Muscle Cream

[magicworker]

Thanks to Building Brand by Lingster for the inspiration.

Part 1: It Works

Bryan had almost forgotten the contest he entered online a week ago, so he was a bit surprised when a package showed up addressed to him with a free sample of "Muscle Cream" by the Studlee Company. He had figured it was a scam of some sort and normally would have ignored it, but it had only asked for general information about him and didn't require a credit card, so he went for it. Bryan just finished college and earned a finance degree with a decent GPA, but he had trouble finding a job interesting enough to prevent him from moving back home for the summer. He planned to continue his job search, but also wanted to spend time getting back to the gym regularly and found the online contest while he was researching potential workout plans.

He had been somewhat athletic in high school, but focused more on academics during his college years and eventually developed the beginnings of a beer belly. Some of his college friends had developed and maintained attractive, muscular bodies that he silently envied and lusted for, and he regretted letting his body get out of shape. He had realized in high school that he was gay and was attracted to muscular guys, but was only ever out to a few friends in high school or college and had never really dated anyone. He came out to his family at the end of high school, and they were supportive, but he knew that bringing home a date would be awkward for everyone. His younger brother Tommy turned 18 a few months ago and just graduated high school and was a varsity athlete in soccer and football and got a summer job working at the local YMCA before heading off to state university in the fall where he hoped to develop a soccer career and a physical therapy degree.

Tommy and their parents were away on vacation for a week after graduation, so Bryan had the house to himself as he opened the package. Inside was a small, green 3.5-oz tube with a Studlee logo on it and a generic sticker labeling it as "Muscle Cream Sample". On the other side, another label stated, "Read instructions enclosed before use." Ryan unfolded the page of directions that came with it in a few different languages. He found the English part and scanned over the first couple paragraphs about this "new, experimental product" touting how "amazing" the cream's results can be and how "fortuitous" the discovery of its ingredients had been, and skipped to the paragraph with "Usage" in bold:

Apply a small amount of creme to skin in areas for development and improvement. Limit physical activity to bed rest for 20 minutes before and after application and do not drink more than 8 oz. of fluid within one hour after application. Discontinue use if skin noticeably reddens or becomes flushed, or if you experience dizziness or increased thirst. Avoid exposure to sunlight while taking this product. Do not use more often than once a week or within 5 days of any other Studlee product. Warning: Failure to follow directions can lead to undesirable results.

Bryan was thoughtful and cautious, especially compared to his impulsive little brother, so he was somewhat concerned about these directions and was hesitant to use the cream now that it seemed potentially harmful. He had started working out over the past week and already felt his energy increase and his waist slim slightly, which was encouraging, but he was hungry to make up for lost time and get huge like the bodybuilders he jacked off to. Tommy's teasing that he was in better shape than Bryan had ever been also rang in Bryan's ear. Still cautious, Bryan took off his shirt and squeezed a small smear across his biceps, chest and belly and rubbed the faint residue into his skin. If all went well, he thought, I could try using more next time.

Bryan laid on his bed reading a book on sports nutrition for a few minutes before he got thirsty and remembered the warning he read. As he worried whether this was a bad side effect of the cream, the thirst increased. He had measured out a small glass of 8 oz. of orange juice, but hesitated to take even a sip so soon into the one hour period. His mouth and throat went uncomfortably dry and he risked just a small mouthful of the juice. While he no longer felt as parched as in those first few minutes, the thirst remained for most of the hour, slowly decreasing as Bryan dared to take occasional sips.

He looked at his reflection and saw the slight beginnings of change from his new regime of diet and exercise. He flexed his chest and arms and wondered why he thought those were weak areas in need of the cream; they were looking pretty good. And his waist wasn't as wide as he thought it was. It took a few moments for Bryan to realize: The cream works! He stepped on the scale and he was 6 pounds heavier than yesterday. Bryan was sure that he lost some fat as he prodded at his diminished belly, so he guessed he gained almost 10 pounds of muscle with that one application. That night he kept flexing for himself, imagining adding 10 pounds every week and growing to Olympian proportions in a few months. 

