A Bearable Partner: First Change

Goaded by Laquan, Cody finally works up the courage to change in front of him. The shock of this new reality will need to be adjusted to, of course.

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Previous

First Date 

First Visit 

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"You do know I love you, don't you Bear?" Laquan turned around and grabbed Cody's hands, walking backwards into the modest cabin.

Cody blushed, unable to meet Laquan's playful gaze. He couldn't shift out there, exposed on the bank of a river in broad daylight. He hadn't sniffed out anyone nearby, but you couldn't be too careful. There were drones, and trailcams, and kayakers. He didn't want to take a chance he didn't have to -- sharing his secret with one person was bad enough. "I know," he said, and felt the warm love rise up inside him, followed by a cold knot in his stomach. "I love you, too."

"Good," Laquan said, squeezing his long, slender hands into Cody's broad mitts. "So whatever you're into, whatever you get off on...I want to know about it. You don't have to hide from me." Once inside, he stepped closer, ducking to look Cody in the eyes. "And you don't have to pretend to be someone else for me. I'm into you."

Cody nodded, the warm feeling in his chest uncomfortable coexisting with the sinking stone in his stomach. He was sure Laquan meant what he was saying, but he was also sure Laquan had no idea what was really happening here. It would have been easier if he were pretending, just some furry who took his role-play to an extreme degree. If it were as simple as that, an embarrassing affectation, he would be glad to own up to it. But the truth was...much more complicated. And Laquan's reaction would be so unpredictable.

"I know that," Cody said, squeezing those long fingers in his hands. "But it's hard to feel it. I haven't told anyone before."

"That you like to play at being a bear?" Laquan snorted, breaking his grip with a quick peck at Cody's chin. "If you knew half the things I had to put up with in my last few relationships, you wouldn't even worry about it."

"Yes, well..." Cody took a deep breath and fought the urge to drop the whole thing. Wouldn't it just be easier to pretend for now? It's his first time at your place. No need to ruin the weekend on the first day. Maybe you could work your way up to it, get him used to the idea, and then show him before he leaves. Wouldn't that be better?

But then Cody thought about Laquan leaving, and having to wait for him to call, and arranging to see each other again. He didn't know if he could handle the long and terrible wait of being ghosted. He'd rather know now. At least, if Laquan ran out screaming, he would have the weekend to lick his wounds and mourn his lost chance at love.

"I'm just giving you a hard time," Laquan said, bouncing back and pressing himself against Cody's solid frame. "What I mean is that we all have those little things we don't like broadcasting out to the whole world. But those are the things that make relationships so special. Knowing the things about each other that nobody else knows."

"You think so?" Cody raised an eyebrow, his arms automatically wrapping around his lover. "Even if those secrets make things more complicated?"

Laquan's hands slid over Cody's stomach and chest as he looked up. "All part of the game. Relationships make things complicated. But what you get out of them is real simple."

He felt himself getting aroused from the close contact, the warm weight, the scent of him. "And what do you get out of it?"

"A lot more pleasure than I've had in years, for one." Laquan's smile lit up the room. The slender man molded himself against the curves of Cody's torso, hands wandering his body over his slightly sweaty shirt. "And more to come."

Cody rumbled and let the fire in his loins melt the ice in his stomach. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of the smaller man's head, basking in the simple attraction between them for a few moments. Then he stepped back. "I hope so. But before we do....that, I have to show you something."

Laquan resisted for only a moment, watching Cody take off his shirt. "I think I've already seen that, thank you."

Cody couldn't help but laugh. His emotions were all mixed up in a maelstrom; arousal and affection and anxiety tumbling inside him, with the alcohol making the edges between them blurred. "You haven't seen this. Sit down. Close your eyes."

Laquan looked like he might say something, then decided not to. He sat down on the old but comfortable sofa and closed his eyes with a smile.

It didn't take long for Cody to finish undressing. He had a lifetime of practice, after all, and he didn't wear any clothing that took longer than a few minutes to discard. If you believed the movies, ripping out of clothes wasn't a big deal; in reality, waiting for your rearranging body to burst the seams of even a cheap t-shirt was probably the most uncomfortable part of the whole process. Otherwise it was shifting pressures as bones reset, strange changes in perception through changing eyes and an improving nose, the strange flush of thick fur sprouting out from your skin. The first few times Cody changed, it was a fascinating sensation, a weird mixture of pleasure and discomfort. Now, it just felt like a comfortable, familiar stretch.

He stood naked in the living room, glancing briefly at the doors and windows to make sure no one was nearby. He took a couple of steps towards the beautiful man sitting on the couch, dismissed the small panic rising up within him, and changed.

The cabin dwindled in his sights as his vision darkened. Laquan shrunk in front of him as he grew to take up more and more space between the couch and the table in front of it; he felt his leg bump against the furniture, pushing it back with shocking force. His shoulders cracked as they broadened, his back stretching so that his shadow spread from one arm of the sofa to the other, and still grew. He heard his grunting voice deepen, the thrum of it just felt under padded soles and thickening toes. His limbs doubled and tripled in width, his bulk more than making up for longer arms and legs to make him look stocky. His teeth grew sharp and long, poking inside his mouth until it too began to reshape itself. The dense fur growing all over made the draft in the cabin disappear.

He hadn't realized that he was holding his breath until he inhaled, hearing the rumble of air in his chest. The scents inside the cabin exploded, a riot of unfamiliar smells competing for attention beneath his much stronger mark. He could tell when Laquan realized something was happening because the man's scent shifted, the acrid scent of nervousness lingering around the edges. The wood floor creaked beneath paws as wide as a man's chest, each movement carrying dozens of pounds more weight behind it.

