Growing Pains - Chapter 5

Alexandre got back into the apartment, just as drenched as Cindy was from the sudden rain. Since Nataly turned out to run too fast for the dog, it became Ale’s responsibility to walk their pet - which she actually quite enjoyed. It did help that she had found this great apartment near the city’s amazing large municipal park. But over the course of the last two years she had to hold her instinct to flirt with all the other hot people there. There was something about walking the dog that just flipped that switch on her head - perhaps she had watched 101 Dalmatians one too many times.

It did not help that she had come quite a long way since her college days, with more work spent in the gym that resulted in a body that was ready to compete in bodybuilding. Still, for all her progress, she was still left in the dust by her girlfriend. Nataly had really blossomed since they moved, with the big city gym not only leaving the old hardcore but old place in the dust - but she had actually caught the eye of a professional doctor specialized in high level training for athletes there… and sort of became his pet project. Having all these tests and measures done was a small price to pay to get top notch routines and even score some training gear.

As Alexandre finished drying her hair with a towel, she heard the door unlocking, as Nataly turned sideways to properly get across the door with the groceries. While the weight was probably trivial for her, handling her own large frame and the six bags under her arms through that “limited” opening was quite the challenge.

“Here, let me help,” Ale rushed, with Cindy also coming in hot to celebrate Nataly’s arrival. Despite not being the one to walk her around, it was very clear who her favorite human was. Ale grabbed a couple of the large paper bags, and brought it to the kitchen counter. Their new apartment was considerably smaller than the one they had back in college, but unlike that one, it was very modern and clean, which both appreciated.

“So, how did it go with Dr. Lloyd today?” Alexandre asked while she put the seemingly infinite groceries away.

“Same old, same old,” Nataly responded as she played with Cindy, “he wanted to test some new braces the university is developing, but I admit I felt a little stupid wearing those, it made me look like a comic book superhero - they were these bulky, padded silly things that were all metallic silver. I tried to tell him I never got injured, but he said he wanted to test those under very heavy loads and I was the only person he knew lifting that much… so I indulged him.”

“Comic book superhero, you say?” Ale stood up from behind the counter, her left eyebrow raising with a sly smile. “Say, he wouldn’t be able to let you borrow those for a while? You know, not that I would try to get in the way of his research to do some role play… but…”

“You’re incorrigible, Alexandre.” Nataly laughed that delicious laugh while Cindy licked her face. Ale really loved that laugh. “But I will see if it can be arranged.”

“Not that you need much to sell that these days…” Ale approached Nataly, who knelt on the ground to play with the dog. Even then, she could barely reach her bare shoulders. The enormous bulbs of muscle protruded from (or, more aptly, almost completely enveloped) her collarbone, and were almost the size of the smaller girl’s head. Given these better resources, the tall girl really started approaching that comic book exaggerated physique that artists loved to stylize. Except it was very real here - and much to Ale’s delight, 100% possible to touch with her own fingers, which she did. Her palm slid over the silky smooth skin, which covered the powerful and rough sinew below, each fibrous crag a reminder of the power contained within. “... I swear you could lift a car in front me and I wouldn’t even be that surprised.”

“Yeah, I’m not quite there yet, Ale, but thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“YET being the operative word. Fuck, you blew everyone’s expectations - I don’t think there’s a single person in that gym that doesn’t think you are juicing with some next-gen shit.”

“It’s a good thing I’m the one doing the cooking, or I might have my suspicions…” Nataly joked, getting up. To Alexandre, it felt like she just kept rising forever, her head almost touching the ceiling of the apartment. It never got old for her - and had the extra benefit of giving her ample view of those knobbly abs, which her shirt hugged quite tightly. Even through the sweaty cotton, she had to resist the urge to lick those. Damn, it was all really helping her work an appetite…

It had been two months since Nataly and Alexandre had moved into their apartment, but life in the big city proved to be tougher than she expected. ‘There will be so many restaurants, I’m going to find the perfect job in no time!’, she had convinced herself. Reality wasn’t quite as accommodating. After a long night shift washing dishes, she walked around the city with a stack of resumes, leaving copies at whatever food-serving establishment would take them - which, admittedly, wasn’t many. And now it had started to rain, leaving the poor woman drenched and with a wad of melting paper in her fingers. Looking for someplace to try and salvage maybe a few pages, she ran under the umbrella of the small table of a food truck on an empty parking lot.

The pulpy mess of what used to be resumes dribbled down her fingers, as the raindrops disguised the tears that ran down her reddened cheeks. She removed the glasses, which she hardly ever worn - except for small print, it really didn’t affect her that much, and she HATED the feeling of having flawed vision, so she mostly avoided wearing her prescription. But not today - she wanted to be at her best, and it made her look more professional, along with her gray jacket. But right now, it just made things worse as droplets made it impossible to see anything. She pressed the bridge of her nose, lifting the glasses up, before hanging them on the neckline of her undershirt.

Lost in her own despair, she didn’t even notice the man putting down a hot dog in front of her. Her stomach grumbled loudly before she even saw the food or the large mustachioed man in front of her.

“Tough day, eh?”

