Joining forces and dick measuring

Previously:

Craig had decided to reconcile with Lily after his own experience with the Merge Necklace. However, they were interrupted by a young man who physically assaulted Craig and used a magical mind controlling ring to **** Lily to leave with him.

Red

Red was startled by an unexpected knock at the door. She had been in the middle of setting up a ring light but jumped to her feet at the sudden noise.

She crept carefully to the door, self-conscious about still living in Lily’s room. It had been almost a week, and Lily had never returned after the night of the disastrously failed threesome; nor was she returning any texts.

Shit, does anyone else know I’m living here? Maybe I can pretend to be Lily while she’s gone.

Red peered through the peephole to see Craig waiting outside. She breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t someone coming to kick her out, only to be struck with a new anxiety.

What’s he doing here? I figured Lily would be with him. Does he still hate me for what I did to him as Hank? Or for making him break up with Lily?

Red’s mind raced with a flurry of thoughts. She briefly considered not answering but a pang of guilt changed her mind.

No, he deserves better than that. I can handle this.

Red gasped when the door opened to reveal a broken man. Craig looked like he had been through hell. His face was covered in green/brown bruises and he had a healing cut on his cheek. Red’s stomach turned.

He looks terrible.

A new wave of guilt washed over Red, memories of all the times she had beaten up Craig, back when she was Hank.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Red asked as she ushered him into the room. Craig shuffled in like a zombie and Red realized his injuries were the least of his problems.

Craig was clearly sleep deprived with bags under his sunken eyes. He was unshaven and wearing a ratty undershirt. Greasy hair clung together in clumps; he clearly wasn’t taking care of himself.

“It’s Lily…” Craig tried to start, but choked up, his shoulders trembling.

“Oh, sorry, man. Lily’s not here. I haven’t heard from her since… well… that night.” Red said carefully.

Fuck. He really needs someone to take care of him. Cam would know what to do. I’m not built for this.

“Lily. She’s gone… she was taken,” Craig tried to say, his voice cracking. “He took her… and it’s all my fault.”

His legs gave out and Red leapt forward to catch him before he fell. Craig’s face was buried in her chest, but before Red had a chance to feel embarrassed, he started crying. His tears quickly soaked her t-shirt and his arms clung to her as if holding on for dear life in a storm.

“Dude, what-” Red stopped herself. He was sobbing and clearly in no condition to answer any questions.

Lily’s gone? She must be, for him to react like this. It should be her comforting him, but I guess I’ll have to do it for now. He clearly needs someone.

“It’s okay, man. Let it out. I’m here,” she cooed softly.

As Craig cried himself out, Red idly realized she was wishing this moment could last longer. She regretted the circumstances, but she still held fondness for Craig and felt comfort in the press of his body against hers.

Who would have thought I’d ever be here? The one to lift him up instead of push him down.

When Craig was able to compose himself, he let go of Red and stepped back.

“I’m sorry I’m such a pussy. I can’t lay all this on you,” he said, still sniffling. “I have to man up and...”

“Fuck that,” Red interrupted. “Lay it on me. I care about you.”

“-and Lily,” she immediately added. “Both of you. Tell me what’s going on, I want to help.”

“It was the morning after I… you know, ran away,” Craig started. “I finally figured out I had overreacted and went to make up with Lily, but before I could some guy walked up and controlled her with a magic ring.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Exactly! I came because you’re the only person who would believe me. The ring looked Middle Eastern, maybe Persian, and instead of green, it glowed purple. Since then, I’ve been trying to find some historical evidence of…”

“Wait, go back,” Red said, her mind racing. “Did he control you too?”

“No, he said something about women. Maybe it doesn’t work on men,” Craig answered, averting his gaze.

“So what happened to you?”

“He… he beat the shit out of me,” Craig confessed. “I didn’t see it coming and he punched me to the ground then kicked me. I couldn’t even put up a fight.”

He thinks he’s worthless because he’s not a fighter. Fuck me. I taught him that.

“Hey, he just blindsided you, next time…”

“Next time?” Craig scoffed. “Easy for you to say. If you were there, you would have protected her. Even now, you’re still stronger than me.”

