The Stronger Vest (Part 15 added 6 Feb 2024)

[panama]

Great story so far ! Thanks. I´d like Simon to become a bit more "bossy" :))

[marius777]

On 11/9/2023 at 1:10 PM, LukeXL said:

 It looks like it's a script form of Linear A!"

"Oh, what does that mean?" asked Simon.

"It's an ancient language from the island of Crete. It's the precursor to the precursor of Greek. Can I take a picture of it?"

 

Just a little bit of clarification about Linear A. Linear A is not a language - it's a writing system that hasn't been deciphered yet. We don't actually know what language it was used to write. It is the precursor to Linear B, which is the first writing system that was used to write Greek before the adoption of the Greek alphabet. But we have no idea if the language that Linear A was used to write was even related to Greek or not. 

[LukeXL]

2 hours ago, marius777 said:

Just a little bit of clarification about Linear A. Linear A is not a language - it's a writing system that hasn't been deciphered yet. We don't actually know what language it was used to write. It is the precursor to Linear B, which is the first writing system that was used to write Greek before the adoption of the Greek alphabet. But we have no idea if the language that Linear A was used to write was even related to Greek or not. 

Yeah, Toby knows that, he was just a bit excited and misspoke while giving Simon the layman's version.

[Hialmar]

11 hours ago, LukeXL said:

Yeah, Toby knows that, he was just a bit excited and misspoke while giving Simon the layman's version.

I would have misspoken, too, if I was excited and discussed the matter with someone outside classics studies or the comparative study of religion. I suppose I have something in common with Toby. 

 

[LukeXL]

Part 9:

Simon dreamed he was in the gym locker room, chatting to Cody as they got dressed after showering. Cody was drying himself off slowly with a towel and seemed in no hurry to put his clothes on.

"Lats, bro. Lats, lats, lats bro!" said Cody, flexing his lats in the mirror. "Mmmm, bicep, yeah bro!" he said flexing his biceps. "Look at these triceps!"

Simon watched him showing off his muscles. "You're so big, Cody," he said, "I wish I was as big as you."

"Pecs, bro. Pecs, bro, pecs bro," said Cody, flexing his pecs in the mirror. "Mmmm, abs, yeah bro!" he said flexing his abs. "Ooooof quads! Yeah quads!"

Simon pulled his briefs on. They felt really tight. He looked in the mirror, and he could see that they were really straining against his thighs and glutes. They were also really uncomfortably tight against his package. Simon bent down to pick up his shorts from the bench. The briefs ripped apart and fell in shreds on the floor. "Oh no..." said Simon.

Cody turned around and looked at Simon. "Oh yeah, bro!" he said, "You're getting huge, bro!"

Simon pulled his cargo shorts on and tightened the belt. He picked up a polo shirt from his bag but it was tiny, like a child's shirt. He tried to put it on but it wouldn't even fit over his arms. It ripped apart before he'd even managed to get it over his head.

"Hardcore, bro!" said Cody, "You're getting huge, bro!"

He looked for another shirt in his bag, and pulled out a t-shirt he'd got at Comicon, his favorite. He managed to get it on but within seconds it ripped at the seams and fell apart. "Cody? What's happening to me?"

Cody walked over to Simon and put his hand on Simon's shoulder. "You're getting huge, bro!" he said. Cody moved his hands all over Simon's muscles, feeling his biceps, his triceps and forearms. "You're getting huge, bro!" he repeated. He ran his hands over Simon's pecs, and down his abs. "You're huge, bro!" he said, "You're huge!"

Cody put his hands under Simon's arms, bent down and kissed Simon's nipple and licked his pec. "Huge, bro!" he said.

Simon looked down and could see his muscles swelling up. His pecs were swelling and getting redder as Cody nuzzled against him. He put his hands on Cody's head and ran his fingers through Cody's hair. Cody kissed Simon's other nipple and licked his pec. "Huge, bro!" he said. Simon could actually see muscle growing in his biceps, triceps and forearm, as if snakes were crawling under his skin while Cody licked and kissed him all over his body.

Simon could now feel his glutes and quads growing, new muscle fibers growing like wildfire through him. The belt on his shorts was feeling really tight, but before he could undo it, it snapped apart. His shorts fell to the floor and he was standing there naked. Cody ran his hands over Simon's glutes and quads. "Huge, bro!" he said, "Huge!"

"What am I going to wear? Everything I put on rips apart!" said Simon.

Cody smiled. "You don't need to wear anything, bro!" he said, "You're huge, bro!"

Simon grabbed a towel and tried to wrap it around himself, but as he got it around his back he ripped it in half without even trying.

"Oh no..." said Simon. Cody was now kneeling in front of him, kissing his quads and moving upwards towards his stiffening penis.

"Cody, someone will see us!" said Simon.

"Who cares, bro?" said Cody, "You're huge, bro!"

Ken walked into the locker room wearing just a towel.

"Ah, professeur, je suis content de voir que vous vous amusez !" he said.

"Ken... what?" said Simon.

Ken walked up to Simon and put his hand on his arm. "Oui, tu progresses bien," he said, and kissed his bicep. Ken looked down at Cody, kneeling in front of Simon. "Oh, je vois que tu as trouvé un ami pour t'aider à t'entraîner !" he said.

"Bro, bro, bro!" said Cody, "Huge, bro!"

"I don't understand what you're saying!" said Simon.

"Ne t'inquiète pas, mon petit," said Ken. "Bientôt, tout cela prendra tout son sens." He knelt down next to Cody, put his hand on Simon's glutes and kissed his quad.

"Huge, bro!" said Cody.

Ken looked at Cody and smiled. "Devons-nous lui donner ce dont il a besoin ?" he asked.

"Bro!" said Cody.

Ken and Cody put both started licking and kissing Simon's fully erect penis. Simon put a hand on each of their heads and pushed them together. "Oh god, yes!" he said, "Yes, yes, yes!" Within seconds he shot a huge load of cum into their hungry waiting mouths and splashed it all over their faces.

"Broooooooo!" said Cody.

Ken stood up and gave Simon a sticky kiss on the cheek. "Je pense que j'ai bien choisi quand je t'ai choisi," he said.

***

Simon woke up. The sun was up and shining in through the window. He felt incredible. He pulled the covers off and looked down at his body. He was naked, which was unusual for him. He usually slept in his underwear. He looked down at his body. He was huge. His pecs were huge, his arms were huge, his legs were huge. His penis was... still average sized, but obviously had enjoyed the dream as much as he had if the sticky mess it had made was anything to go on.

He stripped the sheets off the bed and wiped himself off with them before dumping them in to the laundry basket. He noticed his gym bag next to the basket, and realized he should probably wash his gym clothes. He threw his fluorescent yellow gym shorts shorts into the laundry basket and pulled the Stronger Vest out. Silk. This probably shouldn't be machine washed. Dry cleaners, he wondered? He took a sniff of it to see how bad it smelt. It didn't smell bad at all. In fact, it smelt amazing. Like a meadow near the sea on a hot summer's day, pine trees in the distance and fragrant heather growing here and there. "Wow, okay, maybe it can go a bit longer before it needs washing." he thought.

As he was putting it back in his gym bag he noticed a rag lying next to his bed. He picked it up and saw it was a pair of his briefs, ripped apart. His briefs had ripped in his dream, but his glutes and legs weren't bigger than they had been last night. "I guess I must have ripped them off my sleep," he thought.

He emptied the laundry bag into the washer, walked naked to the kitchen and dropped the wrecked briefs into the trash before making himself some coffee, oats and a protein shake. He stood eating and drinking silently in the kitchen. He thought about the dream he'd just had, and about the idea of growing too big for any clothes, that he'd be forced to be naked all the time. It scared him and aroused him equally. "Well, at least I've got a body people want to see naked now," he thought, smiling. He thought about Cody and Ken from the dream and got even more aroused. He'd never really thought of Ken as more than a friendly colleague, but after last night and now this dream, he was starting to think of him in a different way. If what happened in the dream happened in real life, well, that would just be amazing.

