An ex-Swim Club member and his best friend's sister don't have much in common, until an ancient fertility goddess bestows them with the same gift.
It was the end of July when and Mandy, Shaun, and Tyler had been in the Florida Keys for almost a week now. At this point in their vacation, they were running out of ideas for things to do. And Tyler decided to break away from the group one day to try some parasailing lessons.
"Look after my sister while I'm gone, okay," Tyler said to his best friend.
"Sure thing," said Shaun as Tyler threw the sunblock bottle back to him. "I'm sure we'll have quite the adventure out here by ourselves."
It was disappointing that they couldn't both make it to the lessons, but someone had to look after Mandy. On the bright side, it meant that Shaun got to spend the whole day with her, and she could be pretty fun to hang out with.
Shaun and Ty had known each other well since high school when they had been in the Swim Club together. Because of the closeness of their friendship, his little sister often felt like a third wheel. She had only really been tagging along on this vacation because it gave her something to do over the summer. But despite this, the guys actually made an effort to include her in their conversations. They often talked about things she found interesting and found that Mandy was unusually smart for her age. That was good because she didn't like being condescended to. Shaun found that in many ways he could treat her like an adult, despite being 6 years older than her, and the fact that she still went to high school.
This was the first time Shaun and Mandy been out as just the two of them, without Tyler. And since they still didn't know each other that well, Shaun decided they would go for a long walk instead of driving to the destination. That way they would have more time to bond, and it made Mandy feel less like a little girl who needed 'looking after'.
She was swinging her arms as they walked, happily listening as Shaun read aloud from the guidebook and pointed to a dot on the map, just a few hundred feet out to sea. It marked the location of a 200-year-old shipwreck, rumored to have sunk while carrying an Aztec treasure hoard. Of course, none of the gold to this day had ever been found.
That was where they were going today. And it was the reason Mandy insisted on packing their swimsuits, not that they would have needed much of an excuse to go for a refreshing dip in the middle of the day. She absolutely loved the Aztecs. She'd been doing a project on them at school and would have liked to study them when she was older.
"Maybe the gold on that ship was cursed!" Mandy said as they walked. "Wouldn't that be cool if we found cursed gold!"
Ugh, that was so childish, she thought. Why did I even say that?
"I guess it's possible," he said. "But it says here that archaeologists checked the site years ago. If there was any gold, it would have already been found already. But hey, maybe if we stop by the gift shop we can pick up a little treasure of our own?"
Ouch, he was definitely humoring her. She tried to follow it up with something more grown-up sounding.
"Well, it's possible that Hurricane Elsa might have shifted some of the seafloor sediment. So we could see something that's never been uncovered before."
"Oh yeah?" said Shaun. "Then let's go out there while the tide is out. We'll have a better chance of seeing it."
They made plans to go there in the afternoon since it would still be high tide until then. When they neared the place, Shaun suggested they stop somewhere for lunch. Mandy chose a quaint seaside cafe where they also had dessert. Although their dip in the ocean was not for a while, Shaun had warned her not to eat too much key lime pie before swimming. Otherwise, she might get stomach cramps.
Afterward, they slapped on plenty of sunblock. Shaun had had the foresight to bring with him a second bottle. By this time, Mandy was simply itching to get in the water. As Once they'd found the place, Shaun took her aside and led her to a secluded spot behind some bushes where he instructed her to get changed, and kept watch to make sure no one spied on her. Mandy was not embarrassed by being nude per se. It more the fact that she was 17 years old, and still had to wear a training bra.
She slid the shameful garment into her knapsack and out of sight as soon as she took it off. Then she twisted herself reluctantly into a bikini top. It was one she'd bought last year, which was still a size too big for her. She sighed. She really did hope she might have grown a bit more by the summer. If only she could look as hot as all her friends in their vacation photos. Some girls really did have all the luck.
"What's wrong?" Shaun said, seeing the downtrodden look on her face afterward.
Mandy knew it was going to sound stupid, but she told him anyway how she felt about her body and the way it made other people treat her as a kid.
Something strange happened when she told this to Shaun. Unlike every other adult she'd talked to, he didn't belittle or dismiss her concerns. He actually seemed to listen to her. A moment later he nodded in sympathy.
"Yeah," he said. "Puberty can be a harsh mistress. And I'm not going to stand here and say that society is brainwashed for wanting to look a certain way. That's just part of being human."
