The Man Inside You

Original posted on Tumblr: Oct 8th 2022 

 

Every single male from the time they’re born has a true man buried deep within him. No matter what anyone says or believes it’s the truth. Maybe harder for some to hear him, but he’s there, always there. He’ll be with them. He is them. Around puberty is when most people start to hear his voice, but some can hear it before then. It really depends on the person and what makes them feel like a man. He whispers in your head. He can be your guardian angel, or the devil on your shoulder. The lucky masses can reach a coexistence with the man inside of them, but of course, there are always those guys who find themselves at constant odds.

— 

Harrison sighed, pulling away from his computer. This report was just not coming together like he hoped. Senior year in high school and he had to type up a paper on people’s inner man. Oh, but wait, the teacher added a twist: It couldn’t just be a basic report, that’d be too simple. After all, everyone had written at least one since elementary school. You couldn’t pass by someone, boy or girl who didn’t know about it.

It all started back in the late 1950s, especially for the U.S., people living in their ‘perfect’ suburban homes. Men being the money maker, women as the housewives, two kids and a dog. Then boom as if overnight. Males, mostly adolescents and college students, reported hearing another voice inside their head. Scientists had chalked it up to a mass hysteria, most likely due to the devil’s music…Rock and Roll. Harrison laughed, recalling that history he’d read so many times, but he couldn’t imagine living in a world where boys didn’t know about the men inside them.

Of course, the biggest story from that time was of Billy Bob. In the 60s, he was a 16-year-old wrestling champion for the state of California. He had golden blond hair, a kind smile and gentle blue eyes. The classic American dreamboat that girls swooned over. Unfortunately, he got hit with the man inside of him pretty hard. His dad had got him a car and that had lit the spark for him. Having a car represented a type of independence that still exists in some form with cars today, but not to the same extent.  Billy Bob drove everywhere offering his friends rides. It’s what the man inside of him also wanted. Any good son like Billy Bob wouldn’t keep that a secret from his parents. So, he told them he was also suffering from a voice that wanted him to do more things with his car.

His parents didn’t get it but Billy’s father, Simon, had it all worked out eventually. Whenever Billy Bob felt urged to listen to that man inside him, William Robert, he talked to his dad. There’s video footage that existed of Simon stating that all he did was talk to his son’s other self like a person and acknowledge that he had wants. The father said, “It didn’t matter if the world thought his son was crazy or possessed ‘William Robert’ was his son too.” People were inspired. But Billy Bob wasn’t known for how touching his story was. After Billy Bob turned 17, his dad got sick, very sick. His mom was hardly around because she had to work to support them. Billy Bob’s quest for adult independence ended as he came into a more man of the house role. In school it was rumored he was starting to take girls up to Make out Point, then would drive to the hospital to see his dad every other day.

No one knows what they talked about, but one nurse did report she heard Simon, thanking William Robert for being the man of the house, but reminded him not to take away Billy Bob’s childhood. Simon had a charmer’s tongue for talking to the man inside his son.

But then Billy Bob’s grandfather moved in. Everything went to shit. The grandfather thought his grandson and all the boys in the country and in the world were losing it. There was no person inside Billy Bob. His grandson was just a basket case. Instead of worrying about racial integration they needed to worry about their young men. Not that the grandfather cared about other men that didn’t look like his grandson.

As a show of force, Billy Bob’s grandfather tried to have his grandson lobotomized live on television. People watched all across the nation as Billy Bob was strapped to a chair. They were going to sedate him first, but the boy struggled the whole way. Then on national TV the teenager grew into a man. As he fought against the straps people watched his height grow and his body put on a heavy thickness. His clothes ripped and fell to the ground. William Robert had emerged real as ever, wearing the remains of Billy’s clothes and then he was gone, running for freedom. It was the moment everyone in the country knew things would be different. Across the country many boys that were watching grew themselves, shocking families. New grown adult men freshly born into the world.

Billy Bob disappeared after that, never to be seen again. But there was a report of a man having to come in and see Simon for two days straight before disappearing.

Harrison sighed, just thinking about that story put him in a negative mood. He couldn’t even imagine what he’d do if his dad got sick. His dad was a single father so there’d be no one else to help out.

