The Christmas parcel

by Salem Noctua

When Anthony woke up and saw a mysterious little parcel on the table the morning of Christmas Eve, he did not expect to find a strange, golden necklace with a broken eagle charm inside. Who gave him the present? How did it get inside his flat? And where was its other half?

Anthony stopped to stare at the small package right on top of the coffee table.

It was in the wee hours of the morning, at three—almost four—o’clock. It was tranquil. No sound of cars passing through. No sound of pedestrians or other things. Quiet, and hushed, but the festive season made it welcoming rather than harrowing. The faint light that came through the windows was from streetlamps that were still up.

A beautiful, peaceful Christmas Eve morning.

So close to perfection, except that there was an anomaly that came in a form of a package. A package that the young man has no idea existed at all, which only added to his trouble.

Anthony had only woken up, excited to start his day early, yet here he was, already presented with a mystery. He blinked once. Twice. And now thrice. Each time he made sure to have a good look at the table, and each time he frowned with disappointment.

“Where did that come from?” he asked himself. His brows furrowed as he tried to recall who brought it in, but no such person came to mind. To his memory, he was the only one with the keys to his flat. And there were no such neighbours that he knew of nearby that could have got hold of a copy or duplicate.

If his memory—which he was proud of—failed him, then he believed that something was amiss.

The brunet let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes, getting rid of any leftover sleep dust. He then took another look before conceding defeat.

There was, indeed, a small package on top of the coffee table.

Anthony dragged his feet over the carpet and lumbered towards the offending object. It was something out of place. Something that was not meant to be there. An outlier from what he knew of the night before. His eyes darted around, looking for signs that mayhap provide an answer on how it got there.

Nothing.

Everything had been in place. All the decorations were where he left them. The mess of pillows and blankets on his sofa remained as-is. Nothing was misplaced. The living room was as he had left it last night. Aside from the surprise addition of the package, of course.

His wariness died down a little and was soon replaced with curiosity.

“Just... who could have left this here?” He leaned in close and looked at it from different angles. “Was I the one who bought this? But I would have known if I did!”

The package in question was box-shaped. Wrapped in brown packing paper and held together with twine as its ribbon. It sat there, innocent and any unassuming package could be. There were no tags on it, and Anthony could not find any names written on it. As such, he could not identify its sender, much less if the thing was even meant to be his.

“Oh, okay. So, there’s no name tag on it. Which made this even more puzzling. It could be from anyone, for all I know. Not that I have many friends coming over. Or friends, in general. All right, who am I kidding? They don’t even know my address!”

The brunet decided to do a little test. He reached out and gave the box a gentle tap with his pointer finger. It did not poof away in a cloud of smoke, nor did his finger go through it.

“Unfortunately, it’s as real as it can get.” He straightened his back and folded his arms across his chest. Of the many things to have him rendered dumbfounded, a mysterious parcel was none of them.

“I suppose I first need to know how in the world did it get inside, first.” He scratched his head. “I’m positive I locked the doors last night. The windows have metal grates over them, so nobody can exactly get in. Only my brother could have entered, but we were chatting all night yesterday. And even if he did, how could he have entered my flat?”

He let his thoughts sink in, mumbling away his reasoning and ideas. “It was not possible for it to be him! Did I? No, I don’t... if I brought this home, I would’ve remembered that. I’ve established that already.”

Anthony caught himself brooding over it far longer than he expected. He shook his head, snapping out of the intense focus, and took deep breaths. He allowed himself to be calm before sitting down on the sofa. Afterwards, he slumped backwards, though not before letting out a disgruntled sigh.

“It’s the 24th day of December, and I thought Christmas shopping was a nightmare to deal with,” he murmured. “I love surprises and all, but not like this. Especially if it makes me question the safety of my living space!”

Anthony remained on the sofa for a good three seconds before he jumped off the seat and landed on his feet. His face became filled with determination and that enough was enough.

The mystery of the unknown package would end then and there.

He picked up the small box-shaped thing and began to re-examine it. To check what he had missed the first time around. He shifted it from side to side, top and bottom, but nothing came out of it. Not one thing stood out. Each of its folds was neat and tidy, as was the ribbon of twine that surrounds it. There were no writings nor markings, either, as he had confirmed earlier.

“Well, if anything, I guess it’s safe to say this is mine now,” he said. “Though I still don’t know who left it here, or how it got inside when I knew I locked all possible entrances.”

The young man gave the room another look, surveying if he had missed something. Again, nothing was in disarray. He then walked around behind every other piece of furniture and went through each window. Nothing.

“Okay then. If this thing is mine, then it’s only fair that I open it up!”

Anthony sat down as a smile wormed its way to his face. His wariness was soon replaced with the giddiness of excitement. He leaned in close with his ear close to the box and gave it a light shake. The box made a light, clinking noise, which repeated on and on after a few more times of shaking it.

“Ooh, I know this sound! It’s jewelry, I’m sure of it. I can’t wait to see what it could be!” He placed the package down and began opening his gift, though careful all throughout. He unravelled the twine and placed it on the side. Likewise, he made sure to pull the paper off without causing too much damage. To him, it was recyclable and can be the wrapper for the next gift recipient.

As soon as the covering was undone, Anthony found himself staring at a little wooden box. He picked it up and saw nothing of its brand or maker.

“Was this custom-made?” he asked, puzzled about who would have given him what might be an expensive gift. “I hope I can find out who you are because you deserve something back!”

The box itself was nothing remarkable outside of being a fine piece of carving. It was smooth, light, and generally well-made. It had a lid on top, locked in place with a simple twisty knob that kept it from flipping open.

But there is one thing that did not belong there: a yellow sticky note that was stuck on top of the lid. It had a crude little drawing of Santa Claus, saying, ‘Merry Christmas!’ in bold, red and green letters.

Anthony’s eyes widened with surprise and recognition the moment he saw the handwriting. He was confident there was no other person who could write like that.

The writing belonged to his older brother.

“Okay, so, it’s from him all along. I was a bit excited at first, but now I have my reservations.” Anthony looked at the fancy yet simple box, then back at the sticky note. “I mean, I love my brother, I really do... but I can’t help but dislike his preferences. To each their own, but I can’t think of his likes growing on to me.”

The young man recalls how much of a collector his brother is, spending tons of money on a figurine or even a keychain. Granted, he was also rich, so no problems there. The troubles only arise if it involves him. In particular, if it involves asking him to join his ‘fandom.’

“Now that this info has come to light, I’m willing to bet this is another one of those tacky, sci-fi fandom bracelets. The one with weird, glowing swords and that green goblin thing.”

Anthony tossed the box aside and collapsed on his seat. He was reluctant to hurt his brother’s feelings, but he also does not want to be seen with that kind of accessory on him. Or displayed. He pressed his lips tight and closed his eyes. Anthony could recall how much he cannot say no to his brother. Not even a bit. Likewise, he could not find it in him to put up with his interests.

The brunet tried to clear up his thoughts until he sighed, ready to face his decision. “Still, this is the season of giving. And it’s the thought that counts. Yeah, that’s right—it’s the thought that counts. I could keep it hidden or something, and play it off as keeping it safe and sound. That sounds about right.”

With renewed vigour, he sat back up and grabbed the box. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong if he ends up giving me the bug-eyed goblin. I kinda like that dude. And also, Dark Lord Invader or whatshisname.”

He unlocked the lid and opened the box, ready to see what kind of gift his brother had given him. What he saw inside made his jaw drop in surprise and astonishment.

Of the many things Anthony expected, this was not one of them. It was not a keychain of the little goblin man, nor a depressed space man bracelet. Instead, Anthony saw what appeared to be a necklace of sorts. He took it out of the box, and he could not hold back his amazement.

The necklace was bright gold. It has this delicate metal chain that also in that colour. And to top it all off, an eagle-shaped charm. The eagle ornament had its head facing leftward. It had an outstretched wing and claw, also facing the same direction.

Anthony put the box away and used his other hand to steady the little trinket. As soon as he touched it, he noted that it was rather thin and light. He inspected the details further and saw how it looked like it was sort of broken. Or incomplete. The eagle’s body was too thin and appeared to be missing. It was as though it was a deliberate decision to have its body snapped right down the centre. The jagged line only proved his point further.

It took him a few minutes before realization hit him.

“Oh, I see it now! The fact that it looks incomplete must be because it should have a pair of sorts. Like it was always meant to be like this.” Anthony nodded, piecing the clues together. “So, like, a couple’s necklace of some kind! How sweet. I take it back... I take it all back—this is a cool gift!”

Anthony put the necklace on with haste. He looked down to where the trinket rest against his chest, and it felt all right. He placed a hand over it, and he felt warmth. From the necklace or his imagination, he could not tell. All he knew was that he was wearing a touching, sentimental gift that came from his remaining family. The young man felt proud. Happy. And most of all, loved.

Then, lonely. His brother was out there on the other half of the world. The closest thing Anthony got to remind him of that man was the necklace around his neck. Likewise, he also felt pissed that, for some reason, his brother had broken into his house. All so that he could sneak in a secret gift without his knowledge.

“I will break his nose the next time I see him,” Anthony muttered. “Though, I should also get him something good. Oh, I should get him a backstage pass to his favourite band or something! Or a watch that pairs with mine. That’s a good pick as well.”

It was not long after that Anthony felt something heavy weighed upon him. He felt sluggish and tired, as if still groggy from waking up too early. The young man tried to move, but found that he could not lift his leg up. He tried to straighten up his back, but he found it difficult to do so.

The surreal experience was daunting. Anthony felt his heartbeat race as he attempted to make sense of what was happening. As it stands, it felt like gravity increased tenfold without him knowing.

“Wha—what’s going on?” He asked, his voice trembling in fear. Shaking, and almost inaudible. Anthony opened up his mouth once more, but it came up dry. Not a single word, much less a sound. It was then that he felt his hands shaking. Twitching uncontrollably.

Fear. Dread. It came to him like a ghost upon midnight.

Once more, he tried to make sense of what was happening, but all logical thoughts were gone. Thrown out the window. He looked down at his somewhat non-responsive body and saw a glimmer of light. Anthony squinted, and lo and behold, the chain necklace was glowing. It illuminated a fair light that was easy on the eyes, but not on the heart.

Anthony found himself unable to express what he was feeling. The closest was awe. There was amazement and wonder, but it also brought him fear.

The young man sought to take off the article of jewellery, but the heaviness was too powerful to go against. Still, he tried his darn best to move. Like going against sleep paralysis, he struggled to continue. What kept him from stopping was the overhanging dread.

