Being Better (COMPLETE Part 3 of 3 added April 17th 2024)

[Littlerjim]

This is a spin-off story featuring Adam from my series, Being Bigger, set during the events of Chapter 7. While I don't spoil any of the major events of Being Bigger, I think the story works better if you're already familiar with the characters involved. This story does not contain growth, and instead explores the already-grown Adam adapting to his new stature, and expands on some ideas that were only alluded to in the original series.

---

"...and our last question today comes from user Anton481, who asks: Adam, I got my shot 3 weeks ago - not much growth so far, but it's early days and I'm optimistic. One of the things I'm looking to improve is my diet, but I-"

"Oh god, the food question!"

"Yeeeeah, the food question, haha. You get this one a lot?"

"Almost as much as "how's the weather up there?" or "do you play basketball?""

"And what's your answer to those, just so our listeners don't repeat them?"

"Usually "the same as it is down there, just two seconds earlier" and "no, but my fiancée does"."

This seemed to tickle Hayley, the interviewer, who let out a hearty laugh. Adam hugged and stroked his own arm nervously; he was still pretty new to this, and being alone, in a different city, in someone else's studio was more than enough to unsettle him. He hadn't even meant it as a joke, he was just trying to be genuine; trying to be himself. Fortunately, that was his biggest selling point. Well, maybe not his biggest.

Hayley was an early adopter of B-852 herself and, standing at 6'6", was hardly a petite woman. She'd played soccer at a national level before turning to a career in media, and this podcast, for which her minor celebrity and success with the wonder-drug suited her well. Next to the man opposite her, she was miniscule.

Her team had been in contact with Adam when arranging the interview, and did their best to to equip themselves for Adam's size. The flight over had been comfortable enough -  they'd worked with a promoter at Boeing, who had happily hooked Adam up with their new Plus package - a premium option for flyers with extraordinary space requirements - in exchange for some copy being read on the show and a couple of posts from Adam blogging the adventure. The whole thing was mostly just a publicity stunt. The number of customers who actually needed the extra space was relatively small compared to the attention the company got for getting involved with 852. Everyone was doing it, from established companies to new ventures like the Heightgeist podcast, trying to ride out the fad while everyone was still obsessed with it.

Adam was one of the lucky few for whom the drug worked extremely well; it was estimated that just 1/500 people would experience dramatic growth of more than a few inches of height, and even amongst those, he was one of the biggest. He was super-humanly tall; at 8'4", he was already one of the tallest humans to have ever lived - at least, before the existence of 852 - and he was reportedly still growing. But, like everyone who had similarly expanded, he experienced none of the usual side effects of gigantism. His heart was healthy, bones showed no signs of deterioration, and as for muscular atrophy... well, that was just laughable to even contemplate.

Hayley had watched most of Adam's videos as a fan, and re-watched them all as an act of purely professional courtesy to prepare for the interview. She knew that his frame was wider than most doorways. She'd seen the way his head was almost nestled by his massive broad shoulders, the way his thick arms hung down almost a little too far, ending in hands so big that the entirety of hers could fit inside just his palm - and she could palm a basketball. She'd definitely noticed how clothing was almost a performative gesture for the giant; it's not like it did anything to hide the shape of his pecs, his abs, his quads or... other areas. Hayley had to remind herself more than once during the interview, that he was engaged and she was a professional, and she really should stop looking.

But despite all this, nothing could have prepared her for what it was like in person. To be face to face with such a titan was awe-inspiring, in the biblical sense. The man just filled space.  The sofa he was sitting on bowed and protested under his weight, and even sat down a few feet away from her, it's like he was looming over her. She could feel his body heat from here!

"It's okay though - I don't mind answering the question again," Adam says, sensing an awkward pause as Hayley seems to lose her train of thought.

"Yes, sorry - got a little side-tracked there - Anton asks "I'm looking to improve my diet, but I don't know where to start. I've looked up opinions online but I feel there's a hundred of them and they all say different things, and when I try to read the science behind it my head starts to spin. Can you offer any useful tips?"

"Aha, your head and mine buddy... So, the reason I hate answering this is because I feel like I don't have the right answer for it, y'know, but from what people I trust tell me, kind of nobody does?"

"Hmm, we actually covered this topic a couple of weeks back. Recent studies out of Harvard has proven that 852 has profound effects on metabolism, but partly due to the differing levels of efficacy of the drug in individuals, mapping how it does so is still a long way off."

"I'll take your word for it, haha."

"Well then, what about you, Adam? Why not keep things simple? What does your food regimine look like?"

"Honestly? Whatever I want and as much as I want of it. I've got this Thai-style pork recipe I keep coming back to, pretty sure I made a vid for that one, and I probably eat more burgers than I should..."

"You realize you're going to make a lot of people very upset," says Hayley, though she's smiling as she says it. "Biggest guy on the planet says "eh, just eat what you want""

"I'm not officially the biggest," Adam responds with a smirk on his face, picking up on the humor, "But yeah, sure, why not? Like, okay, if you have a goal in mind, like you're a sprinter, or a powerlifter or whatever, and you want to try something, then sure, go for it. But this thing sets us all on our own journey. Your body is gonna react in its own way, and I think the only thing you can do is LISTEN to it, right? At least until the science catches up or whatever."

