#Fatspo: Chapter 1

Louis wiped the sweat from his brow as he entered his local ice cream shop. His chest burned from the exertion of walking through the parking lot in the Los Angeles heat. As he caught his breath beads of sweat slid from his armpits down and around massive love handles and eventually settled underneath his gut. The crevice formed by his overhang was constantly swampy anymore.

As he stood in line he could sense people staring at him. He proudly wore a slightly cropped shirt that three inches of blubber casually hung below. Lower down he wore skin tight short shorts that gripped his ass and thighs. A small sweat stain slowly bloomed between his robust ass cheeks, accentuating the dramatic slope of his rear. For added effect, he licked his lips and rubbed his belly like a greedy child prompting one of the customers to not-so-subtly snap some photos.

When Louis waddled up to order he made sure to lean against the glass so that his belly spread out even wider, his mass threatening to shatter the thin display. The scooper was a thick boy himself and eyed Louis lustfully. Louis paid with cash, struggling to extricate his wallet from his vacuum sealed shorts. As he handed over the money the barista puffed up his own belly slightly and brushed his hand flirtatiously against Louis’. Minutes later, with a heaping cup of chocolate ice cream drenched in syrup and candy, Louis made his way for the door.

“Are you Big Louie from TikTok?” a voice said.

Louis craned his neck as much as his fat would allow to make eye contact with a young bearish man about forty pounds lighter than Louis himself.

“That I am,” Louis said with a wink and shoveled some ice cream into his mouth.

“I’m such a big fan. Your videos inspired me to start gaining myself. Can I take a belfie with you?”

“Of course,” Louis grinned.

One year earlier

A loose white T-shirt hung across Louis’ bony ribs as scrolled through social media. He was dejectedly checking his follower engagement for the umpteenth time that day. His latest videos, hot takes and gay quips about pop culture, were not gaining the popularity that he so desired. Even his few hundred followers didn’t seem that engaged. Depressed, Louis tossed his phone aside.

At the very least he didn’t have to go in to work today. He despised waiting tables and resented the fact that his charisma and wit was being squandered away. Louis knew that his true place was in the spotlight or, rather, the ring light. It was only a matter of time until one of his videos went viral and he could claw his way into the influencer economy.

A reminder sent his phone buzzing. “Go to the gym!” it said, but Louis hit ignore. He was too bummed to gather the energy for a workout. He had put so much effort into his latest TikTok, even adapting expanded versions for Instagram and YouTube, but it barely had any views. All he wanted to do was lay around and eat something comforting.

With his roommates away, Louis decided to spread out in the kitchen and cook his mom’s mac ‘n cheese recipe. That always made him feel better. He lined up the ingredients on the counter and posted an image with the caption: “when in doubt, eat carbs.” Each step of the process was documented on social media, as he was accustomed to doing with most aspects of his life.

Later that evening Louis climbed into bed freshly showered and comfortably full of cheesy noodles. Flipping through social media he noticed something surprising. People were really responding to his mac ‘n cheese posts. A couple of his friends and even some strangers had DM’d him for the recipe. A couple of his followers had even reposted the image of the finished product with heart eye emojis.

“Interesting,” Louis commented aloud. “I guess I should start doing more cooking videos.”