Pausing the Game

Chapters

The Stopwatch
The Gym
The Locker Rooms
Loosening Up
An Afternoon Stroll
Terms and Conditions
Epilogue

The Stopwatch

So many days gone by that meant nothing to me. Just another day sweeping the floors, bringing out pizzas, and watching customers pass through the doors of the arcade. Boys, girls, men and women; all of whom come to play while I worked. Well, worked is a bit of an overstatement when you spend most of your time just standing around watching.

Watching and waiting. Even from when he was young there was one who managed to keep my attention. A young boy who ran around with the excitement that I once had. Who played even the awful games and found them amazing. He was… fun. I liked watching him and he played the games well. If I let myself, I could do just the same. I gave up on trivial screens a long time ago.

The years passed though and he became just another part of the arcade. He got friends, brought people who would never come otherwise, and became a part of the community. He was always innocent though. A boy with a heart of gold. Or, so I had thought for so long. His teenage years saw him here less and less after all and now it had been months since I last saw him.

So it was a pleasant surprise when I saw him today. He was playing a cabinet he always had loved with turtles in a sewer, battling it out in up to four player co-op. It was time to catch up I thought, snapping as the world around me froze in time. I included him in my bubble though as he wouldn’t notice, at least until we were done.

I tapped him on the shoulder, giving him the best smile I could while I wore my normal uniform of a button up white shirt, red vest, and black slacks. My black hair was tipped with red and came down to just above my blood red eyes, all of which he might or might have not taken in in his quick glance up. It was heartwarming though that that was all it took for him to be able to say, “Hello Mr. Faust. How are you?”

I slipped a token into one of the slots and stepped beside him to join the game, knowing he didn’t mind. Or, usually didn’t as for once he paused when I did so before continuing to play. No comment on my choice of character, bringing me up to speed, or anything that I was so used to seeing him doing when a new person came up to the cabinet. No, instead he stayed hunched over and stared intently at the screen.

So I paused him. I looked him up and down, examined every piece I could, including a check of ID to be annoyed that I had missed his eighteenth birthday recently, and then finally finding it. A few places too tender. A few texts that were left unanswered. A change to his home that I had not realized sooner.

And as I brought him back into my realm I said, “I’m fine. Just looking for a new game to play. Or, more specifically, one to join my game.”

That got his attention as he glanced away from the screen again, cursing slightly as he got hit carelessly before he asked, “Game? Are you developing something?”

I chuckled a little, remembering the anger that I brought to the person who in fact gave me these powers when I won his little bargain. “Oh no. I got a game a long time ago and, well, I’ve kind of kept it to myself. Slipped it into my vest pocket,” I said as I pulled a stopwatch out of said pocket, “and just never found a proper player for it. I think it could be… fun to see you play with it.”

The boy didn’t even look up from the screen as he continued to hit buttons, flick the sticks, but his eyes burned with the same intensity I saw every time we got a new cabinet. That desire to check the systems, get at least midway through it, to just play! That was the boy that was trying to hide from me right now and I would not have it. I only hoped he enjoyed my gift as much as I expected him to. “What… What’s the catch?”

I shook my head as I extended the watch to him. “No catch. Just know that if I think you’re really misusing it that I’ll come back for it. Otherwise, why don’t we start this like any good open world game? What’s your name?”

“Faust, you know my name is-”

======+++++======

“Button Mash.” When he looked up though, the noise of the rest of the arcade slowly coming back to his ears, something he hadn’t even noticed was missing, Faust was gone. Instead, he heard something clatter onto the ground. When he bent over to grab it, his curiosity and confusion getting him to forget about the game for a moment as he picked up a silver stopwatch.

Press the top to escape, and do the same to return. Tap it to something to make it join you, or watch as it catch up to your actions.

What… What did it mean by all of that? Was this Faust’s game? That didn’t make any sense. Still, no reason not to try clicking the to-

Button fell against the cabinet as it felt like the entire world shifted around him. The sound of… everything fell away too. He even looked at the arcade cabinet, but unlike when he was playing with Faust, it stayed frozen. He even tried to move the sticks and, well, they moved but the characters on the screen didn’t. Maybe if he…

A single tap with the watch and he saw the stick freak out as it seemed to go in fast forward to catch up, but it was playing again, its music in the air while everything else was silent. Looking away from the cabinet and he saw that it wasn’t just that everything was quiet. Everything was still. Stuck in place like time had… Button looked at the watch, only to find its second hand twitching, attempting to go forward but incapable of it.

“Huh…” He blinked a few times, absolutely certain that this is Faust’s game. But… he should tell people like Sweetie’s sister about this, right? They were ones who dealt with magic and he shouldn’t have something like this. It was dangerous to play around with magic, but…

He swallowed hard, glancing at his phone, a text from his mom the last one he’d gotten wishing him a good time at the arcade. She was the one who gave him twenty dollars to escape with after all. Twenty dollars that had bought far too few tokens to get him all the way to dinner, which was in like five hours.

Unless… He looked over to the counter where you could buy the tokens and hummed to himself. After all, he didn’t know where any of his friends were and there was no reason he shouldn’t play along at all. Mr. Faust was a friend of his after all and he wouldn’t try to hurt him, or at least he hoped not. No, that was impossible. He should just focus on enjoying this! And, well, the extra tokens that it could get him, especially to make up for the lives he lost because of Faust.

So he walked towards the counter, trying to be careful not to bump into anyone. After all, what would happen if they suddenly woke up? How could he explain this when he barely knew what was going on. The throngs of people in the arcade made it a little less than easy with so many close calls with a kid he didn’t see there, two people who were just in the way, or some girl’s chest that stuck out too far. That last one especially happened so far as he curved his body to avoid them, his eyes glued to them to make sure he missed them. That was the only reason though! He swore!

But… if it wasn’t… what did happen if he touched someone so long as it wasn’t with the watch. The question came to a head when he got to the counter and he looked at the girl behind it. She started working there when she was seventeen and he was thirteen and time had treated her well as the sort of girl that he was attracted to. Goth makeup, black hair with purple streaks, a tight t-shirt with some band he didn’t know on it and a pair of tight, black shorts that framed her ass perfectly. Switchboard was just the sort of girl that had always made him blush and fidget, something she had even liked teasing him about in the past, especially once she stopped giving a shit about her job. Before the customers got to her, just like they appeared to be now if her rolling eyes were any indication.

He sighed as he slipped over the counter, joining her on the other side as he bit his lip. After all, the thoughts that were in his head weren’t really okay, were they? Then again, if he did do them, would she even notice? No, she wouldn’t, right? She was frozen in time after all! Still, just to be safe, he decided to reach over and gently poke her in the back before recoiling back, his arms covering his head as he crouched in an all too familiar pose for him.

But nothing happened. The only noise that he heard still came from the arcade machine he had brought to life. Otherwise, nothing. Looking back at her only proved that correct as she continued to stand there.

Button stood up slowly, letting one of his hands come up slowly. It first came up to her face, brushing the hair that she normally had over one eye out of the way. Yep, Switchboard was still breathtaking in her beauty and he could feel his cheeks flush with color as he even brushed his hand against her cheek.

He kept his distance still as he brought his hand down. After all, she would snap awake at anytime. He would get punished at any moment. He couldn’t actually touch her chest, which was at least as big as Tifa’s, if not… No, Laura Croft still had her beat, but he had to consider it!

But then he touched it. Well, the shirt over it. Pressing his hand down on it though, he could feel the bra underneath. And a layer below that was her chest. Her large, plump chest that still conformed to his fingers as he squeezed her breast. That sank with each bit of pressure until it finally denied him and pushed back. Was that because of the shirt though? Could he sink his hands in more?

The first thing that had to happen though was getting both of his hands onto her. He pushed her gently away from the counter, finding that she was surprisingly lighter than he expected to move. As if she barely was anything in fact in this timeless landscape. That couldn’t be remotely true of course with how heavy her breast had felt but, well, it was convenient.

And now it was time to bring his other one up. It still shook in a mix of lust and nerves, hovering there for more seconds than he was proud of before he finally grabbed it with all the strength he had as he forced it to move. Like this, he could feel the bra scrunch up in his hand while the shirt pulled at the collar and came up, showing a bit of her midrift, all to make up for his grip. Like this he could feel just how soft and giving it was. Like a thick pillow you couldn’t squeeze all the way through it, but you could still get so much comfort out of every bit inch of fluff.

Or flesh in this case. He couldn’t believe it as he loosened his grip, his hands shaking as her breasts met his expectations, but they weren’t even out yet! No, instead they were still trapped underneath her shirt and her bra. Underneath her clothes that he could… could…

He swallowed hard, reached down and paused. After all, a couple squeezes was one thing. Could he really strip her down? Well, a peak wouldn’t hurt. Yeah, he would just pull her shirt up, look at her breasts, maybe get one more squeeze and…

And wow they were big. He blinked a few times, already having raised the shirt as his hormones overrode his body and he couldn’t believe what he saw. A thick, black bra that was biting into her flesh, pushing it down hard as it sank into her breasts. It… it couldn’t be comfortable for her to be wearing that, right? Yeah, that’s why he was thinking of taking it off. It wasn’t because he wanted to see just how much bigger they were if he took it off, right? No, not at all. Not at all…

And when it came off, her breasts sagged a little, her large nipples protruding like pink spires from the middle of them as she stood there. Her pale skin contrasted well with how pink her areolas were and Button found himself licking his lips as he looked at them. He could do whatever he wanted with them. They were there just taunting him at this point after all. Begging him to do something.

Something else was begging him to do something with it though as he winced and looked down at the bulge in his pants. After all, at this point he was harder than diamonds. He could pull down her shorts and… He swallowed hard, shaking his head as he tried to dismiss the thought. After all, that was going too far, wasn’t it? She was a good person after all. If he did that she might… Well, he didn’t actually know. All he knew was that he wasn’t ready to go that far.

So, instead, after unleashing the beast he slid his long, throbbing cock between her thighs. She had a nice, toned set of them and he could feel his cock protrude well past the other side when he came waist to waist with her. This also brought his face just above her chest, her breasts pressed tightly against his as the pillows became flush against him, trying desperately to become compact enough to bring them together.

He looked up at her face, his cheeks burning as he looked at her tightly pressed lips. The rest of her body yielded fairly well to him though, so… So maybe if he just reached up, stood on the tips of his toes, and gripped her ass tight to help him get up…

He hummed as his lips touched hers. They were so soft and warm as they brushed against his, making him think of her breasts for a moment. They were different though. Instead of sexual this felt… sensual. Like it was more innocent even if it was just as stimulating. It was far different from how her thighs felt while they were wrapped tightly around his cock. No, they were strong, rough, but smooth as he slid along them, his cock trembling with each brush against them. Each fidget and accidental thrust of his hips.

He panted against her, wishing this moment could last forever. That he could continue push his hands against her tight ass. Keep feeling her lips against his. Keep her breasts grinding against his chest as he moved his body up and down. Every part of her stimulated him after all. This was a beautiful girl, the first to ever let him hold her like this, and so much of her just drove him crazy.

A madness that ended with his cock, firmly pressed between her thighs and pussy, letting out long, thick ropes of cum onto the prizes behind her. He plastered them with his seed as he gripped her tight ass and hung on for dear life. After all, he had masturbated before but this felt entirely different. It was so much more violent and visceral as he brought his face down, nuzzling into her breasts as he continued to shake, more and more cum coming out as he let himself just keep thrusting between her legs, each hump helping more to come out and paint the wall behind Switch.

