Just a Phase

It was a shit situation. Mary's mother had been laid off from her job right after New Year. Though she didn't know the exact details about their finances, Mary was certain whatever slim savings her single mother had been able to set aside had been quickly wiped out while unemployment was being sorted out.

Between the bureaucracy, the costly COBRA health insurance and Mary's deposits for college, they were in dire straights.

That's why, as shitty as it was to be left behind, Mary understood why her mother had to take the new job immediately. There were lots of nights of yelling and crying over the details. The how, the when, the why. Mary had only a few months left until she graduated high school, but those few months were more than they could afford to live without a paycheck.

In the end, it was her Uncle Adam who'd saved the day. Mary's mother had no family locally and few close friends left in the area. Adam wasn't even Mary's real Uncle, just a close neighbor that had always looked after them both through some tough times.

When Mary was much younger, she had even suspected her mom was dating Adam. The idea was laughable to her now. She'd long since sussed out her mother now had zero interest in men. Mary guessed if her mom had been born a few decades later, and hadn't been burdened with the immigrant-child guilt of starting a family, her mom would be able to call herself a lesbian. Or maybe she was just asexual?

Mary had tried to prod her mother into talking about it often, especially once she'd decided to come out as queer in her early teens. It had been a tense period in what was otherwise a wonderful mother-daughter relationship. One night, with her mother still sternly silent on supporting or condemning her "choice" to come out of the closet, Mary finally understood the look her mom's eyes: "I couldn't be myself and I don't know how you can."

If they'd had the luxury of time or money for a therapist, Mary would have gladly dragged the pain out of her mother, made her understand. Maybe they would be able to, someday.

For now, her mom needed to move two hundred miles away. There was barely enough money for a plane ticket, so selling their house was the only way it was going to work.

Mary had tried to convince her mom she could stay with Emily, her girlfriend. In spite of never addressing her daughter's relationship directly, Emily's parents had always gotten along well with Mary's mom. It was hard not to love them; Emily's home radiated warmth and security in a way Mary sometimes envied. In fact, Emily was maybe too comfortable, not understanding why Mary's mom had such difficulty supporting her daughter. Mary loved Emily, but sometimes it seemed like she was living in a bit of a worry-free bubble.

Outside of the bubble, in reality, Mary knew her mom wasn't ready to let her daughter spend months sleeping over at her 'best friend's house'.

So here Mary was, crashing on a cot in Uncle Adam's study for the next few months. It wasn't too bad, especially knowing it was helping ease her mom's mind while she relocated. Things were going to work out for both of them.

Now if only Adam would ease up on the Fox News.

---------

Mary had spent a lot of time at Adam's house over the years, but spaces take new shapes when you live, sleep and dream within them. As close as they were, as much as she trusted him, there was still the undeniable discomfort in sharing space. The one full bathroom was awkward. She'd picked up a shower caddy, uncomfortable nesting her few toiletries among his.

After a few days of seeing her cart her shampoo and body wash to the shower, Adam offered to clear out some space for her in the cabinet.

"I know it's just for a few months, but I want you to make yourself at home. Girls need a lot more room for their makeup and what-have-you. No need to become a spartan on my account." He was sifting through his medicine cabinet, discarding dusty, half-empty bottles while Mary stood in the hallway.

"Actually, I don't really need that much space, Adam." Mary had never worn makeup, and rarely used the assorted moisturizers and hair products her mom seemed to endlessly gift her.

"Nonsense! I need to go through this mess anyway." He glanced at the expiration date on a yellowed bottle of aspirin, winced at whatever number he saw and chucked it into the bathroom trash bin with a hollow clank.

Mary opened her mouth to explain it wasn't really necessary, but decided not to be a bother. She could unpack her extra, unopened beauty products that were cluttering up her small travel bag. Adam was doing her a huge favor playing host, the least she could do was be appreciative.

Adam was sweet, giving her space most of the time, but he was... a bit out of touch when it came to her social life.

"I imagine there's some boy who's going to be heartbroken when you leave." Adam offered up over dinner the second week.

Mary reflexively snorted in gentle laughter, before she realized he was serious. Adam turned slightly red but seemed to misunderstand.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just assumed... Well, you're quite a charming girl. I'm sure the boys around here just are too bullheaded to see it."

