Being Bigger (COMPLETE - Chapter 8 added June 07th)

[Littlerjim]

CONTENT WARNING: This is a story fundamentally about abuse - how it affects us, and how we recover from it. To do this, it depicts this abuse - not in an especially graphic way, but enough to make me (an abuse survivor) feel uncomfortable writing it. Mostly this is focused around Chapter 2, with the rest of the story focusing on confrontation and rehabilitation. 

Chapter 1-3 this page

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

AUTHORS'S NOTE: This is a story in seven eight parts. I plan to release the first three today, with a staggered release of parts 4-8. I've finished writing, but there are some extensive re-writes I'd like to put in to those later chapters.

The story is inspired by the amazing Elongro by Dredlifter. In fact, it started life as fanfiction of this story. Dred was incredibly supportive of the idea and generous with his time, but ultimately I had made major misunderstandings about his characters that caused my own to be completely different to how he envisioned them. But I was still pretty proud of the story I wanted to tell, and wanted to share it - so I've made it my own. There are basic plot elements that you might find familiar if you've read Elongro - and if you haven't, you probably should, it's great - but these dissipate as the story progresses, and completely changes by Chapter 3.

 

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“I still want to be friends. But right now there's nobody to be friends with. You need to find yourself, first, Trent.”

It isn’t raining. Somehow, it feels like it should be. If this was a movie, he’d be sitting here, still, with those words ringing in his ears, the room long-cold around him. And rain against the glass. But there’s no rain. And the reality of the emptiness in him, that gnawing, festering wound in the pit of his stomach was anything but a movie. It was real.

When did it get like this?

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“Hey, what’s good, sh- I mean, Seb?”

Sebastian’s expression sours as his taller, stronger roommate bounds in and throws himself on the sofa next to him, jostling him around. He liked the guy - they were best friends, really, ever since rooming together in freshman year. Now sophomores, and still sharing an apartment together, they had become inseparable. Except for… “short stuff”.

He wasn’t exactly tiny, but at 5’7” he was definitely one of the shorter guys on campus. He’d always been fine with it. He jogged regularly and had a lithe runner’s frame, a pretty-boy face and, honestly, more interest in his academic studies and nerdier interests for his relative lack of size to bother him. But then Trent came along. It mostly wasn’t his fault - just as Seb wasn’t tiny, Trent wasn’t gigantic, but his 5’10” certainly seemed a lot to his smaller roommate. And he worked hard at the gym; nothing world-beating, but a ripped 180lbs that had become 190lbs during freshman year, of which he was immensely proud. Proximity to that couldn’t help but make Sebastian feel… small. But he was cool with it. Except when Trent called him “short stuff”.

“Sorry man…” Trent says, picking up his mistake. His face is one of genuine concern, but then it lights up. “But, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about! I got the answer for you; whaddya know about B825?”

Seb rolls his eyes - Trent was always trying anything he could to make himself bigger and stronger, and he’d heard it all before. Though even he had to admit, Trent was more animated than usual, and he’d never tried to get him on board before. He spills on and on about this experimental drug; it was illegal in the US, but most of Europe and even Canada had recently condoned its use in certain cases. It had become a hot topic on most of the forums Trent followed, with stories of its success varying wildly. Some people claimed to bulk up a few pounds, maybe an inch or two in height - others, however, claimed to have experienced much, much more than this, cannoning up in height and gains to unbelievable levels. Trent’s imagination was ablaze. He knew it was probably tall tales, but… the possibility that it could be true? That was worth it to him.

“....and it’s all sorted, if we want it. Zenico have a lab just over the border that does appointments, and I have one next Wednesday. What do you say?”

“I say; what’s it gonna cost me?” Asks Seb, still sceptical.

“$250”

“$250?! Come on, Trent. You know it’s probably all bogus right? You won’t even grow an inch.”

“But what if it isn’t? Can’t you imagine it? Me and you, big men on campus? And we can grow some friends too, there’s six doses in total. Aren’t you fed up with being the little guy?”

Sebastian’s brow furrows again.

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“Ah!” Seb sucks his teeth as the needle enters the cheek of his buttocks.

“Easy man, it’ll all be worth it.” says Trent as he carefully depresses the syringe, and removes it. He’d had a hard time getting his hands to stay steady; he’d had a smile on his face the entire drive back over the border, and all but bounded into the apartment, demanding that Sebastian drop trou immediately. Seb still wasn’t convinced, and he was starting to have second thoughts. If Trent was like this now, and this stuff did work - what would a bigger, more boisterous Trent be like?

“Alright, now it’s my turn. Time to get big, pal!”

The two of them swap places, as Seb buckles up, Trent prepares for his injection. He stands with his pants pulled down slightly and waits - and waits a little longer.

“Sorry man, I just want to get this right - I’ve never done it before!” Seb says, before he finally feels the sharp scratch of the needle himself. He grits his teeth, and thinks of everything it’s going to bring him - just as the door opens.

“Hey - oh, couldn’t wait for me, huh?”

Trent’s girlfriend, Brie, throws her bag onto the sofa and heads on over, going onto tiptoes to plant a kiss on her boyfriend’s lips. Seb removes the needles hurriedly, surprised by the intrusion.

“Oh, hey! Trent never mentioned you were coming over. Did you know about…”

“The B825? You mean the only thing he’s talked about for the last week? Yeah, I might have heard about it. I swear, it’s like he doesn’t love me anymore…” 

“As if!” Trent kisses her again, and pulls up his pants. “Brie here’s our third dose. But given where it’s injected, I think I’ll handle this one buddy!”

With a smirk and a wink, he turns and takes the vial and fresh syringe from his friend.

“Don’t wait up. But remember - tomorrow it all starts. I’m taking you to the gym, and we’re going to start getting huge!”

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“8……….. 9, come on man, push push push…… 10! Alright, good work bro! I’m proud of you.”

Trent takes the bar from Seb and racks it. He’d been impressed by Seb’s gains these last few months; he’d taken to lifting like a duck to water, the B825 obviously doing its work. Perhaps because he’d been so small to begin with, Sebastian’s transformation seemed explosive. He was wearing new clothes, the cheapest he could get, and borrowed hand-me-downs from Trent, eating bigger and of course lifting bigger. Trent couldn’t help but notice the difference between him and his little friend getting less and less each day, but he couldn’t be prouder. It felt like his hard work just as much as Seb’s.

And the theory of it affecting smaller people quicker certainly held water with Brie. He’d seen her last night for their last meeting before the summer. He’d managed to find work back home, and she had a temporary internship, and they had made sure their last meeting would be memorable. He grinned as he thought about it - she had so much more energy these days, and she could take him like she never could before. He wasn’t huge - a respectable 6.5 inches - but that was more than enough for her previously diminutive, 5’3” frame. She was now up to 5’7”, and the difference was palpable.

Whereas for Trent… nothing. No, nothing yet, he reminds himself. It was coming. The stuff worked, obviously. He was bigger, technically - another 5lbs over the months he’d been working hard with Seb, but he hadn’t noticed any change to his height, and there certainly wasn’t the dramatic change to his strength he’d seen with either his girlfriend or best friend. But he couldn’t wait until he did.

“God, I’m wiped!” Seb says, wiping himself with a towel. “How much was that, anyway?”

“190, that’s 60lbs more than when you started. You’re doing incredible, buddy!”

“Naw, man, I wouldn’t be anywhere near this alone. It’s all down to you, Trent.”