The next morning Bryan woke up and immediately checked that yesterday's muscle growth was real. In confirmation, his biceps bulged larger and his chest rippled more thickly and his abs faintly revealed themselves. It seemed that over that night a couple more pounds of flab turned to muscle. The next day at the gym revealed that he was also significantly stronger. His body continued to change slightly over the week, until he looked like he had started getting in shape a year ago rather than a week ago. His chest and arms were at their beefiest ever and Bryan resolved to apply the creme to the rest of his body next time, which would be the night after Tommy and their parents returned from the vacation.

The night before they arrived back, Bryan got an email from Studlee Co. that most of their products, including the muscle cream, were being recalled due to adverse side effects, and it gave him an address for a local nutrition store to drop off any remaining product there immediately. Bryan felt crushed that what appeared too good to be true was exactly that. He wondered what the adverse side effects were, and decided to use it just once more before returning it.

Tommy and their parents returned and they all went out for dinner before Bryan retired to his room to spread small dabs of cream on his quads, calves, hamstrings and glutes, then adding another couple streaks of cream on his shoulders, too. The thirst returned again, maybe worse than before, but he followed the directions carefully. Before going to sleep, he admired his legs that had thickened with hardness and anticipated testing their grown strength tomorrow in the gym.

"Looks like you're actually working out like you said you would," Tommy remarked with some surprise when Bryan returned from the gym. Tommy and his best friend Ron were hanging around the pool, and Ron's silent staring was not unusual but also corroborated that Bryan was making noticeable progress. He  knew that Ron had a crush on him, for years, but Ron was a skinny geek that had played soccer with Tommy as little kids and Bryan was only interested in big, muscled guys. He was torn between giving Ron a teasing flex of his growing muscles and hiding his progress from his brother who was definitely suspicious in addition to being impressed.

Since the cream would grow his muscles even bigger over the next weeks, it might be a tough secret for Bryan to hide from his brother and Ron and also his parents. Would they believe some lame excuse or think he was on steroids or HGH? What if the adverse effects were something bad, like growing a tail or turning green? Later that night, the Studlee Co. recall was on the news and Bryan felt guilty about not returning the tube already. Back in his room, as he covered the tube with blank labels, he realized he was planning to use the cream one more time next week before returning it.

Meanwhile, Ron jacked off to his imagination continuing Bryan's muscle growth to freakish proportions as Ron tried to feel over every inch of Bryan's hard, ripped, bulging muscle. While the fantasy excited him to climax, Ron also realized that Bryan was moving more and more out of his league. Ron wished he could get big like Bryan or Tommy, but he had to watch his peers' growth spurts with envy as he never got above 5'7" and his muscle just got wiry and lean, but never large.

Tommy usually felt overshadowed by his older brother who was good at both academics and athletics and praised as "mature". Tommy had realized that he wasn't as smart and he often couldn't shake his wilder nature, so he focused on athletics and quickly became a bigger star than his brother in that arena. Bryan's renewed focus on working out possibly threatened Tommy's significant edge now that he saw how well Bryan's body was reacting to his efforts. It was Bryan who once lectured him against using any illegal enhancers, so is it possible he's not as mature and responsible as he's led everyone to think?

The next day, Tommy put extra effort into his workout. He was training with a fellow football player who was also going to the same college as Tommy in the fall and they helped push each other and plan for the next chapter of their sports careers. Uther was a large guy, strong but soft with extra weight that he was trying to lose. Tommy was impressed with Uther's weight loss lately. A couple of times Uther seemed to suddenly drop a dozen pounds, and it seemed to come from just his waist, which Tommy knew was unusual. The oddness of it almost reminded him of Bryan's growth for some reason.
 

[Hanugumo]

Nice! ^^ I am really wondering what will happen to our protagonist in the coming chapters. ;3 <3

I definitely hope he will grow into a litteral giant of a musclegod with muscles beyond imagination (and not bad between his legs either) and it would be fun if the side-effects would be stealing the musclemass of iether people he is attra ted too or just stealing it from anyone he wants. 83 <3

[convolution]

Nice setup...

