Trust Machines - Homecoming
"Can you believe her nerve?" fumed Sarah, stomping into Danny's house.

Danny made soothing noises.  "I'm guessing... Allie.  What did she do now?"

He gestured her to a seat in the kitchen, then went to the fridge and poured them both a glass of lemonade.  He sat across from her, watching her gather her thoughts as she sipped.  Everyone else at school knew her as 'Allie's mousy friend', but Danny still saw her as the tomboy he used to run around the neighbourhood with since before they were teens.

Sarah put down her half-empty glass with a clunk.  "Allie got voted Homecoming Queen, that's what."

"She's your best friend.  Shouldn't you be happy for her?"

"That was before she turned into the alpha bitch of the school," Sarah sighed.  "Still, I am happy for her.  it's just... she keeps talking about the dress she wants to wear to the Homecoming dance."

"I see.  Well, I don't. I can tell you're upset, but I'm blanking on why that would be an issue."

"Her family's not rich.  They can't afford the sort of spectacular dress she wants.  So there's only one way it's going to happen.  She'll use the Venn Machine."

Danny nodded.  Ever since a Venn Machine had showed up at the mall near their high school, it had become the center of attention.  The mall had already been the main hangout for their classmates, but now it was the social focus of the school.

The guys mostly used it for the occasional dare.  Spending a weekend as a girl hadn't been all that bad, though the other guys had teased him for being the last to give up, claiming he'd preferred being a girl.  Danny preferred being himself, but had found the weekend fascinating.  A number of other guys their age couldn't even use the Venn Machine, and nobody was quite sure why.  Mostly the irresponsible ones were rejected, and it led to the guys limiting their use of the Machine.

The girls, however, had turned the Venn Machine into a dueling engine.  They called it 'Quick Draw'.  Two girls would enter the Venn Machine, usually set to eight hours.  One would leave, and would wear the loser.  It was always clothes, with them.  Scarves if they were feeling kind, swimsuits if they were feeling daring, shoes if they were being cruel.

Over the summer, the girls had gotten quite serious about it - Quick Draw duels happened for the slightest insult.  Allie hadn't been seen for much of the summer then suddenly reappeared, four inches taller and much more developed.  She became the focus of everyone's attention.  Every girl in school tried to take her down, and not one had succeeded.  She'd left her old role as Sarah's equally unpopular and mousy friend, and attracted a circle of hangers-on.

It was almost feudal, in a way (their history teacher was having a field day drawing parallels).  The best Quick Draw duelists all attracted girls who weren't as good at it, and would act as their champion when issues arose, as they always did.  The school's power structure had been completely upended, as only two of the cheerleaders had any skill at all at the game.  Those two frequently used other cheerleaders as pom-poms during practice, with the coach's blessing - it gave everyone great incentive to improve.

Sarah had managed to stay in Allie's circle of hangers-on, on the strength of their earlier friendship.  Nobody gave Allie any flak for that, not unless they wanted to spend the evening as Allie's dancing shoes.

"Is being a dress such a bad thing?" asked Danny.

Sarah shrugged.  "I've mostly managed to avoid it.  It's not that I mind, it's just... it's the Homecoming Dance.  It's the first big dance of our senior year.  I was kind of hoping to go, but not like that."

"Ah.  Who were you hoping to go with?"

Sarah sighed theatrically while looking at him.  "Who do you think?"

"I have no idea."  Danny wasn't even really sure why Sarah kept talking to him.  She was friends with the popular girls now, and a beanpole like him with dark shaggy hair and glasses shouldn't even be on her radar.  His only claim to fame was that he was the treasurer of the Drama Club.

Sarah sighed pointedly once again, then talk turned to homework and plans for the weekend.

Soon enough, Homecoming arrived.  During the big game, Allie and her circle of friends headed off to the mall, when it would be somewhat quiet.  As they gathered in front of the Venn Machine, Danny caught up with them.

"Wait, Allie."

"What do you want," Allie said coldly.

"I'll be your dress, instead of Sarah."

Allie's eyes lit up.  "Really?  How... interesting."  She put a dollar into the Venn Machine, and set it for eight hours.  "Step right this way."

A few minutes later, Danny was a deep pile of fabric on the Venn Machine floor.  Allie scooped him up, holding him against her body to show her handiwork off to the other girls.  Sarah faked a big smile when she saw the profusion of bows, ruffles, and glitter over the shiny gold fabric.  She could see that there was a beautifully contoured ball gown underneath all the fluff, but it was largely hidden.

