Some Help for the Depressed

First time writing this type of subject matter, don't see myself continuing it unless I get a really good idea (this took months on and off in between work). Hope it's good.

With a few more algorithms programmed and a final workaround, I was putting the final touches on an app's alpha I had been developing. A cure, a slimmer of hope for people who have been through the struggle I have been through.

A few years ago, I sank myself into a deep depression, which nearly tanked my budding college career as I worked to bring myself out of it. And with the work of therapy, medication and various other factors getting better for me in life, I am in a better place than I was before. Still, I felt like there had to be a better way towards recovery, and I finally figured out what to do.

My mom, Nicki, had just come back from the gym. Well, stepmom. At this point she might as well be, with my bio mom having just left soon after I came to be. Got "too real" or something. It's been two decades since my dad remarried to this then-recent South Korean immigrant, and I would say I was blessed growing up.

Nicki is 47 years old, and keeps herself in better shape than most women her age or even my age. Not quite a six pack... maybe a four-pack? I made sure to never stare too long at her body from the front, especially in her workout clothes. Her bosom was moderately sized, but her fitness kick in the past two years or so has given her whole torso a slim, muscular form that helped compliment her various sports bras. She especially made sure to tone her legs and glutei, giving her an incredible ass. And even after a sweaty workout, she still managed to maintain a good looking face.

With her jet-black hair in a ponytail, she double-stepped up the stairs to say hi to me, slightly out of breath. She was glistening with sweat through her dark-gray yoga pants and blue Under Armor sports bra.

"Hey Owen, you planning on going to the gym today?" Nicki asked.

"Maybe later, right now I'm finally finishing my app today after months of work and planning," Owen said.

"Gotcha, maybe I can check it out after a shower!" Nicki said with a smile. "It's great you can finally take a break from your work."

"Thank you!" I said. "And that sounds good, let me know when you get out."

I turned my attention back to the app, in astonishment I finally completed what I considered to be a huge breakthrough in science and personal development.

Once she finished showering, Nicki came into my room and changed into something for a night in: slim-straight jeans, violet shirt with a white cardigan and a lighter amount of makeup. Her hair was also let down to her left shoulder.

She took a seat on my bed as I took a sigh of relief, knowing my work can finally be tested.

"I'm really proud of all the work you've done in the past year since graduating," Nicki said with a smile. "You've had a lot of setbacks but I can see you're in a good place now."

Coyly, I blushed and sputtered out "Thank you, uh, Nicki." I had a huge grin on my face and gave her a hug.

That was another great thing about Nicki, she always knew how to be a supportive figure and informal at the same time. As she's a professor of journalism at Hannett University, she was very charming and is the teacher you'd invite for coffee after graduating. Both men and women have invited her for "friendly chats," and I figure at least half of them are using their catchups as a quasi-date.

"But today I've finally finished the app," I say, pulling away from the hug. "It's a way to relax your brain after feeling tired. Like how there's a lot of white noise or meditation videos on Youtube, this is a version that'll make you feel rejuvenated in a couple of minutes."

"Oh damn," Nicki said, "that's a pretty bold claim."

"I essentially wanted to make it an antidepressant for people who aren't in a good enough place to get them... like I was before."

Nicki took a pause and said "That's such a great idea for a project, and I know it's going to work." She took a deep breath and said, "You're very smart, Owen, even brighter than your father. And... I've had my own struggles with depression at times."

This was news to me. She hasn't opened up about this type of problem.

"Some days I just wanted the days to be over as soon as I woke up. And while I don't have it as bad now, I think it could help someone like me who hasn't been to a therapist in at least five years-"

"Five years?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Where I'm from, we don't make it a priority to carry our feelings on our sleeves like everyone else. I always am going to be happy and content with you and my family, but some days I need to hide how happy I am with myself that day."

There was a long pause. I didn't quite know what to say. Nicki played with her hair as some sort of way to distract herself from what she just said. I thought of reaching my hand out to her, but held back. Not my place.

"So... would you want to be the first person to give this app a go?" I asked.

"Yeah!... Yeah, sounds great." Nicki said, composing herself.

"Great! I developed it on my iPad and it should be fully charged. Click the app called 'I'm Okay,' it should have a happy emoji as the logo."

