Beneath the Tar

Originally posted on Tumblr : October 14th 2021

 

“Come on boys!” I yelled. Not going to lie I was completely fucked up, who knew the Delta Sigs could throw such an awesome party? Their beer didn’t even taste like shit. It’d be all fine and dandy if my boys and I had actually been allowed to be there. Currently our frat and the Delta Sigs are a bit at odds.  The only two frats off-campus that cater to school athletes. So, it was inevitable that a bit of competition would spring up. But when Tripp heard his girl would be attending this party, he begged our friends to come.

 We were seniors so I’m sure we had a bit more leeway. But if the frat president ever found out it would be all our asses on the line. Thankfully the Delta Sigs weren’t as stick and totally let us stroll into their party. Tripp got to talk to his girl. Apparently, she was just trying to piss him off.

 “Yo Enrique, Time to go.” All I could feel was Cory’s strong black hands pulling me out of the party. Right when I was in the middle of wooing a girl. We were so close to going upstairs to get a room.  I only managed to pull off once we got to the sidewalk. “What the fuck man?”

 “Just watch.” He said looking at the frat house. In the next minute Keegan came tripping out the front door, pants around his ankles trying to pull them up. Our boy was running for his life. Though I’m sure the girls were happy to see his soccer ass on display. Next, Tripp came stumbling out grabbing Cory under the arms. There was a lot of intense yelling growing inside the party.

 There was a tap on my shoulder, and I saw Cory take off down the street. I ran after him with Tripp and Keagan not too far behind. When we were far enough away, I yelled “What the fuck was that guys,” They probably knew I was a sentence away from cussing them out in Spanish. They had killed my vibe, and bros didn’t do that to bros.

 Cory reached over and slapped Keegan upside the head, “This little fucker was trying to get up close and personal with the Delta’s Vice president’s girlfriend.”

 “Hey, she came on to me. Who am I to deny a fine woman?” Keegan answered. No matter how much he dressed like a frat boy. Keegan would always do these country ass things. Don’t get me wrong I was from the city, and there was a certain desire people in these affluent communities expected from others. There was a certain level of etiquette, class and even bromanship that everyone expected. However, shouldn’t the most obvious thing be not to fuck another guy’s girl.

 Before I could chew his ass out for that. We heard voices. Angry ones. “Where did that little shit go?” No doubt, the Delta Sigs.

 Leading us to now, “Come on boys.” We all looked at each other and took off running. The first thing I did was lead us into the woods. We could take a short cut and get to the frat. Though tomorrow morning was going to be torture once the frat found out.

 The nice thing about being a jock is that running hardly left any of us out of breath. I was more of a wrestling guy myself, Tripp, basketball, and Cory, rugby.  But that also meant there was a good chance Delta Sig’s could catch us.

Suddenly, I tripped, but instead of smacking against the forest floor a black sludge greeted me. It clung to my clothes and my face. I tried to Sit up but all I could feel was my body sinking.

 “Ugh, guys I can’t move.” Keegan said. “I’m stuck on something.”

 “What the fuck is this shit?” Tripp shouted. “It’s like black quicksand.”

 Cory tried to speak but his mouth must have been covered with the black slime because it was completely muffled. In the dark of the night my friends and I were swallowed up into a black nothingness. No matter how much strength or force we used it refused to let us go.

 That was my last memory before complete darkness.

—-

10 years later

“And although these tar pits are nowhere near as famous as La Brea. We still love to think of it as our hometown jewel.” The female tour guide said, cheerful. “The fact that this tar pit was hidden for so long was truly a mystery, but scientists deduced it was shifting platonic plates that caused the tar to start leaking onto the surface…”

Nikolai didn’t care for stuff like this. He hated being outside. He hated taking road trips. There had been no desire in him to see uncle Dan and Aunt Sally. But he did it anyway. Why? The young boy looked over to his father standing with the crowd. Mr. Holster’s eyes were wide like a kid in a candy store. He ate this stuff up. It had been his idea to make these random stops, when going to visit his brother. Now that they were on their way back home, he had one more stop to make.

The smile on Nikolai’s face betrayed him though. He liked seeing his dad happy no matter how stupid the thing was. Though he had wished that since he was going to be a freshman in high school his dad could have come up with a better way to spend their summer. Nikolai wasn’t an athletic child. Obvious enough by his pale Italian skin and thin body.

The crowd made their way across the bridge. A small arch with a small railing to prevent people from falling over. Nikolai stood away from the crowd; the last thing he wanted was to be surrounded by sweaty strangers. The tour guide continued her speech gushing about the tar pit. Nikolai looked over the side of the railing.