Nataly’s hunger spoke louder than her good sense, but even then she looked at her benefactor, gave one last sob and gave a grateful sob before scarfing down the delicacy.

“Sorry, it’s been a hell of a day.”

“It does kinda look like it.” He paused, his large cheeks, covered by a thin stubble of beard, “No offense.”

Before Nataly could answer, she was hit by the explosion of flavor - the beef sausage was spicy, but had just the perfect amount of fat to make it tender and incredibly tasty. It was an amazing match with the sweet relish, which added a refreshing touch to the meal… and what was it on the mayonnaise? It had just a hint of something smoky she couldn’t quite place…

“Whoa!” Nataly spoke with her mouth still full, not quite minding her manners, much like her chubby companion, “This hot dog is AMAZING!” She continued to chew, forgetting her troubles for the time being.

“Thanks! Glad I could get a guinea pig to test my new sausage. You might not be quite as… plump… as I am… but I bet you eat quite a bit to grow this big.”

Nataly let out a snort of a giggle, almost spitting a bit of the food in the process. She finished the bite with a big gulp, and cleaned her lips with the back of her hand. “Sorry. I didn’t even thank you. I’m Nataly.”

“Antonio Rossi - though everyone calls me Tony. Or Red, sometimes. My close friends just say Fat Tony, though.” Why did the name sound strangely familiar, Nataly asked herself.

“You made the sausage? Everything is so good - this is the best relish I’ve ever had… and the mayonnaise? What’s in it? It’s kinda smoky, but it still has a sharp sting, it’s horseradish and something else…”

Tony looked around in comical fashion, like a spy concerned about being watched. He got closer and whispered: “Roasted pepper, with a touch of horseradish. But don’t tell anyone.”

“Wow… here I’m failing to find a job in the most pathetic fashion, and getting schooled in a condiment by a guy in a food truck.”

“Hey! I take offense to that! What do you have against food trucks?!?” His grin was replaced by a scowl, as he uncrossed his arms and put his hands on his hips.

“Oh! No, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way, it’s just that…” she started looking around, getting even redder than her chubby new friend.

“Nah, I’m messing with you!” He slapped her in the back, surprised at how solid it felt, like he was hitting a freaking tree. “Not my food truck, doing a favor for a fellow chef. But even then, I started with a food truck myself, and you shouldn’t look down on them. It’s just as hard and as artful as any restaurant, I’ll let you know.” He spoke with pride, straightening up dramatically as he did.

Nataly sighed. It made her feel even worse about her frustrated attempt at getting a job at a restaurant.

“What’s with the white paste?” Tony asked, looking at the wad of melting resumes.

“Oh, just fate, I guess, telling me I’m stupid.” Nataly shrugged as she put the rest of the delicious hot dog in her mouth.

“Trust me, I know how it is. I’ve been having my own issues, I have to fire this guy, but I hate doing it. Tried to convince my second-in-command to do so, but she’s so cold I felt even worse. Why can’t you find good help these days?”

“Yeah, life can be so frustrating. I’m at the end of my rope myself…” Nataly squished the goo of paper thoughtlessly, “Do you ever wonder if maybe you just went down the wrong path?”

“Only all the time. But that’s what’s wonderful about food, you know? It brings people together - it is the one thing humans instinctively do together, no matter the culture or the situation. And you can express so much through cooking…”

“I KNOW, RIGHT?!?” Nataly said, waving her hands frantically and making a wad of wet paper fly and cling to Tony’s big mustache. Her eyes widened, and she immediately tried to clean it.

“No worries,” he held the large hand away, using his white apron to clean the goo.

“Sorry, I’m a bit of a neat freak.”

“Maybe you are a sign that I just need to accept my pantry will always be a mess, and I will never find a cook who is organized to hire.”

“Yeah, and I’ll never find a restaurant willing to hire me, no matter how much I show my skills…”

The two paused for a second. Then it hit both of them at the same time.

“Wait, you are THE Antonio Rossi?!?”

“And you are a cook and a neat freak? Looking for a job?”

They both smiled for a second, as the rain stopped and the sun came out, like God himself had placed a beam of light on the parking lot.

“Say, would you be willing to help me fire someone?”

Nataly was incredibly nervous. Antonio had texted her the address of the restaurant along with the time she should go there - as if she would need any indication of where the famous establishment was. The Lonely Accordeon was one of those fancy restaurants that tried its hardest to look like some alley in Sicily, but prided itself in top notch service. In her head, she was convinced that she was going to fuck something up and be dismissed right there and then. Her heart beat so fast and hard she could swear you could hear her chest thump. Her hands tightened, and she went up the stairs.

“I’m sorry, we aren’t open yet!” The cheery small Chinese woman informed her with a smile. But before Nataly could answer, Tony came rushing from the kitchen, arms opened wide in what would prove to be his usual loud manner:

“NATALIA!!!” He shouted, with a thick Italian accent he didn’t usually have when speaking. “It’s okay, Ushi, she’s our new pantry chef, isn’t that right? This is Ushi, our head waitress.”

