At school on Tuesday, Elliot was surprised to find that Tedd was looking distinctly less curvy, and his hair was brown once more.  At lunch, he asked what happened.

“Dad kept going on and on about how this couldn't be good for me, and how disturbing it was to see his son like that.  How did your parents react?”

Elliot shrugged.  “They made sure I had pads, and Dad gave me a fresh pack of condoms.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah, I was expecting some sort of reaction to their son turning into a daughter.  Mom seemed positively cheerful about it.”

“Lucky,” sighed Tedd.  “You know what I miss the most?”

Elliot shrugged.

“The hair.  Can I talk you into doing just the hair?”

“You did look good with purple hair.  I’ve been seeing a lot of new colours around.  Like that girl over there has green hair, and Nanase has red and blue hair.”

Tedd looked confused.   “At the same time?”

“Two bodies.  She’s training to fight as a team.  Getting good at it, too.”

Sarah nodded.  “She looked scary with that flaming red hair.  It works for her.”

Susan sat down with them then.  She swept her long black hair out of the way, then glared at Tedd.  “Why are you male again?  Had enough of perving at your own boobs, and back to others?”

“Susan!” protested Sarah.  “Tedd’s not like that.”

Tedd shrugged.  “I kind of am.  I mean, that was part of the appeal.  That and singing in the shower.  Dad’s going away on business tomorrow, so maybe it can wait until then.  I could be a chick until Sunday night, with no glaring or long-suffering sighs.”

“That works,” agreed Elliot.  “I’m busy tonight.”

Sarah clapped her hands with glee.  “You’re really going to do it?”

“We promised.  I hope your studio isn’t too cold.”

Sarah nodded.  “It’s all set up, I sweet talked Dad into setting up the space heater.”

Susan boggled at Elliot.  “You’re going to let her sketch you like this?”

“Yee-yup.  She bought me a pretty black dress, it’s the least I can do in return.”

“No it’s not!  You’d be objectifying yourself.”

Sarah sighed.  “I was only teasing about sketching them nude.”

“Them?”

“Nanase will be there too.”

Susan chuckled softly.  “Oh!  Now I wish I could watch...”

“I don’t mind,” said Elliot.

“You don’t?” asked Sarah incredulously.  “What happened to Mr. Stick in the Mud?”

“Not a Mister.”

Susan nodded.  “I see.  Will you be joining the feminist club?”

“Once I’ve done the official school paperwork, sure.  Phys Ed. was really awkward, I’d rather change with the girls when I’m like this.”

Susan’s study of Elliot intensified, to the point where she wiggled uneasily.  “What?”

“If it was Tedd doing this, I would find the whole idea disturbing.  But you’re really leaning in on being a girl.  You don’t want this for creepy reasons.”

“Hey!” protested Tedd.  A quick look from the three women made him hold up his hands defensively.  “Withdrawn.  I’ll keep girl time to the weekends.  Less... complications.”

“That’s... surprisingly reasonable of you,” admitted Susan grudgingly.

“That, and I don’t want to run afoul of the school’s policies.  Are you really going to go through with the paperwork, Elliot?”

Elliot nodded.  “I checked with the office this morning and got a copy.  My parents have to sign it, and I can only file once a month.”

“Once you file you’ll be stuck for the month,” cautioned Susan.  “Are you sure you’re up for the challenge?”

“Of being a girl?” chuckled Elliot.  “So far I’ve been through an attempted mugging, a seriously intense martial arts spar with my girlfriend, not to mention... crap.  Did you tell her, Sarah?”

“My lips are sealed,” said Susan.

“What?” asked Tedd.  “What happened?”

“Not my secret to tell.”

Tedd eyed Elliot.  “Are you going say it’s some kind of girly thing I wouldn’t understand?”

“Heck no.  How about we hang out at your place later, and talk then?”

“Dad’ll be away Friday night, we could do a movie night.  And before you ask, yes, my ugly cousin can come over too.”

“And Justin?”

“I guess.  While we’re pushing the boat out, do you want in, Susan?”

“Will Sarah be there?”

“Yeah, we always hang out in Tedd’s basement when his dad is away.  It’ll be cozy with six, but I guess we can use the TV upstairs.”

Susan studied Tedd for a long time.  “I’ll be a girl, and promise not to be pervy about it,” offered Tedd.

“I suppose.  One the condition that I get to pick the movies.”

“Employee discount?” asked Tedd hopefully.

