Cosplay Complex

"Vivian... I think we've reached a stage of our relationship where I have to be honest with you and tell you the whole truth."

Vivian stopped in mid-sip and placed her cola back on the disturbingly sticky McDonald's tabletop. If Sam were any normal guy, like her ex-boyfriends, she could expect to be hearing right now that he was in reality, a Mormon/Jew/Satanist and that she'd have to convert to his religion before their relationship could go further. And then she'd lament and resign herself to missing the overly-frequent fumbling around in elevators and trams, not to mention faking 2 orgasms per week. But Sam wasn't really like the kind of boyfriend she was used to having. He'd never progressed beyond holding her hand embarrassedly and he didn't seem like he was ever going to get past first base... but you never know, she told herself. Given everything else that she'd experienced with this relationship, she decided it would be pointless to try to figure out what new surprise lay in wait for her and that she'd just open her mind to it instead.

"Well... I'm sure it's not about you seeing another girl or your being a member of a UFO cult... so just say it..."

Sam seemed to pause a moment at the mention of the UFO cult. "Well... I'm not a member of a UFO cult, if you ever suspected that might be the case." He gulped uncomfortably. "B-but if I tell you this, I might as well be..." He paused again, seemingly unsure of himself. "But I did say I wanted to be honest with you, so here goes." He took a deep breath. "You know already that I'm online a lot, right?"

Vivian nodded. "Those stacks of CDs lying about your room are a dead giveaway. What about it? I know plenty of jocks who hide the fact that they're blog junkies, for example..."

"Well, you see, those CDs aren't music..."

Vivian paused confusedly. They certainly didn't look like pornography, from the careful labels she had seen on them and the impossible number of episodes they seemed to have... 26 sequels to a porn film would probably exhaust all the positions in the Karma Sutra even.

"I'm not sure I understand, but go on..."

Sam gulped. "Try not to look like me as if I'm an alien once I've told you this..." He glanced nervously at Vivian, his hands wrung together and his always half-focused eyes looking at her, sitting opposite him twirling the straw around her fingers. "I'm sort of an... anime addict. D... Does that say anything to you?"

She searched her memory and recalled some of the films he took her to were described as such... but to her they were just beautifully animated films with interesting stories. Far better than the teen slasher flicks her other boyfriends took her too, at any rate.

"Vaguely, perhaps..."

"Vivian... I guess you don't really know what I could be like then. I'd like for us to not meet for a week... and in the meantime you can do a little research and find out more about my... hobby... And if after that you still want to see me, we'll meet here again next week, okay?"

That was a week ago. Vivian clicked her shoes rhythmically on the pavement, walking towards the meeting point, wondering if it was the right thing she was doing. She had heard of some weird, perverse sickos on campus being anime fans, and of the strange "games" they would play... but in her heart, something told her that Sam wasn't that kind of guy. After all, from the weeks she had spent together with him, she knew that he was an introspective guy, perhaps slightly uncomfortable being around people, but he had this empathy that was missing from the relationships that had failed for her, and she just couldn't imagine the somewhat nerdish Sam doing anything perverted to her.

Then again, she told herself, you never know.

Sam was, as usual, already there. She liked his punctuality, as she was a particular person herself. Maybe that was what she liked about him. He always paid attention to the little details, to the little hints women drop and men ignore. He made a genuine effort to notice her, and she felt special when she was with him.

"You... you came."

"That's not a bad thing, is it? Or do you have so little faith in me that you weren't expecting me?"

"No, no... it's just that... most people have a problem accepting the truth about me."

"You don't do anything horrible in your free time, Sam." Vivian hoped that he wasn't one of those perverse ones, breathed deeply and went on. "I find your hobby can be pretty interesting, actually... even if I don't know much about it."

Sam seemed very relieved to hear what she just said, and leaned forward closer to her. "Well... if you have the time and interest, I can always show you more... those films you saw with me were some examples..."

"I found them nice. I'd certainly like to see more of those... slowly, maybe - not too much too fast."

