Into the Vanessaverse

Agent had spent far too much time in the manor for Vanessa’s liking. As big as it was, the shared home was still too cramped for someone who was struggling to be social and speak up for himself on a consistent basis. Despite her efforts, he continued to fall flat on his face when presented with opportunities.

Still, it wasn’t for lack of trying, she thought as she was waiting on hold over the telephone. And she did enjoy acting as his wingwoman to an extent, usually by setting him up on blind dates or by forcing him to spend time with some girl or guy that he fancied from afar. At least he made friends, a good start.

The line finally clicked on for Vanessa, and she listened intently to the voice on the other end. Agent was laying on the room’s futon, staring up at the ceiling as he waited for Vanessa to finish. She had refused to say who she was calling, but it was painfully obvious that she was trying to set up another blind date for him. He appreciated it…but the thought exhausted him. Vanessa’s understanding of what he enjoyed and what he could accomplish with his limited social battery were vastly skewed from his own reality. He wished she could learn that.

Vanessa was nodding. “Alright,” she said. “Thank you anyway.” She hung up the phone, and Agent sat up.

“Okay, so that was a no-go,” she explained. “Terri didn’t want to join you today.”

“You mean Alice’s maid?” Agent asked. He was slightly torn, somewhat relieved due to her scarily competent yet serene enforcement of her security detail. They didn’t exactly mesh well. “Did Alice tell her no, or…?”

“Terri herself had the agency to say no,” Vanessa shrugged. “We tried.”

“Why did you even call her?” Agent asked, confused. “Considering our history—”

“Well, we’re kinda scraping the bottom of the barrel here,” Vanessa sighed. “Tyler intimidates you, as cute as he is. You and Leon can barely finish a sentence without putting your collective feet in your mouths.”

“It’s not that bad—” Agent protested, before being cut off again.

“You and Trevor are friends but you two only hang out mutually,” Vanessa added, counting by her fingers now. “You’re always worried about bothering Casey while they’re at work, and the same with Ben. Kyle does not swing that way. Ty is usually an object every time you two interact. Ace is typically busy with Eris’s wonderful antics. And you’re scared to death of commitment, which is why you absolutely struggle with asking Alex out.”

Now it was Agent’s time to sigh. “Okay, maybe I need to work on this,” he consented. “But it’s hard for me, you know that.”

Vanessa walked over towards Agent, sitting down on the futon with him. She rubbed his hair affectionately. “You’re such a dork,” she said. “My bottom of bottoms. At this point you’re basically stuck with this unless I take more drastic measures.”

The thought caused Agent to sweat already, and he had no idea what to expect in the first place. “D-drastic measures?”

“Maybe a bit of magic,” Vanessa suggested. “A bit of a confidence boost.”

“Hang on,” Agent said. He stood up, getting slightly agitated. “You do this every time. Preying on my insecurities so you can use me to your own ends.”

Vanessa got defensive. “Well, I don’t do that ALL the time…”

“Just because you have it easy when it comes to making friends and sleeping with them, doesn’t mean everyone does,” Agent added. “I just wish you could see that.”

Vanessa knew Agent had a point, but she still pouted. “You really need to see mine,” she retorted.

“Fine,” Agent nodded. “I will.”

He started pulling out his phone, dialing a number. Now Vanessa was confused, and not just because of that mysterious tiny box he always held. “Who are you calling?” she asked.

“I have a specialist on speed-dial for something like this,” Agent said. “He should be here pretty quickly, but we can try an experiment if it means so much to you.”

Vanessa lit up, smiling. “There you go,” she said. “Initiative! Finally a first for you.”

…

She was having second thoughts when she and Agent had sat down, metal helmets on their heads. On the side was a non-bias third party, a brown monkey in a lab coat. He was fiddling with a machine in his hands.

“Normally I could just zap the two of you and swap you that way…” Jam was musing. “But Vanessa’s mind is pretty powerful. I’d rather not have any messes.”

“Not liking what you’re implying,” Agent said; despite this being his idea, he too was nervous. Jam was busy inspecting the duo carefully to ensure perfect security.