"What, really?"
"Absolutely." He looked Mandy in the eye and said: "There's nothing wrong with wanting a great body. It's no different from wanting to be smart, or funny."
"I know, but some people do have great bodies, and it's so annoying!" she groaned.
"Well, it doesn't happen overnight, is all I'm saying. Remember when me and Ty joined the Swim Club back in high school? We wanted to get real big, real fast, but it actually took me years of training and many years of looking like a fat loser. Even when we were at the top of our game, we had to work real hard to keep it on."
"You never looked like a fat loser!" she teased.
"I can assure you, I did," said Shaun. "Just know that it can happen to anyone. And hey, if you're still growing at seventeen, there's still time."
He touched her reassuringly on the shoulder.
"Thanks," said Mandy, staring at Shaun's huge torso because she didn't know where else to look. She thought she might cry from embarrassment if she looked him directly in the eye. "You'd make a good mom."
Shaun chuckled at this, which made Mandy laugh, in spite of herself. She almost didn't mind that her laughter sounded like an incredibly girlish giggle
"Glad I could help," said Shaun. "Now, who wants to go and see the shipwreck?"
-
They put their valuables in a locker and Shaun pinned the key to his swim shorts. They walked hand in hand to the warm Atlantic Ocean. And when it got deep enough, Mandy began to swim. Shaun was impressed by how much of a strong swimmer she was. He was himself out of practice since his school days, but he was definitely no slouch, as Mandy would soon find out. They made a game of racing each other for a while. Once they were out of sight of the beach, Mandy felt a lot less self-conscious than before as they went on to search for the wreck. They found it while swimming over a rocky ridge, after which the sea floor dropped off suddenly.
"Is this where it is?" said Mandy, trying to recall what the map had shown.
"I think so," said Shaun.
"But there's nothing here."
"It's underwater, silly."
"How far underwater? I can't see it."
"We might be able to see something if we put our heads under. But before we do, I don't want you to swim any further out of your depth."
"It's alright. I just wanna see the shipwreck, then come back up again."
"Okay, but when you're underwater I won't be able to see you unless I'm underwater too. Therefore we should make sure to do it at the exact same time. And since I'm a stronger swimmer than you, I'll get us out of trouble if something bad happens. Okay?"
"Alright, alright!" she said, feeling like Shaun was treating her as a kid again.
"Are you ready then? We'll go under in 3, 2, 1!"
Mandy went in a second early. Shaun was taken off-guard, but just about managed to put his head underwater at the same time as hers.
Once the bubbles cleared, they saw what was past the ridge. Down there they saw a disjointed mesh of wooden planks, mostly rotten and covered in seaweed, but still faintly recognizable as the hollowed out frame of a large ship.
"Woooowww," said Mandy, breathing out a stream of bubbles as she did so.
After a long moment of gazing at the wreckage, Shaun tugged on her arm and they both came up for air together.
"Did you see that!" said Mandy, bobbing on the surface and flipping the hair out of her eyes.
"Yeah, that ship was quite something."
"No, not the ship. I think I saw something next to it. It looked almost like it might be gold."
"Are you sure that's what you saw?"
"Let's go under again, I can point it out to you."
Shaun could see the excitement on Mandy's face. And as much as he didn't want to disappoint her, he had to remind her that safety really did come first.
"Actually Mandy, I was thinking we shouldn't stay out here for long. It's not very safe. The tide's coming in soon and there could be rip currents."
"Aww, really?"
"We'll look at it underwater one more time. But after that, I think we should swim back to shore. Then maybe I can buy you some ice cream?"
"Fine!" said Mandy, sounding angrier than she meant to sound. "But just for the record, I wanted to stay out here a little bit longer."
"Duly noted," he sighed. "But I can't let you go swimming where I can't see you."
"Alright, fine!" she said. "Let's just do it already."
On another count of three, they took a deep breath and plunged their heads into the warm salty water. Mandy took an even bigger breath this time around, thinking that she would need it for longer. As soon as she opened her eyes and the bubbles cleared, she pointed to a yellow golden gleam on the seabed, just a stone's throw away from the hull of the ship. Caught in a sunbeam, the light glinted off at just the right angle for them to see it. Whatever this was, it was half buried in the sand there. And though it was difficult to judge, the wreck seemed to be about ten feet below them, and the strange piece of gold was just a few feet away from that.
