Bloom Pt. 02

James woke up slowly, feeling warm and safe. He lay on his side, and snuggled into the warm body holding him from behind. There was an arm holding him close, and he heard gentle snores coming from behind him. He had never felt so relaxed in his life. He reached up and adjusted the bra strap on his shoulder.

The bra strap on his shoulder. With a start, he opened his eyes and looked down, taking in his somewhat chubby, hairy body, wearing a bra and with a pair of panties around one ankle.

"Oh, god," he said, jumping out of bed. Kelsey stirred sleepily.

"James? You okay?" But James was already up, with his clothes gathered, and out of the room. He ran around the apartment until he found the bathroom, and locked himself into it. He heard Kelsey softly padding her way to him. "Uh, guess not, hon. You wanna talk about it?"

James groaned, looking at himself in the mirror. "I, uh," he said. "I don't know. It's kind of a lot. I don't know what to do here." His reflection was still made up, and instead of his usual scruffy look, he saw a gorgeous woman. "Can I, uh... take some time to clean up?"

"Oh, god, of course! Take all the time you need! The whole shower is yours to use."

James sighed, and reached behind himself to undo the bra. It took a minute; the hooks were almost as finicky to undo as they were to put on. He finally got it off, but couldn't help grimacing at the marks he saw in the mirror. The bra marks were fine, but in conjunction with his body hair... he frowned, and kicked the panties off of his leg. Standing there naked, he felt a sense of loss. No more soft fabric caressed his body. He turned to the shower, fumbled with the knobs for a moment, and managed to get a pleasantly hot stream of water. He stepped in, and let the heat relax him. There was something incredibly pleasant about stepping into someone else's shower to find that the heat and pressure were just right, like it was made for you. James let out a moan of relief.

He spent longer than he should have in the shower, but something about it felt good to him, helped him relax. Kelsey's bathroom was very comfortable and homey, and it steamed up in just the right way. Something in him felt very natural and comfortable in here, but he couldn't quite figure out why. Even the flowery-scented soap, which he'd normally avoid, was pleasant in here. He took his time drying off and getting dressed, glad to be somewhat relaxed.He finally opened the door, steam billowing out after him.

Kelsey looked at him for a moment. "C'mere," she said, and rubbed above his eye for a second. "A little eyeliner was left; figured you didn't want to leave that on. You doing okay?"

James shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry for freaking out. I just... I don't know." He shook his head slowly, and crossed his arms, pulling in on himself a little. "Forgot who and where I was for a second. Didn't expect to wake up like that. And I just... I've been used to holding that down somewhere, I guess. So it's hard to... y'know... know that someone else has seen it. Scary." He looked down at his feet, avoiding eye contact. "Am I, like... still a man?"

Kelsey moved to hug him, but he pulled away. "Oh, hon. Of course you are. Your gender doesn't have anything to do with this. You are whatever you feel like you are. What you do with sex, in your own time... that's not gender. Gender isn't anything other than who you are, you know?"

James looked up. "You've put some thought into this."

Kelsey smirked. "And you haven't. The she/they pronouns ain't just for show, pretty boy. I remember you introducing yourself earlier; you'd never thought about your pronouns in your life." She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder; James realized how close she was in height to him. "I know this is tough, and we just did some gender play stuff, and that can kinda throw you. It's okay. For some people it means something for their gender, but it doesn't have to. And I know you've been keeping this hidden for a while, and having it come out like this, with someone new... it's scary." James nodded. He still had his arms crossed, pulling into himself. Every muscle was tensed.

"Breathe, man, breathe. It's gonna be okay." Kelsey rubbed his back, and felt James relax a little. "And don't worry about us; this doesn't have to be anything more than a bit of fun. We just tried something together, and it was a good time."

James nodded. "I did like it," he said, quietly. "Just... you know how things are."

"Yeah," Kelsey said, "I really do. It's okay. I won't tell anyone, and there's no need to ever do this again if you don't want to."

James took a few deep breaths, and finally let his arms relax. "Wow, that, uh... I hadn't quite realized how scared I was about this," he said. "Thank you. For doing it and for talking about it. But... I think I should go. I really need to take some time to think about some stuff." He shook his head, like trying to clear cobwebs from it. "It's been a lot today."

