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The week proceeds both too slowly and too quickly. You job fades into background noise, even on the busier days. You haven't visited your favorite sandwich shop lately, but you vaguely resolve to swing by again soon. Every evening is spent with Val, and every evening is suffused with good food, and toe-curling oral for both of you.
Val's a masterful cook, and she seems to delight in tempting you into gorging yourself. Even in spite of her delightful cooking, you consistently manage to not pig out (too much). You're unsure how she does it (and you're certainly not going to ask), but she manages to always look a little hungry even after stuffing her face.
Friday comes and goes, but not before the two of you get a proper sit-down dinner at a fancy seafood place. You insisted on paying, and enjoyed the feeling of providing for your generous, powerful, and independent girlfriend for once. The bill was worth it just to see Val scarf down a whole family meal single-handedly. The intimate session that followed involved restraints, merciless oral pleasure, and safewords. Saturday morning dawns on you and Val naked in bed together, still sore and sweaty from the previous night's sexy exertions. You look down to see a gorgeous, pale naked woman pressed up against you.
"Mmmm... were you thinking about me again?" she asks.
"I've had dreams like this," you groggily mutter and draw Val closer. "But you're the real thing, you're better than a dream come true."
"You're probably the best thing that's ever happened to me," she smiles warmly and embraces you tightly.
You snuggle together for a long moment, taking in each other's warmth. The sun shining in, you feel yourself slowly waking up.
"So.... we were meeting Dr. Rohaz.... when?" you ask.
"Oh yes! Her lab is in one of those newer buildings, the ones that keep going up, you know where I mean?"
"No. Should I have?"
Val laughs, "It's ok. She's chill, we should be fine so long as we're there around 11."
"11?" you ask.
Val rolls her eyes and playfully presses you into the bed. "Yes, eleven! As in one hour past ten."
You groan and laugh roughly as she squeezes some air out of your chest.
Val relents and rolls over to check her phone. She huffs and whines, "It's almost 10... We should get up."
You don't reply, instead you bury your head under the pillow and attempt to block out the light. Of course, you're unsuccessful, and you give in.
"Fine! I'll get up."
You roll out of bed, and pull on some clothes as Val does the same. Dressing is slowed by the giggly ass-grabbing and groping you both indulge in, but you don't mind. Finally, you manage to pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt. You look over to see Val finishing getting dressed. She's wearing a cute loose plaid shirt contrasting with a pair of tight-fitting jeans. She could make a trash bag look good.
Val finishes buttoning up her top, then ushers you downstairs for some coffee and breakfast. You do your best to avoid discussing the upcoming medical appointment, though it takes up a lot of space in your mind. You end up coming up with entire conversations to steer clear of the issues at hand, and you succeed. After some toast and some brewed goodness, you're on your way downtown. You're driving, since Dr. Rohaz told Val that there might be tests. Rather ominous way to phrase that.
You pull into the parking garage under Dr. Rohaz's building. The building is a large medical professional center, with many clinics and laboratories within its floors. You park the car, head into the lobby with Val, and look for Dr. Rohaz's clinic on the directory. You find the clinic with no issues, and head inside. The receptionist looks up and smiles when she sees you both. She is a middle-aged, jovial woman who immediately stands up from her desk to greet you.
"Good morning! How are you both this fine day?" she says cheerfully.
"I'm good, and you?" Val asks.
"Great! And you? I don't think I've seen you before...?"
Val answers, "Valentine Sojka, here to meet Dr. Rohaz at 11?"
"Oh, of course! Dr. Rohaz is expecting you both, just go on in."
The receptionist motions towards an open doorway on the opposite side of the waiting area, then sits back in her seat and smiles at the two of you.
Seems a little strange. The receptionist didn't log Val in or phone ahead in any way. Nevertheless, Val grabs your hand, tugs, and leads you towards the doorway.
You walk into a hallway. A large window at the end lets the sunny day pour in. All the doors in the hall are closed, save for one. Val leads again, and enters before you. You catch a glimpse of the nameplate beside the door just before following Val in. Sure enough, it reads: "Dr. Leona Q. Rohaz, MD/PhD," and a bunch of other technical-looking titles that you didn't catch.
You follow Val into an airy, well-lit office. A few awards and scientific accolades hang from the walls, but you focus your attention on the desk at the center of the room. A slender Latina woman in a snappy labcoat and rimless glasses looks up from some papers. Her large brown eyes briefly meet yours, before flicking over to Val. The woman stands up and walks around to the front of her desk, extending a hand towards Val. "You must be Valentine. It's good to meet you in person," she says in a lightly-accented voice.
Val grips her hand and pumps it vigorously. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you."
Dr. Rohaz smiles, turns her attention to you, and offers you her hand. "You must be Anon. Val has spoken quite highly of you." What did Val tell you!? You scream internally, but keep your poker face and offer Dr. Rohaz a crisp, businesslike handshake. "Only good things, I hope," you quip with your best businessman charm.
"Only good things, I promise," she replies.
Dr. Rohaz returns to sit behind her desk, and you and Val pull up seats before her.
"Before I begin, would you like something to drink?" Dr. Rohaz asks. "Some water? Coffee?"
"No, we're fine, thank you," you both reply.
Val quickly explains that she summarized her earlier conversation with the doctor to you earlier. Dr Rohaz gets right to business then. "Val, I've been going over your records from Dr. Kovacs. There's a particular screening I'm surprised he never ordered."
"What's that, then?" Val asks.
"Val, I believe you may have myostatin-related muscular hypertrophy. It's a genetic condition that would neatly explain your exceptional muscle mass."
"Oh," Val says, looking down. "Is that bad?"
Dr Rohaz's face shapes into a comforting, motherly smile, "Not at all. It makes you rather unique for sure, but there's no implications for your health."
"How... how common is it?"
"It affects one in ten million, so I'd wager that there are a few people like you out there."
The doctor continues, "Now, the condition is genetic. That, plus your exceptional metabolism, suggests to me that a whole-genome sequencing of your DNA may give us a lot of answers."
You cut in, "What kind of answers?"
Rohaz replies without missing a beat, "Confirmation of a mutation to Val's MSTN gene for starters, which would conclusively diagnose hypertrophy. I believe there may be at least one other genetic factor in the phenomena Val has described."
"You lost me at 'phenomena.' " you say.
