It had been six days since David's initial appointment with Doctor Maddox where he had made the decision to take part in the drug trial. The weekend had flown by without much incident, and David had spent most of it alone. The only person he had spoken to was Hannah, who had called to check up on him each day. She was not only concerned for his well-being but also curious to see if he had noticed any changes since starting the trial. At this point, David had not seen any physical changes, and he was starting to doubt if the drug was actually working. He had experienced some expected side effects, such as nausea and headaches, which Dr. Maddox had warned him about. But other than that, he felt the same as before. He had even convinced himself that he was part of the control group and that the drug he was taking was just a placebo.

However, it was now Monday, the beginning of a new working week for David. The usual sound of his alarm clock woke David as always, 6am on the dot. He opened his eyes, still feeling tired. David had come to accept that he was always tired, but he had also come to understand that it wasn't just due to a lack of sleep. It had more to do with the way he felt on a daily basis.

He pulled back the covers, exposing himself to the brisk morning air, yet as he did so, he couldn’t help but notice that his chest had become rather tender as the covers brushed against him.

“Ow…shit, did I snag something?” he thought, his mind still foggy from just waking up. But then, a sudden realization hit him. The drug trial.

“Oh…is this the beginning of the changes?” he pondered as he touched his now rather sensitive chest. Even though the room was still dark, David began to feel around his chest. Sure enough, his chest had begun to feel slightly puffy and tender, specifically around his nipples which were rather sore as he touched them.

As he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, David couldn't help but feel a sense of anxiety and curiosity. The thought of developing breasts was both terrifying and intriguing to him. Even though he knew it was going to be a part of the drug trial, if it actually worked, he had kind of hoped this would be one of the last parts involved, not the first. He stood in front of the mirror shirtless, examining his chest. There was definitely some growth, and his nipples were swollen, slightly darker and much more prominent than usual. He gently gave one side of his chest a squeeze, and he could feel a rather firm lump that had formed beneath his nipple. This was a clear indication that the drug was working, and the thought of which both scared him, yet gave him a strange sense of excitement at the same time.

Still rather stunned by these developments, David then began to examine the rest of his body. The first thing he noticed was his usually noticeable, 5 o’clock shadow, was now much fainter than it had ever been, more so in fact than if he had just shaved.

His mind then quickly shifted to another area of his body. Without hesitation, he reached inside his boxer shorts, closing his eyes as he did so. He could feel that his genitals were still there, yet they too were different. They felt smaller and less prominent than usual, in fact, his penis had become almost half the size he was used to and his testicles now felt the size, not much bigger than two marbles.

“Holy shit,” thought David, his genitals were the one part of the process that he had given next to no thought about. Even though Doctor Maddox had explained to him that his body would become indistinguishable from that of a cisgender female, he never gave an ounce of thought to his actual manhood.

David then brushed his teeth and made his way back to the bedroom to get dressed. As normal, he had chosen his attire the night before, this time opting for a brown suit and white shirt, along with brown loafers.

As he got dressed, however, David couldn’t help but notice how his trousers now fit him slightly differently, specifically around the waist. Where his trousers had once fit rather sung, they now gaped slightly and began to slide down, even when fastened.

David reached for a belt, something he had not done in a few years, and secured his trousers around his, now seemingly smaller waistline.

As he slipped on his brown suit jacket. As he glanced at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't believe how different he looked. While David had never been the biggest or most muscular of guys, his shoulders now appeared slightly less broad, and his waist was definitely smaller. He even noticed that his hips seemed to be slightly wider than before.

“More changes huh?” he thought before leaving his bedroom to get on with his morning routine.

He quickly ate his breakfast and made himself a coffee before retreating to the living room.

“I’d better start making these notes as Dr Maddox asked me to,” he thought, sitting on the couch and lighting up a cigarette before picking up the journal and beginning to make note of the changes to his body he had witnessed this morning.

As he flipped through the pages, he began to document every change he had witnessed – from the first noticeable breast growth, facial hair or lack thereof, his smaller shoulders to his shrinking waistline. Just as David put down his notebook, his cell phone buzzed. Without even looking at the screen, he instantly knew who it was, it was Hannah without a doubt.

“Good morning David,” said Hannah on the other end of the phone,

“Morning, David replied as he stubbed out his cigarette.

“How are you this morning?” asked Hannah. Ever since David had begun the drug trial, Hannah had called or texted him, every single morning, to check on how he was, more so over the weekend when they hadn’t been at work together.

“I’m erm…same shit different day I guess,” replied David, knowing fine well what the next question was going to be.

“So, any news yet?” Hannah asked, “So, any news yet?” Hannah asked, her voice a mix of concern and excitement, though every day the level of concern seemed to diminish a little more, while the level of excitement increased.