Ushi frowned and let her eyes scan the tall woman from top to bottom. “You sure she can even FIT in the pantry, chef?” Tony just laughed and slapped her hard on the back, almost sending her flying. “This way!”

Nataly followed Tony with bulging eyes as they made their way into the kitchen. This was like a dream to her: a shiny, incredibly well equipped (albeit quite cramped) kitchen. The rows of pans and knife racks might as well be Christmas ornaments to her, making her eyes sparkle with joy. She walked through it with her jaw hanging wide open, which elicited a laugh from a large man with a crew cut - he looked older, but it was kind of hard to precise his age because of his excellent shape: his very toned arms were bare, displaying incredible triceps that were fully painted with what she assumed to be military in nature (she had seen the “Semper Fidelis” in a movie with Alexandre, but couldn’t remember which one). While the eagle and skull were quite intimidating, his warm smile was contradictorily one of the most inviting she’d ever seen.

“New meat?” he asked while bringing down a huge cleaver and cutting a large chunk of boned meat in half like it was made of paper.

“No, I’m not delivering anything, I’m a new hire…” Nataly said, quite impressed at how good he was with the knife.

“I mean you. New meat. Though… given your size, I think your nickname is going to be… hmmm… I’ll just call you ‘Tiny’, how about that?”

Nataly blushed, and just nodded. True, he was a big guy, but she was still almost a head taller and quite a bit more muscular than him. She did appreciate the irony as acknowledgement of her size, especially coming from someone who almost certainly appreciated the hard work behind her muscles.

At this moment, Ushi appeared from the door that led to an office. Nataly was very confused how she got there… and even more how she changed her uniform so fast. “Is that the new pantry chef?” she asked in a very annoyed tone, and confused Nataly, since she was already introduced as such. She got even more confused when Ushi proceeded to emerge from the restaurant floor.

“Fen, don’t go scaring the new girl before she even starts. You could use some people skills.”

“And you could use some minding your own business, Ushi.”

“Twins,” the butcher explained, noticing Nataly’s confusion. “Name’s Robert, by the way. And you are?”

“Nataly. The new pantry chef.”

“Fen can be a little rough around the edges, but she runs a tight ship as our porter. She will even call plates for Janet when things get too hectic. You don’t want to argue with either of them, though. Or get between Ushi and Fen when THEY start arguing. Usually we get sparks flying everywhere - we call it a code orange.”

“Hmph!” Fen grunted grumpily, while grabbing Nataly by the wrist, the very short Asian woman comically trying to pull the giant woman, but she followed willingly as she got escorted into the pantry.

“Here’s our pantry.” Fen showed with a hint of pride. “Tony can get quite… creative… so we need to be able to add and remove ingredients with a lot of flexibility. Still, we need to be on top of how much stock we have so we can order more in time to resupply - and make sure nothing that spoils stays here. But most importantly, you will have to liaise with Tony whenever he gets one of his moments of ‘inspiration’” - her tone got so heavy with disdain that Nataly was afraid her eyes would roll all the way back into her head - “and make sure he doesn’t try to do something that will result in a disastrous service. This will be your primary job - but as everyone here, you’ll have to multitask and help during service hours.”

A blonde man entered the pantry at this point, wearing a very messy apron full of flour and dough stains, deftly squeezing himself between the two women while carrying a bowl with some beaten eggs.

“Sorry, just need to steal some nutmeg… boy, it sure is crowded in here, huh? Who’s Mount Everest over here?”

“New pantry chef, Nataly,” Fen said, unamused. “This is Tom, our baker. You will soon learn not to take him seriously.”

“You hurt me, Fen!” Tom retorted with amused irony, “And possibly ruined my chances with her - I haven’t bagged a giantess yet, I bet she fucks like a tiger!”

“That is inappropriate to the point of harassment and a fireable offense, Tom. And you know that.” Fen turned to Nataly, “Like I said, you can disregard his sense of humor.” She waited for him to leave, which he did with a wink, before continuing: “He’s obnoxious, but he’s more bark than bite. He’s actually a pretty nice guy, but if you tell him I said that, I will kill you, then him.”

Fen then escorted Nataly to the walk-in refrigerator, offering her an overcoat. Nataly turned it down:

“I don’t think this would fit me, but I usually don’t have much problems with cold in general, so we should be fine anyway.”

Fen put on her own coat. “Suit yourself.”

While Fen showed her the large cold room (which, much to Nat’s surprise, had a whole section for hanging large pieces of meat like an actual butcher - which explained why a butcher like Robert would be important in the kitchen), explaining where each thing went. Nataly made mental notes of everything, and she tried to keep her enthusiasm in check, but part of her was already getting excited with the prospect of setting up a new organization system, reordering things in an easier manner, maybe creating some spreadsheets and a system for people to mark down ingredients they grab so the values could be updated at the end of service - it was silly, but it was something she excelled at.

Once they were done, they left the refrigerator, and Fen returned to coat to the hook. Nataly asked: “Is there a computer I can use to keep inventory? I assume all the information to create orders would be electronic, right?” Fen nodded silently, and waved her head so she would follow to the office from where she originally emerged from.

