Chapter Text
A TURN OF THE MOON
Day One
by
Jessica Drew
My wife Lauren opened the door to our lakeside home and stepped inside to deactivate the intruder alarm. I lingered at the threshold, gazing toward the dark waters of the lake, barely visible now in the fading light. Lauren reached back and gently took hold of my elbow, guiding me in. As I looked up at her, I noticed a look of concern tinged with sympathy on her face. Well, who could blame her?
The hospital gown that I wore scratched uncomfortably at my skin, and my coat hung about my shoulders, weighing me down with its keys, wallet, phone and loose change. Lauren flicked on the hallway lighting, casting a dim glow into the house.
“There. Everything okay, Scott?” she asked, a hand resting tenderly on one of my shoulders. I nodded, but failed to convince. She lifted the burdensome coat from me, hanging it on one of the hooks. “You go through, while I lock us in for the night.”
I stepped out of my loose shoes and padded barefoot along the hallway towards the main living space. For a moment the hallway felt like a funhouse corridor, the perspective spiralling and playing tricks on me. I took short steps, the hospital gown catching at my ankles as I grazed my fingers along the wall to keep myself oriented. The space opened out and the ceiling rose above me. Flicking on the main light, I brought a hand up to shield against its intrusive glare. A stark whiteness filled the room and bounced off the tall windows overlooking the lake. The light seemed to find me. It was drawn to me somehow. Exposing me. A wave of self-consciousness hit me, and my hands hugged at my opposite arms, seeking comfort.
“This really is different, isn’t it?” Lauren’s voice came from behind me. I turned to find her eyes drifting up and down the length of my body.
“You can say that again…” I managed hoarsely. I rubbed at my throat. It was still hard to control my vocal pitch. “It’s not every day your husband gets turned into a woman, right?”
* * * * *
“Come on, let’s get sat down,” Lauren said, flopping onto the sofa and patting the seat next to her. She brought her purse to her lap and began to leaf through, pulling out the hospital discharge papers. I looked down at her, seeing her just... getting on with things. But that was Lauren all over. It was one of the things I loved about her. Little ever seemed to faze her. Though… if anything was going to, it would be this. I slid into the sofa beside her, shifting awkwardly as my fuller backside settled against the cushion. Lauren scanned the documents. “So, as the hospital said, you’ve got a clean bill of health. They couldn’t find anything medically wrong with you, just that—”
“Just that I’m a woman,” I finished, in my unfamiliar voice.
“Well… yes,” Lauren said, looking at me, “Not that that’s exactly a medical condition!” She gave a small, slightly hesitant smile, but I still caught her glance. At my chest… She cleared her throat, brushing a strand of her brunette hair back behind her ear. “Uh… well, here’s the papers from Axis Labs...” Lauren shuffled the papers around and began to read, “Dear Mister Carter, we deeply regret the accident you have experienced while working as an employee at Axis Laboratories, and the unexpected effect that exposure to compound B-579H has had upon—“
“Can you believe that!” I blurted out, “All they have to say about… about this… is that it’s an unexpected effect! Like… like I got a rash or something!” My voice cracked unexpectedly.
“I know, I know…” Lauren said, placing a hand on my small shoulder, her thumb rubbing softly against the fabric of the hospital gown. “But… we both agreed we were going to stay calm, remember?” She held my gaze a moment longer than usual.
“Yes, but… it’s just… uh, I don’t even know what I’m saying!” I said, rubbing at my forehead.
I felt Lauren’s hand give a soft squeeze of my shoulder. “How about we look at the positives, okay?” she continued, speaking softly and deliberately, “Firstly, Axis isn’t denying liability, and they’ve said they’re going to be working around the clock to sort this out for you. Second, you’re not dying, you’re not sick…”
“Oh, so I guess I should be grateful?” I hung my head and played with my fingers. My hands seemed so small.
Lauren gazed at me for a moment, her eyes flicking down. “Well… at least you didn’t turn into… I don’t know, a werewolf or something.” She gave me a nudge with her elbow.
“A werewolf!” I was unable to stop myself from laughing at the absurdity of it - of all of this.
“I’m glad you can still smile,” Lauren said, studying my face for a moment. “You know… you look okay… I mean… kind of cute.”
“Uh… I don’t think I needed to hear that!” I replied, sheepishly wiping a strand of blonde hair away from my eyes.