This time, however, David paused at her question,

“David…are you still there?” asked Hannah.

“Yeah…I…I’m still here,” replied David, “Yeah…there’s been a few…changes I guess…” David admitted rather reluctantly.

“Oh my god, what changes?” shrieked Hannah, her excitement now rather evident. Even over the phone, David could picture her facial expression.

“I’ll…I’ll tell you when I see you, Hannah,” David replied, wondering whether or not he should have admitted that there had been some developments, however, with Hannah’s keen eye, she would have soon noticed anyway.

“Okay,” replied Hannah, “I’m gonna swing by and pick you up, I pass by your place on a morning anyway,” she added in her enthusiasm.

“Do I have a choice in this?” asked David, knowing already the answer to his own question, “I can drive to work myself you know,” he laughed.

“No…you don’t,” replied Hannah with a giggle, “See you soon,” she added before hanging up the phone.

David couldn’t help but smile. Hannah was like a ray of sunshine, always radiating positivity and energy. Her infectious laughter and bubbly personality could light up even the dullest of days. One of the things that David admired most about Hannah was her caring nature. She was always there for her friends, no matter what. Whether it was a shoulder to cry on or a listening ear, Hannah was always willing to lend her support. And it didn't matter if they had been friends for a long time or had just met, she treated everyone with the same level of kindness and compassion.

David finished his coffee and took the empty cup through to the kitchen and was about to sit back down when he heard his phone buzzing incessantly.

“Jesus Hannah,”  he thought, as he picked up his phone, he couldn't help but laugh at the thought of his Hannah bombarding him with messages especially now he had admitted there had been changes to his body. But as he unlocked his phone and saw the notifications, his laughter turned to shock.

The messages were not from Hannah, but from the group chat with his old high school friends Jason, Steve, and Shane. David began to trawl through the messages with the chat;

“Hello…guys….anyone still alive?” asked Steve.

“Yeah bro, we are all still here, just busy with work and shit, you know how it goes,” replied Jason.

“Yeah, not all of us sit around making stupid videos about our shitty lives and get paid for it, you know,” said Shane.

“Fuck off Shane!” replied Steve, to which Shane replied with a series of laughing emojis.

“What are we all doing tonight?” asked Steve.

“Not much, I have a few days off work,” answered Jason, “Pizza and beers anyone?”

“I’m game,” replied Shane.

“Count me in,” answered Steve.

“Davy?” asked Jason.

“Hey, Dave?” said Steve.

“Fuck it guys, Pizza and beers @Daves,” stated Shane.

David’s heart began to pound, hard, as he realised that he hadn’t told his friends about the drug trial, nor had he told his mom and sister.

Telling his mom and sister didn’t really cause him that much concern, the only thing he regretted there was not telling them at the start. Yet the prospect of telling his friends filled him with a sense of dread. How would they react? Would they still see him as their friend, or would they turn away from him?

“Sure guys, but it can’t be a late one,” David finally messaged back to the group, “I do have an errand to run after work though,” he added.

“No worries,” replied both Jason and Steve.

 “Pansy Ass,” replied Shane followed by another load of laughing emojis.

“Dude, stop being a dick,” replied Jason.

“Guys…I erm…I have something I have to tell you, will explain later,” texted David, his hands trembling as he did so.

“Okay, hope everything is alright dude,” answered Jason, “See you tonight guys,” he added.

As David closed off the group chat, a message came through instantly from Hannah,

“Here,” it read.           

David took a deep breath, trying his best to mentally prepare himself for the day ahead. With his hands still shaking after texting his friends, David grabbed his wallet and cigarettes, placing them in his jacket pockets before making his way out of his apartment. Hannah was waiting for him in the parking lot, sitting in her car with a big smile on her face. As David approached her, he couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and nervousness.

He could almost feel her eyes examining him closely as he approached, scrutinizing his appearance to try and notice the changes herself.

As he got into Hannah's car, he could feel her warm and supportive presence,

“Good morning,” she said in her usual, lively manner, with her smile infectious. He couldn't help but smile back, feeling a sense of calm wash over him. It was moments like these that he cherished when he could forget about the stresses of daily life and just enjoy the company of a good friend.

“Morning,” replied David as Hannah pulled out of the parking lot and began to head towards their favourite coffee shop.

They spent the first few moments in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But it was Hannah who broke the silence, as she always did. Her voice was gentle, but there was an underlying tone as if she already knew what the response would be.

“So…wanna tell me about the changes?” she asked, clearing her throat. Her voice was gentle, but there was an underlying tone as if she already knew what the response would be,  glancing across at her friend as they stopped at a red light.

David sighed,

“Well…I’m sure you’ve spotted a few with your own eyes,” laughed David, it seemed almost impossible for him to take anything too seriously when he was around Hannah. Her presence seemed to instantly lift his mood.

