Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 12:12:21 EDT
From: Orlandodisneyboy@aol.com
Subject: How I Became A Fag, Part II - Chapter 6

Standard disclaimers apply.  Based on characters by cthotguy77@yahoo.com.
If you shouldn't be reading this where you are at, don't!  Feedback is
welcome.  Flames are ignored.

*****************************************************

Author's note: This is what I would hope will be an exciting conclusion to
the second Chapter of HIBAF.  It's not as wild or crazy as chapter 5 --
after all, what could be? (Let me know if you have the answer) But I think
that you'll find as I did, that this brings this sequel full circle.

I know that several of you are interested in me continuing the plot.  And I
have a few ideas for a spin off.  But please email me to let me know how
you liked the story overall.  That way, I'll be inspired to continue.
Thanks again! ODB.

*****************************************************


     Ben, the beefy-hunk Steve and Brad had converted over a week ago, had
been gone from the Lambda Chi Delta Frat House for over two hours.  He had
somehow forced himself to stay awake when everyone else had passed out from
sexual exhaustion.  He had just enough time to implement his plan.

     He noticed that the hunger he felt for other men was still very much
present, but it was temporarily sated.  While he knew that he couldn't risk
telling anyone else -- especially men - at least he was in his right mind
for the first time since he had been brought over.  The haze of lust had
abated somewhat, probably due to the constant fucking he had received over
the past several hours.  But he had counted on that.  He didn't have much
time, so he had to make use of it.

     His Chevy Ranger had crossed the state line almost a half-hour ago,
and he was close to his destination.  He just had to avoid talking to any
men along the way as much as possible.

     It wasn't easy.  Two hot college guys with sunglasses had pulled up
next to him at a red light.  They weren't wearing shirts, and he started to
feel a small swelling in his groin at the potential for bringing them over.
Luckily, they had sped away as soon as the light had changed, and Ben had
returned to sanity.

     The map and information he had collected hadn't been easy to come by.
It had taken 2 student-affairs assistants and a campus advisor to get what
he wanted.  They were probably still back at campus working each other over
in the advisor's office.  But it had been worth it.  They had given him
what he wanted.

     Ritchie and Chad would be furious once they discovered what he was up
to.  His very life might be in danger.  A week ago, he might not have ever
believed that.  But after last night, he could certainly understand why
they would want to continue to be gay.  But he wanted out.  And there was
only one person who could tell him how to do it.

     His truck stopped in front of a small store that was one of those that
hardly anyone ever noticed, much less walked into.  The words Madame Leota
were painted on the window, along with the drawing of a hand over a crystal
ball.  He paused and considered for a moment how important the next few
minutes of his life were going to be.  Then, he opened the door to his
truck and stepped out.  He took a deep breath as he walked around the front
and stepped up onto the curb in front of the store.

     Part of him shivered.  This was it.

     He opened the door, which rattled with old-fashioned bells hanging on
the doorknob, and stepped inside.

     The room was dimly lit and there were candles everywhere.  He looked
around and there was a small round table with what looked like a crystal
ball in the center.

     "Hello?" he asked.

     There was a pause, and an older woman in her late forties stepped out
from an archway that was covered with hanging beads.  She had a reddish
sash wrapped around both her head and her waist, and several pieces of gold
jewelry draped around her neck and arms.  Her long black skirt hung
straight down and stood in contrast to the bright top portion of her body.
She looked at him for a moment in silence and then sat down at the table.

     She motioned for him to sit in the chair opposite her.

     "Thank you for seeing me," he began in a rush, not quite sure what to
say. "My name is..."

     She put her palm up and stopped him.

     Shuffling a card deck that he must have overlooked somehow on the
table, she finally drew one off of the top and placed it on the table with
a 'snap.'

     "Ben," she said, plainly.  Her voice was thick with an accent he could
not place.

     "Yes," he replied.

     She drew another card from the deck.  Snap! Went another card.

     "You are here because of Brad," she stated.

     "Yes," he replied, growing more nervous.

     Snap.

     "And you want to know about the curse and if I can reverse it."

     "Yes."

     Snap.

     "Many have already been exposed to it."

     "Yes," he replied, starting to feel like a broken record.

     Snap.  A look of surprise crossed her face momentarily.

     "It is growing quickly."

     "Yes."

     Snap.

     "You are at a crossroads," she stated.  It was not a question.

     He nodded.