But he did need to get some new clothes. "I guess this is going to be a regular thing now," he thought wearily. He remembered that the guy at the Big & Tall store had told him there were discounts for members of the Burly Brand website, so he grabbed his laptop and opened the site.

He went to the new members sign-up, entered his basic details, and was surprised to see that his newly created account already had his measurements and a record of the chinos he'd bought. "How did they know that?" he wondered.

He browsed around the site a bit. The clothes were all the perfect balance between sexy and conservative. Nothing obviously-showing-off-your-muscles, but nothing that would unnecessarily hide them either. And the models were all incredible muscle guys of all sizes. Lean firefighter types, huge football players, insanely shredded bodybuilders - all dressed in clothes perfectly tailored to their unique physiques.

"Could You Be The Next MR BURLY?" asked a popup. "Win great prizes and become the face of Burly Brand!"

"Huh, as if!" thought Simon. He closed the popup and another appeared in its place. "Download the Burly Man app and get an extra 20% off your first order!" Well, that sounded like a good deal! He downloaded the app and logged into it, and clicked on the "Get 20% off your first order" button and saved it to his phone's wallet.

He closed the site and went to shower. He looked at himself in the mirror for a moment while he waited for the water to heat up. "Damn, Simon, you're looking great!" he said to himself. He flexed his biceps, tightened his abs, and bounced his pecs. He was turning himself on. "I think I'll save that for later!" he thought, and got in the shower.

He got dressed in a new pair of briefs, the same type as he'd destroyed last night but as he suspected they fit him fine, if only a tiny bit too snug. He put his new cargo shorts, and searched his closet for a shirt. Nothing there would fit him anymore. He looked at his favorite Comicon t-shirt. Thankfully it wasn't torn to shreds like in the dream, but there's no way he would fit into it now. And the Polos he bought were both now in various stages of ripped apart. There were those vests he got from TJ Maxx, though. Those should fit him. He put on the brick-colored one. It was tight around his chest, but looked like it would hold.

***

"Good morning, good to see you back so soon!" said William, the clerk at the Big & Tall store.

"Oh, hi again," said Simon, "Today I'm looking for..."

"Shirts." said William

"Yeah, dress shirts for work. How did you know?"

"You said you'd need shirts last time you were here. And your arms are huge now. And I saw the video of what happened to your shirt in the lecture hall!"

"Fame at last!" Simon laughed.

"Well let's get you measured up and see what we can find for you."

William took Simon's measurements and entered them in the Burly app on his phone. "Hmmm, interesting..." he said, "you've grown a lot since last week!" William scrolled through lists of clothes. "It looks like we only have two shirts in stock that will fit you. I'll get them for you to try on."

William quickly searched through his stock, and came back with the two shirts. "There's this Prussian blue Oxford, and this white formal shirt. It has French cuffs, so you'd need cufflinks for this one."

Simon took the shirts to the changing rooms and tried them on. The dark blue one fitted him perfectly. It wasn't tight, but wasn't loose either. He looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. He looked like the kind of professor he wanted to be. "The cool prof" as Ken said. "That's a keeper!" he thought as he took it off and hung it on the peg. He tried the white one on. "Wow!" he said aloud. As expected, it was a perfect fit. He looked like a movie star, or a secret agent. Dashing, debonair, and dangerous. The only thing was these floppy cuffs. He stepped out of the changing room.

"Oh, that looks great on you!" said William, "You look like James Bond! Wait, let me help you with those cuffs." William opened a drawer and took out a pair of cufflinks. He folded Simon's cuffs back on themselves, and snapped the cufflinks into place. "There you go!" he said, "Now you're ready to save the world!"

Simon looked at the cufflinks. They were miniature metal dumbbells, with BB stamped on the ends. He grinned.

"Cute, right?" said William, "You can keep them, they're a gift with purchase. By the way, have you heard about the Mr Burly contest?"

"Yeah, I saw it on their website," said Simon, "I don't think I'm really their type."

"Are you kidding me? You're exactly the kind of guy they're looking for. Look how well you wear the clothes!"

"I don't know, I'm not really a model."

"They don't want models. They're looking for normal guys. Big, strong and handsome normal guys. And you are. You're perfect for it."

"Hmmm, I don't know..."

"Okay, well, the thing is... when I updated your measurements, the app told me to get you to enter the contest. And I get a bonus if you do. So... could you do it as a favor to me?"

Simon laughed. "Okay, I'll do it for you, then."

"Okay, great! All your details are already there, so you just need to upload a photo and add your social media details."

"I don't really have a recent photo of myself."

"I could take one for you right now. Let's move over here near the changing rooms, there's good lighting there."

Simon moved over to where the light was good and posed for William, wearing the new Burly Brand shirt.

"Lovely!" said William, "Now, let's get a photo of you without the shirt."

Simon took off the shirt and handed it to William. He posed for William, flexing his biceps and pecs.

"That's great!" said William, "But I think it would be better if you were wearing some Burly Brand shorts."

"Oh, okay, whatever you recommend," said Simon.

William consulted his tablet. "Okay, I think I have the perfect ones for you," he said, and went to the racks. He came back with a pair of bright blue shorts. "This is our tailored poolside short. Great for showing off your legs in or out of the water."

Simon took the shorts. "They look a bit small," he said.

"Better to show off your assets!" said William, "Trust me, they'll fit you perfectly."

Simon kicked off his shoes and dropped his cargo shorts.

"Oh, alright, we're stripping off right here then!" said William.

Simon pulled the Burly Brand shorts on. They were tight around his thighs and glutes, but they did fit him perfectly. He looked at himself in the mirror. The shorts were very short, and showed off a lot of his thighs. They were also very tight around his package and gave him a prominent bulge. "Wow, these look amazing!" he said.

"Okay, let's get a photo of you in those," said William. "Maybe lose the socks, though."

Simon kicked off his socks and posed for William. He flexed his biceps and pecs, and William took a photo of him.

"Wonderful!" said William, "Now, we just need to add your social media details."

"Why do they need my social media details?"

"It's so they can promote you. They'll post your photo on their social media, and you'll get lots of followers. It's a great way to get your name out there."

"Okay, but I'm not on any social media."

"What, really? You're not on Facebook or Instagram or X or anything?"

"No. I was... but then I wasn't. I don't really like social media."

"Alright. Hmmm, it won't let me submit your entry without social media details. I guess you'll have to sign up for something."

"Ugh, okay. What do you recommend?"

"I recommend X. It's not as prudish as Instagram. You can post photos of yourself in your underwear and stuff. Or less if you want."

"Really? Do people do that?"

"They sure do!"

"Okay, I'll sign up for X." Simon took out his phone and downloaded the X app. He signed up for an account and entered his details. "What should my username be?" he asked.

"Hmmm, depends on what you want to do with it. Do you want to use it to promote your work? Or just for fun?"

"I guess just for fun."

"Okay, well, you could use your name, or a nickname, or something that reflects your new body."

"Well, my name is Simon Gland. I guess I could use that."

"Maybe something a bit more... sexy?"

Simon laughed. "I don't know, I'm not really a sexy guy."

"I just meant something that reflects your new body. You're not the same guy you were a week ago. You need a name that reflects that."

"Simon... Swole? Simon Huge? Huge Gland?"

William laughed. "How about Simon Grand?"

"Yeah, I like that!" said Simon. "Simon Grand. That's perfect! Oh, there's already a @simongrand user."

"Simon Grand... X X L" suggested William.

"Done. I'm @simongrandxxl. Now what?"