"My appetite and staying skinny," Val says helpfully.
Val addresses Rohaz, "I do recall you mentioned sequencing might be called for. You've got the form regarding my genetic IP rights?" she asks.
Rohaz nods, "I have a consent form ready to go. You'll need to sign that before we can proceed with the sequencing."
She continues, "I'm a firm believer in open medicine, just like the old Sir Frederick Bunting. You'll have final say on any sort of usage of your genes, and you'll be entitled to royalties and acknowledgment if any commercial usage emerges."
You look to Val, who replies, "Yep. I looked over the form after we spoke. I'll sign that consent form ASAP. If getting my genome sequenced will get me some answers, then I'm all for it."
Dr. Rohaz nods, and retrieves a sheet of paper from an organizer on her desk. She slides it over to Val and hands her a pen. Tense silent minutes pass as Val reads the form. Abruptly, she sets the form down, clicks the pen, and scratches her signature onto the document.
"Thank you. And I must say I appreciate clued-in patients," Dr. Rohaz says. After another moment of silence, the doctor continues, "My laboratory is equipped with a state-of-the-art sequencer device. My group could start analyzing your genome in a matter of hours. Val, I know this is abrupt, but I sense that you're eager to move forward. If you're ready now, one of my techs can take a blood sample and start the sequencing process."
You and Val look at each other. The doctor waits patiently.
"I'm ready," Val says resolvedly.
"Okay then, let's get started," Dr. Rohaz says.
The doctor gets up and leads the two of you to a room down the hall. The three of you enter a laboratory. A dizzying array of computerized gizmos, packages of equipment, and bottles of reagents fill the shelves. The doctor rounds a corner, and comes to a cubicle near the spacious window. A lanky, dark-haired man is working on a computer. Or rather, he frantically minimizes a Craftmine window and tries to look busy. Dr. Rohaz bemusedly introduces her postdoc, Vincent. Your group starts working its way back out of the lab, and Vincent rebuilds his composure and grabs a few things along the way. The four of you enter a bright but sterile-feeling exam room with a great view of downtown.
You stand and reassuringly hold Val's hand as Vincent slides a needle into Val's arm and fills a small vial with crimson blood. He withdraws the needle and adheres a cotton ball onto the puncture site. "All done!" he announces cheerfully, "And I'm off to do some science! Nice meeting you - Val, Anon. Leona, I'll let you know once the sequencing is done." Vincent exits the room, gently latching the door behind him. Dr. Rohaz turns to you two.
"We should have Val's genome sequenced in about an hour. After that, it's just a matter of simple pattern matching to see if any genes are interesting."
She checks her watch, "Would you and Val care to join me for lunch? My treat."
You look at each other, and briefly consider declining. You're all a little hungry after the morning's events. Val beats you to it. "Lunch sounds great. Need some nutrients to make up for all the blood Vincent just took," she laughs. Dr. Rohaz laughs too, "Come on, then. There's a nice little cafe on the ground level."
The doctor swings by her office and doffs her lab coat. She's dressed in a smart green blouse with black trousers. The color selection nicely compliments her olive-toned skin and the fit works well with her willowy frame. You, Val, and the doctor make small talk as you work your way to the ground floor. Mostly it's Dr Rohaz wowing you and Val with facts about the impressive state of modern medicine. Her extensive knowledge about the human body is somewhat intimidating. When you reach the cafe, the three of you sit down at a table by the window. You order soup, Dr. Rohaz orders a Mediterranean salad, and Val orders a sandwich.
The food is good, the ambiance is pleasant, and Leona is a far cry from the stuffy academic you expected. Still more than a little intimidating though. Her rimless glasses give an incisive look to her affect, but some laugh lines around her eyes bespeak a warm spirit. You eat your soup, watching the crowd of people walking by. Nature abhors a vacuum, and so do you: you begin to inquire about the doctor's line of work.
"I don't think I've ever had lunch with a working doctor," you remark, perhaps incautiously. Dr Rohaz is unbothered. "You're worried I'm starting a conflict of interest." Her tone is light and playful.
She explains, "In my research, I rely on a relationship with my patients and my subjects. In our case, there's only one Val. I can't gin up a 'control Val' with statistically-average muscle mass. Also, the relationship is two-sided. Ms. Sojka wants to learn more about herself." You like this doctor.
"What's the deal with the food? Is it an experiment?" You ask.
Leona laughs, "It's just lunch."
An amused silence follows. Val breaks it by bringing up the elephant in the room. "Dr. Rohaz, did Dr. Kovacs say why I really wanted this exam done?"
The doctor's smile fades. "Yes he did. He was quite clear about your ulterior motive. Ms. Sojka, you're an adult, you don't need me to lecture you about the risks of deliberately accumulating extra weight."
She continues, "Michael didn't contact me because I'm an endocrinologist. He contacted me because of my research on the biochemistry of weight gain, both fatty and muscular."
A pause. You chime in, "Dr Rohaz, I read several of your papers. Some of the things you did in your mouse models are truly astonishing. I was most floored by one paper where you effectively cured obesity in mice." A tumble of technical jargon comes out of your mouth, but Dr. Rohaz isn't looking at you like a babbling fool. She's another flavor of surprised.
She cuts you off. "Yes that was the study that got a lot of attention, but I'm surprised you know it in such great detail. The journal I published in doesn't have a lot of circulation." You have no idea how, but you sense that you've screwed up. Were you supposed to have access to all those papers?
You lie, "One of my cousins is in college and he let me borrow his academic credentials." Dr. Rohaz subtly narrows her eyes, and you feel somehow dissected. She doesn't press you on your faux pas, however.
Val speaks up, "Leona, did you say something about curing obesity? That sounds incredibly difficult."
The doctor nods and chuckles.
"For all the diseases we've cured in mice, and all the ways we've enhanced them, by rights they should have ascended or evolved by now."
"So," she continues, "Cure is perhaps a strong word. But 'blocked the negative effects of' obesity is less catchy."
You nod assent, and Dr. Rohaz explains, "We found a hormone and signal protein cascade that was responsible for the principal negative effects of weight. And we interrupted it."
Val's eyes look ready to roll out of her head. You mentioned this project to her before, but she's enraptured to hear about it from the source. She inquires, "So you wound up with a bunch of chubby mice that were healthy save for their size?"