Kelsey nodded. "Okay," she said, grabbing her purse, and beginning to rummage through it. "But first, here's my number. If you ever want to play more Magic, or talk about things, or just hang out." She held out a card. James took it from her and pocketed it without looking. He looked back as he left, and she made a heart symbol with her hands. He shook his head and chuckled, then left.

It wasn't until James got home that he realized, in his haste, he had put Kelsey's panties back on when getting dressed. He felt them against him, silky, soft, and smooth; they smoothed out his bulge under his pants and left him with a smaller crotch than usual.

"...fuck," said James. Now he was stuck with a pair of panties. Ones that had a little precum in them, at that. He didn't feel ready to turn around and admit to Kelsey what he had done, and he didn't know when he'd be ready to, and he really didn't want to leave a sticky, cum-stained pair of panties laying around. He had to wash them, and he had to do it now. His roommate was gone at the moment, so he hurried around his room, gathering laundry off the floor so he would have something as camouflage so the panties would be harder to notice. He got changed and tossed them into the pile, and was surprised by how much he missed how they felt on him, and how quickly it set in.

It was early in the week for him to be doing his laundry, so there wasn't that much, but it seemed like enough. James was lucky enough to have an apartment with its own washer and dryer, and just as he was closing the lid to start the cycle, he heard the apartment door close.

"James! Where you at! Better not be naked!" Miranda walked in, gym bag in hand. She was tall, fit, athletic, and just a little androgynous; James often wondered why they were friends, or how they got along, but something between them worked, despite being each others' opposite.

"Hey, now, that was, like, one time," James said, blushing a little. His heart pounded in his chest, and he felt intensely aware of what was in the washer behind him. "And you weren't supposed to be home for another eight hours. Besides, I'm doing the opposite of that right now." He gestured at the washer. "I'm making sure you'll never see me naked again." He grimaced inside, terrified at bringing attention to the laundry.

"Aw, never? Darn. I'll have to go somewhere else to see dudes whackin' it by only the light of their laptop screen." She smiled at him; it was an old joke between them, and only a little embarrassing for James these days. He was just glad she hadn't seen what was on the screen.

"Anyway, I'm gross from the gym. I'm gonna go clean up a bit. Don't worry about dinner or anything; I ate earlier." She left the room, and he heard the bathroom door close. A few minutes later, the shower started. James sat in the living room the entire time, anxiously waiting for the washer to finish. He knew his best chance was while she was still in the shower, but how much longer did he have? Was it enough time? Seconds dragged by, each moment lasting forever, sliding into the next one, as James was anxiously pulled bit by bit through time.

FInally, the washer stopped. The shower was still going; this was a long one for her. He hurriedly pulled everything out, threw it in the dryer, and started it, just as the shower stopped. James started to step away, but felt something wet and cold under his foot.

Wet, cold, and very soft. He looked down. It was the panties. He picked them up in a panic, heart beating loud in his ears. He turned, ripped the dryer open, threw them in, and slammed it shut, starting the cycle again.

"Wow, violent," said Miranda, walking out in just a towel. Steam wafted around her; James sniffed, and realized she and Kelsey used the same soap. The same soap James himself had used earlier. His heart fluttered at that thought; he tamped it down and chose not to wonder at the response.

"Yeah, y'know, gotta show it who's boss, figure out who the alpha male is." James jokingly flexed, knowing full well that Miranda had bigger muscles than him.

"Yup, the alpha in here, that's you." Miranda rolled her eyes, but smiled at the joke. She flexed just a little, enough to show off. "Definitely the biggest biceps in the room."

"Yeah, yeah, get outta here before you drip everywhere, you reek of flowers." Miranda flicked water at him from her wet fingers as she left the room.

James sat down in his room, a little calmer, and finally pulled out the new Zelda. He'd been waiting a while to play it, and he finally had some time. But no matter what he tried, he struggled to get into it; he kept getting distracted, and couldn't seem to focus.

"Maybe something more familiar for now, then," he muttered to himself, and turned to his PC. He looked through the list of installed games, and decided on Fallout: New Vegas. Opening it up, it felt like coming home; the Western-themed intro, the broken neon lights, the look of the Courier... James chose to start a new game. He hesitated at the gender selection for a minute, before finally choosing to play as a woman.

He spent more time than he ever had before working on his character's face; the character creation for New Vegas wasn't particularly robust, but he had enough options to try some things. Once she was created, he relaxed into the game, thoroughly enjoying the opening town. It pulled him in like it had the first time he'd played, and he only left his room to get a bit of food so he could get back to the game. He lost all track of time, immersed in the game.

