BGryphon18 Posted May 8, 2016 Share Posted May 8, 2016 Hey guys, Sorry this took so long but with various real life issues it just kept getting put on the back burner. Apologies if it seems to "stutter" in a few places as I started and stopped several times so it lacks that cohesion and the dozen or two proofreads that I gave the last two chapters. Please let me know of any major issues, suggestions or edits though as I always appreciate the extra pairs of eyes on it. Prologue: Link Frame 1: Link *** The week passed very uneventfully for Greg as the nuances of running a business presented themselves and no other special customer’s presented themselves. Without realizing how much time had passed, Greg found himself being called out to the front counter by Lily saying someone was asking for him. Coming out of his office, Greg had a clear line of sight on the main counter and it took a fraction of a second to realize who it was: Kyle. Maybe it was having not seen him for so long, but Greg could have sworn he looked bigger… though that was probably due to the fact that everyone around him looked “small” by comparison, especially the person he seemed to be here with. “Kyle!” Greg called when he was a few feet away. Kyle turned at the sound of his name and, seeing who it was, grinned broadly and stretched out his hand. Greg took it and pulled him into a one armed hug finding that their combined bulk allowed his hand to barely pass Kyle’s shoulder. “How have you been?” “I’ve been great Greg, thanks for asking. Had such a good time here last week that I thought I’d stop by again for another game or two. Oh, this is Aaron. He’s a friend who I finally convinced to join me for a game.” Greg turned slightly to greet the man standing next to Kyle. He was maybe an inch taller but had the look of a man who had lost a lot of weight in a very short time. Greg extended his hand for a second time to Aaron. “Nice to meet you Aaron. I’m Greg, the owner of this place.” Aaron shook Greg’s hand firmly and as soon as it made contact, Greg could tell this was a “special” client. Well that’s new, Greg thought. A previous client escorting a new one… interesting. “Hi. Really nice place you have here.” Aaron replied. “It’s been ages since I’ve been bowling but Kyle insisted and he’s not one to be denied.” “Ha! No I suppose he’s not. How do you two know each other?” Greg inquired. “Oh he’s been volunteering at the local VA hospital in the physical therapy department. He’s been helping people with their rehab. I’ve been there for a while in-between chemo sessions making sure I stay active and retain the little strength left to me.” Aaron said this with the mix of someone who was slightly embarrassed to admit they were weaker than they once were, humble about being a veteran, yet proud that they were still “fighting” and winning against such a virulent disease. Greg could tell why he had been brought here then, both by Kyle and the slightly more coaxing hand of Fate. “Well welcome, I hope you have a good time and thank you for your service.” Greg shook his hand again and could tell that Aaron was one of those people who didn’t really like getting attention for his service but appreciated it all the same. “I’ll let Lily get you sorted as everyone gets their first game free here as well as get your shoes. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like a private work with Kyle quick. He’s already in the system and it will just take a moment.” “Oh sure, take your time. I’ll need to find a ball when I’m done anyway.” Aaron turned back to the counter and began talking to Lily. As he was doing so, Greg put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder and walked him a few paces away to speak more privately. “So Kyle, how have you been?” Greg asked the near equal behemoth when they were alone. “Great!” Kyle replied “Been a busy week with my school work, training and starting at the VA hospital. My coach at school recommended it based on the fact it’s what I want to go to college for and they always need volunteers.” Greg smiled at him before replying. “That’s great news! Glad to hear you’re helping others…” Greg trailed off as he cast a silent spell to “revert” Kyle to his previous life from last week. “But now you need to let me know how you’re REALLY doing.” Kyle blinked once or twice as the effect of the spell washed over him. It was more than a little disconcerting to have two sets of memories overlap suddenly. Hard enough from just a week’s worth, but even more so when the last decade or so gets added. “I’m… I” Kyle stuttered a bit as the last of the changes took place. “Oh my head…” “Give it another second and the disorientation should pass. Sorry there’s not an easier way to do this, but it’s not often people want to have the choice to retain their previous lives.” Greg put his hand on Kyle’s shoulder to help steady him. “I’m okay now. Wow… that isn’t something you normally feel is it?” Kyle shook his head a couple times to help him focus. He then had a look on his face of almost pained concentration as he started comparing his two sets of memories and evaluating them. Greg gave him about a minute or so of quiet contemplation before clearing his throat to get Kyle’s attention. “So? What’s the verdict?” Greg asked with the tone of not that Kyle needed to decide on which life to choose now, but on his opinion of how the spell had augmented his life, rather than changing it completely. Unfortunately, Kyle seemed to think it was him asking to make the choice. “Oh… um… I don’t know… both are good I guess but if I had to pick one…” Kyle started before Greg held up a hand to stop him. “I’m not talking about that, well not directly at least. You’ve got until you leave again to make the choice so you have lots of time to mull it over. I just meant what do you think about your second life on the whole.” “Oh! Well…” Kyle thought again with that same look of concentration. “I guess it’s good. I mean there are a lot more memories about being in the gym rather than just being in my room hiding from my brother’s so that’s a plus I suppose.” “Well just relax, reflect, and go have fun with Aaron. As a businessman, I’m glad you are bringing people here, but as a friend I’m glad to see you’re spending time with people and not here alone again.” Kyle smiled at this comment, thought it was a mix of both pride and realization that he really WAS sort of a loner before. “Thanks. Yeah looks like he’s picking out his ball so I should go get my shoes! I’ll come find you when we’re done and let you know.” Kyle looked slightly panicked about his upcoming decision but Greg knew he’d be okay after their game. “Take your time. Enjoy the game and spending time with a friend.” And what the results of your game will be, Greg thought slyly allowing a slight modification to the enchantments to allow Kyle to be aware of the forthcoming changes to his friend. Greg grinned as Kyle turned to head back to the counter where Lily was ready with his shoes. He wanted nothing more than to watch this change unfold, but the endless paperwork of being a business owner called to him and, very begrudgingly, he headed back to his office to continue working on it. ***** Kyle went to the rack of rental balls and quickly picked out the one he had used the week before. Aaron had already chosen his and was entering their names on the console for their lane. Was that the same ball I used last week? Kyle thought to himself as he sat down to put on his shoes. I wonder… “Looks like I’m up first. Try not to laugh at me too much okay?” Aaron said with mock sincerity which did not completely mask the fact that he was feeling a little self-conscience about his ability compared to the monster that was Kyle. “I promise. You should have been here last week for my first game… I highly doubt you could do worse than that!” Kyle thought back to that game and immediately recalled his first throw ending up in the gutter, though that was closely followed by the recollection of how it felt to be growing frame after frame. “Ah how you underestimate me young Padawan.” Aaron grinned at Kyle before turning back to face the lane. After taking a moment to line up his shot, he threw it with far more accuracy than Kyle and ended up taking out 8 of the 10 pins. “Hmm.” Aaron mused as he turned around. “Not as bad as it could have been I suppose…” Kyle laughed at him before saying “Well seeing as how mine ended up in the gutter before it made it halfway down the lane, you’ve already shown me up!” Aaron laughed. “Ah but the true test is in the second attempt.” He replied, still with that mock sage voice from earlier. He