The doctor replies, "Precisely. And I'm currently seeing if something similar can be done in humans."
"Incredible," Val breathes. "And I think I see where this is going. You suspect I might have another piece of the puzzle."
The doctor stares at Val, and nods slowly.
Val lets out a little chortle. "You do have a great physique for a woman in her forties."
Val's hand flies to her mouth, "I don't know why I just said that...." And she starts to blush. Dr. Rohaz's face darkens too, and she looks bashful. "Nothing to be ashamed of, and thank you for the compliment. It is funny though...." she trails off for a moment and looks distant.
She speaks again, "Does the name Marsha Espinar sound familiar?"
Val shakes her head, you do too. The doctor explains, "She's one of my aunties, and she was a fairly prominent body-positvity activist and BBW fashion model. This was years ago, when the movement was still picking up steam."
"I'm remembering a little bit now," you say. "The name didn't immediately ring a bell, but I remember seeing her on TV a few times. I recall that she was very articulate, and very glamorous."
You also remember her fetishy erotic photoshoots, but keep that part to yourself.
"Yes!" The doctor's face lights up with happy memories. "I'm very close with her. She worked with my Auntie Rosa. Rosa was a big lady too, but she preferred to stay out of the limelight and write."
Her face falls again, "I never saw their size as anything strange or bad. They were just my big, fun, glamorous aunties who sometimes went on TV..."
"Their weight eventually caught up with them. Marsha had a heart attack, but survived. Rosa developed diabetes. They both lost a lot of weight, and they're happy and healthy now, but I can't shake the feeling that a certain something disappeared too...."
Dr. Rohaz hardens with determination, "I'm not like most medical professionals. I can see the writing on the wall regarding population weight trends - hell, the country isn't far from 50% obese. Attacking root causes isn't working, so I want to aim for damage control, so to speak."
You and Val look at each other, and she asks the obvious, "What can we do?"
Dr. Rohaz snaps out of her monologue and starts laughing, "Well you're already indulging my monologuing, so that's a great start. Val, I think the best thing you can do is to continue working with me." She looks around the table.
"Val," she says, "You said you kept food journals from when you started deliberately overeating. I would like to see those entries, if you're willing to show me."
Val looks down, "You're gonna think I'm a pig."
Dr. Rohaz puts a hand on Val's shoulder. "Val, I work with patients who have all kinds of extreme obesity and eating disorders. I promise you, I've seen it all before, and I won't judge you."
Val is comforted at that, and smiles and nods. She fishes around in her purse and extracts her smartphone. She taps a few times on the screen, scrolls a bit, and hands the device to Dr. Rohaz.
The doctor adjusts her glasses, and starts scrolling her finger over the screen. She's reading intently, and Val looks like she's trying not to scream. About a minute passes, then Dr Rohaz hands the phone back to Val, saying, "Fascinating."
Val's words pile on each other a bit as she explains, "I've kept... Indulging since then, but I stopped keeping records after a few weeks. As you can see -" she makes a sweeping gesture over her corded body, " - nothing has stuck."
Dr. Rohaz nods, "We'll do our best to figure out what's going on. You have my word."
Val smiles, "Thanks doc."
A beat.
"Actually, could you excuse me a moment? I need to visit the restroom."
Val gets up and walks towards the restrooms.
Once Val is out of earshot, Dr Rohaz swivels to look at you. Her gaze nails you to your seat. "The obesity cure paper. Where did you find it?" She demands coldly.
You think carefully before your reply, "Just a basic internet search, I promise. I assumed it was an open journal."
Dr. Rohaz replies evenly, "I don't publish in open journals. I value sharing of research, but I'm very picky about who publishes, especially a paper like that."
You swallow hard. "Look, I saved local copies of that paper and a few others. I've got them on my phone!" You dig your own smartphone out of your pocket, pull up the offending pdf, and hand the device to Dr. Rohaz. Her eyebrows practically touch her hairline as she reads.
She looks up at you, "I didn't write this." She turns the phone to you, and you pretend to study the minuscule text as she continues, "The document you have here is some kind of technical summary of the obesity cure paper. I have no idea where this came from or how you got it."
You feel a cold sweat creeping down your back. You respond with what you hope sounds sincere, "Doc, you gotta believe me when I say I swear there's no funny business afoot. Just a google search of 'Leona Rohaz papers' and that's one of the documents that came up."
A silence. You look up to see that she's staring at you, hard.
"I believe you."
Relief washes over you, and she drops her voice, "My IT department reported some odd activity a few days ago in the network security logs. Tell me, does 'ALABASTER' mean anything to you?" making air-quotes for emphasis.
You stare at her blankly and reply "no" with genuine confusion. The doctor hands you your phone back, and settles back into her chair, exhaling heavily. She squeezes her eyes shut and pinches the bridge of her nose, "I believe you, but I think there was a leak from my research servers."
You reply, "I had no idea. I can delete those files if you want..."
"It's ok. What's done is done, just don't spread those around, alright?" She pauses and chuckles a bit, "Whoever broke in is a shitty spy. They only accessed my old research."
You nod vigorously, "Definitely no copy pasta, I swear!"
She gives you a wry smile, "Val is lucky to be dating somebody like you. I don't know many men who would go through so much effort to understand and help."
"It just seems like the right thing to do," you reply.
She fixes you with that piercing stare again and grins, "You're hoping Val gets fat, aren't you?"
You choke quietly and stammer, "I... I want her to be happy. This is what she wants, and I'm going to support her."
The doctor remains unmoved, "I'm not asking what she wants, I'm asking what you like."
You sigh, "Fine, yes, I like big girls. But I would never ask a woman to gain for me. If they happen to plump up around me, then so be it, but I absolutely believe it has to be their choice. They have to live in that body, after all."
"Hmm," she seems somewhat satisfied by your answer, but doesn't press the issue. "Well, you're a good boyfriend. I think we're going to get along just fine."
"Val and I spoke several times before today. Nothing you said just now is a surprise, but I needed to see how you responded to my questioning," she continues.
You reply, taken aback, "You were testing me?"
The doctor laughs.
"Sorry for the misdirection, but I was."
"That's not very nice," you pout.
"I knew you were a chubby chaser," she replies.
Your face flat, you shoot back, "Yeah, because Val told you so, and because I told you so."
