Russ and Darrell - Hearts Entwined

@AshleyOpossumWrites - 11/26/22

Content Warnings:
M/M, mild size difference, mild fatfur, body swapping

Hello everyone! I'm glad to be a part of cohost finally. This site inspired me to write a cute short story, and after learning that it supported HTML/CSS shenanigans, I was super excited to try taking advantage! As I waited to get registered, I wrote a Java program that would parse a given story into pages and auto-generate HTML code to let readers navigate between them, like turning the pages of a real book. In this way, I could write stories as long as I wanted without taking up the entire screen. Unfortunately, after finishing the project, I learned that cohost (smartly, in all honesty) doesn't support running scripts or even buttons. Oh well. At least I can throw something together with \

. Anyway, this is an ~1100 word story involving a cute couple body swapping. Most is left to the imagination, but I liked capturing the particular moment and describing the dynamic of the characters. Who knows, I might do more with them in the future! That's it from me. If you have suggestions for future stories, feel free to comment. Enjoy <3

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Page 1

The stars shone brightly in the sky beside the full moon, their collective light glimmering divinely off the golden scales of the dragon seated across the flustered cat in the cool night air. A crimson candle flickered dimly between them beside two finished plates, and while its illumination wasn’t necessary, it was standard fare for all couples seated at the outdoor restaurant to be provided with something to set the mood. The staff needn’t have bothered, though, as the two could hardly look away from each other and thus hadn’t noticed—one nearly blinded by gleaming golden brilliance, and the other passionately gazing into accompanying golden cat eyes, alternatingly expanding and dilating. His black fur made it hard to notice much else at night, despite the brightness. “Russ,” the dragon asked, reaching a clawed hand across the table, subsuming the much smaller paw in his palm, “Are you sure about this? I know we’ve discussed it at length, but I wanted to reassure you that I’ve had a lovely time tonight. If you’re not ready, if you’ve changed your mind, that’s completely okay with me. The spell lasts for 24 hours, so if you have reservations, now’s the time to say. No matter what you decide, I want you to know that I lo—” “I love you too, Darrell,” Russ blurted out uncharacteristically. The cat blushed profusely and looked away, squeezing his lover’s hand. He was always the awkward and nervous type—fresh out of graduate school, he was still astonished to have found the courage to date in the first place, much less a hunk like him. After somehow stumbling through the first date after fainting face-first into his food, he had found himself with a sexy, kind, and ever-so-slightly possessive partner. Even before he had revealed that he was secretly a sorcerer, he had been perfect. Tonight, as they celebrated their 6-month anniversary, they were about to try a slightly kinkier spell than the kitchen and cleaning spells Darrell used around his apartment. Russ glanced back at his partner, laughing anxiously. “Sorry, I was just trying to be flirty like you… I shouldn’t have interrupted.” Seeing only a

Page 2

patient smile back at him and feeling a stroking thumb along his wrist, he spoke again. “I’m… I’m sure. I mean, I’m nervous about it, but I’m nervous about most things. Honestly, it does sound like a fun fantasy, and if I don’t like it, we won’t have to do it again. But no matter what, I know you’ll be here for me through all of it. And I just feel so… safe around you. So, I want to do it, whenever you’re ready.” Darrell smiled again, gently, and the cat could almost have sworn that the warmth that radiated from him was brighter than the entire night sky. Golden claws discreetly traced a path through the air, forming glowing sigils that connected the pair together. The language of magic, though mystic and arcane, relied upon basic logic much like a computer program. The spell incorporated multiple concepts as simple pictural components connected by threads of directional logic and arrows of affect. Finally, with a flourish, the “program” ran itself on the universe, dissipating and causing the two to startle in place as they regained their bearings. Russ looked down at a massive golden paw—his paw. He looked up to see himself, his body, staring back at him. He ran his hands over his massive new snout in wonder as he grinned, somehow surprised that it had worked despite having seen his boyfriend’s skills firsthand before. He was him, or rather, he was in his body! They really had traded places as his boyfriend had claimed. He laughed, looking at himself all over before looking back at the once-familiar cat body he had called his own, now occupied by a smirking Darrell. “Well, what do you think?” Darrell asked with the hint of a purr in his voice. He slinked around the table in his new limber form to place a small, clawed finger under his partner’s chin. From the outside, it looked like the two had completely changed their demeanors, as it was the dragon’s face— rather, Russ’s face in the dragon’s body—that took a turn blushing and stammering. Despite the differences in their size and build, the large, beefy dragon couldn’t help but feel butterflies being teased by the smooth words of his smaller lover.

Page 3

Russ’s wings flapped involuntarily as he whimpered. His date was leaning intimately close now. “I… I think I love it,” he replied. He heard his new voice come out, and he laughed. He hadn’t really paid attention to the absurdity of hearing his own voice being so flirtatious, but hearing his love’s deep reverberations stutter like that pushed him over the edge. He cackled, feeling a current of emotions run through him: he was aroused at how hot these new sensations were for him, he was embarrassed to have been so awkward just then, and he was spellbound by the reality of what had happened, though he would never have used that particular word to Darrell for fear of the endless puns. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye. “I just… gosh, this is amazing, dear. I still can’t believe it.” “Believe it, kitty,” he responded. Russell cupped his former body’s snout in his new paw and guided it toward his own, bringing the two in for a tender kiss. In that moment, the world around them seemed to fade away, sights and sounds muted, leaving nothing but the two of them in their embrace. They held that way for what felt like both an eternity and an instant before the world around them came back into focus as they parted. Darrell reached into his purse, which today was a small, red crossbody, and pulled out his wallet. “Dinner’s on me tonight,” he said, placing enough cash on the table to cover the food as well as provide a sizeable tip. “I… might have planned a trip to an ATM in advance so we could get home faster,” he continued, his sexy façade slipping for just a moment. “I love how prepared you are,” Russ whispered, standing up and finding himself towering above people for once. He stumbled into a table before his boyfriend grabbed his paw, looking up at him and chuckling. “First time being so big, huh? Don’t worry, kitty. I’ll guide you home.”

Autumn

@AutumnKel