“Oh, come on, I’d help you out. Why’d you have to think about all the depressing stuff for though? Now we’re sad.”

“Hey, it’s the most basic stuff, of course I’d think about.”

“Well, geez can’t we at least go watch a football game or something?”

Harrison groaned, for some reason the man inside him, Harry, was a hot former frat boy jock kind of adult. Harrison sighed that probably meant that’s the kind of guy he truly wanted to be. But he couldn’t let his thoughts drift off; he had to write this report. Harry had a knack for lazing off. “No, I promised Dad, I would get homework done today. You and he were drinking beer late last night.” 

“Why are you complaining? Not like you got a hangover.”

Harry was treated much more like a hot older brother that used Harrison for housing, instead of them being the same person. Made sense though because when it came to personality Harry was pure Id of the brain, desires and sexual drives. Other young men were lucky to have moral centers as the men inside them. Then again, Harrison could see being strapped with a built-in parent could get annoying quickly. 

He pulled back from the computer taking a break. He put in his earphones and streamed some music. However, just as he was getting into a relaxed state. There was a twinge in his cock. Harrison cursed under his breath. It always started like that. His cock began to lengthen down his pants leg. Not growing harder, just fatter and thicker, completely soft. Next his ass stretched wider as each cheek inflated with muscle. Power wracked down his legs shifting them into hard earned runners’ legs. Harrison was able to kick off his shoes before his feet had blown up in size, ripping his socks. 

He slammed his hands on the desk as they tripled in size. His rib cage expanded, and bones reworked themselves to accommodate his growing chest. Harrison’s shirt never stood a chance. The poor shoulders burst when massive shoulders came into view. That led to strengthened arms for catching footballs, which Harrison had never done before in his life. The last change was his face growing. The reshaping of it added maturity and angular features to his face that a high school senior could never hope to achieve.  Stubble appeared on his jaw line as light brownish hairs appeared between his pecs. As his legs grew fuzzy, Harrison felt himself slipping away.

-ARGHHH!!!”  Harry finished grunting out as he came into being. He breathed heavily, his large chest conveying each release of air. He reclined back on his chair.  “Fuck, kid I didn’t mean for that to happen.” He looked down at the ruined clothes he was wearing. “Shit, dad’s going to beat my ass for this.” His transformations had taken a toll on Harrison’s wardrobe over the years.

Just another symptom of living with the man inside you. They’d come out and take over for a while if a person wasn’t careful. The real danger though was for males to never find peace with the man inside them. A functioning young adult could only be formed when the teen boy came to accept the man inside him. If not, a male risked being lost to the man inside them forever. Though that ‘acceptance’ was different for everyone. For most it was a natural integration slowly growing overtime. For a select few it could be an overnight epiphany that caused a teen to shift quicker into a man than his peers.  

For that reason, the world couldn’t agree if Billy Bob had been a warning to young teens, or a story of triumph? Did the boy lose himself, or did he find himself in those last moments caught on TV.

A knock came at the door; Mr. Caldwell stepped in to see his son, fully grown again. He gave a light smile, even when he crossed his arms and pointed at the clothing remains. “I thought we came to an agreement last night. Today, you’d let Harrison work on his paper.”

“I know, I know. But I was relaxing, and you know me breaking the rules makes me feel like a man sometimes so, POOF.” Harry responded ashamedly.

“Well, you know the drill at least put on your clothes.”

“Oh, right my ‘man’ clothes.”

“Dude, they’re just clothes for you when you’re at a different size.” Mr. Caldwell was slipping more of an informal speech than his paternal demeanor. Many parents found it difficult to maintain their authority. Especially when their sons could end up older than them, and with even more dominating personalities. Luckily, Harry was so laid back his relationship to his father was more like a genuine friendship.

Harrison chuckled, before going quiet, then asking. “Hey dad, how’d you do it? Find peace with the man inside you?”

Mr. Caldwell pondered for a moment, “Well for me it wasn’t something that was done overnight, but eventually I realized we wanted the same thing. After that I came to an understanding within myself. I knew logically that of course I was my ‘inner man’ but knowing it and understanding it are two different things.”

“Aren’t you afraid you might lose your son to me?” Harry asked.