But his efforts all went in vain. The hand that was so close to touching the necklace dropped to his side. All without as much as a warning. Anthony let out a gasp as he tried to move his hand again, but this time, it did not move at all. Not even a millimetre of movement.

“Bloody Hell,” he said. His first comprehensible word was a curse, but he stood by it. There were no other words that came close to his mind that he wanted to say.

Once more, he tried to move his arm, but it still did not respond to him. He could at least move his head around and speak up, but that was it.

Before Anthony could comment any further, his right leg took a step forward. The sudden movement almost threw him off-balance, but his body seems to know how to position itself. The young man could do nothing but watch as his body took another step, this time with his left leg. Then right. And then left. His body was moving beyond his own volition, and it frightened Anthony.

It was like he would forever be a simple watcher through his body. Unable to act out the way he wanted. Unable to move how he wants to.

Anthony continued to watch as his body moved, quite like a robot. Or an automaton controlled by some remote. The only saving grace that he had was that he could still feel his body. He could feel the cold sweat rolling off his face. The strange tingle on his hands and feet. And on the inside, he could feel a heavy pit in his stomach. All signs pointed that it was still his body. That it was his.

Again, he tried to move his arm. Swing it, and make it jiggle and shake. But even after all that, nothing.

“So much f-f-for a nice Christmas morning,” Anthony stammered, still trying to vie for control. “Th-this is turning out to be a Nightmare before Christmas!”

Every other attempt to take back control over his body failed. It did not listen to him, nor react the way he wanted. Like a marionette, he was being led away with invisible strings. The young man could feel the tenuous veneer of focus chip away with each second that pass by.

Anthony then looked up to find himself already at the entrance of his flat. He put too much attention on fighting back the invisible forces controlling him that he failed to realize his surroundings.

But he had no time to think. As soon as he managed to gather his bearings, his right arm twitched. It moved up and reached for the door handle. And then, it unlocked the door and opened it. Following that, his body stepped right out of his living quarters.

The loud slamming of the closing door echoed throughout the hallway. And then, silence.

The young man remained unnerved. The whole experience was surreal, and it made him nauseated. It felt like his stomach was doing somersaults.

“Why wasn’t the door locked, though?” He blurted out, unable to process what was going on. “And then my arm! But I—I could have sworn—”

He was unable to finish his sentence as his defiant body made a sharp turn to the left and began moving forward. Anthony felt his throat getting tighter, while he felt a ghastly chill prickle his skin. Each step on the wooden floorboard gave off muffled creaks, yet it was like an explosion. A clangourous sound to his ear.

“What the phuck is going on around here?! Wh-why is this happening to me?” he whimpered as tears formed around the corners of his eyes. “I don’t—How could—This can’t be happening... it doesn’t add up! Am I hallucinating all this?”

The dimmed lights of the hallway, and the fact that it was early in the morning, only unsettled Anthony. There was nary a festive mood. Instead, it was like Hallowe’en, but worse. His heartbeat was loud. Thumping and beating wild against his chest.

He was feeling fear. Dread, first off, followed by embarrassment as he realized he was outside in his pyjamas. It was one thing not being able to control one’s own body. However, it was another whole can of worms to have it happen while wearing sleepwear. His mind was having a mental debate about whether to call for help or to suck it until the end.

His body finally stopped at the very end of the hallway. Anthony stared with hopelessness at the door in front of him. He read the plating stuck onto it, Room 214. Anthony felt another rush of cold sweat and stomach acrobatics. His breathing became uneven, and his face flushed red. Of all the rooms, he had never expected to stop by this one.

“I still can’t believe this is happening,” he muttered.

The young man decided to yell for help, but as he opened his mouth, nothing came out of it. No words. Not even a single peep of sound, much to his chagrin. He was trapped. Trapped and forced to see the story unfold while he does nothing.

But as it were, he was also forced to do it in front of Room 214.

There were only a handful of tenants in the building. Many of whom Anthony could call by their first name. They were his friends as much as they were friends with him. But as close-knit as they were, there was one tenant Anthony could not form a proper relationship with. And that happened to be the man in 214. Rowan was his name, and he was one of the handful of people Anthony feared and respected.

The man was not dangerous. At least, from what Anthony heard from the older tenants. Rowan was only described to be a stoic individual. One that prefers his time spent on his lonesome. No company, no intrusions. Only by himself and his thoughts.

Anthony tried to form a connection with him, who was his closest neighbour. More or less, that is. But those attempts were all met with a scowl on the face and a piercing glare. The bandages the brunet saw decorated on the other did not help, either. And the fact they were around his hands, neck, and sometimes on the face was also a factor.

He could only believe they were injuries from a brawl. Or worse.

But even then, Anthony believed that Rowan was not a bad person. Threatening and imposing, yes, but not bad. He had seen the other up close once, after all. Back when they first shared an elevator ride.

Rowan was taller than him and equipped with a well-built body. At least, compared to his own, soft one. He also has a heart-shaped face, which complements the lazy stubble of a beard. That, and the long black hair that had this brushed-back style to it.

Anthony felt a little lacklustre as they stood side by side, as he was plain average. Nothing stood out from his russet brown hair and everyday hazel eyes. Nor does he have any physical quality that stands out. A John Smith, background character of sorts.

But aside from appearances, Rowan had also shown Anthony a warm side of himself. One that took the latter by surprise.

It was back when Anthony was at his lowest. He was walking around the lobby, drenched in rain. Something that benefitted him as it also hid his tears. And all of a sudden, Rowan approached him. The scowl on his face was somewhat dampened compared to all the other times. He reached his hand out and helped him walk back to his room. It was a silent gesture of help, but it was help nonetheless. And afterwards, Rowan gifted him a bread basket of warm pastries.

Anthony had to admit that such a memory was old, but it was impactful. He had no doubt Rowan forgot all about it, but he did not mind. Especially since the former was too frightened to speak to the other ever again. Embarrassed by that event.

This was how Anthony ends up caught in a curious case of being afraid of Rowan, but at the same time, infatuated with him.

“This can’t be happening!” Anthony cried out. “Of all the places my body could have led me to, why did it have to be here?”

The young man’s sobbing worsened as his hand went ahead and knocked on the door. Anthony let it happen, knowing he was fighting a losing battle.

Each knock on the door was a thunderclap. There was no other noise that could distract Anthony’s ears, and thus he braved the sound of his death knell. It went on and on as if forever, to which he could only close his eyes and pray for it to end.

“I always dreamed of asking him out. Invite him to my place or something. But not like this!” Anthony looked around to see anyone—anything—that can help him get away and free him from this nightmare. But the halls were empty and devoid of those things. And there was not a single person in sight.

“Oh, phuck. I hope he’s not home right now. I don’t know how I could ever explain this to him. At least, without sounding like a deranged lunatic!”

Following Anthony’s outburst, the hall fell back to silence. Except for his breathing, which he found deathly loud. He found it unsettling how so many things happened in a short span of time. From waking up to see an unknown package on his table, to having his body controlled by something. Or someone.

Seconds passed, and there was no response. The brunet tried to move, but he remained in place.

Just before he could comment on his plight, he heard the sounds of scuffling. Anthony looked around, but there was nobody there. The noise repeated, but this time, he heard a heavy thud against something wooden. What it was, he could not point out.

“H-hello?” Anthony asked, but none replied.

The sound continued with various grunts and groans. Of furniture creaking and, quite likely, falling. Anthony knew not. But what he was certain of, was that it was all coming from behind the door of 214.

And then there was a loud bang on the door. It was an ear-splitting sound, as if someone was hammering away at the entryway with a boulder. The quiet atmosphere only amplified the noise further, making it louder than it should be.

“If it were not for the fact that I’m stuck in place, I would’ve jumped a few feet backwards,” said Anthony.

“Hey, who’s there?!” The voice came from behind the door. “Again, who’s there? I’m having a bit of a problem here, so go away!”

The person sounded somewhat hoarse. As if they had been talking for hours on end, or had a massive sore throat.

Despite the rough-sounding tone, Anthony recognized the voice as that of Rowan. The tenant of Room 214. The rabble of butterflies in his stomach went crazy. He also felt his heart flutter as excitement got mixed in with his current emotions. But the situation at hand brought him out of his fantasy, and he shook it away. At least, for now.

The door rattled again. It was louder, and for reasons unknown, nobody had come into the floor to check what this was all about.

“Is he tackling the door?” Anthony tilted his head, becoming more curious at the sound than his current predicament.

It repeated a few more times before the doorknob began to jerk over and over. The metal sounds became as resonating as the banging wood.

“I’m busy at the moment. Go away!” Rowan called out again.

Anthony could not leave even if he wanted to. There was nothing he could do except watch the door shake and jiggle on its frame.

Soon, the shaking stopped. The doorknob turned all the way to its side and the door swung open. Behind it was the tall, able-bodied man of Anthony’s dreams. His piercing black eyes met soft hazel.

“Wh—aren’t you the guy a few doors down?” Rowan asked through clenched jaws and gritted teeth. “What are you doing here?”

Rowan’s body kept jerking forward and back, though he manages to steady himself. His right hand had been clutching the door frame on his side. Likewise, his feet were pressing against the wooden floor. Pushing with all their might, from the looks of it.

“Well?” he pressed as he slowly dragged his left arm back to his side. The way he struggled to move it was painfully obvious.

Anthony immediately knew there was something off about Rowan. From the latter’s neck and chest, he saw something glimmering against the light. The brunet squinted his eyes and saw that it was none other than a golden necklace. And along with it, was an eagle-shaped trinket. The same one that he had on him, but it was facing on the right side, in contrast to his necklace, which was facing left.

Before either of the men could speak up, the eagle halves of their respective necklaces flew up. The chain that it was currently attached to went taut as it began pulling the two men towards each other.

Rowan resisted the pulling sensation, pushing himself backwards. Sweat dripped down from his forehead as he used his strength to combat the unseen force.

The same cannot be said for Anthony. Unlike the other, he was weaker. Unable to resist the pull as much as the other. Bit by bit, he was inching forward. He tried all that he could to stop it, but like every other attempt, it failed.

“Shite, can’t you move away?” Rowan gasped, almost out of air from all that pushing and resisting.

“N-no, I can’t!” Anthony replied. “Unlike you, I couldn’t move where I want to. Or resist it. I just get dragged wherever.”

“Oh, bloody brilliant, this is!”