Can't wait to see it get out of hand☺

[citizenies]

Off to a great start
Keep up the good work `

[magicworker]

Part 2: Desparate Times

Later that week, Tommy decided to invite Uther over to hang out with him and Ron. While Tommy was serious and dedicated on the football field, he reverted to his jokester self with Ron as they played video games and made fun of people they knew. Uther was a pretty quiet guy who spoke English with a European accent and even though he claimed to be a video game fan, too, Tommy wasn't sure if he and Ron would get along. Ron and Uther had met before at school and after football games, and while Uther was big, Ron thought he wasn't as lean and cute as Bryan. Still, after breaking the ice with an hour of gaming, Ron suggested they all hang out by the pool with their shirts off, hoping to check out Uther's beefy chest bare.

"Okay, but I'll keep my shirt on," Uther replied. "My skin burns easily. Unless, do you guys have some sunscreen?"

Ron hopefully pleads with Tommy, "Sure, Tommy you got some right?"

Tommy went off to search for sunscreen as Ron sat with Uther who was happy to talk about football and his plans to train hard in college. Ron half listened and half watched the bulk under Uther's shirt and imagined that the shirt was filled with hard, rippling muscle.

"Can't find any," Tommy announced as he came into the room. "Maybe it's still packed away somewhere from the vacation."

"What?!" Ron screamed. "Tommy, I'll help you look." And Ron left the room tugging Tommy behind him. "What about just some lotion or something?" he asked quietly, hoping that would be enough for Uther to part with his shirt.

"Sorry, I looked everywhere," Tommy replied, but Ron eyed Bryan's closed bedroom door as he asked, "What about Bryan's room?"

Tommy shrugged as Ron practically ran into Bryan's bedroom and searched his bathroom and closet and finally found a tube of something in a bedside drawer. Tommy thought it looked more like a toothpaste tube, but Ron had a look of triumph on his face as he went back downstairs. If it was lotion, Tommy didn't want to think about why his brother kept it by his bed.

Uther grimaced, "This is a tiny tube, and I can't read the label. Are you sure this is sunscreen? It looks more like toothpaste."

Ron grabbed the tube. "Sure, it's sunscreen! It's a high SPF, so you don't need much." And he spread a small amount on his bony shoulders and flat chest, making sure there was still plenty for Uther to use. "See, just a little and I'm sure I'll be fine!"

Uther looked at the small tube skeptically as Ron handed it back. He spread a couple small dabs on his face and decided to keep his shirt on. Ron swallowed a protest since Uther's mind seemed made up and Tommy gave him a look that warned of being too obvious and pushy. Uther handed the tube over to Tommy who politely declined, saying, "I'll just stay in the shade."

But when they went out and Ron and Tommy took their shirts off, Uther suggested that Tommy at least put some on where a farmer tan split his arms into two very different shades and the darker shade was fairly reddish. Tommy remembered where the lotion came from, but both Uther and Ron gave him encouraging looks, so he reluctantly applied a small amount to his already tanned skin.

A few minutes later, Ron complained of feeling thirsty and went inside for a Drinkade. Tommy yelled for him to bring out a couple more. Ron drank his down quickly and felt his skin tingle in the sun, but he realized it almost tingled more in the areas he applied the lotion. He only then suspected that the cream maybe wasn't sunscreen, but kept those thoughts to himself as he asked Uther more about himself and shared stories of him and Tommy growing up in their boring hometown.

They finished their drinks and Uther asked for some water, so Tommy went inside to get glasses and a pitcher. Ron felt his thirst increase and was glad it wasn't just him. Even though he was sitting more in the sun than Tommy or Uther, he was sweating a lot more and also felt the tingling of his skin spread down into his legs for some reason. When Tommy returned, Ron grabbed a glass and filled it before chugging it and sighing in relief. Tommy and Uther exchanged worried looks and Ron was struck by Uther's face which was looking a little leaner than before and handsomer than he remembered from earlier.