"But what if Anton is leaving size on the table? You've been extremely privileged, but not everyone gets the level of growth you have. Can you honestly encourage everyone else to be so laid back, when it could cost them down the line?"

Adam sighed.

"I don't know, honestly. And yeah, I'm extremely lucky, I get that, but the things I'm luckiest to have didn't come from a needle. It's my family, my friends, my soon-to-be wife. And I've seen all kinds of crazy shit that people have tried, from starving yourself or, like, gorging way too much on the opposite end of the scale, and then there's all these knock-off drugs springing up, and none of it is proven to work. If you really want to get bigger, you gotta work hard, eat well and try to just enjoy it. Because I know this for a fact: if you make yourself miserable for the sake of being a little bigger, the best result you're gonna get? You're going to be big and miserable. And you deserve to be happy, regardless of what size you are."

"I like that... Adam, thank you so much for joining us on Sizegeist, I know you're busy planning for the big day so we're thrilled you could make it -"

Hayley went through the business of wrapping up the pod while Adam leant back. He'd gone a little heavier than he'd expected to, there; most of his own content was instructionals, some Q&A's and some band-wagon, meme-type stuff. It was nothing like this, and the speed in which they'd wrapped had him worried - he was relieved when, after taking off her headphones, Hayley came up to him and gave him a hug. Or at least she tried to - though he was still sitting down, he nevertheless towered over her, and arms barely made it past his front.

"Thank-you - seriously that was fantastic, I think we're going to get some good numbers on this one," she says, breaking the warm gesture, "Did you enjoy it?"

"I think so - it's just outside of my comfort zone, y'know? I hope I didn't mess anything up for you."

Hayley bats the thought away as if swatting a fly, "Absolutely not. I mean, we're all friends here, and we'll be kind to you in the edit, but I don't think we'll have to do much. You're a natural."

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely. Actually, I was gearing up to ask you something, so I may as well come out with it - had you considered doing some longer form content?"

Adam looked blank - he hadn't, it was plain to see. "Like... what exactly?"

"Well, we're not sure ourselves yet, we're just testing the waters. It'll probably be a spin-off show, moving away from interviews, we're considering video. Point is, a high-profile regular guest could draw in numbers, and you've got a good product. You're huge but you're also just a guy; sort of relatable and aspirational, if that makes sense? That's a profitable combination."

"Right, yeah, I guess it is." He was aware of it already, to a point. But again, this wasn't his wheelhouse - he was alone, expected to be professional, whilst being the absolute centre of attention. It just didn't sit right.

"We'll do what we can by Zoom - no reason to fly out here once a week or anything, and we of course respect you've got a busy few months ahead. There's no rush. But how about we put together a proposal and send it your way? Absolutely no obligation."

"Sure - sure, that sounds good to me. It's worth a look, right?"

---

"Hey babe - interview went well, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Kick some ass!!!"

His message to Brie was short; he knew she wouldn't read it until later, it was game day, and she’d be getting in the zone. He'd catch the stream, if he could, but for now he simply padded down the sidewalk towards his airbnb, and more populated parts of the city.

Adam walked a lot - so did most people who had such dramatic reactions to the 852 shot. Vehicles, unless properly prepared for their densely muscled and towering frames, became uncomfortable at best and dangerous at worst. It helped that his much longer limbs naturally propelled him at a jogger's pace, and that his seemingly limitless pool of stamina made this effortless. If anything, it helped to nurse that constant urge to move which came with 852; the "itch" as Trent mockingly put it.

The weather was fine, if a little breezy, and Adam was in good spirits, taking in the sights of a strange city. Although he was heading towards the more visitor-focused parts of town, he was enjoying having the opportunity to see the real-er parts of it. Old warehouses converted to lofts, remnants of an old packing district, little corner stores selling cheap coffee; all of which he passed, while the scant pedestrian traffic parted in front of him. And then he heard the shout.

Adam was a simple man. He might struggle with public appearances and professional networking but when he hears someone shouting with that kind of inflection - anger, but mostly fear - his brain reacts within nanoseconds and his legs even sooner. Before he knew it he was bearing down upon three men who had another, smaller man, pinned up against a wall in a nearby alley.

The trio were not small, each having willingly embraced their own 852 shots some months back, but neither had any of them enjoyed the success Adam had. The biggest of them, at 6’5, had his fist against the throat of his intended victim, while his friend smirked next to him. The shortest - 6’1”, but stockier than the other two - was hanging slightly back, and it was he who first saw the deceptively quick monster lumbering towards them.

“Um, guys? GUYS.” he said with more urgency. The others turned to look.

As Adam approached he slowed down, assessing the situation. It didn’t look good - a mugging, probably, or at least that’s what it looked like to him. The assailants didn’t pose much of a threat to him and their wide-eyed glances they shared showed they knew it too. But Adam was more worried about the guy at the back - slim, shaggy haired, with a short mess of stubbled stained with blood, he’d clearly been hurt already. While he was certain he could handle the three of them in a fight, he was less sure he could keep all of them occupied at once.

