Chapter 18: Chapter 18

“...she… Ashe! Wake up, breakfast time, sleepy head.”

Chris sat up in bed, finding Aiden standing at her bedside, a tray in his hands. She could smell the bacon and the freshly brewed coffee. 

“Thanks,” she said, smiling and accepting the tray. 

“Anything for my wife on her special day,” Aiden said, conjuring a rose with a flick of his wrist. He tucked it behind her ear, smiling. 

Chris felt herself blush. “Goddess, you’re so sappy… but thank you, I love it.”

“Good! I worked hard! Slaving over a hot stove since six a.m.!” he said with mock beleaguerment. 

“I’ll just have to find a way to make it up to you, I guess…” She smirked, giving him a flirtatious look.

“Ashelynn Rowe, are you suggesting what I think you are?” Aiden asked, feigning astonishment. 

“Maybe I am,” she teased, popping a piece of bacon into her mouth.

“Well then… I may just take you up on that.” Aiden grinned at her. “After breakfast though. Don’t let it get cold.”

“You dork,” Chris giggled. “I’d much rather have you for breakfast.”

=====

Chris sat up on the couch, startled out of the strange dream she’d been having. 

“Morning Chris,” Aiden said. “I was just about to make some breakfast. Sorry if I woke you.”

The vision of him standing beside the bed with a tray for her flashed back to her mind, and she blushed. “N-Nope, I uh, just woke up normally.”

“Oh, cool. You uh, want some breakfast? I was gonna make pancakes.”

“Fuck yeah,” she said enthusiastically.

“Alright, anything you want in them? I’ve got chocolate chips or fresh blueberries.”

“Oooh, chocolate chip for sure,” Chris said.

“Girl has a sweet tooth,” Aiden mused aloud. “Oh, shit, I mean uh… sorry. I guess the ‘girl day’ is over, huh?”

Chris felt something clench in her chest at the thought of going back to being seen as a guy.

“Er, well, you can keep thinking of me as a girl… until this gets fixed, I guess…” she said, twisting a few strands of hair nervously. 

“Alright, Chris. Will do,” Aiden tapped his brow in a mock salute, setting to work on the pancakes.

Chris.

Christian. His name.

But somehow it felt… wrong. What had he called her in the dream?

Ashe?

Ashelynn? 

Something in her stomach fluttered at the thought of that name.

“H-Hey, Aiden?” she mumbled.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“While I’m like this could you… maybe call me… Ashe?”

Aiden looked up from the bowl of pancake batter. For a moment he was silent, and Chris began to wonder if she’d misstepped. 

Then he smiled and nodded. “Sure, no problem, Ashe.” 

Hearing him say it made the warm tingling in her belly intensify. That name seemed so much better. 

“Thanks,” Ashe said with a big smile.

“Hey, no problem. Whatever makes you comfortable, girl.” Aiden returned to mixing up the batter, humming a tune.

She fought hard to suppress a giggle, failing miserably. The new name just felt so… right! 

She hopped up off the couch and stretched, more than ready to face the day with her new name. 

“Someone’s happy,” Cailyn grumbled as she emerged from her room, disheveled from sleep. 

“Morning!” Ashe chimed cheerfully. 

“Ugh… you’re way too happy for this early in the day, Chris.” Cay shuffled past her, shaking her head as she headed for the coffee pot.

“Actually, it’s Ashe now,” Aiden corrected her.

Cailyn stopped in her tracks, giving her still-groggy brain time to process that. “Wait… Ashe?”

Ashe nodded. “Mhm.”

Cailyn smirked as she resumed her march  towards coffee. “Nice to meet you, Ashe.”

Hearing her use the new name only cemented it in Ashe’s head. She was certain that this name was a much better fit for her.

Then something else clicked into place. 

“...Oh, shit…” she said, her arms going slack at her sides.

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“Huh?” Aiden and Cailyn said in unison, looking over at her.

“...I think I want to stay a girl,” Ashe said, more to herself than to the others.

Aiden nearly dropped the spoon into the batter.