"But... this dress needs a few accessories.  Rebecah?"

"It could use some matching gloves."

"Excellent idea.  Here, hold this."  Allie dumped the dress in Sarah's arms, and led Rebecah into the Venn Machine.  Sarah petted the fabric softly, murmuring thanks to Danny for what he'd done.  She hadn't spent much time as clothing, but she knew what it was like.  Being touched was the best part.

Soon enough, a pair of sleek golden elbow-length gloves were added to the pile in Sarah's arms.  

Candace and Penny sighed in unison as Allie started looking them over.  "You're not done, are you?" asked Candace.

"Nope.  Your turn."

Penny gasped softly as she saw what Candace had been turned into.  "What did she do to you? You know being shoes sucks."

"She made a move for the button.  I can't believe she was actually trying to duel me.  Too slow, much too slow."

"She had a date for the dance, you know."

"Do you?"

Penny shook her head. "I knew this was coming."  She started up the Venn Machine without being asked, and stepped in.  A minute later, a cute matching clutch purse was added to the pile.

"C'mon, let's put these in a locker."

Sarah looked puzzled.  "Why not just put them on now?"

Allie laughed.  "I'm not wearing a boy against my skin, girl.  Ew.  So you're going to be my underdress."

"But Danny did that so I..."  Sarah wilted at Allie's look.  "Of course."

One of the clothing stores nearest the Venn Machines had failed recently - it was hard to sell cute expensive clothes to teenage girls when the Venn Machines let them create them for 'free'.  In its place was a storage facility, renting out specially equipped lockers.  They were big enough for a person to stand in, and could be opened from the inside.  Most Quick Draw losers ended up in a locker after being worn for a few hours.  Nobody wanted a third wheel to show up at an inconvenient time, after all.

Allie was well known to the owner, and had a well-used discount card.  Soon enough her clothes for the dance were stashed away.  Not much later she was back with a gold satin slip draped over her arm.  There were a few changing rooms in the back, and she retrieved Danny before heading into one.

Sarah was fuming as she was slipped on.  Danny had been so sweet, and here was his gesture, being entirely spoiled.  The presence of Allie's warm, curvy body inside her proved somewhat distracting, and improved her mood.  How could she stay angry with Allie when this just felt so good.

Then Danny was sliding over top of her, and pulling tight against her.  Every time Allie moved, Sarah could feel her satiny surface slipping and sliding under Danny's fabric.  She'd been worn before, a few times.  But it had never ever been like this.  The slickness of the satin made her 'skin' vastly more sensitive, and she could feel every stitch and seam of the dress as he moved against her.

Walking around was amazing and sensual.  Sitting in a car was boring in comparison, but thankfully brief.  And then Allie started to dance.  She'd become a skilled dancer over the past few months, and kept it up all night.  The slow dances cuddled up against whoever her date was were the best, squeezing Danny against her even tighter, warming them both up.

Sarah was actually sad when Allie took Danny off.  A little later, she felt herself slip off of Allie's body with a sense of loss.  At least whatever she was laid atop of felt soft and cozy.  With nothing to move her, and no sounds to distract her, Sarah soon drifted to sleep, dreaming of her night dancing with Danny.

Morning light came streaming in through two narrow windows mounted high in the wall.  Danny blinked awake, and sat up.  He was on an overstuffed and well-used couch in what looked to be someone's family room.  On the next couch over, Sarah was just waking up.

Danny smiled at her.  "Whew!  After a dance like that, a couple ought to get married."

Sarah looked at Danny sharply, then smiled.  "Oh!  Heinlein..."  She closed her eyes for a moment, and then quoted "All right. I'll find our hostess and tell Pop. Five minutes? Front door, or side?"

Danny looked around the room they were in.  "I don't even know where the doors are."

Sarah walked over to Danny and knelt before him.  "Forget about that.  Did you really mean it?" she asked, eyes brimming.

Danny stared into her eyes for a heartbeat, then nodded.  "Yes."

Sarah's squeal of happiness woke everyone in the house, and she had to explain to Ally's irate father just what they were doing down there.  Of course, when he found out they'd spent the evening as clothing, it was Allie who got the hairy eyeball.  Danny and Sarah slipped out the side door and walked home hand in hand in the early morning light.