"Okay, now you need to upload your photo. And add a bio." William transferred the pictures he'd just taken to Simon's phone, and Simon posted them to X. He edited his bio: "Big guy getting bigger."

"Okay, you're entered! Now there's just one more thing I need to do..." said William. He took another phone out of his pocket and did some quick typing. "There, I've followed you. Now you have a follower!" he said. Simon's phone buzzed with a notification: "Billy Boner followed you."

"Billy Boner?" asked Simon, scrolling through William's feed.

"Yeah, like Billy Bones in Treasure Island?"

"More like Moby Dick!" said Simon.

William grinned. "So will it just be the two shirts today? Will you take those poolside shorts too?"

Simon realized he'd been standing in full view of the rest of the store, shoeless and shirtless wearing only the tight blue shorts the whole time.

"Well, there's one other thing. I don't know if you have some sort of solution. But underwear. I mean, what I'm wearing now is kind of tight on the legs and package, but loose on the waistband. And I'm probably gonna grow even more, so... what do you recommend?"

"A lot of our customers find that a jockstrap is the best solution," said William. "And Burly Brand does an absolutely superb one, let me get one for you." William fetched a small plastic box from a rack on the other side of the store and handed it to Simon.

Simon looked at it hesitantly. "Am I a jockstrap kind of guy?" he thought.

"Why don't you try it on and see how it feels," suggested William. "Normally we don't let customers try on underwear, but I'm that convinced you'll love it that I'll make an exception. But maybe you should use the changing room for this one."

Simon went into the changing room and took off the blue short and his briefs. He looked at his totally naked body in the changing room mirror and started remembering his dream with Cody... and Ken. Nope! Think other thoughts! He pulled the jockstrap out of the packaging. It was brilliant white, incredibly soft and stretchy, and had a wide waistband with the Burly Brand logo on it. He pulled it on and adjusted it. It fit perfectly. His bulge looked amazing. He turned around and looked at his glutes in the mirror. They looked amazing too. He stepped out of the changing room. "What do you think?" he asked William.

"Wow, I think... we need another picture!" said William, and took a photo of Simon in the jockstrap. "That looks amazing on you!" he said, "You should definitely get it."

Simon went back into the changing room, gathering up his clothes from the shop floor on the way. He took the jockstrap off,  put his briefs, cargo shorts, shoes and brick red vest back on and went back out to the store. "Okay, I'll take the two shirts and the jockstrap," he said.

"Not the shorts?" asked William.

"I love the shorts, but I'm afraid I'll grow out of them before I have a chance to wear them."

"Woof! Okay, let me ring you up. With tax, that's $482.24."

"And there's my Burly Man discount. And the 20% discount for downloading the app."

"Absolutely! So that comes to $308.63. How would you like to pay?"

Simon handed William his credit card. William swiped it and handed it back to Simon. "Okay, you're all set. I'll just put these in a bag for you. And don't forget your cufflinks!" he said, dropping them into the bag.

"I really like that store," thought Simon as he left. "I'm glad I'll be going there often."

As he was putting his new purchases in his car he saw his gym bag and remembered he'd put his gym shorts in the wash. He looked at the time on his phone. He was supposed to be meeting Cody at the gym in 15 minutes. "Damn it!" he thought, sprinting back to TJ Maxx. He ran into the store and went straight to the activewear section. He grabbed a pair of white shorts off the rack, eyeballing them for size. "Looks fine?" he thought and ran to the checkout. He paid for the shorts and ran back to his car. He threw the shorts in the back seat and drove to the gym.

Cody was sitting in the reception area, wearing sunglasses, khaki shorts and a black tank top. He looked up from his phone as Simon walked in. "Hey, Si!" he said, "You're late!"

"Sorry, I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction," said Simon.

"Seems to be happening a lot lately!" said Cody, "You're looking good, though. I like the vest."

"Thanks! I got it uhhh... at TJ Maxx." Simon had almost said "...for you."

"Ah, nothing wrong with that!" said Cody, "it's how you wear it that counts. And you're definitely filling it out well!"

Simon blushed. "Thanks, Cody. So what are we doing today?"

"Today you're going to be lifting heavier than you ever have before!" said Cody, "We're going to do some powerlifting!"

[arbotimus]

Thanks for continuing (at whatever pace works for you).  Loving the nonchalant ascent to godhood - Adam Gold isn't really that big, if you think about it, haha

[LukeXL]

Part 10:

Simon and Cody headed into the locker room an got changed into their workout clothes. Simon put on the black shorts he'd just bought. They were really tight on his legs and glutes, but had enough stretch in them that they didn't feel restrictive. They left very little to the imagination, though. He put the red Stronger Vest on, and asked Cody "Do you think these are too tight? I just got them, but didn't have time to try them on."

Cody looked Simon up and down. "No, they look great. Compression shorts are supposed to be tight. They'll help keep your muscles warm and prevent injury."

"Yeah, but these aren't compression shorts, they're just regular shorts," said Simon.

"Really?" said Cody. He took hold of the hem of the shorts and gave them a tug. "Oh wow, you're right, they're just really tight."

Simon saw that Cody had changed into his red vest and black shorts too. "Hey, we're matching!" said Simon.

"Cute." said Cody.

The gym wasn't very busy, and they almost had the weight room to themselves.

"So, powerlifting," said Cody, "It's a bit different from what we've been doing so far. We're going to be lifting heavier weights, but fewer reps. And long rests between sets. We'll just do bench presses, squats, and deadlifts, and we'll just keep pushing the weight up until you can't lift it any more."

"Okay," said Simon, "I'm ready."

"Let's start with bench presses. You managed 225 last time, right? Let's start with that."

They loaded two 45lb plates on each side of the bar, and Simon lay down on the bench. He easily lifted the bar and did 10 reps, then held the bar above him rather than re-racking it. "More?" he asked.

"No, let's put the weight up," said Cody, "Let's try 275."

"Wait, aren't you going to do a set?" asked Simon.

"No, I'm on a rest day today. I'll spot you, though."

So he came to the gym to train with me even though he's not training today? Simon thought. That's so nice of him!

They added another 25lb plate to each side, and Simon again managed 10 reps. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't too hard either. He re-racked the bar and sat up. "That was okay," he said.

"Okay, let's try 315," said Cody. They swapped the 25s for 45s, and after a few minutes' rest Simon lay down on the bench again. He lifted the bar and managed 8 reps. "That was hard," he said.

"But you got 8 reps!" said Cody, "That's great! Let's try 365." They added the 25s again. Simon lay down on the bench and lifted the bar. He managed 5 reps, but the last one was a real struggle, and Cody had to help him get the bar up to the hooks. "That was really hard," he said.

"I think you can do a little more," said Cody, "Let's try 385." He added a 10lb plate to each side. "Take a good rest this time," he said. "For extra motivation, I'm gonna film you doing this one."

Simon lay back and looked at the bar. It was loaded with 385 pounds. That was a lot of weight. And Cody's not there to spot me, he thought. He took a deep breath and lifted the bar off the hooks. He could see the bar bending under the weight. He slowly lowered it to his chest, and then pushed it back up. "Yes!" said Cody. Then again. "C'mon Si!" said Cody. And then one... more... rep. He racked the bar and sat up. "Awesome!" said Cody. "That was fucking incredible!"

"I feel fucking incredible!" said Simon between breaths. "I can't believe I just did that! What's next?"

"Let's do some squats now," said Cody, "We'll start with 225 again, that was your max last time, right?"

Simon thought back to last time. "Yeah, I think so. I'm sure I can do more now, though."

"I think so too, but let's build up to it," said Cody. They loaded the bar with 225 pounds. Simon did 10 reps, and then re-racked the bar. "That was so easy," he said.

"315?" asked Cody.