“Sorry… I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Lauren brought a hand up and gently cupped my cheek. She looked thoughtful, as her thumb gently brushed along the smoothness of my jawline. “No,” she said quietly, “definitely not a werewolf.”
I reached up, clasping her hand in both of mine. I was used to my hands enveloping hers with ease. “Lauren… I… I’m sorry. This must be difficult for you as well,” I said.
Lauren’s eyes dropped and for a moment she didn’t answer. “We’re a team,” she said at last. “Whatever we have to do to get through this, we do it together, okay?”
“Yes, a team…” I repeated, and with that I felt a wobble in my lower lip, my eyes unexpectedly moistening.
“Hey, hey… shhh…” Lauren pulled me to her, my head coming to rest upon her shoulder, my longer blonde hair falling across her arm. This wasn’t right! I should be holding her! “We’ll just take it one day at a time, okay?” Lauren soothed. “Tomorrow, we’ll email Axis Labs and see where we stand with all this. And what this means…. for us.”
“I just… I can’t think straight.” I sniffed, taking a steadying breath, trying not to embarrass myself.
Lauren released me gently, but still held my hands. “You look exhausted. How about I go run you a bath? You can take some time to relax and just… breathe.”
I sighed. “I don’t know Lauren…”
“Just… trust me, okay?” she said quietly. She rose from the sofa, her hand still lingering on mine until the last moment.
* * * * *
I leaned against the doorway to the bathroom, watching as Lauren swirled the fragrant waters of the bathtub with her hand. “I’d say that’s about ready,” she said turning and ushering me towards the tub. “I got a towel for you, and a robe. I’ll be in the bedroom… so just shout if you need anything.” She leaned in to plant a small kiss on my forehead. I wasn’t used to her being the taller one.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said, closing the door behind her. As wonderful and supportive as Lauren was, I was glad to have a moment to myself. I stepped in front of the porcelain sink, gripping it with slender hands as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. “Fuck…” I murmured softly, as I saw a woman staring back at me.
Her eyes were a light blue, wide, curious and expressive, with long, full lashes that fluttered when she blinked. Her small nose wrinkled as she seemed to lose herself in her thoughts, along with a slight pouting of her full lips. The woman’s blonde hair was tussled and unkempt and hung in waves, framing her heart-shaped face. She was... pretty. I shook my head in dismay and watched as the woman’s hair swayed in response.
I closed my eyes, taking a long intake of breath to centre myself. I finally took the plunge, bunching up the fabric of my hospital gown in my small hands, drawing it slowly up and over my head. My long hair trailed free and I tossed the gown onto the tiled floor.
I reluctantly lifted my gaze back to the mirror above the sink. The woman stood there topless. There was a soft, even smoothness to her fair skin that continued down, through the contours of her graceful neck, her narrow and poised shoulders, her slender arms, and her small wrists and hands. When I took a breath inwards, I watched as her bare breasts swelled upwards.
The cool air played about my newly sensitive skin, causing it to goosebump. I instinctively rubbed at my arms. The woman in the mirror did the same. Except… this wasn’t just some other person standing across from me, watching me and copying my every move, was it? This was me. I was… that woman. And I didn’t know how to make any sense of that.
I looked down at myself, seeing my breasts from a new angle. They curved outwards from my chest, the nipples thicker than I was used to. I felt a chill go through me as I thought back to the hospital, when I'd first dared to lift the blankets up.
My small hands came up to scoop my breasts, softly holding them, squeezing gently. I don’t know what I had been expecting. Some lightning bolt of sensation to wrack my new body? There was certainly a sensitivity, a tenderness that dissuaded me from squeezing too harshly, but other than that, they just… were. I released my hold and they jostled back into their natural position. I could feel their weight, unfamiliar enough that I had to force my back straight.
I looked down once more, lower this time, past the obstruction of my breasts, to the boxer briefs I wore. They clung awkwardly to me, stretched out too much at the hips and backside, and too loose and baggy at the crotch. Just a regular pair of my boxers… and they didn’t fit me! They didn’t fit this new person I had become. I slid my hands down my sides, feeling how my waist flared out to meet my wider set hips. I hooked my thumbs into the waistband and tugged the briefs down until they dropped and pooled at my small feet.