Once he was finally done he panted and leaned back, his back against the counter as she continued to stand there. He could feel sweat pouring down his brow and he tried to clear some as he took her in one more time. Took in that thick ass, toned thighs, and that heavy bosom. That bosom that made him shiver still. He couldn’t keep it though, not now at least, but he could take it with him in another way. Yeah, a quick picture with his phone and he could keep this memory for good. Or, well, maybe use it as a reminder to come back when he was ready to be even more brazen with what he did with a girl.

But, once he had his picture, he tried, and failed, to get her bra back on, pulled her shirt down, and then hopped back over the counter without taking anymore tokens than he’d already had. After all, his mind was a little too drunk with this new game to worry about an old one. To really worry about anything, something he hadn’t been able to do for a long time now. He did need to get ready to go though, something he did by stuffing the bra into his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder, and dashing towards the door. From there he clicked the stopwatch to, hopefully, let time start again and see what exactly happened to Switch.

And it was far more than he expected. Her body straightened up as if hit by lightning, her obviously gasping as she shook a little, before she put her hands on the counter, her lips pursed in as her face became flushed with color for the first time he’d ever seen. It all finished, in about maybe fifteen seconds, with her collapsing and screaming out a long, heavy moan, panting against the glass of the counter as her entire body shook and spasmed from what he had done.

And Button… Button knew he hadn’t actually done as much to her as he could have. He made her cum from just a little play, all brought together all at once in fifteen seconds. What would happen if he ate a girl out? If he fucked them? That… Was that the next point in the game that he was supposed to go to? Or was this not what Faust wanted? But she looked so happy as she panted there too.

What… What exactly was he supposed to do now?

Author's Note

Again, this is comment driven so don't forget to leave your ideas below!

The Gym

Button looked around himself, uncomfortable already in the land of jocks and sweat. A temple dedicated to their perverse ways of working out and being, worst of all, healthy. Bah. Such things were not the domain of nerds! Nerds were proud in their laziness, incompetence… though more of them could learn the ways of deodorant like jocks did.

He wasn’t really here to work out though. That much was probably obvious, but he was still nervous about it. After all, the watch worked in the arcade, but Faust worked in the arcade. What if it didn’t work here? What would he do then? Well, probably nothing. He’d just look like an idiot who was yelling at an expensive watch like a lunatic.

First thing was first though and that was figuring out exactly what he wanted to do. His first idea had been to go into the girl’s locker room, something he was still thinking about, but a warmup out here could be… satisfying. He knew plenty of jerks back from high school that were probably working out here.

And then he saw one of the girls that had really tormented people his freshman year, including smashing his gameboy in his freshman year. She was a couple years older but had stayed behind for a year longer than she should have because she was anything but a model student. No, she was a delinquent, a bitch, and was somehow stacked almost as much as Switch had been.

Gilda. With short in the back, long in the front white hair, styled to be spiked in the front and hang in her face, she was working out on a… Ugh. He didn’t know. It was that thing that you work to bring your arms together while sitting on a bench? No matter what, he was surprised she didn’t have the equipment crush her breasts with each repetition, though her arms did a plenty good job, something plenty of the guys had noticed.

Including Button, who now clicked the top of the watch. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was going to do with her though. He could finally actually fuck a girl but Gilda… He wasn’t sure if he wanted it to be her. Admittedly, part of his head said it shouldn’t be through timestop at all but with someone who loved him but that was… unlikely. Not because he didn’t think it was possible but because he’d been tempted a hundred times over to stop time on the way here from every girl passing him on the street.

But Gilda? Nah. He knew that much. Not with some bitch from school that he wanted to get even with. As he planned what he was going to do though, he did check his surroundings. There were mostly guys, but the couple girls there along with Gilda was a little comforting, especially once Button saw some rope. He knew he shouldn’t think of doing anything with it, but his brain also was tempting him in very, very naughty ways as the watch became warmer in his hand.

So, with rope in hand, he came back to Gilda. Her yellow eyes were as intense as always, but the mocking grin she had told him she knew all too well what she was doing to the guys in the gym. Or, at least, that’s how Button interpreted it. He did feel like his case was strengthened when he realized her nipples were poking through her thick, white shirt, which meant she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Wait, she wasn’t wearing a bra? He blinked a few times at that idea, not able to really believe it before he reached down and yanked her shirt up. It wasn’t as slow or oblivious as before, but fueled still by the same hormones that had pushed him to act with Switch.

Her shirt was just as tight as Switch’s though, so the yank pulled the breasts up as they tried to cling to it, her sweat having made the inside damp. With a little more strength though, he brought the bottom over the crest of her chest, allowing the ample, heavy breasts to come down with a loud smack against her muscled body.

And nothing separated them from the air. They were also tanned, just like the rest of her, and he really doubted that she used spray tan or a tanning booth. That meant those breasts were bare at the beach, something he might have one day seen if he ever went to the beach. Now though, he got to take them in entirely, not from a distance or in the scorching heat, but instead in an air conditioned room where they glistened and sparkled with sweat.

He didn’t hesitate this time as he reached forward, taking each of them into his hands, relishing the fact that he even could. After all, a nerd like him was never supposed to be able to get at these. No, he was just some child in her eyes who could never handle her. Well, now he handled her and he… felt like there was a little more flesh than he could handle actually as it spilled out slightly between his fingers from how tightly he gripped them.

He didn’t want to end it so soon, so instead he brought his fingers closed and brought his hands down, feeling for the right spot to do what he wanted. For a girl whose body was so rough and rugged, with muscle defining every part of her, he was amazed by how smooth she was over her chest. How easily his hands could glide across her skin. How inviting this one part of her body was against the rest.

And then, between his middle and pointer finger for each hand, he felt her nipple pressing back against his hand. That was what he wanted, having felt it glide across his palm just a moment ago. He wondered how she felt about how pronounced the nubs were. Did she see them as useful because they could so easily be seen poking through their shirt, or annoying because he could just imagine how much they ground against her shirts and the like. His mom complained about that a lot.

Well, that, and how annoying it was for her that they were so sensitive, something that he only heard because of how long it had just been the two of them, but also meant he had pretty high hopes for what even a little play with these would mean. So, opening his two fingers on each hand, he let the perky nipples slip through before clenching back around them between his knuckles. He gave a practice tug to make sure he had a good grip and then smiled to himself at his success.

From there he pulled on them hard, seeing how much her breasts could stretch and… being mildly impressed. He then brought his head forward as he kept his arms back, nuzzling into the space between her breasts… before gagging on the scent of Gilda’s sweat. Nope. He would try something like that with someone else but definitely not her. Not that he had to be done as he pushed her breasts back down, watching them compress against her chest while he kept his tight grip on her nipples. Like this though they wouldn’t as easily slip out as when he pulled them back. That meant that as he shifted his fingers up and down, he could roll and grind it between them, teasing them as best as he could figure out. Well, best without getting too close to that sweat.

After a full minute of this teasing, which he actually tried timing himself on before remembering that he was in a time bubble, he did let go of her breasts. After all, while he wanted to make sure that she would get off on what he did, he did have a raging problem down under that was demanding to be taken care of. So he got up, fidgeted a little as he calmed whatever nerves he had left and began figuring out how exactly he would do this.

After a few moments, he had it. He slid her down so she had her back on the bench, her head just above the top of it between the cushioning and the machine. He then brought her arms, using the rope from earlier to tie them together and then to the machine. It was a part of his grand scheme but it also hopefully would help make sure she didn’t move anywhere while he was, uh, ‘taking care of himself’.

And then, with her mouth open, he finally pulled his cock out. He was as rigid as a rock and it trembled in his hand. No, it wasn’t trembling. He was trembling. After all, using Switch’s thighs felt less invasive than this. Then again, with a squawking bully like her, shutting her mouth was every teenage boy’s dream. Now that he was… you know, what was a man? He was eighteen so that counted, right? Yeah! He was a confident, strong man who could do whatever he wanted to! Well, at least, you know, so long as he didn’t hurt anyone.

He shook his head to clear himself of the thoughts, figuring them unimportant at the moment as he looked back down at Gilda. Her mouth was waiting for him after all and all he had to do was lower himself right into her expectant mouth. He just had to do it slowly, which meant squats. Long, painful squats. Great. Well, he was at the gym after all.

So, finally, with every bit of awkwardness and nerves expected of a boy of his disposition, he bent his knees, cock in hand as he finally pushed it between her lips. He had opened her mouth slightly, but he was slightly too thick to not need to force them open a little more with the tip of his cock. Even her lips brushing against it though made him shiver. It wasn’t quite as good as Switch’s thighs, not yet, but it felt much more taboo.

That didn’t stop him though. Not now at least, and he didn’t notice the thin wisps of black coming from the stopwatch as he brought his hips down. His body came to a full stop as he accidentally pushed half of his cock down her throat at once. After all, now it was much better than Switch’s thighs. It was warm, wet, and truly all encompassing within it, especially after he got past the few inches between her teeth and her closed throat. There it was such a tight fit, but it still accepted him. Still was able to accomodate for all of his girth as he pulled out slightly and then slammed his hips back down.

He loved it. Absolutely adored it. Problem was that his thighs hated it just as much as his legs trembled, not used to the pose in the slightest, let alone with the strain put on his body from, well, everything else he was doing. So, instead of the slow, methodical squats he had planned, they turned into frantic, deep lunges down her throat, his balls smacking against her face as spit splattered down Gilda’s lower jaw, flying off of Button’s cock with each time he brought his cock up for air.

The only reason he didn’t end up drowning her in cum was an honest fear of what would happen if he fell on her head during a timestop like this. He couldn’t allow that, so even while his body wanted to tense up to end it all, he forced his legs up, dragging every inch out of her throat before his cock smacked her on the way out and stood high and mighty as it unloaded even while its owner fall back onto his face.

There he laid, dazed and twitching, satisfied by it all as he let his head roll to the side. There he found a cycling machine just an inch from his eye and his blood ran cold. Maybe should have thought about his own safety here honestly…

With that little scare he finally managed to find his feet, his legs ready to buckle underneath him as he used his almost murderer to help him up. Looking across from him he couldn’t help but let out a small whistle at his handiwork. After all, from stem to stern, Gilda was splattered in cum. Some on her face here, a good glob hanging off her extended bang there, a heaping dose that managed to hit the rather large target of her breasts, and then more than enough to stain her black leggings across her lower half, which probably got the worst from after the fall.

It was just about perfect for what he could have wanted as he limped back towards the entrance, somewhere where he was inconspicuous but able to watch it all unfold. After all, not only did he want to see her reaction, he also wanted to make sure that she’d remain safe. It was only fun so long as no one really got hurt.

So, with a bit lip, he clicked the stopwatch. Gilda was, naturally, the first to notice anything was off. He expected at least a few seconds of her reaction before she noticed anything in her throat, but was taught something. Anything he did to different parts worked on their own timeline, so while she gasped, her mouth wide open as her throat spasmed from where his cock had been, her legs were already twitching from everything else, trying to find more stable purchase as her leggings grew noticeably moist, and then drenched as she arched her back. That was also about the time she began to cough, which made sense as he had spent much more time on her breasts than her throat.

He was also right about her sensitivity as she writhed and panted for everyone to watch, unable to really go anywhere because of the hand bindings as her eyes rolled back, her legs spread open as she moaned like a complete slut. They all got to watch as she rolled through what had to be at least two more orgasms, her body twitching through it all while people finally recovered from the shock of her suddenly being like this. Some took pictures, some laughed, one dude fell off the treadmill he was- Wait, make that three. Oops.

