When I woke up on Sunday, it took me a while to recollect the previous day. It all came back quickly when I noticed the meaty arm draped over me. Ae Ri and I were spooning and I was the little spoon. I could hear her behind me, breathing, still fast asleep. I gripped her wrist, intending to free myself, but stopped. Her hand looked so delicate but so, so big. I remembered seeing her next to Hamilton and wondering if her hands were larger than his.

Shuffling as little as possible, I got my right hand free and, carefully I pushed my palm against her limp one. Splaying out my fingers, lining them up with hers, I goggled at the comparison. "Whoa." I whispered to myself in a hushed tone. Each of my digits were longer, but not by much. Her fingers ended about halfway along the top segment on each of mine. I swallowed a lump in my throat, tilting our hands together. Marginally, her palm was wider than mine.

A sharp intake of breath made me freeze, Ae Ri stirring behind me. I thought I was busted but instead, she mumbled and groaned, pushing my palm away. That left arm of hers wrapped around me, her right weaving under my neck and I was sqeeuzed into a hug. I yelped as it happened, titanic swells pressed into my back, sending a shiver through me as they smothered my form. I'd gotten up close and personal with them yesterday and, honestly, even they were a little menacing. Sure they were amazing but she could accidentally suffocate me with them in the night. Her legs tucked under mine closer and Ae Ri, still asleep, locked me into a tight embrace. This was surreal. I'd never been able to entangle my legs together with another person's legs like this and each muscled pillar of a leg against my flimsy ones made my stomach churn.  

Relaxing into her warmth something began to click in my mind. The longer I stayed locked into the tight hug, the more a new feeling began to wash over me. I felt oddly comforted. Being wrapped up in Ae Ri's embrace, I felt protected. Connected to her in a way I hadn't with any other partner. Fuck, with anyone, really. No one was ever this big compared to me. I'd been 6'5 almost my entire life. The protector. The larger one. Yesterday had proven that wasn't the dynamic in this relationship right now. That sensation I'd had when she carted me home, shaking off Dr. Wilson, came rushing back. I nuzzled into her, thinking about just how close this had made us. We'd shared something only a handful of people in the world could say they had.

I peeled the tendril of her left arm off of me and brought her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to the smoothness of the back of her hand.

Laid there I let the complex cocktail of emotions settle. Melancholy. Contentment. Anxious but exhilarated. Protected and comforted but also resenting the cause for the those feelings. Undeniably, I also found Ae Ri even hotter, but the cost of it all hung over me. Every touch against her was electric but a brutal reminder of my new condition. Truthfully, it hurt to think about. It was tearing me apart.

I don't know how long I stayed there, trying to make sense of the mixed emotions. However long it was, it was enough for Ae Ri's breathing to change. She stretched like a cat in the sunlight behind me, legs disappearing away and down, so, so long. "Good morning." I said, twisting to face her.

With a beam of light over her face she smiled, a golden halo illuminating her. "Hey." She said, cupping my face. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, I think I'm a bit better." I meant that mentally and physically. Cuddling with her had given me time to sort some thoughts, filing them away. One thought, I prioritised. I needed to face my size - or, I should say, my lack of it. I gave her a half hearted smile. "Let's see if I can stand up without passing out." Her eyebrows shot up and quickly, Ae Ri slipped off of her side of the bed, one arm held her breasts in place as she awkwardly jogged around, thudding footsteps rounding to my side, ready to catch me.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position first and stretched, neck and back clicking. Looking up at her worried face, I knew this would suck. I tried to tell myself that she's not going to be much shorter than me but the simpler parts of my brain clutched to me being able to rest my chin on her head. I sighed deeply, made my will concrete, and rose.

Up and up and not so up - crown of ebony hair blocked my eye line, just as it had in the observation room before. Even on tip toes I wouldn't be able to rest my chin up there anymore. Her head tilted back ever so slightly to make eye contact with me. Worried frown only a few inches from my lips, her shoulders reached about half way up mine. I looked down, her booobs felt like they were hanging so close to my face now. Beyond them I took note that her legs really were as almost long as mine, hips practically level with my own. I'd never realised just how proportionally long they were. Vertigo struck me again looking down our bodies, my brain seemingly rejecting the notion that we were so close together in height, not wanting to admit reality.