Staring into the dark depths. He didn’t really see the appeal. After all, they hadn’t even mentioned finding dinosaur bones. Wasn’t that supposed to be like the coolest part in all this? He leaned over the railing. Maybe he had been wrong before. Perhaps there was something almost hypnotizing about studying the tar’s surface. The tour guide said the pits were shallow, but that was hard to tell from above. There was a ripple across the tar. Nikolai tried to peer in closer. A face pressed up from the tar. Before Nikolai could scream the railing broke and sent him soaring straight into the tar.

Everyone in the crowd heard the boys scream plummeting. Mr. Holster rushed over “Nico are you okay!” However, he spotted a tar mass that was much larger than his son ever would have been.

When Nikolai fell into the pit, the tar instantly latched onto him. He could barely struggle as he was covered in the dark molasses. His eyes couldn’t see anything. He heard his father screaming his own head off in the distance. He tried to find it, but it was soon gone. Total darkness.

“FINALLY!” A voice shouted in darkness.

Light finally returned to Nikolai’s eyes. Police cars, an ambulance, and a fire truck had pulled onto the scene. There was an orange hue over the sky. The afternoon had faded. Nikolai wondered how long he had been trapped in the tar. Did he suffocate? His rescuers had lifted him up from his fate. The first thing Nikolai spotted was his dad’s face  with tears falling down. There was tar on the bottom of his Father’s tennis. The moment he fell his father ran down and tried to go in after him but luckily the crowd overpowered him and stopped him from acting so reckless. Apparently, he was screaming about how someone was pulling Nikolai down, but no one else in the tour guide saw it.

The conclusion was that Mr. Holster was hysterical, reasonably so, but Nikolai wondered if that voice, he heard had anything in common with the person his dad claimed to see. There was a lot of cleaning off, though his clothes were ruined. The tour guide begged for Mr. Holster not to sue. People said it was a miracle he wasn’t dead. A lot of adults talking. The scenes all just faded together. He let the world pass by as he sat on the back of the ambulance blanket around his shoulders.

The first thing Nikolai registered was when his father wrapped him in a hug. The warm tears he felt on his neck were enough to pull Nikolai fully out of his daze. “Dad, I’m okay.”

“But what if you weren’t?” Mr. Holster’s voice was shaking, “That was….we’re never doing a trip like this again.”

“You love these trips.” Nikolai stated. “I know you’re worried, but I’m fine.” The two broke the hug. Mr. Holster rubbed his hand over his son’s face. He let out a deep sigh.

“Let’s go home.” Mr. Holster smiled. He helped his son to the car as they drove home. Driving in the dark of night he’d reach over and point out bits of tar in his son’s hair. He thought that the paramedics had got it all off at the scene but maybe that wasn’t so. Actually, as he combed through his son’s hair the tar seemed to have stained it in some areas. They could handle all that in the morning.

By the time they got home Mr. Holster helped his son get to bed, then he too retired for the night. Nikolai didn’t have to wait long before sleep overtook him. After he came out of his daze earlier the world seemed off to him. He was hoping a good night’s sleep would reset everything.

His eyes snapped open when he heard a noise coming from his closet. He sat up slowly. There was a massive shadow figure rummaging through his things. He thought that had to be his mind playing tricks on him. Slowly he reached over and turned on his desk lamp.

A young man froze and turned to look at Nikolai. There was no question about it, the guy was a hunk. Warm brown skin strapping shoulders, chiseled torso, thick thighs. If that wasn’t bad enough the guy was in the nude. His massive ass and well the only word Nikolai could think to describe the dude’s cock was schlong, it hung down along with his balls, and it all just looked heavy.

Nikolai groaned not another one of these dreams. This was the worst. Going into high school his dreams about guys were really ramping up. Nikolai had prayed and wished so desperately that he wasn’t gay. He was already an unsociable, unathletic pasty loser. Why did he have to be gay too? Or if he had to be gay, couldn’t he get rid of the other things. This however was the final nail in the coffin to the guy in his bedroom. Could his brain have made it any more obvious.

 “Hey man, don’t be scared or anything. I just sort of woke up here and wanted to grab some clothes.”  The guy said, knocking Nikolai out of his thoughts. He continued rummaging through the closet, “but nothing in here fits me.” The dude hung up Nikolai’s clothes to show just how small they were against his body. They might as well have been baby clothes. The contrast was so stark.

 The guy was talking so strangely. He didn’t sound like a dream. That is to say he wasn’t asking to have sex, showing off his body or making any moves towards Nikolai. What kind of wet dream was this? Nikolai wanted a refund. Then he realized if this was his dream, he could just make the hot guy come to him. Nikolai closed his eyes, focusing hard.