Shaun nodded under the water, indicating he'd seen it too. Mandy knew they would have to come back to the surface soon, and he would probably not allow her to go back down after this. So, in that case, it was now or never. It wasn't that far below her. She might just be able to reach it in time. But she'd have to be quick.
Mandy kicked her legs upward to propel herself downward. Shaun tried at first to grab her ankle, and she was too quick for him. But Mandy had to be even quicker to get the treasure. The only thought in her mind was of getting down to the seabed in one breath and back up again in the same breath.
The further she went down, however, the harder and harder the water pressed against her inner ears. It wasn't much deeper than a usual swimming pool, but the salt water made it worse.
Sand swirled into a cloud of dust as soon as she got near the seafloor. Without losing sight of the treasure, she reached out both hands to pull out the gleaming gold thing out of the seabed where it lay.
It took several precious seconds for the thing to come loose, which used up even more of her precious oxygen. But as soon as the sand around it gave way, her hands wrapped themselves around its shining surface and lifted it up.
It was heavier than it looked, but she was more than ready to carry it. Getting it to the surface with what remained of her air was another matter entirely.
Mandy kicked her legs as hard as she could, but it wasn't working. She was rising up, but she wasn't rising fast enough. And she really, really needed to take a breath right now. The surface of the water was so close and yet so far away. She only needed to get up there without taking another breath. It didn't help that both of her arms were taken up by holding the treasure.
She kicked her legs twice as hard this time, but the golden thing was weighing her down. She might have been able to avoid this situation if she just decided to drop the lump of gold. But if she did that, all of this would be for nothing.
She told herself she was going to make it, but her kicks were becoming weaker and weaker. Everything she did felt futile. The pain in her ears hadn't gone away. And the treasure in her arms was going to drag her down to her death.
Someone grabbed her by the shoulders. And Shaun's head became visible in the corner of her eye. He was rescuing her. Every ounce of his strength was pulling her up. Mandy gripped the treasure as tightly as possible and tried to help Shaun with a few feeble kicks of her own.
They broke the surface together. Mandy looked down to see that the treasure was still cradled in her arms.
"What were you doing!" said Shaun, his voice contorted into anger. "You could have drowned! You probably would have done so if I hadn't pulled you out."
"I'm sorry!" said Mandy, making no effort to hold back tears. "I'm really, really sorry." She now sobbed into his arms. "I really shouldn't have done that, and I'll never do it again!"
"It's okay," said Shaun, hugging her tightly in the water, pressing the golden thing into both their stomachs. "I just didn't expect you to try and go down there. If you told me beforehand, I might have let you do it."
"I figured you'd probably say no," Mandy sobbed.
"I'm not that mean," said Shaun, taken aback. "Hey, anyway, that's a nice looking stone you pulled up there."
Mandy felt so ashamed of what she'd done, but Shaun's words of reassurance made her feel right again.
"Thank you."
They didn't get a proper look at the artifact until they'd taken it safely onto land. The coast was still a long way away, but they only had to swim as far as the nearest sandbar. It had been uncovered by the tide several hours ago, but the sand on it was still moist and cool to the touch.
"It looks almost like a statue of something," Shaun said, focusing intently on the object.
It was human-shaped and about six inches tall. Some of the features had been worn smooth, the result of many years of being in the ocean, but it was still just about possible to tell what it was supposed to be.
"Looks like it is," said Mandy. "I think it might be Aztec. I wonder... It looks like it could be Xochiquetzal, the fertility goddess."
"How in hell do you know that?" asked Shaun.
Mandy explained that she'd learned it in school first. But also having done extra research at home, she could tell him that Xochiquetzal was not just a fertility deity. She was the goddess of beauty, protector of lovers, and guardian of young mothers.
Shaun picked up the statuette and looked at it more closely. Now that Mandy had pointed it out, he could see that the form was clearly female, with flowing long hair and an elaborate headdress. She was lightly adorned with garments of the same golden metal, under which poked her long, pointed breasts. The statue depicted her in a sitting pose, nursing a young child with one of them.
Shaun's arms were getting tired from carrying it, so handed the statue over to Mandy.
The sun was high in the sky. Midday, and shining directly overhead. As Mandy wrapped her fingers around the statue's cold surface, they both felt a painful sensation through their hands, like a jolt of electricity. It was so sudden, Mandy almost dropped it on the ground.