“It’s fine,” Jam waved off. “Having physical contact is better, anyway. Better to keep track of.”

“You know, I could just do it magically,” Vanessa offered. Agent shook his head.

“Not a chance,” Agent said. “For once, we’re doing it my way. No magic. None of your advantages. You’re seeing life through my eyes with no handicaps to help you.”

“Darling, you certainly can be ruthless,” Vanessa chuckled. She turned towards Jam. “When you’re ready, I am too.”

“Just need to make sure the ratio is correct,” Jam said, inspecting his handheld device idly. He nodded. “Yes, that should do it. You’ll both feel a light jolting sensation…”

He flipped a switch. The metal helmets sparked, then delivered a surge of energy that was significantly more than a jolt. Agent and Vanessa involuntarily clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, the experience overwhelming their senses in what felt like an eternity of time.

The entire experiment took all of three seconds, after which both parties slumped in their chairs, smoking from their craniums. Vanessa was the first to stir, her body slowly coming to as she rubbed her head.

“Whoa, that was new…” she said, feeling herself. Then she paused, as though hearing her voice for the first time. Her hand went from her forehead to her throat, then down to her chest. She squeezed herself briefly, then gasped in amazement. “Oh!”

“That’s the look of someone who just switched minds,” Jam chuckled. “You in there, Agent?”

“I…Well, yes, I am,” Agent-in-Vanessa said. She kept examining herself all over, every nook and cranny of the eldritch body she now was inside of. Her senses were his, and his eyes replaced with hers. It was certainly an out-of-body experience. “At least, in spirit…”

There was a groan from the side, and both Jam and Agent looked over. Agent’s body, now currently possessed by Vanessa, was slowly lifting the helmet off of himself. He clutched himself weakly.

“How do you survive in this sort of flesh-body?” she asked. “Everything hurts and I feel like I could barely lift up a gallon of milk.”

“You get used to it,” Agent shrugged. “But I guess that means I get your reality-warping abilities by proxy.”

Vanessa pointed Agent’s own finger at him. “Don’t even think about being shady,” she said. “When we’re done, I expect every last drop of my magical essence in there.”

Agent raised a hand, keeping the other visible. “Scout’s honor,” he said.

Meanwhile, Jam was busy inspecting the device, cautious not to touch any exposed metal for fear of burning himself. “Another satisfied pair of clients,” he beamed. “Although I hope you wouldn’t mind me taking a spin in that curvaceous body later?”

“Yeah, ‘Vanessa’,” Vanessa teased Agent. She deliberately contorted his body to be flirty, shaking the hips and blowing a kiss. “I’m sure you’d love to let Jam go for a ride too?”

Agent blushed hard, tensing up. “I feel very uncomfortable about this,” he said, in response to seeing his body gyrating like that. Vanessa merely laughed, pulling out his cell phone from the pants pocket. “What are you doing now?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Vanessa explained. She was already scrolling through his contacts. “Finding you a date.”

Now Agent immediately paled. “W-wait a second, hang on—”

“Too late,” Vanessa said in a sing-song tone, already pressing a button on the phone. It wasn’t on speaker, but the dial tone was still barely audible. Eventually it clicked, and the other side answered. “Hello, Alex?”

Agent somehow turned an even paler shade of pale, trying to reach for the phone. Vanessa casually leapt onto one of Jam’s shelves, just out of reach, so she could finish the conversation in peace.

“I’m doing well, thank you,” Vanessa continued. “So I actually have a bit of time today and I know you have a breather between conventions for now. Would you like to meet up? Get a coffee, see a movie?”

Agent’s efforts turned more frantic, desperately trying to reach the witch in his body. But this new body was too different, too unusual. And this dress…He kept tripping over it, despite it being a relative part of him. It was fruitless.

“Awesome, see you then,” Vanessa smiled, turning off the phone. Agent froze once more, as Vanessa’s smile turned to a mischievous grin. “They said yes, by the way. Easy.”

“W-what?” Agent stammered, completely stunned by this development. Of all of his thoughts, he hadn’t expected this. “H-how did you—”

“I simply asked them,” Vanessa said. “You’ll never get anywhere by just expecting things to happen for yourself. You have to make them happen.”

