Echo

A low buzz filled the restaurant, accompanied by the clink of silverware against bone china plates.

Todd stood by at the end of the bar to survey the tables, but, more importantly, to watch the hostess and the doorway beyond.

The hostess was a sight to behold with black slacks that outlined her hips and ass tight enough to show a gap between her thighs. Her loose blouse billowed around her body. He smirked when she turned to guide a guest. A long, V-shaped cut in the center of her blouse did little to hide the swell of her breasts while her curly black hair bounced against the middle of her back as she walked between the tables.

Todd lifted his tumbler to his lips, sipping the golden whiskey while following the woman with his eyes. Ruffles waved on the edges of the blouse's cut while her loose breasts bounced and his smirk widened into a hungry smile.

When the woman returned to her station, he rested back with his elbows on the bar to stare openly. His eyes flowed down her body, from the tip of her head and her glossy hair down to her ass. He could almost feel the strands of her hair winding around his fingers in his imagination, as he bent her over with his free hand lifting her hip. Pulling hard as she moaned and begged for him to-

Another woman stepped through the doors, past the small waiting area and up to the lectern in front of the hostess. He studied her and sighed. His date had arrived.

"Jane," he whispered just before tossing back the rest of his drink.

Her name fit her well, he thought. Generic - much like she looked. Different from her photos on the app but not much - more flattering lighting than outdated pictures from years ago. He'd expected as much despite hoping otherwise. Her mousey brown hair was held back by chopsticks and he thought her glasses were too large for her face.

Attractive enough, he told himself before cocking his head slightly to look her over once more. Well, at least not unattractive.

Todd strolled, unhurriedly, taking his time while his date tried to explain that she was meeting someone who already had reservations. When he was over halfway to her, she looked up, squinted and then smiled with a little wave of her hand.

"I already have a table, thank you," Todd told the hostess with a warm, welcoming, hungry smile.

He reached out to wrap his arm around Jane and she flinched at the unexpected contact. Her mouth opened, as if she would complain about the touch, but she closed it and walked stiffly with him until they reached their table.

"Ah!" Todd said, stopping with his hand on the back of her chair. He chuckled while she stared at him, puzzled by the sudden outburst.

"Is- is everything alright?" She asked.

"Oh, no, it's nothing, just a random thought," he told her while pulling her chair back.

Plain Jane, the words echoed in his mind. How apt.

After pushing her seat forward, he took his own seat and a waiter joined them immediately. The young man placed a drinks menu on the table, but Todd returned it.

"We'll take a bottle of your house wine - red, thank you," Todd told him.

"Very good, May I bring anything else?" the waiter asked while filling their glasses with water. Once finished, he placed the carafe near the edge of the table.

"No, that's all, thank you," Todd told him.

"Very good. And would you like your wine now or with dinner?" the waiter inquired.

"Now," Todd said.

"So, Jane, it's a pleasure to finally meet you," Todd lied. They'd messaged only two days on the dating app before he asked her out. She'd hesitated until he'd let some disinterest creep into the conversation - a subtle threat to write her off and find someone else. Not that he was only planning to see her. There were three other women he was actively chatting with and one was meeting him next week.

"Oh! Oh, yes, thank you for meeting me. And- and for dinner!" she added, looking up briefly before staring back down at her menu. "It's all so- Oh, gosh, it's expensive. I- I didn't- I didn't know. I mean, I'd heard it was expensive, but I didn't know it'd be this much."

"It's fine, it's my treat," he told her. She wore a sweater that hid her figure yet they did nothing to hide her enormous chest. Her one redeeming feature in his eyes and the only reason he'd continued to message her after the initial kneejerk swipe. "Order whatever you like."

"You're- you're a lot more attractive than in your pictures," Jane said suddenly. She flinched at her words and forced her head down to her menu. "Umm. Umm.. It's just- I've been on a few dates and most of them use really old pictures."

He smiled lazily and wondered if she was looking for a compliment in return.

"Thank you," he told her. "I like to keep in shape. I truly do believe the old adage that your body is a temple."