"What was that?" she said.
"Static shock," he replied with a shrug. "Come on, let's not stay here too long. We don't want to still be here when the tide comes in.
"Hang on," said Mandy, doubling over on the sand, her face contorted with pain.
"What's the matter?"
"I've got stomach cramps."
"I told you not to eat all that key lime pie," he said, shaking his head.
"You said I'd be fine afterward!"
"Yeah, for light swimming maybe. But a deep dive to the sea floor like that? Probably not advisable on a full stomach."
"Oh come on," said Mandy. "It wasn't even that deep."
Shaun could tell he was not going to win this argument. But seeing the look of pain on his friend's face, he just had to sit down next to his friend and do everything in his power to comfort her.
"It's okay. We'll get through this."
"Ooohhh hoohoooo..." she moaned.
Shaun rubbed her stomach in smooth circling motions to make it her feel better. But it was not long before he began to feel a similar set of sensations in his own. He sat back down and winced with the pain.
"Actually come to think of it," he said. "Maybe I'm getting those cramps too."
"Aww, I'm so sorry!" said Mandy. "This is all my fault!"
"Oh come on now. Don't be so hard on yourself," said Shaun.
"Now my legs are hurting too. Ow, ow, oww!!"
"Your legs?"
Mandy nodded. Shaun shuffled up closer and began to rub his young friend's legs. She leaned back on the soft wet sand and held her left leg in the air.
"Wait. Did it just get longer?"
"Don't be silly," said Shaun.
Mandy was right though. It had begun imperceptibly slowly, but it seemed, her legs were indeed growing longer.
Her scream of pain turned at last to a yelp of excitement.
"O-ohh!"
She sat upright and clutched her stomach.
"What is it?"
"I think it's getting bigger," she said.
"Your leg?"
"No, my stomach, and my..."
Mandy looked down at her diminutive rack and licked her lips.
"But that's not possible," he said.
"But Shaun, look at me! How can you deny what's happening before your very eyes?"
"I'm sure it's fine," said Shaun, pointing down at his own midsection. "Look, your stomach isn't even any bigger than mine."
She took a brief look at Shaun's stomach.
"Oh my god, it's happening to you too!"
Shaun also looked down at his belly button and saw that his precious six-pack was gone.
"Huh? I don't understand."
"I think I do," said Mandy, eyeing up the Aztec gold figurine. "It must have had something to do with the statue,"
"Oh man, maybe that thing really is cursed!" he groaned.
"You said there was no such thing as cursed gold!"
"I know, but do you have any better explanations?!"
"Maybe it's not a curse, but a blessing," said Mandy. And for the first time, she actually felt too big for her bikini top. "It's like... we have been blessed by Xochiquetzal herself. Do you know what that means?"
"Um, what?"
"We're getting pregnant, Shaun! Xochiquetzal has given us the gift of fertility!"
"No way!" said Shaun, glancing down toward his trunks. "I can't be a pregnant man. How the hell would I even give birth?"
"Tee-hee, wait and see!" said Mandy.
"Why are you enjoying this so much?"
Mandy looked almost hurt by this accusation.
"I just... thought I'd finally get to be a grown-up, like you."
Shaun felt stupid for even asking in the first place because no sooner than she said it, he began to see for himself that Mandy was not just getting pregnant - she was growing older. Her face was no longer the slimline face of a maiden. It had now gone all soft and mommyish. Her legs had extended. But the likely cause for her levity was the fact that her boobs were so much bigger than before. Against all odds, Mandy had finally filled out her bikini top in time for summer.
"Wait, stand up for a second," he said. "I need to see something."
She obliged, and Shaun stood up too so they could notice the height difference.
Without shoes, he would have been about twelve inches taller than Mandy, but that had all changed in a matter of moments. His best friend's 'little' sister was not so little anymore. They were almost the same height now, so either he'd been shrinking or she'd grown a lot taller, and it was probably a bit of both. When he looked at her more closely, Shaun could actually see Mandy growing in real time.
"Wow, would you look at how tall you've gotten!"
"Nevermind that," said Mandy. "Look what's happened to you!"
Shaun was almost too afraid to look down. He knew it wasn't going to be good news, given the strange way his nipples were tingling. When he did look down, his worst fear was confirmed. Two soft cones of flesh poked out from his chest, expanding steadily to replace the firm pectoral muscles he'd spent hours sculpting in the gym. Furthermore, the rapidly expanding bulk of his belly had now grown to dominate his once-trim figure.
