Chapter 23: Tuesday Morning, 2:52AM

Alaina woke up. Her eyes remained shut, and that was fine with her. As her mind tried to rouse itself, she wondered what could possibly have woken me up? Ugh, what time even is it?

A soft whimpering sounded from next to her, and she felt something twitch nearby, jerking the sheet away. “No,” said a terrified girl’s quiet voice. “No, I don’t wanna!” Something thrashed wildly on the bed. “I don’t wanna die! Please, no! No!”

Something struck Alaina in the face. She blinked, unfazed, too muzzy to even be startled. What the fuck? Memories bubbled up, and her eyes opened. Laura!

“Mom, please, no,” Laura said quietly, now clenching her hands against her chest. “Please, please, please,” she chanted.

Alaina moved closer. “Laura,” she whispered. “Laura, wake up!”

Laura didn’t wake up. She whimpered again, a high-pitched, desperate sound.

Alaina threw her right arm over the older girl, worming her left under her neck. “Laura, it’s okay,” she said in a quiet, soothing voice. She hugged the shaking girl tightly.

After a moment, Laura’s twitching and struggling began to calm down, and her whimpering stopped.

Alaina stroked her back. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

Laura let out a contented sigh after a minute or two, snuggling closer.

A wave of pure relaxation washed over Alaina without warning, sweeping her mind off its metaphysical feet and back into dreamland.

“This is so relaxing,” Alaina said. She adjusted her sunglasses and rolled over on her beach towel to feel the warmth of the sun on her back where it was exposed by her untied bikini top. “It’s such a nice day out, too.”

“Yeah,” Laura said in a half-whisper, her voice blissful. “I love this kind of weather.”

“The best part is there’s nobody else around to annoy me,” Alaina said, stretching her arms out. She smiled sleepily. “I really needed this.”

“I wish there was a taco truck,” Laura said. “There was a taco truck that used to come...” She gasped excitedly. “There is one! Look!”

Alaina looked up from her towel. A food truck with the name Taco Truck artistically painted on its side was parked next to the road at the top of the beach. The smell of freshly-made tacos and tortillas wafted over, mixed with the more mouth-watering scent of seasoned ground beef. “It smells so good!”

“Let’s get some tacos!” Laura said, rising from her towel nearby. “My treat!”

After taking a moment to re-tie her top, they raced over to the taco truck, where they found a pair of tacos waiting for them, free of charge due to a special promotion. The taco shells were stuffed to the point of overflowing—managing to somehow hold together and remain upright even though it seemed physically impossible given the amount of ingredients inside—and Alaina felt her mouth start to water at the sight.

“I think I might cry this is so good,” Laura said after she’d taken a bite. She moaned.

Alaina raised her taco to her mouth and bit down on it, tasting cotton. She blinked. She was in her bed, softly biting Laura’s shirt-covered breast.

Alaina short-circuited.

“That’s not a taco,” Laura said, her voice sleepy.

Alaina blushed all the way down to her toes. She tried to move back.

Laura squeezed her arms tighter around her, keeping the smaller girl in place. “Mmm,” she cooed softly, setting her chin on top of a head of red hair, “I think that’s the best I’ve slept in years. I feel so rested!”

Alaina gave up struggling and gave in, snuggling her face into the [Empath]’s bosom with a smile. How does she give such good hugs?

Laura’s chin moved away for a moment. “Wow, it’s already eight thirty?” she said with a yawn.

Alaina froze. Oh fuck! Didn’t I set my—

“I’m just kidding,” Laura said, stroking the distressed girl’s hair. “It’s a little before five thirty.”

Alaina relaxed, but she still grumbled unintelligibly into the older girl’s very large boobs.

“Sorry,” Laura said in a quiet, sheepish voice. “Maybe it’s a little too early for jokes. I just woke up feeling so good this morning! And I had an awesome dream about going to the beach and eating at my favorite taco truck with you.”

“Hm?” Alaina perked up. She’s not wrong, I feel like I’ve slept for ten or twelve hours. So disorienting. “I had that dream, too.”

Laura’s breathing caught for a moment. “Oh no, that other dream...”

Alaina turned her head to the side so she could talk more clearly. “It’s okay, Laura. Remember the taco truck? And the beach?”