One dude came forward, saying he would help, but he came just too late to be safe. Instead, Gilda only saw a man coming as she panted, her eyes only half open. His approach got them to narrow and Button was honestly impressed. He expected her to be too weak to do much of anything. Instead, she coiled back, brought her knees up to her chest, and then kicked the man hard enough to send him into the wall across from her.

And then the swearing started. All the swearing at literally everything she could see, which made it very hard for any of the girls to get properly close as she flailed and struggled against her bonds.

It was definitely satisfying for Button, if not a little horrifying, but at least she’d likely keep some of her dignity after launching a dude. Now he just had to figure out what to do next.

Which was when his phone beeped. A quick glance at it told it was his mom texting him and he pulled it up. The message was simple. To text when he came home so she could heat up dinner for him.

At three in the afternoon. Two hours before they normally had dinner.

He shut his eyes, the cursing and screaming now chilling him to the bone as he reached out for anything else. Something that would make him do anything than think about this.

And then the door to the locker rooms on the other side of the lobby closed. The locker rooms that led to the pool, and where lots and lots of girls were possibly changing in.

Yeah, that would definitely take his mind off things as he made his way for it.

Author's Note

To all of you wondering what's up with the possible plot at the end there, you are obviously new to my writing.. Don't worry, it'll only take front stage at the climax. Promise.

The Locker Rooms

Button entered the changing rooms with the stopwatch in his right hand and had one single, solitary thought.

“I have made a huge mistake.”

After all, who likes the gym above anyone else? Who will spend the most time honing their bodies? Well, for the most part, early adults and barely not-teens like himself who want to look good for others, or housewives with either too much time on their hands or desperation. So on the one hand you had, for the most part because this isn’t the biggest town in the world, almost every girl that went to his highschool as a possibility to be in here, and on the other you had every single one of his mother’s friends who tried to help the woman whose husband walked out on her. Even if he didn’t really interact with all of these people, he knew them all in one way or another and suddenly being confronted by the fact that he was about to see some number of them like this was both exhilarating and deeply horrifying.

He shook his head, calming himself as he breathed in deeply. After all, what was the worst he could do? No, he just wanted to check it out. Look around. He had no reason to really do that much.

Button’s hand was warm.

He took a few steps forward, glancing around the corner of the lockers and breathing out a sigh of relief. He still recognized the girl, but it was barely as she belonged to the one other high school in the town than the one he graduated from. Her name was… Lemon Zest! Yeah! He mostly could tell from the large, pink headphones she looked to be in mid jam with. Well, that and her wildly dyed green and green-yellow hair. If he remembered right, she liked to come to their dances and help with the music.

She was also in a loose t-shirt and yoga pants which helped him out. After all, there was a good chance that most of the girls in here would be mostly clothed. Not that he was against the view as he leaned against one of the lockers, admiring her more lithe body for a moment before pushing himself away from it. After all, while she looked good, he also remembered how snotty the other school could be and so didn’t want to dwell on her, especially if he wasn’t really going to do anything.

Black smoke tendrils came out from Button’s clenched hand.

The next set of lockers made him stop far harder in his tracks. After all, he had been right with his thoughts at the beginning. So far he had gotten a girl close to his age, and now two of his mom’s friends. One who was almost a second mom to him with how much support she had given them over the years, and the other one being, well… a clutz.

His eyes stuck on the latter much faster, but not just because she was pretty much naked. From what he could tell the two blondes had probably been getting ready to swim, with the other being in a tight, blue wetsuit, but Derpy… Well, Derpy had done what she always did. Fell, her bikini bottom entangled around her legs as she careened towards the floor.

Button reached for her for a moment, his hand drifting first past her shoulders as he looked at her thicker hips. After all, for all of Derpy’s quirks, she was quite, um, filled out and seeing her naked like this made that all the clearer. However, to him, it was almost like walking in on a trainwreck. As much as you may want to watch or laugh, you just felt bad for even thinking bad for not having done anything to help.

So, instead, he gently pushed her through the air and bopped her onto the bench between the lockers. That way she would just fall on that instead of possibly hurting herself. That felt… better, even as something felt like it was burning in his brain for him to have done more. He… He just couldn’t. Not here he supposed, not with her.

Button’s hand was burning with heat.

He stopped to wave his mother’s other friend farewell, stopping to look at Samus’s face. She was always so serious and even now she looked like she was ready to scold someone so hard that they’d enter a convent afterwards. She had helped get him outside more than he would have with just his mom, in part because she was a gamer too, but Samus hadn’t come around too often recently. It probably had to do with recent events but…

Button shook his head, used one hand to try to lift her lips up to see her smile, shook from how terrifying it was, and reset it before he went to the last set of lockers.

And then turned around, his blood as cold as ice. After all, his three best friends were, well, I mean, he had seen them in swimsuits before, but in less…

No. He wouldn’t do it. As much as something screamed at him to look. To drink in their bodies, he wouldn’t, even as his head throbbed with resistance. He wouldn’t take advantage of those he lo- “Ah!”

Button put the stopwatch next to his head, not noticing the heat or licks of fire that slipped between his fingers as his mind began to try to fracture. To go in the two directions he really could with this ability. To play with the world and its people, or to take out his-

Button shoved himself away from the wall, panting as sweat ran down his body. He needed to find something that he could focus on. Something to appease the thoughts. To distract him from others. To give him release.

That release came in the form of a flyer advertising a yoga class run by… Run by one of his mom’s friends who commonly complained about wishing she could find someone to be with. She would… She would probably like some of his hi-jinks. Yeah. Yeah that would… That would be fun.

Button took in a long breath as he stepped around the lockers, moving sluggishly now as he slowly made his way towards the exit of the locker rooms. He had spent plenty of time here already and he wanted out. Plain and simple.

Or, maybe not as he took a few steps back and looked at the entrance to the pool. The showers were to the right, but to the left stood a girl in a bikini, water dripping off of her as she headed for the door. Her magenta hair with a single blue streak running down it made him immediately tell who it was. After all, of all the snooty jerks from the other school she was the only one who ever really bothered him. Made her think she was his friend before dropping him like a rock as she showed her true colors and teased him for every bit of weakness he had shown.

Yeah, he could do something to her.

======+++++======

Sour Sweet strutted out into the pool area with a confident smirk. After all, she had a new bikini that made sure to really emphasize her chest as it lifted it up for all to see. Add to that the fact that her bottom was barely more than a thong that was wedged between her legs and she expected every eye to be on her. And, with every swing of her hips, every eye was indeed on her as the sound in the pool came to stop as they all lost their breaths.

Perfect. She put her hands behind her head, pushing her chest out for them as she winked to one of the more muscle bound idiots in the water. She could probably twist him tight around her finger by the end of the hour and have him grovelling at her feet by the end of the day. Oooh, today was going to be-

“Miss, what do you think you’re doing?”

Sour blinked for a moment before her eyes narrowed and she glanced over, her eyes now open wide as she brought her hands down and clutched them in front of her, squishing her breasts in the process. “Why, I just wanted to swim. Is there something wrong with that?”

The lifeguard coughed, his cheeks bright red as he glanced away from her. Of course, the prude couldn’t handle her swimsuit. It was going to be fun to destroy him in front of all these people for it. She continued to play along though as he said, “Well, I mean, that’s fine. The problem is what you’re wearing.”

Sour gave him a bright smile as she brought her hands up to squeeze her breasts. “Oh, but sir, I’m surely not breaking any rules unless bikinis were outlawed, so-” she said just as she was about to turn her act ninety degrees while she also gripped her chest.

Her very bare chest.

Her eyes widened as she looked down, her face pale as she tried to tell herself that she had to be wrong.

She was not. She very much so was not wrong as not an inch of fabric covered her. Her head snapped behind her, knowing she’d had it on back at the door, but now saw both pieces scattered at the door to the pool.

She glanced back at the pool, glanced back at her swimsuit, and then ran back. As she panted on the other side of the door, clutching the swimsuit to her chest, she consoled herself with the fact that she had indeed caught everyone’s eyes. She would fucking hope she could when she’s naked. Yeah, she had succeeded in what she wanted and the idea of all those eyes on her while she’d been exposed…

She bit her lip, her cheeks burning before she decided she should probably head home. It was only because she didn’t want everyone teasing her about what she’d done while she swam. Yeah, that was the only reason she wanted to be in private. Totally.

All while a young man at the pool side rolled on the ground, laughing as the watch in his hand cooled itself, at least a little.

Author's Note

Okay, NOW the plot should take a backseat for a few chapters while Button himself doesn't want to focus on it. And again, if you are surprised by the sudden plot here, you are obviously new to my writing.

Also, before someone says anything, I only remembered that Derpy was seen in Canterlot High midway through writing this and I liked her being one of his mom's friends too much to take it out so... *shrug*

Edit: And please keep sending in suggestions. I just already know which comments I'm using for the skeleton of the next chapter, hence why it's set up here.

Loosening Up

Author's Note

I couldn't figure out how to do jazzercise, so I swapped it to yoga. My apologies, but I suspect you'll all enjoy this nonetheless. Also, borrowing character designs and attitudes like this I don't consider to be worth claiming this as a crossover since I bring nothing from their actual setting.

Loosening Up

Marina smiled as she came out in her yellow sports top and long, gray pants. Her smooth, dark brown skin shone in the light of the overhead lights almost as much as the smile she gave the class that had come to join her. Her turquoise dyed hair, which fell in long locks over her shoulders and chest, helped frame the beauty’s glowing presence.

She was actually more excited than usual today. She’d often asked Love Tap if her and Button wanted to join her class, but Love was always so busy and she’d always been worried about Button while he was a teenager. Marina could unfortunately understand that second part. She pulled at her sports top, frowning at the lack of a bra underneath. She didn’t bounce or anything in her outfit, and her center was deep enough that her nipples didn’t get hard, but none of that removed the base sexuality of her body. Her wide, fat hips, tits that were so heavy that yoga was the only reason she didn’t have back pain, and a body that appeared to be sculpted from obsidian.

The boy was a man though and that meant he could make the decision himself. She waved to him as he stepped in. The poor boy blushed and glanced away, which made Marina’s heart speed up. She might have been a little more than happy that he was finally legal, seeing as he was the sweetest boy she knew. She was also over thirty though and from how her dates usually went…

She sighed, wishing she was ten years younger. Back then she was so much braver. So much more outgoing. So much more… promiscuous. She’d be more than happy to let him know that she was interested. Nowadays? It was simply impossible, especially if Love Tap ever found out she’d developed any of her feelings before he turned eighteen.

She puffed out her cheeks at the thought, frustrated since she’d been good. It was all for naught though. She was old, he was young, and even if she took care of her body it still couldn’t compete with so many of the young girls who also used the gym.

With a heavy sigh she centered herself. She had a class to teach though and she couldn’t keep worrying about all of this. She could watch him to give him tips afterwards, but that would be it. She had a job to do.

She clapped her hands in front of her, her smile coming back as she looked to the entire class. “As always, it is wonderful to see you all. I hope as always that you will be able to let go of your stresses and relax with me.” Before bowing to them all. They bowed back, but not without a pause. Or, was there one? Something felt like it had happened, but she couldn’t tell.

She stood back up, lowering her arms to her sides as she waited for them all to rise. It wasn’t exactly the most serious class after all so they could take their time. That feeling like something was off wasn’t leaving her as she fidgeted. She just couldn’t quite-

Marina’s eyes opened slightly, her training being the only reason she didn’t show anything more to her class. After all, if she didn’t know better, it had felt like something slid along her pussy. Nothing major, just like a single finger along it. Her next fidget made her notice that there felt almost like a draft down there. That wasn’t possible though. She made sure that her pants were as tough as they could be so stuff like this didn’t happen.