“If I was there, he would have controlled me, too,” Red countered, gently.

Craig relented, pouting.

Damn, why is he so cute when he’s being ****?

“So what happened after? Did you file a police report?”

“Call the cops? I couldn’t tell them about the ring.”

Red sighed.

“Bro, you got assaulted. Lily got kidnapped. You don’t have to tell them about the magic, but they might have resources to help find him and get him locked up.”

“I… you’re right. I should have done that.”

“And what about the guy? Did you find out if he’s a student? What kind of car does he have and which way did it go?” Red peppered him, her gears turning.

“I… I don’t know. I…”

Red snapped back to see Craig crumbling under her barrage of questions. His face scrunched and he looked on the verge of tears again.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said, trying to put on a reassuring smile. “That’s why you’re here, so I can help you. I could never research magic the way you can, and that knowledge is gonna be important when we find this fucker. I know it. Come on, let’s get organized about this.”

Red gently led Craig over to sit on the bed before getting a notebook and pen and taking a seat next to him.

“Start at the beginning,” she instructed, “anything you can remember, we don’t know what might end up being important.”

Craig began again from the beginning and Red took notes, but something tickled her intuition as he spoke; a creeping sense of dread.

“Wait,” she interrupted, mind racing. “He said she rejected him “last time?”"

“Yeah, it was weird. She didn’t recognize him. And, uh, there was something else. Oh! He said it was in the gym, like she was working out. But as far as I know, the only time she went to the gym was when she found you there, and we never got to work out.”

“Fuck.” Red leapt to her feet, her notebook spilling forgotten from her lap. “Fuck me. Oh, fuck. FUCK!”

She started pacing, her hands behind her head and her eyes wide in panic.

“What’s wrong, Red? What’s going on?” Craig asked, rising to his feet himself.

“It was that night, in the gym. I went there after the split and worked out. There was some creep there who hit on me but he reminded me too much of who I used to be and I shut him down. That was him, it has to be! Did he tell me his name? Motherfucker! What was it?” She squinted, trying to bring up memories of the night she had spent weeks trying to forget.

“Calm down, Red. This is good. We can use this.”

“Ugh. You don’t get it,” Red moaned. “This is all my fucking fault. He thought Lily was me. I’m the reason she got grabbed!”

Red stopped pacing and took a few breaths to calm down. Craig, stunned, had no reply.

“Craig!” Red shouted, pointing a finger in his face.

“Me?” he squeaked.

“We’re finding this asshole. We’re getting Lily back. And we’re doing it together!”

“You really think so?”

Red sighed dramatically.

“Look, I know you were a dork in high school, but this is Game Time. Let’s get Hyped!”

“Yeah, hyped,” Craig echoed, playing along.

“Dap me up!” Red commanded, extending a hand.

“Dap?”

“Uh, high five!”

“Yeah!” Craig responded, raising a hand.

“Fuck yeah!” Red yelled, launching herself into the air to slap Craig’s hand.

“Ow.”

“Let’s fucking go!” Red screamed, flexing.

“Yeah!”

Red, caught up in the moment, chest bumped Craig off his feet and onto the bed. To her relief, after a moment of shock, he started laughing and gave her the first honest smile she had seen from him since he arrived.

She grinned broadly and joined her voice to the laughter, a small spark of hope valiantly pushing back the darkness.

—

Craig

One day down since joining forces and nothing to show for it.

Craig ran a comb through his hair, anxiously awaiting Red’s arrival. He had finally bathed and changed into a white t-shirt and black mesh shorts to try to look presentable. However, looking at himself in the floor length mirror in his dorm room, his face was still marred by bruising.

Well, who am I trying to impress anyway?

Craig leapt to the door when he heard knocking and peered through the peephole. His pulse picked up seeing Red on the other side of the door. She was effortlessly sexy in a crop top, her sweatpants riding low on her hips. Craig felt a pang of pain in his chest, the memory of Lily and her loss triggered by seeing her virtual twin.

Craig hurriedly turned the deadbolt and rushed Red into his room before scanning the hallway to make sure no one was watching. When he was satisfied, he closed the door and bolted it again.

“You expecting someone else?” Red asked, an eyebrow raised.

