By Prender

TF (TG, clothing, food, inanimate)

“So,” Cait said to me, “have you ever got into a Venn machine?”

I sat back in my chair at the cafe. We’d just got out of a movie when Cait had suggested coffee, adding she had something she wanted to ask me.

Whatever I thought she’d ask, it wasn’t this.

She sat back in her chair too, with that little quizzical smile I’d grown to enjoy on her face.

“Uh, I’ve heard about Venn machines,” I started out cautiously. “But no, I’ve never been in one.”

“Ah,” she said. “So … do you want to?”

A thrill went through me, half fear and half erotic charge. The first part said, hey wait, you’ve heard all kinds of weird stories about what Venn machines can supposedly do, and here’s a girl you’ve known for less than a month, you’re three dates in, and she wants you to get into a Venn machine with her? Do you know what kind of control you’re giving her?

But the second part was going, oh boy! I bet she wants to do all kinds of sex stuff!

The second part, as ever, won out.

“Get into a Venn machine with you?” I smiled as bravely as I knew how. “I’d love to.”

Cait smiled too. “Great! Okay, when we finish our coffee, there’s one across the street at the mall.’’

I blinked. “Wait. You mean … tonight?”

“Of course! When did you think? Friday night’s the perfect night to Venn!”

“Okay,” I said slowly.

She must have heard something in my voice, because she said: “Using Venn machines is all about trust, and I trust you, Matt. I mean, I know we haven’t known each other very long, but Bree told me we’d match perfectly, and she’s usually pretty on the ball.”

Bree was the girlfriend of my pal Jason. She was the one who had introduced me to Cait at a party. And sure enough, we had hit it off. I don’t know if we were in love, but we did enjoy being with each other.

“You’ve Venned before?” I said. Cait grinned.

“Oh yeah, I’ve Venned. Lots of times.”

That dreamy look in her eyes entranced me.

Now she knew she had me. “Here’s the deal, Matt. I get to do whatever I want to you. But also, you get to do whatever you want to me. Anything.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.” And she grinned again. “Be my guest.’’

I couldn’t finish my coffee fast enough.

*

Half an hour later we were standing in the back of the mall, where a couple of Venn machines stood primly.

I thrust my hand into my pocket. At Cait’s suggestion we’d stashed all our stuff in a nearby locker, but I’d kept a dollar bill to make the booths work.

“So, you ready, Matt?” I jumped at Cait’s voice, then recovered. “Sure,” I said.

“Okay, put the dollar into the slot.”

I fed the bill in, and suddenly a panel lit up with symbols. “What’s this?”

“The duration setter. Let’s do one day, all right?” Cait fiddled with the control. “Now we get in.’’

‘’Get in? Where?’’ I suddenly realised there were two openings in the booth. I could have sworn they’d been solid before.

Cait had already jumped into the box. “Hurry up!’’

With butterflies rocketing around my stomach, I slid in. And suddenly there was no door any more. I turned to find what looked like a glass wall with some kind of interface. There was light in the booth, although I couldn’t tell where it was coming from. It wasn’t a big space.

I stamped down a sense of claustrophobia. “Uh … Cait?”

“I’m here!” I heard her voice. “I’m on the other side. Have you made your changes yet?”

“Er, no.”

A laugh. “Hurry up, slowpoke!”

I turned my attention to the display screen in front of me, which had come to life. There was a central image — Cait — and a series of bubbles around it. It wasn’t difficult to figure out how they worked. You scrolled through the bubbles to find what you wanted.

I cleared my throat. “You did say anything, right?”

“Let your imagination run riot.’’

So I did.

We pressed the green buttons. And we were changed.

*

“Well.’’

Cait had a bemused grin on her face.

“You did say anything …” I reminded her.

“Sure. It’s just …”

She was now about six feet tall, with breasts that ballooned out from her chest. Her brown shoulder-length hair was now long and black. Her legs went on forever, her butt thrust out, and her waist had narrowed so you could almost put your hands around it. Her face, well, I’d tried to match Cait’s features but they were … off a bit.

Her dress had changed into a belted bodysuit, complete with long boots with high heels.

“I feel like a Rob Liefeld drawing,’’ she said.

“More Jim Lee, if you ask me.’’ I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I mean, she was my creation, after all.