     She set the deck of cards down.  She folded her hands and sat back in
her chair.

     "Why should I help you?" she asked.

     "Why should you help me?" he asked back, growing angry.  "You've
unleashed a terrible curse on everyone at my campus!  Hell, it could
quickly overtake the damn city -- even the whole fucking world!"  His voice
started to shake with panic.  He had started to stand up and had his hands
on the table, his arms locked in place at his elbows.

     She merely raised an eyebrow menacingly, and he sat back down.

     "Look, I'm sorry," he began, sitting back down quickly.  "I don't mean
to get you angry.  I know that Brad insulted you and that's what began this
in the first place.  But you have to understand what is happening."

     Her lips curled very slightly with a very sad smile.

     "I do understand."  She snapped another card down on the table in
front of him.  He glanced down at the tarot she had drawn.

     It was the joker.  The fool.

     Ben felt himself start to get angry again, but then quickly pushed it
down.  Getting her mad wasn't going to solve things -- in fact, it would
only make it worse.  He had to try and reason with her.

     "Look," he said, "if you know everything that is going on, you know
that I have researched this curse you have used.  Is it like the webpage
said?  Is it irreversible?"

     The older woman leaned forward in her chair.  "Yes."

     Ben put his hands to his face and started to cry.  That was it.  All
of his effort had failed.  It wouldn't matter now if Ritchie or anyone with
Operation Campus Takedown got to him after all.  His former life was
totally over.

     A moment passed, and then the old woman spoke, "But there is one thing
that can give you what you seek."

     Ben raised his head and looked at her in astonishment.  "What is it?"

     She looked back at him with an expression he could not read.  "Do you
know why I am letting this happen?"

     He raised his eyebrows and had a look of complete confusion on his
face.  "No, I don't.  I know that Brad insulted you, and I know that your
people were persecuted in the past, but other than that, no."

     Madame Leota stood up from her chair and walked to the back wall where
she began to pace back and forth slowly.  Her deep black eyes never left
his.  She walked over to a shelf and picked up one of several frames on the
shelf behind her.  She set it directly in front of him on the table.

     The picture was of a very handsome young boy in his teens.  Ben felt
the stirrings of the curse inside of him.  He was hot.  He had to only be
around 18 or 19 in the photo.  The teen had dark hair and was obviously of
gypsy stock himself.

     "My son," she said.  She went back to the wall and stood still.

     "He's very handsome."

     She smiled sadly.

     In a flash, she had grabbed another picture further down the shelf and
slammed it on the table in front of him.  It resounded with a large 'crack'
throughout the room.

     "Not any more," she breathed, her voice like stone.

     The photo was of the young man in a casket.  It was the same boy.

     "Oh my god," Ben said.

     "His name was Isham.  He was my life."  She paused.  "And he was also
gay."

     The young football star looked up at her at that in shock.

     She continued.  "He was the kindest, most gentle boy anyone had ever
met.  I worried about him going off to school, but I knew that I could not
keep him at home forever.  But I knew that he was gay," she said pointing
to the cards, "even before he told me."  She sat down again across from
him.

     "Isham was openly gay and was proud of who he was.  He was also proud
to be a gypsy.  But some friends of his on your campus didn't care for him
being either one."

     Ben's mouth dropped in horror.  "You mean...?"

     "Yes.  One night he was out with his friends, when one of them guessed
that he was gay.  He hadn't made any mention of it yet, as he had only been
there a few weeks and wanted to fit in.  Later that night, several of those
'friends' stalked him on the way back to his room.  They grabbed him and
took him behind a building where no one could see, and then," she stopped.
She was shaking.

     "And then they killed him," Ben replied, almost unable to speak.

     She nodded.  It took her a moment to compose herself before she could
go on.

     "The police never found the men who did this terrible thing, and never
will.  After all, there still is no love for gypsys -- even hundreds of
years later."

     Ben pointed to her cards.  "What about...you know?"

     "The cards do not reveal everything.  But even if they would, the
police would never take the word of a fortune-teller, would they?"

     "No," he agreed.

     "And I decided that violence and harm would not balance the scale.  In
fact, it would only continue the cycle that killed my Isham.  But I decided
upon a better course of action."

     He looked her in the eyes.  "You didn't know who it was, did you?  So
you decided to turn everyone gay on campus to get them back."  He stood up
and walked behind the chair.  He turned quickly again to face her.  "You
knew that it would eventually get to them as well."