The office was a bit messy, but had a great lived-in feel. Lots of hanging posters, several photos of Tony travelling around the world and all kinds of mementos. A big whiteboard and a cork noticeboard adorned one of the walls that also held a shelf of cookbooks, along with a half-empty bottle of bourbon. The last wall had some small lockers which looked like they should have been replaced years ago from abusive overuse - still, while one could say that everything there felt old, it would be more fair to say that everything felt like it had been loved a lot, and it showed. It made Nataly a bit concerned about sitting on the clearly falling apart office chair, so she stood by Fen while she unlocked the computer and showed her the ropes of the software they used.

“Most of the ordering is done by phone,” she picked up the receiver of the old rotary bakelite phone, “no need to dial zero to get an outside line…” Nataly wasn’t sure if that was sarcasm or serious advice from her deadpan delivery, as she hung it up and grabbed a large folder from a drawer and thumped it loudly on the desk, “All our suppliers are listed here, though the notation system can seem a bit… eccentric. You’ll get used to it.” She pointed towards a filing cabinet next to the lockers: “receipts and other documents go there. Good luck, the organization system, if you could call it that, is based on pure chaos and vibes. Tony doesn’t want it changed, he says there’s a system to his madness.”

Nataly walked to the cabinet and opened a drawer. There WERE folders inside, but just as many papers outside as inside folders, but papers were put haphazardly and with no sign of any kind of rhyme or reason. She quickly closed it. “Spoilers: there isn’t. Good luck with that, legends say he once found one document he had to look up. I don’t think anyone believes that tale.”

The door to the office suddenly opened, and a very sharply dressed blond woman with full makeup came in. She looked at Nataly, sizing her up silently with a very judgemental look, crossing her arms. “Our new pantry chef, I assume?”

Fen shrugged. “If she survives the trial by fire.”

“Janet Miller, sous chef. I will not assume Tony cared to check if you have any formal kitchen training?”

Nataly excitedly explained about her culinary education.

“The excitement is adorable. Enjoy it while it lasts. I hope you were informed you will have to be a jack-of-all-trades during service while we figure out which stations you can man.”

“Oh, that would be great!” Nataly said, a large smile forming on her face with the prospect.

“I think you misjudge just how brutal things are in the kitchen. I will give you a fair chance, and nothing more. You will have to earn my respect, but I promise you get a fair shot. Don’t screw up.”

She put her stuff in one of the lockers before proceeding to leave without another word.

“Wow, she’s like the opposite of Tom.” Nataly remarked, somewhat shocked.

“Yeah, that’s actually a pretty good way to put it,” Fen agreed. “Did Tony say when you were supposed to start?”

Nataly knew this would be a challenge. And there was nothing she didn’t love about that.

Nataly arrived at 5 in the morning the next day. She was dead set on coming up with a new organization system for the pantry, implementing an electronic inventory, and overall creating a workflow for ordering. She had actually stopped at an office supply store and brought an entire box with her, which she put under the desk. Nataly was overjoyed they had an old but functional dot matrix printer, which she planned to use to create forms to put on clipboards so people could log what they took from the pantry and fridge. Alexandre kinda hated when Nataly tried to implement new organizational systems… and here she was being PAID to do it… IN A ONE-STAR RATED RESTAURANT KITCHEN. Dreams really did come true.

With her trusty notebook, she went into the pantry, and started listing everything in there, separating by category in her notes. She then proceeded to sketch some concepts on how to reorganize everything in a more efficient manner. She was geeking out a bit, getting all giddy with how certain things could be made easier: all canned items together in one corner, baking supplies all in the bottom for easier access, more perishable supplies would be arranged so as to facilitate checking valid dates and better for higher rotation… there was so much that could be improved.

As the clock chimed that it was 6AM, Fen arrived, and saw Nataly bringing several boxes out of the pantry.

“Early riser, are you, huh?” she noted, before adding, “Be careful with those boxes, some of those ingredients are pretty expensive. And that’s quite a lot you are trying to move at once.”

“Oh, I’m pretty strong, this is pretty trivial when it comes to the weight, I just have to make sure I can balance and navigate around with it.”

“I would offer help, but I do need to get around cleaning the kitchen. But do holler if you need anything, I guess?”

Nataly continued her task, but could not resist and had to ask: “Say, Fen, right? You are not Ushi, I’m guessing from the fact you are here at this time and cleaning?”

“Smart cookie, ain’t ya?”

And so they continued with their tasks. At one point, Fen dropped a bar of soap, which fell on the ground and slip right under the oven.

“Augh! That’s going to be a pain.”

Nataly watched as Fen deftly went over the sink and bent in a pretty incredible way, her diminutive size allowing her to reach quite far as her spine seemed to bend as if she was made of rubber. But while her smaller frame allowed her to reach up to her shoulder behind the oven, her short stature also meant she could ALMOST reach it.

“AAARGH! It sucks to be short.”

Nataly saw how bothered she was. Without asking, she came around, and offered her help.

“I guess… can you hold me by my leg? And I’ll go behind there to grab the soap.”

“Uh… I think I have a better idea.”

