The problem with patrons

by SpaceWerewolf

Levi’s desperation to find someone who’ll help him grow attracts the attention of demons with their own motives for him. A story of love, lust and growth inspired by “Molten Wings” and other works of Mikeytron.

“Welcome back!” the bubbly girl at the front desk of Gatewhey Gym greeted him as he scanned his badge.

“Thanks. Have a good one.” Levi did not have the energy for small talk tonight. He had just come from a rough audition for a new gay reality show about ballet. Though a dancer by trade, he had not even made it past the initial Appearance Fitness screening to demonstrate his skills. The kindest consolation he could muster was to note how everyone who did pass seemed to have ass implants.

“I like your shirt. Is that a real place?” The follow-up question ran through him like a current, noticeably draining his social battery. Levi hated having his clothing noticed, even in a positive way, by anyone. He was wearing ill-fitting merchandise for “Kiko Romero’s Casa de Magíque,” a local occult bookstore his mom frequented when he was young, a place that had always fascinated him. Its proximity to this gym was a large motivation for choosing to travel so far from work just to lift.

“Yep, not far from here.” He didn’t mention the shirt was a free gift with the only thing he’d ever purchased there: a crystal imbued with white magic intended to enhance “inner growth and outlook,” which was the closest thing they had to a muscle growth potion. That was three years prior, and needless to say, it did not live up to the hype, but he kept it in his gym bag all the same. “Well, take it easy.”

Changing in the locker room was a race, every time. Gone were the days of scoping the regulars for an actual friend or hookup possibility. He was here to work. Now it was just pants off, shorts up, dart past whatever Abbey gogos were there that night. Or Heart gogos. Mickey’s, Mother Lode, whatever. All the WeHo scene clubs auditioned narrower than The Rockettes, these days.

Oh, the tall stallion’s here today, though. The man showered before and after every workout, and was just coming around the bend from the stalls wearing an 8 inch white towel fastened low and tight, happy trail rising out of it. The man loved his core days and cycling, and must have juiced, judging how those oversized trunks always strained every article of clothing that tried to contain them. Levi practically jumped to avoid a collision, mumbling an apology. He hoped this was his coming shower and not his going shower. Maybe warmups could last a little longer today…

Sure enough, the Stallion emerged for leg day. His wheels made the ranger panties he wore look like compression gear. Those magnificent lines arcing up and down every different little muscle of each leg, masterfully worked here, refined through solid days of cycling and… the image of the Stallion in his home bathroom filled his mind, sealing his dark pact late at night, surrounded by candles, pushing the steroids in.

He was gone. Shit, Levi cursed himself, go find him and start your workout, you stupid piece of shit.

He lapped the gym in a rush, and found Stallion warming up on a Smith machine, across from where Levi could start with a leg extension machine. He could watch and learn… and enjoy.

Stallion got into position. One leg forward, one back. But how far? And how were his feet positioned horizontally relative to- oh, he’s starting. Fuck, those glutes squeezing the fabric deeper into the crack every time he dropped into the rep. The way the back of his leg tensed. Hell, even his calves bulged slightly with unknown purpose to stabilize him throughout this motion. It must hit the whole leg. Levi wondered what it was even called. Smith… lunges? It sounded right.

Stallion switched legs and Levi realized he hadn’t even started his set yet. He pushed the pin into his max weight on the leg extension and cranked out five reps until failure, his rhythm faltering against the extreme weight. With a death grip on the handles he was even able to put his arms, abs, and shoulders into pulling against the weight. He matched rest periods with Stallion and went again. He knew his max was no longer possible, but he still wanted to get the same number of reps, so he backed the weight off. Same for set 3.

Stepping off the machine was a wobbly process, a nice confirmation for Levi. He may not have learned much about the specifics of that movement from the Stallion, but he did at least know where the big man had trouble shaving the back of his leg. Maybe he needed assist-

His eyes rose to the adonis’s face in the mirror, not realizing he was being watched. Their eyes locked and the Stallion turned fully towards him with a sly lift of one corner of his mouth. A hairy hand raised to his head, running his fingers through his jet black locks. He had cut his hair shorter recently, but this nephilim’s mudras must be a habit he formed with the shoulder length look that had been his signature style since he first saw him. The cocky motion, the way it lifted his shirt just enough to see his abdomen, the tiniest peek at his armpit. And that angelic smile. Fuck. Levi had been shot with a thousand volts and could only stare back.

He watched as his muse’s gait adjusted during his walk across the gym to his next exercise. He was heading somewhere Levi never dared to follow anymore: the power racks. Once a season, boldness afforded him an attempt at squatting again, but the weight never felt right. Inevitably he would bend too far at the waist or something, and get scared of injury as his back took the brunt of the weight.

That level was filled with the beefy musclebound trainers that made him salivate. Not all of the gym-affiliated trainers fit the bill; some had online fitness degrees and little to personally show for them. But some were hardcore, in the cloth professional heavyweight bodybuilders. The ones whose work outfits had to be custom tailored and still barely fit. Levi couldn’t bear to look at them for more than a split second at a time, lest his retinas begin to burn. But all trainers charged the same rates, and it would be days bussing tables to even afford to schedule a consultation. He could never dream of actually training with them, leaving that entire level of the gym completely out of reach.

And there really was no substitute. Online videos from accomplished bodybuilders? Sure they had tutorials, but you’d sooner learn how to plug a sponsor than lift. Medical textbooks didn’t understand his goals, and he didn’t understand their chemistry. Online forums were brimming with mean idiots who couldn’t even agree what “parallel” meant.

So today, as always, he stuck to familiar machines and finished his workout 90 minutes later, working every machine twice in circuit. He gave Smith Lunges a shot, but something wasn’t right, and he felt the same lower back carry as he did with squats. He timed his end nicely with Stallion’s, though, and they made their way to the showers only slightly out of sync. Levi swore he felt Stallion’s focus fixed on him, even without eye contact.

Stallion walked to the farthest shower. Levi, stripping clothes off while hurrying to catch up, noticed this just as the towel slipped off. Stallion was looking him dead in the eye, and gave a slight wink and a half smile as he stepped into his stall.

Holding his breath, Levi took the first stall he saw and cowered inside it. Did that really just happen? That couldn’t be, he was The Stallion. And Levi was just… Levi. 5’10, 145 pounds, 3 years’ hard rejections, no results Levi.

He draped his clothes over the shower door and peeked out. Stallion peeked back, a slow, seductive nod drawing him in.

In a blink, Levi allowed himself to be summoned. He didn’t know or care if this was real.

It was.

Stallion’s cock was already rock hard, as he leaned back against the wall, soaping it up. Levi dropped to his knees and began kneading those pumped, aching quads. Feeling the length of each muscle head, exploring their valleys with his tongue as the burning hot water poured over him. Levi reached up and started stroking that thick six-inch tool in unison, clearing away the soap to prepare for his transition into oral.

Levi had never done something like this before. He’d hooked up with the average guys around town on Grindr before, sure. But how could a Greek god like Stallion want him like this? Levi’s small muscles showed from constant cardio, but they made him look alien, gangly.

He brought the same determination he took to his workouts to see this job done, to make Stallion see the potential in him. He took the head in his mouth, and Stallion raised his second hand against the wall in ecstasy. Levi looked up as far as his neck would allow as he worked the ridges and teased the piss slit, marveling at the wide expanse of his core, the sharp hook of his cum gutters, the dark forest of pit fur, the tight balls of biceps right next to his open mouth.

Levi closed his eyes, just focusing on the feeling of that manhood in his mouth, wet and rubbery with shower water at first. He slathered his saliva over the hood and felt it swell warmer as Stallion forced more blood into his member. He continued to massage both quads now, taking all the massive trunks in his palms that he could.

Stallion’s hand at the back of his head. Time for stroking. Levi began humming a low note in preparation and slid a few millimeters further each stroke, feeling his spongy lips gently roll over the veins weaving across the shaft. His hands moved up to Stallion’s hips, wrapping around to feel the thick glutes he’d been spying for years. The sumptuous ass made a perfect grip for each hand to latch onto as he impaled himself further and further on the man’s cock. No man with an ass this developed had ever let him touch him before, and it was the ass of angels.

Stallion seemed to enjoy it being played with, too, from his low moans, and Levi took full advantage. His nose was slamming into the man’s neatly trimmed pubes every stroke now, and the hand at his head was egging him faster and faster. This was it. Levi’s eyes and lungs were starting to burn as he inhaled precious microdoses of air each thrust. His lips went numb as the stroking continued faster, but soon he felt those glutes clench, compressing like diamonds, and a hot salty reward fill his mouth, one shot at a time.

“All right, that’s good,” Stallion whispered down at him, patting his head gently. Levi popped his mouth off and took a few more swallows, trying to force the load down enough to speak, but it was like a dog licking peanut butter.

“Wait here a few seconds before you head out; they don’t like me doing this.” Stallion circled around him and patted down his lightly furred chest with his towel before starting to wrap himself.

“Wait, don’t *gulp* go. Can we lift together sometime?”

Stallion cracked another half-mouth smile at him and leaned down for a kiss on the cheek. “Sorry, I only work out alone. It messes with my rest periods.” And he left.

Levi stood there under the scalding shower, skin reddening, realizing he hadn’t brought a towel today. He took a few hard, deep breaths as he figured out what options were left. He would respond to this positively, and use this as an opportunity to better himself and grow as a person. Constructive. Healthy.

“Okay, then. Let’s pull a heist.”

The following night, a few hours before dawn, Levi took a look up at his mark. “Kiko Romero’s Casa de Magíque.” Fifteen years of shopping here made it no clearer to him which language the title was trying to convey. There was also a painting over the entrance that was a cultural Rorschach test. The mascot certainly wasn’t Kiko. His head was in a turban that could come from a number of Middle Eastern or Asian cultures. Mysterious black eyes looked down over his thin black facial hair, which was somewhere between a fu manchu and a Jafar beard. Levi noticed how the eyes followed him as he crossed the street.

When he was a child, he’d confused the man in the painting with the Zoltar machine, and ever since he knew the place held some higher purpose for him.

Kiko lamented all too openly to customers about the jammed garage-style security gate. It had, indeed, not been fixed yet. The metal grating stopped about fourteen inches below the doorknob, allowing any regulars or people with advanced knowledge of doors to find it blindly. Feeling like he was fishing a snack out of a vending machine, Levi popped the knob and pushed the creaky door open.

The more he visited over the years, the more questions he had. The proprietor was always warm and accommodating with him, in her own uniquely energetic way. She was especially welcoming once he was on his own. She always kept her secrets, though, and they may be exactly the ones he needed.

The place looked like it might have been part of an office a century ago, with support columns evenly spaced and wall fixtures for lighting. A dozen long rows of book stacks: some fiction, some magazines, some scientific, some pseudo-scientific. National Geographic back issues next to a zine called Leylines Monthly. Rows of anthropological texts on cultural views on magic and how it was practiced. Sections devoted to modern fiction, new-age practice, fairy tales. As he walked, the few sconce lights nearest him flickered, setting him off a bit. There were overhead lights in the ceiling tiles, but they were dark. No other customers, understandably, but no sign of Kiko, either. “In and out, Levi; you know just what you’re here to do.”

As he got to the middle of the stacks, there was a table full of crystals and jewelry, usually by local artists. He turned right, still somewhat successful in avoiding the creakiest floorboards. Towards the far wall, he spied the velvet rope blocking off a small, raised section in the back corner of the store by a fireplace. The “Private Collection” where all the really good stuff must be. And yet… the velvet rope barring it off must be dealt with. It had a bronze trigger hook that the clasp had fallen out of. It looked like it could just be lifted off its loop and replaced. But that was too simple. Could he duck it? Jump it? Perhaps a flourished jeté over it with a tightly controlled landing would be the better approach?

He lifted the hook off and just walked through.

An electric buzz from above sent his intestines swimming an instant before the ceiling lights came on full blast. Levi dropped the rope with a startled jump. What had been a foreboding, mysterious house of curiosities was now just a musty bookstore, but it was all the more threatening for the illumination.

Levi’s ears went on high alert. Sure enough, they picked up the subtle groan of a wooden door out of sight.

“We have a customer, it would seem. And, I think perhaps, a bit of an idiot, maybe?” Kiko called through the room with her trademark vaguely European accent of nonspecific origin. “Allow me to welcome you to my, Madame Kiko’s, grand collection of otherworldly knowledge.” Her words came slow, timed with her steps as she carefully drew closer. “Now where can I come and help you find what you are looking for…? Not at the register, I see, so… looking for something in the Private Collection, it would seem? How very, very bold…”

Levi heard Kiko turn the corner from the back of the shop into the row he’d just been standing in, but he had already crouched beside the end of the stack. What were the options? Bolt for the front door? Maybe. Something in his gut told him this might be his only chance at something big though. He needed a distraction. The wall closest to him had a fireplace. He noticed the sign posted above it with an arrow pointing into the hearth. “JKR Book Donations”. Cute, but no help. And in the other direction? The table of crystals. He thought about knocking it over, but that wouldn’t solve anything either. No, this called for a tried and true solution.

Levi reached into his duffel and pulled out the crunched remains of the energy drink he’d downed on the bus here, to steel his nerves. Aiming the projectile the best he could, he hurled it back towards the front door where it clattered. The next step was crucial. How far Kiko had gotten would determine which side of the bookshelf he needed to move to.

As luck would have it, she moved directly out of the Private Collection, necessitating that he move into it. He wasted no time in scanning the titles for something of interest to him. “On the Classification of Patrons and Their Summoning Rituals”, one title read. Yeah, that’s a good ticket to find. He pulled the book out and flipped through it, stopping at random to see a detailed sketch of a creature or humanoid next to instructions. Thank god, pictures. Masterfully hand tipped in ink, each was rendered to heighten their unnaturalness. A matronly woman with a third eye. A small quadruped with a hooked tail and a wide grin of sticky teeth, but no eyes. A teenage girl looking sullen in a dress made of spiders. And then, Levi found him.

The page was titled “Lon”, with a Greek spelling appended underneath. And this… patron, he assumed? He was hot. Corkscrew horns out of each temple, eyes made of lightning, a face carved from marble with cheek and jaw bones protruding possessively, with a wickedly sharp nose in stark contrast. His mood was sadistic, monstrous. A thick bulge of an Adam’s apple arching from his throat. And everything below the neck? With no reference for height scale, he couldn’t be sure, but Levi estimated the Beast had to be at least 500 pounds of raw, ripped meat poured into the body of a demon. Pumpkin deltoids pushing against traps that encroached his head. Pecs full, heavy, gravity-dragged yet still jutting proudly upward, with a ridged valley of cleavage so deep you could lose your head. Quads thick, sweeping wide enough off the bone that the muscle insertion must have the density of tungsten. Even his calves defied physics, the bulging inverted hearts nearly touching from a wide stance. His feet were thick digitigrade claws, and a swooping tail curved around a jutting glute tantalizingly visible even from a full-frontal perspective. Fractal cuts in his serratus and abs pointed the way to his groin. The monster there eclipsed every other part of him. What must be well over a foot and a half of angry, veiny cock pulled at the skin. The slab of meat came to rest just above his knees, thick enough to more than hold its own against its superhuman leg development. No circumcision scar, either, so whatever state of erect this seemed to be in seemed to have simply outgrown his foreskin.

Yes. This is why he was here. Levi debated grabbing the book and running. Stealing from this place seemed like the worst idea imaginable, but snagging a picture of the details on his phone was reflexively easy. Unless Kiko was Fae it wouldn’t be a problem. And if she was, well, he was probably doomed no matter what. No time to worry about that now, he realized. Kiko sounded like she was on her way back. Through the books, he could tell she was looking up and down each aisle methodically. Wielding a shotgun.

He ruffled through his bag for another distraction, and there it was. The jagged green outline of an “M” on the energy drink he’d been saving for celebration. This particular blend sported a dragon on the can, and boasted a nostalgic punch flavor accentuated by his favorite tropical fruits. It was a flavor he’d been dying to try, and had only found this once. His heart sank as he shook the can vigorously to prepare it for a different purpose.

As Kiko looked towards the front of the shop, he stood, levered the tab just enough to hear the start of a hiss and hurled the can a few rows over. As it crashed to the ground, he heard the top snap just enough to begin releasing the pressure, spinning wildly and spraying drink everywhere. Kiko’s shoes thudded faster as she saw the projectile and Levi took his chance once she crossed the aisle. He was out the door before she’d caught the can, and beelined for the nearest bus towards anywhere.

“...Lon, I beseech you, come to my aid. Help me embody the magnificence of your visage. In primis, servio Asmodeo.“

At once, a short, circular puff of wind encircled him. He’d arranged five candles on his floor between the two bed sets. They snuffed out simultaneously, five wisps of smoke rising in identical spirals. The air cooled around him, and the sounds of the rain outside once again reached his ears. It had been two hours since he’d caught his bus, and almost all of that time was spent rerouting him towards home. He’d spent every spare second studying the photo he snagged, rehearsing the incantations, wondering if this was real, laughing at himself, and then realizing he didn’t care. He had to try.

His bedroom was still, once again. The heat of the ritual dissipated, the cool blue night filled the floor space between his bed and the door. Just him and the encroaching darkness.

Did it work? Was Lon coming for him? Would he suddenly hear his voice in his head? He started to get to his feet when the door to the bedroom clicked.

“Pete? Nick?” He called for his roommates, assuming one of them might be returning from a hookup.

Inch by inch, the door creaked open. Levi scooted back along the floor, knocking over one of his snuffed candles until he bumped into the bunk-bed his roommates shared.

“Drew? Hector? Vince, Manuel, Gino, Freddie, Ib?” he whispered to his other seven flatmates, in case one of them had heard something during the ritual and came to check.

As the door swung fully open, he clearly observed no fingers manipulating it, even from the hinges, until it came to a full stop against the adjacent wall. Levi’s pulse was racing. There was no one there. And yet something told him he was not alone. Suddenly he was very aware of the breath leaving his lips, the pulse in his veins. Bracing against the bed, he got to his feet.

He lifted a foot to go investigate the door, but as he did, he noticed the mist. Wisps of smoke, as from dry ice with no source, fell to the ground by the door. And as they landed, they left an imprint around a three-pronged shape, like a leaf or… a claw.

“Lon?” Another imprint appeared on the floor, 3 feet closer and nearly 4 feet to the left of the first one. Levi jumped involuntarily.

Another footprint, to the right. The being was already halfway across the room. Suddenly Levi realized he didn’t photograph the back of the page. Were there instructions for commanding a patron? Releasing them? Or if necessary, banishing them?

Another footprint, left. It was now or never. One more step and he’d be on him. What happened from there wouldn’t be in his control. Levi stepped forward, coming to meet where he thought the steps ended.

“Lon,” Levi addressed his invisible guest. “I have brought you to this plane. Can you- can you show yourself.”

A voice two octaves lower than his own boomed through him, reverberating the bones in his ears. “Fearless, this one.” Levi brought a hand up, expecting to feel a wall of invisible muscle blocking his path, but there was nothing. He looked around. The footprints seemed to have melted or evaporated as quickly as they’d come, and no new ones had been left.

“Let’s change that.” Levi was violently thrust into the air by a still-unseen force around his neck. He kicked his feet trying to grip the floor, but it was useless. Even pushing against the wall did nothing to loosen the grip on his neck.

Levi felt a whip of cloth slide over his slender thighs as his sweatpants were jettisoned off of him, leaving his cock dangling in the middle of the room. He was only 145 pounds, but still, he was being manhandled like a toy. Tears welled in his eyes as his blood pressure rose and his head felt lighter and lighter. Part of him knew he had to fight. He knew the tropes. Say his name in reverse, repeat the summoning spell and change a word, make a fucking ‘t’ with his fingers, anything, because he was surely about to die.

Instead, he got hard. All he could think of was the size of this beast that had him completely pinned. That somehow, he had to trust that this was just the beginning and that he would get through this, and get everything he wanted out of it. He had Lon’s attention, and that was the most valuable thing he’d ever had.

Suddenly, relief in his throat. He looked around, no longer being force-choked. He was, instead, levitating against the wall.

And then, he felt it. A soft, flat tongue slowly tickled the glans of his cock, quickening his ascent. But the tongue kept coming, snaking over the entire head and slipping along its curvature. Levi had never felt a tongue like this. It wrapped around him like a candy cane stripe, down and down, stopping periodically to backtrack, feeling the sticky saliva stimulate his whole cock in alternating currents. It was already making his toes curl. And when it finally reached the root of his cock at the underside, its forked tip lifted and fell against the folds of his ball sac. His entire package was in a cocoon of stimulation and pleasure. His breath accelerated, his balls drawing higher.

He looked down to see his cock throbbing in midair. Thick gobs of white saliva striped up and down his length, mixing with the steady drool of precum out of his member, collecting onto the bed below. He tried to reach for his tool, but the shudders of ecstasy took him every time he got close. Or was something holding him in place?

The tongue lengthened still, wrapping once around his scrotum and applying downward pressure. An uncomfortable gasp escaped his lips as this stretch ebbed between the bounds of pain and pleasure, and still the tongue traveled further. Pressure along his taint, gently stimulating his prostate externally, millimeter by sultry millimeter, tantalizingly close to his hole.

Suddenly the tongue rewound, releasing his cock at the same moment gravity returned to him. Levi crashed onto his bed. He lay there, blue-balled package leaking precum into his abs, still right at the edge. He still felt pressure at his hole, though no longer wet. His hand investigated but found no physical presence, despite the feeling of a warm mushroom head finding an angle into him. He craned his neck and began looking for any signs of Lon. For a moment, there was nothing.

“Why do you seek my patronage? Power… or more pleasure? And what are you willing to give, mortal?”

Levi composed himself once again, even bolder now with the knowledge he would be dead if Lon wanted that.

“If that’s what you mean by pleasure, I don’t need it. There’s a reason I chose you, why I want you. You can give me what no human on Earth possibly could.”

“Many have come to me. They seek revenge, they seek to conquer, to destroy and subjugate. And when these undeserving men dare to assume I’m empathetic to their litigious attempts to force my help? They die, and I reap their souls to power my entertainment center.

“I choose my Acolytes for a specific purpose. They must have a caliber of soul worthy of my patronage. Do you share my vision, or will you perish?”

“I-... I want your size, your masculine aura, your raw strength and power. I want my body grown so large I can hardly move. I don’t care how that limits me anymore. I want it. I will work whatever I need for it. The only thing stopping me is knowing the way. Give me even that much aid, and I will give anything you ask.”

He heard the sneer of air expelling through flared nostrils.

“Bold terms. You have my attention, for now. There are papers to be signed, but…” Lon trailed off. Levi saw the footprints once again appearing, their impossibly wide gait again heading for the open door. Levi wasn’t sure the entity hadn’t left entirely, or if it was still waiting, watching him for something.

“I will observe you from a human form. If you are worthy of my patronage, I will spare your life and grant your desires. We are agreed.” The air pierced with a wicked snap. The invisible force at his ass invaded. An orgasm washed over Levi as if he had been pushed from a plane. His first shot pinged against the bottom of his chin, droplets ricocheting onto his neck, dribbling down to his chest. It was as though that shot pierced a hole in his head, and he felt his brains draining out of it. As he blasted more and more cum over his chest, the world drained away from him, until all that was left was the deep, vibrating pleasure of a man well satisfied.

The last thing he heard was “I hope you still like your terms when this is over.”

It had been a week since casting the ritual, and every new face Levi saw was starting to look demonic: the new waiter at work, the cop who’d begun patrolling his block, the shredded, 240-pound bodybuilder visiting his gym from Lucifer Falls, NY, whom no one had ever heard of before.

Some of the candidates were more likely than others, admittedly.

But all of them disappeared from Levi’s field of view quickly, perhaps because he began intense lines of questioning for more information. After a week, the most likely explanation was that he had hallucinated the whole thing, including breaking into Kiko’s shop. There was no sign of his trespass the next time he went there, including the sprayed energy drink. He’d continued his usual weekly habit of poking his nose in at new fiction and never buying anything, and hoped he hadn’t come across suspicious.

To him, it made no sense. This was an open-book test. Lon was posed as a human to observe his potential. It didn’t matter if he knew who he was. But for now, it was business as usual: balance his shifts at the restaurant and his lifting schedule with whatever grace he could manage. Meanwhile, look for dance auditions and hopelessly browse grindr. It was one week to the day after casting the ritual that this last pursuit presented an interesting lead.

The opening message from user “SmallCalvesBigHeart” was a pic, according to the notification. By default, Levi had learned to assume such messages were genital pics, which he would strike as a huge red flag. Cautious, he checked the profile before opening.

26, 5’4, 115 pounds.

Levi sometimes forgot some people in this city actually were smaller than him. The guy had a cute smile, at least, and lord help him, he bought clothes tight enough to show off his body. Medium chestnut hair, cheek dimples, and just a few wisps of chin hair. Despite being a handful of years older than Levi, this was still a boy on the edge of manhood. The phrase sent a shiver straight through Levi that he didn’t fully understand. The feeling convinced him to open the photo, despite being all but convinced a closeup of an anus was waiting for him.

What he saw surprised him. It was just the guy, shirtless, arms crossed, and puffing up the millimeters of lean chest muscle his metabolism accentuated. In one hand was a note. “Sup, Levi?”

He couldn’t help but smile in spite of himself. This was not at all his speed. The private photo collection on Levi’s laptop started and ended with guys whose arms were bigger than this kid’s entire torso. But he had to recognize the confidence.

Levi_99: “Heh. I’m good. Just getting ready to lift. You?”

SmallCalvesBigHeart: “Omw to the gym right now, actually. Just caught the metro.”

Levi_99: “This time of day? Don’t get crushed to death. Where do you lift?”

SmallCalvesBigHeart: “Lol. Gatewhey, same as you.”

Levi_99: “You actually read my profile?”

SmallCalvesBigHeart: “What, do people not read profiles on here?”

Levi_99: “Lol. Well maybe I’ll see you. What’s your name, by the way?”

SmallCalvesBigHeart: “Yuri. I hope so!”

Levi couldn’t remember the last time he looked forward to a workout with anything more than a begrudging sense of personal duty. Today, though, a boy had made him excited for the prospect.

When he got to the gym floor, he’d never seen it so empty at this time on a Saturday, brightening Levi’s outlook on the upcoming workout even further. But just as he was about to plant his water and phone to claim a machine press, he heard a cacophony of excited fans cheering someone on from the power racks area.

He was still unwilling to enter into that space and attract the judgmental eye of his elders, but he could at least get close enough to see what the fuss was about. A new face in a staff trainer uniform was squatting 765. An electric rage seemed to arc out of his eyes as his rear chain engaged to shoulder the weight off the rack, all focus boring a hole in the mirror ahead of him. Levi didn’t need to see this. Headline: Big Guy Lifts Heavy Weight, Everyone Loves Him Forever. You have your own story to tell. Levi started back to his machine.

One of the few lifters who hadn’t gone to ogle had begun a set on a bench press close to the powerlifter platforms. The bar was tilting wildly as small plates slid back and forth over the barbell arms. The lifter’s feet kicked out from under him, tapping down and trying to balance himself. Unfortunately, that cost him the only grounding against the weight he had and the bar collapsed to his chest, pinning him.

“Whoa, hey hey hey, it’s okay, I got you,” Levi rushed over and yanked the weight up off him as hard as he could back onto the lower set of safeties, accidentally clocking the damsel’s chin in the process. “Oh shit, sorry.”

“Mmm, no, I’m okay. Thank you. Uhhh.” The lifter took a moment to figure out how to shimmy out under the bar’s narrow clearance, and Levi finally got a look at him. Chestnut hair and boyish stubble.

“Oh, Yuri, it’s you. Are you all right?” Levi circled around to offer a helping hand up.

“Thanks for the save, Levi. Would you mind spotting my next one, if you’re between sets?” Levi blinked. Not even someone like Yuri had ever requested him for a spot before. Do I even know how to?

“I hadn’t even started my workout yet. I can wait around till you’re done on this lift, though. How many more you got?”

“That was my first one,” Yuri replied, apologetically. “What are you hitting today?”

“The plan was chest,” Levi said.

“Well how about that? Why don’t we team up?” Again, Levi could only blink in disbelief. Usually guys Yuri’s size had to come to the gym in groups, for protection. He understood the compulsion and the utility of that pack mentality.

“Uh, sure! So, did your friends bail on you?” Levi asked, preparing to be told he was just acting as stand-in.

“No, no friends yet. I just moved here from down south. This is my first lift here.”

That term seemed odd. Down south? Did he mean San Diego? Or was it code for something…? He thought back briefly to the withering look of judgment he received when he asked the new waiter at work a little too directly about his possible underworld ties.

“Let’s do it!” Levi said, pushing the 10- and 5-pound weights back into position from his side of the bench. “Here, grab that side, let’s move this back up,” and together they were able to lift the barbell back to the starting position without stripping the 30 pounds off.

“Help me lift off?” Levi asked as he settled under the bar and adjusted his grip.

“You got it.”

With his comfort and confidence at an all-time high, Levi was easily able to punch out a fast 12 reps and rack it.

“Nice set,” Yuri responded with a reassuring tone before switching places. “Well, back on the horse.”

“Maybe try anchoring your feet a little harder on this set? As soon as you lifted your leg the weight practically crashed onto you.”

“Yeah, I felt that. I’ll try.” It was not a steady set by any means, but Yuri managed 9 reps and was clearly about to rack it when Levi encouraged, “One more, I got you.”

Incredulity flashed in Yuri’s eyes for a moment, but he took a breath and brought the weight lower once more. His elbows quaked and it was clear the weight was not moving back up without help, but Levi got him back to safety without an issue. “Oh, wow, that smarts.”

“Is it bad? Are your elbows okay?” Levi asked.

“Yeah, I’m good. Better than ever, really.” It showed. For a waifish novice it wasn’t very much, but Levi saw just a little more curvature pushing into his shirt than before.

“You keeping the weight here? You probably want more of a challenge.” Yuri said, matter-of-factly. In truth, some instinct to impress Yuri kicked in, but he didn’t seem affected. Levi liked this response even more, though.

“135’s the goal I’ve been working with, but I can’t really handle even a rep of that before I’m flailing like you were before.”

Yuri considered a moment. “How about this? I’ll put you up to 105, and you see if you can still power through it like your last set. Levi considered it. The first time he’d gotten to 105 he passed right by it and kept trying to push his limit. Maybe there was more to learn there.

Sure enough, the set left him fighting for his life, and his chest ached beyond what he’d felt in months.

The workout continued like this, moving from exercise to exercise, both men taking turns helping each other, identifying possible points of improvement, and motivating each other. Not every idea was a winner, but they kept trying, and moved on when something wasn’t working.

Levi noticed the new trainer from the earlier squat making the rounds, talking to every member that didn’t turn him away. He couldn’t be sure, but he seemed to be taking a keen interest in the two of them. Or maybe just him?

Before he knew it, nearly two hours had flown by. He wasn’t sure it was the most effective workout, but Yuri made it fun. It wasn’t just his beaming optimism, but the experimentation of it all.

Whereas on his normal workouts, Levi would move from familiar machine to familiar machine, maximizing his effort on the few lifts he felt confident with and repeating them. This lift felt like a buffet, getting to sample and indulge to their liking.

“I don’t think my chest could take another pound without going on strike. Want to move on to triceps? Or delts?”

“Do I?! Yes, I do. But let me run to the bathroom first, the preworkout finally caught up to me.” Yuri jogged away and Levi began looking for a corner of the dumbbell area to squat down in.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. Levi turned around and was staring nipple-height at the taut v-neck polo of the new trainer.

The breathable mesh cotton blend was pulled tight as a superhero costume by the two massive meat melons within. He stared in awe at the tears in the fabric under the arms; Levi guessed he couldn’t wait to get the shirt tailored, and his arms just wouldn’t go in otherwise. The fucking cannons exploding out of the shirt still looked like they had tourniquets applied at the base of the overblown ice-cream-scoop shape of his biceps. The right arm had a severe vein that looked half as thick as Levi’s dick working its way over the top of that mountain peak, snaking at random towards the crook of his elbow.

He reached forward his forearm, an absolutely titanic slab of muscle packed under the paper thin skin, cords writhing as his fingers straightened into a handshake gesture.

Levi felt he was staring into the furnace at the fiery center of the earth. A magnificent force of heat and energy radiated at him, flushing life through him as he stared.

He still hadn’t looked at his face. Look at his face, Levi. There we go. Nice teeth or whatever, and fuck, look at his traps. How thick must that neck be?

“Hey, I’m Cole. New trainer, just started here today.”

“Levi. Nice to meet you.” He slid a hand into the calloused mitt, still dry with chalk.

“Tell me about yourself, Levi. I’m trying to get to know all the regulars.”

Levi spotted Yuri emerge from the lockers, walking back across the machines section.

“Well, I’m trained as a dancer. I’ve wanted to grow my whole life, but only found a good rent situation a few years ago. I’ve been coming here ever since. I’ve pretty much taught myself to lift, but today I met Yuri and I feel like I’ve learned a ton even with just one lift together.”

“That’s great, man, everybody wants to get huge, and I’m here to help make it happen,” Cole replied. He continued, more discreetly, “I’d be careful relying on a green lifting buddy too early. It’s a good way to learn a lot of bad habits. Also, and I’m really not supposed to say this, but most guys his size can’t keep with it more than a few months.”

Cole finished his warning just as Yuri came in earshot. “You’ve clearly been here for years, so I know you want it bad enough to stick with it. Nothing better for that than working with somebody who’s grown a whole stable full of prize bodybuilders.”

“Oh, you’ve trained pros? By the way, Yuri, this is Cole.”

Cole gave a quick nod in his direction. “Hi. Yeah, I’ve trained a few guys up to national level. I prefer to work with gay men, though, and they’ve all hit hard walls in the sport. It’s been a dream of mine to shatter that ceiling someday, but it’s not easy.

“Anyway, it sounds like money’s a little tight for you, but I think you might be the first client I want to take on. The place here has let me give a discount on my services at my discretion. If you’re interested.”

Levi’s heart nearly exploded in his chest as he processed the information.

“Oh, Cole, wow.” He could hardly stifle his confoundment, and stood slackjaw a moment. “Wow! Uh, thank you! I… need to check my accounts. Can I let you know this week?”

“Sure, sure, take your time. Looking forward to hearing your answer. I’ll see you around, Levi.” Cole’s face dropped slightly as his eyes looked over, “Yuri.”

“See ya.” Yuri gave them both an odd look, but let Levi have his starstruck moment before suggesting. “So, delts, and then maybe grab dinner? My treat. Sounds like you’ve got something to celebrate and save for, now.”

“So what is it you like about dancing so well?” Yuri asked, mouth partially full of burrito bowl.

Levi considered where to begin. “My mom taught me when I was young. She gave ballet lessons downtown on weekends. It was definitely a bonding thing, but also… It was one of the first signs I was gay I can remember. She took me to see this show once. I have no idea what it was called. But the principal male was fighting with the villain for the honor of a woman, and the way they showed the struggle... Their fight for dominance, expressed through movement, each attempting to overpower and immobilize the other.

“It showed the male form at its most naked and vulnerable, but also at its most empowered and strong. And to a six-year-old, their muscles made them look like God himself.

“To top it all off, the fight climaxed after the villain completely disarmed the hero and bound him. But, the power of love allowed him to break free and force the villain to submit, giving up his own freedom. I thought the submission meant the men fell in love. Mom had to explain it to me after, but I just remember the look they gave each other, the intensity of their bond. I fell in love with male love right then and there.”

“Ballet gets a lot spicier than I realized.”

“Oh yeah, all dance is sex, all sex is an expression of power, all power benefits from coordination, restraint and trust. It can be potent, it can be savage, and in its highest form it can be just… comfortable. An act of pleasure between people who are completely at ease with each other’s strengths and needs, giving and reclaiming power in perfect harmony.”

“Spoken like a pro.”

“At sex? Thinking about dance just gets me going, I guess; I swear I’m not that experienced. But yeah, I do all right expressing it through movement.”

“Not so different from a bodybuilding routine,” Yuri observed.

“No,” Levi said, “definitely not. The beauty of masculinity, the power and control it takes… they seem like a natural overlap. Granted ballet wouldn’t work mechanically at the sizes I’m looking to get to, but I’d figure it out. I believe the change in a man’s body as he grows presents as many nuanced options to dance as any other style. We just don’t know the rules yet.”

“So what is your endgame, then? Document your growth journey through dance? How far are you gonna take that?”

“I don’t know,” Levi admitted. “Men always seem bigger in your memories, but I think I’m already about on par with those dancers I saw at 6 years old. From here, I think I could just say ‘5 more pounds’ until my heart gives out. What about you? Are you an ‘abs and bis for summer’ guy or do you have some grander plans for yourself?”

“I’ve been into bodybuilding for a long, long time. I studied all the theory. Where I grew up there were a lot of old pros I could talk to, so I learned everything I could. But circumstances haven’t let me put any of it into action until I moved here.

“As for my actual goals… can I be, like, obscenely honest with you?” Yuri asked.

“Well, I did just lay bare my childhood sex fantasies, so we’re way past playing coy now.”

“I want to see the day when every single man in existence becomes a gnarly, disgustingly musclebound behemoth, myself included,” Yuri professed, the excitement brimming in his hushed voice.

“Lofty goal. What makes you care about others so much?”

“Masculinity is my religion, and I wish to spread the gospel.” They chuckled. “I’m a little bit of a wiccan, I guess. I got into it doing some research for an anthropology paper junior year. Anyway, you’ll get laughed out of a group if you ever suggest looking for a muscle growth spell, but I like to believe there’s more strangeness in the world than we’ve yet seen.”

“I know exactly what you mean,” Levi said, unable to think of a way to take that conversation thread further without bringing up some uncomfortable recent events.

“So that’s your goal? 5 more pounds until forever? What’s standing in your way?”

Levi smiled, “Maybe nothing, now? As long as Cole’s promise is as good as it seems. But, I’m not going to count that chicken quite yet.”