“I’ll bring over some of my own.  How do you feel about black and white movies?”

Tedd shrugged.  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen any.”

“Not even Citizen Kane?” asked Susan, aghast.

Tedd, Elliot and Sarah all shook their heads.  “Philistines, the lot of you.  How about Star Trek?”

“Sure, sounds good.”

*** *** ***

Susan was the first to arrive, and was ushered into Sarah’s “studio”.  Her father had converted half of the garage into a well-equipped workshop.  Sara had put drop cloths over the workbenches and tied them off to eyebolts in the ceiling above, creating a white space to pose against.  The promised space heater was already running, keeping the winter chill at bay.

“Two easels?” asked Susan when she noticed them set up opposite the drop cloths.

Sarah nodded.  “You are here as an artist, not a voyeur.  So I expect you to at least try to draw something.”

“I’m not here to ogle them,” sputtered Susan.

“Then why not take up an easel?  It’ll give you something to focus on if you get embarrassed.”

“Why would I get embarrassed?”

Sarah smirked.  “Because I am planning to ask.”

“Ask... Oh!  Um... should I be here?”

The doorbell rang.  “Too late to worry about it, they’re here.”

Susan paced by her easel while Sarah went to the door, and did her best to school her expression.  As Nanase and Elliot entered the studio she felt her composure slip.  Both had already doffed their jackets, and were wearing little black dresses that left very little to the imagination.  With their arms and legs bare, it was easy to see just how well toned their muscles were.

“Thanks,” said Nanase after a moment.

“Uh?”

“That look said volumes.”

Susan tried to look away, but found her gaze drawn by Nanase’s hair.  “Why are you blue?”

“Mother considers red the original, so she’s stuck doing homework.”

“Which implies you don’t consider her the original.  How does that work?”

“We’re both the same person,” replied Nanase with a shrug.  “I don’t know how much studying I’m going to actually accomplish.  Elliot is very distracting in that dress.”

“And she’ll be even more distracting out of it,” added Sarah, grinning broadly at the flustered reactions to her comment.  Despite all the protests, nobody actually said no...

With her best professional artist air, assisted by a cute black beret, Sarah got her models posed in the middle of the room, standing a few feet apart and looking into each other’s eyes.  She only had them hold the pose for a minute, gave them a short break to move around, then went on to another similar pose.

Susan stared at her easel in dismay.  “I can’t draw anything in a minute.”

“Just sketch.  Loose lines, rough impressions.  Once everyone's warmed up, we’ll try some longer poses.”

Nanase suggested going through some katas and holding where they were stable, and that produced some suitably dramatic poses, though the kicks were hard to hold for the full minute.  Susan noticed during one that she could see the panties of both women, and focused extra hard on her easel to keep her mind from wandering to... Things.

That became even more challenging when Sarah suggested they take up a ballrooom dancing stance, hands on each other’s back and hip.  Elliot protested that he didn’t know how to dance, so Nanase offered to lead, and got her partner swirling in a plausible imitation of a waltz.  Sarah called a stop for sketching, then the dance resumed until she saw another good pose.  After a few minutes of this she called a break, and offered them water and a chance to cool off.

Nanase smirked.  “Is cooling off what you’re really after?  Because these outfits aren’t ballroom, they are better suited for something Latin.”

Elliot shot her a worried look.  “I don’t know Latin.”

“Don’t worry, just follow where I lead.  We’ll go slow, so Sarah can find a pose to sketch.”

“Oh-kay...” Elliot agreed reluctantly.

Before Elliot knew what was happening, she was in a tight clinch with Nanase and whirling about.  She followed as best she could, years of martial arts helping to keep her balance, keep her focus purely on Nanase, reading her next move.  No time was called, and the dance ended with Nanase down on one knee, Elliot draped over the other knee and Nanase’s arm, looking up into burning bright eyes, unable to look away, barely even to breathe.

They held that pose for ten minutes before Sarah called time, and Elliot barely noted their passing.

“What the frell was that?” asked Susan once the two had risen from their pose.

“I have no idea,” Elliot said softly.  “But whatever it was... again?”

Nanase laughed.  “Easy for you to say.  My leg is dying.”

Sarah grabbed an ottoman from the living room, tossed a sheet over it, and arranged Nanase so she was sitting half on the ottoman, with her right knee on the floor much as before.  Then she moved Elliot into a position where most of her weight rested on the ottoman, and Nanase’s arm behind her was mostly for balance.

