Josh was taken aback when without any warning, his boyfriend Alex leant over and pinned his arms to the bed. At first he thought Alex was just teasing him, but as he tried to get loose and Alex used his full body weight to restrain him, Josh began to worry "Baby, what's the matter?" Josh asked.
"Don't call me 'baby'" growled Alex as he pushed Josh down hard into the bed.
"But Lex... I don't understand, what's wrong?" asked Josh, still wriggling his body under Alex in a futile attempt to get free.
"You know what's wrong." said Alex "You just need to admit it. But don't think you're fooling me for one more second."
"Look Lex, baby..." Whatever Josh was trying to say was interrupted as Alex backhanded him across his face, with a loud thwack. Josh paused, surprise and hurt on his face "Alex." he began
Alex interrupted "I told you. Don't call me 'baby' or 'Lex', only Josh gets to call me that and you're not Josh."
Josh stopped struggling and became very still underneath Alex. "Now Alex, I don't know what's wrong, but of course I'm Josh. I don't think you must be feeling well. Maybe we should take you to the ER and get you checked out."
"There's nothing wrong with me." replied Alex in a chillingly quiet voice. "I'm not going mad, so don't try to suggest I am. I know you're not Josh. Something's been off all morning and there's no way Josh acts like you just did in bed. So," he continued "since I know you're not Josh, you might as well admit it and tell me how you've done it."
Alex started struggling again "I am Josh. Alex, how can I convince you?"
"You can't convince me, because I know you'd be lying. Now how did you do it? Are you some sort of shape shifter? Is it plastic surgery? Have you got scars?" and as he said this Alex, reached out with his free hand and forcibly tried to turn Josh's head sideways into the bed. Josh resisted as hard as he could, pushing his head back against Alex's hand. The two men fought for a minute before Alex overpowered Josh and slammed his head down against the bed, but as he did so there was a small but distinct ripping noise. Both men went still for a second and then Josh's struggles doubled.
Alex however held the upper hand and kept Josh pinned down. He looked at the side of Josh's neck where a small slit had appeared after the ripping noise. Despite Josh's mumbled protests he reached out with his finger and poked it into the slit. Initially he felt only a small pocket under the skin, no bigger than his finger tip. As he pushed a bit harder, his whole finger slid under the skin of Josh's neck. He could feel a smooth, slightly sticky surface on the underside of Josh's 'skin', while underneath that he could feel stubbled skin. He slid his finger out and rubbed his index finger against his thumb. Despite the slightly sticky feeling, there was no residue on his finger. He looked down at Josh's neck where there was still only a small slit.
"So what's your explanation for this then?" asked Alex, gesturing at Josh's neck. Josh refused to answer and just stared at the bed, his struggles now stopped as all the fight had left him. Alex grunted at Josh's refusal to answer him and turned his attention back to Josh's neck. He poked the slit again, this time pushing his index and middle finger against the slit. After a moment's resistance, he got both fingers under the slit and thrust them in to the hilt. He pumped his fingers back and forth a few times to loosen things up. Then he spread his fingers wide, parting the upper layer from its adhesion to the underlying surface. As he worked vigorously he was able to slip in another finger and then another until he got his whole hand under the slit. Throughout all this, Josh lay still, making small whimpering noises.
With his whole hand under the skin of Josh's neck, Alex was able to pull the upper layer up and away, as it seemed to get stretchier as it was released. As he lifted his hand up, air entered through the slit, making a farting noise. With the extra air under the upper layer, Alex got a glimpse of skin underneath, pale stubbeled skin. "You fucker." breathed Alex "This is a mask, isn't it?" Not waiting for a reply, Alex thrust half his forearm under the mask, forcing his fingers around the back of 'Josh's' head. He levered the mask forwards, so it slipped off 'Josh's' head, with a rubbery 'slurp'. As soon as the mask came free in Alex's hand, it sprang back into shape and for a second Alex was looking at the empty eyed face of his lover. He turned his gaze to the face of the man he still had pinned to the bed.
The face revealed from under the mask, was pale and very sweaty with lank hair pushed forwards over his face from the mask's removal. Alex roughly pushed the hair away and then recognition slowly dawned on his face. "You're that guy from downstairs aren't you? What's your name you little weasel? Wait it's ehrmm... Kevin. That's it, Kevin." said Alex. Kevin nodded once, not yet sure what to say. Alex paused for a second and then exploded, his face only inches away from Kevin's he screamed at him "What the fuck do you think you were doing, you sick fucker. Where the fuck do you get off dressing up as my boyfriend and trying to trick me into bed?" and he pushed the mask in his hand into Kevin's face "Halloween was last month you little fucker." he finished, his murderous rage dying down for the moment.
Kevin swallowed, trying to judge if Alex actually wanted an answer or if he was better off staying quiet. Eventually he decided that he'd best say something and so he cleared his mouth "I....I'm sorry." he managed to splutter "I just wanted to be with you so much, and I knew there was no way you'd ever look at a guy like me...." he trailed off into nervous silence.
Alex looked at him, disgust plain on his face "What? You're after sympathy from me? After this sick, twisted..." his face contorted as he spoke "I don't even have the words to describe this fucking stunt. God you make me ill." and he got off Kevin and stood up. Kevin waited a second, fearing another blow to the head, but none came. Cringing, he slowly stood up as well and then reached down to pick up the Josh mask. Alex's hand shot out and grabbed Kevin's arm, twisting viciously, forcing Kevin to his knees.
"What do you think you're doing?" asked Alex, each word punctuated by another twist to Kevin's arm. Kevin writhed in pain and whimpered but was too scared to make too much noise. Kevin managed to force out a sentence.