I took a breath and dared to cast my eyes down between my legs. It wasn’t so much about what I could see. After all, there really wasn’t much to see. Not from this perspective, anyway. Just a light tuft of blonde hair and a sloping inward curve. It was more about what wasn’t there. My manhood — my badge of office as a man, that reliable weight and familiarity — was nowhere to be found. I felt my stomach tighten, just as it had when I'd been forced to sit to pee for the first time. I began to wonder what was affecting me more. Was it being a woman? Or not being a man?
I stepped into the bathtub and gently eased myself into its perfumed waters. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d taken a bath, preferring the efficiency of a shower, but Lauren would often enjoy a long soak, particularly at the weekend. I settled back and closed my eyes. I must have been carrying more tension than I’d realised, because the heat of the water gradually began to soothe my tired body. I’m not even sure how long I lay there, trying to clear my mind — or at least distracting myself with mundanities like ‘when the bins needed to go out’. By the time the bubbles began to clear, revealing my breasts, buoyant in the water, I decided it was time to get out.
Lauren had left a robe and towel on the heated rail. I rubbed myself dry with the towel, noticing that it left my skin a little sensitive afterwards, like I’d been out in the sun a little too long. My hair was now soaked through and clung in heavy tendrils over my neck, shoulders and back. Not knowing what else to do with it, I scooped it up and wrung it out a few times in the sink, sending water splashing everywhere. I flipped it back over my shoulders with a wet slap, having only slightly improved matters. I reached for the bathrobe. In place of my usual navy towelling robe was a plush white one. It must have belonged to Lauren, but I felt too tired to question it. I slid my bare arms into the bathrobe and tied the belt, its softness soothing the sensitivity of my skin. The robe seemed fitted to allow for my more feminine shape, though it disappointingly ended about mid-thigh, exposing more of my legs than I would have liked.
I left the solitude of the bathroom and padded along the hallway towards the bedroom. As I walked, I had a faint sense of my shifted centre of gravity, along with an unfamiliar sway in my hips that caused the hem of my borrowed robe to bounce at my thighs. My hair still hung damp and heavy, and I could feel unwanted rivulets of water running down the back of my neck. I opened the door to the bedroom, finding Lauren sitting on the edge of the bed.
* * * * *
“Hey... how did you get on?” Lauren asked, smiling warmly. She had changed into a silken nightie and her bare legs were crossed one over the other. Her gaze dropped at the sight of me dressed in the white robe.
“Oh… yeah. It was… nice,” I admitted.
“I’m glad it helped,” Lauren said as she uncrossed her legs and rose to her feet. She drew in a soft breath as she stepped closer. “Mm... lavender,” she murmured, almost to herself. “I, uh... I should have got you to pin your hair up—look at this.” Lauren ran her fingers through my wet hair. “We’re going to have to get this dry before bed, otherwise you’ll wake up tomorrow with a bird’s nest!”
Lauren gently placed her hands on my narrow shoulders and guided me over towards her vanity table. “Come sit,” she said, patting the cushioned stool. As I sat down, I came face-to-face with my feminine reflection in the vanity mirror, this time with my wife standing just behind me. She took her paddle brush from the side and began to brush through my hair in long, even strokes. “You’ll have to look after it a bit more now... I mean, just until…” Her voice trailed.
“Yeah… I guess I wasn’t thinking about that,” I replied.
Lauren continued to stroke through my hair with the brush. At one point I closed my eyes, as the repetitive motion began to feel quite soothing. The sudden hum of the hairdryer pulled me back to attention as Lauren started working it through my hair. I’d never really paid much attention to how Lauren dried her own hair before, but now as I watched her dry mine, I noticed how she would work a section at a time. She finished by gently sweeping my hair back over my shoulders, for a few more passes with the brush. “There you go… Scott.” she paused on my name for a moment. “That will do for tonight.” Lauren unplugged the hairdryer and packed it away.
“Thanks,” I said quietly. I reached back, running a hand over my hair, feeling its softness and the lingering warmth.
Lauren watched me for a moment. “It’s been a long day,” she said gently. “I think we could both use an early night.” She turned to open one of her dresser drawers. “Things might seem a little more manageable after some sleep.” When she turned back towards me, I saw that she was cradling some clothing in her hands. “I thought, uh… these might be better for tonight.” She handed me the bundle.
