In Their Shoes

Corey looked down at the paperwork on the dining room table and sighed.

JOINT PETITION FOR SUMMARY DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE

PETITIONER 1: Tyler Hatcher

PETITIONER 2: Vanessa Hatcher

...

The document went on, but Corey didn't want to disturb the papers too much. It's not like his parents had really hidden that things weren't working between them, but it was still painful to see the black and white written out like that. Idle thoughts drifted through his head as he stood uncomfortably still. Whose house would he live in? Would it be best if he got his own apartment? Would he be looking at two sets of holidays from now on?

Corey shook his head, scowling at the papers. This wasn't right, this shouldn't be happening. He couldn't help but feel a small degree of bitterness. Of course both his mom and dad had sat him down and talked with him.

"People don't always work out."

"There's more to a relationship than just love."

"People change."

He'd heard it all, but it rang hollow... especially from his mother. It wasn't like she wanted the divorce, but she had given up earlier than his father. That's where the bitterness came in. Paper thin walls kept no secrets; Corey knew his dad was frustrated when it came to their bedroom life. Corey sighed, shaking his head as he slipped away to his own bedroom, shutting the door behind himself.

His dad was a guy and had needs, that much was clear. And for one reason or another, Corey knew his mom wasn't able to meet those needs. If only someone else could step in and take care of him, Corey mused. Maybe then his dad and mom would stay together, their entire family would last.

He shook his head again for the second time in as many minutes and chuckled. An affair would definitely not help keep a marriage together. Thinking about cheating was dangerous anyway. If Brooke caught him thinking thoughts like that...

As if on cue, Corey's phone lit up and buzzed, and out of instinct he checked it. Sure enough, Brooke had texted him. Brooke... she made him happy, he reflected, feeling the warmth rush through his gut as he looked at the silly little meme she'd sent. It was something about how tonight's meteor storm was once in a lifetime, how they should make wishes under it to stay together. He texted back his emojis showing just how much he liked what she sent, before setting down his phone again and looking out the window for the shooting stars. It'd been almost a year since they met, and the honeymoon phase was still not wearing off. Fortunately sharing a major had kept them together in most of their classes, and for the rest there was texting and messaging.

Inevitably, Corey's thoughts drifted back to his parents. He considered telling Brooke: she already knew about the drama and had been more than supportive, but he didn't want to bring down the mood again. No, he needed to figure out his own thoughts on this one.

If only... Well, it was a crazy thought Corey realized, but if only he could help repair his parents' relationship. He could get them to fix up whatever issues they had and stay together. Maybe they'd all be happy, then.

The shooting stars started to streak across the sky, leaving burning trails across the vast darkness. Everything seemed a little brighter, even Corey's mood lit up seeing the display of lights in the sky. He chuckled; it was easy to see how something like this would be magical. For a moment, he wanted to wish for that happy-ever-after with Brooke that she had hinted at, but he couldn't.

What if this was really magic? For a moment, the sheer fantasy of the moment captured him, taking his mind away from what was 'possible' and 'impossible'. He couldn't waste his wish on something as sure and sound as him and his girlfriend finding happiness together forever. But his parents...

That was it, that was what he'd wish for. Corey smiled to himself softly, proud of himself for being selfless and caring about his parents.

"I wish," he muttered, his voice catching in his chest. He coughed and cleared his throat, looking resolutely on the stars. "I wish that I could help bring my parents together again and help them love each other."

A crack of thunder in the distance startled Corey back to reality. Boring, old reality where wishes don't come true and parents get divorced. Sheepishly he rubbed the back of his head, feeling foolish for even giving the wish a chance. A yawn ripped through him, leaving him feeling suddenly more tired than usual. He barely made it to bed before passing out.

***

Vanessa tried to pull herself together, but she couldn't quite yet. Another sob ripped through her, shaking her body. Everything, this whole divorce, the fighting with Tyler, the distance Corey was putting up... Just... everything was so difficult to handle. So tonight, just like most nights, she was out in the car, crying to herself.

She told herself she still loved her husband, but a seed of doubt worked its way through her heart. If she loved him, why wasn't she attracted to him? If she loved him, why didn't she trust that he was faithful to her? If she loved him, why did she have to hide out here alone every night?

Tyler wasn't even home yet, so it wasn't like she was even hiding from her husband. It was more that she didn't want Corey to see her like this, while she was at her worst. She was certain it would only make her son resent her more and make their already strained relationship worse. Sure, he was an adult, and like any 19 year old he'd make his own decisions about who he'd support in the divorce, about which side he'd take if he had to.

It wasn't that she wanted him to take sides, even. Vanessa sighed and put her head in her hands, dimly aware that at least she'd stopped crying. She just wanted a happy family. If she was already going to lose her husband, she didn't want to also lose her son.

Sitting back in the car seat, Vanessa spotted her son texting by the window to his room. A smile crossed his face. Probably Brooke, she mused with a smile. The two of them were good together, they deserved each other. They were simply happy to have each other, and what more could anyone ask for.

