Always have to keep you guys guessing ;) so this one is veeeeery different from my normal content, but I figured Iâd put something tamer to balance out the upcoming Pt. 2 to that Thread story. Itâs a bit long, but I didnât feel like keeping two concurrent multi-parters. Let me know what you think!
âSo, itâs the necklace?â I asked the professor at the university. It was a wonder I was able to keep up with even half of the lecture that had just transpired.Â
âSomething like that.â The professor replied back to our small group. âWeâre all just a sea of electrical impulses. With this computer model, we can accurately track and mimic the exact electrical shocks needed to replicate a mind. Of course, the mind is so much data, the transfer-the upload needs to be instantaneous with an equivalent download- the university doesnât give us enough grant money for computers that can store that much data, much less secure it. So, we needed biological means of storage. Thatâs why thereâs an even number of participantsâ.
The room was utterly confused. For one, there was definitely an odd number of participants. Dr. Cohn was never known for dumbing down complex concepts, but even the smartest kids in class seemed stumped the past few hours. Maybe he didnât have to go in that level of depth for his experiment.
Our group was a mix. It seemed like a sampling of the very best of the class, and a few average performers. I did find it weird they offered extra credit to students that probably didnât need it. Sticking out like a sore thumb was Chad. He was the school quarterback, though no one was sure for much longer, as he was on academic probation. I couldnât help but speculate with Kat, a top performer, on his placement. Combining our limited knowledge on the students in our class, and the schoolâs football team, we landed on this being some sort of extra credit that the university probably forced on poor Dr. Cohn. Ever the nosy one, Mackenzie piped in. âOf course theyâd try to save their star quarterback. I heard 3 professors already quit trying to bring up his GPA. This is basically his last shotâ. Â
And then there was Danny. Part of that âvery bestâ group. Unlike the other students in the room, he seemed to take in the professorâs whole lecture and was deep in thought. His face lay still, serene. But I could see the intelligence behind his eyes spinning to life. I always liked when he did that, like he was chewing on an idea before spitting out the most brilliant insights. Or maybe I just like how the corner of his mouth would turn up into a small smile when he finished thinking things through. I caught myself staring again, thanking my luck that no one had seen. Mackenzie laughed a little behind me. I sighed, laughing a small defeat. Almost no one had seen.Â
âSo it basically swaps our brains?â Danny inquired. He looked around the room, gauging our comprehension. That was when it clicked for me. He took note and let out a small smile. I smiled back. That was the other thing I liked about the guy. He always seemed to want everyone to succeed. This wasnât the first time heâd thoroughly condense a difficult topic into a quick word or phrase the class could understand. His eyes smiled whenever he could recognize concepts âclickingâ for people and I saw it do the same as my other classmates- even Chad- figured it out. I recoiled a little, from a nudge from Mackenzie. I sighed again, airing a âthank youâ her way. I had been staring again.
âNo, nothing like that! Could you imagine how difficult an operation like that would be? All this does is swap your mind.â Aaaand just like that, we were back to confusion. Danny smiled though.
âGot it. So your brainâs the hardware, your mindâs the software. The necklaces do a switcheroo and then new hardware, same software- or, vice versa, I suppose.â Back on track.
âWait, how much of âmeâ is in the hardware? Like my memories?â I blurted out, immediately growing red. That seemed to have garnered an approving smile from Danny. I grew redder.
The professorâs eyes lit up. âNow youâre thinking like a scientist.â He laughed before shrugging. âWhoâs to say⊠we are running an experiment after allâ. Dr. Cohn always was a messy one.
âSo, uh, how long is it supposed to last?â Mackenzie asked.
âThatâs the fun of it, once weâre paired, the switch can go for as little or as long you as want!â We. That threw me off a little. I caught his glance to Chad. âDonât worry, Iâll be a part of this experiment too.â The professor said, with a smile that felt too wide. âDonât forget to record your notes and thoughts into this log book. For privacy, theyâve been password protected- weâll reconvene this little group in a year and just draft up a summary of your experiences from these books.â
There was an obvious question everyoneâs mind. Thankfully, Kevin asked it. âSo whoâs swapping with who?â
The professorâs eyes lit up in excitement. âWeâve all been paired, randomized of course. Iâll leave the pairings to figure out when theyâd want to swap. Just put on your necklaces at 6pm tonight and start your log books. After that, whenever either of you squeezes your necklace, the swap will ensueâ. From the way the professorâs eyes kept darting to Chad, something told me it hadnât been entirely random.