Laura let out a shuddering breath. “Yeah.” She took another breath and let it out. “Yeah, I do! Thanks, Alaina.” She gave the younger girl a little squeeze, and the hug somehow got better.

Alaina sighed with contentment.

“You feel really nice,” Laura said after a moment. “I don’t know if I’ve ever felt someone this content and happy before. Um, do you mind if we just lay like this for a little while, or would that be weird?”

I’m not moving if you’re not. This is like every lazy morning I’ve ever had all rolled into one.

She turned her face back into the warmth of Laura’s chest. I’m sorry I ever got annoyed at any guys for liking big boobs. These are the best pillow of all time.

Laura’s hand trailed slowly through the contented girl’s auburn hair, fingernails digging slightly into her scalp.

Alaina sighed her contentment again.

“I think this might be the first time I’ve really enjoyed having my Trait be stronger,” Laura murmured. “You feel exactly like that sunny day on the beach.”

Alaina smiled, her mind on autopilot.

They lay together for an indeterminate amount of time.

“I need to get up,” Laura said.

Alaina frowned.

“Sorry, I do. I’ll be right back.” Laura slipped backwards out of the bed.

The bed was suddenly cold. And much less relaxing. Her hugs are like a drug. Alaina blinked. Wait, is she using a Skill on me? Shouldn’t that be impossible?

The sound of a water running echoed through the wall.

A minute later, Laura returned. She quickly pulled up the sheet and slid back under the covers. “Brrr, my feet got cold!”

“Are you using a Skill on me?” Alaina asked, opening her eyes to watch the other girl’s reaction.

“Do you want me to stop?” Laura asked in reply, a curious look on her face.

Alaina tensed, then let out a breath. Hold on, let’s not jump to conclusions. She didn’t tell Mom everything last night; I’ll give her the benefit of a doubt. “That depends on why you’re doing it.”

Laura rubbed sleepily at one beautiful, green eye. “You seemed stressed, so I thought you’d like feeling more relaxed. I’ll stop, though. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

It did wear off pretty fast. And she said her only other Skill is usable once a month at most ... I ... I really want to believe her. And not just because of her boobs! Alaina snuggled up to the older girl again, reclaiming her previous spot. “It’s okay, you can keep doing it. Um, if you want to, I mean.”

Laura chuckled quietly. “Okay, but only because we’re friends.” She wrapped her arms around her friend.

A warm blanket descended on Alaina’s mind, smothering all her worries once more. Getting Laura to stay was the best decision I’ve ever made.

“I can only do this for a few hours each day, so don’t be mad if I run out later,” Laura said.

“Hours?” Alaina mumbled.

“Yeah, it goes up by about ten minutes every time my Class levels.” Laura gasped. “It leveled a lot over the past day! Twenty six!”

“A lot,” Alaina said.

“That explains the dream, too,” Laura said. “Cool. Maybe ... Maybe that means no more nightmares...”

Alaina nuzzled against her favorite boobs. “Hope so,” she murmured. “Nightmares bad.”

“They really are,” Laura said in an even quieter voice.

“No sad,” Alaina murmured, trying to hug the older girl.

“You’re pretty out of it,” Laura said, sounding amused. “Maybe if I add some of this it’ll be a little less...”

Alaina felt her head clear a tiny bit. This is a great way to wake up. Today’s going to be a good day, I can tell.

“How’s that?” Laura asked.

“How’s what? Did you do something?” Alaina asked, now able to use whole sentences.

“I added a little optimism and confidence.”

Alaina blinked. “You can do more than one at a time?”

“It’s like what you’re learning about in Chemistry: taking a bunch of subatomic particles and combining them until you get what you want. Or maybe it’s more like being a painter with a palette making the color you want?” Laura sounded thoughtful. “Something like that, anyway.”

“That’s pretty cool.” Alaina considered it for a moment longer. “I know we haven’t been friends for very long yet, but you’re a really good friend, Laura.”

Laura laughed, muffling herself against her pillow. “Maybe this blend isn’t quite right either. You’re not usually this positive, are you. The problem with this Skill is it’s like a faucet. I can make changes, but it’s all part of a total amount. If it’s only one emotion at a time, then it’s a big change. That’s usually fine, but apparently when you’re feeling totally relaxed all you want to do is cuddle my boobs. And I think you’re going to be really embarrassed once I stop.”