Nicki went through and pulled up the homepage I made. It was great to see someone using my software for the first time. It's brand-new to them, an odd feeling after months of coding before even having an alpha ready.

"Also put these headphones on, it'll make the experience better if I did everything correctly."

Nicki put on the wraparound headphones and made a few gestures acting like she was a DJ. I got a laugh out of that.

Nicki clicked "BEGIN" and started watching the pattern on the screen. With this fast-paced electronic technique, I believed it could help people feel better mentally to take the day ahead of them.

Nicki stared into the spiral with a curious look in her eye. That spiral became a series of hexagons, changing colors, abstract shapes... many types of things over the course of two minutes. Unusually, she started to drool in her lap.

"Oh shit," I said, worried about its effectiveness on my stepmom.

Her eyes would drift from opening wide to being close to asleep. They occasionally rolled up to her forehead. The sounds that stayed locked in her headphones were a series of tones conditioned to rewire your brain's production of serotonin and dopamine. Were there side effects to this? I heard a dull purr come out of her body. This was making me nervous. She reminded me a bit of a zombie. I found myself picking at my thumb's hangnail.

Eventually, I calmed myself down as I saw a smile start to appear on Nicki's face. She was looking more at peace.

Before I knew it, the five minutes on the app were complete. I told Nicki to take her headphones off so she could answer questions I have about the app.

"Hey, Nicki, just wanna make sure everything's went well with the device."

"Okay," she said with a smile, which was little bit wider than it usually is.

"Did you feel any discomfort when using the device?"

"Oh no, it was amazing."

"You think so? Tell me what it's like."

Nicki stared at me with that wide, toothy smile for a few seconds longer than she should have. Her right eye was drifting away from my face, her head swaying much more than usual.

"It feels like I've found my true purpose."

Despite the look on her face, those were comforting words to hear.

"Oh thank goodness, I'm glad you're okay."

"I always am with you, sir," she said with a small salute.

And she's even making jokes with me! Seems like it's all coming together.

"If you could, can you describe that purpose to me?"

"For you to control my mind and body, sir."

I dropped my mouth in a state of shock. "Y-you said... that-that-that I need to control you?"

"Of course," she calmly stated, "you are my master, Owen. I don't know how long you will be, all I know is I am your slave now and it feels great."

I started hyperventilating, wondering how fried Nicki's brain would be.Could this last forever? If she came out of this, would she remember? There's so much work to be done... all I wanted to do was help people. Ow! I looked down and noticed my left thumb was bleeding from how ferociously I picked at it.

"Oh God, oh God, okay," I said multiple times, taking several deep breaths. "Can you tell me where the bandages are in the bathroom?"

"They're in the bottom right drawer to be used whenever you like, Owen," she said, trading her confident swagger for a toothy grin that is eager-to-please. "Would you like me to get them for you?"

I might as well test this to see what she is really like, maybe she'll get some personality back if I give her something to do.

"Th-that would be great, thank you," I said, trying to calm myself down.

Nicki seemed to be getting used to walking again after using the app, as she slowly drifted to the bathroom to grab the bandages. I watched her move one leg forward at a time, which meant I could look more at her taut and firm butt. I'm definitely not proud to admit it, but I did find the situation a little bit erotic, deeply rooted beneath my anxiety.

"Goddammit, fuck it," I said to myself, anxiety turning to anger towards myself. I pulled out a bottle of Irish whiskey I kept in one of my desk drawers and downed a big swig. And a little bit of a second one before my throat started burning and I needed to clear my throat.

Nicki grabbed a first aid kit for me to rummage through, and by this point was walking slightly faster. I put a small bandaid on my left thumb. Nicki was back in her seat on the bed.

"I think I need to lay down for a second... are you able to move down for me Nicki?"

Nicki paused a few seconds with that dumb, drooling grin again. A bit dripped down onto her purple shirt, leaving a dark and wet spot.

"Of course, master."

Nicki slid down to the farther side of his twin bed and laid down. She still had the same grin on her face and was almost inviting him in to lay with her.