“Are you sure trusting Cole is the right idea?”

“Not at all. Pretty much everyone I’ve shared my goals with has taken advantage of me one way or another.”

“So you’re not going to train with him?”

Levi frowned, buying time by chewing another large chunk of chicken and rice. “I think I will. I can barely swing what he’s quoting me, so I have to try it for a month or two at least? I could learn so much.”

“I don’t want to tell you what to do. I just get a bad vibe off of him. Those other guys he trained? Only two went to nationals and they didn’t just retire from the sport, they completely disappeared.”

“You have no idea what happened?”

“Nothing good.”

Levi looked down at his food, idly stirring the remains. “I’ve done some really stupid things hoping to earn someone’s guidance. Nobody wants to help. I don’t know what kind of designs this guy has on me, but he has the answers I need. And for once, someone’s not gatekeeping them.”

Yuri reached a hand forward onto Levi’s. “I know how hard it is to be denied. It feels like the people who should be helping you are deliberately withholding your potential just to punish you in some sick game. I know just how that dance goes.”

Levi replied, coldly, “That’s why we gotta learn to take for ourselves, right? Even if there’s a risk. No one’s ever going to give for free.”

Yuri removed his hand. “Respectfully? Balderdash. Givers are hard to find, true. They have to hide, because they know they’re easiest to hurt. At least, that’s how it is in the social circles 20-somethings run in. It’s like you say with dance: perfection is harmonious giving, not taking.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”

“And I don’t think you really meant that, anyway. You’re not a taker, Levi. Well, maybe in the one way.”

“Ass!” Levi smiled.

Yuri jibed, “Yes, that is where you take it.”

Stunned, Levi scoffed.

“I want to give you something. You know how I said I dabble in Wicca?” He began fishing something out of his gym bag. “I make these for my friends sometimes. It’s supposed to deflect dark influences.”

He produced a small dimebag with an earring in it, maybe the size of one knuckle. He held it up to the restaurant window, and against the twilight sky its reflection shone a brilliant turquoise blue in contrast to the gray rock, with small cleaves that sparkled like golden oil as they ran through it.

“What’s this stone? It’s hypnotizing. And what do these letters mean?” Levi noticed three letters scraped into a flat side of the stone, “υων”. “Does that say UWU?”

“Labradorite. And the letters are how the spell works. It is most definitely not uwu.”

“Well, it’s beautiful, thank you. And in that case, here.” Levi reached into his own bag and produced the white quartz gem he’d had in his bag for years. He handed it to Yuri, who began inspecting it intently.

“A flourish stone? This is the real deal! Are you sure you don’t need this?”

“Happy to give it to a good home. I’m not sure it was harmonized with my chi or whatever.” Levi replaced his existing stud with the new accessory as Yuri pulled a small leather cord out of his bag and fashioned a necklace with the Quartz.

It was a simple accent piece on Yuri, but it matured him. Or maybe it was just getting to know him in general, knowing the hunger that lurked under those cornflower eyes. The way the stone dangled into his budding pecs, Levi started to imagine his potential. He’d look so good with another 20 pounds on him. Or 200. He could do it. Fuck, maybe they both could.

Their eyes fixed on each other, imagining the possibilities, magnetized towards each other.

“Can I—” Levi began to ask.

“Just do it.” Levi closed the last inches towards Yuri’s and lips, and they met in an embrace that outlasted the setting sun.

Levi felt seen and understood, and perhaps even protected by a new charm as their lips caressed each other. In twenty minutes, he’d mentioned his mom, revealed his earliest sexual memory, and most embarrassing of all, fessed up to actually owning a magic crystal. But Yuri didn’t judge him for any of it. If anything, he made him feel safer exploring the weirder parts of himself.

Yuri brushed a soft hand against his cheek, just barely maintaining contact with his skin as he ran his hand to the back of Levi’s head and continued massaging through the kiss. Levi welcomed his tongue inside and let himself be explored and enjoyed, gently licking back in appreciation.

When their mouths parted, he dimly felt the adoration of the three or four Happy Tacos customers who’d noticed them. Yuri let out a long, breathy laugh. His smile could have broken his face in half. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Just… thank you. That was more special than you can ever know.”

“There’s a lot more to come,” Levi’s curiosity throbbed, but he allowed the moment to hang unspoiled when Yuri didn’t respond right away.

Yuri only spoke when the elation of the moment had waned. He poised himself. “Levi, I’m sorry, but I can’t be with anyone right now.”

“Oh, I’m not trying to say we have to be, you know, together,” Levi reassured, reflexively, but then came to his own defense. “Are you telling me you don’t want to explore this? Not at all?”

“This is a real bear having to even say. I just can’t. Maybe someday, if you still want to.”

“I will!”

“Such a puppy,” Yuri teased, taking Levi’s cheek in his hand again. Levi nuzzled against it.

“But, why not? There’s clearly something here.”

“There is. It’s just complicated and the less you know, the better.”

“Oh,” disappointment washed through Levi. “I’ve heard that before. You’re seeing someone.”

Yuri stopped to consider. “There is another situation, yes. I need to take my time here, and make sure this is the right move.”

“Say no more. I get it. Old boyfriend back where you came from, and now you’ve moved, so things are complicated. I am not new to the dating scene.”

“See, I wouldn’t even deserve you if we could…” Yuri declined to finish the thought. “Thank you. I wish I could say it’s not going to be forever, but… I hope this isn’t the end for us?” Concern flushed across Yuri’s brow.

“Back day tomorrow?”

“Wild horses, Levi.”

“Okay, rise and shine, Levi! Open up you ugly little shit spit!” Shrill. Muffled. Walls shaking.

Anger. Blackness. Body odor. The force of his roommate’s foot was needed to get Levi to unbury his head from his pillow. “Dude, get the fuck up and deal with this.” Nick was standing directly over him, nudging him with an exposed toe in a dirty sock.

“Is that your mom out there, Levi?” Pete stood by the dresser in a towel, shaving his face into a tupperware basin in front of the crooked wall mirror.

Levi sneered as he sloughed his bedsheet off of him. Halfway around, a twinge in his back flared up to remind him that his squat technique was still not acceptable and that he’d have to practice more. “No, that’s not my mom. I don’t know who that is.”

“You don’t know who your mom is?” Pete sniggered.

“My mom’s dead.” It wasn’t exactly that he felt good about playing the dead mom card, but he felt she’d approve of playing it to shut up an asshole.

“Yes, I will go deal with the door, Nick. Now, you want me to flop my dick on you when I stand up or will you give me some space?” Nick held his hands up and backed up to his bunk.

“And can you be just a little bit more quiet?” Levi whispered at his roommates with the most authority he could muster.

Levi rifled through the pile of sweatpants at his bedside to find the one pair with enough elasticity in the waist to support a cell phone in the pocket and summarily poured himself into them, along with yesterday’s t-shirt and a fuzzy pair of slippers. Grabbing his phone and checking the hour, he muttered “fucking early birds” on his way out the bedroom door and towards the main flat entrance.

There, with her greasy, graying blonde hair and faded sunflower frock, he found the substantial, squat form of Madame Kiko Romero.

*SLAP* The blow landed hard across his cheek, but at least she had her rings turned out. Before Levi even felt the pain settle into the first attack, the gremlin of a woman swatted him twice more *SLAP* *SLAP*

“Ow! Stop! What-?”

“Shut up! I know what you did, you and your stupid little drinks. And the only reason I’m not pressing charges is that first, I like you. And more importantly, I have no evidence I can take to the police! Three months preparing a divination spell just to find it was some dumb kid looking for a demon daddy!?” *SMACK* This one landed just on his upper arm. At least she was getting tired.

“Okay, so let me—” Levi started to qualify, but was hit with another fresh slap to the face. Maybe not too tired.

“Stop talking! Here, take this. She reached down and picked up a packed cardboard box and shoved it at him. “This is all I can give you to protect you from whatever hell you’ve wrought down upon yourself. Take it, and never darken my doorstep again.” She spit at his feet, before turning heel and hobbling back down the hall.

Just as Levi was about to close the door, she turned with one final thought. “Oh, and there’s a cloak in there. It’s my late husband’s and he was kind of” she drew a curve over her belly with her hands and blew a raspberry, continuing, “so you might have to get it tailored. It’s not protective but I just figured it would look nice because you’re always wearing these boxy t-shirts and you look like a schlub.” Once again making for the door, she waved a hand back at Levi like she was finishing a shopping trip with friends. “Ta, darling. I never want to see your ugly rat face ever again! I mean it! Ciao!”

He brought the box back into his bedroom and kicked the door shut behind him. His roommates were still in various states of undress, getting ready for their work days.

“I thought you were gay, dude,” Pete sniped, “what are you doing going around breaking grannie’s heart?”. Nick followed up, “Uh oh, looks she dumped your ass pretty hard. Need to hug it out bro? If you want we can help you burn all the sweaters she knitted you.”

“Guys, can I just get a little space and privacy here for a bit.”

The men looked at each other, calculating. Nick finally spoke, “Oh, you’re serious, no. No, you can sit in the hall if you need privacy.” He clicked his laptop and Five Finger Death Punch began roaring through the bedroom. His roommates began headbanging in unison.

Levi rubbed his temple and opened the box. A mothy smell from the cloak puffed up into the room. Pulling it out to full height, he did at least like the color.

Under the cloak was an old, leather-bound book. Not ancient, but several decades out of print, he would guess. “Interspersal and Diffusion of Paranormal Contagions of Vitality.” It sounded like an old medical book, the kind that was obsessed with making sure women never orgasmed.

A few pages were bookmarked. The first tab showed a ritual meant to halt the ingress of malicious spirits into the physical world. “Well, we’re already past that phase,” he muttered. “Let’s see what else we got.”

Although a jewelry box caught his eye, he was more immediately interested in an old photo at the bottom of the box that stirred something within him. It must have been really old, since the back of it had a logo of a pharmacy printed on it.

He recognized the beach in the photo, with Santa Monica Pier in the background. Three figures posed near the water. Levi was in the foreground, and couldn’t have been more than five years old. Behind him, his mother crossed his hands over his chest, holding him against her. And next to them was Madame Kiko herself.

Levi pored over the image, looking for a meaningful label or a secret magic accessory or the imprint of a ghost looming over them. But there was nothing. As far as he could tell, this was just a normal day at the beach.

The questions unsettled him, but it seemed there were no more answers. Still within was the flat white jewelry box, maybe large enough for a necklace. But just as he began to reach for it, his phone alerted him that he had to leave for the gym to make his bus on time. He tossed the book and the jewelry box into his bag for later, and prepared for his lift.

“Oolala! Look at you!” Levi had been so transfixed on his new look he hadn’t noticed his lifting buddy approach.

Levi had stopped and stared at himself in the locker room mirror, even before locking his bag up. He had tried the cloak on as a joke, at first. As billed, trying to fasten it in front made it sag like a deflating tent. But leaving it open allowed it to flow, with pleasant drapes in the cloth animating fluidly with each movement. He couldn’t help giving it a swish and a bit of flourish, elated to see the motion around him. Almost involuntarily, his hands made casting gestures as he imagined working his will into the world around him.

It hung almost down to his knees, despite the sleeves falling a little shy of his wrists, and thus clinging to his forearms. With the length, he worried it might make him look shorter, but looking in the mirror, it seemed to show off his recent gains.

“I know you’re sassing me, but I am actually looking hot as balls in this.” And then, when Narcissus finally pulled his gaze from the reflecting pool, he noticed Yuri. “You’re one to talk! What did you do?!”

Yuri’s head had been shaved down to a messy mohawk, the wavy brown locks now curling like dancing flames over the top of his head. Light reddish highlights even sealed the effect. “I hated the 70s mop, this feels so much more natural. And check it out! I think I’ve got a fourth chin whisker now,” he proudly puffed out his chest at the presentation.

Levi couldn’t deny it looked hot. That baby face contrasted against the rebellious cut, basically all features smoothed out except for the shock of hair and his bright blue eyes, soft lips, and gently pointed nose. <I>God, he’s cute.

Looking at them peacock their new aesthetics in the mirror together reminded him just a little of Johnny Doull and Dana Baker. They were nowhere near that size yet, and he would stress ‘yet’, but they weren’t the nobodies they had been when they met twelve weeks prior. It was almost two pounds a week for him, and it was starting to really show. The years of dancing gave him a shredded frame packed with dense muscle fitting the frame of the most compact of twinks. But now, Levi had crested over 170, and his shoulders finally had some shape to them, his lats pulled his shirts taut and began to show a bit of taper.

And, to his greatest satisfaction, it felt like every time he slid a pair of briefs up over his ass, they hugged just a little more meat. Ever since Cole had started working on his squat form he’d been able to really emphasize this particular muscle group, and it showed. His gains hadn’t been entirely lean, but dance practice and a gig economy diet always kept him well below 10% bodyfat, and a little extra weight still looked healthy. At 5’10, he no longer felt like a walking stick figure.

Meanwhile Yuri was catching up at a stunning rate. Even without Cole’s guidance, he’d put on almost 45 pounds in the same period, while keeping roughly the same body fat. 160 wasn’t a huge number, but on his short frame it looked like an explosion in slow motion. His determination to improve his bench was unparalleled. Once he hit a full plate, he made a habit of finishing his push days by practicing different variations of press technique at low weight and really learning how to get the maximal engagement out of his pecs, his triceps, his shoulders, and even his lats. Now he was maxing out at 205 and easily pushing 135 for reps.

His arms were slowly being carved in marble. His striated triceps were especially noticeable, stuffing all his skin-tight wardrobe. His quads looked like they’d doubled in size, to boot, from stick legs into respectable runner’s pipes. And, of course, his prized chest was stuffing his shirts fuller every single workout. In just a few months, it looked like they’d owned completely different wardrobes just with how differently everything was fitting them.

*SHRIIIP*

“Whoops, uh, guess I should have changed first,” Yuri said, hitting a most muscular into the mirror and blowing out a seam in his lats.

“Did you dig up more of your XS shirts?”

“Nope! I replaced them all with smalls last month.”

“I told you you should have jumped to mediums. Smalls aren’t going to last long at this rate.”

“Yeah. That’s the point! All right, enough showboating, let’s hit the floor.”

In the past three months, Levi had begun training with Cole three days a week, rotating which body parts they worked in his six day split. By now he’d had at least a few workouts for every muscle group. Yuri managed to catch up with him for at least two of his remaining three weekly lifts. And for the first time in three years, Levi enjoyed the work.

Cole was extremely rigid in his approach, teaching only what was needed to get through one grueling workout after another. So many sets were pushed to absolute failure, he felt he was being taught how to slip out of a bottomed-out hack squat as much as anything. Whatever Cole told him to do, though, he did without question, without complaint, without hesitation. Both of them seemed surprised at just how much Levi was capable of, and how quickly he adapted.

His workouts with Yuri were less intense, but felt no less productive. They quickly settled into some routines they both liked, but that gratifying experimentation remained part of the equation. Varying up their techniques periodically continued to bear fruit as they discovered how to get the most out of the lifts. Where Cole had the authority to reserve certain pieces of equipment, lifting with Yuri often meant adapting to equipment shortages, and developing outside their comfort zones. Yuri taught him about something called “mind-muscle connection,” an extra layer to weightlifting that Cole’s to-the-millimeter form guidance failed to help him intuit. Every lift, the connection grew stronger, both to his body and to Yuri.

“Let’s go, Levi. The last set of the day is the only one that counts.” Yuri hyped as Levi finished wrapping his grips around the bar, feeling his hands ache where the callouses hadn’t kept up with his strength. He went through the pre-flight checklist. Feet? Aligned with knurling. Arms? Straight down. Chest? Lifted. Ass? Even tighter than usual.

As the last step setting up for the deadlift, or the first step of starting it, he focused on his lats. It was getting easier to flex them now that he saw what they actually looked like on him, and he pictured them even thicker. Those big juicy wedges of muscle are already 50 pounds each, they can lift this no problem.

The more he pictured them, the easier it was to feel them squeeze and start leveraging them against the weight. What fascinated Levi most was how hard a muscle could be working even before a weight started moving, and how critical that Launch Phase was to keeping the muscles working, instead of joints and tendons.

The goal reps of 275x5 went up, but on the final rep something inexplicable came over him. He felt a void within him, and could almost see a black tunnel opening in his mind. It went even deeper than that though, to a place he couldn’t perceive. As he noticed the phenomenon, the fatigue setting into his muscles diminished. No, that wasn’t it. He still felt the same amount of strain, but it no longer mattered. He knew his body was capable of more. Some unseen force within him had shown him reserves from somewhere that he could use to push beyond what he understood as his potential. He knocked three more reps out with perfect form. At the eighth rep he felt his lower back start to voice its displeasure and took the cue to stop.

“Heck yeah, look at you go, Mr. Strongman!”

“Thank you, thank you. I don’t know what just came over me there, but I liked it.”

“Well keep it up! Want to get a big meal somewhere to capitalize on that success?” Yuri asked.

“Actually, I was already planning to go to one of Cole’s cookouts in a bit.”

Yuri’s voice went flat. “How are those, anyway?” Word had spread fast that Cole had cultivated an inner circle of the most dedicated bodybuilders, both at Gatewhey and at neighboring gyms, for a weekly potluck at his house in the hills.

“This’ll be the first time I go. He’s been hounding me the last month or so, and I feel like with all the leftovers he’s given to me I owe him attendance.” Barely scraping together Cole’s training fees hadn’t left Levi much in the way of a food budget, but Cole routinely brought him the leftovers. It usually involved an even mix of lemon pepper tilapia, herb crusted chicken, mixed vegetables, salmon, and maybe a few sausage links. For free grub, it was surprisingly lean and tasty.

“Do you have anything going on after?” Yuri’s carefree demeanor faltered as he paused to choose his words. “I’ve got something I need to run by you, but we should talk it out alone.”

Levi furrowed his brow. “How important is it? Do you need me to flake on Cole?”

Yuri checked his watch. “No, no, go earn your food for the week. But honestly, this is pretty big.”

“I’ll be around after. Is everything okay? You’re scaring me a little.”

“It will be, I promise. I’m in hot water with work. I know how to fix it but I need some help. I’ll tell you everything tonight?”

“Okay, yeah, of course. I’ll try and keep it quick at Cole’s. I’m gonna stick around here for a bit and practice some pointe work, though.”

“Oh yeah, gotta keep adapting! Don’t want to get so big your feet snap.”

“Why does that thought turn me on, just a little?”

“You’re a sick freak, like me?” Yuri winked.

“Oh yeah.”

They parted ways with a hug. Their physical chemistry had never really stabilized since that first night they met. Levi didn’t want to press about Yuri’s “other situation” too soon, and Yuri didn’t volunteer any information. Patience wasn’t difficult, usually. The eroticism of seeing the changes in each other’s bodies, of physically pushing each other to grow, all of it far outstripped the promise of that first act of true intimacy. Still, sometimes Levi couldn’t help cursing the situation.

He headed for the posing room. While it was a convenient place to practice when it wasn’t overrun with influencers, his need today was for a moment of privacy to further explore the contents of his mystery box.

He started with the jewelry box. Inside were two objects, one being a dull, roughly cut black mineral. His first thought was that Kiko had given him a lump of coal in chastisement. One side of it was polished and cut to a smoother finish, but still had a coarse grain.

The second object was a small blade attached to a ring, presumably for use with carving into the stone. He repackaged the jewelry box for the time being.

Levi started forming a clearer picture as he pulled out the book again, flipping to the second marked tab this time.

The passage he found there was a little more relevant than the one he’d read earlier.

“Contracts from the far planes do not follow the conventions we normally ascribe to logical thought or fair justice. Once terms have been agreed to verbally, a specific gesture must still be performed to officially bind the contract. As such, the classic blunder of accidentally making a wish or verbally agreeing to terms are only a precursor. While one should always use cautious wording and proper etiquette, the tales of Fair Folk tricking people into giving away their names are somewhat exaggerated.

”However, the rules that do bind contracts can seem entirely arbitrary, and be even more insidious. Be it simply standing at a particular crossroads at a certain time of night, eating a forbidden fruit, or levering intertwined hands with your dealmaker, any sort of behavior imaginable might be the condition to make a contract binding. The rules are set forth by the culture of the dealmaker, and they are under no obligation to warn the subject of the condition.

”To protect yourself from unwittingly binding to any such contracts, a particular protection charm can be fashioned from stones such as Quartz, Black Tourmaline or Labradorite. Once you know whose plans seek to ensnare you in legal chains, simply carve their name into the stone. While that stone is on your person, you will be guided away from any activities that would bind a contract with the entity.”

Levi considered this information carefully as he retrieved his earring from his gym bag, which he always safely stowed during lifts rather than risk some horrifying injury. “&upsilon;&omega;&nu;”, read the lettering carved into Yuri’s gift. He pulled up the photo taken from the ritual book on his phone. “Lon”, the page was titled. And there, underscoring it, was the Greek spelling “&upsilon;&omega;&nu;”.

In the months since he’d performed the ritual, he’d yet to have another supernatural occurrence of any kind. Sure, there were suspicious coincidences. The arrival of a queer-friendly Olympia contender casually dropping his needs in his lap was one. But then, so was the cute muscle-obsessed boy toy who was into the occult almost as much as he was into Levi. Finally, though, the lay of the land was finally becoming clearer. But who exactly was Yuri? And what were either of them waiting on at this point?

Maybe Yuri was done waiting.

Levi had heard many stories of these Hollywood Hills parties like Cole had invited him to. Flexing status and wealth, elite multimillionaires built these mansions nestled into cliff sides, to the horror of civil engineers everywhere. They were places where untold debauchery took place outside the law. Places where the city was run from the shadows.

The extremity and veracity of these stories varied wildly depending who was telling them, but no matter how hard he tried to expect the unexpected, or better yet expect nothing, nerves gripped him.

Calm down, he told himself. First, geriatric assault, then implications that your closest friend has been hiding secrets from you… what are the odds of a third thing going weird today? He knocked on the door. Levi sighed, I guess we’ve both been hiding secrets at this point.

“Steve Kuclo?!” The door opened inward. Levi made eye contact with a man about his height, spray tanned skin, chinstrap beard, short mohawk, easily over 260 pounds offseason mass stuffed into a microscopic blue poser. The facial hair was still unmistakable on the pro, but Levi still had to confirm.

“You must be Cole’s protege, come on in. There’s plenty of food out back. The guys are all just getting comfortable, but there’s still one or two out in the pool if you want to take a dip. Cole’s around here somewhere. Just show yourself around and he’ll find you.” Steve smiled that douchey smile and patted him on the shoulder, but didn’t seem to pay Levi much more mind after that.

Steve took the stairs straight ahead, his voluptuous glutes bouncing around his thong poser every step, down to an open air lounge leading out to the pool. The interior didn’t seem like a house so much as a venue. Looking over the bannister, he saw a conversation pit fit for 15 or so mortals, currently squeezing around 7 or 8 freakish, bikini-clad mass monsters onto it. All of them were splayed out comfortably, legs intertwined, heads on chests, nuzzling against each other. Steve took his place among his peers and fell back into conversation.

To his left, Levi followed the railing to another patio on the second level overlooking the city. A lanky young waiter had just laid a fresh tray of hors d’oeuvres and shuffled back towards the kitchens.

Levi picked up an artisanal deviled egg (really, Cole?) and walked over to the balcony, flipping the appetizer over and sniffing it for anything out of the ordinary. He looked down into the pool. Only two men were in the water at the moment. Evan Centopani was reclined against the gradual, beach-style slope out of the water. Levi was unclear who the other man was, although he boasted just as impressive a physique as Evan. He was facedown on the other man’s crotch, making identification difficult until he came up for air. Choking through his dick-sucking lips was Martin Fitzwater, laughing like a buffoon at his own limited lung capacity.

Levi looked over the snack a little closer, looking for any odd food tampering, an unusual smell, anything that might suggest libidinous influence over the guests.

“Levi!”, came the familiar voice of his trainer.

Shit, look casual. Hide the evidence! Levi stuffed the egg into his mouth in one piece and swallowed it whole.

Oh God damnit.

“Hrrraaa,” Levi choked, pressing his chest and trying to force the food down. He fished a water bottle out of his gym bag and washed the blockage down. “Hey. Cole. How’s it going?” he asked, nonchalant through the tears as his esophagus screamed.

“Good! Welcome, glad to finally see you here,” he laughed. “Did someone give you the tour?” Cole’s monstrous frame was contained, barely, by a striped purple and black singlet, cut so deeply down the front that the light treasure trail he manicured began to grow curly. Cole made a suspiciously common habit of taking his shirt off at every opportunity during their lifts to “demonstrate technique”, but this was the most revealed Cole had presented himself thus far, by a mile. The cut of the singlet did little to support the massive sausage and kiwi eggs weighing down the pouch.

“Steve started to, but he got distracted.”

“Well come on, I’ll show you around.” He led him back down into the main lounge. Levi got a closer look at the guest list. Steve was sniffing up and down another heavyweight’s neck beside him. Though he couldn’t put many names to faces, there were more than a few gay 4 pay actors here he recognized (strictly from Pornhub clips). Cole introduced him, but they didn’t seem to pay him any mind, and continued massaging a quad here, sniffing a pit there.

“Uh, Cole? Are these guys all right?”

“Of course, just look at them.”

“I know, but… I’ve seen some of these guys wearing MAGA shirts.”

“A lot of that’s just for press. It’s a sad state the world’s in, but they have to put up certain appearances.”

“But… They have wives and kids. And some of them have whole businesses built around aesthetics of gun worship.”

“They will get back to their wives and kids, I promise. Don’t worry so much.” Cole had guided Levi out to a banquet table on the lower terrace that was loaded with all the free food he’d been getting the last few months. All of it was fresh off a grill staffed by a handsome beefcake, along with rice, vegetable medley, and baked potatoes. Levi grabbed a plate and stuck to just the food he’d been eating the previous weeks.

“So, I have to ask then, if all these guys are more of our persuasion… why not just convince them to come out publicly? Why are you wasting your time with me instead of taking one of them on as a client?”

“These guys like their comfy sponsorship deals too much to risk helping me break the system. I thought about leaking some footage of their time here, but it felt a little underhanded. Plus, I’ve already tried, and enough of these boys sell those kinds of vids that it all gets swept under the rug.”

Cole changed the subject, “You hit back today, right? Are you still training with that little twink?”

“Yuri’s bigger than me at this point, actually.”

“Is that so? Well. Good for him. You get a good lift with him today?”

“It was fine. Really good.” In truth, it was a phenomenal workout. They almost always were. His curt words were an effort to mask his irritation at Cole’s constant dismissal of his friend. Annoyingly, Cole mistook this as deception, with enough confidence that any attempt to correct him would be taken as further evidence.

“You don’t sound sure. I pay attention, you know. It’s the blind leading the blind with you two, and it’s only a matter of time before you injure yourself. That would be a real shame for a guy your age, making such good progress.”

Levi just continued cutting away bites of his chicken, trying to figure out how much food would make for a polite enough meal. As he ate, the conversation from the adjacent lounge began to wane, supplanted by low moans as the guests got a little more than just comfortable. Evan and Martin had now exited the pool, and were wrestling for dominance on a straining deck chair.

Cole put a hand on his shoulder and guided Levi’s gaze towards the couch. “Look at them. They never knew what they were missing until I came along. Now every time they come here, it’s ecstasy.

“It could be like that for you all the time. I’ve seen your potential, your willingness to do what I need you to. You are worthy, Levi. I can make you bigger than any of them. Bigger than even me. They’ll worship you. And you’ll worship me.”

“And Yuri?”

“I had a purpose for him in all of this once, too. But he has forsaken me.”

“So you’ll kill him?”

“No one needs to die; my arrangement with him is different. I have no need to harm him unless he does something brash. But you and I will leave him behind.”

“Why the games, Lon?”

“I always hated that nickname. Call me Apollyon. I like to take my time and be sure I know who will be serving me. And look around. Usually I have to sneak my way up here and tempt my acolytes quietly. You went and invited me. That gave me a temporary work visa to come here, live it up, and make all these new friends.

“I know, Yuri went and got in your head. But ask yourself, is he really doing this for you? I think it’s more about revenge; he’s had a grudge against me the moment I started training him way back when. Not everyone is as strong as you, Levi, and Yuri liked to blame me for his weakness.”

To say that Levi had questions was an understatement. But he needed the answers from Yuri.

“What about the others? Your other prot&eacute;g&eacute;s, the ones you trained before they all disappeared.”

“They are safe and sound. But they didn’t belong in the public eye anymore. It would have raised too many questions.”

“Like what?”

“Questions like ‘What kind of steroid makes a man too big to lift weights?’”

Levi did not expect that answer. “You can do that?”

“I can do that. And more. Right here, with a snap of my fingers. How far do you think you can go with Yuri?”

Levi couldn’t respond. On the one hand, this was the deal he’d signed up for. And it sounded even more appealing than when he’d first made it. But it was all more complicated now.

“Do I have any time to think this over?”

“Three days. After that I am bound to return to my plane.”

“And if I say no? You’ll…”

“Why would you say no? Just relax. Talk to Yuri if you really need to. But first, enjoy yourself. Men, help the guest of honor put his mind at ease.”

Mike Morris and Frank McGrath stood on command. The muscle men who’d been nuzzling into them slid onto the floor without their supports, but they quickly found each other and began exploring each other’s muscles affectionately.

“Take full advantage of my hospitality. We have beds, we have slings, we have the new Pump-Master Milk Machine 4000, guaranteed to keep your boys churning at maximum output until it sends you skyrocketing over the edge at the perfect moment. Anything you need to show yourself a good time, Levi, it’s yours.”

The men grabbed Levi under each thigh and carried him to the center of the conversation pit. Levi wanted to protest, God how he wanted to, but… fuck, this was paradise on earth. His clothes were stripped from him and they began to serve their master’s new pet. Juicy pecs pressing into him, industrial strength forearms kneading at his muscles, tented posers rubbing up against him.

Anywhere he looked, thick, veiny muscle. Anything he touched was hot, pumped, rock-hard mass. And he was on the road to becoming like them, now. It was preordained. Hell, it was already in motion. In a few years, he’d be bigger than every single one of these men. He’d give them something to really worship.

He pictured himself overburdened with muscle, expanding to the size of these monsters around him. And then, bigger. So much bigger. Size to the point where he could take a small army of men worshiping him. Men climbing on him, humping deep crevices of muscle, orgasming over his splendor.

He rolled onto his stomach and felt a 21” arm wrap around his shoulder. A pair of swollen, heavy pecs pressed into his back. The man’s cock had slipped out the side of his poser and was pressing between his cheeks, slick and threatening. On either side of him, four quads rose like mythic statues as two bodybuilders shared a passionate kiss above him.

It was the smell that finally did him in. The crossed swords of the two beasts above him exuded a combined musk that infected his brain, disarming every defense. The scent of sweat, balls, and oozing precum possessed him, his chest shuddering and limbs convulsing. He ground his hips against the cock that was eagerly awaiting such an invitation. Pre slicked the entry and Levi arched his back in revelation of the tide of muscle washing over him, without and now within.

As one titan fucked him, Levi tilted his head left to bury his nose in the pubes of another. He got drunk off another deep whiff of man, stronger than poppers. He kissed that groin and nuzzled lovingly into the sac, teasing it up and down with his tongue. Its owner reached a meaty paw down and thwapped the meatstick into Levi’s face a few times affectionately with a light snigger. The warmth of that velvet-soft shaft, knowing the behemoth attached to it… Levi felt like he was ascending to heaven today.

The man at his backside began thrusting violently against him slamming his groin into Levi’s ass with gradually louder groans of ecstasy. The thrusts became erratic, arhythmic as he pounded hard into Levi twice, three times as he exploded. “Take my fucking. Roided cum!” he said as his strength flowed into Levi. He craned his neck back to see his top slide out of him and stand. The bodybuilder gave the next stud in line a big hug and a clap on the back, and soon a second beast was taking position to fuck him. The extra girth he provided was noticeable, but the member still slipped in easily with cum already slicking Levi’s hole.

Perhaps feeling lonely, the man to his right turned around and guided Levi’s head away from the muscled cock still massaging his face. Levi’s lips tickled across the peach fuzz of this new man’s naturally smooth glutes, his nose smooshing almost painfully as the supple flesh pushed against him. His face slid over the crest of the first hilly mound of meat and nestled into the hot ridge between his glutes. Levi felt a hand the back of his head pushing him hard into the middle of that beefy butt, but even trying to spread the cheeks it was still a struggle to get his mouth on the hole. His entire head was practically enveloped in muscle as he ached to taste that manly entrance. His new top’s steady pounding kept him pushing hard into the ass, though, helping his tongue fuck deeper.

The procession of manhood, muscle and meaty ass continued, Levi didn’t know how long, but he felt more and more cum dripping out of his ass every time he got fucked now, and he started to taste cum on the men being fed to him. Levi even started to notice the smells and tastes of different men.

Cole (or rather, Apollyon) clapped, and the men all slowed their fucking and nuzzling as he took position in front of Levi.

He pulled the purple singlet down off his arms and brought it down to the floor. The largest cock Levi had ever seen moved into position, looming up at him. The club looked inhuman, angry purple and fed by a visibly throbbing network of veins. Levi marveled at it and the hunger welled within his gut, ferocious and deep. The spongy, slightly pointed tip slipped through Levi’s lips with ease, greasing itself on his whetted appetite. Every nerve in his mouth tuned to the curvature of the manhood as it worked over his tongue. The slight ridges in the roof of his mouth were stimulating from above, his tongue delicately played the frenulum like a slow cello vibrato, and his cheeks applied moisture and suction.

Apollyon’s impossibly engorged member continued pushing, gliding to the back of Levi’s throat and pressing further down. Some magic in his pre must be adapting his throat, Levi vaguely rationalized. He’d gagged on cocks half this size in the past, but his nose remained unblocked and he was able to breathe with ease as he was further and further penetrated. He watched the wall of muscle attached to the cock drawing closer, more veins pumping blood deeper into the erection stretching his throat beyond capacity. Levi’s cheeks grew flush, and a numbing heat began to spread in his head.

It all still registered to him: the sensations of being massaged by mass monsters, having two of them jacking off over him, their balls occasionally brushing against his traps as they flexed and kissed, and being fucked by a man he’d have been humbled to even stand beside…. But the cock stuffing his throat was his world. It was his duty to himself and his guide, his master. And as Apollyon buried himself to the hilt, he began to fuck. Slowly, at first, testing the limits of his own control. From there, his force amplified, and his oversized balls collided against Levi’s chin each stroke.

The other muscle men had begun to back away, removing themselves to watch in reverence as their benefactor’s fucking became feral, unrestrained.

The heat in Levi’s head intensified as he was face fucked more and more forcefully. Scorching, searing pain centered around… his ear.

His earring.

Levi’s eyes came back into focus as the cock pummeled his throat harder and harder. The rhythm slowed as Apollyon approached a climax. His throat seized, squeezing with all its strength, tightening around the member, sending it over the edge.

Levi’s throat clamped down, pushing back against the organ until it bent upwards and flung from his mouth with a spray of spittle and pre. The first volley of cum splattered against his cheek, and the hulk slumped forward with the intensity of the blasts that continued onto the floor.

Senses regained, aware that his earring had just narrowly guided him out of a trap, Levi recognized the opening he’d been granted. Dashing through the stalks of overblown calf muscle, he collected his clothes from the couch and fled the building as fast as his legs could carry him.

Apollyon roared, an otherworldly quake ripping through the foundation in fury as he continued cumming, but Levi kept running. When he’d found a hiding spot a few houses down and finally stopped to get his pants on, he fished out his phone and texted Yuri.

“We need to meet. Now.” The address came seconds later, and Levi ordered a ride.

“What the fuck! Hey, Yuri? What the FUCK!”

“How was… the barbecue?” Yuri offered, playful demeanor trying to disarm the tension.

Levi cut through it. “Look, Apollyon has dropped the pretense, so why don’t you do the same. Who are you and why have you been protecting me from him?”

Yuri went pale as he asked, “The charm worked?”

“It did.” Embarrassment poking through his intensity, Levi added “I think. I mean I got close to… something that could have been a binding contract, but the earring reacted and I stopped it.”

“We have to go.”

“Go where?”

“Anywhere! I told you earlier I have a solution? Well, I do. But he’s tolerated me long enough and now he’ll be trying to get me out of the way. Or worse. I was sure we had a few more days… I need to grab my things.” Yuri slammed the door in his face, back into his brownstone apartment. Levi looked nervously over his shoulder for a few minutes, unsure what form his would-be patron’s wrath might take.

Yuri reemerged carrying a poster tube and a blank aerosol can. “Come on, keep up. Use those light feet.”

“So do you want to tell me why I shouldn’t have gone through with this deal? Because I thought he explained everything pretty well and it sounds like a win / win.”

“Yup, win / win. He makes you a pro, you publicly come out, the industry turns on you, your reputation is destroyed, and you only have one other use for him: retirement”

“The fuck does that mean?”

“I thought he explained everything pretty well,” Yuri said flatly, taking a sharp turn towards Mid City. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, but we’ve got minutes before he finds us and I’m a little on edge.”

Yuri continued leading them, checking down alleys, looking for some ineffable quality to the dark corners they might choose to hide in. Eventually, he spoke again. “I’ve seen the other guys he’s retired. He grows them beyond comprehension, and then everything but their bodies is tossed into the Abyss. The meat remains for him to…” he shook the thought from his head, “but there’s no one inside anymore.”

“What are you to him? That’s what I don’t understand.”

Yuri stopped his power walk and his eyes dug into Levi. “I served in his House for a long time, now, and not by choice. But whenever he comes up here on his ‘work trips’ (his term), I get a chance to bring him down before he can ruin anyone else.”

“Well, I appreciate the honestly—finally.”