Vanessa sighed. She and Tyler were once like that, just happy to see each other, to hold one another and to talk for all the hours in a day. What had happened to them? Why couldn't they have what Corey and Brooke had? Pain wracked her heart again.

Then, a light glared across her windshield. Then another, and another. Vanessa leaned forward, forcing herself to stare up and out the front of the car and above her house. A meteor shower filled the night sky, illuminating everything around her. Vanessa slumped back in her seat, awed and amazed at the display that was dancing across every window and mirror in her car. For a moment, the universe just felt so alive and infinite, and here she was just wallowing in her own miniscule problems.

In this infinite universe, it felt almost possible to see other ways everything could have happened. Vanessa let herself imagine being happy with Tyler again. Everything would be peaceful and perfect, not falling apart to shambles. A crack of thunder startled her, but not enough to shake her out of her thoughts. She bit her lip, trying to keep herself together. A glance up at Corey's room again, which had gone dark, the window practically glowing with the celestial lightshow going on around them.

She could be as happy with Tyler as Corey and Brooke were, she felt, if only the universe would allow it. "I wish," she started, immediately feeling stupid for entertaining it. But then something inside her fell into the magic of the moment, and she couldn't help but to keep going. "I wish I could have the kind of happiness in my relationship that Corey and Brooke have. I wish I had that kind of relationship for myself; I want that happiness and love and everything they have!"

A second, much closer crack of thunder shook the car, startling Vanessa. Feeling silly for her outburst, she settled back into her seat and watched the last of the shooting stars pass by, the sky dimming again. At least she hadn't been crying, she reflected with a chuckle. She hurried inside, heading for her dark and lonely bedroom. Maybe she was getting old, she thought, feeling the tiredness overtake her body as she barely made it to the mattress before passing out.

***

A horrified, blood curdling scream ripped through the air of the Hatcher home. Corey immediately sat up in bed, feeling sore and achy and confused most of all. Why was he in his parents' room? Had he been so tired the night before he went to the wrong room? That didn't matter, it had sounded like a guy was being murdered in his own home. He swung his legs off the side of the bed, noticing a heavy weight pulling at his shoulders.

A heavy weight that hung off his chest. A heavy weight that immediately made Corey think of breasts.

The door to the bedroom flung open, and there stood Corey's twin. Except, Corey was an only child, and didn't have a twin. Corey looked at his doppelganger standing in the doorway, before looking down at himself. Cleavage was the only thing visible, presented squarely on display from an askew dress and a bra that was barely on his body. Corey's eyes went wide, his heavy chest heaving and bouncing as he started to hyperventilate.

"No no no, don't pass out!" The stranger in Corey's body called out. He rushed across the room, taking hold of Corey's arms. Corey's twin's eyes went wide, looking him up and down. "You... look just like me..."

Corey tried to calm down, tried to take in all the information hitting his senses all at once. "You're... you're me..." he gasped, dimly aware in the back of his head how different his voice sounded. How... feminine, and older. Corey looked over this other person's head at the bedroom mirror hanging on the wall. There was Corey - or at least his body - standing in front of... his mom? Corey waved a hand, watching his mom, or her body, wave back. He looked down at the person in front of him, biting his lip. He knew it'd be stupid to say, but only one idea came to his overtired, overworked mind.

Fortunately, he didn't have to say it. "Is that you, Corey? Did we... Did we swap bodies?"

Corey nodded. This was his mother, he realized. "Mom?" Corey's body nodded. That confirmed that, then. "I... What happened?" For a moment, Corey's thoughts were transported to the night before, to the errant wish he'd made. 'I wish that I could help bring my parents together again and help them love each other.' Had he... Had he caused this? He shook his head, trying his best to ignore the long blonde hair that fell about his face and into his vision.

Corey looked up, seeing... his mom... having the same hesitation and thoughtfulness that was written across his face. She gave a soft smile, and Corey couldn't get over how strange it was to see his own face as though it were a mirror, but there wasn't one. "I don't know," she finally said. "But, Corey, it'll be ok. We'll get through this."

Corey watched as his mom lifted a hand and felt it press against his cheek. It was a normal enough action of motherly support, but the image in the mirror was strange to see. A son, consoling his mother? Corey's thoughts flickered back to the wish he'd made. Maybe... Maybe this was his chance to fix his parents' relationship?

No, he thought, hesitating. It wouldn't be right, he shouldn't... but he could. The idea, the possibility burrowed into his mind, tempting him. He'd have to be a woman - his mom, specifically - but it could work. He could fix things up from the inside, make them happy and love each other again. Besides, he reasoned with himself, trying to assuage the discomfort he felt with the whole situation, it's not like they knew how to turn back.

It was settled. "Mom..." Corey started, still unused to his softer voice. "I think, until we figure things out, we need to pretend to be each other." His mom looked horrified, taking a quick glance down at the body she inhabited. "I know, I know, it's not great! But do you have any ideas on how to turn back?"