“Really? I thought it was all down to her…” Trent gives his friend a sly smile and nods his head towards the girl on the treadmill across from them. She’s tall, fit, voluptuous and certainly getting a lot of attention. “Don’t tell me you haven’t been checking her out, I’ve seen you. I think you were digging deep for her, not me…”

“Stop being a creep,” Seb says, his cheeks flushing even redder. “Anyway, it’s you I want to strip... Wanna measure me before we head? I want to see how much I grow over the summer!” he jokes.

Trent assents, a little bit puzzled by the leap in his chest at the suggestion. Seb, of course, would be going nowhere over the summer break; potentially literally, the way he spoke about it, he had no plans of leaving the gym. Money wasn’t an issue, with an allowance from his parents that was more than generous, and his sights were clearly set on one thing. The boys wash and change, and head back to the apartment, where they strip down to their undies. As requested, Trent begins to measure his friend.

“185lbs, bro you’re bulking fast! And… shit, 16.5”, nice guns.” He says, genuinely amazed at Seb’s progress. But that’s not what Seb wants to know. He stands against the wall of the apartment, and Trent dutifully measures his height for him. And it slaps him in the face.

“Dude… this says 5’10””

He looks in disbelief at Sebastian, who beams and punches the air, laughing to himself. But he was 5’10”... how could Seb have caught him up so quickly? How could he have not noticed that they were the same height?

“That’s awesome, dude! And that means you’ve grown too, right?” Seb says, jubilantly.

“Huh?”

“Aw, don’t act stupid. You’re definitely taller than me bro. C’mon, we’ll do that first!”

Trent nods, and takes Seb’s position. He couldn’t really tell - was he still taller? Seb seemed sure, but to him it seemed-

“YEAH! Way to go bro!”

“What? I’m taller? What am I, 5’11”?”

“Yep. Well, near enough. Say 5’10 and a half? But you know what that means, right? You’ve finally joined the club! Man, I can’t wait to see what the summer brings.”

Trent is conflicted. He’d grown. Finally. But nowhere near as much as his friends. Still it had started, and it was only a matter of time. Right?

[Littlerjim]

Chapter 2
 

The brief glimmer of hope Trent experienced before the summer quickly faded. Most of the time he was focused on his work, and saving up a nice little contingency fund, but he couldn’t escape the fact that, since that moment before leaving the apartment, he’d seen zero evidence of any more growth at all. More than that, his gains at the gym had stagnated, maybe even lapsed a little. He hit the weights every chance he got, but was exhausted before he even started. So much for a vacation.

Meanwhile, the messages he’d been getting from Seb told a very different story. There were no specifics in there: no exact measurements or weights, either gained or lifted. But every day there was something about a record smashed, or feeling big, or can’t wait to compare gains over the summer. Trent was more than a little nervous, not to mention worried. Clearly the stuff had worked phenomenally well. So what was wrong with him?

To make things a little more complicated, he also found out he’d need a new roomie - Seb’s parents had agreed to co-fund a new apartment that he’d found, as he felt he “needed some more space”. Fortunately, he didn’t have to look far, and actually gave him something to look forward to; Brie had agreed to take Seb’s place.

The messages he’d been getting from Brie were much less frequent, which only added to Trent’s feeling of isolation. Still, their conversations were more about each other than anything else. He truly wanted this summer to just be over, so he could face the new semester with some semblance of optimism.

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He had scarcely arrived back in town and dropped off his bags before heading back out again. Seb wanted to meet at the gym. Of course he did. Well, it was best to rip the band aid off right away, he thought, and a part of him was genuinely curious to see just what gains his formerly diminutive friend had made. Could he have broken the 6ft barrier?

He needn’t have hurried; Seb was a no show for at least 10 minutes past their meetup time. Trent looks around him; the gym was familiar and yet the clientele seemed, in general… bigger? Maybe it had just been a while for him, or maybe the miracle drug was making itself known around campus. He’s lost in thought as something big and forceful collides into him from behind, nearly sending him sprawling.

“Fuck, dude, you’re in the way. You got nothing better to do than creep on people who are trying to work out?”

Trent’s eyebrows furrow - he definitely hadn’t been in anyone’s way at all and as he turns around, and up, the asshole’s smug expression doesn’t show a hint of any real annoyance. Adam Costa - he’d seen him around before, of course, and knew him by reputation. Big, annoying, never quite grew out of the mean streak a lot of jocks went through in high school. Trent knew the type well, and tried his best not to engage.

“I’m not creeping, I’m just waiting for a friend.”

“Aw, that’s adorable. And is your boyfriend going to teach you how to lift or what?”

This starts to prickle at Trent. Sure, he hadn’t seen any amazing growth recently. But he wasn’t small. He’d worked hard for the gains he had, he worked out and it still showed. Of course, next to a 6’3” giant like Adam, his own stature looked like a miniature replica. But he’d worked just as hard, and he wasn’t going to let someone like this take that away from him.

“As a matter of fact, I taught him how to lift.”

“Hahaha! Oh, that’s hysterical, what, did you train him on little toothpicks with olives on the end?”

“I think I can manage a little more than that.” The retort came not from Trent, but behind him. The voice was familiar, but deeply resonant. Trent turned around and - if he’d needed to crane his head up to look at Adam, that was nothing by comparison. It’s Seb, but it’s so much more Seb than he’s used to.

The man in front of him must be… what, 6’6”? 6’7”? Fully a foot taller than the scrawny little guy he’d spent freshman year with. And scrawny couldn’t be used to describe a single thing about him. Every inch of him is strapped in corded, bulging muscle that seems to shift an undulate under his skin even as he stands at rest. Unflexed, his biceps must be larger than Trent’s highest peak, his pecs lifting up his shirt enough that a shredded core of abs can be seen down below. There’s a knowing smirk on his face, but he’s not even looking down at Trent.

“Aw, sorry man, hey, if I knew he was talking about you it’d be different. You can lift the whole jar of olives.” Adam snarks.

Seb pauses for a second, before snorting a big belly laugh. He steps forward and pulls Adam into a bro hug. He slaps his back a couple of times before saying, “You know, you’re lucky I like you. And I can’t blame you, really. Y’know it wasn’t long ago I struggled to keep up with this guy?”

“No fuckin’ way! Man, it’s hard to imagine you being so small, big Seb!”

“It’s hard for me too! Hey, I’ll catch you later, yeah? You still coming around after practice?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Catch you later, small fry!” He delivers that last barb at Trent before sauntering off.

And with that, for the first time, Seb turns to look at his friend; Trent was still staring at him, his mouth open. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he looks his friend up and down.

“I mean it’s true. Fucking weird to think I used to look up to you - you did get the memo about growing right? Maybe you need another shot of the stuff.”

“... Maybe. Seb, I mean, wow - look at you! This is more than either of us could have dreamed of! You’re so… huge!”

“Ha! Yeah, I’m getting big bro. Still growing too. Simple stuff really, just eat big, lift big. Not like it’s hard. I thought you were doing the same?” 

Trent thinks back to the miserable summer he’d just experienced. “Not hard” didn’t exactly cover it, every workout left him wiped out, he’d just about exhausted his energy reserves. And yet he’d experienced nothing like this.

“I tried man, but I guess… I guess it’s not working like it did for you…”

“Well, we can fix that” Seb reaches out and ruffles Trents hair, using a little more force than strictly necessary. “But first, I want you to meet someone.”