 “Hey man, you constipated or something?” the guy asked.

 Nikolai blinked, “No I’m not. Why aren’t you coming over here?”

 “Why would I do that man?” Enrique scratched the back of his head, bicep on full display. Power in those arms that would never be reflected in Nikolai’s. “Like if you’re trying to say you’re going to call the cops, please don’t. I’m sure my frat knocked me out and put me in your house as some kinda punishment.”

 Okay now the stranger definitely didn’t sound like a dreamboat. More like a truly confused college kid. But Nikolai still couldn’t shake the feeling that what was happening wasn’t real.

 “My name’s Enrique, yours?” the college kid stated.

 “Nikolai.”

 “Ah so Nico that’s a cool name.”

 The boy winced, “It’s Nikolai. I only let my dad call me Nico.”

 The tension in the room was changing. Less awkward to more standoffish. So, Enrique didn’t want to be there any longer than he had to, so he grabbed a coat and wrapped it around his waist. Closing the closet door, he turned to Nikolai. “I’m going to see myself out.” He slowly walked out the bedroom door, closing it as well. Nikolai thought that’d be the end of the dream but a few seconds later a banging came from inside the closet door until Enrique spilled out on the floor.

 “What the fuck?” Enrique said, rubbing his head. He spotted Nikolai sitting in bed again.” How did I get back here?” Slowly he got up and walked out the room again. Like clockwork the jock spilled from the open closet.

 “Is this a magic trick?” Nikolai asked.

 Enrique turned to Nikolai “Are you doing this? Are you toying with me?”

 Nikolai cocked his head to the side. How could he possibly do anything to the 6ft plus behemoth in front of him? That’s why the only thing he was doing was staying in his bed. So, he shook his head.

Enrique sighed and tried to escape the room again only to be shunted out of the closet. He got up with a grunt placing his hands on his hips as he looked at Nikolai. “Dude, let me out before I get angry.” He took a step toward the bed.

 His foot disappeared. Or to be more accurate it melted. Melted right into the floor. Replaced by the same black tar that had clung on to Nikolai. Nikolai backed up against his bed’s headboard. This wasn’t a dream; it was a nightmare. The college age jock’s other leg began to sink into the floor. Enrique tried to drag himself out, but the tar was too strong.

 “Help me, Please!” Enrique cried out. Nikolai’s legs were shaking. He threw the cover off and slowly made his way over. Enrique’s hand was outstretched, and Nikolai took a hold of it. Nikolai wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. Enrique had muscles for all over, how was Nikolai bird arms going to help him out? When he tried to pull Enrique’s, skin turned into the same black tar as the puddle beneath them. That was all Nikolai recalled before he was sucked in.

 In the morning Nikolai dragged himself out of bed. His head was pounding, and his body felt like he was moving through molasses. Dragging his feet across the floor he made his way to the bathroom. Once inside he had to brush his teeth. It was like he could still taste that terrible black goop on his tongue from yesterday. Just as he started to brush, he finally caught sight of himself in the mirror. He dropped his toothbrush. The hair on his head had gone from light brown to dark brown, almost black.

He leaned closer into the mirror. Was that peach fuzz growing on his upper lip? Okay, that was kind of cool, but the strands there were also the same dark rich coloring. Nikolai shrugged, picking up his toothbrush again. Though he still ran a finger through his hair inspecting how drastically it had changed.  When he came downstairs for breakfast, he waited for his dad to ask about it.

Mr. Holster was flipping an omelet when he heard his son enter, turning around with a smile and his mouth dropped open. “Did you get taller?” He quickly walked over, measuring Nikolai in contrast to his body. His son was right at the valley between his pecs. “wow you must have been growing and I hadn’t even realized!” He sniffed the air, as a burning smell wafted through. His omelet was in dire need of attention.

 Nikolai was caught off guard; he hadn’t expected his dad to state that. He didn’t think he was any taller than before summer. But as he compared his height to the kitchen cabinets, he noted there was a change. He could actually reach some of them comfortably.  How had he not even registered his own height change? By the time they sat down for breakfast though Mr. Holster still hadn’t asked about his son’s hair.

 “Dad…aren’t you curious?”

 “About what  Nico? Sorry, Nikolai.”

 “Nico’s fine dad. But I’m talking about my hair.” Nikolai pointed to his darkened locks.

 Mr. Holster chuckled, “Nico is fine now? Not going to say ‘Daddddd’ like I’m embarrassing you?” His eyes flew up to where Nico was pointing. “What’s wrong with your hair?” 

