The Tattoo Shop

"So neither one of you have ever gotten tattoos before?" I asked, slipping on a pair of latex gloves.

"Nope," the guy sitting in my chair laughed, "But what the hell? We figured why not?"

"You two haven't been drinking now, have you?" joked my assistant, readying the other guy on the back table, "Wouldn't want you to end up with something you regret..."

"Well maybe a little, dude," the other guy slurred, "But whatever. Me and my bro have always wanted to get matching tattoos. We've been best friends since we were in grade school, man. And like I told ya, we're not gonna get to see each other much after this summer, so we just wanna do this you know?"

"It's cool, dude," I said, "It's cool. Now you might feel a little bit of pain, but I think you two have both had enough to drink that help out with that... You ready?"

Both of the studly guys that had wandered into our shop grunted in what we could only interpret as agreement. Fuck, they were both nearly passed out, but this was an opportunity we couldn't afford to pass up!

"Needles ready?" I asked my assistant.

"Needles ready!" he responded, "Let's go!"

Delicately, we began tracing the outline of the tattoos, knowing that as the ink seeped into their skin, we would soon have two new body suits to add to our collection. Already, the boys had lost consciousness and were beginning to hollow out.

"Dude, this feels... weird..." said the guy I was working on.

"Won't last too much longer," I said, knowingly. My assistant just chuckled.

"Can we take these suits off now?" he asked, tugging at the facemask.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," I agreed as I began to slip mine off.

I don't know why I always had to be the chick. Apparently I "played the part better." But whatever. I only had to be her during business hours. As soon as the shop closed, I had an entire back room full of other bodies I could use -- and I was about to have two more. True, being located on the beach, we already had a good assortment of "beach dudes," but these two would be nice to have on hand. We might even be able to finish out their vacation for them, as it seems they planned on being here through the weekend. We can just close up shop, go check into their hotel room, finish up the liquor they brought with them and chill by the pool. Maybe we can even show off our new matching tattoos, and definitely put in a good word for "that tattoo shop down on the beach" if we see anybody who might be a good addition to our collection.

The Heir

"The measurements are perfect, Michael, I'm telling you. Trust me, I've worked with the real Jason Chambers, and this suit is a perfect match -- I mean, even down to the smallest detail!"

"Well it better be!" said Michael, "Because you know we can't afford any slip-ups. This suit may make me look like some dumb, overly-pretty Beverly Hills party boy, but for the time being, it also makes me look exactly like Jason Chambers, heir to one ridiculosly huge inheritance that I'm just dying to get my pretty little manicured hands on. And as soon as I do, and the money is safely transferred over to my own accounts, we're both gonna get these suits off, head back home, and start livin' the life my friend! Now, get me some of Jason's clothes -- I've got some paperwork to sign, and then that money is as good as ours!"

I Am My Own Grandson

"Man, I even smell like a teenager again!" said Gerald, "This is fantastic! I've only been in my grandson's body for one day, and already I'm starting to feel and act just like him! At this rate, I should have no problem completely fitting in as him by the end of the week. Even my own son -- well I guess I should think of him as my 'dad' now -- hasn't been able to tell the difference. Considering he hasn't spoken to me in years, it's nice to think I might be able to have an actual father/son relationship with him now... even though it's going to be a little bit different than it used to be, since I'm the 'son' now! And what a son I'll be! Hell, my grandson's got a nice little body for a boy his age, and he's pretty good-looking if I do say so myself -- he must've gotten that from me! And, damn he smells so good! So young and fresh! And just wait until I splash myself with some of that trendy body spray he's got up in his bedroom. No more Old Spice for me! I am my own grandson now!"

The Business Trip

"Yeah, Mr. Beckett, dude. Like, I don't think me and Marcus are gonna be able to make it back to the office tomorrow. We're, like, gonna stay on vacation for a little bit longer."

"Excuse me?" said Mr. Beckett over the phone, "Did you just call me 'dude?' And what the hell is up with your voice, Sam? God damn it, I send you two off for a weekend business trip to the beach. Sure, I expect that you would spend some time at the hotel pool bar, but Jesus Christ! Now you're talking to me like some goddamn surfer kid? Now you listen to me, Sam. You and Marcus better be back in this office on Monday, and you better have those reports to me, or --"

"Dude, chill!" said Sam, "Yeah me and Marcus had some drinks at the pool bar. So what, dude? It was AWESOME! And this bartender was, like, totally hot and he made us these drinks that he said would take away all of our worries."

Sam and Marcus both chuckled dumbly. They were totally going to go get some more drinks and hit the pool as soon as they got off the phone with their boss. Hopefully the bartender from last night would be there again.