She smirks victoriously, "Yes but also no. I knew when you mentioned remembering my auntie Marsha."
Your jaw drops in spite of yourself. Fuck!
"...are you a mind-reader?" You ask numbly.
The doctor laughs again, "No. I'm just tuned to a particular wavelength of empathy. People have ways of revealing their true feelings about weight and food, and I've learned how to find those tells."
"So why lunch?" You ask.
She replies, "I'm Catholic. Food is flesh, and flesh is divine."
You blink at the unexpected spirituality.
She adds, "Also I was hungry and I like this place."
You stare at the doctor for a moment as gears turn in your head. You dare to say, "You stay fit because you want to be healthy, not because you want to be skinny."
She nods as if expecting such a thing, "Surprised?"
You shrug, "A little. I thought you'd get mad."
She smiles and responds, "Not at all. I'm actually pleasantly surprised with how fast you've caught on."
You stare down the doctor, thinking. After a moment, you offer, "You're a very strange woman. I also think you're a fucking genius."
Dr. Rohaz blushes slightly and laughs at your compliment. Val re-appears at that moment and retakes her seat. "I missed something good," she says.
Dr Rohaz speaks first, "Yeah, I was berating your boyfriend for being a chubby chaser and a feeder."
Your jaw drops and your face immediately burns. You try to speak, but you can't make a sound past your throat. Your face continues to burn, and eventually you give up and swallow the lump in your throat.
Leona and Val both burst into laughter. The doctor calms a bit and turns to you, "Sorry, that was mean, but I couldn't resist."
You pout but accept her apology.
At that moment, the doctor digs her phone out and taps it a few times. "The sequencing is done. Shall we head back to the lab? I don't want to discuss the results here."
You nod and let the doctor lead the way. She speaks over her shoulder, "Vincent did some quick gene matching too, and he found something interesting. Can't talk about it here, I am a professional, believe it or not."
You can feel Val's worry and tension as you hold her hand. The walk and elevator ride back to the clinic seems to take an eternity. When you enter the lab, she breaths a sigh of relief. Vincent appears with a sheaf of papers and hands them to the doctor. Dr Rohaz quickly thumbs through it, making the occasional hmmm as you and Val hold your breath. She slides her finger across the page; when she is finished she looks up.
"Well?" You ask.
"Good news first, then the bad," The doctor says.
"My suspicions were correct. Valentine, you have a mutant MSTN gene. This is the root cause of your musculature."
Val's face sours. "I don't think I like that word, mutant."
"I understand. It's not a pejorative term in medicine, but I can avoid it if the word makes you uncomfortable."
"No, it's OK. Continue..."
"As I was saying, this is the good news. The altered gene just makes Val muscley. No harm, no issues."
You chime in, "So what's the bad news?"
Dr. Rohaz sighs and flips through the papers,
"Valentine, you have other genes with alterations that we weren't able to place. The MSTN mutation alone doesn't explain your condition."
Val's face drops. The doctor continues, "We need some time to cross-reference these genes in question. I also hate to say it, but we may need to take some more invasive samples if we want to fully understand what's going on in your body."
Val's face scrunches and her shoulders slouch, "How invasive?"
Dr Rohaz sighs and replies calmly, "Val, we may need to take at least one tissue biopsy to figure this out."
Val's face blanches. You grab her hand and squeeze. She squeezes back.
Val looks at you, her eyebrows drawn together and her mouth frowning,
"Just do it."
The doctor nods, "Your enthusiasm has me a little off balance, but we can do that today. I suppose it would speed up the analysis. We're going to start with a muscle biopsy. Follow me to the exam room?"
Val nods, and the two of you follow the doctor. Once inside the plain, but clean, exam room, Dr. Rohaz rifles through cabinets, collecting items and laying them out on a metal tray. You hold Val's hand tight, she returns the grip and tries not to look at the implements the doctor is setting out.
"So, Valentine, do you want to know what we're going to do?"
"Might as well." Val says.
The doctor explains, "I'm going to inject a local anesthetic into your arm, then I'm going to extract a tiny amount of muscle tissue with a needle."
Val's face is a mask of courage over obvious trepidation. The doctor continues, "You don't have to do this today."
Val stares at the doctor. "Yes, I do. If this gets me answers even a moment sooner, then I have to do this."
"I can be brave so long as Anon is here with me," Val turns and kisses you on the lips.
"Thank you."
The doctor smiles, "Alright then, let's get to it."
Val winces as the anesthetic needle pokes into her arm, then relaxes as she feels the cooling numbness. She doesn't watch, though. Her eyes are fixed on you instead. You lock your eyes with Val's as Dr Rohaz brings the biopsy needle to bear. You see it out of the corner of your eye, and that's all you ever want to see of such a needle.
Soon enough, the doctor is finished, and is pressing some gauze into Val's arm. Val perks up, "I didn't feel a thing!"
The doctor chuckles, "Glad to hear it. Your tissue sample should help speed things up, but it might still be a while."
Val says, "A while? Well how long do you need to analyze my stuff?"
Dr. Rohaz chuckles again, "Let's have you come back again next week, at the same time. We can discuss any findings then. If we notice something profound before then, well, we will let you know ASAP."
"That'll work," Val says, "Thanks again. I'll be back next week."
The doctor bids you farewell and Val confirms the followup with the receptionist. Val holds your hand as the two of you leave the medical building. It seems that all your preparations have worked. Despite the flurry of activity and revelations, it's still pretty early in the afternoon. There's a pleasant-looking park across the street from the medical building.
"Hey Val, wanna get some ice cream and hang out in that park?" You say.
"I'd love to!" She beams, "Let's go!"
The two of you promptly locate an ice cream parlor, and order some frozen treats. Pistachio in a cone for you, and a full-on sundae in a waffle bowl for Val. You smile at her characteristic indulgence.
The park is a stone's throw from the parlor, and in a moment, you and Val are sitting on a bench. You're each savoring your sweet treats and soaking in this calm patch of nature.
"Thank you so much, Anon," Val smiles, "You really don't know how much this means to me."
You wrap your free hand around Val's tight waist, and pull yourself close.
"I really like you, Val. Do you really like me?" You ask.
"Of course I like you, silly!" Val giggles.
You lean into a one-armed hug, but brush against the biopsy site.