A single drop of sweat formed on his brow. It beaded, wobbled and fell, tracing a path down to his earlobe where he reached up to pinch and then wipe it away.

"Time at the gym working out is never wasted," he continued. "And it creates a base for general health as well as self confidence. I feel like it's a shame if someone has never been able to enjoy their body at its peak performance."

He grimaced when a cramp dug into his stomach, but it passed quickly and he massaged himself just beneath his breastbone. Another drop of sweat rolled down his forehead and around the edge of his eye while a third drop fell between his shoulder blades.

Something in his voice made Jane look up at him after marking her place with her finger.

"Are you okay? You- you look a little pale," she said, her brow furrowed with concern.

He waved his left hand with his fingers spread but tugged at the collar of his button-down shirt with his right hand.

"I'm fine," he told her before redirecting the conversation. "Have you decided?"

"Oh! Yes, I think so," she answered.

He caught his waiter's attention before groaning and pressing his hand into his stomach.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter asked.

"I'll have the steak, medium rare with potatoes and asparagus," Todd said.

"And for the lady?" the waiter prompted.

"I'll- I'll have the house salad with chicken, please," Jane told him while folding her menu to hand up to the waiter.

"Very good. I'll be back with a basket of our bread and your wine," the waiter told them. He took Todd's menu to add to Jane's menu and left the table.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Jane asked.

"I'm- I think-" Todd struggled to say. He craned his neck while pulling at his undershirt. "Excuse me."

He pushed his chair back and staggered as he stood, barely catching himself on the table. Another cramp knifed through him and he turned while clearing sweat from his top lip. He could feel how cold and clammy his skin was and his hand shook when he wiped it against his pant leg.

Todd shaded his eyes as he walked. The dining room was suddenly too bright and the noise of the patrons was too loud. Conversations buzzed while his ears rang with the sounds of rustling cloth and forks scraping knives. He burst into the bathroom just in time to grip the edge of a sink.

A single drop of sweat hung from the tip of Todd's nose when he bowed his head. Waves of heat followed a strange iciness that left him shivering when hormones washed through his body. When he trusted himself enough to stand on his own, he turned on the faucet. Todd cupped his hands together beneath the running water and bent further to splash it against his face. He repeated the gesture and then held onto the sink once again as the cramps began to recede.

He inhaled slowly with his eyes closed before exhaling. Water dripped from his nose and chin. When he looked up to check himself in the mirror, he screamed.

A woman stood silently behind him when he knew he'd been alone.

No. His brain shifted gears, realigning his perception with reality.

His reflection wasn't showing and the woman was reeling with a look of startled horror on her face, the same as he felt.

She was alone in the bathroom. Dressed in his suit with the top three buttons open to show the hint of her breasts. Thick, luxurious red curls framed her heart-shaped face.

Todd moved and she moved in his place.

"What-?" he asked and her mouth asked the question with her eyes narrowing in confusion.

He'd seen the insipid videos shared by some of his colleagues where twins played a prank on people, moving together as if a mirror separated them, only for one of them to suddenly act differently to scare the third party. His brain frantically tried to associate with those videos in an effort to force sense into the situation.

He jerked his hand unexpectedly and she followed his movements exactly. When he slapped his chest, her hand folded over her breasts and his mirror-reflected shirt quivered when the woman's tits shook from the impact.

"What- what the fuck is this?" he asked.

Todd held his hands out before him and she repeated the gesture exactly. He stared past his thick fingers with trimmed nails to the long, red painted nails tipping her slender, hairless fingers.

He licked his lips and her tongue ran over her full, pouting lips in return. When Todd glanced towards the door, she followed, staring back at him when he looked into the mirror once more.

His shaking fingers worked against his button, pulling it from the loop and he watched her nails press into the fabric of his shirt. After the next button, he pulled his dress shirt apart and his undershirt down to stare at her braless cleavage.

The bathroom door opened with a nearly silent hiss and the man stared at Todd curiously when Todd pulled his hand away from his chest. His heart raced, beating furiously as he waited for the other man to react to the woman in the mirror. The new arrival glanced into the mirror and kept walking to a far stall, leaving Todd blinking at his reflection's long lashes fluttering over her eyes.