Nataly just reached and lifted the entire industrial oven. It was actually slightly challenging, which meant that this probably was not too far removed from lifting the axle of a small sedan. Fen didn’t bat an eye, she just went in and grabbed the soap quickly, allowing Natalie to put the oven back down.

“Thanks, Nat. You are a lifesaver.” Fen smiled proudly, soap in hand, and got back to her task. So did Nataly, but something was bothering her.

A few minutes later, Nataly didn’t resist. “Can I ask a weird question, Fen?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

“I’m just… not used with people not being more inquisitive or even shocked at my size and strength. But no one here said anything or even showed surprise. Here I am, carrying stuff that probably weighs more than two adult men… and you were more concerned about the safety of the contents? And after I raised that oven… you didn’t even bat an eye?”

“Ah. That’s a good question. You might have noticed, we are a very… diverse bunch here. Everyone has their own shit, and frankly, I guess a lot of us could be perceived as unusual. Me and Ushi? We used to be part of a family circus troupe.” She illustrated by standing on her tiptoe, raising her other leg behind her, then pulling her other leg over her back and placing her toe on her head. “You’d be surprised how much Ushi can carry on a tray, despite her size, she is pretty strong too. And she can juggle nine bottles at once!”

“Oh. Wow. I would have never guessed.”

“But the important thing is… I could be a serial killer. In here? Nothing of that matters. We are brothers-in-arms, and our only goal is to make the experience of our diners unforgettable.”

“Damn, that’s pretty deep.”

“Oh, yeah. I thought so too. That’s mostly Tony and Robert who came up with all of that. Ushi is the one who loves all of that. She missed the smiles when she was doing acrobatics on the trapeze… and when she experienced the joy she brings to the people she’s serving? Hooked, right away. She takes the service very seriously.”

“Wow. That’s… awesome.”

Silence. Nataly was in awe. But then it dawned on her.

“Wait… you guys RAN AWAY from the circus? Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”

“We came from a VERY strict family. They had way too many expectations, and we had enough. So we moved away… and I guess we found a new family here.”

Nataly could not be more surprised. Not only did she find out that she really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… but this only made her want even more to be part of this crew.

“Now… if you don’t mind, can I get back to cleaning?” Fen asked, hands on her hips.

“Oh, sorry. And thanks for sharing.”

“Nah, all good. And we’ll make sure to use your crazy strength, even if we already have a big bruiser in Robert. He’s dealt with rowdy people more than once, he’s kind of our personal bouncer here when we need it.”

Great. Now Nataly wanted to know all the stories of everyone, especially Robert.

That night, when Nataly got home, Alexandre asked her how the day had gone.

Nataly’s eyes sparkled. “You can go home again, after all…”

Nataly had never worked so much in her life, Tony’s restaurant being a celebrated eatery that managed to somehow get that one star and make itself world-famous while still maintaining the charm of a family business. But after almost two years, it was her second home, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. The novelty never really ceased, and in some ways made her cooking at home even more pleasant as she loved to experiment with the things she learned at the job.

And so, back at home, after a long cooking session, Nataly had not only finished their meal prep for the week, but also made a very nice roasted turkey for dinner. She did miss the days when there were leftovers and she’d use the meat for sandwiches, but these days the couple could eat the entire large bird (well, Alexandre didn’t really contribute THAT much to the process, truth be told). After the smaller girl was done, she’d lean her chin on her hands, elbows on table, and sort of just appreciate Nataly feasting on the rest of the bird: it was a funny mix of careful and dainty careful cutting of breast meat, followed by an almost barbaric tearing of the entire giant drumstick with her hand, and chomping on it like some sort of viking feast. Ale would occasionally sip on her water, watching as her lover gorged on the meal, cheeks full and completely engrossed in the act. Despite many probably thinking she looked quite scary doing so, in Alexandre’s eyes it was endearing: there was a certain child-like innocence that she very much appreciated, unlike her no-nonsense aggressive gym self.

“Are you going to the gym again tonight?” Alexandre asked, briefly checking her phone to check her tasks for the day.

“Yup!” Nataly nodded, speaking with some food still in her mouth.

“Great, I’ll join you there after work then. But now I really gotta head to the office.” She grabbed her bag and made her way to the door.

Their routines had changed quite a bit from their college days, with both having to fit their fitness routines around their new work schedules. Nataly would always go out for her morning jog with Cindy, but Alexandre very rarely could join them, because she would either have morning meetings at the office, or would need to prepare documents before heading there after lunch. This meant that Nataly was left in charge of most day-to-day house chores, including grocery shopping. But their nightly joint gym session was more sacred, and they would do their utmost to share that time. And that night was no exception.

Alexandre came in, ready to change from her suit to her athletic outfit which she kept in her bag. Nataly had already been there for a bit, doing her demanding warm-up routine.

“Hey, babe! How was your day?” Ale asked, the gym bag looking quite large against her smaller frame.

“Oh! Hey, Ale!” The enormous woman replied, in the middle of an extremely challenging mobility exercise that reminded anyone that, despite her size, Nataly was quite flexible. “Not much to report, I had the day off from the restaurant, so I mostly cleaned the house a bit. So I came here a bit early, and tried the braces for Dr. Lloyd. It… didn’t go too well…” Nataly said, in an almost embarrassed tone.