grabbed his ball from the return and lined up for his attempt at the spare. He tossed the ball and at first Kyle was sure it was going to miss, but then it turned and collided with both pins almost dead on! “Congrats!” Kyle called to him slightly astonished by the result. “I was sure you were going to miss them!” “Just like riding a bike I guess.” Aaron replied but when Kyle looked confused, he clarified “I used to bowl quite a bit before I was deployed. No pro, but decent enough to get that spin on the ball to aim better.” Aaron looked proud as he returned to his seat to allow Kyle to take his turn. Glancing up at the scoreboard overhead he grinned again as he sat down. Kyle looked up too and under the pretext of getting his grip situated on the ball, looked over at Aaron expecting to see him grow. Hmm, maybe it’s nothing to do with the ball itself? Of course, he may not be “destined” to grow like me at all… Kyle shook his head a bit more to clear out the conflict of memories and lined up for his shot. With more than a little shock, he ended up getting a strike to start off. “Congrats Kyle! Looks like you’re off to a much better start this game!” Aaron called as he got up from his seat. Kyle couldn’t help but grin. “Yeah don’t suppose I could do much better than that to start! Now let’s see YOU do that!” He said sportingly to his friend. As he looked up at the scoreboard seeing the large “X” in his first frame, he realized that there was no score listed. Oh right! Kyle thought, His score is dependent on the next frame after getting a strike or spare! Maybe he WILL grow like me after all. Kyle couldn’t help but get excited at this thought. Sure he knew that there was nothing like the feeling of growing yourself, but he imagined that watching someone else change would be pretty damn close! “Aye, aye sir!” Aaron replied with a quick salute. Kyle grinned as he knew that Aaron was both having fun with him, but also part of him was “programmed” for that response from his military training. Aaron went up to the return and got his ball but waited for another second or two as the pins were set up for his frame. “Hey Aaron, what are you weighing these days?” Kyle couldn’t help but want to know the baseline if his friend was INDEED in for some serious growing within the next hour. “About 110. Why do you ask?” Aaron eyes him suspiciously from the front of the lane. Oh crap! Kyle thought. Think of something… “Oh I was just curious is all. Been a while since I checked from your PT charts at the hospital.” Okay, not the LAMEST reason I could come up with but… “Okay, but why do you ask NOW?” Aaron asked with that slight suspicion in his eyes again. “My mind works in strange ways. Things tend to pop in and out without any rational reason.” Technically I have a VERY rational reason… you might start hulking out thanks to magic in this bowling alley… yeah, that’s REALLY rational… Aaron seemed to be placated and turned back to take his next shot. With much the same control, he launched the ball down the alley to have it strike the pins at a near perfect angle to knock them all down. “YES!” Aaron cheered pumping his fist in celebration. As he made his way back to his seat and his score updated overhead, he was struck by a sudden surge of warmth spreading through his body. He gripped the console to steady himself as Kyle came over looking slightly concerned. “Aaron are you okay?” Kyle put a hand on his shoulder while Aaron took a couple deep breaths. As he did so, Kyle noticed that the shirt was getting tighter on each breath. Microseconds later, he felt Aaron’s shoulder start to pump and swell as well against his hand. He IS going to grow! Kyle thought and grinned internally. This is going to be EXCELLENT! “Y-yeah. I’m okay. Just a little flushed for a moment. Must have been the excitement over my first strike!” Aaron took a few more deep breaths causing his shirt to tighten that much more. Kyle looked up and saw the number “20” updated onto Aaron’s first frame: 20 pounds right out of the gate huh? Kyle mused. I don’t think I hit that until my 3rd frame! If he keeps this up, he’s going to make both me AND Greg look small… After about a minute Aaron seemed to be back to normal. “Better? Maybe you should sit down.” Kyle ushered Aaron towards the chair. “I’m okay. Feel much better now thanks.” Aaron took one last deep breath and let is out slowly. “Just a bit of a head rush but I’m good now.” Aaron smiled to emphasize this point and put Kyle at ease. “Well let me know if that changes okay?” Kyle almost glared at Aaron to make his point quite clear. It would have been frightening if Aaron didn’t know him better. “I will Mom. Now go take your turn!” Aaron teased him. “Aye, aye sir!” Kyle replied and gave his own salute to Aaron mimicking him from a few moments previously. Kyle grinned and turned to go take his shot. He got into position and turned back one last time to check on Aaron before letting the ball fly down the lane. Even in the nearly packed alley, the resounding CRASH was audible. Aaron was surprised some of the pins didn’t splinter. “Easy there, killer! Don’t want to break anything do you?” Aaron laughed nervously at Kyle but was none the less both afraid and impressed at the display of strength from the super-sized teen. “Yeah… sometimes I forget how strong I am.” Kyle replied sheepishly. It was a half-truth: with his former memories restored, he was FAR stronger than he used to be. Yet if he focused, he could remember the many, MANY hours he spent in the gym and his gradual increase in strength. This is weird, he thought. It’s almost like I’m possessed or something. “Well reign it in Hulk or you’re gonna smash through the back wall!” Aaron chuckled as he stood up to take his next frame. After taking a moment to line up his shot, he tossed the ball down the lane but miscalculated his spin resulting in only 5 pins falling. “Ah damn” he said “Bit of a letdown after a strike last frame! But a spare will have to do!” Kyle shrugged at him in response in consolation given the configuration of the remaining pins was going to make it very difficult to get the spare. Aaron retrieved his ball from the return and let it go down the lane seconds later. Sure enough, only 4 pins went down with the last not even twitching in the attempt. “Bad luck man. Would have been really impressed if you had managed to pull that off though!” Kyle consoled him, but was in nervous anticipation for Aaron’s next round of growth as his second and third frame scores updated overhead: 28 more pounds! Kyle thought excitedly as he saw Aaron taking another few deep breaths as the next wave of growth hit him. Just shy of 50 pounds was definitely going to be noticeable… especially since he seemed to not care or notice the first 20… which, now that he thought about it, was highly suspicious. Kyle watched as the t-shirt Aaron was wearing grew even tighter. Collar was now both tight and creeping lower down his chest as his pecs swelled outward with at least 3 inches of added growth to them. Sleeves filled and filled, and FILLED before starting to roll up into the relatively smaller space between his now formidable upper arms and rounded delts. His jeans filled out quite a bit more as well though not quite as tight as his shirt. They now clung much more firmly to his thighs though still loose enough for the growth to come. Aaron raised a hand to his chest as he continued to breathe deeply in response to his growth. Feeling his heart beating harder and faster as just shy of 30 pounds of muscle was added to his frame in the span of about 30 seconds. “How are you feeling Aaron?” Kyle asked with a mild amount of trepidation. “Fine. Just another one of those weird dizzy spells. Maybe I need some water. I’ll be right back.” Aaron turned and headed towards the café to get something to drink. Kyle was definitely confused by now. Why hasn’t he said something about his growth? He wondered. I mean, he’s gained almost 50% of his bodyweight in new muscle, is about 10 pounds away from ripping through his shirt (though I know he won’t) but he hasn’t mentioned it. It’s almost as if… does he not realize it!? Kyle got up and made his way towards Greg’s office. He knocked a couple times before hearing Greg response inviting him in. “Hey Kyle! You’re not done with your game already are you?” Greg checked his watch to see how much time had passed. “No. No we’re not even halfway done yet, but why doesn’t Aaron realize he’s growing?” Kyle asked waving off Greg’s question in eagerness to have his own answered. Greg grinned at him slightly resembling the Cheshire Cat. “How do you know he