I wobbled and grabbed her, steadying myself. Her shoulder, curved with adamantine muscle fibres felt firm in my hand. Amazed, İ gave it a gentle squeeze. "Are you okay?" She asked, clearly wondering why I was fondling her shoulder.

"Yeah." I said, wondering how strong she was now. "You're strong." I joked in an airy voice, squeezing harder.

Taken by surprise, a melodic bark of a laugh left her. "I guess, I am." She flexed her arm, curling it around, up into a bicep pose. Her shoulder hardened into marble and I let my fingers run along the shape, splaying them over the bicep, running them over the bump of that big, blue vein. It was amazing that her arm could flex this large. When it was by her side it was impossible to tell she was packing fire power on this level.

I bit my bottom lip to stop it from quivering. Again, the swirl of feelings, the vortex of maddening confliction, returned. My heart felt like it was being sheared in half. I loved Ae Ri. I loved what the transfers had given her... But I felt crushed by what they'd taken from me. She pulled me into a hug. I closed my eyes to stop any tears from falling. "I'm sorry, Paul. I'm so sorry."

"N-no, it's okay." I said, squeezing back weakly. She shook in my arms slightly. Tiny whimpers squeaking out. Even her crying sounded song like. I didn't realise how hard this had hit her... "Hey, don't cry." I said, trying to release her, and see her face.

She didn't let go, instead gripping me tighter. For a few seconds I couldn't get out of her hug. Not until she stopped shaking, rubbed at her face and let me go. She didn't look like she'd been crying. She looked absolutely determined instead. "Let's go to the gym tomorrow. I'll go get us some gym clothes and we can get to work." She said, hands on my shoulders like she was giving me a pep talk.

"It might take a little longer for me to be ready." I said glumly. "But yeah, as soon as possible." She nodded, still holding me upright. I tried to get out of her grasp. "I've gotta go to the bathroom."

"Okay, let me he-"

"Please, Ri." I stopped her. "My pride can only take so much." I laughed, only half joking. She seemed reluctant to let me go but eventually did.

"Alright... Call me if you feel faint." I waved her away and made my way, shakily, towards the bathroom. Closing the door behind me I leaned on it, legs half trembling. This was still way better than yesterday. I prayed the fatigue would fade completely soon. Stepping in front of the mirror I forced myself to stare at my reflection. I looked terrible. Face gaunt, rings under my eyes, and my top hanging off of me like I was a hangar. Shaking off the fear, I whipped my t-shirt over my head - like pulling off a band aid. My insides twisted. I wasn't anorexic or anything but clearly skinnier than I'd been at 6'5. Counting my ribs, jutting out from my chest, a cold slab of gut wrenching grief made my vision clouded once more.


The rest of the weekend was comprised of me eating soup and being lathargic. Ae Ri hardly left my side, either eating her own jealousy inspiring food, or draped, hugged or smushed up against me. The warring emotions died down bit by bit, crumbling under a bombardment of unconditional love and the constant interaction. Darker emotions were muted and dulled. Soon, I was back to fawning over her as normal. It was easy to forgive and forget when the person was so adorably worried about you. It was even easier if that specific person was a, frankly, unfair to reality mix of Jessica Rabbit and a cross fitter.

Being so close to Ae Ri, my brain was forced to fully rewire too. To begrudgingly accept her new size and reconfirm what I knew was true. I couldn't rest my chin on her head. I couldn't lift her up. I couldn't see over her head any more. Her legs were close in length to mine, packed with visible muscle... Jesus, it got me wondering just how much she weighed. But the final nail in the coffin for my mental adjustment - that came when she raided my wardrobe.

I'd been surprised by how unwaveringly adamant she was that she couldn't miss a gym session. No matter what options I threw at her, she parried them away, telling me she had to wear some of my clothes for tomorrow's mandatory gym session. Hounding me, explaining she wouldn't have time to go shopping, she asked to wear something of mine. I'd resisted at first, it would look ridiculous, wouldn't it? Like she was wearing an older siblings clothes, swimming in the material while trying to lift. To be honest, that sounded dangerous, especially considering the amounts of weight she was moving. What if she tripped over a cuff while squatting? Then again, I'd had first hand experience trying to wrestle her out of her old workout clothes, and that was before she'd been juiced up even more by the last transfer. There wasn't really another option. So, I eventually agreed.

