“Dude...” Brian’s voice trailed off, his eyes locked on the figure seated before him on the bed.
“Yeah, it’s me,” Asher said softly. He sat there, legs crossed, his hands resting on his smooth thighs. His once skinny frame was now undeniably feminine. Small breasts sat in the cups of his black lace bra. 
Brian swallowed hard, his phone feeling heavy in his hand. “Are those?”
“Real boobs. The beginnings of them, yeah.”
“Okay. I don’t get it. You were just into crossdressing, man. Just a femboy thing...”
Asher’s eyes didn’t waver from Brian’s gaze. “It started like that. Just fun, right? Just fucking with gender norms and stuff. I’d always been skinny, so girl clothes fit me better than guy clothes anyway. But then...”
Brian shifted uncomfortably. He couldn’t take his eyes off the ever-so-slight jiggle of Asher’s chest as he spoke. “But then what?”
Asher sighed, picking at the bedspread. “Remember that guy I met online? The one who was into femboys? He said he could help me ‘take it to the next level.’ Offered me pills, injections... I thought they were just supplements or something.”
Brian sat down beside him. “And?”
“And they were hormones,” Asher confessed. “By the time I figured it out, I... I didn’t want to stop.”
He shook his head. “Dude, we’ve talked about this. You said over and over that you weren’t trans or anything. That it was just fun to trick people. You were adamant about it.”
Asher bit his lip. “I didn’t want to stop because of... how you started to look at me differently. It was like you could sense the estrogen in my system or something. Don’t you remember how you started touching me more? Like, just casual brushes of your hand, but it was different. I liked the attention. I liked feeling... wanted, in a way I never did before.”
Brian stepped closer. “I didn’t realize. I mean, I thought you were just more confident or something.”
“It’s more than that now. But I’m scared, man. Scared you’ll bail on me because this isn’t what you signed up for.”
Brian’s hand hovered in the air, uncertain if he should reach out. “Bro - er, can I still call you ‘bro’? I’m not bailing on you. I--"
Asher slowly rose up on his knees. God, he was pretty, his pale skin catching the sunlight. “I don’t know what I am yet. Maybe ‘bro’ is fine. Maybe not. I’m figuring it out. But, yeah, I’m scared you won’t stick around.”
Brian’s hand finally found its way to Asher’s arm. It was smooth and soft. “I’m not going anywhere. This is a lot to take in, but you’re my friend.”
Slowly, Asher reached up and undid the bra clasp, letting it fall to the bed. “I want more than friendship. When I told you about the ‘femboy’ thing, you didn’t even blink. Notice what happened to the rest of our friends? Even the girls?”
“Yeah, they were supportive at first, but then they started drifting away. I noticed.” Brian couldn’t help as his gaze darted to Asher’s bare chest.
“You can touch them. They’re not much, but they’re real,” Asher said quietly.
Brian hesitated before his hand moved, almost of its own accord, to brush against the swell of Asher’s breasts. The contact was electric, sending a jolt through both of them.
“I don’t want to mess this up,” Brian said.
“You won’t.” He covered Brian’s hand with his own, pressing it gently against his chest. “I trust you.”
The room was silent except for their shared breaths.
Brian looked at his friend, who now looked for all the world like the prettiest girl he’d ever seen. “Can I--”
“Yes.” The answer was immediate, almost desperate. 
Brian leaned forward, his lips meeting Asher’s in a tentative kiss that lingered for a moment before deepening. Asher’s hands found their way to Brian’s strong shoulders, gripping them lightly.
When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless, their eyes searching each other’s, trying to read the emotions that lingered there.
“Yeah, uh, definitely not calling you ‘bro’ anymore,” Brian said with a shaky laugh.
“How about ‘babe’ or ‘sweetheart’?” Asher smiled.
Brian grinned and dipped back in for another kiss. “Yeah, that’ll work.”