"At least!" said Simon. They added a 45lb plate to each side, and Simon did 10 reps again. "That was easy, but at least I felt it." he said. "Let's try 405."

They loaded another plate on each side, for a total of 4 plates on each side.

"Let's set up the safety bars just in case," said Cody. "And also, you should wear a lifting belt this time."

Simon strapped on the belt, and got underneath the bar. He lifted it off the hooks, but as he stepped forward the bar wouldn't move. "What's going on?" he said.

"The bar's bending too much!" said Cody. "You're lifting the middle, but the ends are still on the hooks! We'll need to adjust it."

Simon put the bar back on the hooks and Cody slipped a plate off each side. "Now lift that while I adjust the hooks," said Cody. Simon lifted the bar and Cody shifted the hooks down a notch. "Okay all good," said Cody. "Now let's try again."

They reloaded the bar and Simon lifted it off the hooks. He stepped back and squatted down until the bar touched the safety bars. Now this was a weight he could feel. He powered up through his heels and glutes and stood up. The seventh rep was a real struggle, but through sheer force of will he managed to get it up. He re-racked the bar. "That was hard," he said.

"Bet you can do more," grinned Cody, "Let's try 455. I'm gonna film this one too."

"Sure, add to the pressure why don't you?" said Simon.

Cody added another 25lb plate to each side while Simon sat on a bench resting. "Okay, let's do this," said Simon. He got under the bar, took a deep breath and lifted it off the hooks. He stepped back and squatted down. He could feel the bar bending under the weight. He could feel his muscles straining and stretching as he squatted down. At the bottom, He could feel his glutes and hamstrings and quads all flexing and swelling and burning as he pushed up. "C'mon!" said Cody. "You can do it!" Simon went for another rep, and again flexed as hard as he could to push the weight up. "One more!" said Cody. Simon went for a third rep. At the bottom, he flexed as hard as he could, but just couldn't get the weight up. He felt his legs shaking and his muscles burning. He tried again, but the bar wouldn't move. He lowered it to the safety bars and clambered out from underneath it.

"Ugh!" he said, "I couldn't do it!"

"No, you did great!" said Cody. "You got two reps at 455! That's amazing!"

"Oh yeah, I guess I did," said Simon, panting. "What's next?"

"The king of lifts," said Cody, "The deadlift. We'll start with 225 again, to make sure your form is good."

They loaded the bar with 225 pounds.

"Okay, so you want to get your feet about shoulder width apart, and your toes pointing slightly outwards," said Cody, demonstrating. "Then you want to bend down and grab the bar with your hands just outside your legs. You want to keep your back straight, and your head up. Then you want to push through your heels and lift the bar up. You want to keep your back straight and your head up, and you want to keep the bar as close to your legs as possible. Then you want to lower the bar back down, keeping your back straight and your head up, and then lift it up again. The most important thing is to keep your back straight and your head up. The bar should be almost touching your legs the whole time, and moving upwards in a straight line."

"Jeez, that's a lot of stuff to remember just to lift a thing," said Simon.

"It's important," said Cody sternly, "You don't want to hurt yourself. Once you feel the groove it's second nature, but you have to learn it first. Now watch me do it."

Cody got into position and lifted the bar. He did 10 reps, and then put the bar down. "The pros sometimes just drop the bar, but we don't have a dedicated deadlift pit here so you don't want to do that. It's bad for the bar, and it's bad for the floor, and it wastes the opportunity for muscle growth signalling on the eccentric phase. You want to lower it down slowly and under control."

Simon got into position. He lifted the bar and Cody checked his form. "That's good," he said, "Now just lift it up and put it down again." Simon did as he was told. "Now do it again, but this time, when you put it down, don't let it touch the floor. Just lower it until it's about an inch off the floor, and then lift it up again. Keep your back straight and your head up, good."

Simon did 10 reps, and then put the bar down. "That was easy," he said.

"Good," said Cody, "Now let's add some weight. Let's try 315."

They loaded another plate onto the bar.

"You know, those shoes aren't really suitable for deadlifts," said Cody pointing at Simon's Nike Airs.

"Why not?" asked Simon.

"They're too squishy with those inflated soles. You need something with a hard and flat sole. You want to be able to push through your heels, and you can't do that with those shoes."

"Is that why you wear those Converse?" asked Simon.

"Yeah, they're perfect for deadlifts. You can get specialist deadlift shoes, but these work fine."

"Okay, I'll get some Converse," said Simon, "but what do I do now?"

"Just take your shoes off!" said Cody.

"Oh, right!" said Simon. He took his shoes and socks off and tucked them under a bench. "Okay, I'm ready," he said, wiggling his toes against the rubber mat.

"You could have left your socks on if you wanted to, but whatever," said Cody.

Simon got into position and lifted the bar. He did 10 reps, and then put the bar down. "Not too difficult!" he said.

"Okay, another plate," said Cody. They loaded another pair of 45lb plates onto the bar. "Okay, 405, let's go!" said Cody.

Simon pulled the bar off the ground, watching it first bend and then raise the stack of plates off the floor. He could feel his legs and glutes and back and arms all working together to lift the weight. Even though he was exerting himself, he felt perfectly balanced and in control. He did 10 reps, and then put the bar down. "That felt amazing!" he said.

"It looked pretty amazing too," said Cody, "What do you think about 495?"

Simon looked at the bar. "Yeah, let's do it!" he said.

They added another pair of plates. The bar was now loaded with 495 pounds, five 45lb plates on each side.

"No pressure, but I'm filming this one," said Cody. He moved behind Simon and got his phone out. "Whenever you're ready, big guy!"

Simon took a few deep breaths and grabbed the bar. He shuffled his feet and rolled the bar back and forth a little, feeling the weight. Another deep breath and he dropped his butt down, straightened his back, and lifted the bar. He could feel the bar bending under the weight, and he could feel his muscles straining and stretching as he lifted it. He could feel his legs and glutes and back and arms all working together to lift the weight. He could feel his muscles burning and his heart pounding. He was entirely in the moment. He got to the top of the lift and held it there for a moment, then lowered the bar back down. At the bottom he closed his eyes, and lifted another rep. And down again. He was straining so much as he lifted the third rep that he couldn't hear anything except his heart pounding through his ears.

"Excuse me! Sir! Sir!" said a gym employee rushing over to where Simon was lifting. "You have to wear shoes in the gym!"

Simon was oblivious to the world as he lifted his fourth rep. He felt like he was a pure muscle machine. All he was aware of was the weight and his muscles and his heart pounding. He was in the zone.

"Sir! You have to wear shoes in the gym!" said the employee again, louder this time. "Sir! Can you hear me?"

Simon gently lowered the bar to the floor, let go of it and jumped up, pumping a first into the air and roared "YES!"

"Aa-aaaaah!" screamed the employee from fear.

"Aaaah!" screamed Simon from surprise.

The employee stumbled backwards, tripped on the edge on the mat and fell backwards onto the gym floor, scrambled backwards like a crab and then ran away.

"What!? What's going on?" said Simon, looking around. Cody was doubled over laughing, but still managing to hold his phone up to film him. "What happened?" he asked. "Who was that?"

"Oh my god that was too perfect!" said Cody, "You were so in the zone you didn't even notice! That was the gym manager telling you to put your shoes on!"

"Oh my god!" said Simon, "I didn't even notice! I couldn't hear anything except my heartbeat!"

"Oh, Meatspace! Awesome!" said Cody.

"Meatspace?" asked Simon.

"Yeah, when you're lifting heavy weights, sometimes you get so into it that you're in a different space. You're not aware of anything except the weight and your muscles and your heartbeat. It's like you're in a different world. It's called Meatspace."

"I liked it there!" said Simon, "I want to go back!"

"Okay, what say we try 515?" said Cody.

"Sure!" said Simon, "Let's do it!"

