Brothers or Boyfriends: Chapter 13

Three weeks later,

Thanksgiving

This year, Kenneth booked two seats on the plane. It was a smart move that he didn’t regret. The only problem was his anxiety. An hour before boarding Kenneth foolishly sent Jude a selfie. In the photo, he was standing in front of a full length bathroom mirror. He wore a faded black hoodie that was noticeably stretched over the width of his love handles, and gray sweat pants that clung to his fattened thighs and displayed the full outline of his dick. Underneath, he was wearing a jock strap normally reserved for circuit parties. It cupped his junk like a push up bra, making it abundantly visible beneath the heather gray fabric. Altogether, he looked unbelievably fat. He barely recognized himself.

Kenneth hit ‘send’ feeling a wave of arousal at his mammoth physique, and almost immediately after was filled with regret. He and Jude had been texting regularly for the first time. Kenneth didn’t know exactly what had changed after months of silence. Perhaps Jude was nostalgic for their time spent together last Thanksgiving. Kenneth sure was. That was perhaps the most sexually stimulating three weeks of his life.

Still, Kenneth didn’t know exactly how Jude felt. They had an undeniable chemistry but it had never been fully acknowledged or acted upon, besides that one night in the bathroom pub… Just thinking about that night gave Kenneth an instant erection. He was craving Jude so badly at the time and felt so plump and masculine from their time spent together. Now, he was even larger, nearly double that size. He wanted to show off, he wanted Jude’s approval.

Yet, the two men never shared selfies and were only now in a good texting groove. Perhaps Kenneth blew it. Perhaps he was taking this too far. This was his sister’s boyfriend after all. What was he thinking? Surely, Jude could not indulge this behavior and that’s why he wasn’t responding. Kenneth switched his phone to airplane mode as they took off, certain Jude would never respond yet praying that he would.

When Kenneth finally touched down in Vancouver his entire family was in shock. The resounding reaction to his appearance seemed to be: What happened?

He could hardly blame them. Hell, even Kenneth barely knew what was happening to him. A year ago he was a fit stud with a modest winter bulk settling in. In the months since his weight skyrocketed. From falling for Jude, to dating Cristoff, and now comfort eating his way through singledom, Kenneth had completely transformed. There was no passing this off as a casual winter bulk anymore. It was no wonder his family was in disbelief.

Kenneth entered his parent’s home spilling out of his sweats and breathing heavily through his mouth. No amount of scruff concealed his disappearing jawline and sucking in made zero difference. Hell, he was even developing a waddle. His size was unconcealable. His family couldn’t even reach their arms fully around him for a hug. “My god,” his mother mouthed. His dad hugged him and squeezed at his fat rolls, seemingly searching for something. Muscle perhaps? It was there, simply buried.

It didn’t help that his family was all of average size and the only one who could have supported him through this was Jude, and he was not-so-mysteriously absent. Kenneth had his assumptions as to why Jude wasn’t joining them, but his poor sister seemed confused and distraught over it. Alone with just his loved ones, Kenneth felt guilty for what had developed between himself and the chubby podcaster. He even felt guilty for his own shocking size. There was no justifying any of it because it all came down to love and sex. And Kenneth couldn’t exactly open up about those two things given the circumstances.

He had arrived the day of Thanksgiving and thankfully was flying out the next evening. It was early in the day so food was still being prepared. His parents and sister returned to the kitchen, and Kenneth excused himself claiming he had some remote work he needed to complete. As he climbed the stairs to his bedroom one heavy foot at a time he knew very well they were all gossiping about him. Kenneth didn’t care though. He was still preoccupied hoping for a text back from Jude.

His old bedroom was eerily untouched and triggered an uncomfortable wave of nostalgia. He laid down on the full size bed, his body pooling out atop the mattress as the frame creaked under his weight. He rolled to his side and looked at himself in the mirrored closet door. His belly spilled out from beneath the hem of the hoodie, a common occurrence these days. It looked so soft and malleable, much like Jude’s overhang. Kenneth remembered being so enraptured by the man’s confident girth this time last year.

Kenneth opened the closet door and pulled out an old tee. He couldn’t help but laugh. That thing wouldn’t even get over his shoulders now, let alone his belly. His old skinny jeans were even more absurd looking. If he had shown that teenage twink a photo of him now, he probably would have been disgusted. He may have even made some fatphobic remark.

Kenneth supposed he should get some work done and set his laptop on his old desk. The small wooden chair looked onerous but it was the only option. Kenneth slowly lowered himself down and within five seconds he heard a snap. Before he was able to raise himself up he hit the floor hard. His weight rumbled the walls of the whole house.

“You okay?” His dad shouted.

“Yeah, fine!”

Kenneth laid on the bed, his laptop propped atop his belly for the next few hours. He headed downstairs once his stomach started growling. Clearly in search of food, he was told by his mother to wait until dinner. It was only one more hour. Frustrated, Kenneth snuck off to the garage and ate three ice cream sandwiches from the freezer. He returned when it was time to greet some cousins who had arrived and then take a seat for dinner.

Kenneth sat down nervously on a dining room chair. It creaked beneath his weight but thankfully held its own. It didn’t have arms which he knew would be a problem later on.

“Hey what was that noise earlier?” His mother asked.

“Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Kenneth knew they would eventually find the splinted chair, but he didn’t have it in him to tell the truth at that moment. Instead, he anxiously checked his phone. Still no text from Jude.

The food was served and small talk was made. Kenneth had to watch how fast he ate and how many times he went back for more. He sensed that all eyes were on him. He was the fattest guy at the table after all, plus that fact was a recent development. Despite, or perhaps because of the discomfort, no one directly commented on his size. Kenneth didn’t know whether that was preferable or not, as the silence was so stifling it ultimately led him to eat less than he desired while getting a tad too drunk. After the meal he suffered through two hours of fireside chatting during which Jude predictably did not text Kenneth back. This was the only thing on Kenneth’s mind and by the time he was finally able to retire he felt exhausted and still hungry.

Around three in the morning Kenneth awoke with a blazing headache and dry mouth. He needed food. He sat up and groaned, chugging the glass of water on his nightstand. Wearing only a tattered pair of gym shorts he plodded downstairs. He chugged another glass of water then cracked open the fridge. The light blinded him like the gates of heaven. The fridge was packed with leftovers.

He started with the turkey, dipping chunks in gravy and mashed potatoes in between bites of stuffing. He cracked a fresh bottle of eggnog and chugged some down, then turned to the mac n cheese. He mixed stuffing in with the mac and inhaled the food like a vacuum. He was getting full when he remembered desserts. He gulped down a quarter of the pumpkin pie while letting the ice cream melt on the counter. After some apple pie he chugged the liquid ice cream and then belched loudly. He had finally let his hungry pig brain out of its cage. He felt fantastic. Returning to the savory foods, he ate until he lost track of space and time, eventually stepping back from the fridge and realizing it was nearly cleared out. How would he explain this to his family?

With a full and distended belly he waddled back upstairs and into bed. He checked the time on his phone and his heart sank. He had a text message from Jude. He unlocked his phone frantically and tapped on messages. An image greeted him. Kenneth could have creamed his pants in that moment. Jude had sent a selfie in response… a shirtless selfie.

Jude stood in only a pair of snug denim, his belly sagging forward and looking more bloated than usual. His fuzzy overhang fully eclipsed the front of his waistband. The photo appeared to be taken on a self-timer with the camera sitting on a countertop across from Jude, who was standing in a kitchen surrounded by empty food containers. The implication was clear. He had been feasting.

The text beneath read: “Got carried away thinking about the Thanksgiving we shared last year.”