However, when she strolled into the bedroom wearing some of my clothes - she'd insisted on giving me a fashion show - my jaw dropped. My gym attire usually consisted of a tight top and some shorts. Both would be quite form fitting to accent any shape I had, avoiding me looking like a rake with a tarp hanging off of it. That was form fitting on 6'1 me though. So, logically, I thought everything would look baggy on Ae Ri, too long and too roomy to actually show anything off. At the most, I imagined her shelf of bosom would just make my top look like a tent, creating a boxy appearance that went down to her thighs.

I was completely wrong. The hem of this t-shirt didn't even reach her bellybutton, a few inches of her toned, tanned skin showed between the black top and the red shorts. My girlfriend's torso was absolutely poured into the material, her curvaceousness a flood of flesh within my clothes. The topography of her form filled out the fabric far, far more than my meager chest ever did. Her shoulders even pulled the fabric tight enough for stress lines to be visible. The text across the chest of the shirt - 'beast mode' - was warped beyond recognition, paint cracked by the behemoth breasts that had every stitch and thread on the cusp of bursting point. The shapes were so stretched and foreign looking that I could hardly even read it. I guess even a very long pole can't hold as much sand as a short hourglass. No. No, she wasn't short anymore - I kicked myself internally for forgetting that she was very comfortably above average now.

"It's pretty tight, huh?" She asked, yanking on the bottom of the top. As soon as she released it, it pinged right back to where it was... Or maybe even higher. "Does it look stupid?" She asked, twisting and checking herself out. It looked anything but stupid, however my brain and mouth weren't cooperating to get that message across. Sighing, and causing the white paint to split wider apart, she continued. "But I guess it'll have to do for one session."

Bending forwards slightly, peering over her boobage, she grabbed the drawstrings of my shorts and pulled them tight, forcing the waist in. Her hips were compacted into the shorts, ass straining the material so that it's voluptuousness was very obvious through the clothes. The end of the shorts that would have ended just above my knees ended slightly below hers. Again, she looked way better than I ever would in those shorts. Still aghast, voiceless and awed by her before me, I stared. That lack of a response caught Ae Ri's attention finally. "What?" She said, looking into my pale face. I was rooted by my ass to the end of the bed, flabbergasted. That blank expression tickled her, as if she fed off of my shock. "Whaaaaat?" She laughed, stepping forward to loom over me larger, filling out clothes I was certain I'd be lost in. Figuratively and literally she prodded me, fingers making my shoulder rock backwards. I tried not to wince, but it was enough to restart my frozen system.

"I, uh... I didn't expect them to fit you so... So well." I confessed, eyes running up and down her body.

A cheshire grin split her face, eyebrows rising up. "Oh? Impressed that your little, shrimpy girlfriend can fit in your clothes?" She asked, eyebrows now pumping up and down. Going to voice my objections, I was silenced by her stepping forwards again, forcing my thighs apart with one of her own, she stretched above me. A single trunk like leg seperated my two legs, girthier than the limbs on either side. Her knee rubbed against my crotch. I was always amazed by how quickly this woman switched gears.

Acutely aware that she was enjoying this, I tried to tip toe through what could be a minefield. "No, w-well, I guess that's-" She scooched closer, bust hovering just under my chin.

"I mean, I can't blame you. I've done a whole lot of growing. Your brain," fingers ploughed into my hair, "is all frazzled by the changes to both of us. And, really, who would have thought that your top would be so tight on me!?" Atop each breast, in my peripheral vision, I could see just how excited this was getting Ae Ri, nipples engorging to add a smidge of extra strain to my top. "It's not just the top though. Everything has been looking small recently. Clothes. Doorways. Beds." She looked to examples for each item. Then she looked back to me, pausing in her almost villainous monologue. The pause swelled, her eyes gleefully watching me, staring. A weight grew in my stomach. I was the next example, wasn't I? I looked small too. I waited for her to say it. My toes curled as I hung in limbo, suspended. I dreaded it, not wanting to hear those words. They never came. The implication was there, but she didn't say it. Instead, she tutted, bring her attention back down to the gap between the waistband and the hem of my top, keeping me on the back foot. "Y'know, I didn't want my stomach showing to be honest but... I think it's growing on me. I kinda like it. It's a nice reminder of how big I've gotten, isn't it?"

