[Merging] Opposites Attract - Part 3

Previous chapters can be found here!

~

Getting dressed used to be simple. It was just a matter of getting up, putting on his sensible shoes and work appropriate pants and shirt, then throwing on his lab coat. Simple, he barely even needed to think about it. Stella of course, was not having any of that.

‘Just let me put the heels on!’

‘NO! You must have a pair of flats in here somewhere, it was bad enough wobbling around in those heels last night.’

‘But I hate flats!’

‘Why? They are practical.’

‘They’re BORING.’

‘It doesn't matter if they are boring, we don’t want any untoward attention today anyway.’

Stella made them pout and finally relented, letting Harold continue digging through the mountain of shoes on the racks in her closet. How could one woman have so many pairs of shoes and have them all be some sort of heel? It was madness!

‘I already compromised on the outfit.’

‘Barely.’

‘I’m wearing a skirt, that is difficult for me!’

‘A boring, knee length black skirt. You know I only bought it for a funeral?’

‘Well the bright purple blouse you picked isn't exactly subtle.’

‘Hey! You wouldn’t let me pick anything fun, I at least get to add some colour.’

‘We’re going to be late!’

This was a nightmare, he just wanted to go to work looking at least semi professional. He had won the battle when it came to stockings, skirt and lab coat but the bright splash of purple and heels had been the cost. He felt stupid, wobbling to the car in the four inch heels. Stella had the gall to act as though they were ‘barely high at all’ and kept offering to take over but he refused. He would not let her rule the roost, just because the body they merged into happened to be female.

Driving was surprisingly easy, especially without having to worry about the clutch; though it did take him a while to get the hang of hitting the pedals without knocking them with the tips of his heels.

As they pulled into the parking lot Harold felt a cold sweat go down his back. It was one thing, walking around last night with barely anybody else around but now the facility was packed. Scientists, admin and business officials were all making their way inside and Harold felt as though he had a giant neon sign above his head reading ‘FREAK’.

‘Just act confident and nobody will notice anything’s up.’

“That trick doesn't work.”

‘Sure it does, I do it all the time! Let me show you.’

“Wait Stella No-here we go!”

Stella had them on their feet and moving in an instant, with a sway of their hips she used her butt to nudge the door of the car closed and began walking toward the front entrance with her heels clicking against the asphalt.

‘See, just keep your balance and you’re fine’

And just like that, Harold was walking. He stumbled a little as they switched places and felt his cheeks turn pink but then somehow, managed to keep going. Fake it till you make it, that was the saying right? He never believed in it himself, it never seemed to work. It needed to though, the last thing he needed was anybody asking a bunch of questions about who ‘Bella’ was.

He remembered last night, how it felt being in this body as Stella confidently walked down the hall with a strut. He squared his shoulders and did his best to copy the movement, enjoying the gentle sway of his hips and the brush of his skirt against the inside of his legs.

A few eyes turned subtly to look at them as they walked in and it took all of his self control not to go red in the face. Eyes on him was usually a bad thing but as he flicked his gaze up he noticed each of those looks was quick and appreciative. They were checking him out. Harold had never been checked out before, he spent most of his time trying very much not to be seen at all…it felt nice. Being noticed in this way.

His confident walk became less and less an act as he continued down toward the lab and to his shock, nobody questioned him being there. Not even when he swiped the keycard and let himself into the work bay where his precious combination pod was.

‘Walk like you belong and nobody ever questions it.’ Stella giggled in the back of his head, ‘I got into so many clubs when I was younger that way.’

‘Of course you did.’

There it was, the pod that caused all this. Harold couldn’t believe he had been in this combined body for less than twenty-four hours. It felt like a lifetime already; he’d certainly had more new experiences in the last few hours than he had in the last year.

He slipped on his gloves and gathered his tools, notepad and pencil. This was familiar, this was science. He bent over and got to work assessing the damage, carefully noting each broken wire or damaged bit of circuit board before he began running diagnostics. If it weren't for the long hair and weight of his body, he could almost pretend things were normal. He still had Stella in his mind, complaining of boredom and begging him to take a break to play games on their mobile but he was used to ignoring her by this point.

