Josh woke up laying on his back. Mikah was laying on top of him, snoring cutely. They hadn't had sex after all, and he wondered why he'd passed up the opportunity. Instead they'd just cuddled together and slept. He couldn't believe how adorable the girl was when sleeping, and he found himself stroking her hair gently.
"Mm..." Mikah yawned cutely. "How did you know I like having my hair played with?"
"Just a guess. Good morning, sleepyhead."
She giggled. "You know, it's not too late to fool around."
Josh was sorely tempted, being this close to her had brought blood rushing to his cock, and he felt it growing stiff.
With a slight cough, Tamara announced her presence. "It's too late if you want breakfast any time soon."
Mikah sat up, straddling Josh's abdomen, still completely naked. "Baby! Good morning!"
Tamara was wearing a bathrobe and shaking her head. "Mikah, you're incorrigible."
The tiny woman raised her hand like a Boy Scout (for all Josh knew, she'd been a Scout). "Scout's honor, I didn't do anything- but I would have."
"Some honor the Boy Scouts have, given all the allegations of sexual abuse. But I'm impressed with your willpower, Josh, Mikah can be...very persuasive."
Mikah beamed at her lover.
Josh coughed. "I don't know if it was willpower..."
Tamara scooped up her tiny lover. "Well, we're going to get in the shower next, once Corey is out. I'm afraid you'll have to wait last."
Josh nodded. "It's ok, we did sort of appear out of nowhere on you. Thanks again for your hospitality. Uh, if you tell me what you want, I can start breakfast."
"Ooh, he's cute and he can cute. Can we keep him, Tammy?" Mikah grinned up at her girlfriend.
"It's tempting! By the way, won't anyone be missing you at home, Josh? I'm sure Mom is frantic...Dad..." She trailed off.
"I should call Mom, on the off chance she's noticed. She's trying to meet a deadline on her next book, so usually we don't see much of her. And Dad's on a business trip to Tokyo." Josh frowned. Originally he was going to go with Dad, but the plans had changed at the last minute.
"Oh that has to suck for an otaku like you." Mikah sympathized.
"Ok, let's get you clean, we can talk later. Just surprise us for breakfast, Josh." Tamara carted her pint-sized 'boyfriend' away.
"I don't know about clean, but I was thinking about doing something dirty to you..." Mikah could be heard saying as she was carried away.
Josh got dressed, and sent him Mom a text. 'Staying with friends this weekend, call if you need anything.'
Then he got up and wandered into the kitchen. From the odds and ends, he cobbled up enough eggs for omelets, bacon, and toast. He noticed Corey had sat down at the kitchen table, looking quite subdued. Instead of Tsukiko's iconic outfit, she was wearing one of her brother's shirts, which came down to her knees. Her hair was loose, falling down past her shoulders. She was idly reading the hentai manga (that she still had that surprised Josh).
"Hey, good morning."
She half-heartedly waved. "'Morning."
"What do you like in your omelet? There's ham, red and green peppers, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, feta, and what I assume is leftover gyro meat."
She looked up at him. "Still being nice to me, huh?"
He shrugged. "I mean, if you want, I can give you burned toast, undercooked bacon, and runny eggs."
That got him a smile. "Put everything in the omelet, please."
"Your wish is my command." He bowed dramatically, and got to work. By the time Tamara and Mikah joined them (both looking a bit flushed), Corey was attacking her breakfast.
"Hey you two, what do you want for breakfast?"
Mikah looked at Corey's omelet. "Ooh, I'll have what she's having!"
Tamara smiled. "Likewise."
With a nod, Josh got to work.
"You know, I was looking forward to finishing my gyro plate, but I guess this is good to." Tamara had sat down, with Mikah in her lap.
"You and your lamb meat. We can get more later, you big baby." Mikah lay her head back against her lover's chest.
"I'd say get a room, but you live here, so..." Corey grumbled, engrossed in the manga.
"Hey, what are you reading there?" Mikah reached for the book, but Tamara held her back.
"Oh, just one of Josh's dirty Japanese comic books. You know, I'm surprised, even though it's full of naked girls, there's actually a neat story here. Reading it backwards is weird though."