"Gah, how do I stop this?" said Shaun, his voice cracking into higher pitches.
"I don't think you can," said Mandy. "If it's the will of the gods, we just have to sit back and let it happen."
"Oh lord, this isn't fair!" said Shaun in what was now a comically high voice. "I didn't ask to be a woman."
That was a shame, thought Mandy. He was shaping up to be a very beautiful young woman. She wondered if it was polite to tell him that. And he was noticeably shorter than before. The muscular bulk of his arms and legs too was giving way to much smooth skin with hardly any hair on it. His Adam's apple was also gone, which explained the sudden change in his voice.
As Shaun's belly expanded further still, the bulge in his swim trunks sank inwards. Mandy tried to imagine the terrifying changes that were happening between his legs. She'd only ever seen one boy naked, but she had a pretty good idea of what he was losing. But if he was getting a lady's equipment in return, it seemed like a fair trade-off. Either way, she hoped he'd find a way to explore his new body without too much discomfort. Maybe a trustworthy friend could show him how.
"How does it feel?" she said, licking her lips before she could stop herself.
"How does what feel?"
"Having boobs."
"Not gonna lie, it is kinda nice," said Shaun, whose chest had filled out impressively. He reached up to grab one, only to find that this magnified the tingling sensation into an aching pain. "Oof, too sensitive! Better not touch."
"Yeah, mine are killing me," said Mandy. "Mind if I take my top off? It's chafing like crazy."
Before he could raise an objection, Mandy had effortlessly slipped the bikini top over her head, exposing her naked and still-growing torso.
Like a gentleman, Shaun averted his gaze, though not before he noticed hers were even bigger as his own.
"What?" said Mandy. "It's not like you've never seen boobs before."
"I know, but they're yours," he said, blushing a little.
"Yeahhh, we don't really mind when other women see our boobs," Mandy said with the broadest of grins.
Shaun blushed even deeper with the realization that Mandy regarded him as a woman now.
"They're very nice," he said in a small voice.
"Aw, thank you!" she said, hugging her chest. "Must be at least a size D. I'll never wear a training bra again! Yours are pretty neat too."
At this, Shaun's face turned a vivid shade of crimson.
"Maybe for you they are," he said in what was now an embarrassingly feminine timbre. "But I never wanted to have these. I'd much rather change back to my old self."
But Mandy was shaking her head. "I don't think it works that way. If you stopped being pregnant right now, I think the child inside you would die."
Shaun looked down and realized the shame in what he'd just been thinking. As much as he didn't want to admit it, changing back would mean ending the life of an unborn baby. It must be quite far along in its development now since both mothers' bellies were the size of beach balls.
"I suppose not," Shaun said reluctantly. "I'll probably just give it up for adoption."
But Mandy was shaking her head again.
"You've been chosen for this role, Shaun. If the gods think I'm capable of raising a baby, then so can you! Embrace your womanhood! Now, what was it you told me earlier?"
She placed a hand on her friend's engorged tummy and held it there affectionately.
"It's okay. We'll get through this," Shaun said, quoting himself from earlier. He sounded confident on the outside but less confident on the inside. Being a mother was one thing, but being a single mom was another. The one thing the fertility goddess hadn't given him was a second parent.
The transformation now was nearly complete. And the midday sun was drifting behind a cloud as the two women began to accept, however reluctantly in Shaun's case, their new roles in life. Before the sun went away completely, Xochiquetzal bestowed the last of her blessings upon them. Their hips exploded into child-bearing proportions with a quiet fwoomp sound.
Shaun gasped, and Mandy laughed, but it wasn't her usual laugh. Her voice had changed too. Still high pitched, but it sounded fuller and throatier than before, less like a young girl's giggling and more like a woman. She was still the same Mandy he'd grown to know and love, but every new part of her body now reflected her inner maturity. She looked more than ready enough to be a mother, which was fortunate because was at least six months pregnant.
Just then, Shaun realized he'd been staring at her way too long, and thought of a diversion.
"Can I uh, borrow your bikini top?" Shaun said, gesturing at his own boobs. "It's just that... I'd rather not walk around in public with these on display."
"Oh, sure thing," said Mandy. "I'll help you put it on if you like since you've clearly never worn one before."