He strides off over the gym and, after a moment’s hesitation Trent scampers after him, still trying to process what was happening. He’d expected Seb to have grown, but… this much? It was crazy!

Seb leads the way, and Trent notices the girl they’d seen last time they were in the gym, setting a water bottle by a treadmill. He’s surprised to see his newly gigantic friend approach her - and even more so when he grabs her from behind. She squeals as he lifts her up effortlessly, and as she’s put back down she spins and leans onto her tiptoes - and plants a kiss squarely on Seb’s lips. As she steps back down onto the flats of her feet, Trent realizes with a wince that she’s the same height - if not a little taller - than he.

“You big bully! I thought you were off training with your friend?” She says, backing away from him.

“I am, babe, just wanted to introduce you two before we got started. Abbie, this is Trent; Trent, Abbie.”

She looks at Trent; her smile never falters, but her eyebrows furrow in confusion for a second and she can’t help but glance down at it. Trent sees it all, but takes her hand as she extends it.

“Oh, wow, glad to finally put a face to a name!” She says, shaking his hand for a moment. “Seb’s told me all about you!”

“You too” Trent lied, unsure of what to say. So much had changed in such a short amount of time, and none moreso than his friend, it appeared. And not just physically; they used to tell each other everything, but he gets a girlfriend and keeps it secret?

“So, is Seb gonna show the ropes or what?” She asks, seemingly innocently.

“Nah, Trent here doesn’t need that!” the big man laughs, clapping Trent on the shoulder. “He’s the man when it comes to lifting. None of this would’ve been possible without him. Anyway, we’ll catch you later babe. We’ve got work to do!”

With one last kiss, he leads the way to the back of the gym, Trent catching up with him.

“Um, it’s good to see you man,” Trent says, feeling the height difference between them as they walk side by side, “But - I mean, are you sure you want to be working out with me? There’s no way I can keep up any more…”

“Haha, yeah, you’re quite a bit weaker than me now, right?” Seb bellows, “But, it never stopped me when I was just starting out with you. Don’t worry, pal, we’ll get you there. I dunno, maybe you need a second dose of the juice or something? Oh, speaking of which, what did you think of Abbie and Adam?”

Trent tries to think of a diplomatic answer; and wonders how on earth that could be a segue. “Abbie seems nice.”

“And Adam’s an asshole! Ha, I get it, he can be a bit much, but he’s a nice guy when you get to know him. Especially if you’ve got similar interests. Like getting bigger, for instance,” Seb says, waggling his eyebrows in an un-subtle way.

“What are you getting at?”

“They want in, bro. You said we were looking for people to grow along with us and Brie, and they want two of the last three shots for themselves. They’ve got the money.”

“I - I dunno,” Trent says reluctantly. The idea of growing even more people while he stagnated was toxic to him, and Seb sees it in his dour expression.

“Trent, buddy - if you’re worried about them being bigger than you, don’t be. They already are,” he says, matter-of-factly. “You won’t lose out on anything. And at least it’s people we can trust, right? Just put aside your ego, and let them have it.”

Trent sighs, deeply. “I mean - I guess they can-”

“Yes!” Seb shouts, pumping the air, “I knew you’d say yes bro!”

He reaches into his bag, and pulls out an envelope, clearly stuffed with a wad of bills, which he pushes into Trent’s hands.

“Which is why I already gave it them.”

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The shower is hot, but it’s not enough to wash away the pit in Trent’s stomach. The session at the gym was just… humiliating. 

He watched as his friend - who, this time 6 months ago, had never set foot inside a gym - completely destroyed even his wildest goals with absolute ease. Whenever Trent took his turn, Seb was uninterested - chatting with other regulars, checking his phone. And of course he was bored. The guy could probably curl what he could bench, and Trent could do nothing but stare dumbfounded as he continued to pump more, and more, faster and harder.

After a while, Seb suggested they split, focusing on their own workouts. Trent had agreed, but it was tough to do so. He still struggled from the long-term fatigue he’d suffered over the summer, his old weights seeming just out of reach. Meanwhile, he would hear the grunts and whoops of his friend elsewhere in the gym, smashing PBs that were already ludicrous to begin with.

Trent finished all he could, before finding Seb halfway through a set on the bench. He winced, not wanting to count the weight on the bar, and seeing the effortless way in which Seb lifted it. He’s not even breaking a sweat. He waited until Seb finished and racked the weight.

“Where’s my cheerleader?” Seb asked, before sitting up to look at him. The difference between them, him sat and Trent stood, is not all that great.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, come on. Last time we were in here, you were pushing me, shouting praise, telling me how proud you were.” Seb grinned. “That was a lot more weight than back then, so where’s the fanfare?”

“Oh. I mean… I guess I didn’t feel like you needed it,” Trent replied, nonplussed. “If you found that easy, why didn’t you rack up something heavier?”

“Why bother?” Seb shrugged, “It’ll only feel lighter tomorrow anyway.”

“Oh. Oh, I see…” Trent replied. It hadn’t even been tough for him, had it? “Look, I was gonna hit the showers, it’s been a long day.”

“Oh sure, man, you take it easy. I’m just gonna finish up here, but I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Trent finishes in the shower, still replaying it in his head. Still - at least Brie’s back tonight. That’ll be something to look forward to.

He turns off the water and makes to leave the shower, but is stopped - Sebastian steps in a second before he does. For the first time, Trent sees him in all his glory, every fibre of muscle pristine and gigantic, looming over him and filling the shower exit. And there, between his legs, a thick python of meat that dangles down between those cut thighs, easily bigger in this soft state than Trent’s own when hard. Seb doesn’t say anything. The smirk on his face is enough.

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For the second time that day, Trent found himself waiting. He’d gone back to the apartment, which seemed strangely empty in that limbo between Seb moving out and Brie moving in - and she’d been due an hour ago.

He packed away his own belongings almost on autopilot, but mostly spent the time in his own head. How could this have turned out so wrong for him? Of course he’d hoped for Sebastian to grow too, it was his situation that had pushed him to look into the drug, but it was supposed to be something they’d do together. Now, already, his friend had far surpassed him in every sense. And he was still happy for him, really, it was just - he was acting like a bit of an ass. Or was he? He thought back to how upset Seb used to get if he alluded to his height. Maybe it was just his way of razzing him, now the tables were turned? Maybe he just needed to swallow his pride?

It was about to take another hit.

There’s a knock at the door, and he answers it to find an amazon waiting for him. Easily 6 foot tall, toned as all hell but with every womanly curve you could dream for, is Brie. She beams down at him and moves to kiss him - but then stops for a moment as she looks him up and down in confusion - then continues anyway. Trent is forced to crane his neck up to receive the kiss, and doesn’t contribute much as she easily takes charge.

“Hey baby - did you miss me?”

He looks up at her, eyes wide, and moves to let her into the apartment.

“God, Brie! You look incredible, just…. Wow.”

She smirks down at him. “Thanks baby. And sorry to keep you waiting - tryouts ran a little later than expected.”

“Tryouts?”

“You’re looking at the newest member of the college women's basketball team!” She says, clearly giddy at sharing the news.

“You - woah, that’s amazing…” Trent means it, but feels almost lost at sea. It had been a long day. “You never told me you were trying out…”

Brie looks her boyfriend up and down, reading him like a book.