"And then you'd better put your shoes on!" said Cody.

They loaded a pair of tens onto the bar.

Cody moved around in front of Simon and got ready to film again. "Right, this is the Oscar clip!" he said, "Whenever you're ready!"

Simon approached the bar, took a few deep breaths, pressed his hands together, shook his legs and grabbed the bar. He closed his eyes and focused on his heartbeat and breathing. He took the weight of the bar and started lifting it, slowly, straining all the way up until he was standing proud. Then reversed the motion, lowering the weight slowly until he felt the plates just make contact with the mat. He tried for another rep, focusing everything on his muscles and his heartbeat. He felt like he was surrounded by strong, red muscle, as if his centre of consciousness had moved from his head to his chest. He was a meat machine. He was in muscle ecstasy. He got to the top of the lift and slowly lowered the bar back down to the floor and let go. He opened his eyes and looked around.

"How do you feel bud?" asked Cody, still filming him.

"Good. Incredible. I... that was spiritual!" said Simon, still crouching next to the barbell.

"And how long have you been deadlifting?" asked Cody.

Simon looked up into the camera. "I just started today!" he grinned.

Cody stopped filming, Simon stood up, and Cody stepped over and gave him a big hug. "I'm so proud of you, Si!" he said.

Simon hugged him back. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" he said, pressing his head against Cody's chest. After a moment he let go. "So, what's next?"

"Well, we're kind of done for today, but what do you say we do some quick poses?"

"Sound fun!" said Simon.

"Nothing serious, just a few quick poses," said Cody. "Let's start with a front double bicep."

Simon raised his arms and flexed his biceps.

"Nice, now spread your lats," said Cody.

Simon focused on his lats and flared them out.

"Beautiful!" said Cody and started filming Simon, walking around him to get different angles. "Now a side chest."

Simon turned to the side and flexed his chest.

"Hmm, this isn't really working," said Cody, "Maybe take your vest off? It's kind of hiding your chest."

Simon looked around. There was no-one else visible in the gym. "Okay," he said, and took his vest off. He flexed his chest again.

"Much better!" said Cody, "Now, finally, a most muscular. Really flex everything, your arms, your chest, abs, legs, everything!"

Simon took a breath and got into the pose. He concentrated on flexing everything as hard as he could. He imagined forcing every muscle fiber to fill with blood and swell. He imagined his muscles growing and growing so big that they were bursting out of his skin.

"Sir, I really must insist that you put some clothes on!" said the manager, returning across the gym.

Simon shifted a foot and gave one final flex of his legs and glutes. A slow, tearing, popping sound came from his groin region as his new shorts finally gave up, splitting at almost every seam until it was just black rags hanging from the elasticated waist band.

"Oh my GOD!" said the manager.

"Oh my GOD!" said Simon, holding his hands in front of his crotch, wearing nothing but his briefs now.

"Oh my GOD!" said Cody, laughing so hard he was crying.

Simon tried to pull some of the scraps of his shorts together to cover himself, but it was too late. With another tearing sound, his briefs split up the back to the waistband, which almost held for a second before that too ripped, leaving the briefs as nothing more than a loose rag covering Simon's crotch.

"Oh my GAAAHD!" said the manager, turning tail and rapidly leaving the scene.

"I think that's our cue to leave," said Cody, still laughing.

With one hand desperately trying to preserve his modesty, Simon grabbed his vest and shoes and hurried to the locker room.

Simon rushed to his locker and grabbed his towel to wrap around his waist. He sat down on the bench and put his head in his hands. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," he said.

"You okay, Si?" asked Cody.

"I'm just a bit shocked," said Simon, "I can't believe that just happened."

"Yeah, that was pretty unexpected..." said Cody.

"No, the opposite! I had a dream that happened last night! I dreamed I was at the gym and I kept growing and all my clothes ripped off!"

"Oh yeah? And then what happened?" asked Cody.

Simon paused, remembering the dream. Cody touching and licking and kissing him. Cody and Ken worshipping him together. "I... I don't remember. I kind of woke up," he said.

"Shame," said Cody, "I bet it was a good dream."

"Yeah, it was," said Simon and smiled.

Cody raised an eyebrow. "So you've just had your dream come true, and you're not happy about it?"

Simon grinned. "Well, if you put it like that, I guess I am pretty happy about it."

"Awesome!" said Cody, patting Simon's shoulder. "Let's shower and get out of here."

When Simon got out of the shower he found Cody sitting naked on a towel on the bench, doing something on his phone. Simon went to his locker opposite him and got his clothes out. He put the brick red vest on, which felt quite a bit tighter now than it had this morning. He grabbed his cargo shorts. Annoyed, he remembered he'd left his new jockstrap in the car. "Well, commando it is then," he thought. He pulled his shorts on and tightened the belt. At least these shorts still had some space in them. Cody was still oblivious to the world, tapping away naked on his phone.

Simon pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked his messages. He'd got a text message from Ken:

> Hey Simon, I'm sorry about last night. I got really drunk and I hope I didn't embarrass you. I'm really sorry if I did. I hope you're not mad at me.

Simon smiled. Ken was so sweet. He texted back:

> Not at all! Now that you know I'll say yes, you don't have to get drunk before you ask me.

Ken replied within seconds:

>

Simon chuckled. He put his phone back in his pocket and sat down to put his shoes on. "What are you doing, Cody?" he asked.

Cody looked up from his phone. "Oh, I'm editing together a highlights package from today!"

"Naked...?" asked Simon.

"Oh, haha, yeah," said Cody, "I like to air off properly before I get dressed. I don't like to get dressed while I'm still moist."

Simon swallowed hard and went back to tying his shoes.

"There, check it out!" said Cody, holding his phone up to Simon. He'd edited together a short video of Simon bench pressing, squatting and deadlifting. He'd put captions on it: "385 bench!", "455 squat!", "515 deadlift!" He kept in the part with Simon shouting "YES!" at the end of the deadlift, and the gym manager screaming and falling down, captioned "Meatspace!" Then there was a clip of Simon doing the Front Double Bicep pose then the Side Chest pose with the caption "Respectable muscle!" and finally Simon's Most Muscular pose ending with the ripping shorts and the caption "Time for a new workout wardrobe!"

Simon laughed. "That's great!" he said, "Why did you do this?"

"I wanted to show Scott and Flex what they missed out on," said Cody, "I'm going to send it to them now."

"Oh, send it to me too!" said Simon, "I'll put it on my X. I'm @simongrandxxl," said Simon.

Cody smiled as he DMed the video to Simon. "A new account?" he asked.

"Yeah, I set it up this morning," said Simon, "I haven't been on social media at all for quite a while." His phone buzzed with a notification. "Message request from Cody (Chicago 5/17)"

"I'm going post this!" said Simon, posting it to his feed. "I'm going to tag you in it, is that okay?"

"Sure, go for it," said Cody. "Say, uh... do you wanna go for a drink?"

Simon looked up from his phone. Cody, still naked, was sitting on the bench looking him in the eye. "Um, yeah!" said Simon, "I'm thirsty!"

"Let's go to The Unicorn," said Cody, pulling on his black tank top and khaki shorts. "It's a bit of a dive, but it's fun."

"Lead on!" said Simon.

Simon followed Cody out into the parking lot. "It's not far, on the corner of Green and Third," said Cody, opening the door of his black Jeep Wrangler. "You can follow me if you want."

Simon got into his car and followed Cody out of the parking lot. They drove through the campus and into town. This part of town was a bit run down, with a lot of empty shops and boarded up windows. Cody pulled up outside a place Simon had driven past many times but never noticed. The windows were dark and boarded shut, and the sign was unlit. "Are you sure this place is open?" asked Simon, getting out of his car.

