Austin Conway and his wife, Persephone, exchanged a look as their new roommate finished carrying the last of her possessions into her new room. He knew both of them were thinking the exact same thing: this wasn’t what they had been expecting.

The Conways were, in almost every respect, a very normal couple. They were exactly the kind of people you might have expected to see living in a quaint little house in the suburbs, complete with white picket fence. Austin and Persephone would have been proud of a home like that, too. There was just one problem: as older millennials, they were a few decades too late for the time when a young couple could actually afford a house of their own. As such, they had ended up renting a house big enough for three, and as much as they’d both wanted to avoid finding a new roommate after their old one had moved out, their finances weren’t so accommodating.

That’s where Haisley came in.

On paper, she was the perfect candidate. She was the same age as them, all her references checked out, and she had a nice, stable job as a web developer. Better still, she was a lesbian. When they’d been reviewing applicants, Austin and Persephone had decided a lesbian would be perfect. No awkwardness, no tension. Both of them were as straight as a ruler, and a roommate that was categorically off the table for either of them just seemed to make things simpler. It was one less problem to worry about.

Haisley, though, wasn’t quite what either of them hadn’t been expecting.

What her application hadn’t told them was that Haisley was, in fact, a complete and total alt girl. Her hair was dyed black with a large, bright, neon pink streak, her makeup was dark and striking, and she had more than a few visible piercings. And her clothes? Austin hadn’t been expecting their new roommate to show up wearing a corset top, a pleated miniskirt, thigh-highs, and Doc Martens. Her jewelry was equally ostentatious; she had on a thick, leather choker and a huge, strange locket suspended on a chain. Between all of that and the tattoo visible on her shoulder, Haisley looked like she’d be more at home on a trendy campus rather than the Conways’ sleepy, boring, normal neighborhood.

That was a problem.

At least, potentially. Austin didn’t like to think of himself as close-minded, but both he and Persephone wanted someone who could fit in with them. Someone who had the right kind of vibe. Someone who was, just like them, pretty normal. Austin was very worried that Haisley was going to be anything but. The last thing he and his wife wanted was someone who was going to disrupt their nice little married life.

“There,” Haisley announced brightly, approaching the couple. “All done.”

“That’s great,” Austin replied politely. “You must be exhausted.”

Haisley laughed. “You can say that again.”

“Especially since, uh, you got all dressed up just to move,” Persephone ventured hopefully.

“Hm?” Haisley looked down at herself. “Oh, not really. This is me every day.”

“Ah.”

Austin and Persephone’s polite smiles grew a touch more forced.

“Well,” Austin said, “just let us know when you’re feeling up to the grand tour!”

“Thanks!” Haisley looked intently at Austin. “I feel really really good about living here. I’ve got some big plans, and I can’t wait to get working on them.” She turned her gaze to Persephone. “I’m especially excited for us to get some girl time together at some point. Aren’t you?”

Persephone just nodded, but Austin could tell she was more than a little unhappy with the suggestion. Austin didn’t blame her. Looking at the two of them, standing next to each other, he couldn’t picture them becoming friends. They were polar opposites. Persephone was much more girl-next-door, rather than alt girl. He was fairly confident her naturally pale, blonde hair had never touched hair dye, and she rarely opted for anything more than no-makeup makeup looks, except for on special occasions. Her wardrobe was all jeans, plain tops and sundresses, and her taste in music was just as conventional.

What could she and a girl like Haisley possibly have in common?

“That sounds fun,” Persephone agreed eventually, without much enthusiasm. “But, um, you know, sometimes I’m pretty busy…”

“Don’t worry.” Haisley seemed oblivious to Persephone’s awkwardness, and spoke with a certain twinkle in her eye. “I’m sure we can find the time sooner or later. And I’m just as sure we’ll be able to have a ton of fun. I can promise you, I’m very, very good at getting along with people.”

Austin noticed her hand drifting upwards, to idly toy with that strange locket around her neck.

***

After two weeks, Persephone still wasn’t used to Haisley living with her and her husband. She was enjoying a day off from work, and every time she went downstairs, the sound of Haisley typing on her laptop from their living room made her feel uncomfortable, like it was some sort of intrusion. It wasn’t that Haisley was a bad roommate. She seemed perfectly nice. It was just that since she worked from home, she was always there, and Persephone had absolutely nothing in common with her.

Persephone couldn’t resist the urge to peak in on her as she worked, peering through the small gap between the door and its frame. Haisley was sitting on the couch, busy on her laptop, wearing a large pair of headphones. Persephone had learned that her new roommate was quite the audiophile, although from her perspective, Haisley’s taste in music was completely baffling. She couldn’t stand all that moody emo stuff she listened to.

“Hey Persephone, what’s up?”

Persephone almost jumped out of her skin when Haisley called her name. She hadn’t realized Haisley had known she was there. Left with no other choice, she pushed the door open and walked in.

“Hi,” she said, with the warmest smile she could muster. “I was just, um, wondering if you’d like some tea? I’m taking a break from some chores and I was thinking of making some.”

“Oh, that’s OK.” Haisley reached up and took off her headphones. “But if you’re taking a break, I’ll do the same! Here, why don’t we chat?”

She patted the seat beside her on the couch. Persephone didn’t particularly want to sit with her, but she didn’t want to be rude either. Reluctantly, she nodded.