“You want to stay the fuck out of this,” said the tallest mugger.

“Yeah, I don’t think I do. How about you head home and leave the kid alone?” Adam said, trying to be firm, but not to provoke any rash actions.

“How about YOU fuck off. I don’t take orders from the Hulk’s bitch cousin.”

“You take orders from the guy who could turn your fucking bones into paste,” Adam said through gritted teeth, “So leave, and there won’t be any trouble.”

“Oh there’ll BE trouble!” The mugger said. He took two steps towards Adam and, knowing he wouldn’t win any kind of fair contest with the giant, he reached into his pocket and brought out a knife.

It was, in retrospect, the stupidest decision he could have made.

Just as his movement was deceptively fast as he ran into the alley, so his reflexes allowed him to act with immediacy and significant force now. He saw the knife and he acted, his body moving before a complete thought could be processed, kicking forward with his leg.

His leg, that was so thickly covered with dense, bulging muscle its size was more comparable to the smaller man’s chest than any other part of his body. Adam’s foot connected with the mugger's chest - and most of his abdomen, such was its size – before continuing to thrust forward, not slowing an iota. The mugger's eyes bulged nearly from their sockets, all air leaving his lungs with a bone crushing squeeze, before his entire body was lifted from the floor and propelled backwards.

This transpired in the space of about half a second. One moment the mugger is bearing down on Adam, knife brandished;, the next he’s disarmed, sprawled, dazed and winded, 15ft from where he’d started There was a moment’s silence, broken when the knife clattered to the floor.

The man’s friends didn’t need any further demonstration of what Adam was capable of. They ran to him and all but dragged him from the alley, while Adam looked on, a crooked smile on his face. He was quite proud with how that had all gone, and he turned to the small man the others had been assaulting.

“Hey! Sorry if that got a little hairy there, I was improvising mostly. Are you alright? Name’s Adam.” He proffers his huge paw of a hand to the little guy. 

The small man stares at it, and then up at Adam’s face. Adam was never good at reading expressions, but something about this one made him uneasy. He’d often caught people staring at him, usually with a sense of awe or disbelief that anyone could get so huge. He’d learned to roll with it, and to just shrug it off if it got too much. It felt good, but knew it was best to stay grounded - he didn’t want to end up like Seb. The look he was getting now was similar, but tinged with - disgust? Recognition?

The small man did not take his hand, or say anything at all as he averted his gaze and brushed past Adam.

Adam, again acting mostly on instinct, stuck out his arm to stop him. He gently reached down and placed his big hand on the skinny man’s shoulder, only for the tiny man to immediately spin around and glower at him.

“Get your fucking hands off me! Nobody asked for you to be here, so just fuck off where you came from..” And with that, the small man marched away.

Adam watched him leave - now it was his turn to be puzzled. He hadn’t recognized the man before and he still didn’t, but his voice…

It sounded familiar.
 

[HawkShark]

Oooh a mystery is afoot! Glad to see you back to writing! Looking forward to the rest!

[TonnyGiant]

Oh fuck...returning to this character was a gift.  Thanks for bringing more of Big Adam.  I'm going to need to reread chapter 7 of Being Bigger to remember something, well nothing that I don't like doing hehehe

[Ro20316]

Ohhh im happy to be back in this world and now we have someone from the Adam's past? who could that be?

[Littlerjim]

Part 2

“Get back here NOW!”

He didn’t - to do so would be suicide. That knowledge was confirmed when, glancing back for just a second, he caught a glimpse of her face. To compare it to thunder was an understatement. Her scowl was well-practiced - she was 17, after all - but he had seldom seen such fury and hatred twist those features.

Adam could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he ran through house, down this hall, so quick he slammed into the wall, turn, down the stairs - she was gaining on him. Her legs were longer. Through the kitchen he went, and into the yard with his friend’s enraged sister just seconds behind him, and on the straight of the lawn that gap would only narrow.

Adam didn't stop for the fence, vaulting it in a fluid motion - but dropping the diary as he did so. He could hear the sounds of pursuit dying away behind him - evidently retrieving her property was enough to stop her, but she was far from appeased.

“When I get my hands on you, you're fucking DEAD!”

But Adam was smiling, even as he thought his lungs would burn out and his legs would fall off. Oh, sure he’d dropped the diary. But the diary wasn't the mark.

He arrived at the meet-up point, a copse of trees not far from the house, within seconds. His conspirator arrived no more than a minute later, though it felt like an eternity to the out-of-breath Adam. 

Tommy hadn't been running - he didn't need to, seeing as Adam’s distraction had worked perfectly. He'd been in and out of his sister's room (securing their real target) while Adam was still racing over the lawn, and now he swaggered up to his best friend, a broad smirk across his face, producing what they'd worked so hard for.

An entire bottle of the cheapest vodka money could buy.

