Chad's asleep, stewing in guilt he knows shouldn't be his when things begin to fall around him. Literally. A pot bangs, a few pens scatter, and the rest of the room has a slight tremor that lacks rhythm in every sense of the word.
Great, he thought, you know what they say - no rest for the wicked. He grumbled, thinking it was his mind playing tricks on him when a figure splayed themself across the door frame to the bedroom.
And they were big!
At this point, Chad's slowly waking up. And up. And up! As gears begin to turn in his head, he does the math - the only other person at this place was Steven, the last time he checked. His heart races as he considers those who have a key to his place - his parents, who weren't anywhere as tall as he was; Steven, who was probably sleeping in the room, and a few of his buddies. None of them matched the height estimate, so with eyes slightly hazy he focused on fighting the intruder.
And then he spoke.
"Chad..." a baritone voice whined, and if he squinted he could feel the resemblance to his boyfriend. The figure advanced toward him, dwarfing him as he brought his hands up just in case. The figure stopped.
"I'm not fighting you, babe," the voice continued, and it was then and only then Chad hesitantly brought his hands down.
"Thank god," he breathed, although part of him was convinced it was a dream. His thoughts briefly flickered to the vials, but he hoped the guilt was just fucking him over and it was all unreality. "Don't know if I could take you as you are."
"You're..." his voice came, hesitant yet filling the room nonetheless. "Not afraid, or mad about this?"
Chad shrugged. "I can barely see you, none of the lights are on. Plus, this is definitely a dream."
Steven snorted. "What will you do if you wake up and I'm still like this?"
Chad grinned. Realistic, he liked it.
"I'll scream, probably." He said honestly, "Then ask you why you couldn't tell me earlier."
A lighthearted scoff brought them back to the present situation. Steven's eyes followed the figure, no, his boyfriend - who at this point was close to 9 feet tall and counting. Thank heavens for higher ceilings, but this was overkill.
"Get ready," the voice returned, and the flicker of light still felt too soon. As Chad's senses adjusted to the light (and the time, which flickered 5:09 AM in the distance), he found his heart thumping more and more violently. His vision focuses, and in front of him is his boyfriend - larger than life, but concern still on his features. He knew, hell, it was only fact that his boyfriend was now the largest man alive - if not very, very close. The effects of the vial (Chad was too afraid to ask) had beefed him up a bit as well, although left some of his love handles intact.
With the lights on and Steven exposed, he felt inadequate attempting to measure up. From his height coming up like a small child's would, to his boyfriend's length slapping casually against his thighs, Steven had become superhuman in Chad's eyes. His love for him didn't, no, it wouldn't falter - even if he'd outgrown the country. But...a voice in his head warned, Steven's love might outgrow you. What if Chad couldn't reverse the effects, or measure up to the new Steven? What would happen if-
"Breathe, Chad." His voice came. Calm, collected, concerned. Chad was grateful that the titan of a man didn't grab his shoulders, or initiate contact at all as he brought himself back to where they were currently. He hated that he was afraid, and emasculated by a partner he wanted nothing but the best for. The worst part hadn't been that Steven had grown, or even that Chad hadn't - but that his insecurity came with the changes, second-guessing his every move.
He loved Steven, hell, he trusted Steven, and the man hadn't failed him. Not when he was focusing on his breathing, noticing when things went awry. Not when he'd planned to quit BioChem, and Steven had reminded him of all the joy they shared when concepts finally clicked, or the excitement he'd talk about his career in the field with. No, Chad thought, chest tightening, loving Steven was...everything.
"I'm sorry," he tried and felt fingers the length of his forearm gently fix his gaze on his giant partner.
"Don't be," Steven breathed. "I gotcha."
Chad was going to ask how, or even what he meant when the giant bent down, the palms of his gargantuan hands splayed behind his back and butt, before scooping him up in one fluid motion. Bridal style, he thought, as he barely held back a peep. Gingerly, Steven held his partner against his chest, the beating of his scaled heart lulling Chad's to the same rhythm.
"I'm...sorry," Chad said lamely, and a rumble of disapproval vibrated through the 6'2 student.
"Don't be." He repeated, a bit more sure of himself. "You can handle it, right?"
Chad shivered further. He hoped this was the end of the growth. They hadn't thought of a reverse to all this, often times reversal (at least, how it was naturally) wasn't as simple as an inverse formula. Especially for human growth, where "shrinking" and unhealth came often from a place of deterioration, as opposed to a fountain of youth. He frowned, snuggling deeper into the warmth that emitted from the palms that supported him.
"With you, I can handle anything," he said instead, and his heart swelled as he realized the truth of it. Thunder and rain had long plagued this nightmare, but he'd been so wrapped in Steven that he couldn't hear it. Even now, as the college student hummed the tune of their first slow dance, Chad found his anxious thoughts starting to retreat. And as he fell asleep in the arms that effortlessly kept him afloat, the lower registered voice spoke three words that made him feel at home all over again:
"Love you, Chad."
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author