doesn’t realize it? Maybe he has but doesn’t want to draw attention to it or be thought of as crazy by his friend…” Greg tried to level his face out but he was unsuccessful. “Riiight. He just accepts it as a normal occurrence and casually went to get something to drink… Come on, fess up. DOES he know?” “No. His change is being integrated as he goes. Unlike yours where you noticed it and reality didn’t shift until you left, his are happening as he goes and, in his viewpoint, he has looked like he currently does for a while now.” Greg explained knowing what Kyle’s next question was going to be. “So then why do I realize it?” He asked and Greg smiled again. “Because I let you. Just before I left you I made a tweak to the spell to allow you to notice it but no one else. How much has he grown so far?” Greg asked interestedly. “About 50 pounds…” Kyle answered absentmindedly. “Wow, and you said you’re about halfway through? He should look much better by the time you’re done then. Shame I am too busy to watch his progress too.” “Why did you let me notice?” Kyle asked at barely above a whisper and turning a moderate shade of red. It was almost comical to see a man the size of Kyle trying to look small due to embarrassment. “Because I knew you’d enjoy it. Besides, SOMEONE should be witness to the changes. To see them metamorphose into their new selves is a beautiful thing.” Not the WHOLE truth, Greg though, but enough to let him relax a bit and enjoy it more. “Oh… okay. Um… well I should get going as I’m sure Aaron’s back from the café and wondering where I got to…” Kyle said trying to regain his composure. “I’ll see you in a bit then. Oh, and… thanks.” He grinned before turning around to leave the office. Sure enough, Aaron was back at their lane scanning the crowd looking for Kyle. “Ah there you are!” Aaron said as Kyle returned to the lane. “Where’d you go to? Bathroom?” “Uh, yeah. Figured I had a minute while you were of rehydrating.” Kyle lied but wasn’t ready to try and explain why he had been to see Greg in the intervening moments. “Oh, right it’s still my frame isn’t it?” Kyle realized as he looked up at their scoreboard. “Yep. And remember, light touch or you’ll put a hole in the back of the lane!” Aaron joked with him. “Yeah, yeah” Kyle replied. Though technically he has a point… Kyle picked up his ball and tossed it down the lane without really focusing on what he was doing. As a result, he only got 8 pins with the remaining two- “Oh! 7-10 split! The trickiest of all spares to get!” Aaron commented jolting Kyle from his reverie. “Ah damn!” Kyle said in realization of what he was seeing. Well it’s not like it’s VITAL for me to get the spare since I’m not growing this time. Still… “Give it your best shot man. It’s still possible!” Aaron cheered him from his seat. Kyle looked over to see him sitting there relaxed, but still looking hard and pumped. Wonder if that’s how I look when I’m relaxed… Realizing that he had been starring at Aaron for just a moment or two too long, he cleared his throat and picked up his ball from the return. Get ahold of yourself! He chastised himself as he lined up his shot. Seconds later his ball was rolling down the lane… and right between the remaining pins. “It’s up! It’s good!” Aaron called standing up and raising his arms straight overhead in the same way referees do after making a field goal in American Football. Kyle couldn’t help but laugh at the gesture. “Ha, ha, ha. VERY funny. I’d like to see YOU do better!” He called as he made his way back to his seat. “You’ll get ‘em next time tiger.” Aaron said as he was walking past Kyle. However, right as they passed, Aaron turned and slapped Kyle’s ass the way Kyle had seen teammates do at his brother’s sporting events. When he turned to look at Aaron in mild shock, he could have sworn that Aaron winked at him ever so slightly… “Er… right. Next time.” Kyle was feeling supremely wrong-footed now… his whole day had been one set of weird after another. Aaron however continued as if nothing odd had happened and picked up his ball. Kyle was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t watch Aaron make his shot and only looked up when he heard Aaron laugh loudly. Looking from Aaron to the end of the lane, Kyle couldn’t help but laugh himself. There, standing resolutely, was another 7-10 split. “Alright Bowling Master! Show me how it’s done!” Kyle commented and folded his arms across his chest, put his right leg on top of his left and reclined himself in the seat looking smug. “I will!” Aaron replied as he walked back to the seat next to Kyle’s to get a sip of his water. When he was done he added in a whisper “And I like it when you call me ‘Master’” before winking and walking back to the ball return. Kyle nearly fell of his chair! Aaron turned back after picking up his ball to see Kyle, mouth agape and starring at him with utter disbelief. Is he messing with me? Kyle thought in a near panic. He must be… Yeah he’s just messing with me to try and throw me off my game… Aaron was taking an extra moment to line up his shot before letting the ball go careening down the lane knocking into the 10 pin… which ricocheted off into the 7 pin! If Kyle’s jaw had been slack before, he was approaching cartoon standards now. “And THAT, young Padawan, is how it’s done!” Aaron said in supreme pride of himself. “I-I can’t believe you actually did it! Okay, I admit, that was very impressive!” Kyle replied and started clapping as Aaron returned to his seat. “Glad you think so!” Aaron said grinning as he sat down. “Besides, I can’t let my boyfriend outclass me at everything!” And, leaning in, gave Kyle a quick kiss before grabbing his water. Kyle’s brain froze… Shock, pure shock had immobilized him. After a few seconds he finally was able to move and stood up so fast he nearly sent Aaron’s drink flying. “Uh… Be right back. Um… bathroom.” And without another second, Kyle nearly sprinted off to Greg’s office again on the other side of the alley. Abandoning the knock, he barged in, closed the door and nearly shouted: “WHAT. THE. HELL!?” At Greg, who looked almost as shocked as Kyle did moments before. “Kyle!” Greg called as he came back down into his chair from the slight jump he made at Kyle’s dramatic entrance. “Geeze you nearly gave me a heart attack! What’s wrong?” “What’s wrong? WHAT’S WRONG!? Aaron he…” Kyle stopped for a moment to swallow and take a breath. “He thinks we’re… a couple!” “Oh… interesting… didn’t see that one coming. And that’s… a problem?” Greg asked wondering if the emotion coming from Kyle was anger or confusion. “Of course it is!” He replied automatically, but then paused as he thought for a moment now that the panic had subsided. “I mean, well he’s definitely attractive, and we have fun together but… That’s not the point!” He cried again as his panic crept back in. “We were friends when we came in and now…” “Well I don’t have control over what happens in the reality shift Kyle, you know that.” Greg replied now understanding why Kyle had burst into the office. “Y-you don’t?” Kyle asked looking 10x more confused than when he walked in. “B-but I thought…” “I told you last time that I’m just the engine, not the driver.” Greg said. “I enact the physical changes, but the reality shift is done by the individual based on their own choices. Think of it like this: Let’s say that instead of magic causing these changes, you had a time machine that let you go back to when you were around 9 and you convinced yourself to take up weightlifting. Once that was done, your life would have changed around that as you naturally grew bigger right? That’s fairly similar to what the reality shift is like. It causes the changes to have happened years ago and causes your time-stream to adjust accordingly.” Kyle stood there for a moment as he processed this information. “Nothing changed the core of Aaron’s personality, just that with the changes he’s already had, his life has adjusted as a result, and will continue to do so until the game is done. He will have always liked you, and you him it’s just that now something happened for you both to realize it was more than mere friendship. If you want, I can turn it off so that you are unaware of your previous life and any changes he has from here on out…” “NO!” Kyle said loudly holding up his hand to Greg. Surprised at his reaction, Kyle took a breath before adding “No that’s fine… I-I like seeing how he changes and… the kiss was nice.” Kyle blushed as he realized he said this last thing out loud. “It’s understandable that you would be shocked. Just be prepared for the fact that things will be changing even more until you