“Magic is real. I don’t know how many artifacts are out there, anyone could have one.”

Red gave him a concerned look.

“Look, I know I sound paranoid,” Craig tried to explain. “I guess I’ve been obsessing.”

“Nah, I get it. It’s scary to think they could be anywhere,” Red said, nodding. “So… you order pizza for tonight?”

“Yeah, how did you…” Craig followed Red’s line of sight to the pile of empty pizza boxes stacked by the door. “Shit, I was gonna clean that…”

“Pizza sounds good actually,” Red interrupted. “I can help you polish off this one.”

Craig tried to hide his relief. My diet hasn’t been the best lately.

“Thanks,” he chuckled, awkwardly.

“Did you make any progress on the search? ‘Cause I haven’t found anything so far.”

“No, but there is one thing I- here. Let me show you.”

Craig pulled the Merge Necklace out from under his shirt. Red jumped back cautiously when she saw it, her hands raised in a warding gesture. The unbroken gem glowed with a faint green light.

“Motherfucker,” Red whispered. “You actually did it.”

“I haven’t tested it yet, but I’m sure it works.”

“Damn.”

“You didn’t choose what happened to you, so I was thinking. Maybe we could try using it to get you back to your old body.” Craig offered.

Red scowled and Craig’s brow furrowed in confusion at her reaction.

“Fuck that,” she snapped.

“But I thought you would want to…”

“I don’t. Hank was a selfish asshole who burned all his bridges. I’ve finally learned to appreciate my new body. I don’t have to deal with all the bullshit that my macho ego **** on me. I’m not going back,” she concluded.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t realize. Well, then how about changing you into a full female? You know,” he tried to say delicately, “get rid of your…” He gestured vaguely toward her crotch.

“About that,” Red replied, suddenly self-conscious. “I like still having my dick. I think I want to keep it.”

“Huh,” Craig said, his mind suddenly reevaluating Red. “If I could have a body like Hank’s I would jump at the chance. But I guess that’s just my shit. I shouldn’t put it on you.”

“I appreciate the offer. Really.” Red drifted back towards Craig, growing comfortable with the relic around his neck.

“But don’t sell yourself short, bro,” she continued. “You’ve got a good frame. With the right diet and exercise regimen, you could totally put on some muscle.”

“You’d help me with that?”

“Me?” Red asked, suddenly playing with a lock of her hair. “Sure, but I mean, why would you want me?”

“Why not you? I mean, you’re the only friend I have who’s a jock.”

“Do you mean that?” Red asked, cautiously. “Are we friends? Even after everything I’ve done to you?”

“Look, I know we should have had this conversation a long time ago, but I don’t see you as Hank anymore.”

“You can’t say that,” Red objected. “It’s not fair!”

“What?”

“I tormented you for years and you never deserved it. Ever since I changed, you’ve been nothing but nice to me. Even on the night of the threesome, you broke up with Lily but you never blamed me. It’s not fair.”

Red’s voice trembled with emotion. She had lowered her face to let her long hair shield her eyes.

That hair thing is what Lily used to do. And I think Claire did it too. I wonder if Lily rubbed off on Red by living together or being merged together.

“Hey, that’s old news,” Craig said, brushing aside his errant thoughts. “I don’t blame you for that anymore.”

“I just… every time I see those bruises on your face I remember hitting you.” Red’s voice was barely audible.

“Well,” Craig said, shrugging, “every time I look at you, I remember Lily and how I lost her.”

Red sighed and the two stood silently for a minute, lost in thought.

“I want you to hit me,” Red announced, springing up from where she had been leaning against the wall.

“What?” Craig assured, baffled.

“Right here,” Red continued, pointing to her jaw. “Punch me as hard as you can. I deserve at least that much for the times I hit you. Then we can be even.”

“I thought you weren’t macho anymore,” Craig said, playfully.

“Fuck, dude. I’m still figuring this shit out. I don’t know how girls settle this kind of beef, but you’re a guy. So c’mon. Lemme have it.”

Red braced herself, closing her eyes and sticking out her chin.

“I don’t hit girls.”

“No, of course you don’t,” Red sighed, mostly to herself. “It was a stupid idea anyway.”

