Chris Tests The Ring

Chris and Shay ended up making some popcorn and putting on a movie, her pick. It was Across The Spider-Verse, a movie she had seen already and clearly loved, and wanted to share her love of it with her dad. Chris had actually wanted to see it with Shay when it was in theatres, knowing it was the kind of movie both of them would enjoyed, so he was more than thankful to finally have that opportunity. Though, he did find his mind wandering at points, errant thoughts about how cute Gwen Stacy was, how much she resembled Shay, and imagining how Shay would look in Gwen's Spider-Woman suit.

To say that Chris was trouble at the time by that stream of consciousness would be an understatement, but -

Buzz-buzz

Eh, he shrugged it off. Pretty sure he was just tired from the past two days. Plus, his attention was spit to the magic ring he now possessed.

After the movie, father and daughter went their separate ways, Chris retiring to his bedroom, preparing for bed but not nearly ready to call it a day just yet.

Much as he wanted to play it safe and call it quits here and now, the ring's power was just too tempting. At first, Chris thought of the possibilities of endless wishes and what they could bring, but there was certainly one thing he wanted above all else.

"I wish Becca was alive and well."

And... nothing happened. He couldn't explain it, but somehow, Chris knew that the ring had failed to grant his wish. It was not a delay or anything, that wish was simply outside of it's power. Dismay took over his heart for a moment, before he remembered the words of the woman who gifted it to him.

"Your daughter and her happiness are your greatest desire, I can see that. So... the ring will give it to you. Grant all of your wishes for your daughter without anything in return."

So... could the ring only grant wishes related to Shay? Testing that, Chris went for (what he thought) would be the first thing most people in his position would wish for: wealth and financial security. But, at the last second, he thought better of it. He had worked in financial services for twenty-years and had amassed a not-insignificant fortune in that time. Especially since his parents instilled him values about living modestly, so while he and Shay were well-off and went without, the majority of his wealth was being invested or tied up in long-term plans, like Shay's college fund. Even if he could, Chris had no desire to wish for more money.

Then, Chris made a series of more harmless, juvenile wishes. He wished for a chocolate bar, for the salt and pepper in his hair and beard to vanish, and for Katy Perry to appear and give him a blowjob.

The ring remained cold and inert, which was honestly a relief. Chris didn't think he was entirely ready for a sexual encounter with another woman yet, and was slightly ashamed that he had wished for something so crude. He chuckled in a mixture of relief and embarrassment, before pivoting back to the task at hand.

Even if the ring could only work in relation to Shay, that still meant he wielded an extraordinary amount of power. He could wish for her to be the wealthiest woman in the world. Or to be an unstoppable athlete. A genius destined to discover the cure for cancer or fix the climate crisis. A diplomat or politician who could usher in a new golden age for humanity. For her to find true love that - buzz - no... that last one didn't feel right.

In fact, none of them felt perfectly right. Much as Chris wanted the best for his girl, giving her a cheat-code and taking away her choices in life felt wrong. He wanted Shay to be well-off, but he didn't just want to hand her whatever she wanted or whatever he wanted for her, turning her from a real person into an automaton her controlled. Maybe he should talk with her about all of this... one day. Chris didn't necessarily know how she would react about the existence of the ring, or that he had used it on her without her consent.

Still, there were somethings Chris could wish for that just made sense.

"I wish for my daughter to have a long, happy, fulfilling life." Chris said, softly, staring directly at the silver band while he did so. He felt the metal warm up, saw the glimmer in the gemstone. Felt the scratching in the back of his head quicken, extremely satisfying. Unlike those wishes before, he felt it's power resonate clearly. "I wish Shay was immune or highly-resistant to all forms of disease and illness." He wouldn't lose her suddenly like Becca. Be **** to watch her fight in vain and waste away on a hospital bed. "And I wish her body was sturdier and more resilient to injury and harm." That one might turn out a little more obvious. Chris didn't want her to have a mutant healing factor, he just wanted it so Shay could bounce back quicker if she got into something major like a car accident.

The ring continued to hum with power after each word, the warmth spreading from fingertip to hand, up his arm, across his chest, to his heart, and then all throughout his body. He shut his eyes and sighed, almost feeling the dopamine rush kick in. Why did it feel so good? Buzz-buzz. Because he was helping his daughter? Doing a good, selfless thing? Must be it...

"I wish Shay and I had a strong, loving relationship." Chris said aloud, almost not thinking about it, to which he felt a surge of heat from the ring, more intense than ever before. Alarm settled over him at first, but he soon calmed down. That was a harmless wish, right? Nothing bad could come of it. Not to mention, he would hate for Shay to relapse in anyway. That would be a strong preventative measure.

Then, Chris awkwardly realized the sensation spreading to his loins, his penis stirring, shifting, and growing as blood rushed into it, suddenly hardening. He had been largely celibate since his wife's illness took a turn to the worst, so this was... alarming. Buzz-buzz-buzz

But it was okay, he rationalized. It was just a response to the ring's power. That and, well, he was still a human. Still a man. Older, yes, but still a sexual creature with wants and needs. It had just been a while, was all, he told himself.

It only got more awkward when he shifted gears to his next wish, the one involving Shay's friends. All of her youthful, beautiful, deeply attractive friends.

"Okay, okay, just step back..." Chris told himself, exhaling deeply, before pacing about the room. Last thing he wanted was to cross his phantom erection with thoughts about Jasmine and the others. They were Shay's friends, for crying out loud! He had known some of them since they were little. No way was it okay to be attracted to them.

As he paced about, the ring grew warm once more, closer to hot actually. Even though he hadn't used it for several minutes. Chris shook his hand out and rubbed at his ring finger, absent-mindedly.

When he felt he was sufficiently calmed down, hormones and urges dampened and back in control, Chris focused on the ring and it's arcane powers again, returning to his original idea for a wish. One more thing to help out Shay and get her back to her regular life, before all this darkness had descended on her.

"I wish that Shay's relationship with her friends would be repaired, their bond healthier and stronger than ever."