“And somehow, I don’t think that’s what’s got you down. Is it because you haven’t grown any? Seb did message me to warn me - said you stormed out of the gym early. Can’t you just be happy for me?”

“Wha- I am happy! Really I am. And Seb said that? I didn’t storm out, I…” Trent sighs, trying to make sense of what had happened. Maybe it was just jealousy? He definitely wanted what they had, maybe that was all it was.

Brie’s expression softens as Trent’s shoulders slump, looking smaller than ever. “Would it help to talk about it?”

The two do so for hours. They get takeout and Trent fills her in on the gym session and their nightmare summer, before she tries to lead the subject away. She tells him about her internship, and the tryouts, and the two start to make plans for the semester. As it starts to get late, she puts her arm around him and spoons him, trying to see if they could make up for lost time - but for tonight, they just cuddle. He falls asleep in her arms. But Brie is awake for much longer, a seed of doubt slowly forming inside her.

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The weeks that pass are not kind to Trent. He tries one more time to join Sebastian at the gym, as he awoke to find a message from him; “Come on, little guy - time to get BIG!”

It was unbelievably worse than the day before; being abandoned was actually preferable to Seb’s attention, it turned out. TIme after time he was given way more than he could hope to budge, desperately pushing before Seb stepped in, telling him “come on bro, it’s not even that much!” and taking it from him, easily handling the weight and showing him, definitively, just how much stronger he’d become. 

It was hard not to be in awe of Seb. The guy simply didn’t break a sweat as he lifted more and more, harder and harder. He was huge, unstoppable, and all eyes in the gym were on him. Trent began to truly despair at the sight of it and, when Adam joined them half an hour in, he knew he was done. He left the two of them, which they agreed was for the best - they could actually start going for it with him gone, after all - and headed home.

From then on, he went to the gym in secret. He preferred to go early in the morning, when most of the gym was empty, even telling Brie he was attending some early elective class for fear his training might get back to Seb. But even then, there was little joy in it. He wasn’t getting stronger and he certainly wasn’t getting any bigger, and meanwhile - everyone around him seemed to be.

He avoided Seb where possible - always making the excuse of a stomach ache, or a project due, that saw Brie often leaving to spend time without him. But he still saw him all the time, around campus, seemingly growing every day. Abbie or Adam were always invariably there too, and their own growth had clearly kicked in, their already statuesque forms keeping pace. And the one person he couldn’t avoid, Brie, was bigger than ever. And he was stuck. Everyone got a win except him.

Brie was starting to get restless with him, and he could tell. He was incredibly proud of the successes she was starting to see on the team, but he never came to watch her - he’d run into the others. All she wanted to do was spend time with her new big friends, to revel in her new growth but he simply wouldn’t indulge that. The initial support she showed him quickly turned to sharp comments and impatience, and he didn’t blame her in the slightest. After all, he was small and weak. Everything in his life pointed to that.

One day in the fall, however, Brie had clearly had enough. Trent came home from classes one day to find her in a dress - one that was definitely longer on her when she first bought it a month ago, and that hugged every curve and showed off every peak of muscle in her physique. She doesn’t look up from the mirror where she fixes her makeup, as he shuts the door.

“Oh… wow, Brie, you look fantastic. What’s the occasion?”

“We’re going for dinner,” she says. “I’ve picked out an outfit for you, it’s on the bed. We’re going to Sebastian and Abbie’s.”

Trent’s face blanches. He didn’t even know the two of them had moved in together, but the idea of spending the evening with them scared him.

“I don’t know, it’s been a long day, and-”

“I don’t remember asking you, Trent.” Brie puts down her brush and turns to look at him. “You can’t run from him forever. He’s your friend, and you’re acting like a child. And if you don’t come with me willingly, I’m going to carry you there like one.”

Trent looks at her, a little gnawing fear creeping into his belly. He knew that she could, and with that fire in her eyes… she definitely would. He sighs, and goes to get changed.

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Trent’s heart was in his throat as they waited outside, ready to be buzzed in. He’d never been here before, but he knew the building well - smart, new, and very fancy. Seb’s parents must really have gone all out for him. He glances up at Brie who doesn’t return eye contact, instead just staring at the intercom and its built-in camera. A second later and a crackle cuts through carrying Abbie’s voice.

“Hey! Come on up!”

The door clicks open, and Brie leads the way to an elevator, clicking the top floor. They make the silent journey to the top, and step out towards the door of the only apartment up here. Trent can’t help but notice how big everything is. The ceilings are high, and the door itself is much larger than a standard doorway - but the person who answers it was something else.

It was one thing to see Sebastian from a distance across campus; it was another to confront him like this in a corridor. He nearly fills the frame, his huge broad shoulders enough to scrape both sides of it, and his head nearing the top. He wears a simple shirt that strains at the seams, buttons doing a valiant job at containing the slabs of meat underneath. His jeans are near translucent as they stretch taught over titanic quads. But that grin on his face. That never changes.

He steps aside to let Brie in, and dips down - her own incredible stature paling in comparison to his - to kiss her on the cheek and welcome her in. Then he turns his attention to Trent.

“Hey buddy - nearly didn’t see you there! It’s been a while.”

“Yeah,” Trent says, lost for words. “Yeah, it has.”

“Well? Aren’t you going to come in?”

Trent doesn’t move for a second, but then his feet shift of their own volition. He tentatively steps inside and looks around.

The place is… classy. A bright, open design, all glass and chrome with tasteful splashes of colour. A richly decorated and welcoming abode; except, for Trent, the menace of now standing so close to his giant friend. He can feel Seb's body heat, a huge presence behind him, smothering him even in this open space.

“You like it?” comes a rumble from behind him, and far above his head.

“Er, yeah. Yeah, it’s really nice. Rent must be a killer though!”

“Haha, yeah, it was. That’s why Mom and Dad decided to buy it instead. Anyway, we’re through here…”

Seb leads him through the flat, round the corner to a kitchen with a huge wall of bay windows that lead to a balcony. The setting sun shines through the glass and alights on a large table. Abbie is there, setting plates for them, and Brie stands talking to a man who, if it wasn’t for the existence of Sebastian, would be the biggest person Trent had ever seen. Just as bulky, just as mind-bendingly huge, just… on a slightly smaller scale. Adam. It seems the dose had worked for him. Trent watches as he says something funny to Brie - or at least, something that makes her laugh, and she brushes her hair behind her ears.

The four giants in the room take places at the table, two on each side, leaving a place at the end for Trent. As he gets closer, he realizes that the table itself must be a custom build. The chair is a little taller than he’s used to, and the table reaches a little higher up his chest - he feels for all the world like a child, and he hears light giggles as he takes his seat, though he can’t place where it came from.

The meal is delicious, though Trent’s appetite is lacking. Meanwhile, the others tuck in to vast amounts of pasta and salad, huge quaffs of beer and wine, and the conversation starts to flow. They wax lyrical about Brie’s success on the team this season - none of which Trent had heard about, and with a pang of guilt he realizes he’d never asked. She and Abbie were vying for top spot, the two of them an unstoppable force on the court that had seen their team undefeated all season. There were already pro scouts sniffing around, and the two of them kept pushing each other to new record-breaking heights.

And of course, they talk about Adam and Seb, and their advances at the gym. Trent had been silent before, but now he fully dissociates. He knows that numbers were bandied around, but given how astronomically inconceivable it was for him to reach what they had months ago, it didn’t matter to him much now. He was just a spectator here - allowed to sit at the table with the giants but not actually a part of their evening, or their lives. At least, that’s how it started. He wished it could have stayed like that.