"Thanks."
She demonstrated then how to tie it up with a cute little bow around the back so it would not be too loose or too tight.
"Okay then. Turn round and let me see how it looks on you."
The new woman turned around, and Mandy allowed herself a closer look at the face. It was (in Mandy's opinion) the most elegant part of him. From the big round eyes to the subtle curve of the nose to a slight chin, and rosy red cheeks, smooth and free of stubble, and framed by his short brown hair, the only part of him that hadn't changed during the transformation. She found herself wanting to kiss every single part of it.
"You are so cute!"
Shaun couldn't believe Ty's little sister of all people was calling him cute.
"I know this is a silly question but... am I a woman now?" asked Shaun.
"That depends," said Mandy. "Do you still feel like you're a man?"
Shaun thought about the courage and conviction it takes to exist in the world as a transgender man and realized that he didn't have it. He wasn't even sure if he needed it.
"I don't really think that's me," he said after a while. "But I also don't think I'm a woman now, not yet anyway. Maybe I'll know when I've tried this body out for a while. But I think it's gonna take a lot of getting used to. I suppose if it doesn't work, I can always get on hormone therapy."
"Not till after the baby's born."
"Yes, of course."
"And for what it's worth, I personally hope you don't. You're absolutely gorgeous as a woman."
"Thanks," said Shaun. "It's gonna be weird calling me Shaun though."
"So, I guess I'll just call you Shauna?" said Mandy.
The new woman considered this name for a moment.
"I don't like the way that sounds. I prefer Shannon," said Shannon. "That will be my name from now on."
"Okay, Shannon. I think it's a very pretty name."
"Thanks, so are you!" said Shannon.
Oops. She hadn't meant for it to come out that way.
"Aw, thank you!" said Mandy. "That means a lot coming from you since I can't actually see what I look like."
"Yeah, first thing we've gotta do when we get back to land is find ourselves a mirror."
"Um, yeah. How do we get back to land?" asked Mandy.
Shannon thought about it. Neither of them would be able to swim that far with the precious cargo in their bellies. They'd soon tire out.
"We'll have to signal a boat."
"Hey, there's one now."
Mandy pointed to a dot on the horizon. It was coming towards them. When it drifted closer, they could see it was a parasailing boat, and they both waved frantically toward it.
The boat changed course and headed as close as it could to their sandbar, after which a man got out and swam the short distance to them.
"Are you all right?" he called out.
"Yeah. We were just swimming here and the tide cut us off," said Shannon, which was not a complete lie.
"Does that boat have enough room for both of us?" asked Mandy
"We might have to jettison another crew member," said the man, gesturing back at the men standing on the boat. "Nah, just joking. Come aboard. There's plenty of room."
Both women couldn't help but notice one of the men he was pointing at bore a familiar face. It was Tyler. Mandy almost called out his name, before realizing he probably wouldn't recognize her if she did.
The man, who turned out to be a parasailing instructor, swim-carried them over to the boat, and the other two men helped them aboard. Mandy dried herself off in a towel and Shannon asked them if they had a spare bikini top for her friend.
"To be honest, I'd rather just go topless around these guys for now. I'm sure there are plenty of stores selling them back on land. And hey, we can find one for you too!"
The borrowed bikini top was chafing on Shannon, and so she had to nod her head and agree.
The man who was steering the boat spoke up. "Well as much as we appreciate the eye candy, we'll respect your privacy if that's what you want."
Mandy winced at the way he said 'eye candy.'
"Yeah, on second thought, I'd prefer that you didn't look at my nipples."
"Sure thing," he said, keeping his eyes fixed on the sea in front of them. "Gentlemen. If I find afterward that you've been peeking, there will be trouble."
Mandy sat on the edge of the boat and dangled her legs above the water. At least that way she was facing away from them. Since the boat was going slowly, on account of it carrying two pregnant ladies, there was no danger of falling in. And she could do this without too much splashing in her face.
"So I didn't quite catch your name," a male voice said to Shannon. It was Tyler.
She turned around to face him.
"Oh, it's Shannon," she said. "And this here is..."
She checked to see if Mandy was listening.
"Well, she's actually your sister."
"Uh huh. I thought she looked familiar," said Tyler. "But uhh, that doesn't make any sense. How would you know she's related to...? How do you even know who I am?"