Her eyes glanced back at Button, who was fidgeting himself as he glanced away, his cheeks a bright red from something. Then again, he’d been blushing before. Was he that nervous about this? Was she? Another breath and she pushed it away. She was letting her imagination run away with her, just as she’d back at his eighteenth birthday party. A party she’d spent far too much time in the bathroom for…

Focus Marina! She wished she could smack her cheeks to wake her up, but there was nothing to do about it. Instead, she refocused herself. After all, some proper yoga was just what she needed right now. “Okay, class, we’ll be starting with a simple chair pose. Follow me for the first set and then simply listen as you focus on yourself. Don’t worry about doing it perfectly either. Practice shall make perfect, but perfection isn’t what we are here for.”

The crowd nodded to her. She was lucky to have such a loyal class with her. Of course, she’d had to be pretty tough on some of them to get that. If you started leering too much, tried touching someone else, or anything like that, you were kicked out immediately. She barely didn't punish the guys who got too excited by it all. She couldn’t blame them for natural reactions though, at least so long as they were willing to dismiss themselves for the day afterwards.

Something she hadn’t told Button… She shut her eyes, angry with herself for her excitement. She’d been sloppy with him and if things got to be too much for the boy then she’d have to expel him herself. He was good enough to not do such things though. She was certain of it.

Finally, she got to the pose as she slowly brought her arms up, stretching them over her head. “Now, breath in as you straighten your spine and stretch out the core of your body. At the top, count to five with me.”

She smiled, feeling her center come back as they counted back at her. This is what she needed alright, moving slowly as she brought herself down, bending her knees as she kept her back straight. At the bottom she resembled someone who was sitting on a chair. “You then lower yourself and shift your weight as you need to keep your balance. You don’t have to get quite so low, but do what you can. Then, count to five before returning to rest. Count to five with me and then we shall continue to the next set, okay?”

There was a murmur of agreement that rippled through the crowd, along with groaning from those that were having an all too real problem with the pose. She couldn’t be so kind as to tell them not to do it. You didn’t get stronger that way.

So, they did the second set without incident. There was still that weird feeling of a breeze on her pussy, but she simply made sure to clench her rump to make sure she stopped feeling it. It was just her mind being dumb.

And then there was the third set. She raised herself up before that weird shift in her energy happened again. She opened one eye to check the crowd before catching Button. The poor boy was trying too far, his body trembling by how much he was stretching. His eyes were also right on her. The idea that he was trying to make her happy was…

It made her swallow hard as she couldn’t shake the feeling of his gaze piercing straight through her. Her chest felt like it was bare, like her top had snapped up over her breasts. They trembled with her own over stretching, something she couldn’t stop as her nerves got the better of her. Marina’s hips rolled to the side, her mind trying to tell herself that it was just to help her relax. In reality, it only fed the fantasy in her brain. Letting her breasts sway with her form. Her large nipples would be teased by the cold air that ran the same draft over her nethers. They would get hard and twitch. She’d always been sensitive after all. Did he know that? How would he react to it? Oh, she hoped he somehow did.

When she got to five she would be still though, her breasts being all that moved on her as the heavy sacks followed their own momentum. They felt so heavy, her swaying having not helped that in the slightest. Her top should have helped that though and one of her eyes opened again and began to drift down.

For a split second, she saw her own, brown skin. The caramel sheen in the light. Her nipples hard as diamonds in the air. The trembling of her body making her breasts shake like jello. How exposed she was, not just to Button’s eyes, but to her entire class.

And then, just as quickly, she was covered again. She hadn’t blinked even to help with the transition. Her brain paused to figure it out, but it shoved the momentary, deeply wrong image from her mind. After all, she was in class. She had her best top on to keep her chest in check. It was tight, but she’d be safe.

What Marina missed were the two large, pointed nubs that stuck out like sore thumbs on her chest.

She bent down to sit, breathing out slowly as she was supposed to. She needed to relax. That was all. But the feelings wouldn’t go away. When she raised herself, her breasts felt exposed. It was an amazing feeling, but it highlighted how much of a problem she had. She should have been better… but she’d also been abstinent for more than half a decade, and it was not by choice.

Button turning eighteen had always been a dream to end that. A guy she finally wanted to bring to her bed again after she got divorced from her cheating, wasteful, lush of a-

She shut her eyes as she came back to rest, suppressing that almost immediately. She’d started practicing yoga to get past him after all. She looked over the class, smiling to them as they stretched out themselves, the stiffer of the group recovering from the pose. A couple of them even yawned from having their eyes shut for so long.

She clapped again to help wake those people up before saying, “Okay, so the next pose,” she paused, knowing she shouldn’t choose this one. Not with her worries. One thought of what Button’s eyes would be on dashed them away. Not when she was already a sopping wet mess. “Is the Bound Ankle Pose.”

Marina watched as Button’s head whipped around at the sound of the people around him groaning. She knew it wasn’t a favorite, but his cute innocence still made her smile. “That harshness only tells me more that you all need this. Now,” she said as she began to lower herself to the floor, “everyone, sit down.”

Once she was sitting, she spread her legs open, brought her feet together, and stretched back, her hands falling behind her. Her legs touched the ground from how flexible she was, leaving her wide open.

And there were gasps as it felt like her pussy was in the wide open. That draft was stronger than it ever had been before. Was it just her fantasy? People were reacting to it though like it was…

And then people became silent as she looked down, gray cloth indeed covering it. It wasn’t even as tight as she expected against her crotch, something her mind thought about with mixed thoughts. After all, she’d chosen the pose just to pose for Button.

His eyes were even still there. His hands were on his thighs. No, they were patting them, trying to smooth something out. How hard was he at this point? Maybe if she had to expel him they could have a talk about all of this and she could ask if a date would help him? It made her body shudder, the sweat on her body chilling at the shiver that ran through her body.

What she didn’t see was how four strips of cloth, cut from the bottoms of her yoga pants, sucked into her pussy, soaking more of them rather than simply the first two.

She still needed to get through the class though as she reminded everyone, “Remember to stretch your back and lean back while keeping your legs stretched. Shut your eyes to help with the pain and help you figure out your boundaries. With how badly you need this though,” and how much she needed to calm down, “we’ll do this for five minutes.”

There were more groans as people got into position. Her eyes ran across the crowd, though this one was more for the sake of her class and its rules. This sort of pose made it very clear who might be getting more excited then they should be. The regulars were fine, as she always expected, and the new people looked extremely nervous as they often sat between two regulars. It wasn’t surprising. Almost all of these people would have been referred to this class by her regulars. Button was the only one she couldn’t place as to how he heard about it. At least, if Love Tap didn’t tell him.

The two of them hadn’t talked since Button’s eighteenth. Part of it was Marina getting too drunk and admitting her feelings. Part of it had been how that house changed. How hard it was to stay there. That might have even been why Button was here now.

She dismissed those thoughts by thinking about giving Button a new home in her apartment, especially as she glanced to the poor boy. He was indeed hard as stone, his nice, thick cock outlined perfectly by the shorts he had on. She could call him out for it after the exercise though. Or go over there around the three minute mark to be more discreet about it. She needed to calm down first though.

Her eyes then shot open. Her entire body shuddered. She almost screamed as her hands dug into the mat underneath her and her hips bucked up. The pieces of cloth were gone now, her flooded pussy pouring out her excitement as it spasmed and tried clinging to something that wasn’t there.

Something hard, warm, and filled her very well. It had only been one thrust though. Not a soft, probing thrust though. No, she felt like she’d been pressed down, almost smashed into the ground as whatever had gotten her hit her womb. She’d almost passed out from the suddenness of it, but it was gone as soon as it came.

She couldn’t help the hand that slinked forward. Her breathing was heavy, labored by it all, even as she kept it quiet. She couldn’t let her class know about it though. She needed to check something though. So her fingers gently touched her slit, finding the drenched lips as they spasmed and shook in the aftermath of the assault. There was indeed nothing that hid her from anyone who wanted to look.

Instead of closing them like she should, and ending the class, she stretched them open. It was her fantasy after all, so why should she end the dream? She would instead invite whatever it was back inside of her.

It did work. Oh did it work. She wasn’t prepared for how well though as it all came on so suddenly. Her getting knocked onto her back. Her opening her lips as she was about to scream in excitement at the touching on her body, only to find her mouth taped shut. Not just once either, but by what appeared to be fifty layers of tape attached to a rather impressive gag that made sure nothing came out of her could be heard. It was… different for her to say the least.

She couldn’t really think about it though. Not when whatever was doing this’s arms wrapped around her tight, crushing her breasts against his chest. Her chest was bare when this happened, even though it was covered now. The man’s was covered though, so as he ground his body against her her nipples were roughly scraped against his shirt. Over and over again, twisting them in what felt like eight directions at the time, something that would be enough to make her mind go blank by itself.

Then there was her pussy. Oh her pussy. It was a sensation so impossible that her mind felt like it was ready to break just trying to process. On the one hand, she could feel that something was taped over her pants, making it so they no longer showed herself off. Even weirder was what felt like a couple hand towels crammed inside of her, soaking up her juices as her body writhed around on the ground. If they managed to keep up she’d be amazed, but it almost meant not soaking every inch of her mat with her orgasms.

That wasn’t exactly an over exaggeration either. The other hand to the experience was the fact that her pussy, filled and covered, was still ravaged. She had been pinned to the ground, held close by everything the man had except his hips. Those had gone crazy as it felt her womb was kissed by his thrust in, he dragged it out of her roughly, scraping at every part of her pussy, before crashing into her again. It wasn’t all apart though. At the same time that she felt like she was being crushed, her pussy trembled as it tried to cling to the retreating cock, the entire orifice becoming a mess of twitching organs as it felt both barren and filled by this cock. Mixed with what had been left inside of her, it was all too much. Her back arched as far as it could, showing off the fruits of her training as her body managed to assume the wheel pose, making her almost a perfect u, even as her mind and body could barely keep it together.

Then the force came. A backed up explosion that she expected to be only from a boy who’d been teased for hours or held back for weeks. Or both. Of course, she was biased as this entire time she imagined that this was Button who was ravaging her. The innocent boy showing how ruthless he could be in bed. Giving her everything she wanted. That included the complete flooding of her system with seed that she felt gush from her pussy, even if she couldn’t see it now. The last heavy, hard slams against her as he drained his balls into her defenseless self in front of her entire class. Left her a breeding bitch before those who respected most.

All by a boy who she knew would never actually let her lose face from that. A boy she could see doing all he had to protect her dignity.

The last thought was the last straw. Her body would have lost the last of its strength no matter what, but her mind was gone as she imagined all that Button had to do this to her. How? She didn’t care. She loved the bliss all too much.

She didn’t crash onto the ground though. No heavy thud echoed through the room. No, she was lying down now, panting as she found the gag to be removed. Her pussy, despite still twitching as her orgasms continued to ripple through her, was also relieved of what had been shoved deep into her. It also made it clear that the slightest touch would probably send the woman right back into a moaning, screaming mess.

She had none of that though as a piece of cold silver pulled away from the side of her head. Above her were those beautiful, green eyes that she loved so much. They looked so worried. So scared. His voice matched as he whispered. “I-I didn’t expect it to be that violent. To be so much. Are you okay? I’m so sorry.”