After a while, his mother shook her head. "No, I guess I don't... but we can't just be each other! What about your girlfriend, what about your father!"

Brooke. Fuck. Corey cradled his head in his hands. He couldn't lose her, couldn't just give up his relationship. He had become so focused on trying to save his parents', he nearly sacrificed his. "That's..." Corey paused, letting his thoughts catch up to him. "That's why we have to act and pretend, ok? Because dad would just think we're crazy, and I can't lose Brooke. I need her there when we swap back."

An unspoken 'if we swap back' seemed to hang in the air after his last sentence. Both sat there for a long while, quietly thinking. Finally, Corey's mom spoke up. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. I guess... I guess I better call you mom? And you call me Corey?"

Corey chuckled, ruffling his mom's short sandy blond hair. She hadn't done that to him in years, but it felt right at the moment. "Sure thing, Corey," he said, feeling awkward. Still, it had to be done. He just hoped his mom wouldn't mess things up with Brooke. "Hey, you didn't take a shower last night, did you?" he asked, feeling awkward thinking about it. "I feel kinda gross."

His mom gasped, covering her mouth with a hand - another gesture that didn't really match her new body. She shook her head, "No, I didn't. I was just so tired..."

"Well... I need to take one then, I guess. Better face this sooner or later," Corey grumbled, trailing off.

"Don't do anything... inappropriate... with my body, ok! You're still my son, even if we're pretending!"

Corey blushed, shaking his head as he got off the bed. "Don't worry, I have no intention of that!" He hurried off to the bathroom, leaving his mother alone in what had just become his room.

***

Vanessa numbly walked back to her son's room. Her room now, she reasoned, at least for the foreseeable future. She sat down heavily on the bed she'd bought a few years back, never thinking she'd have to use it.

She also never thought she'd be a guy, or her son, but here she was. In a way, she figured, the bed was the less strange part of all this. The whole thing was uncomfortable, but at the same time... wasn't this what she wished for? She couldn't help but to feel a twinge of guilt for her son. Sure, Vanessa had the perfect relationship with Brooke now, just like she wanted. But her son was now her... stuck in an old woman's body that was also stuck in a dying relationship.

Speaking of Brooke, though... Vanessa had seen her son's girlfriend a few times when he'd brought her over, and while she had never thought of her as 'hot' particularly before, now something was different. Vanessa grabbed her son's phone... her phone, now - more of that confusion to be sorted out later - and immediately launched into the saved photos. Nearly all of them were of Brooke and she looked--

Fuck, that was uncomfortable. Vanessa looked down at the jeans she was wearing, a tight constricting feeling near her waist. Distantly, she knew what it was in her mind, but she refused to consciously accept it. There was no way, she couldn't... She had to get to the bottom of it, had to confirm or deny what was going on. Stripping off her pants, the answer became clear. Corey's normally loose hanging boxers instead were drawn taut, suddenly very full.

An erection.

Vanessa was having her first erection. She glanced at the phone again, feeling it twinge down there. This felt wrong, hadn't she just told her son to behave himself? Why should she get a pass to do whatever she wanted? She poked the tip, feeling a rush of pleasure surge through her lean, masculine frame. Fuck... if it felt that good, there was no hope for keeping her hands off it. Is that why guys were always jacking off?

Quickly, Vanessa stripped off her clothes, laying back on the bed naked. She was likely going to hell for this, but that didn't matter. She wrapped her fingers around the thick shaft between her legs and let out a soft moan. She'd jacked off a few cocks in her time, so this would be the same... right? She was already breathing heavily, gliding her fingers across the sensitive flesh while the other hand continued to scroll the pictures of Brooke. It was impossible to ignore how hot she was now, how much raw sexual energy the young college girl exuded. Sure, Vanessa had once found girls attractive - back during her own time in college - but it wasn't like this. A need was building up in her, threatening to overwhelm her senses.

Vanessa started lifting her hips up into the air, grinding at some invisible target as though her lust for Brooke could manifest her above Vanessa's lap. Finally, she hit gold on the phone. A nude photo of Brooke, showing off her petite, barely rounded chest and lithe hips. She was thin, under all those clothes, hip bones protruding out and creating an aesthetic valley that led to a shaved mound.

Fuck, it was irresistible. Vanessa started jacking off faster, letting some previously-unknown instinct rise up and take charge. Thoughts of fucking Brooke, of taking her from behind and burying her cock deep inside and cumming and breeding her and--

Vanessa collapsed back, her hips bucking slowly as her balls tightened, milking out shot after shot of potent thick white cum all over her body. Stars popped in and out of her vision, dazing and blinding her, and all she could do was lay there, panting. It was... That was... Holy fuck. Why did guys have such huge orgasms? Is this why they wanted sex all the time? Puzzle pieces clicked into place in Vanessa's mind as she rested, recovering from the explosive energy coursing through her veins.

She needed to do that again, she realized. But even more so, she needed the real thing.