 “Dad, it’s dark brown!”

 “So?”

 “Dad, we have the same hair color, light brown! What do you mean ‘so’?” Nico said, dumbfounded by his father’s nonchalant attitude. The man just cut his omelet and ate another piece.

 “Don’t you remember our first puberty talk. People’s bodies go through changes. Some people who are blondes as kids turn brunette. Same thing here. Just means you’re becoming a man.” Mr. Holster smiled proudly.

 Nico didn’t want to doubt his dad. But did people’s hair really change overnight? Then again, his dad was acting like it had been darker for a while. Another change that Nico might not have noticed. He was certain it was light brown at his aunt and uncle’s house.

 The day passed without much happening. After the fiasco on the road trip. Mr. Holster wasn’t in a rush to plan any activities or ask Nico to go outside. The father was in protective mode keeping his son close. When nighttime arrived, Nico slipped off into dreamland quickly.

Before he opened his eyes, he could hear a voice muttering. Sitting up Nico spotted Enrique standing face away from him, arms crossed. The college kid was muttering to himself, but it looked like he had at least found underwear to put on. Tight white boxer briefs that lead up to his amazing back above, or powerful thighs below. Nico stared for a while before, he faked a cough and Enrique turned around.

 “There you are little buddy!”  Enrique walked over. “You got to tell me how you got out of here.” His voice was more panicked and heighted.  

 What was Enrique talking about? This was a dream. All Nico did was wake up. “I didn’t do anything.” He admitted.

 “Yes, you did. You disappeared.” Enrique pointed at him. “Well, I guess first we melted…” His voice trailed as he looked at the ground, his mind far away. “But when I woke up in this room and came back you were gone. How’d you do that?”  The Latino came over to the bed and sat on the side eyes pleading. Nico’s eyes were transfixed on the dude’s body. Enrique’s biceps were probably the size of his head. Also, when he sat down Nico noted that Enrique’s pecs involuntarily bounced. Just huge meat jugs moving for no good reason. If that wasn’t bad enough Nico had to keep fighting his eyesight from falling to the bulge Enrique was sporting.

 “You’re not even listening,” Enrique shook his head.

 “I am! You want to get out of here. But all I did was wake up,” Nico responded. He hadn’t been listening beyond the young man’s desire for escape.

 “Wake up? You mean this is a dream?” Enrique looked around the room. “Oh boy don’t tell me this is like my repressed feelings regarding my high school years or some shit like that.” His attention fell back on Nico, “That would mean you’re me.”  He smiled, setting his hands on his thighs as if he’d solved a great puzzle. Then closing his eyes, he started to grunt.

 “What are you doing?”

 “Trying to wake myself up obviously.”

 Nico laughed “You can’t wake up this is my dream, not yours and I’m not you at all.”

 Enrique shook head with such a cocky smirk as he brushed a finger past his head. “Kid—Nico look, I know probably everyone, and their mamas dream about me, but I am 100% real and in control. Like can you even prove this is your dream.”

 “We’re in my bedroom.” Nico said flatly. “Oh yeah, good point.” Enrique’s smile dropped. The confidence he had only a moment ago dissipated as he studied his surroundings once more. When he turned back to Nico he asked, “Hey, maybe you can wake me up.”

Nico really didn’t feel up for it, but this dream had already gone past weird why not.  He closed his eyes and imagined the stud sitting on his bed vanishing. No matter how much he willed it nothing happened.

“Hmmph, so maybe this isn’t your dream after all.” Enrique said with a grin. “Or if you insist that it is, how about you add a few girls in here for me?” He lightly nudged the teen with his elbow.

 Nico frowned. WORST.DREAMBOY.EVER.

 Who the hell would dream up a straight guy for a night fantasy? He couldn’t have been that sexually repressed? He didn’t even subscribe to the’ straight guys are more masculine/hotter’ BS. He hoped that Enrique’s speech earlier wasn’t his own psyche working through things. Pinching himself, Nico waited to wake up in his bed. But that didn’t happen. He shunted off his cover, hoping out of bed. “Hey where you are always this tall?” Enrique got up after him. “I know I was mostly a puddle of goop last time, but I imagined you shorter.”

 Nico ignored I’m brushing past him. But Enrique did have a point, Nico was sure he’d be smaller when he got to stand alongside Enrique’s 6’4 self. Even if Enrique hadn’t been tall his build was still pretty imposing, but Nico was over it. A hot body, handsome face, and cute lips could only get a boy so far in Nico’s mind. He stomped his way over to the door.