"Ow!" Val groans.
You apologize and back off. "It's ok," Val says. "Guess the anesthetic wore off... Ice cream will make it better though!" she giggles.
You're silent for a moment, then speak again. "It's going to be ok. I promise."
Relaxing back onto the bench, you both begin to enjoy the rest of your ice cream.
Val finishes first, and crunches into the waffle bowl. She chews thoughtfully for a few seconds, swallows, then speaks up. "I should have figured I was a freak," she says glumly.
You briefly consider making an innuendo joke, but wisely don't. "What do you mean?"
Val sighs, "The genetic results..."
"Val, there's really no such thing as a 'normal' human. Everybody's a mutant in some way. We're both 'mutants' for having fair skin," you point out.
"Fair skin? That isn't a genetic mutation."
"Yes it is. All human traits are mutations, scientifically speaking. Even hating cilantro is a mutation!" You laugh.
Val smiles, but there's still a glum undertone. "I'm just so different from everyone else," she says. She holds her left hand before her face, flexing the fingers and examining the skin.
"You're unique, that's all. Everybody is."
Val smiles again, and hold out her hand. You put your hand in hers, and she gives it a squeeze.
"Well."
"I still want a big fat ass," she says playfully.
You laugh, then look into her eyes.
It's there again. That feeling you get, the one that first drew you to her.
You really like this girl.
You reply, "And we're working on that. Just like I said we would."
Val beams. "Thanks for sticking with me, Anon."
Feeling happy and hopeful, you stand and lift Val to her feet. You pull her in and reach up for a kiss. Her mouth is cold and sweet. She tastes like vanilla and rich chocolate. The kiss lasts a moment, then you pull away.
"Let's go home," you say.
Val smiles, and lets you lead her back to your car. She scarfs down the last bits of her waffle bowl as you walk, and you munch the softened remnants of your own cone. You get in the car, Val does the same, and you drive back to Val's place. The whole time, she holds your hand. She stares out the window at the passing streets, but doesn't seem very interested in where you're going.
You pull into Val's driveway and park.
You turn towards Val and ask, "You ok baby?"
She nods slowly. "Yeah. Just thinking about today..."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Let's get inside first."
The two of you go into Val's apartment and get comfy in her living room. She sits curled up on the couch, and you sit next to her.
"I guess I'm still processing what happened today," Val says.
"I feel so.... Exposed with my genome sequenced. I trust Dr Rohaz; I don't know how I'd be handling this if it were somebody else."
"You've trusted me this far haven't you?"
She laughs nervously and replies, "Yeah, I guess I have."
She continues, "I'm still nervous about having let other people - doctors! - in on my taboo desire. I'm also overwhelmed at Dr Rohaz's understanding, and maybe the fact that she could help too."
You move to hold Val's hand, she notices and cants into you. You place your arm around her shoulders in a one-sided hug.
Val ponders, "It's so dumb. Most people go to doctors to get skinny, I'm going to a doctor because I'm too fit."
You keep your arm around her, and reply, "Just take it one day at a time, OK? I'm here for you."
Val nods and replies, "Thanks." She still seems kind of distant, but you don't pry.
Val turns on the TV, and you manage to not groan when she settles on a dumb reality show. You let her zone out as the characters and their ridiculous drama unfolds.
After a few minutes, she turns to you, "If they come up with a treatment, I just hope it doesn't need a needle..."
Val gingerly rubs her biopsy site, and you notice a bruise spreading under her bandage. You gently brush her hair back away from her face, "Hey, don't worry about any of it. We'll get through this together."
Val smiles a bit, and leans into you. You put your arms around her and squeeze.
"I guess I just hate the waiting," she pouts.
"Just try not to think about it maybe? The doctor will keep us updated, and there's nothing we can do here to speed things up, so why worry?" You offer.
She cocks her head to the side as if thinking about it, then replies, "Yeah, you're right."
You and Val stay cuddled up on the couch watching TV for most of the day.
The evening rolls around, and you're still having a chill day with Val. The two of you alternate between playing on your phones and watching some TV. At some point as the sun hangs low, a notification pings: "You have a new message", from an unknown number.
The message reads:
Greetings, dear one.
It is I, the Harbinger.
I trust you received my letter?
Indeed, I am pleased to see that you have a stable relationship with another. Does your girlfriend know about us?
Your blood freezes in your veins. You stare at your phone as though it were some hideous thing. "Val...." You manage to choke out. Val looks over and you turn the screen so that she can read it. She looks just as shocked as you.
"Oh, fuck." She utters.
The letter continues:
I'm sure you may be wondering why I have chosen you. I'll keep this short. You are the only one that I saw fit to contact, hence why I left you my number instead of just visiting.
You are an interesting one, dear one. An average one that has taken a path that I have seen others take, but choose to ignore. You are a rebel that doesn't know it.
What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck. Spam! This has to be spam! A prank!
No additional messages arrive. You wait a few moments, then compose a response: "Who are you? Are you some kind of spammer?"
You get a reply in a few seconds: "Ha! dodged that one. My name is Ken, and yes I am a spammer."
Motherfucker. You angrily block the number, deliberately stabbing into the confirmation button on the screen.
"Who was it?" You hear Val ask.
"Some spammer named Ken." You mutter.
A tense moment passes.
Val asks' "Are you ok, baby?"
"Yeah, just annoyed."
"It'll be alright," she replies, and pecks you on the cheek. "Are you getting hungry?"
Your stomach answers for you, growling under Val's hand. "Yeah...." You reply.
"I want..... Burgers!" Val declares. "I'll drive this time," she offers.
"Isn't your arm still sore?" You push back.
"It's feeling better, and I'm hungry now too."
Despite yourself, the idea of a juicy, delicious, charbroiled burger sounds really good right about now. "Fine, let's go eat."
Val drives the two of you to a trendy burger place, called the Grilled Cow. They have a cool cow statue out front, which is a nice touch. The statue is flashing an enormous grin, and its teeth are adorned with an obvious facsimile of gold and gems. You roll your eyes, but grin at the low-hanging visual pun. Upon entering, you look around. Most of the people inside are college-aged, dressed in hipster clothing. You and Val both look about college-aged, and her plaid shirt gives off hipster-ey vibes. None of the patrons bat an eye at you.
