More Than Antoine Could Handle [re-boot] Part 4

Read Part 1 here 

Read Part 2 here 

Read Part 3 here

Antoine untucked the sheets from his guest bed and set pillows on either end. “I’m glad I got a queen-sized bed for in here,” he said, nodding his head. “Not like we’ll need it,” he said, glancing down at his diminutive frame. “But at the very least we can sleep on opposite ends. Makes it a little less weird.”

He turned to Regan, who continued to stare at himself in the mirror. “You okay over there, bud?” Antoine put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, cringing at both the small size of his hand and the boniness of Regan’s shoulder; both had surprised him.

“I look like… a different person…” Regan said, blinking and stepping back from the mirror. “I don’t even mean body-wise. My face is different.”

Antoine shrugged. “Smaller. Bone structure is a little different. Our faces are usually pretty, y’know… thick.”

Regan started pacing around the room. “I don’t get how… how you’re so cool about this…”

“I’m not,” Antoine said. “I’ve just been dealing with it for a whole day longer than you.” He was wearing Reggie’s shirt, a dirty tee with a picture of a clown giving a middle finger. The belt on Reggie’s cargo shorts was pulled tight, but it all still hung loosely on Antoine’s thin frame. Regan wore Toots’ purple hoodie, which smelled like weed and cinnamon toast vape smoke. The bagginess of its sleeves made Regan’s arms look even skinnier.

A loud bang on the door made both men jump. “You fucking pipsqueaks better get to bed! We got a long day tomorrow!” The voice was only vaguely recognizable as Reggie’s, since it had deepened considerably since he’d “supersized.” Both bodybuilders immediately hopped for the bed, Antoine flicking the light off on his way to his side.

“Fuck,” Regan whispered as the two rustled around, trying to get comfortable.

“You okay? I can give you a different pillow if you–”

“My knees,” Regan said. “It’s… weird. They’re touching. My legs are just… wrong.”

“Yeah, it’s weird how much of my back I can reach too,” Antoine said. “Don’t worry. It won’t be like this forever.”

“They’ve already kept you as a prisoner here for a whole day!” Regan said. “When are they going to give up and turn us back?”

Antoine sighed. “I’m hoping soon. They’re just punks. I think Chance just wants to live like a bodybuilder for a bit. The other two… they’re a little more unstable. But they do what he tells him. They did even before he was twice their size.”

“How the hell is any of this even possible?” Regan asked. “I keep feeling like I’m crazy. If you weren’t here I’d think I’d lost my mind or something.”

Antoine cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you got pulled into this.”

“It’s okay.”

“But… I’m thankful I’m not alone anymore.”

Regan sat up. He reached out and patted the comforter over Antoine’s legs. “I wish I could have helped you and not messed things up. But I’m thankful you’re not alone either.” He caught a glimpse of his own skinny wrist in the streetlight filtering in through the window. He quickly pulled back under the covers. “I’m freezing in here.”

“Me too,” Antoine said. “Guess we’re just skin and bones now. We’ll need extra blankets.”

“When that asshole banged on the door,” Regan whispered, “we both just… did what he said.”

“Yeah,” Antoine said. He cleared his throat. “Well, I spent the whole first day trying to fight back but it didn’t go well. Those fucks hold all the cards… And I don’t just mean that even the smallest one is now bigger than both of us squashed together.”

“No, I mean…” Regan rolled over and faced the wall. “I don’t know what I’m trying to say. It’s just like… like we’re adapting to our roles. I’ve been the biggest guy in the room my whole adult life and now… now I’m taking orders from some punks I nearly squashed before.”

“It’s okay to be scared,” Antoine said. “We got robbed. We’re hostages. This is all fucked. If you feel, I dunno… unmanly… well, don’t.”

After more silence, Regan chuckled. “I mean, my balls weren’t that big before, but DAMN. They’re fucking tiny right now.”

Antoine couldn’t help but snicker. “Tell me about it,” he said. “Last time I peed there was barely anything to grab!”

“Maybe that’s related,” Regan mused. “Maybe it’s because they took our balls that they’re bossing us around like this.”

Antoine couldn’t fall asleep on that note. “I think what it is, is… these guys are idiots. And they think we were just big dumb bodybuilders. Now THEY’RE big, but they don’t realize that you and I, we still have our smarts. It would be stupid to resist now. We do what they want for now, but at the same time we do what we can to find our way out of this. Deal?” He sat up in bed, shocked at how far away Regan seemed in a bed that, until the day before, had been uncomfortably small for him.