Mr. Caldwell pondered for a moment before stepping into the room. He bent over placing a hand on Harry’s face. His thumb rubbed against Harry’s stubble. “You two take such good care of each other I know it’s going to turn out alright. And Harry, you have to stop seeing my son as ‘him’ you’re my son, Harrison.

Harry shuddered for a moment there was such raw love in that sentence. He honestly felt that everything his dad was saying was true. Inner peace would come to both Harrison and Harry. They were lucky not to be in active turmoil, but they both still had different ideals. And their own name. Not once had Mr. Caldwell ever called him Harrison. It was actually kind of nice. Harry certainly didn’t want to take over Harrison’s life. He had thought the solution rested solely in Harrison’s growth, but perhaps he could aid in small part by not believing they were different people. By the time Mr. Caldwell left, Harry was pondering over what came next. He stared at the computer screen; school was not his thing.

The next morning alarm blaring Harrison got out of bed rushing. He brushed his teeth, ate breakfast and got dressed. Then banged his head on the wall when he realized he never finished his paper. He walked over to his desktop and took it off sleep mode. Awaiting him was a document 7 pages longer than what he had remembered ending with. Leaning forward he read through, the paper was good. Really good. Then it came to him that Harrison had finished his paper. He would have remembered that if Harry hadn’t gotten black out drunk afterwards.

Harrison got to his all-boys school having practically danced the whole way. There a lot of the guys were transformed, still in the early stages of getting to know their inner man. Some wouldn’t figure it out until college, but Harrison was hoping to get it over with before or just after graduation.

Physics class had to be the most interesting. Not one of the staff members had figured out that Mr. Dutton hadn’t taught class the whole year. During the first week he got into an argument with Louis Parks, the smartest kid in class, and said something like, “If you don’t like it, why don’t you teach the class yourself?”  Louis morphed right there growing in front of all his friends. Apparently his ‘inner man’ was triggered when presented with the opportunity to be the smartest in the room. A person’s view for being a man could vary differently so discovering someone else’s was always interesting.

Louis’ adult self, Lou was a smug asshole, but also a genius. He gave that first lesson half clothed but wowed the teacher. Now whenever class started the teacher would sit back and tell Lou to take it away. It happened so often their teacher started bringing clothes for Lou. No one talked about it because it was quite fascinating. Louis, as smart as he was, had been a shy kid in high school. Him saying the teacher made a mistake once had him stuck as an arrogant would-be teacher.

Maybe it wasn’t all bad though. Harrison had long noticed Louis started gaining more confidence to speak his mind outside of class. Not only that but he was steadily climbing to Lou’s height. Months ago, he’d been 5’4 now he was 5’9 and Lou stood at a solid 6’2. It was obvious to Harrison that Louis was coming to better terms with Lou than most other boys. 

Harrison happened to arrive early to Physics class, after homeroom in time to catch Louis undressing. Mr. Dutton was gone, having left the student some privacy and a change of clothes. Most people loitered around before the start of the first class, but Harrison was so ecstatic Harry finished his paper he ended waltzing right in. He came upon Louis stripped down to his underwear.

“Oh, I am so sorry.” Harrison tried to cover his eyes.

“No, it’s okay, come in. More people are going to talk if they see you rush out.” Louis gave an awkward grin. Harrison slowly closed the door ashamed he’d put them in an awkward position with his carelessness. He turned slightly away from Louis. The reason he didn’t turn fully was because his classmate was displaying quite the show. Harrison tried to mental convince himself he wasn’t a pervert.

“Good luck with that! I see it now. Horny Bisexual Teen Runs Amok titled in every newspaper!” Harry’s voice rang out in his head. 

“Quiet you!” Harrison thought back. Though he was called out on it, that didn’t stop him from looking. He was getting a good image of what Louis looked like under his clothes these days. For one his chest had developed pecs.  Not a proper shelf like Lou had, but they certainly sat out. Then there was the faint frail of abs that had begun to appear. What really caught Harrion’s eyes was the pouch that sat in Louis white boxer briefs. Harrison had swimming class for gym with Louis for two years and never had Louis looked this developed. Louis was never going to turn into Lou 100%. No boy would. Accepting the man inside of you meant reaching a cohesion and as such more of a happy mixture of the two. Louis would never have the masculine energy that radiated from Lou or his ginormous pecs that Harrison stared at during class. Unless of course he worked hard for it. Cohesion of self-did not lead to gaining the unnatural skills that one’s “adult’ self had. However, it wasn’t all bad. For Louis it meant he wouldn’t be gaining Lou’s arrogant demeanor. Instead, Louis’ true personality would fill that slot in the body of a proper young adult. 