“Oh, what happened?”

“Well, as it turns out, the midriff one was okay, but the ones for my knees and elbows didn’t expect the kind of expansion my muscles get when I bend them… I think I damaged the prototypes… but he was a really good sport about it.”

Ale laughed as she made her way to the changing room, thinking that for some sort of genius, he really should have known better. In any case, she was glad to shed her stuffy work outfit for something more comfortable - but more importantly, revealing. The “petite” woman had worked very hard to shed that image of being small, and it certainly showed: despite her modest stature, she had put on so much muscle that it looked borderline ridiculous on her tiny frame. Thick legs supported a very ripped stomach, which was almost covered by plentiful breasts. Her ripped arms might not have an impressive circumference in numerical terms, but looked incredibly large on that tiny frame. And it was all on display given her low body fat (well, except on her chest, somehow). She appreciated herself in the mirror, fully aware of how incredibly curvy she had become, as she struggled a bit to envelop her boobs with the stretchy sports bra.

But return to the weight room she did,where Nataly now returned the damaged braces to Dr. Lloyd. Most people would not look at him and think “scholar” - he was a very fit man, with a toned and extremely trim physique in his early 30s. He had that kind of chiseled jaw you’d expect in a Hollywood actor, not some professor, with his short black hair always impeccable and a five o’clock shadow that was magically at a model-like stubble every time. It was only his glasses that betrayed his academic roots, but he still made sure to pick stylish ones. He wasn’t much taller than Alexandre, which meant he still looked comically small next to Nataly.

“No worries, these were just prototypes anyway, and I wanted you to test them exactly so I could find issues, which is exactly what you did”, he explained, looking at the tears on the braces instead of keeping eye contact with Nataly. He tended to be a very focused individual, so this was not unusual, but only served to differentiate him more from the enormous woman before him.

“Phew! That’s a weight off my head!” Nataly swiped her forehead in a sign of relief. There weren’t many people that she showed reverence to at the gym, but Lloyd was one of them. And it made sense, ever since he started acting as a personal trainer of sorts, her strength once again rose to new heights. What he lacked in social manners, he more than made up for in sheer knowledge of human physiology and exercise.

“Sup, four-eyes!” Alexandre didn’t have the same reverence for Lloyd, but the reality was that she treated most people casually, so it was nothing personal. “What are you going to do to my girl today?”

“Oh, hi, Alexandre,” he raised his head, acknowledging the woman for a second before grabbing his clipboard in order to answer the question. “Well, today we have planned another set of high intensity interval training, as per our protocol, in order to compare different regimens and study the cardiovascular impact of each one.”

“Awwww, and here I was hoping you’d be trying to have her break some of her ludicrous lifting PRs…” Alexandre said, pouting.

“We do have a session focused on one rep maxes next thursday,” he responded, tapping the back of his pen against one of the boxes in his notes… “I am actually keeping track because I think we might be breaking some world records by next month, and I want to have a witness from the federation to make it official.”

“Ah, Dr. Lloyd, only you could make something so awesome sound so clinical and mundane.” While Alexandre laughed, she also slightly missed the days in which she organized Nataly’s training. There was a hint of jealousy, but she could not deny the fact that he really delivered on the results. So for now she went to her own training, but always keeping an eye to admire her girlfriend’s prowess.

There was something hard to put in words when Nataly did this training swinging large kettlebells - to most bystanders, it was almost scary, and it wasn’t hard to imagine her taking down an entire building by using it as a wrecking ball. One could hardly wrap their brain around the amount of weight being flung around, especially at the speeds in which she swung it. Yet, by looking at the gigantic muscles involved, there weren’t many other viable explanations. It was just one of those things that you both understood but your mind somehow rejected - and frankly, Nataly could probably take down concrete walls or smash cars with those movements.

But while Alexandre did love to just take in all that power (while knowing full well she’d be basking in it later at the privacy of their apartment), she also had to focus on her own workout. Even if she knew that she would never be competing on a level field with Nataly, it eventually led her to not compare herself anymore… and it made her efforts go into overdrive. She managed to bulk up quite a bit since, and trained like a woman possessed. As she positioned herself under the bar, she appreciated her striated thighs before she started her squats, proud of the progress she had made since. Her quads now jutted incredibly from her knee, accentuating her short figure incredibly - she even had some veins showing, which she carried like a badge of honor.

Moving to the bench and grabbing some dumbbells for some Bulgarian split squats, she was once again treated to a small show from Nataly, who was now performing clean and jerks in front of her but facing away, allowing her to see that marvellous tush, with that little dimple on the side she had grown to deeply appreciate. It almost made her forget the pain of those nasty squats, thinking about how she would bite those gluteus maximus and…

“Focus, Ale!” she told herself, gritting her teeth for another rep with an audible grunt. The weights felt heavy on her hands as much as her legs burned, and while it was a pained feeling, it also made her giddy. As much as she loved worshipping Nataly’s muscles, she also cherished having her own gains appreciated by her partner. And so she toiled away, as she heard Lloyd barking orders with his stopwatch.