Cait rolled her eyes. “Boys!” But there was a smile in her voice. “So, how do you like your new body, Matt?’’

That’s right, she had changed me too. I checked myself out. Hmm. Obviously more muscled than before. I lifted up my T-shirt to find a six-pack I’d have to work a year in the gym for.

And in my pants …

“Girls!” I said.

“I presume you approve then,” Cait said.

“I do.’’

‘’Then what do you say … your place or mine?”

She said it so casually that it took a second to sink in. “You mean …?”

“Well, we’ve got these bodies for the next 24 hours,” she said. “Pity to waste them, don’t you think?”

I thought quickly. “My place is closer. If you don’t mind a bit of mess.”

“As long as you’ve got clean sheets. And condoms.’’ Cait sashayed forward on those long legs, the very picture of exaggerated sexiness. “You look surprised.’’

“I guess I am a little.’’

She laughed. “Oh, I never Venn on the first date. But the third …”

*

The next 24 hours went in a blur.

Okay, not true. They went quickly but they weren’t a blur. I’d be remembering the events of that night for a long, long time.

“You enjoyed?’’ Cait traced a circle on my well-built — Venned — chest.

“It was amazing. Incredible. Insert other synonyms for wonderful here.” I stared at her magnificent breasts and I felt something down below spring back to life.

“So …’’ Cait laid back on the pillows. “You wanna do this again next week?’’

“Absolutely.’’

“Or …” Cait said as casually as she could. ‘’Not quite this.’’

‘’Oh?’’

‘’Have you ever wondered what it’s like on … the other side?’’

‘’The other side?’’

‘’You know …’’ She waved her hands over her enormous balloons.

Comprehension dawned. ‘’Oh. The other side.’’

*

‘’I can’t believe how natural this feels.’’

I sauntered through the mall in the tiniest of red dresses, holding Cait’s hand. I’d never worn heels before, let alone ones this high, but I stepped like I’d been born in them.

“That’s the wonder of Venn machines,’’ he said. I looked up into his eyes — I was now almost a foot shorter than him — and snuggled closer to him.

I stopped at a mirrored shop window and admired my reflection. My heart-shaped face, my blonde hair, my perfect lipstick …

“So obsessed with yourself,” Cait said mockingly.

“Hey, just checking out your handiwork,’’ I said. This time we hadn’t even tried to replicate our own faces. I looked back at Cait. “Hey, anyone ever tell you that you look a bit like Kit Harrington?’’

‘’Why no. But then, I’ve never looked like Kit Harrington before tonight.’’

‘’So, we going back to your place?’’ I couldn’t wait to find out how it felt to have a … you know.

‘’Eventually.’’ Cait stroked my hair. ‘’But let’s stop over at the wine bar across the road first.’’

‘’Oh?’’

‘’I want to show you off.’’

*

‘’Three days.’’

‘’That’s right.’’

‘’I can’t believe I’m going to be a girl for three days.’’

‘’And what’s wrong with that?” Cait said mockingly. He rolled over, exposing himself — deliberately, I thought. ‘’I was a girl for 25 years.’’

‘’Nothing,’’ I said, my hands straying to my nipples. Cait hadn’t made my breasts as large as I’d made hers but they were nothing to sneeze at. “I can’t believe how much I like being a woman.”

“Really?” Cait propped himself up on one elbow. “Because if you’re game, there’s something I want to try next weekend. But it means you being a girl.’’

“God. Okay. What is it?”

“Well,” Cait grinned. “You know a Venn machine can turn you into inanimate things too, right?”

*

Next Saturday evening, I was standing in front of the mirror at Cait’s house, putting on my makeup. Or rather, Cait’s makeup. She'd showed me what to do and I was amazed at how quickly I'd picked it up. Moisturiser, foundation, lipstick, eyeliner ...

I’d changed faces completely from last week. Now I was slightly goth, with long black hair and a slightly large nose. I thought I looked fucking hot.

There was a party tonight at Jason’s house, and I was going. I felt slightly sad that Cait wouldn’t be with me. Well, not in human form anyway.

She was hanging on the wardrobe door. We’d flicked through several fashion magazines before we found a style both she and I liked. I hadn’t been able to replicate it exactly in a Venn machine, but I’d got pretty close.