During Ron's stunned silence, Tommy and Uther drank half of their glasses quickly and then suggested they go inside to escape the heat which seemed to be making them really thirsty. Ron stood up with them just as the tingling he was trying to ignore hit his balls and started working up his hardening shaft. He quickly sat down. "I'll be with you guys in a minute or so. I want to ... um, get some more sun."

Tommy and Uther shrugged and went inside as Ron felt the tingling of his body include the head of his now erect penis and also increase a notch. The pleasure of it drowned out his alarm and he turned his chair to face the sun and inched up his shorts to expose the skin of his inner thighs.

Uther and Tommy talked a bit about their training, but Uther was distracted and complained of his head not feeling right. He and Tommy continued to drink water, but that didn't seem to help. Uther decided to go home and Tommy laid down on the couch for a bit and vaguely heard the sound of Ron refilling the pitcher.
 

[theseventhwave]

Love this!  I like all the possibilities.  

[Hanugumo]

Wait? Does this mean all 3 can grow humungous now? 83 <3 <3 I still hope our 1st protagonist will be be the biggest. 83 He deserves it the most. <3 <3

[citizenies]

Wow the growth potential and differences that may happen

[Ro20316]

Loving the different POV

[magicworker]

Part 3: That Evening

*Uther*

Uther drove his mom's car back home. His head still bothered him so he didn't notice that he fit behind the steering wheel of the small coupe a little easier than usual. He also started to sweat more and cranked the A/C. When he got out of the car, his shorts began to slip down by inches and he grabbed the waistband to hold it up, not fully realizing how much extra material bunched in his hand. As he walked into the house, he realized the increased thirst was similar to after he tried Studlee Company's Tummy Tight drink powder. The directions with the powder had encouraged him to drink plenty of water to avoid toxic effects, so he grabbed another glass of water with lemon on the way to his room to lie down, along with an ibuprofen. After about an hour, he woke up with the pain mostly gone, but his head still felt odd. He finished the second half of the glass of water and then heard his parents calling him downstairs for dinner.

When he stood up, his shorts flew down to his ankles and Uther looked down at a belly that was half the size it was that morning. He walked over to the mirror and barely recognized himself. He still had some padding on him, but there was a faint outline of abs when he flexed them. The rest of his body was fairly unchanged, so his arms and legs looked oddly puffy, but then he looked at his face. It too had leaned up but it had changed more than that. He stared and felt over the new shape. It had been round and fairly featureless, but he now had a solid, strong jaw and cheekbones that made him look more like a quarterback than a lineman. His eyebrows and eye lashes, even his ears looked more attractive and flattering. His eyes and his hair seemed to sparkle a bit. He had a brief thought that he looked like a hyper-masculine elf. Was this a side effect of the Tummy Tight? If so, it wasn't that bad.

He wore a hoodie and pouted his face a bit to hide the changes as much as possible. He just wanted to get through dinner and hoped his body looked more normal afterwards. His parents questioned him a bit about wearing the hoodie, but he said he had a long, tiring day and a headache, that he wanted just to eat and lie back in bed, so they let him do just that. It wasn't far from the truth, and Uther did fall asleep earlier than usual.

*Tommy*

Tommy woke up from his nap to the sound of his parents getting home and the feel of his t-shirt sleeves tight around his shoulders. He shook them out to loosen the fabric, but continued to feel the fabric constrict around his shoulders and arms. He sat up and looked at the seams of his t-shirt straining to contain huge, muscular arms. In disbelief he gave one a tentative flex and a softball-sized bicep and massive triceps stretched the fabric tight and a hard squeeze caused the sleeve to rip apart. He placed a hand on the flexed arm and could barely reach halfway around it. A grin spread across his face as he moved to destroy the other sleeve but was interrupted by his mom in the doorway.