"Wh-what? I mean, i-"

She stooped down quickly and took my hands in her own. Again, I was reminded by how big they were. How they almost rivaled mine, her palm just a fraction of a centimeter wider than mine. She brought our hands to the bottom of my stretched out t-shirt, fingers brushing the warmth of her skin. "I mean, if it bothers you, you can try to pull it down."

I didn't know what to do. My perpetualy stunted brain couldn't keep up with the pace she was picking it apart. So, dumbly, I follow orders.

I pinched the fabric and, weakly, tried to lower it over her bellybutton. There was an immense amount of resistence, the material so tight that it's ability to stretch further was hindered. Ae Ri scoffed. "Not like that, silly!" Her fingers rejoined mine, gripping the hem of the top. "Gotta put some muscle into it." With my fingers clamped by hers, we both pulled on the shirt, inching it down over her abs.

As we did my eyes were glued to her chest, to the white text emblazoned on the black shirt. As we pulled the strain on the material grew and grew. Ae Ri seemingly inflated, inhaling deeply to exacerbate the struggle. The white paint cracked and split and seperated, new gaps appearing as existing cracks stretched longer and wider. I could faintly see tiny dots of skin, bright through the tightly woven fabric. She forced my shirt to stretch. My shirt. The shirt I was too small for now, was being deformed by Ae Ri more and more. It was like watching someone on a medieval rack being tortured. A sudden popping of threads near her shoulder stopped her assault. She looked down at the seam on top of her shoulder, a tiny triangular rip let her skin shine through. "Oopsie!" She giggled. "Guess I was too big for this one after all." That sentence sent a shiver through me.

In one fluid motion the hourglass backed up, span around, and peeled her top off. Topless, she tossed the black t-shirt over her shoulder, letting it land on my lap. "I'll grab another one for tomorrow." She said casually over her shoulder, strolling out of the room. I should have been appealed by the teasing but as she left, I was just awed. What had even just happened?

Looking down into my lap, I picked up the still warm t-shirt. Unfurling it, her lilac perfume rose in an invisible cloud to fill my skull. Pinching the shoulders in my fingers I pulled it up and held it against my body. The text was still distorted, forever ruined by the payload it had been holding. Pressing it to my bony chest, the impression I made was miniscule. I had no doubt in my head that I'd look absolutely laughable wearing it, drowning in fabric. Just another reminder of the size disparity.

The rest of the day melted away and, that evening, we planned the week. I'd call in sick on Monday, probably for a few days and ask if I can somehow work from home. I didn't want to talk to the triple headed moronic hydra that was my team. I didn't want them seeing me like this. And I didn't want Christie seeing me like this either.

Ae Ri negotiated to work from home for longer, eager to take care of me. I told her she didn't need to but a part of me was glad she'd be around.

Monday to Wednesday, went quickly. Despite with a constant stream of Ae Ri trying to convince me to join her, I skipped two gym sessions, not being able to pluck up the courage to join my bombshell partner. Her support was encouraging but the idea of facing the damage done to me was too daunting. Even if I did what she said and: 'Start slow. Just do some cardio and light stuff.' I would be confronting truths I didn't want to face.

The funny thing is, the more I pushed it away, the more terrifying it became. Returning to the gym was becoming this giant, un-climbableable wall. By Thursday I felt like I'd need to claw my brain out to force myself to go, a depression blanketing my psyche. But, Ae Ri, as always, was a beckon of salvation. Well... I mean, the ends justify the means, right? She'd snapped, hitting me with tough love I didn't know she was capable of. Barking at me like a rottweiler, cute, soft featured face hard with anger, she bellowed, "You're coming with me today even if I have to drag you!" Throwing gym clothes at me, she'd shoved me into the bathroom with a strength that had me in shock, stumbling over my own feet. Slamming the door, I felt my heart racing a mile a minute. My previous silly notion that she was intimidating seemed less silly with her at this size. She couldn't actually drag me there could she? She'd pushed me hard but caught me off guard, right? I avoided that line of though, instead focusing on the idea that her words were coming from a place of love. She'd seen how down and scared I was and was exaggerating to get me moving. That figurative slap in the face got me into gear. Resolute, I got ready.