“Was that sarcasm?”

“Wasn’t it obvious? Anyway, I’ll try closing the door. We’ll slam onto it, but at least not onto each other.” Rowan dragged his left arm to reach the far-off door handle. His whole body trembled as he withstood the necklace’s pull. He defied any other movement that was not of his discretion.

On the other hand, Anthony was failing his half of the task. He could not stop his movement going forward, and was weak to do so.

“I don’t—I won’t be able to last long, Rowan,” Anthony proclaimed.

“Keep it up, I’m close to reaching the doorknob!”

Rowan’s outstretched fingers were so close to the handle. Only a millimetre away. So close, and yet, so far.

Without as much as a warning, Rowan lost the grip on his right hand. At the very same moment, Anthony lost his footing and began to rush forward. The two men flung towards each other. Rowan’s left arm and Anthony’s right became sandwiched between the colliding bodies. They both let out a groan of pain before they slid down onto the floor.

“Argh, what the bloody hell!” Anthony was the first to react.

“Took the words right out of my mouth. Now, what gives?” Rowan directed a glare at the brunet.

“I don’t know!” Anthony gave him an incredulous look. “Come on, you’ve seen me standing before you a few minutes ago, paralysed!”

Rowan scoffed and rolled his eyes. Instead of believing him, he retorted. “Oh, yeah. So, the blame falls on me? Look around you—every upturned furniture here was the result of my trying to stop my body from moving.”

The brunet heed his words and looked around the place. There were chairs that had fallen on the floor, along with books and other tchotchkes. On the far right of the living room, there was even an upturned vase with shards of it scattered nearby.

“See?”

“Huh, you’re not into the holiday spirit, are you?” Anthony said. “There’s a clear lack of Christmas garland here and there. And no stockings, either!”

“Wh-what are you talking about? Get your head off the clouds and stay on topic, you little shrimp.”

“I am on topic!” Anthony argued back. “It’s not my fault I happen to notice that you haven’t decorated your home, after all.”

The raven-haired male groaned, throwing his head backwards.

“Oh, don’t be like that! Now, why don’t we get up, get going, and... see each other next time, I suppose. It’s plain to see that now is not the time, and I got to get going to put ice on my right shoulder that you rammed on.”

“Excuse you. You are the one who rammed into me!” Rowan exclaimed. He let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. “You know what? I’m not interested to deal with you any more. At least right now. So, like you said, get up, get going, and see each other next time. Or never.”

He placed his right hand down on the floor to help him get up, but the moment he does so, he fe;; straight back down. All because of the weight on his left arm. At the same time, Anthony cried out as he felt pain in his right arm. He yelped, both when Rowan stood up and fell down. It was like a big tug of war.

They looked at each other, questioning what had happened.

“Did you have a death grip on me?” Rowan asked.

“No. Did you actually try pulling me up with you, but didn’t say anything.”

“No. Damn, what else is going on?”

As if to answer his question, the eagle halves on their necklaces began to shift and move. Anthony was the first to notice, and he directed Rowan’s attention to it. Both of them watched as the charms attach themselves to each other. It formed a golden, two-headed eagle taking flight. Following that was a bright flash of blue light that filled the room. It lasted no longer than a few seconds before going out completely.

“I’ve had enough of this convoluted mess!” Rowan griped. “You are lucky today’s Christmas Eve. Otherwise, I would have—ugh, whatever. Forget about it. Forget about me, and let’s... stop.”

“I, uh, sorry I caused you trouble,” Anthony replied. He had his head facing forward and down, avoiding looking at the other’s face. “Though, in my defence, I truly wasn’t able to control my body. Honest. It was like... being possessed.”

Rowan did not reply. Instead, he got back on his feet and started to get up again. Like before, he was once more pulled downward.

“Stop clinging on to me!” He turned his head and faced Anthony. The brunet was still looking down, slightly facing his direction now. There were tears in the corner of his eyes. Rowan felt his heart drop looking at Anthony like that, but he refused to comment on it.

“Ah, I guess I said it a bit too harshly, huh? Well, sorry, bud, but I—”

“No, it’s not that. Look. Look at our arms!”

Rowan did as he was instructed and looked down.

There were many things Rowan expected to see. It could have been clothes that got ruined during the brief scuffle or something. Or that there was a light scratch that needed cleaning. But nothing prepared him to see their arms melding together like clay.

Rowan pulled his arm to himself, only for him to flinch at the sharp tug of pain coming between his and Anthony’s arm. The latter also reacted to the pull, but didn’t make a sound. He tried it again, gentler this time around. But rather than just his arm, Anthony’s arm also came along with it. The back of their hands touched, and Rowan saw their skin fusing and merging with one another.

Another thing that spooked him was how fast it was going. Their arms’ merging process also made the two of them move closer to one another. It stopped right at the sleeves, but only for a short second. Whatever was going on also affected their clothes. Rowan does not know how to make sense of it, but he watched as his and Anthony’s sleeve merge. The same way their arms did.

“Hey, Anthony... say something.”

“I mean, what am I supposed to say?”

Anthony brought his (and Rowan’s, for that matter) arm up, but neither separated from the other.

“Well,” he huffed, “it’s still stuck.”

But their conversation was then cut short when the merging progressed further. The effect has moved onto their torsos. Rowan and Anthony let out a gasp of shock as they felt their sides meld onto each other. It was not painful, but it was like a punch to the gut as their bodies moved closer and closer. And all of a sudden, they could feel the subtleness of the other’s presence. The synchronized rise and fall of their chest were one of them. Both of them could swear they felt the other’s heart beating alongside their own as well.

And the most jarring change at that moment was when their innermost arm was being absorbed into their body. Their clothes, too, reflected this change. The middle sleeve that once housed two arms, gone, as if it did not exist at all.

They were both distraught about the whole situation. It was visible how they were trembling in fear as their torsos merged into one. And they knew their legs were next. Cold sweat drenched their bodies and soaked their now oddly-knitted clothing.

The latter was a different kind of anomaly that needed explanation altogether.

“I honestly expected a nice holiday celebration this year, you know?” Anthony mumbled, his voice, shaking as he was. “Like, a Christmas film marathon. And having a video call with my brother. Kinda like that.”

“H-hey, I didn’t expect this, too,” Rowan replied. “I mean, I was dead-set on finishing a gaming marathon with my buddies, but I guess I can’t use my left hand any more.”

They continued on with their idle chatter, as it helped them calm down. And after a while of talking, they found that their uneven breathing became relaxed. And that their jittering, flinching reaction also stopped. Everything happened so quickly, but somehow it made them feel like hours had passed. And neither of them was in their right mind to go check for the time.

To stop the insidious feeling, they allowed whatever force acting upon them to do its job. Neither had the strength to fight it off, much less when attached to each other.

Soon enough, their inner legs fully merged into their body. A shiver ran across their spine, and they knew—they just knew—that it was over.

They started off as two men with their own bodies. But now, they were a two-headed man in a single body. Their shared torso was wide enough to accommodate the two heads atop the same set of shoulders. But this body only had two arms and legs like any other person. The right belonged to Rowan, and the other, to Anthony.

Without a word, Anthony bolted upward. He tried to pull himself away from Rowan, yet was unable to do so. Instead, he tripped and fell onto his knee. The resulting shock of pain had broken him, and the brunet was reduced to tears.

“Are you okay?” Rowan asked, raising his concern over the well-being of his new partner.

Anthony shook his head before meeting Rowan’s eyes. What was once piercing and terrifying is now soothing. The brunet knew that a part of him feared the angry side of Rowan, but right now, it was the same man who helped him when he was down. He felt loved and reassured with his gestures of kindness. One that he cannot provide for now.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay. How about you?”

Rowan shook his head. “I’ve seen better days, of course.”

“No, I meant when I fell on my knee—didn’t you feel it?”

“Not actually. Huh, I guess we can only feel the things on our side of the body, even though we’re... conjoined now.”

“Can we... sit down for a while?”

Rowan nodded. “Okay. Let’s talk when you’re ready.”

They scrambled back to where they first fell together and sat there in silence. Rowan acknowledged that Anthony was having a hard time processing what happened. Even more than him. And thus, he left him to his own device while he, himself, got some thinking to do.

Rowan was the first to become bored by their current, non-speaking state. He lifted his right arm—the only one he could control—and place his hand across their chest. He could feel twin hearts beating in sync. And the rhythmic rise and fall of their joint chest breathing.

Although he ended up conjoined to his neighbour, the same one he had no familial relations with, he felt calm. He panicked earlier, of course, but now it was a dead calm. No worries were on his head, and there was no heartache happening. Only calmness. As if he had already internalized the merging and accepted it. Wholehearted acceptance, even.

Rowan looked to his left and stared at Anthony’s blank expression. He does not have the foggiest idea of where to begin describing what Anthony was feeling. All he could see was that the brunet took it harder than himself. And he looked like the sensitive type, too. His previous words echoed through his mind, and Rowan felt guilt creep in. It weighed him down, knowing he was too quick to judge.

“So, Anthony,” he spoke up. It was his attempt to rekindle their lost, almost begotten conversation. “How are you feeling now, bud?”

“Awful,” he replied. His voice was low, and very much reserved.

Rowan frowned. He hated this. He abhorred seeing his partner acting depressed—and he was not one to make use of this word lightly, either.

“I can see that. Do you think you can stand up soon?”

“Why?” Anthony turned to face him.

“You know, so we can see our new... us.” He gestured at their fused body. “And we can also try... well, to reintroduce ourselves. We haven’t had a conversation like this before. Even though we’re a ‘tight-knit community,’ as the older folks suggest we were.”

“Okay. I can stand up. But... give me a few more seconds,” Anthony replied.

“Sure. I’ll be right here. Literally.”

Anthony fought back a chuckle escaping through his mouth.

“Hey, you’re laughing now! And you got that smile, too. That’s more like it!” Rowan beamed. His spirit brightened the same way Anthony stopped sulking.

“Okay, stop!” Anthony exclaimed. “A few more seconds, and we’ll get going.”

“Gotcha, bud.”

Rowan then looked away, which left Anthony back to his thoughts.

The brunet was thankful for it, but also felt guilty. When his raven-haired body-mate placed his hand over their chest, he almost screamed. Anthony tried his best not to react, but from that one touch, it was all over. Scandalous thoughts raced through his head. Not only that, but he had to control his cock from getting too hard.