 Enrique tired to stop him, “I wouldn’t go out there if I were—"

Flinging the door open, Nico took a step forward before screaming as he fell. One of Enrique’s hands grabbed him by the wrist. The college kid pulled him back up into the room.  There was nothing beyond the room. They were in a box floating in space. It wasn’t a cool space like outer space, where they could see stars, the moon, or possibly even earth. It was an unknown realm and there was an inky darkness beyond the four walls. As they stood at the doorway Nico could see it moving and shifting only by the grace of light coming from his room.

“If you go out there. You’ll be pushed back out through the closet.” Enrique stated.

“What is all this?” The black slime oozed falling on unknown structures outside the room. Nico slammed the door and ran to his bed. “That looks like the tar I fell into.”

“Wait, you fell into tar? So, did I!” Enrique said. “What if we’re in some kind of tar dimension?”

Nico rolled his eyes. Here he thought college kids were supposed to be smart. Maybe he shouldn’t have put much faith in a frat boy though. Enrique was still yammering away, when body became transparent. He was like a ghost. Nico’s mouth dropped as Enrique simply vanished.

—

When Enrique woke up, he was in bed. Didn’t take a genius to realize he was in the same room as always except this time sunlight was pouring into the window. “Nico?”  Enrique whispered looking around. The frat boy got up from the covers. He whispered the name again. No answer. He opened the closet just to make sure.  Curious as ever he rummaged through some of the clothes. They were completely different from in the other space.

For starters, they were cooler. Enrique didn’t mean to knock a kid’s style, but these clothes attitude. These were clothes he could get behind. He wouldn’t necessarily wear them himself, but they weren’t far off from what he liked. Pulling out a shirt and jeans he examined them further running his hands along the fabric. Not even the cheap crap, this was all genuine material. Okay, Nico had taste.

As he pulled his fingers off the clothing, Enrique noticed a black charcoal-like substance coating his finger. Not thinking much of it he simply wiped it off. That’s when he finally took a good look around the room. There were sports posters, trophies and academic awards posted along the wall. The basic structure was the same but, in the dream, there was nothing like this.  Enrique walked over to a picture surrounded by trophies. Nico was in the picture, but he was older and standing next to a man: his father, the answer came to Enrique. They both had some solid muscles. Well, they had nothing on Enrique, but lean and trim was okay too.

Placing the picture down, Enrique found even more of the charcoal on his fingers. Perhaps Nico was an older guy and was a kid sometimes when he dreamed? Maybe the dream was Nico working through his high school repressed memories? He picked up one of the sports trophies. “Wrestling award dedicated to the MVP of the senior class of …what the fuck?” Enrique read the award again. What year did it say? No that couldn’t be true. The year was…It should have been. Enrique found his mind drawing a blank. Something was wrong with the year, but he couldn’t remember what year it should have been.

He thought long and hard. Flashes entered his head. He could remember. It wasn’t just him that got entrapped in the tar. His closest friends did too. So where were they now? He hadn’t spotted them once in that ‘dream place.’ What happened after he got pulled into the tar, but before he wound up in that room. That’s what Enrique needed. There was darkness. But he wasn’t alone. He was screaming, but no one could hear him. In the distance he could hear his bros screaming too. They were all so far away from each other but then there was this light. Enrique didn’t know what it was, but he scrambled towards it. Nothing mattered but getting out of that dark void.

Enrique set the trophy on the dresser. “Fuck,” now his hands were cover in charcoal-like dust.  The longer he started the black dust faded away. The world was playing tricks on him. He hunched over. His stomach growled. What was wrong with him? This gnawing feeling. An emptiness. Then it snapped into his head. He was hungry. How long had it been since he ate?

The door to the room opened. Standing there, hand on the doorknob, was a man few inches shorter than Enrique. The same man that was in Nico’s pictures was now standing in the flesh. Had to be Nico’s father.

“Nico, what’s going on? I’ve been calling you down to breakfast for a while now?”

“I uh,” Enrique pointed to himself, “Me?” He wasn’t Nico. Wait a minute. Enrique’s eyes focused on his fingers. He hadn’t seen them in a long time, but his hands had more color to them than this. Why was he white? He pulled his T-shirt off. There was his body. Smaller than usual. Where were his muscles? The first thing he should be seeing are the pecs he went everyday to the gym for. And his arms had been reduced to an intermediate’s level. Enrique was a fucking expert. He needed a mirror. He needed a mirror right fucking now. Zooming past Nico’s dad Enrique ran. There had to be a mirror somewhere, some place. Rushing down the steps he spotted a mirror hung above the couch.