So, Thursday became the day. Time to stop wallowing in self pity. The delayed in my return at least meant I had some fitting gym clothes to wear. We both did. Ae Ri had somehow coerced Dr. Hamilton into giving us extra coupons for clothes while I'd been unconscious. Magnanimously, thistime, she'd given them all to me, a way to make amends for last time.

Together, we headed to the gym. Since neither of us were shackled to the office 9-5 we opted to go a bit earlier in the day. Just after noon, we arrived to a quiet gym. Relief unknotted the noose of anxiety hanging around my neck. Ae Ri darted away to do some rowing for a warm up. I headed to the trusty treadmill. It hadn't failed me before and I hoped it wouldn't fail me now. Or, technically, I fail it.

I started slow, remembering how I'd been affected by the transfer last time. The last thing I needed to do was face plant and embarrass myself before I even started. Beginning at a slow pace, I increased the speed one step at a time. A few levels slower than last week, I had to stop pushing the speed. My shorter legs weren't going to be running any faster than this. More disturbingly, I could already feel my stamina bleeding out of me. Red faced, my legs began to ache, weaker muscles burned and I could feel the fatigue setting in already. After 10 minutes I stopped, having had my fill.

Ae Ri popped up next to me, glistening with sweat, obliviously happy. "How did it go?" She chirped.

"Not great." I mumbled, mood clearly souring.

Slapping me on the back, she made me stumble. "But you're here. Foot on the first rung of the ladder." She grinned, positivity not as infectious as normal. "Come on, let's do some back!"

"I dunno, I might do chest and -"

"Forget that, let's work out together." She said, smile unfailing.

I didn't really want to have a side by side comparison of our fitness levels. "I dunno, Ri. I think I'm gonna slow you down." It wasn't completely a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either.

She scoffed. "I don't care if you slow me down. I just wanna make sure you're okay."

"No, really, I'll be fine."

Now her smile faltered slightly. "Paul, stop being weird."

"I'm not, I just don't want to -"

"You are, you're being weird. What's wrong?" She said, frowning.

"Nothing is wrong. I just want to work out alone. It's not like we haven't done it before."

"Yeah, hardly ever. And what, we have to do what you want? I want to work out together." Instead of standing at an angle, weight on her back foot, she shifted, almost squaring up to me as if she wanted to fight. Crossing her arms she cut an imposing shape. Feeling a twinge of nerves, I had to force myself to ignore the instinct to step back, to give in to the silly idea that Ae Ri was intimidating. I held my ground. What was going on? Twice now she'd been even more intensely insistent than her regular, already demanding self. This and trying on my clothes...

"Fine." I relented. "Let's work out."

Clouds parting, Ae Ri's glee returned. "Alright! Let's do some pull ups! Body weight should be a good start, right?" She said, ushering me towards a large set of cable machines, a bar set up above.

"Uh, yeah." I said, bamboozled by the breakneck change in reaction.

"Speaking of which, how much do you weigh?" She pried, making my face tint red.

"About 76kg(167lbs)." I lied. Since I'd passed out after the transfer they hadn't been able to get a read on my weight. I'd weighed myself at home to find out I was only 70kg(154lbs) - and and that was with some rounding up. Something Ae Ri didn't know and, ashamedly, I didn't want to reveal.

"Oh, wow! You're only a little heavier than me! Isn't that cool?" She said, teeth shining.

Any red drained from my face. 'A little?' I failed to see how it was 'cool' and blurted out the next, obvious question. "How much do you weigh?"

A chuckle preceeded the response. "Isn't it rude to ask a lady her weight?" I wanted to say it was rude to ask my weight after the events of the weekend, but stayed quiet. "Last I checked I clocked in at 73(160lbs). But, you never know. I might have caught up over the last two days. I've been starving after gym recently. Shit, maybe I'll be heavier than you tonight." She gushed. That concept was disturbing. She was joking, right? Despite her wonderment, I hated this conversation. I hated knowing the numbers. I'd assumed she was heavier but knowing was an extra twist of the knife.

There was this heavy smug smog clinging to the conversation. Her smirk as she waited for my response let me know what was happening. We trash talked a lot in the gym, spurred on by our competitive natures. But I had a feeling the competition would be getting very one sided from now on. I really couldn't handle her trash talk today. I needed to grit my teeth and not take the bait, to ride out the teasing and not stoke the flames. The teasing would die off if I just let it slide... I couldn't help it. Spitefully, I let a few words slip. "Maybe. Although I bet you'd be a lot lighter without the fun bags." I nodded to her chest.