And when he had tried to run away earlier, Rowan blessed him with a kind gesture. The soft smile on the other male’s face also almost made him drip pre-cum. All from that. He tried to distance his thoughts from his sexual drive, but that, too, failed. After all, he was now attached to Rowan, his long-time crush, on a physical level. As much as he attempted to think of the latter’s downright terrifying scowl, his hard-on gets worse.

It was heaven and hell altogether. The tenuous relationship they have recently formed could be in danger. Especially when his libido becomes out of hand.

It also did not help when, right beside his cock, he could feel Rowan’s monster-sized penis. Whenever their legs move, he could feel it. If their torsos move, he could feel it. Even as they sat there, he could feel it even more than usual.

Anthony bit his lip and took deep breaths. He breathed in, and out. In, and then out. Each time he breathes, he lets his mind wander away. Anywhere would be better than here. He vowed not to get caught as he tried to mentally erase Rowan’s recent actions. His touch, his smile, his reassuring words—

Phuck, he was getting hard.

The brunet put his hand over to his side of the crotch. He could feel the slight throbbing. Not enough for Rowan to feel, but was still enough to know that he was getting aroused.

What he needed was a distraction.

“So, Rowan... I’m ready to talk,” he said. Louder than he intended.

The other male jolted from surprise and straightened their back. He then looked at Anthony and nodded.

“All right. You’re done?” He asked warmly.

Anthony nodded. “Yeah, I am. It’ll take a while to get used to, but I guess now is the time to... get things moving. But hang on, I need to know.”

“Hm?” Rowan tilted his head. “About what?”

“Like, what do you think caused this to happen?”

“Well, I’m betting that it’s this necklace that is at fault.” Rowan picked up the two-headed eagle charm. He resisted the urge to crush it between his fingers. Instead, let it lie down across the palm of his hand and gave it a scathing glare. “That said, did you know anything about this?”

Anthony shook his head. “No, I don’t. I have only seen it today. Not immediately, mind you. More like... I woke up at four in the morning and then walked into the living room to get to the kitchen for a cup of eggnog—”

“Isn’t it too early for that?” Rowan interjected but had his question ignored.

—”and as I was about to sit down for a film marathon, I saw a package on my table.”

“Let me guess, wrapped in brown paper? With strings? And a sticky note with the drawing of Santa?”

“It’s a crude drawing of Santa Claus, but yeah.” Anthony looked away and muttered words too inaudible to hear.

“What was that?” Rowan quirked a brow. “I didn’t catch what you said.”

“I said that my brother may or may not have a hand in this... situation.”

“What do you mean? Did he do something?”

Anthony shook his head. “I... don’t think so. See, when I saw the handwriting, I thought to myself that it must have been my brother who had sent it. And it makes sense if he did it because he’s the only one who knew me and where I live.”

“Huh... that doesn’t make any sense, though. Why would he give you—and me, for that matter, a pair of necklaces that... conjoins people together?”

“Beats me,” Anthony shrugged. “I don’t know why he would make us conjoined twins.”

“Yeah... don’t call us that. The key word is twins, here. We’re nothing alike, let alone related”

Anthony looked down at their shared body. His eyes darted to and fro. “I’m not even sure if this is possible—”

Rowan reached over and covered Anthony’s mouth before he could say anything further.

“Okay, you know what? Let’s stop there. Okay? Nod, and I remove my hand.”

Anthony relented to Rowan and nodded. Satisfied, the latter removed his hand as promised.

“No talking about that. The less we know, the better. Although... we need to search up this necklace, though.”

“Maybe on the internet?”

“Well, it’s not like we have much choice. Come on, let’s get a move on,”

Rowan and Anthony began with their first co-op task: standing up. They tumbled and slipped. Many times, they fell back to their rump, but had otherwise managed to stand on their feet. Unfortunately for Rowan, he became the unwitting partner of someone who is a bit shorter than he was. It was a miracle that he found himself still standing upright.

“Did some of our shoulder bones adjust?” Anthony asked, feeling the clavicle—or what he believed it to be—with his hand. “I think there are some major changes to our bones, Rowan. We don’t look like your typical two-headed twin.”

“Don’t question the magic of it,” Rowan replied. “By the way, it looks like our clothes blended really well, huh?”

Before their conjoinment, Anthony had been wearing his pyjamas. It consisted of a white raglan shirt and chequered pyjama pants. On the other hand, Rowan was wearing a black and blue striped t-shirt and grey boxer shorts. For whatever reason, their clothes also merged, and it created their current ensemble. The men were now wearing a black and blue striped raglan shirt, and the pyjama pants were now grey. The shirt had one giant hole for their heads rather than two. And this, in turn, made the space between their heads somewhat exposed.

“Do you think that the necklace also merged all our other clothes in the closet?”

“Nope, not doing this discussion with you.” Rowan put his foot down. “And we’re not going to do it later on. Now let’s go and get to my room. The computer is there.”

They walked down the narrow hallway that connects the living room to the bedroom. Each step was a struggle, as the control of their limbs was independent of one another. It took them a whole minute to get from one end of the hallway to the other. They tripped and fell, and got bumps and bruises, but they made it.

“Here we are,” Rowan said between breaths. The way they walked took a lot of energy from him than anticipated, but he shook it off for the most part. “This is my room. Make yourself comfortable, and try not to break anything.”

Anthony stared in awe as he managed to get inside of Rowan’s room. There were posters stuck on the wall, many of which were from various anime. On one corner, therein stands a towering shelf filled to the brim with anime figurines and plush toys. And on the opposite side, manga and comics are all lined up, neat and tidy.

“You sure are quite the anime fan,” Anthony commented. “This reminds me of my brother—he loves sci-fi and fantasy novels and movies. He even got two rooms dedicated for his, er, Dungeons and Dragons.”

This time, it was Rowan’s turn to become awestruck.

“Your brother loves DnD?” He asked, pressing his face close to the brunet. He then gasped and pulled his face away, face all red. “Uh, yeah... sorry.”

Anthony laughed. For the first time since the incident, he let out a peal of genuine laughter. “It’s fine, it’s fine! But yeah, my brother is a fan.”

Rowan opened his mouth, but closed it before he could say anything. He cleared up his throat and pointed at the desktop computer right next to the bed.

“Anyway, let’s do a web search about the eagle chain, yeah?”

They walked, or waddled, until they reached the computer. As soon as they sat down, Rowan took charge and began pressing keyboard keys like it was a grand piano, and he, the maestro. Meanwhile, Anthony simply watched. He had been watching things happen a lot for the past hour, but he shrugged it off.

They began their investigation through the use of the web browser. Even with one hand working on both the keyboard and mouse, it did not pose a problem for Rowan. He went through site after site, almost as if he practised it beforehand. Anthony gushed at how great the other was in sweeping the sites for their answer. The latter blushed in embarrassment, but it did not slow him down.

Half an hour passed, but none of them provided them with the answer they needed. Each website they went to got the basic information about the two-headed eagle chain. But it had nothing beyond what they already knew. No explanation for the cure, nor reference materials to go through with.

Anthony, however, made it a point to ask a question now and then. Something that would keep their morale high. Rowan loved the idea and encouraged the brunet to keep asking questions. In turn, he would also get the chance to ask something about Anthony.

But one question ruined the harmony they have.

“So, here’s something that’s been bothering me... what is up with your cock?” Rowan asked. Nonchalant, as if it was the most mundane question ever. “It feels strange, you know. Like it’s almost always hard.”

Anthony choked on his own saliva after hearing that. He turned to face Rowan, with his brows furrowed in curiosity. The way he stared at the taller male made him want to ask if what he heard was real or not. His gaze met with Rowan’s blank look, and Anthony knew then and there that it was not a joke. It was a serious question.

Lying would do him no good, and thus he chose the lesser evil: answer truthfully.

“Don’t blame me, though,” Anthony blurted out, “but my cock is sitting there, right next to yours.”

Rowan nodded. “Yes, I am aware of that. But what I meant was—”

“I can’t help but feel aroused when they’re sticking together like that, you know? And I can feel just how massive your dick is, even if I couldn’t see it myself.”

Rowan blushed at Anthony’s words, as much as Anthony was blushing at what he had said. He had to admit that he felt thrilled the other was becoming more comfortable with him. He wanted to jump and scream and kiss the brunet more than ever, but he did not. The way the other was shy about admitting to him was something he found adorable, and he wanted to see more of it.

An idea came to his mind. It was devious and somewhat petty, but Rowan was sure it would be all worth it in the end.

He pressed his right leg inward. In turn, the two cocks between his and Anthony’s legs became pressed with one another. Anthony tried to back out of it, but since he was also conjoined to Rowan, he remained in place. Rowan found himself delighted at the scene of Anthony’s blushing, lust-filled face.

Anthony was panting as he fought off the incoming hard-on from his cock. At the same time, he wanted to submit to the giant phallus that was nudging his own.

“Aww, would you look at that! I can’t believe you got all hot and bothered all from having our cocks press against each other,” Rowan teased. “Don’t you know the blush on your face drives me nuts, too?”

“Stop it, Rowan!” Anthony put his hand over his cock in an attempt to hide his boner. The feeling of embarrassment skyrocketed beyond his wildest imagination. His heartbeat thumped loud against his ribs. He knew Rowan planned this whole thing, but could not say anything against it. On one hand, it made him look like he was an easy-going, hypersexual catch. On the other, it would make him appear as a total hypocrite, seeing as he was enjoying the entire bit.

And it was not like they could separate and be over it, either.

“Hey, I kinda think we should go back and research more about the amulet,” Anthony said, pointing at the amulet. “The sooner we find a way to get separated, the less I would end up teased by you, of all people!”

“Is that so?” Rowan reached for the computer’s monitor and switched it off. This merits him a questioning look from the shorter male, though he paid it no mind. “I mean, we’ve been at it for some time now, and you look like you’re feeling a bit... tense, you know?”

“I’m like this because you took advantage of my weakness,” Anthony shot back.

Rowan waved his hand, laughing as he did. “Oh, come on! All water under the bridge now, eh? And besides, all this web browsing made my eyes hurt. We need to take a break. It’s Christmas, after all! Where’s your self-preservation and self-care if you can’t be bothered with it now and then?”

The brunet blinked slowly, unable to comprehend the other’s thought process.

“No, not a chance!” Anthony protested. He reached out to turn the computer screen back on, but Rowan grabbed his wrist and pulled it back to themselves. The strength of his grip was stronger than Anthony expected. With his hand pinned down, there was not much he could do.