Once she was seated next to Haisley, it immediately became obvious that they had absolutely nothing to talk about. Music was a non-starter; she’d already tried that. Fashion was just as bad a prospect. To Persephone, Haisley’s dress sense was just as unfathomable. How could she stand wearing black all the time? Along with her hair, it was so garish. Why did she want to show so much skin, especially at home? And then there was her jewelry…

“Is… there something on my chest?” Haisley asked, an amused smile on my face.

“Huh? Oh!” Persephone blushed as she abruptly released that she’d been staring at Haisley’s locket. “N-no, I… was just admiring your locket,” she replied, half-truthfully.

“Yeah?” Haisley seemed even more amused by that. She lifted it between two of her fingers, letting Persephone get a better look. “You like it?”

Persephone wouldn’t have gone that far, but she had to admit that it was an eye-catching piece. The locket was of a very unusual design. It was silver, and consisted of a pair of concentric rings with a small hourglass at their center. They were all connected so that the rings could spin freely within one another, allowing the hourglass to be spun upside down at a simple touch. Within it, there were what looked like actual grains of sand. It was a neat idea, Persephone supposed, but a little too large and gimmicky for her liking.

“It’s certainly unusual,” she said politely. “Where did you find something like that?”

Haisley laughed a knowing laugh. “That’s a very long story. And you wouldn’t believe it if I told you.” She tilted her head, looking at Persephone intently. “But… is that really what you were looking at?”

Persephone was confused. “What do you mean?”

Haisley smirked. “I’m just saying - if you spend that long staring at a lesbian’s tits, she might start to get the wrong idea.”

That wasn’t funny at all. It wasn’t her fault that the locket was nested in Haisley’s exposed cleavage. If she didn’t want people to look, she should cover up a little more! Persephone folded her arms and frowned. “I’m not sure what you’re implying,” she said frostily, “but I don’t like it.”

“It’s not an insult,” Haisley replied calmly. “Look, if you’re into girls, you can just say so. I won’t tell.”

“I am not!” Persephone insisted. “And I was not… I was just looking at your stupid locket and thinking-”

She froze in her tracks when Haisley reached up and flipped the hourglass in the center of her locket.

As soon as the sand started to trickle, Persephone’s words died on her lips and her arms slumped to her sides. Instantly, her mind was empty. The emptiness washed over her like a tide before she was even aware of it. It was as if time had stopped altogether, except that the second hand on the clock on the wall was still ticking. Persephone wasn’t thinking about that, though. She wasn’t thinking about anything. Her mind was utterly blank, and completely open.

She was in a perfect trance.

“You should really know better than to insult something so very powerful,” Haisley mused. “Fortunately, it’s going to help me get you a little more… open to experimentation.”

She took her time savoring the moment, leaning in close so that she could drink in the sight of the married woman’s slack, emotionless face. Then, slowly and deliberately, she told her:

“Actually, you were looking at my chest.”

An instant later, the sands finished trickling through the hourglass, and awareness flooded back into Persephone’s mind.

“I… huh?” Persephone muttered. What had just happened? She couldn’t remember a thing. All her memories were strangely hazy, and her mind suddenly felt like it was full of cobwebs.

“I was just asking you why you were staring at my chest,” Haisley said calmly.

“Right.” Now that her roommate had prompted her, Persephone could remember that much. She wasn’t sure what to say for herself, though. Why had she been staring at the other woman’s chest? “Well, it’s just… your top really shows it off, I guess? You’re pretty well-endowed in that department, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

That much was true, on both counts. Haisley’s tank top had a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination, and lots on display.

“I don’t.” Haisley giggled. “But Persephone, do you often find yourself noticing things like that about women.”

Persephone wasn’t sure quite how to answer. “I suppose so.”

“Interesting. And do you like what you notice?”

Persephone tensed. “Haisley, I don’t think that’s appropriate at all, and in fact I-”

Haisley flipped the hourglass in her locket again.

The effect was just as instant, and just as total. Persephone broke off mid-sentence, and slumped back into a hopeless, helpless, entranced state. Haisley was quick to take advantage and imprint another suggestion on her vulnerable mind.

“Yes, you do,” she told her. “You like what you see.”

This time, when the trance faded, Persephone found herself both confused and faintly embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she’d been caught staring at another woman’s breasts like that. She didn’t understand why she was doing it. Just that she couldn’t help but enjoy it.

She was straight, but she liked admiring other womens’ breasts. How crazy did that sound?

“So, you like looking, right?” Haisley poked. Persephone blushed, and nodded. “Are you sure you’re not into girls?”

This time, Persephone wasn’t offended. How could she be? It was a natural question, given what she’d just admitted. “I’m pretty sure I’m not,” she replied quietly. “I mean, I’ve only ever dated guys. It’s just… a weird feeling, or something. I don’t know. But it’s nothing like how I feel about Austin.”

“Uh-huh.” Haisley was still smiling. “How do you really feel about him, though?”

Persephone looked up at her, surprised. “What?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” the alt girl said, shrugging, “but I’ve noticed you guys don’t seem all that active in the bedroom.”

At that, Persephone was lost for words. It wasn’t true at all! They had a very enjoyable sex life. “Um, Haisley, that’s… I know we’re getting to know each other, but for this house, comments like that are a little too personal.”