     The mystic nodded.

     He sat back down quickly in front of her, and put his hands in a
pleading position.  "Please," he asked, "Tell me what you meant about
changing me back and I will help you convince the police to look for the
killers.  I swear."

     The older woman sighed.  "There is no need.  The actual person
responsible will not only be gay, but he will indeed find justice.
However, I cannot change you back, as you put it."

     "But you said..."

     "I said, that there was a way to help you.  But I am not the solution
you seek."

     "What do you mean?"

     She picked up a pen and paper, wrote something, and put it into an
envelope.  She sealed it and handed it to him, and motioned for him to put
it away in his jacket pocket.

     "Read that only after you do as I instruct.  Not before."

     He nodded.

     "What you have read is true," she began.  "The curse, once invoked
fully, cannot be lifted.  The hunger will come upon any man and stay with
him for life -- unless he should find another man willing to take it upon
himself freely and willingly."

     Ben stared at her.  "You mean, a straight guy has to offer to become
gay for me in order for it to be lifted?"

     She nodded.  "And you must be the one to bring him over."

     "How the fuck am I supposed to do that?  There aren't very many
straight men left in the city thanks to you," he said bitterly.

     "You will find such a man," she assured him. "But it will be a moment
of choice for you.  A hard choice.  One that only you can make."

     He felt his jacket pocket. "And this?" he asked.

     The fortune-teller smiled.  "After you make your choice, you may open
it.  Either way, it will give you comfort."  She stood.  "After all, I
believe you were sincere when you offered to help.  You still have
compassion."

     She got up and began to leave the room.  Suddenly, he knew he would
never see her again.

     "Wait," he pleaded.

     She stopped in the doorway.  But she did not turn back to look at him.

     "What about the others?  What will happen to all of them?  Will this
curse just go on and on?  Will the entire human race have to pay because of
the mistake of a few idiots?"

     She gestured upward with her wrist and held her palm up facing away
from him.  "No.  The curse will not endanger the rest of man.  Circumstance
and fortune will play their cards as surely as I have played mine.  But the
men you know who have been brought over shall stay as they are.  They will
continue it's spread.  Mankind shall continue, never fear.  But as the
curse predicted, they shall no longer care for the world such as it once
was to them."

     And with that, she was gone.

     For a moment, he considered following her into the back.  But he
somehow knew that it wouldn't do any good.  Madame Leota wouldn't be there.
She was gone forever.  And so was her son.

     He had his answer.  And a slight degree of hope.

     But where would he find a totally straight man who would give himself
up to be gay?  She assured him that he would find him, but that he would
have to make an even worse choice.  He couldn't imagine what that could be.

     He decided to go back to the dorm and wait.  After all, where else was
there to go?  And he doubted now that Ritchie and Chad would hurt him upon
his return.  After all, it had been foreseen in the cards.

     Ben turned and walked out of the gypsy shop.

     It was time to finish this.  One way or another.

****


     As he had suspected, Ritchie and Chad were upset at what he had done.
But he had told them that the gypsy woman confimred that the curse could
never be lifted.  He told them that he just wanted to be sure.  They were
suspicious at first, but after he walked up to them and gave them his sweet
ass to fuck, they didn't have any more doubts.

     It had only been 8 or so hours since the orgy had finished, but the
Takedown team had been busy.  Guys all over the Frat were calling their
girlfriends and telling them that they couldn't make their dates or were
breaking up with them.  Lucas had prepped them on what to say so that most
of them wouldn't be suspicious.  The excuse that worked the best was that
they had slept with another woman in their class.

     There had been one exchange that Ben would have found amusing, if not
for the situation.  David Palmer, one of the golf team members, was
breaking up with his girlfriend when she demanded to know the truth.

     "I'm gay," he replied simply.

     "Now, I know you're lying," the broken-hearted, high-school sweetheart
had replied.  "It's because of another woman isn't it?"

     The more he tried to tell her it wasn't, the more she knew someone
else was involved.  She just didn't know it was his dorm roommate, who was
fondling his crotch the entire time he was on the phone.

     Tired and exhausted, Ben went back to his dorm room.  He took off his
shirt, and collapsed on his bed.  Everyone was too busy to notice his
leaving now.  They were making room for a lot more of them to live at the
Frat House.  A lot more.  But Ben couldn't bring himself to do it just yet.
He still had hope that what Madame Leota told him might be true.  He would
have choice yet.