“What about you, anyway?”

It takes Trent a second to notice that everyone is looking at him, Sebastian’s question addressed to him.

“Hmm? What about me?” He asks cautiously.

“We don’t see you at the gym anymore, man! No way you’re going to get big if you’re laying around all day.”

“No way he’s gonna get big anyway…” Adam mutters under his breath, eliciting a giggle from Abbie and a wry smile from Brie.

“Naw, don’t be like that man. We want to see our little guy get huge, just like us. But I gotta say, short stuff, you look even scrawnier than before. You’re not gonna get anywhere if you don’t work for your gains - like me?” He says, flexing his arms a little - it’s obvious to everyone watching that any more aggressive movements would destroy the fragile shirt that covers them.

“I - I’ve just been kinda busy.” Trent says, not wanting to explain his secret visits to the gym. Brie rolls her eyes - it was a common excuse of his - but Seb pushes on.

“No such thing man! No wonder you never had any growth with all that slacking. Maybe you should take the last dose for yourself, give it a real go this time, yeah?”

“Um… I dunno, the dosage that they advise is…”

“How about we give him some incentive?” Adam interrupts. “Show him what he’s missing out on, yeah? Let’s see how we all measure up.”

“Yes!” Abbie squeals, jumping to her feet - she kisses Seb on the cheek and runs off to the side of the room - she pulls up a tab near the floor that Trent hadn’t noticed before; a tape measure, attached to the wall for ease of access, and she uses a small stool next to it to extend it to its full height.

The others get up in excitement, but Trent doesn’t move - in panic he stretches out a hand to Sebastian, laying it on his thick forearm. It looks so small and delicate in comparison. His eyes wide, he manages to squeak: “Please don’t. Please don’t make me do this.”

“Hey, buddy… Don’t get upset. Nobody’s making you do anything.” His voice is soothing, but his eyes seem to glitter with amusement. “Besides, you’ve had just as much room to grow as us. Maybe you’ve put some size on and not noticed. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

He stands up and goes behind Trent’s chair, pulling it out and gesturing for him to join the others by the wall. Trembling slightly, Trent does as he’s told, and waits.

“So how are we doing this exactly? Smallest first?” Asks Adam, pointedly looking down at Trent.

“Nah, how about alphabetical order? That way we get some variance,” Seb suggests, before flashing a simpering smile at Abbie, “Which means you get to go first - not that I’m playing favourites.”

“Am I not your favourite then?” She mock pouts, before taking her place by the wall. “C’mon, big guy, I want to see if I’ve overtaken Brie yet!”

“Hah, you wish!” She retorts, as Seb steps over to the wall. She mutters for Trent’s benefit: “See, Seb here likes to take the readings. Thinks he’s all in charge just because he’s the biggest.”

“It’s just easier for me to see, is all. It’s not my fault you’re all midgets!” He laughs. “Or maybe not; you’re 6’3” baby!”

Her laugh is one of pure joy as she leaps up, wrapping her arms around Seb’s neck, her tongue finding his in a kiss that last just too long for anyone else’s comfort.

“Do I get a turn?” Adam interjects, causing them both to look at him. “At getting measured, of course. I know better than to go after your girl, big guy.” He saunters over with a playful smirk on his face, and a fraction of a glance towards Trent.

Again there’s a moment of baited breath.

“Nice. You’re 6’9”, bro.”

With a roar of pride, Adam pumps his arms together - the seams of his shirt snapping as he does so, but he doesn’t even notice. He turns to Seb and claps his hand in a five that echoes off the walls; Trent swears he can feel his fringe move from the aftershock. Adam steps away and stands right next to him as Brie takes her place.

“Well Brie, you’re six foot three-”

“Yes! I knew it!” Abbie shouts jubilantly, before Seb continues…

“...and a half. Sorry, babe, you’ll catch up, I know it.” Seb says apologetically.

“Fucking hot” Adam says, an appreciative smile on his face that she returns to him. Trent is rocked. He knew she’d gotten huge, but… this much? She’s grown a whole foot in - what, half a year? Gone was the tiny firecracker of a girl he used to know; now she was an amazon. A goddess. And how could someone as tiny and insignificant as him hope to be enough for her?

“Hey, short stuff.” Seb calls to him. “Would you mind doing the honours?”

This gets a laugh from the other assembled giants, but none of them make a move. Sebastian had decided Trent was going to measure him and that’s the way it had to be. Trent doesn’t even fight it. He steps forward and onto the stool next to Seb, the friend he used to tower over. The friend he started on this journey. The friend he turned into this titan. Even then, he’s an inch or so shorter than him, but he’s close enough to take the reading by standing on his tiptoes. This gets another laugh.

“Holy… you’re 6’11”, Seb. You’re a foot taller than me… god, you’re nearly 7 foot tall..”

“Yeah, I know,” I shrugs, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Abbie measures me daily, nowadays. And not just my height, if you know what I’m saying. But come on, we’re all dying to see your gains bro.”

Before Trent can even think to protest, Seb hooks his hands up under his armpits and easily drops him in front of the tape.

Every pair of eyes is on Trent, waiting for the punchline to hit. Trent swears it takes Seb longer than all the others to get a reading, even with the exaggerated bending over he does to get close to where the mark is. Was it for effect? Or was he really having that hard a time of it?

A moment later he lets out a light snort, and says “Okay, bud. You can step away. Man, you really shoulda kept up the routine…”

“Why? What do you mean by that?” Trent asks, panic in his eyes.

“You do still have the vial at your place, right?” Seb asks Brie over his head.

“Sure, it’s a little weird seeing it in the refrigerator all the time, but it’s there.” She answers, eyebrow raised.

“Well maybe it’s time the little guy had another crack-”

“Sebastian! What did it say?” Trent demands, his voice cracking as he does so.

Seb sighs through his nose and shrugs, as if weighing up a difficult topic - but a smile plays across his lips. “Dude, you’re back down. Worse than that, you’re smaller than you started. You’re 5’9” buddy.”

And there it is - the room erupts in laughter as Trent’s world crashes down around him. He was… even smaller than he started? He feels dizzy, like he’s sinking into the floor, bile rising in the back of his throat. 

“Hahaha! Who the fuck takes a growth hormone and gets smaller?”

“It’s ‘cause he’s fucking lazy. He stopped working for it and now he pays for it. No pain no gain.”

“Aw, look at his sad little face!”

“Well, who knows, maybe he could turn it round, another shot and-”

“I think he’d need another ten!”

“Well, I’m sure he compensates for it in other ways.”

“He doesn’t”

A fresh roar of laughter explodes in the room, and something in Trent snaps - the lizard part of his brain takes over and he flees, the laughter fading behind him and tears starting to sting his eyes, not fully recovering from this daze until he finds himself sat back home.

--------------------------------------------------------

Brie doesn’t return until gone midnight. She finds Trent sat on the sofa, doing nothing except - is that the vial of B825 in his hands? She panics for a second, but then sees there’s clearly still liquid in it. He’s doing nothing but staring at it, his eyes red and puffy. It’s almost enough to melt her resolve for a second, but it’s soon steeled. Fuck, it’s just like Seb said - he really is obsessed, isn’t he?

“Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself.” She demands, shaking Trent’s attention away - he obviously hadn’t heard her enter.

“Huh?”

