Gigantic Variations

by Maxwell Avoi

  She shrugged. “No time like the present, right? It’ll take me a day or two to get the smart clothes ready. Are your measurements exact?” She pointed at the numbers that the client had entered, rolling her eyes just a little.

  I said, “Well, they’re close enough for smart clothes, anyway. Will that be a problem?”

  “Oh, no, nothing like that. I just wanted to make sure before I got too carried away. I can get in the neighborhood, and whoever’s wearing the clothes can alter them.”

  “Well, our photographer’s getting good at this, so we can actually try for an evening shoot if we want,” said Trevor.

  She said, “Sure what time?”

  “Um…Wednesday? Say around seven?”

  “Sounds good. You guys bringing the pizza?”

  “Pizza can be arranged,” I said.

  “Right on. See you guys then. Text me the photographer’s address, okay?”

  “Ah, actually,” said Trevor. “He doesn’t know what we’re doing. We usually change here and then drive over there.”

  “Oh, okay. I’ll meet you here, then.”

  We finalized everything and she went on her way. She was small and slim, and she filled her jeans nicely, so I didn’t have much trouble watching her go. When she was gone I rather felt as though I’d been through a tornado; Laura had a lot of energy.

  Trevor returned and sat down, and he said, “Man, she’s really something, huh?”

  “Hey, man, thanks for not telling her about, you know.”

  He waved it off. “No worries. How are you doing today?”

  “Embarrassed, mostly.”

  He shook his head. “Sorry, man. I don’t really know what to say.”

  “No, it was my fault for not testing the potion first. I just didn’t know what it would do, you know?”

  He nodded. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but that he couldn’t figure out how to put it. Finally he said, “Are you gonna have any trouble making up that next potion in time?”

  “Oh, no, it’ll be fine. I just have to double the formula is all. I’ll probably make two separate batches.”

  “Will that make them enough alike to be twins? He’s really adamant about them being twins.”

  “That…is actually a really good point. I’ll have to find out. I’ll figure it out before Wednesday, though.”

  “I trust you.”

  He nodded to me and didn’t quite flee the living room. I understood his need for a little space; the specter of embarrassment still hung over both of us even though we had both assured each other that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. My having had hot sex with Trevor was going to take a little processing on both sides.

  My sleep was mercifully free of dreams, and the next day I went to the lab to work on the formula. I finally had to track down one of my professors, Doctor Sherberry. She had office hours on Mondays, so that worked out. I found her looking through a stack of papers that I recognized as our recent midterms.

  “Ah, yes, how can I help you?” she said when I introduced myself. I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t know me; potioneering is a growing field, and the classes tend to be pretty large.

  I said, “Well, I’m trying to work out a theoretical issue. If I’m doing a transformation potion and I want two people to use it so that they’re identical, would I be able to double the formula to make identical changes in the subjects?”

  She leaned back in her chair and looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. “That’s an awfully specific set of questions for a rookie potioneer,” she said.

  “Well, it has to do with a paper I’m trying to understand. I was hoping that I could get your opinion since I know that you’re one of the best.”

  She smirked a little, and for a moment I thought that she’d seen through the flattery, but then she started talking. The upshot of it was that it was possible to double a formula, but that it would take more energy and concentration than making a single potion. I thanked her profusely and went back to the lab, determined to get things taken care of.

  The formula was easy enough; by this time it only took me a few minutes to get the basic mixture going. I worked quickly, barely noticing the difference in volume of potion until I got to the point where I had to weave the energy into magic.

  Then things sort of got interesting. Doubling the size of the potion meant increasing the amount of energy it contained eight-fold, and I hadn’t had experience is dealing with that much energy at once. It jumped all over the place as I tried to envision the web, strands of it tearing as I wove so that I had to go back and patch things. There were several times when I thought that I wouldn’t be able to finish. After a long struggle I managed to get the magic in place with only a few loose strands, and the potion matrix solidified.

