Modern Holes -

Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep

The sound of the alarm startled Francis awake. Groaning, he reached over to his phone to shut it off. His fingers scrabbled at the black screen to no avail. Cracking open his bleary eyes to fumble at the buttons he turned the screen on. It read 5:33 a.m.

"Bwaah?" Was the first sound Francis made that could reasonably be called a word. "The fuuuck?" he mumbled out. His alarm wasn't set to go off until 6:30 a.m.

It was then that Francis noticed the beeping noise was still happening. Beep Beep Beep still coming from somewhere. It's muffled noise just near enough to be maddening, but not immediately obvious as to where.

Sitting up, Francis shook off his blankets and shook out the cobwebs still in his sleep deprived head. Light would help with the search, so he flipped on the lights to his room.

The dreaded incandescent bulb burst on and sent a wave of blinding pain into Francis' eyes. Blinking away the spots and rubbing his eyes, he set about searching for the source of that beeping noise.

Cocking his head, Francis truly focused on the source of that sound. Finally awake and able to see, he could now pinpoint the noise as coming from his pillow.

The hole! The mirror that Francis and Maddie had 'used' last night. The memory of which sent an excited thrill down his spine. It was there, laying next to his pillow. Showing a pitch black darkness.

Or it only seemed like pitch black darkness when Francis reached over to pick the hole up. He could see the black fabric of a blanket pushing through. Maddie must have rolled over during the night and the cloth was being forced through.

The beeping was still coming through. Faintly for sure, but still coming through. Francis tried pushing on the blanket to see if it could be moved out of the way. Slowly, a fingers length at a time, the fabric bunched up and shifted to the side.

When the hole finally cleared, the beeping increased in volume. Maddie's alarm was still going off. Francis called out softly through the hole. "Maddie. Your alarm is going off."

"Mmnmnmnsnmgmmh." Mumbled Maddie. There came the sound of blankets rustling and the creak of bed springs through the hole.

Frantically whispering now, Francis tried a little bit louder. "Maddie! Time to get up!"

An annoyed grunt came from Maddie. "Not yet Francis. Five more minmnnmmmnm." Her voice was further muffled as she pulled the blankets up over her head.

"Come on Maddie." Francis started pleading with her. "Your alarm is keeping me up as well."

"Mmmnnooooooo." Maddie moaned and stretched. She let out a yawn that ended abruptly. The sound of rustling sheets suddenly stopped. "That you Francis?" Came Maddie's suddenly clear and awake voice.

"Yes, now shut that alarm off." Francis spoke softly.

Maddie scrambled upright. Slapping at her phone to silence the alarm, she stumbled around her bed breathing heavily. "Sorry about that." She looked at her phone in surprise. "I've never actually gotten up this early before."

"So you just have several alarms going?" Francis asked in a manner suggesting that he only ever needed one.

Maddie rubbed her face to get the sleep out of her eyes. "Just gotten used to it." She reached over to the hole and picked it up. Brought it up to her face and looked through to see Francis. "Good morning."

They shared a secret smile. "Good morning." Francis scratched his chin. "Did you want to talk about... it?" the It being everything they did yesterday.

Maddie stiffened. "Yes, desperately, but not right now." She let out a yawn and Francis was treated to a vivid closeup of the roof of her mouth and an assault on his nostrils from morning breath. "Going to get dressed, coffee, breakfast. Talk to you on the bus."

"Same, but tea for me." Francis agreed.

"When you going to give up that sissy drink and be a real man for once." Maddie chided.

"When you make me into one." Francis spoke faster than his brain was able to process what he actually said.

Maddie had a look of shock on her face. Colour quickly rushed to her cheeks. "Well fuck, that's a good one." Her eyes suddenly could not look through the hole into Francis' own. "We are going to talk about that, but not now. Later... Soon... Bus..." She sputtered out those last few words and dropped the hole face down onto the bed.

Francis' own face had a wide grin on it. Finally getting one up on Maddie these days was worth it.

-------------

"You're up early." Francis' mother, Debra, was standing in the kitchen. She was dressed for work in her business suit, pouring hot water into a mug from a kettle. "What's the occasion?"