“The first night out together as a couple in months and you humiliate me in front of our friends!” She throws down her bag and storms further into the room, taking the chair opposite him.

“I - I’m sorry, I just…. I had to get out of there.”

“Why? Because we were all bigger than you? For fuck’s sake, Trent, I thought you would have realized that by now.”

“You were laughing at me, and-”

“We were having fun, Trent!” She says in exasperation. “That’s all we want to do - to enjoy this amazing thing that’s happened to us. But then we have to deal with you moping around just because you missed out. And who’s fault is that?”

“Well, I don’t-”

“Yours, Trent. God, take some fucking responsibility. You had the same shot we all did. But you were lazy, you let it go to waste, and you let your jealousy eat away at you.” She sighs and composes herself for what she says next. “I’m breaking up with you, Trent. You realize that, right?”

The strangest thing for Trent in this moment is: he feels nothing. He knew it was coming. In a way, it had already happened. And so it’s with numb disaffection he responds:

“Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

“I’m sorry, but - no, actually I’m not sorry. You’re just not the same guy I met any more. You’re so much… smaller. I deserve someone who treats me the way I deserve, and that’s just not you.”

“It’s not.” Trent agrees.

“Ugh. You’re not even going to fight for me, are you? Not even if I tell you I kissed Adam tonight?”

Trent makes no reaction. Brie stands up.

“I’m going. I’ll get my things some other time,” she says, heading to the door but pausing before she leaves. “I still want to be friends. But right now there's nobody to be friends with. You need to find yourself, first, Trent.”

[Littlerjim]

Chapter 3

 

It isn’t raining. Somehow, it feels like it should be. If this was a movie, he’d be sitting here, still, with those words ringing in his ears, the room long-cold around him. And rain against the glass. But there’s no rain. And the reality of the emptiness in him, that gnawing, festering wound in the pit of his stomach was anything but a movie. It was real.

The feelings that had evaded him while she was still here slowly catch up to him. The hatred, the pity, the loneliness and - the jealousy. Why couldn’t he have what they had? Why was he left behind - no, worse, falling away while they achieved such bigger and better things?

But there was only so long the jealousy could twist him. The room had long turned dark around him as he sat in the same place, looking out of the window at nothing in particular, those words still ringing in his ears. 

He was never going to catch up to Seb. He was never going to grow at all, and he'd been coming to that realization for a long time. In this moment, with the tears dried and the denial gone, he realises; it's not envy he's been experiencing these last few weeks. It's sheer terror. Fear of losing his girlfriend, of losing his friends and - if the last measurement was anything to go by - of losing himself. He was diminished - literally and figuratively dwindling away.

There was nothing he could do about Brie. And Seb was difficult to even be around. But maybe there was something he could do about that last one. What did he have to lose?

Seb had known about the break-up before it had even happened, Brie having confided in Abbie before she left, and she in him. But he still waited a day before reaching out via text. And then another before calling Trent. And then another before he turned up at Trent's place, knocking on the door with wall-shaking blows. He didn't get an answer to any of them.

Looking around him, he shrugs before taking out the copy of the key he had kept since his tenure there. There was no sign of his little buddy - and nor would there be for another two weeks.

--------------------------------------------------------

Abbie makes her way to her next class, barely looking where she's going. She was big enough for people to see, after all, they'd get out of HER way, if they knew what was good for them. She has her eyes glued on her phone as she sends another message to Sebastian, promising all the things she had on her mind for this evening.

A large man, though not as tall as her, passes by, his shadow falling across her phone for a second. She doesn't look up - but then she frowns, and stops. She feels like she saw a face she recognized out of the corner of her eye. But when she looks around, he's gone.

--------------------------------------------------------

Brie and Adam arrive for breakfast, smiling at each other and holding hands. They’d made it official about a week ago now. The two would look cute, if it weren't for the fact they were built like a god and goddess, towering over anyone else in the lunchroom. They join a table of Adam's friends.

"- and maxed out at, I dunno man, 500? Maybe higher?"

"Haha! Yeah, right, keep dreaming!" Says Adam to his buddy, who was half way through an anecdote, his arms gesticulating wildly. Adam can't believe he used to look up to this guy who looked so puny to him now. "You couldn't lift 500lbs with a forklift."

"Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too, your majesty" he says, looking a little annoyed. "But I wasn't talking about me. New guy at the gym, real early this morning - we thought he was one of you."

Brie and Adam exchange a smirk - it wasn't hard to tell what he'd meant by 'one of you', as there were, after all, just two giant power couples on campus. It was nice to hear still...

"I've not heard of any newbies. What's he like?"

"Big."

"Pfft. I'll be the judge of that, haha!"

--------------------------------------------------------

Sebastian was feeling smug. He was walking with his arm around his killer girlfriend, taking in the cold evening air but not particularly bothered by it. He always ran hot these days. Adam and Brie were next to him, the four of them deciding to head home earlier than intended from the bar, with one thing on all of their minds.

"Naw man, I've not seen anyone I don't recognize - and you know I basically fucking live there bro!" Seb guffaws, as Adam relates the story of the mysterious lifter. "Your pal probably can't tell the difference between plates, either that or he can't count."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Still, it'd be nice to have a third guy around who can actually keep up."

"Oh, so you can keep up with my Seb then, Adam?" Abbie asks in a honeyed voice, hanging onto her boyfriend's swollen arm. "I thought you were just a teensy bit behind still.."

"Hey!" He retorts. "Being #2 on campus to this guy isn't easy, y'know! Brie! Babe, aren't you going to defend your man? ...Brie?"

The three of them turn around, and see Brie staring at the building they'd just been walking past. She points upward, without turning to them.

"That light... that's Trent's room."

--------------------------------------------------------

The four of them look ridiculous packed around a single door in such a tight hall; once again, Seb knocks loudly enough to shake the foundations, but this time it isn't long before the door is answered, swung open by the annoyed inhabitant.

It's Trent - they can see that - but not as they knew him. He isn't huge, at least not by the standards of the two men standing outside, but neither is he small. He stands close to, if not matching Brie's newly reached 6'5", his shoulders broad and packed into a skin-tight shirt. His arms look densely packed with corded muscle, every bit as shredded as the Big Man himself, albeit on a smaller scale. But his face...

He looks tired. Huge bags under eyes that look at each of his visitors with coldness. He doesn't look angry - disdained maybe, but any emotion that plays across his face seems dulled, and that's matched by the expressionless tone in which he addresses them.

"What is it?"

"What is it? Man, I've been trying to get hold of you for WEEKS! You can't just leave your friends worried like that."

Trent cocks his head as he assesses that response, watching Seb's face. How had he never spotted it before? The words were so convincing, but the facial expression - he’s not even hiding the smirk. Brie, to her credit, does seem genuinely concerned but the others look like they've been dragged along for the ride.

"Mhmm," He responds. "Well, now you can sleep soundly, is there anything else?"

"Trent, what happened to you?" asks Brie. "You look... bigger. You didn't do anything stupid?"

"He took the last shot, didn't you little guy?" Says Adam, ruffling Trent's hair. "I don't blame you - but it's hilarious how far you had to go, and you're still the shortest of the four of us haha!"

"Did I?" Trent shoots the question back. "I didn't do anything stupid, Brie."

"But if you took a second dose, you don't know what kind of-"

"I didn't take a second dose." Trent interrupts. He looks tired because he IS tired. He didn't want to have to deal with this at all, but he knew sooner or later it would be inevitable. There was just no avoiding these four; not for him. "Fine. Anyone who's interested can come in, if it gets you off my back."