“No, no” He moved over to the mirror pulling at his face. Rather Nico’s face. Enrique had woken up in another dude’s body. Though Nico’s body didn’t feel all that foreign. Maybe that’s why Enrique hadn’t picked up on it right away. Also, he hadn’t seen his body in so long. In that black emptiness how would he even notice. His finger traced along Nico’s face. The cheek bones, the sharp jawline. Nico’s face wasn’t that far off from Enrique’s own. Odd. He couldn’t have been related to this kid.

“Nico?” Mr. Holster placed a hand on the back of Nico’s neck rubbing it. “You feeling okay?”

 Enrique turned around to face the stranger. He wanted to say that he wasn’t Nico, but the words refused to leave his lips. Once he was staring into the man’s kind warm brown eyes, he felt safe.  A familiarity reached out from the father and seized Enrique’s heart. He could trust this guy. An innate feeling. His beating heart was starting to settle.

 A growl emerged from his stomach. Enrique followed Mr. Holster to the breakfast table. He couldn’t believe it, food. Actual food. He didn’t even wait to sit down. Who cared if this was a grace family or no grace family! Food was food and he wanted to eat. Enrique shoveled the food into Nico’s mouth. Salt, paper, butter, gracing his tongue with the taste of biscuits, eggs and bacon.

“Woah slow down, the food’s not going anywhere.” Mr. Holster took a sip from his coffee mug.

But Enrique wouldn’t stop Nico’s body from craving food. The more he was able to get in the more joyous the body responded in pleasure. Literally! Enrique witnessed the muscles on Nico’s body expanding as he ate more. His arms were energized, as his pecs grew heavier. He could feel the strength of his thighs pressing against the pajama bottoms he was wearing.

“Fuck,” he whispered out as Nico’s cock was expanding not just in length but girth. Enrique bit his lips as he danced around in the chair trying to get comfortable. Every cell in his body was converting the food straight into energy and GROWTH. Enrique slowed down as his meal continued. His body was finally telling him he was sated for now. Finally, he could start to think.

Where were his bros? His frat? Was he even in the same state? He needed to get of here. Slamming his hands on the table he stood up as his chair pushed back. Where was he going to go? He didn’t have any money, and he was still in Nico’s body.

“Where’s the fire?” Nico’s dad asked.

“I have to…go” Enrique stated. He had no idea what the man’s name was. Enrique started towards the door.

“Don’t you want to put on some clothes before rushing out?” The dad snickered. From his point of view, he was watching his son be silly. Enrique, however, had been in such a rush he hadn’t even thought about it. All he had were loose basketball shorts. Well, they had been loose before he started rating. His thighs and legs had swelled up enough to fill them up.

“Thanks,” Enrique said before bolting upstairs. Once he got back in the room he grabbed jeans and a shirt. He flung the shorts off to the side and placed the shirt on. It was a designer short-sleeve shirt and fit like a second skin. Next came the jeans and they were harder to slip into; he couldn’t get them past Nico’s thunder thighs. He struggled for a while jumping in place. Had to stop because the whole room shook with him. He collapsed on Nico’s bed, eyes up on the ceiling.  This wasn’t going to work. Why did Nico have such small clothing?

Enrique sat back up. He’d just have to put on the shorts again. As he sat on the bed he looked over to the mirror. Nico’s body did not look like it had earlier. There was more muscle. Enrique stood up. It was taller. Before Enrique would have guessed Nico was a senior in high school but now he was definitely fit for college. Nico was looking more mature. There was dark stubble growing on his face.

A fear took foot inside of Enrique. What if Nico was a monster that trapped people like him I his bros in a sort of torture?  How else could he have ended up in the man’s body. Then he looked down. The jeans on his legs were changing. Black tar had appeared and morphed the leg wear.   In a panic he fell back on the bed trying to kick them off. No use.  He started to scream his lungs out. He couldn’t be trapped in the darkness again. The tar finally disappeared and all that remained were the jeans. They were larger than before and finally plopped to the ground once Enrique got them off.

Nico’s father came into the room, “What’s wrong, Nico?”

Enrique couldn’t speak, he just busted out crying. He was going to be stuck in this house, this room forever. The tar probably wouldn’t let him escape, and just what the fuck was Nico. An alien or something normal human bodies didn’t grow so suddenly. Nico’s father walked over and sat on the bed. He took Enrique into his arms and rested the frat boy’s head on his shoulders. Enrique cried on the man. It was comforting.