"What, are you doing research or something?" Mikah seemed very curious.
"Well...I mostly wanted to make sure I was still attracted to girls."
"What, when you have Tammy and I to stare at?" Mikah thrust her tiny chest forward.
"Oh sure, because I want to perv on my sister and her girlfriend." Corey made a face.
"I don't mind being perved on at all." Mikah grinned.
"That's because you are a pervert, baby." Tamara ran her fingers through her diminutive lover's hair.
Mikah literally purred, her eyes half closing with the attention. "Hell yeah I am. Love me?"
"Very much."
Josh set down breakfast for the two, before finally sitting down himself. "So you're going to stay here, Corey?"
Corey looked up. "Uh, if that's ok."
"Of course it's ok, little bro. Don't be ridiculous." Tamara shook her head. "You're the only family that matters to me. Dad's an asshole, and Mom won't even answer my letters."
"You wrote to her?" Corey turned, a look of surprise on her face.
"Of course I did, she gave birth to me. I'd always thought, even if she didn't stand up to him publically, that she was on our side. The last letter I sent was returned unopened." There was a pained look in Tamara's eyes.
"Baby..." Mikah took Tamara's hand with both of hers. "Don't do this to yourself."
Tamara looked down at Mikah for a long moment, then put her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry."
"I guess that's it, then. I can't go home." Corey leaned back in her chair.
"That sucks for you guys, I'm sorry. But at least you have each other." Josh pointed out.
"...yeah." Corey stared up at the ceiling.
"Well I'll need you to teleport me back home at some point today. I still got school tomorrow."
Corey leaned forward suddenly. "Wait...you're leaving?"
Josh blinked. "Well, uh, yeah, I mean, you have a place to stay now, your sister and Mikah can help you out, so you're good, right?"
Corey's red eyes narrowed. Then without another word, she got up, and stomped out of the room (an impressive feat, as she didn't weigh very much).
Josh looked to Tammy and Mikah. "What...did I do?"
"Do you want to take care of Corey for me, and I'll talk to Josh?" Tamara looked down at Mikah.
"You got it, baby." Mikah slid off of Tamara's lap and headed after Corey. Josh noticed for the first time that Mikah was wearing actual clothes instead of the bikini- a dark green skirt and a pink baby t-shirt with a red heart over the chest. 'She must have to buy mostly kid's clothes', he thought.
Tamara stood up. She was wearing blue jeans and a black Stevie Nicks concert t-shirt. "Let's go for a walk, Josh."
It turned out that Tamara and Mikah lived on Mercer Island, a suburb of Seattle. Josh had never been to Washington before. The air was cool, and it looked like it would rain later. They walked in silence for a few minutes, until they came to a park. Tamara sat down on a swing, and gestured for Josh to join her. He sat on the swing next to her.
"So. There's a lot to unpack here. First of all, you have to understand that everything about Corey's life has been completely upended. With so much change, it's natural she latched onto something familiar. You're basically her life preserver. But it's more than that- somehow she's inherited feelings and emotions from this Tsukiko girl. And that scares her, because she now has thoughts and urges that aren't hers."
"Mikah explained how becoming a girl can really let a lot of repressed feelings out, too." Josh sighed.
"It's true. I remember going through that. It wasn't easy. Added to that, there's a link between you both. Neither of you asked for it, but it's there. Josh, I think Corey has started to have feelings for you. Romantic feelings."
Josh nearly fell off the swing. "What?"
"I know, it's sudden. It's probably just a crush, you've been sweet, kind, and understanding. Traits that, as a boy, Corey wouldn't have noticed, but now that she's a girl, have basically slapped her in the face. You're a great catch, any girl would be happy to have you in their lives."
"...I can think of a long list of girls who would disagree."
Tamara laughed. "That's because girls your age have no idea what they want. They have needs, but they don't understand those needs. They see you, and you don't appear to be an alpha male. Could you give them the things that they want? Support? Security? Can you take care of them, would you be a good provider for a family? Even girls who don't want someone to take care of them, instinctively want the option to be there. So they gravitate towards strong men with strong personalities."