She stood back to ask if they could hold the pose for longer, but got no answer, her models were again lost in each other’s eyes.

After ten minutes she offered the chance to move, and they pulled closer together, Elliot curling inward toward Nanse, their faces now inches apart.  Another ten minutes, and another move brought their lips together.  The pose teetered on the edge of a rampaging makeout session, but an “ahem” from Sarah settled them into holding steady once more.

“And time!” called Sarah.  “I think that’s enough for tonight.”

Elliot pulled herself fully against Nanase, and the resulting kiss was ferocious but brief.  They stood, and shook out weary muscles.

“How’d your sketches go, Susan?” asked Sarah brightly.

“Bwuh?”

*** *** ***

Elliot held the car door open for Nanase like a gentleman.  “Do girls still do that for each other?” asked Nanase as she accepted the offer and sat down.

Elliot pondered that as she moved to the driver’s side.  She shrugged.  “It just feels right.  I was well trained by Mom and Dad, it’s the polite way to treat a date.”

“So this was a date?  Hmm.  I like it.  Did you mind that I took the male role, leading the dancing?”

Elliot shook her head.  “No, that was great!”

“No male ego getting stepped on?”

Elliot shook her head as she started the car.  “Not about dancing, anyway.  You knew how, I didn’t.  Easy to follow.”

“What about if I drove next date?  Would you be okay if I opened the door for you?”

Elliot paused to imagine the scene.  “I... wow.  Yes please?”

Nanase giggled.  “Oh, we’re going to have such fun.”

“And your mother doesn’t mind?”

Nanase shook her head.  “Sarah’s argument worked beautifully.  She even went so far as to threaten cookie withdrawal if I ‘abandoned’ you while you are ‘still figuring it out’.  She made it clear that the wrong decision would be a problem.”

“Do I have to decide?” asked Elliot.

Nanase shrugged.  “I said you were trying it out for a month to get the full experience.  So we have at least that long.”

Elliot started the car, and had little more to say during the drive.  She told herself it was so she could keep her attention on the road, but the idea of having to make a decision bothered her in a way she could not get her head around.

Once Elliot was home she found her mother waiting for her with the school paperwork in hand.  “Are you sure about this?  They will expect you to come as Ellen for the next month.”

Elliot shrugged.  “I’ve been okay so far.  I’m sure I can handle a month.  Wait, Ellen?”

“That’s what we would have called you if you’d been born a girl.  You said you wanted the girl experience, and Elliot isn’t really a girl name.  If you get me another copy of the form, I can fill in a different name.”

Elliot was staring past her mother.  “Ellen.  Ellen Dunkel.  Ellen.  Elliot?  Ellen.  Definitely Ellen.”

“Honey?”

“It’s good, Ma.  I like it.”

Mrs. Dunkel rushed to her daughter and swept her up in a hug.  “Oh my little baby girl.”

“Moooom!”

*** *** ***

Tedd found his best friend pacing outside the school’s office.  “Hey Elliot, Sarah said she’d seen you here.  What’s up?”

“I... have a decision to make.  Could you try calling me Ellen?”

“Ellen?  Why?”

“Mom filled out my identity change paperwork with that name.  I wanted to see how it sounds before I’m stuck with it all month.”

“But you’re Elliot,” protested Tedd.  “I...”  He paused at the look on his best friend’s face.  “I’ll try.  Ellen.”

Ellen smiled at Tedd prettily, then both blushed and turned away.  “Uh... right.  Thanks.  I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Sure thing Elli... I mean, Ellen.”

Ellen strode into the office to turn in the form.

At lunch, Susan was the first to sit beside Ellen.  “What’s this about a name change?”

“Mom filled out the form with the name she wanted for her daughter.  I figured if I’m going to be a girl for the month, why not?”

Sarah sat down as Susan asked, “How have people reacted to the new name?”

“My teachers have been good about it, introducing me as a new student.”

“Oh!” exclaimed Sarah.  “You’re the new girl, Ellen!  I’ve been hearing all kinds of rumours.  The best one was that Ellen was your long lost cousin.  I don’t think anyone has noticed Elliot is missing yet.”

Ellen giggled.  “Really?  That’s weird, and kind of cool.  So I can be whoever I want to be, not just ‘girl-Elliot’?”

“Sure!” replied Sarah.  “Though if you keep sitting with us, people will start to figure it out.”

Ellen shrugged.  “That’s fine.  I can still wear dresses to school.”

“Seriously?” asked Sarah and Susan at the same time.