"What happened to your shirt?" she asked with a bag of groceries in her hand. Until Tommy could figure out what was going on, he decided to play it cool and avoid having to explain something he couldn't explain.

"It ripped at the gym," he replied quickly. "Let me help you with those," he added with a wide, distracting smile.

His mother opened her mouth to say something but was too surprised at Tommy's offer to help to finish her thought, and after a stunned second went back to the car for the next bag. Even with the light weight of the groceries, Tommy felt his biceps bulge against the sides of his chest in a new way and his shoulders expanded wider than they've ever been. He lowered the bag to hide another bulge growing in his pants and found his dad unpacking another bag in the kitchen.

"Thanks, kiddo," Tommy's dad said before looking back over at him for a second. "Your arms are looking pretty pumped. You just workout?"

"Yeah," replied Tommy as he put the bag on the counter and tried to hide his arms behind it to avoid a closer inspection.

"Do you have friends over?" his dad asked, indicating an empty but used pitcher and glasses by the sink.

"Uh, maybe," Tommy replied, looking distracted. He grabbed a large bag of chips and a warm Drinkade and left the kitchen as his dad started unpacking the second grocery bag and he almost ran into his mom who toted a pair of lighter bags.

"I thought you were hanging out with Ron and the other friend today," she stated questioningly.

"Oh,Uther left, but Ron might still be out back," Tommy explained as he tried to use the bag of chips to hide his arms. He turned around to check outside for Ron while his parents put away the groceries, exchanging slightly puzzled looks.

Tommy didn't find Ron in the back yard, but quickly chugged the Drinkade and started eating some chips. He looked to see if the path to his room was clear yet, and then spotted the tube of lotion which he grabbed to bring back to Bryan's room. He rushed upstairs, first to return the "borrowed" tube, then to his own room. He closed the door, ate a few more chips and flexed a double biceps in the mirror that looked freakishly morphed. A hard flex demolished the other sleeve and he peeled the t-shirt off to see that his shoulders, arms and even his forearms looked like they belonged to a bodybuilder, but not much had changed in his torso and legs. While he flexed and felt over the size of his upper limbs he was a bit disappointed that this growth was so uneven. It wasn't until then that he connected the areas of growth with the specific place he applied the lotion.

"That's how Bryan's been growing so fast!" Tommy exclaimed and he thought about using the cream on his legs to develop some serious power for soccer. He dug out an XXL t-shirt he had that still fit snugly around his arms but was large enough to hide a bit of the extreme growth, before heading towards Bryan's room to get more of that magical cream.

*Ron*

Ron watched Uther walk inside with Tommy and admired the bulk of his legs and calves and the width of his back. Uther was only a bit bulkier than Tommy, who Ron would admit was more attractive, but he had long given up thinking of Tommy as anything but a good friend who was almost as fun as himself. Ron's dick throbbed again and brought him back to his own body and the tingling of pleasure that now covered his skin and seemed to be slowly deepening into the twitching of his small, wiry muscles. He slouched back and relaxed into the warm throbbing of his body.

The sun on his pale thighs intensified the tingling there and Ron grabbed some lotion so they wouldn't burn. For some reason, he believed his own lie about it being SPF 1,000 and took some care at not squeezing out a handful. He spread some lotion over his legs, trying to push the large basketball shorts even higher and took the opportunity to sneak a hand in and grab his cock which was rock hard and feeling huge. He really wanted to jack off right there, but thought about quickly finding a bathroom before he exploded.

He stood up slowly, but the motion of his cock rubbing against his shorts brought him to an intense orgasm that collapsed him back into the chair and made him pause for a minute. Finally, he refilled his glass from the pitcher and drank it quickly to help clear his head. It didn't seem to help and Ron's sensual pleasure was only matched by an again growing thirst. He finished the pitcher and went inside to refill it, forgetting for the moment that his dick was still hard and his shorts were wet and sticky with cum.