****

     Hours later, he had been woken up by a loud knocking on his door.  He
stumbled out of bed and opened the door.  Thomas Whetherby was standing on
the other side.

     Thomas was a young man of 18 years old who was beautiful and
intelligent.  He had a bright, infectious smile and was easy going.  His
laughter was contagious.  He had the wisdom of a man twice his age, but
still liked to have fun.  And Thomas had been like a younger brother to
Ben, who loved him with all of his heart.  He was the younger brother to
his ex-girlfriend Brittney, whom he had dated up until recently.  After
everything that had happened, he never expected to see Thomas again.

     "Thomas!  What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.

     The boy's normally happy face crinkled into a frown of worry.

     "Ben -- Brittney told me you had broken up with her, and that she
could tell something was wrong.  She wanted me to see what was really going
on."  He walked inside the room, past Ben.  "And I'm not leaving until you
do."

     Ben panicked.  He couldn't believe that Thomas, who was unbelievably
hot, had made it this far into campus without one of the other guys getting
their hands on him.  It was a tiny miracle.  The only explanation was that
they were all still over at the Frat house making a new 'home' for
everyone.  But they wouldn't be over there forever.  He had to get Thomas
out of there.

     Hell, what am I thinking?  I've got to get him away from me as well.

     "Thomas, this isn't a good time.  You need to go home.  Please."

     "Forget it, bro.  You and I are too close.  You have to tell me what
is going on."

     Ben couldn't help but notice that Thomas was wearing a sleeless,
yellow t-shirt that showed off his perfectly shaped arm muscles.  His pouty
red lips were moving almost in slow motion, as Ben started to feel the
effects of the hunger return.

     "NO!" he yelled at the curse, but Thomas thought he was talking to
him.
     "Ben," he pleaded, "Don't shut me out.  Tell me what's going on."

     Oh no, he thought.  Thomas loved him and he was straight.  He knew
that he would do anything for him if he asked.  That was the choice that
she was referring to.  Thomas was the one.

     He started to cry and sat down on his bed.

     Stay gay forever, or turn Thomas into a cock-slobbering faggot.  That
was Leota's choice.  That's why it would be such a hard decision.

     Thomas moved to the bed with him, and put his arm around him while he
sobbed.  "Ben, please tell me."

     What other choice was there?  He needed to get Thomas away before he
even considered that option.  So he told him.  Everything.

     As Ben relayed the story to him, Thomas couldn't believe his ears.  A
curse?  Was Ben serious?  But it somehow all of it had made sense.  The
whole story was wild, but each piece led right into the next.  When Ben
finished, he sat there stunned, unbelieving.

     "So this Madame Leota said you had to change someone over of their own
free will to turn you back?" he asked.

     "Yes.  But I can't worry about that now.  I've got to get you off
campus." Ben stood up and moved to get his car keys.

     Thomas sat there thinking for a moment.

     "Ben, I'm straight."

     Without looking back, Ben fumbled through the items on his desk
looking for the elusive set of keys.  "I know that."

     Thomas walked up behind him, and put his hands on Ben's shoulders.

     "Do you want me to...?" he asked.

     Ben spun around and threw him across the room.  "NO!" he yelled.
"Don't you even think it!"

     "I told you to get you out of here.  And so that you could make up an
excuse to Brittney that wouldn't draw attention to me or anyone else."

     Thomas started to cry.  In the few years that he had known him, Ben
had never know him to do so.  It affected him deeply.  He knelt in front of
the younger boy and put his arms around him.

     "I'm sorry, Thomas.  I don't want to hurt you." He pushed one of the
long strands of blond hair out of his eyes.  "I just don't want you to be
like I am."

     "Ben, I love you.  I would do anything for you."

     "Not this, buddy.  I won't let you."  Ben stood up and crossed the
room to go back to find his keys.  Damn, why was there so much junk on this
desk?

     Thomas stood up behind him on the other side of the room.  A grim,
determined look crossed his face.  "You don't have any choice, bro."

     At that, Ben turned.  Thomas was stripping his shirt off to reveal a
perfect 18-year-old body.  It was perfectly hairless, but muscular.  All of
those years playing varsity basketball and baseball had obviously payed
off.  Small, perectly-shaped nippled dotted either side.  As Ben's eyes
trailed downward against his will he saw a tight set of abs with little or
no body fat.