Harriosn’s eyes happened to go up to Louis’ face. Louis was looking right at him. He had been watching Harrison eye him up. 

“I–I’m sorry.” Harrison turned away fully.

“No-no it’s okay. I’m not mad…but I’m not gay either, or bi.”

“I get it. Didn’t mean to stare it was rude of me–

“No,” Louis put his hand on his head, sighing, frustrated with himself, “What I mean to say is I’m glad that you’re staring. It makes me feel sexy. People like you. I heard the girls from our sister school whispering about you. So, if you like how I look, maybe girls will too?”

 “Well, you are really cute.” Harrison snuck in there and Louis went scarlet, turning away. “Didn’t know you were so bashful.” Harrison couldn’t stop the smile growing on his face.

“You better pull it back some, you got the poor kid floundering out there.”

Harrison sighed, Harry had a point. He wasn’t trying to embarrass Louis, though the boy’s modest side was adorable. The least he could do was throw a line to help. “So, is being a teacher all it’s cracked up to be? You should be an expert at turning into Lou now.”

“Honestly, it is fun, but it’s actually getting harder to turn into Lou.” Louis admitted.

“Really?” Harrison asked.

“Yeah, it’s like, my body prefers to stay the way it is now,” Louis said happily as his blush began to fade away. “And often I find Lou’s thoughts running coherent with my own, like we’re thinking the same thing.”

“So, like when you accept the man inside you, do you think you’ll become one person? He doesn’t just fade away?” Harrison asked. Adults, especially male adults, never talked about how scary the change could be for boys. The deepening voices, the changing bodies etc. It was like adults had reached such a level of internal peace they couldn’t understand why boys were frightened. However, losing yourself to the man inside you seemed like an awful way to go. 

Society had accepted there was something fantastical about these grown men boys across the world would become. They’d have skills and knowledge their child self didn’t or could possibly have. So many of those men were taking their original genetics and ramping them up to their most heightened state of physical attractiveness that fell in line with that boy’s mental image. However, with all their beauty and skill society saw them as aliens. They were practically caricatures of what teen boys thought men should be. They weren’t really full people on their own. Ergo, those men were often treated as second class citizens, if those boys failed to become “proper” young adults.

It made Harrison shiver. He thought back to when he was little and wondered why all the grocery clerks looked like models. All the boys who had been unable to make peace within themselves turned into walking wet dreams. That was the problem, they were fantasies and fantasies could only sustain others for so long before they craved something real. Harrison liked Harry, even enjoyed his company, but he wouldn’t want to be subsumed by him. So, Harrison thought–well all the boys he knew thought– he’d have to subsume Harry. According to Louis, though at this moment that didn’t seem to be the case. That made Harrison a little happy, he didn’t want Harry to disappear.

“Daww, I’d miss you too, kid.”  Harry said. 

Louis rolled his head back as his body shuddered and he began to transform. For height he didn’t have that far to go any more, but it was still fun to watch his body climb up. Then the muscle that exploded outward and packed onto his body made Harrison bite his lip. This was a front row show. The real kicker however was the way the pouch in his underwear expanded and his ass cheeks pushed out. Harrison quickly reached down to reach down and adjusted himself. 

“Well, that was an adventure. Don’t know how many times I’ll get to do that.” Lou said as he rolled his joints and stretched his arms. “You alright there?” Lou cocked his head at Harrison. “Don’t go ripping your pants with that thing,” he pointed out Harrison’s boner.

“Forget that, go ahead and ask him!” Harry shouted.

“Is it true what Louis said about your thoughts becoming one?”

“Yep, it seems that way,” Lou’s voice was disinterested as he bent over to pick up the clothes Mr. Dutton left for him “Anyway I need to prepare for my class. Would you mind taking a seat.” The conversation was over, Lou had no interest in continuing where Louis had left off. Harrison had to go the entirety of Biology class thinking over his discussion from earlier. 