“To you, buddy,” he said, unscrewing and passing the bottle to his compatriot. Adam gladly accepted, taking too big a swig and scrunching his eyes, choking on the nasty liquor. He was barely 13 years old, and this stuff was like lighter fluid. It didn't stop Tom from joining him though.

The bottle was then secreted away in a place only they knew about, to be brought out amongst friends, and saved for only special occasions like the finest of preserves. There was no reason to get caught now, after all, as they surely would be if they imbibed any more. His older sister would figure it out, sure, but what then? It was contraband to begin with, and any appeal to authority would lead to some awkward explanations of her own.

It was the perfect crime, and exactly the kind of wicked scheme Tommy cooked up five times a minute. He had the smarts, and Adam… well, Adam had the enthusiasm to commit to many of the more insane whims that popped into Tom’s head. The two of them were inseparable, and the summer stretched out ahead of them full of possibilities as so many others had done.

It would be the last they spent together like this.

—

Adam stood unsure of what to do before eventually leaving the alley. A vague notion of calling the cops was quickly dismissed; there was no victim, no assailants and just one giant bystander with a lame story to tell, one with more and more feeling that he shouldn't stay here for any longer than he needed to.

That moment of uncertainty was enough for the smaller man to have made tracks, however, and Adam found himself alone on the street once more - alone with his thoughts, which for some reason dwelt on that summer.

The rest of the trek into town was comparatively uneventful, at least for his new sense of normal. As he reached more populated areas he found himself becoming the center of attention, strangers openly staring at him as he walked past. A couple asked to talk to him or for a selfie, and some of those even recognized who he was - an occasion that still blew his mind, and he made a mental note of reaching out to anyone to go tagged him. He knew it would be good engagement, but honestly, he just wanted to be kind back to them - they seemed like nice people.

But these were fleeting moments of contact, and all too frequently he was left alone again. He hasn't spoken to Tom in years, so why the hell was it playing out in sepia tinted misery in his head? It just didn't make sense. He wanted to speak to Brie desperately. She was always better at making sense of these kinds of things, whereas he was, again, out of his depth. Good in a pinch with practical things, usually quick instincts, but hopeless when it came to anything more complicated.

He arrived at the Airbnb with his stomach in knots, squeezing through the doorway but finding the space inside roomy and airy. 

As much as he loved his new size and stature, it was spur of the moment trips like this that brought the reality of life as a giant crashing back to him. It was all too easy to take his home for granted, with its high ceilings and custom-made furniture, mostly built by himself and with his own bulk in mind.

Here, he was not so lucky. Searching for high ceilings had been easy enough, sure, but there weren't many places that offered furniture that was suitable for someone like him. The bed was two feet shorter than he was, meaning any attempt to use it would have him curled up tightly for the entire night; he would opt instead to camp out on the floor, a prospect he didn't exactly find enticing.

Even furniture that technically could meet his dimensions - although it would be low, the sofa could technically match his size. But could it support his weight? He'd had issues with elevators, dentist chairs and other sofas in the past - did he want to risk his deposit? Unlikely. He opted, again, to use the floor.

Adam took his phone out - Brie’s team was 6 points clear already with half the game still to play. He would watch it, he'd promised her. But his finger hovered hesitantly over the app. It moves elsewhere instead.

“Hey, man - sorry to bother you, but I really need to talk to someone. Do you have time?”

Trent’s response came almost instantly.

“Always - is everything okay?”

—

While the two boys had started the summer with a hundred plans, they in truth only had a week of it together before they were split apart. Between different camps, family trips and holidays, they always seemed to miss each other, sometimes by mere hours, whenever they made it back to town.

Tom had chased Adam’s mom’s car when he finally saw it pulling down the street, his friend hanging out of the window equally excited to see him. They both had so many stories to tell each other, but somehow the excitement just slipped away once Adam stepped out of the car. Whatever their experiences had been over the summer, one thing was irrefutably different. Adam had grown about four inches - Tommy had not.

There was a moment’s silence in which the two boys came two terms with this. Adam remembered looking down at Tom and seeing his expression tinged with - fear? But that made no sense. Tom was fearless, he was in charge, as he was his friend.

And then they both broke into smiles, hugged, and began debriefing each other over all they'd missed. A friendship such as theirs couldn't be broken by such a small thing. It was eroded by a hundred small things.

To begin with, Adam's size was a boon to their plans. Suddenly, Tom had a whole new set of skills to work with, somebody able to reach higher and lift more. But while this opened new avenues for him, Tom caught himself staring more than once, a sick feeling in his stomach. Adam was suddenly bigger, faster and stronger than he was, and it felt like he was being left behind.

This worsened once school began. Adam found himself courted by every sports team, invariably making the cut of every tryout he attended - just as invariably as Tom washed out. And while he still had fun with his friend, and loved him dearly… he couldn't help but think the schemes he kept coming up with seemed… childish.

He was still friends with Tom, sure - but he had other friends now from the various teams he was a part of. Friends that looked to HIM to lead the way, who wanted to hear what HE said. Even the adults in Adam's life had begun to talk not just about his future, but his development; his career. There were big things in store for him, if he worked for it.