“Why would you do that?” added Susan.

“Because girls can wear dresses?  Mom offered to take me shopping if I wanted some ‘Ellen clothes’, and I’m tempted.  Some of those dresses you put me in on Sunday were cute.”

Sarah grinned.  “Cool!  Can I come along on the shopping trip?”

“Mom figured you would, and if you can get me into some cute dresses, she’ll buy you something as well.”

Susan made a time-out gesture.  “Are you seriously going to wear a skirt at school?  Look around, how many girls are wearing them?”

Ellen checked out the population of the lunch room.  “I can’t tell, they’re all sitting down.”

“Well, check the hallways between classes.  You won’t see many.  They are seriously inconvenient.”

“But... I like my dress,” protested Ellen.  “But Dad threatened unspecified mayhem if I tried to wear it to school.”

Sarah giggled.  “Fair.  That dress is a scandal waiting to happen.”

Susan nodded along.  “It isn’t going to wait.”

Ellen grinned.  “I know!  We practically made out in front of you two.”

“Who made out in front of who?” asked Tedd.  “What’d I miss this time?”

All three girls chuckled.  “We’ll tell you Friday.”

Tedd pouted cutely.  “Not another one of those...”

To change the subject, Susan asked if Ellen was going to join the feminst club, and promised that wearing skirts would not be an impediment to membership.  Ellen agreed, and they went off to do the paperwork.

Ellen did check out the hallways between classes, and while she saw only a few skirts, she thought all of the ones she did see were cute, especially the one on a petite asian girl who wore hers with a big fabric bow.  Ellen asked her where she’d got it, and they talked briefly.  In the end she agreed that such cutesy outfits only worked if you were short enough to pull it off.

*** *** ***

As agreed earlier, Ellen drove Tedd to the mall that night.  Before they started transforming Tedd, Ellen asked if there was any way to restore her phone and her wallet.  Both had been corrupted by the transformation, though it had taken her longer to notice that her phone no longer worked.

Tedd carried the phone and wallet into the machine, cancelled out, and handed them back to his friend.  “There, should be good as new.”

Ellen grinned as her phone powered up.  “Nice, thanks.  Now... something about purple hair, was it?”

Tedd eagerly set up the Venn Machine once more.  Ellen tried out a few different styles, taking pictures of the result and showing them to Tedd.  Tedd settled on a style that closely matched the one in his history.

Afterward, Ellen asked if Tedd had any ideas for fancy Anime Style Martial Arts changes.  Fireballs and force-wave attacks were well outside what the Venn Machines were known to be capable of, but glowing eyes were something Tedd was sure he could pull off.  That didn’t seem like quite enough, so a bit more brainstorming brought up electric eels.

“How powerful of a shock are you talking about?” asked Ellen.  “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“On someone healthy and with no risk of drowning, it shouldn’t be a problem.  Testing on venned people would be best, though.  Just in case.  Oh, and be careful around technology.”

Ellen winced.  “I can’t afford to replace my phone.  How about something flashy that’s just for show?  Distractions are good.”

Tedd snickered and gestured at Ellen’s chest.  “You already have distractions.”

“Hah!  I suppose I should learn to use those before I start adding strobe lights.”

“Strobe lights should be pretty easy,” mused Tedd.  “Wanna try?”

Ellen considered it for a minute.  “If you change me, that resets the timer, right?”

Tedd nodded.  “Oh, right.  The whole one-month thing.  Maybe next month.  The machines aren’t going anywhere.”

“They aren’t?”

“Nah.  Dad has complained about it a lot, apparently the government tried to block off the first ones, but new ones just popped up outside the barricade.  Trying to keep it quiet didn’t work for long, either.”

Ellen glanced at the boxy machine.  “Huh.  Weird.”

Tedd nodded.  “Very weird.  But very cool, too.  I mean, without it, you’d have never had this chance to try being a girl.”

Ellen glanced at her reflection.  “Oh.  Right, that.”

Tedd shook his head.  “Had you actually forgotten?  I’ve been trying hard to remember to call you Ellen, and...”

Ellen shrugged.  “It feels natural.  Do you notice your hair?”

“Yeah!  It’s this fringe of purple at the edge of my vision.”  Tedd pulled some of his hair around so he could see it clearly.  “I love it.”

“Mm.  That may be part of it.  I don’t love this like you love your hair.  But it’s... nice.”

“Just nice?” asked Tedd with a forlorn look.  “That’s it?”