Cailyn burst into laughter. “I called it. You owe me five bucks, A.” 

“Wha– You two were betting on me?!” Ashe asked, her stunned self-reflective expression immediately shifting to embarrassment. 

“Yeah. Ever since you grew tits. I’ve been betting you’d stay a girl. Aiden wasn’t so sure. He thought you’d probably still go through with turning back.”

“W-Well, I do still want to get this whole demon girl thing fixed,” Ashe said. “But I would like to uh… stay… a regular girl, if I can.”

“I bet they can probably do that,” Aiden stated, returning to his work on breakfast.

“If not they’re pretty shitty at magic,” Cay criticized. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time an official was bad at their job,” Ashe added with a chuckle, the other two joining her dryly.

“Welp, It’ll be a few before the pancakes are ready. Why don’t you grab a change of clothes for Ashe? She’ll need them after the meeting.”

“Sure,” Cay agreed. “C’mon, girlie. Let’s get you something nice for your first outing as Ashe Gray.”

Hearing that combination of names made her smile again. “Okay,” Ashe said, following Cailyn into her bedroom.

The dress she’d worn the day before was still an option - it wasn’t like she was sweating or anything to make it dirty. Cailyn still insisted on a new outfit.

She dug through her closet and dresser, picking out another bodycon black dress and heels. “These should fit well enough… even if you’re stacked. Damn, girl…” 

Ashe smiled, holding the dress up to herself. “You think Aiden will like it?”

“He’d have to be blind not to. You’re going to be a stunner in that dress, Ashe.”

Hearing that name would never get old, she mused, basking in the warm feelings it brewed within her.

=====

Ashe fidgeted with the glamour pendant around her neck as they walked towards Three Card Monty. She wondered if her real human form would look like her glamour form. She kinda hoped it did. The girl she saw in the mirror while wearing the pendant was beautiful.

“Look who’s back,” the bartender mused as they entered. “You guys are right on time for your appointment. Someone’s trying to earn brownie points.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aiden shrugged. “Is she ready for us?”

“Mhm. Right this way.” He walked the two down the hallway to the Office of Great Transformations. 

“You two are lucky that I owe Mr. Owens such a large favor. Doing all of this so quickly and keeping it quiet was hardly easy,” Daphne said sternly from behind her desk, which currently appeared to be made of marble, despite clearly being wood yesterday.

“We appreciate it,” Aiden demurred diplomatically.

“Yeah,” Ashe said. “Oh, but I had a question before we start.”

“Yes?” Daphne asked, looking annoyed. Or perhaps that was just her default look. Ashe couldn’t tell.

“Is it possible to just undo the demon stuff? I… I want to stay a girl.” 

Daphne raised a brow, then glanced at Aiden. “Is that true? The Knot wants to remain female?”

Aiden nodded. “She does.”

Daphne turned her attention back to Ashe, her brow dropping back into alignment. “Very well… I will make a few adjustments to the spell. It will not take long. Please wait in the bar. We’ll send for you when we’re ready to begin.”

“Thank you,” Aiden said politely. “Let’s go, Ashe.”

“Ashe?” Daphne asked.

“Oh, right, my new name!” Ashe chimed in.

“...I’ll make a note for your new documentation,” Daphne said with a hint of disdain.

“Thanks!” Ashe said, unphased by the disdain.

“C’mon,” Aiden said, motioning for her to follow him out of the office.

The bartender was waiting for them and quickly escorted them back to the bar, where they were seated and offered drinks while they waited.

“I can’t believe it, they can really fix me, Aiden!” Ashe smiled happily, rocking on her barstool. 

“Sure seems like it. I’m happy for you, Ashe.” Aiden smiled back at her.

“Hey, Aiden?” Ashe asked.

“Hm?”

“When I’m normal… do you want to go on a date for real?”

Aiden was dumbstruck for a moment, but he recovered quickly with a winning grin. “Of course.”

Ashe felt her chest-fluff soar, fluttering like a butterfly in the wind. 

‘He wants to date me!’ she spun on her barstool, giggling.

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