The Quarantine 15: Chapter 15

9.5 Months of Quarantine

Alex’s family was not prepared for how fat the young man had become. Sure, they’d seen his chubbier face over video calls and they had seen a few photos in which his physique seemed bulkier yet cleverly disguised. Nevertheless, from the moment he came wobbling through that front door until Christmas day he received endless comments, jokes, and grabby hands over his freshly fattened form.

His mother was overweight and his dad had grown paunchy in old age so they were not nearly as critical as Emilio’s parents. In fact, they were quite supportive and loving even though they couldn’t stop pointing out his obvious growth. Alex’s sister and brother were equally supportive. His older brother Jacob was particularly amused as Jacob had been sporting a beer gut since he hit 30.

Overall, Alex couldn’t complain. He was happy to be back with family, all of whom had tested negative for COVID-19. He was grateful to be in good health despite his obviously lowered stamina. He knew that many families had been torn apart by the pandemic, and conversely that many gay kids were trapped inside with unsupportive parents. Alex was lucky, fat, and happy. So he did what any other guy would do in his position: eat.

For the two weeks leading up to Christmas his family hooted and hollered over how much Alex could eat. It became a game to see how many leftovers they could pass to Alex and they were always prodding him to eat more. Eventually, his brother joined in on the fun, pushing his stomach to mass capacity at every meal. Afterwards, the two men would lean back and rub their bellies as they admired their bloat, the rest of the family laughing hysterically.

After several days of this it became a running joke that by the new year both boys would be ten pounds heavier. With that, the joke transformed into a competition between Alex and Jacob to see who could gain the most before the holidays were over. Alex was confident he would win. He already outweighed his brother and had a larger capacity for food. Jacob was putting up a good fight though, and his slower metabolism was sure to help him out.

By Christmas day, Alex’s clothes were fitting snug once again. The stretch marks around his armpits had deepened and his chest filled out further. Jacob, on the other hand, was getting much rounder in the gut. He swaggered around the house with his belly proudly peeking out from under his shirts. Alex was amused by this, finding it evocative of his days living with Emilio.

Normally a large family affair, Alex’s family opened presents with only the immediate family due to the virus. Alex found himself struggling to join his family in sitting on the ground around the Christmas tree, as was their tradition. His legs were so compacted with fat that they struggled to bend into any comfortable position while his belly was constantly throwing him off balance. At one point his discomfort was so obvious that his sister, Jolie, exclaimed: “Look Alex can’t even sit cross legged! I think I finally know who Santa is!” The family laughed as Alex clutched his belly jokingly.

Unfortunately, the sweaters his parents bought him were laughably small and even a new watch struggled to squeeze around his puffy wrist. Other than that he received a few books and a promise that the sweaters would be exchanged for cash or maybe some fast food gift cards if he was lucky. After presents it was time for some desserts and hot cocoa which left an excited Alex struggling to get up off the floor. By the time he got to his feet the room was empty and he had broken a sweat.

In the kitchen his brother was whipping up irish coffees instead, drenched in cream and with a brownie soaking in the middle. Alex inadvertently moaned when he tasted the delicious concoction to which his father responded: “Sounds like Alex doesn’t need sex now that he’s found food.” If Alex was being honest with himself this wasn’t entirely untrue, yet he still found himself longing for Emilio on occasion.

After four cups of Jacob’s irish coffee and an entire tray of brownies, Alex was feeling a little drunk. Jacob was just as intoxicated and was lifting up his shirt and slapping his gut with pride. He teased Alex that there was no way he would win their challenge, belching and gulping his drink with gusto. Alex found himself strangely aroused and excused himself.

In the bathroom, his reflection was round, pink, and puffy. The alcohol left his chubby face flush red as his loins stirred with desire. Alex hadn’t even realized but the old sweatshirt he wore was riding up a bit around his underbelly. He sighed and rubbed the squishy hunk of fat hanging off him. As he did so, his phone began to vibrate. It was a video call from Emilio. Alex immediately answered.

“Hey there, big guy,” Emilio grinned.

He also looked a little bit drunk, his face flushed and his hair a mess. Alex admired his former roommates’ strong cheekbones and jaw which looked more defined since he had last seen him. Alex couldn’t help but melt in the visage of Emilio’s dark brown eyes.

“Hey cutie,” Alex replied. “How’s it going?”

“Oh you know… same old shit with the Martinez family. All the cousins and shit are here, probably spreading COVID around, my parent’s passing judgmental glances at my family’s rowdiness and overconsumption. All that jazz.”

“Hah! Doesn’t sound boring at least! How are you doing? You look good?”

“Ah thanks. Well, my weight has been up and down with Greg and Susan around. Gained a bit after Thanksgiving but lost it all in the last two weeks. Been hitting the gym too which isn’t all bad. How ‘bout you? You’re lookin’ thick as ever.”

“God knows! My family’s trying to see how fat they can get me before the new year. So far, they’ve been pretty successful. Heartburn hasn’t ceased since I arrived!”

“Oh poor baby, sounds like you need some belly rubs…” Emilio trailed off unsure if he had gone too far.

“I do miss that,” Alex tried to fight back a grin. “I miss that ass of yours as well.”

“Well guess what!” Emilio flipped the camera around and showed off his bubble butt in a pair of grey joggers. “It’s big as ever since hitting the gym! Maybe a bit firmer since you last were in there,” Emilio devilishly grinned.

“What I’d give for a taste!”

“Why don’t you drive your ass down here and take a bite!”

“Honestly… that’s not a bad idea…” Alex struggled to focus his drunk brain. “It’s like what, a two day drive?”

“Something like that,” Emilio smiled excitedly. “Maybe we could have a little New Year’s reunion?”

“Maybe we could,” Alex said with confidence.