By the time they were 16, Adam had broken the 6ft mark, whereas Tom was languishing at 5’4”.

—

“So you let him fall by the wayside - or was it he who couldn't deal with your newfound size?” asked Trent. He seemed to be treating the conversation in an even-tempered manner, but Adam was wincing at every turn. This all felt too close to the bone, considering the hell that Seb - and he - had once put the poor man through. 

“No! God no. We were friends, always had been. But things were strained, you know? Something had to give”

“So what did?”

Adam studied every pixel of Trent's face on his phone screen, but there was nothing given away. So he pressed on.

“Tom didn't like feeling weak, so I offered to help him. I hadn't been doing dedicated lifting sessions for long, but I knew the ropes. I offered to show him, help him to bulk up a little.”

“It worked really well at first - Tommy took to it pretty quick, he was eating good and bulking out really quickly. I mean, there was nothing to him, he didn't need to put on much weight for it to show, y’know? Guy was getting strong. Just…”

“Just not as strong as you. I know the feeling.”

“Dude… look, I appreciate this call, but we don't have to do this. It's too much for you,” Adam said, finally calling out the elephant in the room.

“Adam, I know you haven't always been the man you are now - this isn't new to me.”

“I know, I know, but… talking about all this… it's the first time I've thought about it at all in a long time,” Adam said.

“Well that's not true, is it? You thought about Tom today,” Trent reasoned.

“Yeah, but I don't know why,” Adam said, “It’s not like he was there in the alley or anything.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. It's been years, but I’d know Tom anywhere,” Adam said.

“Okay - so lifting didn't work for him. I think I can guess where this went next.”

Adam nodded.

“He did the best he could to catch up. Big meals, protein supplements at first. Then steroids. And like, I'm not judgemental, it didn't take much persuasion for me to take the 852 shot. And it was fine at first, but then… it stopped being fine. Tom was angrier, the little sideways looks he thought I didn't notice became full on glares, and fuck, I wasn't about to take shit from him. As far as everyone else in my life was concerned, I was the fucking king!”

“You fought?” Trent pushed.

“Not physically. Not much. But we said things…”

“What things?”

“I… I can't say…” Adam shook his head, “Not to you.”

Trent’s expression softened, “Okay - you don't have to. I know this is a lot. So - was that the last time you saw him?”

Adam shook his head.

—

When the text came through, his body had acted on autopilot; those good instincts kicking in again.

It had been two months since the fight, but the blow-by-blow had played out in Adam’s head nightly. He wasn't sure how to feel about the news, his stomach the same pit of roiling anger and sick grief as it had been since their last meeting.

Tom’s parents were with him, but a perspex window gave Adam a full view of him, hooked up to so many machines. So vulnerable.

“His heart stopped for three minutes,” a hoarse voice said from next to him.

Tom’s sister. She looked different - she'd been away at college for a while now, it’d been years since Adam had actually seen her. She’d been crying, he could see, but she spoke in small, matter-of-fact statements as if trying to compartmentalize the events she was seeing. “They don't know if it was bad gear or not.”

Adam grunted acknowledgment, and turned back to the hospital bed. As we watched, he saw Tom’s head shift slightly. His parents reacted excitedly, as one bleary eye opened. But it wasn't them Tom was looking at. Adam returned his stare.

“It'll be okay. He’ll be okay. He's strong,” his sister said.

Adam didn't look at her. He kept eye contact with his former friend.

“No, he's not.” 

With a sneer, Adam turned and left
 

[Ro20316]

Everyone has flawa but some people work through them and become better persons. Adam did that he has become a betetr version of himself but his past still haunts him.

[Dezman]

Littlerjim coming in again with an absolute banger of an Introspection muscle story. Adam is so compelling here, I love the voice you give him!!

Side note, of your boys who is the biggest? Adam is 8'4" here, and Being Bigger says he is over 9 feet tall by the end, but Peter from Ego Boost hits 9 feet tall and I don't know if he grew anymore after that.

[Littlerjim]

On 4/7/2024 at 6:35 PM, Dezman said:

Side note, of your boys who is the biggest? Adam is 8'4" here, and Being Bigger says he is over 9 feet tall by the end, but Peter from Ego Boost hits 9 feet tall and I don't know if he grew anymore after that.

Thanks so much, it's really good to hear people enjoying it, especially as it's quite niche!

I think Pete gets the biggest so far. In Being Bigger, Adam already represents an outlier of what the serum can do, whereas Peter's story was just beginning.

That being said I have two stories in draft right now, one featuring a guy who could maybe get bigger than Pete and the other blows him out of the water.

The conclusion to Adam's spin off should be out in a day or two, I'm just editing it now.

[Dezman]

It's really wild being in Adam's headspace. If I'm being honest, I had to check out for a bit on Being Bigger because parts of it were a bit too much for me so I missed Adam at his worst, but this is very compelling. It hits close to home for me, because when I was younger I was not a person I can be proud of. It was never in this way, Adam and I are very different people, but the knowledge of how nasty I was to other people in my life still eats at my conscience. 