"Ugh, whatever," I said, and I laid down, panicked, buzzed and exhausted. I looked at her and noticed her smile was a little less unsettling than it was before. Nicki wasn't drooling anymore and had instinctively licked her lips clean, leaving them wet and desirable. I felt uncomfortable thinking about this. So I drifted my attention towards Nicki's ample bosom and noticed her nipples were looking harder than before. I felt uncomfortable thinking about that, even if I looked longer than a few seconds. I looked back up at her blank, smiling face.

"If you're going to lay down, can you face the other way?"

"Your wish is my command," she said, cheerily. She flipped herself over and was facing the wall, her legs slightly curled and her arms pressed against her body as she pressed herself into the wall.

My attention drifted to her butt... again, and how firm it was sticking out. I drifted my gaze upward and noticed how attractive her back was. I'd never had this thought about that area on a woman, let alone from my stepmother, but was impressed at the definition of her shoulder blades. She must be great at lat pulldowns, or had been spending extra time on the rowing machine in our basement lately.

I took a sigh, and my panic attack had finally subsided. With my inhibitions slightly lowered, I decided to take a risk.

"Nicki," I asked with trepidation, "are you able to spoon with me?"

Nicki happily complied, saying "yes master" and brought her backside closer to me. She positioned her body inside Owen's arms, putting some pressure on my right arm. I didn't mind that though because he was able to sink his head into her soft and silky hair for a brief moment. Nicki's jeans were slim in all of the right areas - not quite leggings but close enough. Owen slid his right leg under hers to wrap himself around her. He put his left leg on top of hers, and for a laugh he decided to tickle her foot a bit. It twitched slightly and he could see her pink toenails glowing in the sunlight creeping in from the window drapes.

The lower half of my body pressed against her backside. He noticed his cock getting harder, pressing into her ass. The tight denim formed nicely around her rear, and as he got harder he pressed into the seam further, making her cheeks look even thicker than usual. While I enjoyed himself, I still wanted to make sure Nicki was doing okay.

"Sorry, do you feel uncomfortable with my penis being like this? I just want to make sure you feel good and safe... how are you feeling inside of your head?"

"Of course not, Owen," Nicki said cheerfully, turning her head as far back to me as she could in this position. She still had that same docile smile on her face. "I find everything about you incredible. I have been in dark places in the past, and I know that with you being my master now, I won't reach that place ever again." She turned her head back to the wall.

I took a deep sigh of relief, sinking my head into her soft hair. It smelled like a caramel cappuccino, my favorite scent from the hair products she used.

In a roundabout way, my app had actually worked worked. If her state of mind was going to last in this trance-like state permanently, she no longer would be depressed. But if she could come out of it and act like herself again, whether over time or at his command, I essentially created a new type of drug. A powerful benzodiazepine-like effect with near-instantaneous hypnotism. The implications of this were staggering. Either way, the person in this trance seemed to feel incredibly happy and submissive.

Just to cover all of my tracks, I had one more question to ask.

"Do you know when dad is coming back?"

"He said he would be carpooling with some of his work friends for a business trip in Philly at the end of the workday. They'll be gone for at least a couple of days."

Okay, I have some time to fix this, I thought. Maybe I can make her forget about the spooning, or...

I realized I was potentially sitting on the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to do anything with Nicki under my control. Make her say the craziest things, do things she might have never thought about. I started feeling more horny with every escalating thought, pressing my dick further into her jeans. I looked down once again and noticed she was wearing black lace underwear, showing slightly above her pants as her shirt and cardigan clung to his bedsheets.

I couldn't take it any longer. I stopped hugging her stomach and moved my arms up to her breasts. Despite some sag accumulated from age, I still felt more enlivened by them than any of his girlfriends in the past. Even through a bra and a cotton shirt, I felt them up with more vigor than anyone I'd ever been with.

"How are you feeling now, Nicki?"

"Excellent, master, I'm so glad you're happy and enjoying being with your servant," she said with that same spacey voice. Nicki sounded so blissful in this state of mind.

I could have stayed here forever, staring lustfully at every bit of her now. Feeling her cold feet with his socks. Being full-mast into her plump backside. Her soft breasts, even through her shirt, were immaculate. The feeling of her ribs from years of hard work at the gym. Her shoulder blades with more definition than most athletes

Her neck. Her beautiful neck, I thought, like that woman from "Fleabag." I knew there was no going back after this.