“I can’t do this, Rowan. Honestly! It feels strange and, well, almost as if I’m doing it with my brother.”

Now it was Rowan’s turn to give the other an incredulous look of disbelief.

“You mean to say you’re comparing me to your brother?” His mouth then formed a grin, and mischief sparked in his eyes. “Does that mean you get hard thinking about your brother’s fat cock, too? Oh, or is it that you’ve masturbated together? Well, great news, bud, because I’m about to show you how much better I am compared to him.”

“Oh, hell no! And what on earth are you talking about?”

Instead of a reply, Rowan grabbed the back of Anthony’s neck and pulled his head closer to his.

Anthony was unable to protest as he soon found himself kissing the other male. Both of them felt an uncomfortable strain on their neck, but neither of them budged to do anything about it. Anthony was too busy processing what was happening, and Rowan wanted nothing more than to kiss his body-mate.

As they kissed, the latter took it up to get things moving. He forced his tongue inside Anthony’s mouth, pushing back the latter’s own tongue without much effort. And then he explored every inch of it, lapping up every part of the brunet’s as if it were ambrosia of the gods. It was clear that Rowan was the dominating one. He was a rough kisser. And greedy, with how much he grasped Anthony’s head, not letting him escape. Saliva dripped down from their mouths as Rowan got himself lost in the realm of passion.

Their heated passion intensified, especially as Anthony was starting to lose touch with reality. Rowan knew of this, and he continued making out with him. He found the experience exhilarating. It was thrilling. Stimulating. And it made him possessive. He leaned in further, pressing their faces even more as he wanted more of him to become a part of Anthony. He made sure every inch of Anthony’s mouth was marked by his tongue.

Anthony, on the flip side of things, was somewhat torn. He loathed how Rowan managed to lock him in place, but at the same time, he wants nothing more than to melt in his arms. The brunet was nothing short of shocked to see a wild, abrasive side of Rowan. He was like a beast wanting to devour him. His mind was telling him to flee, but his body—the half that he could control, at least—did not listen. Anthony could feel the burning redness of his cheek and ears, either from shyness or ardour. He could not tell. But if there was one thing he wanted to do, it was to allow himself to enjoy their erotic moment together.

As prude as he was, this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. He was not going to waste his time being a stifling goody-two-shoes. Anthony lowered his hand and began rubbing their cocks. Not only his, but also Rowan’s. He gave it a massage through their pyjama pants and could feel a big load of pre-cum leaking. It drenched through the fabric and onto his hand, but he did not stop.

Rowan then lowered his hand and grabbed the brunet’s waist. It was tiny compared to his hand, easily covering it. Anthony likewise did the same, as he brought his hand up and clasped it onto Rowan’s shoulder. He held on tight, feeling the other’s tough and sinewy muscles flex and move.

Their messy make-out left them drenched in sweat. They separated as soon as they felt the need to breathe. The pain in their necks no longer fazed them. Both were too drunk with lust to ever be bothered by it. And then there was this trail of saliva still connecting their mouths.

“Th-that was impressive. Beautiful,” Rowan said. He was heaving now, which also meant that Anthony was heaving as well. Somewhat, at least. It had been some time since they had taken in long, proper breaths, and they were finally taking it all in.

“Yeah, it was... stunningly wonderful.” Anthony closed his eyes as he let Rowan breathe for him. He felt the rush of air in their shared lungs. The brunet put his hand over to their conjoined chest and felt the rise and fall of it. There was no discrepancy or lag. Rather, it was in complete synchronicity. A testament to their bodies’ conjoinment.

“It may come out as a surprise, but I have never had a make-out session done in front of the computer before.” Rowan tilted his head and leaned in over to Anthony. He let his scruffy facial brush over the latter’s cheek. How about you?”

“Well, never have I ever had a make-out session with someone I’m conjoined to. And for the record, this is also the first time someone nuzzled on my face, so that makes it two for two.” Anthony closed his eyes and breathed in Rowan’s scent. Even with all that sweat and cum, he swore he could pick up a woody fragrance. It was earthy, with a dry note to it. He also loved the coarse facial hair prickling his face.

The peaceful scene was then cut short when Rowan propped his elbow and nudged the other to get up. Anthony did not question him and followed his prompt. The conjoined pair got to their feet and, led by Rowan, sidestepped out of the chair. Rowan then made Anthony follow him, and they ended up standing right in front of a mirror.

“Oh, I’ve never noticed this before,” Anthony commented. He then looked up and down at their reflection, admiring their closeness with one another. “Why do you want us here?”

“I mean, we got to check ourselves, you know? And what better way to do that than a full-length mirror?”

“Does that mean—?”

“Yup. Let’s get to know our new selves, and this includes stripping off all our clothes!”

“And that also includes our... underwear?” Anthony gulped. While he loved the idea of seeing what was beneath their clothes, he was in no hurry to do so. That he felt like he needed more time to adjust to their situation... even though they have finished doing something very intimate earlier.

“Yeah, that includes removing our underwear.” Rowan showed him a wide grin. His eyes then went back to the mirror. “First thing’s first, why don’t we admire how our necklaces were able to merge our clothes.”

Anthony’s attention shifted back to the wall mirror. Much like Rowan said, their clothes became a hodgepodge mix of two different sets. It was stranger still that it looked remotely good, given the sheer dissimilarity of the two sets.

“All right, let’s strip down!” Rowan announced.

The conjoined pair first got rid of their raglan shirt. Following that were the pyjama bottoms. They stood up straight afterwards, and they got a clear view of their body while in underwear.

“Woah, that’s kinda freaky,” the raven-haired male sniggered.

“Yeah, it’s strange, to say the least,” Anthony added. “Though, I’d like it if we move at a slower pace. Try not to get too excited, you know?”

Their body looked like Frankenstein Monster’s body, of sorts. One half of their body—the right half—belonged to Rowan. And on the left was Anthony’s. There was a distinct clash of skin tones, highlighted at their centre. Rowan’s side had this warm skin colour whereas Anthony’s was pale. The resulting conjoinment made their respective colourations stand out.

Hues aside, there was also body hair. While Rowan had shabby facial hair, the rest of his body was without hair. His arms, chest, stomach, and legs were smooth. Free of blemishes of kinds. And it even looked soft to touch, like a newborn baby’s bum.

But on the left side, it was a different situation. Anthony exhibited hair on his chest, stomach, and limbs. The same places that Rowan does not have hair on them. And the cherry on top was that the body hair was a darker shade of brown compared to the ones on his head. The acuminate hair growth on half of their stomach made it look pretty imbalanced. The chest hair was even more so, as they had a wider chest than before.

“Hey bud, let me touch your body hair,” Rowan asked.

“Only if you let me touch your silky-smooth skin,” came Anthony’s reply.

Though they both asked, neither of them waited for a response. Both men became busy touching and caressing their opposite halves. Rowan took his time placing and patting down Anthony’s body hair, while the latter was letting his hand glide against Rowan’s chest and abs. They kept at it until both hands landed on the centre of their body. Particularly at the odd space between their chest. It was soft, but firm, like the muscular pectorals on Rowan’s side, though not as pronounced. For what it was worth, it looked to be like a third, smaller chest, though it did not have a nipple.

“I’m guessing this helps out the fact that you’re taller than I am?” Anthony suggested. He brought his hand up to the shoulder space between their necks and gave it a firm grip. “This looks and feels like it’s slanted. The higher side being on your end.”

Rowan nodded to his statement.

While they had their physical differences, none of them was as obvious as their height. Anthony was a few centimetres shorter than Rowan, and their shoulders reflected this. His was placed slightly lower than his partner’s. And yet, the other was not tilting to his side. No, they were both standing straight. A result of having this lopsided clavicle between their necks.

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Rowan said. “It would be a literal nightmare if I had to keep leaning over on my left whenever we stand up... or do anything, for that matter.”

“I’m glad too, since this means you and I can be comfortable like this,” Anthony added. “I’d hate it if you have to be feeling cramped all the time while conjoined to me.”

“Anthony, that is sweet of you! Come here, bud!” Rowan leaned towards Anthony and gave him a flurry of kisses, which made the latter chortle from being tickled by the other’s beard.

As soon as they stopped flirting, they went back to check their body’s differences. One other thing they missed the first time around was the difference in their muscles.

“You know, I can’t help but think we’re more than a biological anomaly.” Anthony poked his soft, ab-less stomach before poking Rowan’s (much harder than his) abs. “But rather than science, I guess we’re closer to being a result of a magical curse more than anything.”

Rowan rolled his eyes. “Seriously, drop that subject. Who cares about that, anyway—let’s check how much tiny your half of the body is against mine!”

“It’s not fair, though! I never worked out in my entire life... but how come you have? I don’t even see you go out of the building. Like, at all.”

The taller male made a disapproving sound. “Tsk-tsk, Anthony. Haven’t you heard of home workout videos?”

“Home-work-what, now?”

Rowan rolled his eyes. He brought his arm up and flexed, showing his muscles. “See those biceps and triceps? Not to mention those delts. This is the result of having a constant workout and healthy diet. In fact, you should try it out as well, considering with conjoined and all.”

“Uh-huh, whatever.” Anthony looked away from Rowan’s gaze and back to their half-and-half torso. He poked and prodded his, then Rowan’s, chest every other turn. “You looked like you have the muscles, but they are surprisingly bouncy.”

“Well, it’s not all muscles, you know. I’m trying to balance out the fat and muscles in my body. Having a great deal of muscles and no fat is dangerous. It can cause tons of problems, like heart diseases and organ shrinkage.”

“I haven’t had the foggiest about what you’re referring to.”

Rowan let out an exasperated sigh. “You know what? I’ll explain it to you later on. Let’s... let’s get back to checking ourselves before you kill the mood.”

The men resumed comparing their arms and legs. It came as no surprise to either of them that Rowan was bigger and brawnier than Anthony. The more they compared, the tinier Anthony felt. Rowan caught the look on the latter’s face and gave him a one-armed hug.

“I like you just the way you are, Anthony! Don’t sweat on it too much, my marshmallow bud!”

“Thank you, and phuck you too,” Anthony replied, though he leaned his head towards Rowan.

“By and by, wouldn’t you say that now is the time for us to compare our private parts, hm?”

“Wh-what was that?” Anthony sputtered. “I’m sorry, but you want to..?”

“I said I want us to compare our dicks.”

Of all the things Rowan wanted to compare, their dicks were by far the last thing Anthony expected he would say. And yet, here they were. The taller male’s grinning face did not help alleviate his reluctance, either.

