In the dark heights of the theatre a shadow crawled down the wall. Above the stage, above the lights and the catwalk far away from any person, it heard laughter. Felt the warmth of human joy rising from below. It hadn't been to a theatre in a long, long time. Hundreds of years. But it had grown curious, hungry, and longed for the special things that only humans could make. The way they feel… 

So the shadow had come here, slipping in through a crack in the roof.  The delicious aroma of human minds, so unique, so giving, emanated from the building below. The shadow could sense them all, seeing them connected in their complex webs of desires and jealousies. To a being like the shadow, these feelings were strings on a grand instrument, something that only they could make music with. 

The web of want lay before them. 

So the shadow began to play... 

~~~~~~~~~~~

Shannon Anleigh walked into the empty theatre and felt a chill go up her spine. Her blue eyes darted over to the stage - but it was empty. Her imagination was getting the better of her. Probably midterm stress, she thought. 

She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, still surprised at how short it was. She got a pixie cut at the beginning of the year, but hadn't visited a salon since then. It was getting floppy - roguish, her friends said. Like a 90's boy band star. She had liked the androgynous look at first, especially for the attention it got her from the other women in her theatre program. But since the weather got cold and her exams got closer, it's just felt like a sign that things had gotten out of control. She barely had time to leave the library, let alone go to a salon. She barely had time to stage-manage this show. But here she was, waiting for the lighting guy to show up - again.

She walked up the double stairs to the balcony, throwing her bag down on one of the seats. The lighting booth was situated towards the back, a squat white shed of a structure, with a huge curtained window. She knocked on the door, heard nothing, and opened it up. A waft of heavy, herbaceous air hit her in the face with the force of a brick. She slammed it shut, reeling back. 

"Hey!" Someone shouted from downstairs. Shannon turned, and saw a bearded boy dressed all in black flailing his arms, rushing towards her. "I'll be right up! Don't -  uh, I got it, just stay there." 

Grant, she thought, seething. Campus lighting guy, Junior-year theatre major, and judging from the smell, a major stoner. They shook hands. He panted as his eyes darted all around the room. "I've seen you around, yeah?" he asked. 

She nodded. "You did a demonstration in Professor Sahar's seminar last year."

"Yeah?" He rubbed his neck, pulling up his t-shirt a bit. Shannon could see a handsome, round stomach and the bright blue hem of his underwear. The muscles of his arms strained. “I guess - I did? It’s been a busy time…” Shannon's mind wandered, fantasizing of peeling his shirt off and pulling those pants all the way down - 

The Shadow pulled strings no mortal could see, testing how far they could go - 

She shook her head. "Yeah! I was in that class. Haha." It was unlike her to get distracted. She motioned towards the booth. "You want to - ?" 

"Oh, of course!" Grant said. He opened the door, froze, and turned back to her. That sticky smell couldn’t be ignored. She could see him making excuses in his mind. Shannon thought about torturing him for a moment, making him squirm for being late and making the booth reek of pot. But something about the  fear in his eyes just melted her heart. He looked so vulnerable, so pathetic. Like he would do anything to not get in trouble - anything. 

He should get on his knees and beg you, the Shadow whispered. He will lick your legs and you’ll get him stoned, so he becomes more clumsy and desperate and pant like a dog - 

Shannon shook the thoughts out of her head again. What had gotten into her today? Had the anxiety gotten so bad that she had gone past stress and into horniness? "Don't worry about it," she said. She smiled and tried to wink reassuringly. "I’m the stage manager, not a cop." 

His face lit up in a smile, perfectly framed by his close-cropped beard. His brown, tired eyes shimmered. "Thanks. Midterms, y'know? I'm here for so long without the faculty around, and no one believes me, but it helps me think! It normally airs out before anyone notices…" 

Shannon nodded and followed him inside. The booth was cramped - two rolling chairs sat before the huge soundboard, marked with tape reading “DO NOT ADJUST” in bold sharpie, over and over again. The more modern light board was shoved awkwardly next to it. Grant sat in front of that, tucking himself into the corner, queuing up commands for the show. “So, I already programmed most of the numbers,” he said. “It’s pretty straightforward. We’ll begin after house-down with this really cool sudden spotlight…” 

And on and on they went for the next half hour, going over all the beats for the show. Shannon was impressed. Their little revue was run by student volunteers, most too busy to get together until Hell Week, but Grant seemed to anticipate all their chaos and wants. They listened to the songs on her phone as he described the dances, passionately, knowing what every performer would be doing without them even being there. She was enjoying herself. She even got used to the smell. Maybe even caught a little second hand high, because her head seemed to spin… She just loved Grant’s ideas. He was charming. He was goofy and shy. Pops of enthusiasm bled through everything he spoke about. He really knows what he’s doing, she thought. I never would have guessed…