At lunch he threw his head back in his seat, groaning, Why couldn’t adults just be upfront and honest about what happens?

“Are you even listening dude?” David snapped his fingers in front of Harrison’s face.

“Oh yeah, of course!” Harrison replied.

David snickered, “No you weren’t. Anyway, as I was saying, it happened to me last night. The man inside of me came out.”

“What? No way!” Harrison sat up. David was the last boy in their class who had yet to transform. Harrison was starting to think that maybe Daivd was like those boys back in the 1950’s who didn’t change. “What did it? What makes you feel like a man?”

“I don’t want to say.” David looked away from the table, his voice getting quieter.

“What no fair I told you, when I went to that party.” Harrison whined.

“Fine, okay, okay” David said with a smile. He probably wanted to tell Harrison to begin with but didn’t want to seem overeager. “You remember Tanya?” 

“Tanya…like Tanya, girl you had a crush on who was a year ahead of us Tanya?” Harrison asked.

David nodded his head. “She came back from college for her break and last night we had sex. It was my first time, and I was kind of nervous, but she was great about it.” David leaned forward and whispered, “and while we were doing it, it just happened.”

“Wait, are you saying you…

“Uh huh.”

“While you were inside her….

“Oh yeah.” David’s face was sheepish saying that bit. 

“So, how did that go, She must have been shocked?”

“Shocked, don’t even begin to cover it. Afterwards she told me, she felt my cock growing inside her, that’s what made her realize something was up.”  David let out a sigh, “Thankfully, I was a 26-year-old breeding stud. So, she enjoyed it.”

“Huh, 26 so that’s your idea of a man?” Harrison asked. 

“Look, all I can say is I felt like a man when I was having sex. Therefore, Dave was born.” David pulled back.

“Dave, that’s cool so when do I get to meet him?” Harrison asked playfully.

“You don’t. Didn’t you hear me? He only came out when I was with Tanya.” 

“Is he hot?” Harrison asked, grabbing David’s hands in a begging manner.

“Dude, you know every boy’s alternate man-self is always hot.” David said.

“You know what I mean, would I find him hot?” Harrison asked.

“No, not at all. The guy is painfully straight and a lil bit obsessed with himself. He took like 20 selfies with my phone, shirtless and worse.”

Harrison scoffed, crossing his arms pouting. “He couldn’t be the least bi-curious like you? Or wait do you only see straight guys as real me–

“No, no. Don’t try to psychoanalyze me. That’s not why he exists. I just really respect men who are confident in their sexuality, gay, straight, bi, pan or even just fluid.”

“So, what you’re saying is there’s a chance he could be fluid?”

“That’s not what I said at all.” David scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Let me see your phone. I gotta see his pictures.”

David sighed, unlocking, then handing over his phone, which Harrison greedily snatched up. Harrison’s eyes went wide as he mouthed ‘holy fuck’ to his best friend. Posing in the camera was a young man who had the same dark hair as David. But whereas David had a mess of curls, Dave’s curls were confined to the front like he’d received a top-notch haircut. However, Harrison was way more interested in the fact the guy was in nothing but his underwear. Rather David’s underwear which were way too small for the cock and ass he was carrying.

“Dude, were you going to hide this from me? He is hot and thick in all the right places.” Harrison joked in an honest effort to tame down how he was feeling. His true thoughts were all just X-rated. Then again when a guy looked like a hot college wrestler it was weird not to have thoughts about them. And with the dark hair, Dave certainly had the black Irish thing working in his favor. Instead of the classic red hair and pale skin most Irish descendants were known for David had been blessed with dark hair and the ability to get a tan. David made it work, looking so damn adorable with his youthful looks and boyish charms. However, Dave had made those genetics his bitch. He was a stud, sharp angular features and a wider jaw, whereas David still had his rounder face. Dave’s torso was hairless, though he had faint hair on his legs, forearms then the obvious underarm hair, and only teased by way of underwear pubic hair jungle. There was a whopping height difference from David’s 5’6 to Dave’s more than likely 6’6 height.