I also appreciate your descriptions of Adam's life at his size. Lots of stories on here focus on the growth or just the size of the muscles (not that it's bad, we all know why we're here), but very few hang around for people LIVING at the new size. Picking out airbnbs for ceiling height is one thing, but Adam is functionally too big for the world. Everything is built for people who are a little over half his height and under a quarter of his weight. I'm glad he likes his size, I'm sure we all appreciate it, but man if it doesn't put challenges in the way of his life. 

I went on a little bit of a research tangent. Based on my calculations, an 8'4" Adam weighs 950 pounds, which is the average weight of a male polar bear. Most mattresses are rated for 250 pounds, and wood-slat beds are rated for 350, so yeah finding a suitable AirBnB would be almost impossible. I'm just imagining how that conversation would go, like "Hey what weight is your bed rated for?" The poor owner would have no idea what to make of that, probably. Hell, he might actually have to buy his stuff FROM zoos for them to be rated for his weight. Adam would need to eat 11,000 calories per day at a minimum to maintain his weight. That comes out to 42 Big Macs (with sauce), about $350, PER DAY. The average family uses $200 per week in groceries. It's a good thing he has his sponsorships, otherwise he would be a very skinny giant, and that's not getting into the amounts of proteins and vitamins his diet would need to keep his body in shape. I suddenly get Trent's PoV a lot better now. 

On the flip side, it means that Adam is probably able to move some serious weight. On my estimate his deadlift could be in excess of 1700 pounds, so there are at least some benefits to being a human bear. 

[Littlerjim]

Part 3

 

“Are you okay?”

“Y… No,” Adam sighed. He couldn’t bring himself to lie, even to himself.

“Do you want to keep going?”

“There’s nowhere to go. That’s it. Never saw him again. Eventually I just… stopped thinking about it,” Adam says. He’s not looking at the screen still. He can’t bring himself to.

“Sounds like you were pretty angry,” Trent said carefully. He didn’t want to hurt his friend, after all.

“Of course I was angry! He was just so… stupid. And he was meant to be the smart one of us.”

“You think his actions were stupid?”

“Well what would you call it?” Adam demanded, “You didn’t see him. He was obsessed, a completely different person. He was selfish, he was-”

“Addicted,” Trent interrupted, “Or fixated. Do you think he could have honestly helped himself if he wanted?”

“And you think I should have stuck around and helped him. You think I was wrong.”

“I never said that,” Trent shook his head.

“You’re thinking it.”

“No, but YOU are,” Trent pushed back. “Come on Adam, it’s obvious how guilty you feel about the decision. Stepping away from a toxic relationship can be healthy - you honestly think I, of all people, am going to argue against that?”

Adam checked himself, relaxed his shoulders, and backed down. “Sorry man, ‘course you’re right. I know you’re not looking for a fight.”

“It’s okay, we’re good. I’ve said way worse to you, before now.”

“But fine, okay, so what if I’m having second thoughts? Why now?” Adam asked, changing the subject back, “Tommy wasn’t in the alley. The situation wasn’t similar. Why would this of all things set me off?”

“Honestly man? I haven’t got a clue,” Trent said, an expansive shrug lifting his broad shoulders, “You want to take the story from the top?”

The two spent the next half hour or so re-hashing the events in the alley, the interview leading up to it and briefly covering the details of what had happened with Tom, but neither of them felt any closer to the truth. Eventually, Trent had needed to go (though he promised to call back) but before he did, he suggested Adam get some food and some air. Maybe with a change of scenery, the realization might finally come to him.

He was more right than either of them could have anticipated.

Earlier in the day Adam had a vague sense of walking around town, taking in the sights, and finding somewhere good to eat. This wasn’t the easiest task - he had to factor in the physical space available to him in some restaurants, not to mention the build quality of their chairs, but things usually worked out. Now though, he was in no mood to be dealing with it. He took his phone and made an order instead - a stupidly large and expensive order, but he’d been paid well for the podcast, and he was in a mood to indulge and sulk.

A knock came at the door, and he opened it. And then he froze. And so did the driver, even as he struggled to lift the delivery. It was the man from the alley.

His expression turned quickly from shock to disdain, and he thrust the food into Adam’s arms muttering a hurried “Enjoy your meal,” before turning to hurry away, but it was too late - it was that look. That glare of annoyance that had made Adam feel as if it might explode him, every time he’d seen it, and back when he and Tom had been friends, he’s seen it a lot.

He wasn’t fixated on Tommy at all. Or rather he was, but only because of the actual memory that had been dredged up by that chance encounter in the alley. And that memory wasn’t of Tom, but his… well, his brother. No wonder he hadn’t recognised him.

“Wait!” Adam called. He dropped the food, squeezed through the door, and chased after the smaller man. He whipped around quickly, eyes going wide and mouth opening involuntarily at the sight of the behemoth bearing down on him at an unsurpassable speed. 

Adam, to his credit, saw the fear immediately. He stopped, holding out his hands in a gesture of peace.

“Please, just - wait. Don’t go..” he paused awkwardly. Again, he felt himself floundering. “I don’t know your name anymore.”

After a moment, the man responded.

“Reuben.”