I thought through the possible pairings. Kevin was kind of cute, I guess. Though I wasnât sure if it was just the airport effect with how limited our group size was. Kat or Mackenzie would just be weird. Mackenzie especially- that girl knows a little too much about me and lord knows what sheâd do behind my wheel. Running down the list of people, there was Chad. Of course, who wouldnât want to be in Chadâs shoes- I had to dispel a dirty thought that passed my mind. Everyoneâs probably thinking it. The professorâs body wouldnât be too bad either, I could always just pressure the faculty into giving me better grades, maybe boost the grades of my friends. And then there was Danny. Danny. My heartrate shot up instantly.
Sitting in my dorm room, I looked at the clock with a bit of fear. â5:55 pm,â it read. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my nerves. â5:59 pmâ. Nope. There was nothing calm about this. I closed my eyes shut, as I felt the necklace whir a little. Looks like someone else already squeezed it.Â
It was Danny. Holy fuck, I got to be in Danny.â
I stared at the journal entry. That was all I could manage to write with my shaking hands. I could hardly believe it. A lifetime can change in 5 minutes, apparently. My heart was still beating and my face still flushed when we switched back. He had a soccer game so our first meeting had to be short.Â
 My first minute was just looking down at my new Danny-worn hands, breathing through his lungs, inhaling as much as I could of his room. I wanted to commit this man to memory. My logic-or, Dannyâs logic perhaps, told me there would inevitably be more swaps to come, but my mind wouldnât have it. Whatever piece of Danny I could get, however minuscule, I wanted to stretch every moment infinite.
I felt a sense of guilt wash over me, as my new Danny-worn package began to harden when I realized he was in soccer gear. I tried to shake off the feeling- I couldnât do that to him. Then came the text. I recognized the number of course, it was my old bodyâs. âHey man, glad to see weâre partnersâ. My heart stirred. âItâs Danny, but you probably already knew thatâ. To see him text me so casually froze me in place. âAnyways, I do have a game coming up, mind if we switch back?â I couldnât even bring Dannyâs hands to answer himself. âIâll take that as a yesâ.
And just like that, I was back. My hand clinging to my chest, breaths ragged.Â
Wait, Fuck. Was I still hard in his body when we switched back?
Met up today. Joint gym day.Â
Gym feels better in Dannyâs body. Unsure if exercise has a different effect on peopleâs bodies, or if itâs tied to our minds. Seems to be a lag in my emotions.â
Iâm not really one to be consistent with exercise. I set the book down, and relocked it, panting as I had in our first switch, but this time due to Danny working my body to the brink.
I think he noticed, because he apologized profusely when I slumped in the bench to catch my breath in the locker room.
I canât believe I had agreed to it. Danny wanted to test the effects of exercise with different bodies. He stated he wanted to see what it was like doing routine exercises in a different body. Does the body retain that physical memory? Or is it the mind? I only agreed because it was Danny. So, there I was, in the school gym staring at the door like a fish out of water.Â
I felt a reassuring hand on my back before my ears immediately shot red when I realized whose hand it was. âDo you have your log book on hand? Should probably write down notes immediately after the switchbackâ. I immediately panicked at thought that he wanted to compare notes, thinking back to my first entry but he seemed to have caught on to my thought process and immediately dismissed the idea. âIt wouldnât make sense to taint the data with outside factors. Danny was probably the only person that fully understood the professorâs entire experiment so I took his word for it.
When we swapped, I had to focus on not instantly growing hard. For someone seemingly so bookish, the guy was surprisingly fit. Walking to the treadmill, I felt every muscle brimming with power. My first run in his body. Euphoric. Danny was a well-oiled machine. Every component moving in tandem. Lungs drawing in and out powerful gusts of air. Eyes staring me in the mirror, furrowed in powerful determination, and legs gliding with a grace that did not diminish the power behind each foot. I lost myself in the exercise, content to just being inside his body, guided by his body. I finished the run with a heavy pant, knowing full well Iâd be hard beyond belief at what lay before me. I eyed myself in the mirror, in sweat-laden body of my crush. The scent was indescribable. Like a pleasant musk basking in the damp earth. Was it always this good? Was this how other people felt when they exercised? I twirled the necklace around Dannyâs neck, making sure to not squeeze, mentally thanking whatever gods there may be for this experience.
