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[Story] What We Really Want (Halloween Stories 4/7)

Published: November 1st 2024, 7:34:32 am

Hi Hi ✨

Story 4 of our halloween week special! 👻 Heads up - might be a bit delayed with weekend posts (work's been crazy), but I'll try to keep everything on schedule. Since we're starting November, thanks for all your support! Drop a comment if there's anything you'd like to see this month or for the remaining spooky stories!

📦 Grab the full res image from the attachment section of this post. ⬇️

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What We Really Want

"Gran's always been... different," Jane said, fiddling with the small wooden doll in her hands as Jordan navigated their rental car through the winding forest road. The autumn rain pattered against the windscreen, creating a cozy atmosphere inside the vehicle. "But this time, I think she might have gone proper mental."

Jordan glanced sideways at his girlfriend of three years, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You say that every time she gives you something. Remember the 'lucky socks' that were supposed to help you ace your job interview?"

"Hey, I got that job, didn't I?" Jane protested, tucking a strand of auburn hair behind her ear.

"After throwing up from nervousness and having to change your outfit at the last minute," Jordan reminded her with a chuckle. "Including those supposedly lucky socks."

Jane rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling. "Fair point. But this is different. Look at it." She held up the doll, about the size of her palm. It was carved from dark wood, its features smooth and undefined, like a blank canvas waiting to be painted. "She said it grants desires."

"Right," Jordan said, adjusting his glasses as he peered through the rain. "And I'm secretly Batman."

"You're such a skeptic."

"I prefer the term 'rational human being,'" he countered, squinting at a barely visible sign. "Is this our turn? Lakeside Cabin?"

Jane leaned forward, checking the map on her phone. "Yep, that's us. Left here."

The car bumped along the gravel road, headlights cutting through the growing darkness. After a few minutes, they pulled up in front of a cozy-looking log cabin. Despite the rain, it looked welcoming, with a covered porch and large windows glowing with automatic timer lights.

"Well, this is nice," Jordan said, parking under a wooden car port. "At least your gran's mysterious doll didn't lead us to some creepy abandoned shack."

"Don't be mean," Jane chided, though she was smiling. "Help me with the bags?"

They made a dash through the rain, quickly getting their weekend luggage inside. The cabin was warm and inviting, with a modern kitchen, comfortable-looking furniture, and a stone fireplace that dominated one wall.

"Proper lovely," Jane declared, setting the doll on the coffee table. "Perfect for Halloween weekend."

Jordan was already checking out the kitchen. "Decent setup here. Shall I get started on dinner while you sort out the fire?"

"Look at us, all domestic," Jane teased. "But yes, please. I'm starving."

As Jordan began unpacking their groceries, Jane knelt by the fireplace, arranging kindling and logs. The rain continued outside, creating a pleasant backdrop to their domestic tasks.

"So," Jordan called from the kitchen, where he was chopping vegetables, "what exactly are we supposed to do with this magical doll of yours?"

"Well," Jane said, striking a match, "according to Gran, we just need to hold it and think about what we want. But here's the weird part – it doesn't grant your own desire, but the deepest desire of someone close to you."

Jordan paused his chopping. "That's... specific."

"I know, right? She said it works best with couples." Jane sat back on her heels, watching the fire catch. "Want to try it?"

"While I'm cooking?" Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No time like the present!" Jane grabbed the doll and walked to the kitchen. "Here, just hold it for a minute. What's the worst that could happen?"

Jordan wiped his hands on a tea towel, looking skeptical. "Fine, but when nothing happens, I get to say 'I told you so.'"

He took the doll, its smooth surface cool against his palms. "Now what?"

"Just... hold it. Maybe close your eyes?"

"This is ridiculous," Jordan muttered, but he closed his eyes anyway.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Jordan felt a strange warmth spreading from his hands through his entire body. His eyes flew open.

"Whoa," he said, his voice sounding different – more confident, somehow. "That's... odd."

Jane was staring at him. "Jordan? Are you okay?"

He looked at her, and suddenly found himself speaking without his usual careful consideration of every word. "Actually, I feel brilliant. You know what? We should open that expensive wine now instead of saving it for tomorrow. Life's too short, right?"

Jane's eyes widened. Jordan had always been the cautious one, the planner who insisted on saving things for 'the right moment.'

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" she asked, half-joking, half-serious.