     "Thomas," he said, "don't do that.  You don't know what you are
doing."  The hunger was growing inside of him.

     "I know that one of the people I love the most in my life is hurting,
and I would rather die than let that happen," Thomas sobbed.  He kicked his
tennis shoes off with a one-two flick.

     Ben started towards him and then stopped.  He dare not take another
step.  He could already smell Thomas' sweat and body scent from here.  It
was becoming overwhelming.  He turned to leave the room.

     "Ben," Thomas whispered.

     He glanced back and saw Thomas standing in a pair of dark blue boxer
shorts and nothing else.  Thomas' eyes bore into his and he moved onto
Ben's bed.  He spread his legs suggestively and started grinding his
pelvis.

     "Thomas, no."

     "You've got to, bro.  And think about it this way -- how long will it
be before one of your buddies gets to me?  Even if I leave here, how long
will I be safe out there?  I'd rather have you make me a fag than anyone
else."  He paused.  "I love you.  You have always been there for me -- even
when no one else was.  Now, I'm gonna be there for you."

     Lust and fire consumed Ben's mind.  There really wasn't much of a
choice.  He was going to fuck Thomas.  That's all there was too it.  He
silently cursed Madame Leota back for lying to him.  This whole scenario
had been determined before it ever had been started.

     Ben took his pants off and stood naked before Thomas, whose eyes
bulged only slightly at seeing the size of Ben's dick.  But as before, a
look of determination crossed his face.  Thomas pulled Ben down onto the
bed on top of him.

     "Does it hurt?" he asked him.

     "Sometimes.  But I won't hurt you.  I swear," Ben said, almost
completely under the spell.

     Thomas spoke formally, to no one in particular, "I, Thomas Whetherby,
give myself up to you Ben, so that you can be released from this curse.  I
do this of my own free will so that you can return to normal."

     Ben looked into Thomas' eyes and a single tear ran down his cheek.
How much he loved him.  He couldn't begin to fathom how much he loved him.
Or what he was about to do to him.  But at least, he could make it less
traumatic.

     He slowly kissed his way down the hunky high-school senior's form
until he reached the waistband of his boxers.  He kissed and rubbed the
mound beneath, which stirred slightly, but didn't immediately get hard.

     After a minute or two, Thomas started to get worried.  "Bro, I'm
afraid.  What if I can't get hard for a guy?"

     Ben smiled.  All reason had left him at this point.  "Watch this."

     Ben pulled the shorts down and started to suck on the head of Thomas'
cock.  He put the whole dick into his mouth, as it was still somewhat soft,
and startd to suck.

     Thomas couldn't believe it.  He started to feel hot.  Very hot.  There
was a fire growing in his groin, and he couldn't believe it.  He had never
felt so -- so sexual.  His prick started to legnthen in Ben's mouth.
Moreover, he found he wanted to put it in there, badly.

     Ben stopped and looked up at him.

     "That should do it."

     "Do what?"

     "Invoke the curse.  You will start to feel really, really hot and
horny for me in a minute.  And after a few minutes you will be out of your
mind with lust.  Then you'll do anything for me to give it to you."  He
paused.  "And then I will."

     He was right.  A few minutes later, Thomas found himself groaning in
pleasure and desire.  The room was spinning.  He looked over and saw Ben's
cock and knew that he had to suck it.  He turned on his side and pushed Ben
onto his back.  He had downed the cock of his sister's boyfriend in less
time than it took to tell the deed.

     His soft lips parted and took just the head of the cock inside.  Oh,
god.  It tasted so good.  It was soft and delicious.  He never had any
idea.  It had a strange scent, but he realized that it was Ben's scent.
And that thought made him even hornier.  He sucked more of the growing rod
into his mouth and found that was made to go in there.  He pushed it all
the way in, and found his nose buried in Ben's pubes.  Even there, the male
scent that he found was intoxicating.

     "MMMMmmmmmmmmm," he moaned.

     "Yeah, you stud, suck it," Ben panted.

     And Thomas did.  The young hottie snarfed that dick down like he never
had before.  He had remembered the time that he overheard Ben and Brittney
fucking in her room one night while their parents were gone.  He wasn't
able to help it -- he had jacked off to the sounds of Ben pushing his
gargantuan dick into his sister.  Over and over, Thomas knew.  Part of him
had wished that night that it could have been him, if would have been able
to admit it.  Now, it all came rushing back to him.