I looked back at Danny, in my body. His running form was a bit clumsy, but there was a confidence in them that I didnât often see in myself. Maybe a trick of the light, or residual feelings from the run I just had but I was captivated. I honestly looked almost cute like this.Â
He finished, panting before immediately pulling out his book and writing a few notes. He beamed back at me, pointing at the necklace. Even in my body, that smile was unmistakably his. I smiled back, ready to swap once more.
Weird. I still felt the infatuation. I looked back at the body I had just inhabited, still feeling the butterflies in my stomach. It was Danny so I was used to those, but not immediately after a swap. The past few times it always took a second or two to readjust. Danny looked at me, a bit uncomfortable. No doubt it had been from the grave face I was making. I shook my head, not wanting to worry him. Or worse, force a premature end to this experience. âItâs nothing, just a hell of an exercise hahaâ.
This may be a bit of a problem.
âInteresting, and youâre sure itâs residual feeling?â Said a slightly disinterested Chad, eyeing his dreamy biceps.
âYes, when I.. uh.. felt angry in his body and switched back, my body did too.â Â
âWell it is a swap, of course so your mind returning to its body would feel the same things it feltâŠâ The professor in chadâs body spoke in a slightly faraway tone, like there was something heâd rather be doing. âThough, it shouldnât be this instant. Itâs not physically possible unlessâŠâ
I winced, worried for the worst and hoping to remain Dannyâs partner.
âThis might be a bit of an issue if those necklaces are defectiveâŠâ He then mumbled something about permanent effects on the mind. âIf they are, weâd have to stop the entire experiment. It wouldnât be right-â The professor caught a glimpse of Chadâs body in the reflection of his door before looking back at me. âLook, maybe just limit the swaps to low pressure situations, and try to avoid high-emotion situations in case your âresidualâ hypothesis is correct. Cause if that were true, it would mean you leave a little of yourself every time you swap.â
âMaybe keep this side effect a little secret for now. We wouldnât want the others worrying and tainting the data,â Chadâs body spoke in an authoritative tone as his hands sauntered below the desk. âOh, and please close the door on your way outâ.
We had been swapping fairly frequently, despite the professorâs warning. Danny was a drug I couldnât shake. The guy was my kryptonite and he had no idea. Everytime we swapped, every moment we shared, I couldnât bring myself to tell him about the professorâs words. Every swap back, I could feel my heart beating as wildly as my first time, stomach churning pleasantly. It was like a wave of sweetness whenever I had a chance to be Danny. Then, the guilt came soon after.
Danny seemed to like the spontaneity. Eventually, we settled on free-switching, aside from classes. Some days, Iâd randomly switch and my eyes would focus on my homework, completed with a little smiley face drawn on the corner. I tried that little trick with him once, only to get a text back of his graded assignment, scored uncharacteristically low for the top performer, followed by another text âNice try anyway lolâÂ
âDanny, is something wrong?â The shock of the situation stopped me from initially processing anything I was seeing. My clumsy hands. I had been fumbling with my collar, when I accidentally initiated a swap. A wave of embarrassment hit, and then anger. Seething, bottomless anger.
I almost dropped the flowers Dannyâs body had been handing her. Without explanation, I quickly squeezed the necklace to send me back.
I sat in stunned silence for a second, before the anger drew me back to my thoughts.
Who was I angry at? Of course it was a girl. He had to have been dating around. It was presumptuous to even think we were anything more than partners in a crazed professorâs experiment. And yet, I was still angry. Irrationally angry at Danny for not picking up on the hints, maybe angry at the professor for dragging me into this mess in the first place. But most of all, I was angry at myself.Â
I felt the buzz of a text, ears still heated. Danny again. âYou ok?â Â
I sighed as reasoning took over and anger transformed into sadness. I wrote a quick note in the log book, then pulled my phone up before texting back. âYeahâ.
âLol Claudia says hiâ, came a text back. I gritted my teeth, not wanting to impart any jealousy in my response, but I was soon stopped by another text.Â
âIf you wanted to meet my sister, you should have just asked lolâ.
Iâm stupid. Iâm sorry. Iâm stupid. Iâm sorry.â
Iâm so sorry. I said to Danny in my head, as I slumped in my chair. Youâre so fucking stupid. I told myself. These past few months swapping back and forth with Danny had been a dream.Â
From something as simple swapping before brushing his teeth to even taking a class as him. I savored every single moment.Â
But as the experiment had been drawing to a close, and as I felt my time nearing and my guilt intensifying, other, less kind thoughts bubbled in my head.Â
What if I did âthatâ in his body. What if I did it while thinking of my own body. I gulped. Danny didnât know, and from what I could tell, he hadnât suspected a thing. âMaybe I could make him like me.â Even just saying it out loud felt like a taboo. I could just imagine Dannyâs disapproving face as I pondered corrupting our newfound friendship, and corrupting him at his core.