Harrison slid through the mostly naked slideshow on David’s phone. Dave must have been so happy to come into existence he went on a photo spree. Eventually David scoffed, taking back the phone and stuffing it away. He didn’t need a teacher to come snatch it.

“Hey, don’t be jealous. If anything, be happy you’re going to grow up to be hot!”

“Why would I be jealous?” David asked, trying not to pout.

“I don’t know, why would you be jealous? You’re the one that refuses to be my boyfriend, and I had to gather up a lot of courage for that too.” Harrison shot back jokingly. He thought their fooling around meant something more to David, and while Harrison was sure he was right, David just wasn’t there yet. They could always talk about girls together, but boys hadn’t been broached.

“I’m sorry,” David said, his voice going low.

“David, I was only messing with you. We don’t actually need to get into it.” Harrison looked off to the side as if he was thinking about something. “Instead, we could go make out in the theater, if you want.” Harrison stood up, cocking his head. He walked over and dumped his tray. David grew a smile as he walked up and did the same.  The two left the school cafe heading toward the building next door which housed the theater department and several music rooms for the band below. As the two made their way in they walked past the internal box office to the multiple double doors that led to the seats and stage. 

Harrison put his hands on the door and watched it open. It seemed his tip from the drama club was right; the teachers did forget to lock the space up. “We’re in!” He said walking forward, with David behind him.

“Wow, you really have changed.” David said.

Harrison stopped walking, to turn back in surprise, “Me?”

“Who else would he mean, dummy?” Harry teased.

“Where have you been?” Harrison asked.

“Whenever you two are together I assume it’s always going to end one way and sorta just drown you guys out.”

“Yeah you,” David said, unaware of Harrison’s internal conversation.

“I don’t think I’ve changed.” Harrison shoved his hands into his pockets and kicked at the ground.

“Certainly not your endless studying, eating habits, or taste in online adult videos, shall I go on?” Harry remarked.

“Shut up you,” Harrison had to listen to Harry’s rambunctious laugh through his head. He wondered if even now David was having a conversation with Dave.

“Trust me the Harrison I knew a year ago would never have suggested we sneak into a theater. Nor would he suggest that we make out at school.”  David crossed his arms and looked at Harrison up and down. But it wasn’t a bad look, not at all, it was one filled with awe. “Last year you weren’t much taller than me, but now you’re like 5’10.”

Harrison let that sink in. He knew David was short, but had he also been that short a few months ago? And David did have a point, this time last year Harrison would have been in the library trying to get a head start on early homework. As for the kissing thing, Harrison was always comfortable being out, but to be so daring at school? HIGH SCHOOL of all places took balls. 

“Wow, Maybe I am…you are changing.” Harrison’s words and Harry’s thoughts overlapped. “Oh, that was weird,” Harrison grabbed at his head. He never had double talk going on in his head. His eyes went over to David who was thoroughly confused. Harry’s thoughts and mind just melded for a moment back there. 

“They melded?” David asked

“Yeah,” Harrison said, trying to contain his excitement. He wasn’t sure if Lou was right about the transformation, but Harrison was ecstatic over it happening to him Maybe he wasn’t going to ruin his or Harry’s life. He walked over to David, kissing him. The two made out for a while before migrating to the stage.

“I know you really like me.” David said in a low voice behind Harrison as they walked on.

“Huh? Of course I like you idiot.” Harrison was confused at the sudden statement but didn’t turn around. He hopped up onto the stage. Turning around he held out a hand to help David up.

David accepted the kind gesture “No, I mean. I know that’d be easier for you if I was out.” He popped up on stage. David shoved his hands into his pockets. “Heck, it’d probably be easier on me. Then Dave wouldn’t be a straight fantasy. He’d be as bi as us. But my fucked-up head wouldn’t allow that.”

Two hands started to squish David’s face, as Harrison ran his palms up and down. “Hey, I don’t want to see a frown on this gorgeous face. What are you beating yourself up over? “Harrison used his fingers to lightly poke and prod. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you,” Harrison smiled. “I love you, but you don’t know if you love me the same way. You want to know why Dave is straight. Now’s the best time to find out, don’t you think?” Harrison eased up on David’s face letting it return to its natural shape. “And I wouldn’t worry too much about Dave, Just like all the others he’s a fantasy, a limited idea of what a ‘man’ should be. It’s up to you to figure out what being a man means.”