"Assholes." Josh supplied.
"Sometimes, yes. Bad boys. Rich kids. Jocks. They seem to have it together, and if they have a few rough edges, well, love conquers all. A lot of girls get it into their heads that they can change someone to become their perfect mate. That never turns out well. A few, a very few, are lucky. They find someone who loves them, and whose flaws and strengths compliment them perfectly."
"Mikah, you mean."
"God yes. Without her, I'd be a wreck. She's my rock. I try to be there for everyone else, you know? I love helping people. But I never put my own needs first. That's what Mikah does, she's always there to make sure I don't neglect the things that are important. She's beautiful."
"She is." Josh nodded.
"So why didn't you have sex with her?" Tamara transfixed him with her bright blue eyes.
"I think Mikah and I are going to be great friends. And maybe one day, I will. God knows I was tempted. But I guess I'm old fashioned. I want there to be a connection, something more than just physical attraction."
"You're a romantic. That's sweet. And you have feelings for Corey."
Josh looked away. "I don't understand why. Maybe she's right, I keep seeing the girl that I like, and not the person inside."
"Mikah says you idolize that girl."
He sighed. "Yeah. I do. I don't know when it started, but I identify with the girls in the stories I read and watch. I wish I could be more like them."
"You wish you could be Tsukiko."
"Well. Maybe not her exactly, but someone like her, yeah. So I see Corey, and I should be jealous, you know? But instead, I see how this has is a nightmare for her, and I just want to help."
"It's instinctual. You see a cute girl in trouble, in pain, and your brain says 'help her'. I get that. In another life, you could have been friends. But my father made sure that didn't happen. You know, in a way, it makes sense that you'd be submissive to Corey. She's been dominating you for years, and you've never understood why. Subconsciously, I'm sure you just wanted to do anything you could for Corey to not abuse you."
Josh frowned. "That sounds messed up."
"It is messed up. My father's damage made him damage me and Corey. Corey's damage made him damage you. It's a vicious circle. Healing is going to take time. You're going to need support, and, hear me out- you're not getting that from your parents." She held up a hand to stave off his reaction. "Stop, just think. I'm sure they love you. They treated you a damn sight better than my parents ever did. But your Dad is always focused on his business. Your Mom is focused on her writing- and she's quite good, I own all her books personally. But because you've always seemed independent, focused on your own interests, they got used to not needing to support you. Now, I'm not saying that wouldn't change if you went to them with your issues. But at the same time, they've had all this freedom to live their lives a certain way. If that changed, they might feel resentful of you."
"So what, I should move in with you and Mikah?"
"We'd be glad to have you, Josh. We can't cook worth a damn."
Josh laughed. "Oh so that's what this is all about!"
"Partly, yeah. You may have noticed we have a big apartment. That's because we used to have a third roommate. We don't need money, and we have space."
"What happened to your other roommate?" Josh was curious.
"Oh, that's a story. I'll tell it to you sometime, when we have more time. So what do you say?"
"How will you convince my parents? And what about school?"
Tamara shrugged. "I'm not saying there won't be challenges, but I can't worry about that unless this is something you want."
"If you can swing it with them...fine. I'll stay."
"Wonderful. I think it will help Corey a lot, having you here. Now, there's another question. Do you want to become a girl?"
Josh frowned. "I do. But I'm a little scared, I mean, what if it's not what I thought it would be?"
Tamara reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "I get that, it's a one way trip. But I want you to know, the offer is there."
"Yeah but...I mean...we'd have to have sex. And um...what would Corey think?"
"That's a question we need to answer, but this is one of those times where you can't worry about someone else to the point of ignoring your own needs. If this is something you really want, then my brother will have to deal with it. I love her, but I won't allow her to be that selfish."
"Thanks, Tamara. You're an amazing person, you know that?"
Suddenly she leaned in very close, and kissed him. He was so shocked, he didn't move, didn't blink. Her lips were soft and warm and inviting. Then she pulled back. "You earned that one, Josh. Keep it up, and there's more where that came from."
Then she stood up and offered him her hand. He took it, and they walked back to the apartment, hand in hand.
Next...