Harper groaned, wringing the rain from his hair as he peered out from the unexpected safety of the abandoned bunker. Raindrops peppered the fresh spring leaves of the woods he found himself in, the sudden shower having forced Harper into the rundown entranceway of the bunker he’d been hunting out. 

It’d all began a few weeks ago, on one of his regular meetups with one of his online friends, Alex. Having met on Tumblr a few years back, the two struck up a close friendship over their love of ouji fashion. While it’s true neither of them were the most masculine of men - both of them slim, clean shaven and quite comely - Alex had been noticeably different at their last meeting, in more ways than one. 

Despite his love of ouji fashion, Alex himself rarely wore anything more than a casual getup of a bright shirt and baggy jeans with whatever converse shoes and jacket (should the need arise) he had that matched. But last week? His clothes were still casual, but as if he’d taken them from his sister’s wardrobe; a loose, tied crop top with a cropped jacket and miniskirt, both denim. Perhaps the most noteworthy part of his new outfit was a shiny, rubber collar around his neck, with a metal ring attached to the front. Take that along with the slightest dust of blush on his cheeks and a little gloss on his lips, it was almost a total reversal from the way Alex normally presented himself. Harper was taken aback, of course; it’s not every day your friend flips their vibes from loosely masculine to decidedly feminine seemingly overnight. At first, he thought it was just Alex trying something new, even if it was out of the blue, but suspicion that something unnatural had happened started to creep when not only did Alex insist he’d always worn stuff like that (makeup and all), but when he noticed Alex was definitely curvier than before, too. Not that Harper had a habit of staring at his friend’s hips, mind, but he was close enough friends to notice that Alex’s hips were a bit wider, his thighs a little thicker…

It didn’t take long for Harper to hear rumours on his local forums that other men around town had undergone similar changes; their clothing and presentation flipping on a dime, a new fixation on wearing rubber collars, and a steadfast insistence their fashion choices had always been how they were now, even if their behaviour otherwise didn’t change. The same was true for Alex too, other than his new clothes, makeup, and some extra body fat in some choice places, he was his usual self, as if oblivious to the changes in himself. At first, Harper was content to assume there was something in the water and go on with his life, but a certain post caught his attention. Being an anonymous forum, he had no way to ascertain the poster themselves, but they boasted how they knew the reason behind the sudden rash of femininity across the town’s men, but also would be happy to explain it to anyone who sought them out in a little nook in the woods.

So, there Harper was, drenched in cool spring rain as he took shelter in the entrance of the bunker at the exact co-ordinates the user had given him. He checked the camera hung about his neck, wiping off the raindrops and rubbing the screen with the edge of his shirt. Not having the money for anything of remote quality, Harper had settled for a disposable camera. Even if they were bad quality, he should at least get some physical photos of his investigation. He’d had no idea there was even an old bunker like this here, even though he’d played in these woods countless times as a kid. Harper peered inside, a little ball of trepidation growing in his chest. The walls of the bunker seemed to eat up the cloudy light seeping in, a thick gloom hanging over the long entrance hallway he’d found himself in, and shining his dim flashlight down it did little to cut through the dark. He couldn't even make out the end of that foreboding entrance without taking a few careful, wet steps inside, footsteps loud in the large, rusty puddle that blanketed the floor.

A doorway, and matching decrepit door, eventually made itself known, the bottom raised slightly above the floor, the eventuality of rainwater puddling around the entrance seemingly taken into account when constructing the place. Harper took a long look at the green forest scenery behind him, framed by the concrete walls of the bunker entrance. If he was going to not venture into an unknown war bunker alone at the behest of an anonymous online user, now would be the time to make that decision.

Shaking off the rational thoughts flowing through his head, Harper steeled himself, and headed towards that dreary door.