“Alright, well…” Agent wasn’t sure how else to respond to this. Vanessa had already made more headway than he had in months. “So can we switch back then?”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Vanessa chided. “I put in the work, I’ll go on the date. You get to stay at the manor or do whatever you want with those powers.” Before Agent could protest, she waved him off. “Relax, would you? I’ll not be going too far on the date. Besides, you’ll be fine on your own. Or you can try making out with one of my own favorite girls.”

She quickly grabbed one of Jam’s teleportation ray guns, firing it into open space. It tore a hole into the empty area, providing easy access nearby to their meetup spot. Vanessa was whistling and twirling the ray gun as she walked through, before it closed up once more like it never existed.

This left Agent and Jam alone, awkwardly standing nearby. “Well,” Jam said, breaking the silence. “Guess we can do whatever for now. You’ve got a lot of possibilities, don’t you?”

“I…guess so,” Agent said. He did have Vanessa’s power set, true, and with all the that entailed it.

Then why, he wondered, did he feel so constrained?

…

Vanessa wasn’t a major coffee drinker, but it did make for a good kickoff point for her date. By request, naturally; she had plenty of experience with dating. Granted, most of her dates ended in her bed, but she’s had mutual relationships in the past. When it came to Agent’s relationships and love life, she would be a witch of her word.

Eventually she saw Alex approach, and they gave a smile and a wave as they did so. Vanessa waved back, standing up to meet them halfway. She rather liked Alex in general. While their shapeshifting wasn’t close to her own levels, they were still talented enough in the field to impress her, plus they possessed an intelligent mind and a creative drive. A good friend to Agent in general, and a fellow artist. A perfect match.

“Glad you could make it,” Vanessa greeted once Alex approached closer. “I know it was short notice and all…”

“I was glad to take a break,” Alex nodded. “The con seasons, you know. Really takes a lot out of you.”

“I can imagine,” Vanessa nodded. “Back and forth, setting up and taking apart your table…You’d have to have a lot of discipline to do so.”

She clasped her hands. “But I’m rambling,” she said. “Let’s go grab coffee, my treat.”

“Sure thing,” Alex agreed. They followed along with “Agent”. “I’m impressed. You have a plan today?”

“More or less,” Vanessa explained. She held the door open for Alex, politely encouraging them in first. “I was thinking we have a coffee and maybe see a movie; they have a few good animated ones in the theater. After that we can wing it, whatever you’re feeling. Try new things if we want.”

“Something outside your comfort zone, even?” Alex was doubly surprised now. “Not that I’m complaining, that’s great! Good for you.”

“What can I say?” Vanessa shrugged. Internally she was grinning. “Guess I just had a confidence boost.”

…

Infinite power, on paper, was something any one person would be glad to obtain. For Agent, infinite power meant infinite choices, which meant he would struggle to choose just one to go with. Ironically, all that freedom was itself a cage upon his fragile psyche, and decision paralysis was on full display.

Thus, he was found in the manor, clutching onto a library chair with both hands, knuckles white with intensity. This body, these powers…It was all too much. And he scarcely even DID anything with them yet.

“Deep breaths,” Agent told himself. “Deep breaths.” He did not actually perform deep breaths, however, too tense to act upon his own words. Yet he knew this was part of the problem. Indecision. A lack of confidence and crippling self-doubt. This should have been the perfect occasion to cut loose with zero consequences, yet he was floundering. But it wasn’t too late to act.

“Okay,” Agent said. He started to slowly loosen his death-grip on the chair’s arms, slowly standing upright. “One step at a time. One step…”

He was interrupted from his recovery by a portal suddenly opening in the library. Agent was startled backwards again, landing in the chair once more, as he stared in shock at the new rip in reality. Before his eyes could adjust, he could see Alice step inside, looking especially irritated.

“Vanessa,” she said. “I’m calling in a favor.”

“A-Alice?” Agent stammered. “I, uh…It’s not what you think—”

“I’m not interested in thinking,” Alice chided “Vanessa”. “One of my maids called out sick. Or transformed, whichever. This is the busiest season for us socialites, you know that.”