Ellen patted Tedd’s shoulder.  “Hey, lots of people would be saying far worse if their best friend swapped their gender on them.”

“Oh.  I just...”  Tedd hung his head.

“You like the idea.  A lot.  And I don’t hate it.  So take the win?”

Tedd chuckled weakly.  “Sure.”

*** *** ***

Ellen returned to the Anime Style Martial Arts dojo Thursday night eager to challenge her new body once more.

“Yo Elliot!” called Justin as he waved to his friend.

Ellen hesitated for a moment, then shrugged and ambled over to chat with Justin.  “How have the new muscles been working out for you?”

Justin grinned broadly.  “Fantastic.  I more than doubled my bench press.  The only tricky part has been not accidentally breaking things.  I’m out two pencils and a set of shoelaces.”

“Go easy when we spar, then.”

Justin laughed.  “What are you worried about, you’re venned.”

“I guess.  I’d just...  Look, it’s for a month, and I want my month.”

“Interesting...” mused Justin, studying Ellen.  “You like this?”

“Dunno yet.”

Justin chuckled and slapped Ellen on the back hard enough to make her wince and stumble.  “Take all the time you need.  You look cute like this.”  His gaze went distant suddenly, and he missed Ellen’s blush.

Ellen’s first practice spar was, naturally, with Justin.  She got tossed around the mats repeatedly while getting used to Justin’s new strength.  His strength hadn’t improved his reflexes notably, so she resorted more to feints and redirection than parrying and blocking.  By the end both were sweating freely, and Ellen had nearly evened up the score.  She bowed to Justin, “Thanks for the spar.  That was fun.”

“Not too many bruises?”

Ellen grinned.  “A few.  Well earned.”

The other students sparred while Ellen and Justin recovered from their bout.  Ellen studied their style, and helped Greg critique them after the fight.

“Next up, the match we’ve all been waiting for... Elliot versus Nanase!” Greg called out like a cheesy fight announcer.

Ellen stepped up to the mat and bowed to Nanase.  “Should we keep the tradition alive?”

Nanase grinned at her sweetie.  “Wouldn’t miss it.”

Ellen felt the spar was going much better than the one against Justin.  She was well matched with Nanase at dodging and feinting, and managed to land a few good blows.  She even thought she might pull off a win, then Nanase’s blue-haired body snuck up behind her and got her in a hold.

Ellen pouted at Nanase.  “Two on one?  That’s hardly fair.”

Nanase-red sashayed forward.  “Who said this would be fair?”

Ellen faked a kick at Red when she got in range, and used Blue’s reaction to the dodge to wriggle free.  Her freedom did not last long, as Nanase’s teamwork had improved dramatically over the past few days.  Red soon had her pinned, and even a leg-sweep that knocked Blue on her ass wasn’t enough to buy a flinch that would set Ellen free.

“I yiel... MMF!”  Ellen got pounced by both Red and Blue, and the kiss would have turned into very much more if Greg had not intervened.

As Ellen stumbled back to the edge of the mat, Red Nanase went with her, and sat beside her to “see that he was okay”.

Blue went to spar against Justin.  Nanase whispered to Ellen, “try to distract me.”

Ellen leaned in close and whispered, “I love you.”

That proved more than enough distraction, and Blue went flying across the room.  She landed just off the mat with a loud and ominous crack.  When she got up, her left arm bent in places it was not supposed to, and both of them winced from the pain.

“Okay, I think that’s enough for tonight,” announced Greg.  “Nanase, do you need to go to the hospital?”

Nanase shook her heads.  “Just the mall.  Venn Machine can fix me right up.”

“If you’re sure...”

“I am.”

Justin offered to drive, but Greg asked him to stay behind so they could discuss appropriate levels of changes for the class.

Ellen drove both Nanases to the mall.  The trip was silent, with Nanase focussed on controlling the pain and Ellen watching the road and worrying.  “Are you okay?” she asked as they parked.

“No,” replied Red.  “Could you carry her?”

Ellen scooped Blue up in her arms, cradling her as gently as she could.  Blue moaned as she was shifted, then cuddled up against Ellen and closed her eyes.  She stayed like that until Ellen set her in the Venn Machine.  To her surprise, when she stepped back Blue vanished.

“Uh... were you expecting that?”

Nanase shrugged.  “We compared weight at home.  She was a pound lighter.”

“And that matters?”

“Apparently.”