And with that, the flood gates opened for the rest of the workout. Her lips became a mocking little 'o' which she placed a hand over. Immediately, I regretted saying it. "Oh, you think my girls weigh that much?" Leaning forwards she pushed her arms together, straining the sports bra. I tried not to look but it was like a well of gravity sucking my gaze in. "I never thought about it, but I bet one of these big monsters is heavier than your arm." She giggled. I didn't have a response to that. Once more I was left wondering if her statement could be true.

"Let's just get on with this." I said, stepping passed my smug girlfriend and jumping up to grip the widest hand holds. Trying not to think about the fact I had to really jump to reach the bars, I went straight into my set. Pleasantly surprised, I found the first few reps easy. I made it to eight without struggling too much. The last rep had been much slower than the rest though. Ignoring the possible bad omen, I let go and dropped down with a slight smirk.

Unexpectedly, the teasing shifted to the back burner and Ae Ri giddily congratulated me. "See! I told you you'd be fine." Stepping beneath the bar, she prepared to jump for it but stopped. Straightening up, she made a feigned thinking face. "Y'know, I don't think this is fair." Concern began to build in me. I was wondering where she was going with this. Devilishly, she continued. "You're heavier, right? Lemme fix that." She strode off and, with my heart falling into my shoes, realisation struck. I understood what she was about to do.

When Ae Ri came back she was strapping a belt on that had a chain dangling from the front. Grabbing a 5kg(11lb) plate, she winked at me. "Let's round it up, shall we." Stone faced, I watched as she attached the plate to the chain, secured it and hopped up to grab the bar. Lying about my weight had come back to seriously bite me on the ass. Each of her reps, even with the extra weight, were as smooth as butter. Fluid motions churned out one after the other, the tapestry of muscle across her back came alive around the sports bra. Her lats flared out with every flexing pull up, almost mocking me.

Dropping down she blew a low whistle out. "That wasn't bad! I haven't tried pull ups since the transfer. Wonder how far I can push it." She eyed more plates as she spoke.

Chewing the inside of my cheek, I went up for my turn. I made it through half of the set before I started to slow down. Relentlessly, I wouldn't let myself stop and soon enough, I made it through the last rep, edging my chin over the bar. Landing on my feet, I was congratulated by Ae Ri again, words of encouragement coming my way. It felt hollow.

Hollow became an understatement as Ae Ri went to find another 5kg(11lb) plate, hooking it next to the one already on the belt. The band of her sports bra whined at the start of the second set. Mesmerised by the muscles across her back getting more of a pump, I was brimming with jealousy. I envied it. I never got a pump like that, even before the transfer. Her lats widened, each bundle of power growing more prominent with every rep. The sports bra dug into her, stretching over the hills and valleys so that the tone was obvious even through the top. Mechanically, she kept going and going, burning through reps, tiny grunts coming out of her. The extra weight was finally catching up to her. I hoped.

Dropping to the floor, she turned to beam at me, probably expecting some returned words of encouragement. I pretended not to notice, too preoccupied by the task at hand. She didn't show any sign of disappointment. It must have been a trick of the light but it felt like her lips curled just a fraction more when I didn't compliment her.

The last set was hell. Seeing Ae Ri, growing stronger in leaps and bounds, juxtaposed with my struggle was mental torture. Everything I'd worried about had been true. I was doing the bare minimum and failing. Pushing myself, I willed my back and arms onwards, hoping to at least finish the set. Yet at the sixth repitition, I hit a wall. I ground to a halt, halfway in the air. Sweat dripping from my chin, jaw clenched, I urged my body up but to no avail. Vertically stationary, biceps on fire, I wriggled back and forth. A yelp erupted out of me, sharp and sudden as my chin made it passed the bar. Below, there were hands on my hips, helping me with that last few inches. I peered down over my shoulder. "You got this!" Came more support. It felt oddly familiar looking down at her like this. I let myself be guided to a seventh rep before giving up. Dropping down, now used to the fact that she loomed into my line of sight when flat footed, I turned to her. My arms hung by my sides, as hevay as lead. I wanted to be mad at the help but there was no denying I needed it. "Thanks." I said, taking solace in the fact that at least she wasn't teasing me now, kicking me while I was down.