“Wait, what are these?” I asked hesitantly. As I unfolded them, I saw a peach-coloured cotton pyjama set, consisting of a t-shirt and shorts. I hadn’t even thought about what would, or wouldn’t fit me now!
“These will probably feel more comfortable on you, and well, I’ve not really been wearing my PJs so much of late,” Lauren said. “I kind of prefer the freedom of nighties.” Lauren swept her hands over her nightdress, its silky fabric catching the light. It was black with a lace trim around the hem and neckline. “Oh, unless you’d prefer a nightie too?” she added. I couldn’t tell if she was joking or not.
“Uh, no! I mean, this… this is fine,” I said quickly. I stood up from the stool, avoiding Lauren’s gaze. “So, I guess I’ll get changed in the other room...”
“Oh, don’t be silly, you can change here.” Lauren appeared amused. “It’s not like I’m going to be checking you out now, am I?”
“Right…” I said, forcing a small laugh. I was used to getting undressed in front of Lauren, but this time it felt different. I turned my back to her and hesitantly untied my robe. I glanced briefly back over my shoulder before letting it slip to the floor. I felt immediately vulnerable, the exposure causing me to tremble a little.
“Jesus…” Lauren breathed quietly behind me.
I tensed slightly. “What is it?”
“Nothing, just…” She hesitated. “Well, you’ve actually got a really good figure.”
I half-turned toward her and brought a protective arm across my chest. “See? This is why I didn’t want to do this in front of you!” I said irritably as I reached quickly for the pyjama shorts.
“I’m sorry!” Lauren said quickly. “I just didn’t expect… this.” She gestured towards my backside.
I huffed in annoyance. It seemed covering my chest wasn’t enough. There were other curves I hadn't accounted for. I quickly shimmied into the peach-coloured shorts, pulling them up over my hips. The cotton hung light and loose at my thighs.
I picked up the t-shirt and threaded my arms through before pulling it down over my head. It slid over my chest and settled into place, the cotton hanging straight down, rather than clinging. It didn’t hide my shape entirely, but I was grateful it didn’t draw attention to anything either.
“Here, you’ve got your hair caught,” Lauren said softly, stepping up behind me. She reached up and gently drew the strands free from the back of my collar, lifting them over my shoulders. I felt her fingers brush the nape of my neck, and I drew in a quiet breath. She stepped back, seemingly satisfied. “Well, how do they feel on? Better than that hospital gown, right?”
I turned back to face her, now dressed in matching peach cotton t-shirt and shorts. I felt self-conscious, toying with the hem of the tee. “Well, yes, but...“
“I know... it's different.” Lauren's eyes lingered on me for a moment.
I paused, looking up at my wife, feeling small again. “Lauren… this will all be sorted out in a day or two, right?”
Lauren’s eyes softened. “I hope so,” she said. “I really do.”
“So what now, we just continue as normal? What even is normal now?” I began to pace, feeling the loose cotton of the pyjama shorts brushing against my thighs. Lauren stepped forward and lightly held my wrist, steadying me.
“We don’t have to answer that tonight,” she said. I looked at her and let out a shaky breath. “Come here,” she said softly, and her arms encircled me. I felt the comforting warmth of her body against mine. As I rested my head on her shoulder, I was faintly aware of the sensation of our breasts pressing together between us.
* * * * *
We peeled back the bedsheets and I slid into my usual side of the bed. It seemed to swallow my smaller stature as I pulled the covers over me. I watched as Lauren smoothed out her silken nightie before getting into bed beside me.
“Well, uh… good night, Scott,” Lauren said. She leaned over to kiss me. I automatically pursed my lips to receive her, only for her to quickly redirect her kiss to my cheek. I felt myself blush. Of course she wouldn’t want that. Stupid. Lauren flicked off her lamp and I did the same. She rolled onto her left side, as she did every night. And every night I would spoon in behind her, wrapping my arm around her. But now? Now I was smaller, shorter than my wife even. I couldn’t even imagine the practicalities of it now. All I could think about was the awkward kiss, and the strange feel of our bodies when we had hugged. I stared up at the ceiling, tugging the bedsheets toward my chin. “Good night, Lauren,” I said softly in the darkness. Outside the bedroom window, the wind picked up and gently rustled in the trees.
* * * * *