"I... I was going to go." he muttered, "Please, p..please let go. You're hurting me."
"This is nothing you little turd." said Alex "But that's beside the point. I know you're going, but what planet are you living on that makes you think you're going to leave looking like Josh? Now, drop the mask before I break your fucking arm." Kevin dropped the mask like it was red hot and Alex hauled him to his feet. "And the rest." he said.
"The rest?" asked Kevin. Alex didn't even blink, he simply grabbed Kevin by the throat and pinned him up against the wall. With a slight grunt, he managed to lift Kevin so his feet were dangling, the tips just touching the ground. Kevin began to turn red and started clawing at Alex's arm. Alex ignored him. "Do you think I'm extra stupid or something? " he asked the breathless Kevin "Not content with trying to convince me you were my actual boyfriend, now you think I'll buy that that's your real body? What, you just happened to get the same tatts Josh did? That's no more your body that mask is your real face." He looked at Kevin who was nearly unconscious and let go. Kevin slid down the wall, breathing heavily.
Alex stood over Kevin, glaring at him while Kevin coughed and spluttered. Eventually Kevin managed to stand up again. He didn't waste any time and as soon as he was upright, he put both hands to his neck and worked his finger tips under the suit. As with the mask, the suit was firmly stuck to Kevin's body, but as he freed more and more of the suit he was able to start stretching the neck wider and wider until it was big enough to slip down over Kevin's skinny shoulders. He pulled the neck down with both hands until he couldn't pull it down any further. Then he worked one hand free of the suit and then the other. With both hands free and under the watchful glare of Alex, Kevin was able to move a bit faster. As he worked the suit lower and lower down his body, the suit began to pool inside out on the floor around his ankles. As he worked his feet free and let go the suit snapped back into place with a slithering sound. Kevin looked down almost wistfully at the suit, before pulling on the now too large jeans and T-shirt he's worn as Josh. With his head down he turned and headed for the door.
Alex stepped in front of him. "OK you little turd. You should consider yourself lucky that I don't want the police sniffing around my life right now or I've have you locked up as the twisted little pervert you are. And because I don't want another assault charge to deal with, I'm not going to beat the crap out of you." Alex turned and opened the door to the apartment and Kevin started to stumble through, holding his jeans up with one hand. As he began to cross the threshold, Alex leant forward and spoke quietly to him "But I'm going to be watching you, and if I see you looking at me or my boyfriend ever again, then I'll take my chances with the assault charge. Understand?" Kevin looked at Alex and shrank away from the look in his eyes. He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Good." said Alex "In fact I think it's best I don't see you around anymore, so from now on, why don't you use the stairs and even better, start looking for a new apartment." As Kevin nodded again and left the apartment, Alex put his foot in the square of Kevin's back and pushed him out the door and then slammed it behind him.
With Kevin out the way, Alex stepped over to the floor of the bedroom and collected his shorts and tank top, pulling them both on. He looked at the clock and then down at the Josh suit and mask lying on the floor. Josh would be back soon and Alex didn't enjoy the prospect of explaining to Josh how he'd nearly been tricked into sleeping with a Josh imposter. He picked up the suit, still inside out and shook it the right way round and then collected the Josh mask from the floor. After a moment’s thought he shoved them both in a gym bag and then headed out the apartment. He didn't go far, simply crossing the hall in the building until he was standing in front of their neighbour’s apartment. He let himself in with a spare key not even bothering to knock.
As he entered the apartment he was already calling out. "Hey! You’re not going to believe what's happened. That little fucker from downstairs, Kevin, only managed to get himself a Josh suit and nearly tricked me into sleeping with him." He walked into the bedroom of the apartment and lifted the Josh mask out of the gym bag, holding it up with one hand inside of it. "I mean look at this thing. I nearly bought it as well, but bad luck for him I caught a whiff of that suit smell. He mustn't have washed for a while and I recognised the smell coming from the suit." Alex looked down at the bed where another Alex was strapped firmly to the bed. But this new Alex was noticeably thinner than the other Alex, his muscles wasted by months of being forcibly bed-bound and he had a scruffy beard and longer hair. The bound Alex glared at the old Alex, but the leather gag in his mouth stopped him from saying anything.
The old Alex turned to the closet and opened the door. He took the Josh suit out of his gym bag and hung it on a spare hanger, while the Josh mask was popped onto a conveniently handy wig stand. The hanger went onto a rail, next to several other similarly laden hangers and the mask and its stand onto an equally full shelf. Alex paused for a second and then reached to the rail and lifted down another body-suit. He turned back from the closet to the bed and held the suit up for size in front of the bound Alex. He looked back and forward from one to another and then spoke. "You know, you've nearly lost enough bulk to fit into your new body. Another inch or so off your biceps and chest and I think you'll be ready." he said, reaching down and pinching the bound Alex's chest. The bound Alex writhed helplessly, fury evident in his eyes and from his muffled grunts. "I think we can step up the hypno-tapes." the free Alex continued "After all we'll want your personality to match your new body.... my old body. You know Josh asked after me, well the old me, only the other day. Won't it be nice when you can take my place and everything can go back to normal?" He laughed as the bound Alex nearly snapped his own back, trying to get free.
"Anyway, I can't spend all day chatting, I've got to get back and get ready for Josh, the real Josh, to get home." He picked up the mask of Josh one last time. "Poor Kevin" he said with mock sincerity "I guess he didn't know, you can't trick a trickster." and putting the mask back on the shelf, he closed the closet door and headed out the apartment, whistling happily, ignoring the muffled cries of his captive.