“You’re welcome! When this is over, I’ll pull some strings and see what I can actually do for you, deal? Because it’s really me who should be grateful to you, here.” Yuri let his head fall a little lower. His eyes never broke, but his voice faltered slightly. “I mean it. Whatever’s about to happen, I’m glad I had this chance. With you.”

Levi followed Yuri’s attention to the block they’d just come from. With fists balled and lats flared, there stood the beast. He’d thrown on a pair of sweatpants that clung to his quads like saran wrap and a Gatewhey shirt, the biggest size they made. Rage shot through his eyes like red lightning.

“Get somewhere safe, Levi. It’s me he wants.”

“Yes, run, spare yourself another hour once I’ve dealt with this traitor.” Apollyon advanced as Yuri uncorked the poster tube, unrolling a paper stencil as he planted a foot and leapt off down an alley.

Levi squared up. 5’10, 172 pounds versus 6’5, 395. The beast lumbered closer, gigantic quads rolling over one another, unconcerned with moving faster than comfortable. He raised a hand intent on brushing Levi aside, but Levi grabbed it. He dug his heels in to resist the overwhelming force as he attempted to hold the muscular arm in place.

“Please,” Apollyon scoffed. With barely a flick of his shoulder Levi was sent hurling onto his ass, the back of his head smacking the concrete. As the iridescent shimmer cleared from his eyes, he saw his pursuer trudging over to him, blocking out the sun. Levi struggled backwards, as Apollyon started to grow.

The demon rolled his shoulders again and his lats unfurled to a time and a half their previous width. His arms bloated in response, hanging out farther from his sides as his forearms engorged below the elbow, bending into a forced Front Relaxed pose. His traps climbed and climbed, rounding above the limits of human anatomy. It was difficult to tell, looking up against the sun, but his skin seemed to be taking on a deep indigo hue. More noticeable were the corkscrew horns splitting his temples and skewering the sky above him.

Apollyon stepped over Levi’s prone body, continuing toward the alley. As he passed overhead, Levi saw the seams of the sweatpants splitting, threads giving one last desperate grip before succumbing. His lats had actually begun to sink under their weight as they hung off of him. His feet stretched him taller, toes and tendons rearranging into a digitigrade stance, splitting open his lifting shoes. His center of gravity shifted forward, gorilla arms hanging slightly in front of him. Each hand grasped a different tatter of his remaining clothing and tore them off in one pull. And as he disappeared into the alley after Yuri, Levi saw a knob form between the bulging boulders of his glutes. A prehensile tail snaked its way out of his body, ending in a pointed, scaly tip.

With his head slightly cleared, Levi limped back to his feet. He pulled out his phone and made a call to emergency services which he left connecting on the ground. Yuri had shimmied past a dumpster and a massive pile of stacked garbage bags to begin whatever ritual he’d prepared. The discarded stencil flapped to the ground next to an intricate web of arcane lines painted onto the dusty alley, smelling of sulfur. Kneeling behind it, Yuri was chanting low words, his eyes fixed on Apollyon.

The demon cleared the path, barely tensing a triceps as he pulled a dumpster careening down the alley. Still not sure on his feet, Levi shuffled out of its path but still got clipped in the shoulder.

Levi pressed through the pain. As Apollyon loomed over Yuri, he flexed his hands in turn, cracking each of his inhumanly large knuckles.

“Stop!” Levi shouted, “Don’t hurt him. I’ll… I’ll take his place. Just let him go.”

“I will not trade my court ritualist for a dancing jester. You will become what I need you to. Step aside.”

“I won’t let you hurt him.”

“Fine. Protect him, if you can.” With a flick of his backhand, a hundred pounds of hairy, veiny amethyst arm meat collided with Levi like a pneumatic piston. For an instant, he was floating. Then, he felt the brick wall cave against his back as a blinding pain shot through every nerve in his body. He hung there for a moment as shock overwhelmed. He fell feet first onto the ground, but his legs could not hold him. Crumpling to the dirty alley, blood started to pool out of his mouth and down his ear.

He tried to focus on what was happening in front of him. Yuri looked over at him, expressionless, calculating. He took the spray paint out one last time to make a minor adjustment to the sigil he’d drawn. Apollyon addressed the occultist, and words drifted in and out of focus.

“And now, you… ‘Yuri’.” He gave a snarky huff as he used the name. “I’m finally willing to bargain. You have no soul to take, so I will settle for your mind. In exchange, you’ll get everything you claim I’ve denied you.” His outstretched hand twisted into a crooked configuration, and he began to trace a sharp talon through the air.

“I know what you’re going to do, and it won’t work.” Yuri stood defiantly. “So just leave us the fuck. Alone.” He brought a foot down onto his sigil as he said a familiar phrase, finishing his earlier incantations. “In primis, servio Asmodeo.“

A shock of wind blasted through the alley, whipping bottles, loose papers and debris towards the demon. Dimly, Levi understood that he was out of the path of the maelstrom, but the forces seemed to ignore Yuri completely as they ripped against the spell’s true target.

Apollyon attempted to resist, digging his hind claws into the concrete to keep the wind from pushing his back. With a free hand he continued drawing lines in the air, speaking words Levi could not hear. But it was only a moment before the unseen winds overtook him and he started to slide back. Levi saw no ripple in space, no inky void consuming him. But one moment, he was there, claw digging into the concrete, eyes sparked with fury and… delight. But then he was gone, like he’d never been at all.

Levi’s body shivered, and his mind started to quiet with the fading breeze. He tried to lift an arm but they felt buried in wet cement. He tried to talk, but he coughed on his tongue. He wanted sleep.

“Levi?!” Yuri pleaded for response, kneeling beside him. “You’re okay, buddy. You’re gonna be fine, I—..” he winced, “I promise. The spell worked. He won’t even be able to share the same plane as you now, understand? You’ll never—ahh!”

He clutched at his own shoulder as though trying to keep it from escaping the socket. His breaths became heavier.

“Ah, wow. I think—” The hand cradling his shoulder moved downward, as though massaging a cramp through his biceps, and into his forearm. He turned his palm upward to examine.

“Yeah. Yeah, he finished it.” Like an army of ants marching to war, thick black veins began crawling down Yuri’s forearm towards his wrist. “This is it.”

He reached an infected hand up to Levi’s cheek, brushing with the grain of his stubble back to his ear. “One last… gift, for you. Sorry, this will—burn. A bit.” Levi barely felt a singe as the effect of the touch took hold. He felt the spot, and now there was a rough patch of skin where his protective earring had been.

Yuri stood, stumbling off balance to the far side of the alley until his strength gave out. He sank down with his back to the far wall, in the space his dumpster had recently occupied.

“Yuri…?” Levi managed to prop himself on one elbow, but the pain was monumental. “What’s happening?”

“I’m sorry… I should have told you sooner…”

Yuri brought his hands up to cradle his head, apparently soothing a terrible headache. He looked back up at Levi vacant, confused.

More black veins in his friend’s neck, as he let out a groan. “OOHHooooooohhh”, and as he watched, the neck swelled like a bullfrog’s, expanding until it was the size of his jaw. Yuri ground his back into the wall as his traps surged outwards from his neck into his shoulders. His delts were swelling under his t-shirt, stuffing the material full enough that the relief of the sickly black veins and individual muscle heads poked through. The end of the sleeves rose up higher on his arms as the delts stretched them further.

“So… tight….” Yuri was fumbling with his pant button. “Guess I should have listened to you and sized up,” he tried to laugh off. Two, three times he tried to shunt his jeans down, but his quads and his ass had grown too beefy too quickly. Every attempt, they thickened more and more. His laughter turned to groans as he tried to flex out of his pants, and little by little the threads gave way. A thick cord of hamstring erupted from the fabric as it gave, exposing a bastion of leg muscle, dry as concrete.

He rolled onto all fours, shaking the tatters of his jeans off him. As he planted his palms, his shapely triceps engorged into disgustingly distended slabs of meat next to his lats. The muscles budded up against each other until it was difficult to parse where either ended. Under him, his prized pecs sank towards the ground with each strained breath, overstuffing his shirt.

“Oh, man, Levi. Uhnnn…wish you could feel...” his voice was breathy, faltering. The mounds of his traps rose higher down his spine. He must have doubled his weight by this point and the changes were only accelerating. As his back mounded up higher and higher, the shirt was stretched like rubber before finally shredding. A few scraps of fabric fell to the ground, while others stayed stuck in the folds and valleys between muscle heads Levi had never seen before.

Whatever bone structure was within the teeming mass that was burying his friend, it was quickly becoming impossible to identify. His back simply overflowed outward. His arms collapsed as they burst forth with such size they could no longer be held straight under him. He only fell forward about six inches, as his pecs connected to the ground, enormous bean bags under him swelling bigger every second.

Angry red stretch marks tore down the sides of his delts. They looked like lightning bolts etching across his skin. More appeared on his lats, his obliques, down his hamstrings and over his calves. Fuck, even his calves were distorting beyond recognition as anything human.

“Agh, no, gah, ha, hah, it huurrrrrrrrts. My arm…” Levi reached a hand out, unsure what he could do to help even if he could stretch more than a few inches without debilitating pain. He watched in horror as the biceps worbled and split, the single engorged head becoming two as both continued expanding. It happened again as it became four heads, each doubling in size again and again. But there was only so much the skin could take, and the blistering red marks began to bleed and tear.

Yuri’s head, what little of it was still visible as delts, traps and pecs chewed at it, seemed to be levitating as his body thickened against the ground. His arms were locked in place, outstretched, still fell a few inches short of Levi’s.

The marks criss-crossing his body deepened, and trickles of blood began to flow down over his corpus. Still he grew, the alley suddenly seeming cramped around him as this meteoric ball of black-veined mass was filling all available space. Levi may not have been able to reach Yuri’s hand, but his lats were coming within range. Levi gave them a gentle stroke as the only kindness he could muster. As his fingertips made contact, though, the pressurized skin split and the fibers underneath reveled at the exposure, causing Yuri to yelp in pain. The muscle belly jumped another inch closer to him as more fibers grew in and thickened.

“How, how can this still be so… unbelievably… hot…?” Yuri groaned.

Levi looked up at him, the realization setting in. In this final moment, he had to provide some comfort, “You’re a sick freak. Like me.”

Yuri laughed. “That’s right. Just like you.” The laugh caught in his throat, “Oh, man, Levi. I can feel it. This is it… I wish we had… more… hyaaaaaah——!” His words transformed into a wail. Levi could actually hear the skin tearing as Yuri blew up even bigger, filling the available space. His pecs inflated further, completely bridging the space between brick walls and began pouring down the alley towards him. One of the gargantuan, striated twin boulders encroached on Levi, enveloping him as the sounds of sirens drew closer.

Darkness took him.

June

“NEXT!”

Levi took to the center of the stage. The house lights were up, but the warmth of the spots hit him, blinded him, and gave him that special feeling of being the whole universe for a crowd below. He focused inward, imagining the gentle squeeze of a woman’s hand around his. Levi took his first position, taking one final moment to go over the absent actors he’d be pantomiming with. The piano from the pit began to play.

He told the story of a young man with a secret. A carefree heart on a quest to save his love, while a sinister villain lurked out of sight, eager to corrupt his heart’s desire. He searched high and low, through rising rivers, steep mountains, and chilling winds. He met a fisher, and charmed her for food. He met a witch and played a game for her blessing. He met a crow and entertained him for a safe heading.

At last, he had found him! His love was safe and unaware of the dangers the world posed. They share one blissful moment together, an embrace that renewed his spirit and made him forget all the trials he’d suffered.

Yet the villain had not given up his pursuit. He watched, helpless, as his lover turned from him and walked straight into the arms of the monster.

Their clash was frenetic, and at first his speed outmatched the monster’s brutal attacks. But with one miscalculation after another, his injuries compounded until he was entirely unable to fight. And so he lured him into a trap, one that could only work if he sacrificed himself as bait. He used his last moment to reach towards his lover. Delicately, he glided to the stage floor where he rested, still as stone, at peace.

“NEXT!”

Levi sat up with a start. “Oh! Uh, do you need my information? Or headshot?”

“NEXT!” Another dancer entered from stage right.

Levi hurried back out to the green room. The dozen or so other 20-something men he found there were also auditioning for the show’s lead role, and most looked as anxious as he was. He found an empty chair in the far corner and discreetly scoped the bulges in the tights of his competition. Most wore obfuscating dance belts but a few were in the process of changing before their auditions or were already changed back into comfortable sweats. He could tell one was freeballing. Stealing a glance at another dancer’s package never failed to ease his mind.

The wait was interminable as the stagehand came to call each man in turn for their moment. Why did they need him to stay for this? They could have just taken his contact info. Levi nervously checked bus schedules to see if he could still make his shift at the restaurant on time.

The auditions dragged on, and it was clear he was going to miss his shift. He texted his manager about a stomach bug and silenced the conversation. He didn’t need that kind of negativity while waiting for a casting announcement.

With no better use of his time than to check Grindr, he idly wondered if he’d find any of his competition on the app as it loaded. He rolled his eyes at the ad for something called “Beast Bulge Briefs”. The animated gif showed the outline of the model’s member as it bulged and grew until it was thick as a coke can and nearly reached his hip bone under the briefs. Hot. Obviously fake, but hot.

To his surprise, every single dancer present had a profile, though not all were logged on recently. It was a statistical marvel in his experience; most male dancers he’d met were straight. If only he didn’t have plans after, he’d adopt his fractionally effective “spray and pray” messaging strategy. Instead, he resumed his furtive glances sizing up the competition, breaking them along multiple categories to pass the time: threat level, sexual kinks, dick shape, etc.. There were a couple of guys he’d recognized from other auditions, one of whom he’d lost the role to the previous year: Jake. Fair blonde hair, sculpted ass, and fuzzy chest mane poking out of his collar that barely fell short of connecting to his burgeoning scruff. He was a few inches shorter than Levi, but definitely had the biggest package of the bunch, from what he could tell.

5.5” soft, 9” hard, cut, wants to do theater but isn’t a strong enough singer, probably an ass man.

No matter how many years he’d been practicing and performing, the thought of nuzzling against the soft fabric covering a package like Jake’s made his mouth water. He could so easily imagine caressing the shaft with his soft cheek, feeling it expand against his face. He wanted to press his nose into it, and smell that potent aroma of man intensify. He would tease it with his hot breath until its owner succumbed, finally flexing his mighty cock and giving Levi what he desired.

But also, fuck Jake; Levi deserved the part.

Two more hours passed before the men were assembled onstage in a single long row. Levi elbowed his way to be a comfortable 2 spots away from center. The casting director brought forward pairs or small groups of men at a time to compare them.

This went on for five minutes, and at no point was Levi brought forth to be judged against his competition head-on. It seemed Jake was being sized up most often, positioned front and center while they shuffled other dancers next to him. They needed a short lead. Levi was going to be fucked over again.

Levi swore he recognized the casting assistant from somewhere. He was an older man, probably in his late 50s, white hair, short beard and a build Levi might have ended up in 30 years if he hadn’t found any guidance.

“We have made our decisions.” The director and his casting assistant stood, although it seemed like the former’s height barely changed.

“For the role of Prince Felix, we have selected…” A dramatic pause? Really? Just spare the humiliation.

“Jake Ciccone.” There it was. He now had two strikes against him at the restaurant for absolutely nothing. At least it was his cheat day and there was a Poke joint a few blocks from here. Levi joined in a perfunctory clap for the announcement, but they were drawn silent with a wave of the director’s hand.

“And for the role of Rasputin,” Levi’s eyes shot level with the director again. They’re auditioning two actual roles? Not just a male lead and company? A pang of guilt settled in over his apathy towards researching the show in advance.

“Levi Barre.” He coughed, clutching his stomach as the other dancers clapped with varying degrees of sincerity. The director rolled eyes at the slackjaw expression Levi couldn’t suppress.

“Yes, yes, Levi. The character is menacing, but I wasn’t exactly imagining the hulking brute I see before me. My assistant assures me you will be good for engagement. Whatever that means.

“Just ease off the weights before you get any bigger. Your jumps were weak, and we need you to fly up there.”

He was amused and baffled by the incongruence of the director’s statement with his own definition of the terms “hulking” and “brute”. He rejected the idea out of hand, certain some mistake had been made. But as the other dancers began collecting bags from the wings and filing out, he took stock of the adjectives that jumped to mind for each of them: “flat”, “deflated”, “slender”. However their tight clothing might flatter their natural curves, Levi’s eyes saw the male form differently now. It finally dawned on him: if he saw their backs as flat, it was because his lats and traps had thickened. If he saw their arms as small, it was because his arms had grown.

Have I… finally realized I gained 30 pounds this year?.

Since losing his coach and being hospitalized a month prior, he hadn’t quite been able to keep momentum. Regardless, he’d noticed some small increases in strength, and the subtlest tightening in the fit of his clothes even if his weight wasn’t moving. His abs had begun to etch back into his core, too, leading him to wonder if things weren’t as stagnant as they’d seemed.

He couldn’t tell which facet of the moment made him happier. Was it landing his biggest, not to mention best paying, role yet in an up-and-coming dance company? Or was it the validation that he had become Mr. Fucking Olympia by the standards of his craft.

If only Yuri could have been there.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be there,” Yuri said.

“You had a work thing, I get it.” Levi, reassured. “And really, I’ve had a hundred auditions like that that never panned out. The risk was not worth the embarrassment.”

“Oh I meant for Jake. He sounds like a scrumptious little morsel.”

“Most definitely! I got the part so I can admit that now. How did the work thing go, by the way?”

“Could have been an email. So remind me where we’re going, exactly?” Yuri had been getting noticeably more interested in their route as the GPS brought them higher into the mountains.

“Just a house in the hills. I’ve scoped it out a few times since my accident. It looks like a total derelict. Makes sense, unless I’m completely drifting away from reality.”

“If you are, I’m coming with you,” Yuri replied, dreamily.

“Always.” Levi almost reached across from the passenger seat and put a hand on Yuri’s thigh. It was getting harder and harder to resist those impulses. The pair were spending even more time together in the month since Apollyon was banished, but they still hadn’t talked about where they stood. “We’re here. You grab the camera equipment and I’ll scope out the door.”

Levi approached the house, looking for any signs of life. Out of context, it looked like it might have been an unassuming split-level home in any suburb in the US. The modesty could have functioned as a crime deterrent or an engineering necessity, Levi wasn’t sure. The small front yard had been meticulously manicured, suggesting that gardening fees had been paid up in advance.

Or possibly, it meant someone was still living here.

Levi approached the front door with trepidation, half expecting Frank Mannarino to open it in full drag. But to his relief, the door latch gave way with no interruption. Yuri followed close behind, and they began investigating.

“Should I recognize anything?” Yuri asked as they poked through the kitchen.

“As far as I know, you never came here. So you haven’t had any memories come back yet?”

“Nothing yet!” Yuri announced brightly. “My earliest one is still moving into my place in LA, and my brain’s still a sieve when it comes to moments like your accident. I remember everything since then pretty clearly, though. Fridge is empty.”

“Probably for the best they tossed the leftovers, anyway. I wish I had that tilapia recipe though.”

“Care to finally share what kookie claptrap happened in that alley? Because I still can’t remember what actually landed you in the hospital. I know I was with you, and we were running from something… but then it was like I just zapped from there to visiting you while you recovered.”

Levi looked over Yuri’s fit, 160 pound fireplug body. No scars or loose skin, no stretch marks, no black veins. He looked exactly the same as he had at the gym hours before they confronted Apollyon.

“I don’t really know what I saw.” That was as close to comfortable or confident with the truth as Levi could be. “I just thought you were dead, and I don’t want to think about that.” Levi wasn’t entirely comfortable thinking about his own injuries, either. Somehow, he’d come through with nothing worse than a severe concussion and a week of full-body aches. Apollyon must have been extremely careful pulling punches to not hurt his prospective acolyte, but the thought did little to reassure him. He had nearly been thrown through a brick wall and survived.

The burn on his ear where his earring had been gave him cause for concern, as well. When he first got to a mirror in the hospital to look at it, he thought someone had tattooed half his neck. The hypnotic turquoise and gold kaleidoscope of the Labradorite was now fused into his skin, covering the outer ridge of his ear and splintering in triangular fragments that trailed off towards his collarbone. Yuri’s final act was to make his protection charm permanent. The implications of that fell anywhere from tragic to terrifying the more Levi thought about them.

“Sorry. I promise I won’t keep dogging you on it.”

“It’s okay. So you don’t remember where you went to school or who your parents were or anything? Or getting your job?”

“Only in the vaguest terms. ‘Job’ is an overstatement anyway; I made a few good investments with my inheritance, and now I just send emails all day. I’m sure I went to school somewhere, but it’s more like… like I watched a lot of Riverdale so I know what it should have been like.”

“Oh wow, I hope those memories stay buried.” When they had these conversations, Levi wasn’t sure if he was asking genuine questions or just playing along. Was Yuri a demon? Or was he a talented wiccan who made his own devil’s bargain? Or something else entirely?

Levi checked a few more drawers looking for any notes, suspicious addresses, gayness potions, anything that might give him a lead on what happened here. “Let’s check downstairs.”

“So this trainer fella...”

“Cole. A.k.a. The demon Apollyon.”

“Sure. Total blank. He lived here?”

“I can’t say for sure. He partied here, but he could have had a second place. We weren’t close, and you two hated each other. I guess most people hate their bosses.”

“Well, that is a shame, if he partied like this.” They looked around and Levi surmised that he’d last left this place shortly before it was abandoned. Posers, speedos and thongs draped over the couch haphazardly. Crusty yellow stains crisscrossed the upholstery and carpet. It looked like the food had been cleared away, but not much else was cleaned up.

“It was a little fucked up, though.”

“How so?” Yuri asked.

“These guys were pro bodybuilders. I.e. uber conservative assholes who probably wanted people like us to stop existing by any means necessary. I guess that was part of the fantasy for Cole, bewitching a whole harem of guys like that to worship him.”

“I can see the appeal,” Yuri’s eyes shone with an imagination running wild.

“Really? I mean, yeah, sure, I got caught up in the moment, but don’t you think it’s a little wrong?”

“Assuming witchcraft is real and this wasn’t just some run-of-the-mill orgy among some deeply closeted queens… I’m into it. It’s not like bigotry is some sacred belief to be respected. It is a tumor on the world and on their minds. Changing it helps them as much as it helps the world.”

“But to replace their whole personalities?”

“If their whole personality was being a small-minded straight bro, who cares? They were shown the majesty that is androphilia. Everyone should be so lucky.

“Also, it’s not like you orchestrated any of it.”

“I sort of did, though. And besides where does it end, if he thinks he’s entitled to change-”

“Shhhhhh. It ends somewhere. Now stop overthinking things, at least until we finish searching. What about those rooms? Bedroom?” Yuri raised his eyebrows suggestively at a pair of doors off the main lounge.

“I never went in those.”

The door on the right connected to a bedroom facing the cliffside exterior of the house, getting some tempered southwestern natural light. It was bare of furniture except for a pair of king sized mattresses, both sat on the hardwood floors with no frame. Several discarded or partially full bottles of lube littered the floor, along with various sizes and materials of cock ring. A Gatewhey trainer uniform hung on the back of the door, and a few small piles of jockstraps, harnesses and singlets rounded out the feng shui.

“Looks like he did sleep here, after all.” Levi concluded.

“Tell me you’re a toxic top without telling me you’re a toxic top.” Yuri observed.

Unlike the rest of the house, the second unexplored room had no natural light sources, and the switches weren’t working. Levi pulled out his cell phone flashlight and swept through the room, taking note of the straps and chains mounted to the ceiling.

“Ah,” Levi vocalized his discomfort to Yuri. “Cole said something about a room like this. How comfortable are you with BDSM?”

Yuri entered past Levi and began examining the amenities.”You’re missing the point if it’s too comfortable, aren’t you?”

“Touch&eacute;. Let’s see, we’ve got a sling, we’ve got a few wall chains, a bin full of gags, flogs, ball stretchers, etc…”

“Is that a Pump-Master Milk Machine 4000?” Yuri asked. He was looking at a sizable purple dildo mounted behind something like a kneeling leg curl machine. The device was handheld, detachable, apparently battery operated, and had a bright orange on / off switch.

“Good eye. Cole seemed especially proud of that.” Levi couldn’t resist flicking it on and watching the device come to life. The shaft telescoped to expand about eight inches, roughly twice its resting size. A subtle whir could be heard as soft ridges appeared down the length. The head pulsed rhythmically with varying tempo as massaging ridges spiraled and oscillated up the length of it.

“Well I know what to get for your birthday now.” Yuri noticed the heady expression on Levi’s face as he felt the device working in his grip.

“Come on, we can fool around here later. I want to set up while the sun’s still high.” Levi started to hurry out of the room, but Yuri spotted one more detail.

“Hang on, what’s this on the walls? Those are pictures of someone.”

“Huh, that’s odd”, Levi remarked, getting a fuzzy look in the dim light and recognizing bodybuilding poses. “Whoever he is, he’s not very big.”

“Aw, give him time. He only got serious a few months ago.”

“No…” The back wall was lined with photos of him hitting various poses, at various angles, both relaxed and flexing.

“Yep,” Yuri confirmed. “Looks like you were sending him some progress pictures? He really ran with them though. Look at these.”

As they scanned with their phone lights, the sequence of photos continued around the corner and onto the adjacent wall. Each photo in series after that seemed to have been photoshopped a little bigger, taking him from his starting size ups through world class bodybuilder weight and into total, inhuman freakdom.

His stomach growled as he observed, thinking back on the nightmarish scene in the alley. These photos showed Levi expanding to almost the size he’d seen Yuri, but without the deep scarring, envenomed veins or torn skin. One particular point in the spectrum showed an impossible leap in size, from vaguely humanoid mass monster to suffering pile of meat. His legs were bent 90 degrees or further from then on, calves propping up his hamstrings, with muscle consuming him in ways it should never grow: calves that swallowed the shinbone from the front, forearms that folded forward towards his wrists. Even his face muscles looked contorted and bloated. And there was no emotion, no thought whatsoever behind his eyes.

The label above that photo read “retirement”. The photos only grew from there, but his lifeless, empty eyes haunted him as he looked. Every single image brought him back to that alley. He remembered Yuri’s screams of pain and lust. He remembered how he felt at that moment. Helpless and scared, for sure. But deep down he knew there was a darker thread in his mind. It consumed him with jealousy, sometimes. He still wished to know what that tortured state must have felt like in Yuri’s ‘last’ moments.

He looked in those dead eyes and wondered what being thrown into the Abyss even meant. Was it metaphorical? Obviously there was at least an animal-level consciousness in those dim eyes. The nerves were still connected. Was it just his higher reasoning he’d lose? All the struggle to achieve is erased, replaced with the bliss of barely conscious existence. Maybe he’d made the wrong choice.

Then again, he’d jacked off to countless muscle growth stories about a hero becoming so literally musclebound that erasure of consciousness would be a kindness. But that didn’t mean the universe was bound to those rules.

“You look uncomfortable,” Yuri said, walking along the wall and carefully pulling down the photos. “Why don’t I take these home so you don’t have to see them again?”

“Thank you for this deep consideration you’ve shown me.” Behind the photos, Levi spotted what looked like norse runes scraped into the wall at arbitrary intervals, highlighted with a maroon dye. “What do you think that is?”

“Water damage, I guess?”

“Water damage. You really think that looks accidental?”

“Yes?” Yuri responded.

Levi inspected a bit closer. If they were norse, he might have recognized one or two, but these were more curved. Whatever demonic script Apollyon had put in place, Yuri seemed unable to even perceive it now. There was only one place he might be able to go for answers, but the sight of Kiko approaching him with a shotgun in the night resurfaced.

“C’mon, I really want to start.” Levi would have been happy to weld the door shut and never enter it again.

“Is there some reason you decided today was the day?” Yuri asked. “You’ve been talking about this all month, but I figured you’d rather be celebrating the casting instead of starting a side project.”

“Yeah, well, the show is going to pay handsomely for an LA ballet dancer, but that isn’t saying much. I had to blow off work to sit through the audition, and…”

Levi presented his phone to Yuri, with a single text message notification from the contact “Mgr Mussolini”. It read “Don’t bother coming in again.”

“Bummer. So, whoring it out on OnlyFans?”

“Like so many struggling thespians before me, I throw myself on the mercy of the horny masses to pay my rent. And you’re going to help me.”

“It’ll be my honor.”

It was the piece that had seeded in his mind over burritos the very first night they’d met. The story was simple: two young men found love together and it transformed them, little by little, year after year, until they were unrecognizable to anyone but each other.

“So, one thing, we need to stick to gradual changes to our bodies until this is completed. Are you okay with keeping your hair like that? We can postpone.”

Since Levi’s accident, Yuri hadn’t kept up with maintaining his mohawk. It had only grown back a quarter inch, and was gradually becoming a messy fauxhawk.

“Uh, maybe? I don’t see myself changing style for a while at least. Just fell out of habit of maintaining it.”

“As long as you don’t get a drastic cut between weeks, it should still be fine. Here, change into these. They’re basically new.” Levi handed him a pair of dancing tights he’d ordered for himself a few years back. When they arrived about 4” too short for him, he’d set them somewhere safe to make sure he remembered to return them. Today he finally felt validated that this was the correct choice when he collected them from the same spot.

“Are there underwear to go with this?”

Levi’s cheeks flushed, “So, this is a dance belt. I have yet to form an opinion whether its goal is to mask or to flatter. And for some reason, these ones are simply obscene.”

“Well that’s no problem for me,” he replied with confidence.

Yuri shucked his khaki shorts to the ground with a speed that gave Levi only a split second to turn and give him privacy. Still, he took a moment to process and memorize everything he’d seen as best he could. He peeled his own shirt off sensually, stretching his arms overhead and letting every inch of him slowly reveal itself. After months of arriving at the gym at least partially dressed for their lifts, Levi hadn’t had much opportunity to try and show off like this. He hoped Yuri hadn’t done him the same courtesy of turning around.

Next came his own briefs and pants together, which Levi took even greater care to reveal. Even in private, he savored the feeling of running his hands down his thickening ass, feeling the additional heft he’d grown this year. Getting to present his resplendence to the man who’d been helping him grow it was an extra thrill.

He slipped into his belt and tights and resumed a painfully nonchalant demeanor to set up a tripod near the balcony overlooking the city. “You ready?” He couldn’t help a single furtive glance down at Yuri’s crotch as he passed, though. Hell yes…

He was sure Yuri smirked as his eyes bugged out at the sight of his package.

Levi began to walk Yuri through the steps he’d been planning for months. He kept the moves simple, especially for his partner, but they still required a certain flexibility and mobility he planned on both of them losing in the coming years.

After an hour or so of practice, Yuri’s confidence was sufficient to record. The moves brought them back to the same starting position, allowing them to loop through the routine without breaking a few times.

“How was that?” Yuri asked.

“Honestly, I’m shocked, that was well beyond my expectations for someone without training.”

“So no reshoots? I was having fun.”

“Well don’t worry, you’re going to be sick of these moves after we do them every week. Now I need your help with something a little more… personal, though.”

“Ah,” Yuri deduced, “You need some short-term content while you’re working on your masterpiece.”

“I… do. Just some help setting up a solo video.” Levi hadn’t really thought through this part of the evening. If they were even able to break in, somehow he’d hoped the adventure of it all and the eroticism of the dance would be more of an aphrodisiac going into this part. “You don’t have to stick around for the filming. Is this a weird ask?”

Yuri slowly pulled his gaze away from Levi, and took a seat on the sofa in the lounge. He picked up a red thong and held it to his nose, taking several long huffs from the front pouch. Levi saw the sizable cock begin to stir in his borrowed tights as he inhaled deeper.

“Can you believe these are still scented?” Truthfully, Levi couldn’t. He’d have expected any scent to have aired out in a few days, and it had been over a month now. “And there’s a weird chemical smell under it. Do you think the ‘roids do that?” Yuri patted the seat next to it, and Levi took the cue.

“Heh, I guess we could compare.” Levi picked up a lime green poser and began to indulge. Enough musk remained to rush the blood to his cock as he sniffed. “Yeah, I think this one has it too. Fuck. I want to smell that on myself one day.”

“We will. It’s all I want for you, Levi. I still want to see the world converted to gargantuan muscle beasts, but it’s always at the top of my mind to make sure you’re the first. Isn’t that a little odd?”

Unsure where this was going, Levi played along. “How so?”

“I don’t know. There’s not a lot of wisdom out there for losing all but a season’s worth of very spotty memories. But I feel like I used to want more out of my life. Or at least I knew why I wanted the things I want.

“I remember the night we met, when I told you that I was with someone else. I don’t know who I might have meant.”

“It’s complicated, but I think you were alluding to your history with Cole. Which, I still don’t fully understand.”

“You’re in good company.” Yuri said. “It feels like I’ve stolen the body of the person who knew that stuff. I can’t scrape together a single reason why I should believe anything you’ve told me happened. But I can’t prove otherwise, either.”

“This is a lot.” Levi was way out of his depth here. “Why don’t we just get you home? We don’t have to do this tonight. We don’t have to do this ever, if you’re not comfortable.” Levi anchored his hands to push himself to standing, but Yuri grabbed his wrist.

“No. I don’t want that,” he corrected quickly. “Lately I’ve been obsessing over all the things I might want. I’ve been trying to lose myself in work, start new hobbies, meet new people... It’s so boring! The only things I look forward to are lifting weights and seeing you again.

“Maybe I do have this other life waiting for me. I keep wondering if I’m just going to see some trigger and remember everything. Or maybe I’ll just become someone new, and who knows what I’ll want then. But right now, all I want is to be with you. If you’re willing to roll those dice.”

“I want to take that risk every moment we’re together, Yuri.”

“Then come here,” he pulled Levi onto his lap, straddling him. “Let me have you all to myself tonight, and we can shoot anything you want tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even guest star.”

“You’d want that?”

“The horny masses watching two blossoming muscle studs worship each other bigger? I’m into it. But right now all I can think about is getting into this.” Yuri yanked down the waistband of Levi’s tights from behind and clamped both hands firmly down on his glutes, giving them a bounce and squeeze. He rubbed his hands over their expanse, first gently, then firmly. He cupped from underneath to feel their weight, he massaged them together so they teased his hole, and he dug his fingers into the crack to relish how deep they sank.

“Mine.”

A single word with those blazing blue eyes shooting through him, that was all it took. Levi felt his body relax, as a tension that could have been there for months finally drained out of his eyes, his neck, his shoulders.

“All yours,” Levi breathed, leaning cheek to cheek with Yuri. “Anything you could ever want from me, Yuri.”

“All I want from you,” Levi had never heard Yuri drop his voice so deep. He leaned up and planted a kiss between each word. “is to watch your utter… uncontainable… bliss… so intense it fills your being.” He held one last kiss, their lips locked, exploring each other. Levi felt Yuri’s endowment straining harder against the fabric of his tights, pushing deeper against his exposed ass. “And keeps filling you, wider… heavier… thicker.” Just when the bulge threatened to brush against his rosebud, he gently pushed Levi to standing. “Pose for me.”

Levi immediately stood at attention, rock hard cock leaking into his tights. He took a moment to pull up some memories of the first posing routine he’d found on the internet as a young teen. He’d practiced it in a mirror for hours and hours, imagining if he could just get the poses down perfectly, he’d hit the final most muscular and transform into a real bodybuilder. He stepped forward into the first ab and thigh pose, but Yuri interrupted.

“Levi. Strip, first.” It was as though Yuri was speaking directly into his brain. As he heard the command, his limbs simply moved to obey, hopping awkwardly as he shucked his tights and returning to full attention with his long cock bobbing out in front of him.

Yuri’s eyes ignited at the obedience, and began to slide his own tights off down over his beefy quads. The sweep of those trunks was obscene, and even his calves were a stopgap over removing the leggings. He pulled his shirt off from the neck, and as Yuri leaned back his rod sprung to full mast. Levi took in the full view of him as he reclined his hands behind his head. His full square pecs, those bulging 15” arms, the thick grooves in his abs from what couldn’t have been more than 6% bodyfat. He was no world-class freak, but to compare this ascending deity against that dopey grindr pic only a few months ago was beyond words. And that cock… it likely measured up about even with Levi’s own 7-incher, but on his shorter frame it looked monstrous. His heavy balls churned low over the tops of his thighs.

“Begin.”

Levi had no idea where this was coming from. The playful twunk Yuri had somehow been replaced by this trained maestro, directing him with total ease about himself. Levi felt no force behind the words, no demand of him, just a plainly stated directive that Levi knew was the right thing to do, and he obeyed. He rotated through the poses, adding his own signature grace and poise to the transitions.

Something deep within him wanted to find approval in Yuri’s penetrating eyes, but that’s not what he saw. What was there was lust, gilded with primal hunger. Yuri wasn’t getting off on controlling him, he was enjoying him in a way no one had before. Yuri was teasing himself, telling Levi what to do to send his own libido through the roof. With each pose Levi hit, he watched Yuri’s cock twitch harder, the head engorging somehow fuller as crimson crept down the length of the shaft. As his routine went on, Yuri started to paw at his own thigh, desperate to put his hands on his cock.

“You’re going to be a titan, Levi. The first one we make together.” Levi’s balance faltered as the certainty of that prophecy sunk into him. It would happen for him. Hopefully for both of them.

As the show went on, Levi’s veins pumped brighter and thicker, the muscles in his whole body started to engorge. He was a walking erection, and it was driving Yuri insane. His eyes looked more and more tortured as he continued, and he began to paw at his own chest, teasing a nipple as he watched.

The reaction was turning Levi on more and more, and he began to put his whole soul into the performance. He exaggerated the gyration in his hips as he spun for a rear lat spread. Levi dug his thumbs in deep, much lower than the pose called for, and dragged them over the swell of his glutes en route to his waist. The motion pried his ass open just enough for Yuri to get a glimpse of his hole.

“Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah! Yeah!!” Levi turned in time to see Yuri raise a hand to his nipple and pinched down with extreme force. He dug his heels into the floor, back arching into the ground as a first shot of cum erupted from him, splattering the wall behind him. As a second shot glazed across his pecs, his nose scrunched up and his feet pawed at the floor as more and more flooded out of him. His hips bucked into the air as the last shots began to fall short, and his heavy breaths began to recede.

“Holy shit, Yur.”

“Ahahaha, my thoughts exactly.” Clearly the fog had lifted and Yuri was back to his normal self.

“Did you even…?” Levi pumped his hand in the air in quick succession.

“Just at the very edge.”

“Fuck. Well now I have a target to hit.”

“Now please, present that ass for me, however’s comfortable.”

“Oh? Ready to go already?”

“The mind is certainly willing, but...” Yuri flopped his softening dick against his stomach with a few firm slaps. He took a finger full of his seed out of the thick ridge of his third row of abs and brought it to his mouth. “The mouth will just have to do.”

A flash of that impish grin flashed across his face again as he commanded “Present.”

Levi sank to the floor and laid down on his back. Straight as an arrow, he lifted one leg, then the other, up to his ears. With a light flex of his abs and a slight tug at his feet, his hips lifted off the ground, exposing his ass to the seemingly insatiable Yuri. He approached on all fours, and sniffed at Levi’s balls first. He dragged his tongue up over his sac and gave a long, sloppy lick up the shaft, making Levi quiver. With a free hand, Yuri scooped up more of his own cum and began tracing the ring of his partner’s hole. Levi contained a moan for as long as he could before the sensation burst out of him as a first knuckle entered him. “Fucking hell, Yur…”

Satisfied, Yuri grabbed his legs and stretched them even further, rubbing up and down the cords of his hamstrings and kneading at his calves as he positioned the tongue at the entrance.

Following from his earlier fingering, Yuri traced the ring with his tongue first, licking up the cum he’d spread there. Every circle of his tongue added more force, gradually prying Levi apart, loosening him up and bringing him closer to his g spot.

Levi reached down to give an encouraging rub on Yuri’s head, who pushed deeper and deeper inside him. He was no longer teasing the surface, he was manipulating the shape of the muscle inside him. Levi couldn’t help but wonder if he’d taken notes from a certain sex toy earlier that night.

“Yur, I can’t… fuck I’m gonna blow quick.” As he said this, Yuri pressed his whole face against Levi, hard. He felt the tongue inside him, stretching deeper and deeper.

And deeper. Fuck! His tongue was stretching through him, thick as a wrist and just getting longer. This couldn’t be possible, could it? The appendage arced upwards and began to pummel his prostate.

“Yes!” Levi screamed as the orgasm ripped through him. His legs swept down and bound Yuri in a headlock. He squeezed his thighs to heighten the release and pulled Yuri harder against him as his cock spurted onto his abdomen.

As the headrush ebbed, Levi released his death grip and felt Yuri sliding out of him, inch by inch. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought he felt the gentle tickle of a forked tongue on both his cheeks as it fully retracted.

Their eyes met. Yuri smiled, mouth slightly.

“That was incredible,” Yuri breathed.

“Truly,” Levi said, looking down at Yuri’s perfectly normal looking human tongue. “I’m not sure I believe it.”

July

“You’ll move it.”

Yuri’s magic words were equal parts reassurance, ironclad portent, and conduit for that dormant dominant energy that brought Levi to heel. It was the ideal phrase to motivate him when starting a set, they’d discovered.

But by itself, the phrase was only enough to clear his nerves before starting. Levi pulled his shoulders back and wedged himself under the barbell. Like a dimmer switch, he turned up the intensity in his legs until the 305 pound weight lifted away from the rack. He filled his belly with a deep, sturdy cushion of air, and sat into the squat.

1…

The first rep set the emotional tone for the whole set, which is why Yuri’s assurance was so critical. But he squeezed his ass, braced his core and sure enough, it moved.

2…3…4…5…6…

Focus was critical after the first rep. Pacing, depth, breathing, the thousand different angles for feet, knees, hips… if any of it fell out of sync it would hold him back, at best, and at worst, land him in hospital.

7...

Here’s where it really burned: proving the jump in weight wasn’t premature. No lateral moves, no “more weight but fewer reps”. The only acceptable direction is up.

7.5…

He bottomed out a hair lower than he meant to. The weight had stalled. SQUEEZE. A brief flash of Picard shouting “Divert power!” drifted through his mind’s eye as he felt his hips lever to the point where his quads could fully engage again and shoulder more of the weight from his glutes. YOU’LL MOVE IT.

The weight probably never held there at all, but in Levi’s mind, time stopped. He saw himself in the mirror, eyes feral, teeth clenched, spit on his lips, and he felt it… He felt darkness inside him. There was chasm in his mind, burrowing somewhere deep that he couldn’t follow. It could well have gone to the ends of the universe, he had no idea. But he knew what was within it.

Flame.

In the instant he observed it, a supernova called to him through the void and offered to serve. His mind reached down into that darkness and placed a mere fingertip into the blazing celestial eddies. In the dark, he touched a flicker.

8… 9…10…

The eleventh rep went up and Levi racked it out of the single thread of common sense left to him. It wasn’t until the bar made contact with the supports that he noticed his knees were vibrating and his elbows were twitching; his entire central nervous system had gone haywire.

“SENSATIONAL! Wow, Levi where did that come from?!”

“You… tell… me…”

Yuri immediately set to taking off a few weights for his final set. “I’ve never seen you push like that before! It was like each rep was just making you stronger. And the intensity in your eyes, it looked like you were going to break the mirror with a stare.” He continued, but Levi couldn’t hear him. All he heard was blood rushing through his eardrums for a minute as his brain rebooted.

He stumbled back behind Yuri as he got into position and prepared for his battle against 245.

“Oooo, lord, is he going to make it?” The pair turned to see a white-haired, sun-ripened man of about 60, sleeveless blue athletic shirt that was tight around the waist, loose around the shoulders. The look was completed with department store sneakers.

Levi, still dry heaving as the tension of the set wound down, let Yuri handle it.

“He’ll be fine, he just had a really heavy set.”

“I’ll say! Boy, I remember back. Yes sir, back when I was pushing 4 plates or so, mmm, I tell you.” Levi clenched his teeth, but Yuri applied more grace.

“It’s an impressive feat. Did you need help with anything else?”

“No, no, just call me a concerned citizen. Oh, it’s you, Levi! I didn’t recognize you out of costume. It’s me! I was the casting director for your show. Kudos again for landing the role!” Levi eked out a smile of recognition as he continued panting. “Say, didn’t you used to train with that big guy before he quit? You’re the one always wearing that stylish coat when you come in, right?”

Levi hyperextended his back, hands on his head, and replied between breaths. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“I almost didn’t recognize you! Be careful you don’t hulk out of that thing,” the man tittered.

“I’ll try.”

Yuri intervened, making sure he didn’t get another opening. “Well, I’m gonna start my next set. Let us know after if you need anything else.” Thankfully the guy took the hint, waving goodbye and buzzing away happily towards the cardio machines.

“Good save,” Levi said.

“Polite and direct, works every time on reasonable people. Ok, let’s do it.” He took position under the barbell.

“We got this,” Levi enthused. Yuri nodded, took a deep breath, and began.

1… His form was perfect. Controlled, not too slow, and with a smooth transition back out of the hole. Levi followed his form from half a step back, ready to step in if needed.

2…3……. The weight had stuck at the same point as it had for Levi. Yuri grunted, his brow furrowed, blood pooling in his eyebrows until it was beet red. One second passed, then another, and when Levi saw the bar drop just a centimeter, he jumped in. He scooped under Levi’s elbows and shouldered just enough to let him finish the rep. They’d both practiced the spotting maneuver as they committed to pushing their squat weight heavier.

“Man, I don’t know what’s up. Don’t think that guy distracted me... Guess I need to stick to just two plates a while longer.”

“You’ll get there. You’re squeezing your glutes at the bottom?”

“I’m giving it the best these perky little things got,” he tried to wiggle his hips back and forth, but the soreness from the set got to him, and he had to lean against the rack for support.

“You’re gripping the floor with your feet? I know that made a huge difference the one time you tried it.”

“Yeah. That’s what got me to two plates in the first place, remember?”

“Well, maybe… what’s been helping me the last few months… it’s hard to explain. I actually noticed it during the lift right before my accident.

“It feels like I connect to something. There’s this void inside me, and my mind goes blank. I feel this strength outside myself pushing me harder than I think I can.”

Yuri just looked at him, a slight smile etching deeper into his cheeks under dismissive eyes.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“So you said.”

“I guess maybe just try and focus on the squeeze a little harder next week. And believe in yourself. I do.”

Yuri seemed to shake the comment off. “Yeah.” He took a moment to regain his balance and they started for the locker room.

Levi froze as they turned to leave the gym floor. “Oh shit, don’t look now. It’s Stallion.”

“The guy you…?”

“Yeah, that one.”

Yuri responded somewhere between a sigh and a growl. Adjusting his schedule around rehearsals meant the pair rarely worked out at Stallion’s regular time, but weekends were always a wild card. The last time Levi crossed his path was a few days before his injury. Stallion’s eyes seemed to deliberately skip over him any time they had the opportunity. But not today.

Levi’s stomach sank as Stallion locked onto him. There was no alluring pose this time, but his face still stung with the beauty of those strong features. He was walking directly at them.

“Ohgod,” Levi breathed, bracing himself for whatever torture was upon him.

“Hey, Levi. Great fucking set before, man, you are killing it these days. Blowing up!”

“Thanks,” he replied with his best impression of a ventriloquist. His body weight had started moving again, with another 6 or so pounds the last month, but he hardly wanted to talk to Stallion about it.

“So I’m having a little get together in my bedroom later tonight. Just some casual fun between friends. You should come by. Bring your friend, too, of course.”

Yuri spat acid back, “Oh, is he worth your time now? Shouldn’t you be focusing on your rest periods, or does that only apply on glute day for glam-roiding circuit queens? Here’s a tip: don’t wear a tank top if you’re gonna screw up your injections that badly. Your chest can barely hold one up anyway.” He scathed, gesturing to a bruise at the center of Stallion’s shoulder. Yuri didn’t even try to curb a gorgonesque stare at the target of his vitriol.

“Jeez,” Stallion responded to Levi, visibly shaken. “You got yourself one sensitive boytoy there.”

Levi was unable to speak, unable to do anything more than beam with pride and appreciation for his partner. Silence hung in the air a moment, before he eventually put the words in his heart together.

“Yeah. I really do.” Levi grabbed Yuri’s hand and they walked off towards the locker room.

Joyful tears blurred the edges of the room as the scope of what just happened settled in. Levi wanted to explode, he wanted to pull Yuri back and kiss him in the middle of the gym floor, or suck his cock in the rebellious spirit of the moment. But he felt the drama swelling and knew he had to contain himself until they were safely out of sight.

“That was… no one has ever stood up for me like that before.”

“I am still fuming. The way he fucked with you, and now that you’re growing he acts like he’s your friend? I could have ripped his throat out.”

“No jury would convict.”

They walked to the very back row of lockers where only one guy in a gray hoodie sat impatiently, with his back to them. They sat on the benches farthest from him in the closest approximation of privacy available.

“Are you okay?” Levi was getting genuinely concerned that Yuri seemed unable to come down from the adrenaline rush.

“I think so. I didn’t even know I could feel like this. I don’t know what comes next.”

Levi wrapped his arms around him from the side, nestling into his neck. “How about this?” Yuri huffed once, twice more, before he slumped to the side. He turned his head and breathed in the scent of Levi’s hair.

“That’s pretty good.” Yuri said softly, and the world fell away from them. Time felt numb for a moment as their emotions flowed between them. Eventually, Yuri confessed, “Today has not been my proudest day.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of you. For everything. But it’s all over. We’ve got nothing to do but be with each other the rest of the night. Anything you want to do, I’ll make it happen.”

“Honestly? All I want to do right now is find someone local who sells gear and pump it in me til I look like one of those synthol idiots.”

Levi just smiled at him, hoping something in his brain would make a connection.

“Oh you sweet, sweet puppy dog, you didn’t understand a word I just said, did you?”

Levi would have been embarrassed for his ignorance if it hadn’t brought a smile to Yuri’s face. He watched those dimples crease further as he considered how to approach a taboo subject.

As he thought about it, one of the gym’s beefier powerlifters rounded the corner and approached the man in the hoodie. He stood, they shared a casual handshake, and the man in gray pulled a brown paper bag from his pocket. The powerlifter accepted it and checked the contents before briskly leaving the locker room.

“Speak of the devil,” Yuri hushed. “Don’t say anything,” he put his hand on Levi’s leg for reassurance, and after a moment passed the man in the hoodie started to leave. As he crossed in front of them, Yuri asked “Price sheet?” just loud enough for the man to hear.

The man stopped and looked at him. “No in person arrangements with first timers. Send your question here.” He pulled a flat black business card out of his pocket and handed it to Yuri. “Bitcoin only, first 3 orders have to be shipped.”

Yuri said nothing, simply taking the business card and letting the man leave.

Levi finally asked, “So, when do I get to find out what just happened?”

“C’mon, I’ll tell you on the way home.”

August

Levi exited the Uber outside the house in the hills. It was his house, now, he supposed. Levi moved out of his old apartment almost immediately after his first excursion with Yuri, opting to save money and squat in this abandoned palace. The situation was likely unsustainable, but the risk was well worth eliminating the stress of 9 flatmates. Yuri stayed with him a few nights each week, and under different circumstances it might have felt like a never-ending vacation.

The sex dungeon and bedroom had been cleared out, with its more valuable contents stored in a box by the pool that Levi couldn’t bring himself to throw out. The main bedroom had been redecorated, not to mention decontaminated, and they pooled their resources to buy a modest full-sized, non-cum-stained bed to share. It took some more digging through discarded mail, but eventually bills for utilities and services were found and paid, allowing Levi to squat comfortably enough for the foreseeable future. If he even made it through the run of the show, he’d have called it a success.

Opening night was in 10 weeks, and Levi was determined to maintain his size and his abilities through the run of the show. When he soared past 180 pounds late the previous month he decided to shift priorities, and was hitting legs 2-3 times a week now, on top of his rehearsals. Basically, all he did was sleep, squat and swallow. The last 3 days the scale showed him consistently over 195, with bodyfat hovering just under 10%, and it was working; until his stamina failed him entirely, he was able to gracefully hit his marks with only half a stink eye from the show’s choreographer.

The gym had started to feel like it was truly his domain. He’d gone through the year so far mainly staying focused on Yuri, but he was beginning to feel comfortable noticing people again. He wasn’t one of the struggling nobodies anymore, flailing at every machine and refusing to touch a big boy weight. But he also wasn’t the biggest guy by any means. When he looked in the mirror, he still felt more like a fitness model than anything close to proper bodybuilder size. After a lifetime of schoolyard nicknames like “stringbean” and “lanky Levi”, he knew his body was hot now. The change in Stallion’s attitude was ironclad proof, and he’d never, ever had that before. His body wasn’t the one he wanted, but it was a damn fine consolation.

And the price was noteworthy.

As soon as his rideshare drove away, Levi collapsed onto the grass in front of his house. The Southern California sun blazing down on him, the smoky air from some wildfire raging nearby, all of it burned only half as much as the searing pain in his quads and calves. Two days ago he had pushed himself through 4 sets of 315x21 on squats, and today they rehearsed the climactic battle of the show for 6 hours straight. Legs were scheduled the following day, as well. He closed his eyes against the afternoon sun until the world turned blue, just letting his breath catch in his heavy chest.

As usual in these moments, he looked for the three silver linings that kept him going.

One, he was on an insanely dirty bulk and it did not show whatsoever. Sure, he kept his vegetables and vitamins and lean proteins. But he was also ordering trays of pasta from his favorite Italian restaurant and washing it down with mass gainer shakes. Even here, lying on the grass, it called to him, and as soon as the first hunger pang outweighed the pain in his legs he would start making his way inside for it. These meals were by no means easy to finish. But after gorging on a massive breakfast scramble of eggs, air fried home fries, ground turkey and avocado, he spent the longest stretch of the day only having an ounce or two of chicken at a time as his schedule allowed. Between the 8 hours of cardio that rehearsals provided and the endurance tests of multiple Platt-worthy leg days each week, he had at least 8000 calories to make up in the four hours before bed. There was little other way to do it besides digging in and letting the hunger consume him. By the time he finished, his ripped six-pack had distended so big he could wrap his arms under it and feel the heft of all that growth fuel within him. The only way he even made it through the pain those last bites caused him was with his steadfast partner there, rubbing his belly and encouraging him on. And yet every night while he slept, the calories evaporated into the shredded fibers of his legs, and he woke to find his taught midsection returned to its rippling glory.

The second pleasure in his life was the dull ache in his glutes any time he moved his legs to stand, to sit, to walk, or to dance. Soreness was his default state now, and it meant his ass had grown so obscenely large that his back had to arch to an uncomfortable degree when he lay prone. The more it hurt, the hotter and more fuckable his butt had grown, and today it was especially cramped.

Finally, he had a hot muscle mouse boyfriend that absolutely worshiped him. Yuri spent the night at his place a few times a week, and he would devour Levi whole before bed. He drove Levi to hands-free orgasm, rimming him with ever-increasing skill. Sometimes he wouldn’t even be able to wait until Levi had finished his gluttonous buffets, and would eat him out as he gorged. Between bites and licks, they’d comment how big they were making that insatiable ass, stuffing it from both ends. And each morning, Levi would awaken to the sensation of Yuri spooning him, his thick cock rubbing between his cheeks, teasing him.

So far, the bizarre paranormal experience of their first night in the house had not recurred; Yuri’s tongue was, to the best of Levi’s perception, perfectly normal and human. While it could still easily bring him to climax, he hadn’t felt it mystically engorge or lengthen to the point of reaching his prostate.

“Psss. Levi.” Yuri gently roused him from the edge of a nap on the grass.

“Ehhhhhhhnnn. Five more hours.”

“Come on, Levi, you’re not done yet. Meal’s in the oven, and I’ve got a surprise waiting for you.”

Levi’s olfactory zeroed in on the weak scent of cheese and his eyes sprung open. It took a great deal of effort from both of them to drag him to his feet, but together they got him moving towards the house.

Inside, Levi saw the surprise waiting on the kitchen counter: two rows of small glass bottles, small square paper packets, a few baggies of candies, or pills? And a box of… syringes.

“Is this…?”

“Yup. Our first steroid cycles. Happy six month anniversary.” Yuri looked so pleased with himself.

“Aww, Yur. Come here.” Levi shuffled over to his man and pulled him close for a kiss. “Thank you so much. So do I need to know what all this stuff is?”

“I can take care of it. It is a lot of research and it’s hard to eat and think,” he teased.

“It is also just a little bit hotter if I don’t know, don’t you think?” Yuri bit his lip in agreement. “And of course, please, I’m paying my share for this.”

“Oh, I figured, and I’m not gonna put up a fight. Where’s the sub count again?”

“Closing in on 5,000.” Levi had kicked off his OnlyFans account with their paired dance number, announcing the channel’s intention, but managed very little in terms of initially marketing it. Once the weekly updates to their rehearsed routine were interspersed with a selection of their regular horseplay, a few dozen came to see the boyish blonde twunk dominating his taller partner. When Levi made some content trying on some old clothes and showing photos from over a year ago, a huge influx from the muscle growth community swelled in to see the men’s journeys in real time. And, when they filmed Levi’s first proper feeding session after rehearsals kicked into high gear, the gainer community arrived in droves. Comments poured in from eager fans who “couldn’t wait to see Yuri bury Levi’s jock body”. Though he found these kinds of messages neutral at best, Levi did what he could to appreciate and even indulge everyone in the replies that he could. Soon he had put away enough for a few months’ living expenses, if needed, and was easily making enough money to afford food, supplements, new gym clothes, and better camera equipment.

“Yeah, you can pitch in on these,” Yuri winked.

“So, are we just gonna…?” Levi guided his hands down the ridges of Yuri’s tight back down to his glutes, and gave the outside of one a nice firm pinch. Yuri’s loins pressed against him in response, coming to life.

“Yup, whenever you want to start. Your bloodwork all came back good, we’ve got an AI in case your estrogen starts to spike and PCT if you decide you don’t want to cruise after. Everything’s ready to go when you are.”

“I’m still amazed you know how to do all of that. Even approaching the seller in the gym, what was that?”

“I’ve studied this stuff for a long time. I think. It all feels second nature, like I’ve sat and talked with a hundred guys who’ve done all this before. I know what the signs of heart complications feel like, how kidney or pancreas problems might manifest, what estrogen spikes look and feel like and how to correct for it all.

“But it all feels like it’s the first time going through it, though. And, I mean, look at me, I don’t exactly scream steroid junkie.”

“You will soon,” Levi kissed him on the forehead.

It was true, though. In the last three months, Yuri’s progress had completely stalled out, although Levi would never give that thought a voice. They continued experimenting in the gym, finding better ways to move the weight, which provided some minor strength gains on the big lifts for Yuri. Yet, his body weight hadn’t budged so much as a pound over 160. For two months after he stalled, he had continued increasing his calorie surplus every week hoping to see the stubborn scale move. Assessing this as a problem with insulin resistance, Yuri had taken the last few weeks to reduce his carbs. His weight still had not fluctuated more than a few pounds a day for food / water variations, but hopefully by now his body had readjusted and was ready to start growing again.

Levi had his own fears about what the problem might be. But if Apollyon were really responsible for this, he wasn’t remotely prepared to explain that to the ever-skeptical Yuri, not when he could offer no resolution.

“You need to be sure about this, though!” Yuri rushed to refocus the conversation on his partner. “People respond differently to every compound. You could put on a lot of water weight, you could only see some modest gains. Or you could pile on a boatload of lean mass incredibly quickly. There’s really no way to tell before you take the plunge.”

“I see absolutely no downsides.”

“You know I want this for you. I still want it more than anything. But you want more than just this. You are burning the candle from every end—”

“So, both ends?”

“—and this is going to take a torch to it. You’re going to go through your whole first cycle while also performing. That’s a big risk right now for a ton of reasons. This stuff will still be here in a couple months.”

“I promise you, whatever the outcome, I will be fine. I was ready to let go of everything to grow months ago. Dancing has always been the crutch. I’m gonna make the most of it while I still can, but this-” he gestured to the cornucopia of compounds on the counter, “this is the real goal.”

“Then let’s do it,” Yuri grinned. He walked to the counter and grabbed a pill from one of the baggies. “Here, break one of these in half. Starting now, it’s half in the morning and half at night for four weeks.” Levi nearly popped the whole thing in before hearing the full instructions. “Now go start eating and I’ll get everything else ready. Five minutes.”

As Levi moved a massive tray of lasagna from the oven to the counter to cool. He pulled a pint of amaretto ice cream from the freezer and threw it in the microwave. Into an industrial blender, he placed mass gainer powder, a full jar of peanut butter, four bananas, mocha protein powder and half a gallon of water. The entire tub of melted ice cream was poured in as well. While it was all blending together he twisted open a jar of vodka sauce and drizzled the contents over his pasta. Once the shake was done, he began chugging directly from the blender to cool off bites of the scorching hot lasagna.

Yuri approached with the needle, and Levi tried to cram down one more bite before they’d start. “No no, keep going, just try to listen to me between bites. Lean on the counter and take all your weight off this leg for me.” He did as instructed, moving the food aside to make room but still shoveling as fast as he could. Yuri pulled the waistband of his sweatshorts down, and ran a hand over his rump with the lightest of touch. A chill settled into a patch of skin where he rubbed an alcohol swab.

“Any last natty words?”

“Imf it dudn’t count for Pfteve Rogers, it dudn’t count for me. Eep!”

“Shh, you’re okay, it’s in. You just keep eating.” Levi did not need to be told. Levi felt Yuri’s rod pressing against his thigh firmer each second as the growth elixir was injected.

Whatever slight discomfort he felt, the shot was over in under a minute. The struggle against his hunger did not diminish the sexual rush of knowing what had happened. He spent the duration imagining that magic muscle juice flowing into his ass turning every single bite he swallowed into raw mass.

And then, it was over. He was enhanced. “So there’s like a .1% chance I’ll swell up to twice my size while I’m asleep tonight? .2%?”

“It’ll be a few weeks to kick in, but the pills are faster. All you need to do is keep training your best; don’t change anything and the roids will change you. Now: my turn! (if you can put the fork down for just a minute).” Levi growled performatively, but took the second syringe and began looking at the contents. Mostly clear, but with swirls of yellowish liquid that didn’t quite make a solution. A few beads licked their way down the tip of the needle.

“So I just… put it in and push down?”

“Yep,” Yuri flexed his hands nervously. “I’m a little needle-shy, though, fair warning.”

“Okay, I’ll be gentle.”

“No! Don’t do that. Just line it up, and then… like a dart, okay? Right here.”

“Right here.” Levi took a second to examine and rotated the needle to make sure it would fly straight in. Then he gave one, quick jab without warning.

Yuri whimpered. The sound went straight to Levi’s loins as the weight of what he was doing set in. “Mmmkay, good,” Yuri breathed in a voice meant to relax himself. “Slow and steady.”

“Got it,” Levi switched which hand was steadying the needle, getting a firmer grip on the plunger and allowing him to press his chest into Yuri’s back. He wrapped his free arm around him and their forms melted together as he pushed the fluid in.

Levi leaned his cheek against Yuri’s and whispered, “We’re gonna get you moving again. I promise.”

“I know we will.” With his arm around his chest, he felt a racing heartbeat. As the CC of fluid pushed into him, Yuri further relaxed. Levi had a more active response. Soon enough, the needle was out. Yuri turned with Levi’s arm still around him, heavy breaths highlighting his ongoing anxiety, and looked up in his eyes.

“It’s okay, it’s over now.” He’d seen confidence in those eyes before, as well as fear. He’d watched those eyes coil with rage, but mostly he’d only ever seen them filled with joy. But for the very first time, he saw a heavy worry settling into him. “What are you feeling?”

“Like I can barely stand up some days. Like I ran off a cliff 3 months ago and have just been refusing to look down.”

“I’ve heard that stress can really hold back your progress.”

“Yeah, my cortisol has probably been through the roof. Maybe I’ve taken on too much. I bet the old me handled everything better.”

Levi considered his words. With his completely packed days, he hadn’t even stopped to think about how much Yuri might have done just in preparing for today. And every step of it he was still helping Levi live his dreams, working his own job, and coming to grips with his own fallout from Apollyon, to the extent that he even understood what happened.

“The ‘old’ you had his shit together, I guess.” Levi remembered the thrill, the mystery, the danger of those moments with him. “You’re not a different person, though. And if anything, I think I even love you more now that it doesn’t feel like you’re trying to protect me behind my back. I feel like I’ve actually gotten to see all of you.”

“You love me?”

“I wasn’t supposed to just blurt it out like that, was I?”

Yuri turned his head and placed it against Levi’s heart. “No, you weren’t,” he teased.

Levi bent down and dug his nose into Yuri’s hair, planting a kiss on his scalp. He held him close for another moment before lifting his chin up to look him in the eyes.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Yuri replied.

“I love you, Yuri.”

“I love you too, Levi.” He tiptoed up and planted a single sweet kiss on Levi’s lips. It turned into three more. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Absolutely anything.”

“Can you just hold me tonight?”

“Oh, Yur…” He squeezed Yuri until he felt his ribs compressed and scooped him up in his arms.

In the bedroom, their usual dynamic had flipped completely. There was no exhibitionist posing, nor service dom demands from Yuri, nor showing off from Levi. They held. Their bodies caressed against each other while their lips and tongues intermingled. Levi pulled Yuri’s hips tight against his waist from behind and explored his prone form with his hands and his lips. He kissed every inch of him, getting to experience Yuri’s pleasure spots (who’d have guessed stroking Yuri’s hips would put him in ecstasy!). He savored Yuri’s taut muscles, his perky ass, and his sizable cock as much as ever, but tonight they went from being hot individual features to a part of something bigger than both of them.

Yuri had told him the gear would make him hornier a few weeks in, but the act of penetrating each other in the kitchen was aphrodisiac enough. The juice was in them, probably already changing them, mingling with their constantly sore muscles and heavy protein diet to grow them into beasts. He hugged him close, their pecs rubbing against each other, and he could feel the firm lump of steroids in Yuri’s ass as he moved his hands down. He had to massage it deeper, work it into the muscles faster.

Yuri let out a sharp groan and Levi removed his hand. “Oh, was that too much? Sorry!”

“Yeah, I mean, no… it’s a good pain.”

“Keep going?”

Yuri’s eyes stared through him. “Make it hurt.”

Levi forced a vice grip onto his ass, eliciting another sinful groan, and began massaging the lump of muscle elixir with the full strength of his forearms. In for a penny, he took his free hand behind Yuri’s back and clenched down on his neck, working down his traps to loosen the dense muscle.

Yuri responded in kind, taking his own grip as far around Levi as he could reach. When his fingertips reached the ridge next to his spine he gently pressed his nails in, clawing down his back. At first, the sensation was just that: not quite a tickle, nor a massage, just a sensation that made him keenly aware of his back. The tiny knives raked across his skin and the feeling turned to torture.

“AaaaaAAGH,” Levi let it happen, confused why it hurt but trusting his partner. The pain was exquisite, and it redoubled through his body as it made the experience hotter. Yuri wrapped his legs around Levi’s waist, pulling himself tight against his chest for support. Levi’s hips took control of him, thrusting as his neck craned. His glute hand continued clamping even harder while his other one returned the favor, raking his nails up Yuri’s back and eliciting a soft, breath “y- yes, yesss” from him.

Yuri was putty in his hands, responding to every touch, every stroke of a fingernail, every flex of his cock against his taint. “I need you, Levi,” he whispered, and their embrace loosened enough for Yuri to look up at him. Levi recognized the look in Yuri’s eyes: he felt that way watching his lasagna come out of the oven after 8 hours practicing battement jumps.

“How do you want me?” he asked, hesitantly. Yuri turned around on the bed and sat back on his heels, a position that made his glutes bubble up deliciously. He planted his hands in front of him, encouraging his triceps to flaunt their marbled beauty.

He looked back at Levi. “Like this.”

Levi moved against him, spooning him from behind. He slipped his hands under Yuri’s arms, feeling up and down his abs, his pecs, his manhood. His own cock slipped between the hills of the firm, velvet-smooth ass and began to grease the crevasse.

“I’ve actually never, uh,” Levi started, grabbing a bottle of lube from the nightstand.

“You’ve never topped anyone before?”

“I had a bad habit of turning my fellow bottoms into tops.” Levi spread a drop of lube across his cockhead and found it grew tacky far quicker than expected. It took four tries to get to a state of what he’d call lubrication.

“Oh,” Yuri replied. “If you don’t feel comfortable with it…”

“No, I want to. You wanting it is hotter than anything. I just,” he searched for the right words. “Please direct me if I’m doing something wrong.”

“Oh, Levi. Always an eager student in everything. You’re gonna do fine. Just line it up and then, like a dart, just like before.”

“...Really?”

“No, dummy, feel it out slowly and be gentle.”

Levi leaned back and adjusted his glistening cock between his boyfriend’s buns. He circled the hole with his head and Yuri let out a deep, bassy moan he’d rarely heard unless he was close to climax. The head popped in like Yuri’s ass had sucked it, but it found resistance until Levi tweaked his hip placement and the spread and bend of his knees (god, this is trickier than squats). When it all lined up though, one inch of his manhood entered after another. Yuri writhed in front of him, shoulders collapsing and neck twisting as he felt Levi fill him. Groans of ecstasy and yelps of delight escaped him involuntarily until Levi’s pubes made contact.

And then, bliss. The feeling of warm flesh sliding over his entire length, the gentle squeeze against him as Yuri controlled his own muscles, and the feeling of his groin against glutes confirming that their flesh was completely bridged now… they were designed for this.

They took a moment to be with each other. Levi spooned him, and it felt like he was holding the world. He brought his head forward to rub their cheeks together. Yuri turned and they were just able to reach their mouths together and kiss, as Levi pulled his chest and his waist tighter against him. He realized their height difference was perfect for this; Yuri’s knees, hips and shoulders all aligned just where they needed to be to hold his smaller partner.

Shorter partner, Levi corrected himself.

They were divinity given form. They were everything men were meant to be for each other. Levi realized what a gift it had been, each time he had submitted and surrendered himself in this way before, to Yuri or anyone else.

Yuri played with his own cock while Levi worked his seasoned hips against Levi, euphoric at the feeling of flesh sliding against him as he thrusted and retreated. He experimented with different angles and different handholds, but always returned to the style that felt most comfortable and intimate for him: holding Yuri tight against him, kissing his face and neck while his hips did all the work. When they both finally came, their lips and tongues were dancing against each other, feeling each others’ orgasms shudder through their breath.

True to his word, Levi stayed holding his man until his breaths became as heavy as his limbs. As gently as possible, he dug his arm into the mattress and slipped it out from under Yuri. He paused to make sure he hadn’t woken him, but his stomach would not let him delay very long.

While cleaning himself off in the master bathroom, Levi noticed a substantial bump on his ass at the injection site. It was a lot more sensitive to the touch than he expected. Diagnosing himself for further symptoms now, he recognized a slight flush in his veins and an ache in his joints. His dick chubbed back up almost immediately as he thought back on every piece of growth fiction he’d ever read where the hero noticed that warmth spreading through his body shortly before the total transformation began.

He made his way to the kitchen. As his hunger was now seasoned with horniness, Levi had very little difficulty devouring the remainder of his prepared lasagna and shake, plus a little extra chicken and rice to make up for the day’s bonus cardio.

Levi returned to the bedroom and stood in awe at what he saw. Yuri had rolled onto his back and his rod was tenting the sheet straight up away from him. His arms were splayed overhead, lightly furry pits exposed and arms on full display. As he caught his breath and took the sight in, he noticed the sheet seemed to be slipping further down Yuri’s body.

Several possibilities rapidly flitted through Levi’s mind. The first was that he must be pushing the sheets off himself, somehow, but his body was still as stone. Then he considered that some unseen entity might be pulling the sheet off of him. Finally he noticed it, though. It wasn’t that the sheet was moving.

Yuri was growing out of it.

The pale moonlight coming in from the patio shone directly across Yuri’s pectorals, with a deepening shadow between them. The hills of his quads were becoming more mountainous every second, and the negative space between his arms was quickly being absorbed by more and more mass.

Overcome with excitement, Levi wasn’t sure what to do. Should he wake him? What if that interrupted whatever was happening? The best compromise he could think of was to pick up his phone from the wall charger and begin to record it.

In the dark, it was hard to focus the camera phone on much, but Levi fixed on the sight of Yuri’s swelling pecs in the dim moonlight. The deepening muscles continued to lift the sheet until it had slipped down to his abdomen completely, sending a shudder through Yuri’s body as it graced his nipples.

Levi noticed wispy dark hairs forming at the ridge down the center of his smooth chest. The recording clearly showed them thickening and spreading into a diamond shape just above his sternum, creeping out higher over the muscle and up his neck, spreading fractally up towards his chin.

No, no, not hairs… The dark wisps were moving under the skin, through his veins. FUCK, NO, NOT AGAIN!

“YUR! YURI, WAKE UP!” Levi jumped on the bed beside him, hands on his shoulders, and began to shake him against his pillow. Yuri was unresponsive, but breathing ecstatically.

“Please, no, you can’t do this to us again! Why won’t you fucking take me instead, you asshole!” he screamed at no one, hoping to either wake Yuri or get Apollyon to show himself. Levi placed his hands on Yuri’s chest, with no clear plan. He just hoped to contain the spread somehow, even for a moment. As soon as he made contact, though, the growth rocketed through Yuri’s entire body, his pecs exploding against his chin, his back erupting against the bed, pushing his center of mass towards the ceiling. Yuri continued sleeping peacefully as his arms distended in every direction, trapping Levi between blossoming muscle bellies and the wall behind the bed. He fought against the tide, trying to pry himself free of the nuclear blast of size pinning him.

Levi bolted upright in his bed, sweat pouring off of him. He looked to the side. Yuri, his compact muscle mouse, was stirring from sleep.

“You okay, Levi? What happened?”

“You were- you were huge.”

“Aww, were you dreaming about us, too?”

“No, it was…” He grabbed his phone, which was not plugged into the wall charger, and opened the Videos app. It looked like he had begun recording a closeup of Yuri’s chest, clearly heaving with more size. Or was he just breathing heavily… The video cut off abruptly. “I swear I saw you. You, you dreamed it too, right? It was like he was controlling you again?”

“Who?”

“Cole. Apollyon.” Levi collected himself a bit. “What if maybe he didn’t actually get banished. Maybe he found some way to bind himself inside you, or something?

“Or…” Levi’s posture fell, “maybe I’m just in some asylum somewhere slowly losing it.” He recounted his evidence over the last six months. A handful of occurrences, each months apart, with no one to corroborate. No one at the hospital seemed to understand what he was talking about when he brought up the ruptured two-ton mass of poisoned muscle that had been crushing him. “I keep seeing these things. Maybe none of them ever happened. But what about this house?”

“Everything’s okay, Levi. I promise. Yeah, I had a dream too, but I wasn’t growing. I was already freaky huge, and you were just as big. We were flexing together at the gym. It wasn’t scary. It was just a dream.

“You might have some mild fevery side effects for a day or so. It’s normal. But if you’re hallucinating while you’re awake, that could be a problem.”

“No, I… It was probably just a bad dream.”

“Everything’s okay,” Yuri reassured. “Here, let’s switch for the night. Come here.” He opened his arms and Levi was all too happy to roll inside his embrace.

It felt like an hour before Levi could relax enough to stop feeling for any weirdness in Yuri’s pecs as they pressed into his back. He swore they were bigger, but at least they weren’t growing to morbid proportions. Only one thought occupied his mind until sleep took him.

Who are you, Yuri?

The next day, Yuri weighed in five pounds heavier, at 166. The gap under his tank top between his clavicle and his traps had clearly grown as a result of his torso having swollen at least half an inch thicker overnight.