Haisley didn’t bother to apologize. She just flipped her hourglass again.

“No,” Haisley corrected her - brainwashed her. “You don’t really have sex at all.”

“Am I right?” Haisley pressed, once the magical trance expired. “Or am I right?”

Persephone was quiet. Was it really that obvious that their marriage was in such a rut? It was mortifying that their new roommate was already figuring out her shameful secret: she couldn’t seem to enjoy her husband’s body, but she enjoyed looking at womens’.

“Yeah,” Haisley said sympathetically. “I’m sorry, sweetie. The look on your face says it all.”

“I-it’s not like that,” Persephone protested, even though she didn’t have a clue what she wanted to say for herself. “It’s probably normal in a marriage, right? The spark dying down a little bit, I mean. New relationship energy doesn’t last forever.”

“Maybe,” Haisley replied. “Or maybe there’s a different explanation.”

Persephone knew right away what she was getting at. “I…”

She didn’t think she was attracted to other women. But she knew that, after everything they’d been talking about, denials would ring hollow. Hell, they felt hollow, even in her own head.

“Hey. Don’t worry,” Haisley said comfortingly. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. We can easily figure this out. Just be honest, and answer one, simple question: are you attracted to me? Do you find me hot?”

Persephone found the question surprisingly hard to answer. A ‘no’ came naturally to her lips, but when she looked over Haisley’s body, her gaze caught on her amazing breasts. Why did they make her feel the way they did?

After a few moments of silence, Haisley flipped her enchanted hourglass once more, and took all her doubt and confusion away.

“Persephone, you’re incredibly attracted to me.”

Once the sands had finished trickling through the hourglass, Persephone clasped her hands over her face. Unaware of what her new roommate had done, Haisley’s question was still echoing through her head. And now, as she looked at her, the answer was obvious. It wasn’t just her breasts. It was everything.

And Haisley knew.

“Oh my god,” was all Persephone could manage to say.

At that moment, both of them heard the sound of the front door of their house opening. Persephone immediately started to panic.

“Oh my god,” she repeated. “Austin!” she hissed to her new confidant. “I can’t deal with him right now! I’m still figuring all this out. What am I supposed to say?”

She swooned a little as Haisley rose to the occasion.

“I’ll go and head him off,” Haisley replied. “You take all the time you need. Besides…” She grinned and her hands went to her locket. “I need to have a few words with him, too.

***

Persephone was a lesbian. Just saying that to herself gave her the most incredible rush. It was a crazy thing to suddenly discover about herself. It threatened to upend her entire world, but Persephone wasn’t scared. She was energized. She’d decided to worry about what it meant for her and her husband later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy herself.

And fortunately, she had her roommate, Haisley, to help her with that.

“Are… you sure this is going to look good on me?” Persephone asked, blushing.

“Absolutely,” Haisley told her firmly.

The two of them were in Haisley’s room. They had been talking and hanging out, and Haisley had suddenly proposed that Persephone try on some of her clothes. It was a strange offer, but Haisley had made it sound persuasive. She was already experimenting with her sexuality, why not experiment with her fashion, too?

It helped that Persephone’s opinion on Haisley had done a pretty drastic one-eighty. She had come to realize that her new roommate was pretty cool, actually. She had such a different perspective; Persephone wasn’t sure she always agreed with it, but it was endlessly interesting hearing her talk about topics and pieces of media that came from such a different world to her own.

Perhaps it was inevitable that she’d end up developing an appreciation of some of Haisley’s tastes, given that they were living together. Even now, as they sat in Haisley’s room, they were listening to one of the alt girl’s favorite albums: Three Cheers, by MCR. It was a pretty big departure from the upbeat pop and classy jazz that Persephone usually listened to, but she was really vibing with it. Haisley’s music seemed to perfectly suit her moods, these days.

So, why not try her clothes, too?

Persephone hadn’t been too difficult to persuade, but she was slightly regretting agreeing now that she could see the outfit Haisley had laid out for her. It was a pair of black and white checkered pants, very form-fitting, and with a large chain dangling from one side, and, to go with it, a black tube top with an embroidered red rose along with an oversized denim jacket. It was nothing like what Persephone usually wore - much too trendy, much too revealing, and much too dark.

She knew it wouldn’t suit her. But she couldn’t bear to disappoint Haisley.

“Fine, fine, I’ll try it,” she agreed, helpless before Haisley’s eager, puppy-dog eyes. She picked up the clothes, and glanced at the door. “Should I, um…”

“Right here is fine!” Haisley beamed. “It’s just us girls, right?”

Persephone nodded, even though she was sure it wasn’t quite that simple between two lesbians. As Haisley watched, she reached behind herself, unzipped her maxi dress, and lifted it off over her head. Her leggings were next. As she removed those, Persephone closed her eyes and tried to pretend Haisley wasn’t in the room with her. Anything else would have been way too embarrassing.

The tactic failed her, though, when she realized that she was going to have to take off her bra. Bra straps with a tube top was unthinkable. Even though she’d been doing it all her life, Persephone’s hands fumbled with her bra as she unhooked it and let it fall to the ground.

Closing her eyes wasn’t enough. She could feel the way Haisley was looking at her.

It wasn’t fair. How was she supposed to handle being stared at by such a hot girl?

