"Welcome home, my precious test subject!!" Robin cackled with mock villainy when a tired Zach stumbled through the front door.

Robin was a wonderful roommate, but Zach still found her sense of humour pretty strange sometimes.

Also her hobbies. Zach didn't know why an extremely qualified computer scientist with a very well-paying job would want to learn hypnosis, but lately it'd become Robin's obsession.

As a fellow tech worker, Zach could certainly understand having hobbies. He'd just finished a ten-hour day himself, and it was good to have something else to come home too.

But hypnosis?

Zach stopped himself there. If he was honest, he'd spent the whole day looking forward to another practice session with Robin, looking forward to when she would… hypnotise him again. Zach still had trouble getting through the whole thought. Whether that was excitement or anxiety, he wasn't sure.

Robin had begged him for almost two months before he'd finally agreed to be her test subject, and only just once.

And then like an idiot, he'd almost fobbed her off when Robin had asked again last night.

But Zach was so grateful she had talked him into it. So grateful he could almost kiss her! Or hug her! Or… something. Something which was appropriate to do for your roommate when she made you feel… whatever Zach had felt last night.

Zach couldn't quite put into words how he'd felt when Robin had hypnotised him last night. He'd been trying to find the words since he woke up this morning.

The best he could do was to say that the experience had been… sublime. Mind-altering. It'd filled some piece in him he didn't know he'd been missing.

And now he'd get to experience it again.

Except like an idiot (again) he'd almost messed it up (again).

He'd got caught up in work (stupid work). There was one fire after another to put out, and now it was almost 6:30pm and he'd only just got home, with no plan for food and no time to rest.

Zach hoped Robin would understand. He sighed and stuck his head into the kitchen.

"Listen, Robin, I know we agreed on 7pm for practice sessions, but could we maybe push it back? I just got home and I have no idea what I'm doing for—"

"Dinner?" Robin grinned at him, holding a tray of something she'd just pulled out of the oven. It smelled delicious.

"Is that for me?"

Robin nodded. "For both of us. I figured you were running late."

Zach practically melted with relief. "You're an angel."

"Hardly. Now sit down, we'll eat in a moment. And at 7pm, you'll be my subject. No escape." Robin winked.

Zach smiled and sat down. Yep, still a strange sense of humour.

Zach finished clearing the plates and bowls away. It had seemed only right. Robin was a great cook as well as a great hypnotist.

It was almost 7pm.

"It's nearly time, my subject," Robin's voice sang out from the living room.

"I hadn't forgotten!"

"I know you hadn't. You've been looking forward to it, haven't you?"

Zach was silent.

"That's what I thought. Now come sit down."

Robin waited until Zach was seated in the usual spot, same as last night. She dimmed the lights. 

"I had a bit of free time this afternoon, so I repainted my toes. Now they're Hypnotic Gold." Robin propped her feet up on the footrest in front of him. "What do you think?"

Zach stared. Just like she said, her toes were painted with a shimmering golden colour. He felt his eyes pulled to them like magnets.

"I like to think the colour lives up to its name. Just looking at it, you're already hypnotised. Isn't that right, Zach?"

Robin was right. He couldn't move; he couldn't think; he could only stare.

"Y… Yes Robin."

"You're already under my power, Zach."

"Y-Yes Robin." He was staring at the hypnotic gold.

"You've put your mind under my control."

"Yes Robin."

"Say it. Tell me what you've done."

"I've put my mind under your control."

"Again."

"I've put my mind under you control." He felt himself sigh weakly, his face flushed. It was a joy to admit it really.

"Tell me: your mind is in my hands."

"My mind is in your hands." Did he even have thoughts any more?

"You've longed for this. Say it."

"I've longed for this."

"You are Robin's test subject."

"I am Robin's test subject."

"You are Robin's hypnotised boy."

"I am Robin's hypnotised boy."

"Tell me what you told me last night, Zach. Tell me your true thoughts and feelings."

Zach blinked. Part of him yelled that he couldn't just tell her those things. It was too embarrassing. There was too much to go wrong. But that part of him was far far away now. He found himself speaking: truthfully, honestly.

"I've thought about you controlling me since we met. Since I moved in I've wanted to serve you, do things for you. And when you talked about learning hypnosis it sounded really exciting, to listen to your words and feel compelled to obey."

"And what about my feet, my hypnotised boy?"

"I've snuck glances at your feet and toes, especially with polish. They're so distracting. I didn't realise you'd noticed. I have a thing for women's feet and yours are so gorgeous. I've thought about yours a lot while touching myself, thought about kissing them, worshipping them, sucking on your toes—"

"And what about when you look at them now?"

"They're still gorgeous. And they make me feel… hypnotised. Submissive. Helpless. Like I want to serve you. Submit to you. Let you control all my thoughts."

"Mmmm… Wonderful."

Zach thought he heard… satisfaction in her voice? Excitement?

"Well it sounds like we have all the associations we need. And we've certainly heightened your suggestibility.

"Now to build on those associations, link them together, and mould them into just the right shape. But first…

"Zach, you've done wonderfully for me. You're free to remember as much or as little of this trance as you'd like.

"Now with each word I say, you can feel more alert, aware and awake. Your thoughts can seem under your own power again. You can look away from my toes and find yourself free to move, stretching, thinking, feeling, wide awake now."

Zach blinked, realising that he could indeed look away and (seemingly) think for himself. He took a moment to stretch his arms and shift in his seat.

"How was that, Zach?"

"Uh… really good. I think I remember most things."

"Probably."

"But yes Robin, really good. Er… Is it supposed to feel so good each time?"

"With me? Yes. That just means you're responding perfectly for me."

"Oh. Okay, good."

Zach paused for a moment, not sure what else to say. How could he explain just how good he'd felt?

"Zach, I'd like you to look at my toes again, just for a moment. See clearly now. What colour are they?"

"Oh, yes Robin. Er… they're silver, just like last night… Right?"

"Yes Zach, that's exactly right. Very good."

Zach smiled proudly.