The devil on my shoulder continued. Weâve been swapping all this time. And he doesnât notice. My dick stirred. He wouldnât notice and you could train his body to fall in love with you.
No. No. I couldnât do that to Danny. I eyed the near approaching date on the calendar- the date the experiment would end- and I gulped again. I pulled up a photo of him.
Darkness gripped at my chest, as I pondered my next step. And then I squeezed.
âDanny, I love you and Iâm sorry.â
My heart, or rather Dannyâs, began to beat faster and faster. I pulled up a fairly difficult puzzle before I swapped, so I knew I had some time with his flesh before heâd try to swap back.
I gingerly pulled down his shorts, staring at his bulge hungrily. Then I slowly teased out his dick, moaning at the feeling of flesh touching flesh. Being in his body, having this level of access to Danny. I was hard instantly.
It felt almost macabre, seeing his flesh move to my every whim, forced to feel my feelings. I wanted to etch myself into him as much as possible, and with every pump I moaned my original bodyâs name. It took all of the restraint in Dannyâs body, which, apparently was a lot, to not burst. But one can only hold out so long, hearing oneâs crush moan their name in delirious ecstasy. I sang my name in his resonant voice one more time, before flashing instantly to my body and back to his.
I released his sticky white seed in what felt like the first cum of my life. I suppose, in a sense, it was. I hoped that sealed it. Conditioning Danny to me. The swaps were imperceptibly fast, and I took the lack of delay in emotions as a sign of success.
I released a breath in Dannyâs body I didnât know I was holding, basking in the afterglow before immediately realizing what I had just done.Â
Guilt came out of me drop by drop. As his tears began to leave their marks on his shirt, I slowly began to clean up. The pleasure of the situation still clung to me, as I mournfully switched back. Then came another gut-wrenching wave of sadness. Danny, Iâm so sorry.Â
I looked to the incomplete puzzle in front of me, laughing a little at his lack of progress to ease the sadness.
Then came another text from Danny. âDude, that puzzleâs impossibleâ.Â
Food definitely tastes different in a different body.â
âLook, just try them manâ Danny said with a smile, holding a fry in his hand. And the necklace in another.Â
Only a few short days left before the experimentâs end. I made no mention of that night, nor the professorâs words to Danny.Â
Danny had, in fact, been coming by more often. Prompting more hangouts, initiating more switches. I was elated every time he asked. I even caught a few longer glances from his body, marinating in pleasure at seeing this new side of Danny. However happy I had been, underlying it all was the guilt of my deed.
Danny again held the fry out expectantly. I laughed slightly. âHaha, fineâ.
I took a bite from his body. Yep, it was definitely a fry. My own body looked up at me, smiling a Danny-flavored smile before grabbing the half-bitten fry. âNow letâs control for this variable. Same fry,â he said, wiggling it in the air.
I stared at the fry covered in a bit of his saliva. Heaven. I looked back at him and nodded. As we parted ways, I couldnât help my smile from peeking through.Â
He was right, it did taste better on my end.
âSo, weâre not getting paidâ? I asked Danny, as we sat in the table. He had a few wine glasses in front.Â
It had been a full year since the experiment first started. Despite the general weirdness from the other groups swapping, everyone had been relatively well adjusted. Except for Chad, or whatever heâd be called now. A swapped Kat couldnât help but spill the beans. Apparently, the professor had no obligation to offer the guy extra credit. He specifically targeted the quarterback for his experiment. Whatâs worse, heâd apparently created a newer version of the necklace. One that could overwrite and transmit. Chadâs frat brothers mentioned he was offered another credit for participating in a second experiment for this new necklace. After that, no one had seen either person. The pair had mysteriously disappeared, leaving the school scrambling to cover up everything. All most of us knew was one day we suddenly had perfect grades retroactively added for the past year, along with a very scary letter prompting a signature.Â
âThe university isnât going to do anything about this.â He said. I was still skeptical as I slowly eyed one of the wine bottles that once graced former Dr. Cohnâs shelf. âItâs the least they could do for all those, ethics violationsâ. He pulled the cork with a satisfying pop, a mischievous gleam in his eye as he handed me a glass. âNow câmon, try thisâ.Â
I suppose alcohol had a way of loosening me up. âSoâŠ. weâre not getting paidâ? I asked again, sarcastically this time. It had been a year, so talking to Danny felt easy. I thought back to my log book, fully intending on burning the thing. Danny shook his head.