At the kitchen sink, Ron filled the pitcher halfway before his impatience prompted him to chug it and start refilling again which only made it halfway before he repeated the process. Eventually, he felt nauseous and bloated and kinda sore all over, but also hungry. Without thinking, he ate a banana and some cookies and then went to find Tommy to say he was leaving. Ron found Tommy sleeping on the couch and decided to leave without waking him.

Ron walked outside to his bike and exposure to the sun brought another wave of euphoria that was distracting but also strengthened his resolve to find someplace for a second release. He considered going back into the house for the shirt he left there, but he often left things at Tommy's place and he could get it back later. His house was just a few miles away, but he did try to think of other places he might gain some privacy. Biking was transportation, not recreation for Ron, especially since he did more sight-seeing than exercise at the gym and biking usually exhausted him, especially on a summer day. But as he pedaled, his legs felt energized that day and getting fast enough for a strong breeze on his face look little effort. Meanwhile, the bloated feeling spread to his whole body in an awkward way. Even his cock felt unusually large and heavy even if it wasn't as hard as before. Suddenly, his stomach grumbled painfully of hunger and Ron realized he stopped in front of an ice cream store that was kind of on the way. 

"I'll have an extra-large Neapolitan banana sundae with nuts and chocolate and fruit topping," he requested at the outdoor window.

"That's usually for 4-6 people to share," the girl inside stated.

"Oh, um, okay," Ron replied as he paid for the order and walked a bit dazed to an outdoor table. His stomach grumbled again and his body throbbed and ached but the buzz from the sun hitting his skin made him near catatonic and unwilling to investigate what was happening to his body.

Ron's bowl of calories and nutrients soon arrived and he ate at an unhurried but steady pace through to the last lick. Then he simply sat and sweated in the sun. The small girl came out to clear the table and brought a plastic cup of water, which Ron was happy to drink. He stood up to bike home but somehow lost contact with the ground and stumbled, knocking a table over. He apoligized and set it upright, thinking it was so light, no wonder it fell over. Meanwhile, the girl had refilled the cup of water.

"Are you feeling dizzy?" she asked as she offered the cup.

Ron drank it then simply replied, "I'm fine. I'm heading home."

As he walked to his bike, the air around him felt thicker even though he felt very light and fast. Those strange feelings continued on the bike that felt slightly smaller and lighter and rocketed forward as he himself felt both heavier and lighter. Either because of the mind-numbing effects of the cream when exposed to sunlight, or Ron's firm sense of the inadequacies of his body, he remained oblivious to the fact that he had grown 3 inches taller and put on almost 25 pounds of weight.

He got home so quickly he almost biked past it. His hunger and thirst returned and he felt a little light-headed. His parents owned a restaurant in town and worked odd hours there. His older sister was the general manager and she often worked late. So it wasn't a huge surprise that the driveway was empty, nor that the refrigerator was well stocked with already cooked food. Ron's hunger and thirst had become very annoying and he resolved to satify both. Half an hour later, with several empty plates and a glass that was refilled several times before him, he accomplished that mission and tidied up a bit before sleepiness and soreness directed him to his room and to his bed. As he fell asleep, he wondered why his bed felt so small.

*Bryan*

Bryan still worried about having a bad reaction, so the previous night he applied very small dabs to his upper back, lower back, quads, hamstrings, calves and forearms and resisted drinking more than a single glass of juice as before. He woke with a strong, athletic body that maybe rivaled Tommy's. His thick muscles flexed hard and bulged over his lean body. He hid from being noticed at home as he got ready for a couple interviews that day and felt a sense of confidence and attractiveness that was encouraged by how the recent growth of an additional 15 pounds of muscle helped fill his dress clothes well with hard bulges.

He noticed he was hungrier than usual and had a second lunch before heading to the gym where he had an inspired, heavy workout and caught himself exchanging flirting glances with a cute guy there. Based on the previous week, he knew he wasn't quite done growing, so he stopped at a store for larger clothes that would fit even if he put on 50 pounds of muscle, which might happen with just one or two more applications. As he drove home, he wondered how he would explain that to his parents without a lecture or worse, and what about his health that he's risking? The smile he had on all day faded a little as he pulled onto his street and thought about how to sneak his new clothes into his room, since they might raise questions.