"Let's sit by the window," Val suggests. "Then we can people-watch while we eat."
The two of you find a table and sit. A waitress quickly swoops in, handing you and Val menus. You thank the waitress and focus on the menu. You glance up to see Val staring at her. The waitress is quite chubby, and has a cute, ukulele-playing cat tattoo on her arm. She leaves to fetch your drink orders, and Val of course ogles her as she leaves.
"Damn, she's cute," Val says.
"Yeah... But not as cute as you," You agree.
Val smiles smugly at your compliment. The waitress returns with your drinks: iced tea for you, and soda for Val.
"What're you having?”
You order a mushroom and swiss burger. Val orders a double bacon cheeseburger and cautions the waitress that she'll call for seconds later. The two of you laugh as the waitress pours your drinks and leaves.
"So, what's up?"
Val smiles and sips at her soda, winking at you over the top of it.
"Nothing much. Just working, watching TV, being with you."
It's your turn to beam. Val smiles at you warmly. You make small talk for a little while, then the waitress appears with your food. Burgers sit in front of you and Val in all their aromatic, steaming, greasy glory.
You wink at Val, "You're gonna get fat if you keep eating like this," but she's already taken the first bite of her burger, so she only smiles and moans in ecstasy.
"I can only hope so," she says through a mouthful of meat.
You're starving, so you tear into your own burger. The mushrooms in particular are delightful, you make a note to try this place again. When you finish, you're stuffed. You roll your shoulders, and look out the window. The sun's finally fallen, it's dark outside now. Val looks at you expectantly, her plate already cleansed of any remaining morsels.
"Do you want any more?" She asks with a playful tone.
"Oof, nope." You reply.
"Oh well. I'm still ordering seconds," she says.
Sure enough, Val motions the waitress over and asks for a full-on second burger meal. This time it's on Texas toast with a side of potato wedges. She eats it like a champ, dunking every bite into a bowl of ranch dipping sauce. In what seems like the blink of an eye, Val's second dinner is gone too.
"I think I'm full now," she says, patting her belly contentedly.
"Are you sure?" You ask jokingly, "Maybe we should get you a whole roasted cow!"
Val laughs, "Well... I wouldn't turn that down."
You both laugh as you head to the counter to pay the bill. Val covers her own portion of the bill, and you sigh internally with relief. You couldn't afford dating Val if she weren't into going dutch.
"...Thank you." You say to the cashier, as you note the amount on the bill. "You are too kind."
"Anytime, handsome," she replies.
The two of you walk out of the restaurant hand-in-hand. You steal a kiss just as you reach Val's car.
"Well, that was quite the evening," she says.
"...Yeah." You reply absentmindedly, staring at her face.
"What's wrong?" Val asks.
"Just distracted by your pretty face," you reply dreamily.
Val giggles, "You're such a charmer."
"No, I really mean it. You're really pretty."
Val smiles and blushes, "Well thank you, you're definitely handsome."
"I have one last thing to ask you, and then I just wanna go back to your place and cuddle on the couch."
"Shoot."
"Well... Do you drink?"
Val raises an eyebrow, "Drinking?"
"Yeah, do you drink?"
"Sometimes! We had wine at The Gorge, remember?"
You feel dumb, but attempt to cover, "To be fair, that was just one detail from that night. It was easy to forget!"
Val laughs, and pushes you towards the passenger door. The two of you get into Val's car, and buckle in. She starts the car, and addresses your remark once she gets going.
"You know I like my weed, but I don't like to smoke until the evening. Similarly, I like to only drink or smoke on a given day. Since I don't have a normal job, I think it's smart to have a little discipline."
"That's smart," you reply.
"Why do you ask about drinking?" Val asks.
"Just curious," you reply.
Val slows to a stop at a traffic light and looks at you, "It's a Saturday though," she says with a cheeky smile. "And brunch is on for tomorrow to help with any potential hangovers..."
Your eyes light up as Val tempts you, "Well, let's get fucked up tonight then!"
"Good boy," Val purrs as the light turns green and she accelerates.
The rest of the car ride is filled with dirty jokes, loud laughter and a general having a good time.
Soon, you pull up to Val's place.
Val parks her hybrid and herds you back to her place with kisses and ass-grabbing. The two of you rummage through her kitchen for drinks of choice and flop onto Val's couch. You've pulled out a few cans of beer, and Val pops the cork on a bottle of white wine. She isn't planning on sharing. You tap your respective containers together, and take long swigs. You chug your beer and emit a throaty belch. Val laughs and teases you, "Did they teach you that in college?" You give her a dirty look and continue drinking.
"So, what all did you do in college?" Val asks, sipping her wine.
You crack open another can to stall for a moment. You bring the can to your face before muttering, "Business," and taking a quick sip.
Val rests her head on her hand and snickers, "So I'm guessing you had plenty of time to party then."
You consider getting annoyed, but you then notice the liquid level in Val's bottle - she's killing that wine. You decide to be cheeky in response, "Yeah I did! Had tons of fun corrupting girls to make their freshman 15 into a senior 50," you say, finishing your drink.
"Hm, it's amazing what you can accomplish with a few drinks under your belt." Val replies, setting down her bottle.
She lays back, and unbuttons her jeans. You practically drool as Val also undoes most of her shirt buttons and ties the fabric into a makeshift crop-top.
"God I love midriff," you say lustily, reaching over to Val's bulging tummy. You touch her navel and massage it slowly, "So many muscles," you say in awe.
Val giggles and playfully slaps your hand away,
"This is your old fratboy playbook, isn't it?" Val starts opening another bottle of wine.
"Do you want it to be?" you ask slyly, reaching for another can.
"Maybe," Val says, coyly.
"It's amazing what happens when you make a girl comfortable enough to indulge around you," you remark.
Val swallows some wine and giggles as she playfully pushes at you, "So you graduated to full-on fattener in college?"
"I figured it would be fun to let my inner devil out a little bit. Plus it was easy! Fat was the new trend, and all the party girls wanted to show off muffin tops, big titties, and wobbly asses." You brag, proud of your choice in language.
"So what did you do?" Val asks, smiling.
"Got girls drunk, which got them to eat greasy food, which then got me laid. Rinse and repeat to create a chubby party girl." You say, in your best 'fratboy' voice.
"How did it end?" Val asks with a smile.