Gently bumping me with her hip, she got me moving so she could get on with her set. Switching out one of the plates for a 10kg (22lbs), a total of 15kg (33lbs) hung between her legs. So much for not feeling crushed. Dejectedly I watched as she killed another set, her back bulging, chest smacking the bar at the apex of each rep. She growled and grunted, a brick of muscle tone. It seemed effortless how she could push herself and peak higher and higher. Stronger and stronger. While my tank ran empty, she seemed to pull on an endless pool of willpower, forcing her body to listen.

That kind of summed up our workout. Me struggling to not be drowned in self hate. Ae Ri dominating everything she did, pumping up and shattering goals she set herself. I tried not to be sour. I tried so hard. She'd drop little teasing barbs in every now and then but I'd learnt my lesson. I wouldn't be returning fire and she wouldn't nuke me with a some truths I didn't want to hear. What could I even say, anyway? She comfortably out lifted me in everything now. She was an absolute powerhouse. She dead lifted more than 100kg (220lbs) with ease, crushing my PR and shrugging the weight up and down while keeping eye contact with me. She bicep curled triple what I could handle. She rowed more than I weighed. And with every feat her beige skin tightened around her engorged, gorgeous frame. She was unstoppable, unfaltering and unforgettably, on top of everything else, the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on. At my lowest lows, I still couldn't help but perv on her through every second of this humiliating gym session.


Towards the end of an hour and half workout I had to excuse myself. As if to punctuate this whole crappy experience, I got hit with a wave of nausea. Light headed, static consuming the edges of my vision, stomach heaving, I had to go to the bathroom. Fully emasculated, I power walked away as her worried voice disappeared behind me. Keeping up with 'beast mode' was killing me. She got an ungodly pump. I almost hurled. Perfect.

Hugging the toilet, I knelt, breathing deeply, concentrating on just surviving.

"Did you see that babe?" A voice said from outside of the stall. I felt my heart skip. I had a sinking feeling I  knew who they were talking about.

"I couldn't STOP looking at here." A reply was chuckled. Stealthily as possible I climbed up to my feet, trying to look through the tiny gap between the stall door and the hinge.

"Shit, the fucking rack on her, man." Said a tall silhouette.

"I know! I swear I've seen her before but like... She looks SO much bigger." A shorter, stockier guy said.

There was a long pause then. "Think she's on the juice?" Tall guy asked.

"What? No, I don't mean... Well, it's not just muscle. She seems bigger... Everywhere."

I tried not to laugh at the next long pause. I knew how insane that probably sounded. "What do you mean?"

"I swear, this sounds crazy but she's taller. Bigger all over! Bigger boobs, bigger ass... Bigger everything."

"Bro, I think you need to chill on the preworkout. That doesn't make any sense." I felt sympathy for the shorter guy, his friend not believing despite it being the truth.

"Wait, that guy with her is looking smaller too. There was that thing recently, wasn't there? That..." He clicked his fingers, trying to pluck the words out of the air. "Ah, what the fuck was that company? Bloom inc or something?"

I could partially make out the taller guys posture changing. He wasn't believing anything. "The guy with her? That weedy guy?" He laughed and I felt my stomach plummet further.

"I think that's her boyfriend."

The laugh that elicited got my blood boiling. "No way. She must be his PT or something. She's waaaay out of his league."

"I'm pretty sure it's her boyfriend. They're always together, man. If she's his PT then he must be making bank."

"I'd pay any amount to have her spotting me." Sneered the tall asshole, leecherously. I was debating opening the door and telling this guy to go fuck himself when he continued. "Fuck it, I'll prove it's not her boyfriend."

"How?"

"I'm gonna ask her out." The door thudded open and footsteps faded away.

"Wait, I don't think that's a good-" The door swung shut, cutting off the conversation. I stood there for a second dazed by what I'd just heard. He was going to ask my girlfriend out? Who did this piece of shit think he was? I needed to do something.

I charged out.