“Nico, you have to tell me what’s wrong. I’ve never seen you like this.” The father waited for a moment, rubbing Enrique on the back, gently rocking him. “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Enrique could only think, Nico may have been a freak of nature, but his dad was genuine and kind. When he stopped crying, he sat there with Nico’s dad. How long had it been since someone touched him?

“I need help.” Enrique said in a weak voice.

“Help with what? you know I’ll do whatever I can.”

Biting his lip had to think, He couldn’t just go out spouting the truth: that tar trapped him, he wasn’t Nico, and the weird dream space. Nico’s dad would think he was crazy for sure. Enrique wiped his tears. He needed to get a hold of himself. Taking a breath, he pulled away from Nico’s dad.

“I need to find some info.” Enrique said, getting his voice back.

Nico’s father had a confused look on his face, “Something you couldn’t find on your phone, or computer? Are they not working?”

 “What?” Enrique hadn’t thought about a computer, but a phone? Just what did Nico’s father think a phone was? The man looked around and then said “Ah-ha.” He went up and grabbed a tiny black device off one of Nico’s dressers. Enrique certainly hadn’t seen it before. The screen lit up as Nico’s father tried to hand it over.  Enrique didn’t take it staring at it.

 “You haven’t set your password on this phone yet? Best not forget that.” The father chuckled, nudging Enrique with an elbow. Moving his finger across the screen, Nico’s dad changed the entire layout. Enrique was speechless how far had technology come since he was gone? Up popped a page that said Google. “So, what can’t you find?”

 Immediately blurted out his name, his bros’ names and their university. The phone screen changed again. In bright blue words Enrique read the words ‘College Teens Missing.’ His picture and his friends were listed on the right. A smile crossed his lips, he hadn’t seen their smile in forever. Then there was his face of course. He’d almost forgotten what he looked like. A handsome devil to say the least, must have driven the girls crazy. He caught himself smiling in the mirror. Did Nico actually look like him? He took the phone and held it up as he walked to the mirror. No, there were some more than subtle differences. For one, Enrique’s actual hair was black, Secondly, his skin was truly brown, while Nico only had a nice tan. Also he was taller Nico was only 6’2 at best.

“Everything alright bud?” Nico’s dad came behind Nico and massaged his neck. Enrique turned around to thank him. He never started as he gazed at the dad’s face. Shuffling a little out of frame, he looked back in the mirror. Wrapping a hand around Nico’s dad he shoved the guy in front of him, then stood behind him.

“Hey what’s gotten into you today?” Nico’s dad stared at the mirror. “Is it something on my face?”

 With the phone in his hand on the left, and Nico’s dad on the right, Enrique stood dumb founded in the middle. He looked like the son of himself and Nico’s father. Or maybe those were just the traits Nico had naturally inherited from his dad. But Why? Why did Nico have Enrique’s traits? Enrique didn’t feel good about the answer. What if Nico had stolen them and Enrique’s real body was ugly now? So ugly that his soul followed his attractive qualities out. That had to be it.

“Um, Dad, can I be left alone for a bit?” Enrique asked, he didn’t want to call a stranger that, but it didn’t feel awkward.

Nico’s dad gave a cautious look. Enrique knew from this dad’s point of view his son must have been going loony, but the man gave his son a hug and left. Enrique went back to the phone reading about how he and his frat brothers went missing. The news stated no bodies were ever found, and there were no suspects either.  He read through tons of articles like that. The sun went down, but still Enrique was watching news articles. Then an idea popped into his head perhaps he should call his family? Not that they’d recognize him, but it was worth a shot.

As he went to dial the number. He stopped. Who was he? He was Enrique, a frat dude with four friends that fell into tar. But what about the important information? Where has he lived, his parent’s names, his family’s phone number? All that produced nadda in his head. He went back through articles scouring for information. His last name was on there, but no info concerning his life. What was he even studying in school? When Nico’s father called him down for dinner. Enrique walked down in a daze, then ate while still reading his phone. Why was his head so empty? There were facts about himself, he should have known that were just gone? Was it eroded away after being confined in the dark for so long?

 Even as night took over, Enrique laid on the bed fully clothed, shoes off and socked feet rubbing the bedpost. He never noticed when he drifted off to sleep.

 “You’re back!” was the first thing Enrique heard. His eyes opened as he found himself laying in Nico’s bed.  He was still in white boxer briefs. Nico was standing over the side of the bed leading over him.

“Where’d you go?” Nico asked.

Enrique shook his head trying to get his bearings, “I was inside your body.” Now he was back in the same fake room that had no world beyond its walls.

“What?”

“Yeah, I even met your dad. He’s kind of a cool guy.” Enrique’s smile faltered. His memories from his first day back on earth in who knows how long were flowing back into him. “You”’ he pointed a finger at Nico “You did this to me. What are you a witch?”