Regan rustled under his sheets. He didn’t respond. Antoine buried his face in his pillow. Through the floor he could hear the punks’ movie, played way too loud. Is that porn? He wondered, deciding he would just throw his furniture out when these creeps were gone.

*

Antoine dreamt that he was big again–HUGE. He was having the best workout of his life. There weren’t enough plates in the gym; every time he pressed a fully-loaded bar, it wasn’t heavy enough. Veins were throbbing through his paper-thin skin. He seemed massive!

There were people around with cameras, snapping pictures of him. He flexed his big body, so proud to be so massive. Then he heard a thud behind him. He spun around to see a giant shoe, as big as a car, stinking of cigarettes and sour B.O. The powerful bodybuilder looked up to see Chance, as big as a building, looking down at him.

“Aw, look at the cute little guy!” Chance said, poking at Antoine like he was a pet. He could hear the crowd laughing at him now. Antoine turned to find they were all huge like Chance as well. He was in an aquarium, snapping shots of the world’s tiniest man. There was nothing he could do but flex for their amusement while Chance puffed clouds of vape smoke down at him.

Antoine woke up with a start. He had to reacquaint himself with this unfamiliar body, patting it down to find it was devoid of the mass he was used to, before he realized where he was and what had happened. Regan was snoring softly. Antoine got up and tiptoed into the hallway. His bedroom door was closed; he imagined Chance was sleeping in there. He walked softly downstairs and peered into the living room to find Reggie and Toots passed out. He barely recognized their pumped up physiques.

The DVD menu for a porn called “Bust On Her Tits 6” played on repeat. Antoine very quietly walked to the remote and shut the TV off, pausing for the two men to wake up. Toots, one hand down his pants, snored loudly and rolled over. Reggie, faceplanting the couch, didn’t move. Antoine headed into the kitchen.

When Regan finally joined him, Antoine had food piled high on two plates, plus one meal in a tupperware container. Regan cocked his head to the side. “You made us breakfast?” he asked.

“No,” Antoine said. “It’s for them.” He pointed with a greasy spatula at the living room. “I know they’re going to bitch about it anyway. Might as well save us the trouble.”

Regan examined the three meals. Reggie and Toots’ plates had ground beef omelets with a little cheese on top. “It’s not real cheese,” Antoine explained. “I keep it on hand for cheats early on in prep. Low-carb, lowfat… but I won’t tell those douchebags that. It’s the best I have. I just don’t want them sending me to the store.”

“And this?” Regan said, pointing to the tupperware. It was clearly egg-whites and oatmeal with some stevia on top.

“Big man wants to be a bodybuilder so he’s going to eat like one,” Antoine said.

“What about us?” Regan asked.

“Big guy says we can’t change our bodies while we’re like this,” Antoine said, “so…” He pulled open his fridge’s crisper drawer and lifted a few bags of kale. At the bottom was a six pack of hot dogs and three Butterfinger bars. “...so we’re gonna eat nothing but cheat meals until this is over.”

Regan’s mouth curled into a smile for just a moment, before he seemed to remember their predicament again. “So… what are we going to do today, then?” he asked.

“First,” boomed a loud voice as Chance stomped into the room, yawning and itching his enormous chest, “you guys are gonna clean up the living room. My buddies made a hell of a mess.” He surveyed breakfast and smiled. “Nice work, Ant. You make a hell of a servant. I just might keep you around forever.”

Reggie and Toots had just woken as the two shrunken bodybuilders entered the living room. Antoine started collecting beer cans while Regan, keeping his distance from the two punks, picked up a knocked-over Monstera and started scooping the spilled soil back into its planter.

“Hey, by the way,” Toots said, marching over to Regan. He planted his fists on his hips and loomed over the smaller man, clearly savoring the way his newly inflated body looked. “Don’t think I forgot about you choking me near to death yesterday,” he said. He gave Regan a shove, knocking him over.

“Hey, easy!” Antoine said, but as he ran to help his friend, Reggie grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him right off the ground.

“YOU take it easy, runt,” Reggie said, starting to curl Antoine’s bodyweight with a maniacal grin.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Regan said.