"Yeah, it's all part of the vibe," said Cody, leading the way to the door, a painted steel door with no other indication that it was a bar. Cody tuned the handle and opened it. "After you," he said.

Simon stepped inside. The bar was dark, with a few tables and chairs and a long bar. In the gloom he couldn't see any patrons. Cody walked up to the bar. "What'll you have?" he asked Simon.

There wasn't anything interesting on tap. "Do you have any IPAs?" asked Simon.

The bartender, a big guy with a shaved head wearing a leather vest over a white t-shirt replied: "Oh sure, we've got a few," said "We've got a local one, and a couple of imports."

"I'll have the local one," said Simon.

The bartender took a can out of the fridge behind the bar.

"Lokal Hop," said Simon, reading the label. "I've never heard of it."

"It's from Springfield," said the bartender, "It's pretty good." He looked at Cody. "And for you?"

"I'll have a Bud Zero," said Cody. He paid for the drinks and they sat down at a table.

"I can't drink alcohol," said Cody.

"Oh," said Simon, "How long have you been sober?"

Cody laughed. "Oh, about 12 hours or so. I have to protect my liver, so I have to use things other than alcohol to party."

"Oh, right..." said Simon, "So, how was the party last night? It was in Chicago?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" asked Cody.

"Your username on X said you were in Chicago last night," said Simon.

"Of course," said Cody, "I forgot about that. Yeah, it was great."

Simon waited, but Cody didn't add anything else. "Just great?" he asked.

"Yeah, great. Very successful," said Cody. He took a sip of his beer and didn't say any more.

Simon looked around The Unicorn. It was fairly dark, in that old-world dark wood pub style. A rainbow flag was draped over the back of the bar, and there were posters up advertising upcoming events. One had a big guy dressed all in leather, another had a guy just wearing pink briefs. He could now see that there were a few guys wearing Levis and polo shirts playing pool at the back, but apart from that it was empty.

"Do you come here often?" Simon asked.

"Here? No. Not really," said Cody.

Simon took a sip of his beer. Usually he was the one who found social situations difficult, but Cody seemed to be the one who was struggling to make conversation. Simon's phone buzzed with a notification: a DM from Billy Boner:

> Hello again Mr Grand! Here's the last picture we took today.

He'd attached the picture of Simon posing in his new jockstrap. Simon smiled. William was right, the lighting was excellent there. He saved it and posted the picture to his feed.

"I bought some new clothes today," said Simon.

"Oh yeah?" said Cody, "What did you get?"

"I needed some new shirts, so I went to the Big & Tall store. They do these amazing shirts that fit guys like us perfectly. I got a couple of them. They're called Burly Brand, have you heard of them?"

Cody smiled. "Yeah, I know them. I've got a few of their things. They're great. Expensive though."

"Yeah, they are. The salesman there is really helpful. He convinced me to enter the Mr Burly contest!"

Cody laughed. "You're kidding me! You're going to enter the Mr Burly contest?"

"I already did! I signed up on their website. I had to get a photo taken for my entry. I'll show you."

Simon showed Cody the photo of him topless wearing just the Burly Brand shorts.

"Wow, you look great!" said Cody. "Did you get those shorts? They're fire!"

"No, I didn't. I just tried them on for the photo. I did get some new underwear though..." Simon hesitated. "I got a jockstrap." He swiped to the next photo.

Cody looked at the photo and was silent for a moment. "Si, you look fucking amazing."

"Thanks Cody!" said Simon, "I've got you to thank for it!"

"You know, I'm really proud of you. I can't believe the progress you've made in the last week. I thought we'd be working out together for months before you got to this point."

Simon got a hollow feeling in his stomach. "Is this why Cody's being so strange suddenly?" he thought. "Did he bring me here to dump me?"

"Well, I hope we still will... be working out together... for months," said Simon.

"I hope so too," said Cody and smiled.

Cody sipped his beer and didn't say anything further.

"What about you?" said Simon, "Have you entered the Mr Burly contest?"

"No, I haven't," said Cody, "but I'm not technically eligible. I've got a... financial interest with one of the judges."

"Oh, I see," said Simon, even though he didn't. Why was Cody being so opaque?

"What do you do, Cody? I assumed it's something at the University because you use their gym, right? But you weren't dressed like a student or faculty member yesterday morning, so..."

"How was I dressed?" asked Cody.

"I dunno, you looked like a waiter or something. White shirt, black pants, smart shoes."

Cody laughed. "I guess I'm not great at dressing smart! I had a meeting with my sponsor yesterday morning. No, not that kind of sponsor! The foundation that's funding our research. I'm doing a PhD in Artificial Intelligence."

"Really? That's amazing! What's your research about?"

"I'm actually working on it with Scott. He's doing a PhD in Molecular Biology. We're working on a project to use machine learning to predict the structure of proteins."

"Didn't they do that a few years ago?"

"You're right! The AlphaFold project at DeepMind pretty much cracked it. We're actually trying to do the reverse. It's kind of secret. Given an arbitrary biological function, can we design a novel protein that will fold into the perfect shape to perform that function?"

"I dunno, can you?"

"We hope so!"

"I'd never have guessed you were scientists," said Simon, "At first I figured you were football players or something."

"No, the Athletics department has their own gym," Cody smiled, "We have to use the gen-pop gym."

"And Flex?" asked Simon, "What does he do?"

"Doctor Alexander Johnson is a professor of Mathematics. He's a genius. He's about to blow up the whole field of number theory. He's got a proof of the Riemann Hypothesis that's going to change everything. The only problem is it invalidates Russell's Proof that 1 + 1 = 2."

"Wait, what? 1 + 1 doesn't = 2?"

"No, it still does, it's just that the proof is invalid. It's a bit complicated and boring. Ask Flex about it sometime. Or even better, don't!"

"So Flex's real name is Alexander?"

"Yeah. He has terrible handwriting, and when he was a kid his teacher misread Alex as Flex. It stuck."

"It's appropriate at least! Nominative determinism, right?"

Cody looked blankly at Simon.

"Where if your name is something, you're more likely to do it. Like if your name is Baker, you're more likely to be a baker. Or if your name is Cody, you're more likely to be a coder!"

"Well, I was a coder before I was Cody," said Cody, "It's been my nickname since primary school because I spent so much time programming."

"Oh, so... what's your real name?"

Cody put his hand out and shook Simon's hand. "Edwin Carballo. Pleased to meet you, Simon Gland."

"Edwin?" said Simon

"Cody," said Cody. "Only my mother calls me Edwin."

"How did you know my name?" asked Simon.

"I looked you up on the staff directory. You're the video games professor. Or is it Hulk Out Prof now?"

"Oh God, you saw that too?"

"Oh yeah, the guys at the party were all talking about it. They were impressed when I said I trained you!"

"Oh wow, really?"

"Yeah, they're really into muscle. Your video is exactly the kind of thing they love."

"What sort of party was it?" asked Simon.

"Well, it's a regular thing at a private club. Muscle Mike's Muscle Party. It's a private club for guys who have muscles and guys who are into guys with muscles. They have a party every week. Scott and Flex and I go there a lot. It's a lot of fun."

"You said it was 'successful' earlier, like you mean you hooked up with someone?"

Cody smiled. "Well, you could put it that way. It's..." Cody hesitated, "a bit complicated. No, not complicated, exactly, but... I don't know how to explain it without you thinking badly of me."

"Try using words," said Simon smiling, "I promise I'm not going to think badly of you."

"Okay, well," said Cody, "it's called Muscle Worship. It's a fetish. Some guys like to worship muscles, and this is a party for those guys. They like to touch muscles, and feel them, and kiss them, and lick them, and... well, they get off on it."

Simon laughed. "Would you believe that's what I was doing last night too?"

"What? You were at Muscle Mike's?"