You make a performative sad face, "I graduated. It'd be creepy to keep partying with college kids once you're out..." You trail off.
Val snickers, then whispers in your ear, "All this talk is giving me an idea."
"What's that?" you ask.
Val pulls out her phone and starts tapping on it. She takes great care to hide the screen from you as she taps. A moment later she grabs the TV remote and changes the input away from cable. You start a little as a porn site appears on the screen. You don't even have time to read the video title before Val plays it, but you catch the word "BBW" somewhere. An enormous woman with a huge belly, thick thighs, and a waterfall of wavy black hair appears on the screen. She wears a robe and is chewing on a massive donut.
"Holy shit..."
"That's Darkwylde," you remark.
"Yeah...." Val says dreamily, one hand already caressing between her thighs.
"Oh!" She snaps awake for a second and pauses the video. "Almost forgot the pot!" she giggles with a light slur.
Val sits forward and twists to reach into the side table. In a few moments, she's got a fat joint in her lips and is bringing the lighter close. She takes a deep inhale and begins to exhale, "Wagon wheels... huff... until my lungs are aflame... huff..." Her face scrunches up and she begins shuddering, "Fuck, that's strong. Here you go."
She hands the joint to you. You take the joint and take a long, slow drag. You hold the smoke for several seconds, then breathe out a thick cloud and cough a bit in spite of yourself. You look over at Val, she's got one hand on her crotch, and that second wine bottle in the other. She's looking away from you, but when you wink and give her a little smile she responds by grinning and giving you a nod.
Then, the video resumes.
Val is in a hedonistic haze, cooing with pleasure as she lazily fondles herself and swigs her wine. You sport a powerful but awkward boner - does Val want you to masturbate with her? Undecided and a touch uncomfortable, you keep your cock in your pants, crack open yet another beer, and turn your attention to Darkwylde on the screen. The obese singer sensually eats the donut and starts caressing her wobbling curves. Even under the loose robe, you can tell that she's massively fat.
"F-fuck," Val hisses.
The singer begins to unrobe, slowly revealing her fleshy body. Darkwylde opens the top of her robe, exposing her soft chest and her watermelon-sized breasts. Her face contorts with pleasure as she tweaks both of her nipples simultaneously. Then, she uses both hands to lift one nipple to her mouth. She licks and bites her own tit, moaning and shivering as she does so, then she repeats with the other breast.
Val turns her head and looks at you. Her eyes are glazed and bloodshot, she's breathing hard, and she seems high as a kite.
"W-what?" she slurs.
Lusty moans and phrases sound from the TV as Val looks at you. "It's ok baby, you can get your dick out," She clumsily fails to open your fly and giggles, "Just save your cum for me, ok?"
As if in slow motion, you reach under your waistband and start stroking your aching cock. Val looks on in lewd approval for a moment, then turns her attention back to the video. Darkwylde has opened her robe all the way now, showing off her doughy, apron-like belly. It hangs halfway to her chubby knees, easily obscuring her sex. The singer rubs her hands over her flab, and between her folds, one hand sliding deep into a fold to tease her pussy. She moans ecstatically as she penetrates her folds with her clammy fingers. Then, the singer turns her attention to her neck. She begins caressing the sensitive skin just next to her jaw, "...mmmm, right there," she pants.
You finally get fed up with your restricted movement, and unzip your pants and thrust your cock through your underwear. Val glances over and bites her lip, "I knew you couldn't resist..."
Val's jeans are gone and her panties are bunched around one of her ankles, and she's rhythmically rubbing her glistening sex. Her other leg is hooked over the side of the couch, giving her better leverage to rub her clit. Her free hand still has that wine bottle, and you can see Val has put a big dent in that one too. Your mind is increasingly clouded with lust and indulgence. On the screen, Darkwylde drops her robe and turns around, shaking her enormous ass. Fuck, her thigh must be thicker than your waist! You absent-mindedly reach for another can as you stroke and bask in the lusty ambiance.
"Fuck yeah, shake that fat fucking ass for me..." Val enthuses.
You sit on the couch, having difficulties focusing on the movie while stroking your cock. Between dinner and the bounty of beer, your belly feels quite sloshy and very full. Somehow, you're into it at the moment and continue drinking your beer.
"Fuck yeah..." you sigh in satisfaction as the goth icon gyrates and jiggles across the screen, panting and moaning as she does.
You've jerked to plenty of fat chicks before, but you're utterly engrossed in this moment. Just then, Darkwylde waddles over to a bed and climbs atop it. She drops to all fours, and her quaggy belly touches the bed as she crawls. The singer reaches a platter of yet more donuts, then starts devouring them like a woman possessed.
"Mmmm, these are good," she pants, still making all her other movements seem subtle. She's propped on her elbows, using both of her pudgy hands to shovel treats into her eager mouth. In moments, her face is smeared with crumbs and frosting. The singer finishes off the platter, then lies atop the crumpled sheets, panting.
"Fuck... I love donuts...," she says lovingly to the empty room.
You're utterly lost in this moment, chugging beer and stroking your dick on autopilot. Your belly is absolutely glutted, but somehow it feels good, and you want to keep pushing your limits. Val's breathing and moaning off to your side spurs you on as well. You finish off your beer, and decide to get yet another one. You sit up slowly, impeded by the chemicals in your system and the heavy slosh of your stomach. Val's moaning reaches a crescendo and you change your plans.
You slowly look over and see Val's hand deep in her pussy, her legs and abdomen twitching as she climaxes. You heavily flop onto the floor and position your face in front of her glistening pussy. Your hands gently pull Val's aside as you start to drunkenly pleasure her.
"Hell... yeah..." she moans.
Your tongue flicks out, dabbing the tip of Val's clit. She lets out a moan, and you switch sides of her clit to lick briefly.
"Ooohhh... yeah...," she sighs.
You eat out Val for a few minutes as she continues to shudder and moan. Her hands massage your head, and you feel yourself approaching your limit.
"I'm... c-coming!" she pants.
You slide three fingers into her as your tongue continues to dance on her twitching clit.
"I'm c- coming!!" she screams.
Val twitches and screams as she comes for what seems like forever. She fills your mouth with her sweet, womanly juice, and you eagerly lap it up. She senses she has stopped, and with one hand pushes your head away.
"Tha- that was incredible," she says.