"I... I have a special request to make of you. Would you come back to my place with me..." He glanced at her, nervous again. His hands were moving around deftly, his fingers twining about each other. "I promise you I won't do anything that would hurt you."

His eyes looked so pleading and innocent that Vivian didn't quite have the heart to refuse. She was feeling a twinge of fear, but maybe it was just excitement and her racing heart was just confusing her mind. At any rate, she felt compelled to go, some sort of perhaps morbid curiosity driving her to find out just what he wanted of her. If it was really just sex, she could always leave... But she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

****

It wasn't a long walk to his apartment, Vivian noted to herself - which might explain why he was always punctual. She was standing in front of his door now, and it looked as nondescript as Sam. It was just any other apartment where an average college student lived in, from the outside. With one smooth motion he inserted the key into the doorknob, unlocked it with a twist of the wrist and pushed the door inward gently. He looked at Vivian who seemed to be reconsidering at the prospect of actually stepping in - she had stood at his door many times now, but this would be a big step she'd be taking here.

"Erm, if you don't mind, could you take your sandals off before stepping in? Your feet might feel a little cold at first, but you'll get used to it."

Vivian looked down at the floor absent-mindedly and noticed for the first time that the floor was not the usual wood, but rather set with stone tiles that seemed smooth but not slippery. She slipped her feet out of her sandals gracefully and handed them to Sam, who placed them on a well-ordered shoe rack next to the door.

"This is it," Vivian thought to herself, "can't get cold feet now!" she chuckled inwardly, trying her best to stop being edgy and nervous.

"I tried to clean the place up a bit, but as you can see one can't really say I succeeded. I'm just not much of a neat guy, I guess."

"That's okay, Sam; you know I'm not exactly a neat freak."

"But... well, I thought you'd be the kind of person who'd notice something like that and care about it."

"Actually, I'm the kind of person who's grown used to noticing things and glossing them over as being unimportant. Bad habit probably - I blame my loutish ex-boyfriends for desensitising me. But back to the important question: What exactly do you want from me?"

Vivian sat down on Sam's bed, dragging her toes along the floor playfully. She had expected the floor to be cold and unforgiving, like those she had grown to know in the ballet classes in her childhood, but they were surprisingly warm and the very slightly rough texture caressed her feet. It was a nice sort of floor - the kind that gives you feedback, not like the cold, hard, exacting waxed wooden floors she was used to. "Kind of like how Sam is compared to my other boyfriends," she thought to herself.

She looked around and noticed that other than the countless CDs lying around stacked semi-neatly in the room, Sam had some unusual posters on his walls that she had never noticed before. Suddenly she realised that he had always opened the door in such a way that she would never see them from the outside, as if he was embarrassed by them. But to Vivian, they were enchanting. The outfits on the anime characters were flowing and naughty in their own way, but never blatant in their eroticism. And they had such innocent faces too...

"I hope the wallscrolls aren't disturbing you - I think some girls find it strange for men to like such strange things." Sam was looking through a large cupboard at the end of the room, his back turned to her. Vivian noticed that he had a full-length mirror - a very rare item to find in a man's room.

Finally, Sam turned around. He had a roll of measuring tape in one hand, the kind a dressmaker would use, and he held up a dress that superficially resembled what might be a schoolgirl's uniform in some anime that he watched. Vivian had seen such uniforms before while doing her "research" and knew that it was one of the common "obsessions" associated with anime fans. She wondered what he wanted her to do now... it didn't seem to be her size; did he want her to put it on or something?

"I told you I'm an anime fan, but that's only half the truth." Sam's shoulders sunk slightly and he went on. "I also make cosplay costumes for other fans."

"You mean... you can sew? And you make costumes?"

"Yes, if you look closely at my desk, there are some pictures I've taken with my creations." Sam glanced over and noticed belatedly that they were mostly with girls. He blushed and Vivian noticed that he was a little embarrassed about it. But she found herself fascinated by the costumes. They were all very professionally made, and they looked like very good copies to her - not that I know what they're supposed to be, she told herself. She turned back to Sam, who was gulping.

"It's a pastime I enjoy. I like making costumes, and other people like wearing them. I'm happy and they're happy. I don't like dressing up myself, but I like dressing other people up."