Persephone only became more flustered when she opened her eyes so that she could slip Haisley’s pants on. The look of appreciation on her roommate’s face was unmistakable, and brought a deep blush to Persephone’s cheeks. Wasn’t it wrong, for Haisley to be ogling her like that? They were roommates, it was best to keep things platonic. And besides, she was married. Whatever her sexuality, she was determined not to betray Austin.

But then again, it wasn’t like she didn’t check Haisley out every chance she got. Especially her chest.

More distracting than any mere question of morality, though, was the fact that Persephone liked it. She liked that Haisley was looking at her tits.

She really, really, really liked it.

In an effort to conceal her embarrassment, Persephone dressed herself as quickly as possible. The whole time, she could feel Haisley’s eyes roving over her skin like twin pinpricks of heat. All she could do was pray Haisley wouldn’t notice how hard she was starting to sweat. Sadly, being dressed didn’t help much, given how much of her midriff and cleavage the tube top left on display. Persephone wasn’t as busty as Haisley, but she still had plenty of chest, and her roommate was enjoying looking at it. Her smaller size just meant that the tube top kept threatening to slip down.

Part of Persephone hoped it would.

Haisley clapped her hands in glee. “It’s perfect!” she declared.

Persephone smiled bashfully. “You think?”

“Absolutely,” her roommate gushed. “Your legs look amazing in that. And that top? Mmf. You’ll have all the girls drooling over you.”

Persephone was on the verge of overheating. Being praised this much by her hot, lesbian, alt girl roommate was more than she could handle.

“You have to keep it,” Haisley added.

That comment brought Persephone crashing back to earth. Keep it? When would she ever wear something like this? Not at work, that was for sure. She couldn’t even imagine stepping out the front door. She’d die of embarrassment from all the looks she’d catch. Persephone started shaking her head.

“No way,” she said. “This was fun, but, um, I really don’t think so.”

Haisley tilted her head to one side. “Why not?” she asked.

Persephone shrugged. “I really just don’t have the confidence.”

Haisley laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. We can fix that.”

She reached for the locket around her neck.

Persephone had noticed Haisley seemed to wear her unusual, hourglass locket at all times. She hadn’t thought to ask why, but as her roommate stroked it between her fingertips, Persephone experienced an intense burst of déjà  vu. It was so strong, she was momentarily off-balance. Her head was spinning wildly.

An instant later, Haisley flipped the hourglass, and all of that was gone.

Persephone was left completely and totally blank. All time and all thought stopped for her, and she was left as a blank, receptive vessel for Haisley to fill with her words.

She chose them carefully and deliberately. “Persephone, you’re more than confident enough for these clothes,” Hailey told her slowly. “And you’d love nothing more than to keep them.”

Once the sands had finished trickling through the hourglass, awareness crashed back into Persephone, and the déjà vu was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving her with only the odd, disorientating echoes of its passing.

“S-sorry, what did you just say?” she asked, rubbing her head. “I must have spaced or something.”

Haisley smiled. “I said, you can keep the clothes.”

Excitement surged within Persephone. “Oh my gosh, really?”

When Haisley nodded, Persephone squealed with joy. She couldn’t believe her luck. No clothes she’d ever worn before had ever felt so perfectly right. She was going to wear them every chance she got. Haisley was the best roommate ever!

“And that’s not all,” Haisley added. “Why don’t you pick out a few more things? Some jewelry, too. We can share!”

“Wait, wait,” Perephone said, bouncing with glee. “Before that, I need to show Austin! My husband isn’t going to believe I’m dressed like this.”

At that, a very odd look came over Haisley’s face. “Why don’t I go too?” she suggested. “There’s something I need to talk to you both about.”

“Oh. What is it?”

This time, Haisley didn’t just smile. She grinned. “You called Austin your husband,” she said, reaching for her locket once again. “But… are you sure you’re remembering that right?”

***

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this!”

Persephone was giggling and squealing as she waited on tenterhooks for Haisley to finish drying and brushing out her hair. They were in their bathroom and she was wearing a blindfold. That had been Haisley’s idea.

She wanted to make sure Persephone only saw her new, dyed hair once it was all done.

It was funny; until recently, Persephone would never, ever have considered using hair dye. She loved her natural color. But Haisley seemed to be able to talk her into just about anything. It helped that she was always right. Whenever she suggested something, no matter how outlandish, Persephone always ended up loving it. Thanks to her new best friend, she’d almost completely replaced her wardrobe. Haisley knew all the best places to buy clothes to suit her new look. It hadn’t taken Haisley very long to persuade her to consider coloring her hair, too. She was even trying to talk her around to the idea of getting a tattoo - like that would ever happen.

The biggest obstacle to dyeing her hair had been worrying about what Austin would think. Persephone knew he didn’t like hair that was any kind of unnatural shade, and she didn’t want to upset her fiancé.

Persephone frowned briefly. Calling Austin that, even in her head, always felt weird. She wasn’t quite sure why. It just didn’t seem like the right term, somehow. Maybe that was only natural, she rationalized. After all, it was kind of a mind-fuck that she’d figured out she was a lesbian right after agreeing to get married to a man.

“All done!” Haisley cried, her enthusiasm instantly sweeping aside all of Persephone’s confusion. She could hardly sit still as Haisley carefully removed her blindfold. “Ta-da!”

Persephone’s jaw immediately dropped.