Yuri shrugged it off as water weight.

November

It felt good to play the villain.

Levi’s influence over the stage and its denizens increased each scene as the myth of Rasputin’s power took hold and the royal family depended on him more and more. One by one they broke, and followed him in step with a variation on the reinterpreted Kazachok that expressed his dark intentions.

The show’s choreographer had delicately woven the light footed grace of ballet with the low, squat movements of the Russian folk dance. It played more to Levi’s ever-increasing strength, but it would still murder on even the most conditioned bodybuilder’s legs. By the end of each performance, his quads, hams, calves and ass had added a combined six inches of pump to his lower body.

He tested the seams of his costume tights nightly. “If he rips another pair I’m going to quit!” the exhausted company seamstress vented at the director on more than one occasion, referring to a mishap during previews. All this really accomplished, though, was stressing Levi’s tights from a different angle.

He had gained about 8 pounds the first two weeks of the cycle, up to around 210, which he was assured was likely water weight. But with the cycle coming to a close, he had blown past 235 pounds without slowing, all still fairly lean. He resumed a more normal split to let his chest and arms get everything they could out of the gear, and his upper body quickly caught up with his leg gains. And he felt every. Single. Pound.

Hundreds of times a night, he bent low to the ground before exploding into the air with more force than he thought his quads capable of. And to catch each fall, he had to land elevé on an inch of his foot, torturing his calves to delicately continue his movement. The amount of fine control had been honed by squatting hundreds of pounds for thousands of reps by now, but the intensity was unparalleled. It was a month into the show’s run, and each night his legs were obliterated, aching heaps of mass cramping against his bones. And with all that, it was starkly noticeable when even a single pound was added to all those reps.

It felt as grueling as it did glorious.

Prince Felix, played by his sometimes-rival Jake Ciccone, confronted him on the stage for the final duel. Flanked by an army of pirouetting guards, he slowly began to circle his target.

Pathetic mortals. Levi towered over all of them, reveling more each night in how powerful he felt in comparison. Most were even smaller than Yuri, and they didn’t even have the balls to want to change before they saw him. But they all see him now, drastically transforming before them, and must realize the truth he was bringing to the world.

Levi appreciated how infectious a presence he was, and let that moment inform his character. These were his loyal subjects in waiting, it didn’t matter how they tried to resist. His way was the true divinity of the world, and they would all follow.

This was not only his character headspace, but a measurable real-world phenomenon. In the final scene, many of the other dancers had to lift Levi to play out their repeated murder attempts. Despite initial indignation at the disregard for their safety, they had no choice but to try and get stronger to fulfill their role. Over time, though, admiration for Levi’s transformation crept in. Even dancers who weren’t paired with Levi came to him for advice on how to bulk up faster. He wondered more than once if roids had some sort of contact high.

By opening night each of these men had substantially developed their own delts, chest and triceps. Most bizarre, though, was Jake. Twice during rehearsals, he showed up having put on an extra 10 pounds of lean mass literally overnight, which was impossible to ignore on someone who was almost as short as Yuri.

Levi worked up the nerve to ask about it once, thinking back on Yuri’s own substantial overnight development.

“I have this condition,” he explained. “I don’t like to rely on it since it can get out of hand pretty quickly. I guess it’s kind of like an allergy? But if I need to bulk up fast I can make it happen.”

It sounded like bullshit, but the weird bullshit curve seemed to be expanding exponentially. And however dubious Jake’s claim, Levi couldn’t deny that he’d gone from handsome fawn to a brawny buck, and the changes had not come gradually. Levi hadn’t brought it up again, but the topic was equal parts icebreaker and foreplay that made working together more enjoyable.

One by one, the guards attacked, and Rasputin bowed, bent, and spun out of reach until he’d cornered Felix by a balcony. He leapt to attack, and Felix caught him. As they stared each other down, Levi saw Jake’s eye twitching with the strain and sweat slipping down his brow as he winced in exertion. Every second, Levi watched the veins pulse thicker through his neck. Each night Levi came back a little heavier, and he hoped to force Jake to rely on his “condition” as many times as possible. Whatever his trick was, he didn’t need it tonight.

The music swelled as the strings from the orchestra spelled out the tension in the moment. Rasputin put all his otherworldly power into his gaze hoping Felix would falter. Triumphant, Felix resisted and spun him over an upstage railing, throwing him onto the crash pads of the Neva River.

Levi exhaled in relief, as he did every night when he knew he was done. And as he returned to take his bow, the audience resounded with elation as he stepped forward to bask in his moment. The reviews had almost universally named Levi the outstanding, unique aspect worth coming out for. The LA Times praised his “threatening presence” as “breaking the mold on what ballet could look like, bringing a physicality and power to his movement that transcended the medium and codified a new take on the historical figure”. One local gay magazine also said of Levi, “This bearish beefcake boogeyman puts the ass in Neoclassical and brings le grand j&eacute;t&eacute;sicles to the role in a way that does not need opera glasses.” Levi was equally proud of both takes.

The ensemble finally headed for the wings before the ovation slowed. As he passed, the director curled a wrinkled finger at Levi, gesturing he follow. Brought to heel, he waited just offstage as the dancers filed out and the applause died down while the director finished a conversation with the stage manager. Every night he knew the risk that a conversation like this was coming.

“Great performance tonight, Levi. It was a challenge finding a way to make this situation work so far, but I have to thank you for the attention you’ve brought us this season.”

“Oh! I was worried for a second. Of course, yeah, I couldn’t be happier with the reviews.”

“Did you notice we were a little short-staffed during the final bow?”

“Oh? Did someone have an emergency?”

“As a matter of fact, they did! Some half-ton Frankenstein pounced on Paul and he threw his back out in the middle of the finale. But I guess you were too focused on the role.”

“Oh, no! Is he okay? I am so so sor—”

“Save it, he’ll be fine. He’ll take it easy for a week and we’ll be lightening his load when he’s sure he’s healed.”

“Are you taking him out of the finale?”

“No, I’m taking you out of the show.”

“What?! No! Everyone’s been keeping up with me so far!”

“I think if you’re honest with yourself, you know I should have cut you with your wardrobe incident at the previews, but your face was already on all the marketing. This has gone too far, too long.”

“I can’t—... look, I can just maintain my weight here for the rest of the run?”

“That’s your offer?! No, no no no. If you dropped 50 pounds overnight I’d consider it, but this? Ballet is a shape, it’s a curve in space, it’s a sensation of weightlessness. You are a disgusting, distorted blob of meat, and you’ve poisoned your real talents. I hope you find some place that’s looking for this.” He gestured a palm emphatically at Levi’s torso. “Maybe that seedy Cabaret out on Cahuenga.

“I just wish we didn’t have to lose Jake, too, but now he’s so overstuffed from carrying you around that you were the only one who could still make him look like an underdog. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go break the news to him.”

He looked out at the stage, breathed in the smell, and played over the memories of learning his blocking and choreography the last six months. The audience continued to file out and he realized they were the last audience he was likely to ever see. He smelled the stage, and looked at the dust in the spotlights. He heard his mother’s voice coaching him through steps.

When the crowd was clear of the theater, he took a seat in the third row. His phone buzzed, with a message from Yuri that read “You coming? Or did you finally break through the floor?” with a teasing emoji.

“It finally happened,” he responded.

“Cripes, you really broke the floor?”

“No, not that. They canned me. I need a minute, sorry.”

“I’m parking.”

Good luck, he thought, settling back into his memories. The shows he’d done in high school, the bit parts in commercials, the recitals he’d done to keep his skills improving, and now this. His first and likely only big break. How high did I really think I’d climb, anyway? I don’t want to manage a show or become a choreographer. Was I expecting to be the star of the summer blockbuster “Captain Ballet” or some dumb shit?

The tears quietly flowed as his mind traced through time, to evaporating possible futures, back to his first classes. If he went far enough back, he swore he remembered being taught Second Position even before he learned to walk.

A pair of hands found his shoulders and started kneading hard into his traps. Levi relaxed, wedging his back a bit deeper between the armrests.

“Oh, Yur, thank you. Sorry to make you—” Levi quickly realized the deep penetrating pressure was coming from unfamiliar hands. He spun in his seat and the hands released. “Whoa! Jake, sorry, thought you were—”

“You’re good! Don’t worry, man. I was just in the dressing room saying goodbye to everyone and there was this bag just laying in the corner. So I asked, like, ‘is that anyone’s bag?’, and Tom thought it might have been Paul’s since Paul is off icing his back, and then Jeff was like ‘No, I’m pretty sure that’s Levi’s’, and I said I thought I saw you walking out to the audience and but I wanted to be sure before I take it, but Jeff said ‘yeah, it’s his’, so I grabbed your bag from the dressing room and saw you out here getting misty so I figured you might need some help. You okay?”

“Yeah, just, uh—wait, aren’t you upset?”

“Nah, I think my dance career ran its course. I remembered there’s more I’d rather be doing.”

Levi wiped his eyes dry, trying to save face with better conversation. “Oh yeah? Face like yours could probably break into films, easy.”

“Ya think? Hm. I always figured it would be too hard of a leap if you didn’t have a solid background in commercials or traditional theater by your mid-20s so I just thought, hey, stick to dance, that’s what you’re good at. But in hindsight I guess I wasn’t going to be doing it forever and I probably would have just aged or injured out of it and then moved back home to Ohio to, I don’t know, teach or open a studio or temp at my dad’s firm or something. But I guess I’m just settling into the idea and maybe I shouldn’t jump the gun on—”

Levi’s phone buzzed, pulling Levi away from Jake’s impassioned soliloquy about his future. “Parked, but they’re not letting me in. Help?”

“—but anyway, now that I have some options, I’m thinking about pursuing my real dreams and joining—”

“Uh-oh, the boyfriend’s trapped,” Levi interrupted, before beginning to reply. He looked up at Jake, those big hazel fawn eyes. “Omw. Can I bring a friend over? He was also let go tonight.”

“Is it the hot blonde who throws you into a river?”

“Lol, yes.”

“Go for it.”

“You’re sure this is okay?” Levi asked as Yuri made the final turn onto the narrow cliffside pass.

“It’s a bit late now,” he replied, looking to see that Jake was still following in the rear-view. “Why wouldn’t it be? I’m sure you both need to vent about your ordeal there.”

“I didn’t think you liked meeting new people.”

“I like people!” Yuri corrected. “I don’t like the game. Making small talk and wasting my wit on the witless, and so many people just trying to seal a deal without even offering anything. So if you vouch for Jake, great.”

“Not sure I can vouch for him yet; I was a little blinded by jealousy at first. But I’ve been warming up to him, especially with how he reacted tonight.”

“You could use a real friend, I bet. Me too.” Yuri sounded a little despondent at that comment. Most of the friends Levi ever had were persons of convenience or circumstance, which he perhaps took for granted. But Yuri truly had no one outside of him.

“One thing about him: he does talk a lot.”

“There are ways to deal with that. And if those don’t work, at least he’s easy on the eyes.”

“Extremely.” Levi scratched at his nape.

“Ah, so that is where this conversation is heading? Time to lay out some boundaries?”

“No drinking his cum, of course.”

“Obviously that was the first question on my mind,” Yuri chuckled. “Is that an actual relationship boundary or just another superstition?”.

“Drinking cum is how pacts are sealed!” Yuri’s chuckle turned into a cackle. “Yeah, yeah I know how it sounds, but still. Call it what you like, that’s a line for me. Would you want things to go anywhere? If he even wants to in the first place, of course.”

“If we find out he wants to? I’m a man, Levi. And not to stereotype, but at least this man is hard wired to look for possible mates at every opportunity. And watching you two ‘fight’ opening night…” Yuri fanned himself. “Just remember, we’d be sharing him, and we’ll renegotiate any future encounters.”

“Oh, of course.”

“And are you wanting to video this hypothetical encounter?”

“Oh… That hadn’t occurred to me.” Levi paused to consider. “No, I think I like keeping my online income built just around you and me for the time being.”

“Good,” Yuri seemed relieved. “Then I’m open to the possibility. If he wants to.”

“If he wants to.” They pulled into the driveway, thinking of any final closing conditions or requests for the situation.

Yuri used the opportunity to muse, “I wonder if I could top him while you’re bench pressing him?”

“If you’ve solved the physics of that, count me in.”

Levi didn’t think it was even possible to see the Milky Way this close to the city. He didn’t think it was possible anywhere to see city lights and galaxies at the same time, but there it was, swirling purple and white high above the terrace of his multimillion-dollar mansion in the hills. The thought brought him to wild ideas about wealthy elites dampening the light coming from the skyline with… maybe satellites or something.

Jake continued his story, “So anyways, yeah, it was kind of ironic that I always ate like three bowls of fruity pebbles every day. Sometimes I would even just put a bowl in the fridge the night before bed and then strain the milk and put more cereal in the next morning”.

Levi leaned over the terrace railing, switching his gaze between the city below and the heavens above. He thought about the ever-shifting truth of both places. The city moved in red and white streaks down concrete rapids, in towers being built one level at a time, in people coming and going. But the sky? He thought about what those barely perceptible starry currents wanted, or why they moved, or whether anyone had taught them to be what they are. He thought about anything but breakfast cereal, until his auditory processing kicked back in at a sharp turn in the plot of Jake’s adolescence.

“And then I started eating my jizz when I was around 14? It just smelled so good any time I came, I had to try and eat it. And you won’t even believe this. It tasted like fruity cereal milk. Like exactly the same, and I’d just start swelling up with muscle the second I gulped it down. So of course I started beating off five times a day, getting creative with the best ways to store it to make sure I didn’t miss a drop. Mixing it with the cereal milk was my favorite.

“Freshman year of high school I’d gained 80 pounds of muscle, and I was still barely over 5 feet tall back then. It felt amazing, but kids will make fun of anything that stands out, right?

“It was scary how it didn’t seem to slow down, and around senior year I had to start thinking about my future. It nearly killed me having to diet back down to be able to dance again, but I wanted it more back then.”

“Uh, hm…” Levi desperately hoped his brain would find the missing dot that needed to be connected. “So, back up, just so I’m clear, your ‘condition’ that helped you bulk up during the show is that… you convert breakfast cereal into muscle growth… cum.”

“Oh! No, no no. The cereal taste was just a weird side effect. It’s just whenever someone drinks my loads.”

Motherfucker. Levi’s possible delusions had been patently insane so far, but this was on another plane of existence. And of course, the one option to benefit from his alleged gift was off the table entirely.

“Man, I haven’t talked to anyone but my doctor about this.”

“What did they say?”

“He took some bloodwork, semen samples, etc., sent it off to some lab for study. I never heard back. You know if they did find anything, they probably would have found some way to expense a crazy study to my health insurance, because my mom actually works in healthcare. Well, she runs payroll, but her sister is an RN, and—”

“Jake, I don’t mean to interrupt,” Yuri finished preparing a tray of vegetables with a smooth transition out of another half-hour anecdote. “I just wanted to know more about something you said earlier. Why is it you haven’t told anyone else about this before now?”

“Well, I was embarrassed about it for a long time after all the teasing. And then when I realized the gay community is like, completely obsessed with muscle, I was worried people would take advantage. Well, okay my high school boyfriend found out, and I learned the hard way he wasn’t really into me beyond what I could give him.

“But anyway, when Levi got too heavy to lift, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring some of those gains back. That’s when I started drinking my jizz again, and now that I’m out of the show, I think I’m gonna try and take it as far as I can go.”

“Levi, can I get your help with something inside for a sec?”

“Yes! Excuse us a minute, Jake.” Their guest nodded and began exploring the terrace as the two hosts convened in the lounge. “This is insane, right?”

“It is. So I know we talked about boundaries earlier?”

“Yes…?” Levi didn’t like where this was going.

“How would you feel about amending them for people in this relationship who don’t believe in the occult? A lot has changed in the last ten minutes.”

Levi blinked. “You don’t actually believe him, do you? Out of all the things you’ve heard and gone through, this is the thing you’re buying?”

“It’s a medical condition,” Yuri shrugged.

“What kind of-?”

“I don’t know! Some weird form of allergies, Myositis, Elephantiasis? Those are real things. Would he lie about this? And you said it yourself, he put on a lot of size in the space of single nights. Didn’t you say he was around 130 when rehearsals started? And he’s a little bigger than me now, apparently without any lifting.”

It was true, he’d had some sudden spurts. But who’s to say that was actually a medical issue and not some demonic gift? Maybe Jake wouldn’t even know the difference. And then there was what had happened to Yuri. 5 pounds of muscle in the space of a few seconds? But they swapped cum pretty regularly with no such effect.

There was also a possibility almost too obvious to be worth stating. What if this was really Apollyon, hoping that such an insane gambit would seem too obvious to be distrusted?

Levi was still tempted, to the point where he considered letting his protective tattoo be his guide out of danger. But this wasn’t about him; Yuri’s need was far more pressing. “Ok, here’s the deal. I am the only one in any real danger of my superstitious boundaries. I have no problem letting you take his loads, so sure, go for it.

“If he wants to.”

“If he wants to. God knows I would love to watch you get filled, even if he is making all of this up. And if he’s not, this could be a solution to your problems. But I’m not going anywhere near his magic jizz, no matter how effective it is.”

“We’ll see if you eat those words.” Yuri winked.

“I promise, they’ll be the only thing I eat.”

The pair returned to the moonlit patio and weren’t immediately sure where Jake had gone. Yuri spotted him lying next to the pool.

“I think he wants to,” Yuri leaned in and whispered to Levi. Jake reclined along the edge of the pool, lazily swinging a leg over the side. He wore nothing but a jockstrap, with the sides of the pouch lifted away from his groin by the magnitude of his package. The light layer of blond fuzz did little to obscure the deep cuts of his six pack, the swell of his arms, or the cleaves of his quads. If anything, the fur gave the subtle illusion that his body was slightly larger than it probably was. Between his hamstrings, Levi could barely make out the twin arches of pressed, furry glute muscles squashed under his bulk, held in place by his straps.

“I thought I’d change and go for a swim, but then I realized you drained your pool for the season. And now I’ve lost track of my clothes…”

“Dang, that’s rough, Jake. You can borrow some of ours,” Yuri sympathized.

“Yeah, why don’t you come see what we’ve got in our bedroom?” Levi smoothly spiked the setup, and Jake followed them inside.

Levi had been a pinch hitter in a small number of three-ways in his life. They usually didn’t go so great when he found them on the apps. Inevitably it felt like one half of a couple was seeking something the other couldn’t provide, which left Levi in the awkward spot of juggling attention evenly or even making the less eager partner try to feel more wanted. But the couple of times he’d fooled around with couples he knew from parties or mutual friends, it was night and day, and that’s the energy he wanted to bring to the encounter.

“Whaddayathink, Yur?” Levi asked, circling behind Jake like a hungry wolf. “You wanna taste him?” Levi pressed his hips into the firm, taut buns arching out of the jock and ran his fingers under the straps.

“I need to do more than taste.” Yuri went in for a kiss while Levi stripped off his clothing. He pressed his chest into Jake’s back and felt blood rushing into his cock as it nestled into his furry blond ass.

He ran his hands up and down Jake’s arms, gently kneading the full belly of his biceps and fingering the soft vein running down one side. He reached forward to Yuri’s arms, feeling the soft dusting of dark hair and reaching around to the small of his back. While Jake kissed his boyfriend, he pulled the three of them closer together. Yuri whimpered from some unseen sensation and broke from Jake’s lips to kiss Levi, while Jake began necking Yuri.

Levi never imagined this role would be so much fun! Being in the middle was a thrill, no doubt, and he knew the ecstasy of feeling two cocks pressing into him from either side, two mouths exploring his body, or four hands enjoying his flesh. But he felt a part of something with Yuri, being this combined force acting in concert to ravage this hot piece of meat between them.

When they pushed Jake down on the bed, they left no inch of him unpleasured. Each of them took to worshiping Jake’s biceps, trying to stuff the whole marble head in their mouths or lick across the veins, while one of them tweaked a nipple or played with his cock through the pouch of his jock. Levi moved down, kissing every inch of his golden treasure trail until he arrived at Jake’s tentpole. He took a long, heady sniff as he nuzzled up the pre-dampened fabric and shuddered at the primal scent. He carefully plied his teeth around the waistband and maneuvered it over the head of his glistening cock, exposing the full 9-inch tool in all its splendor and obscenity.

Hell yeah, called it.

He used his hands to pull the rest of the jock down Jake’s muscular legs and over his strong feet. He took in every inch of the dancer’s naked body, looking up at the two of them with a cocky grin on his face.

“That gets a little bigger each time, too.”

Yuri practically dived onto his manhood after hearing that. It was inspiring watching his partner’s cheeks cave and fill as he worked over the tool, watching inch after inch slip deeper into him and then the heave as he swallowed the tool entirely. Jake ran his fingers through Yuri’s hair and began working his member up and down. It looked like Jake’s mind was leaving his body as he fucked his partner’s mouth. He arched his back and screwed up his eyes as his breaths became heavier.

Levi leaned down and took one pert, pink nipple between his lips, firmly squeezing just enough to test the waters. He had reached a hand across to begin playing with the other one, but Jake bolted suddenly upright. Jake’s eyes rolled forward out of his fervor and he shook his head at Levi. “I want to last.”

Levi smirked and moved up his neck, licking up the muscular cords and over his adam’s apple. He kissed his chin and his cheeks before starting to make out, as the tool in Yuri’s throat finally proved too much. He pulled out with a slight wretch that turned to laughter.

“Sorry, my eyes are never bigger than my stomach,” he said.

The three of them fell back on the bed after that. Jake lay in the middle as Levi and Yuri took turns kissing him, and then each other. Eventually they just cuddled, talking about the ballet, their bodybuilding journeys (Levi omitted several key details, as much for Yuri’s comfort as anything), and their goals. Yuri plied his skill of interrupting with the right phrase to keep the conversation balanced.

“So what if you never stop?” Levi asked Jake.

“Never stop?”

“Taking your own seed.” Yuri was clearly on the same wavelength. “What if we stuffed you full of Cialis and hyperspermia drugs and funneled every last drop of cum back into you for years on end.”

“Or, y’know, you just keep jacking off and eating your seed at your own pace. Is there a point you’d want to stop?”

“I’ve thought about it. I tried looking online for other people with the same condition, and that’s part of why I stopped the first time. I found all these morphs of gross, like, disfigured men and got so disgusted at what they looked like I never wanted to try again. But I think I realized since then those were just really hacky photoshop jobs, and not what I’d actually look like. So I guess I’m just gonna take it as far as I can go this time. I lost the size last time, so if it’s really a problem I can just starve myself again. It wasn’t fun, but at least I don’t really have to worry about taking things too far. Although my dick didn’t shrink back down. So I guess if I wanted to have just like, a 16” cock hanging off me at my dancing weight, I could make it happen.”

For once, Levi hung on every single word, and he did not imagine 16” would be his own limit, if given Jake’s power. He hoped it wouldn’t be Jake’s either.

“I feel like I really trust you guys,” Jake said. “Maybe it’s because you’re a couple, but it’s like I know what the expectations here are going to be.”

“No expectations here.”

“Yeah, see, that’s so perfect! I don’t really care where this goes, somehow I just know you guys are gonna want to see me happy.”

“Especially if that means exploring this side of yourself more,” Yuri finished.

“Oh yeah, we were in the middle of something,” Jake remembered. He rolled over on top of Levi and started playfully nuzzling his head into his chest. Yuri sidled closer and made out with his boyfriend, and soon the three were joined in a single kiss, tongues rolling over each other and lips losing track of who was who.

Levi reached around Jake’s back to massage his lats while Yuri broke away from the kiss, moving into position behind Jake.

“Uh oh,” Levi noted, and Jake lifted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“I hope you’re not still hoping to last too long.”

“Why, what—oh God!” Yuri’s tongue made contact and Jake’s back arched like an angry cat. Levi felt the full 9-inch member buck into his abdomen as he struggled to regain control of his body.

Levi reached down between them and lined his cock up with Jake’s, smearing a dollop of pre around his between their heads. He wrapped his hand as far as it could reach around their manhoods and began to stroke them in unison, gently squeezing them together.

Levi could tell when Yuri had stopped merely teasing the surface of the hole and plunged in, as another spasm rocketed through Jake’s hips and up his torso. Levi took that as cue to release his grip on himself and focus fully on bringing Jake to climax. He stroked faster and farther, stopping every few strokes to tease the frenulum a little more before applying just a little more pressure to the next round, and soon his breaths were getting heavy. He felt one last thrust of Jake’s hips as a heavy groan escaped him.

“Fffuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkk…” warm, wet lines raced up Levi’s abdomen one after another, pooling in his belly button, covering his pecs, and dripping down into the ridges between the muscles.

Yuri and Jake dismounted to opposite sides of Levi, and all three of them looked down at the substantial pool of spunk Levi had been painted with. The first shot was runny with a mix of pre and had started to drip over the cobbled obliques. Jake looked them each in the eye in turn and bent down to catch the rivulet before it fell to the bed. Levi felt the warm wet tongue over his side as he traced the path back up to the center of his top row of abs, finishing with an audible slurp at the pool of cum in between them.

“So what do you guys want to see grow? Pick quick…”

“Ass!” Yuri exclaimed.

“Pecs!” Levi practically shouted.

“Easy,” Jake said as he straddled Levi’s neck. He popped his hips back, leaving Levi to look up at the runway of abs leading up to two beautiful slabs of pectoral meat. But dangling right in front of him was a juicy 7-inch, semi-erect cock that was drooling an inch-long dollop of seed. Levi involuntarily arched his neck up at it, his thirsty tongue begging to lap it up and see what would happen. It was so close… surely his charm would be alerting him if there was any real danger by now? He could swear that manhood was reaching back at him, too.

“Oh wow! Levi, you see it?” Yuri was spellbound, and Levi pulled his gaze back up. Sure enough, the hills of his chest were subtly rising, filling up more space and obscuring the view of Jake’s face. He felt the heft of the ass straddling him expanding against his own chest, and the quads around his neck were encroaching. It lasted a few seconds before Jake stood and hit a double biceps pose to show off a subtle, but undeniable change in his physique. The grooves in his arm ran deeper, the shadow under his pecs was more noticeable, his core was denser, his legs were meatier.

Levi gave a slow, dramatic clap. “Jesus, just a minute ago you were barely bigger than Yuri, but now…”

Yuri stood dumbfounded, but pulled his gaze back down at the batter still greasing his boyfriend’s belly. He bent down low and asked Jake, “May I?” There was a hint of sternness in his voice now.

“Just leave some more for the rest of us, okay?”

Levi bit some embarrassment down to say, “I’m just gonna watch this time. You go ahead.”

“Together, then?” Jake suggested. Yuri opened his mouth wide and Levi felt his tongue start to scrub over his six-pack. Every few inches Yuri stopped to kiss his abs or slurp up a particularly thick pool in the ruts of his cobbled abdomen. Meanwhile Jake took position on all fours over Levi’s face and began licking down his abs from the top. The pair met in the middle and their tongues began trading their findings.

Levi listened to the sound of their sloppy, cum-laden kisses, and watched as far more dramatic changes swept through Jake with a larger dose. Pumped up hamstrings beside him, engorging glutes above him, and over his abdomen his pecs swelled down half an inch closer to his tongue-bathed torso.

But that was all white noise to Levi. His total attention was focused on the glob of cum, pearlescent and still dangling an inch off the head of Jake’s dick, which now hung ever so slightly farther off of his body. Levi knew better. He tried to resist. But his charm gave no warning, and he knew it would feel just so… damn… good. Like catching the first snowflake of the season, he reached a tongue out and lapped up the droplet all the way up to the glans, sending Jake another shudder with a kiss on his cockhead.

“Knew you couldn’t resist a taste, huh Levi?” Jake observed.

“He couldn’t?” Yuri responded, incredulously.

Jake finally dismounted, backing away from the bed to show a solid 10 pounds must have been added onto him in total. Had they not just spent an hour exploring that body it might have been hard to spot, but to Levi the extra heft of his delts and the harder ridges of his forearm were clear as day on his short stature. Levi estimated he must have been well over 180 pounds, making his body looking nearly as roided out and overblown as Levi’s.

He looked back at his Yuri, and marveled at... nothing. Just his hot, muscle mouse boyfriend, still his beefy and impressive 166 pounds, but completely unchanged.

“You’re sure this was supposed to work? Did we do it right?” Yuri asked, and Jake looked back, considerate.

“I’m pretty sure. It’s been about 6 years since anyone tried it but me, but it worked about the same.” Yuri was silent, crestfallen.

“Who knows what it could be?” Levi reassured Yuri. “Maybe it just works slower on you without a full dose.”

“Levi? You feel all right?” Jake asked.

“Yeah, fine, why?”

“You’re looking a little flustered, man.” Levi realized how flush his skin had become as he considered this.

“No doubt; watching all of that really got me going,” Levi said.

“You’re sweating bullets,” Yuri said, with the gravity of someone witnessing the start of the Rapture.

The heat spread rapidly, feeling as if the skin itself was boiling as a cramp wracked through Levi’s abs. The intensity shot straight to his dick, which stood to full mast against Yuri’s thigh in seconds.

He arched his back, stretching out the tension in his core but intensifying the pleasure in his aching erection. He remembered pilfering another dancer’s underwear after practice years ago, a stolen first sexual experience with another man. Every muscle fiber felt like those briefs smelled, a wholly erogenous sensation that rippled through his massive legs, tingling down to his fingertips, raising the hairs on the back of his neck.

His hips bucked, and he squeezed his beefy ass in the air. The cramps continued over his whole body, tensing and releasing at random. His cock finally caught up with the wave of orgasmic euphoria crashing over him as it began pumping his load, shooting over his head or onto his neck, chest and abs.

He lay still, catching his breath for a few moments. “The fuck was that?!”

“I can’t believe it,” Yuri finally observed.

“No duh. You need to go see this now, Levi.” Jake extended a hand to help him up, and as he grabbed it, he saw the gnarliest network of forearm veins he’d ever laid eyes on attached to his forearm. The circumference of the muscle there practically doubled in size.

He took a few cautious steps, noticing how odd his legs felt, heading to the adjoining bathroom and flicking the light on. Blinking into the harsh light, his brain denied his eyes’ findings.

Levi gazed upon masculinity perfected. His days of denigrating himself as “Fitness Model” Futch-6 were gone for good. Every sweep and curve and arc of his muscles realized in mathematically sublime proportions. The generous curve of his lats peeking out under the tiny gap between his arms and his torso suggested a back the width of a car. His waist was still tight, no sign of gh gut, just a thick, solid core built to hold the massive heft of his pecs, arms and back. His legs were a disgusting medley of veins and shredded tissue, all running in thick cords and fat teardrop heads, with luscious buds of adductor meat bulging against each other.

In two minutes, he had skipped two weight classes and gone straight to super-heavyweight bodybuilder.

He thought of so many scrolls through Tumblr’s muscle men, watching their cute little selfie videos as they showed off in their bathrooms, turning and flexing or sometimes stripping off their underwear to show off their enormous glutes. Now he was the beefy, unattainably massive Tumblr guy. He was bigger than them now.

His reflection obeyed him, his muscles jumped when he pressed them, his cock sprang when he flexed it. Relief punched through his chest. All the struggle was worth it.

He brought his arms up in a double-biceps and felt like he filled the entire bathroom. There were dozens of new veins on each arm and each one just kept going, wrapping around so much fresh new meat climbing high over his biceps, hanging low off his tris. His lats arched up to meet the pair of arm muscles at the armpit… did he even have an armpit anymore? The tuft of hair was still there, but otherwise the area was so distorted by the meeting of three muscle overblown insertions it was unrecognizable.

“How big do you think that piece is now, Yuri?” Yuri didn’t reply to Jake, but Levi immediately drew his eyes down to his crotch. His spent member was half hard at best, but at least two inches longer than he was used to, and took substantially more space on his groin. His heavier package was visibly pulling the skin of his crotch down now.

He had to know his weight. It took an eternity after tapping the scale for the numbers to calculate.

309 pounds.

“Shit, Levi! What were you before?”

“232ish.” One droplet of cum. 77 pounds.

“Fuck yeah!” Jake howled, clapping a hand on Levi’s back.

“Fuck yes!” total elation stuttered Levi’s exclamation.

“Congratulations, Levi,” Yuri said, evenly.

December

“Morning, love.” Levi waddled into the kitchen, stuffing his boxer briefs along every dimension, and spooned his boyfriend in front of the stove as Yuri flipped a pan of 8 eggs. “Mmmm, smells so fucking good.”

“It’s just eggs. I haven’t even seasoned them yet.”

“I meant your neck, not the food.” Only then did it register that Yuri was already fully dressed. “Did you go somewhere?”

“Had to run out for coffee grounds.” Levi didn’t see any grounds, but didn’t question it. “I’m sure it’s nice to be eating for pleasure again, instead of cramming down an olympiad’s diet every day.” Yuri stayed fixed on the frying pan, not quite resisting the hug, but not letting his work go interrupted for it.

“I never thought I’d say this, but I was actually getting sick of pasta. Getting some spices back without having to worry about my hunger tanking… fuck I missed it. Well worth putting my dance career behind me.”

“Not entirely behind you.”

“Exactly. It’s on my terms now. Speaking of, I got a rendering back from the artist. Do you want to see the first 5 months?”

Levi had awoken that morning to find the video draft of their weekly dance progress sitting in his email. He had replayed it for nearly twenty minutes before coming upstairs. Exactly as he’d pictured it, it showed the couple coming together, circling each other, catching one another, embracing, and walking through life on a perfect loop. And as the steps repeated, Levi watched with a growing heaviness in his groin as little by little, he swelled. At first, it was barely noticeable each loop as he gained only a pound or two at a time, but the effects were clear as he ballooned from 180 to 220 by the end of the footage he’d sent in. And there was where the film really began to shine. Individual moments and movements from the dance were taken in sequence: a 3 second clip of lifting a leg, a single jump, a dip. And they were slowed down with the frames interpolated between weeks, showing Levi pile on 40 pounds of mass in the space of a plie, or over a single bound. And when Levi dipped his partner, it looked like his mass was swelling to completely envelop Yuri as he grew.

It was hot. And yet, only a week ago, he’d grown almost twice that amount in less time than a single loop of the video. He wished he had Yuri or Jake’s view of those changes.

What would it even look like with the recent jump of almost eighty pounds all at once? Had he ruined his vision? Maybe it was worth it, but he’d have to think long and hard before he took another opportunity to drink from Jake.

Yuri’s sudden six-pound increase halfway through the video was, regrettably, difficult to spot. The artist had apparently elected not to show any individual movements of his. The only change that was noticeable was Yuri’s hair. He’d quickly fallen off with maintaining his mohawk as he’d intended, and he gradually grew out a short, wavy mop of hair that he tried to groom to one side.

Yuri’s back tensed slightly at the suggestion of watching it. “Are you happy with it?”

“He did an amazing job,” Levi replied, trying to tactfully backtrack out of what he realized too late might be a sensitive topic.

“Then let’s see it.” Levi pulled out his phone, which had still been left locked with the video fullscreened.

Yuri watched in silence as it played. “Yeah, it’s good,” was his only remark as it finished. Levi minimized the video, showing that it was playing from the context of an outgoing message.

“Oh. You sent it to Jake.” Yuri had stopped flipping the eggs and the smell was growing acrid.

“Yeah, I figured he might appreciate it.”

“You two have been talking a lot this week. How’s he been?”

“Says he’s happier than ever. He’s been out getting railed every day and drank enough of his own seed to put another forty pounds on since he was with us, and about 60 pounds spread around the WeHo gays. And that was ten different guys getting full loads, he still has no idea what happened with me.”

“Fantastic, I’m delighted for him. And especially for you.” The tone was sincere, but hollow. He turned the stove off, but did not begin serving the meal.

“Can you imagine what that must have been like for him? Going years and years resisting the urge to take a bunch of loads and swell up with mass as big as you want? God I wish it were contagious.”

Yuri was silent.

“It’s reassuring, though, right? Like if that’s a thing we never knew could happen, maybe there’s other stuff out there just waiting for us to come across?” Levi regretted driving a little do directly at his insinuations.

“This just isn’t going to work, Levi.”

“It hasn’t yet! But we have to keep trying! What if we tried one of Cole’s routines for a while? I wrote them all down.”

“I know you did. I’ve looked at them, researched them, and I’ve taken everything useful from them already.”

“Well… You said different compounds work differently for people… we can run a different cycle next time.”

“No, this isn’t that. I ran a moderately heavy dose of testosterone, an oral and an extra injectable for kicks. Any one of those should have produced something. Or Jake’s cum? I have hit my limit here, and I just have to accept that and move on.”

“What about your form? I keep trying to correct you but it feels like you’re resistant. Or maybe you need to carb cycle again.”

Yuri clenched a fist and showed a great deal of restraint in placing it on the counter behind him just loud enough for an audible thud. “Freaking growth jizz doesn’t work on me but you’re gonna keep telling me about micro optimizations I’ve already tried!? Ideas I came up with? Or how about some more hogwash about voids inside you?”

“Yuri…” Levi looked hurt, and Yuri composed himself again.

“I got some beginner gains, but that’s all some people get. Some bodies are hardwired so that they cannot do this thing.”

“You can’t believe that.”

“Why not?”

“Because if you give up now, then Cole was right about you from the start and I refuse to believe that!”

“Why does everything have to come back to him?” Yuri looked at him, exasperated.

The phrasing sparked a sudden realization. “Have we really ruled out that it isn’t his fault?”. Levi tried to reason, but Yuri had stopped listening. “What if he… did something to you that’s causing this? I know he said something about always denying you what you wanted.”

“I know this happens,” Yuri continued without consideration. “As sure as I am about training and gear and everything else, I know that some people just… can’t do this, no matter how well they perform. If that means Cole was right, then so be it. One way or another, I am cursed, and that’s that. Now I have to deal with it.”

“It just doesn’t make sense.”

“Then give me another answer, Levi! I really need one right now because this is it. I can’t keep going like this.”