"Who are those girls?"

"Other fans. I meet them at the conventions I go to. Sometimes when they want a costume of a character that I happen to want to make, they commission me for it."

Vivian felt a little surprised at learning of Sam's secret social life, and a little bewildered at the sheer number of girls he must have met by now. Suddenly the question "Why me?" was starting to materialize in her head.

"I... when I first saw you, I thought of the perfect costume for you. I just couldn't think of anything else except to dress you up..." Sam looked at her earnestly. "I hope you don't think I'm a pervert now."

"I... I'm just trying to take it all in, Sam. But go on, what is this request?"

"I want to make you a costume. A very special one. Will you wear it for me? That's all I ask of you."

"It's not that one you're holding, is it?"

"No, no, this one is just an example. I'd have to take your measurements to make one that falls well."

"Well... I don't see anything wrong with that. Compared to my ex who wanted me to stick a cucumber up my ass, I don't think you could ask me to do anything *too* weird..."

Sam flinched. He seemed to have imagined the pain Vivian would've felt had she tried that.

"And no... I dumped him. Cucumbers belong in salad, not in bodily orifices."

Vivian felt sort of relieved that he didn't want anything kinky out of her, and that he really seemed as innocent as he looked. Sam was putting the costume back into his cupboard, but he still had the tape in his hand.

"Could you stand up a moment so that I can measure you?"

Vivian stood up and laughed a little laugh of relief. "I've never been measured by a guy before... not even by my crazy scientist boyfriend."

"Try to relax; I'll be careful not to do anything embarrassing."

Sam unwound the measuring tape and in an instant he was behind her and the tape around her waist. He moved quickly, and the tape was brushing all over against her clothes, leaving a soft tingle where it had slid past, on her arms, against the back of her jeans, at the shoulders and against the nape of her neck. "Do you always do this?" she asked.

Sam paused for a moment and answered, unsure what she thought of it. "Yes, if you want a good fit you always have to be precise." His hands went back into motion and Vivian felt as if two spiders were crawling on her clothes; only it didn't disturb her at all.

Sam seemed to have paused again, but Vivian could still feel his breath on her back. "This could be a little uncomfortable, but please bear with it for a moment... could you lift your arms up a bit?"

Vivian felt a little uncertain, but Sam's reassuring voice had already told her that he meant no harm, and she complied, lifting her arms away from her body. She heard Sam coming closer from behind her, and all at once the tape had been stretched across her chest with one of his hands and his other hand reached from behind her, enclosing her in something like a wide embrace. She could feel the gentle tension of the tape against her breasts, Sam's hands holding it together with a practiced tenderness so as to not make the girl uncomfortable. As quickly as the tape had been drawn across her petite bosom, it was pulled back and away with that gentle flair that Sam had in all his mannerisms. Vivian felt her back tense, and there was a subtle electricity on her skin from all the caressing touches the measuring tape had made. Sam was scribbling down something and she heard him approach again from behind.

"I'm sorry, I think I messed it up that time... I'll have to take it again." He seemed sheepish, and Vivian wondered if he could have really messed it up, given the experience he seemed to exhibit. "Fine, go ahead," she said, with a wink to herself.

Sam stretched out his arms under her lifted arms, the tape in one hand. But as he moved over with one hand to reach across her chest, Vivian caught his hands and placed them on her chest gently.

Sam gasped soundlessly behind her. His hands were wavering now, like how they did whenever she noticed him nervous. Slowly, she pulled him closer to her until his chest was against her back. "If you really want to touch them, all you have to do is ask, Sam... I'm not sure if you want me the way I want you, but you're a guy and I'm a girl and there's certain things we do..."

Sam's face rested against her neck from the back, his curly hair tickling her exposed neck and brushing her own short, cropped hair. "Not yet, Vivian, not yet..." To her surprise (or maybe a tinge of disappointment), the expected erection pressing into her rear end was absent. Sam kissed her between her shoulder blades and pushed her away gently. "Come back next week when it's done..."

Vivian turned around and looked at him, confused by his behaviour. Had she come on a bit too strong?