David chuckled before bursting out into a laugh.

“Was I that corny?

Waving hand dismissively, David smiled, “Not you.” David tapped his noggin, “Dave said ‘I like your boyfriend.’”

The two shared a laugh before kissing on stage. It left Harrison wishing a tiny bit that they had an audience. A spotlight could shine on the and the curtains could close to the end of a fantastic play.

Eventually the two boys parted, having to go back to class. Harrison couldn’t get David off his mind, even when walking home. He worried about him, though he was sure David could get through it. David could get through anything. All it took was a little faith in himself…

“You’re pining so hard.” Harry mocked. But then the humor in his inner voice faded as he spoke in a serious tone. “But what you said back there in the theater. That was some mature stuff.” 

“I don’t know, I feel like I was just regurgitating a combination of things I’ve heard. Lou, my dad…”

“And yet you’ve reached your own conclusion. Taking all that information in, deciphering it, then deciding what it means for you. That’s mature, adult even. One might say you’re thinking like a man.” Hearing Harry’s words made Harrison feel proud of himself, but Harry wasn’t done. “You truly think the world sees men like me as ‘fantasies’. I knew they thought we were incomplete, but perhaps you hit the nail on the head.” Harry was quiet for a moment. “You truly have surprised me today, Harrison.”

Harrison walked down the sidewalk talking to himself, “Thanks, but me? How about you? I didn’t expect the fantasy version of myself, who loves relaxing and taking it easy to buck up and finish my homework. Doesn’t seem like you at all. Maybe you’re maturing too.” Harrison joked back. “Wanna pig out on some oatmeal cream pies as an after-school snack?”

“Not today, I’m a little tired. I’m just going to quiet down. Maybe sleep,” Harry answered.

That confused Harrison. Never had Harry mentioned being tired when he wasn’t on the outside. Essentially in this form, he was a series of thoughts. Could he even be tired? Regardless, Harry’s voice stopped responding all the same. So, Harrison did his usual routine, snack, relax for a half an hour, then got started on homework. By the time he crawled into bed Harrison was ready for a deep sleep. He threw on a pair of loose shorts for pajamas, then when his head hit the pillow, he was out.

Harrison’s dream started normal enough. He was playing video games with David. Then suddenly they were in a movie theater. It was a date. No one said it was a date, Harrison just new. They were the only ones in the theater, except for two others silhouetted, sitting down front. Harrison wanted to make out but knew David would worry about the others. Harrison got up to go tell them to leave. Completely asinine in life, but in a dream it just felt natural. Before reaching them, he could already hear the snores. Upon getting closer it was Dave and Harry zonked out from boredom. Harrison knew why Harry was passed out. The man hated rom-coms and that was the movie on screen. Harrison looked up. On screen was him and David walking through a park. The screen flickered, then him and Dave. Flickered again, Harrison and Dave. It kept going. Then Harrison was back in his bedroom. Only this time, Harry was sleeping on his bed with his burly man body. Harrison walked over to him and tripped, but instead of crashing into him, he fell through him.

Harrison’s eyes snapped open. He sat up in bed rubbing his neck. His body was aching.

“Son, You okay up there? I thought I heard a crash.”

“No,” Harrison replied. He just woke up. Nothing could have happened. He threw his covers off, rubbing his eyes. Anything to brush the sleep off. He sat on the edge of the bed not wanting to open his eyes and start the day. Even moving his body in the morning was like going through molasses. He made his way to the bathroom, flicked on the lights, looked in the mirror and screamed. He kept screaming until he realized that the person in the mirror was screaming too.

Harry pulled at his face. His handsome face. a strong square jaw and sharp angular features to match. His hands moved down to his body. His chest had enlarged; he had pecs. Pecs that were large enough to almost look like tits. That was even mentioning how massive his shoulders were, or the size of his arms. But even all of that didn’t measure up to the size of his thighs and legs. However, the real eye catcher was the sizable package he had. His new body had reduced his shorts into looking like tight underwear. 