He was just about to start working on the fried circuit board his screw driver had punctured when somebody tapped him on the shoulder. A woman with dark curly hair and freckles he vaguely recognised from the engineering department.

“Hey, is today your first day here? I’m Morgan.” She held out her hand and Harold awkwardly took it.

“Yes.” He lied, “I’m filling in for Stella but it looks like Harold is away so I thought I’d just get started.”

“Well, you’re certainly diligent, careful, if you work too hard they might give Stella’s job to you and I can’t imagine how awkward that would be.” Morgan laughed.

‘Am I really that bad?’ A sense of genuine disappointment and guilt swirled in Harold’s mind which he tried to ignore.

“Want to have lunch with me and some of the other science girls?” Morgan offered, “It can be hard being the new girl.”

“No, I think I’d better-I’d love to!”

Morgan blinked in surprise at the sudden change in demeanour and Harold hissed.

‘Stella!’

‘Oh come on, we’re hungry and this has been sooooo boring, why not join them?’

She forced Harold to his feet.

‘But the project-’

‘Harry, you really need to learn to relax.’

“Come on, this way to the cafeteria.” Morgan smiled and Harold awkwardly followed her.

He never ate in the cafeteria, preferring to bring his own lunches and eat them as quickly as possible in the lab. He hated all the sounds and voices in the lunchroom, it reminded him too much of high school for all the wrong reasons. It felt wrong lining up and filling his tray with tuna tacos and chocolate cake; even more wrong sitting down with a bunch of women.

Morgan introduced ‘Bella’ and Harold immediately took a big mouthful of his food to avoid having to speak. He expected lots of questions and attention; two things he was not well equipped to handle but to his surprise the science women were quite welcoming. After a few lines about moving from Chicago and taking this job temporarily they were content to talk about their work, a topic he found fascinating.

“So you really think you could find a cure for the common cold?” He asked Chelsea from biology and she nodded enthusiastically.

“It’s been my dream since I was six, I caught the flu and decided that just wasn’t on, y’know?”

Despite himself, Harold giggled and he could feel Stella in the back of his mind beaming with joy.

‘Now, compliment her earrings.’

“Your earrings are beautiful.” Harold obeyed, enjoying the ability to give a compliment to a woman without being seen as creepy.

“Thanks! Chelsea smiled, “I got them for tonight, the group of us are going to that new club in town, Jive? Did you want to come?”

Stella surged forward before he had the chance to even start saying no.

“Oh Em GEE! Yes!” She squealed, “I have been so excited to go there! What time? Are we pre-gaming?”

“Nah, we want to have plenty of room for cocktails, I hear they have the craziest drinks there!” Morgan cut in, “We’re meeting at ten outside, you’re in.”

“Hell fucking yeah I am!” Stella grinned and Harold moaned.

~

Despite being well motivated it was obvious, even with a few extra hours put into it, that Harold wasn't going to fix the pod in one day. By the time eight o’clock rolled around Stella was practically begging every second if they could go.

‘We need time to get ready." She whinged, "Please, Harry, we've done enough, it’ll be here tomorrow.’

“I don’t see why we need to go dancing in the first place.” He sighed feeling sour as Stella took control and they headed for the car with a spring in their step.

Harold felt himself filled with nervous excitement as they returned to the apartment. He’d never been out dancing before but talking to the girls at lunch had been a lot of fun, maybe clubbing could be too?

Stella squeezed their body into a black and silver patterned mini dress and sat down to do their makeup. Harold knew there was a stereotype for girls taking longer to get ready but now he fully understood why. This wasn't a quick coat of lipstick and then finish, there was foundation, eyeshadow, bronzer, mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, contouring; most of them things he didn't even know existed.

“Our skin tone is slightly lighter than my usual one.” Stella pouted, “It’s okay though I can work with it.”