Eventually, Miranda knocked on his door, then opened it and peered in. "Hey, uh, I had to do some wash cuz my gym clothes had The Big Stank, and you've been in there for a while, so I had to pull your stuff out. It's in your basket for you." She turned away, and James saw just a hint of a smirk on her face. He felt numb. As soon as she was gone, he bolted into the living room, heart hammering again, and found his clothes in a rumpled pile in his laundry basket. Laid on top, folded nice and flat, were Kelsey's panties. Stuck to them was a sticky note, with Miranda's oddly flowery handwriting spelling out, "No judgment!"

James groaned softly, dragged his laundry back to his room, and shut the door.

Early the next morning, James woke up to his alarm on his phone blaring. He fumbled around in the dark until he found it and shut it off. He showered quickly, and went back to his room to get dressed. There, still on top of his laundry, were Kelsey's panties. Before he could think about it too much, he picked them up and slipped them on, then put his regular clothes on over them. They were just as soft as the day before, just welcoming. He tried not to think about the fact that they weren't his, and that he wasn't sure what Kelsey would say if she knew.

James was in an excellent mood when he arrived at work. He had his favorite music playing, the commute was the easiest it had been in a while, and everything just seemed... easy. He breezed into the bagel shop where he worked, a smile on his face.

James greeted his coworkers cheerfully. They eyed him nervously; this was not his usual style. Justiss, the shorter of the two, looked him up and down before opening her mouth to sneer, "What do you have to be so happy about?" Shayna, their other coworker, smirked and chuckled.

James froze, the smile fading from his face. James had worked here for a year now, and he had never gotten along with his coworkers. It was always like that, and truth be told, he dreaded every day he had to work with them. He started to respond the way he always did, withdrawing into himself and trying to pretend he didn't really exist, just to get through the day. Then he stopped, looked Justiss straight in the eyes, and said simply, "I got laid last night." He donned his apron and walked out to the front counter, smiling at their shocked expressions.

His day breezed by, James's good spirits pushing him through. Everything seemed like it was clicking for him for once, and he was barely even bothered by how frequently Justiss and Shayna stared at him and whispered with each other.

Sometime in the mid-afternoon, James was just finishing up cleaning the front line during a lull when he heard the front door open and shut. He looked up as the next customer walked in; His usual greeting rolled off of his tongue before he realized just who he was looking at.

It was Kelsey. She grinned sheepishly. "Hey," she said, playing with a strand of her hair. "I, uh, wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed a little shaken last night." She stopped, noticing James's surprised look. "Oh! Um, I'm not stalking you. I asked Quentin where you worked. He may have given me his number. And by may, I mean did. So that's. Um. That's how I found you."

James blinked and shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both Shayna and Justiss staring openly. Justiss's mouth was open a little. James looked at them and winked, then turned his attention back to Kelsey.

"Hey, I've got a fifteen I'm due for; you wanna go sit outside and chat for a bit?" Kelsey nodded. James took off his apron and grabbed a coffee for the both of them. He eyed his coworkers as he filled them up, and as he stepped away Kelsey slipped her arm into his and looked at them pointedly. They walked out and around the corner; there was a little outdoor dining area set up on the patio. They sat down together; Kelsey nervously sipped her coffee, but James relaxed and sat back in his seat, enjoying the open air. He took a deep breath, a satisfied smile on his face.

Kelsey looked at James approvingly. "Well, damn, don't you look good. I was all worried you'd be a mess, but you seem amazing." She set her coffee down, leaned forward, and smiled at him. "So, what's up? You were so shaken when you left. Something happen?"

James chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know. Things have just been clicking for me today, I guess. It's a nice day, work was easy... and those assholes in there were a little easier to ignore today. Not sure why." He shifted in his seat for a moment, and stopped suddenly at the sensation.

"Oh, my god," he said, looking at her, wide-eyed in surprise. "I can't -- how could I forget about this? There's, um. There's one big thing that's different today." He leaned in close, and muttered quietly, "I, uh, may be wearing your panties again today."

Kelsey stared in surprise for a moment, before recovering, a warm smile on her face. "May be? Or are?" She batted her eyes playfully.

"Okay, I definitely am." He grinned. "I dunno, I just... they're comfortable? And I feel... good in them? I dunno, something just kinda works with them and me. I was kinda worried you'd be annoyed if you found out, but, uh, you seem kinda excited." Kelsey nodded, eyes wide open.