Haisley had spent all week promising her that her hair was the perfect shade to take to dye. Until that moment, she hadn’t quite believed it. Every last hint of blonde was gone. Instead, her hair was a deep, rich, sea-green. The difference was stark, and Persephone couldn’t believe how much it changed her entire aesthetic. Suddenly, she looked exotic. Daring. Confident. She looked like a completely different woman.

“Well?” Haisley prompted. “What do you think?”

Slowly, Persephone started shaking her head.

“I… I dunno,” she muttered apologetically. “It’s… really not me, I think.”

“Oh.” Haisley seemed surprised.

“Do you think we can maybe go to a salon?” Persephone asked pleadingly. “Get it bleached back out to blonde or something?”

She wasn’t really sure why this was freaking her out so much, but she couldn’t handle the way that her own reflection now looked like a stranger.

“Hey, hey, slow down,” Haisley urged. “Where’s this coming from, babe? I thought you wanted this.”

“I…” Persephone didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to disappoint her friend. “I’m glad you got me to give it a try,” she said, “but it’s just… not for me.”

“Maybe you just need a little time to get used to it,” Haisley suggested. “I mean, c’mon, cool, colored hair is for everyone, right? Can you honestly tell me you didn’t want hair like this when you were a kid?”

“D-Did I?” Persephone muttered to herself. She didn’t remember that at all.

Haisley made a tutting sound, and reached for her hourglass locket.

“Yes,” Haisley told her, once Persephone had sunk into trance. “You did. You’ve always envied girls with dyed hair. You’ve always thought having dyed hair was the coolest.”

The next thing Persephone knew, her head was full of fog, and she was left feeling like time had slipped away from her. “Um… what?” she groaned.

“I was just saying: take another look,” Haisley said. “Are you sure you didn’t want hair like this when you were a kid?”

Persephone faced her bathroom mirror again, and, this time, the sight of her new, sea-green hair filled her with nothing but bubbly euphoria. She looked just like some of the punk girl stars she remembered seeing on TV growing up. Holy shit. That was really her now! Why had she ever doubted that Haisley had made the right choice?

Clearly, Persephone decided, she’d just needed a moment to get over her shock. She turned her head this way and that, admiring her shimmering, colorful hair from all angles. Dyed hair was the best. She’d always thought so. It was such a silly preference to have ended up repressing, just to fit in with Austin. Frankly, Persephone couldn’t believe she’d ever been reluctant. Haisley’s hair was probably part of the reason Persephone had been so attracted to her in the first place.

“God, you’re so right.” A broad smile spread across Persephone’s face. “This is so cool!”

“Right?” Haisley agreed, giggling.

“Just wait until people get a load of the new Persephone!” Persephone gave her friend an affectionate squeeze around her waist.

“Bee-tee-dubs,” Haisley said, after a moment. “Have you ever thought about, like, using a nickname or something?”

“Huh.” Once again, Persephone scrutinized her own reflection. “You know, maybe you’re right. I’m not sure ‘Persephone’ really suits me anymore. Something a little shorter and snappier might be nice.”

It was the kind of thing Persephone once would have sworn she’d never say. She’d always felt grateful for her name. It was classical and elegant, and everyone always told her how pretty it was. But… she was a different woman, now. Her tastes were changing. She found herself thinking a whole lot more about all the cool alt girls Haisley kept showing her on TikTok. Maybe she wanted to fit in with them, now, instead.

Persephone didn’t just want to be pretty. She wanted to be cool.

“My thoughts exactly.” Haisley looked incredibly pleased with herself.

“OK, well, how about you try calling me ‘Penny,’” Persephone suggested.

Haisley tilted her head. “Isn’t that a little… old-fashioned?”

Persephone didn’t think so. She shrugged. “It’s cute.”

She looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, Haisley just reached up and flipped over the hourglass in her pendant.

“So, what name do you want to try out?” Haisley asked a few moments later, as Persephone clutched at her head for a moment.

“H-huh?” Persephone wasn’t thinking about that at all. She was thinking that she needed to go and lie down. Maybe the strong smell of the hair dye was getting to her.

“Nicknames,” Haisley reminded her. “You had something in mind?”

“Oh, right.” Persephone was lucky she had Haisley here to keep her on track whenever she spaced out “I was thinking…”

What had it been? Penny? That was what people had always called her when she was a little girl. Somehow, though, Persephone found herself souring on the idea. It was way too old-fashioned for her liking. An instant later, a different name popped into her head, as if by magic.

“Sepphie!” she declared.

Haisley looked incredibly pleased. “Pleased to meet you, Sepphie!” she said, and kissed her.

Sepphie found herself returning the kiss before she even knew what was happening. Haisley’s lips felt amazing. Once Haisley pulled back, though, Sepphie looked away.

“I… we can’t,” she said quietly. “Austin… I mean, I know, I’m a lesbian. But still, i-it wouldn’t be right.”

“Are you sure?” Haisley’s voice was alive with passion, as she reached out and tilted Sepphie’s head up to meet her gaze. “Not even once or twice? Not even when it’s just us?”

Sepphie couldn’t help but smile back at her, and clearly her smile was all the answer Haisley needed.

“Now,” Haisley said, after another quick kiss. “About maybe getting a tattoo…”

***

Sepphie was buzzing with excitement. She was struggling not to move her body in rhythm with the emo pop-punk guitar chords that filled the tattoo parlor. The tattoo pen’s needle hurt and itched as it scratched a pattern into her forearm, but Sepphie didn’t mind the pain. It was a reminder that she was making her body her own again.