I had no idea how much she could feel or hear now, but I spoke to her anyway.

“Hey Cait, you look gorgeous. I can’t wait to have you on my body. I just hope you cover my buttocks. Wait, of course you will. You’re Venned. You’ll fit me perfectly.”

I fingered her material. “You’re a beautiful dress, baby.”

*

When Jason opened the door, his eyes bugged out and his jaw dropped open, just like a cartoon.

“Um, hey Jase. It’s me, Matt?” I said. I suddenly felt acutely aware of just how low cut Cait was.

Jason closed his mouth and attempted to say something, but it came out as mostly vowels. Thankfully I was rescued by Bree.

“Matt? That you? You look good, man. Come on in!”

“Thanks, Bree.”

“So let me guess,” she said cheerfully, handing me a glass of wine. “Cait’s either the dress or the shoes … I’m going with the dress.”

“Got it in one.”

Jason looked from one to the other. “Dude? You changed your girlfriend into a dress?!”

“First, hey man, nice to see you. And yes, I changed my girlfriend into a dress. At her request.”

“Yeah, Cait’s always liked that,” Bree said. “Once she was a pair of stockings and I wore her to dinner with my sister.”

“Wait … what?!”

“Hey Jase, your mouth is open again,” I said.

“Being clothes is great!” Bree said. “I mean, she’s worn me too a few times. Boots, mostly. You ever been boots, Matt? Being two things at once is pretty fun.”

“You … you’ve been …” There was a wild look in Jason’s eyes.

“Oh God, Bree, you’ve got to get this guy into a Venn machine,” I said, laughing.

“Yeah! We could swap clothes!” Bree grinned. “I bet you’d like being a blonde, babe.”

Jason pondered. “Well … maybe.”

“In the meantime, wanna do something for me, Jase?” I simpered at him.

“Uh, sure. What?”

I put down my glass and took him by the arm, where music was playing and a crowd had gathered. “Come on into the living room and dance with me.’’

*

“You cocktease!” Cait grinned.

“Hey, you were the one making me look good,” I said.

We’d changed back and were having breakfast at a diner the next morning.

“Oh God, I bet Jason had a huge erection. I hope he put it to good use with Bree.”

I laughed. “We should do something with them some time.”

“That would be great. Bree and I have had some fun times with a Venn machine.”

“Sounds like it.” I smiled. God, this woman was beautiful, and daring, and funny …

“So,” I said, “what’s it like being a dress?”

“What’s it like?” Cait’s face grew dreamy again. “It’s hard to describe. I mean, you know what you are. You can feel yourself being a dress. At the same time, it’s you as a dress. But it’s not like you can see. On the other hand, I was pretty soft, and I could feel you wearing me, and I could even hear a bit.”

“Sounds confusing.”

“It is and it isn’t. It’s kind of like a dream … but it’s also not like that … Oh God, Matt, the only way you’re going to know what it’s like is if you try it.”

“Be a dress?” I cocked an eyebrow.

“Why not? Or leggings. I haven’t had a good pair of leggings on in a while. I could make you wet look leggings. You’d look really sexy on my legs.”

The idea was very tempting. “I haven’t been an inanimate object yet.”

“Try it, you’ll like it.”

“On the other hand, I like being a woman. In fact,” I confessed, “I still kind of feel like a woman today, even after I’ve changed back.”

Cait nodded sympathetically. “You’re new to Venning. Your mind is still adjusting to changing. You’ll need a day or two to readjust mentally. The more you Venn, the faster you’ll adapt. Now me, I’ve been Venning for a year or so, and I adjust pretty quickly now.”

“Uh-huh.” I drained my coffee cup. “So, Bree said changing into a dress is one of your favourites.”

“Amongst other things.”

“Like what?”

“Well … there’s one I really like …”

And she told me.

*

“No.”

“Aw, come on, Matt!”

“It’s creepy.”

“It’s cute!”

“Well …”

“Pretty please?”

Damn it, I hate it when Cait pulls that puppy dog face with me.

“All right. But not the whole weekend, right?”

“One day?”

“Fine.”

“Yeah!”

“And you stay in the cage.”

*Oh, sure. No problem.”