"Yeah, it's uh... it's really goddamn hot, is what it is," Kelsey agreed. She leaned forward, clearly looking down at James's crotch. James couldn't help but stare down her shirt at her cleavage, then looked away, embarrassed. Kelsey stopped and looked at him, seeing the distress on his face. "Hey," she said. "It's okay. You can look. I'm fully staring at your crotch, and I've got them on display for a reason. Actually... is there anywhere private around here?"

James looked around. "Uh, there's the storage shed there. For cleaning supplies and stuff. It can latch from the inside. It's not, uh, super soundproof, though?"

Kelsey out on a shocked face, hand held to her chest in indignation. "Soundproof? Why, James, what on earth are you planning to do to me in there?" She grinned. "Probably the same thing I'm planning. C'mon!"

James unlocked the padlock on the small shed, and ushered Kelsey in. Inside, it was dimly lit from light filtering in through the one small window set high into the wall, near the roof's peak. Metal shelves were covered in cleaning solutions and supplies; spare mopheads were stacked high, and wheeled buckets and mop handles sat in the corner.

James latched the door after they entered; no one should be able to come in while they were there. "There's no food kept in here, so we oughta be okay as far as, uh, cleanliness is concerned, " he said, looking around. "Um. What did you.."

Kelsey turned to face him, and pointed down at his crotch. "Show me. I want to see."

James slowly reached for his pants, watching Kelsey. She was intent, staring with longing while he undid his belt. When he unsnapped the button and revealed the first bit of the lace hem, she gasped. Slowly, he unzipped the fly. If he was being honest, this had started slow because he was nervous, but he was enjoying the tease. He liked the way Kelsey was watching, and liked dragging it out for her. Finally, his fly undone, he started to pull his pants down, then on a whim turned around and bent over as he did. He heard Kelsey gasp, and start breathing heavier. He finally let his pants drop to the floor around his ankles and stood still, his back still to Kelsey.

He stood there waiting, and felt a gentle touch caressing him from behind. Kelsey touched him gently through the panties, just gently enough that he could barely feel it. "Is this okay?" she breathed behind him. James moaned gently and nodded. She touched him more fully, then grabbed his cheek, giving it a firm squeeze. James let out another moan.

"Can you turn around for me? I want to see the front, babe." James obeyed, standing up and turning slowly. Kelsey kept her hand on him as he turned, brushing across the smooth fabric. He shuddered as she came across the front and brushed against his bulge, held tight in the smooth and stretchy fabric. She gave that a long, slow caress, dragging her nails up and down his shaft, just barely showing through the panties. James shuddered and gasped with each touch. Finally, she reached out and pulled the hem of the panties down, exposing him to the air. She took him in her hand and started stroking his soft shaft.

"Mmm, such a pretty little thing here. I love having her in my hands," Kelsey purred as she stroked. James moaned, and she stroked faster, then stopped. "Hey, hon? Is, uh... something going on? Something wrong? Usually there's more, uh.. response down here when I do this." She lifted his member, soft and flaccid.

James grimaced. "Yeah, um... sorry. I'm just... I'm at work, and it's a little public, and I'm nervous," he said.

Kelsey blinked. "Oh! Um, do you want to stop? We don't have to do this, especially here. Kinda... don't want you to get fired or anything."

James chucked. "No, we all know there have been hookups in here before, and I don't care about that. I just, uh... maybe... need something more visual to help?" He looked at her cleavage again.

"Aha," Kelsey said. "The real horn dog emerges. Well, I've seen a lot of you, so it's only fair you get to see a little more of me." She began pulling her shirt off, nice and slow, teasing James the whole time. When she got to her breasts she pulled it tight under them, and inched it up slowly, until it reached a point where it couldn't be held up any longer and popped up over them, revealing two incredibly shapely breasts held up by a lacy black bra. James stared as she pulled her shirt over her head, making her breasts jiggle. She looked him in the eye and reached behind her back, fiddling for a moment before bringing her hands forward again, the two ends of her bra band held between them. She shrugged her shoulders forward and the straps fell off, and letting go of the band, the entire thing fell to the floor. Her breasts hung there, exposed entirely for James. She had a cluster of stars tattooed on the left one, and her nipples were small and pink. She stood up. "Would you like to touch them?"