There were sounds of footsteps, running up the stairs into his room. His dad burst through the door. “Harry are you alrig–” The father’s words were cut off by seeing Harrison’s new form. Harrison stepped out of his bathroom back into the bedroom. He was a few inches taller than his father now. “I thought I heard Harry screaming but that was you. Wasn’t it, Harrison? You… you grew up.” His father said as he slowly walked over to his adult son and touched his face to make sure he was real. 

Harrison realized his dad was right. He wasn’t a teenager any longer. There was no doubt he was a full-grown man, equipped with everything that came with it. Though Harry had a bit of chub, Harry’s body was pure muscle.

“Dad, I fucked up. I’m just like Billy Bob.” Harrison stated, holding back tears. Though Harrison was the only person who screwed up enough to grow up in their sleep. This was it. Life was over for him; he was nothing but a walking wet dream. A hot one but just another pretty face doomed to be a janitor or sum such.

“Harrison…Harry, you didn’t mess up.” His father smiled. He walked them back to the bathroom mirror. “Do you look completely like Harry’s old form? No. That’s because this is something new. This is the adult you, the real adult you.”

Harrison noted he didn’t mind when his father called him Harry. He tried searching for Harry’s voice. Yet all he found was his own. “I don’t understand. Why did I grow? Where’s Harry?”

“Harry? You’re Harry, son. You always were. And Harry’s not gone.” Harrison’s father leaned closer, “Are you Harry?” Harrison felt his lips smile. But it wasn’t as if his body was being taken over or controlled; he was doing it himself. He felt like Harrison and Harry at the same time. “Let’s have some coffee, shall we?” His dad said, leading him downstairs. 

Once the coffee was ready, Harrison’s father walked back to the table with both mugs. He slid one over. “So, to grow up this quickly you must have had some realization.”

“I-I don’t know. I felt like myself all day. I guess something one of my classmates said stuck in my head and I don’t know, something clicked.”  he chuckled to himself “Shit probably happened when I was talking to David.” Harry quickly covered his mouth. “Sorry dad.”

His dad shrugged, “You’re a man now, you can do what you want.”

“I chose to still listen to you. I’m not going to go running around acting crazy now. Speaking of which, I should probably go to school.” He got up and returned to his room. He heard a notification pop on his phone. There were tons of old messages coming through. The first thing he gravitated to were the messages from David. First, what Harrison saw was a picture of Dave but, deciding to start at the beginning, he scrolled up. David had sent dozens of texts. Harrison tried as hard as he could to read them all. The overall message of this was clear:

I came out to my parents.

From there it was a series of texts clarifying that statement, then asking for Harrison’s opinions.

 I had been thinking about what we talked about yesterday in the theater and It sorta of just came out last night. Then this morning when I woke up!

The next message was the picture of Dave. Harrison brought his phone closer and he took a second look. It wasn’t Dave’s body, it was a bit thinner and his facial features weren’t as defined. It was a meshing of David and Dave forms. David had grown up or at least partially. Which made sense since if Dave was a man confident in being straight, maybe all David needed was confidence to say he wasn’t. His acceptance of that accelerated him to adulthood but not full. No to take that last step he probably needed–

Harrison’s phone was ringing. David was calling. “Uh… hello?”

“Harry is that you? Can you get Harrison on the phone? I really need to talk to him.” A deep and unfamiliar voice said on the phone.

“Well, you’re in luck cause guess who just became a man.” Harrison grinned.

“Wow, you too and just like that?” David asked.

“Just like that? Dude you’re the one who really sprouted overnight.”

“Well, I grew a bit in one night doesn’t mean I hadn’t been struggling with my sexuality for years. Also, I’m not fully a man yet Dave is still here. I think there’s one more thing I have to do before I can become a man myself. And I think it’s to post my coming out online and just tell everyone. Then I’d have nowhere to hide about it, you know.” David’s voice got quiet. “But I’m not ready to go full steam ahead just yet. Maybe after school I can come over, and we can just talk.”

“Like men?” Harrison chuckled.

“I was thinking more like, boyfriends.” David replied.

A smile formed on Harrison’s lips, that refused to go away as David continued on. All the waiting, all the fear he held. It was all so worthless. Being a man was awesome. Hearing David’s deeper sultry voice was sexy. And that voice was only going to get deeper the more David accepted himself