Although they both knew what had happened, and were aware of their “normal” lives, they were still very much physically and mentally changed. They were aware of “new” lives. Their judgment was impaired by memories of jogging through parks, dancing together at parties, and feeling the sense of togetherness as two centaurs.
But Jesse had to change it… he had to follow through.
“What’s gonna happen?” asked Nick. He was doing all he could not to gallop to Jesse’s side and cuddle with him. He yearned for comfort when things were uncertain.
“Well... you’re right. We should probably change back.” Jesse said, holding back tears. “It’s not right. We’re not supposed to be married, or…”
“—I… I know.”
“Or… in love.”
“It’s for the best. But it hurts...”
Jesse nearly gasped when he heard Nick’s words. The last thing he wanted to do is instill pain on his husband! How would they - how could he do this? He swallowed hard and mustered the power to shake those thoughts out of his head.
He was sitting there, monitor back on, with the Chronivac settings. To reverse the change, with the cursor hovering over the buttons… with one or two clicks, this moment would forever be... over…
He couldn't.
“I… I can’t do it… I can’t do it!” Jesse wailed, head collapsing into his hands. He was ready to burst into tears himself.
Nick frowned. He felt responsible to help Jesse when he was in need - in more ways than one - and right now, this need meant moral support.
“It’s okay, let me help...”
Nick waltzed over, hooves clicking on the wooden floor, and sat down, torso up, in front of the screen next to Jesse. Their horse bodies rubbed up against each other, and Nick’s erection sprang right back. He could feel the warmth of his body next to his, but also sensed the nervousness and anxiety.
“We’ll do it together, okay?”
Jesse’s mind was out of focus, but he felt the brush of Nick’s hand against his. Their fingers subconsciously intertwined and dangled alongside their chest. Nick guided Jesse’s hand up to the computer mouse, and together they held it with their fingers on the left-click button. This is why they were meant for each other, Jesse thought.
“Just close your eyes…”
Jesse calmly obeyed.
“1… 2…”
Jesse quickly leaned in for a kiss, and Nick returned the favor. Everything would be alright.
--
*click*
--
A few seconds passed, and the Chronivac timer chimed. A wave of clairvoyance swept over Jesse. He opened his eyes, just as Nick pulled away.
“Oh my god!” Nick exclaimed. They simultaneously panicked and leaned away from each other. Jesse covered and wiped his mouth with his hand.
“Holy crap!!!!”
They sat there for a few moments, just staring at each other’s faces, waiting to see if one or the other would have the words to explain what just happened. Of course, there was nothing but astonishment and bewilderment. The expressions crossed their faces.
“We were… kissing...” Jesse muttered.
Nick didn’t respond, but his face said it all, as if to say, ‘I know ....you don’t need to tell me.’
The computer screen showed a message that read ‘Incomplete request; try again later.’ With nothing but an OK button to click, Jeff was unsure what could be done other than to accept it. He clicked it, and he was taken back to the main interface.
Jesse stood up from the desk. “It was more than that… it was emotional, and raw.”
“Yeah,” Nick said, finally cutting his silence. “I’m glad that’s over.” He followed suit, getting up from the desk … and standing on all four hooves. “Let’s not speak of this again.”
Jesse nodded, his equine tail flicking around. “I couldn’t even … I didn’t even think anything was wrong with me, with us doing all that stuff. It didn't cross my mind until later, and even then it was like… ”
“A parallel universe?”
“Yeah…”
Nick looked around the room, expecting to see remnants of their ‘encounter’ with each other, but sighed with relief when all he found were the shirts they had shed. He knelt down with his front legs to pick up the sweater.
“It was kind of cool…”
Nick hesitated, but slowly nodded. “You mean, not knowing what was going on… right? Like, no offense, but I’m not gay, and being married to my best friend isn’t exactly... ‘cool’.”
“Yeah. It felt more real than the changes before, even.”
“What was the physical change, though?” Nick asked.
“Dunno…” Jesse admitted. “I just assumed it was the sexual stuff.”
The centaurs looked away from each other out of pure embarrassment. But it was okay; they were pretty open with each other. They had to be, given their physical differences compared to everyone else they knew! Nevertheless, they had figured out the randomness changes.
“So, is everything good now?” Nick asked.
He looked up and down Nick’s upper torso as he put on his shirt. His lower body’s fur was a tannish-blonde, like always. He trotted left to see whether his genitalia had changed like Jesse’s had. But, of course, it had not, as he so vividly remembered when he had female parts. Luckily, that was the extent of his physical change.
“You’re good. How ‘bout me?”
“Same as ever, dude.”
Jesse smiled. “Cool… Ready for another round?”