“Like what?”

“I obsess over you! I wake up and I make your breakfast. I spend every spare second thinking about you, writing meal plans and training regimens, finding little ways to cheer you up, practicing our dance, and trying to help you live your every waking fantasy.

“But what I don’t tell you is that it feels like I’m just encouraging you down a road I can’t follow. It’s eating me alive, and sometimes I feel like you don’t care that I’m standing here hurting.”

“We can do this, Yuri! We can figure this out. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever seen. I think back on all the self-destructive shit I did before I met you because I didn’t have someone I trusted beside me. I was so resentful that this whole ‘process’ just wouldn’t work for me that I didn’t bother looking for solutions. But we figured it out for me!

“And you? You have this joy that even keeps me going. It keeps me thinking everything’s going to work out. As long as I have you, I won’t stop until we’ve figured this out. You make the journey worth taking for its own sake.”

Yuri let his head slump, “For its own sake, and for the 90 pounds you put on even before Jake.”

“You wanted this for me!”

“I still do! I am overjoyed for you, Levi, you deserve all your success. I just thought I’d be there with you when you earned it.”

“Yuri. You’re right here, I want you here with me.”

“Yeah, you want a prop holding you up that you can feel superior to.”

“That is not fair.”

Yuri looked sick at the bile flowing out of him. “No. No it isn’t, I’m sorry,” he continued, swallowing the bitterness in this throat. “But please, listen. I could keep doing my best with a smile on my face, and keep pushing you bigger. But joy is a really hard choice to make, when every day I feel a little more discarded.”

“Discarded? Yuri, no! Where the hell is all this coming from?!”

Yuri took a deep breath, and let it out before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He pulled up their OnlyFans video from a few days prior.

“What are these comments? ‘Size diff is hot, but I want to see you with someone on your level.’ You reply, ‘Hot idea! Let’s get a real monster to make a muscle sandwich with my crop top.’ “

“They’ve been getting worse for weeks. ‘5k subs and they can’t get Yuri a gym membership??’ You reply, ‘Stretch goal: 6k subs to get my little muscle mouse on my plan.’

“Really?,” he accused. “‘Huge gains, man. When you gonna fuck a real bodybuilder?’ You respond, ‘Yuri’s my perfect little man, but a bigger man would be hot!’ Do you know how it feels to read that?”

Levi suddenly felt half Yuri’s size in every way.

Yuri spoke when Levi was starting to drown in his shame. “I’ve never needed to be the big one in the relationship, but I can’t handle being degraded or fetishized as the small one. I can’t have all the work we’ve done be disrespected like this. I’ve been trying to shrug it off and I just can’t.”

Levi pleaded through the welling regret in his vocal cords. “I’m sorry, Yur. I fucked up. I fucked up so much and I know you would have stuck a grenade up the ass of anyone who talked about me like that. I won’t excuse what I wrote but I need you to know I really, truly never meant a word of that.”

Another burning silence hung between them. “Even if I completely believed you… it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s just a symptom, or a red flag. I’m not who you want me to be. You need someone like…”

“Who?” Levi prompted. “Like Jake?”

“If the pointe shoe fits!” Yuri huffed.

“You are everything to me, Yuri. The only one I can imagine being with.” Levi assured, but his stomach lurched as Yuri visibly tuned the words out.

A deep rage welled in Levi. You’re not even listening to me! You made up your mind before you even told me there was a problem. What more can I say if you’re just going to ignore me? Why can’t you even see me here hurting for you? I love you! Doesn’t that matter?! Don’t I matter?! Why do I never matter…

Yuri finally spoke. “I need to finally sit down and take stock of where my life’s headed. But I can’t do that with my feelings towards you blinding me.”

“Please don’t do this, Yur. We can figure something out. I will work on myself. I will find a way to solve this, I promise!” Levi couldn’t hold back a final plea to get him to stay. “I need you.”

“You need something. I don’t know what, but I hope it’s not me. I just can’t let it be me anymore.” He turned to walk towards the door.

“Stop! Please! Let’s talk, let’s just—”

“No!”

The deep rasp in his voice scarred the room. Yuri couldn’t look back, but he couldn’t keep walking, either.

“Look down, Yuri,” Levi said, gently. “Look down. What just happened?”

The slate tiles of the kitchen floor under Yuri’s feet were smoldering, with red embers still etching arced lines in the stone centimeters in every direction. The white t-shirt he was wearing was suddenly stuffed with higher traps and a severe taper that raised the hem a half-inch above his jeans. His waistband had been pulled a few fingers away from the small of his back as his ass jutted out. The denim of the legs was painted on over the hams and calves to where he doubted they could even be removed without cutting them off of him.

“Something is not right here,” Levi said. “I know I can’t stop you now and I want you to figure everything out, but this is important. We need to solve it together.”

Yuri was quiet. He looked down over his arms, which had grown noticeably beefier in the roar of one syllable. The cinders under his feet finally cooled, leaving a burned sigil in the ground, and the smell of ash hanging in the air between them.

With utter sincerity, Yuri finally responded “I don’t see anything, Levi. Goodbye,” and he walked out the door.

Levi knew where he had to take his ‘rat face’ if he wanted any real answers. An unbalanced shop owner’s shotgun felt like little enough pain compared to the anguish of feeling his heart ripped to ribbons, of feeling Yuri’s absence and considering he might be gone forever.

He is not gone forever. I did an awful thing, and I have a brief window to fix it.

But what does ‘fixing it’ even look like? I can never erase what I wrote. And I can’t deny that, for a while now, my brain has been infected with these arrogant thoughts that I’m bigger than Yuri.

But I have been bigger than him for a while. It’s… not subtle, especially not now, and it’s no crime to recognize that.

So why does it make me feel like garbage!? I never said I needed him to be bigger, and I definitely didn’t want him to be “the small one”. God, I’d do anything to give him what I have. He should never have known I had those thoughts. I just didn’t hide them well enough.

…Hide them? You wrote them online, shithead! What did you think would happen?!

This is all pointless. All I can do is figure out whatever is actually going on with Yuri and help him grow again. If I have to face Apollyon and conquer Hell itself to get the power to do it, I will show him how much he means to me. I will help him.

Or just let him go.

A dark part of his conscience joined the conversation with a devastating swing. That’s what he wants, isn’t it? I only hurt him. Maybe he was only ever with me because the previous Yuri put him in the situation. He needs to be his own person now. It’s over. Let him go.

Ok… Maybe. He needs space. I will give him space, for now. But he protected me behind my back when we first met, now I get to do the same. Something real is happening to him. It’s nuked his potential and might be putting him in danger. I have to help him.

And when he still doesn’t take me back?

It took the remainder of the car ride to even consciously form the thought, but the weight of the answer tore him apart all over again.

I’ll let him go.

His Uber dropped him off at the shop. Levi started to collect himself for the challenge ahead, when he noticed a conspicuous line of men in gym apparel on the sidewalk across the street. They varied in body type, and he recognized a few regulars from his gym. Is Gatewhey late in opening today?

Curiosity got the better of him and he followed the line to the front. The queue ended around the block near the gym entrance, at a raised platform where some sort of demonstration was in progress. It was for an elaborate new fitness device with electrode stimulation nodes. Levi had seen similar machines come en vogue about once a decade.

A beefy lab technician and a nurse that was stuffed into his scrubs helped the next in line as he filled out paperwork and began to get situated for the process. He watched as the machine came to life and, like those machines do, it began to involuntarily force the muscles to convulse and twitch. Levi watched for a minute as the guy got a good pump out of it, but he still looked like he was a couple decades past realizing there was more to fitness than teenage metabolism and curls.

Curiosity satisfied, he reminded himself that watching some conmen apply their trade wasn’t a priority. How are there so many people getting suckered by this snake oil? He noticed about 30 or 40 people back from the front of the line was Stallion, looking anxious. He was only one of many people in line that Levi expected would see the ruse for what it was. They weren’t his concern, though. He returned to the shop.

As he climbed the entrance steps, he heard “Welcome to Kiko Moreno’s Casa De—” The voice came before an olive-skinned Adonis rounded the bookshelf and noticed who’d entered. “Oh you must be Levi. Vome in! Kiko told me to look out for your cloak. Or, what’s left of it.” After his massive growth spurt, Levi could no longer fit his arms through the sleeves. He tore them off as a temporary fix, hoping to find a decent tailor to let out the fabric properly later.

“Look at you! Kiko didn’t mention you were all this! I’m Hassan.” He stood a head taller than Levi, and was built like a gymnast packed into designer shoes, a pastel polo and dress pants tailored to athletic legs. He kept his obsidian hair in a meticulously manicured short pompadour with a fresh fade, completing the style with a razor sharp beard accenting his features.

“Did Kiko… am I welcome here?”

“Extremely,” Hassan said. “Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I trashed the store? Stole forbidden knowledge and wasted her time figuring out that it was me? She swore she never wanted to see me again.”

“Oh, it was a fun little project for her. Not the soda drink. Cleaning that did aggravate her back for a while, but she’s fine now. She’s visiting family in the old country.”

“Which country is that again?”

“Burbank, I think. So tell me, what brings you in today?”

“I need to help someone who’s been cursed, so I’m hoping to learn how all this actually works. The charms, the divination spell she used… stuff from the private section. I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff in the last couple of months and I’m trying to figure out what’s real and what’s not.”

Hassan crossed his hands behind him onto his ass and tilted his head in thought. As he did, his chest pushed forward and the top button of his polo strained and slipped open, exposing another inch of skin. Levi noticed the bulge of his adam’s apple, the strong cords of muscle in the neck, the start of the valley of his pecs. “That’s a broad topic, yes. Why don’t you start by telling me about the ritual you performed.” And then, as if anticipating Levi’s question. “Yes, she told me you thumbed through the book on Patrons. How’d it go?”

Levi walked him through the entire spring, from Apollyon and Yuri’s suspicious arrival to the former’s banishment in that alley.

“And when you say he was ‘banished’, what exactly does that mean?” Hassan asked.

“I was hoping someone could tell me. He was there one minute, and then gone.” Levi gestured to the labradorite textured triangular tattoo flowing from his ear down to his collarbone. “Yuri did something to tattoo the protection charm on me, though, so he must have been worried it wasn’t the end.”

“It would help me to know more about where Apollyon is from, if that’s where he is. Let me do some research.” He walked back towards the private collection, hips swaying each step. Levi could practically hear the fabric of the seat of those pants straining and shifting over his undulations.

“I wanna show you this, too.” Levi pulled a photo up on his phone. “Yuri left this smoldering on my kitchen floor this morning. Do you recognize it? He just sort of made it with his mind in a moment of anger, and it made him bigger.”

“Mm, you’d be lucky if you find any specific runic incantations of that nature here, although we have a surprisingly thorough account of the extent and limitations of rituals sed by extraplanar entities. Kiko herself proctored an interview with a reliable source. Would you care to double-team these tasks? I always enjoy working with a partner.”

When he’d cleared the velvet rope, he bent down low enough that the hem of his shirt untucked and exposed the top of a silk thong. The strip of fabric rose up from the canyon between his buns on a path to crest high over his hips.

He pulled a substantial newer textbook from the bottom shelf and gracefully returned to standing.

“If you’d like to look at something else you’d be interested in,” Hassan said, making a point of following Levi’s gaze down his rear chain, “the accounts Kiko collected of underworld rituals and somatic essential projection is in a journal. It’s over on… that shelf.” He pointed a finger seductively further down the row.

Levi attempted to sidle behind Hassan’s firm and decadently presented backside, but the man spun and placed a hand on the opposite shelf, barring his path.

“I don’t know about you, but I find my research goes a lot more efficiently with a clear head. Would you like to help each other focus?” Hassan was a few inches from Levi’s face, with eyes fixed within him. His cologne smelled of vanilla and cedarwood. Levi felt a firm bulge in the expensive trousers pressing into him just hard enough to provoke a reaction.

Levi took a moment to compose himself. “No, I think I want to get this research done now.”

“Then let’s begin.” Hassan removed himself and walked to a nearby bookstand. He placed one foot on a nearby stool, popping his ass in Levi’s direction and teasing his thong once more as he began thumbing through pages.

What the everloving fuck…

Levi looked where Hassan had pointed, finding a handbound journal with many looseleaf pages slipping out of it. He took the collection to a table in the back and started organizing his process.

One energy drink later, he’d found mention of Apollyon that confirmed that a sizable chunk of the book would apply to his situation. Many of the inserts were transcribed interviews between Kiko and a demon named Gremory, who seemed to have a wealth of personal experience with the underworld.

In the beginning, these beings’ connection to creation gave them subtle influence over aetherial currents, the fabric of space, matter, even minds… But Apollyon’s duties were limited by some restrictions on these magics. Though he could send souls to be unmade in the Abyss if their transgressions merited it, vacant bodies were left behind. He commissioned a servant to help. This was the Prince of Death, and it was he who invented the spell to control and unmake flesh.

“Hey, Hassan, could you tell me if you come across anything about a Prince of Death in Apollyon’s realm? Could be important.”

“Of course, Levi.”

Levi found little more about Apollyon or his christened Prince after that. All the more he confirmed was the means of their spellcasting: some combination of hand gestures, drawn symbols, eye contact, and language were either necessary or sufficient to direct their willworking.

There was also mention of “Asmodean Essence”, used as a very flexible potion-making component, with this deity’s life force being the most easily manipulated for any purposes related to masculine lust. Oddly specific, but definitely on theme… Acquiring a sample was forbidden in all but the most extreme circumstances, even among demons.

His second energy drink had long since worn off when Hassan rustled him from an unanticipated nap.

“Hassan? Did you find something?”

“Quite a lot, in fact. Here. There’s no taurine in it, but I made you a tra que chai.” Levi sat up, looking at the watery looking beverage steaming within the Styrofoam cup. “It’s instant,” Hassan shrugged and Levi sipped.

“First, your Prince of Death. It sounds like he didn’t care for the station Apollyon had appointed him, and began to use his control over flesh to improve the human body rather than unmake it. As punishment for his disobedience, Apollyon stole the Prince’s knowledge of this power and used it to trap the Prince in a feeble human form that could not be changed without further fleshcrafting, which Apollyon expressly forbade.

“His name was Eurynomos.”

Levi repeated the name phonetically, “Yuri-nomos? Fuck me.” Hassan gave him a suggestive look and moved to unbutton his pants. “No, what are you doing?! I don’t mean really fuck me. Are you just out between harassment sentences or something?”

“Sorry, you make it difficult to think about anything else. So are you going to tell him?”

“No. I don’t think he wants to hear any more ‘occult balderdash’ from me. Even when the proof is literally staring him in the face, somehow whatever Apollyon did to him in that alley makes his mind dismiss it.”

“In that case, I have a few questions for you, Levi, if you’ll indulge me. How have things been going for you since Apollyon was ‘banished’?”

“Well…” Levi thought best on how to summarize, and was shortly choking down a lump in his throat. “I’ve been screwing everything up! I got my dream job, but then I was fired from it. Yuri and I started dating but I fucked that up… I’ve been exhausted for months, giving everything I have to my art and my lifting. Selfishly. I’ve been getting what I want, but it’s taken everything away from me. And somewhere along the way it turned me into something hideous.”

“And your goal in doing the summoning ritual in the first place, it was…?”

Levi gave a small, sheepish smile, and halfway flexed his 23” biceps as an answer.

“Yes, yes that makes sense. Now for a tougher question. Did you really want your job?”

“Of course I did.” Levi said. “It’s been a huge dream to make a contribution to dance in my life.”

“I meant at the end. You performed, probably to great reviews, and made your contribution, right?”

“I guess? What does that matter?”

He wrinkled his brow. “I am so, so sorry, Levi. You are far too hard on yourself, and this might be easier to hear coming from Kiko. But then again, that’s not an option.”

Levi cocked his head in anticipation. “You poor thing, you’re not in the world anymore. You didn’t survive when Apollyon hit you.”

Levi sat, silent, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Reality show prank? Maybe a stunningly elaborate ruse to catch him off guard for another slap? There had to be some truth other than… that.

“I’ll explain what I’ve found. The realm Apollyon is from, the realm we’re in now, is a resting place for those attuned with the male spirit.

“Needless to say, anyone alive who isn’t a homosexual male simply calls the place ‘Hell’. That is, until they get here. It is designed to be a smooth and fulfilling transition into paradise. Men here have their every earthly desire fulfilled, so the person can focus on becoming part of that masculine utopia unfettered by ambition. Your brain, specifically, felt the only way to accept the transition was in the most torturous, painful way possible. You probably could have just crowdfunded a one-man show overnight, but you felt you deserved to suffer for your art.

“Really, you must be a little kinder to yourself, Levi.”

What was Levi supposed to say to that? Anything? “I’m sorry. You’re telling me that I’m in Gay Hell?”

“Essentially. But ‘gay’ isn’t a distinction here, and you are the one who made it a ‘Hell’.”

“I have got so many questions…”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Why would Apollyon kill me? Doesn’t he want to make me his ‘acolyte’?”

“It’s possible he didn’t intend to, or he felt he could bind the contract just as easily from here.”

“Ok… so if that’s the case, why hasn’t he come after me?”

“Perhaps Yuri bound him somewhere else. He may have even correctly assessed the extent of your injuries and bound him somewhere on Earth, knowing you would not be there long.”

“And what about Yuri? And Jake and all the dancers and people at the gym I see every day. Are they all dead too?”

“Most people you’ve seen are mere background actors, illusions who placate your mind and make the reality seem familiar.

“Others are Incubi, whose job is to portray people you might trust and win you over to a more lustful way of life.”

Levi continued darting his stare between Hassan’s eyes and his hand, which had stopped merely groping at his throbbing crotch and begun squeezing drops of pre through his designer slacks. Between sentences, he would suck a finger clean.

“I see,” Levi acknowledged, as suddenly the obviousness of the truth began to embarrass him.

“So, clearly I am not who I’m pretending to be. Don’t worry about the hows and whys, just accept that I only exist here in a way that helps you achieve whatever you need to fully embrace your masculinity and move on. And to your credit, you thought to come somewhere you would find the answers you need, despite my… ulterior motives.

“You will eventually encounter real human spirits, once you’ve moved on to be with the rest of the souls here. You wouldn’t come across any before then, unless there was a spiritual link or if you had died in extremely close proximity to someone else bound for this realm.”

“If this tattoo counts as a spiritual link, that’s two for two. So at least it has really been Yuri this whole time. Even though he’s not human?”

“He’s apparently close enough, now. To your knowledge, have you encountered any Incubi?”

“Well, the night I was fired from the show was the first weird occurrence. That was about a week ago.” Suddenly his paranoias returned, and every slight convenience he’d been afforded since spring seemed suspicious. “I have one or two other guesses, but it’s hard to say.”

A loud buzz from the front door interrupted his tale, which suited Levi fine as it was about to get very weird and very personal. Hassan went to answer, but gestured for Levi to continue.

“One of my dance partners came on to us, and said he had a condition that made his cum grow anyone who drank it.” A moment of realization dawned on him. “Ah, I was right: it wasn’t specifically a fleshcrafting spell, which means Apollyon’s curse blocked it. All of Yuri’s growth since day one has been his own doing, even if he didn’t know it.”

“Indeed,” Hassan returned carrying a large crate. He peeled an envelope off the side of the box and read the inventory label inside.

ATTN: Gearhead Pharmaceutical

Contents: 24 CT Sample Pack, MyoGro Post-Workout Boost. Please deliver to Quality Assurance lead for final inspection before FDA approval.

“That’s odd. Although in context maybe it’s not odd at all. I just remembered: Gearhead is an experimental sports medicine company that bought the building across from us yesterday. They must have gotten the new address wrong. Oh look, there’s some fine print on the back.”

Warning: Drink must be kept between 66 and 69 degrees. Do not ingest more than one drink every 24 hours. Do not cumguzzle from anyone who has taken this product. Failure to follow these instructions may result in unstable primary effects and psychological side effects.”

Hassan rolled his eyes. “‘Cumguzzle’? You’d think the infinite power of the cosmos could put a little more effort into verisimilitude.”

“What does all this mean?”

“It would give me great pleasure to demonstrate.” He pulled out six of the white plastic bottles, removed the lids in preparation, and slammed them all back faster than a frat boy playing flip cup.

“What are you doing? The label said not to-”

“You’ll see firsthand now. You have accomplished everything you wished to see in your life, or are very close to it.” A blush came over Hassan’s face and the bulge he’d been massaging in his pants tented sharply.

“So, this reality is no longer fulfilling your Earthly desires.” He flexed each of his fingers as his hands seemed to spread larger. His left groped at a nipple while the right further massaged his package. The hefty pole under those slacks was plumping close to triple its girth and length as the cockhead was forced down his pant leg and the bulge grew obscene, with two fat lumps draped over the sawhorse of his pants crotch.

“Instead, it has begun to entice your masculine urges.” The rest of his body began to follow suit as all of his clothing constricted around him at once. The hem of his pants stretched around his calves. Juicy melons stuffed into his polo shirt. His thigh gap closed like a curtain until his quads were joined almost to the knee. Thick veins trickled down his arm as the bellies under them rolled bigger and higher. Soon the entire sleeves were pulled tight over his cannonball delts.

“And at a guess, it seems your fantasies revolve around becoming completely musclebound yourself…” Carefully, he turned on unfamiliar legs. Halfway around, Levi could see the shelf of his pecs jutting out to an impossible distance from his center of mass. The heavy globes began to hang down over his abs as the polo rode up so high it became a crop top, exposing a peeled eight-pack, paper-thin skin sliding over the slabs of muscle as he twisted.

“...or making sure others become so.” Fully turned, Levi was awestruck at the spread of his wings, now lifting up his arms almost horizontal. Each lat was bisected into three or four different heads budded up against the scapula, and the hills of his traps cascaded down his spine. The shredded, feathered christmas tree exacerbated the waspy waist, complete with tiny thumb grooves Levi could only imagine clinging to while fucking the brains out of the gorgeous research assistant. As if reading his mind, he finished turning and leaned forward onto the shop counter, shifting his weight between tyrannosaurus legs so as to bounce his glutes back and forth.

“Once you indulge, you’ll be in paradise with the rest of the men.” Each time he transferred his weight, his ass swelled, and the pinstripe lines distorted further. The tectonic plates finally shifted enough under the material that the seat erupted open, threads stretching across the expanse of the massive tear down the center. Heavy, sweaty kidney bean muscles glistened as they poked through, with the flimsy g-string pulled a centimeter thin as it flossed over his twitching hole.

Levi pleaded for answers. “So what about Yuri?! He can’t ‘indulge’ that part of himself while this stupid curse is in play. He’ll be trapped here! How do I get him to remember himself?!”

“Oh, no,” Hassan said, his voice taking on an airy quality. “I don’t think I read those instructions clearly. My brain is getting… so heavy… Levi, please… fuck me… drink my cum. I need it so bad. It’s the only thing that can take this ache away.”

“Why did you do this?!” Levi shouted over his howling erection.

“So… hot… look at my hot fucking muscles, Levi. They need your cock!” Hassan was practically drooling on the glass now, squeezing his glutes and humping the counter. In vain, he tried to reach a hand back to his ass, but his enormous lats wouldn’t let him budge past a t-pose.

“Well, you’re fucking useless now. Great!”

“My cock is fucking useless. Take a drink and join me, Levi. I’m just a muscle hole. Be a muscle fuck toy with me. Take a drink and suck my roided jizz down. It’ll feel so fucking good.”

Levi considered his situation for a few minutes. Was there even time to process what ‘being dead’ meant at this point? The world would probably start raining himbofying growth cum down on him before long, and there was no time to despair. He had to take careful stock of his short-term goals and what he could safely do to achieve them.

If the universe was conspiring to turn him into a simple, lascivious creature of lust like the one before him, he had no interest in stopping it. But he did have to delay it long enough to help Yuri. And there was no helping Yuri with Apollyon’s curse in effect.

There was no way around it; he had to be ready to face him.

Half an hour later, Levi descended the steps out of Kiko’s shop, invigorated, with a fiendish glint in his eye. He had a plan. He swirled the can from the day’s first energy drink around, holding it under his nose for a sniff while the other arm carried the crate with the remaining 18 bottles of growth drink. Lumbering behind him in tow, Hassan continued shredding his designer clothes, dripping Levi’s cum down his inner thighs.

He walked to the podium in front of Gatewhey. Those at the head of the line protested, but Levi held a hand up.

“Don’t worry, guys, I’m just here to collect my Fuck Dummy.” The beefy nurse was removing the electrodes from the bloated form of Stallion. From his seated position, his pecs now hung down almost in his lap. His barrel-sized arms were trying to grope for his nipples, but could barely reach. Most of the rest of his body was proportionately grotesque and distended, except for his completely overgrown genitals and titanic ass. His cock hung down to his ankles and was leaking a steady stream of precum onto the floor, even in its semi-erect state. His massive scrotum draped over his left quad with bowling balls inside hanging heavy. The designers of the experiment clearly had the foresight to use a chair with no arms, as his gargantuan glutes were spreading well over the sides of the chair when compressed by the weight of his upper body.

“Look, Levi!” Sweat poured down Stallion’s form, but a foolish grin seemed unperturbed by the intensity of what he went through, or the fact that every article of clothing above the ankle had shredded off of him in the process. “My pecs match my ass now! I’m huge!”

“That’s great, big guy. I’m really happy for you now.”

“Sir, we’re sorry to tell you, but Ole demanded we push the treatment as far as it would go. There may have been some—”

“Yeah, I get it, he fried his brain. Nothing of value lost here.”

“If you like, we’d be happy to compensate you with a free treatment. You can even skip the line!”

“Nope! Not interested. You ready to go, bud? How about you, Hassan? I’ve got something special planned for you both tonight.”

He texted Jake. “Can you meet me at my place later? I’ll be bringing a U-Haul by and I could use your help. I’m taking down something heavy.”

“Sir! We have a dress code!” The usher was appalled at the trio of muscle monsters sauntering into the theater, one of whom had torn his pants in half and another was completely nude.

“No, it’s okay,” Levi assured. “They’re my emotional support fuck dummies. They’re helping me feel more comfortable with my growing masculine attractions.”

“I see, well, if it’s for emotional support, we always accommodate people’s needs.” They continued down the aisle to their seats in the front row. The show’s second act was underway, but only a dozen or so seats were filled.

“Ok, sure,” Levi observed the stage. “Tom does as great a job as me, no argument. He has technical perfection, and he’s putting his heart into it. No notes. But it’s not like I ever lost the ability to do splits like those.” Levi defended from his aisle seat.

“Uh-huh.”

“Granted, my range has probably fallen off over the last week, but a lot’s changed! I meant before that, though, my feet were still up to my pelvis every single jump. That’s the bar, and I more than cleared it.

“But my hamstring hung low so somebody with no eye for the male form might think they weren’t high enough. But that’s what I’m talking about, they just want to twist me into this thing they see, because they don’t know how to look for anything else. All straight lines and knobby shoulders.”

“Yeah,”

“It’s unfair! That hamstring arc is an entirely new curve, a new way to express movement. A jump can look like one of those math curves in motion. Maybe there’s even a trick to make the leg muscles appear to move in a curve like that. I haven’t tried yet, but that’s the whole point, who has?! Who the hell decided what shapes were acceptable in movement?”

“Unf, get it.”

“Yeah, you get it. Oh, shh, it’s about to start, look, Mark just grabbed his dick. Hassan, I’m serious, stop.” Stallion let out a chirp of disappointment as Hassan gave one final slurp up Stallion’s humongous cockhead and passed the member back to its owner. Stallion draped it over his shoulder where it hung back and stared at the occupant of the seat behind him.

Not far behind Mark, several other dancers on stage stumbled out of their choreography. Those that tried to shrug it off were unable to for long as the effects of the MyoGro hit them. Like the city lights switching on at dusk, Levi watched one by one as a powerful erection strained against each pair of tights in turn.

The orchestra in the pit continued their tense crescendo towards chaos as Levi stood and made his way towards the stage. He pulled himself up and dusted off his arms before helping his companions onto the stage as well. He addressed the men in the audience, for that was the only gender present.

“Gentlemen, thank you all for coming out tonight and supporting the arts! None of you care, none of you even exist, whatever that word even means anymore, but my name is Levi Barre. Perhaps some of you know me better as the original Rasputin. And in fact, it is probably best if you start to think of me that way.”

Stallion moved stage left towards the theater exit, his cock bouncing just enough for his foreskin to kiss the ground each step, leaving a glop of precum showing his trail of movement.

“These are my loyal servants. Well, you are all my loyal servants, whether you know it or not yet. You’ll do anything at all if you think it’ll make me horny, apparently.”

“Levi, are you out of your goddamn mind?! Security!” The show’s director ambled on stage, flummoxed and furious, loose jowls flapping with each syllable.

“Ah, excellent, a round of applause for our director.” Levi led a clap that half-heartedly spread through those present in the audience. “Do you know, the last time I saw him, he told me that I was a ‘half-ton Frankenstein’, and a ‘disgusting blob of meat’? Wow. Such poetry. I’m not here for you, but I have to show my appreciation for giving me such vivid jackoff material. Seriously, I’ve blasted at least 10 times thinking about those words.”

Two bald, burly men in black arrived at the stage, lats flared and fists down. “Ah, yes, guards, I’m glad you’re here.” Levi addressed them with forced sincerity, “I know I shouldn’t be here, but the thing is, I barely weigh an eighth of a ton. Half a ton sounds so hot though! I want the director to show me what it looks like to be a real blob of meat. Hold him still so I can see and decide for myself. Hassan, let’s see how close your seed can get him to half a ton.”

The guards brought the helpless man to his knees and held him in place as Hassan stroked himself to climax. Thick jets of cum sprayed against his face, knocking his glasses aside. Try as he might to spit and turn his head away, the volume of the load assured that some got into his mouth.

Levi spotted a discarded container of MyoGro just off stage and collected it. Upending the bottle, a single drop of the formula collected onto his finger, which he suckled down before continuing his speech.

“So wasteful. But as I was saying! When my old friends and colleagues here received a groundbreaking new supplement before the show, one that has the potential to reshape our entire understanding of what the male form can be, I knew they’d jump at the chance to experience it for themselves. Hassan, please show everyone what’s in store for my followers.” Hassan began flexing and stroking his 19” manhood with alternating interest.

“Isn’t he magnificent?! So if anyone in the audience would like to be part of my ideal masculine fantasy, come up and join the fun! Throw your lives away and grow. Who cares? None of this is real and nothing fucking matters anymore!”

Nothing except him. And I still have no idea this will fix things between us… No time to worry about that now, though. Just dance, Levi. Just enjoy what you can, while you can. It’ll all be over soon.

Levi looked at the playground of sin constructing around him. He pantomimed a waltz with an absent partner as he frolicked around the stage, admiring his work and basking in his pain.

There was Stallion, instructed to cum on anyone who tried to leave. He’d grown bored and was bending backwards to try and orally pleasure his cock. Balancing his extremely lopsided body was proving a challenge for him, though.

The dancers were well into their own transformations by this point. Each had packed on 10-15 pounds of muscle, and were clustering in groups of two, three, more, and exploring the changes to their bodies. A few men from the audience had climbed onto the stage and were helping usher in their transformations, as well. One by one, the dancers shuddered in orgasm. The heavenly smell of roid cum permeated the theater as all but Levi drank, and hulking monsters began to rise around him as orgasms compounded and infectious cum was guzzled. Passionate moans cut with the sound of tearing fabric as dance tights, shirts and dance belts ripped apart, whether by hands or engoring muscle and cocks.

The director had succumbed to his lust and was sucking on Hassan with all his might, siphoning every last drop of seed into his considerable belly. His bodyfat had not disappeared, but his muscles were blossoming in real time under his skin, giving him a brief visage as a stocky powerbuilder before deforming him into something inhuman. He almost looked like a pig-faced teddy bear, stubby limbs overstuffed and covered in veins pumping him ever more freakish.

Even the guards holding him couldn’t resist scooping some of the nectar for themselves, abandoning their task and quickly losing themselves to each other. They were passionately making out and feeding each other more and more of Hassan’s runoff, stretching their tight black t-shirts with thick mass until their pecs were making their firm muscle guts poke out up to their distended belly buttons.

And Levi’s own body continued expanding with the surgically small sample he’d sipped. From how his lats limited his range of motion, to the amount of his peripheral vision was consumed by pectoral meat, to the extra friction between his thighs, to the heavier thud even his most delicate movements created, he’d estimated the quarter teaspoon of serum had pushed him over 450 pounds.

His caution was merited; it seemed like with every passing opportunity, his body became more susceptible to the corrupting influences trying to push him towards his ultimate destiny.

None of the other men seemed to fully cross the immobility threshold, conveniently. Perhaps Incubi did have limits on their physiology, or perhaps Levi’s expectations projected onto the events. But his own body seemed not to respect those limits. After all, it was his darkest, most depraved fantasy for himself to grow past the ability to walk, much less dance.

With his docile army of muscle beasts assembled, Levi began ushering as many as would fit into the back of the U-Haul behind the crew entrance.

“Let’s go, guys. You want to get me to grow beyond any limits? Help me finish one last thing.”

On the drive back, Levi wondered idly how long he’d missed the signs. The Supplement store advertising myostatin blockers. The billboard for “Beast Bulge Briefs—Male Enhancement Underwear”. The tanning salon with a new gamma ray treatment. Even Dunkin’ Donuts was promoting a “Muscle Creme Vanilla Latte”, and half a dozen “Grow-ssants with Hypercum Glaze” free with purchase. Roided jocksluts were packing the sidewalks with orgies. Traffic was jammed every few blocks as drivers were becoming trapped in their cars by their own incredible size after taking god knows what magic growth elixir.

Levi idly wondered how long it had been going on, but it didn’t matter. He knew it was all about to end.

Jake was waiting by the curb when Levi’s U-Haul rocked up to a stop in front of the house.

“Hey, sorry, took a bit longer with all the accidents,” he called to him, exiting the cab. “Have you been downtown lately? The city’s coming apart at the seams.”

“I heard. Guess I’m not the weirdest thing in town anymore,” Jake said, shyly.

“Yeah, you’re practically boy-next-door by the world’s standards.” Jake had blimped up considerably since their tryst a week prior. At a guess, he was pushing over 225 pounds now, which would have looked unreal on a 5’5” body, but at this point the most remarkable aspect of his physique wasn’t the muscle or the massive bulge packing his jeans; it was that he could still walk with his legs moving in a straight line.

“Whatcha got in the back, there? Velociraptor?” Jake observed the violently shaking trunk of the storage vehicle. Goopy white seed had begun leaking out the rear door and was pooling onto the pavement.

“No, but it’s about as rowdy as one by this point, I expect.” Levi said. “Fair warning, if you value your higher brain function at all, don’t mess around with any of the men in here.”

“Uhhh, what the hell does that mean?” Jake backed away cautiously.

“Well, I can try and explain it to you, but since you’re basically lying to me about who you are, it might not even be worth my breath. You’re not you. You’re an incubus, we’re in the underworld, and your goal is to get me to succumb to my deepest fantasy so I can move out of Gay Hell’s kiddie pool and play with the rest of the boys.

“And in here I’ve got about 15 men who are literally leaking radioactive growth juice. Their stuff is about 20x stronger than yours at this point, since the universe is stepping up its game to try and tempt me, and it now comes with the bonus effect of making you a himbo zombie.

“I’d rather keep one clear-headed individual around me, so I’m trying to warn you. Don’t drink their cum, don’t let them fuck you, maybe don’t even get close to them until this is over.”

“Okay… I promise, I’ll be careful,” Jake tried to reassure him, but the skepticism rang through.

Levi considered a more direct approach to guaranteeing Jake’s safety using the same methods Apollyon was using to try and bind Levi. He understood this place would enforce pacts between humans and demons that went through the proper ritual; as long as Jake drank some of Levi’s cum after they had stated and agreed to terms, practically any arrangement would be upheld between their species. I could just make Jake agree not to drink any of their seed… but I’d also need to cover bottoming. What if one of them brought more growth drink with them? Are there other risks? Levi was lost in thought when Jake interrupted his search for more loopholes, and he realized it probably wasn’t worth the time.

“So what’s your deepest fantasy, then?”

Levi stared at him blankly. “I want to chug away on everything they’re producing until I stop feeling the pain of existence or any space between my limbs that isn’t packed with muscles and cock. But I can’t yet.”

Levi unhinged the roller door and forced it up. A small wave of cum sloshed out of the truck bed as the men inside looked out at them. Levi still recognized a few faces of his former castmates. Each of their bodies had taken on a slightly new dimension in the drive over. Paul’s ass and hamstrings had ballooned outwards, and the man behind him had grown a cock rivaling Stallion’s, seemingly in adaptation as he wedged the member between the thick buns and arced humped up the valleys of back muscle. Some had more size on their arms, or overdeveloped backs hunching them forwards, or heftier pecs, but all were bigger than he’d last seen them along one dimension or several.

As they stumbled out of the back of the truck, though, their stupefied expressions all made them look more or less the same.

Jake kept his distance, but he licked his lips as the men piled out and walked by him.

“So what is the plan here? What do you need me to do?”

Levi guided his harem into the house. He motioned them downstairs before retrieving his supply of ritual candles from a junk drawer in the kitchen. To his surprise, Jake did give a wide berth for his own safety.

“Glad to see at least one of you can resist your programming for a minute,” he said. “I’m trying to take down a demon named Apollyon. He’s been messing with Yuri’s mind and trying to make me his new pet. I’ve got a plan, but if this goes sideways… Help me drink someone’s cum. Anyone who isn’t Apollyon, okay?”

Jake looked momentarily confused before a bewildered smile pulled his dimples high. “Listen to me,” Levi urged. “If I drink Apollyon’s cum, my pact with him seals, I become his acolyte and he can send my soul to the abyss where it’ll be destroyed.