You smile at her as she breathes and recovers. Lusty sounds are coming from the TV behind you. Val sighs, then fixes her eyes on you. "Your turn," she says.
You heave yourself back onto the couch and clumsily remove your tangled pants. Val kneels before your cock, already dripping with precum. You glance at the screen in spite of yourself, and you behold Darkwylde drinking directly from a carton of melted ice cream. Her other hand works a vibrator under her soft belly folds, and she cries in pleasure between gulps. At this moment, Val starts running her tongue along your cock. You need to focus.
"Fuck... that's good..." you moan, glancing back at the screen.
Val's tongue swirls around your head, and she starts sucking. You hold her face tightly as she works her tongue and mouth around your dripping cock. Your hands run through her hair and grip on to the back of her head as you give her all you've got. On the screen, Darkwylde is the picture of indulgent gluttony, spilling ice cream all over her squishy expanses and masturbating ever more furiously. Your eyes dart between the corpulent goth and Val going to town on your cock. Darkwylde looks up at the camera and sits up, licking her lips and smiling. In another few seconds, she's climaxed, collapsing back with a grin.
It's too much. Val feels your cock tense and braces as you grab her hair stiffly. Your vision fuzzes as you blast what feels like gallons of cum down Val's throat, and you groan wordlessly as your body spasms with every pulse. Val greedily catches every drop, gagging slightly in the process. Your fingers squeeze her scalp as your body continues to shudder with aftershocks.
When you're done, you slump back on the couch, sated and worn out. Val kisses her way up your body, eagerly cleaning up any traces of your release before giggling and crawling onto the couch next to you. Apparently ever the hedonist, Darkwylde continues pleasuring herself on the screen. Watching her fat body ripple with every movement is hot, but you're barely conscious and feeling every drop of the beer you guzzled down. Val is faring little better and lies limply next to you.
Your stomach burbles and churns, and you unleash a fizz-powered belch. Val laughs and rubs your full stomach, and you feel a little better.
"You gonna leave that playing?" you ask.
"What did you think of that girl?" asks Val, propping her head up on her hand.
"She... uh... she was pretty good."
"She's a lot bigger than I remember," you say slowly.
"Yeah..." Val says dreamily, "She's so fucking sexy. I love how she makes eating look so sensual even as she makes a big mess..."
The images on the screen shift, and you hear a new voice.
"Would you like to see me eat....?" it asks in a thick German-accented English.
"Is it...?"
A new porn video starts playing. A tall, blonde woman in leather bondage gear walks into frame. She's bigger than chubby, with particularly pendulous breasts. You notice her pierced nipples.
"Wow," you say.
"She's... impressive."
The woman approaches a smaller man. He's wearing all black, and a hood hides his face. In front of him is a table loaded with a banquet of foods. The man carries a riding crop, and promptly smacks the woman on the ass with it. She yelps, and he directs her to some sort of restraint rig. She eagerly puts herself into it, and he begins feeding her. She eats with abandon, dropping the bones and leftovers to the ground. She licks his fingers with a dirty grin. Sometimes she refuses though, and that earns the woman a smack or several.
You and Val are still very drunk and sexually spent, but you continue whiling away the evening watching fatty and feeder porn. You feel a little weird about it, but it's not really a big deal. Val is enjoying the smut and your company, and you feel the same way. Mutually masturbating to Val's first girl crush was a new experience, but the two of you clearly had a good time. The on-screen feeder reaches a climax, and so does the bound slave. The feeder slaps the slave on her ass, but she's long since finished.
More videos automatically play over the next few hours as you and Val drunkenly cuddle. Another obese woman eating desserts and masturbating. A massively fat man and woman having slow but passionate and very jiggly sex. A chubby woman in fetish gear exhorting the watcher to overeat for her pleasure....
"The internet saved that chubby girl. I can't wait for the day when the entire world is just one big super fat girl, and then we can all live together in peace," Val slurs to nobody in particular.
"You can be so weird when you're high," you say and kiss Val on the neck. "But that does sound nice," you agree.
On the screen, several horny young women are pleasuring each other. The women receiving are average-sized, and the women pleasuring them are significantly bigger. You and Val watch it all in silence.
Your buzz is wearing off, and you feel a burning thirst. You slowly get up and head to the kitchen. Val calls after you, "Bring back some cookies too!"
You fill a pair of large glasses from the tap and set them on the counter. You rummage through Val's fridge and find a container of homemade cookies. You carefully balance all these items and bring them back to the living room.
Val is fast asleep, so you gently shake her awake.
"Wha...." she grumbles, opening her eyes.
"Here, drink this." You slide a glass under her face.
Val quaffs the water swiftly, then reaches for the cookies and makes grabbing motions.
"I can't eat them all alone," she complains, pouting.
"You're making me worry about my waistline," you laugh and grab a cookie for yourself.
Val has already devoured one, and looks at you. She pats your full tummy and says, "Maybe I'm not so worried about it myself," she smiles.
The spot of sweetness and carbs really hits the spot, but you're still feeling thirsty. You down the rest of your water, and grab Val's glass to refill it.
"Can I get more water, please?" you ask.
"Of course."
The water is ice-cold and you greedily gulp it down. Your stomach feels ready to explode, but you're driven to re-hydrate following your drinking. Val idly plays with your swollen tummy and you caress her as you come off your buzz and keep watching fatty porn videos. Val giggles and says, "I wish we could be as big as them."
"You keep feeding me like this, I will be that big soon," you laugh.
Val gasps in mock horror, "Nuh-uh! You can't get fat before I do!"
She makes a show of pouting for a few seconds then starts laughing and kisses you. On the screen, a massive pear-shaped brunette with a chubby face lays on a couch and caresses herself. Two men enter the room and sit down. The brunette gets up, strips off her clothes, then starts giving the men a lap dance.
You and Val watch the video for a bit before she yawns, stretches and says, "I'm tired..."
"Me too," you agree.
You and Val finish up the video, which ends when the brunette jerks off both men simultaneously.
Satisfied, drained, and exhausted, the two of you slowly get ready for bed and cuddle under the covers. You think about the past week and a half. You've had such a blast with her, almost too much fun. She's pretty, caring, funny, smart, and you two get along great. It's been a pretty wild ride so far, but you're excited to see what comes next. You quickly drift off into a happy sleep.