“Yes, b-but—”

“You’ll be my maid for the day,” Alice continued. She was already taking Agent’s hand, noticing how markedly weaker the grip was. “So I need you to buck yourself up and get to work.”

The mouse aristocrat practically dragged Agent across the floor towards the portal, with surprisingly little resistance despite all of this. Agent was neither fighting it nor acting willing about the whole mess; again, the indecision and lack of self-confidence proved to be a roadblock to explaining the turn of events that had transpired only recently. Alice, for her part, caught on quickly that something wasn’t quite right with “Vanessa” and her uncharacteristic lack of flirty banter—something she sorely missed, despite being unwilling to admit it.

Still, she supposed, a working body is a working body.

…

Vanessa, for her part, played the role of a perfect gentleman to a tee. It was an equal blend of polite and respectful, meshed with assertiveness and the ability to speak up. This was best evidenced when the local café barista had mistakenly given Alex an incorrect mix. They shrugged it off at first.

“It’s no big deal,” they said. “I know you don’t like confrontation.”

But Vanessa shook her borrowed head. “You ordered a latte, you get a latte,” she said, before turning towards the barista once more. “Excuse me, sorry to interrupt. I believe my friend here had ordered a latte? They mistakenly received a cappuccino blend, you see…”

They got the latte instead. Typically Agent would have been to terrified to speak with anyone, even if he just got a cup of hot water. Alex, naturally, was surprised at this development, pleasantly so.

“You spoke up,” they said. “You’ve never spoken up.”

“I guess experience just rubbed off on me,” Vanessa explained with a wry smile.

The coffee was indeed good, and Alex drank their last sip with pure satisfaction. “So what’s next on the list?”

“Well, I know you’ve been angling to see that cartoon movie,” Vanessa explained, already pulling out the tickets from her pocket. “Front row seats. Only the best.”

…

Alice clamped a small collar against Agent’s neck, with the “witch” feeling how firm it was against his skin. It wouldn’t be going anywhere until Alice herself willed it.

“This will encourage you to give service with a smile,” she explained. “Act out of line, and the collar will—”

“Is it a shock collar?” Agent asked. Alice gave a concerned look, partially disgusted.

“I’m not a monster, Vanessa,” she said. “It’ll just send subliminal messages into your head and get you to do what I ask.”

“Great,” Agent snarked. “Because that’s so much better.”

Alice didn’t say a word, merely pressing a button that she held in her hands. There was a sharp vibration around Agent’s neck, and suddenly new thoughts were directed towards him. Thoughts of servitude, and of cleaning various things.

“That’s for the backtalk,” Alice explained. “Now what do we say?”

Agent gritted his teeth, but felt compelled and indeed obligated to obey. “My apologies, Lady Mysz,” he said, then gave a small curtsy. “I’ll get right to work.”

“See that you do,” Alice said, giving the lightest of smirks. “Your job won’t be done until you finish cleaning the entire penthouse from top to bottom. All surfaces.”

“T-the entire—” Agent stammered. He immediately backpedaled when he saw Alice wave the button again. “I-I mean…It shall be done.”

Alice casually offered a dusting tool; Agent grabbed it with far less enthusiasm. Then he walked to the nearest mantelpiece, grumbling all the while as he worked.

“Only the best,” Alice remarked, observing her new temporary maid working. She took special care to “supervise” whenever Agent leaned forward to dust. “For both myself and the quality of my maids.”

Nor did Alice let up at any point during this tenure. When Agent was done dusting, he was then instructed to polish the surfaces carefully, especially difficult for the real wooden materials in the penthouse. Agent could not use magic to cheat, either; every time he lifted his hands to cast a vague spell (of which he had no idea what would be cast in the first place), Alice would wag the trigger once again, and Agent would silently be cowed into submission once more.

Then it was the vacuuming. By then, Agent had noticed the other maids having been given a rather long break, lounging amongst themselves or otherwise pampering Alice herself. As Agent pushed the outdated push-vacuum back and forth, his blood began to boil; not only was he shanghaied into doing chores for a luxury home that wasn’t his, he was being stuck with ALL the work.