Mary didn't know where to begin and didn't feel like finding out exactly how progressive Adam's views were on queer culture. They'd never really discussed politics, but she knew the TV was almost always tuned into some conservative blowhard warning about 'the erosion of traditional values'.

"I know an old, out of touch guy like me probably has no place saying it..." Adam cleared his throat and prepared to offer some unsolicited advice.

Oh god, please don't say it then. Mary screamed internally, wanted to get off the topic as quickly as possible.

"I know girls these days sometimes give up. Not saying you look like that! Just, well, with your short hair and glasses..." Adam gave a vague gesture at Mary and paused to take another bit of their home-cooked pasta dinner.

Mary bit her tongue and gave a weak, noncommittal shrug.

"I'm not telling you how to dress. God knows half my closet could probably be in the Smithsonian. I just hate to see a pretty girl like you hide under those baggy clothes and dyke haircut. You're just a kid, but you don't want people thinking you're a lesbian."

Mary nearly choked but managed not to laugh in his face. She felt her cheeks flush, her anger rise, but kept her composure.

He was trying, god help him.

"This Alfredo sauce is delicious!" Mary quickly changed the subject. It was a clumsy escape from the topic, but an honest reaction. It was shockingly good for a bachelor with a self-proclaimed lack of "women's skills" like cooking.

"Hmm?" Adam was mercifully happy to take the compliment. "I'm glad you like it. I don't normally go for that organic crap, but I figured a growing girl like you could use some hearty, local food. Picked up some of that 'Fertile Valley' stuff from the farmer's market. Asked the nice lady at the stall what teenagers these days like, she sold me this fancy cream and butter. G-M-O, raw-milk or some nonsense."

Mary knew that 'GMO raw milk' was nonsense, but let him continue.

"Cost me an arm and a leg, but damned if it really doesn't taste great." He stood up and put his plate in the sink. "Still have a bunch leftover, was going to save it for lunch tomorrow, but it's yours if you want seconds?"

Mary nodded with her mouth full. She was a twig and normally ate like a bird, but she couldn't get enough of this creamy sauce.

Adam cleaned up while she inhaled another plate. She was stuffed, but couldn't help but get every last bite of the rich goodness. Adam chuckled, letting her scrape out the bottom of the pan before scrubbing it.

"I'll need to get more of that. Maybe you'll finally get some curves on you."

Mary was so dazed from the carb and fat overload, she couldn't bother to muster a protest at the creepy comment.

"One last growth spurt, I guess." She offered before excusing herself to lay down and recuperate.

---------

A few hours later, Mary was still awake. She'd definitively had way too much to at dinner. She tossed and turned uncomfortably, unable to get to sleep. Her stomach felt bloated, hell her whole body felt a bit thicker. The brain fog of the meal hadn't dissipated but only gotten worse.

She'd texted Emily she was too tired to do their normal 'goodnight call'. She still felt too out of it to converse and catch up with her girlfriend, but she was regretting missing their semi-nightly sexy time. Their late-night phone sex was something they'd enjoyed often, getting each other offer before passing out. Back at her old house, her mom's room was far away and they'd been free to chat and talk dirty freely. Adam's house was much less private, with her temporary bedroom being adjacent to Adam's. She knew from his occasional snores, that the walls were thin, so it was difficult to talk late into the night with Emily these days.

But Mary was painfully horny, and her drowsy head made it difficult to focus on anything else.

In her near fever-dream state, she gave up on trying to rest her head on the lumpy foam pillow. She slid it between under her covers and ground it against the warmth between her legs, something she hadn't done in years.

At first, it was an unfocused lust, with her thoughts flickering between Emily and the odd fantasies she'd built over the years. Then, her mind caught on something deep in her memory, something she'd practically repressed. One of her earliest memories of masturbating, when she'd stuck a pillow under her shirt to pretend she was pregnant. An irrational turn on, one that somehow transitioned to her grinding herself silly.

She was doing it again, thinking about Adam's comment about getting curves. Her comment about a growth spurt. How good it felt to pretend she was a full, swollen breeder.

She came hard enough to finally pass out, into equally horny dreams.

By the morning it was all a blur, with the details being lost. Her mind was clear and her stomach settled.