Well, it can’t have been the worst question - he got an answer, Adam reasoned. But Reuben continued.

“You dropped that yourself, you know. I took a picture before I knocked, you can’t get me fired.”

“Why would I want to get you fired?”

“Because you get off on hurting people? You know who I am, right? It’s not like you have to pretend to be a good person.”

“I’m  - I’m not…” Adam could hardly speak, the comment cutting him and making his throat shake. “I didn’t recognize you before.”

“So?”

“I’ve been thinking about you - about Tommy-”

“Well there’s a first time for everything,” Reuben sneered, and turned again to leave.

“Please!” Adam called again, “Don’t just go - I have questions, about you, about him. Could you not just come inside? I’d do anything.”

“And why the fuck should I?” Reuben walked towards him now, squaring up to him in a face off so one-sided it would be hilarious, if not for the circumstances. “After what you did to my brother - to my family - what gives you the right to ask anything of me?”

Adam’s shoulders went slack. He was out of his depth, this was all too much to handle - and it was in that kind of situation where his simplicity helped him most.

“You’re right,” his eyes studied the carpet and not Reuben’s furious face as he spoke now, in a more even tone. “I have no right to ask. But I have a responsibility to. Please, just - can we talk?”

“What, so you worm your way back into his life? Or are you just worried about protecting your image, “Mr Influencer”?” Reuben was in full flow now, spitting his words with a venom that had only distilled over the years, “Oh yeah, I know all about that. You can fool the world into thinking you’re this good-natured himbo, but I know what you really are, Adam Hennessey.”

“I’ve changed. I’m still changing.”

“You haven’t-”

“I HAVE,” Adam asserted, his voice not aggressive, but his low bass rattling the window panes of the hall all the same. “I’m trying to be better, and it’s slow and sometimes I still fuck up and do stupid things, because I’m stupid, but I don’t give up. And for some reason, the most amazing girl in the world says she wants to marry me, and I have friends who care for me, and a fucking following that listen to me and want me advice - and I have no idea why anyone would want to. I’m just some idiot who got lucky. But this isn’t about me. It’s about Tom and you, and what you both deserve. Will you please come inside?”

Reuben’s body language didn’t soften, but his voice did.

“I’m working.”

“You know where I am. What time do you finish? You could always come back.”

Reuben studied him for a moment and - with a scoff - said “I’ll think about it.”

The evening was even more uncomfortable from then on - Adam straightened at the sound of anyone outside, wondering if they might be Reuben returning. He never did.

It was nearly 1am and Adam was just starting to doze when he heard a faint knock on the door. It took him a second to notice what it was, but when he did, he bolted upright and was across the room in a second. He opened the door, mouth open to thank Reuben for coming. It wasn’t Reuben.

“Hi.”

It was Tommy.
—

To call the atmosphere awkward would be an understatement - a chainsaw would be needed instead of the proverbial knife if there was any attempt to cut the tension. There wasn’t from either party.

Adam felt numb. He’d offered Tom a space on the sofa, which he’d taken, as well as food, water and beer, which he hadn’t. He wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Tom was just looking at him - openly, if guardedly - as he sat on the floor. Adam tried to shrink into himself, as if any attempt could be made to hide the hundreds of pounds of muscle in the room.

“You’ve grown,” Tom said, matter-of-factly.

“Yeah - I uh, got lucky with the shot,” Adam responded.

“I know. I’ve seen your TikToks.”

“You have? I mean, Reuben mentioned it, but I didn’t know if - I mean, I’m surprised you watched. That you could, you know?” Adam was flustered again.

“It’s been a long time, Adam. I’m not a kid any more.”

“Sure, obviously, I didn’t mean to talk down to you-”

“I’m doing okay,” Tommy interrupted, “That’s the question you’re afraid to ask me, right? I’m not using any more, I’m not freaking out about you - though I’ll admit, it’s a lot to process in person. And I’m not about to burst into some jealous rage, so just… relax okay?”

“Yeah, well, that’s easy to say - but can you blame me for being on edge?” Adam retorted, “The last time I saw you you were dying because of me, I’m allowed to be a bit anxious.”

“It’s been years, Adam. You’re not the only one who’s changed.”

“But I don’t know that, do I? Because when you needed me most of all, I turned and walked away. You nearly died - you DID die before they brought you back. And fuck, dude, you know how I felt? I felt angry. I thought you were weak, I was disgusted at you for what you’d done to me. What kind of selfish monster does that make me, Tom?”

“If you’re looking for me to argue your virtues, you’re looking in the wrong place-”

“I’m NOT. I’m really not,” Adam shook his head, “I was a terrible friend long before that. I should’ve had the sense to see what I was doing to you. I was… stupid. Too many people whispering things in my ear, making me feel like the big I-am when I should have been listening to you.”

“Then listen to me now, because I wasn’t done talking.” Tom was sitting upright, his knuckles white as he held onto a cushion for support. His expression is just like his brother’s. “I’m an addict, Adam.”
“But you said-”

“I said fucking listen!” He threw the cushion at Adam, which thudded against his broad chest harmlessly before falling limply to the floor. The two watched it fall, before looking at each other again. It turned out to be the chainsaw they needed.