"I don't want to hear this shit! If you two don't come to your senses, and you're not back here on Monday, and you don't have those reports to me --"

"Yeah, whatever, dude," said Sam, hanging up the cell phone and tossing it on the coffee table of their hotel suite.

"That dude needs to chill," said Marcus, "Come on, dude. Let's go get some drinks and finish out this weekend right!"

So Nervous

God, I am so nervous. In just a few moments, I'm going to be up on that stage with all those people looking at me and judging me -- not to mention all the competitive stares I've been getting from the other bodybuilders backstage. Look, I'm just not used to this stuff, okay? I mean, cut me some slack -- this is my first show ever! And on top of all that other stuff, I've got to worry about how the muscle suit I'm wearing is going to look under the lights, and hope that all of the seams hold up long enough to make it through my routine. Maybe I should just take the suit off now and go back to being a normal guy. I thought this would be a lot of fun, but instead it's just stressing me out!

The Golden Orb

Life has been so wonderful ever since the Golden Orb came into my life. I picked it up in the strangest of places. When the old lady across the street died, her family held a garage sale to help clear out her house. "Mostly junk," I heard one of her grandsons say, rather ungratefully. It was a shame that he was being so disrespectful, because he was otherwise a pretty nice looking kid. Probably played sports in school. It was hot out, so he was just wearing some cargo shorts and a wifebeater. I could see that he had a nice little body underneath.

I spent some time digging through the old, dusty cardboard boxes that they had brought down from the attic, none of it really catching my eye until I saw the Orb. Despite everything else in the box looking ancient, dirty, and in disrepair, the Orb glowed brightly in the sunlight. Something really drew me to it, and I hastily covered it up with some of the other items in the box.

"I'll give you five dollars for the whole box," I said, secretly feeling like I was getting quite a steal.

"Hell yeah," said the old lady's grandson, "Takin' it away by the box-full!"

I gladly gave him the five dollars and made my way back to my own house. Once inside, I closed the blinds and spilled the contents of the box out on the coffee table. The Orb sat nicely on top, just as if it had been placed there. I picked it up and examined it. It was warm, probably from being out in the sun all morning.

As I held it, I began to feel a strange connection to it -- and the longer I held it, the stronger the connection became. I faintly heard a voice in my head, and I knew that it was somehow coming from the Orb.

"Who do you want to be...?" it asked.

I thought it to be a very strange question, and didn't know quite how to answer.

"Who do you want to be...?" it repeated.

The first image that flashed in my mind was that of the old lady's hot grandson in his tight little wifebeater, sweat dripping off his brow.

"I can read your mind!" the Orb said, before suddenly becoming very hot.

I dropped it in response, shaking my head to try and clear out those thoughts.

"I should never have brought that thing in my house!" I thought.

I reached out to pick it up, resolving to just throw the whole box out in the garage and forget about it, when I noticed that my arm was -- well, not my arm! It was all tan and youthful-looking. And muscular. I mean, not in a bodybuilder way, but sort of in the way that... a teenager would have if he played a lot of sports in school.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, and I think I heard my voice crack a little bit.

I rushed over to the nearest mirror and there, sure enough, was the handsome face of the old lady's grandson reflected back at me.

"Awesome..." I said, my voice every bit that of a seventeen-year-old's. My body felt great -- far better than it had when I was 17 myself!

Instantly, I rushed back to the Orb and picked it up.

"Who do you want to be...?" I heard it ask again.

"I can be anybody?" I asked, not sure if I would get a response.

"Who do you want to be...?" it repeated.

I concentrated on an image of a guy I used to date, Keith. He was really hot, but turned out to be a complete jerk in the end. The Orb became hot again, but I held onto it this time, and I could almost feel the transformation washing over me.

As the Orb cooled down, I knew that I was no longer a teenager. I was Keith, with his big, hairy chest and masculine good looks. How a guy like him even considered dating a guy like me, I never knew. But, then again, as long as the Orb continued to work, I wouldn't ever have that concern again. I could become anybody that I wanted, any of the hottest guys in the world. Getting guys was no longer going to be a problem for me, I guessed.

I spent the rest of the afternoon trying out tons of different bodies, from the comical to the devastatingly good-looking. I settled on a body that I pulled from an underwear catalogue, boyishly cute with a totally ripped body, for the evening. The next day I would go out and try out some different bodies in public. But for that night I was blissfully content staying at home and knowing that for the rest of my life, I could be whoever in the world I wanted to be.

I Have a Secret

"Thanks for meeting me here," I said, dangling my legs over the edge of the wall, "I know you had class, but I really needed to tell you something."

