Delphine's Date The New World of SwapTech chapter 4 by witeja9199

The underwear, Jack discovered in a campus restroom stall, was black satin with AMBITION stitched across the seat in gold thread and a small embroidered ladder climbing toward the waistband. He resolved never to mention it to anyone, ever. He then spent four minutes learning several startling things about plumbing, none of which he had consented to.

Afterward he found the syllabus on Del's phone. Page eleven, footnote two: Disclosure of a swap to any non-participant constitutes failure of the course.

"Of course it does," Jack told the mirror. The mirror showed him a broad-shouldered woman with a jaw you could open bottles on, and said nothing helpful.

The Gilded Hamster smelled of spilled lager and bad decisions, which, according to the owner, were the two things keeping the lights on. Marcus waited in a corner booth, tall and golden and shaped like a retriever with a lacrosse scholarship.

"Delly!" He stood, swallowed Jack in a hug, and let one hand drift south with the confidence of a man who had never been refused by anything but gravity.

Jack's right hand moved on its own. It caught Marcus's wrist, rotated it, and folded it into a position that silenced the entire booth.

"Ow," said Marcus, thrilled. "Oh, yes. Ow. God, I missed you."

"Don't—" Jack dropped his voice into what he hoped was Del's register. "Don't touch the merchandise without asking."

"You've never said that before."

"Personal growth."

"It's been two days."

"Very fast growth." He released the wrist and sat, noticing that his borrowed chest had reached the table several seconds before the rest of him. He folded his arms over it like a man smuggling a bomb.

Marcus slid in opposite, studying him. "You're weird tonight. Normally you tell me my posture's terrible and steal my fries."

"Your posture is fine."

"That's worse."

A waiter appeared. "The usual, Del?"

"Sure," said Jack, who in that moment would have agreed to donate a kidney.

The usual proved to be a pint of something black and a plate of wings in a sauce called Regret. Jack's eyes watered at once.