     He pulled Ben's dick out of his mouth.

     "Fuck me," he breathed.

     "What?" Ben asked, surprised.  Normally it would take at least a few
more minutes for Thomas to feel that horny to want to do that.  Was he
really getting into it?

     Thomas looked him right in the eyes.  "Fuck me, like you used to fuck
her."

     The thought was so hot.  Ben flipped him over.

     The head of his dick was at the boy's ass.  The moist hole beckoned to
him. Ben lubed it up and put just the head of it in.

     "Oh god, yeah," Thomas breathed.

     "Yeah, little bro, you're gonna get fucked."

     Ben slowly sank his dick into the boy's ass.  Oh, god, it was hot.  It
was warm and wonderful.  He pushed it all the way in to the hilt.

     "Yeah, Ben, do me.  Fuck my ass."

     "Oh yeah, I'm gonna turn your punk ass out, little bro'."

     Then they began to fuck.  Really fuck.  Not the kind of sex that you
do when you aren't really into it.  No -- the kind of sex that is primal.
When you can't help what you are doing, but want more.  Much more.  The
kind of hot, sweaty sex that most people never have but only dream about.
Where both parties are equally into it.

     Bang, bang, bang up the ass went Ben's dick.

     "Unh, aww, unh," Thomas grunted.

     "Yeah, take it you closet fag," Ben breathed.  "I'm gonna fuck you up
the ass so hard, you'll never forget it.  You know you want it."

     "Unh, unh, unh," was all the varsity ball player could reply.  Ben
withdrew, flipped him back over onto his back and pushed all the way back
in the tight ass.

     He started to jack him off.  Thomas couldn't believe how hard his cock
was.  His sister's boyfriend was going to make him cum soon.  And that's
all there was too it.  And moreover -- he wanted it.  God, how he wanted
it.  He wanted the hot fucking load up his ass all the way.  And he was
gonna get it.

     He felt the cum start to rise from his nutsack into his shaft.  There
was no time to warn Ben -- even if there had been a reason.  The cum began
to shoot straight up and out onto both of their chests.  His dick swelled
as Ben jerked every drop out of it onto the both of them.  It seemed like
it would never stop.  The white spunk was flying everywhere.

     Ben could feel the ass grab his cock suddenly, and spasmed as the
younger man willingly gave up his load over and over for the hot football
jock.

     "Awwwwwwwwwww, UNGHHHH, UNGHHHH, UNNGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

     "Yeah, little bro, give me your nut," Ben cried, starting to pound his
mammoth dick into the tight willing ass even harder.

     In only a moment later, Ben came all the way up his ass, grunting and
groaning like an animal in heat that would never be satisfied.  He
collapsed on top of him.

     The deed had been done.

****

     It was only a few minutes later when they had both returned to reality
that Thomas propped himself up on one arm and looked at Ben with concern.

     "Did it work?" he asked.

     Ben felt strange.  He was in his bed with his girlfriend's brother,
covered in spunk.  And it didn't feel hot or dirty anymore -- not like it
normally would.

     He slowly started to nod.  "I think so."

     Thomas began to cry softly.  "Thank god."

     Ben looked over at his friend who had just changed so much to give him
another chance at a normal life.  He felt his heart swell, and felt --
what?  He didn't have a name for it.  He brushed the side of Thomas' face
and tenderly cupped his chin.

     "Thomas..." he began.

     "There's nothing to say, forget it," the younger boy said, rolling
over.

     Ben sighed.  What could he say?

     He reached over to his jacket on the floor and grabbed Madame Leota's
envelope out of the pocket.  He was curious now about what its contents
read.  Thomas looked over his shoulder as Ben began to open it up.

     "What's that?" he asked.

     "I forgot to tell you that the gypsy gave me this to open after I
slept with the person who returned me to normal."

     "What does it say?"

     Ben's mouth drooped a little as he read the handwritten scrawl on the
piece of paper.

     It read:

               BEN,

               THERE WAS NO CHOICE IN MAKING YOUR FRIEND GAY.
               BUT THE CHOICE I REFFERED TO WAS NOT WHETHER OR NOT
               TO MAKE HIM GAY -- BUT WHETHER YOU WOULD STAY STRAIGHT
               WHEN YOU FOUND OUT HOW MUCH HE LOVES YOU.

               YOU MUST NOW DECIDE:

               WILL YOU GO ON AS YOU WERE?  OR WILL YOU BE
               WITH THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU THE MOST IN THIS WORLD?