are done. Though I will ask,” Greg began as he got up, walked around his desk and opened the door. “that you keep the PDA in the realm of PG or PG-13 if possible. This IS a public place after all.” He grinned as he put his hand on Kyle’s shoulder to steer him out of the office. “B-but…” Kyle began before Greg cut him off. “No ‘buts’! This is part of Aaron’s gift so neither of us have much say in the matter. It’s just a byproduct that you got caught up in it yourself. Now go back to him and finish your game!” Greg said pushing Kyle out the door… well pushing as best he could that is. Greg may be the bigger man, but trying to direct a 290 muscle beast who wasn’t all that willing to leave was difficult even for him. Finally, he got Kyle across the threshold and closed the door. I miss out on all the fun, Greg thought before grinning and returning to his desk. Kyle stood there for a few more moments before he realized how strange it was that he was apparently frozen to the spot. Blinking a couple times, he started walking back to the lane where Aaron sat waiting for him. “You okay Kyle?” He asked in sincere concern after Kyle’s odd reaction and exit. “Um…” He started to reply but wasn’t sure how he was feeling. Confusion seemed like such a woefully ineffective description of his mental state. “Yeah. I guess. Just a slight upset stomach.” Well, he thought, that was certainly true. Though it was more like an upset EVERYTHING. His brain was having a hard time settling on a particular emotion at the moment as well as having difficulty sorting out his two sets of memories. His pre-transformation ones took center stage at the moment which is what caused his shock and quick departure after Aaron kissed him. His post-transformation ones had already been adjusted to allow for not only Aaron’s augmented physique, but their fledgling romance that led to Aaron’s kiss. Okay, trying to keep this all straight really IS giving me an upset stomach… “Did you want to go and rest or-“ Aaron began but was quickly cut off by Kyle’s reply. “NO!” he called and raised his hand again in an identical performance of what had just happened in Greg’s office. “No. I’ll be okay to finish the game. Might just need something to drink is all.” Kyle said as he started to get up to aim for the café. “Here, you can have some of mine.” Aaron said as he held out his drink. “Besides, it’s your frame again and I don’t want to wait for you to get back before continuing.” He grinned as Kyle took the water bottle from his hand. Looking up, Kyle saw that it was, indeed, his turn. “R-right. My turn.” Kyle stammered before taking a sip of water and getting up to head to the ball return. Just focus on the game. Kyle thought as he picked up his ball. Panicking isn’t going to do any good and it looks too suspicious. Kyle took a few deep breaths to steady himself and tried to focus on his technique. After a few seconds, he was rewarded with a strike to complete his 4th frame. “Nice!” Aaron called as he got up for his turn. “Looks like I need to step up my game!” Kyle, despite of himself, grinned at this. Yes, yes you do. He thought knowing what the result would be. Wonder if he will get bigger than me? Kyle was on the verge of pulling out his phone to look up a calculator online that he could see what Aaron could max out at but as soon as his hand was on his phone, decided against it. Na, I’d rather be surprised. Aaron had taken his shot while Kyle was having this internal conversation and missed the fact that he only got 5 pins. By the time he looked up, Aaron’s second ball was halfway down the lane and had soon connected with the first of 3 pins. “Damnit.” Aaron said as he returned to his seat. “I said step UP my game, but I guess that ball had other plans. Though I may want to get a different one. My strategy of being able to toss a lighter ball harder doesn’t seem to be working to knock down the pins. I’ll go swap for a new one while you take your turn.” Aaron stood up and immediately swayed slightly as the effect of his score hit him. Looking up first in concern, and then in curiosity, Kyle saw the scoreboard update to Aaron’s 4th and 5th frames: 23 more pounds! Kyle thought excitedly as he shifted his gaze back to Aaron. Geeze he’s growing by leaps and bounds at a time! Being eye level with Aaron’s legs, that’s where Kyle’s attention stayed as he saw his jeans fill up and out like a balloon was inserted in them. Unable to resist, Kyle reached out a hand and put it on Aaron’s left leg to feel it swell and expand to completely fill the jeans. He managed to maneuver his hand around between Aaron’s thighs just before they touched and felt them expand around his hand getting firmer, then harder, settling on almost painful until he pulled it out. He looked down to see Aaron’s calves giving similar results at the bottom of the jean leggings making them cling to his calves unmoving. Giving a moan of approval which echoed Aaron’s moan at Kyle’s touch of his legs before looking up and receiving another shock: Aaron’s shirt was now painted on his torso. Every muscle had caused it to swell in different directions. As Aaron turned at the waist and looked down to see what Kyle was doing, it occurred to Kyle that if he was right under him, Aaron’s pecs would block his face from view. Thick, round and… bouncing… Kyle blinked once or twice and his gaze shifted upward to see Aaron looking at him with a grin that turned into a laugh. “Like the view there, big guy?” Aaron teased him and gave one more bounce of his pecs before Kyle turned away sure that his face was a shade of crimson that was a couple degrees shy of starting his hair on fire. He shifted nervously in his seat like a precocious toddler for another minute, something that looked comical on a man his size. “I’ve never seen you blush so much babe… especially over something I’ve done before and know you enjoy… are you okay?” The look on Aaron’s face shifted from bemusement to concern in the space of seconds as he sat down next to Kyle. “Huh? Oh… yeah… sorry just… warm in here isn’t it?” Kyle stammered with what he hoped was a convincing tone but knew it wouldn’t be believed. “Right… warm. You’re sure you’re okay? Do you want to just call it quits and head out?” Aaron asked putting his hand on Kyle’s shoulder. The moment it touched, Kyle felt reassured and much calmer. He looked at Aaron’s hand there, having both the feeling of strangeness and familiarity… Why does this seem so familiar? Looking up, he noticed Greg standing at his office door looking at them. A slight smile on his face before a quick nod and he turned to go back in the office. Now it made sense: Greg must have tweaked it so that he DID remember how this felt based on his “other” self. The one who had been with Aaron for a while now… his boyfriend. He wants to help me relax a bit. Well, it worked. I do feel much calmer now. “No. No I’ll be fine. How about while I take my frame, you get me a glass of water? That should help cool me down.” Kyle reached his arm up, not an easy feat with the feet of muscle between his upper arm and pecs, to put his hand on Aaron’s. He gave it a slight squeeze before standing up. Still eyeing him suspiciously, Aaron stood up as well and looked him in the eyes. “Okay. On one condition: when this game is over, you tell me what’s REALLY bothering you. Deal?” “Deal.” He agreed and held out his hand to shake on it. Aaron laughed but took it all the same. “Besides,” Aaron said pulling Kyle in close… well closer as their mutual sizes didn’t allow for their heads to get much closer than about a food apart. “Liquid nitrogen wouldn’t be enough to cool down all your hotness.” Aaron released the handshake, winked and turned to go to the café for another drink. Kyle couldn’t help but laugh as he went to retrieve his ball from the return. By the time Aaron returned, it was his turn for his sixth frame. Handing the drink to Kyle, he retrieved his ball and made for the racks of rental ones to exchange it for a heavier one. Moments later, returning with a new 16 lb. ball, he lined up for his shot and released what could be described as a textbook strike. Damn. Kyle thought. Guess I have to wait for the next frame to enjoy the show. Microseconds later, he realized what he just thought and was both surprised and aroused by it. Then, slightly concerned about which “him” thought it. I wonder if this is what a schizophrenic feels like? Still lost in thought, he stood up to take his 6th frame shot. Throwing the ball and immediately going back to his seat to think more, he didn’t even realize that he only knocked over 8 of the 10 pins. “Look mister,” Aaron’s