  I breathed a deep sigh of relief and sat down hard on the floor, glad that no one else was around. An energy overload could have involved the potion exploding, which would have sucked. Flying glass is best taken by other people.

  I poured the completed potion into two vials and capped them off before cleaning up. The potion fizzed a little, something that I wasn’t used to, but it looked fine so I didn’t worry too much. I packed up my things and headed back to the apartment.

  …and then I didn’t have anything to do. The strangest thing about starting a new venture is that from time to time there’s nothing going on, so a person has to get back to real life instead. It was hard at first to concentrate on studying, but I got back into the swing of things after a little while. My potioneering wasn’t the only class that I had, after all, so I worked to keep ahead of the others. I didn’t hear Trevor come back or go out, and eventually I fell asleep on my books.

  The routine of classes and extracurriculars was enough to lull me over the next couple of days. By the time that Wednesday evening rolled around I had nearly forgotten about the weirdness that had so briefly gripped my life. Then Laura knocked on the door to our apartment and the whole thing jumped into the spotlight again.

  “Heya!” she said as she breezed in. She was carrying a duffle bag. “Got the uniforms, or at least I got the clothes ready to turn into uniforms. Trevor ready?”

  “Actually I’m not sure where he is,” I said. “I got a text from him that he was on his way by the might be a little late.”

  She shrugged. “No big deal. You have anything to drink around here?”

  “Beer okay?”

  “Beer’s perfect.”

  I led her into the kitchen and sat down with her at the small table that Trevor and I sometimes used for food but mostly for storage of miscellanea. I cracked the bottle open and passed it her way, opening another for myself.

  “So potions, huh,” she said. “How’d a nice potioneer like yourself get involved in Trevor’s evil plot?”

  “What’s the classic answer? Just lucky, I guess.” I took a pull from my beer as she chuckled. “Nah, I was just in the right place with the right skills when he had his idea. It sounded crazy at first, but you know Trevor when he gets talking.”

  She nodded and smiled. “I do. I do indeed. So you’re in it for the money, the thrill, what?”

  I coughed on the beer when she asked about the thrill. When I was all right again I said, “I’m in it for the money. And a little bit because it helps my potioneering skills.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Your skills aren’t going to get me killed or turn me into a frog, right?”

  “Oh, no, no, nothing like that. It’s just good to get real-world experience, you know? Before I graduate and sign up to be a soulless corporate potion drone somewhere.”

  “Making no money at all, I’m sure.”

  “Well, there are benefits to being a drone.”

  “Sounds awful. I’m in this for the fun of it, and the money. And to get some more experience working with smart cloth. I’m sure you guys will give me the opportunity to try different recipes and variations of existing designs.”

  “I can just about guara
ntee it.” I told her about what we’d done already, and she laughed.

  “You boys are going to be glad that I’m involved.”

  “I’m already glad,” I said, before my mouth could take instruction from my brain. I tried to hide the blush with a long sip from my beer, but it was a little late for that.

  “Aw, Jimmy, that’s sweet,” she said. She took a drink and said, “I’m gay.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “Gay. Me. I like the ladies.”

  I sputtered, trying to backtrack somehow. “Oh, no, it’s not that I…”

  She held up one hand. “It’s cool. I just wanted to get that out of the way since we’re going to be working together and I know that I’m damn near irresistible.”

  “But you and Trevor?”

  She shrugged and drank again. “Okay, so I’m gay with a little bit of curiosity. Damn little. And it’s been satisfied.”

  I held up both my hands in a surrendering gesture. “Hey, say no more. Message received.”

  She nodded and finished her beer. “Good. Oh hey, there’s Trev.”

  Trevor breezed in and said, “Hey, there was a party and I didn’t get a beer!”

  “You were late, that’s why,” I said. I tossed one of the vials to him and he caught it with one hand. He looked closely at the liquid inside and said, “Is this fizzing?”