*

The doorbell rang on Saturday morning. Jason and Bree.

“Hey guys,” I said, letting them into my apartment.

“Hey,” Jason waved. “I see you’ve got a dick today.”

“Disappointed?” I grinned as he went red.

“Is Cait around?” Bree asked.

I jerked my finger. “Up there.”

The tarantula sat on the wall, black, hairy and very big.

“Holy fuck!” I swear Jason leapt back through the doorway.

Bree, on the other hand, laughed. “Oh, I haven’t seen that one in a while. Hey, Cait!”

She waved, and I swear the spider waved one of its legs back, although that was probably just coincidence. Spiders are deaf, right?

Jason’s eyes bulged. “Wait — that’s Cait?”

I sighed. “Yep, that’s Cait. She’s a spider today. Just for today, which is good, because I have no idea what to feed her.”

“Crickets,” Bree said cheerfully.

“Crickets?” I’ll admit I gagged slightly.

“Crickets and other small bugs.”

“I don’t have any.”

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Cait will probably catch her own.”

“Shouldn’t she be spinning a web or something?” Jason asked.

“Ah! Tarantulas don’t spin webs to catch prey,” Bree said.

“Ugh.” Jason semi-retched. “Can we not use the word ‘prey’?”

“You know an awful lot about tarantulas,” I said suspiciously. She threw up her hands.

“Okay, you got me. I too have been on spider-watch duty with Cait. Well, we were going to ask you guys to lunch, but …”

“Afraid Cait’s occupied, and I don’t want to leave her,” I said.

The tarantula scuttled down to the floor and I swear Jason levitated.

“Maybe tomorrow?” Bree smiled. “Okay then, see you, Cait! Oh, and don’t worry, Matt. You’ll find spider-watching is really quite soothing.”

And damn her, she was right. Watching Cait scoot around on multiple legs turned out to be fun. Trying to guess what she was thinking as she climbed the TV. Maybe an elaborate game of hide and seek?

I got so used to her that when she inevitably climbed up on the arm of the sofa — on which I was sitting — I managed to avoid slamming down my book on her.

I smiled fondly and waved at her instead. After all, she may have been an arachnid, but she was still my girlfriend.

Girlfriend? Did I say girlfriend? I did, didn’t I?

Maybe there was something to this love thing after all.

*

“God, I’m still hungry,” Cait said.

It was later that night and she’d changed back. I couldn’t quite believe I’d just had sex with someone who had been a spider an hour or so ago.

“Not too surprising if you hadn’t eaten all day,” I said. “Unless you ate bugs. You … you didn’t eat bugs, did you?”

“Idiot,” she said fondly. “If I did, it’s because I was a tarantula. If I’d changed into a cat, I would have eaten cat food. You get that I wasn’t a human, right? Oh hey, and thanks for letting me out of that cage.” She’d had a little bird cage I’d used to transport her from the Venn machine, and in which she’d slept Friday night.

“You looked sad.”

“Now you’re anthropomorphising … but yeah, it felt good to stretch my legs. All of them.”

Her stomach actually rumbled. We looked at each other.

“I guess no bugs,” I said. I got out of bed. "I’ll call for a pizza.”

“Thanks, that would be great.” And suddenly she gave a little giggle.

“What?” I said suspiciously.

“Huh?”

“You did the Venn giggle. The giggle that says ‘I’ve just thought of something to Venn into'.”

“Hey, it’s your fault.”

“How is it my fault?!”

“Well, you mentioned pizza …”

*

I rang the doorbell. Somehow, despite my now being a five foot tall woman with lip piercings and a death hawk, Bree still knew it was me. “Hey, Matt.”

I thrust the box at her. “Guess who?”

She looked at me for a moment and then said “Oh.”

“That’s right, my beautiful girlfriend has somehow persuaded me to Venn her into a medium-size pizza.”

“What kind?”

“What kind?” I stared at her. “I think you’re missing the crucial point here. Yesterday she was a spider, and today she’s a pizza.”

“And you’re a girl. And you look cute. Even with your bald bits.”

“Huh?” I touched the stubble on the sides of my head. “Oh yeah. I forgot.”

“Not something you asked for?”

“No, I just said ‘make me female’. I should have known though. We passed this scene queen on the way to the mall, and Cait just looked at her like …”

“The lip rings look good too.”

