Ryder and Justin Grow Further Apart, But Finally Return to Beach Skaters by kooldoggie
Ryder and Justin had found each other again, but on their way back to the beach, where they hoped they could finally return to the 70's style skater life they'd learned to love, they would be waylaid and almost lose each other once again...
The two skaterboys, holding hands tenderly, rode the bus taking them back to Venice Beach, hoping that once they were back in their chill milieu they would be able to mellow back to the 70's skaters that loved fun in the sun. For now, they'd had to compromise with their strong competing personas, so that Justin sported a more preppy, slightly more conservative style, while Ryder, once Xander the total metalhead stud, had tamed the raging fucker enough so that he would be content as a rather cute skaterpunk; though the hardcore rock god probably would have smirked at this wannabe street punk, who although he might try hard to look tough, still exuded too much innocent boy, his blue eyes too sweet and his cut, fitness model frame not nearly hard enough for the high-energy rock star.
Justin, brushing aside his long, brown bangs, smiled at his punkish lover, who insisted on listening to his thrasher music, bopping his head to the music with those chunky DJ headphones on top his spraypainted bangs. Ryder glanced at Justin with those beautiful blue eyes and gave a half-smile, curling his lip slightly to keep it punk, but still he squeezed Justin's smaller hand with affection.
The bus stopped, still a few miles from the beach, and they knew they had to get off to switch to another line to get them there. They picked up their boards from under their skate shoes and hopped off, searching for the way to the next stop. Justin spotted the way they had to go and called for Ryder to follow, but the skaterpunk still had his headphones on and couldn't hear his boyfriend's soft voice, his attention distracted by a group of skaterpunks like himself hanging out and smoking cigarettes on the sidewalk, a few riding their boards across the sidewalk. Ryder thought it would be cool to meet others like him, but he suddenly remembered Justin. By the time he turned around, however, the preppy skater had vanished.
"Fuuuuck," drawled young Ryder, pissed off that it had happened again. Part of him wanted to race down the street to try to find his lover, but a stronger part wanted to go where it was safest, among his peers across the street. Still, they looked a little more hardcore than he was, a few with tall, wildly colored mohawks even, and Ryder shifted uncomfortably in his torn-up jeans, knowing he had to decide quick. The panic hit him hard, and he started crossing the street, already changing to appear more suitable to the several young punks.
Meanwhile, Justin had rounded the corner to find a strip of high-fashion young men's stores facing him, and he felt distracted for a bit, momentarily forgetting about Ryder, sort of just assuming he had been tagging along. There were some pretty cool threads on display there, thought the trendy preppy skater, and he did have his credit card handy, so he didn't think it would do any harm just to take a look and see what they had...
About half an hour later, Justin re-emerged onto the street with a more confident step, his face a bit more mature. His environment definitely had caused an unconscious effect on him, as he now seemed radically more preppy skater than before, about the only thing skaterish about him being the board still in his hand. He had found a bitchin' yellow polo shirt that hugged his lightly-muscled frame tight, and he'd replaced the rolled-up jeans with a pair of tan Dockers, his feet now in boating shoes. With a new Casio watch and even a haircut Ð he'd ditched the long bangs at a nearby salon, so now his dark hair was again styled perfect and gelled Ð he now screamed privileged college boy. And yet only now did he realize Ryder was nowhere to be seen.
His heart racing, he ran back to where he'd last seen him, only to find at the bus stop a rather sketchy looking group of skaterpunks lounging around, with Ryder laughing and joking along with them, as if he'd known them for years. Only Ryder had changed, and he was looking way more punk now than when Justin had left him, certainly not a cute wannabe. True, he was still attractive as hell, with a smoldering masculine rebel energy to him, his blue eyes now sharp and mean, but Justin realized it would be all that much harder to get them back where they needed to be if he wasn't pulled away from that crowd right away.
Ryder saw the more preppy Justin and laughed mockingly, saying, "Dude, what you do to yourself?" But Justin wasn't paying attention, focusing on pulling Ryder away. The sullen, almost emoish kid, now, jerked back, yelling "Fuck off, prep. I mean, I love you, dude, but I'm not going back to being that little kid. I'm chillin' right here." And he stuck his middle finger in the air. Justin couldn't believe this was happening. Sexy Ryder looked a couple of inches taller, maybe another twenty pounds of rock-hard muscle added on to make him look fierce and untouchable. His long hair was now shaved on the sides, the remaining thick dark blonde hair having now several more streaks of wild colors added to it and slicked back down his neck. His ears had a few more piercings, a bar stuck through one, while on his neck the tattoo of a fist poked out from his spiked collar.
Ryder flashed his hard eyes, the rings still pierced through his eyebrows above them, as he smoked a cigarette, blowing out white tendrils while his bare pecs heaved in satisfaction. He had thrown off his leather vest, leaving him barechested again, and Justin could see the more muscular torso had several more tattoos, the arms again becoming sleeved. The change was continuing even as they stood there, and Justin knew if he didn't act fast it was going to be impossible to stop Ryder from becoming total hard-edged punk.
He used the only tactic a loving boyfriend still had, looking the now taller boy dead in the eye and saying, "Ryder, babe, please let's go. I love you too much to let you go..."