Trailing in their wake, I tried to find where those two dicks were. I was slow, checking around corners and machines, trying to swiftly find them. I found the shorter one first, standing, leaning against a treadmill with a worried look on his face. I followed the direction he was facing to see the taller guy already talking to Ae Ri. Seeing him clearly, he wasn't unattractive. Tall, well built and with a short crop of blonde hair. His smug expression showed exactly how he thought the interaction was going. But I knew from seeing Ae Ri that his attempts weren't fairing well. She was smiling and being friendly, but that wasn't her regular razzle dazzle, genuine smile. Obvious to anyone else, she was stood next to a barbell, waiting to continue her set impatiently. But this guy kept trying to sweet talk her. Putting a hand on the small of her back, her smile fell and my cackles rose.

I stomped over. "Hey, fuck face, she's spoken for." I said, making them both turn to me.

"What did you just say?" The meat head asked, tone bristling.

"I said, fuck off, prick." I retorted, shoving him.

At 6'5, even with my stretched out shape, I commanded some aura that I shouldn't be fucked with. Being tall, being above someone, it caused a natural reaction for people to hesitate before they started a fight with me. Me being 5'10 and this guy being 'tall' - which I was frustratingly finding out was probably about 6'1 - I had no such effect.

The punch hit me flush on the chin, rocking my brain around in my skull, sloshing it hard against the side. A taste like pennies filled my mouth as the lights of the gym blurred and the floor jumped up to me an over excited dog coming to greet me home.

Rolling quickly, I expected another blow to be inbound. What I saw instead made the pain go numb.

A flash of lightning smashed this guy in the throat. Frantically, he clutched at it, face instantly growing a deep shade of magenta and ice chip eyes bugging out. Wet gurgling noises, sputtered out of him as he backed away, trying to breath. He was backing away from the not-so-small South Korean woman that was stalking him down like a fucking tiger. Putting up a hand up, trying to stop her approach, the man tried to push her back. His hand was gripped in hers and, pulling his fingers in directions they probably shouldn't be bent, his gurgles became more violent and pained. He folded exactly how she wanted him to, angling his body in a direction that might mitigate the pain. That was a mistake.

Grabbing a fistful of his blonde hair, the vengeful wraith used it to rip his head down. Her knee came up at the same time and, with a crunch that could be heard over the music, she crushed his nose.

There was blood all over this guys top now and he rocketed onto the floor flat on his back. Panic in his eyes palpable, terror etched into his face, he tried to escape as a 5'6 bundle of fury and muscle mounted him like an mma fighter. Putting his hands up in a half assed guard, he futily attempted to protect himself. The blows that came down were a scalpel slicing through that guard. "That's. My. Fucking. Boyfriend." Each snarled word came with a hammering fist, sending everything into an even bloodier mess. I'd been stunned and dazed by the attack and the events that unfolded but, by the third blow, I'd gotten moving. Ae Ri, happy, cheerful, harmless Ae Ri was going to murder this guy. I struggled to physically drag her off of him. She was so fucking dense and heavy and angry. I managed it somehow and the guy's friend dragged him away. I can't get the fear on that guys face out of my head.

The weights had been an eye opener for how much stronger than me Ae Ri was but, trying to restrain her became a cold splash of realisation.

"Ri! Ri, fucking stop!" I shouted at the kicking, writhing storm of limbs.

"He's getting away." Demonic grunts reverberated, elbow striking me in the ribs. I wormed my arm over hers and hugged her as tight as I could, pinning her arms down. My trainers squeaked against the hard wood floor as she twisted. I actually lifted from the ground for a second as she did her best impression of a wild stallion.

"Plea-please calm down, Ae Ri. Please!" I begged, trying my hardest not to sound pathetic. It's only then that she stopped, as if the fearful tone I was trying to hide flipped a switch. Her struggling died down and she pushed her way out of my grip with a softer touch. Turning I saw the blood lust was gone, replaced by worry. She'd remembered why she was angry in the first place.

"Paul, are you okay?" She asked, grabbing my face with both hands like a worried mother. She turned me side to side, analysing my face.

"I'm fine. Are you okay?" I turned the question back on her, pulling away from her fussing.

"What? Yeah, of course I am." gripping her wrist, I pulled her arm forwards, showing her what I meant. Only now did she see her hand. Her ochre skin was splattered with crimson across her knuckles. His blood. Her nostrils flared and her breathing got shallow, eyes growing glassy. It was like she was trying to hold something in then, biting back a response. "Ohhh." She exhaled breathily.

Goosebumps spread over my arms then. Her lips parted slowly, stretching wider. A ghoulishly sadistic grin formed.