"Just felt like it." Francis reached past his mother to pick up the mostly empty kettle. "Woke up early, didn't want to lay in bed much longer." He filled it with water and set it on the stove to boil.

"So you've got some time now then?" Debra had sprung the trap. Picking up her mug and bringing it to the kitchen table. "How about we talk." She sat down with the finality of a judge.

Francis moved a little jerkily, shoulders tense. Preparing a bowl of cereal while his water was starting to boil. "I was just going to take my cereal back to my room..."

"Sit." Debra pointed towards the other empty chair.

Francis sat in his executioners chair, his last meal in front of him. "I don't suppose this is about what university I should apply to?"

Francis' mother gave him a withering look. "No. It's not." She took a sip from her mug. "I gave the Callahan's a call last night. We had an interesting conversation."

Francis tried to mask his apprehension by stuffing his face with food. "What about?"

"Miss Madeline." Debra's eyes drilled into Francis. "They told me that the two of you were having some fun."

"They... had the wrong impression." Francis laid his spoon down. "We were cleaning up our chemistry homework. Nothing happened."

"So you said last night." Debra kept her gaze level. "But last night you said you two were taking a break. Not cleaning up."

Francis' whole body froze.

"And there was a banana?" A single well manicured eyebrow was raised on Debra's face.

"Would you believe that the banana was there purely because we were hungry?" Francis had a nervous tick going through his leg right now that was causing it to tap uncontrollably.

"No." Debra's voice was completely deadpan. However, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "But I'm proud of you for finally moving forward."

"Please don't give me 'the talk'. Mr. Callahan already gave me it on the ride home last night." Francis pleaded with his Mother. "I don't know if I can handle that a second time."

Debra gave out a long sigh. "No, that would have been a thing for your father to do. And I'm certain you know the consequences to what you're doing, if you do it unsafely." She stared at Francis until he gave a nod. "Then there isn't much else to discuss."

The kettle on the stove gave it's whistle. Francis got up to make his tea. One tea bag, topped up with hot water, and then left to steep for a minute or two longer.

As Francis was prepping his tea, Debra shot the question to him. "So it was Madeline that made the first move right?"

Francis almost dropped the kettle of hot water. "What makes you say that?"

A slow sly smile crossed Debra's face. "A mother knows dear. That, and that girl was always the one dragging the two of you everywhere."

Maddie had been the one to start the hole thing. Francis could acknowledge that. Yesterdays invitation to do homework, bringing him into the ritual, and the wonderful 'stuff' they had done. Yes, Maddie had made the first move for sure.

"Aha! I can see you blushing." Debra chuckled into her mug. "That just confirms it."

"You're just as bad as the Callahan's." Francis picked up his tea and returned to the table.

Together, mother and son, they drank their tea. The sun was starting to peak out and gave the kitchen a warm glow.

Francis' alarm went off in his room. Debra, in reflex, called out. "Francis, time to wake up!" before her eyes focused back on her son across the table. "Sorry, habit."

With only a mild amount of indignation, Francis got up to turn his alarm off.

-------------

It was 7:03 a.m. Francis and Maddie shared the same bus stop. They had long since accepted that car ownership, while cool, was not something either of them could afford. Their parents had unfortunately agreed. So they were forced to wait for the big yellow school bus to make it's way to their block.

Francis had arrived first. His impromptu early morning wake up call had accelerated his normal morning schedule. So he was able to watch Maddie approach as she walked down the street.

Maddie was wearing what Francis thought were her usual clothes. It was September right now and while the weather wasn't cold by any means, it could be cold any day now. So she had on long pants and a long sleeve shirt in 'witch black' as she would call it. The clothes were clinging tightly to her body, maybe two sizes too small for her large frame.

Francis was sticking to his own normal clothes T-shirt and jeans, both loose fitting and essentially hanging off of his frame.

Just a normal day for the both of them. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary.

Francis yelled as soon as Maddie was within earshot. "Morning, again!"

There was a stutter in Maddie's step, but she quickly recovered and waved.

When Maddie finally joined Francis at the bus stop, there was an awkward energy between them. They stood side by side for a tense minute until she broke the silence with. "So... did you bring it with you?"

Francis kept his eyes forward at where the bus would eventually round the corner. "I did... Seems like a bad idea to just leave it lying around."