And yet, he couldn’t say a word. Not in his own defense. Not at all.

…

The movie went well for Vanessa and Alex, with both parties laughing lightly and remarking on how good the film was. They were clearly having fun, although Alex was slightly concerned as to how freely ‘Agent’ was flinging cash around. “No expense spared,” ‘he’ had said, buying several overpriced theater snacks and luxury seating. Such efforts were appreciated, of course, though Alex was quick to note that Agent didn’t need to go through all that trouble on their account.

After the film, they decided to take things easy for the rest of the night, still full from the movie’s concessions and too caffeinated to order more coffee. They instead wandered to a local waterfront, walking along the brickwork, and enjoying the sights. They leaned against the rail, merely watching the sun set, its reflection dancing across the water’s surface. It was peaceful.

“This was nice,” Alex eventually said. “It’s good to take a break from the usual routine.”

“I agree,” Vanessa nodded. “It can be stimulating, plus it’s important to spend time with others you care about.”

Alex nodded back. “And you certainly stood up for yourself,” they added. “I mean, it’s just nice to see you’re speaking up.”

“Mmmhmm,” Vanessa agreed. She glanced over at Alex, patient as always. Which is why she was so surprised when they turned their head, slightly sad.

“Still,” they said. “Just wish that Agent could enjoy it.”

Vanessa balked briefly internally, though retained her composure externally. “What do you mean?” she asked. “I’m right here.”

Alex didn’t let go of their sad smile. “Vanessa, come on,” they said. “I’ve known it was you from the minute you called me on the phone.”

Now Vanessa was surprised on the outside. Alex certainly was shrewd, it seemed. No wonder she approved of them. “What gave it away?” she asked.

“The fact that, well, you called on the phone,” Alex explained. “Agent’s explained that actual phone calls with his voice are very stressful to him. Can’t say I blame him, though, I get it.” Alex shrugged. “I just hope you didn’t force him to swap.”

“No, this one was his idea,” Vanessa said. She was still deflating a little; it seemed she’d underestimated the relationship dynamics Agent held. “Though I purposefully called up the date to show him how to act.” She smiled. “I really did have fun, by the way. But if you knew it was me, then…Why did you go along with it anyway?”

“Mostly I was curious,” Alex said. They turned around, resting their back against the handrail now as they described their thoughts. “You two are pretty good to each other, complimenting each other’s shortcomings. I wanted to see if Agent’s respectful nature and understanding of consent rubbed off on you. And I’m pleased to see that it did.”

Vanessa laughed briefly, unable to restrain an amused smirk. “Alex, darling, you continue to be one of the few mortals that can get one over me. You didn’t even shapeshift into something to sneak into the theater without having to pay, for that reason alone, right?”

“One and the same,” Alex agreed. “You’re a good person, Vanessa, and a loyal friend. I’m glad to see you’ve learned a lot about such things. I’m sure Agent was a good teacher.” They sighed. “I just hope you’re the same to him, too. He could use a confidence boost, sure, and he could speak up more. But I like Agent for himself, and how he treats others. I know you can help him reach that balance.”

Vanessa leaned against the railing once more herself, this time with her back to it. The witch was soundly outplayed, she would be the first to admit it. Alex’s words were wise beyond measure, and she found herself reflecting on her role in Agent’s life, and vice-versa. Dorky as he may be, he WAS certainly an excellent companion. Always caring for others and going out of his way to support her and his friends, and even her own group of friends. There was so much potential in him; she just needed to find a way for him to channel it into confidence.

“I think that’s happening,” Vanessa said. Alex glanced over, uncertain. “I pulled a few strings to encourage Agent to toughen up a little. Maybe it’ll work this time.”

…

After several hours of dusting, polishing, mopping, dusting again, vacuuming, wiping, choreographed flapper dance lessons, and dusting even more, Agent was sore and agitated. All these chores for no pay, and not even a thank you for it all. And the maids were left to their own devices, Alice herself continuing to putter around her penthouse, offering passive-aggressive advice and critiquing his work. All the while, Agent bit his tongue and worked through the frustration.