"No, I was at The Librarian, and my TA Ken got drunk and wanted to touch my muscles. He was touching them and feeling them and then I tore a sleeve with his hands in there and I think he came."

"Oh my god, in the middle of The Librarian? That's amazing!" laughed Cody.

"Well, it was late and we weren't very visible. But yeah, it was pretty amazing. Is that the sort of thing that happens at Muscle Mike's?"

"Yeah, clothes ripping is pretty popular. Some guys are into wrestling, or being punched, or punching a big guy. Some guys just like to be lifted up..."

"Oh, I lifted Ken up too! It was an accident, though. I just picked him up and he was so light I just kept going."

"And what did he do?"

"He passed out. But I think that was the whiskey."

Cody laughed. "I'm sure it was. So, you're into muscle worship?"

"I guess so. I mean, I've been liking the attention when people look at my muscles. And I liked it when Ken touched them."

"And I know you like it when I touch you."

"Yeah, I do. I like it a lot."

"That's why I do it."

Simon's mouth went dry. "I think I need another drink," he said.

"Not for me," said Cody, "I think I need something to eat."

"Shall we go somewhere else?" asked Simon.

"I'm following a pretty strict diet, so I can't really eat out."

"Do you eat steak? I have some steaks at home. I could cook steaks."

Cody smiled. "That sounds perfect!"

[Littlebro]

Looking forward simon growing bigger and bigger!

[Hialmar]

Don't hurry, @LukeXL, but your story is appreciated. I'm very curious about what happens next.

 

[LukeXL]

Part 11:

Simon took a sealed pack of two steaks out of the fridge, put them in a bowl and ran warm water from the tap over them. Then he took a griddle pan out of the cupboard and put it upside down over the burner. He turned the burner on.

"What the hell are you doing?" Cody asked.

Simon looked around the kitchen, puzzled. "Oh, I put the pan upside down so the cooking surface gets hotter quicker."

"And why are you washing the plastic packaging the steaks are in?" Cody asked.

"I'm not washing it, I'm warming the steaks up," Simon said. "Get them up to body temperature instead of fridge temperature. It cooks more evenly."

"Ah, right," said Cody. "I've never heard of that before."

"I guess you don't want fries with this, right?" Simon asked.

"No, I'm good," Cody said. "I'm not really a big fan of carbs."

"Any suggestions for a side dish?" Simon asked.

"Maybe some broccoli?" Cody suggested. "Or some asparagus?"

"Yeah, asparagus would be perfect! But I don't have any. I'll do some broccoli." Simon took a steamer pot out of the cupboard and some broccoli out of the fridge. He roughly chopped the broccoli and put it in the steamer. Then he ran water from the tap over the broccoli, rinsing it off and filling the pot at the same time. He put the pot on the stove and turned the burner on.

"Efficient," said Cody.

"Can I get you a drink?" Simon asked.

"Sure, what are you having?"

Simon pointed to a bottle of red wine on the counter.

"Ah, do you have sparkling water or a no alcohol beer?" Cody asked.

Simon looked at him. "I don't have either of them. I have some diet soda, or some juice. Or milk."

"Tap water will be fine," said Cody.

Simon took two wine glasses out and filled one with water from the tap. He poured himself a glass of wine. "Cheers," he said, raising his glass.

"Cheers," said Cody, clinking his glass against Simon's.

Simon took a sip of his wine and put it down on the counter. He took the steaks out of the sink, and opened the package. He poured olive oil over them and massaged it into both sides before seasoning well with salt and pepper. Then he flipped the griddle pan over and slapped the steaks into it. They sizzled as they hit the hot metal. Simon turned the heat down a little, and had another sip of wine.

"I can't get over how much your body has changed in the last few days," Cody said. "You're huge!"

Simon smiled. "Thanks. I'm really enjoying working out. I'm glad you're helping me."

"I figured you had a lot of potential when I saw you in the gym," Cody said, "but I never would have guessed you'd make this much progress so quickly. What's your secret?"

"I dunno," Simon said, "I just do what you tell me!"

"Are you taking any supplements?" Cody asked.

"Yeah, I'm taking some protein powder," Simon said, taking a big tub of it out of the cupboard and putting it on the counter in front of Cody.

Cody picked it up and inspected the label. "How much of it do you take?"

"I have a shake with breakfast and one in the evening. And one after working out. Sometimes another one if I'm hungry during the day. I'm hungry a lot these days."

Cody put the tub down. "And nothing else?"

"No, just that," Simon said. "Should I be taking something else?"

"Hmmm," said Cody.

Simon turned the steaks over. They were starting to brown nicely. He turned the heat down a little more. "I'm not sure I want to take steroids," he said. "I don't want to get too big."

Cody burst out laughing. "Too big? You're already huger than most guys on gear could ever get! How much do you weigh now?"

Simon shrugged as he took a sip of wine. "I dunno. I haven't weighed myself in a while."

"My God, look, you're already busting out of that tank top!" said Cody, leaning over the counter. Simon looked down at what Cody was pointing at. His brick red vest had split at the seam under his left arm. Cody grabbed the loose flap of fabric and slipped his finger inside. "You're going to have to get a new one," he said. "You're too big for this one now." The feel of Cody's touch was electric, and Simon started getting hard. He looked up at Cody, who was looking at him with a smile on his face. Simon grunted and turned back to the cooking.

He took a large knob of butter out of the fridge and put it on a plate. Then he took two cloves of garlic out of the fridge and peeled them, chopping them up before mashing them into the butter along with some shakes of dried rosemary. "Fresh is better, but the dried stuff is almost as good," he explained.

Just before he put the butter onto the steaks, Cody said "No butter on mine, thanks."

Simon looked at him. "You don't like butter?"

"I'm not a big fan of fat," Cody said. "I try to keep my fat intake as low as possible."

"Suit yourself," Simon shrugged. "More for me, I guess." He put all the butter on one of the steaks and let it melt down all over the sizzling steak before dripping into the pan. It smelled delicious. He flared his nostrils, inhaling the aroma. God, that smelled so good, he was... getting harder. He took two plates out and served the steaks on them. "We'll let them rest for a moment while I finish off the broccoli," he said. Then he tipped the broccoli out of the steamer, into the sizzling griddle pan. After a few moments, he tossed it around a bit. When the stems had developed some good dark charred spots, he turned off the heat and served it on the plates with the steaks. He handed Cody a knife and a fork and motioned for him to sit at the table.

"Wow, I can't believe you cooked all this so quickly," said Cody

Simon smiled. "I'm a pretty good cook. I enjoy cooking."

"I don't really cook." said Cody. "This looks amazing."

"No, you look amazing," said Simon. "This looks delicious. No, this is delicious, you look amazing and delicious."

"What?" said Cody, looking confused.

Simon blushed. "I think that wine hit me a bit hard. I meant to say you look amazing and this looks delicious. But you do look delicious."

Cody laughed. "Thanks, Si!"

Simon sat down and started eating. The steak was perfectly cooked, and the broccoli was delicious. He took a sip of wine. "This is really good," he said. "Like really, really good. Oh my fuck, this is good."

"Yeah, you're a good cook!" said Cody, tucking in.

Simon looked at Cody. "And you're my dessert," he thought. Simon finished his glass of wine and stood up to get the bottle. He poured himself another glass. "More water?" he asked Cody.

"Yeah, please."

Simon took Cody's glass to the kitchen and filled it up from the tap before bringing it back to the table.

"Wow, that's quite a tent you've got there, Si!" said Cody, looking at Simon's crotch.

Simon looked down. A large bulge was pushing out the front of his shorts. "It's because I'm not wearing any underwear," he said, and shook his hips a little. The bulge bounced up and down. "And I have an erection." Simon put his hand on Cody's shoulder, rubbing his hard, smooth delts, before slipping his hand under the strap of Cody's tank top and feeling his traps. "You're so big," he said. "I love your muscles."