âHard to put a price on crimes against humanity. Or, something like thatâ he laughed. âThe university just said to dump everything and basically forget that experiment ever happened.â
I couldnât help but laugh as well. I shrugged, knowing money or even perfect grades for a year held no candle to the experience of a lifetime I just had with Danny. I was afraid of the answer, but it had to be asked. âWhat should we do with these things?â I asked, looking at the necklace still gracing his beautiful neck. His eyebrows raised as he saw the same necklace gracing mine.Â
âI mean, by now, youâre pretty used to it, right?â He asked with an almost pleading look in his eye. There was something bugging him. I watched as he fiddled with his feet. âMaybeâŠâ His ears turned bright red. It was riveting finally seeing this side oh him. More than that, it was downright cute. âM-Maybeâ he stammered again. Danny took a deep breath to calm himself, though his scarlet face told all. âMaybe we can keep. Um. Swapping. Sometimes, sometimes I like being you, and sometimes I kind of like when youâre me.â He looked at me and smiled weakly, trying to change the subject. âA-Anyway, you need a place to stay next year, r-right? It kind of feels like weâve already been roommates these past 12 months, whatâs another 12?â His sweet words did nothing the dampen the guilt I felt in my betrayal. In any other circumstance, Iâd have died happy just hearing that confession from him. Instead I could only think back to the professors words. I did live, at least partially, in Danny throughout this past year. It felt like a betrayal of myself to not come clean.
âDanny, listen. I think I need to tell you first, in your bodyâŠâ My breath hastened, and I felt my stomach churn. How do you tell a guy what youâve done with his body- *in* his body? Dannyâs face frowned in concern as my bubbling emotions seemed to knock him out of his quick spell of shyness.
He smiled a little. âLook man, whatever youâve done in my body, Iâve probably done too.â His smile widened. âYour body is mine, my body is yours. Call it evenâ. More words that would have swept me off my feet, had I not been confessing. More torture ensued.
âI went to the professor about it a few months ago and never told youâ I continued. I was practically holding back tears. âOur necklaces were bugged, I thinkâ.
âThe professor saidâŠâ I gulped. âIt was possible that when we switch, our minds donât come through all at once.â Now tears did begin to swell. âYou know how itâs supposed to take a second for your emotions to catch up. Well, when we switch, I still feel the same emotionsâŠâ. I gulped. âSince day 1, I think Iâve overwritten your, um, preferencesâ. Dannyâs poker face felt like a dagger in my heart. Itâs a face I often made in his body when I was in deep thought, so I knew he had to have been processing to the same conclusion. I could practically see the gear turning in his head. Click.
Face still an enigma, Danny waited a moment and then asked a simple question. âWhen did you tell the professor?â Click.Â
I sniffled as I laid it bare in front of him. â5 months ago. Danny, Iâm sorry! I dunno, I just thought maybe⊠maybe if we kept switching, if our minds kept being in each otherâs bodies. Maybe if a little piece of how I felt kept lagging behind, you might have-â Now the gear was fully spinning and I saw the realization hit his face. I had no idea what he was going to do. Punch me? Maybe. Run away in disgust? Likely. Instead, Daniel had done something equally surprising. His hand rested on my shoulder in a reassuring fashion. Then that same hand motioned me forward.
My memory of the next moment felt like a million moments in one. It was something so outside my realm of possibilities, my brain simply couldnât process. The whiplash hit my senses all at once. Sweet but a bit salty. A moment of quietness before the background sounds of the campus slowly drizzled back in. The scent of fresh laundry and damp earth. My eyes took even longer to adjust from black to red to an image slowly refocussing. Last was my brain, which had been stunned into silence. I sat back in shock, repeating the same phrase over and over in my head. Danny just kissed me.
He laughed, eyes twinkling and mouth pulled into a smile, beaming in the way that always made my heart swoon. âThat theoryâs bogus. Trust me. I havenât felt any differentâ. He smiled again, sheepishly this time, before fishing something from his backpackâs large pocket. He looked at the item in front of him, hand slightly shaking in hesitation before making his decision. Slowly, he held up his own log book, flipped to the very first page:
2087
dededos
annaxmalina
baratheonpilled
turnnoffyourmind
ellievsbear