  “A little. It’s fine,” I said.

  I gave Laura the other vial. She took it and then opened up her duffle bag, offering a bundle to Trevor. “Cheerleader outfits, hot off the press,” she said.

  He took his and retired to his room. Laura looked around and I said, “You can use my room, it’s fine.” I indicated the door and she headed that way.

  I forced myself not to pace around as the minutes dragged on. Finally the door to my room opened and Laura came back out. I assumed it was Laura, anyway; she looked nothing like our costumer now.

  She wore a red and black cheerleader’s outfit with an easy grace that meant that my “be comfortable” ingredients were working fine. She was about my height, slightly tall for a woman, but outside of that there was no way that she would ever have been mistaken for me. Particularly in Braille. Her breasts strained at the material that hid them, heavy and soft behind the cloth. The top revealed a muscular midriff that had just enough padding to soften the hard edges. Her strong waist led to magnificent hips, and the skirt that she wore barely went to mid-thigh. The pleats held the material out a bit, making the skirt look even shorter. She had on ankle socks and sneakers, and she carried a pair of red-and-black pompoms.

  She lifted them and shook them, and her breasts jiggled right along. “Yaaaay team!” she said. Laura’s grin was still the same, but her face had gone from girl next door cute to oh God please fuck me now hot . Full lips and wide green eyes beneath a rich shock of auburn hair that fell to her waist made it even harder for me to take my eyes off of her.

  “I, ah…” I said, demonstrating all my linguistic skills.

  “Agreed,” she said. “I mean, I feel like I should feel silly or not be able to walk or whatever, but this feels just fine!” She struck another pose, one that probably would have gotten her kicked off of a cheerleading squad for incompetence but that looked absolutely amazing with her new body.

  “Well, good,” I said weakly. I was still trying to come up with something more to say when Trevor’s door opened and she stepped out. She was dressed the same way, though her colors were blue and white. Other than that, she was identical to Laura’s new form.

  Laura turned to her twin and said, “Oh, I like those colors better.” She closed her eyes and concentrated, and her clothing slowly changed color. When she got it right, she stood next to Trevor and put her arm around Trevor’s shoulders. “What do you think?” she said.

  I had no words. They were glorious and incredibly hot. Trevor smirked. “He thinks we’re awesomely hot,” she said, mirroring my thoughts.

  “Well yeah,” said Laura. She turned and looked at Trevor, her identical twin, and said, “I don’t think you’ve ever looked this good to me before.”

  Trevor grinned and said, “Just wait until we get in front of the camera!”

  I said, “Are you two, you know, okay, like with what you’re going to be doing? The client wanted you to kiss and touch and stuff.”

  Laura snorted. She reached out and grabbed Trevor’s left tit, kneading it. “So okay,” she said.

  She stopped when Trevor let out a deep moan. Both of us stared at her. Her face was flushed and her eyes closed, and she sounded like a woman in the midst of a really good orgasm.

  She opened her eyes and looked around at us before focusing on me. “What did you put in that potion?” she said, sounding as if she was having a hard time catching her breath.

  “Uh. The usual stuff. Why?”

  “That was…really intense,” she said. She took a deep breath and blew it out through soft lips. I had a hard time taking my eyes off of her.

  “Really?” said Laura. She reached up for her own boob, squeezing it a bit. She shrugged.

  “Maybe if it’s someone else doing it,” said Trevor. She reached out to knead Laura’s breast, and Laura’s legs nearly buckled as she gasped.

  “Holy fuck ,” Laura moaned.

  “Ooookay, maybe there’s some kind of…I don’t know, like a resonance thing?” I said. “Because you’re both under the influence of the same batch of potion or something.”

  “Shouldn’t we get to Jean’s?” said Trevor.

  “Right! Yes!” I said, glad to be able to think of something else besides joining in on the breast massages. I led the way out the door, and by the time that we got down to my car I had lost track of which one of the twins was which. They were identical down to the freckles on their cheeks.

