think it's just me and" he paused before his voice boomed across the house. "Hey I just realized you told me you were a girl but not your name! Or am I supposed to still call you your old one for now?" I smacked my head into the banister I was hiding behind.

I could hear Melissa laughing uproariously as I contemplated my options. "Oh shit, you probably wanted me to say it was just me, didn't you? My bad!" I smacked my head against the banister again as he only made it worse. With how hard she was laughing, I wouldn't be surprised if Mel was on the floor.

Before he could make it any more awkward, I yelled back, "it's Sophia! And doesn't matter what I may or may not wanted since it's too late now!" I took a breath and stepped back into the living room. I draped myself across my armchair as naturally as possible. Which of course meant I was laying across the arms by the time the two entered the room.

“Wow, couldn’t even bother to get up for me. I feel so cared about.” Mel joked dryly. Before I could get up and give her a more satisfying greeting, she had bounced her way across the room and plopped down in my lap. I let out a squeak as the air was pushed out of my lungs and she continued. “So what did I do this time that’s got you trying to avoid me?”

My face burned scarlet as I tried to come up with a response. I inhaled her scent as I tried to find air to respond and got distracted momentarily. How could someone that had spent the past week in a hospital smell like a mix of caramel and forest? “Wow, no sass? Impressive.” Richard chuckled as my eyes came back into focus and I glared at him. “You know what, I think I’ll let y’all talk about whatever it is and hopefully the others come back soon so we can all swap stories. Seems like it’s been an eventful week.”

I quickly panicked and tried to plead with my eyes as I realized his plan to abandon me, but it was too late. He chuckled as he left in the direction of his room. I wanted to call after him but knew that it would only make Mel tease me more.

I continued staring at the spot Richard had vacated for another few moments as my brain went through a million possibilities. "It's just you and me, Sophia. You know you can tell me anything. That's not gonna suddenly change just because you're cute now." Her tone had softened considerably and it only made my heart pound harder as I continued to avert my eyes.

Considering I could feel every shift she made on top of me, the aversion didn’t help much. What was I supposed to do in a situation like this? "Please talk to me? If you need me to stop with the flirting or something, I can. I know it's always made you kinda awkward and I probably shouldn't—"

"No!" I finally turned towards her as I cut her off a bit louder than I meant to. She looked worried. Almost scared? Maybe the word I was looking for was vulnerable. "No…" I said it quieter this time as I had to look away from those enchanting emerald eyes of hers. "I- I just can't think." I squeezed my eyes shut to cut out extra input.

"Oh ok. Want some help?" I nodded, unsure of what she was planning. Anything would help though right? "Just focus on my voice. Breathe for me, Sophia." My eyes shot open as I felt the minor magic hit me. It didn't have an effect on me and I opened my mouth to remind her but she locked me in her eyes and continued before I could. "It'll work if you let it. Just relax and let me in."

I giggled. I tried to bite it back but that just made it funnier. Soon I was giggling uncontrollably and Mel was pouting at me. "Hey I'm trying to help here! It's not nice to laugh at me!"

"I'm sorry but like, you have to realize what you just said!" I giggled more as she furrowed her brow in confusion. "Here, let me say it back and you’ll see what I mean." I leaned in and dropped my pitch a little. "It'll work if you let it." My volume dipped to a purr as I continued. "Just relax and let me in." 

"Fuck that's hot" she replied breathlessly.

I leaned back, blushing furiously. "E-exactly! It um. Totally sounded super lewd and that's not what you were aiming for so funny haha..." I rambled a bit as I felt my heart in my throat. What had I just done? This was so far over the line for friends. She was gonna—

"How's this compare then?" She pulled my attention back as she placed her index finger under my chin and pulled my face toward hers. "You're gorgeous Sophia. I really want to kiss you. Would that be ok?" I blinked a few times before noticing I had already begun to nod dumbly.

She leaned over further and pressed her lips against mine. My brain short circuited for some period of time. It didn't kick back in until I felt her pulling away, at which point I finally managed to kiss her back, following her lips as they retreated. She made a tiny noise of surprise but quickly stopped retreating.

We broke apart too soon and I couldn't help but stare at her lips. "Think I need to try that too." I opened my mouth to ask what she was talking about, but Mel answered by kissing me again, softly biting my lip, eliciting a gasp from me. A moment later I returned the bite and she moaned softly into me.

"What the fuck Mel, did you seriously find a girlfriend at the damn hospital?" Jacob's voice cut through the moment of bliss and I added to the tally of reasons he was my least favorite friend.