"Oh yeah?" said Cody. "You like my muscles?"

Simon nodded. "I love them. I want them."

"You've got some pretty big muscles yourself," said Cody.

"Nonono, I want my muscles to be big. But I want yours too. I don't want to theft them, I just mean..." Simon trailed off.

"I know what you mean," said Cody, taking Simon's hand off of his shoulder. "Your steak is getting cold."

Simon sat down and wolfed down the remains of his steak and broccoli. As he looked up, he noticed Cody was putting a white pill into his mouth and swallowing it with a mouthful of water. "What's that?" he asked.

"What?" said Cody, looking up.

"That pill you just took," said Simon.

"Oh, yeah, remember how I said I don't drink but party other ways?" Cody said. "This is that."

"What is it?" Simon asked.

"It's a party pill," said Cody. "It just makes you a bit less inhibited and spontaneous."

"Give me one," said Simon.

Cody looked at him. "Are you sure? It's pretty strong stuff."

"Give me the fucking pill, Cody!" Simon shouted.

Cody shrugged and took a small unlabelled pill bottle out of his shorts pocket. He took a plain white pill out and handed it to Simon. Simon put it in his mouth and swallowed it with the rest of his second glass of wine. "What now?" he asked.

"It takes a while to kick in," said Cody. "Why don't we chat for a bit?"

"Yeah, let's chat," said Simon. "Chat to me, Cody."

"When did you start working out?" Cody asked.

"A few months back," said Simon. "I was out of shape, and I wanted to get back into shape and now I'm a new shape." Simon laughed. "I'm a new shape, Cody!"

"A great shape," said Cody. "And when did you start getting big so quickly?"

"When you helped me," said Simon. "You helped me get big. You helped me get huge and I love you for it."

"And did you have any other help?" Cody asked.

"No, only you," said Simon. "You're the only one Cody."

"I meant supplements," said Cody. "Did you take any supplements?"

"Protein powder," said Simon. "I took protein powder. And also hamburgers. I ate a lot of hamburgers. And oats and eggs. And chicken. Oh that chicken was good. I did it in the airfryer with fries, I know you don't like fries but I love fries. I love fries, Cody." Simon was tapping his foot on the floor. "I love fries, Cody. I love fries."

"Okay, okay," said Cody. "Calm down, Si. You're getting a bit excited."

"I'm feeling very excited," said Simon. "And I'm feeling very horny. I'm feeling very, very horny, Cody. Christ, I'm so hard right now. I'm so hard, Cody. Look!"

Simon pushed his chair back and thrust his crotch up so that Cody could see the bulge in his shorts.

"Awesome, Si!" said Cody. "You're so big!"

"I'm so big," said Simon. "I'm so big and I'm so hard." Simon raised his arms and flexed his biceps. "Look at me, Cody. Look at my muscles." His brick vest started ripping at the seams as his lats flared outwards. "Yeah, fuck this thing!" Simon said, and tore the vest off his body. He threw it on the floor.

"Now, is there anything else you really want to tell me? Something you've never told me or anyone else before?" Cody asked.

"Yes!" said Simon.

"What is it?" Cody asked.

"I'm going to fuck you Cody!"

With a manic look in his eyes, Simon lunged over the table at Cody, pushing him backwards off his chair. Before they even hit the floor, he'd managed to rip Cody's tank top off. He grabbed Cody's arms and pinned them to the floor. "I'm going to fuck you Cody!" he said again. "I'm going to fuck you so hard!" He started trying to unbuckle his belt, but his hands were shaking so much he couldn't do it.

"Let me help," said Cody, expertly unbuckling Simon's belt and unzipping his fly before pulling his shorts down. Simon's erection sprang out, and he kicked the shorts away. Straddling Cody, Simon pressed his erection against Cody's abs, and started grinding against them. "Fuck Cody's abs!" he said. Then, moving up, he pressed his erection between Cody's pecs and held it there with one hand while he thrust between them. "Fucking Cody's pecs!" he said, "Mmmmm, Cody pecs!"

"What about these guns?" Cody asked, lifting an arm and flexing his biceps.

"Aaaugh!" gurgled Simon, and grabbed Cody's arm, pressing his erection between Cody's biceps and forearm. "Fucking Cody's guns!" he said, thrusting between them. "Cody's fucking guns!"

"Si," said Cody, his head at an uncomfortable angle against the wall, "Maybe we should move to the bedroom?"

"Yes!" said Simon, and kissed him on the lips. "Romance time!" He got off of Cody and slipped an arm under his shoulders and knees, and lifted him up off the floor.

"Si, I can walk," said Cody, but Simon ignored him and carried him into the bedroom, knocking his head against the doorframe on the way. "Oopsie!" he said. He dropped Cody onto the bed and whipped his shorts and briefs off. Cody's large, erect, clean-shaven penis was pointing straight at him, and he dived at it like a starving man to a bratwurst, swallowing it all the way to the base. Cody moaned and put his hands on Simon's head, pushing him down. Simon took Cody's penis all the way into his throat, and started thrusting his head up and down.

"Mmfff mowf gmf!" he said, and started sucking harder. Cody moaned again, and Simon felt the cock start to throb in his mouth. He sucked harder, and Cody started thrusting against his face.

"Oh god Si!" said Cody as he arched his back and started pumping thick jets of cum into Simon's mouth.

Simon swallowed as much as he could, but some of it dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin. He pulled his mouth off of Cody's penis and licked the cum off his chin. "Mmm, Cody cum!" he said. But he wasn't done yet.

He lifted Cody's legs up and started licking his asshole. Cody moaned again as Simon got Cody's hole well lubed up with his own cum. He pulled Cody's cheeks apart and started pushing his tongue as deep as he could into Cody's hole. Cody moaned again, and Simon felt Cody's cock start to get hard again. He pulled his tongue out of Cody's hole and started licking Cody's balls. Cody whimpered and shuddered. "Fuck fuck fuck Cody fuck Cody fuck fuck" thought Simon. He lifted Cody's legs up onto his shoulders, then lifted him up off the bed, before expertly manoeuvring the slick, smooth, ready hole to his barbell-hard erection. He pushed against Cody's hole, which resisted for just a second before relaxing and letting him in. "Unhhhh!" Simon gurgled, as he pushed his way into Cody's hole, as deep as he could go, before he started thrusting. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" he said with every thrust.

"Fuck me, muscle monster!" Cody said. "Fuck me!"

"Muscle monster..." Simon said, and started thrusting harder. And then it was as if he was looking down at himself from above. He saw his huge muscled back sweating as he thrust into Cody like a machine. He saw his huge arms pinning Cody in place. He saw his glutes flexing with every thrust. He saw Cody's tall muscular body, his smooth skin, his steel-hard penis, throbbing and bouncing with every thrust, his huge muscles so well defined, his handsome face, his arched back, his open mouth, his closed eyes. They were like a machine working together, a beautiful muscle machine designed for fucking, and now fulfilling that purpose.

"We are muscle..." said Simon and shuddered as he started to orgasm, pumping load after load deep into Cody's hole. Cody came again, his cum shooting up his chest and onto his face. Simon collapsed on top of him, and they lay there for a few moments, panting.

"Wow," said Cody. "That was amazing." Simon didn't respond. He was out cold. Cody rolled him off of him and onto his back. Cody got up off the bed and went to the bathroom, came back with a damp hand towel and wiped the cum off of Simon's face and chest. Then he wiped his own face, chest and hole, and threw the towel into the laundry basket. He looked at Simon, lying spread-eagled on his back on the bed, a blissful grin still on his face. "Well, a little nap won't hurt," he said, and lay down next to him. He put his head on Simon's arm and an arm over Simon's chest and closed his eyes.