A month with Zoe

The first week felt like time had slowed down, thankfully, so you could really understand what you had signed up for with Zoe. She explained her need to be worn to you, which at first seemed shocking--you were in fact being used while using Zoe--but, it didn't really matter. She had been absorbing energy and nutrients from you the whole time you wore her since she couldn't digest foods without a host, and you never felt anything wrong, other than a little hungrier than usual.

One day of wearing Zoe let her sustain herself for three days unworn. You could wear her up to a week, and let her roam free for three weeks. Really, there was no upper limit to how long you could wear her, you could in theory keep her on forever and look like the same youthful Zoe until well into the future, since she could maintain her features indefinitely. But, you decided on a half-and-half schedule. Half of the week you'd wear her, the other half you'd be apart, but never far from each other except for brief errands or work duties.

That meant for three and a half days a week, give or take, you shared a single form. Both you and Zoe had appearances to keep up, inside and outside the company. Some of that time, Zoe simply mimicked your appearance, enjoying tagging along with your coworkers, letting her see some of the projects in the lower labs up close, and letting her meet your family, unbeknownst to them.

Most other days, you were, for all intents and purposes, Dr. Zoe Hildebrand. And when you adopted that moniker, you seemed to take up a different tact than previous hosts of Zoe had--you became more directly involved in the work downstairs, instead of only using Zoe's lab for her experiments. Suffice to say, having Zoe's body at your control gave you a lot of confidence, and the built-in respect that came with her position was invigorating. Zoe was always able to whisper in your ear when you needed to actually speak to her research like a head scientist, but you were quickly learning the specifics so she didn't have to coach you as often. You wore a Bluetooth headset as Zoe, so you could freely talk to your partner without anyone suspecting anything was wrong. You were constantly talking to her, but so what? You were one of the head scientists, you could do whatever you wanted.

For that half-day each week, though, you and Zoe agreed to try new body shapes, a new look entirely each time. There was so much potential in Zoe's abilities to look like any woman on the planet, so it was unlikely you'd ever tire of trying out new shapes.

The other half of the week, you two existed in two separate bodies. You were completely normal, of course, and during working hours, you and Zoe typically spent time in two different areas of Hideki Labs, to keep the illusion that there were still two of you. There was no question you were a couple, though, to the bafflement of many in the labs. You were this average, plain-Jane sort of woman, and Zoe was a brunette bombshell. A lot of coworkers were immensely jealous, and you were met with some cold shoulders from time to time, but most of your closest friends in the labs were plenty supportive, since Zoe seemed to pull you out of your shell a bit. Ironic, since she was kind of a shell you entered constantly.

Zoe was item-free at work, but you both enjoyed either going to her lab or coming back to your apartment and trying new things. Zoe especially enjoyed being your 'personal assistant' where she'd take on all your phone behaviors, including being your alarm clock, doing notifications, speaking on behalf of whoever was calling you. It was really strange when you talked to your dad or your boss through Zoe, as it was always her voice, but their accents and tone. Anything you normally did alone before you met Zoe, you and her incorporated her into it. She became your digital gateway to the world, your entertainment and gaming system, your on-demand plaything... on occasion, Zoe has even been worn by your dog Roxie as an experiment, who didn't fully control Zoe but certainly contributed to Zoe happily licking your face while cuddling you on the couch.

One whole month had passed, and it felt like you'd barely scratched the surface of the potential you two shared. The only constant was that you and Zoe admitted that it wasn't just attraction, it was love, between you two. And there was something powerful about this love that felt like it would always feel fresh and new. Neither of you had known anything like this your whole life, and now you shared this deep, profound connection that nobody else on the planet could truly understand. Everything felt fantastic, and your life really felt like there was meaning. There was stability.

But despite your unbreakable love, life often stepped in and posed challenges for you two to face together. You were playing around with Zoe one morning, having done your favorite mix-and-match of making her act out a sexy scene while her mouth spoke the morning news.

It was all fun and games until she started speaking a news story about an incident at Hideki Labs.