“Well, I’m going to run for a bit on the treadmill, then take my shower,” Ale announced to Nataly after finishing her weight routine.

“Oh! We are almost done as well, but Dr. Lloyd wants to take some heart rate and O2 measurements, I’ll be there shortly.” Since they didn’t share a shower like they would at home (the stalls at the gym could barely contain Nat alone), she didn’t mind going ahead.

As they got back home, Nataly started working on dinner. Alexandre had to check some emails, because she knew better that there would be many corporate messes that landed at the end of the workday. As much as she hated to admit, this domestic life fit her better than she expected, with Cindy resting that cute head with floppy ears on her lap - which she rewarded with some pets while she answered boring emails.

The last email came from her boss, reminding her of the incoming poll to give the company a rating in the “best places to work” competition. She just rolled her eyes, hating that political part of the job.

“Argh! Why do we need to put this front? Who cares if we are the best place to work! I ain’t working there because I like it, I do it because it pays well!” Ale moaned with impatience.

“Well, you know me. I’m pretty competitive, so I feel like I would try my best just so I could rub it in the competition’s face…” Nataly said with a giggle. It didn’t make Ale any happier, but it did pull on a different string within her brain.

“Hey, if you are so competitive… why don’t we get you into a proper bodybuilding show, Nataly? Certainly you don’t think you don’t belong in one anymore. And you can’t deny that you’ve never been this lean before.”

Nataly’s bubbly expression darkened, filled with doubt. “I don’t know, I already juggle so many things, would I really be able to prepare properly? What if the competition falls into one of the days I get a big order for catering? And what are people at the restaurant going to think if I show up with a fake tan and…”

Alexandre threw her arms in the air. “What do you care what other people think? I’ve been meaning to participate in a show, and you know very well my schedule is much crazier than yours. Those are all excuses, Nat!”

Nataly just let out an audible “humph” as she shrugged. Ale got up, moving Cindy’s head aside, and walked to her lover. She stretched her hand up to her shoulder, and rested her forehead against the giant’s elbow, eyes closed, as she rubbed those crazy posterior deltoids with a sigh. “Nat, first of all, we both know full well you’d just smoke the competition without even trying. But even if that wasn’t the case, do you think I care if you get first, second or last place? I just want you to have all your hard work recognized.” She opened her eyes, lifting her face so she would look straight up at Nataly’s chin, “I think it might do you some good, dealing with the anxiety of a competition, as well as putting yourself out there to the public.”

“I dunno…” she stirred the pot, avoiding eye contact.

“Tell you what. Let me see if there’s any minor bodybuilding shows in town anytime soon. If there is, why don’t we both register, and see how it goes, no pressure, no strings attached, no expectations. Think of it as a trial run.” And with that, she gave Nat’s forearm a little nibble.

“You know too well I can’t resist your nibbles.” Nataly said, almost laughing.

“I wow,” Ale responded, her teeth still digging into Nat’s firm flesh, making her speech hard to understand, “zaz wah ah doo eet”.

She might be the one biting, but Ale knew she had Nataly line, hook and sinker.

The next day was Nataly’s turn to walk the dog, and she really wanted to get a good run around the park. Cindy was always happy when she decided to do that, as she would just chase her master in a very long game of catch. She would take off the leash and let the canine companion try and reach her - it was actually quite challenging for both of them, as Nataly’s pace was quite impressive, both in terms of speed and pace. Cindy would occasionally take a break, tongue dangling all over… sometimes Alexandre had asked herself if she should have just gotten a labrador, which would not only have more energy but also longer legs… but the cocker spaniel seemed to enjoy these strolls just fine.

At around two thirds of the way around the park, Nataly stopped to get a drink for herself and Cindy, doing some stretches on the calisthenics equipment graciously furnished there. She grabbed the bowl she kept in her backpack, and filled it for Cindy at the water fountain, and while she waited for the dog to rehydrate, she started doing some stretches against one of the bars there, raising her foot over her head, when she spotted a familiar face passing by with a group of friends.

It took Nataly a second for Nataly’s memory to properly kick in, the fact did look familiar somehow. Then it hit her like lightning.

“Daniel?”

The shock was huge. She would never forget the face of one of her biggest bullies - sure, the formerly big chubby kid had grown up - he was a bit taller, but shed those extra pounds of fat, and sported two toned arms and a strong chest, giving him a very top-heavy shape. It did show that someone had been skipping leg day, as he had a bit of chicken situation in his silhouette. Still, much like in the old days, Nataly still towered over him considerably. That had been part of the entire reason for the bullying..

It was an unexpected emotional moment for her. Memories - trauma, really - started flooding back in, a childhood of being discriminated against because of her looks and ostracized by the social cliques of her school. She had been branded a weirdo, and forced to carry that scarlet letter around, which only made her close herself even more into her introspection. It was how she developed her love of reading, books being a kind of friend who would never turn their backs to her. But it also made her very wary of anyone who wasn’t within her very limited list of friends. And right now, she was reliving in her head that very sensation of bullying that Daniel had so many times triggered in the past - except now instead of a big, burly, fat kid, he was a fairly well muscled adult.