The kid frowned his face, “What are you talking about? I’m a normal kid.”

“Oh sure, HERE you’re a kid, but in the real world why do you look like me?!”

“Huh?”

“And there’s stuff…information from my head missing you took it didn’t you.” He started to stride towards Nico.

Nico started backing up. He was never one for fights. Especially not against a jock who could effortlessly impound his face in. His back hit the wall. Nowhere to run. The door would just spit him back up in the closet.

 Enrique snatched up the kid’s wrist holding them together. Now the brat would be casting any spells or other BS. “Now answer me! Why did you do this?” The information he was lacking created an empty feeling inside himself. He needed it to be complete. Nico was the only obstacle.

 Nico shouted, “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” His hands started to hurt. Yet surprisingly he didn’t feel at a disadvantage. Rather he felt strength flowing through him where Enrique held him. With that strength he kicked Enrique in the nuts. The older boy dropped to his knees trying not to cry. Nico ran to the other side of the room trying to wake up in his body. Enrique, however, was dragging himself across the floor. The empty feeling inside him grew. Enrique’s body began to melt. He needed to get to Nico. He needed Nico.

 The boy couldn’t wake up fast enough. He tried to kick and punch at Enrique, but the muscular body only melted more, absorbing the blows. Enrique’s skin began to lose its color, becoming entirely black. The same tar that had entrapped both the lads. Nico found himself under the moving tar as pieces of black ooze began to drip on him. He was inside the tar once again. Underneath him, Enrique’s black form puddled touching Nico’s back. Once again Nico was invigorated with strength, but not enough to break away. Enrique had more questions to ask-to demand, but his mouth was long gone. Then his tar body simply latched on to Nico’s as if no more strength remained, smothering the kid. As Enrique had Nico trapped inside him, he finally knew he was complete.

 Nico’s eyes snapped awake, he sat up in bed. “Thank god, I’m back.”  No wait, he wasn’t Nico. He wasn’t Enrique. Two sets of memories played in his mind, but for one set it was all-half baked. Then he remembered he had once been Enrique, but the years in darkness tore away at his memories. There had to be something, anything he could do to be whole. Then he saw a light in the darkness. It was Nico, rather the boy’s soul. Enrique hadn’t meant any harm to Nico; he just wanted to be free. But what Enrique failed to realize was that his body had long since been claimed by the tar. He too was nothing more than a soul. His act of desperation bonded him to Nico.

Two souls forced into the same body.  The tar they’d fallen into was so much more than ordinary. Enrique’s soul just by presence alone began to influence Nico’s body, gifting the boy Enrique’s former traits. The dreamscape where the two had met was a meeting of the souls. Their final confrontation sealed the deal. Enrique became complete, filling all the questions he had about himself with Nico’s answers. They were one now. Nico took on all of Enrique’s strength as the young man’s body subsumed him.

So, the young man sitting in Nico’s bed today was not one nor the other but both. A new Nico, a better Nico. He made a move to get out a bed throwing off the covers and throwing his legs over the side. He hunched over and groaned. His body was growing again, a final sign that the two were one. Not just that a new reality started to set in his head, but the old memories were still there. Nico got up walking to the mirror. He was drop dead gorgeous, With the two halves of them no longer fighting they could fully share in the benefits of their traits. Nico had a full-on beard growing, well-groomed and kept up. Not to mention, he was fucking huge at 6’8 with his size 16 feet. A combination of Nico’s latent puberty and the results of Enrique’s. Nico couldn’t believe Enrique ever though 6’4 was amazing. He was way older than even of the two young men that made him up. Examining his face, no crow’s feet or wrinkles. His mind was telling him he had graduated college a few years back and started a job…

 A knock came at the door. His dad entered. Well, father no more. He was now Nico’s older brother. Nico was crashing at his place for a while. Even knowing all that, Nico’s eyes lit up when he saw the man. “Dad!” The words flew out of his mouth, and he ran up embracing the man.

His former father, Elliot chuckled confused, hugging his brute of a younger brother back. “Did you just call me dad? Ha-ha, very funny. I’m not *that* old” He got lifted off the air and spun around.” He hugged his larger younger brother back. In the new reality, growing up people often assumed Nico was the older brother. Didn’t matter even if they were Elliot still gave the best dad-hugs around. It was going to be strange living in a world where his dad and him were practically on equal footing.  But now he had Enrique, he had always had Enrique. He had always been Enrique.

There’d be no more darkness in Nico’s future. His world would be full of light.