“So just get me in slurping range of one of their cocks, or you can just aim the biggest one you see at me and start jacking it. Maybe there’ll be some protection for me in main Hell. And if not, at least I might not know I’ve failed if I end up like these guys before Apollyon gets me.”

“This is a lot, Levi. Like, I know the world’s going nuts for muscle right now, but… Gay Hell? Wouldn’t I know if I were an Incubus?”

Levi led Jake downstairs and began positioning the candles on the patio.

“It’s not gonna do me a lick of good explaining any more. You’re a Plan Z hail mary, so take this all for what you will. If you don’t want to be involved, I understand.”

“All right… so if shit hits the fan, get you under some of their semen flow and hope for the best.” Jake gestured to the energy drink can, which Levi was still anxiously swirling. “Why don’t you just pour some of their juice into your can so you can do it yourself?”

“This has a different use,” he explained. “And one last thing. More important than anything else, if I fail, you need to make it out of here and find Yuri. Tell him… tell him Cole is coming for him. Get him to the magic shop by his gym. That’s his best shot at getting through this.”

Levi pulled out his phone and looked up the incantation he’d used when this whole mess began.

“So what’s going on here?”

“I’m summoning Apollyon. He’s bound to another plane, but I think requests from a human might be more powerful, since it’s in their nature to serve us.” Big if.

“Okay… and what’s the plan from there? Get these guys to just, like, beat him to death?”

“Honestly, they don’t need to do much more than just be here.” Jake’s bewilderment further contorted his face, but Levi did not clarify. “Right, I’m gonna start. Be ready for anything, I guess.”

Levi began the chant, a mix of latin affirmations and prayers and english clauses committing his will to the spell. Jake looked around the lounge, watching the behemoths Levi brought with him. Most were nibbling or sucking at each other, showing off their muscles, flexing, or just pleasuring themselves, either unaware of or uncommitted to the cause.

“This scene… all of this looks familiar…” Jake said.

Uhh, yeah, you were here a week ago, Levi thought, but was focused on the ritual words and could not be interrupted. “In primis, servio Asmodeo.“

As with so many months before, the conclusion of the ritual was signified by the snuffing out of each candle, and a breeze even too chilly for LA winter.

“Did it work?” Jake looked uneasy.

“I think so. When I did this the first time, it took him a minute or two to appear, but he wasn’t fully in the world right away. We might get some time—”

A rumble shook their legs as the entire house seemed to vibrate. Furniture skittered a few inches out of place and a loud scraping sound came from the former sex dungeon. Levi shrugged at Jake and moved with trepidation towards the source of the sound.

“—or maybe not.”

Even the barely restrained orgy-in-progress around them had slowed to consider the noise, which Levi took as a rare opportunity to issue a command.

“If you see a big guy with horns, everyone tackle him. Get him off and drain him dry. I promise, his cum is unlike anything you’ve experienced before.” It was probably true, Levi reasoned.

Levi approached the spare room that was the apparent source of the vibration, which was now emanating a dim red light. The runes etched into the walls, the ones that had been covered by Levi’s ‘progress’ photos when he first settled into the space, were faintly glowing. And in the middle of the space, a rectangular section of floor had recessed, revealing a stone stairway into darkness below.

“What do you make of that?” Jake asked.

“Not sure yet.” Levi sidled down the steps, ready to launch himself back to the familiar main house at the slightest sight of anything. His freak army descended behind him, and soon his eyes were adjusting to the much dimmer light of a round, cavernous chamber, lit by a ring of torches. An interior wall lined with alcoved windows separated the main chamber from a staircase spiraling up the outer wall. Stepping inside, he surmised that the room was exempt from all familiarities of spatial physics; it lacked a ceiling, just empty space above him as the chamber reached towards infinity. Here on the first floor, and on a landing every thirty or so feet above him, were three massive stone plinths arranged evenly, ranging anywhere from 10 to 15 feet across.

They were occupied by abominations. Each pile of mass rose at least double Levi’s height, but there was no humanoid shape to reference as a dimension for what that height meant. The utter perversions of flesh heaved with faint signs of breathing. Veins stood and pulsed in sharp relief across the expanse of meat. Rippling muscle fibers twitched periodically, and sometimes a whole brawny crag would shift a few inches like a landslide was beginning, accompanied by a groan that was unmistakably an orgasmic release. Levi wouldn’t have even thought they were human if they weren’t familiar skin tones. Torchlight sent the shadows over their bodies at odd angles, making it even harder to identify if he was looking at an arm or a pec or a glute. Wherever their heads were, they were buried in their pecs and traps so far it probably made no difference. Estimating weight wasn’t even remotely possible; these horrific art installations would have to be measured in tons, but Levi had no idea how many.

Levi got the vague impression of mineral water dripping from stalactites as he looked at the undersides of each upper level; a milky white flow dripped from crystalline icicles on the underside of each floor, drizzling what was unmistakably cum down from behemoth to behemoth.

After giving up his investigation into the anatomy of the monsters, he noticed the plaques in front of each one.

Mattan Patel
6’1, 160 pounds
He asked for fame

Dirk Slaughter
5’8, 110 pounds
He asked for beauty

“I recognize these names…” Levi whispered to Jake. “They were pros. Mattan had some huge supplement sponsors about a decade ago. God, he was in every magazine I used to beat to. They said he assaulted a judge after losing big at a show, and he pretty much disappeared. And Dirk was actually an Olympia qualifier one year, but he got caught in some big financial scandal right before his show.

“They left the spotlight and no one cared what happened to them after that.” Levi put the pieces together. Just a couple poor gay boys poached by a demon for their insecurities. Used, discarded, and not even given liberation in death. The world never even knew who they really were.

The third plinth was conspicuously empty, and a good third larger than the other two. He knew what the epitaph would say before he even approached, but he had to see for himself.

Levi Barre
5’10, 145 pounds
He asked for this

“Hello again, Levi.”

He turned. “Apollyon.”

The deity stood there, fully nude, in his natural form. His eyes crackled with blue lightning as a small seam in reality sealed behind him.

“Welcome home.” He gestured to the vacant trophy platform.

“I’m not gonna be staying here long. But thanks for leaving me your place this year.”

“Has it been that long for you? I only left that alley a moment ago. You’ve certainly grown.”

“Thanks for noticing. Get him!” Levi’s command filled the room, echoing fainter and fainter up the infinite height of the subterranean tower.

Beside him, Jake took a half-step forward, but faltered. They looked back together. The dozen or so muscle men who’d found their way down the stairs with them stood still, entranced, arms limp at their sides.”

“Quite a nice herd of Incubi you’ve brought with you, Levi. They look tired, though. Maybe they’d rather relax with your predecessors than waste any effort tending to me.

“Obey,” he whispered. Around him, Jake and the muscle men shambled forward towards Mattan and Dirk. He thought he saw Jake give a split second’s hesitation, but he didn’t give so much as a glance back to put his mind at ease. All of them began licking, massaging, and humping the bloated, hypermuscled bulls, unaware of anything else in the world.

“It was a good try, Levi, I will give you that. How were you supposed to know a demon of my renown has total authority over the Incubi of this realm? I suppose if you had a shred of common sense…” Apollyon advanced, a charge in his eyes.

Levi dropped to one knee in reverence, setting his open can of energy drink on the floor beside him. His last move was to appeal to Apollyon’s mercy.

“Please! I’m sorry. I know I’m beaten, and in hindsight I realize how stupid this was. When I say ‘I’ll submit to you’, will you please… give Yuri his mind back?” He picked up his can.

Apollyon’s condescending grin crinkled the corner of his mouth. “Of course, Levi. He is my ritualist after all. I have every intention of reclaiming him intact.”

“Thank you.” Levi took a sip.

One last leap, Levi. FLY!

Quads erupting with a burst of force, Levi launched into the air from his crouched position, arms open and ready to block and hasty attempts to strike or grab him. Apollyon raised an arm in defense, but Levi still had months of explosive high volume squatting under his belt. He was far too fast.

He collided with the towering seven foot beast and wrapped his arms as far around the neck as far as he could reach.

Their lips made contact as he planted a deep, passionate kiss. He thought of Yuri, safe, whole, and in his arms again. Apollyon’s mouth clenched in surprise initially, but he began to overpower the force of the kiss, forcing his tongue through Levi’s mouth and cleaning the ridges of his teeth.

Levi spit the ounce of his own cum he’d been hiding under his tongue.

“We’re agreed” Levi mumbled through the kiss.

Apollyon pulled his head back and Levi dropped to the floor. The demon opened his mouth to speak, but the thick glob of jizz was caught on the precipice. He gargled at the obstruction, trying to force a cough. His eyes went wide with realization and opened his mouth to speak, but doing so triggered an autonomic reflex.

He gulped.

“Insolent human!” He wheezed as he caught his breath, but Levi wasted no time pulling the trigger on his pact.

“I’ll submit to you.”

Apollyon was pulled to his knees as if a tank fell on his traps. Though he tried to resist, inch by inch his meaty, clawed hand moved closer to the ground. His spasms against the supernatural compulsion of the agreement were unable to loosen his wrist, and a talon carved the sigil into the stone floor.

With his free hand, Apollyon flensed a gash into his flesh, and black blood trickled down into the grooves of the spell focus. Through gritted teeth, he finalized the ritual with the terms of returning Yuri’s mind.

The behemoth shuddered as he ripped his hands free from the design he’d made. Was it done? Levi wasn’t sure he’d ever get the chance to find out, and it didn’t matter. He’d accomplished everything he wanted to do. If Apollyon took him now, so be it.

“Well, well, Levi, you bested me. What now? Eurynomos comes racing in to save the day?” He twisted flamboyantly to look around the room with mock fear. “It would seem not. He couldn’t save you before, and even if he were a match for me,” a sneer creased his face, “he’ll choose his own freedom over you.”

“I know.” It still stung to admit, but Levi knew it might be true.

“Don’t feel too bad, Levi. I still want you by my side, forever. What more could you possibly ask for?”

Levi considered running. His plans had all expired, and he couldn’t hope to overpower Apollyon. It was over.

He hung his head in genuine desperation, this time. “Could I just… have some time? Just a little time to say goodbye to this life.” He still wasn’t sure his consciousness would occupy his body in any meaningful way soon.

“Come now, after everything you just pulled? You’re done. You are mine.” His nose twitched. “With one small hurdle left.” He approached Levi, gently reaching towards his neck.

A surge of hope filled Levi as he realized Apollyon could not immediately enact his own scheme. “You still can’t bind me, can you? You can’t force me to agree with this charm Yuri gave me!”

“Too hasty, Levi. Just because I can’t remove the charm doesn’t mean there aren’t solutions.” His eyes narrowed. “For instance…”

With a wave of his hand, Levi found his wrists scratched by a material appearing from thin air and wrapping around the stone pillars between the plinths. His impulse was to guess they were chains or even barbed wire, but the bonds were almost soft as they pulled his arms straight out.

“Twine? Really?” He hit a double biceps and one of the strands exploded like it was filled with firecrackers, while the remaining one frayed apart in seconds with the resistance reduced.

“Oh no, I’ve underestimated your strength. Whatever will I do. Could it be… more?” Four more strands reformed around Levi’s wrists, pulling just a bit tighter than last time. “Bear with me; the twine is just to prove a point.”

He pictured himself doing overhead cable curls in the imaginary mirror in front of him. Levi squeezed those biceps for his life, watched the blood surging to support, the veins thickening. It was harder than he expected, but he dug in, locked his core, and pulled. And little by little, the threads stretched, and stretched, and finally one broke with a rewarding snap. The load got lighter.

“You have to know you are worthless without me. Inept. Ignorant. Weak. Abandoned. Your whole life you’ve been expecting someone to mother you towards your destiny. Well, here I am! Stop denying who you are. Accept it. Embrace it. Let me make you more than you can ever be on your own.

“I’m going to give you one last chance, Levi.”

Levi snapped another thread. It was getting easier, but the pump was setting in hard. He’d gone straight to lactic acid burn while this bastard stood there toying with him. Fuckers had to have pumped up over 30 inches already. Bet it looks hot. Focus, Levi, you’re almost out. Don’t hesitate this time, just tackle him and get to some growth cum.

“Submit to me. Ignore what that little charm on your ear tells you and swallow. I’m done biding my time.”

This was it. The final threads were starting to give. Levi’s fists getting closer and closer to his ears, arms pumped bigger than his head, split peaks starting to bruise under the skin. “I. WILL. NEV—”

“Oh well,” Apollyon snapped, and Levi stumbled. The ropes weren’t slipping anymore. He looked at his arm and a gasp caught in his throat.

He was gone.

Past his knobby shoulder, a thin rod of smooth, pasty flesh stared back at him. His limbs looked so long now. Gangly. He felt his tank top drape down flat against his body, hanging down well over his legs. His pants had collapsed against his perfectly flat backside, and were slipping down most of the way to his knees now. The elasticity in the waistband of his briefs was the only thing holding them up, but even those drooped pathetically down his legs. His cloak swum around him like a blanket.

Gone. All gone.

Levi thrashed against the restraints. He was so close! Just one strand left. Surely he could break one measly strand of twine. The squeeze in his arms wasn’t there, though. Could he even call them biceps anymore? He could flex his arm, he could resist, but the tissue just wasn’t there. Completely smooth. He knew there should be more to give, but 80% of his body mass had just been amputated in the blink of an eye. The more he thrashed, the more the string dug in and stripped the skin from his wrists.

“Why so upset, Levi? You no longer want my patronage? I can revoke it, and every benefit it granted you.”

“Bullshit! All you did was torture me into compliance for three months. I learned everything with Yuri, and I earned it after you sent me here!”

“Oh you came to all your size naturally, then, in this magical wishing world?” Apollyon leaned in and sniffed at Levi. “Tch tch tch, growth juice is what you call ‘earning’ it, do you? And you won’t even take a tiny sip of mine? Unspeakably rude. Well, I’m sure you can ‘earn’ your size again.

“That is, if you can escape a few measly strings before I return. Just remember I can do far worse to you than retire you. Be thankful I’m still willing to take you as an acolyte at all.

“Now, excuse me, I have to go collect the real solution to our impasse here.” With a wave of his hand, he vanished from sight.

Come on, Levi. Figure this out… What would Yuri do if he was here… We’d experiment. Treating it like a curl isn’t enough force. Let’s make it more of a pec fly.

He took a step back and tilted forwards into the ropes, elbows at 90 degrees. He kept the squeeze in his arms but tuned to whatever fibers in his chest would respond. Seconds passed, he felt the joints getting tired long before the muscles fatigued with no effect on the rope. In his mind, he heard Yuri calling the set and starting a 75-second rest.

He focused, felt the blood returning to the rest of his body, his breath slowing again. He counted every second, picturing the muscle. He knew how it should feel. Even when he was alive, he’d been learning to use more strength than he knew he had. Cutting him down to size didn’t matter. He would find the solution, he would break free. He would figure out step 2 later.

I helped Yur learn to engage his lats on chest press. There’s no reason I couldn’t make this fly more decline and treat it like a rope pulldown at the same time.

90 seconds passed. Squeeze, SQUEEZE. Pecs, front delts, lats, biceps, forearms, even abs joined the struggle to apply as much force to the restraints as he could. Sweat beaded down his face. He could practically feel the vein bulging out in his forehead, groaning, screaming against the resistance. 30 pounds of resistance or 300, it didn’t matter. Weight was weight, muscle was muscle. YOU’LL MOVE IT-

Black. In the infinite distance, the soft flicker of swirling flame. He was in the void again. No longer peering into it, he was standing within the cosmos. Weak, 145 pound body draped in a boxy, free-with-purchase-of-crystal t-shirt, swimming in an arcane blue cloak whose lack of sleeves mocked him now.

“Levi?” He spun heel. He’d forgotten how easy a feat that was, 300 pounds lighter.

“Yuri? You’re…”

“I think I found your happy place.”

“You’re… aware of it? You understand it?”

“Well, no, and I don’t know what to make of it, but here I am. And now that you’re here there’s finally something to look at besides him.” Yuri gestured towards a glass wall, on the other side of which was a stout creature, broader than he was tall and a head shorter than Levi.

The magnificent cherry skinned beast of brawn and manly beauty hung his head heavy. With a neck that gently arched the entire distance from the top of his head to his shoulders, Levi doubted it was merely the recurving ram horns cresting back over his skull that weighed him down. Between the horns, a short mohawk made of dancing flames crested the top of his skull down to his nape.

The face was familiar, but weathered. Square jaw, rougher skin, some tiny hairs between his eyebrows and on his temples, and light veins bubbling under his forehead. A well-groomed beard pointed down off his jaw, barely reaching past his adam’s apple but still brushing the top of his pecs. His dejected pose seemed to leaden his arms, exacerbating the monstrous swell of his triceps and bunching his pecs even thicker. A mature muscle gut rested under his chest, abs lightly etched into the skin but too thick to think of as a six-pack.

He wore no clothes. His heavy ball sack packed tight and full, thrusted forward atop bulging adductors, over top of which his cock cascaded down almost to his knees. The appendage would have even given the former glory of Levi’s quad a run for its money.

“Is that Apollyon? Or Cole, or whoever?” Yuri asked.

Nestled into the valley between his pecs, Levi spotted a small cut of white quartz bound to a leather necklace.

“No, Yuri, I think that’s you. That’s what you looked like a long time ago, even before Apollyon took your memories. His name was Eurynomos.”

“Shoot. I’m hot.”

“You always have been.”

“The feeling’s mutual. But what on earth happened to you?” Yuri finally addressed the severely atrophied elephant in the room.

“Same thing that happened to you, more or less. I brought your old self back to you to help, and Apollyon chose this as my punishment.”

“Well I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Levi chose his words carefully. “I hope I can prove to you someday: the size was great, but it wasn’t worth losing you.”

Yuri nodded, placating. “So what does he want?” He gestured to his demonic other half.

Levi was confused by the question. “He doesn’t want… Apollyon separated you two. All of this has been his fault, and I got him to undo what he did.”

“And now this thing has come to destroy me.”

“No? No. He’s here to make you whole again.”

“He’s here to make me whatever I was again,” Yuri countered.

“What else do you want to be! Fuck. I know, I know I’ve relied on you way more than I should have, and that took too much out of you. But that’s not why you feel like you don’t know who you are.

“He is what you’re missing. You must know that. Everything you know, he learned. Those ‘beginner gains’ you claim are the height of your potential? You got those with power he honed, and you’d know how to use that power if you just let him in.

“You haven’t needed to find yourself all this time, Yur. You’ve been losing yourself. So don’t be afraid to let yourself be more than what you can see.”

“But look what happened to you. You became more than what you were and it made you selfish. And I was right. You just want me to be somebody else.”

“I was always selfish. You were wrong about me from the start: I am a taker. I didn’t think I was. I didn’t think I had any value that someone else didn’t give me, and that’s how I saw people. And look where it got me. I’m sorry I dragged you into my bullshit, and I need to work on it.

“But you’re better than me, Yuri. You’ve always been stronger, kinder, wiser, more selfless. That will never change, and you deserve to have it reciprocated.” Levi paused, feeling the words sharpen in his throat. “Even… if it can’t be from me.” His chin quivered, but he hurried on to reclaim the upper hand before the thought broke him. “But I owe it to you to tell you that you are being stupid: the man in that reflection is just the truth that’s been hidden from you.”

Yuri snapped his gaze towards Eurynomos and began testing this information. He lifted an arm, tilted his head, and then stood on one foot, and the demon mimicked him perfectly. He looked down at his familiar human body in disbelief.

“Do I even have a choice in this? Any say at all?”

“It looks like you do. Somehow you’re able to keep him from entering your mind. Probably because you are powerful, Yuri.”

“So I can just go back and be me, still? Ignore all of this and keep him locked away in this void?”

“Maybe. And you’ll probably continue using his power without any clue how to control or even notice it.”

“How do I get out?”

“I dunno. Every time I’ve connected here, it’s been an instant. Maybe if we’re still here, it’s because we don’t know what we need from it yet.”

“I don’t need anything from you or him or this place,” Yuri barked. “I just need to get back to my life, whatever it is.” With his words, a shimmering gold door materialized in the void behind him.

“Well, there’s your answer,” Levi said, knowing their time together was ending, one way or another. “And I have to go back and stop Apollyon before he ruins any more lives.”

“But before I do… I know I tried to make this choice for you, and I’d do it again. You taught me when it was morally correct to fix a broken mind. You taught me after you lost your memories. But it’s your decision now.

“Just…” he paused to consider his final words. “When you make your choice, make it so you’ll love who you’ll be. Don’t make it out of fear. Whatever you decide, even if I never see you again, I’ll be happy for you if you do that.”

In a blink, he was back in the trophy chamber. His whole upper body ached. Blood was dripping down his wrists where thin strands of twine dangled from their knots. He was free.

The void was silent, save for the tense exchange of words and the distant hum of roaring stars. The chamber was filled with the sounds of sex. Paul, Stallion, one of the security guards, and an audience member, Levi could see them all climbing onto the behemoths as instructed, humping various valleys in the shredded meat mountain. Levi ducked behind Mattan; he had no idea how long he had been in the void or how soon Apollyon would be back.

Levi found a solid footing on what he guessed might be a calf muscle and began to climb. I can’t believe I’m literally climbing Mattan “The Peak” Patel. He passed his humping brethren and crested the summit, settling under the steady drizzle from the titan on the floor above. He licked at the pool of cum collecting there, tasting the sweat and seed mixture beading down over hills of his muscles.

He waited. Feeling no change in his body, he crab-walked down to Paul and nudged him aside. Paul continued humping a new fold in what might have been a deltoid, leaving the remains from a recent orgasm trickling down a two-inch wide stretch mark. Levi lapped it up.

He waited again. Nothing.

FUCK. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. FUCK. FUCK.

Whatever he did to Yuri must have been done to him as well.

Did Apollyon change my whole genetic makeup when he… shrank me? The word felt like a slur in his head. Ugh it doesn’t matter how he did it. I’m stuck in Hell’s kiddie pool, now, same as Yuri. Absolutely no chance of growing to physically overpower anyone, either. Only one option now. RUN.

Levi slid down the 12-foot curve of his former idol, following a cum-slick trail down to the hard stone floor and made a break for the stairs. He looked over at Dirk and the rest of his freak army as he passed. Jake was half-heartedly making out with a bit of forearm meat at the base of a tiny muscle-chubbed hand, but Levi didn’t pause. He had made it halfway up the stairs when the sound of claws clicking onto stone echoed up at him.

“Well, now, you continue to surprise me, Levi,” The sound of his steps picked up speed, and Levi accelerated in response.

“Thank you for proving it was worth the effort to add a scrawny, dancing nobody to my collection. There’s more potential in that body than meets the eye.” Apollyon called up to him from the base. Levi bolted out of the stairway back into the main house, looking over his shoulder as he rounded the corner towards the next stairwell to the main exit.

Seemingly from nowhere, Apollyon dropped out of a hole in the air above him and landed with a cacophonous boom. Levi stumbled with the vibration through the ground, falling into the box of old sex toys he’d never brought himself to dispose of. Struggling to pull himself free, the various dildos, whips and gags went flopping and clattering to the floor.

As he was struggling back to his feet, Levi felt himself lifted by the nape of his tank top and dragged out onto the patio. Apollyon unceremoniously rolled him over the side of the pool’s deep end and he skidded to a stop near the closed drain. He scrambled to his feet and made for the far side, but hadn’t gotten more than two steps before he heard his pursuer snap. A metal collar formed out of thin air and clinked shut around his neck. Before Levi noticed the chain now binding him to the bottom of the pool he’d run out of leash and choked himself.

“As promised, I’ve returned with the solution to our impasse.” He held up a small vial of clear liquid, which he uncorked and drank in one gulp. “That charm Eurynomos gave you, it only gives you the choice to refuse me. So let me make my offer a little more enticing for you.” The effects of the serum became almost immediately obvious, as one of Apollyon’s testicles distended, rapidly engorging to thrice its size, followed by the other. They continued past the point of yoga balls, practically obscuring his whole lower body. Meanwhile his dick began to blossom to full height, slowly pulsing upwards, thicker and higher, falling off to the right and bringing his phallic head to rest next to his demon one.

“Asmodean Essence…” Levi observed.

“Very good. Not only has it magnified my output a thousandfold, I am now producing the most anabolic substance in creation. Not to mention, it is quite addictive. No sense wasting time once you are finally mine. I’ll return your ability to grow and you will drink this entire pool dry. I might need to give you your own floor, downstairs.”

Apollyon reached his overblown arms around his member, and though the throes of orgasm did not seem to overtake him, a steady stream of steamy white liquid began to emerge from his organ, splashing down at his feet and running into the side of the pool.

“And what if I still refuse. What if I just drown here instead of submit?”

“You can’t die here again, Levi, but that body still wants to breathe. You have two choices: ignore your charm and take one little drink, or suffocate for eternity. You know you want it.”

Levi watched with growing horror as the cum settled in around the soles of his shoes, and started to rise.

“Since we have some time before your mind and soul are erased from existence, I may as well tell you: I am ever so slightly surprised you started bending reality this far to your will. Most humans take longer to grow comfortable with those properties. I could read from the start that you’re built for better stuff than most. That’s the whole point of you, of course.

“But then again, you still assumed you could overcome one of the most powerful beings of this realm with a handful of gym rats. For someone who thought they could replace Yuri, you don’t have one tenth his common sense.” The stream was cumming faster now, offsetting the wider area of the deep end of the pool as the cum rose up to Levi’s calves.

God, what is even the point of an orgasm like this if you’re going to monologue through it? What a waste of bliss…

Levi considered the possibility that if conversation ran dry enough, he might bore the erection out of Apollyon. “And yet you killed him.”

“I leave that to the philosophers. I knew he would end up here, safe and sound. I simply severed his awareness of magic. Thus removed were the memories of his creation, all the fights we had, all the foolish little plans he’d made, everything that made him think he wanted to end my mentorship.”

“Mentorship?”

“These courts and their rules... He may have invented fleshcraft, but I am the one who created him and taught him who he is. But rather than accept that, he chooses to undermine me and ruin my reputation.

“Had I overstayed my time on Earth, my authority as his mentor would have been revoked. That was the only reason he ever paid you any mind. He didn’t want to save you, he just wanted to run out the clock and trap me there. But even with his memories back, now, he’s abandoned you. You were only ever a way out of my service for him, Levi, and now you are nothing.

“I am the only one who really sees your potential. I am the most magnificent specimen that’s ever given you a second thought, and your last chance at pleasures found nowhere else, even here. So be that good little sub for me and open wide.”

“Sorry to tell you… your game is pretty shit.” Levi jibed, and Apollyon scowled. “And you’re trying way too hard to convince me. You’re afraid, aren’t you. You’re afraid he’ll come for me before you can close the deal.”

Apollyon bent down low against the ledge. His cock still tunneled under him through his pecs, spewing more seed straight at the far end of the pool where it slid and collected. It was just past Levi’s knees now. He couldn’t imagine the pressure of those volleys, but he expected it must be enough to rip skin off, if such a thing could happen here.

Through his snarl, Apollyon’s eyes crackled with sparks, and his voice dropped low and coarse. “You are boring me, Levi. Don’t make me regret my generosity. Let us not waste any more time.”

Apollyon waved a hand, and another shackle appeared around Levi’s wrist. The chain was only about 18 inches long where it ended at a bolting plate that slipped under the seminal surface. The heavy force acting on the chain dragged Levi’s head down towards the surface. He tilted his head away, but his chin was still partially submerged. He was choking on his neck collar trying to keep his mouth dry.

“What?!” Apollyon suddenly jolted. From his crouched stance, his back hyperextended as a shock ran through him, and he began to rock precariously on his feet.

“Is that—?” Apollyon managed to gasp.

A deep voice came from behind him. “That’s right, fuckhead. The Pump-Master Milk Machine 4000. ‘Designed to keep your boys churning at maximum output…’”

Apollyon’s cock surged, telescoping out another foot as Levi put together that he’d just been penetrated by his own prized sex toy. The volume of his ongoing load increased proportionally as well, with the added pressure now sending it harmlessly over the far side of the pool.

“...’until it sends you skyrocketing over the edge’.” A figure stood behind the demon and gently placed a foot on his back. The slight push was all it took for the unbalanced Apollyon to topple forwards into the pool, splashing into his own seed.

“God damn I’m glad you’re here, Yur, but uh, maybe not the best plan.”

“Wrong demon, bro.” Jake leapt down onto the bloated mass floating in the pool where Apollyon had landed and started kicking him face down into the seed. Levi took the cue to do the same. He tried wrapping his arm chain around the demon’s neck, and soon the two were fighting to keep him submerged.

Apollyon reared up, sending Jake off balance and forcing him to grab the ledge of the pool. The demon grabbed at the chain around his neck and pulled it. His excessive mass was no match whatsoever for Levi’s feeble form, and he sunk under immediately. Levi felt the tattoo on his neck blazing in pain as he submerged. He kicked, punched, and thrashed at anything that might bring Apollyon more pain, as Apollyon did the same. A blow caught Levi square in the stomach.

Levi gasped, but used the momentum to turn himself and catch a footing back to the surface. His eyes stung and his face was burning as he surfaced. With the last minor reserves of air in his lungs, he spat forth what seed he could and tried to clear his eyes.

Apollyon was still having trouble catching his footing around his oversized dick. Rage beyond human comprehension arced back at Levi as Apollyon rose higher out of the water. It took a second to notice that, although his traps and delts were climbing out of the pool, his eyes stayed level and his mouth stayed submerged.

A heady wave of relaxation dulled the fury in those eyes as Apollyon began drinking more and more of the seed, but his focus would not completely leave Levi. He reached an arm out, twisting his claw into a threatening mudras, and Levi backed away to the extent that his bindings would allow.

Levi noticed the fire in his neck was snuffed out. There was no burning from his tattoo at all. There was hardly any sensation in his body whatsoever, aside from an all-over hum of pleasure and a gnawing, snarling hunger in his belly growing fiercer.

“Oh, shit, no no no.” Jake slid back into the tide and tried to restrain the arm, but it was too late. Jake’s failed to find enough leverage to keep Apollyon from making contact with Jake’s forehead, a single fingernail pressing into his head.

Apollyon relaxed his arm, and his eyes rolled back slightly into his head as he continued gulping and slurping down as much of his seed as he could fit in his mouth.

Jake waded forward to Levi and pulled his head up, giving him a few gentle slaps on the cheek. “Levi. Levi! I’m sorry, man. I should have dropped the act sooner. You and Yuri are worth the risk, you know? C’mon, c’mon, Levi you gotta fight it!” The words hit Levi’s brain, but failed to find any meaning.

Levi’s body went limp. He felt like he was crawling deeper and deeper inside his own head, like watching a TV of what his eyes saw. Around him, black. The voices, the sounds, the feelings, they were there. The hunger causing him to take as much cum as possible, the response it was starting to have on his body. The sight of Apollyon swelling in front of him, his already musclebound body beginning to take on new dimensions of horrifying, impossible mass.

Through the ocean of black rising around him, he still felt the vaguest sensation of total bliss pervading his being as his fibers regrew and re-grew. He felt himself swelling through beginner gains and into proper bodybuilder territory before accelerating into truly monstrous dimensions unlike anything he’d ever felt.

That tiny flicker of euphoria was what he clung to as the darkness took him once more.

A tiny bell clanged as Ash entered Tonnes-of-Oral Barbershop. His trepidation grew slightly as he walked inside, as no one was at the desk to greet him and all the staff appeared to be helping other customers. The space was humming with the pulse of electronica music. Walls were adorned with professional photos glamorizing groups of ultra-hunky men in every sexual position he’d ever imagined and several he hadn’t. A TV hung in the waiting area, showing a nude, 3% bodyfat behemoth, posing on a raised platform for a crowded nightclub. The stud was flexing his muscles, stroking his cock and playing with his ass in equal measure.

Hoping someone would notice him before he had to do anything as invasive as ring a bell, Ash stepped up to the check-in podium and read the list of available services, despite knowing what he wanted.

“Oh hey, little guy, welcome! C’mon up!” The man who approached, like most of the men he’d met since arriving in Hell, was so densely packed with muscle he should hardly have been able to walk, with a semi-erect cock slung under his stylist apron to give him a degree of movement back.

“Excuse me?” Ash stood 5’8, 165 pounds, and had worked very hard in life to earn what little mass he could accumulate.

“Don’t you pay any attention to that, sir, you ain’t never gonna hear it again. So whatcha here for? Josh is just finishing in someone but he should be able to take care of you.” He gestured over his shoulder at the first barber station. The chair had been knocked over and the eight-foot muscle monster of a client was getting railed by a stylist, whose orgasm splashed back out of the beefy ass, dripping down his glutes. Some of the jizz was scooped up by the attendant and worked through a thumb of fragrant pomade before being worked into the bottom’s new style.

Ash still had some difficulties identifying humans from Incubi, but one good tell was height. Demons tended to keep within ‘natural’ human height and physiques, while excess usually revealed a human obsessed with the novelty of the impossible.

Ash was above all that, though.

“Someone in my orientation phase told me to come here. I’m supposed to ask for something off-menu from a guy named, uh…”

“Oops! Say no more. Last I heard he was out hunting. I’ll call him back, but he might be an hour or so. You oughta get a full treatment first before you start, though. Might be the last time your skin will be able to feel a good soft facial, so be sure to make the memory stick,” he said with a wink. “C’mon, I’ll get ya shampooed and pampered a bit first while ya wait.”

Ash was led through the parlor through more of the clients and their attendants. He had been told this was a growth boutique, but most of the men here seemed to already be huge beyond anyone he’d ever met on earth. All were nude, and occasionally stepped into a shower area to rinse off stray hair sheddings, or just fuck under the massaging water jets. The phrase “just another half-inch” was used as often to refer to hair removed as it was muscles grown, as men refined their already mind-blowing physiques or overgrown cocks. Regular customers seemed to return seeking a little symmetry or, by some tastes, asymmetry. The shelves of skin and haircare products he passed all had names like “Cock Cream”, “Pec Pomade”, “Brain Drain Gel”, “Never Skip Leg Day”, at various strengths and holds. Ash heard one stud ask his stylist to sneak some Brain Drain Gel into his husband’s shampoo for their weekend trip to Erebus.

But the conversation was not limited to muscles and sex. Ash learned that Hell was rich for food and entertainment, with men gushing about meals they’d tried or wines they’d tasted. A beefy, 600-pound cattle rancher and a musclebound, 550-pound indie filmmaker sat in adjacent seats. If not for their shop talk Ash would have no idea they were anything but underwear models who’d snorted a dump truck full of crushed up Anadrol, and that seemed to form enough kinship for their conversation to find footing.

Food was purely for pleasure here; if the rancher killed a cow (cow spirit? Such nuances still eluded him), it was so someone could savor a specific dish, not to keep hunger pangs dulled. The filmmaker hadn’t started filming his masterpiece despite decades working on it, but seemed to not be stressing it. The scope of Ash’s freedom settled into him as his stylist massaged his scalp under the flow of warm water and the concierge gargled his balls.

He joined the conversation and got to know some of the men. The small talk didn’t feel like small talk, it felt like being among friends. There was no gossip, no judgment, just happy people talking about what was good in their worlds, and they let Ash share freely. Most stories included some dopamine-injecting detail about a mind-bending orgasm or delightfully inconvenient engorgement of muscle or cock. Ash felt seen and accepted as a man in a way he never had before.

He had almost begun to lament his commitment to losing his voice, his dexterity, even some of his consciousness as he enjoyed more liberated communication than he had ever enjoyed on Earth. But even now, as he considered turning back, the hunger in his soul reminded him of the wrongness of his body.

Somehow he still hadn’t cum even through a full hour of teasing, despite sucking and fucking so many of the staff he’d begun to lose track. He was having too much fun to worry about achieving orgasm. The entire place was sex: the sensory pleasures of their touch, their manly fragrance, the snacks and cocktails on hand… the sex. And it was all divine. The euphoric peak never came, but this edging session was no torture.

A lyrical howl reverberated through the salon, a sound that went straight to Ash’s dick and pushed him as close to the edge as he’d come in his treatment so far. All heads turned to the back wall.

The stylist brushing oil through his scruff bent down and kissed his forehead. “It’s time.”

Concern infused Ash’s boner. “What do I do?”

The stylist explained, “He knows what you want, but he’ll make you fight for it.”

“What do you mean, fight for it?! Isn’t this a salon?”

“Even here, things don’t always come easy. He’ll be a little grumpy, but you can still change your mind.”

“No! I mean… But I’m not a fighter! I’m in real estate!” Ash stuttered.

“Shhh, don’t you worry. That’s who you were. Go be who you are, and he’ll change the rest.”

The stylist grabbed a TV remote and switched all of the panels to show a remote camera view of a 30-foot cage between the building’s rear exit and a forest trailhead. Inside stood a 7-foot tall, 1200 pound beast of fur and claws and rage. A magnificent redwood colored fur ran over his engorged physique. Honey eyes leered over a canine maw, tracking the entrance to the salon as he paced the ring in anticipation. His bushy tail was working hard to balance the enormity of his bulk, and a stiff rocket-tip emerged from a furry sheath above a heavy set of balls, adrenalized for the coming fight.

Ash was escorted to the back door and gently pushed towards the ring where all in the salon focused on him. They watched, rapt as Ash entered the gated area and took what he probably thought was a defensive stance. The werewolf toyed with him, feigning attacks and leaning in for a sniff to gauge Ash’s reaction. Ash sucked in the energy of the encounter, timing out the beast’s movements and releasing a sucker-punch to his snout, hoping a cheap shot might end the fight quickly. The hit left no impact, and the wolf retaliated with a similar blow that tossed him across the arena.

Stylists and patrons alike were yelling at the screens, telling Ash when to dodge, when to keep fighting, when to retreat. They held each other for comfort as the situation worsened.

The wolf was done playing with his food. Within moments Ash was bruised heavily down his chest. His left leg seemed unable to move, thanks to a deep gash running the length of his thigh. Caked in sweat, dirt and his own blood, he never gave up, never stopped dodging and parrying to the best of his feeble abilities.

