DC : Crisis of infinite hunger : Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Heroes' Descent

The diner buzzed with low chatter, but Barry Allen and Hal Jordan sat quietly, engrossed in their own world of food. Their favorite booth in Big Belly Burger had become a frequent stop, maybe a little too frequent. But no one in the fast food joint was brave enough to comment on how often the two heroes now filled it. Or, more notably, how much larger they had both gotten.

Barry’s Flash suit, once a skin-tight second skin molded to his powerful frame, was now stretched and strained. His massive belly jutted out, pressing down against his thighs. His once-athletic legs were now tree trunks, thick and unyielding, his gut hanging heavily over them as he sat hunched forward. Sweat gathered at his temples, his face puffier than anyone could have imagined, his double chin becoming more prominent with each bite of food.

Across from him, Hal Jordan wasn’t faring much better. His Green Lantern uniform had long since given up trying to contain his bloated form. The black and green fabric dug into the folds of his body, his gut bulging against the edge of the table. His arms, once chiseled and sculpted from years of rigorous training, were now thick with soft, sagging fat. Even his fingers had swollen, and his power ring looked like it might pop off at any moment.

And yet, neither hero seemed particularly bothered by their condition. Their hands were busy, shoveling in food at an alarming rate. Plates of burgers, fries, and shakes piled up in front of them, with no sign of slowing down. The more they ate, the more they seemed to crave, their movements growing sluggish from both the overeating and their expanded forms.

Barry took a break long enough to suck down a milkshake in one breath, his cheeks bulging with the cold, creamy drink. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his gloved hand and groaned. "I dunno, Hal... something feels off. I’m fast, but I can’t seem to outrun this hunger.”

Hal leaned back, his arm resting lazily across his growing belly. He eyed Barry, his mouth full of fries. "Tell me about it. It's like a black hole in my stomach, and not the good kind. We’ve gone on missions with less fuel than this, and I still can’t stop eating."

Barry took another bite of his burger, chewing slowly, thoughtfully. “Maybe—just maybe—we should think about slowing down. We’re superheroes, after all...”

Hal chuckled, his laugh coming out in a wheeze as he stuffed another handful of fries into his mouth. “Slowing down? Barry, look at us. We’re already moving slower than snails. Besides...” He tapped his overstuffed stomach proudly. “I’m not seeing a real downside here, except maybe having to fly with more... *baggage*.”

"Yeah, well," Barry said through a mouthful of fries, his cheeks bulging, "you're used to carrying weight in space. This is different." He sighed, picking up yet another burger and biting into it greedily, the juices dribbling down his chin.

Their gorging was relentless, their stomachs expanding more with each bite, yet still, the hunger gnawed at them. It wasn’t just food at this point—it was like their bodies craved it on a level that neither of them could understand. Barry’s fingers trembled as he reached for his third milkshake, he slurped the sweet concoction in long gulps.

Hal, meanwhile, had polished off a mountain of burgers and now turned his attention to the dessert tray the waitress had brought over—a tray that neither of them had ordered but seemed to have appeared as if the restaurant itself was eager to see how far they’d go. Hal unwrapped the first dessert, a giant sundae topped with whipped cream, nuts, and cherries. He dug into it, his once-sharp jawline now padded with layers of fat as he chewed slowly, savoring the taste.

Barry, in the middle of chewing a chili dog, watched Hal with something like envy. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I might need to switch it up. Something sweet... that’s gotta help, right?"

Before Hal could respond, their communicators buzzed to life, crackling with the unmistakable tone of Bruce Wayne—Batman’s voice.

“Flash, Lantern. There’s been a—”

“Can’t talk right now, Bats,” Hal interrupted, waving his hand dismissively, his voice muffled by a mouthful of fries.

“Busy,” Barry added quickly, leaning forward to shove the last half of his milkshake-stuffed burger into his mouth.

There was a long, exasperated silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Batman spoke, his tone hard as steel. “Busy? What could possibly be more important than—”

Hal cut him off again, this time reaching for a new mountain of fries. “Trust me, we’re... in the middle of something important here.”

A brief pause followed before the line went dead. Barry raised an eyebrow at Hal, guilt flashing briefly across his face. “You think that was a good idea, man? Bruce isn’t exactly the type to take a rain check.”

Hal shrugged, still chewing. “Eh, he’ll get over it. I’m sure he’s fine without us for one day.”

Barry, mid-bite, looked down at the absurd amount of food surrounding them, his belly pressing even tighter against the table. “Maybe... we really should... cut back. Just a little.”

Hal let out a small chuckle, licking his fingers clean. “Right after this meal, Allen. Right after this meal.”

They continued to eat in silence, the guilt of ignoring Batman quickly drowned out by the sheer volume of food they consumed. Hal finished his sundae and immediately started on the next, while Barry switched to dessert, lapping up sundaes with an almost desperate hunger.

As the two heroes stuffed themselves, their bodies continued to swell, the fabric of their suits pulling tighter by the minute. Barry’s gut pushed further out, resting against the edge of the table, his moobs sagging slightly as his belly rose and fell with every labored breath. Hal’s uniform fared no better, his stomach rounding out even further as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the Green Lantern emblem almost completely swallowed by the bulk of his torso.

Neither of them spoke for a long while, too focused on their gorging to even acknowledge their surroundings. They were once all—powerful... and now they are completely at the mercy of their own gluttony.