Jordan grinned – a proper, uninhibited grin that transformed his usually serious face. "Same old me, love. Just feeling... free. Like I don't need to overthink everything for once." He set the doll down and grabbed the wine bottle they'd brought. "Come on, let's be a bit spontaneous!"

Jane watched in amazement as Jordan confidently opened the wine, poured two generous glasses, and even started humming as he returned to cooking – something he'd never done before.

"Well," she murmured to herself, picking up the doll and examining it closely, "I guess Gran wasn't completely mental after all."

Throughout dinner, Jane noticed subtle changes in Jordan's demeanour. The way he gestured while telling stories became more animated, his usual reserved chuckle evolved into hearty laughter, and he maintained eye contact without his characteristic nervous glances away.

"...and that's when I realised," Jordan was saying, gesturing with his wine glass, "I should have just told Stevens his presentation was rubbish instead of spending three hours helping him fix it."

Jane nearly choked on her pasta. "You're going to tell Stevens his work is rubbish? You, who apologised to a door last week when you bumped into it?"

"Why not?" Jordan shrugged, a confident smile playing on his lips. "Life's too short for beating around the bush, isn't it?" He topped up their glasses. "Besides, he needs to hear it. Could help him improve."

Jane shook her head in amazement. "This is... different. Good different, but still."

"I know," Jordan said, leaning back in his chair. "I feel like I can finally say what I'm thinking without second-guessing every word. It's liberating."

After dinner, they cleaned up together, Jordan humming and occasionally pulling Jane into impromptu dancing moves between loading the dishwasher.

"Your turn," he said suddenly, nodding towards the doll still sitting on the coffee table.

"My turn?"

"With the doll. Fair's fair, right? I tried it, now you should."

Jane dried her hands, walking over to pick up the doll. "Alright then. Here goes nothing."

She held it, closing her eyes as Jordan had done. The wood felt warm now, almost alive in her hands. A peculiar tingling sensation spread through her body, but it was so subtle she wasn't sure if she was imagining it.

"Feel anything?" Jordan asked, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Not really," she said, setting the doll down. "Maybe it only works once?"

"Maybe," Jordan agreed. "Fancy watching something properly scary? It is Halloween, after all."

They settled on the couch, Jordan scrolling through horror movies while Jane snuggled against him. She felt... different, but couldn't quite put her finger on why. More energetic, perhaps? Her skin seemed to be buzzing with a strange vitality.

"'The Thing'?" Jordan suggested. "Classic horror, isolated location - seems fitting."

"Perfect," Jane agreed, pulling the blanket over them both.

As the movie played, Jordan continued showing his new confidence, making witty commentary that had Jane in stitches. Meanwhile, she kept shifting position, unable to get comfortable.

"You alright?" Jordan asked during a quiet scene. "You're fidgeting quite a bit."

"Just feel a bit... I don't know, restless? Like my skin's too tight or something."

They tried to focus on the movie, but Jane couldn't shake the strange sensations coursing through her body. Every few minutes, she'd glance down at her arms or adjust her position as her clothes felt increasingly snug.

"Jordan?" she whispered during a particularly tense scene, "Do my arms look... different to you?"

Jordan, hyper-aware of her gradually expanding frame pressing against him, swallowed hard. "No, no, looks the same to me," he lied, trying to ignore how her shoulder was now broader against his chest.

Twenty minutes later, Jane shifted again, her thigh muscles straining against her leggings. "Are you sure? Because these trousers definitely feel tighter."

"Must be from all that pasta," Jordan joked nervously, even as he felt her weight increasing on his lap. Her head was now level with his when they sat, and he could feel the definition in her back muscles through her thin jumper.

Another half hour passed, and Jane's fidgeting became more pronounced. She kept rolling her shoulders, the material of her jumper stretching across her widening back. Jordan tried to maintain his composure, but his heart was racing. How was he going to explain that apparently, his deepest desire was to have an Amazon for a girlfriend?

"Oof," he grunted as Jane adjusted her position again, her increasing weight making his legs go numb. She had to be at least 6'2" now, and definitely more muscular.

"Sorry," she said, starting to move off his lap. "Am I getting too heavy?"

"No!" Jordan replied too quickly, his hands instinctively holding her in place. "I mean... you're fine. Perfect, actually." Jordan kept lying, knowing that confessing that she was growing would mean that his deepest desire was to have a huge muscular girlfriend, and he doesn't know how he's going to explain that to her.