Satisfied, the wolf turned his prey onto his stomach and mounted his winner’s stand. They watched as he fucked the helpless man to orgasm. Ash sobbed in pain and humiliation as his head was pushed into the dusty dirt. His conqueror’s thick, furry glutes contracted and released as he pushed in deeper, his claws dug into the earth harder, and finally his mane reared back as he tilted his snout skyward, howling in delight as his cock exploded. As the howl fell to a light whistle on the wind, his knot plopped out. He dismounted to reveal Ash’s stomach had bloated with wolf cum as the champion shot a few final, slow drips onto Ash’s injuries. The peanut gallery watched in bellowing delight as the effects took hold. Ash’s wounds closed up.

Any restraint or poise within the salon vanished as the transformation began. Ash swelled and petting turned to groping. At first, his skin turned a sickly gray, looking mottled and dead, until his soft gray and white fur grew. He screamed and coughed in pain as his insides rearranged, and his voice mangled and twisted into bestial barks. Men inside heard, and it drove them to bite and claw at each other in groups. His eyes turned from pained to predatory as his face broke and reorganized into a muzzle as the men inside began tearing apart what little clothing they still wore. Ash’s cock bulged and transformed, losing its human shape and becoming an angry red spear. His canid cock doubled to nearly the size of his abdomen as soft fur wrapped over his fat balls.

Fucking inside turned feral. Sex wasn’t a social bond anymore; it was a survival instinct. Cocks thrusted, glutes pumped and humped, jaws stretched as faces were pounded with no need for care or gentleness. The primal scene outside had infected the room, and orgasms weren’t being coaxed, they were a matter of life and death.

Ash’s transformation was nearly complete, and what little he still lacked in size he more than made up for in the hormonal rage of his transformation. He heaved, he panted, and when his strength found him again, he attacked, pushing his progenitor to the ground and forcing submission out of him. His Alpha still made it a challenge, but Ash was built for it now. Their gray and brown fur blended together as they flensed and clawed and bit at each other. And inside, one by one the twenty or so men exploded, superhuman eruptions of hot jizz coating the men, the walls, the TV and mirrors, pooling on the floor an inch deep as it collected.

The animalistic grunts of multiple orgasms reverberated through the walls for minutes. As the group collected themselves from their post-coital brainfuck, they saw Ash had disappeared with his new pack leader. A trail of pawprints led out into the wilderness to his new life.

The concierge took stock of the damage and grabbed a cigarette from a concealed drawer. He lit up, and took a long drag. He loved this life: shepherding lost souls, perfecting the male form and having a never-ending parade of sculpted ass and roided cock that came to him for favors. And every once in a while, something truly bizarre like today’s request, just to keep things interesting.

A gob of cum dripped down from the ceiling and knocked the cigarette out of his mouth. “Clean-up is a bitch sometimes, though.”

He shouted towards a janitor’s closet in the back corner of the parlor.

“Hey, Yuri! Gotta big mess for you this time!”

Jake approached the glass counter filled with pastries and fruity desserts. To taste, any of the infernal delicacies might give him anything from a full belly to muscularity beyond the limits of his desires. Despite his newfound freedom, he still resisted all sorts of excuses to indulge; temperance was easier knowing he had a friend who could never experience that sort of bliss. The barista prompted for his order, and he answered “I’ll have a mocha latte, hot, cum foam and an extra pump of hazel-nut, and the cashier’s jockstrap dabbed with your pre. Please.” He could still indulge the simpler pleasures.

“Coming right up! And how about you, cutie?”

“Coffee, medium, black,” Yuri said.

“Name for the order?”

“Jake.”

Yuri asked, “You still go by that? Don’t you have a demon name?”

“I did. But I had the time of my life playing Jake, and now that I’m un-indentured from Apollyon I’m ready to forget my old name.” Jake pumped up his veiny 20” biceps for a flex, each looking thicker than his waist on his 5’5” frame. Levi mentioned that Jake bulked up some in his last week before Apollyon returned, but it looked like he hadn’t changed a single blond hair on his head since. He winked and said, “Plus, he is a straight up hottie.”

The barista flopped his thirty-incher out of his custom thong and began lightly teasing a nipple as he called the cashier over. Though they’d gone through similar rituals dozens of times already that day, the two were no less horny for each other. The cashier shucked his current jock and the pair made out. Their sheer pecs glistened as milk steam swirled around them, sweaty droplets cascading over their fat, heavy chests. They moaned, they nibbled at each other, they teased and pawed as a steady stream of pre leaked out of the barista. Tantalizingly, the cashier scooped a fingerful, making him shudder with a light stroke at his frenulum, and fed an ounce of his own nectar to him. He gave them both a sniff of his discarded jock, eliciting a grunt of pleasure, before squeezing a dollop of pre into the fabric pouch.

“Here ya go!” The barista broke from the performance and handed Jake the beverage and the jock. The cashier squirted a few gushes of the morning brew out of a carafe into a Styrofoam cup and handed it to Yuri with a hearty “Enjoy!”. He began suggestively cleaning the steamer head and licking his lips at the barista.

Jake broke the ice as they sat. “So what’s it like being here with no understanding of the magic that runs this place?”

“My brain still tells me it’s all wrong, but there’s only so much it can ignore. I get it. They collapsed Levi’s welcoming party and now I’m in with the rest of the men and demons and everyone. I’m surprised nobody cares that Eurynomos is this, now, though.” Yuri gestured at himself.

Jake answered, “Apollyon would have the most reason to feel pissed that you’re in the wind, if he could feel anything outside of an endless orgasm now. Even so, he’s been incarcerated for abuse of Asmodean Essence and murder of an unbound human. Finding and bringing him in was easy since, you know, immobile and addicted to his own cum now. Everyone else with any authority has written you off as dead, which… is there any difference?” Jake explained, rubbing his exposed cock and huffing from the pouch of the jockstrap. “Fleshcrafting might be gone forever, though, unless someone else is created from scratch for the job. But it already served its purpose.”

“How does that work, anyway? Growth cum exists, but it’s not magic?”

“Give some horny scientists eternity in Hell to work on shit like gene editing and super steroids and you’ll be amazed what they come up with, especially since death and medical complications aren’t a concern here. But yeah, actual magic to change the body overrides all of their, quote, ‘natural methods’, even on someone like you.”

“Bizarre.”

“Well, if Eurynomos ever comes back, he’ll probably explain it better. And he can teach me.”

“He’s not coming back.”

“Why so sure?”

“I chose to be me. I should live with that decision. Even Levi wanted me to do that.”

“I don’t think Levi wanted you to be trapped in that body for all eternity mopping up cum in a gentleman’s parlor.”

“Someone’s gotta do it.”

“We have magic, dude. And even if that weren’t a rancid load, that’s why every other parlor in the realm finds a sub with a maid fetish. There’s millions of them.”

“Are you here to offer me a better job?”

“No, I’m here because my friend is sad and never wants to talk about it.”

“Are we friends? Or did you just hook up with me once to manipulate me and my boyfriend?”

“Testy! I know you a lot better than you know either of us, my good friend. And yeah, I know you don’t remember and yeah, work is work. But you outranked me by a mile when I served Apollyon in your House. You were good to me, even on some of my worst days. And I’m not going to forget that just because you have. So cut the martyr act for a second and spill. What’s up with you?”

“I’m still just grieving, I guess. It’ll pass.”

“Grief’s not a storm you get to take shelter from til it rolls by. You gotta work through it, man.” Yuri sipped at his coffee well before it had cooled enough. A shot of chilled mancream and cinnamon probably would have been nice.

“I am. I am moving on, making new connections. I started getting into photography, which has been nice.” Yuri opened his phone to a recent album. He scrolled through a picture of a bird in a tree taken from the ground, a collapsing old farmhouse taken from the road, a closeup of a doorknob reflecting the phone taking the picture.

“Interesting choice of subjects. You must have found the only three places anywhere that men aren’t fucking.”

“The window was brief.”

“No doubt,” Jake snorted. “Keeping busy and talking to people sounds good. Made any friends?”

“Oh yeah, loads.” Yuri nodded his head six times.

“Want to tell me how that’s going? Any names?”

“Just the guys from work. They go out dancing sometimes and I go and watch.”

“You watch?” Jake prodded. “Okay, this isn’t all your fault. Even the staff here are still in paradise, so they don’t really get the concept of trauma. Not unless they’ve been indentured to an outright sociopath for a few eons. So please, let me hold you down and slap you so you give me an honest answer about what you’re feeling.”

Yuri took a scalding gulp of coffee down his gullet. He rasped from the pain, and began. “I don’t know why I… miss him. It was all lies and illusions and selfishness, even if it wasn’t all his fault.

“But I just remember him sometimes. I’m mopping up at work or standing in the shower or about to fall asleep and hear him in my head. And I’ll just see the way his eyes lit up at me, or remember something he said, usually about dance, and I’ll freeze up. I could not possibly care less about ballet, honestly, but no matter how much he talked about it I just…

“I saw him smile dreaming up some new step, or saw how proud he was of his work, and suddenly ballet was the most important thing in the world to me. I thought he was blinding me from seeing anything real, but… well, look at this place. He was the only real thing I ever knew.”

“It is so fucking frustrating talking to someone who literally can’t hear the words I say, you know that? This is real, and always has been, as much as anything is ever real. He wasn’t a life raft to cling to before, and you sure as hell shouldn’t be clinging to him now.”

“I’m not clinging to him!”

“Then go say goodbye. He’s still there. Let’s take a trip and you can prove to me it’s all behind you now.”

Yuri’s face withered. “His body’s still there in that pool?”

“I moved him to the trophy room with the other Acolytes. The place is set up to keep him fed and docile, and there’s no one else to take care of him.”

Yuri shook his head. “That thing isn’t him. Those aren’t his eyes. It’s just a pile of meat, and I don’t need to see that. Once was too much.”

“You know this isn’t your fault, right?” Yuri took another half-sip and winced at the temperature.

Jake took the silence as confirmation. “Is that what all this is about? Why you’re working next-door instead of sipping margaritas and getting ass on a beach somewhere?”

“He gave me a choice. And not only did I not make the one that could have saved him… I hesitated. Even after we parted ways in the void, I didn’t come and try to help him right away. I waited.”

Jake sat a little straighter in this chair, but took another huff at the jockstrap between sips.

“Void? What void?”

“Levi and I met there when I had the choice to become Eurynomos again. Infinite nothing, smelled vaguely of oblivion?”

Jake was getting flustered. “Wait, you mean the Corridors Between Worlds?!”

“I never know what I mean, Jake.”

“Yuri!” Jake exclaimed, and set the jockstrap down. “Okay, dude, this is serious. You were there? With Levi?”

“Yes.”

“How did he get there?”

Yuri thought back everything Levi had told him, and wished he’d taken it a little more seriously. He had no idea if there was a ritual or incantation at work, perhaps even something he’d learned from Apollyon on Earth.

“I dunno. I don’t even think he knew. The only time I saw it was when he was pushing through a phenomenally heavy set. He’d blow away an old record and told me he saw this dark place inside him, fueling him. He might have learned it from Eurynomos back before we died?”

“He did that on Earth?!“ Jake gripped the sides of the table and leaned in.

“He told me the first time it happened was before we died, yeah. Why does it matter?”

“He’s not gone!”

“What do you mean? How?”

“Nobody can use the Corridors,” Jake explained. “Hell, I haven’t even been cleared to, much less taught to, and for a human to go there is basically unheard of. But if he can… he might have found a way to save himself.”

Yuri shook his head. “I don’t… maybe it’s just my brain, but I don’t understand. If he’s not gone where is he?”

“He’d probably have no idea how to navigate the Corridors back, but if he figured out he has a connection to that place, he can stop himself from getting erased from existence.” Yuri looked dumbfounded, his brain basically ignoring every third word. “He’s lost in outer space,” Jake clarified.

“So how do we get him?! You say you can’t go there, who can?!”

Jake opened his mouth to provide a name, but none came to him. “I don’t know. Apollyon knew some way to sneak through to find his acolytes off the record, but I always figured it was Eurynomos who helped with that.”

“So Eurynomos could help him now?”

A stillness overcame Jake. The buzz of the revelation was simmering now, and Jake almost looked annoyed at the question.

“Yuri, you need to know something about Eurynomos.

“Humans spend eternity here. It used to be they would inevitably fight against the ruling demons out of nothing more than boredom. Apollyon cast them to the abyss as punishment, but even some of the ones who didn’t fight started asking to be unmade. And then once their souls were snuffed out, mountains of human husks started rotting in the black sun.

“And then Eurynomos was made—No, fuck that, you were made. You were made to serve a monster against your will by taking those soulless, zombified bodies and decomposing their flesh back into dust. I can’t think of a more depressing job. And you know what you did? Rebelled. You found a solution: you made us. You made me, man.

“You infused the flesh of those dead husks with the living spirit of Hell and built an entire caste of Incubi eager to serve humans and demonkind alike, devoted to Asmodeus’ vision of a cum-soaked paradise. We’ve helped mankind withstand eternity, giving them higher pleasures, or hell, pain and war if they need, whatever challenges them to find endless new meaning in existence. Nobody ever chooses the Abyss now. You saved everyone. And you wouldn’t believe the punishments you endured for your disobedience.

“And despite all that, you still tried to stop Apollyon every single time he found a human acolyte. Levi was the closest you ever came to saving one, and there’s still a chance.

“Could Eurynomos help Levi? I don’t know. But he would burn in the Corridors before he gave up trying.”

Yuri sat, hands loose around the base of his coffee cup, deaf to the moans of the cashier and barista. What am I doing? Wandering around taking garbage photos and feeling sorry for myself?

“You still have a choice.”

“No.” Yuri finally looked up. “It’s no choice at all.”

This is right. All the math and equations of universal justice brought me here. No one left to bargain with, no one to beg for help. This is the way things should be.

I helped Yuri. That’ll have to be my legacy.

Levi was adrift in the gulf of nothingness connecting all worlds. He’d lost track of how much time had passed since his consciousness was almost entirely separated from his body, giving him opportunity to think on all that had happened. Getting rejected in a shower stall and turning to demonology. Meeting a trainer with unholy size and a cute novice the same day. Being invited to an orgy with some of the biggest professional bodybuilders on the planet. Dying with Yuri from a combination growth overdose and thrown-through-a-brick-wall. Exploring Apollyon’s house together. Befriending Jake and performing to the approval of the city’s elite. Growing out of control to sizes he’d only dreamed of.

Losing everything.

I was selfish, impatient, greedy. I was never supposed to have any of it, and this is just what happens when you try to take it anyway. This is my punishment. But it’s okay. It’ll all be over soon. Soon I’ll just be that.

Levi quieted his mind until his thoughts dimmed and a bright corner of his consciousness still tethered to Hell bubbled back up. No thoughts, no feelings, no life at all.

He saw what his eyes saw, but he could not look. His head was locked in place, but even his eyes would not move by his own volition. It was dark now. The last time he had done this, the afternoon sky still burned overhead, lightly baking his skin. Now he was inside, somewhere cold enough to offset the furnace that was his overgrown body. He saw a patch of familiar grey-blue stone, smelled the stench of musk and cum. All the nerves connected and he felt the weight of his inhuman cock pressed into slick slate under a plate of abdominal ridges and juicy pecs the size of a car. Orgasms surged through him, never starting or ending, an perpetual series of waves flowing into one another. He felt cum dripping down on him from above, pooling just where his tongue could reflexively lap at it. He was in the trophy room now, he gathered. His eternal resting place.

He considered how much time had passed, and realized the orgasms must have been dozens, if not hundreds. Each a minutes-long wave sending his eyes rolling, blissful peaks and blackout recoveries. At the first cohesive to consider how many, though, he was plunging back into the darkness in his pathetically small form, drifting away from his body and floating back through the void towards his unmaking. He figured once he burned away entirely, all that would be left of his mind was the passive observer in that meat prison. At least there’d be no him to grow bored anymore.

“Maybe I really have just been suffering some nervous breakdown all year. Maybe I’m in a hospital, heavily drugged but having these lucid moments, dreaming away everything because I’m too unhinged to be left awake. Less suffering for everyone this way.”

“If existence is pain, Levi, then your suffering means life! Embrace that, or perish!” A voice erupted from both shoulders at once.

“And now my armpits talk.”

“No!” the voice roared. “I am life itself! Given form, not in flesh, but in tapestry. I was stitched to help my weaver travel through the Corridors Between Worlds.”

Levi rolled with it. “Ah, my mistake. My cloak talks now. Right on time. I’m going to call you Melanie. Do you think I’m going crazy, Melanie?”

“The absurdity of reality defies your ability to comprehend your own question, Levi!”

“Good point, Mel. So you must know a lot about this place, if you can talk here. Why haven’t I just been unmade already or whatever?”

“We are hurtling at speeds beyond comprehension across unquantifiable distances towards the blazing furnace at the center of creation. He called it the Abyss.”

Levi looked down and, for the first time, noticed the not-so-distant star toasting his feet. He was falling down towards the burning sphere of light that had begun to blot out the distant celestial features he was used to seeing in here. He didn’t know how much time he had left, but Levi figured talking was a better use of his time than waiting for it.

“Who are you referring to, Apollyon? Did he make you?”

The cloak made a spitting noise from a fold and Levi didn’t dwell on the physiology involved. “Apollyon was a covetous fool incapable of creation! My maker is Gremory: wisest demon in the history of their kind.”

“But Apollyon was responsible for the Abyss. Fuck, why was that even a thing?”

“The Abyss is the energy source at the heart of everything. It exists to end the sorrows of those too far gone to ever heal.”

“But you can navigate us away from it? From the abyss?”

“A trivial request well beneath my capabilities, mortal!” the cloak seemed to sneer.

“So… do that, maybe?”

“I could! If Gremory were here to repair me himself, or if you had not torn my arms off!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Undeserving of consolation as you are, I need not tell you that your arms did look… magnificent. They were beyond expression in your crude language. The sacrifice almost worthwhile.”

“That actually does make me feel a little better, thank you.”

They continued for meaningless times across unquantifiable distances, and the star grew brighter and hotter. Levi waited for the inevitable end, expecting to feel the flame suddenly engulfing him. Eventually he grew bored.

“So, did Gremory make you for Kiko’s husband, then? She told me you belonged to him.”

“You believe the words of a woman who’s entire visage is falsehoods, Levi? I came to her from her daughter, who received me in a parting ritual my maker performed as their contract ended.”

Something felt off. “I’m guessing that didn’t end as well as you’re implying.”

“Gremory was a paragon of his kind. It is a tragedy that you first encountered one so vile as to paint all others with undue disdain. Gremory wished to visit his summoner for as long as he could. That was the purpose of my creation. But eventually, all must slow and die, including mortals and their contracts.”

“That sounds terrible.”

“What part of the natural order do you dare to question now?”

“He could only be with her contractually?”

“His kind lives to serve. From the dawn of time, their devotion to humans has been as constant as light. Even Apollyon’s behavior is borne from obsession, though he is blind to the harm he causes. Gremory’s devotion fell on one mortal woman, but they could not stay together.”

“Was she trying to summon a boyfriend?”

“Her desire was the only immortality your kind are sure of; she wished to have her blood find home in a new vessel.”

So… a child? That means Kiko had a daughter and a grandkid. The beach photo. “Oh my god…”

“Yes, Levi, yes! But to make new life, the cost is absolute. Gremory gave her what time he could.”

“Is my mom here? Can I-...” Levi recognized the foolishness of his request. Given his current trajectory, he could only hope he wouldn’t cross her path.

“No. She now exists somewhere men may never walk.”

“Why didn’t Kiko ever tell me?”

“She demanded your godparents treat her as anathema. Kiko feared you would walk the same road as your mother.” For as much as Levi could divine the intonations of flapping fabric, this statement sounded just a touch bitchy.

Levi took it all in as he continued floating towards the Abyss. His mom literally moved hell and earth to have him. Every moment he lived was one she sacrificed. “Lived”, past tense. She gave everything and I threw it all away.

“Well, fuck this, I’m done being that idiot! I’m gonna live!” He strained and pulled against the forces pulling him downwards. His feeble muscles ached, but it was his mind bracing against the current. Some part of him knew he was built for this. It was no coincidence that the potential existed within him to harness this energy that was trying to destroy him, and he knew where it came from now.

“Hah! It is almost endearing how your kind think they are above the laws of the universe.”

“I don’t care what the universe says anymore! I don’t care about contracts! Or limits! I don’t deserve this!” The aether around him scorched at him, friction burns searing his face and pulling harder against him.

“What right have you to defy reality?”

“Who cares? I can do this! I don’t need permission from the universe to exist! I don’t need your help, or Apollyon’s, or anyone’s!” The heat was unbearable, but it was not going to destroy him. It never could. Every rep it pushed him through was proof; it was his to command, not succumb to. The flames licking at him were a fuel, and he absorbed it. The energy welled in the essence of his being, and his resistance amplified.

“Why do you persist, Levi? What makes your existence worth clinging to? For your ex boyfriend? For all your fake fans? Your dead mother? “

“For me!” With a lurch in his stomach, the forces against him reversed, and he was rocketing through space, the Abyss below him growing more distant while its heat still raged within him.

“Good, Levi, good!” Melanie cackled with delight.

No sooner had Levi begun to concentrate on a direction more specific than ‘away from the flaming ball of infinite death’ that he heard a distant voice calling his name. He focused on it, and he recognized the faint voice, and found the heading to follow to find it. Another pinprick of light, not a star, but white and constant. Time, distance, space meant nothing to him anymore. He felt the emotion drawing him in. Nothing would stop him. Light years, miles, inches away, it didn’t matter, he just had to reach out his hand, and he felt a hand reach back, and…

Levi looked up around him. Yuri was dry heaving under a squat rack at their gym loaded with three plates, tears in his eyes. He fell under the bar, collapsing into Levi’s arms. Levi held him, felt his now substantial weight around him, pressed his face into his neck. He smelled the blood and the heat and the softness of his cherry red skin. He was home again.

“Good set,” Levi said.

Yuri laughed through a nose stuffed with his tears. “Had to dig pretty deep for it. Like, center of the universe deep.”

“Knew you could. I see you took him back.” Levi graced his hand over Yuri’s recurving ram horns. “Still feel like you?”

Yuri nodded, “Yeah. He didn’t—I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

“Shhh, it doesn’t matter. It never did. You didn’t have to.”

“Yes, I did. He didn’t do it right away and he… I regretted it. Eurynomos… I… didn’t know how to find you without him… me.”

“As long as you’re happy, it all worked out. We’re free now.” Muscleheads around the gym were starting to stare, wondering where Levi and this new demon had come from. Levi joked, “You gonna start your next set?”

“I think I’m due for a rest day. Do you want to join me?”

“Wild horses, Yuri.”

A few days later…

The trio stopped at the crest of the last dune before an infinite sea.

“Well, there it is. Nice quiet slice of paradise before you go,” Jake said. “Are you both sure you want to do this? The terms will be pretty steep, if they even agree at all.”

“Aw, Jake. You trying to keep us here? That’s sweet,” Yuri teased.

Levi was more reassuring. “I promise, we’ve thought about it and talked it all through. This is what we need.”

Jake pulled them both in for a hug. They tried to pull their heads together as best they could, but their combined pectoral size didn’t leave much of a chance. “I’m gonna miss you guys so fucking much,” Jake finished, his voice cracking slightly.

“I know, bud. We’ll miss you too,” Levi said.

“We’ll be back before you know it. I just hope you still have time for us, big shot.”

“Of course I will. Always.” Jake kissed both of them on the shoulder, which was the closest his head could reach. “Okay… I’m gonna go get Gremory. Enjoy your afternoon, boys.”

A few hours later, Levi brushed the sand off his 36” quads as he rolled onto his back. He closed eyes and let the sun beat down. Never really thinking about it, Levi noticed his breath had synchronized with the crash of the waves. Did the waters here even have names? Who cares? Someone, probably, but that’s why they’d traveled deeper into this dimension, beyond the familiar reflections of the material world to where souls and demons were scarce.

“Mmmm, that sun, this sand. I think we found the perfect spot. I wish I could get stuck, right here, forever,” Levi said, adding a little extra sugar to the wording on the last comment and giving his partner a cheeky smile.

“After all this, you’re still making wishes with demons? Tch tch tch, stupid, stupid boy. Granted.”

Yuri ran his muscular hands along Levi’s torso. His pecs began to swell under his touch. Levi arched his back in pleasure as the growth took hold, chest rising like bread in the heat. Immediately, Levi started squirming in pleasure, burying himself deeper into the sand. He clawed at it in utter ecstasy as he swelled.

Yuri’s touch worked down his abdomen as the cobblestone road to his dick rose thicker and higher, a turtle shell gut widening, pushing his abs higher. He worked his wicked nails gently over the rising flesh, sending chills and shivers through the increasing mass of Levi, spurring the growth in fits and starts.

His cock, full mast and bouncing against his muscle gut, string of pearl bridged to the tip, got a single sensitive stroke under the head and immediately doubled from its starting 7”, then surging again to just over 25” and stretching taller from there as Yuri withdrew his touch. His balls descended fatter and heavier in their sac as well, sliding down his taint to reach the sand, then wedging between his adductors, and finally growing so large they popped back on top of his legs with just a slight jolt of pain. The scrotum tensed and released as the organs within began mass production.

Size rippled through his arms and legs at once. As they inflated, they began pushing against each other, creating an involuntary sand angel. He watched as his calves ballooned in the sand, driving a deep divot and soon lifting Levi’s feet off the ground entirely. Levi playfully rolled his ankles with the sensation of levitating.

“Fuck, Yur, this feels amazing…every single time,” Levi breathed, the tiny offsets in lungfuls barely registering on the size of his 120-inch chest.

Yuri climbed onto Levi’s quad to continue his labors, settling onto his favorite spot right atop the towering rod. He leaned back and felt his back connect with Levi’s pecs at his mid back. It never seemed like it from the ground, but laying on him like this he could see they were still roughly the same height difference they’d always been.

Levi barely felt his love’s 475-pound frame pressing down on him as his growth slowed momentarily. They lay there together watching the clouds go by, with Levi’s massive roid gut expanding and contracting each breath, lifting his little spoon up slightly higher each time. Yuri nestled into Levi’s overblown, musclebound form, resisting the urge for a nap.

Yuri looked up as a cloud began to pass, observing, “Mmm, we need to keep that sun out of your eyes. Here, say when.” He locked legs around the root of Levi’s cock, well over 2 feet in circumference by now. As he pulled himself into it, pressing his pecs into the member, Yuri began rhythmically humping into, feeling the meat swell, prying his legs apart. Up into the sky it grew taller and taller, thick as a coconut tree, until the shadow was long enough to reach Levi’s eyes.

“Fuuuuuk, that’s perfect,” Levi moaned, mindless. Yuri persisted, growing the cock another foot, five, ten, until it cast a shadow over the whole beach.

“That’s perfect,” Yuri corrected.

“Yes sir,” Levi said.

Satisfied with his work, Yuri, ambled over the heft of his partner’s pecs, careful not to lose a foot into the valley of muscle, and carefully spelunked down to the traps squished against the back of Levi’s head. He’d deliberately grown his traps a little extra for this purpose, and he knelt on them, looking down at this beautiful face now reveling in the ecstasy of his size.

“Someone looks hungry,” Yuri observed. Levi did his best to nod, looking up at a tool that seemed massive, if only because he couldn’t see the full size of his own member over his own titanic pecs.

“Hungry for cock, or hungry for more size?” Yuri bent the tip of his dick down an inch above Levi’s waiting mouth, and felt the Earth shift underneath him as Levi tried to sit up.

“Guess you must need both,” he teased, sliding down further onto his traps, feeling his balls brush over Levi’s face, until he could line up his cock and slide inside.

“You’re gonna get bigger for me,” Yuri made him swell again, delts rounding out to the sides, pressed flatter into the ground and still climbing higher. Levi tried to give an affirmative grunt between thrusts into his mouth.

“That wasn’t a question. You will grow for me.” His pecs surged even higher, blocking more of the sun. “Bigger.” The traps under him lifted them higher off the ground. “Bigger!” Arms, quads, pecs, every bulge on his body arced skyward at once, thoroughly deforming any sense of human proportions. His quads rising so high to fit their new mass they cradled his 4’ circumference member. With cleavage deep enough to lose a couple of tall men in, gravity began to flatten his pecs, burying any remaining sign of his clavicle. They spread to cradle his cock from above, while also beginning to hang down towards Yuri. By flexing his pecs and quads simultaneously, Levi found he could stroke the base of his cock towards climax. It was the closest thing to fucking he could experience at this size.

The ground began to shake as Levi vibrated in ecstasy, his relatively tiny hands and feet flexing and releasing as the only motion available to him. Yuri rammed his cock down Levi’s throat one final time, pushing his hips so hard he might have broken Levi’s nose. He shooting a quart of hot seed directly into his belly. Levi felt the hot geyser spraying deep into his guts, and it pushed him over the edge. A fountain of cum erupted out of his train car sized cock, raining down on the palm trees behind them, wetting the sand and covering both of them in sweet, sticky seed.

Yuri carefully slipped his thick cock out of his meat balloon boyfriend’s tight throat, and slid down onto the ground. Levi’s traps created a perfect ramp to lay on to look him in the eye, and they gazed at each other and drank in the moment.

“What did I ever do to deserve you, Yur?”

“Need a recount?”

Yuri sweetly kissed Levi’s lips and laid down so their heads were adjacent, still spooning the heft of his exposed upper back muscles.

Levi looked up at him for a moment. He felt no pressure to speak. Their eyes and whatever was behind them connected, forming one continuous consciousness, wordless. But the first thought to bubble up was a nagging thought, one petty wrinkle in their plans that Levi felt unsure about. “You still haven’t told me why you agreed to this.”

Yuri considered. “No, I haven’t.” Then he said, “Do you remember the first time you topped me?”

“Yeah,” Levi said. “I remember.”

“It was the eye of our storm, with everything of who we were and what we were becoming, all bound together, but all mixed up. I felt pain, deep pain, over losing myself, and somehow you soothed it with a few claw marks down my back. Nothing made sense at that moment, but everything was right. And it was just us, you know? No enemies, no schemes. We thought everything was still normal, and even as we were, we still felt like equals. You needed me, and I needed you.”

“We gave each other exactly what we needed,” Levi finished the thought for him.

“I want a little more time getting lost with you. I want the memories of us finding each other as true equals. As long as you’re sure you’re making the right choice for yourself?”

“I am,” he breathed with confidence. “I do want every day to be like this,” Levi tilted his chin as far as his immersing pectorals would budge, gesturing down at his impossible form. “And I know they will be wherever we are. But our days will be even more than that.”

A high coo caught their ears from further down the beach. With his new grown mass blocking all Levi’s vision, Yuri had to look.

“That’s Gremory. Probably time to bring you back down,” Yuri said with a placating kiss on the forehead.

“Like a Band-Aid, please. I hate this part,” Levi said.

“I know, baby.” Yuri placed both hands on Levi’s chest and with a quick squelch, thousands of pounds of excessive mass evaporated off of Levi. His prone body hung in the air formerly occupied by incomprehensibly huge cakes, hamstrings and lats. As gravity accelerated against him, he fell three feet to the sand with a thud.

“At least that stings less than shrinking gradually,” Levi winced. He plunked and shimmied to his feet again as he climbed out of his own massive divot; Yuri had left his proportions still beyond a super-heavyweight’s stats.

They looked at the approaching man. He had manicured white scruff over pale, wrinkled skin. His clothing was an icy blue, fitted well to a trim form, with a large hat to match. He held a parasol over him, patterned with the likeness of the fiery Corridors in stark contrast to the vibe of his outfit. Levi’s torrential seed dripped down from the corners of the umbrella.

“Ooooo! Lord, I am glad I brought protection from a storm like that. That was not on the radar, let me tell you.”

It wasn’t until he stepped closer that Levi was able to see past the flamboyant dress and get a good look at Gremory’s face.

“You! The-the casting director. And that annoying guy at the gym, remember Yuri?”

“Honestly, no. I knew Gremory way back, though.”

“Bravo, Levi,” Gremory said. “Yes, that was me. I’m not supposed to monitor anyone’s progress while they’re in their adjustment phase, but I just had to check on you. You did real good, sweetie, apart from tearing apart your easiest lifeline out of the Abyss. Which I expressly warned you not to, I might add.” Gremory gave Levi a look that could have withered a field of dandelion. “Other than that, your mom would have been proud.”

“Yuri, Gremory’s interviews were what helped me figure out who you were and how to beat Apollyon.

“He’s also my dad.”

“Whoa! Hold the phone, Levi, I am nobody’s daddy.”

“But- your cloak said- You helped my mom conceive me.”

“Oh, no no no no no, honey. I would never lay hands on a woman, in that way or any other. Mm! No, I helped heal her situation downstairs, found her a man for an evening who wasn’t a total disaster (and child, finding that candidate was the hardest part), and gave her a few tips to help get it in. We got brunch when I could come up after that, but I am not your daddy, let me make that clear.”

“Then… why was I able to access the Corridors?”

“It is possible my, and I must stress, indirect involvement in your conception put some of my people’s mojo in you. But I think there’s another reason, Levi. I think you worked your damn. Thicc. Ass off. And you believed in yourself, and you tried. Your kind truly can do anything when they do that.

“Now. Onto more important matters. Jake said you had a favor to ask?”

“Yes,” Levi said. “We want to go back to Earth.”

“Earth? That hot mess of a planet? Did you forget your keys or something?”

“I accomplished everything I wanted to here… but I didn’t earn it. And that includes being with Yuri. I want a life with him, as equals.”

“And you want to go with him, Eurynomos?”

“I do.”

“Well, even if I could grant you this, my colleagues would never allow it,” Gremory clasped his hands in a gesture of finality.

“Oh, I think you can, and they would,” Yuri argued. “Levi was murdered by one of your colleagues, and though he had agreed to become Apollyon’s acolyte, that contract was never properly sealed. Apollyon had no right whatsoever to take him out of the world in the first place. And further, even from here Levi helped to subdue Apollyon for apprehension after he illegally obtained and imbibed Asmodean Essence.”

“I could probably make that case. But why would they ever let you go?”

“I’ve done a lot for this world,” Yuri answered. “I’ve already cashed in a few favors to make sure I’m not missed. Jake is more than ready to take over my duties,” Yuri said. “At least until I get back.”

“You’ve both clearly thought this out.”

“We have,” they nodded in unison, looking at each in warm acknowledgment of how much they’d been through, and how much more they wanted for each other.

“There’s going to be a few other conditions. No memories. You’ll retain an impression of what you’ve learned… wisdom, you might call it, along with a vague sense of what you’ve been through here for each other. But you will take no knowledge of this realm or magic with you. Yuri, your abilities will be cut off entirely until you return. I’ll see to that myself.”

“Makes sense,” Yuri said.

“And you won’t be going up looking like that. Back to your normal bodies before Apollyon killed you.”

“I can live with that, on one condition,” Levi said. Gremory’s response to this audacity was sharp, but this was one of many possibilities they had planned for. “The form Yuri had was cursed by Apollyon; his potential was limited more than any human. He couldn’t change anything without fleshcraft.”

“Yes, he can make a few adjustments to make himself an average human with normal human potential.”

Yuri began working his will on them both, and in a few minutes Levi was back to the same 170 pounds he was before he died. Yuri stopped just north of 160.

“Ah, ah, ah. All the way back. I remember what you looked like.” Yuri’s face protested, but Gremory continued. “Tell you what. You take off those last few pounds, and I’ll pretend I didn’t notice the extra three inches you kept.”

Yuri was silent, but did as requested. Soon, a skinny, magnificently endowed twink stood before them. Both men chubbed in satisfaction with the arrangement. Levi failed to stifle a smirk, and he wondered if Gremory could perceive the other subtle changes Yuri had made. Subtly reshaping an androgen receptor here, a few minute changes to the pancreas there, overall not even a 0.001% change in their DNA. It was visually imperceptible, and still technically within “normal human potential”, but it was the difference between a hard gainer and an Olympian in waiting.

“Last chance you two. You sure you want to stay in those underfed bodies rather than have anything your heart desires?”

“So we have to grow it the hard way again,” Levi said. “We know the way now.” He took Yuri’s hand.

“I maybe shouldn’t say anything, but…” Gremory let the anticipation for gossip hang in the air. “You might not have to worry about that for too many years, anyway. I hear rumblings that Asmodeus has made contact with humans. He has some big plans in store for Earth soon.”

Yuri and Levi paused for any follow-up to clarify, but it seemed Gregory thought the best gossip was left open-ended.

“But that’s not for you to concern yourselves with. In a moment, you won’t remember anyway! Now, I can have you on your way in a heartbeat if you just do one last thing for me.”

“What’s that?”

“Give me my damn cloak back.” Levi scrambled to pull the item from their bag and handed it over. With a few long, flourishing strokes over the fabric, Gremory had restored it to its original glory. The sleeves regenerated, and the runic etchings shone a resplendent, glowing gold.

“Missed you, baby girl,” he kissed the lapel and threw it on with a magical spin.

Gremory walked out to the seashore, standing in the damp sand just shy of the waterline. He sliced a gold fingernail through a thin line in the air, exposing a shimmering white portal. “Are you ready?”

“Ready,” Levi affirmed with confidence.

“More than ever.” Yuri agreed.

Levi wondered what the future held. He’d be back to waiting tables and struggling through auditions. There were no guarantees he would stay with Yuri, especially with all the pressures of a normal life. Kiko still never wanted to see him again, and he wouldn’t remember that she was his grandmother. And even with the physiological advantages they were smuggling, the road ahead was loaded with hard work and sacrifice.

Was it human intuition that told him everything would be okay? Or his newfound connection to the whole of existence and all the energies of creation? Was there even a difference? Levi quieted his mind, and did not dwell on the questions for long. He simply squeezed Yuri’s hand in his.

They stepped through the door, as one, and the light took them.

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