Marina chuckled a little before weakly reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I know that this is all a dream, but that was… incredible. Thank you. Can I get a kiss from you though? Please?”

Button blinked a few times, tears forming at the edges of his eyes as he lowered himself, whispering, “Of course,” before pressing his lips to hers. It was nice and soft, with Button trying to gently biting her lip and their tongues tapping, but Marina simply didn’t have the strength to do anymore.

She did manage to smile though before whispering, “I love you, Button,” before finally collapsing into sleep.

Button pushed himself back onto his heels before raising the watch and clicking it twice in an instant. The class didn’t see him at all, not with their attempts to control themselves after so many thought that Marina had flashed them all. When they opened their eyes though, their teacher and her mat were gone, with a note hanging from the back wall being all that explained that she’d been doing this through a fever and rushed out. She didn’t want to worry anyone in the middle of her stretch.

All while the satisfied woman laid clothed, passed out, and safe in the back of her car, something that would utterly confuse her, but she’d been tired as of late. Maybe she just decided to shut her eyes for a minute or two and lost track of time.

After all, the other option was simply far too preposterous, even as she found herself unable to walk straight for the entire next day.

An Afternoon Stroll

Button panted as he stepped away from the wall, his vision filled with white spots as he tried to clear it. It was about the third time he’d stopped time since he’d dropped off Marina and… it wasn’t pretty. In one hand he held his head, a crack in the middle having formed at this point and oozing down the front of his face. In his other hand, the silver watch as it smoked and shook.

His mind wasn’t much better. Marina had been necessary? Was it? It felt so good. It hurt so deep. It meant so little. It devastated him.

He leaned back, letting time continue again as he panted, his hands now covering his face. He’d managed not to cry for the past twenty or so minutes that had punctuated his time since he’d left the gym. Was it only twenty? His phone’s clock stopped when he was in stasis and bringing it into the world didn’t help either. Maybe if he had an analog watch outside of the magical one in his hand he could figure it out, but he’d need to remember to activate it each time, just like if he wanted to play a game on his phone on the way to somewhere else, something he’d done on his way to the gym.

It was a distraction though. Button knew it. Something to take his mind off of what he’d just done. It wasn’t even that he’d had his way with a woman. It was almost impossible for the boy to repress that side of him, and Faust must have known that would happen. It might have been a part of the deal even. He had still gone too far in pursuit of his own desires. The way Marina had entirely lost it was… terrifying. The fact that she seemed to have had her head warped by the pleasure badly enough to say she loved him made it all the worse.

It had been amazing though. Unlike with Switchboard or Gilda he hadn’t held back. Hadn’t restricted himself to trying to be careful or anything like that. Not after she spread herself open for him. Letting go like that felt so good.

And yet, he still felt off, especially as he lifted his phone up. No messages. That was fine.

He rubbed his face again, shaking it to try to refocus. He couldn’t just mope around for eternity after all. Well, okay, he could, at least so long as he didn’t age during the time stop, but that wasn’t the point. After all, he didn’t have to be home for another few hours, so why shouldn’t he stay away?

Because you have something to do.

Button blinked a few times, his breathing growing shallow for a second as the same smoke from the watch came from his eyes. His irises were slowly becoming rings of flame as he gripped the watch, his teeth gritting as his free hand curled into a fist.

Smack!

Button blinked as he barely stopped himself from falling over, the smoke disappearing almost instantly as he turned to whoever it might have been that just left his cheek a stinging mess. The assailant in question was shaking her hand out, her long, white pigtails swaying with the movement. If she was doing it because she hurt herself, she didn’t look like she cared too much. It fit with the rest of her though, from her large bust that was contained by a right, white, button up shirt, brown, business slacks, and narrow glasses that had about the only amount of frill to her outfit by having a pink frame.

He rubbed his cheek, sighing in frustration as he said, “Sugarcoat, right? From Crystal Prep?”

Sugarcoat let out a small harumph as she turned her head away from him. “Graduated, thank you. Two years before you left that mind rotting place that you call a school that left you a zombie right now. You're welcome for the wake up.”

Button frowned more, opening his mouth for a moment before looking at the watch. He didn’t see the smoke that still came off of it, but he could feel the tension in his chest. The tears that stung behind his eyes.

Click.

Button smirked a little as he let time resume, having been careful to be in the same place. Others might not catch him if he was off mark a little, but Sugarcoat was kind of a meticulous bitch. It was part of why she didn’t censor herself. If she wanted to say something, she did. Now he could do the same back, but with actions.

That was much why when she moved to look back at him, she had to ask, “Why are you smiling? I just insulted you.” She didn’t notice how the quickly lowering sun shot straight through her shirt, making the skin beneath quite visible. Normally, this wasn’t a problem for her seeing as she wore both an undershirt and bra that matched the color of her over shirt.

Now though? Well, there was a reason she had fidgeted slightly. Button had taken his time undoing her bra after all, still more than happy to take an opportunity to enjoy a nice, large set of breasts. Or, was he? Button took a sharp breath in, trying to distract him by just enjoying how her chest was outlined. She wore the shirt tight, something he even helped by tucking her shirt in tighter. It meant every crease and fold gripped her chest as best as it could, all while hiding nothing.

“Well?”

Button was very, very thankful for having an easier target right now. It was what he kind of needed right now to take the edge off, but in a whole different way as he sneered. “Sorry. I don’t like listening to anything as weak as a crystal. All flash and no strength.”

Sugarcoat’s eyes turned to murder as she narrowed them and brought her face closer. “At least I’m not as dumb as a horse, and twice as horny. Now stop staring at my chest.”

“I don’t know. Button would make for a good Link if you let him get close.”

Button’s veins turned to ice. After all, the two major high schools in town had been trying to bury the hatchet for a while. That meant more events together in an attempt to get the students to become friends. He never liked the events himself, usually having brought a Switch or the like with him in order to distract him.

That was how he met Sunny Flare. She wasn’t too different from her friends, which included Sour Sweet. Competitive to a fault, critical of others, uncaring of what others thought… but also a gamer and a cosplayer. Her hair color changed on about a monthly basis, either because she got bored or because she needed a different look for a costume. She liked having people’s attention after all, which was also why her cosplays usually got Button a little hot under the collar.

Today she had a mix of different shades of purple striped through her short hair. It was mostly tucked behind her, ending a little haphazardly from her likely deciding not to try very hard today, but she almost always kept two strands in front of her ears, letting them form two lines that ran along her sharp face. It also reminded Button of a frame to a powersuit’s helmet, but that got him punched last time he mentioned it. It was pretty distracting though when she was one of the more beautiful girls he knew, the grace of Crystal Prep not being wasted on her when she wanted to show off.

It might have helped that she wasn’t as… gifted as most of the girls he knew. Her hips were tighter, a thigh gap noticeable just below her dark blue mini-skirt. Just below that were long legs that were defined very well by black stockings, which he was amazed she bothered to put up with if she wasn’t trying to look her best. Then again, that was another thing that got him more than a share of angry glares from her if he commented about it. The final piece was a far more modest chest that rose as small bumps under her t-shirt that had the name to a metal band that Button didn’t know run across her chest.

She was one of his most consistent gaming friends too. None of her other friends really touched the things, so she was starved for good opponents and, even worse, good co-op partners. Anyone she brought in before Button couldn’t keep up with her or bored her. Once she hit him at the pep rally they met, people started spreading rumors about them dating whenever she’d come to the school to drag him away to play.

Just another thing that had slowed since he graduated. Since things changed so much. It also made it a pretty big problem to have just made one of her friends topless, at least in a practical sense.

As Button recovered from the small heart attack that was being caught by surprise from her, he slammed the button on the watch again. He ran over to the alley he’d thrown Sugarcoat’s under shirt and bra in, patting them down as best as he could to get anything from the dumpster that might have clung to them off.

He was a lot less calm as he undressed her than before, his mind somewhat forgetting the fact that he had literally all the time in the world. That meant being a lot rougher with her, reaching deeper into her pants as he tucked in her shirt, and about a dozen failed attempts to get her bra snapped into place.

Button rushed back to his mark, not trying as hard to hit it before he clicked the watch again. Everything should be fine now though. Just fine.

Sugarcoat turned to Sunny, scoffing as she said, “Don’t gi-” Her word got cut off by a high pitched squeal as her eyes widened and she stood on the balls of her feet. It wasn’t quite as visceral as the girls that had come before her, but Button had been careful to avoid this the first time he’d touched her.

Having to put a bra you drop back onto a girl over and over again in a panic made that a near impossibility. Sugarcoat was never one to let too much show, so she was surprisingly quick to recover, even as her nipples managed to become pronounced through her layers of clothes. She still didn’t immediately speak, her face bright red as she glanced between the two of them.

Sunny blinked a few times, staring at her before bluntly asking. “What the fuck was that?”

Sugarcoat turned away, fuming as she fumbled with her words for the first time Button had ever even heard of. “N-Nothing! I just, um, felt a chill run up my spine. Yes. That was it.”

Sunny glanced over at Button and then down, though Button didn’t catch the second look. She then turned back to her friend. “Sounds like you got hit by the truth.”

Button glanced over at his friend, pausing before he noticed the twitches at the edges of her lips. She was trying to hide her smirk, if not full blown grin, while torturing her friend with the same sort of matter-of-factness that she usually gave.

It made watching Sugarcoat squirm all the more satisfying as she shouted, “No! He is nothing but a worthless gamer without even good looks to make up for it like you!”

Button and Sunny blinked at that. For Sunny, it wasn’t by any means she’d heard something like that from her friend. She was much more into books than games. That didn’t mean she could resist murder entering her voice as she hissed out, “You can barely talk to me like that. Not him.”

Sugarcoat smirked as she turned her nose up at them. “Oh please. If you two were half as brave as you were in your ga-”

Button brought up the watch, tossing it up a little as he stepped over to Sugarcoat. He caught it nonchalantly as he bent down to her waist. She had a bag next to her legs, but he would rifle in there in a bit. First there was getting her ready to let out a real big yell.

The button on her pants came undone surprisingly easily, but her pants were also the loosest part of her entire outfit. That made slipping them off of her a piece of cake and Button snickered as he shoved them down with both of his hands. He could just imagine the scolding she’d do at even suggesting someone from Crystal Prep being pantsed, let alone her.

What did catch him off guard was the fact that, in stark contrast to her chaste bra, she wore a pair of lacy, thin, black panties. There was even a bit of dampness on them, though he’d been given plenty of proof for how effective even the smallest of teasing could be while time was stopped.

Button tapped his lips for a few moments as he tried to figure out what to do. His original plan had been to take her panties away and the fact that these looked kind of expensive made that idea all the more appetizing. He could make it even harder for her to get out of his bit of entrapment though if he left them.

That did mean leaving her alone for the moment though as he moved over to her bag. Opening up revealed a whole mess of items, kept in organized pockets. In one was a planner, in another was a collection of pens and pencils that even a college professor would call excessive, but neither of those would work. He considered her phone for a moment, but he didn’t want to possibly damage, or worse destroy, something of hers while he was already going so far.

Then he found her wallet. She didn’t carry any cash, had only a few cards in it, and it was a fairly neat, but deep, faux leather affair. He checked and saw it was a bit wider than one of his fingers, and about five or six inches long. Nothing impressive, but more than suitable for his purposes.

Click.

Sugarcoat didn’t even finish her word as her body simply froze. She blinked once, shifted her hips, and then let out a strangled gasp as her face turned beet red. Not that she stopped moving her hips, even as she obviously tried to look like nothing was wrong. That everything was just as it was supposed to be.