"I'm sorry if I've hurt you... but please, come back next week... and things will be different. I promise."

Vivian nodded soundlessly and picked her sandals up from the shoe rack, dropped them onto the floor lightly and slipped into them, the muscles in her feet tensed like the rest of her body. She bent down to massage her feet for a while so that she wouldn't get a cramp and left for home to calm herself down.

****

The day had come at last. Vivian had not seen much of Sam at the college in the past week, but from all accounts he was going to his classes as usual. She wondered how much work went into one of his creations, given his attention to detail. "Well," she said to herself, "I'm about to find out." She took a deep breath and knocked on his door.

She heard a click from inside, and the door opened. Sam stood at the door, and she could see that he had laid out what looked to be a short red dress on his bed. "I'll be outside until you've changed; open the door when you're done?"

Vivian nodded and unhooked her sandals off her feet, placed them on the shoe rack, and stepped in, closing the door behind her. She walked over to the bed and examined the dress. It had a rich, velvety look one would associate with a heavy material, but when she picked it up it felt very light and soft to the touch. She turned it around and found a zip hidden in the back running down to the waist of the dress. Holding it up in front of herself at the mirror, she found that it would come down to slightly above the knee. Now she understood why he had such a mirror. She turned away from the mirror and took her clothes off and put on the dress.

A few moments later, she opened the door. Sam was leaning against a railing, his eyes looking away into the distance. Vivian tapped him on his shoulder.

Slowly, Sam turned around, as if mustering the strength to look at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "It's wonderful, Sam. I love it. I'm proud to be wearing this." She hugged him, her warmth all over him. Slowly, she felt his arousal rising. She had been worried the last time that he did not find her attractive, but those worries were gone now. She pulled him back into the apartment and he closed the door with a quick flick of his ankle and twist of the key.

Vivian lay on the bed. It wasn't the first time she had lain in the bed of a man, but she had never felt so nervous before. Her head was swimming with ideas of what he would do to her, of how he would undress her and inspect every inch of her body. The dress was not helping. The soft material had fallen between her thighs and was rubbing there softly, and she could feel it too on the parts of her breasts her bra left exposed. Sam seemed to be taking forever, standing only a few feet away from the bed. How she wished he would just come and take her now.

She felt his hands on the hem, lifting the dress slowly until her legs were completely exposed. Vivian felt thankful now she had put on her favourite panties, but unfortunately they were going to end up soaked now, she thought to herself, especially if he doesn't hurry up. Sam was nuzzling gently against her thighs, like a puppy would rub against its mother. He looked up at her and she nodded to the unasked question.

Sam removed his glasses and put them on the table next to the bed. His hands took hold of the band of her panties, and his fingers slipped under the band. Vivian felt tense in anticipation.

"Relax... I hate it when you're all tensed up like that," said Sam dolefully. He looked at her and she could see the tears forming in his eyes. "Do you know what drew me to you when I met you? It was the innocence in those eyes, the innocence of someone who knows of pleasure unburdened by guilt."

"But... you know I'm not innocent. Not when it comes to this."

"But you are... you just don't realise it yourself. Whenever you're not thinking too hard, trying to punish yourself for what you've done in the past, you revert to the girl I fell in love with."

Vivian looked up at all the posters on the walls around her, at the expressions on the girls' faces. She thought she had lost the ability to look like that, but as Sam was telling her, she had only forgotten how to be happy and naïve. It wasn't a sin to make love and enjoy it, she told herself reassuringly. "It's a sin not to enjoy it."

"Now... relax, and don't be embarrassed, because I can't see quite so well without my glasses."

Vivian found herself laughing, at herself perhaps for being silly and overthinking herself into unhappiness. "Look what's happened - now this has become a scene out of one of those hentai games where the protagonist sees a blurred bit between the girl's legs!"

Sam smiled and pulled her panties down, dropping them on the floor. He reached between her legs, spreading them slightly, planting kisses there in the heart of her tenderness. Vivian could hardly control herself now, and she was shifting about, the dress rubbing against her skin, arousing her even more.