Though she didn't consciously connect it to her state last night, she really hoped Adam made dinner again soon. That cream was really delicious.

---------

Her mother flew back home for graduation. It was a blur, the ceremony in the hot summer sun. It must have been dehydration, but she kept getting confused about where she was supposed to go. She just followed the cute boy in front of her in line.

She didn't even notice her name when they said it, 'Mai'. That was her real name, but no one but teachers on the first day of school ever called her that.

On the stage, looking out at the hundreds of faces in the crowd, she spotted her mother and Adam. Clapping and cheering. She must have been really out of it, because she muttered "Mommy and Daddy are so proud of me". She caught the mix-up and giggled a bit on stage, getting a raised eyebrow from the principal handing out the diploma.

Mary dressed up for the ceremony and pictures, deciding the occasion called for bit of makeup and primping. She did look hot in the photos. Especially the ones with Emily. They made a cute couple. all made up and smiling.

Mary was so happy she didn't even mind when some jock whistled at her giving Emily a peck on the cheek for the camera. It was actually flattering, though she understood why Emily didn't see it that way. Mary thought about how many guys would whistle if she gave her girlfriend a deep kiss, felt her up in front of everyone, maybe fingered her a bit-

"Earth to Mary?" her mom waved her hand. "Are you feeling ok, honey? You look flushed?"

"Huh?" Mary shook her head. Emily had already rejoined her family, and everyone seemed to be slowly heading to their cars. "Just need some water."

Adam pulled a pink bottle from out of the tote he'd been lugging around all morning.

"Here ya go, honey." He handed her a Fertile Valley branded water. "Picked this up when I was out getting snacks for later."

Mary cracked the seal and was immediately refreshed by the cool smell. It was barely there, like a Polar seltzer with only the faintest of flavor, but so, so much better.

"Ugh." Her mother made a face. "I don't know how you can drink that stuff. Tastes like pennies to me."

Mary ignored her mother and finished off half the bottle in a couple of gulps. It was an squired taste, for sure, but after the first time Adam had brought it home, she couldn't get enough of them.

"It's that new, local farm she's addicted to." Adam shrugged and began fishing around the tote. "It's been a godsend, otherwise I wouldn't know what to cook for dinner every night! Which reminds me...."

Adam tossed Mary a pink, rolled up tube.

"An official 'Fertile Valley' tee! Something to commemorate your brief stay with your square Uncle."

Mary practically squealed with surprise. She didn't know they even made these!

They started walking back to the car, Mary's mother tucking the shirt back into the tote. The day was getting hot and Mary couldn't wait to get into Adam's air conditioned SUV.

"About that brief stay..." Mary's mother exhaled and put her hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Honey, I know we'd discussed you moving in with me after graduation, but I've been thinking. All of your friends are here and my new apartment doesn't even have a couch yet. Rather than moving you out, just to move again when you start school this fall..."

"Oh! Can I stay with Uncle Adam, mom? Please?" Mary loved her mother, and had been torn these last few months, trying to find an excuse not to leave town so soon.

"You're always welcome, kiddo!" Adam unlocked the passenger door and held it open for Mary's mother. He was always such a gentleman.

"I don't know what to say you two..." Mary's mother was shocked but pleased. "I was expecting a bit more hemming and hawing from both of you. Who knew you'd be getting along so well?"

Mary clapped a little in giddiness and Adam let her into the back seat.

"Oh, honey." her mother said from the front. "It looks like this shirt is a medium. I wonder if we can get you an extra-small? I'll ask Adam about it later."

---------

Mary didn't correct her mother. When her mom first arrived, she'd definitely noticed she'd put on weight, but in her typical fashion, hadn't directly addressed it. Her final 'growth spurt' turned out to be less height and more fat, but Mary actually liked it.

Her stomach was, miraculously, still the same width as her old, twiggy self, but that was about all that had stayed the same. Her hips had made her trade up two waist sizes, while her top and behind were keeping up. She'd always thought she liked being a skinny, androgynous girl, but she loved her new curves. Emily wasn't complaining either, though she'd scoffed at some of the styles Mary had been looking at. "Thot" was what Emily had called Mary when she'd been trying on clothes, but Mary could see her girlfriend was ashamedly attracted to the whole look.