“So, that’s about the whole show!” Grant said. He rubbed the back of his neck - once again pulling up his shirt, and revealing a bit of his paunchy belly. His blue boxers had creeped up to his belly button, and Shannon could see the sparse hair that trailed into them. “What do you think?” 

Shannon smiled. She was happy with the whole show. The directors were going to love it, and there really wasn’t anything for her to change. 

But the Shadow was hanging from the ceiling, and her admiration had created more strings for it to tug. It waved what amounted to its fingers, and Shannon forgot all the common sense and decency she had been taught. 

“It’s great!” She said. She put her notebook down and pushed back her chair. “If there’s one suggestion I can make, it’s that I really should be sucking your cock. Is that ok?” 

Grant’s jaw went slack, and the Shadow’s barely had to influence him to agree. He slid his black jeans down and let his cock sproing out. “Uh-huh,” was all he could manage as Shannon fell to the floor and started lapping. 

Grant’s cock was thick, much wider than any she had ever seen before. It strained against the confines of her mouth - she let her jaw get loose and slobbered over its smooth, sweaty, perfect surface. “I just really wanted to taste you,” she giggled. “This whole time. I want to get your cock wet, you know? It’s all I’ve been thinking about for, like… the whole night.” She started to giggle. Some distant part of her brain said, What is happening?? You’ve never done this before! But Shannon’s overwhelming cocklust ignored that little protest. She bent her head forward, and took his dark round head as far inside her as it could go. 

“Ghstklbuhbnghnghggggh,” was all Grant could say in response. Some fog had taken over his brain, too. It was the Shadow pulling his strings, removing any sense of awkwardness, shame, or fear of getting caught from his mind. Later, half-remembering, he would pin it on the weed. He rolled his head back and moaned as his cock poked the back of Shannon’s throat. Gently, as if asking permission, he raked his fingers through the back of her head. She moaned as he grabbed hold of her blonde strands and tugged. “Good…slut,” he managed, in a breathy voice. 

This forced Shannon to jam her hand past the tight hem of her denim shorts and start stroking her pussy. She was so wet. She moaned and sank deeper onto his cock. Her fingers found her engorged clit begging to be flicked. “It feels so fucking good to just let go and blow you,” she said, but with the cock in her mouth it came out as stupid babble. Grant moaned and bucked in agreement. He was gently face-fucking her, and she got so wet at the thought of being degraded like this.

The Shadow purred in pleasure, wishing it had manifested genitals to play with, too. It got high off the purity of their joy. “That’s right little mortals,” the Shadow murmured. “You’ve both wanted this for so long. Ever since she saw him in that silly class, last August - “

“ - And I thought you just looked so cute,” Shannon said. She had pulled Grant’s cock out of her throat and started stroking it without skipping a beat. She locked eyes with him as her soft hands glided up and down his shaft, using her own saliva as lube. His thick, stiff member glistened under her touch. “You were so shy, and careful, and I could tell you were a little stoned, but I saw you in that class and thought, I bet he’s great in bed. Focused on pleasure, you know?” A  tiny orgasm exploded across her clit as she fingered her pussy just right, the sensation traveling from her hole to her clit and through her whole spine. “Aah! I thought about how fun it would be to pull your cock out in front of everybody, and stroke it just like this. Make you a stupid moaning boy. Just like you are.” 

Grant could hardly respond. He groaned, and one of his hands drifted from the back of her head onto his nipples. “Yeha, I’m a stupid…moaning…boyyyyy.” His fingers found his sensitive nips and twisted them hard. “I’m so stupid. I’m such a stoned stupid slut,” he said, bucking his hips into Shannon’s hands. “I’m such a fucking stoned slut.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Shannon giggled. “Did my baby boy smoke weed and get too stupid to talk?” 

Grant babbled in agreement. A little bubble of saliva foamed on his lips. Shannon got off the floor to lick it away. They started making out. Slowly, sensuously. Shannon’s lips curled in a smile. I sucked his cock without even kissing him… Their eyes half-fluttered open and their minds broke through the Shadow’s horny spell, finally seeing each other for what they were. They were two foolish kids caught up in a moment of desire, and they were so, so happy that they let themselves go. Shannon started giggling with a toothy smile. Grant giggled too, interspersed with little moans - her hand hadn’t stopped stroking his cock. He leaned back and drank her in. 

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Grant said. 

“Me too,” Shannon said. “It’s like a dream.” 

“A wet dream,” Grant whispered. His bright brown eyes became alert, snapping up from his heavy lids. “Can I fuck you?” 