Ellen looked into the open Venn Machine, then over to Nanase.  “So... now what?  Do you want to be twinned again?”

Nanase shrugged.  “Not right now.  It’s a fun gimmick, but...  It’s silly.”

Ellen chuckled warmly at her sweetie.  “I don’t mind silly.”

“Blue just isn’t my colour.”

“That’s fair.  How about purple?” suggested Elliot.

Nanase made a face at the suggestion, then turned to the mirror by the Venn Machine and studied her reflection.  “This is me, much more so than any other colour I’ve tried.”

Ellen slipped up next to her, and wrapped her arm around Nanase’s waist.  “It looks good.  Suits you.”

“Does it now?” asked Nanase archly.

Ellen grinned.  “Warning label.”  That earned her a playful punch on the shoulder, which she laughed off.  “See?”

Nanase stalked away from Ellen, heading back to the car.  Ellen hurried to catch up.  “Too far?”

Once they were outside the mall, Nanase whirled to face Ellen.  “What you said earlier...”

“The warning label thing?” asked Ellen, puzzled.

“No.  To distract me during the fight, you...”

“I said I love you.”

“You’ve never said that before.  Did... did you mean it, or was it just a great distraction?”  Nanase asked in a trembling voice.

“I meant it.  Sarah got me thinking, then there was the sketching...”

Nanase inhaled raggedly.  “Oh yeah, that was...  And then you scooped me up in your arms.”

Ellen looked briefly confused.  “Oh, you mean just now.”

Nanase nodded.  “The broken arm sucked, but being held by you...”

Ellen swept Nanase off her feet and scooped her up into her arms.  “Like this?”

All the tension in Nanase’s body fled and she curled in against Ellen.  “Mmm.”

Ellen slowly carried Nanase to the car, and set her down by the door.  “You okay?”

“I love you, Elliot.”

Ellen glanced away.  “Actually... it’s Ellen, now.”

“WHAT?”

Ellen winced and took a step back.  “The paperwork for the school.  Mom put ‘Ellen’ on it, so I’ve been trying it, and it feels right.”

“Are you a girl?”

“According to my school registration... yes?  Is that a problem?”

Nanase wrapped her arms around herself and started pacing beside the car.  “I’m in love with a girl.  I can’t be in love with a girl.  You have to change back!”

“But...  The month?  I can’t change the paperwork for a month.”

“To hell with the paperwork.  I need Elliot.”

“I’m right here.”  Ellen opened her arms wide to offer a hug.

Nanase took tentative steps forward, like a timid animal.  When Ellen’s arms finally wrapped around her she sighed and her trembling stilled.  “I don’t know what to do.”

“Yes you do,” replied Ellen.  “You’re scared of it, but you know.”

“I love you.  God help me, I love you just as you are.  What a disaster.”

“Hey!” protested Ellen.

“If word of this gets back to Mom, I don’t know what she’ll do.”

“Tell her the truth.  To be a girl for a month, I had to register as one at school.  Mom put ‘Ellen’ on the form, so I’m playing along.”

“Are you?” asked Nanase.

Ellen sighed, leaning on her girlfriend.  “I don’t know.  I’ve been this way for less than a week and it feels so natural.”

“Are you going to stay like this?”

Ellen shook her head.  “Just the month.  Then a month of Elliot.  Then... who knows.”

“This is so confusing.”

Ellen kissed Nanase on the nose.  “Yep.”

“How can you sound so cheerful about that?” demanded Nanase.

“Because you’re still hugging me.  This feels right.”

Nanase breathed in and out.  “It does.  Fuck me.”

“Uh...”

Nanase laughed.  “One upside of you being a girl.  No risk of pregnancy...”

Ellen turned bright pink, and Nanase dissolved into more peals of laughter.   “Oh, it really still is you in there, isn’t it?”

“Gleep?”

Nanase kissed Ellen on the lips, and the world went away for a time.  She sighed happily once they broke apart.  “I may be doomed.  But I’ll go to my doom smiling.”

Ellen grinned at her.  “Yeah.  Can we do that again?”

Nanase looked around, people in the parking lot were watching the two of them.  Most looked away when confronted by her gaze.  “Not here.”

Ellen drove even more carefully than usual, keenly aware of the warmth of Nanase’s hand in hers the entire way.  The moment she parked outside the Kitsune house, Nanase pounced.

The kiss was working its way toward third base when there was a sharp tapping on the car window.  Nanase sat up guiltily, and opened the door.  “Mom!”