At last, Agent crawled across the floor, legs too exhausted to continue working. Duster in hand, he approached Alice slowly, who watched with bemusement. Agent let go of the duster, collapsing on the ground.

“Finished,” he panted. “Finally…”

“I can see that,” Alice nodded. “You’ve done every task I’ve handed you, and I handed you a lot. Only…”

Agent’s eye twitched. “Only what?” he asked, the venom audible.

“It’s just that you’ve taken so long in doing these tasks, that we’ve gone and dirtied up everything again,” Alice idly noted. “So we’ll have to start over again.”

“WHAT?”

Agent suddenly stood up, no longer tired. Now he was furious, magic crackling on his knuckles from the stress.

“No,” Agent said. “I’ve done WAY too much today. I’m done working for you.”

Alice tutted, showing off the device. “Remember our deal? I’m in charge, so you need to listen—”

“No, YOU listen!” Agent shouted. Alice stepped back at this outburst, turning on the device again, sending signals through the collar once more. But Agent didn’t react in the slightest, the face of her witch rival contorted still into an expression of wrath. “I have done NOTHING but do menial tasks all day for an ungrateful household of mice servants and the sadistic mouse that employs them all! I’m not getting paid, I’m not getting any benefits—”

“We have dental,” Alice interjected, albeit meekly.

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT.” Agent did not stop. Alice, despite herself, was nervous at how utterly agitated her would-be servant had gotten. She tweaked the device ever higher, trying to send stronger signals to Agent’s mental state, to get him to calm down. He did not, however, powering through; Alice began to sweat.

“I did all this because I wanted to be nice,” Agent continued his rant. “But time and time again, you’ve repeatedly taken advantage of me. A simple ‘thanks’ would’ve been enough, but do I even get that? Noooo, that’s too much for a perpetual doormat, isn’t it?”

Alice, by now, had put the machine on the highest possible setting, to the point it was beginning to short-circuit from the strain. She was losing control, for once in her life, and feeling the full brunt of a witch’s anger. The only saving grace was that Agent was more content to vent than do anything directly harmful. And yet…This was exactly what she wanted.

“I’m leaving,” Agent said, winding up his rant. “No matter what you say. I’ve been polite up until now, but I’ll not be helping anymore.”

He panted heavily, the effort of unloading in such a manner proving to be completely exhausting. Alice, who was cringing prior, had steadied herself once Agent stopped yelling.

“Are you done?” she asked. Agent, tired as he was, nodded. “You sure?” Another nod. “Good. That was quite the show, Agent. Though I’m proud of you for speaking your mind.”

“Well, I guess I had it built up for a while,” Agent explained, still trying to recover. He had slumped down to the ground, balled up. He immediately unballed himself when the penny finally dropped, and he stared at Alice in shock. “Wait. You knew who I was?”

“Agent, it wasn’t difficult,” Alice shrugged. “I’d have to struggle much more to get Vanessa to do what I want when she doesn’t want it. You’re the limpest-spined bottom I know.”

Agent pouted briefly. Alice tutted in response.

“However,” she said. “I placed a bet with Vanessa that I could get you to speak up for yourself and take charge for once, and I can easily collect on that bet now. Though I wasn’t expecting such a volcanic eruption, if I must say. I can predict Vanessa, as chaotic as she is, but you were a wild card.”

“So all of this was planned even before I came up with the body swap idea?” Agent asked, surprised.

“Of course,” Alice explained. She patted Agent on the head briefly. “The plan was to run you ragged until you grew a spine and said ‘no’, and stuck to it regardless of the risks. Else I would have had you on staff indefinitely.” She leaned forward, examining Agent’s confused, exhausted face. “Look. As much as she acts it, she does care about you and wants you to stand up for yourself every so often. Plus you soften her up for me in turn. You two compliment each other nicely.”

“Ah,” Agent said, surprised. “So…She really thought I had it in me?”

“Yeah, sure,” Alice said, clearly just agreeing without meaning it. “The point is, you need to speak up more and be assertive, and she needs to learn boundaries. And I think, if you two listen to each other more, you can both do that.”