And not at all like her wallet had been pushed at least halfway up her pussy, kept trapped there now by her panties and pressed even tighter by her pants.

Sunny glanced at Button, who was now standing next to her when a second ago he’d been at least a foot away, before a wide smile spread across her face. “Oh, lost your words? Maybe if you were half as smart as us gamers, you’d be able to come up with a proper comeback.”

Sugarcoat sucked in her lips, obviously fuming as she spat out, “How dare-” Before bending over slightly, one of her hands gripping her thigh firmly as she panted. “You don’t get to-” She bit her lip, glancing away before she slowly got back to standing. Her breathing was still shallow, and her body was shaking, but she had figured out that moving wasn’t exactly going to help her.

Button didn’t even give her a chance to say anything more, not with how much Sunny seemed to be enjoying this. Instead, he stopped time one more time and stepped over to the prim and proper shirt of hers. Off came her shirt and bra again, but he wasn’t stopping there this time. That could be missed after all, just as Sugarcoat had before. Instead, he decided to try something new. Objects reacted differently to him here than they would out there.

So, he tried to pull a little at one of the buttons on her shirt. It gave him the same sort of resistance that he would expect. In fact, all of the clothes he’d had to deal with so far had given him issues. He’d had to carefully use a pair of scissors on Marina’s yoga pants for that reason. It was actually a good thing though, as snapping the buttons wouldn’t have the effect he wanted. Now it was time to see if his hypothesis would work as he began giving each button about a half dozen tugs. His final bit of prep was to move Sunny from being directly in front of Sugarcoat as a just in case.

Button was rewarded for his effort almost instantly when he started time again. Just as a person would feel all of what he did to them all at once, so could objects. As such, since he hadn’t snapped them off, or countered his first force like when he redressed the girl, they felt every tug in fast forward, the force compounding on them before they simply snapped off and shot off to who knows where.

The effect of it all had Sugarcoat’s shirt busting wide open, almost as if her breasts had somehow done it, with nothing to hide her now. She stepped forward, attempting to catch herself from the sudden pull, but it only made sure she looked down and caught how her breasts bounced in the open. It was something that seemed perhaps a little much for the girl as she stayed bent over, letting her breasts sway in the air as she let out a long whine as the last of her breath escaped her.

Sunny blinked a few times before her cheeks turned bright red. She kept her eyes on Button’s watch though while she leaned forward, whispering to her snobby friend, “You might want to run on home.”

Sugarcoat didn’t pause to give a response or the like. Instead she pulled her shirt closed with one hand while grabbing her phone with the other, all the while she ran off to find some privacy. Button, for his part seemed to be trying to look anywhere other than Sunny or Sugarcoat, his own cheeks bright red as he tried to hide his own stupid grin.

Something that obviously didn’t work as Sunny’s voice slipped into his ear. “Hey, I don’t know how you did it, but I want you to do something to me too.”

Button’s smile faded instantly before he turned to her, barely getting out, “What?” as his heart hammered in his chest. It wasn’t for any feeling of excitement though. Not when getting caught couldn’t mean anything good.

Or, could it? Sunny simply continued to smile, even if her confidence was betrayed by how she twirled one of her hangs with a finger and her face continued to be bright red. “I may like competitive games, but I’m still good at puzzles. You didn’t have that watch yesterday, you seemed able to warp around, and well…” She glanced to where Sugarcoat had been before whispering, “That.”

Button brought the watch up, putting it to his chest as it felt like his lungs were getting crushed. He pretty much forgot about her request, simply expecting her to freak out. Get mad. He had just molested her friend right in front of her.

Sunny instead just cocked her hips to the side, her eyes not able to meet his as she got out, “W-well? I want a t-taste of what you gave her. I thought we played games together after all.”

Button looked up at her, his breathing slowing as he took it in. She was being serious. Somehow she was being serious. Or, close to it. He looked into her eyes for anything that might tell him she was lying, but her confidence was still there. Not as strong as he was used to, but the intensity had remained. It made him shiver like every other time he lost himself in her purple eyes.

He clicked the watch, but he had no intention of giving her what he had given Sugarcoat. Not even close. Instead, he looked down to her face, breathing slowly still as he looked at it. At her her small lips, long lashes, and sparkling gaze. The same things that made his heart stop at that pep rally before, and now filled him with confidence now.

He leaned in, slowly, gently kissing her. It wasn’t the quick-ish peck as he had with Marina. He didn’t have to rush this one. So slowly he parted her lips, sinking deeper into her as he held her close. His tongue intertwined with hers clumsily as he desperately tried to figure out what to do. Today hadn’t had his first kisses, that went to a childhood friend who he’d agreed to stick as childhood friends with. Within the first half dozen? That sounded closer to right.

He couldn’t stay for too long, his awkwardness and worries making him want to make sure he didn’t genuinely screw it up badly enough to hurt her. If this worked anything like everything else though, it should be more than enough to make her feel good. With a nervous click, he awaited his failure.

It was indeed one. Kind of. She didn’t moan or anything like that. No, instead Sunny giggled until she laughed, gasping out “Why did you lick my teeth so much?” before having to steady herself against a street light. Button looked down, grinding his foot into the ground. He wasn’t surprised, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less.

He was just about to turn away when she suddenly crashed into him. Her arms wrapped tightly around him as the last of her giggles wracked their way through her body. When she looked up, there were tears in her eyes, but they didn’t fade as she got her breathing back under control. Neither did her smile. “You’re really something, you know that, right?”

Button’s face became flushed with color at that, his arms flailing as he tried to figure out what the world to do with them. In fact, that was only part of the larger question of what in the world was going on. “I-I-I’m not that special!”

Sunny smiled, nuzzling her face into Button’s neck with a sigh. She whispered, “Others wouldn’t have kissed me idiot,” before pressing tighter against his neck.

And then she bit him. Button’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates before he yelped, trying to jump away from her, something that brought them both crashing to the ground. Sunny merely continued to laugh on top of him as she sat on his chest. She didn’t explain herself until she was back on her feet and turned away from him. Button tried to speak first, but her eyes, the most serious and certain he’d ever seen them, cut him off. She then said, “Your first hickey. It says you’re mine, so don’t let others grab you, got it? I’m not giving up my Link to anyone.”

Button blinked, laying on the ground as he watched her go before yelling, “Does that make you Zelda than?”

Sunny shouted back, “If you ever call me princess, you’ll next need to call me vampire because I’m not stopping with a hickey!”

Button smiled a little before collapsing. That… He believed that one. It even made him want to believe Marina. He could see the three of them together even. A small house in the quiet suburbs with them. Sunny yelling at idiots online who cost her matches. Marina snapping Button’s spine back into place to fix his bad posture. Button coming home with groceries before he ended up burning the food and they had to order take out.

The last one especially made him smile. It was something that had happened to his mom and him a lot.

He screamed the first time.

Button barely listened to the rogue thought as the watch began to smoke again. Instead he chuckled at how often they’d agree to one match, only for three hours to pass and whatever soup they’d made having evaporated entirely, leaving only the harder ingredients in the pot. Well, at least until they were burned.

He threw those at you.

Button shut his eyes tight, gripping the watch harder as the smoke turned into flames that licked at his fingers. Everything was trying to come out. He knew better than that though. Knew better than to think too hard on this stuff. He wanted to just enjoy the fantasy that he could make a family of his own. Be there with those he loved and cared about. Couldn’t he have that? Dream about getting it back?

Ring, ring.

His eyes shot open, his arm beginning to burn as he picked up his phone. It was home. That could mean so many things. It also meant that there’d be consequences if he didn’t answer it. “Hello?”

“Hey, brat, I’m out of whiskey. Make sure to pick up some on the way home, or else.”

Button grit his teeth before saying, “You know I can’t do tha-”

Click.

The watch went out as the flames transferred to Button’s eyes. He stood up, having clicked the watch the moment the man had hung up. He looked at the watch tossing it up again as he said, “You want this done?”

He caught it, his knuckles white from how hard he gripped it, his words coming out as a seething whisper now. “Then let’s get this done.”

Author's Note

The last two chapters will be coming in a week and then a week after that.

Terms and Conditions

Button opened the door to his home. To the place where he’d spent his entire life living in. Where he’d lived. Where his mother and him bonded over hours and hours of game. Where he grew up learning to be kind. To care. To never hurt another person. Not on purpose. If you did, you had to have a damn good reason.

His knuckles became white from tightening around the grip to the pistol in his hand. It was a forty-four magnum. Part of it was reference, but it was more that it inferred to him what he needed. One shot. One kill. That’s all it would take.

His eyes never left his target though. The man who sat on the couch, beer in one hand, television remote in the other. Some stupid football game was on the television. They were on so very, very often. He didn’t like them. His mom didn’t like them. His dad liked them but he made a game of it himself to bring everyone in on it. This man didn’t.

He stepped in front of the couch, his eyes down on the man as he stood between his step-father and the television. He should have done this months ago. The day he’d tricked his mom into marrying him. Better, the day they’d met. He was never who he’d said he was. Just tricks and lies. Tricks and lies that ruined everything.

He slowly began to raise his arm. The steel of the gun glinted in the light of the room, though most of it was covered from the dust in where he found it. It had taken him almost a dozen houses to find something he felt comfortable using. Knowing it would make it easy. He wasn’t going to be able to shoot twice. He… No, he would be strong enough. He had to be. Just in case he missed.

He shut his eyes and turned his head away as one of his fingers moved toward the safety. Just a little more and this would all be over. No one would be able to pin it on him. It’d just be a weird, freak accident. Then him and his mom would be together again. He just had to do it. That was it.

Button brought up one of his arms, rubbing it across his eyes as he panted. The click of the safety told him it was ready. That it was time, but he couldn’t stop sweating. Couldn’t stop shaking. He couldn’t miss, so he couldn’t have anything in his eyes, and especially not the dust that was making his eyes water. This was for the best after all.

When he brought his arm away, for just a split second, he saw his mom standing in the corner. Her slumped shoulders that carried the weight of the world. Her long, brown hair that he’d tugged on so many times in the past. Her eyes, once so full of life and hope, were now dim and dark. They had been able to force back any amount of bullies, loneliness, or fears in his life. At least, when she’d had the strength to do so and they hadn’t been made black so often.

He was doing this for her. Them. They would be happy once he was gone. But…

His eyes drifted to her hand, one of them running against a picture of him and her. He was so small in that picture. Had such a bright, wide smile in it. She looked as happy as she ever had with a smile that was free of worries. Free of needing to fear that anything would go wrong. All it promised was the hope she had for her little man...

What are you doing? This monster took everything from you.

The pocket watch wasn’t in Button’s hand this time as his anger reignited inside of him, his pants following suit as strands of smoke and licks of flame came from them. It was right after all. He spent next to no time at home now. Not when he didn’t have to. It meant being around him. Risking another bruise. Another concussion. Another please from his mother to understand the man’s anger. To listen to her defend the monster with nothing that kept. No promises, no attempts to change, only his mom being wrong each and every time.

His finger slowly moved to the trigger, his arm shaking from the effort of keeping the gun up at this point.

That had started months ago. They’d married only a month after he turned eighteen. In another month he’d been the reason his mom hadn’t made it to his graduation. She’d been in too much pain from his drunken raging the night before. That pain would end with one bullet. That’s all. He just had to do it.

Just. Do. It.

His entire right thigh had caught fire now as his stance shook and wavered. He brought his other hand up to help steady the gun, but he couldn’t see anything now. His vision was nothing but a blur from the memories. From the pain. From all that his action would end but… all that it wouldn’t bring back either.