The four of them squeeze in there with him. For Brie, it was surreal; it had only been two weeks, and perhaps another inch of growth, since she'd last been in here. But her former home was bigger in her mind. Seeing it now, so filled with bodies, blew that picture away. Seb particularly has to squeeze through the door frame, and doesn't even attempt to take a seat anywhere other than the floor.

"So, man, spill - what's the secret to your growth success? And can I use it to get even BIGGER?" Seb teases, causing a smile around the room. It cuts the tension - for everyone except Trent, who remains icy. He only looks at Brie as he speaks.

"When you broke up with me, I was devastated. And while I perhaps have things I would still argue about..." He grits his teeth, choosing his next words carefully. "I came to realise you were right about one thing. I hadn't been at peace for a long time. I was terrified, and the thing that scared me most was... well, being so small. It was one thing to not experience the growth all of you had, but it was another to begin shrinking. Who shrinks after taking a growth hormone?"

"We've been through this, you didn't excercise-"

"No, that's just what you assumed. You assumed that my lack of growth was my fault."

Trents blood boils as he tries to at least keep the veneer of calmness. This tired narrative again? After learning the truth, he couldn't believe he had fallen for it. He'd done plenty of exercise, and even if he hadn't, what difference would that make to his height? He had been gaslit, as he had been about so many other things.

"So much about this drug has been based on conjecture, I decided that if I was worried - and I was really worried - I ought to talk to the people that know. To see if there was something wrong. I went back up to Canada. I met with Zenico, the guys who made - well, all of you."

He turns to look at Sebastian, who stays uncharacteristically quiet. Abbie, noting the held stare between the two, asks. "Well? I mean you've spoiled the ending a bit, we know you're bigger, so they obviously found out what was wrong with you. What was it?"

Trent heads over to his desk, and returns with a printed letter in his hand, with medical charts attached. He holds it out to her.

"It turns out people don't experience any effect from B852 when they haven't taken a shot of B852."

There's a moment of incredulous silence as the room takes in what he says, and Abbie looks over the letter. Brie breaks it.

"Look, I know you had a tough time, but you're being ridiculous. You had the same shot, from the same vial we all did."

"Then why did my blood tests come back negative?"

Brie looks over at Abbie who, still reading, gives a shrug but doesn't contradict Trent.

"Trent, you grew. I know it was less than you hoped for, and I know you lost it again, but you have to face the facts that-"

"I am facing the facts. The fact that before I supposedly took B852, my physician measured me at 5'10". The fact that, when I arrived at Zenico, their doctor measured me at 5'10". And the fact that my bloods showed clear for Zenico products."

Again, all eyes go to Abbie. "I mean, yeah, that's what the letter says. Assuming it's real. Don't look at me, I'm not a doctor..."

Trent presses on, "Combine all of this with the fact that Zenico swears that their products, in all their testing, have shown no signs of making people shrink. In fact, they had to develop an entirely separate formula that WOULD do that, to help slow the effects of B852 in people with bad reactions. My height didn’t change. I didn't put on half an inch, and I didn't shrink to 5'9".

"Well, then how do you explain your yoyo-ing height?"

At this point, Trent turns back to the silent giant. "I dunno, Seb, you want to pitch in?"

"Little guy, I gotta tell you - you sound paranoid. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

It's all in the eyes, Trent thinks. His tone is fair and dripping with concern, but he hasn't blinked since we got in here. He stares at Trent as if daring him to continue. Trent sneers at him, and he dares.

"Brie, you grew, what? More than a foot? You were all growing. From your perspective, do you honestly think you can eyeball less than an inch difference in height? And thinking back, did you ever actually measure me? No. It was all him. The same guy who says he gave me my shot, when the medical experts at the company who made the damn thing say very much otherwise. What was it you gave me, saline? Or were you crazy enough to do something else?"

Seb shakes his head, but it's Adam that butts in, belligerently putting his large hand on Trent's shoulder; there's less give there than he expected.

"So what, you're trying to say you're not on B852? I ain't buying it, pipsqueak. You might still be smaller, but you're not that little any more. No way could you do this without help."

Trent shakes his meaty paw away. "No. I took a dose - for the first time, two weeks ago. They offered it to me after my examination."

"You expect us to believe you grew this much in three weeks from the same drug we took?"

"Not exactly," Trent relinquishes. "They offered me a trial of a new supplementary procedure. Same dose - but they introduce a catalyst that forces the body to process it quicker. I didn't have the same slow start you did - well, discounting the artificial one Seb gave me, of course. But I didn’t have the same smooth ride either"

"How was it?" Brie asks, genuine concern playing across her brow. Trent's dark expression only deepens.

"Painful. And dangerous. They, er - they had to resuscitate me twice."

The sombre confession quiets the room - until Seb breaks it with an annoyed sniff.

"Wow, dude. I didn't think you'd stoop so low just to get our pity."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on," he holds his hands up to the room, his arm span casting a shadow over much of the living area. "You expect us to believe this crap? I mean, it's one thing to try and lay the blame at my feet. I'm used to you doing that for everything since I got so much fucking BIGGER than you. But making up lies about dying on the table? To your friends? Fucking low, bro, even for a guy as little as you."

Trent is apoplectic at this point. He snatches the letter from Abbie's grasp and brandishes it. "You're still calling me a liar? After everything you've done to me? What you took from me? Do you want me to call the doctors who literally brought me back to life?"

"So I can talk to some out-of-work theatre major you've prepped for the role? No thanks. Face it Trent, you're jealous. You've always been jealous. And when your girlfriend broke up with you for being a whiny little bitch you couldn't take it any more and took that last shot, just like Adam said."

Trent gawps at him, and then at the faces in the room. They were buying this. Of course they were. He had them wrapped around his finger, whereas he was always cast as the villain. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this; but he had no choice. With a sigh of frustration, he storms out the room.

"Should someone go after him?" Abbie asks, looking at Brie.

"Nah, let him stew," Seb says, "He always gets pissy like this when he loses, he'll be back any second. You think he'd be used to it by now. Are you alright, Brie? I know you're not with him any more, but those lies must have cut pretty deep."

"What? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. What about you though? It was you he was trying to turn us against. I'd hoped, if the stuff could ever actually work for him, that he might be able to put all that baggage aside, but that was deranged. I never thought he could do something like this."

"Oh, s'all good. Takes more than that to hurt a big guy like me, right?" Seb's ears prick up as he hears footsteps behind him. "Ah, there you are little guy, have you had time to ca- argh! What the FUCK was THAT?"

He recoils as, in his seated position on the floor - the top of his ass showing where his too-small shirt rides up - he feels a sharp sting in his butt cheek. His question is answered as Trent moves past him and places two things on the coffee table that acts as the centre of the room. The empty vial of B852 and the used syringe.

"That was the last dose" he says through gritted teeth. "And it's all yours. Will you listen to me now?"

He addresses the others in the room, but they're staring at the giant behind him. He does the same.

Over time, the four had gotten used to the bravado of Big Seb. Always ready with a joke, a big belly laugh, a flex of his muscles... What sits in front of them now is a ghost of the skinny little teen they used to know. His face is ashen, massive shoulders slumped - he visibly trembles as he looks at the vial on the table. He's just as big as he's ever been, but simply the shift in body language is enough to diminish him. Abbie reaches out and takes his hand in both of hers.