               MY SON NEVER HAD THE CHOICE.  BUT NOW, YOU DO.

               WHATEVER YOUR DECISION, MAY YOU FIND THE PEACE HE DID NOT
               FIND IN HIS LIFE.

- M --


     Ben could only stare at the letter and read it over and over.

     Thomas had looked over his shoulder and read it for himself.

     "Oh my god," he whispered.

     "Yeah," Ben replied.

     "Well, I didn't do this so we would both be fags -- I'm getting out of
here before I do something back to you."  Thomas jumped out of bed and
started to put his clothes on.

     "Wait," Ben asked.  Thomas looked up at him.  "I don't want you to
go," he said simply.

     "What are you saying?" the younger man yelled.  "All of this will have
been for nothing.  You'll have gotten out of the curse for nothing!"

     "Not for nothing," he whispered.

     Thomas could only stare back at him.

     Ben stood up in front of him, so close they were almost touching.

     "I love you, Thomas.  I always have." Ben admitted.  Despite the look
of shock on the younger guy's face, he continued.  "I started dating
Brittney because I was interested in you, but I was straight and couldn't
admit it to anyone.  I guess in a strange way I thought that being around
you would at least be good enough.  And your sister is great, so I really
did like her.  But not the way I did you."

     Thomas sank to the floor onto his knees.  A single tear fell down his
cheek.  "I felt the same way.  I loved you, but could never admit it."

     His hands went to his face.  "And now you are straight again.  We
never had a chance together."

     That's when Ben kissed him.

     Thomas pulled back.  "What are you doing?"

     Ben smiled sweetly.  "I've made my choice.  I want to be with you."

     "Are you sure?  You went through all of this to become straight
again?"

     "No," Ben said.  "I went through all of this to be happy.  And you
make me happy."

     Ben kissed him again.  And this time, Thomas kissed him back.

     Ben had been straight again for only ten minutes, and during that
time, he had found the person that he was supposed to be with.  And this
time, he knew that the curse's effects would be permanent -- thank god.  He
didn't want to be with anyone else.

     Ben and Thomas had been in love all along.  They just couldn't have
admitted it to each other before now.  How funny that Madame Leota's curse
had turned out in the end to be a blessing instead.

     As he and Thomas made love all night, he knew that things would be all
right.  After all, their future was in the cards.  And now, in their hands.


****

     Bryan and his team of fag commandos had split up with the main group
for the evening.  Bryan wanted to get a drink at one of the nearby pubs.
Who knew?  Maybe they would find some hot new straight boys to convert.  If
not, maybe they would call Guy later to have him hook them up with a pizza.

     They had to park in the lot behind the college stadium as all of the
other lots were full.  Being ROTC cadets they didn't mind walking down a
dark alley to take a shortcut.  They could take care of themselves.

     Or so they thought.

     Eight or nine drunk men suddenly surrounded them from out of nowhere.
Each of them had a ball bat or other weapon in their hands.  The three
younger men were outnumbered.

     "Y'all must be some of them college faggots I keep hearing rumors
about," one of them said.  "We don't like faggots around these parts."

     "Yeah, well, we'll be going then," Bryan said, and they started to
back out the way they came.

     He never saw the first blow hit him.  He fell to the ground as the men
above him started to kick and beat the three of them with their hands and
feet.  He tried to get away but there were too many of them.

     In pain, he lunged away from the group toward the street.  He stumbled
and landed hard.  He tried to make it toward the alley entrance -- not that
far away, he thought.  He saw a lone figure walking in front of him on the
sidewalk, and his heart filled with hope.

     "Help us!" he cried.

     The figure turned to him and regarded him with contempt.  The old
woman was wearing a sash of some kind around her head and waist.  She only
stood and watched as the men above pulled him back into the group.  He
suddenly knew that he was doomed.  And that the older woman in front of him
would never help him.

     His last thought was that she reminded him of the young guy he and his
friends had beat up last year on campus.  No one had ever found out about
it.  But as the darkness began to close in on him, he realized with
unexpected clarity that the woman on the sidewalk had known somehow.

     His screams continued for a few minutes more, then stopped forever.

     The old woman turned and walked down the street.  As she vanished into
the swirling fog that had sprung up suddenly in the town, Madame Leota
could only feel relief that her son had finally had justice.

     And that the curse had stopped.

     For now.