He pulled the gun back, one of his fingers hitting the safety as the fire extended past his knee. He then threw it away. No. He wouldn’t shoot him. He couldn’t. He would figure out a different way. Or… maybe not… He was still so weak after all…

You were. You have power now. You do not need to be desperate. You have more than enough to do this.

Button blinked, finding himself in his kitchen. In his hand was the largest knife in the house. Nothing too impressive due to how bad they were all at cooking. More than enough for what he wanted to do though. He’d put right his own mistakes with it. Use his own hands.

After all, his mom wasn’t the only blind one. The man had acted so nice before the wedding, before he had a claim to his mom’s entire life, but there’d been so many times where he could have stopped it. Times when his mom asked him if it was okay for her to remarry, or even date. She had seemed so happy though, and it meant having his dad back. Having someone who could be stronger than them.

It was all so weak though. The knife fell into the counter as he put his head into his hands. It didn’t give him the right. He knew better. He was raised better. If he hadn’t been… He shut his eyes to the rest of the day. What mattered was now. What he could do. What he would do.

When he opened his eyes, now hardened with determination like they had been when he first chose to do this, they were as clear as they had ever been, even as the pocket continued to consume him.

======+++++======

Button brought up the watch, his arm barely being able to move at this point. He’d spent the last hour getting this moment. Getting his homecoming just as it needed to be. His body had been growing so tired during all of it. First his legs dragged at him as he left the house, almost as if pulling him back. Begging for him to go back. Trying to force him back.

Then his breathing had gotten labored as it felt like smog and fire filled them. It had stopped him from calling the cops like he’d planned because he could barely speak, let alone be coherent. Even now he spewed black clouds with each forced, quaking breath. Not that he could see them. He could see none of the flames that were turning his body into charcoal. His arms had been the most recent to be added to the kindling, turning them weak and brittle, every bump and falter hurting as much as getting punched by a proper boxer might.

Now even his vision was beginning to go as it felt like his mind was trying to melt. The words ‘Kill’ and ‘weak’ kept spinning around over and over in his head, but a single thought of his mother made him stick true to his course. He hadn’t been able to put everything into place, but that was fine. He had enough that he could act on it properly when he felt stronger.

Click.

The door swung open, hitting the wall from how hard Button had hit it when he had first come into the house. Before he’d even decided to enact this plan. It was exactly what he needed though as his mother and the man both jumped at the noise.

She didn’t have time to move before Button’s step-father stood up, his voice already loud as a gunshot as it competed with the echoes of the door. “What in hell are you doing, boy? Didn’t your mom teach you any fucking manners?” He stomped towards him, his brown eyes smoldering with fury that only got ignited more when he got a good look at Button. “You didn’t even do as I told you to?”

“H-Honey, he’s only eight-”

“Shut up!” He stomped towards Love Tap before turning back towards Button. One of his arms shot out, far faster than Button could react to in his weakened state, before he was thrown inside, crashing against the stairs that were across from the door. Button lost his breath, gasping as it felt like his ribs snapped like kindling. He couldn’t even bring his arm across his body to try to check them though, not as he laid there, gasping like a fish on the beach.

Not that his stepfather cared much as he slammed the door shut. The whole house shook as he turned back to Button. “First your mother spills my lunch, then my team loses, and now you can’t even fucking do anything right? I knew I was right to start drinking early today. I just didn’t expect you all to be such colossal fuck ups.”

Button shut his eyes, tears coming down as one of his arms got some strength back into it. Those thoughts were still in his mind after all, and the reminder, the all too clear reminder of why he almost did what he had… It was more than enough what he needed. He just had to reach the watch.

“Oh, what do you have here?” The man reached into Button’s pocket, wrenching the watch out of Button’s pocket. The silver no longer gleamed in the light, the metal having been turned blackened and cracked from whatever strain it had been under. The stepfather scowled at the sight as he opened it and tried clicking the top. It did indeed click, but nothing happened. It didn’t even properly start tracking how much time passed from the last time.

He chucked the watch before turning back to Button as the young man watched the device shatter against the wall. The voices stopped the second it was gone, but his strength didn’t come back. He was still unable to do anything except stare at his step father. His stepfather who had a demonic fire in his eyes.

“How long had you been hiding that from me? Or did you steal it from me? Yeah, that has to be it. You couldn’t get your hands on something like that yourself.” He snorted for a moment and it felt like a knife through Button’s heart. He knew the joke after all. He’d mocked Button about not having any girls who came to the house after all. No friends even, at least in his stepfather’s eyes. If not for his mother, he’d know not a single girl above a three, let alone a ten like Love Tap.

The first time his stepfather said that, he had broken Button’s arm and four of his ribs because Button couldn’t stop screaming. He’d stopped after that. Until today he had accepted that this would be it. He took a long, slow breath before saying, “No. I didn’t. A good… good friend gave me it.”

His stepfather’s eyes only grew darker before he brought a foot down onto Button’s chest, pushing him into the stairs as the larger man’s weight bared down on him. The ribs that were already cracked now felt like they splintered and shattered into nothing. Button would have screamed if he could, but all he could manage was a strangled gasp. The moment of refusal had taken the last of his air already. Now he felt like he’d never breathe again. A bit more weight and his stepfather would make his entire chest cave in.

Button looked into the other man’s eyes and paled as he saw there was nothing that was going to stop him this time.

“My, my, my. What do we have here?”

Love Tap and Button’s stepfather turned towards the window that looked into the living room. Normally it just looked out towards the wall of the next building beside them, but today a man was there. It was a cop who wore his hat mostly over his face. Even his hair was covered except for red tips at the end of it. The voice was sarcastic. Mocking. The casual, relaxed posture only made it all the more infuriating.

The stepfather stepped towards the door before pointing towards the door. “Leave. This is a family matter and you have no part in it.”

The cop tapped his cheek, humming to himself before shrugging his shoulder. “I suppose that might be true. I did also see assault though and, well, I might be new to the force but I still believe that that’s a part of my jurisdiction.”

The stepfather’s knuckles popped as he stepped up to the window, towering almost a foot over the man who was leaned against the windowsill. “It’s simply teaching my stepson a lesson. When did it become a crime to do that?”

The cop chuckled, extending one of his arms as if to check his nails. “Oh, a long time ago actually. Not really supposed to bruise your kids anymore, let alone crack their bones. That, or you damaged your stairs and you really should get an inspector in here. I could recommend you one. He makes great deals, though often with their own little quirks.”

The stepfather lowered himself, gripping the windowsill as he hissed out, “Leave.”

“No.”

A vein bulged hard enough on the hulking man’s forehead that it looked like he might have an aneurysm as he panted and shook in front of the cop. The cop for his part pulled out his gun, humming as he checked the barrel. “I still have no idea why they gave me this you know. I swear I’ll shoot myself before I ever hit someone else. You ever worry about getting yourself into that sort of trouble?” Right before he rattled his knuckles on the windowsill with his free hand.

Right next to a magnum that was now there instead of the floor where Button had thrown it.

The stepfather smirked, the fire in his eyes at full power now as he whispered, “No.” He then reached over, grabbed the grip to the pistol, pulled it up, and pulled back the trigger.

Or, tried to. It refused to go. He made sure the hammer was pulled back as the cop blinked at him, but it wouldn’t move any farther back. “W-W-What?”

A light chuckle escaped the cop as he reached over and took the magnum from Button’s stepfather. He lifted the run up, tapping it on the side as he said, “It might be because the safety’s on. Whoever uses this must know his gun safety.”

The cop then lifted his hat a little, letting one of his blood red eyes show itself as he whispered, “Unlike you. If you’re gonna attempt to murder a cop, you better know what you’re doing.”

The stepfather stepped back, his eyes wide in fear of the cop who now slipped through the window and continued to walk towards him. “I-I-I didn’t do anything though…”

The cop took off his hat, throwing it to the side as he let his black hair come out freely. “Oh, I think you’ve done plenty wrong.” He then reached into his pocket, pulling out a silver pocket watch and snapping it open. “And I do believe it’s time you paid for them.”

Click.

Button felt the pull of time being stopped, but it wasn’t him. It was… “Faust?”

Faust grinned as he lowered himself, bending his knees as much as he could. “I’m happy you can figure out it’s me even when I’m in a new costume.” He then slowly curled his fingers in, letting each one pop with a satisfying crack. “Watch and enjoy.”

Click.

The punch would have never landed normally. The setup was simply too long and telegraphed. An uppercut was dangerous for that reason in general, let alone one that wasn’t from a trained professional. All the stepfather saw was Faust having suddenly disappeared before coming up from below him. The cop’s arm seemed to move in slow motion as it stretched across the entirety of the hulk’s body. From any other person, he might have even been able to dodge it still.

But then there was just a moment’s stop where Faust seemed to warp about another tenth of a second ahead of where he had been, throwing the stepfather off balance. Suddenly there was no chance. There was only the demonic fury that was coming straight at him.

The fist hit the man in the cheek, hard enough for a sickening crack to resound across the room. His skin flatted and tried to spread over Faust’s fingers at the level of force that was crashing against it. For a moment, his head tried to resist the overwhelming force, but that seemed to only cause what felt like a second punch to hit him in the same place again. This one got no resistance and went from the cheek straight into his nose next. Cartilage cracked like tinfoil under the blow as the man’s feet lifted off of the ground.

With a third punch that only Button could see, this one into the man’s gut, he was thrown across the room, crashing against the wall and leaving a crack in it before crumpling onto the floor in a large, immobile pile. Faust waved his hand out as he chuckled a little. “Think I overdid it a little?”

Love Tap stared at him from the corner, her eyes darting between Faust and her husband before whispering, “What… What are you going to do?”

Faust hummed to himself as he looked around. “Well, he did unfortunately have a point. Attempted murder, even of an officer of the law, wouldn’t help you keep custody. I mean, if you wanted of course. He’ll be going to jail for a very, very long time though. I can say that.”

Button managed, barely, to get one of his arms up and whisper, “Cameras.”

Faust smirked as he turned to exactly where the hidden camera was. It wasn’t the only one actually. Button’s last gambit. Recorded proof of his anger. Of his brutality. A single testimony from Button or his mom about him being abusive to them and he’d have nothing to fight back with. Faust did go through the theatrics of playing some of it, wincing at the moment where Button got thrown against the stairs. “Well, I think the court will be very, very interested in this.” Faust then turned to the stepfather’s body. “Oh, and let me get this out of your way. I can send another couple officers down to take your testimonies but I suspect you two need some time to yourself.”

Button sighed as he laid back down, breathing a little easier at the thought of getting a moment with his mom. He could really use a hug right now. He didn’t get that so quickly though as he felt the world shift again. Back into time stop.

Faust stepped over to the stairs, clapping his hands as he stood over Button. “Good. Very good. I knew that I was right in making a deal with you. Now, on to your rewards for having won.”

Button furrowed his brow before watching Faust’s hand sink into his chest. He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Not that it hurt. Actually, he could feel what felt like a large wave of water coursing through his bones and veins as they soothed the burns. Even the splinters that had been his ribs came back together and formed back into proper bone. Only then did Faust take his hand out.

He didn’t give Button a chance to speak though as he placed a finger on his lips. “Come my boy, are you that surprised? You accepted out of the gate I was somehow magic, so is this really that surprising? Now,” he said as he grabbed one of Button’s hands, “Let’s get you up. You have no reason to stay low anymore.”