The hard blue eyes widened at the expression of this heartfelt eternal bond, way too soft and romantic for any punk to accept, and yet Ryder looked uncomfortable, shifting around a little in his spraypainted skate shoes, with the ripped-up jeans with the rolled cuffs above them, and he glanced at the speechless punks around him, very uncertain of himself. Justin smiled inwardly, knowing the fear and uncertainty among his own crowd was always instrumental in allowing Ryder to let go. Finally Ryder sighed, flexing his pecs a little as if defensively, then he put out his cigarette on the sidewalk and answered sullenly, "Fuck you, dude," but it was a tone of resignation. Ryder picked up his skateboard and, shoulders sagging, accompanied preppy Justin to the bus stop.
The now stranger sight of the sullen punk skater and the handsome, neat preppy beside him amused the passengers as the two rode the final leg of the journey back to Venice. They were now coming through some very chill, laid-back streets, the smell of the sea and salt air growing, and the barechested punk took in a deepening breath, hoping that the change wouldn't be too painful. He was doing this for Justin, but as a smart-ass punk he couldn't sappily say he loved him anymore, and he wouldn't even hold his hand, barely speaking to him for the rest of the ride. But he dearly hoped Justin wouldn't be mad and would understand, his hard muscles trembling with the confusion already brewing inside him. Justin, too, regretted having been seduced by the preppy call, and part of him was irked to leave such cool clothes and houses and the privileged life he had grown to enjoy, but the stronger part of him loved Ryder and would do anything to be with him again.
At last, the bus stopped at the beach. The teen and college-age skaters were already out, and Ryder and Justin would soon feel the urge to join them. The swaggering punk, trembling a bit more now despite his attempts at bravado, followed Justin down the boardwalk, his blue eyes a tad less mean, growing larger and more innocent, but still very scared. "You- you really love that boy, huh, dude?" the punk whispered in a low tone unsuited for such a smart-ass. Justin, trembling a little also as he removed the cool polo shirt to let his buff chest take in the sun, answered, "Oh, yes, more than anything..."
That's all skaterpunk Ryder needed to hear, as he groaned in both pain and pleasure, the burning in his own buff chest starting to pull him back to the beach skater life. Justin watched, fascinated, as more and more elements of the tough punk disappeared, replaced with the features of the little blonde 70's style skater Justin had grown to cherish. The wild streaks of color faded from the hair, the shaved areas growing back in, as long, straight, whitening hair pulled out, hitting his shoulders and going beyond, until it hit his nipples in front, his shoulderblades in back. The proud pecs deflated, tattoos fading into darkening skin, all piercings falling out. Ryder was forced to double over and retch, the tongue piercing having to fall out. The skeleton reduced in size, the bones no longer tough and strong but light and slender for aerodynamic skating greatness, as the tight ripped jeans grew looser, sliding off slender brown legs to leave him in just a pair of short, nylon shorts. The feet shrunk a little back to size 9, having to step out of and discard the punkish skate shoes, and smaller Ryder wiggled his dark, brown toes on equally dusky feet, the same bare feet that had attracted b-ball jock Tanner and gotten Ryder messed up in this latest cycle.
The angelic pixie was almost back, exulted Justin, as he felt his own short, brown hair lengthening again, hitting his shoulders and falling into his eyes, and the muscle shrank from his gym-worked prep body. All materialistic thoughts were now leaving his brain, only thoughts of sun, simple fun and love for Ryder permeating his psyche.
Ryder breathed hard, each breath contracting him smaller and slimmer, and he groaned and whimpered, tears falling from his increasingly cute dark face as he endured the pain of switching lives. He found his skateboard and gripped it with small, dusky toes, using this as a crutch to help him complete the change. Finally, he was again 5'4" and a skinny 105 lbs., perhaps even a touch smaller this time, a young boy built for speed and agility, his lanky, hairless dark legs taut with skater muscle, not another hair on his body other than the wispy golden pubes emerging from the top of his low-hanging short shorts. His belly was firm and taut with a shallow six-pack, the pecs tight and only slightly raised from his chest, the arms slender with firm balls of golf-ball sized muscles, and all covered by an even, brown tan, contrasting that long, whitish-blonde mane of straight, thick hair magnificently. He wore only a necklace of earth-colored beads in addition to the skimpy shorts, and Ryder, now firmly back, wanted it that way always.
As did Justin, now again the taller one at 5'8", with 115 lbs. of skinny muscle also covered by a dark tan. He had ditched the Dockers and the fashionable shoes, finding his frayed Lee's resting on a low wall, and he wasn't afraid to flash the other skaters momentarily as he slipped those on, none of the beach skaters bothering with underwear of course. His beautiful gold chain with his initial had to be sacrificed, his hemp choker back. And so he was only a brunette hippie hottie, naked save his low-hanging jeans, holding onto his board as he went over to kiss the adorable Ryder, companion for life.
"Dude, we gotta be more careful next time," said Ryder in his higher, boyish voice, as he rolled his dark bare foot over his board, itching to catch some air. "Yeah, babe, but I'll make sure not to leave you anymore if some jocks come over. We stick together."
"Always!" the little blonde angel smiled brightly as they took off on their boards, another adventure completed, for now...