“That’s very…insightful,” Agent said, amazed. He stood up slowly, extending a hand towards Alice for a handshake. “Thank you for that. Though I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

“And I thank you for your diligent work, and I’ll not take offense to the yelling, seeing how that was the whole point of this exercise,” Alice reciprocated the handshake gently; a faint smile on her face. “Though if you ever speak to me like that again, I’ll have you stuffed in a wine barrel and set to ferment for a century.”

“N-noted,” Agent nodded. He let go of Alice’s hand, looking towards the door now. “But, uh, I really should be going now.”

“Go on,” Alice said, waving him off. “Oh, and do tell Vanessa that I’ll see her soon, alright? I look forward to collecting on that bet of ours; she’ll make a lovely art-deco for a week.”

Agent gave a small chuckle, walking out the door, and trying his best to create a portal back to the laboratory as he walked. Alice watched him depart, keeping close supervision of the rear.

“Not bad, Agent,” she muttered, with some amusement. Perhaps a tinge of respect. “Not bad at all.”

…

Jam had spent the time between Agent and Vanessa’s escapades cleaning the lab, as well as brainstorming other assorted candidates for swapping antics. Eventually, however, the simian’s train of thought was interrupted by Vanessa walking through the return portal, sufficiently humbled, and Agent walking through his own portal, equally put through the ringer.

“How’d it go?” Jam asked, curious, as the duo sat down in their allotted chairs.

“It was nice,” Vanessa explained. “Alex was kind, the movie was good. I had fun.”

She was being intentionally coy, and Agent could merely sigh. “I had to perform unpaid labor as part of a test that Vanessa and Alice put together behind my back,” he explained. “So yeah, it was okay.”

“The fact that you’re here right now tells me you passed,” Vanessa said. She was smirking again. “Finally.”

Once both parties were strapped in, Jam turned on the swapping machine once more. There was a flash, a few seconds of activity, then silence and some smoke.

Just like before, Agent and Vanessa felt the sensation of their consciousness’s fracturing before reassembling. This time, however, it was the return trip, and the aftermath felt natural once more. Both nerd and witch, placed in their original bodies once more.

Vanessa unstrapped herself before Jam could get the chance, and she sat upright, stretching a little. “Well, that’s a bit of muscle tone,” she remarked, bemused. “Alice really did not skimp on her regimen, I suppose.”

She watched as Agent slowly got himself out of his seat with Jam’s help, and she smirked once more. “So, I do hope you’ve learned about the nature of self-confidence and speaking up?” she asked. Agent did not respond immediately. “Or maybe she just shook up your mind a bit while you were over there.”

Agent walked across the room, towards Vanessa herself. He said nothing still, merely clasping his hands on Vanessa’s shoulders. Even the experienced witch was surprised.

“W-what are you—” she asked, immediately before Agent moved in and locked lips with her for a kiss.

It was like a firework went off in her head, the sheer passion involved in such a maneuver. Agent had never, ever done this of his free will, and thus she had never experienced a kiss from her ward. It was…It was…

Agent eventually let go, and Vanessa was left standing in place, stunned. Jam was to the side, clapping in excitement at what he just saw. Agent was simply burnt out.

“Well, this was a day,” he said. “I’ve worked hard, and my wallet is suspiciously light. I’m going to bed.” He turned to Vanessa, who had yet to react. “Vanessa, could you—”

Vanessa cast a burst of energy, creating a portal back home. She did not turn her head or even move her eyes to see where she was aiming. Nor did she make another noise. Agent shrugged idly, and he walked through.

“Come back soon!” Jam called after Agent. “Next time I can show you the mousifier I was talking about last week!”

He turned his head; Vanessa was still there, staring into space. Now Jam’s own head tilted in concern, and he tried waving his hand and then tail in front of her eyes. “Uh, you okay there?”

Vanessa said nothing still, merely allowing her hand to slowly rise, touching her lips gently. They still tingled from all the excitement.

“Wow,” she thought to herself, impressed by what she bore witness to. “Maybe he’s not a bottom anymore after all…”

---