Over the last few weeks, Mary had gone as far as sending Emily vids of her in stereotypical 'influencer' style. Emily teased her, said her hated them, but Mary knew she'd been getting off to it. Hell, Mary had been getting off to it. Pretending to be a vapid, babe was against everything she was but fuck if she didn't feel hot playing it up.

It was an strange change in their dynamics, to be sure. Mary and Emily hadn't ever really discussed other girls, and loathed the whole Insta and TikTok fakeness. Emily teased Mary a lot more these days, gave her shit for conforming and being slutty. But whatever pretension she put up, there was no denying the sex was hotter than anything they'd done before. Mary knew it drove Emily crazy, and was more than happy to push her buttons.

If she had been more aware, Mary would have realized it was getting difficult to turn it off. The teasing persona of a bimbo was eating up more and more of her time with Emily, sometimes staying in airhead mode all day. Both of them knew it had gone too far, but neither really tried to stop it.

Mary certainly didn't want to; she was starting to get a decent following on Instagram. She didn't use her main account, of course. She wasn't really that stupid.

But it was difficult to think up an alt name. Something that wasn't too silly? She would normally ask Emily, but she didn't want her to know she was putting up their private, stupid joke videos publicly.

So she used her real name, Mai. No one really knew her by that anyway.

Mai was super popular and was getting lots of DMs lately. She didn't say she was a lesbian, just that she didn't have a boyfriend. It was funny, seeing how many thirsty guys though that meant she was straight.

The dick picks were even funnier. She had started a little, secret game each time she made a new video, seeing if she could beat her previous record. She was up to 20 for the last post, but she was pretty sure she could get 100 before the end of the summer.

It was all dumb fun, plus her and Emily were even hotter than ever. Later, looking though the pictures of the two of them dolled up at graduation, she wondered how many likes a video with the two of them would get. I'd definitely break 100 cocks in my inbox, she thought, letting her hand slip down her pajamas.

---------

Mary was never very social, but as the summer dragged on she found herself spending more and more time staying in. By mid June, she'd settled into a routine.

Emily was doing some fancy internship, and was offline most of the day. Sometimes Mary would try and distract her with texts, and a few times had even gotten her to slip into the office restroom to get off with her on chat. That was fun, but it only filled a small fraction of her days.

So, while Adam was at work, she'd split the day between housework and being "Mai' online.

Cleaning and doing his laundry was the least she could do. He'd been so generous taking her in, and, really it didn't even feel like work for her. Mary had always split chores with her mother, though she'd never particularly enjoyed it. Now, it felt like therapy to her, turning off her brain and listening to sunny pop music while she folded clothes or did dishes. Adam still cooked, but she'd been brushing up on that too.

Adam had never asked her to do any of it, but his appreciation was palpable. The first time he'd come home to a clean house and empty hamper, he's commented on how happy he was Mary knew "a woman's place in the house" and how she'd "make a good wife to some lucky guy". Phrases that would have normally made Mary scream, but instead gave her a tingly feeling of accomplishment.

It was silly to be offended anyway; Adam was such a sweet guy. Maybe some of his views were a bit old fashioned, but Mary found it increasingly charming. And really, she'd think later that night recalling his words, If it makes me feel so happy, maybe he's right? Maybe this is what I'm made for?

Thoughts like that would creep in when she was alone in bed, especially if she was recovering from stuffing herself on one of Adam's amazing meals. Part of her felt guilty for thinking it, but it felt so good, so satisfying, she couldn't help but focus on the thought while she touched herself.

At some point she decided "Mai" didn't mind housework, and that seemed to quiet the alarmed Feminist in her. Mary was already moonlighting as Mai so much, it was easy to just stay in the role throughout the day. Every day, she'd post a few vids and pics to her accounts: Insta for showing off outfits, TikTok for when she wanted to be flirty-cute and Snap for all the horny boys who kept messaging her.

Mary wasn't straight, and hadn't been with more than one person, but Mai was slutty. She'd show off her increasingly thicc ass dancing and wait until enough DMs rolled in to hop over to a private stream. Mai never showed off anything, but loved reading all the thirsty messages that floated in. The attention the nearly intoxicating. She loved giving her followers what they wanted, and she loved that they wanted her.