"Anything for you, babe," said Justen, leaning in towards me with his huge frame. He made me feel so tiny -- but not for long.

"Well..." I said, shyly "I have a secret..."

"And what's that?" he asked.

"OK," I said, feigning hesitation, "Well, first of all, I love you very much."

"I love you too, babe," Justen said, grabbing my little hands and placing them in his big, meaty paws, "Is everything ok?"

"Everything's fine," I said, "OK. Here's the thing. I'm not really Jessica."

I watched with pure delight as confusion washed over his incredibly handsome face.

"What...?" he asked.

"I'm not really Jessica," I repeated, making sure to hold onto his hands a little bit tighter, "See, I've just been using Jessica's body to get close to you."

"Jess...?" he asked, now starting to look scared, "Are you ok? What are you talking about?"

"Actually, for the past week now, I've been using her body. All those times we fucked, and the party we went out to this weekend, and the other night when we spent the night cooking dinner and watching movies at your place? I was just using her body the whole time."

"Jess. You are starting to scare me," he said, and I tightened my grip even further.

I knew I didn't have too much time to make this happen. I began to concentrate and really focus my energy. I still wasn't exactly a pro at this, but I'd possessed a few bodies now and I was starting to get the hang of it. I felt myself pushing out of Jessica, and for a moment I was a shadow of my old self, floating between Jessica and Justen. I suppose it was almost like what people describe when they see a ghost.

"Louis?" Justen screamed, letting go of Jessica as her body slid off the ledge of the wall, unconscious.

So, even in my shadow form he recognized me. Funny, I thought he'd never paid an ounce of attention to me before. I didn't even know that he knew my name! I thought I was just "that kid" in his science class who would occasionally write a paper or do some homework for him. I never asked for payment, either. Well, I was getting my payment now!

Focusing my energy towards Justen's massive body, I entered through his mouth, twisting myself around inside of his body as he clawed at his throat, trying hopelessly to get me out. Eventually, he gave in, and gave up all control of his body to me. I drew in a deep breath of air. I felt huge. I felt amazing.

"Sorry about that, Jess," I said, kneeling down to prop her up against the wall.

I was able to pick her up so easily with Justen's body -- of course, by the way he tossed me around in bed while I was in her body, I should already have known that. She'd wake up soon, but for now she lay peacefully without any memory of what happened.

"And, uh, I don't know if things are gonna work out between you and me any more," I said, "In fact, I've already promised a few guys that I would 'introduce' them to Justen once I had his body. You know, just a few of my 'science geek' friends. They're all just dying to get their hands on this."

I stood up, my full mass becoming more and more apparent.

"But first, I think I might just head back to my place, and see exactly how huge this body is."

Adam's Boyfriend

"Baby, I'm home!" I heard a voice say as keys jingled in the front door. I turned quickly away from the mirror, where I had spent much of the afternoon just admiring my body. God damn, I was perfect!

"Be right there --" I started saying, but the voice was completely, almost humorously, wrong. I quickly took control of Jon's vocal cords, cleared my throat, and tried again, "Be right there, baby!"

Much better. I turned back to the mirror one more time, taking a deep breath and watching my wonderful muscles tighten up and then relax, each and every one of them under my exact control. I had muscles all over the place now. Muscles like I could never have possibly had before.

"I can do this," I thought to myself.

Somewhere deep inside I heard the real Jon screaming. Yes, he was still in there somewhere. In fact, he had to be. Otherwise, how would I be able to access all of his memories and use them as my own? I smiled in the mirror, hoping that he could see what I was doing and how much I was loving being in control of his body.

"Hey, babe!" In the mirror, I saw Jon's boyfriend, Adam, come around the corner.

He was beautiful, there was no other way to describe it. I had been wanting to be with him since high school. He was a stud then, and he was even hotter now, if it was possible. But he would never have gotten with me. He only liked pretty guys like himself, with perfect bodies and perfect looks. That's why he had ended up with Jon, I suppose. And that's why I had ended up in Jon!

"Oh, so I spend my whole day at work, and you spend the day walking around the house in your underwear?" Adam joked with me, coming up behind me and giving me a hug and a kiss, "Not that I'm complaining."

"Hey, it was my day off!" I said, using some of Jon's knowledge, "What did you expect?"

Adam just smiled. I knew that he and Jon truly loved each other. I mean, you're damn straight that there was a lot of physical attraction in their relationship, but just from the few moments I had been able to observe them together from a distance, I always felt that there was a deeper connection between them. Now that I was standing there in Jon's body, right in front of Adam as he looked into my eyes with a warm, genuine smile I knew that was true.