voice broke through his thought process. “I know you just ASSUME you’re going to get a strike every frame, but you probably should VERIFY that before you just sit back down. There’s confident, then there’s cocky.” Kyle looked confused for a second before Aaron pointed at the lane. Following his arm (and what an arm!) Kyle saw that there were still 2 pins left meaning he needed to go again. Kyle grinned a bit before turning back to Aaron. “Guess I just assumed that all this muscle would have scared the pins into submission by now.” Kyle raised his arm up into a single bicep before standing up. “Besides, you love it when I’m cocky.” Kyle turned back to the ball retrieval and could hear Aaron give a low growl of approval. Now I KNOW that was the other me… no WAY “I” would say something like that! Growing concerned, Kyle didn’t even focus on where he was throwing the ball and only managed to get 1 of the 2 pins. “Tough break babe. Guess you still have some work to do to show those pins who’s boss around here.” Aaron said as he got up to take his shot. “Guess so. Hey, I’ll be right back. Um, bathroom.” Kyle said as he started towards Greg’s office. Still lost in thought, he arrived much sooner than he thought and knocked. “Come in Kyle.” was the reply from the other side. “How did you know it was me?” Kyle asked as he closed the door behind him. “Lucky guess.” Greg replied. “What’s on your mind?” Greg’s tone wasn’t angry or accusatory, just curious and maybe a little concerned. “I’m guessing that you tweaked something to allow the ‘other’ me through just a bit ago right?” Kyle asked wanting to establish a baseline for his thought process. “Yeah just a brief window to try to help you calm down. Seemed like you were about to explode any minute there.” Greg’s eyes were locked on Kyle’s as he replied. “You seem much calmer so I assume it worked, but that’s just made you a different sort of uneasy right?” Kyle nodded trying to decide what he wanted to ask next. Greg sighed a bit before he continued. “I always feel bad for the people who ask to have their memories saved like you did. They think it will help them see things clearly, but it always ends up being 10 times more confusing. Based on my experience, and your reaction last week, you were expecting a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde sort of scenario where you were going to become some completely different person than who stepped in the door. The thing is, it’s NOT like that at all. Instead it’s more like… more of you. You told me that you had 6 older brothers and felt like you were invisible, inconsequential right?” Kyle nodded again. “Well now you’re the biggest of the lot, and to the rest of the world, have been for quite some time. You used to be so bottled up and reserved instead of being allowed to flourish. Think of it like being a plant that was kept in semi darkness for so long and now was moved out into the middle of a field where you can absorb all the sunlight you want. The spells aren’t meant to trap you; they’re meant to free you. ALL of you.” “But… but what if that version of me isn’t… good?” Kyle asked realizing that this was really the only question he wanted answered as it would allow all the other ones to be swept away. Greg looked at him with a mixture of sadness and compassion. “Kyle, I’ve lived long enough in this world to know the difference. There are already far too many bad people for me to be in the business of making more. To be honest, I was a lot like you not so long ago.” Kyle looked at him with complete amazement. “Well not EXACTLY, but there are a lot of similarities. I just went about my life almost like a robot. Just going to work, making dinner, and happy with my routine, or at least, I thought I was happy. That is, until I met my partner. That was when I realized that I had lived my life in Kansas before opening my eyes to the bright, beautiful land of Oz. He helped me to become better, MORE than just my routine. Introduced me to new things, new people, and made me FEEL like I never thought possible. Now you get to experience that all for a second time.” Kyle looked at him with a look of almost pained puzzlement. Greg couldn’t help but laugh. “Why do you think Aaron is getting to go through his change? It’s because he’s just as good a soul as you are. He went through something that no one should and was still a good person on the other side. Just like you went through a rough time before your change.” Kyle still looked uneasy about the whole thing so Greg decided to do one last tweak to the spell. “How about this: I’ll allow you to call up memories from the ‘other’ you, as you put it, so you can see what you’re like. Think of it like a search engine for your memories: just think about something you want to know and those specific memories will come to you. Sound good?” “Yeah. Yeah that WOULD help a lot… not just going on your word…” Kyle’s eyes flew open and he looked at Greg apologetically. “NOT that I don’t trust you, it’s just…” “Easier to see for yourself. I get it!” Greg raised his hands in surrender. “Just ask yourself about the things your most worried about and see what you… saw.” Kyle looked much more reassured when there was a knock on the door. Greg stood up and walked around his desk to open it as Kyle stood up. “Hey Aaron” he said, seeing who was on the other side. “Enjoying your complimentary game?” “I’d be enjoying it more if my boyfriend would get back out here for his turn. Are you okay?” He asked turning from Greg to Kyle. “Look, I’m really worried about you so I think we should just call it and maybe go get you checked out.” “He’ll be fine” Greg said putting his hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “I’ve already had a look at him and it seems he’s just dehydrated. Guys our size need a LOT more water than I think he’s had today, plus with as hot as it’s been today, even more. I checked his vitals and he’ll be fine with some more water and a bit of a rest.” Aaron’s eyes looked momentarily glossed over before refocusing and he replied. “Oh. Okay. Well as long as you’re okay. But should you really be exerting yourself bowling if you need rest?” Aaron still looked concerned though reassured. “No I’ll be good. It’s much cooler in here and I had a bottle of water while he was checking my blood pressure and such. I feel much better but I’ll make sure to rest more between my frames okay? We’ve only got a few more to go so let’s finish it out and then I can go lay down.” “I’ll have them dial up the air conditioning too. Might not be working correctly with all the extra bodies out there. And if it will make you feel better, I’ll have one of my staff keep an eye on him for any signs of fatigue or that he’s pushing himself too much. She’s a nursing student at the local university.” “Besides” Kyle said, with a slight smirk on his face as he walked over to Aaron “I’d like to see you make me do anything I didn’t want to do.” He bounced his pecs into Aaron’s chest a couple times and Aaron couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright I give. Geeze! Heaven forbid I’m worried about you.” He replied mocking anger but smiling all the same. “Let’s go finish up then. It’s been your frame for about 10 minutes now and I think the pins are growing in confidence at your absence.” “Well we can’t have that!” Greg commented as they all left his office. “You both go back to the lane and I’ll find Joy to let her know to keep an eye on you.” “Wait” Kyle stopped in his tracks as he heard the name. “Nurse Joy? Don’t tell me: she’s got red hair with a faithful Chansey at her side?” Kyle grinned though the joke seemed to be lost on the other two. “Do me a favor:” Greg started leaning in to whisper to Kyle and Aaron “DON’T make that joke to her… she’s had enough Pokemon jokes to last 5 lifetimes already. And while yes she DOES have red hair, that just means she’s got one hell of a temper that you REALLY don’t want to see.” Looking stern, Kyle agreed and went with Aaron back to their lane. “But you DID understand the reference!” Kyle looked bolstered by the fact his joke wasn’t COMPLETELY lost on them. “Of course I did!” Greg said feigning indignation “I’m not a TOTAL meathead you know! Some uncultured hick that only knows how to ‘pick things up and put them down’” He grinned at Kyle and turned to go find Joy. “Nerds” Aaron said shaking his head at them both. “We prefer the term ‘geeks’ actually.” Kyle said looking seriously at him. “Muscle geeks” and he bounced his pecs for Aaron again. “Whatever. Let’s get back to our game huh?” As they approached the lane, Kyle looked up to see that Aaron had gotten a strike on his 7th frame also. Ah no WONDER he didn’t look any different. Kyle realized that he hadn’t noticed any change to Aaron, though in his defense, he WAS very preoccupied by his own crisis of conscience. Then, with the speed of a lightning bolt he realized: SHIT! That’s going to be one HELL of a growth spurt! “Ah noticed did you?” Aaron said once again knocking Kyle from his reverie. “What?” Kyle looked at him with a bit of shock: DOES he know what’s happening? “Noticed that I got another strike to keep you on your toes. I may love you, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to just LET you win!” Aaron said knowing that this was going to goad Kyle… and sure enough… “Let me huh? Well now I’m not only going to win, I’m going to CRUSH you!” And with that, he made a most muscular with his teeth bared like the Hulk. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever Hulkling. Just take your shot already!” Aaron laughed as he pushed Kyle’s shoulders to spin him around to the ball return. Moments later, Kyle succeeded in getting a strike as well. “You’re up puny man” Kyle said with his best Arnold impersonation (which was reasonably good if he said so himself). Aaron laughed at him again as he went up to retrieve his ball. Damn… dat ass though… Suddenly Kyle had an idea… What would the ‘other’ me do to mess with him? Kyle thought and an idea that BOTH of his selves could agree on popped into his head. Right as Aaron was about to release the ball Kyle called out “Damn my baby’s got a nice ass” and, just as he hoped, Aaron reacted causing his ball to go off course and only take out 8 pins. Feeling a LITTLE guilty at it, and showing it when Aaron turned around in shock and anger, he couldn’t help but think: I like being the bigger one so he can’t do TOO well… “You ass!” Aaron said stomping down to him and jabbing Kyle in the chest. “Now you’re resorting to cheap tricks to win?” Kyle just grinned at him. “I don’t NEED the tricks, but come on, you DO have a nice ass.” Kyle said reaching around to grab it and give it a good squeeze. “Well, looks like SOMEONE’S feeling a lot better.” They both turned to see a petite woman in her late teens/early 20’s arms folded looking amused. “You must be Joy.” Kyle said reaching out to shake her hand. “I’m Kyle and this hot head with the hot ass is Aaron.” “I am. Nice to meet you both. Well your color is good and you don’t seem to be very weak at the moment. Feeling dizzy or lightheaded? Aside from at how good your boyfriend’s ass looks that is…” She added with a smirk. “It IS enough to make me weak in the knees…” Kyle said playing into the scene. “Alright you two, that’s enough about my ass thank you.” Aaron said trying to convey that while it was funny, and part of him appreciated the compliments, it was embarrassing and he’d like it to stop. “Oh I don’t know” Joy said “I think there’s enough of that ass to keep us going for a while, don’t you think so Kyle?” “Enough for me to go on for DAYS Joy.” Kyle replied giving Aaron’s ass another good squeeze. “Okay, seriously, that’s enough!” Aaron said and punched Kyle in the arm. He knew it was just a ‘love tap’ but there was enough force and a serious enough look in his eyes for Kyle to realize that, unfortunately, this joke was done. “He’s right. I really don’t want to be reported for sexual harassment of one of our customers.” Joy said looking apologetic which Aaron was grateful for. “No matter how nice of an ass he has.” She added causing Kyle to roar with laughter. Even Aaron couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Now, down to business. You look fine to keep going but I want to take your pulse quick while you” she said pointing to Aaron “take your next shot.” Looking as though he didn’t want to present the same target to the enemy, Aaron reluctantly turned to go and finish out his 8th frame. Kyle guessed that he was nervous about another cat call which made him only get one of the two remaining pins. Looking up at the scoreboard, Kyle saw the updates to Aaron’s last three frames… and it was big. “Wow your pulse is starting to race again. Do you feel flushed, dizzy, disoriented?” Joy asked as she kept her fingers on Kyle’s thick wrist. Kyle however was too distracted by what was about to happen: 56 pounds… He’s about to explode with 56 more pounds! That will put him at… damn near 240! His heart starting thumping even louder and faster making Joy that much more worried. “Kyle? Kyle please answer me…” She snapped her fingers in front of his face to get his attention. “Huh? Oh sorry. No I feel fine. Just excited that Aaron did so well.” Kyle replied quickly before turning back to his (now) boyfriend. Dramatic changes would be an understatement to what Aaron underwent. He stood there for a moment feeling the effects of his growth overtake him, though once they were done he’d have no memory of it. Kyle knew that the “decency spells” would not allow for Aaron to burst through his clothing, and was silently cursing himself for not asking Greg to allow a SLIGHT peep show for his benefit, however, just like with an orgasm, sometimes the buildup can be better than the release. From his perspective and position, Kyle watched as Aaron seemed to… blossom. The growth was quick, but not explosive. It was smooth, like a time-lapse film of a plant growing. The sleeves of his shirt filling and rolling up from his thickening biceps and triceps, mounding and swelling in appetizingly slow motion, becoming tighter and firmer against the fabric of the sleeves. Veins becoming more prominent and writhing over the developing twin peaks, dividing into clear heads while the fabric collects in the crevice of the biceps and shoulder. Triceps bloating and distending being visible more and more from the rear of his arms even though he is facing Kyle. Following the veins up his arms and into his shoulders as they thicken making him wider in EVERY sense of the word. Traps rising to below his ears as his neck simultaneously spread out. Not to be out done by anything in their vicinity, his pecs coiling and bunching under the straining fabric as they expand wider and heave out from his ribcage with every breath. Meeting up with lats that are pressing more and more insistently into the unyielding flesh of his horseshoe triceps. Tearing his eyes away from Aaron’s upper body, he focused on his legs which were becoming his best feature. His legs simply were too big to allow for movement now! Quads that swept out from his knees and hips so far that his chest was soon going to be jealous. His jeans were now so tight that if Kyle didn’t know better, he would have suspected sorcery… which this most certainly was. The “decency spells” were working overtime to make sure the fabric of Aaron’s pants stayed intact. Even his calves were so thick and full that the jeans felt the pressure. Kyle never considered himself a “leg man” but Aaron was quickly converting him. Aaron was slightly shifting from one foot to the other and each time the corresponding leg would tense and swell out at least a couple inches. At this rate, Kyle was sure he’d soon see veins against the strained fabric and then the individual striations of Aaron’s other worldly legs. “Hmm. Well something tells me that I know the cause for your rapid heart rate.” Joy said causing Kyle to snap back to reality. “Huh?” He looked at her confused and breathing heavier than was really necessary for someone who had been sitting down for the last several minutes. Joy grinned at him and with an almost imperceptible glance down at his crotch Kyle understood her meaning. He felt the heat rise up to his face so fast that he really DID feel slightly dizzy. “Ha! Well at least you’re not so pale anymore! I think you’ll be fine so I’ll let you finish your game. Just take it easy when you leave and make sure to keep hydrating.” She winked at him and gave him a look that was filled with volumes of meaning. Getting up and heading off into the alley she gave him one last glance over her shoulder before disappearing around a corner. Hearing Aaron make a groan, he turned back around to see him stretching and the visual almost caused Kyle to orgasm right there! God bless the decency spells! “Okay babe, you’re up!” Aaron said as he sat down next to Kyle… or at least as “next” to him as they could get with their combined 6 feet of shoulder breadth. Kyle couldn’t take his eyes off of Aaron for several seconds. He was hypnotic now; a sight of beauty that Kyle couldn’t bring himself to look away from. “I love when you look at me like that” Aaron said and made Kyle focus on his eyes. There was such tenderness in his eyes as he looked back at Kyle. The sight unsettled him in a corner of his mind. This is the spell at work. He doesn’t REALLY love me, it’s just the magic causing it. Yet he couldn’t shake what Greg had told him about the magic simply allowing his life to go in a different, better direction. And then he heard the words from Harry Potter enter his mind: “Magic cannot create love. It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love.” Leaning in, and making considerable accommodation for their size, Aaron kissed him briefly before again telling him that it was his turn. Shaking himself mentally, Kyle stood up and went to take his shot. Why am I so focused on this? Why does it matter HOW this happened? Can’t you just be happy it IS happening? Stop saying you DON’T deserve this… doesn’t EVERYONE deserve to be happy? “You’re such a bonehead sometimes Kyle” he mumbled to himself as he threw the ball down the lane. Another strike was his which only added to the growing grin on his face. He seemed to FINALLY have the breakthrough that allowed both sides of his life to reconcile and agree. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t get too full on that canary you Cheshire Cat.” Aaron said as Kyle walked back to him trading places for Aaron’s 9th frame. “I’ve still got a chance to catch you ya know!” “Then how about a kiss for luck?” Kyle said as he pulled Aaron to him and gave him, not just a quick peck but a deep long kiss filled with the passion of both his personalities. When they broke apart, Aaron stood there with his eyes closed for a moment seemingly lost in the sensation. “Now, get up there and show me what you’ve got!” Kyle said and slapped Aaron’s ass. In a daze, Aaron turned and picked up his ball. The daze seemed more potent than he realized as he only knocked over 3 pins. “Hmm. Guess that kiss was BAD luck?” Kyle called to Aaron as he turned for the ball return. “It was worth it!” Aaron replied grinning. The sight causing Kyle’s heart to race again. “However, now I need to concentrate on my game and not your… everything” Kyle laughed as Aaron turned around and lined up for his next shot. Before he did however, Aaron seemed to be trying to “get back” at Kyle by bouncing and flexing his ass in completely unnecessary ways. Well… unnecessary for the purposes of bowling, but completely necessary for driving Kyle into paroxysms of lust for the man mere feet from him. Aaron achieved victory in that regard, but failed by only getting 5 of the remaining pins to fall meaning he only was going to get about another 8 pounds. Given his current dimensions, this was little more than a drop in the bucket however, to Kyle’s scrutiny, still noticeable. “Try to focus on your last frame with THAT visual in your head” Aaron said smirking as he sat down, casually drinking from his water bottle… then letting it spill down his chin and onto his chest soaking his t-shirt. “Oops!” He said in a mock tone bringing his hand to his mouth trying to look all sheepish. Never having done it in either of his “lives”, Kyle imagined that what he was currently feeling was what a combination of Viagra and Red Bull would do to him. His heart was racing, and his cock was leaking pre so much that he was surprised the “decency spells” allowed it. He was feeling a barely controllable sexual hunger that was building in him rapidly to critical mass. “Okay… easy tiger. Didn’t think I’d get to you that quickly or easily.” Kyle took several deep breaths, closed his eyes and attempted valiantly to regain his composure. When he opened them, Aaron was sitting there trying, non-verbally, to calm him as well. “You need to be careful… you almost released the beast just there.” Kyle said grinning and, for good measure, flexing a most muscular at Aaron. He held it for about 3 seconds before turning to the ball return. To his satisfaction, he heard a deep rumbling moan come from Aaron and felt slightly vindicated… though Aaron only knew the half of what was turning him on so much… Taking another couple of deep breaths to calm himself, Kyle took his first shot of the final frame: 9 pins fell. Next shot: none. Reset for final throw: Strike. Better than my last game, but still room for improvement. “Okay stud, you’re turn. Let’s see if you can beat me huh?” Kyle looked at Aaron and could tell that he was struggling to compose himself as well. Finally, he stood up and went to bowl his final frame. “When we get home, you’re going to ‘pay’ for that little stunt. I’m going to release the beast and make him mine for the next few hours.” Aaron had a fierce look in his eyes as he said this and Kyle knew that both of them were going to be lucky to make it out of the parking lot. As Aaron got into position, Kyle sat down and seconds later jumped as Greg spoke behind him. “So I see you are feeling MUCH better now.” Greg said and grinned at Kyle’s reaction. “I’m sorry to scare you. However, given your obvious state of concentration, I doubt that a zombie apocalypse happening around you would have caught your attention!” “Yeah… yeah he does tend to draw the eye…” Kyle said turning back to Aaron as he took his first shot. STRIKE! Kyle moaned knowing that it meant even more size to his boyfriend when he was finished. “You both do. Don’t forget: you’re nearly 300 pounds my young friend. You’ve had more than a few covert glances in your direction this afternoon.” Greg grinned as Kyle turned to him puzzled. “Guess you were so focused on other things to notice that huh?” “Me? People were looking at me? No… I didn’t notice…” Kyle looked around quick and, sure enough, there were a couple people who turned away quickly when he caught their eye. “That’s one of the first sure fire ways to know that you’re in love. When you are so focused on the person you are with, your mind doesn’t allow the possibility of anyone else to enter it. All you see” Greg paused and turned to look at Aaron, “is them.” Kyle turned as well and saw Aaron looking at him waiting for his ball to return. Aaron was smiling at him in that same tender way as when they kissed and it caused Kyle to smile back. “So my young friend, as you are finishing your game here, it’s time for you to make your choice: do you want to keep your new life or do you want to go back to the old you from before you came here last week?” Kyle was stunned. He had completely forgotten about that! He hadn’t really been focusing on it for the last while that he forgot all about needing to choose. “W-would” he started to say and realized his mouth was dry. Taking a sip of water, he continued “would Aaron and I still be together if I went back?” Greg was stunned himself for a moment at that question. “To be honest, I really don’t know. Since his life has been changed also, it’s possible that you two could have met and ended up together, but I can’t say that for sure.” “So he’s really only interested in me for my body!?” Kyle said trying to suppress his shock and say this as a whisper so that Aaron didn’t hear. Greg looked surprised but understood. “No. No I’m fairly certain that’s not the case but I’m sure it’s a motivating factor. What I mean is, based on your old life, how and where would you two have met? Given how shy and timid you were last week; do you REALLY think that you would have been brave enough to engage him? Would you have had the confidence to go up to him, strike up a conversation and ask him out?” “So you’re saying I wasn’t worth it before? That I’m only ‘good enough’ because of the muscles?” Kyle was getting more and more agitated now and missed that Aaron had taken his second shot only getting 8 pins. “I’m saying nothing of the sort!” Greg said in reply and could finally see the root of Kyle’s fear. “What I’m saying is, all the muscle allowed you to have that opening move. You were able to talk based on your mutual love of bodybuilding. You’re not just some mindless slab of meat who needs to use his body to get what he wants are you?” Greg said and could see Kyle thinking hard, trying to retrieve the memories of his “new” life for validation. “When you first came in today, you told me that you met Aaron while volunteering at the VA hospital.” Kyle nodded and thought back to all the visits he made there, the people he was working with and how good it felt to be helping people who had done so much in service to their country. He also remembered how he was still doing decently in school, but all the extra-curriculars he was taking did cut into his schoolwork making him an average student in terms of academics. “I know you had it rough before you came here, and that’s what brought you to me. You had this image