"Yeah... Same." Maddie fidgeted in place. Her eyes were darting from Francis, downward, and towards the potential bus appearance, but never in the same place for long. "So..."

"So..." Francis repeated.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Maddie launched into it. "So are we dating now? Is that what we do? Are we Boyfriend and Girlfriend? Do we tell anyone? Should we..."

"Whoa there. Slow down for a moment." Francis focused his attention on Maddie. "I think an easy answer is that our parents already think we're dating. So yeah, let's date." That got a bright smile from Maddie. "And nothing needs to change, we're just a bit special to each other now."

"Right, a bit special." Maddie nodded along.

Francis held his hand out. Maddie stared at it for a moment before taking it. Together they held hands while standing on the curb. Each having a little smile that wasn't there last week when they were just friends.

The bus made its way around the corner and came into view. Francis and Maddie, in a bout of 'oh god people we know could see us', let go of each other. They boarded the bus and made their way to an open bench seat.

The roar of the diesel engine and sudden lurch of motion happened ever so slightly before Maddie had sat down which caused her to stumble into Francis. His arms came up and steadied her, but instead of letting go immediately, they lingered, briefly. Before yesterday he had never really noticed, but Maddie was soft and squishy.

"Thanks." Maddie whispered as she settled in next to Francis. A bit closer, a bit more snug, than she would have normally. Francis quickly decided this was a nice change.

As the bus trundled on Maddie brought out her grimoire. The black paint flaking off at the edges to show the original pink beneath. "So I did some more thinking about the holes last night."

"Again, sorry about that. I tried." Francis whispered into her ears.

The sudden intimacy did weird things to the core of Maddie right then. "Y-Yeah, there's a couple of things we need to go buy and test this afternoon." She cracked open the book. "I especially want to talk about odd shaped holes."

Maddie's notebook was full of drawings. Circles, ovals, an odd Y shaped blob even. A dozen different designs for shapes from the mundane to the esoteric.

Francis looked at the drawings for a minute. "So what do we need to buy?"

"Well the obvious thing is more mirrors." Maddie started writing a list on the page. "I'll need more chalk, and there's a couple other... interesting things that I believe will be absolutely necessary going forward." Her whole body shifted and she leaned in close to Francis. Her voice low and seductive. "Last night left me with... needs."

Francis was a red blooded male at the best of times. Maddie's declaration of desire was doing very tight things to the crotch of his jeans at that moment. "Oh Maddie." Francis groaned and shifted in his seat.

Maddie's eyes widened and she gave a quick look around at the other people on the bus. No one seemed to be paying them any special attention right then. "Keep it down." She hissed.

In the privacy of the bus bench and the shadow of Maddie, Francis adjusted his penis to be more comfortable. It's length making quite the impression on his pant leg. "Sorry, sorry."

Maddie was momentarily distracted with Francis' and what he was adjusting. "Hmm? Ah, right. Anyways, Make time after class, we're going shopping."

Pressure relieved for now, Francis nodded. "Can do Maddie."

The rest of the ride to school passed with them chatting about other things of an inconsequential nature.

-------------

Their time at school was no different than it usually was. Classes were attended, friends were spoken with. Maddie and Francis spent their lunch period slightly closer to each other than usual. School work was done.

All in all, a normal day at high school.

-------------

The final bell rang and every student started making their way to their lockers and home. The hallways became a madhouse of people walking too and fro. The mass of people slowly filtered out. To the parking lots, to the bus loading zones, and to the streets in general.

Maddie was able to spot Francis first. He was a bit taller than most people and was rocking that long haired look in her opinion. She waved as he approached and they fell into step as they left the building.

"So where are we heading first?" Francis asked as they walked. He was already trying to guess based on what was nearby, which was a lot of options really.

"Craft supply store first." Maddie looked determined and her pace matched. "The mirror material is the most important thing."

"They've got mirrors?" Francis strolled along, easily keeping up.

"That, and a few other things we need." Maddie led the way. "You'll see."

Francis could do nothing else but shrug and follow.

When they reached the store, Maddie wasn't on a shopping trip, she was on a shopping mission. Marching up and down the aisles in search of her specific items. Mirror material, silk ribbon, soft cloths, chalk, and several thin strips of metal.

