Will sat on the edge of the bed, his—her—arms crossed, but his hands occasionally drifted to his chest or hips, almost as if to confirm what had happened wasn’t some bizarre dream. Every time he felt the curves of Stacy’s body beneath his touch, his face flushed with a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment.
“I had to try,” Will muttered, holding up the medallion again. His voice—Stacy’s voice—still startled him every time it came out of his mouth. “I thought maybe it would… I don’t know, reset or something.”
Stacy leaned against the dresser, watching her husband with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. “Will, you know it doesn’t work like that. We figured out the cooldown rule the second night we tried it. Twelve hours. No exceptions. You're stuck like me until tomorrow at around noon”
Will groaned, letting the medallion drop onto the bed beside him. “Yeah, I know. But being stuck like this… I mean, look at me!” He gestured to his borrowed body, then immediately regretted it as his hands brushed against himself again. He recoiled, his face a deep shade of red. “It’s just—this is so surreal.”
Stacy bit back a laugh but couldn’t entirely hide her smirk. “You keep touching yourself like that, and I’m going to start thinking you’re enjoying it.”
Will shot her a glare, but it lacked real heat. “This isn’t funny.”
“No, you’re right. It’s not funny,” Stacy said, moving to sit beside him. “But it’s a little funny.”
Will dropped his face into his hands, groaning. “What are we going to tell the kids in the morning?”
Stacy put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. They’re young—they’ll probably think it’s some kind of game or magic trick. Ben’s obsessed with superheroes, remember? Maybe we can frame it like that.”
Will peeked out from between his fingers. “You think he’ll buy that?”
After a moment, Stacy stood, smoothing down her nightgown. “Okay, here’s the plan. Tomorrow morning, we keep it casual. If they ask why there are two Mommies, we’ll tell them it’s a magic thing and it’ll go back to normal soon. No big dramatic explanations. Kids are resilient.”
“And what if they don’t buy it?” Will asked, crossing his arms again but immediately uncrossing them when he realized what that emphasized.
“Then we bribe them with pancakes,” Stacy said with a grin. “Works every time.”
Will sighed, shaking his head. “You’re way too calm about this.”
“Someone has to be,” she replied, giving him a wink. “Besides, you’re adorable when you’re flustered.”
Will glared at her, but the effect was ruined by the fact that he looked exactly like her. Stacy couldn’t help but laugh again, and even Will cracked a reluctant smile.
“Fine,” he said, standing up and brushing off his borrowed body as though that would help him feel more like himself. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be… interesting.”
“Understatement of the year,” Stacy quipped.