That was how Haisley had persuaded her to think of it, in the weeks since dyeing her hair. She was making her body her own. Embracing her own style, after years of trying pointlessly to conform. It felt good. It felt liberating. And this tattoo was the perfect way to celebrate her liberation.

“Alright, all done,” her tattoo artist said. “Just keep this protective film on for at least twenty-four hours. OK?”

Sepphie nodded and grinned. She was finally able to lift her arm and inspect the finished design. It was a labrys symbol. The perfect way to advertise that she was a lesbian, and tired of hiding it.

“I love it!” Sepphie exclaimed. Haisley cheered too. She was sitting just across the shop, watching over her. The two of them went everywhere together now. It made sense - they were dating, after all.

“Great,” the tattoo artist said. She was plainly a dyke, just like Haisley and Sepphie. She was exactly Sepphie’s type, too: an alternative-looking punk with a leather vest, short, bleached hair, and plenty of tattoos herself. “Your girlfriend did amazing for a first-timer,” she added, turning to Haisley. “She’s a real good girl.”

Sepphie couldn’t help shivering at that.

“She sure is.” Haisley stood up and walked over, grinning from ear to ear. “I can’t get over how far you’ve come, babe. I wonder what your boyfriend is gonna say this time.”

Sepphie just laughed. Austin wasn’t much of a fan of tattoos, it was true, but Sepphie wasn’t particularly inclined to care what he thought. It wasn’t like their relationship was particularly serious.

“Boyfriend?” The tattoo artist did a double-take. “I thought you two were…”

“We are!” Sepphie said, giggling. “I just also have a boyfriend.”

“For now,” Haisley quipped, winking.

“Stop!” Sepphie said playfully, swatting at her girlfriend with her palm. Haisley was trying to get her to give up on guys altogether, but somehow Sepphie couldn’t quite bring herself to dump Austin. He’d been her boyfriend for years, after all. They’d even talked about getting married at one point.

“Fine, fine,” Haisley replied, rolling her eyes, before smiling again. “Anyway, wanna make a quick vid?”

“Of course!”

Sepphie plucked her phone out of her purse. She’d started a TikTok account a few weeks before, at Haisley’s suggestion. It had turned out to be a great place to show off her new style, and she’d starting picking up hundreds of followers - most of them lesbians, just like her. They’d be sure to love her tattoo, not to mention the outfit she was wearing: a black mini dress, nice and low-cut, with a leather pentagram harness to frame her chest. With her phone raised at a high angle, pointing down at herself, Sepphie hit record. She bobbed her head to the music and flashed a quick peace sign, before extending her arm to show off her new ink. After a few moments, Haisley bent down to fit in frame, and Sepphie impulsively leaned over to make out with her.

A lesbian kiss was always good for content.

Once they broke off the passionate kiss, Sepphie noticed the way her tattoo artist was looking at her. “You wanna get in on this?” she asked, winking.

The tattoo artist bit her lip, smiling. “Sure, cutie.”

She bent down on Sepphie’s other side, and two of them made out. Sepphie loved the way her lip piercing felt. She’d have to add that to her shortlist of body mods. Maybe after septum piercing she was planning.

“There,” Sepphie announced, satisfied, and hit ‘stop’ on her phone.

Making out with her girlfriend and her tattoo artist at the same time? That was content gold. Add the right song and a few captions, and it was sure to do numbers.

“Another banger, babe,” Haisley said, kissing her cheek.

“Alright, we better get going.” Sepphie rose to her feet and stretched. “It’s getting late. I don’t want Austin to get worried.”

“Yeah… about that.” Haisley glanced aside briefly to make sure that the tattoo artist was busy putting her equipment away. She lifted her hand to the locket around her neck. “I think it really is time for you to be done with him.”

“Wha-”

Haisley flipped over the hourglass.

Immediately, Sepphie’s thoughts froze in their tracks. She felt a strange kind of pull, like her sense of time was being stretched out into infinity. She was mindless. Helpless.

Helpless to resist, as Haisley erased her relationship with Austin using just a few well-chosen words.

“You wouldn’t date a guy like Austin.”

Sepphie blinked. Her eyes were, for some reason, drawn to Haisley’s locket, even though the sands within the hourglass were now still. “Sorry, what were we talking about?”

“Austin,” Haisley supplied. “Would you ever consider going out with him?”

Sepphie scoffed. “No way,” she said, “I’m a lesbian, remember?”

Even as she said that, though, she was left with a sense of unease. Her own words made perfect sense. She was a lesbian. Why would she be dating a guy? But… wasn’t Austin her boyfriend? That was a contradiction.

“Of course I remember,” Haisley laughed. “I was just joking.”

“Right,” Sepphie said, but then frowned. “Hey, weird question, but… why does he live with us?”

“Don’t you remember?” Haisley replied. “We needed someone to help split the rent.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Sepphie remembered that much, but still, something wasn’t adding up. “But I thought… wasn’t that-”

Haisley flipped over her magical hourglass.

“You remember it,” Haisley told her. “Just like I said. There’s nothing to worry about.”