As he pulled up, he watched his mom bring some groceries in and close the door behind her. He gathered his own bags and hoped to time his entrance well just as Tommy was planning the same from the back. Bryan saw Tommy's feet at the top of the staircase as he crept in the front door and shut it quietly. A bag slipped but he caught it and he got to his room a second before Tommy opened his own bedroom door. Bryan rushed into his room with a "Hey, Tommy," and closed the door behind him.

"Shit," Tommy whispered as he retreated to his own room. He hadn't had time to get the tube back.

At dinner, Tommy and Bryan both wore clothes that looked baggy, but soon they both realized why. Tommy wasn't surprised that Bryan used the lotion again but he did wonder why Bryan was hiding it's effects so much. Bryan went bug-eyed with the realization that Tommy got into his Muscle Cream and it looked like Tommy used a lot and only on his arms and maybe his shoulders. How did he know about it? Does he stil have it? Bryan's mind raced with distracting questions and he fired a few glares at Tommy who alternated between glaring back and looking a bit preoccupied himself.

"Are you boys okay?" asked their dad who found them both unusually quiet.

"Yeah, fine," they replied.

"Did the meetings go okay, dear?" asked Bryan's mother with some concern.

"Yeah, I think so," replied Bryan with a brief smile.

After exchanging shrugs, their parents returned to their previous conversation. The brothers weren't silent all dinner, and after asking for seconds, they relaxed enough to pretend that there was nothing on their mind. As he put his plate in the dishwasher, Tommy announced he was going to his room to talk to Ron, and Bryan said he remembered that he had to send an email that was on his laptop, so they both rushed upstairs.

Bryan grabbed at Tommy's arm as Tommy headed into Bryan's room for the tube. Even knowing that Tommy's arms were bigger, Bryan was surprised at the feeling of how much bigger they were, and Tommy was surprised at Bryan's strength as he held him back.

"How much did you use?" Bryan demanded to know.

"Just a little," Tommy replied defensively.

"Yeah, right. Well, this stuff could be dangerous!" Bryan said in a whispered yell.

"What do you mean dangerous?" Tommy whisper-yelled back. "Oh, is this the recalled stuff from that Sudsfree company?" he asked more calmly.

"It's Studlee. Yeah, so don't tell Mom or Dad. It's recalled because it has bad side effects."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but they wouldn't do a recall unless it's something serious. It came with very specific directions. Are you feeling okay?"

"I feel great," Tommy replied and he hit a double biceps for his older brother who gasped as their size stretched at the sleeves of the oversized shirt. "Wow, I think they're even bigger than before."

Bryan briefly returned to the whisper-yell. "You did not use a little!" He took a breath to calm himself and explained, "The growth kinda continues over the week, so they might get even bigger. Just don't exercise them; I think that causes more growth. We're gonna wait two weeks to use it again."

"Two weeks?! Oh, you're gonna let me use it again?"

"Yes, just a little to even you out a bit."

"I know, I look so weird, like I got photoshopped or something," Tommy whined as he held up his thick, vascular guns.

Tommy reluctantly agreed to Bryan's plan and went to his room to call Ron and see how the cream affected him, but there was no answer so he messaged a few questions and then let his sleepy mind wander. Ron used more of the creme than he did, but he started off so small, that he might look normal now. That'll surprise his parents, he reasoned, but the rest of his family isn't small, so it might be excused as a delayed growth spurt. He also wondered what Uther would look like with possibly a hyper-muscled face and hoped the cream didn't make him look any worse.

Meanwhile, Bryan decided to lock up the Muscle Cream in his private locker at the gym first thing in the morning so Tommy couldn't get at it again. He wasn't sure if he himself would be able to wait a full two weeks, but he thought waiting that extra week would help him and Tommy make sure no bad side effects happened. Bryan fell asleep as Tommy's question rang, "Like what side effects?"