Cody carefully squatted down in front of Laquan, grunting as he felt himself shifting still, growing larger, stockier, shaggier. The nervousness he felt before all but evaporated; he was fifteen feet tall and weighed more than a ton. There wasn't anything he couldn't handle.

But he was concerned about the little human sitting in front of him, hands clasped together in his lap. He could smell the nervousness rising in Laquan's scent. It made sense; the impossible had happened, and on some level he knew it. But the arc of their entire relationship tilted on what happened in the next few minutes, and Cody wanted to make sure he got it right.

"Open your eyes," he said quietly. "Don't scream."

Laquan opened his eyes. They widened immediately. "Ohmygod," he screamed, then leapt so that he was sitting on the back of the sofa, his feet planted on the cushion he was just using. "What...what...?" His chest heaved like a bellows, his breath getting louder and louder, the whites of his eyes rolling as he looked for the exits.

Cody quickly took a step or two back, shoving aside the coffee table and chair with much more force than he meant to. The noise drew another frightened scream from Laquan. The enormous bear put his paws up and slowly sat down, buying as much space as he could. Given his size in the confines of the cabin, it wasn't much.

"Easy," he rumbled. He tried to keep the amusement out of his voice, following Laquan's gaze to the closed front door. If he made a break for it, he wouldn't get far before Cody grabbed him. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that. "It's still me. It's Cody."

Laquan kept panting and darting his eyes everywhere but where Cody was. He wasn't sure anything had registered. Now the nervousness returned, the distant cold feeling in his gut that this might be the end of the best thing he had going for a while. What could he do to snap him out of his panic? "Uh...did you want me to change back? I can, if this is too much for you right now."

"Too much?" Laquan's eyes suddenly rounded on the bear. "Too much?! What the fuck, man? How are you...how did...what is....who....FUCK!"

His voice broke on that last word, uncomfortably close to anguish. The nervousness rose into a panic. Cody acted on instinct. Arms as broad as Laquan's shoulders shot out. Paws that could cover his chest and back with room to spare wrapped around him. Laquan was pressed, gently, against the shaggy bulk of the bear, his face buried.

The man's body tensed as he froze. For a moment, it looked like he was going to fight. But once he was enveloped, he curled up with a great, heaving gasp. Cody did his best to growl as soothingly as he could while Laquan fought for control.

He was so small, so fragile. Cody couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him. All he could do was try to make sure Laquan knew he was loved and safe. The scent of the man's fear overwhelmed everything else, but after long minutes it began to ease. The high-pitched whimpering breaths quieted. The body relaxed. There was a deep breath, then two, then three.

"OK. I'm OK." The voice was muffled beneath a ton of muscle and fur. Cody slowly straightened on his haunches, keeping Laquan held gently in his arms. "This...is so weird."

Cody laughed, a boom of thunder in the small space. He noticed Laquan flinched, and immediately quieted with a fold of his small ears. "I know. I really tried to ease you into it."

"I don't think you can ease anyone into something like this," he said, taking another deep breath before looking up into Cody's sharp brown eyes. "It's not supposed to be possible."

"Well...you aren't supposed to know it's possible," Cody corrected him. "People aren't supposed to know about us."

"Us?" Laquan's body tensed in Cody's arms, and he could smell the anxiety radiating from him.

"Yes. There are a few of us." Cody's paw stroked down Laquan's chest and stomach absently. He was careful not to scrape with his claws too much, but he couldn't avoid it entirely. "We like to keep to ourselves, mostly. When word gets out...it doesn't go so well for folks like me."

Cody was surprised to feel Laquan relax. "Yeah, I guess I could see that," the little man said. "I mean, it's not the same thing, but I've been in those kinds of situation before. It's not fun.

He turned to look up at the huge, shaggy bear head looming over him. "But I couldn't turn into a giant bear and rip their faces off, so you still come out ahead."

Cody laughed quietly, careful not to open his muzzle too wide. "Trust me, ripping off someone's face is never a solution to that kind of problem."

"No, but I think I'd feel better knowing that I could."

Cody laughed again, the stone in his stomach dissipating. "You're handling it a lot better than I had feared."

"I'm still in shock I think," Laquan admitted, "but this...isn't the worst surprise you could have sprung on me."

"Being a mythical creature isn't the worst surprise you thought of?"

"It's not any surprise I would have thought of!" Laquan shifted again, pressing his face into the thick fur covering Cody's broad stomach. "But, you know...big hairy dude who lives alone in the woods...your mind goes places."

"You thought I might be an axe murderer?" Cody kept his voice light, but felt a strange pang he couldn't place.

"Eh." Laquan shrugged. "I knew there was something different about you. I just couldn't put my finger on what it was, exactly. Now I know."

"And it's OK?"

Laquan was quiet for an uncomfortable minute or two. Then he nodded. "Yeah. It's OK."

Cody squeezed Laquan tightly, enveloping him in an avalanche of thick brown fur. "Oh, thank the stars. I love you."

It came out in a breathless, giddy rush. Relief and love and an unfamiliar joy flooded the brain of the bear. The room spun. He couldn't get enough breath. It felt like he had been holding it for all this time.

About half a minute later, Laquan's thumping on his chest brought the bear back to the present. His arms loosened, and Laquan slumped.

"Sorry," Cody said, gently setting him on his feet.

"Jesus, you're big. And strong, too." Laquan looked shaken, staring at the bear's legs, one of his arms, then his eyes. "It's kinda hot."