She nodded. She slid her shorts down, letting go of his cock. He grabbed her ass as she straddled him in his too-small rolling chair. He squeezed the plump bulge of her cheeks, spreading them apart as she slid onto his cock. They couldn’t think about protection, or any consequences therein - the Shadow made sure of that, bending reality around them so that no consequences would leave past tonight. They were safe, and protected, and when Grant’s thick cock spread Shannon’s pussy as wide apart as it had ever gone, she practically screamed in pleasure. Her gasp scared him. 

“Are you ok?” he asked.

“Yessss,” Shannon hissed, hips bucking gently against him. “You’re stretching me…” 

He went feral. He thrust his hips once, and it felt like her entire body was being split in two. She cried out in pain again. “Oh my god, you’re stretching me.” She grabbed his face and looked deep into his eyes. “I fucking love the way you’re stretching me.” 

Grant began fucking her wildly. His cock thrust in and out of her tiny pussy, one hand playing with her soft ass, the other guiding her through the small of her back. She started screaming in pleasure. “Oh my god, yes, Grant, destroy my fucking pussy.” She pulled her shirt off - her breasts jiggled in a leopard-print bra she didn’t bother to take off. “Grant, destroy my fucking pussy.” 

His hips moved quicker, pushing into her, his face falling into her bouncing cleavage. His tongue rolled out of his mouth as he kissed her tits all over, slobbering over them as his tongue fell slack with pleasure. She felt so fucking good. She was so fucking hot. Her nails bit into his shoulders, piercing his black t-shirt. He grunted with joy at that little sense of pain. She heard it, and one hand moved to the back of his neck, raking her nails deep as he continued to thrust. The chair rolled towards the back of the lighting booth, but he pushed her onto the desk that held the boards. Half leaning, half standing, they humped against the furniture and rocked the walls with their passion. Her pussy had finally adjusted to his size, and he fucked her hard and fast as their orgasms grew near. 

The Shadow moaned and pleasured itself between the dimensions in which it watched them. I’m so fucking glad I’m here, it said. I love these horny fucking college kids. 

Grant suddenly gripped Shannon close -a desperate bear hug. She wasn’t ready for the movement. She lost her balance, and her hips slid off the desk and fully onto his thick, throbbing cock, which kept fucking against her despite the shift in weight. That was enough to push her over. He felt her pussy walls begin to throb, and her nails dug into his neck and shoulders enough to make him bleed. “Oh my fucking god, I’m cumming,” Shannon screamed. It sounded so beautiful to Grant and the Shadow. He held her close, pushing her lithe body into his chest, roaring in exasperated joy as he shot cum deep inside her cunt. Together, they twitched, and moaned, and panted. He could feel the cum bouncing off her cervix and leaking out of her cunt. Her head went limp - she closed her eyes and sank into the sensation. 

Grant was barely able to find the chair, blindly stumbling and feeling with his back. He sank into it, his cock popping out of her. He let the weight of her sink into his body, holding her tight as he rested in the chair. Her whole body had gone slack, and she drooled a bit as she panted against his chest. Together, they did not think. Together, they were just two panting animals enjoying the warm serotonin glow of orgasms leaving their bodies. He shifted her only slightly so that she could rest easily in his lap, his jeans still wrapped around his ankles. He let his head loll against her blonde, breathing in her scent. Just like roses, he thought. They fell asleep together, briefly, in the booth like this. Half naked, full of pleasure, cum leaking out of her cunt. 

The stage glowed as the automatic steps of Grant’s lights continued. Their colored symphony played against his closed eye lids as he tried to imprint, forever, what it was like to know her body here. She fell into a deep slumber, the cum leaking out of her and his strong arms signaling to some deep part of her that she was safe, and that now was the time to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

In sleep, Shannon floated through a river of moonlight. It carried her through the birch wood that lay just outside of the village where the college stood. She was dressed in sheer silks - she could tell it was an outfit out of a fantasy. A wreath of wildflower was braided around her long, long hair, and her heavy eyelids fought against the sleepiness to try and study the sky. The moon was bright, and in the wrong place. The stars were a few inches from her face. 

She tilt her head up to look where she was going. She was floating towards a Shadow, some androgynous thing that sat on a throne of thorns. It was nude, and beautiful, and idly playing with itself. But it - they? - recoiled when it saw that Shannon’s eyes were open. She tried to say it was ok, that she was confused, that she just wanted to know, but she began to feel gravity working against her and knew that the dream would end. The Shadow tilted its head, confused.

“It’s ok,” she tried to say. “Where am I?” 

The Shadow didn’t know how to respond. “Somewhere mortals rarely go.” It tried to say, but it was too late. Shannon woke up. 