“I won’t care,” Alaina murmured, not moving her face from their resting place against said boobs.

“Well, what if I care? They’re my boobs, after all.”

The boob-cuddler thought about it. “Do you?”

Laura hugged her new friend. “If it’s helping you feel how you’re feeling, cuddle away. I think I’m actually getting a little high just sensing your emotions.”

Alaina smiled. “Good. Be happy. And more relax feeling, please.” She felt her mind become fully engulfed by comfortable clouds again and let out a small, contented murmur.

“I ... I am happy,” Laura said quietly, stroking her fingers through the redhead’s hair again. “Just waking up and realizing I was in a house again...” She paused. “Thinking maybe this could be home... “

“Home,” Alaina agreed. She gripped the blonde girl’s shirt and tugged it towards her a little. “Home now,” she said again, trying to convey an idea through her haze of Skill-induced bliss.

“Thanks so much, Alaina,” Laura whispered after a moment.

Alaina felt lips on the top of her head, and the feeling of contentment grew a little stronger. She curled her arms up in front of her and promptly fell back asleep.

“Alaina, wake up.”

“Alaina.”

She felt something stroke through her hair and smiled. She made a happy little sound and nuzzled closer to the source of warmth and contentment in front of her.

“You really like my boobs, don’t you?”

Alaina tried to say that the rest of her was pretty awesome, too, but it came out as a satisfied hum.

“I’m cutting you off for now. Need to get up!”

Alaina didn’t move.

“If you were less cute right now, I might get upset. I need to eat something if I’m going swimming, though!”

Alaina ... thought about moving.

“I’ll let you enjoy a few more minutes of this, but if you’re not up when I come back, I’m going to wake you up, lazybones.”

Alaina’s pillow moved away from her, and suddenly she was cold. She whimpered.

Over the next unknowable length of time, the cozy blanket that was keeping all her worries and stress at bay began to fade. She opened her eyes at last and sighed happily. That was the best possible way to wake up. I feel like I could do anything today. The alarm clock on her nightstand wouldn’t go off for another ten minutes.

She threw the covers back and got out of bed, stretching her arms up for a moment before she turned off her alarm and wandered over towards her closet. What should I wear today? I wore a skirt yesterday. Weather was supposed to be a little cloudy, but warmer... She picked out a long, white, floral print sundress with a high, square neck and shortish sleeves. This is pretty cute. And I’m feeling especially cute today.

The cute-feeling girl nodded to herself, a happy smile on her face as she took a few steps over to her dresser. She stripped off her pajamas, folding them out of habit as she put them back in their spot on top of her dresser next to her glasses. Now naked, she reached into her drawer to pull out a set of underwear that would match—

“Okay, you better be—”

Alaina turned her head, looking with surprise into Laura’s equally-astonished eyes. The other girl was half a step into the room, dressed in a pair of form-fitting jeans with a tight, long-sleeved, steel-gray turtleneck sweater which came down just past her waist.

Both girls blushed.

“Sorry!” Laura said, her eyes flicking down before she looked away. “I was just coming to make sure you were up. I’m, um ... I’ll brush my teeth and see you in the kitchen!” She left the room without looking back.

Alaina’s blush took a long time before it began to subside. I can’t believe I was rubbing my face on her boobs like that! Fuck! The memory of how it had felt when they’d been laying together earlier came back, sticking annoyingly at the forefront of her thoughts like a splinter. Okay, okay, I admit that it felt unbelievably good, but how am I even supposed to talk to her now after all this? Now that she’s ... seen me naked ... after I was ... with her boobs...

She put on a matched set of underwear—white to go unnoticed under the dress—and then returned to her closet to put the dress on, letting out a dejected sigh. A little adjusting of the neckline and her mostly-straightened hair later, and she was ready to go. She finished the look with her glasses before she scooped up her phone and headed into the bathroom to apply her usual touch of light makeup. She began walking towards the stairs, but then she came to a stop. Actually, I think this needs boots.

A minute later and with a pair of black, block-heeled boots in her arms, she set off towards the kitchen once more. I’ll just act normal. It was all just because I was feeling so relaxed and comfortable, anyway. It’s not like I’d do that otherwise. They were really soft, though...

She set her boots next to the front door, then shook her head in an attempt to clear it. No. Shut up, Quirk.