Hannah smiled,

“Well…you do seem to have lost a…erm…little weight,” she stated briefly placing a hand on David’s shoulder before the lights began to change. “Not to mention you seem a lot more clean-shaven than usual…new razor?” she joked.

David glared at her before he too began to laugh. He then proceeded to explain how as he was getting ready for work he’d noticed how his clothes weren’t fitting correctly at his waist and shoulders and how his facial hair had all but vanished. He then explained how he’d also noticed ‘some changes’ that he wasn’t going to specify.

Hannah glanced sideways at him once more, a small smirk appearing on her face.

“What’s that look for?” he asked.

“You have boob growth…don’t you,” giggled Hannah.

David's face turned a deep shade of red as he tried to deny her accusation.

“No…no, no,” he stuttered in response, however, his blushing cheeks almost immediately gave away the truth, as Hannah pulled in at the coffee shop, in a queue of cars for the drive-thru window.

“David…you’re lying, I can tell,” said Hannah, “And besides…it’s okay, you can always be honest with me,” she added with a smile.

David turned away and began to stare out of the window, his head resting in his hand, he could feel the heat that was now resonating from his face.

“Okay, okay,” said Hannah, before pausing, “So…if I did this,” she exclaimed as she began to touch his chest in a rather playful manner, giggling as she did so.

David almost jumped out of his seat if he hadn’t been buckled in, at first he was fairly annoyed at Hannah’s actions, however, he couldn’t stay mad at her and began to shield his tender chest as best he could with one arm, whilst tickling Hannah in retaliation with his free hand.

As the pair giggled together, they began to hear horns being sounded by the cars behind. Neither of them had actually noticed that the cars in front had been served and since left, leaving them next to be served.

Once the pair had their coffees, Hannah began the drive to work,

“I guess I should apologise,” said Hannah, “I know myself…I can imagine they’re rather painful at the moment,” said Hannah.

David nodded, “Yeah, they are,” he admitted, letting out a small sigh of relief that Hannah was understanding of his dilemma, “Who would have known that growing boobs would be so…sore,” he joked.

Hannah nodded, understandingly. “Yeah, they can be,” she agreed. “But David, honestly, out of everyone, I know what's going on with you. There's no need to be shy with me, okay?” she reassured him with a warm smile as they pulled up near their workplace.

“I…I guess,” replied David with a smile, “I just find that rather like…personal…you know.”

“Oh I can imagine,” replied Hannah, “But remember, we’re all girls here, right,” she joked.

David shook his head, “Erm…Hannah…I’m still a guy…you know,” he replied, “And that will never change.”

“I know, I know I’m just joking with you,” said Hannah, “But seriously, if you ever need to talk or vent, I’m here for you, okay?”

 David nodded, “Thanks, Hannah,” he replied sincerely. “I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” said Hannah with a flash of her warm, caring smile.

The pair climbed out of Hannah’s car and began to make their way towards the office building, coffee cups in hand. David checked his watch, noticing that it was only 8am, they had arrived 10 minutes earlier than David was used to.

“I think I’ll grab a quick smoke before heading up,” stated David as they approached the alleyway. “You coming?” asked David.

Hannah thought about it for a moment before she smiled, “why not,” she replied, “Mind if I pinch one?” she asked to which David nodded.

David pulled out his cigarettes and gave one to Hannah as promised before handing her his lighter.

“So, David, what else is going on with you?” asked Hannah, exhaling a steady stream of smoke into the cold morning air.

While explaining the circumstances with his friends coming over, David sighed and explained he hadn't mentioned the drug trial or the changes to his appearance, though he had told them that he had something to discuss. Hannah listened intently as David poured his heart out to her. She could sense the fear and hesitation in his voice. After he finished, she replied with a warm smile,

“Well,” she said, “If they truly are your friends, they will be there for you and support you,” she explained.

Her words were like a soothing balm to David's anxious mind. He felt a sense of comfort wash over him, knowing that he had someone who understood and accepted him.

“Like you?” asked David.

“Exactly like me,” replied Hannah with a smile, “I will always be here for you, David. I like to think of us as friends, not just work colleagues,” she added.

Her words touched David's heart, just as they always did. even though he had never truly interacted with Hannah much at work, he had obviously trusted her instinctively, enough to open up to her about his life.

“I like to think of us as friends too,” he said with a smile.

The pair finished their cigarettes before they began to make their way up to the office. As the elevator doors pinged, David took a deep breath.

“You can do this,” he said to himself before he felt Hannah gently yet reassuringly squeeze his hand, it was a small gesture and yet it spoke volumes to David.

“I will always have your back,” she whispered as the pair stepped out of the elevator together.