By the time she was done Bella was done up in smokey eyes and dark lips that were perfect for the club. Stella also picked a matching set of bracelets, anklets and a necklace made of the same dark purple stones as a colour accent along with a set of plum heels. She stood in front of the mirror posing and Harold felt an odd new feeling flow through him.

“It’s called pride.” Stella smiled, “See, it feels nice to be hot doesn't it?”

‘Yes.’ He admitted somewhat bashfully, ‘I always assumed you dressed up for guys.’

“Well, I do like getting attention.” Stella shrugged, “But I think a girl should dress for herself. If that look just so happens to appeal to a guy…well that’s just gravy.’

‘I’d never thought of it that way before.’

“You say that a lot for a guy who claims to spend all day thinking about stuff.” Stella giggled, “Now, let’s go.”

The taxi ride seemed to pass by in a flash and before he knew it, they were standing outside of Jive just as the doors were about to open. There was already a line filled with smartly dressed guys and women in tiny skirts shivering as they hopped back and forth on their heels trying to stay warm in the frosty night air. Near the front he spotted Morgan and Chelsea, along with the others from work.

“Alright,” Stella whispered, “Go on.”

‘Wait…me?! I thought you would be in control.’

‘I wanna be,’ She said as she slowly approached, ‘But I think ya need this more than me.’

‘What the hell does that mean?!’

She didn’t respond and Harold found himself next to Morgan just as the bouncer removed the heavy rope and motioned them inside.

“Are you okay Bella?” She asked, “You look a little sick.”

“I’m fine.” Harold lied, thankful his voice managed not to waver. His heart was racing a million miles an hour and each step seemed to echo in his ears despite the loud music.

‘Keep calm, everything is going to be fine! Just have fun!’

‘This is not my idea of fun!’

‘Maybe it should be. Loosen up.’

Stepping inside, he was enveloped by a pulsating energy that seemed to permeate every corner. Neon lights flickered and danced in sync with the infectious rhythm and deep bass made his whole body feel like one giant heartbeat. The dance floor was alive already, filled with people moving in syncopated harmony, their bodies swaying and spinning with joy.

“Let’s try these cocktails!” Morgan grinned, leading the group to the bar.

The back wall was covered in drink names that made no sense of Harold. He knew one or two, everybody had heard of a Cosmopolitan or Fruit Tingle but what the hell was a Gizmo? A Coat Hanger or a Mai Tai?

“Here! First one is on me, it’s a house special.” Chelsea smiled, handing a bright pink, fizzy concoction to him.

‘That looks so yummy!’ Stella gasped, ‘Hurry up and try it!’

Harold brought the alcohol to his lips and was met with the odd mixture of artificial strawberry, sourness and vodka. It made him splutter but Stella loved it.

‘More! More!’

By the time he’d drained the glass even Harold had to admit it was pretty tasty. He ordered another and was about to hand over their card when somebody beat him to it. A strange man she had never met with sparkling eyes that made Harold’s stomach flip.

“On me.” He said charmingly, “What’s your name?”

“Her name is Bella.” Morgan cut in, “And this is a girls night, sorry buddy!”

“Aw, really Bella, you don’t want to come join me out the back?” He asked and Harold felt his cheeks burn with both lust and embarrassment.

“N-no sorry.”

‘Shame, he’s just my type.’

‘Shuush!’

Harold managed a silly giggle before the man bowed out and went in search of another lady to woo. He’d never been picked up at a bar before, it felt sort of nice.

“Sorry, but you can't go hooking up on girls' night.” Morgan teased and Harold felt himself blush.

“I can’t believe he paid for my drink.”

“Why wouldn’t he? You’re a little hottie.” Chelsea grinned, slurring slightly after only three drinks.

‘Hell’s yeah we are.’

“Time to dance!” Morgan announced and Harold froze.

Morgan grabbed his wrist and headed for the dance floor and what little confidence he’d gained at the bar drained away. He stopped just short of joining her and the others on the dance floor and Morgan turned to face him with a quizzical look.