Once the sands stopped flowing and Sepphie’s mind kicked back into gear, all her confusion started to recede. Right, of course. It was just as Haisley said. Austin was their roommate.

There was just one thing that was still bothering her.

“Hey,” Sepphie said. “Hey, why does he sleep with me, in the master bedroom?”

“Let’s take care of that once we get home,” Haisley replied. “I think it’s way past time for us to share a bed. We are getting married, after all.”

“We… what?” Haisley’s eyes went wide.

And then drooped, once Haisley turned over her hourglass once more, plunging her into another trance.

Once Sepphie came to, she saw the ring in Haisley’s outstretched hand, and started tearing up with joy.

It was just what she’d always dreamed of

And she had absolutely no memory of Austin giving her that same ring.

***

Sepphie arched her back as she stretched out on her and Haisley’s queen-sized bed. She loved showing herself off to her wife - especially now that there was so much more of her to show off. It had been about six weeks since her breast implants, and the bruising was finally nicely healed. It was truly incredible to think that, in just a few months, she’d become a completely new woman. She felt like she’d had sea-green hair and a labrys tattoo forever - to say nothing of the other tattoos she’d added since.

It was all thanks to Haisley.

Her wife’s constant urging had opened up so many new experiences for her. The boob job had been by far the biggest step yet, but ultimately, Sepphie hadn’t put up too much resistance. She’d always been a boob girl. She still remembered how much she’d stared at Sepphie’s chest, when the two of them had first met. It was only natural that she’d want a bigger bust of her own. And besides, now sharing clothes was even easier. Sepphie couldn’t wait to try out some of Haisley’s sluttier outfits.

But tonight wasn’t a night for reflection. Tonight was a night for enjoying her new assets.

And Haisley was making no secret of how appreciative she was feeling. Sepphie’s wife was standing over her and staring at her with a look of unabashed lust on her face. She was naked, except for two things. One was her hourglass locket, the one she never, ever took off. And the other was the harness of her big, thick, hard strap-on.

Sepphie was staring at that just as lustfully.

“So, babe,” Haisley said, licking her lips, “ready to get your cherry popped?”

Sepphie rolled her eyes. “I’m not a virgin, dork.”

“Pfft. Until you’ve been fucked by a lesbian, have you really been fucked?”

Sepphie couldn’t help but giggle at that. Her wife had a point. This did feel a little like a first time - her first time having real, authentic, lesbian sex, as a real, authentic lesbian. It was special, and she’d been looking forward to it. Haisley had been happy to take things slow. They’d made out, of course, and sometimes that escalated to some pretty heavy petting, but ultimately they’d been escalating their relationship at lightning speed, and sex hadn’t really been a priority. Not compared to all the tattoos and body mods.

But now the time was right.

“Fine,” Sepphie retorted. “Then you better not keep me waiting any longer.”

She spread her legs apart, meeting Haisley’s gaze as she exposed her naked, dripping cunt.

Looking at Haisley putting on her strap had gotten her hornier than she’d ever been in her life.

This time, Haisley didn’t reply. She just reached out, resting one hand on the bed, and started rubbing her fingertips against Sepphie’s pussy. Immediate, Sepphie’s playful attitude evaporated into shameless, needy panting. Just that little touch had her body flooded with heat.

She needed this. She needed this so fucking bad.

“What was that?” Haisley teased. “What do you want me to do?”

“F-fuck me!” Sepphie panted. “Please… just fuck me already!”

Haisley giggled. “You’re lucky you’re too hot for me to tease you for too long.”

Sepphie let out a whine, which turned into a yelp as Haisley hooked her hands under her spread thighs and dragged her forwards, to the edge of the bed. Each of her breaths was a little moan, as Haisley carefully rested Sepphie’s ankles on her shoulders and positioned the tip of her strap-on against Sepphie’s slit.

“Love you,” Haisley said, puckering her face as if to blow a kiss, before thrusting her strap-on all the way inside Sepphie.

Immediately, Sepphie’s back arched, the sudden tightening of her muscles forcing all the air out of her lungs in a desperate, wordless cry. Her whole body was an overflowing bundle of pleasure. She’d never felt so full before. Haisley’s strap was easily bigger than any of the guys she’d fucked before, and she could feel every last inch. It was incredible. There was no going back now.

Not that she wanted to.

“O-oh my god!” Sepphie moaned, when Haisley pulled back, and then started to plow into her, driving the whole length of her strap into her cunt. She was seeing stars already. It was so intense.

“Careful.” Haisley giggled. “Our roommate is gonna hear us.”

“S-shut up!” Sepphie panted, laughing wildly. Both of them knew that neither of them cared.

“With how much noise you’re making, maybe the whole block is gonna know you’re a dyke slut,” Haisley taunted.

Sepphie’s ability to reply was immediately driven out of her. It was clear that Haisley knew exactly how to use her strap-on to drive her wild, and she wasn’t wasting any time. Every single thrust drove the tip of the silicone cock all the way inside her, at the perfect angle to hit her most sensitive places. Keeping her voice down was the last thing on Sepphie’s mind. It was all she could do to stay conscious as she clawed desperately at the bedsheets, her whole body twitching and shivering from the over-stimulation.

“Fuck, I can feel how tight you are,” Haisley growled.