“Um, can’t it wait until tomorrow or something?” the brunet suggested. “I was excited to have a look at it earlier, but I changed my mind. Maybe we’re dealing with things we shouldn’t, so let’s not.”

“What are you talking about? A little while ago, you were massaging our penises through our pyjama bottoms. We’ve ‘dealt with it’ already. Or at least, we did it halfway.” He reached down to the thick bulge of their underwear and gave it a big squeeze. Anthony whimpered, not wanting to groan in front of the other. Especially right after his refusal.

“Oh, come on, little buddy. We have already gone through the point of no return, so let’s give it our all.”

Rowan’s words swayed Anthony, but the brunet refused to give in. He closed his eyes and faced the other direction, away from his conjoint pair. His mind was abuzz with questions. Of thoughts about what the other’s cock really looked like. That was what sparked his interest, but he remained unmoving with his decision.

The raven-haired male reached out and began caressing the other’s stomach and waist. He let his hand glide across the exposed skin with light, butterfly touches. When he felt their joint body squirm and move, he knew he was winning him over. A cheap tactic, but a tactic nonetheless.

He continued touching the other. Poking and prodding until he gets the response he wanted.

“This is your last chance, Anthony,” Rowan said as he brought his hand up to the other’s nipple. He hardly touched it when Anthony, as flustered as ever, shoved his hand away.

“Okay, let’s do it. Not because I wanted to, but because your touches bother me.”

“Like, aroused?”

Anthony kept his silence, which Rowan accepted as a yes.

The pair then worked together as one to remove their underwear. They grabbed onto the waistband and pulled it off. In doing so, Rowan and Anthony let loose two large, meaty, but non-identical cocks. Both phalluses bounced up and down as soon as they were out of the underwear. The left cock was already half-hard.

“Woah, this is so cool!” Rowan commented.

Both of the men’s cocks were throbbing. The right half was still limp and flaccid. It reached close to Rowan’s knee and was about the size of his forearm. On the left half was Anthony’s cock. It was somewhat hard already, sticking up in the air. It looked to be shorter than Rowan’s, about half its size. But it made it up by having the same girth as the former.

Rowan made their body turn to their sides while looking in the mirror. He gazed upon their naked body, drooling as he did.

Anthony has this unperturbed look on his face. And though he looked to be cool about it, his inward thoughts were a mess. He was, to the best of his ability, focusing on how not to get even more aroused. But whenever Rowan twists their body, his massive cock also happens to move. This made their two penises rub against each other, even if it was only for a brief moment.

“Hey, buddy. What’s wrong?” Rowan asked. He stopped moving to check on Anthony. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“Stop moving around like that, and I’ll be fine,” he replied, looking away from Rowan’s gaze.

It did not take long before Rowan made the connection to the brunet’s weird actions. And thus, he reached down and gave their cocks a massage.

“This is all too easy,” Rowan muttered to himself as he watched Anthony—for the nth time, squirm because of his touch.

It started out with slow, up-and-down motions. Rowan’s hand proved itself to be big enough to hold two fat cocks. Not only that, but his touch was not painful at all. Instead, it sent out pure bliss. It was mesmerizing and addictive. Each second they were masturbating was like a second in heaven. The conjoined pair panted and moaned.

“Keep going!” Anthony cried out as he threw his head backwards, unable to contain himself from the writhing sense of pleasure.

And so, Rowan pressed on. He intensified his grip, pushing their two cocks together further. It evoked a different kind of euphoric sensation than mere kisses and touching. The conjoined men were effectively experiencing twice the amount of masturbation. All at once.

Anthony was the first to get weakened by Rowan’s actions. His leg wobbled, though he tried to remain standing upright. The raven-head noticed the left half of their body staggered. And thus, he led his awestruck partner to his bed and continued there.

As soon as their body hit the mattress, they resumed their heated passion. Anthony was uttering nonsensical grunts whereas Rowan kept his hand on their cocks. They revelled in pleasure with wild abandon. They groaned and twitched as they were reaching the climax.

“I’m going to cum!” Rowan shouted. He had said it out loud, and did not care whether someone else heard it or not.

“M-me too,” Anthony said soon after and between heaving breaths. “Let’s cum together, Rowan!”

As Rowan felt like they have reached their breaking point, he pointed the two cocks upward. Both of their dicks then squirted out a massive load of cum into the air before falling down onto them. It had drenched their chest and stomach, with bits of them landing on their faces.

The two men looked at each other and began laughing. Giggling like little kids after telling a joke only they could find funny. They then wipe off the semen that landed on each other’s faces, and then used the bedsheets to dry their hands.

“That was breath-taking, and the sun still isn’t up!” Rowan said, pointing at the still-dark window.

Anthony turned his head over to see, and then back again to Rowan.

“I can’t believe everything that happen until this point lasted only... what, an hour?” Anthony leaned in over and gave the raven a kiss.

Rowan reciprocated his kiss, his hand caressing the other’s nape. “If it did, this has to be one of the most eventful hours of my life.”

“Mmm... yeah, mine too. And you know what else I learned today?”

“What?”

“This is a very, very White Christmas. Only, with the ‘snow’ all over us.”

The brunet sniggered at Rowan’s joke. After which, he coaxed the other male to get close and snuggle with him. He felt calm and comfortable as he lay there with the raven-head. It was as if his dream of being able to have a proper connection with him came true. It came in a different kind of way, but it still came true—and that was what mattered to Anthony.

Rowan, meanwhile, did what Anthony told him and made himself comfortable. He had quite the reservation when he saw Anthony before. And then their merge happened. The raven-haired male was unsure about what to feel... but now, resolve was in his eyes. Of all the people that he would open up to, he did not expect it to be the frightened little lamb a few doors away.

The conjoined pair continued to nestle against the warm and cosy bed. Their thoughts were only filled with things about their unprecedented partner.

But a wintry chill of cold winter air that had entered the room through the window changed it all.

“Wait a minute, we’re supposed to be looking for the cure!” Anthony bolted up. At least, he tried to, but had forgotten about his condition. The sudden and inexplicable movement made him and Rowan double over in pain. It also made the other male’s daydream come to an end, as he found himself snapped back to reality.

They both shared a glance, one filled with worry, and the other, with surprise.

“Rowan, we have completely forgotten about why we’re here!” Anthony began to panic, his breathing hitched, and his hands began to shake. “We—oh god, we forgot all about it! We should get on to it right this instant!”

“Calm down, bud... and what do you mean by—”

“The necklace’s curse, you oaf!” Anthony blurted out. The pitch of his voice was getting higher. “Come on, Rowan. Get up and let’s continue looking for a way to separate us once and for all.”

Rowan’s demeanour, however, remained calm as ever after getting past the initial surprise. He placed his hand over Anthony’s half of the chest and pushed him down. He did so until they were back, laying down on the bed.

“I’ve been thinking,” Rowan began, garnering the attention of the other. “I decided to change my mind about this whole... conjoined non-twin thing. We’re going to stay like this.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Rowan shook his head. “Like, I just decided not to find the cure. Have you seen our body? It’s a cool half-and-half of us, brought together! I mean, I had reservations at first... but when we experienced that conjoint masturbation? Oh, I loved that. So, I say no. I want to abandon the search for the cure. It’ll be fun, little buddy! You, me, and our biological anomaly of a body.”

Anthony’s mouth was agape, hearing his reasons. He looked at Rowan as if he had got daft from their long, blush-worthy make-out session,

“You are a git!” Anthony cried out. He tried to pull Rowan up with him, but the latter seemed to have made himself heavier if it were possible. “Come on and get up! I couldn’t go on living like this... you can’t go on living like this, either. We have our personal lives to think about! Oh, no... what about my brother? What would he think of me now that I’m... that I’m stuck with you?!”

“Dammit, Anthony, you’re overreacting!” Rowan shot back.

“No, I think you’re under reacting.”

Their bickering came to an abrupt stop when Anthony saw a sparkle right from the corner of his eye. That was when he remembered the very thing that started this conundrum. From their chest lies the two-headed eagle charm, the source of their conjoinment.

“It’s time to stop this!” Anthony grabbed the chain necklace around his neck and forced it off him. He held it up in the air, though not by much, since Rowan still had half of the necklace on him. But seconds passed, and nothing happened.

Anthony tried to piece out the puzzling dilemma in his mind. He was under the impression taking off the necklace would end its effect. He looked at the necklace and then at Rowan, who still had a neutral look on his face.

“I could have sworn this would work,” he muttered. There was dryness in his mouth. Confusion settled in soon after, and then, he drew a blank. No ideas, no theories. There was nothing. His grip on the necklace relaxed, and that was when Rowan swiped it off his hand.

Anthony turned to his right and saw him take off his half of the necklace. But even then, they remained conjoined to each other.

“Wh-what now?”

The taller male smirked. “Just watch.”

He gathered the loose chain before balling it up in his fist. It was then that he heard Anthony’s startled gasp.

“Don’t crush it!” He yelled with his hand outstretched, aiming to grab Rowan’s wrist and free the chain. But the other was quick to respond. He straightened his arm to his right, away from where Anthony could reach.

“I’m doing you a favour,” Rowan explained as he chucked the item away.

The necklace flew all the way to the window facing the streets. It hit against the window pane with a clamour, and then it slid through the metal gratings. The distressed Anthony could only utter incoherent babbling. He turned to face Rowan, face already red with anger.

“What did you do?!” He screamed at Rowan, shaking him like mad.

“Calm down, bud. I just... took it off and threw it away. See? And we’re still conjoined. Looks like there is no cure at all. End of discussion.”

“No, it’s not!” Anthony used all his strength and made their body roll over. The latter, however, was unable to steel himself in time. The force of motion sent them tumbling off the bed. And as they landed on the floor, Anthony continued to wail at Rowan, but was unsuccessful in his endeavour.

“Woah there, Anthony... relax, it’s not hurting anybody!” Rowan tried to placate his partner, though he felt like his words were not going through him. “Look, weren’t you enjoying our time together?”

“You blockhead!” Anthony spat out. He tried to punch his other hand, but Rowan caught his fist and refused to let go. “Of course, I enjoyed our time together... but I wouldn’t want to spend our lives like this! What if we needed the necklace to undo the effect on us? Didn’t you think that?”