~~~~~~~

Shannon woke up. It was too late - six o’clock in the evening, when she should have been back to her dorm by five. Grant, also sleeping, perhaps stoned, was startled when she shot out from her chair. “I have to go!” She declared. 

“Oh! Of course,” he said. He got up too - only his pants were a little loose, and they stayed wrapped around his thighs as he stood up. Shannon got a revealing glimpse of his boxers, and so the outline of his thick member as his face grew read, and he tugged at the waist of his jeans. Are his boxers… wet?! She thought. Was he leaking after - after…

She shook the lewd thought from her mind. They had merely spent all afternoon reviewing light cues, after all. They must have dozed off after reviewing some boring details. Nevermind that the light board was cold and the stage was dark. Or that she had fallen asleep straddling him. Midterms, you know… Shannon shook any trace of doubt from her mind. Grant look confused - probably the weed leaving his system. She put out her hand. 

“Thanks for the preview!” She said. He took her hand and shook it gently, confusion still painted over his face. “Once we get the club together we can go over any fine adjustments. But you look - this looks great. You did a great job.” 

Grant smiled. He looked bashful. “Thank you! I’m here to please.” 

“I know you are,” Shannon said with a smile. That flirtatious line hung in the air as she grew red in the face, snapped up her bag, and fled the booth. Grant was left with his pants sagging down his waist as he watched her go. His eyes trailed over the shape of her ass, and the messy, ruffled fringes of her hair. 

Shannon tried to shake the lingering sense of embarrassment from her mind. Midterm stress must have been getting to her. She was so distracted, and sleepy, and so very, very wet. It almost felt like someone had creampied inside her… 

He did! Why is this memory fading? You sucked his cock and he finished inside you, it made you so happy, but it’s like someone is locking that memory away - 

There was a flash of pleasure down her spine, which faded into nothing. She walked out into the amber streetlight of the campus at dusk, the regal brick buildings full of so much warmth and shadow. Those would be thoughts to enjoy after she had gotten into the comfort of her bed. Thoughts to linger over and make real through imagination…

They were just fantasies, right? A cold breeze blew through her shirt - she felt something, some doubt, stir inside. That was all just fantasy… right? 

The Shadow watched her from between the worlds. It almost seemed like Shannon could see it, but at the edge of her recognition. She turned away. How interesting, the Shadow thought. Perhaps I was right to come here, now… 

It slipped into the night, to the glittering spaces between the stars, and waited. It would keep a watch on this one. This mortal’s soul burned brighter than most. 

Somehow, Shannon felt the shadow slip away. She, too, felt a bright burning soul just beyond her frame of vision. She looked up at the shimmering sky, and wondered at what could be looking back.