Button swayed on his feet, his body still recovering from the stress it’d been underjust a moment ago. It was entirely mental, he could recognize that, but that didn’t make it easier. “I… Why? How? And how wasn’t I misusing it?”

Faust laughed at the last question before flicking Button’s forehead. “If I had punished you for deciding to have any fun with it than what would have been the point? You didn’t ruin anyone’s life with it. You didn’t hurt anyone in a way they couldn’t recover from in a day or two. Compared to what others would do, you were positively tame. This though,” he said as he gestured to the room, “this was the why, and where I knew you’d win or lose.”

Button was beet red at the comments on his behavior, but looking over the living room he could only whisper, “What would have happened if I…”

“Come now, Button, my name is Faust. Back when you were fourteen you even made a joke about me having made a deal with a devil to get a job at the arcade. And,” he said as he turned to Button, the whites of his eyes now red as his irises turned yellow, “while I am not as cruel as the demon who I beat, I still have to make bargain’s that stick to the principal, even if I allow for easier loopholes.”

Button turned pale, backing against the wall. “You would have killled m…” He stopped. After all, he hated his stepfather. He hated the beatings. He hated the screaming. He could have always taken them though. What he couldn’t stand was- “You would have killed my mom?”

Faust winced at the heartbreak that was in Button’s voice, but he still had to nod. “Yep. Your bullet would have ricocheted if you’d shot him. Or, she would have fallen and gotten herself stabbed on something if you had slit his throat. However you killed him, I would have done worse to your mother so you had to watch her die in agonizing pain before you.”

He shut his eyes, his entire body shuddering as he looked down. “I don’t like making these deals Button. The watch speaks to you though. Whispers your darkest thoughts to you. It will make sure you never forget about them and what you might want to do, no matter how hard you try. My… entire existence since I assumed this position has been like that. I try to make sure I make them with people I think can win though, unlike the demon before me. I dedicated my time under my bargain to fix the mistake I knew I’d made. This… This was the best answer.”

Button shut his eyes, his body shaking as Faust stepped closer. “It’s okay. I know it’s a lot to take-”

Faust was cut off as Button’s fist caught him square in the face. He couldn’t bring the same amount of force as Faust could, he was simply too young and rarely worked out, but he still sent the man crashing down the stairs from the shock of the blow. The contact was what mattered to him. That, and the screaming. “I didn’t agree to this! You offered a game! You never told me a price, the conditions, or any of that! I would have never put my mother at risk and you know that!”

Faust rubbed his jaw as he began to get up, a hand on one of the walls to support himself. He even whispered, “First time I’ve been punched in a long time,” before getting more serious and looking up at Button. “You’re… you’re right. But as it was a game, you could have stopped playing. You could have thrown away the watch. Tried to find me to give it back. You didn’t need to take it and you didn’t have to use it, especially when you knew what you wanted to do with it within fifteen minutes of getting it. Like any of the great open worlds though, your choices mattered, and I did warn you about that. Would you not agree?”

Button was silent as he stood on the stairs, tears beginning to come down his cheeks. He tried to say something but nothing would come out. He began to lower his head, his hands slowly coming up to cover his face. He didn’t want to be seen. Not after everything he’d done. Not after everything he could have lost.

“Catch.”

Button looked up just in time to see something metal flying at him. He threw up his hands, batting it up at first before flailing to actually catch it, his mind in too much chaos not to at least try. He did eventually manage it, even if he almost fell off the stairs to do so. When he brought it up to his face, he saw it was another pocket watch. This one was engraved with ‘You won, be happy, do crimes.’

Button looked down at Faust who smirked at him. “Listen to it. It’s yours to keep, and this one won’t try to turn you into a bonfire. Just remember that if you do misuse it I will come to smack you on the head. I mean that literally too.” Before he snapped and vanished.

Time restarted a moment after as Button stood on the stairs. He couldn’t stop staring at the watch. ‘You won’. Such a simple statement but it was a reminder. He had played a game after all. When you won a game, the player didn’t theoretically lose anything. Well, anything other than the time and effort they put into it. Was… Was it really that simple here too?

He couldn’t dwell on the thoughts though as he realized that he could hear his mom softly sobbing in the corner. He ran down the stairs before running straight for her. He pulled her up by the arms and squeezed her tight as his body shook like a leaf. “Mom. Mom. Mom, are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.”

Love Tap wrapped her arms back around him hard enough that it seemed like she was afraid he’d suddenly vanish. “Honey. I don’t know what just happened. Your father-”

“No!” Button grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away a little as he looked her in the eyes with all the fury and hate he had for himself for so long about not saying this. “He isn’t my dad. Even when he was nice he was never that. He was just a guy who was fun to have around until he became an asshole no one should be with. I…” He swallowed hard, tears in his eyes as he whispers, “I’m sorry. I lied to you. So many times. I was just afraid of how you were handling dad being gone with how fast you looked for someone else…”

Love Tap’s tears came down harder as she began choking up. “You… Really? I… I was… Button… I’m so sorry. I was… Thank you. But…” She squeezed him tight again, taking in a long, deep breath to calm herself before she said, “I was selfish. After your dad passed, I knew I’d be fine. I had my work and I had you. But then your eighteenth birthday happened, and one of my friends talked about how much you’d grown, and about wanting to be with you, I realized I’d soon be alone. I’d have this house, myself, and that was it. No more family. It all was happening so fast…”

Button opened his mouth, trying to figure out what to say. He could stop time, but he didn’t need to. Not this time. “Mom, I’m not going anywhere. Not anytime soon. I plan to go to college in town, I’ll always be up for gaming with you until two in the morning, even if I’m across the country and… And I’ll always need you. You have been my everything for so long mom that I… I know I’d rather be beaten a billion more times than ever lose you. I swear.”

Love Tap smiled at him before letting go and letting out a very small chuckle. “How can my little button masher be so calm right now of all times?”

Button smiled as his eyes glanced to his pocket. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about this stuff today.” He then looked back to his mom and said, “Now about this friend of yours…”

Love Tap tried not to smile as she said, “Oh no. I’m not making it that easy for her to take you from me. Not while you’re still under my roof.” Before they both managed a small laugh together. The first laugh they’d shared in months.

Author's Note

One more week to the last chapter and the final twist I have about this story.

Epilogue

Button stepped out of the car as he bit his cheek and looked up. Overhead loomed Cronoc University, supposedly named after the founder’s wishes, someone who Button had a sneaking suspicion he knew now. He looked down, patting the watch as it sat in his pocket. Studying would be a lot easier with this and seeing as he barely scraped enough money together to come here that was going to be pretty necessary. He then reached back, touching his backpack and making sure his books were there. After all, this was his first day and he didn’t want to miss anything or run back home in stopped time for it.

He then heard the doors opening around him and bit his cheek, his face already becoming flushed with heat as he waited for everyone to say goodbye. After all, at least one of them would make him pay for running off without a kiss.

A kiss that came quite quickly as a peck on the cheek before Sunny Flare stood in front of him. “If you come back screaming that you don’t understand anything I am going to force you into six hours of Street Fighter.”

Button smiled a little at that before saying, “But you always beat me at it…”

“Yes, but I’m not actually allowed to kick your ass so I’ll have to put up with it being in a game.”

Marina came around the other side, a tight, white sweater replacing her sports top since this wasn’t yoga. Not that it was much better seeing as it was one size too small for her. Then again, Button wasn’t sure how many times he’d seen her breasts be outlined by her clothes since they had started dating three months ago. It was something Sunny was less than pleased about, especially since the best she could do was speedrun skips to get Button’s attention the same way. When she did though…

Marina came up and hugged Button, her breasts against his chest as she pecked him on the lips. His attention snapped right back to the older woman as she whispered, “I know you’ll do great today. We have all the faith in the world in you.”

Love Tap was the last one to stand up from the car as she had been the one forced to drive. It wasn’t always the case, but you could only win Rock Paper Scissors so many times before you were the first knocked out. She leaned against the roof of the small car with a sigh. “I really hope so myself. You’ve seemed a lot more focused after… Well, this Summer seems to have helped you really refocus yourself I guess.”

Button blushed hard at his mother’s words, though even Sunny joined him in glancing away at the reminder of what had led to them all being brought together like this. It had even been part of what had convinced Sunny to share him since she recognized that he was the best guy she knew and didn’t want to risk getting anyone else, even if she was going to have to compete with Marina. Marina had always been ready to share though, mostly due to her age. His mom though? Well, there was a reason he was still living with her instead of one of the other two after everything.

Marina stepped away, huffing a little as she put her hands on her hips. “I just wish your mom hadn’t let you sleep in for so long. I was really hoping to be able to give you the… excitement that would help pump you up for this.”

Sunny raised an eyebrow as she cocked a hip to the side. “Oh really? Yes, I bet his excitement was the only one you were thinking of.”

It was now Marina’s turn to blush as she said, ‘W-W-Well I’m sorry that I like doting on my boyfriend more than you. Maybe when you’re older you’ll come to appreciate things like this better.”

Sunny’s mouth split into a smile as she said, “Oh, I like it plenty, but my place is the only one that he’s allowed to stay at over the night so I don’t need to be so blatant.”

Love Tap interjected at this point as she said, “Or annoy me so much because you won’t stop.”

Marina glanced between the three of them, puffing out her cheeks but it was obvious she had no good response to the teasing. The poor woman had gone far too long without any sex before getting with Button and that had led to some issues for her. Luckily for her Sunny was willing to help by commenting, “Now, we don’t have the time for this so let’s stop bickering and let Button go play.”

Before anyone could respond Marina dropped to the ground, twitching and spasming as she lost all strength in her legs, panting there as she weakly tried, and failed, to move. Button, as he often did when this sort of thing happened, was simply whistling while Marina groaned. After all, Button wasn’t exactly secretive about his power, though it had taken Love Tap the longest to find out, and this wasn’t exactly the most uncommon use of his power.

Sunny bent over Marina, smirking at the other woman. “There, that exciting enough-” before it was her turn to collapse onto the pavement.

Button stopped whistling the second he could feel his mother’s eyes burning holes into his skull. He instead swallowed hard and turned to Love Tap. “Y-Y-Yes?”

“I let you sleep in so you’d have more energy for today, not for this.”

Button looked down, shuffling his feet before mumbling, “Yes mom. Sorry mom.”

She sighed and rubbed her temples before saying, “Now, get going. You have a big day ahead of you and you should be focusing on that.”

Button nodded before smiling back at his mom. “Thank you. I’m… I know I can be a handful sometimes so it means a lot to me that you’ve always got my back.”

Love Tap smiled back and in her gentle tone that always calmed Button she said, “I can say the same thing myself, especially what I put you through. Now,” her tone getting more forceful, “go, and if I hear about girls collapsing while you’re here I’m taking away all of your electronics and checking your saves each night so you can’t get away with your stupid time stop stuff.”

Button paled at the threat, even as his smile refused to fade before he hugged his mom and then ran off to the new chapter of his life. After all, it was time to let things move on rather than stay the way they always were.

Author's Note

So, the final twist has to do with what this story is. It is the last story I'm ever publishing on this site and I want to thank you all for joining me on this journey. The other thing is that it remind me of A Gamer's Journal where a story that could have had no thought or story put into it turned into something special and meaningful. That's also why, after I finished this, I converted it (while keeping most of it) to be Fanfiction disguised as Original Fiction. Pausing the Game is on Amazon and it would mean the world to me if you would help support me and leave reviews for me on it. A final way for us to join together and you all can give me something back for all of this.

No matter what though, thank you for joining me on this, and if you want to see more about me leaving the site, you can find it here. Goodbye.