  One sat in the front seat and the other got in back, and we were off. “So what’s it going to be like?” said the one in back. I assumed that one was Laura, which meant that I had been admiring Trevor’s breasts when she’d put her seatbelt on.

  Trevor started to chatter about the shoots and what to expect, and mentioned that Jean was cute. I looked at her and she shrugged. “What? When I’m like this, he’s cute, you know how it is.”

  “Oh he does, huh?” said Laura, her tone teasing.

  Trevor giggled. “When Jimmy was changed for the last shoot, we had a date afterward, and then we-”

  “Whoa, whoa, TMI,” I said.

  “We did TMI all night long. And most of the next day.” Trevor nodded, smiling devilishly when I glared at her.

  “Wait, I thought that this only lasted about twelve hours or so,” said Laura. She poked at her greatly-expanded breast to emphasize what she meant.

  “Well, if, say, there’s someone inside you, then you don’t turn back,” said Trevor.

  “Really .”

  “It might be different for you because you’re a girl. Jimmy, are you okay?”

  I was hunched over the steering wheel by this time, trying to melt into the floor mats or something. My face was so red that it looked like a bad sunburn. “Fine,” I managed.

  “Oh, he’s embarrassed,” said Trevor, as if just realizing what was going on. “I forgot how easy it is to embarrass him!”

  “It’s cute,” said Laura.

  “It really is! ” said Trevor. She sounded as if she was surprised to find that she thought that I was cute. I remembered the way that I’d felt when I’d figured out that I was fine with the idea of going to bed with Trevor. She probably was surprised. It was the kind of realization that caught a straight guy by surprise, no matter whether that guy was male at the time or not.

  The girls chattered back and forth about how Trevor and I had found out about the transformation issue, and I tried to concentrate on driving. It was tough because even though she was busy embarrassing me, Trevor was still distractingly hot. I had always been partial to redheads.

  When we got to the parking lot we found it full; we’d never been there after dark
before and the strip club was a popular one. Some of the club’s patrons watched the girls getting out of the car, and I wondered if they were hoping that Laura and Trevor were going to be on the stage soon. I had no doubt that the cheerleaders would have been fine with the idea, so I didn’t mention it. I herded them up the stairs, taking plenty of good looks at them as I went. They didn’t mind at all.

  By the time I got to the top of the stairs I had lost track of which one was which. It was impossible to tell from their body language; Trevor wasn’t concerned with her new appearance, and Laura wasn’t worried about what was to come. Both of those traits had the same source in the additives that I’d put in the potion, so the effect ended up being the same.

  They let me knock but when Jean opened the panel in his door to see who it was they crowded forward, their bodies pressing against me in a delightful manner. “Hi Jean!” they chorused, and then dissolved into giggles.

  I gave him a weak smile as his eyes widened. Jean vanished from the panel and unlocked the door.

  The girls led the way in, one of them taking the lead. I tentatively identified her as Trevor, but I figured that it wasn’t that big a deal. I said, “Jean, let me introduce you to Cindy and Mindy.”

  “Hi!” the girls chorused again, and then they headed for the photography area. Jean gave me a look as if to ask whether I was serious, and I shrugged.

  “So, the usual?” he said.

  “Yep. Take all the shots you want, and we’ll give you the normal payment.”

  He nodded and got to work, adjusting lights and doing arcane things to his cameras. While he did that, one of the girls turned to the other and said, “Cindy, how about I do your makeup?”

  “Okay!” said the one that I assumed was Trevor. While the potion would have made her comfortable with the idea of doing her own makeup, it wouldn’t have given her any competence beyond what she already possessed. I hoped that “Mindy” had some idea of what she was doing, and that probably meant that Mindy was Laura.

  I watched them putting the makeup on. Everything that they did was erotic, even though they weren’t trying. Their eroticism came from their bodies, both from their frank voluptuousness and their glowing health.