“Probably,” Craig replied. “But your heart is in the right place.”

To Craig’s surprise, Red blushed, then and actually giggled.

“There is one thing I’ve been meaning to settle,” Craig broached cautiously.

“Oh?”

“It’s just something I’ve wondered about, and you actually brought it up first. Lily’s not here, so we can finally compare. Just so we know where we stand.”

Red narrowed her eyes.

“Are you talking about what I think you’re talking about?”

“It’s not a big deal,” Craig continued. “And whoever comes out on top, it’s fine. We’ll know, then we can put the whole thing behind us. We’ll never have to think about it again.”

“The matter of… length.”

Red pursed her lips, looking thoughtful, but conflicted.

“I guess I did brag about that, didn't I?” she admitted.

“So let's compare. It’ll be purely scientific.”

“To be fair, lots of guys wonder about it.”

“Most guys.”

“Virtually all guys,” Red finished before a hesitant look crossed her face.

“But are you sure? I mean, my anatomy is… different,” Red said, crossing her legs. “I don’t want it to change the way you see me.”

Wow, she’s really self-conscious about this. I have to ease her mind.

“It’s fine. I’ve seen lots of futanari porn,” Craig blurted out before his brain caught up to his mouth.

“Dude!” Red exclaimed, trying to contain her giggles. “Wild fucking horses couldn’t have dragged that info out of me. But good on you, I guess.”

“W-we could always just pretend that I never said anything,” Craig offered, trying to ignore the heat in his cheeks.

“Oh no, gamer tag: FutaLuvr69. That genie’s not going back in the bottle,” she said gloating. “So try not to get too hard when we’re seeing who the bigger man is. Let’s see if you can keep it “purely scientific.””

Red emphasized her words by shimmying out of her sweat pants.

What monster have I unleashed?

—-

“That’s a fine piece of equipment you’re working with, my man.”

The two stood bottomless in front of the floor-length mirror in identical power poses: hands on hips. Two sets of pants and underwear lay discarded in piles in the middle of the room.

This is chill. I’m being totally chill about this.

“Likewise, my enby compatriot. Your penis suits you. Very… feminine.”

Red playfully punched Craig in the shoulder.

“Flatterer,” she chuckled, “it just looks that way because I’m hairless.”

“Sure,” Craig responded, keeping it entirely professional, “I’ve thought of shaving, myself. Do you think I could pull it off?”

Reed cupped her chin and gave Craig an appraising look in the mirror.

“Fuck yeah. Smooth, you’d look real sleek. A high-performance machine.”

Craig grinned, the slightest crack in his nonchalant facade.

“Still, just eyeballing it, I can’t tell who is longer.”

Red looked thoughtful.

“You’re saying we need to be more…scientific.”

“We need some objective measurements, here.”

Red gave Craig a sidelong glance which he returned.

“You have a tape measure?”

“You bet your ass I do.”

—-

“Look, there’s no way the part of your penis inside the outer lips counts toward length!”

Craig knelt on the floor, staring intensely at Red’s junk. Both were still bottomless, but he now held a tape measure and an exasperated expression.

“Cock is cock,” Red countered, jabbing her finger downward to emphasize her point.

“My dick extends further inside my body too, but you don’t see me measuring that.”

“You would if you could.”

“What matters is effective penis length,” Craig said, now gesturing with both hands. “Let’s say I’m having sex with Lily; I bottom out when she hits my pelvis. That’s the effective length. That part of your cock doesn’t count because it stays in your pussy.”

“Bullshit! It’s not my fault I have a fat fucking pussy,” Red moaned in dismay. “C’mon, I can still come out ahead. I wasn’t even fully hard when you measured. Look, I’m totally another quarter inch longer. Measure again.”

Red’s competitive drive kicked in and she started yanking furiously on her shaft, her face a mask of intense concentration.

“Wait, hold on,” Craig interrupted. “Now you’re just stretching it. Let me do it.”

“Are you even trying? Jerk me like you mean it!”

*Click*

The pair froze at the sound of the doorknob turning.

A voice rang out in the small room.

“Another sausage lover’s special for ya, Craig!”