She walked into the kitchen and jammed her phone into her school bag. Laura was seated in her usual spot at the table, and when Alaina came around to her end seat, she saw that the other girl’s brow was creased as though she was deep in thought while she chewed her cereal.

A bowl and spoon were set out in Alaina’s spot already, so she sat down and poured in a reasonable amount of cereal before adding milk. She dug her spoon in and ferried a bite to her mouth.

“That’s a cute dress,” Laura said.

Alaina looked up and found the blonde girl studying her with interest, her lips— “Thanks,” she said once she’d swallowed. She gave Laura another once-over. Is her hair glistening or is that just me? “I like your sweater.” Her gaze lingered on—

Nope. She took another bite of her cereal.

“Thanks!” Laura said, smiling brightly. “It’s really warm, too!”

“It’s, um ... Kind of tight, isn’t it?” Alaina said, staring down at her cereal to avoid ogling.

“Yeah!” Laura said with enthusiasm. “It’s so cozy!”

“I meant—”

“I know what you meant,” Laura said. She chuckled softly. “But I think it looks nice. When I tried on the next size up, the collar was all floppy.”

Alaina chewed. It does look really good on her.

“It’s not too bad as long as I don’t wear anything revealing,” Laura continued. “Or anything tight that isn’t thick like this.” She held her arm up and put her hand out in front of her breakfast companion. “See? Feel the sleeve.”

Alaina dutifully reached up and felt the sleeve where it hung off the older girl’s wrist, her fingers brushing very unintentionally against warm skin. She rubbed the fabric between her fingers. “It’s a lot thicker than I expected,” she commented. Her eyes wandered down past the extended arm. Just for a moment.

“Right?” Laura drew her hand back. “I’ll let you try it on sometime so you can see how warm it is.” She took another bite of her cereal, then frowned over at Alaina. “I don’t know how you can wear something like that in this weather. Aren’t you freezing?”

Oops. “Nope,” said the girl who was using a Skill to warm herself. “Nice and toasty.” She stood up and brought her bowl over to the sink, rinsing it before she slotted her dish and spoon into the dishwasher.

“I’m so jealous,” Laura said. “I’m always cold here. Except in the summer.”

Alaina took out a pair of gummy vitamins and chewed, then swallowed as she stared out the window over the sink. “Weren’t you wearing a skirt to school last Tuesday?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Laura said, sighing. “I was kind of cold all day, and my Calc class was awkward when I accidentally dropped my pencil. But I was planning to try seducing Will after school, so I...”

Alaina brought a pair of vitamins over to the table and put them in front of the blonde girl, who was staring morosely at her empty bowl. “Take these. Don’t want you getting scurvy or something.” She took the other girl’s bowl and spoon over to the sink.

“Thanks,” Laura said. She brought the milk and cereal over to the counter a moment later, returning each to its place in the refrigerator and cabinet, respectively. “You’re really not mad at me for that?” she asked hesitantly, leaning against the small countertop next to the refrigerator.

“I was,” Alaina said. “Don’t worry about it, though.” She put her back to the dishwasher where she’d finished depositing the other bowl and spoon. “Hey, you have lunch fifth period, right? Wanna eat with me?”

The older girl brightened. “Really?”

The younger girl nodded. “Just need to figure out what to make us. Anything you don’t like?”

“Coconut,” Laura said immediately. “Always gets stuck in my teeth and I hate having to pick it out.”

“That’s it?” Alaina asked, smiling at an image of the blonde bombshell, her gorgeous face contorted in irritation, trying to pry bits of coconut out of the pits of her teeth. Naked. STOP IT! She sighed disgustedly at herself. It’s my fucking mind. This is exactly why I knew I had to help Laura. It’s hard enough for me with all these fucking stupid Quirks that make me horny, I can’t imagine how hard hers must be. And I wanna help her, not fuck her.

“I’m easy,” Laura said.

The statement sent visions through Alaina’s mind of—

NOPE.

“I, um...” Laura turned to the refrigerator and pulled it open retrieving a small plastic container with a piece of paper on top of it. She held it up with a pleased grin, moving the paper underneath the container. “I actually already made you lunch last night.”

Alaina paused, struggling to get her mind back on track. “You what?”