"I'm so lucky to have such a hot boyfriend," Adam said, giving me another kiss.

"What?" I said, mischievously, "So you're saying if I had a body like Devin Ostrander, you wouldn't like coming home and finding me in my underwear?"

"Shut up!" Adam said, laughing.

He made his way over to the closet as he took off his suit and tie, stripping down to his underwear and giving me a peek at his own perfect body. Damn, maybe I would have to try possessing him sometime, too!

"You know what?" he said, "Speaking of Devin Ostrander, I ran into him today. That kid is so weird. Ever since high school, he's just been... I don't know. Weird."

"Oh really?" I said, pretending to be clueless, "What did he say?"

"I don't know, it was some weird shit. Something about he hoped I enjoyed the time I spent with you this morning because by the time I got home tonight, he would be in control of your body? Fuckin' weird."

"No way," I started laughing, "Man, that kid is strange. What the hell does that even mean? Being in control of my body? He wishes!"

"Oh, he'd love that," Adam said, "Then he could finally be with me. I know that's why he's always hanging around. Such a fuckin' creep."

"Yeah," I said, turning back to the mirror and smiling, "He really would love that... Anyways, I have a feeling Devin Ostrander won't be around very much any more..."

"Good," said Adam. He was now completely stripped down to his underwear, "Now, enough talk about him. I've been horny as fuck all day, and you know how much it turns me on to see you checking yourself out in front of the mirror..."

"Well what can I say?" I said, utilizing all of Jon's confidence and charm, "I'm a stud."

For the first time in my life, I could accurately use that word to describe myself. I flexed a bicep in the mirror and felt my new dick stiffen under the tight boxer briefs.

"Yes you are, baby," said Adam as he began to kiss me all over my magnificent new body, "Yes you most definitely are!"

A Boyfriend Like Jeremy

It barely phased me when I walked into the bedroom to see a complete stranger laying on the bed. He was a big black guy, real thug-looking with tattoos all over his dark skin. You think I'd be pretty freaked out, but I'd gotten used to this by now.

"Jeremy," I said, "Come on, now. Switch back to your own body. You shouldn't be doing this while you're drunk."

"Shit, dawg. You ain't no fun," he said.

I had to give it to him, he did a good job with the voice. Deep and gravelly with a slight Southern twang, it matched perfectly with the way he looked.

"Back to your own body, please," I said, starting to get a bit aggravated, "I'd like to go to bed with my actual boyfriend tonight, not some thug."

"Well, shit," he said, "If that's the way a brotha' wants it..."

I saw his body start to shift and transform in front of my eyes. His skin lightened up, but the muscles and tattoos didn't go away. Instead, he started growing dark black hair all over his body as he replaced his face with something of an eastern European look, etched with harsh, jagged edges.

"You like I be Vlad?" he said, his voice even deeper than it had been with the thug, and affected with a distinct sense of broken English. His accent was damn-near perfect.

"No," I said flatly, "Come on, Jeremy. I'm getting tired."

"Oh, Vlad very sad. Vlad vanted be sexy vith Timothy. OK. Vlad try one last body."

"Jeremy!" I said, "Please -- no more! I just want you to --"

I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw who he was turning into. The hair on his body receded as the muscles of Vlad the Russian bodybuilder melted slowly away, revealing a smooth but still fit body. The tattoos that he already had started to shift and change too, turning into some that I instantly recognized. His face lost much of its harshness, becoming much "cuter" in the process -- almost in a boy-next-door kind of a way, but it still had a bit of an edge to it. His hair grew out dark and spiky, and the final touch was a small silver ring through each nipple.

"How about me, bro?" he asked. This was a voice I knew he had practiced using, "You wanna go to bed with me?"

"Jeremy..." I said, stumbling for a response.

"Nuh-uh-uh," he said with an adorable smirk, "It's Dominic. But you can call me Dom if you want to, bro. That's what all my boys call me."

Dominic was one of the bartenders at a bar that me and Jeremy went to all of the time. Jeremy knew that I had a huge crush him. It was something about the tattoos, and the nipple piercings. And he was just so... cute! He was also hopelessly straight.

"So what'll it be?" he said, "How about I go mix us a few drinks and then we can just hang out tonight, bro. I'll even put a little bit of grenadine in your gin and tonic, just like you always get."

"Jeremy --" I started to say.

"Nope. Call me Dom," he said, "I know you want to."

He got off the bed and stumbled off into the kitchen where I could hear him mixing drinks. God damn it, he'd hit my weak spot. I knew that I shouldn't encourage him. He needed to learn how to just be himself. But damn! How could I pass up a night with Dominic the bartender? He even had his whole straight-boy personality down. It was too fucking much.