Jane gave him a suspicious look. "Jordan, be honest. I'm changing, aren't I? I can feel it."

"I... um..." he stammered, his new-found confidence wavering as he felt her bicep flex against his chest - it had to be bigger than his now.

"Because either I'm going mad," she continued, "or this jumper definitely didn't show this much midriff an hour ago." She gestured to where the fabric had ridden up, revealing increasingly defined abs.

Jordan's face flushed red. "Well... maybe there have been some... small changes?"

Jane raised an eyebrow, her face now slightly above his. "Small changes? Jordan, I'm literally looking down at you right now."

"Okay, maybe not so small," he admitted, his hands unconsciously tracing the new curves of her muscular thighs. "But you look... I mean... it's not..."

"This is your desire, isn't it?" Jane said suddenly, realization dawning on her face. "The doll grants the other person's desire, and you... you want me like this?"

Jordan wished he could sink into the couch and disappear. "I... maybe? I didn't even know I... I mean, I never consciously..."

To his surprise, Jane started laughing, the movement causing the seams of her jumper to strain audibly. "Oh my god, you're adorable when you're flustered. What happened to that confidence from earlier?"

"It's a bit harder to be confident when your girlfriend is turning into She-Hulk and it's apparently all your subconscious's fault," he mumbled.

"She-Hulk?" Jane flexed one arm experimentally, and they both watched as her bicep pushed the sleeve of her jumper up. "Well, I suppose that's not entirely inaccurate anymore."

"Come on then," Jane said, standing up and pulling Jordan to his feet. "Let's settle this properly. Back to back."

Jordan hesitated but complied, trying to maintain his earlier confidence. "This is silly, I'm still clearly taller than you."

They stood back to back, and Jane could feel herself nearly matching his 6'3" frame. "Mirror in the bathroom?" she suggested innocently.

In the bathroom light, the changes were more obvious. Jane's jumper now rode up several inches above her waist, her leggings looking painted on her muscular thighs. Still, Jordan was right - he had maybe an inch on her, and his athletic build still made him the stronger of the two.

"See?" he said, his voice a touch too relieved. "You're imagining things. Now, shall we get back to the movie?"

Jane bit back a smile, noticing how his eyes lingered on her exposed midriff. "You're right, must be my mind playing tricks. Movie sounds perfect."

Back on the couch, Jane deliberately settled herself on top of Jordan, her increasing weight pressing him into the cushions. "Comfy?" she asked, feeling another wave of that warm, tingling sensation.

"Very," Jordan managed, though his voice was slightly strained. He wrapped his arms around her waist, which was noticeably thicker with muscle than before.

As the movie played on, Jane could feel the changes continuing. Her shoulders were definitely broader now, her arms more defined. She shifted slightly, hearing Jordan's subtle grunt as her weight increased.

"Everything okay?" she asked innocently, pretending to be engrossed in the film.

"Fine," Jordan squeaked, even as she felt her thighs expanding against his. "Totally fine."

Another twenty minutes passed, and Jane's jumper was now practically a crop top. She could feel Jordan's breathing becoming more laboured under her growing frame, but he stubbornly said nothing.

"You know," she said casually, stretching her arms above her head and 'accidentally' flexing her expanding muscles, "this is quite a comfortable position. Mind if I stay like this for the rest of the movie?"

"Not at all," Jordan managed, though his voice was muffled by her increasingly broad back. She had to be approaching 6'5" now, her weight becoming significant.

"You sure?" she asked sweetly, deliberately wriggling to get 'comfortable' and feeling his legs trembling beneath her. "Because I can move if I'm too heavy..."

"No!" Jordan blurted out, then tried to play it cool. "I mean, no, you're perfect. Totally normal. Not heavy at all."

Jane smirked, feeling another growth spurt beginning. "Well, if you're sure..."

She settled back down, knowing full well that in a few minutes, Jordan would have no choice but to admit what was happening. After all, even the strongest man would struggle with an Amazon using him as a cushion.

"Jordan..." Jane said innocently after another ten minutes, now practically crushing him, "are you sure everything's alright? You're breathing quite heavily."

"I... ugh... just tired," Jordan wheezed. "Maybe we should call it a night?"

"Already?" Jane shifted her weight, knowing full well she must be close to 200 pounds of solid muscle by now. "But the movie's not over..."