The two fell about laughing at the stupidity of the gesture; Adam felt tears roll down his cheeks,

“I’ve missed you, man,” Tom said as the laughter began to die down.

“You have? I’d have thought you’d never want to see me again,” Adam said, genuinely astonished.

“For a while, sure,” Tom said, shrugging, “But it’s been a journey. I hated you at first, and early on, I’d probably agree with your version of events - now, I think I’d have to argue.”

“Dude, I was an asshole-”

“Yeah, no arguments there.”

“Fuck you, I'm trying to be serious, man!” Adam’s brow furrows with earnest emotion. “Failing you is the biggest regret of my life. The way I treated you was - I mean, you were like a brother to me, but I cast you aside like garbage.”

“It didn’t help. And like I said, I’m not about to start making excuses for you, but your telling of it all misses out one crucial player in all this - me.”

Now it was Adam’s turn to be dismissive. “Dude, if you thinking I’m going to start victim-blaming -”

“I am NOT a victim, Ad. Not entirely,” Tom said. “I am an addict, like I said - I was at the time and it’s never going to disappear completely, no matter how much I work at it. A huge part of the reason I am where I am right now - part of the reason I’m still alive - is taking responsibility for my own actions in all this. And while I think it’s great that you feel guilty for your part in it, you need to realize that it’s just that - a part. To say otherwise is to rob me of my own agency.”

Adam blinked twice trying to digest it.

“You, uh, lost me at “agency”” he said, getting a snort of laughter out of Tom, “But I got the gist of it. Yeah man, I - I guess I never thought about it like that.”

“It’s fine. Like I said, you didn’t help - but you were just a kid too, it’s too much to expect you to intuit exactly what I was going through, and that I barely understood myself. It started the second I saw you’d outgrown me and it festered, turning uglier and nastier. And I helped the rot spread. You could’ve been inhumanely empathetic, said and done everything perfectly, and I’d still’ve found a reason to hate you for it. I hated feeling small, and blamed you for something beyond your control.”

Adam just nodded - it wasn’t all beyond his control, but he didn’t want to push that point again. Tommy knew it as well as he did. He looked Tommy up and down as he listened - his friend was still small. Definitely under 6 feet tall, though it was hard to judge with accuracy these days, normal people looked more or less the same height to him unless they stood next to each other. Tommy was in shape, it was fair to say, but lacked the vascular, roided bulk Adam had seen on him when they’d last met.

“So you’re dealing with it now, though?” He asked, “You’re happy now?”

Tom winced at the question. “Happy’s a tough one. I have my moments, but I’d say I’m content more often than I’m not. I’ve had to stay tough, now everyone seems to have grown a couple of inches - or feet!” He gestured at Adam.

“Yeah, I’ve - well, I’ve gotten lucky. Again.”

“It’s fine, man. You don’t have to feel guilty about it. I know you’ve worked for it too, and I’m honestly happy for you.”

“Thanks. You, uh - you ever thought about getting the shot yourself?” he asked tentatively.

“Ha! What do you think?” Tom raised his eyebrow, “But I don’t think that’s a good idea, do you? What if it didn’t work very well, how frustrated would I be? Or even worse, what if it DID work? What would it awaken in me? How much would I regress? Besides, I gotta think of my heart - I don’t even know if I’d get as far as the growing stage.”

“Aw, shit, yeah… Are you doing okay?”

“As healthy as can be expected, I just have to be careful with it, you know? It comes with higher risks of all kinds of nastier things, but - I’ll deal with those as they become a problem. For now I’m good, and I’ve got Reuben - we moved here together, if you’re wondering. What brings you to town though, is this a rental or…?”

The two talked, and the more they talked, the more they talked. After a while the conversation moved from the more stilted topics of “what do you do now?”, “are you dating?” to more interesting stories and anecdotes; they had each on the edge of their seats at points and rolling on the floor at others. Reuben couldn’t believe the things he’d heard about Seb - who he was vaguely aware of as a successful footballer - and had Adam tell the story about the fight on the beach three times.

But time stretched on - it was getting late, and they both knew it.

“I’m getting married soon,” Adam said - it wasn’t related to anything they’d been talking about but it was on his mind anyway.

“I heard - congrats.” Tom said, nodding.
“You could come, if you wanted. To the wedding.”

“I - I’m not sure I could,” Tom said, “You’re going to be surrounded by people who love the two of you…”

“I love you man,” Adam said, tears welling up, “I was too stupid to see it, but I do. I love you. I miss US, y’know?”

Tom got up from the sofa, took a step towards Adam and threw himself onto him, hugging what fraction of his friend he was capable of.

“I know. I know buddy. And I love you. I’m not saying this is it for us, okay?” He pulled himself away to look at Adam, “It’s just, a wedding - it’s too much, too fast. Recovery’s a slow road and all the shortcuts turn out to be dead ends. But things will get better.”

“You promise?”

“Sure - don’t worry. Just let me come up with the plan. That’s how it works, remember?”