He came back in the room, a drink in each hand. He had indeed mixed my gin and tonic just like Dominic always did. A little bit too strong.

"Thanks, Dom," I said, realizing that I had no choice but to give in, "It's perfect as always."

He gave me that irresistible smirk again, and I knew that it really was going to be Dominic that I was spending the night with that night. Of course, in the morning, it would all be back to normal -- or at least as normal as things could be with a boyfriend like Jeremy.

Check the Recipe

"Whoa, Brian. What's going on with you, man? Did you forget to shave your chest this morning? And what's happening to all of your muscles, dude? And why is your hair getting all dark -- and... Whoa! Oh my god! You're starting to look just like -- your dad!?"

Suddenly realizing that the potion was wearing off, the man who had been posing as Brian Summerfield dashed into the locker room. Fuck! How many people had seen that? He'd been pretending to be his son for well over a month now and hadn't had a slip-up yet, but this little mishap could end up majorly costing him! In his locker, he had an extra bottle of the potion all mixed up and ready to go. As he chugged it down, he felt his son's youthful and athletic features wash back over him, restoring the disguise just as it always did. He swallowed every last drop, making a note to himself that he would have to check the recipe once he got home to make sure he had mixed it correctly. He couldn't afford to have something like this happen again!

What's the Rush?

"I told you! Stop looking at me!" said my boyfriend, Lucas, covering his face.

"Baby, please," I begged him, "I keep telling you -- you look fine. In fact you look... great."

"So what?" he said defensively, "You didn't like the way I looked before? Is that it? You'd rather I look like this big, dumb, hairy... lug!? Is that what you're saying? God! I hate guys like this -- dumb muscleheads who spend their whole life in the gym and who couldn't give a fuck about just 'regular' guys like you and me -- and now I look just like one of them!"

"Lucas," I said, "You know I love you for who you are on the inside, and you know that I love you for the way you looked before. Okay? I can't say that enough. But look -- neither one of us had any idea that this experiement you signed up for would lead to... well, this!"

"The professor said it would be reversible!" he said, "Does this look reversible!?"

He stood up from the bed, his impressive naked body now in full sight -- every bit a physical improvement over his old one. He had easily grown several inches in height, and had gained perfectly-proportioned muscles all over his broadened frame. He had hair in places where I don't think he had even been able to grow hair before, and his whole appearance was just more masculine. In other words, he had become the complete opposite of the Lucas I had known for the past eight months.

"Well," I said, "We don't know if it's reversible yet. The professor is working on it. If he made something that can do this to you, he has to be able to do something that can change you back. Right?"

He flopped down on the bed, clearly unused to his newfound size and weight.

"But what if he can't, Ian? And what if I'm stuck like this? Would you still love me?"

"Baby," I said, sitting on the bed beside him and taking in all of the changes really for the first time up close, "Of course I would still love you."

"Well," he said, bashfully biting his lip and looking down at the fur-covered slabs of muscle that now hung from his chest, "I guess maybe it could be kinda cool..."

He tentatively flexed the muscles, watching them bounce up and down at his command. He chuckled -- it was a total straight-boy kind of a chuckle, deep and boyish and the same time.

"I guess so," I said, blushing, "Do you wanna show me what else you can do with that new body of yours?"

"But what about the professor?" he asked, "I thought we were going to go down to his lab this afternoon to see if he's made any progress."

"The professor can wait," I said, experimentally reaching out to feel the muscles in his arms (wow, they felt amazing!), "Anyways, what's the rush?"

Fat Suit

You know what? Sometimes I just feel my best whenever I'm wearing my fat suit. So what? You know, I don't have to worry about spending all of those hours in the gym. I don't have to give a fuck about what I eat -- shit, I can shove all of the junk food that I want to in my mouth and not even have a single concern about calories or how many more reps I'm gonna have to add to my workout tomorrow. And I don't have to constantly judge myself every time I look in the mirror, constantly striving for better symmetry, or deeper cuts, or the tiniest bit less body fat, or adding "just a few" more inches of muscle here and there. When I wear my fat suit, I can just kind of let it all hang out, so to speak, and yeah -- I'm not ashamed to say, it feels pretty great! Anyways, once I'm ready to go back to that whole fitness model and competitive bodybuilder thing, all I have to do is just peel off the suit and stuff it in the back of my closet until I'm ready to wear it again -- no harm done. See, no matter how much damage I do while I'm wearing the suit, I come out of it looking exactly like I did when I put it on. Who knows? Maybe one day I'll be comfortable enough with my body as I am when I wear the suit -- but until then, boy am I glad I've got it on hand!