"Seb? Sebastian, baby, are you okay?"

"...No..." He croaks, still fixated on the vial. "No, no, no, NO! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME?"

His flip to blinding fury is near-instant, rising to his feet so quickly he inadvertently knocks his own girlfriend out of the way. He towers over Trent, snarling down at thim, the size difference between them no longer the biggest it's been, but certainly the most terrifying. Adam sees his friend bearing down on the runt, but is frozen to the spot himself - he feels he should intervene, but to come between such a beast and his quarry? He didn't have it in him. It takes both Brie and Abbie interjecting, physically putting themselves between the two, for Trent to retreat to the otherside of the room. Seb breathes-in great seething lungfuls, shoulders pumping as the girls desperately try to placate him.

"Easy! Baby, take it slow, it's not-"

"You get your fucking car!" He shouts over the room. "You get your fucking car, we're going to Zenico right NOW do you hear? I can't lose this!"

He'd said too much - and it's this realization more than his girlfriend's words that sap the rage - though he was still shaking with quiet fury.

"Bro, it's just the same stuff you've had before. You're not gonna lose anything, you'll just get bigger right?" Adam says, still rooted to his seat.

"We don't know that," Seb replies quickly. "They say not to take more than one dose, it could do anything."

"But... seconds ago, you were saying that's why Seb grew." Brie's tone is flat, but the disbelief is dripping from it. "You said something about losing something? Why would you immediately assume that two doses of a growth hormone would do that?"

"Baby," Abbie says in a small, placating voice. "Baby, what's going on? Why are you so scared?"

Seb is cornered, suddenly the concerned faces in the room all pointed at him.

"Look - it wasn't meant... I only meant to do it as a prank. And nothing would happen unless he was vain enough to try something..."

"What prank Seb? Shh, it's okay, whatever Trent has done to you we can figure out..." Abbie strokes his back, nurturing her normally domineering partner instinctively. It only makes him feel worse.

"I.... I, uh... I got rid of the last shot. I put something else in there..."

"What baby? What did you put in there?"

All eyes are on Seb as he struggles to find words. Even Abbie, who still tries to soothe him, is looking at him with horror. There's got to be a way out, he thought. He doesn't lose. He's Big Seb.

But.. for how long? He was suddenly at the precipice now, everything he'd gained about to fall away from him. No more friends, no more girlfriend and, most importantly, no more Big. Just Seb. His voice is barely a whisper.

"B8-X. I got hold of some. The stuff Trent mentioned, the stuff that reverses the shot..."

"And what would that have done to me?" Trent asks, his voice cracking as he makes his way closer again, "If I'd taken it. I didn't have the 852 shot to begin with. What would you have DONE to me?"

"I didn't mean any harm! It's just... you were so small, and..."

"And it wasn't enough to be bigger than everyone else, was it? You also had to make sure that I was SMALLER. Someone to compare yourself to. Someone to treat like they weren't even human, because the smaller I became the bigger you felt. I mean, why the fuck not? You'd been doing it to me mentally for months anyway, why not physically destroy my body too?"

It's his turn to be held back, Adam easily up to the task this time.

"You had the same chance we all did. I just wanted to stop you in case you got greedy," Seb spits at him. This causes Abbie to snap.

"But he didn't, did he?" she asks, tears welling in her eyes. "Because he didn't take a second dose. Because if he had, he would be even smaller. He's telling the truth - you didn't give him the first dose, did you?"

"Abbie... baby, why are you so upset? It’s just Trent."

"You lied to me..." She looks grief stricken as she looks down at her boyfriend. "Just now. How can I trust you?"

Trent stops fighting, and Adam decides to let him down. He looks the smaller man up and down, for the first time actually seeing him - not straight through him.

"I'm sorry man. I swear, we had no idea what Seb was up to..."

"Yes you did. You all did. Seb was the one putting on the show for you - lying to me about the injection, how much I'd grown, how much he wanted to reconnect, and help me succeed, and let me be a part of this. All the while taking every opportunity he had to humiliate me, to make me HATE the meagre success that I'd worked so hard for. You all saw that, and you loved it, because why would you care about me? Don't pretend to, now."

"Fuck you," Seb sneers at him. "You're sitting there on your high horse pretending you're the victim in all this - how long have you planned to do this to me, huh? To stick me with this filth and take away EVERYTHING I have. Don't pretend you're not loving this, asshole."

"I'm loving this!? How can I love any of it? Do you know how sick I felt when they told me what was in that vial?" The attention in the room flashes back to him now. "Oh what, you think I wouldn't bring a sample of the drug I took with me? You should have seen how panicked they got, thinking I'd taken it."

"But now I'VE taken it! Please, please you've got to take me up there, get them to reverse it somehow-"

"I did to you exactly what you did to me-"

"But I didn't, not yet, I can make this right, I can-"

"You're not. LISTENING!" There's no fighting back the tears any more as they run freely down Trent's face. There are five giants in the room, but for all the world it feels like only two people. "You're so wrapped up in your own self-interest, still, that you can't hear the words I'm saying. I did to you EXACTLY what you did to me. I injected you with the same thing you put into me. A dummy shot. Not the B8-X. Not B852. Nothing."

"You... you tricked me..?"

"Fucking hurts, doesn't it? To be tricked by a friend. To be staring down the barrel of losing everything. Fuck, Seb, I got this stuff for the two of us. Imagine what it could have been like, going on this journey together. Couldn't that be enough? Why do any of this?"

With one last, scrunched up act of malice Seb leans forward and hisses. "Because you treated me like I was small."

By contrast, Trent is a picture of almost nothing but pity. 

"You were small, Seb. And you still are."

The conversation goes nowhere from there, and slowly the four giants filter out of the room. Trent, who is sitting, looking out of the same window from the night Brie left just a few weeks ago, hears Adam mutter as he leaves.

"...you can if you want, baby. I trust you. If you want to look after him-"

"No," Brie responds. "No, I think it's best to just go."

Find yourself. Good idea. And here he was, vindicated, bigger than he'd ever been and rapidly growing. And still all alone.

[Ripped]

Perfect. 

[Ozymandias]

Lovely story. I hope Trent recovers (and discovers the true meaning of size).

[Pedrobiel]

really liked the twist, the only thing i didnt enjoy that much in elongro was the shrinking part, this one seems more at my alley

hope to see Trent outgrowing all of them and meeting people who really enjoys him

[CurlyJinrlyJin]

I'm still a massive fan of Elongro and all its parts but I'm all about seeing different versions of a genre I like (I was one of the minority pitching for a 2nd version where Jack hires Trevor instead just to see it happen )

[HawkShark]

What an incredibly well written and sad story. As a fan of happy endings, this one will haunt me for a while. No regrets though, this is probably the best written story I've read on here in a long time. 

PS: as a fan of happy endings, i'd love a continuation to this. 

[Littlerjim]

17 minutes ago, HawkShark said:

PS: as a fan of happy endings, i'd love a continuation to this. 

The positivity this has gotten so far as been so affirming to see. I've been keeping tight lipped though, because there is a continuation, and I don't want to colour expectations.

We're only at Chapter 3 of 7. Already written, but I'm taking time to run some edits 

[Ripped]

2 hours ago, Littlerjim said:

We're only at Chapter 3 of 7. Already written, but I'm taking time to run some edits 

Take all the time you need. We'll still be here waiting with bated breath.