"No Ty," she whispered. "I mean she's your actual sister, Mandy. And I am... well, I used to be Shaun."
Tyler's eyes shot open with disbelief. Shannon knew him well enough that she would know if he thought this was some practical joke. But he really did appear to be taking her story seriously.
"Listen," she continued. "Something strange happened to us on that sandbar. I'm not sure what it was but... I'm pretty sure it changed us permanently. And I don't know if she would have rather told you herself so, uh, try to act surprised when she does."
"I mean just... Wow!" said Tyler.
"Shhh, not so loud."
"Sure," he whispered. "But like... dude! Did it hurt?"
"Only a bit. In a way, it actually felt kinda nice."
"Well then," said Tyler. "I guess we can finally stop having arguments about who's the more manly of us two."
"What do you mean?" said Shannon. "If I survive the pain of childbirth, then I am clearly twice the man you'll ever be."
"Hehe, sure thing, buddy."
He threw a friendly punch at her shoulder blade.
Tyler and Shannon grinned at each other. They were still just a pair of bros hanging out at the Swim Club, even though they were grown up now, and one of them was female and pregnant. She still had Shaun's sense of humor, and Ty was grateful for that.
All things considered, Ty was taking this far better than she'd had expected. In fact, Shannon began to wonder if he'd make a good father for the baby.
On second thought, maybe not. Tyler really wasn't the fatherly type. He was too much of a thrill-seeker to ever be pinned down by the normalcy of family life. But maybe she was looking in the wrong places.
As a man, Shaun had only ever been attracted to women. The thought of settling down with a man never even crossed his mind. So why should she go for one now, when all she'd ever wanted was a wife?
She really needed more time to think on this. So she sat down next to Mandy and gazed across the open ocean. The sun was getting lower in the sky and was bathing them in a golden light. It was going to be a beautiful sunset.
"So, when do you think we're due?" said Mandy.
"Pardon?"
"Our due dates for the babies, silly. We look like we're about 6 months pregnant. So I'm guessing we'll have them sometime in October."
"We should really get a doctor to look at us," said Shannon. "Then we'll know."
"Hmm, I wonder which of us is gonna pop first."
"Maybe it'll be both of us at the same time."
"Oh, that would be amazing! We could be baby buddies!"
After a while, Shannon said:
"Aren't you nervous?"
"About what?"
"Childbirth is supposed to hurt."
"I know, but they give you painkillers at the hospital. It should be fine. I'm more worried about how this affects my education. I honestly don't know if they'll let me back into school next year."
"Oh yeah, I didn't even think of that."
"What about you? Do you have any plans for what to do after the baby is born?"
"I honestly haven't thought about it," Shannon said with a pause. "But I think I'm gonna grow my hair long."
Once again, Mandy noted it was the one part of Shannon that hadn't been affected by the transformation.
"Aw, but short hair looks so good on a woman! I mean, it looked good on you beforehand. I just didn't want to tell you at the time because I... wasn't really into men that way."
"Thanks," said Shannon. "You'd look pretty good with it too."
"Really? Cause I was thinking if we swapped hairstyles..."
"You'd like that? If you want, I can recommend the barber who cuts my hair."
"Hell yeah! I can be one of those cool moms with a pixie cut."
-
Back on land, Shannon gave Tyler a discreet nudge, prompting Tyler to say:
"So uh, I never did catch your names."
It was at this point that Mandy walked up to him and said:
"Okay, listen. I want you to look into my eyes and believe everything I am about to tell you, because I know you've seen these eyes before, Ty. It's me, Mandy, your little sister, only I'm all grown up now. And I... well..." She gestured at her belly. "You're about to become an uncle."
Tyler tried his best to look surprised at this. He didn't have to try hard.
"Okay, first of all, wow!" he stammered. "How in God's name did this happen?"
Mandy explained to him what had taken place between herself, Shaun and the fertility goddess. She even showed him the statuette, which he said was quite possibly made of solid gold. By the end, he didn't even have to try to look surprised about anything. His face was doing that all on its own.
"Which means... Shaun, is that you?"
"I go by Shannon now. But yeah, it's me, Ty. Same best buddy you always had, only now I've got a baby inside me."
"How far along is it?"
"We think about 6 months," said Mandy, "though we're not sure. We're gonna go to the hospital soon and find out."
"That's awesome!" said Ty. "Although a little scary to be honest. Looks like I'm the only one out of us three who isn't grown up and starting a family."