Shit! Shit! Todd thought while turning and stepping over to a urinal.

His fingers shook once more as he unbuckled himself quickly and sighed in relief when he saw his cock still in place. He stared at the tiles in front of him and nearly moaned when he saw the ghostly curved reflection of the woman staring back at him. His breathing was ragged until he closed his eyes and forced himself to relax in order to finish his business. After flushing, tucking everything back in and buckling his belt, he turned back to the mirror.

She was still there, standing in front of the urinal with a look of faint panic on her face. Todd bowed his head to wash his hands but he looked up to see the crown of her head and the way her curls hung around her pale face.

He left the bathroom quickly, his date forgotten as he rushed around the perimeter of the room and out through the front door without acknowledging the hostess when the woman wished him a good evening.

The redhead was there in the black reflection of his phone when he placed it on the dock in his car. She was there when he looked at the rearview mirror. He could see her nails in the windshield, barely visible but clasped around the steering wheel.

His drive home was a rush that he barely remembered. He parked the car in his garage and raced inside, only letting out a relaxed breath when he closed his front door. He pressed his back into it and slid slowly down to the wood floor with his palms massaging his eyes.

The cramps were gone, along with the strange temperature changes. He lay his head against the door while his phone buzzed where he'd dropped it. There was no headache and no pain anywhere else. No voices or other stereotypical things he associated with someone going crazy.

Pulling his hands away, he looked down at his body - at his flat stomach, strong legs and the bulge of his biceps beneath his shirt.

Todd swallowed and then jumped when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen to see Jane's name, but he ignored her, leaving the phone where it was as he stood and walked, staring at his feet the entire time on the way to the bathroom.

"Oh fuck," he cursed when he finally worked up the nerve to look in the mirror.

She bore a look of terror now and he felt that in his chest. Her hair was in disarray and her lipstick - which he hadn't even realized she was wearing - was smeared against her cheek.

"What the fuck is this?" he asked while leaning into the mirror.

Her face came closer and he stared at her while turning his head one way and another. His fingers explored his own familiar face and hers followed suit, somehow mirroring his gesture despite how much smaller her features were.

"This can't be real," he told himself while watching her lips move. "I'm going crazy."

He turned and stripped, dropping his clothes to the ground and stepping into the shower. Cold water splashed over his body as it warmed up and he focused on himself, staring at every inch of his own body as if he could reboot his brain with the proper self image. When he was finished, he stepped out while avoiding the mirror and toweled off.

Brown hairs littered the towel when he finished drying his hair and more pulled free from his chest to show patches of smooth skin.

Todd hung the towel and opened the medicine cabinet without looking at the mirror. He grabbed his bottle of melatonin, shook two pills into his hand and swallowed them dry. Muscles relaxed at the back of his throat and he surprised himself by not gagging as he'd done in the past. Once finished, he brushed his teeth and stepped over his clothes in order to retrieve his phone from the entryway. It buzzed once more in his hand with a new text message that he ignored.

The bed creaked slightly when he sat on the edge. A standing mirror stood in the corner of the room, angled slightly. He glanced at it, but it didn't face him directly and he breathed out a ragged breath in relief before turning his phone over on his nightstand. His hands gripped his knees tightly and he stared at them, at the hairs on the back of his knuckles and the short, ragged nail on his right pointer finger. More hair covered his legs and his cock lay against the bed beneath a wild bush of brown pubic hair.

"Everything's fine," he told himself while massaging his throat. A slight ache formed at the back of his mouth. "I'll just sleep it off. It'll be fine."

Having spoken the words, he turned and slipped beneath his blanket with his arms exposed over his stomach.

"It'll be fine," he repeated, closing his eyes in order to steady his breathing while he waited for the melatonin to do its work.

He turned in his sleep later that night, groaning and whimpering. Fibrous muscles tore throughout his body before melting alway over the course of several hours. His skin tightened over his shrinking form while small pockets of fat formed and his new, soft skin took on a smooth texture.