Laura walked closer, pulling the lid off the container and holding it out in front of her. “I wanted to do something nice for you,” she said, her grin brightening. “You helped me so much yesterday even before you went out, so I made you a fritata you could have for lunch today!”

The horny girl blinked, staring at the small, slightly lopsided, colorful fritata at the bottom of the container. She made that?

“I put some stuff I found in the fridge in,” the blonde girl said, looking down and pointing at her creation. “There’s some cheese, red onion, a little bit of tomato, some peppers I roasted...” She looked back up, her eyebrows raised in concern and her smile faltering. “Just bell peppers, though!” she added quickly. “Your mom said you don’t like anything that’s really spicy.”

That ... actually looks pretty good. Alaina looked up and smiled, managing to maintain eye contact. “Thanks, Laura. That’s really sweet of you. It looks delicious.” What’s that paper, though?

Laura’s smile returned, and she closed the container, then jammed the paper into her tiny jeans pocket. “I ... Your mom said you cook a lot, so I thought maybe it’d be nice to have someone cook for you.”

“You didn’t make one for yourself, though?” Alaina asked, her smile turning to a frown.

“Your mom said the same thing!” Laura said, seeming amused. “I was just going to buy a salad or something in the cafeteria on my way to the library like usual. It was ... Well, it was more than enough having a place to stay last night, I thought. I just wanted to try giving you something back, even though I don’t really have much to offer.”

She’s a lot more thoughtful than I expected. I should make her something special. Alaina grinned. “No more cafeteria lunches on my watch,” she sad as she moved past her new housemate, definitively not eyeballing her boobs as she headed for the recently-closed refrigerator. “Let me show you a sandwich my dad used to make for me when I was little...”

“So that’s a Caesar sandwich,” Laura said. She bent down to put her sneakers on next to the door.

Alaina stared at the other girl’s butt.

“Cool,” the blonde lingerie model continued, now tying her second sneaker. “It does seem a little more portable than a salad since you don’t need a fork. Whoopsie.” Her delicate fingers pulled the laces of her shoe apart, and she started over.

Alaina swallowed. How can she be that attr—

“These boots! I have a pair that’s almost exactly like these!” Laura reached over and picked up one of Alaina’s boots, turning it over in her hands as she crouched.

The somewhat horny girl with the [Onahole] Class blinked, finally free from the spell she’d been under. No. No!

“Mine have different eyelets, and the seams are a tiny bit different.” Laura set the boot down and stood up, grinning. “You have great taste in clothes, Alaina,” she said, sounding happy.

Alaina stepped forward, her school and lunch bags in hand. She leaned against the wall as she slipped the boots onto her feet. “You, um ... I guess that’s a real compliment coming from a model.” She bent and set the bangs on the floor next to her, then began tying her boot. “Or, wait, you don’t really do clothes that much, do you?” She winced. That sounded really...

“Nopers, I’ve done clothes, too,” Laura said in the same cheerful tone. “I ... Sometimes for a shoot they’ll want to take some shots of me undressing with a certain underwear on. Most times there’s at least a few where I’m just wearing jeans and a bra, or a shirt and panties. That kind of thing. Depends what the client wants, though.”

Alaina straightened, her eyes walking up along the tall, beautiful girl’s curvy body until they reached a pair of sparkling green eyes. Her legs are so long! I should’ve looked more last night when she came in not wearing pants.

She looked down while she hefted her bags again to hide her momentary scowl. No! That’s not okay! Stop it! “That’s ... Cool?” Alaina raised her head again and cocked it to the side, a slight frown on her face. “Do you like doing it?” She unlocked the front door and pulled it open.

“I get anxious when I think about doing it,” Laura said as she followed Alaina out through the storm door, her large backpack slung over one shoulder.

Alaina stopped and looked expectantly at the taller girl.

“What?” Laura’s expression grew confused.

“Aren’t you going to lock the door?” Alaina asked. “It’s your home now. You have to lock the door when you leave.”

A smile like a miniature sun blazed on Laura’s face. “I do, don’t I?” she said with excitement in her voice. She brought her backpack around in front of her and unzipped the front pocket, retrieving a key-ring with a lone bronze-colored key.

Alaina held the storm door open as Laura locked the door to her new home. She looks so happy!