"You're not the only one who finds it scary," said Mandy, gesturing at Shannon, who nodded emphatically.
"Uh yeah. Listen, dude. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're gonna be a wonderful mom. I just know it."
"Aw, thank you!" said Shannon.
"And you," he said to Mandy. "I don't even need to tell you how much of a wonderful Mom you'll be. C'mere!"
And he threw his arms around her in an enormous brotherly hug. Shannon joined in, and soon all three of them were embracing.
-
Twenty minutes later, the three of them were shopping for bikinis. Mandy was taking to womanhood like a fish to water. Shannon was still only beginning to adjust to it when she remembered something important. Once she could be sure that she and Tyler were out of earshot, she took him aside to say:
"Listen, Ty. I almost forgot to mention something. Something weird that happened between us on the sandbar."
"Weirder than uh..."
"She called me cute."
"Wait. How is that..."
"Ty! Was she flirting with me?"
Tyler's reacted in a way that said more than his words. After a long silence he said:
"Maybe. Did she drop any hints besides the flirting?"
"Now that you mention it, she did say something on the boat about how she wasn't into men that way and... Oh my God!"
"But what did you say after that? Did you flirt back?"
"No... uh, maybe? I might have complimented her on her hair because, like, I thought that's what you're supposed to say."
"Oh no, this is bad. You need to let her down gently before she thinks..."
"Why? I like her."
"You... like her?"
"Listen, Tyler, it's complicated. Just over an hour ago I was a straight man and thought I had myself figured out. Now I don't know what I am. But I know when I'm attracted to someone. And if you're not cool with it, that's fine, but... please just let me have a chance with Mandy."
"All right," he said after a long pause. "But if you ever hurt my sister, just know I'm gonna kick your ass. I don't care how much of a woman you are. I'll still kick your ass."
-
Mandy found Shannon lounging on the hotel balcony that evening, holding a parenting magazine in one hand and a dixie cup in the other.
"Hey, what'cha drinking?" asked Mandy.
"Vodka and coke, without the vodka," said Shannon. "Being pregnant sucks."
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Mandy, taking out a piece of fruit from the mini-fridge. "Apple mojito, without the mojito."
"Cheers," Shannon said dryly. She touched the rim of her cup to her apple and began to drink at the same time as Mandy took her first bite.
"So uh," Mandy said through a mouthful of fruit. "The baby is giving me some weird cravings. Are you getting those too?"
"Not yet."
There was silence. After a while, Mandy sighed.
"You know what? Being pregnant does suck," she said.
"I know," said Shannon. "But at least we're in this together."
"Yeah, that's true. I actually think I'd be rather scared right now if this wasn't happening to the both of us."
"Glad I could be of help. But uh, I was just thinking, about how I wouldn't want to raise the kid all by myself."
"You too, huh?"
"Yeah. I just hear of so many single parents having a rough time of it. And I'd rather just have a significant other in my life to take away some of the burden. Like, a soulmate. Do you know what I mean?"
"I think I know exactly what you mean," said Mandy.
And she leaned in and kissed Shannon on the mouth. Her lips were wet and her breath still smelled of fresh green apples.
It took Shannon took a second to realize what had just happened. Then she moved in to kiss her back. And they kissed each other again, and again, and again.
Soon the kissing made them so hot that they had to move indoors to sit on the bed next to the air conditioner.
Mandy unbuttoned Shannon's ill-fitting blouse and then her own.
"Wait," said Shannon. "Is Ty going to be okay with this?"
"Doesn't matter," said Mandy. "It's sweet the way he wants to protect me, but I'm an adult now, not some little girl who needs coddling. And this," she said, "is between you and me. The only other person who gets a say in this thing is her."
She pointed to the figure of Xochiquetzal, which was propped up on the side table. Shannon laughed.
"Personally, I think she would want this to happen," said Shannon, sliding a hand through Mandy's hair.
"Well then," said Mandy, removing her panties and twirling them over her head. "The will of the gods will have to be obeyed."
Originally published to DeviantArt on May 7, 2018. Its description there was as follows:
For those wondering, this is the same Shaun and Tyler from the Swim Club series. It is canon with the other stories, and takes place a few years afterward when the two oldest members have both left high school and gone to college.
I notice I've given them far more characterization here than in any other story. That will be addressed by an upcoming prequel.
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