When they came upon the cloths, Maddie paused. "I need your opinion on this. It's important." She ran her thumb across several different options. "We need something soft, and nice to touch."

Francis reached out and callously ran his fingers along a terry cloth like material. "This could work, it's like a fleece."

Maddie looked horrified at his suggestion.

"Or maybe not." Francis tried a few more things before settling, with Maddie's approval, on a black silk like material. It was very smooth.

"So what are you planning on making with this?" Francis asked as they checked out their purchases.

"A pocket, essentially." Maddie answered absently. Her mind was already a few steps ahead. Now we've got a bit of a longer walk ahead of us, but this is important... For you."

"What could be important for me?" Francis asked, only to be left in the dark until they arrived at the store.

-------------

They stood in front of a store with mirror windows and large cut outs of cat silhouettes. The sign over the door read "the perfect pussy." It was a sex shop.

"Are you sure we're allowed to be here?" Francis felt antsy just standing in front of the shop.

"We're both 18, we're adults." Maddie squared her shoulders. "We're going in because you will need some things from here."

"What things?" Francis hissed, but Maddie pointedly ignored him as she pushed the door open.

The sound of a tinkling bell came from over their heads as they walked inside. Their eyes were assaulted with the garish colours of several display dildos in many different sizes and shapes. Pink handcuffs, regular handcuffs, straps, lubes, sprays, and more were lined up on shelves with neat little price tags. The radio was playing some classic rock for ambient music.

Within sight of the door, and behind a glass display case counter, a tattooed woman looked up from a magazine. "Hello, welcome to the perfect pussy... ah." She eyed Francis and Maddie up and down. Specifically taking in their backpacks and stunned expressions. "I hate to do this, but I need to see some I.D."

Francis and Maddie were broken out of their stunned open mouth states and rummaged around for their wallets. They brought them over to the woman who quickly confirmed they were 18.

"Leave your backpacks up here please." She handed back the cards. "But beyond that, what are you looking for?"

Maddie dropped her bag in front of the counter. "It's something for him actually. We talked a bit and want to try a cock ring."

Francis' eyes went wide for a moment but covered it with a cough. "Yeah, that's right. Trying new things." He tried to look calm as he took his backpack off.

With only a slight amount of suspicion in her eyes, the woman led them over to a shelf. "We've got several options. Simple silicone rings, Vibrating options, split ring sets for including testicles, and some with bluetooth remotes available. Are there any that catch your eye?" She gestured to the options available there.

Francis goggled at the available selection. But Maddie had a more critical eye.

"Something basic please." Maddie was looking at a vibrating bluetooth one with clitoral bunny ear stimulator ($150). "Some of these are out of our budget."

"I can understand that." The woman plucked a basic ring off it's hook ($12). "This one is inexpensive, and perfect for first timers."

"Could you get a second one please?" Maddie tore her eyes away from the more expensive options. "In case the first one breaks."

That caused the woman to raise her eyebrows and glance briefly at Francis. Taking down another package she said. "Anything else perhaps?"

Maddie held the pair of rings and looked around. Her mind going to interesting places now that she was actually here. "A vibe... and some lube."

"Well I can really only recommend the water based lubes we've got here." The woman pointed at several bottles of various sizes.

Maddie snagged two smaller spray bottles.

"As for the vibes, there are... many options." The woman gestured at the far wall. "Did you want something in particular?"

Maddie glanced up at the intimidating wall filled with boxes upon boxes of vibrating dildos. "I think I need to browse for a bit."

"Ask if you have any questions." The woman brushed past Francis and whispered. "Be supportive." before patting him on the shoulder.

Francis came up besides Maddie and leaned down to quietly ask. "What are these for?"

"Most of it is for you, and us." Maddie kept scanning the shelves. "The vibe is for me... and maybe for you to use." She reached out and plucked a box off the shelf that promised a relatively simple hard straight shape with silicon coating.

"Aren't we moving a bit fast for all this?" Francis asked while surrounded on all sides by sex paraphernalia.

Maddie's hands were full of things that she juggled around. "Maybe, but we need these things for the magic holes. You put these ideas in my head, and now we're going to see them through." She returned the vibe to the shelf. "Now help us out and go buy condoms. I need to think more about my options here."