that if you were a big, strong, muscular guy, it automatically meant you were selfish and arrogant because that’s how your brother’s were. What you failed to realize though is that THEY were feeling like they needed to prove themselves too. Each of them wanted and felt like they NEEDED to be big and strong and good at a sport to be seen. To have that one thing they were able to do better than any of the others and that, unfortunately, can manifest as feeling entitled and arrogant.” “But then why am I different? I’m the biggest of the bunch and that should mean that I’m the biggest ass of the bunch too…” Kyle said before Greg cut him off. “You’re different simply BECAUSE you’re different. You are not any of your brother’s just like none of them are you. ANY family of size will tell you that even if you do the same things as your siblings, doesn’t mean that you’ll like them, be good at them, or end up the same as your siblings. No two lives are the same and it’s up to each person to make their own choices. COULD you have ended up the biggest ass of the bunch? Sure. But you CHOSE not to be. You saw what they were like and decided to be better. To help other people rather than lording over them how much bigger and better you are. THAT’S why my magic could work on you; because even though you were about to change your life completely, it would STILL result in you being a remarkable person on the inside. Your body is just a physical manifestation of your inner good nature. A strength of body to match the strength of spirit because you so longed to be this way.” Kyle couldn’t help but cry a bit as Greg’s words washed over him. He WAS still a good person through all his changes. He remembered teaching some classmates about how to lift properly in the gym, and they in return helped him with his schoolwork. He learned to appreciate music more and was introduced to some of his favorite bands because of a kid in his class that gave him a playlist for his workouts. He even still enjoyed playing D&D and Pathfinder (though admittedly he was strictly a physical character rather than the magic classes he used to favor) and always enjoyed acting out his fight scenes (which also allowed him that bit of showing off his body he loved to do). Greg could see the changes on Kyle’s face as Aaron took his last shot and managed to get a spare bringing his final score up to 155 “Looks like Aaron did pretty well for his last frame.” Greg said and jerked his head in Aaron’s direction. Following his lead, Kyle looked as well and realized that he was going to get his last 20 pounds finishing off in the realm of 260-270 pounds. Not as big as Kyle, but given his shorter height, would make him look just as big, or bigger! For the last few pounds, it seemed like Aaron got quite a bit more in terms of conditioning than just pure size. He leaned out and was definitely in single digit body fat now. LOW single digits too. He was contest ready and would dominate the super heavy weights with ease. The veins that were only slightly visible through his clothes before were CLEARLY discernible now. The slightest twitch or flex caused a cascade of muscle fibers to bulge and ripple. Suddenly there was a barely audible rip followed by another… and another… “Shh” Greg said from his side “Just a little taster for you. But he’ll still be able to hulk out for you in private later… though the first time will probably be his pants and likely just from sitting down in your car…” Kyle was transfixed with Aaron’s legs as they swelled up more than anything else and were easily bigger than his waist now. 33 to 35 inches of thick, ripped, and undoubtedly POWERFUL muscle. Kyle was eager to see just how much weight Aaron was able to move with those pillars of brawn he now possessed. “Guess it’s about time to retire these clothes huh babe? Just hope they make it home.” Aaron winked at him and flexed his arm causing a slightly more audible rip to cut the air. “Yeah… definitely time to do our traditional ‘retirement’ ceremony on these tonight.” Kyle felt a thrill of anticipation emanate from his stomach at the thought of what that entailed. “Well, looks like you beat me, but it’s not by much…” Oh if you only knew! “I’ll go put our balls back while you finish up here.” Kyle watched as Aaron picked up the bowling balls and take them back over to the rack… curling them as he went to the enjoyment of both himself, and the onlookers who most seemed to never see someone of his size up close before. “So what’s the final verdict Kyle? Stay as you are or go back to your old life?” Greg asked but had a feeling he knew the answer before Kyle even spoke. “You’re right.” He said, which wasn’t exactly the response that Greg was expecting. “I was scared that I was going to become a jerk like my brother’s and that the bigger I was, the bigger jerk I would be. I want to stay like this… and be with Aaron.” Greg smiled. “Is that your final answer?” Greg asked eliciting a chuckle from Kyle. “Well I already feel like a millionaire, so yes, that is my final answer.” “Good. I always want to do what’s best for people like you, but sometimes what I think is best, doesn’t always match up with what they want. Go, turn in your shoes first, but then go and enjoy your “new” life. You earned it so now make the most of it.” Greg clapped his hand on Kyle’s massive shoulder before they both stood up. “You ready to go Kyle?” Aaron called from the front desk where he was turning in his own shoes. “Yeah I’m ready” he said before quietly adding “More than you know.” He gave Greg one last smile before heading to meet Aaron at the desk and turned in his shoes. “Another satisfied customer” Greg said as he removed his temporary spells on them both before they crossed the threshold of the main doors. “Now to finish up that paperwork… ugh” and, like a small child told to clean his room, dragged his feet back to his office. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cutlerfan Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 Loved it! I really enjoy Kyle's inner struggle of conscience. He's such a thoughtful guy that even though he's given a dream life he still actively tries to not be a jerk. I love Kyle and Aaron as a bodybuillding couple! Please continue this series as you have time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scot158f Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 This was incredible - what a beautiful end to Kyle's week!! I hope we get to see more of Greg's Bowling Alley again soon!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanugumo Posted May 9, 2016 Share Posted May 9, 2016 I so love how grounded and normal Greg is. ^^ <3 Though part of me is a little sad that the old Kyle is now permanently gone. It would be fun if he'd still have a shy side to him though, a sort of cute residual part of his old self. ^^ <3 Not to mention gentle shy muscle studs are so awesome and so~ cute. <3 And I must admit I expected Kyle to have a little 2md growth spurt again too. Though I guess Kyle would be a little too big if he would huh? xD Though than again he'd be sort of a giant and if there is one thing better then a gentle shy muscle stud, it is a gentle shy muscle giant. >;P lol (also still too bad he won't remember being changed and why he was changed. I mean: that talk with Greg was perfect and so emotional, and even remembering a conversation like that & hearkng someone validate that you ARE a good person regardless of size and past. I am sure that, even though he has Aaron now to keep him grounded and good, he would be able to gain strength through that memory as well. ^^) But I am glad to see Aaron a be a big guy now and be together with Kyle. They really deserve each other. ^^ <3 Though I have to admit that I am a little curious at what changes there are to Aaron's past. I mean: Did he still enroll into the army? Did he and Kyle still met in that hostpital? What kind of rehab did Aaron go through the first time and what kind of rehab in his new life? Etc. ^^ We know much more about Kyle then about Aaron, which is too bad and I hope that you will be able to address in the next part and all. ^^ (Also: in the last part it seemed like Greg and Kyle were becoming friends, but in this part it seems more like they are casual acquaintances than friends. Would be nice if Aaron, Kyle & Greg would become friends and spend time together outside of the bowling alley. ^^ <3 And that they both be fully aware of Greg's special abilities and would even help him get some more clients. ^^ <3) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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