"Nicki, can you stand up and show yourself off for me? I'll sit up on my side of the bed and you go push the computer chair out of the way, okay?"

"Sounds great hon'," Nicki said. Her blank and empty voice was thankfully similar to her actual personality, so it's not super jarring to have her acting so calm around me... even with what I was commanding. Regardless, she pushed the computer chair into the hallway.

"How do you want me to show myself off, master?" she asked for clarification. I looked into her almond-colored eyes, and even in a mindless state I could see what a natural beauty she was. Head to toe

"A... a lap dance, please, after you hand me the bottle of whiskey in the middle-left drawer in desk. Oh, and take your cardigan off first, will probably make it easier for you. Th-thanks," I said coyly. I needed to loosen up a touch more if I was going to enjoy myself tonight. Once she handed it to me I unscrewed the cap and took another swig out of the bottle.

"I'm always happy to serve you, master," Nicki said warmly and affectionately. For a brief moment she held the smile towards me, and got to work.

Nicki threw the cardigan on the floor like it was trash. She began to sway back and forth, starting carefully as she was figuring out how to do it well. She wobbled a little bit and had to catch her balance on the desk when she stumbled while spinning around. She tried to keep that smile but it can't stay forever if you're close to being in real pain. I knew she'd struggle with it, given that this is probably her first time ever doing something like this. Nicki always said her style of working out was less of Zumba or Barre like other women her age and more of a regular weightlifting routine. I tried to guide her where I would feel happiest.

"Swing your hips a bit more sensually and slowly, like you're modeling on a catwalk and I'm the podium," I said. "Then use the bed and my legs to keep yourself steady. Don't worry about making it perfect, just make it fun." In my drunken confidence, I added a sly smile to the end of that. I hoped it got through to my brainwashed stepmom that I was going to be pleased with her either way.

"You've got it, sir!" she said happily, if slightly out of breath.

There was a seriousness to her eyes as she lowered her lip, and I was imagining what she was envisioning in her head. A tasteful shoot in Venice, or an adult expo in Vegas?

When Nicki came over to me she used my shoulders to help herself bend over. She shook her head as she loosened up more. Her black hair shined in the reflected light. When she looked back up my face was almost as close to her as when we were laying down. I could feel her breath on the nape of my neck as she started lifting her head up. I could barely contain my excitement, but I couldn't just end it right here. I had to make my time worth it.

"Kiss me... passionately... like you've always wanted this."

"I'm always here to pleasure my master." With her face near mine, she puckered her lips and pressed forward. Her lips were surprisingly cold, but I'm sure they would warm up soon enough. I felt her insert her tongue into my mouth, and I reciprocate. I press my face onto her neck, treating her finer than the holiest of monasteries. I wanted her to feel sensual, happy and overall wanted, not just as a result of the app. Her jeans pressed into me, and I almost came right there as she wrapped her legs around my stomach.

She looked ecstatic. But was this because I was her master right now, or because I was that good at it? Didn't have time to think through these things. I was driven by pure emotion right now.

"Get back in dancing mode. Shake your ass, and then grind it onto my lap."

Nicki looked me in the eyes, smiled and said "Yes master, whatever will make you happy."

She stood up with the help of my shoulders and turned herself around. She put her hands on her hips and walked two steps away from me. Her hips wiggled in tune to a song I couldn't hear in her head. She must not have gone clubbing in a long time - her moves were a bit antiquated but still incredible nonetheless. I heard her mumble "this is the rhythm of the night." They seemed to be regular dance moves, almost like she was just showing a routine with me behind her.

Eventually she bent her back slowly until she was at a 90 degree angle. Then she was bending her knees so her ass would be as close to my face as possible while having room to move around. A bit awkward with it, sure, but her experience with squats made her a natural for twerking. Bobbing her head up and down she was head-banging like she was in a hair metal band. Afterwards she stood up and straightened her hair, hiding the beads of sweat I saw on her neck. Nicki looked back at me as she stood up, slid her hand up her leg and gave her butt a hard slap.