"I don't think I can, Morgan.” He admitted with cheeks burning, “I've never been to a club before. I can't dance at all!"

He expected a scoff, maybe a little derision but instead Chelsea jumped in with a wide smile

"That's the best part! No one really cares about how you dance here. It's all about having fun!"

Morgan added, her voice filled with encouragement;

"And don't worry, we'll show you some moves. You'll catch on quickly, I promise."

Summoning his courage, Harold took a deep breath and followed his new friends onto the floor.  Watching Morgan, Chelsea and the others merge effortlessly into the pulsating crowd, Harold hesitated for a moment, unsure of himself. However, the allure of the music and the contagious enthusiasm of the dancers proved irresistible. In the back of his skull Stella was cheering him on and for the first time he was thankful for her presence. It was nice to have his own personal cheerleader.

Maybe Stella was right, maybe it was time he tried to loosen up a bit. He was only going to be in this merged body a little while, why not have some fun? or at least try to.

The music washed over him, filling his senses with its hypnotic beat. Tentatively at first, he began to move, awkwardly mimicking the dancers around him. He shook his ass from side to side and immediately stopped when he felt the extra weight there jiggling but Morgan yelled for him to keep going.

“Shake that money maker!” She laughed, “You got it, flaunt it!”

As the minutes ticked by, Harold's nervousness gradually dissolved, replaced by a growing sense of liberation. He started to sway with increasing confidence, surrendering to the rhythm and moving his body in the way that felt right.

Morgan noticed Bella's newfound enthusiasm and extended his hand, guiding them into a simple two-step. Chelsea and the others joined in, forming a small dance circle, with Harold at its centre. Laughter and cheers filled the air as their bodies moved in synchronised harmony. Harold undulated his body, thrusting out his chest and brushing it against others in the crowd. It felt wild and exhilarating and Stella was cheering.

Harold's excitement bubbled to the surface.

"This is amazing!" he exclaimed, his voice blending with the pulsating music. "I never thought dancing could be so much fun!"

‘Told you! Just let yourself go and enjoy the moment!’

Embracing the newfound confidence within him, Harold continued to dance, no longer hindered by self-consciousness. He spun and twirled, losing herself in the liberating atmosphere and taking pleasure in showing off his new sexy body.

“There!” Harold wiped their brow, “Finally, fixed.”

It had taken days of work and no small amount of excuses to explain away ‘Harold’s’ absence for so long but they had finally fixed the machine.

‘That means we can separate?’

“Yes, finally.” Harold smiled.

He could feel Stella’s own elation but…something else as well.

“Are you…sad?” He asked.

‘Well yeah, aren’t you going to miss this body?’ Stella asked, ‘Hasn’t this been fun?’

She had a point, his hand was poised on the level set to start the machine but he couldn’t bring himself to pull it just yet. This whole week had been a rollercoaster but…it hadn't been entirely awful. Even the sex was amazing and he had to admit, part of him really wanted to do it again.

“We won’t get to go out dancing with the girls this weekend.” He realised sadly, “Well, I guess you could but…not me.”

That made him sadder than he thought it would.

‘You know…’ Stella whispered, ‘There ain’t nothing stopping us from using this machine again whenever we wanna.’

“That would be…unethical.” Harold muttered, drumming their fingers on the lever as Stella’s glee flourished.

‘Naughty even.’

“Stella! Quite tempting me!”

‘Oh so you are tempted, c’mon Harry. We can sneak in after work sometimes, do a girls weekend…I love showing you the ropes.’

Dammit, he hadn’t meant to let that slip. Then again, it was hard to hide your true feelings from somebody currently inside his head. Harold reflected on the days past, how he was slowly coming to enjoy the fun this body could give him; as much as he craved solitude he had to admit there were perks to being a sexy woman.

“...We merge again for the weekend.”

‘Yeah!’

“But let’s not make a habit of this.”

‘Oh I’m sure we won't…”

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