Jordan finally broke. "Jane, please... I can't... you're too..."

"Too what?" she asked, standing up and pulling him to his feet. Even through his gasping for air, his eyes widened as he realised he had to look up to meet her gaze.

"Nothing! Just tired. Heading to bed," he said quickly, turning towards the bedroom.

"Oh no you don't," Jane caught his arm easily, her hand now large enough to wrap completely around his bicep. "Let's do another comparison. You know, just to prove nothing's changed."

"Really, I should-"

But Jane was already dragging him to the bathroom. Standing beside him in front of the mirror, the difference was stark. She had to be at least 7'6" now, her head nearly touching the doorframe.

"See?" she said with exaggerated innocence. "Everything's normal! Though... the mirror must be playing tricks because it almost looks like... no, can't be. Here, flex for me?"

Jordan reluctantly raised his arm, still impressive from his regular gym sessions. Jane stood behind him, and when she flexed, her bicep appeared on either side of his head, dwarfing his arm completely.

"Must be the lighting," she mused thoughtfully. "Because my strong man definitely has bigger muscles than me, right?"

Jordan's face was bright red. "Jane..."

"Oh! Let's compare legs!" She moved beside him again, her torn leggings now looking more like shorts on her massively long, muscular legs. "Though of course, yours are bigger. Even if mine seem to be... um... four times the size? No, no, must be these stretchy leggings playing tricks."

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Jordan finally said, a slight smile playing on his lips despite his embarrassment.

"Enjoying what?" Jane asked, innocently reaching up to touch the top of the doorframe without even stretching. "Everything's completely normal. Even if I do seem to be able to do this now..." She easily lifted Jordan with one arm, holding him at eye level. "But that's probably just because you're extra light tonight, right?"

"Alright, alright!" Jordan laughed, dangling in her grip. "You've made your point. Now please put me down?"

"Are you admitting something's changed?" she asked, holding him effortlessly.

"Yes! Yes, you're huge! You're an Amazon! Now please, ground level?"

Jane gently set him down, grinning. "Was that so hard to admit?"

"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?"

"Live what down?" she asked, flexing again and watching her bicep swell to the size of his head. "The fact that your deepest desire was for me to become a giantess? No, probably not."

"Speaking of desires," Jane said, examining her massive frame in the mirror, "Gran did say the doll grants the deepest ones... even ones we don't know we have."

Jordan looked up at her - way up - and swallowed hard. "What do you mean?"

"Well," she said, casually lifting him again with one arm, "you didn't know you wanted... this." She gestured to her towering, muscular form. "So maybe I have some hidden desires too?"

"Like what?"

Jane set him down, a mischievous glint in her eye. "No idea. But..." She walked to the living room, her footsteps now heavy enough to make the floorboards creak, and picked up the doll. "Maybe we should find out?"

"Jane..." Jordan's eyes widened. "It's nearly midnight. Maybe we should wait until-"

"Oh come on," she said, her new size making her surprisingly intimidating as she towered over him. "Where's that confidence from earlier? Don't you want to see what I really want?"

Before Jordan could protest further, Jane closed her eyes, holding the doll tightly in her now massive hands.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then Jordan felt that familiar warmth spreading through his body again. But this time, it felt different. More intense.

"Jane?" he said, his voice changing even as he spoke. "What's happening to me?"

Jane opened her eyes and smiled, but it wasn't her usual warm smile. There was something... different about it.

"Interesting," she said, watching him intently. "Very interesting."

"What's interesting?" Jordan asked, suddenly aware that his clothes felt strange, but not tight like Jane's had been. They felt... loose?

"Oh, nothing," Jane said innocently, but her eyes gleamed with something that made Jordan nervous. "Just remembering something else Gran said about the doll."

"What's that?" Jordan's voice definitely sounded different now.

"She said it works best on Halloween night," Jane explained, stepping closer to him, seeming even taller than before. "But she also said something about the changes being... unpredictable after midnight."

Jordan glanced at the clock on the wall. 11:58 PM.

"Jane," he said, his voice now barely recognizable as his own, "what did you do?"

The clock struck midnight, and Jane's smile widened.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough," she said, watching as Jordan's transformation began to accelerate. "After all... the night's still young."

And in the darkness of the cabin, the wooden doll's smooth, featureless face seemed to smile.

[To be continued...]