Nataly gasped silently. She could feel the heat building in the pit of her stomach, flourishing all the way to her cheeks, and it took considerable effort for her not to turn around and cover her face. Even though she could probably curl the guy with her arms, this bigger version of Daniel was not only bigger and stronger, but in her head this translated into a version of him that spewed even more hateful insults. Or maybe he would now poke fun at her physique, call her manly and unfeminine? She didn’t even realize she hugged the pole and her leg, trying to bury her face against her leg so he would not see her - even though he was facing the other way and walking away already..

Nataly felt her breath stop, like her lungs just refused to work. It felt like drowning somehow, and she probably would have kept hyperventilating if not for Cindy, who had finished her drink and started licking Nataly’s grounded foot. She looked down, the furry companion looking excited but confused, as if it could sense all that distress. Nataly made sure Daniel was now out of sight before she lowered her leg, and she just grabbed and hugged Cindy like a teddy bear for comfort. The dog drowned in those huge arms, but enjoyed the attention, licking her face. Nataly didn’t feel like jogging anymore, and just returned directly to the apartment.

It wasn’t until Alexandre returned later that she found Nataly sitting on the couch, hugging her legs and still looking quite distressed that she got a proper chance to get that out of her chest.

“Hey, gorgeous, what’s bothering ya?” Alexandre was never one shy away from figuring out what was eating at her lover, and she would also not drop the subject, much like Cindy wouldn’t let go of her rubber balls.

“Oh, hey, Ale. Sorry, had a bit of a moment at the park, I’m a bit shook.”

“You, really? Hard to believe.”

“Remember Daniel?”

“Who?”

“Blond boy. From school.”

“Daniel? Hmmm… Oh, wait! That stupid dude with a buzzcut? Mister bulldozer? Fucking bastard who kept giving everyone wedgies?”

Nataly just nodded, digging her chin deeper between her knees, and rocking slowly, back and forth.

“What? He was at the park? Don’t tell me that fatso was still teasing you because of your height? Because he sure as hell wasn’t making fun of your bony arms.”

Nataly grimaced. It took a while for her to answer, and it really disconcerted Alexandre, who could feel the strife in her bones. This was nothing like the self-confident Nataly she knew. In fact, it reminded her A LOT of young Nataly from back in the day. She could almost see the childish, skinny girl underneath that mountain of muscles.

“He… grew up. He’s clearly been hitting the gym. He ain’t fat anymore.”

“I mean, sure, but I can only imagine he’s not that all… and certainly not nearly as big as you. Heck, you could probably have him for breakfast. And I mean that literally. Not that I condone cannibalism. But I might open an exception for him, you know, in a deserted island scenario.”

Alexandre’s attempt at humor didn’t land. She was really surprised at how upset Nataly seemed to be over this. “What did he do? I can’t even imagine what he must have said…?” She didn’t complete the thought with “... to leave you like this,” but she did think that.

“I just saw him passing by and I hid myself.”

Alexandre needed to hold herself not to laugh. The idea of Nataly being this shook was ludicrous. She had seen what she assumed to be much bigger guys trying to intimidate her at the gym, and she always responded with confidence… to the point of even sounding conceited. But it didn’t take long for her to start remembering how traumatic that must have been when she was a kid.

“Hey, babe?” Alexandre tried to find a spot near her in the sofa to sit, but it was a bit too crowded there, with Cindy curled by her side, so she hugged Nataly from behind, and whispered in her ear:

“You know you are the biggest, baddest bitch around, right? There’s nothing Daniel - or any other kids from back there - can do to you that you couldn’t flatten them into a pancake.”

Nataly sobbed drily.

“But… that doesn’t mean that the pain from back there doesn’t leave some scars. I know that too well. But your strength is more than just physical. I’ve seen you pushing past your limits, working through the pain… and I’ve seen the effort you put in your studies back in college, when you deprived yourself of so much to make your grades…”

“Yeah, but I ended up dropping out!”

“Not because you gave up, but because you were brave enough to follow your dreams. Do you know how many people just seek the path of least resistance and just keep on plugging in cruise control? It just shows how you have guts.”

Nataly sighed. “I guess.”

Deep inside, Alexandre knew what was eating her, because it was something she once also felt. She just wanted to be accepted. But Ale also knew that telling her that would probably just make her feel smaller, so she just squeezed that hug a bit harder. “Trust me, Daniel wasn’t worth your time back then, and he sure isn’t worth fretting over now. I mean, not unless we need a meal in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Then maybe you could sautée him or something… I bet he would go great with some chives…”

“Ale!!!” That made Nataly laugh, which was the goal all along.

“Hey, just saying!” She poked Nataly in the ribs, one of the very few places she knew she could get a reaction, and it made the large woman squirm, which opened her stance enough for Ale to sneak in and start planting passionate kisses on her neck and chest. And that would lead to naughtier stuff, which was still Alexandre’s go-to when it came to cheering Nataly up.