“Thanks, I kind of like them — wait, we’re getting off track here. Cait’s a pizza!”

Bree flipped open the lid of the box. “Margherita. Nice. Want a slice?”

I looked at her, horrified. “I can’t eat my girlfriend!”

Bree sighed. “Matt, how much do you know about Venn machines?”

“Um … not much?” I admitted.

“When you’re Venned, you can’t be killed, or hurt in any way. We could eat her and she’d return to normal just fine. You know there’s actual cafes where they serve Venned people on the east coast?” Bree sighed. “But I guess you’re right.”

Jason wandered in yawning. “What’s that smell? It’s so good … hey, who are you?”

“I’m your friend Matt.”

“That’s kind of a new look for you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Turning into a woman is always a new look for me.”

“Okay, thanks for the pizza … what?”

Bree and I looked at him. And for a minute we were so sorely tempted. But …

“Jason, you might want to put the slice down.”

“What? Why?”

*

He was still retching in the bathroom when I left ten minutes later.

“Poor baby, I think he’s gonna be scarred for life,” Bree said.

“And he didn’t even eat any of Cait!”

“I know, I’ll give him the ‘you can’t be hurt in a Venn machine’ talk later.”

“Bree, has Cait got a thing for turning into food?”

“Well, we did have a mutual friend named Sally who got us into becoming cookies …”

“Great.”

“You know, you can just take her to a Venn machine, put the pizza in and she’ll change back,” Bree said.

I stared at her.

“I really need to know more about Venn machines.”

“It would probably be good if you’re going to Venn a lot … and if you’re going out with Cait …”

“… You’re going to Venn a lot.”

*

Cait wasn’t too upset at being changed back early. “But,” she grinned, “I think you owe me one now.”

“Oh?”

“I think,” she said as she kissed me, “it’s time for your first inanimate change.”

What happened next is still a little confused in my head, but yeah, I did make a good pair of wet look leggings, and I did look great on Cait’s legs.

There were photos.

*

By now we were spending so much time either at my place or hers that I suggested we move in together. We chose my place — it was larger than hers, with a second bedroom, and most importantly, it was closer to the Venn machines. For a couple of weeks we just hung out together — living as a couple is different from just dating, after all. But one night …

“Babe?”

“What is it, gorgeous?”

“Do you feel like Venning tonight?”

“What did you want to be?”

“Well … there’s something I’ve always wanted to try …”

*

I stared at it.

It was quite small, silver, and perfectly spherical.

A metal marble. Cool to the touch.

I stared at it some more.

This was my girlfriend.

This was Cait, who had, apparently, always wanted to try being perfectly round.

She’d climbed into a magic box of completely unknown origins, possibly alien, and decided it would be a good idea to change from having flesh, bones, muscles, from being breathing and living, to becoming a metal ball.

I could not love this woman more.

Of course, she’d left me changed too.

Tonight I was quite slim, even statuesque, lithe and well muscled, like a fitness model. My messy blonde hair hung down past my shoulders.

I picked up Cait. Being metal she almost certainly couldn’t hear or feel me, but I still spoke to her.

“Come on, beautiful, I’m off to bed.”

I couldn’t wait to find out what style of pubic hair I had this time.

*

A couple of weeks later.

Saturday night at the club.

I’m on the dance floor, dressed in leather hot pants and a halter top. My long black hair is tied up in a messy ponytail. The humidity on the floor is incredible. The music is deafening.

Cait grabbed me from behind. “Want to sit this one out?” she yelled. I nodded.

She looked like the usual Cait, but as she held me close I could feel the little something extra we’d added under her dress. Actually, not that little.

We wound our way through the crowd, pausing only to tell two women we were going to the bar.

One was willowy with a ready smile. She was dancing with a short but very cute blonde girl.

Bree. And Jason.

“Come back and dance with me!” Jason said gleefully, grabbing my arm. Laughing, I promised her I would as soon as we’d had a break.

“Get a guy into a Venn machine,” Cait grinned, “and you’ll never get him out of a dress.”

“Or out of being a dress,” I added.

I didn’t know where the future led, but I’d follow Cait anywhere. Even into a Venn machine.

Particularly into a Venn machine.