“Damn RIGHT you’re sorry!” Toots said. “To be honest, I’m glad you did. I’m LOVING these muscles!” He pulled up his shirt and ran thick fingers along dense abs, bouncing his pecs for added flair. He grabbed the back of Regan’s head and pulled the little man’s face into his armpit. “You like? I haven’t showered since I got all big and beefy. I really like the smell.”

Regan choked and sputtered in Toots’ hairy pit. Antoine flailed uselessly as Reggie held him up even higher.

“You dumb fucks!” Chance said with such force that everyone in the room suddenly froze. “Don’t make me regret giving you all that size!” Chance seemed even bigger than before. Antoine panicked that the man had somehow stolen even more muscles, but then he realized it was just a matter of perspective; he’d stripped down to just pink posing trunks which made his body seem even more massive in comparison.

“Sorry,” Reggie said, setting Antoine down.

“Hey, it’s only fair,” Toots said, releasing Regan. “He tried to kill me!”

“And I’ll make sure he suffers real good for it, too,” Chance said. “I’m finished eating and I’ve got some plans for my day. I’m guessing you two wannabe bodybuilders want to take those roided-up bods out for test drives?”

“I want to get a hooker!” Reggie said, licking his lips. He flexed his hips, causing his big glutes to bounce and flex. “See how this big body and this big dick really work!”

“Why pay for sex? We can get it for free!” Toots said. He flexed an arm, then raised it to his face and kissed the thick, rippling bicep. “I’m gonna go to a gay bar I think. I’ll have guys begging for this cock!”

Chance crossed his arms. “Look at you, buddy! Took you long enough to be honest about who you are.”

“Look at me!” Toots said with a tone of maniacal bliss. “I’m a freaking specimen!” His broad shoulders, big arms and narrow waist were all impressive, easily professional physique competitor status. His thick legs only made the whole package that much more stunning. True, next to Chance he wasn’t much in the size department, but his body was aesthetically flawless, making his crooked teeth and goofy eyes look out of place.

“Toots isn’t going anywhere by himself,” Chance barked at Reggie, who immediately folded his arms and turned away.

“I’m not going to no gay bar!” he said.

Chance walked calmly up to Reggie. He took a deep breath, causing his wide pecs to rise and fall, before shoving Reggie back against the couch. Stunned, Reggie stumbled to his feet. “I fucking hate resorting to violence like a goddamned caveman,” Chance said, shaking his head. “But that’s your FIRST warning. Second warning, I give all your muscles to Toots and he stays in charge. You want that, dumbass?”

Reggie shook his head. “C’mon, man! You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

Toots ran to Chance’s side, clapping him on his big back. “Yeah he would! Go on, do it!”

Antoine and Regan had joined each other safely behind the couch as all this played out. Without even thinking, the little man clasped hands.

“Tell you what,” Chance said. “You boys take the little guy here,” he said, thumbing back at Regan, “and you each choose a thing you want to do. Gay bar first, then tittie bar or whorehouse for Reggie. Get into any trouble and I’ll put all your muscles on whatever cops arrest you–and I’ll leave you in jail. Got it?”

“Wait!” Antoine said, letting go of Regan’s hand. “I’ll go. I’ll go with them, not Regan.”

The XXXL-sized man and his two XXL-sized buddies all turned to little Antoine, shocked at his audacity for standing up to them.

“You’ll go where I fucking tell you to,” Chance reminded him. “And today you’re going to help me work on posing.”

“Regan’s ten times better at teaching posing than I am,” Antoine said. “Trust me. He’s your guy. I’ll be you guys’ caddy or whatever. Gay bar, whorehouse… I’ll be the driver, get you snacks, give you a backrub after it’s all said and done, whatever you want.”

Regan gawked at him but Antoine ignored it.

Chance took a moment to consider it. Then he nodded. “Fine. Done. Regan, I’m done with breakfast. Get your ass in gear, got it?”

Regan glanced back at Antoine warily as he left the room with Chance, hustling to keep up with the massive man. Then the door slammed shut.

“Well well well,” Reggie said, licking his lips. “Look like WE get to play with Ant today, Toots!”

“I don’t want to play with him–not looking like that I don’t!” Toots said. “Let’s eat. I want to start having some fun!”

“Me too,” Reggie said.

Antoine’s gut went cold as the three left the room. This was the right thing, of course; staying with the two punks was the more dangerous of the two options, but Antoine was starting to understand how these guys’ minds worked. Regan could handle Chance’s gym-stuff with ease while Antoine figured out a way to outsmart these two goons before things got out of hand–he hoped.