It took the brunet a good few minutes before his anger dampened. His strength dwindled with his rage until it became despair. Tears welled up from the corner of his eyes until he reached his breaking point. He cried. Rowan could feel a part of him wanting to cry along with Anthony. Whether it was because they were sharing the same body, he did not know. What he knew, however, was that the other’s cry was not of frustration or hate. Rather, it was closer to that of defeat.

“Oh, Anthony.” He pulled his conjoint pair as close to him. To what was physically possible. “I, uh, I’m sorry I didn’t take your thoughts and feelings into consideration. That had been selfish and cruel of me.”

He brought his hand and tried soothing him with a gentle caress, stroking him in an effort to calm him down. But he did so with light, benign touches. Lest the other would cry even more.

“Why did you ever do that?” Anthony asked through his tears. It was clear as day that he was hurting. Betrayed. And it only made Rowan feel guilty more than ever.

“Look, I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking straight at that time,” he apologized. He used his hand to wipe off the tears streaming down from the other’s face. “Tell you what, let’s get up, have a quick shower, and get dressed. It’s way early in the morning, and there are barely people outside from the sound of it.

“We can then sneak out—unseen—and get the necklace back. After which, we can try to find a way to separate ourselves if that’s what you really wanted. I won’t be mad.”

Anthony gave him a poignant glare. He spoke nothing, but nodded in agreement.

“Okay, now let’s get to it. I don’t like to hurt you, little buddy, so trust me on this one.”

The conjoined pair then stood up to get things moving. Rowan took it to himself to lead his partner along the way. Mainly because the other was still weak from all that weeping and bawling. The sluggish weight Rowan felt from his left side did not stop him, but it served as motivation.

He led Anthony to his bathroom wherein its entrance was right outside his bedroom. Their movement remained sloppy, almost without coordination like before. Rowan felt cold and distant as Anthony refrained from talking to him. He missed the curious eyes he saw the brunet had. It was as if they had gone back to being strangers, only this time it was Anthony who was standoffish and detached.

Rowan shook his head and focused back on the positive side of things, however scant they were.

The two men finished their shower and went straight back to Rowan’s bedroom. They scavenged through Rowan’s wardrobe for a clean towel to dry themselves. Much like before, they did not express any form of synergy at all. Anthony was pulling the towel to dry his half, but at the same time so did Rowan on his side of the body. It made drying longer than expected, but neither commented on that.

Once they were done, Rowan and Anthony began looking for a clean set of clothes to put on. Rowan suggested they wear a hoodie to hide the fact they were two men in one body, which Anthony approved of.

But as they were putting on the trousers, loud, and somewhat drunken, yelling caught their attention.

“Hey, Stephen, check it out!” one person said. His voice was a deep baritone. “It’s one of those friendship necklaces, eh!”

“You’re right! You’re right!” the other voice replied, which Rowan and Anthony presumed to be Stephen. “It must be a Christmas gift for us! I mean, we found it here, ya know?”

Rowan held back a gasp as realization sets in. He looked to his left and saw Anthony mimicking his expression. And that they were thinking of the same thing: someone has got a hold of the two-headed eagle chain... and they were about to wear them.

“Hahaha! Everest, look at it! Suits me fine, doesn’t it?” Stephen announced. “Hey, wear the other one now! Show the world we’re the closest and best buds out there!”

Anthony was the first to react. He ran for the window, again forgetting that Rowan was with him, and the two fell down.

“Rowan, we have to warn them!” He said for the first time since their fight. “Come on, who knows what will happen to us if they tried it on. What if we end up conjoined to them as well?”

“That sounds bad, doesn’t it?” Rowan propped himself up while he helped Anthony calm down. He was, after all, also feeling the rapid breathing the other was doing. The taller male then talked to Anthony as he rubbed their chest to soothe the other down.

“One step at a time.” he reminded his partner.

“Okay, okay.” Anthony took one big gulp of air as he got hold of himself. He looked at Rowan and gave him a big smile. “Thanks for that.”

“No problem, bud. Now, let’s warn them before—”

Rowan stopped as a flash of blue light emanated outside. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Following that was a round of arguments and cussing.

“Were we too late?”

“Not sure. Let’s take a peek,” Anthony replied, nudging the other to follow him.

Rowan and Anthony crept up to the window and leaned over to see the result. As they expected, there was another conjoined pair down on the streets. Like them, the new pair had two heads atop of one set of shoulders. They only have one body, with one set of arms and legs.

The right head was a brunet with this short-boxed beard on his face. Even from a distance, Rowan and Anthony noted how he looked older. Around his late 30s to mid-40s, they assumed. His deep baritone voice gave way to his identity, Everest. Meanwhile, the man on the right was a redhead. He has a clean-shaven face and crew cut. Stephen, his name, also looked younger. His face was without wrinkles and lines, unlike Everest.

But beyond that, Rowan and Anthony could not describe them any further. They looked like they were wearing a bulky puffer, with an equally stuffed bottom half. Their height difference, if any, was also unknown since the two men were having a brawl.

“Oh no, we were too late to stop them,” Anthony whimpered while watching Stephen and Everest having a beat down with each other.

“Hang on, but... if they’re conjoined, doesn’t that mean..?” Rowan grabbed the hem of their hooded pullover and lifted it up. Underneath the clothing, however, therein lies one torso. The very same asymmetrical torso that they had when they first merged as one. Rowan waited for a few seconds, but no new changes appeared.

“Huh... looks like the curse doesn’t get passed on, but it does spread,” Anthony concluded. “That was a relief. I thought that we’d end up separating, but then conjoined to these people...”

“Get off me, old man!” Stephen yelled, his voice hoarse from all that fighting.

“No, you get off me, Everest!”

“What should we do?” Anthony turned to ask Rowan. “They have our necklace and are having a scuffle. Shouldn’t we go there and help them?”

“Actually, let’s go and meet them,” Anthony replied.

The two finished putting on their clothes and then walked out of the flat room. They descended to ground level with the hood up to hide their heads. As soon as they got out, the streets were empty and devoid of anyone else. There was no fighting, and certainly no other two-headed man beside themselves.

“Wh-what now?” Rowan tried his best to look for the two men who got their necklaces, but he found himself stuck in place. He looked at Anthony and raised his brow, confused. “Aren’t you going to help me find them?”

“Actually, maybe this is for the best, don’t you think?”

“Oh? What brought up this change of mind?”

“Nothing, really. It’s just... we end up bonding quite a bit earlier. And compared to them, we didn’t exactly exchange fists. And I have to admit, I would be lying to say that I didn’t like that we’re conjoined, so...”

“So..?”

Anthony took off the hood, turned to Rowan, and leaned in for a kiss on the cheek.

“So, I guess this is our life now. Don’t get too comfy, though. I liked you, had a crush on you, but I won’t hesitate to… to ignore you.”

Rowan chuckled and grabbed Anthony’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Well, that was quite a twist of events. And mood swings, too. I’ll do my best to make you happy, little buddy!”

“Well, you better,” Anthony joined in with the laughter. “And let’s go back in. It’s freezing outside!”

“Don’t you mean, ‘Baby, it’s cold outside’?” Rowan sang, as he wrapped his arm around Anthony’s waist—at least, as much as possible.

Anthony only rolled his eyes. Of the ups and downs, the twists and turns, he has a feeling that he would not regret his decision later on.

Anthony and Rowan went back inside the building. They did their best to act natural. As if they had not sprinted their way outside to look for a missing piece of jewellery moments earlier. Or that they were truly a two-headed man with a single body, using a hood to hide their conjoinment. Either way, they sneaked their way inside, trying not to draw attention from anyone. Although, it was somewhat a moot endeavour, as there was hardly anyone to hide from. At least, except for the security officer standing guard, but he was only one person. It was strange how empty the building felt, but nonetheless advantageous for them.

They trekked their way from the lobby area, through the stairwell, and up to the hall where their rooms were. The only sounds were from their footfalls on the carpet and Rowan’s lengthy sharing.

“And that was how the latest series manage to connect itself to the main series’ films. That is, by adding new canon lore that usurped previous fan theories and speculations. Did you get all that?” Rowan looked down at Anthony with stars in his eyes. “If you want, I can start all over and—”

“I get it!” Anthony huffed. “Yes, I understood the story. Yes, I’ve understood the lore clearly. And yes, it’s great. But on a side note, I never knew there would be something that’s both interesting and boring at the same time?”

“Huh? Like what?” Rowan cocked his head. His eyebrows knit together and gave the other a questioning look.

Anthony pointed his index finger at his body mate. “You and your lengthy, almost never-ending fandom explanation. That’s what.”

Rowan chuckled at his words. His laughter reverberated throughout the hall. His brunet companion did not share the same sentiment, and simply stared at him. Rowan then wiped off the tear from his eye.

“Oh, Anthony. You just don’t know the joys of being part of a fandom. But don’t you worry. It’ll grow onto you soon, and we can spend our days geeking out on the same thing!”

“Please, don’t make me regret changing my mind,” Anthony sulked. The ravenhead of his dreams was a lot different from the one conjoined to him. He often sees the other being this dangerous lad who had this air of mystery around him. Instead, he got a fanboy who looked dangerous only because of hand and neck cramps. Both of which were a result of overnight gaming sessions.

Rowan laughed it off again. He continued talking about his favourite characters right until they reached his door. He slipped on the key and opened the door, and they were both greeted with a messy sight of his living room.

“Huh, I guess we did more damage to the room than I thought we had,” Anthony said. Appalled by the sight of upturned furniture and scattered objects lying on the floor. He forced Rowan to follow him around as he inspected every mess he could find.

“I’ll have you know that I struggled with the necklace’s effect; half of this was when I tried to fight back the unseen force that was making me move,” Rowan admitted. “Granted it did not work, as you can see at our shared body, but hey, it turned out all right in the end.”

The two shared a laugh as they leaned their heads together while giving themselves a big hug. It was one of the few things they could show their care for each other, and they enjoyed every second of it.

“But you know,” Anthony turned to face Rowan, “do you think it’s strange? Like, how nobody ever came down here at all to check the noises we made?”

Rowan shrugged his shoulder and shook his head.

“Come on, little bud. We both know that this building doesn’t have that many tenants in the first place. And besides, most of us here prefer to keep it to ourselves. Even with all that ‘we’re a tight-knit community’ nonsense.”

“It’s not nonsense if I’m friends with every one of them, though!”

“Hm, fair enough. So, uh, now what? We’re back here in my room, and you decided—finally—to not find where those two guys went off with our necklaces. I’m pretty certain you’re not sleepy after all that hullabaloo, so... yeah. What now?”