She was breathing hard too, from the raw exertion of how hard she was fucking Sepphie. Sepphie could see that her wife’s eyes were shining with pride and glee, as she drank in the sight of Sepphie blushing and writhing. Her body was heaving with each of Haisley’s thrusts, sending her new, enlarged tits bouncing wildly up and down on her chest. Sepphie knew exactly how obscene she looked, but the embarrassment only added extra heat to her cheeks, and an extra edge to her pleasure.

“M-more!” The plea came to her lips without thought, interrupting the mindless babble of her moans. “Mmmore… harder!”

Haisley responded only with a grunt as she bent over Sepphie, resting her hands against the bed so that she could start bucking her hips back and forth even more wildly. Sepphie answered her efforts with a grateful scream. The pleasure burned white-hot inside her, but she wanted to push it further still. She’d never felt so hungry for sex.

With Haisley leaning over her, their faces were only inches apart. It took great effort for Sepphie to lift herself up on her elbows and press her lips against her wife’s. Their kiss was as clumsy as it was passionate, both of them far too drunk from their arousal to do anything more than desperately push their tongues into each others’ mouths. Sepphie couldn’t help drooling over Haisley’s face as she tried her hardest to kiss and suck and roll her hips and draw her wife deeper into her body. She wasn’t embarrassed by that. She was way past feeling embarrassed for anything.

Suddenly, Sepphie’s pleasure peaked. She glanced down, and saw that Haisley was resting a hand on her chest, and squeezing her tits as hard as she could, one after the other. Her chest was still sore and sensitive after her boob job, but with her brain flooded with giddy endorphins, the pain felt just as good as any pleasure. Sepphie threw her head back and screamed incoherently. Haisley’s face contorted into a feral grin and, sensing her wife was about to hit the edge, doubled her efforts.

“Yyyyes!” Sepphie moaned. “Yes, yes, yyesss! Right there, right- fuck, fuck! Right there!”

Haisley grunted animalisticly with each eager thrust. Her strap-on, slick with Sepphie’s wetness, slipped effortlessly in and out of the twitching, moaning lesbian, each thrust driving her pleasure higher and higher.

“Oh god!” Sepphie screamed. “I’m… I’m… mmmff… I’m…”

After that, her voice broke, and white-hot pleasure surged through her entire body.

She was cumming.

Sepphie had thought she’d known what an orgasm was before. She hadn’t. This was ten times better. It hit her ten times harder, and lasted ten times longer. It was so overwhelming, she thought she was going to pass out. Her body slipped outside of her own control, and before she knew it, she was wrapping her legs around Haisley, trying desperately to keep her wife inside her as she moaned and screamed. Then, after long seconds of bliss, she went totally limp. Exhaustion overcame her, and she just slumped onto the bed, her chest still heaving as she fought for breath.

“Fuck,” she murmured.

Haisley was giggling as she collapsed next to her. She was breathing almost as hard.

“So how was I, babe?” she asked, after a moment.

“Incredible,” Sepphie whispered. 

“Good.” Haisley licked her lips, staring appreciatively at Sepphie as the two of them slowly recovered. “I can’t believe how hot you’ve turned out,” she said. “Some of my best work.”

Sepphie wasn’t sure exactly what that was supposed to mean, but she could hardly disagree. The two of them were the envy of lesbian TikTok. The perfect alt girl girlfriends. They turned heads everywhere they went, with their contrasting pink-streaked and sea-green hair.

It made Sepphie so happy.

As she looked over at her wife, though, a new desire started to grow inside of her. Once she had the strength, she sat up, and reached over to start unstrapping Haisley’s harness.

“What’s up?” Haisley asked, amused.

“Mind if I try being on top?” Sepphie asked.

Haisley seemed surprised by the question, but didn’t stop her. “Curious, huh?”

Sepphie nodded. “It looks like fun.”

“Then, knock yourself out.” Haisley started to shuck her way out of the strap-on harness.

“Great!” Sepphie immediately started fixing the strap-on around her own hips, and then flashed Haisley a look that, despite everything, made her shiver. “Now, come here and get on your knees. I can’t wait to see how you look licking my cunt off of your strap.”

At that, Haisley turned bright red, and nodded meekly. She loved that her creations still had the capacity to surprise her, sometimes. Maybe it wasn’t so bad if she took on a submissive role in bed, every  now and then.

Within just a few minutes, she was the one filling the house with loud moans of pleasure.

***

Austin Conway sighed with relief as the unmistakable sex noises coming from the master bedroom upstairs finally subsided. If Sepphie and Haisley were always going to be that noisy about it, maybe he’d have to say something. It was more than a little distracting.

Then again, maybe that was a little ungrateful of him. After all, Sepphie and Haisley were, realistically, way too cool to associate with a plain guy like him. And frankly, it had been a stroke of luck that the lesbian couple had been looking for a roommate to help split the rent on their new place. Having to put up with some noisy sex every now and then was far from the worst thing in the world. Mainly, it just made him wish he had a girlfriend of his own. It was strange; to him, it didn’t feel like he’d been single that long, but he also couldn’t really remember the last time he’d been in a relationship. He’d have to start playing the field a little better.

Those were thoughts to act on another day, though. For now, it was late. With the house quiet, Austin laid down in his single bed and closed his eyes, ready for sleep.

His rest was interrupted mere moments later, however, by more loud moaning.

“Not again,” Austin groaned, and clamped his pillow over his ears.

It was going to be a long night.