The blonde girl turned around, her smile somehow even brighter than it had been, and re-slung her backpack over her shoulder after putting her key away. “Thanks, Alaina.” She took a step forward and hugged her redheaded housemate.

Mmm. Okay, so this time she’s not using a Skill. I can tell the difference. But it still feels really good. No, can’t get sucked in. Alaina pulled away. “Just making sure nobody breaks in while Mom’s sleeping.”

“Yeah, that would be so scary!”

For the idiot that broke in, yeah. I wonder if she’d mind-wipe them or just leave no trace that they were ever there. “Definitely,” Alaina said, grinning at her own cleverness. “So, you said you get anxious?” she prompted.

“Oh yeah,” Laura said, picking up where she left off as they walked along the concrete walkway towards the driveway. “I get really anxious thinking about going to a shoot, or if I know I’ve got one scheduled. If I’m more up than I am now, I mostly get anxious because I want to be at the shoot already. It’s ... I love doing shoots then. When I get more manic, my ego sort of takes over, and modeling feels awesome.”

Alaina pulled her keys out of her bag’s side pocket and double tapped a button on her car fob to unlock the doors. “What’s awesome about it?” she asked. “Sorry, I just ... I don’t know anything about it, y’know?” She pulled open the rear door and set her school bag on the floor behind her seat, leaving the lunch bag on the back seat. She lingered a moment before closing the door while she eyed the blonde girl who was setting her bag on the other rear seat across from her. Their eyes met, and Laura bounced her eyebrows.

The faintly-blushing girl shut the door and got into the driver seat.

“Well,” Laura said as she got in on the passenger side, “for one thing, Carla’s always there, and she makes it a lot of fun. She tells me the worst jokes while I’m changing, and even though I know they’re bad, I can’t help laughing. She gave me a wet willy one time when we were shooting a series together, and she still teases me about how loud I screamed.” She reached over her shoulder and lowered her seatbelt harness, then strapped in.

Alaina snorted a laugh and turned her key in the ignition.

“It wasn’t funny at the time!” Laura exclaimed. “I was doing this pose where I was wearing these stupidly high heels and looking back over my shoulder at the camera while I leaned against a dresser, and she came out of the closet next to the dresser and got me with it. I flailed around, screaming, and then I fell over, and she was laughing...” She laughed a little. “She brought me out to dinner to apologize, at least. And it was funny, looking back. But at the time, I thought someone stuck a dick in my ear!”

Alaina laughed merrily, looking over at her passenger. “Laura, how would that even work with how tall you are? How many twelve feet tall guys have you seen?” She turned out of her driveway and started off towards her school.

The blonde, bombshell lingerie model, who was once given a wet willy during a photo shoot and thought it was a penis, blushed. “I’m not always the most rational when I’m that manic, okay? I was sure.”

“Uh huh,” Alaina said, grinning. “So Carla makes it fun. What else do you like about it?”

“Um,” Laura hesitated, her cheeks still pink. “Seeing how I look in the pictures is always really cool. Some of the photographers are a lot better than others, and when I’m shooting with one of the good ones it’s like ... I almost can’t believe it’s me.”

They came to a stop at a stop sign.

“Hold on a sec,” Laura said. She unbuckled her seatbelt and arched her back while reaching with one arm behind her seat.

Alaina tried desperately not to stare at the other girl’s bulging, sweater-covered chest where it was visible through her unzipped jacket.

After a moment, Laura returned her hand to the front, clasping her phone. “Got it!” she said triumphantly. She strapped herself back in and started tapping away at the device.

The driver pressed the gas pedal of her car while doing her best to think about the most boring, tedious aspects of student council.

“See, this is what I mean,” Laura said, holding her new-looking phone out when they came to a red light soon after. “This one’s my favorite.”

Alaina reluctantly looked over. Then she stared.

The girl in the photo was blonde and green-eyed, but was she really Laura? This girl was almost-kneeling on a bed with her body angled to show her profile, making either as if to get up to greet the person behind the camera or waiting for her lover to join her. A pair of stiletto heels were on her feet at the edge of the bed, and her long legs were mostly covered by sheer thigh-high stockings which ended in thick, black bands that contrasted her lighter skin. Her legs were tensed, showing a slight definition on the underside that drew the eye towards the profile of her hips, which were covered by a set of light purple hipster panties with a swirling silver design.