Curly hairs littered his sheets as he twisted beneath his covers.

Todd whimpered and his eyelids fluttered as his eyes swept back and forth. His dreams were strange senseless scenarios with a common theme of being full. Of being filled. His tongue writhed in his mouth and he moaned loudly while his close-cropped brown hair lengthened slightly to show red roots.

---

"God," Todd groaned as he sat up and silenced his alarm. "What the..."

His leg brushed a cold spot on the bed and he yanked back the covers to see a large cum stain on his blanket and sheets.

"Jesus Christ, I haven't done that-" he thought back and shook his head. Never. He'd never had it happen before. It'd been a thing of movies - teenagers with raging hormones having constant wet dreams and morning wood, but it had never happened to him.

Todd threw his blanket to the ground before pulling the sheet free. Loose hairs scattered when he yanked hard enough that it snapped back at him and he grunted from the effort of it. Only then did he realize how sore his entire body felt. He grabbed the sheet and blanket to drag them into the utility room where he dumped them on the floor in front of the washing machine to deal with later that night. He groaned and stretched and walked to the bathroom.

"Oh, fuck!" he screamed, his voice crackling slightly as he saw the woman in the mirror. She yelled silently in his place and his heart skipped a beat until the memories of the prior evening returned to him. "Oh. Fuck."

She looked like she'd just woken up. Her hair was a mess and her makeup matched with a few little red spots of irritation marking her cheeks and brow. He leaned in and touched spots but felt nothing on his own skin.

The image was disconcerting, but worse than that was feeling like it was affecting him. As if he were the one with oily, dirty skin after leaving his makeup on overnight. His face felt fine to his touch, but his reflection said otherwise and his brain struggled with the distinction.

"Goddammit," he grumbled before starting the shower.

He normally waited until after his morning gym session, but he hated the thought of being unclean. After going through his regular washing routine, he spent extra time cleaning his face. He dried himself and stepped back out to stare at her. The little red spots remained, but she looked otherwise clean and her wet, dark red hair clung to her back. He reached up to run his fingers through his own hair, from the red roots and up as the color faded to brown.

Only now did he realize she was topless when her arms raised and bumped into her breasts. He stared at her and felt himself grow hard. Her tits were perfect - large enough that they bulged at the side of her body while still being firm and round. He reached for them, transfixed, and while his hands went through to his chest, hers stopped at her breasts and he made squeezing motions, swallowing hard when the woman massaged her breasts in return.

Todd's cock throbbed at the image and yet, a smaller part of him was enthralled by how it felt. Not physically but mentally. He lifted two fingers while watching her and he rubbed his own nipples, groaning when her fingertips bumped over her large, pink nipples to mirror his motion. Now he could feel the sensation and he'd wondered why he'd never let a woman play with his nipples. They were small yet he could feel a pleasant itching sensation that ran down his stomach and up to the roof of his mouth. He moaned and rubbed his tongue in a wave while watching the woman's nipples harden.

Skin tightened around his areola, swirling while gathering at the base of his nipples until they widened and pushed away from his chest, flexing beneath his fingers and eliciting yet another moan that the woman echoed. He stared at her mouth and lips and the rapturous expression she made and it only made him more aroused. He lowered one hand to his cock while pinching and pulling at his fat nipple and he stroked himself, slow at first and then faster.

"Oh. Ohh. Ohhhhh. Oh! Oh! Oh yes!" he moaned and then shuddered when he felt the release.

Thick globs of cum splattered against the wall while his chest rose and fell and his ragged breathing slowed. He stared at the wall while scratching the hairless, smooth skin just above his cock.

"Dammit," he gasped as the cum slowly oozed down. He grabbed toilet paper to wipe it up and toss it into the toilet. When he'd finished, he brought his hand to his mouth, inhaling briefly before his tongue darted out to lick a small bit of cum from his knuckle.

As quickly as he could, he dressed himself and then tossed together a gym bag full of his workout clothes - something he normally took care of the night before. He glanced at his watch after strapping it on and groaned when he realized how little time he had left.