“I don’t know, maybe do one more fun thing before six AM, if you know what I mean,” Anthony replied, laughing while he did. “But seriously, we should—”

“I got it! Come on, follow me!” Rowan piped up, cutting off whatever Anthony was about to say. He dragged Anthony back to his room. An impressive feat, considering the other was being a deadweight, hesitant to move.

“H-hey, listen to me!” Anthony tried to get Rowan to stop, but their size difference was all it took for the latter to not mind him at all.

The conjoined pair then entered the room and went straight towards the wardrobe. Rowan opened it and ducked down. An action which Anthony was then forced to copy.

“It’s somewhere here,” Rowan informed as he scourged through the piles of clothes. “I got it the other day, actually. A present from an online friend. Says that it was a fun little toy for when I feel lonely.”

“What is it?” Anthony asked. “Have you opened it and see what it was that he gave?”

“No, not yet. Only that it was in a big box.”

“I see. Here, let me help.”

With an extra helping hand, Rowan and Anthony were able to find the box in question not long after. It was a rectangular, heavy box, wrapped in a bright green gift wrapper and topped with a silver ribbon.

“Finally, this is it!” Rowan exclaimed. He turned to Anthony and gave him a grin. “Would you help me in opening this present together?”

“Sure, I’ll help you out!” Anthony replied, equally cheery.

Rowan and Anthony proceeded to unwrap the gift—though they went to great lengths not to rip the paper apart. Something Anthony insisted they should do. It took careful planning as they took off the tape and whatever adhesive was there to open the gift.

Eventually, they were both presented with a brown packaging box. They titled it sideways and flipped the lid open. There, sitting right before them, was a massive flesh-coloured dildo. It has all the details that made it look realistic, veins and all.

“Well, this is... surprising. Rowan, who the phuck was that friend of yours?”

“A really good one,” Rowan replied. He reached out and gave it a squeeze, only for him to gasp and pull his hand away.

“What? What’s wrong?” Anthony asked, in turn grabbing Rowan’s hand and pulling it towards himself. He gave the relaxed, open palm a good look, his eyes surveying anything that could have made Rowan react that way.

“I’m not hurt if that’s what you think.” Rowan took his hand back. His eyes still staring at the sex toy in front of him. “No, rather than hurt, I was kinda surprised with how real it felt.”

The raven went to touch the dildo again. He gave the shaft a good stroke before wrapping his hand around it. And like before, he gave it a good number of squeezes before turning his attention back to Anthony.

“It feels so real!” he exclaimed. “Anthony, touch it! Touch it!”

“Wait, do I have to?”

“Of course. Come on, you won’t be disappointed!”

Anthony looked down at the dildo and swallowed his saliva. Much like how Rowan said it, the dildo looked to be as real as any other cock. The amount of detail put into it was staggering for a toy. As if he was looking at another man’s cock.

He inched his hand forward, little by little, until he made contact. Anthony sat there, eyes wide open and mouth agape, unable to comprehend what he was touching. He went on and grabbed the dildo and rubbed his fingers around it.

“How is this possible?” Anthony asked, still rubbing the piece of cock on his hand. “This is so well-made that I couldn’t feel the difference.”

“I know, right?” Rowan then used his hand and also began fondling the dildo. “It’s big, and it has the perfect girth to it. Hey, let’s use this on our arse.”

“What?! No way I’m putting what feels like another man’s cock inside me!” Anthony let go of the dildo and gave Rowan a sharp glare. “Besides, there’s no way this will fit in us.”

Rowan scoffed at his remarks, which only made Anthony frown. He put the dildo back in the box and gave his body mate his utmost attention.

“Come on.” His words came out soft and sweet. “I’ve been curious about what it feels like to be on the receiving end, and this is the perfect opportunity for me.

“Okay, I get what you mean, but can’t we start with something smaller?”

“And let this get all dusty in the corner of the closet, unused? No way!”

Anthony retaliated by pulling towards his left. Likewise, Rowan did the same, going towards the opposite direction.

“No, we won’t!”

“Yes, we will!”

They tugged each other back and forth until they became tired and fell down on their backs. Both men were panting heavily. Their chest rose and fell in quick and consecutive movements. But even through exhaustion, they continued tug-of-war with their single body.

Seeing as they were in a stalemate, Anthony conceded defeat.

“Okay, we’ll do it!” he huffed. “We’ll try that impossibly large dildo, but the moment I feel any pain, we have to stop. Got that?”

“Got it, little bud!” Rowan gave the brunet an all-knowing smirk. “You’d best be prepared because this thing will be good.”

The pair sat back up and allowed themselves to relax. Once their heartbeat had effectively calmed down, they grabbed the dildo once more. A piece of paper, however, grabbed Anthony’s attention. The brunet picked it up and saw words scribbled onto it.

“Hey, what’s that?” Rowan asked, looking over to his body mate’s side.

“A note from the sender, I believe. Let me read it out: ‘Dear Rowan. How are you feeling? It’s been a while, and I bet you are staying alone for the holidays yet again. Here’s something that will keep you active during the festivities. The gift I sent was fashioned from my boss’ cock. A bit TMI, but I know it wouldn’t bother you. Happy Holidays, from Archer.’”

“Woah, so Archer’s boss has this thing for a cock!?” Rowan’s eyes gleamed with even more excitement as he raised the dildo up in the air. “This will be so worth it. Come on, Anthony, let’s get lubed up and ready for this bad boy!”

“Huh... I’m already having doubts, but if you say so. “ Anthony looked at the box and saw nothing else was there. “Where’s the lube?”

“Just follow me,” Rowan replied. He led his body mate towards the night stand and opened the drawer. There, along with a couple of things, was a bottle of lubricant. He grabbed it and showed it to Anthony. “Now we’re ready.”

The conjoined pair got on top of the bed and spread their legs apart. At the very least, the farthest they could get them to. Rowan commandeered the operation. With Anthony’s help, he got his hand all wet and slippery before inserting it into their arsehole. They straightened their back and moaned as two fingers invaded their insides. They panted and shivered as Rowan stretched their hole, and even more so when he added a third finger.

While Rowan was holding up, Anthony was squirming. Their ragged breathing was all thanks to him. Alongside the trembling and shaking.

“I—I don’t think it can fit!” Anthony moaned as Rowan grabbed the behemoth of a dildo.

“Have some faith in our body, buddy.” Rowan winked as he bent their torsos backwards in an effort to insert the cock inside them. “All I need is a good angle, and we can experience the pleasure of Archer’s boss’s cock inside of us.”

Before Anthony could protest any further, Rowan pressed the tip of the dildo into their arse. They simultaneously yelped in both pain and pleasure.

“This is too much!” Anthony said, writhing in lust-filled awe and wonder. “It’s too damn big, Rowan.”

“N-nonsense,” Rowan said between breaths. “Let’s keep going and see how much we can fit inside us.”

The raven-head pushed the dildo further and further. Every second was agony and pleasure at the same time. Sweat dripped down their body. Their tongues out, panting and breathing heavily, unlike ever before. Each push inward elicited a cry of sensual gratification. Cum dribbled down from both of their cocks and stained the bedsheets.

“It feels like I’m cheating on you,” confessed Anthony. “Having a dildo fashioned from a stranger’s cock is like I’m cheating on you.”

Rowan laughed and shook his head.

“Don’t worry, bud. If you feel that way—oh my god, that hits the spot!” Their body jostled in response. Through his clenched jaw, he continued. “A-anyway, don’t make a big deal out of it. I’ll assure you, this isn’t cheating on me, all right?”

“I-if you say so.” Anthony closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax a little. It was one worrying thing gone, but another was still there. And its presence is still undeniable.

“So, can we start pulling it out now?”

“What?” Rowan chuckled. “It’s only halfway inside, I think. Even if it takes all day long, we’ll get every inch of this cock inside us! So brace yourself, Anthony, it’s going to be a long, long morning.”

“Don’t make me start having doubts about my decision now, you twit!” Anthony yelled. “You better make sure that our conjoined lives aren’t all about sex!”

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Dream legs by Josh Dugan If the guy with the world's most beautiful legs could grow as many of them as his lover wanted, it would be kind of like this. 986 words Added Oct 1997 11k views 5.0 stars (1 vote) No comments yet •Multicock•Lots of Legs•Multileg•Multilimb

The duplicator by Jefftaur David has been working on his duplicator for a while now, so his friend is a little skeptical when he says he’s finally got it working. 1,037 words Added Aug 2009 9,708 views 5.0 stars (2 votes) No comments yet •Multicock•Boytaur•Four Legs•Multiarm•Multileg•Multilimb

Graduation party by Jefftaur Steve and the rest of his friends have a huge graduation dance party. It’s already a blast even before the “novelty cup challenge” starts the guys chugging some special boytaur-making beer. 3 parts 3,455 words Added Mar 2009 16k views 5.0 stars (12 votes) No comments yet •Multi-abs•Multicock•Boytaur•Four Legs•Multiarm•Multileg•Multilimb•Muscle Growth•Muscle/Strength

Guess what happened by Jefftaur Imagine my surprise yesterday when my housemate came home four-legged! 1,930 words Added May 2002 11k views 5.0 stars (3 votes) No comments yet •Multicock•Multiarm•Multilimb•Wristfeet

InfiniPUMP by Never-the-less If you had a device that grew your penis and even added new ones, what would you do? Where would you stop? 12 parts 10k words Added Jul 2012 30k views 5.0 stars (4 votes) No comments yet •Cock Growth•Nipcocks•Nipple Emissions•Multicock•Mouthcock •M•M/M

The jeans by Jefftaur Josh gets his hands on a pair of trick jeans and decides they’ll work better on someone half-asleep—like his buddy, Ty, who’d look really hot with extra feet. 579 words Added Aug 2013 10k views 5.0 stars (6 votes) No comments yet •Multicock•Four Legs•Multileg•Multilimb

Rob’s experiment by Jefftaur Rob goes camping on his own, determined to see if that magic book he found could do what it promised. 1,855 words Added May 2002 11k views 5.0 stars (6 votes) No comments yet •Multicock•Four Legs•Multilimb •M

Three pack by Martin Boyar Those three-packs of socks aren’t mispackaged, dude. They’re meant for guys that need three socks, if you get what I mean. (Or guys that, deep down, want to need three socks.) 3 parts 4,893 words Added Aug 2004 9,048 views 5.0 stars (1 vote) No comments yet •Multicock•Four Legs•Multileg•Multilimb•Three Legs