"My substantial lad," Dad said, clapping me on the back. "I know they have a gym on campus, but you're there to study Computer Science, not body build."
"I did great on the finals," I groaned. "You can give me crap when I inevitably fail Diff EQ this spring!"
"I'm just giving you a hard time," he said with a wink. "here, let me help you with your bags."
The two of us walked inside and I was hit with the familiar scent of home. My old bedroom was just how I left it before I went off to college. With a thin layer of snow beginning to gather on the window sill, I was ready for a nice, calm week.
Christmas with my family was always interesting. The eternal joker, Dad always had some silly gift mixed in with the rest. Mom always made too many dishes and then stressed about not having enough time to cook it all. At nearly two years younger than me, Alex had been enjoying her time as an "only child". Being the younger sibling was cause enough for her to act as bratty as possible, but as a highschooler, she seemed to take the responsibility very seriously.
I laid down with a sigh on my bed. The box spring creaked in its familiar tone beneath my weight and in that moment, I felt like I was preserved in a single, perfect instant. Little did I know that the week ahead would be the beginning of a new, hellish existence.
🌟🎄🌟
The twenty-fifth arrived in the same way it had since before I went off to college. Dad was always the first up and about on Christmas. I awoke to the sound and smell of the coffee machine percolating. Weary from my trip across state, I took the time to sleep in a bit until Alex barged in.
"Anon," she hissed. "It's time to get up! We're all waiting for you downstairs. Dad won't let me open my presents until your lazy ass is there!"
With a sigh I rolled out of bed and straightened my pajama shorts, slowly trudging my way downstairs; partially from actual sloth and partially to annoy my sister further. The family room was just as it always had been on Christmas morning. The plastic tree was lit in a colorful display and the presents were neatly laid out under the tree. Just beside the tree was a small cluster of presents; the ones "from Santa"—Dad's infamous joke presents. We all exchanged gifts while sipping on coffee and hot chocolate. Soon came the only moment I had really been dreading since I arrived. With a mischievous grin, Dad passed me my present from Santa and I turned the parcel over in my hands.
Beneath the wrapping paper was some fabric. Squeezing the present slightly, I could tell it was a garment of some kind. I knew there was no point in delaying the inevitable. With a sharp breath, I tore the paper off, revealing two striped, thigh-high socks. A morbid grimace crossed my face as Dad beamed.
"Ah, looks like Santa's looking out for you, pal!" he said. "Isn't that a pair of 'Programmer Socks'? I hear they're all the rage with guys your age!"
Alex stifled a laugh; the two of us knew exactly what was coming.
"Well, put them on!" Dad continued. "I'm sure they'll show off those quads and glutes you've been working so hard on."
Rolling my eyes, I took the socks and laid them out. Starting with the left foot, I wrapped the sock around my toes, then pulled up. Something like a jolt of electricity shot through me as I pulled them up. Startling though it was, there was almost a calming effect to it, and the sensation was over as soon as it has started. I put on the second sock just as I had the first; both of them riding up to my mid-thighs.
"They look great on you!" Alex laughed. "Most of my friends wish they had legs like yours."
"Well, they are pretty comfortable. It's like my legs are being gripped by a big friendly hand!" I joked as we moved to the kitchen for breakfast.
Each step I took in the socks brought with it a strange, invigorating sensation. Though I wouldn't have admitted it to my family, they actually were incredibly comfortable!
🌟🎄🌟
I first knew something was wrong when I rubbed my chin the next morning. It had been a couple days since I shaved, so I was expecting some hearty stubble, but as my hand slid over my face, my groggy senses perceived a cheek a smooth as a baby's bottom. With a start, I jumped awake, rushing to the bathroom. Closing the door quickly, I surveyed the face in the reflection. It was me alright, but something was wrong. My facial hair was gone and my features seemed softer. My nose had softened slightly and my lips looked... pouty?
As my gaze went down, I saw that my carefully toned muscles had seemed to vanish, although my quads and glutes remained to some degree, taut under a thin layer of fat, all still held within those striped socks. A shudder went through me and instinctively I tried to pull them off, but I couldn't do it. They seemed to be fused to my skin. Painless, but firmly clinging to my thighs, if I focused, I could almost feel a pulse coming from them.
I knew I had to