I Was Small, Once [part 1]

[new longform project]

Scott stopped Theo at the door with a hand on Theo’s big, beefy arm. “Babe… you’re not going to actually drive to the gym, are you?”

Theo smiled, a warmth coming over his grizzled, bearded face. “Hon, for the last time, nobody’s gonna fuck with me--especially not while I’m alone in my car.”

Scott--who stood only shoulder high to his big fiance--gritted his teeth and stamped his foot down. Theo outweighed him by literally a hundred pounds, but he wasn’t about to stand up to Scott when his pretty lover was this determined. “Babe, if you use the car service, I know where you are. If you don’t do it for you, do it for me.” He reached out and grabbed his boyfriend’s hand, his thin fingers interlocking with Theo’s big sausages. “Plus, those bastards owe it to you for what happened to you. You should milk them for as much as you can.”

Theo exhaled and set his car keys down. He pulled Scott close to him and wrapped him in his big arms. “If it makes you happy, I’ll do it. Car service it is.”

Scott nestled his face between Theo’s spandex-clad hairy pecs.

“You like daddy’s chest, don’t you hon?” Theo said, bouncing each massive muscle to his soon-to-be-husband’s delight.

“If you keep that up,” Scott said, gently pushing Theo away, “you’ll never make it to the gym.” He gave the bulge in his sweatpants a jostle that made Theo’s dick twitch. The big powerlifter actually considered skipping the gym and spending the day getting railed out by his hung fiance, but it was leg day. Either way, he thought, my ass is getting punished.

“What are you smiling at?” Scott said as Theo headed to the door with his gym bag in tow.

“Funny joke,” Theo said. “Be horny when I get home, got it hon?”

Scott chuckled. “Come home pumped and sweaty and we’ll see.”

The driver of the car service wore mirrored sunglasses and the same generic uniform as all the others. Theo caught him eyeing him in the rearview mirror.

“Think you might wanna keep those eyes on the road,” Theo said, tilting his neck with an audible crick.

“Wow, sir, if you don’t mind me saying, you’re a pretty big guy,” the driver said. He was young, barely 21 by the sounds of his voice.

“Yeah, well, I lift heavy things repeatedly,” Theo replied. “Being big is a side effect.”

“Hey, aren’t you that guy…” the driver began. Theo felt the vein in his temple starting to throb almost immediately. It wouldn’t be unlikely for the guy to recognize Theo from “the incident”--with the trial going on, Theo’s picture was all over the news, and it wasn’t like a six-foot, three-hundred-pound man was ever able to blend in before anyway.

“Dunno who you think I am, but I ain’t him,” Theo said, turning away. He lifted his phone, about to e-mail the head of the company, demanding this driver’s termination.

“...you’re the guy who pulled that bus with like 30 people on it! Theo Bagon, right?”

Theo relaxed. He slid his phone back in his pocket. “Yeah, that’s me. You into Strongman competitions?”

The driver chuckled. “Ha, I dunno, I think they’re pretty goofy… it’s like, how do you figure out you want to throw kegs and lift stones over your head anyway? Most of those guys just sort of waddle around, can’t even put their arms down.”

Theo chuckled. “In case you’re wondering, yes, I can wipe my own ass.”

The driver stammered his reply: “I, I mean… I-I’m sorry, buddy, I didn’t mean YOU, I meant… some of the other guys on those shows and stuff…”

Theo laughed. “Look, buddy, take a deep breath. You’re not saying anything I’ve never heard before. But I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to keep conversation with the passenger to a minimum, yeah?’

The driver, blushing, nodded. Theo reached to the console in the door and pressed a button, sliding the dividing window up. He had a big lift ahead of him; time to concentrate.

Anders was waiting outside, bouncing his knees anxiously as the car approached. When Theo climbed out the door, the whole car creaked, bouncing a bit when it was finally relieved of his mass.

“You get much bigger,” Anders said, fist-bumping Theo, “they’re gonna need a flat-bed truck to drive you around.”

“You get much taller,” Theo said to his 6’6” lifting partner, “I’m gonna need a ladder to slap you around.”

“Wasn’t sure if you were coming today,” Anders said as the two muscled men headed for their gym.

“Fucking heavy leg day,” Theo scoffed. “Why the fuck would I miss it?”

“Well, I figured, since that maniac was getting sentenced today, you’d lay low,” Anders said.

Theo coughed, then hastened his pace--not an easy feat for a man with legs that were thirty inches around.

“I mean--I’m sorry,” Anders said, the broad-shouldered man suddenly slumping like a chastened child. “That was dumb to bring up, big guy. I’m sorry, man, really.”

“Let’s just fucking lift,” Theo said.

Gregor, the Global Gym owner, met the two massive athletes at the door. “Damn, should I get the puke buckets ready?” he chuckled. The 60 year old man was still sturdily built, only his silver hair and wrinkly face giving away his age. The barrel-chested man pounded fists with Theo and Anders.

“Damn, Theo, it sure is good to have you back, big man,” Gregor said.

“It’s been two damn months, G,” Theo replied, slinging his gym bag behind him and heading for the locker room. “You can quit being so excited to have me around.”

Gregor shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a fan!”

As Anders chugged back his preworkout, Theo elbowed him in his rippling abdomen. “I’m gonna go take a shit, then I’ll be ready to squat,” Theo said, giving his firm keg-belly a slap. Anders nodded, then turned toward a small cadre of figure competitors who either spotted Anders’ protruding pecs or his silky blonde mane and were ready to make themselves known.

Two young gym-bros greeted Theo as he walked through the door. It was funny, back before he was “gone” he didn’t remember there being as many “non-professionals” working out at Global. Then again, he was “away” a long time; things change.

A young powerlifter he recognized gave him a pat on his wide lat as Theo lumbered by.

Seated comfortably on the toilet, he pulled out his phone, grateful the seats at Global didn’t creak under his weight the way most public toilets did. There was a text from his fiance: “I know you said not to, but I’m watching the sentencing today.”

Theo let out a deep sigh. He thought he heard footsteps outside the stall. “Yo, somebody out there?” he boomed. No response.

“Do what you want, hon, but I don’t want to hear about it,” Theo texted back.

“Fair enough. LUV U.”

When Theo finished, he felt his scalp starting to tingle as his preworkout kicked in. He clenched his fists and filled his big lungs. He felt like a steam engine, gathering velocity. He couldn’t wait to get under all that metal, to literally show gravity who was boss.

He stopped near the door to the locker room. On the bench was a small birdcage with a folded card on top. Theo looked around. The locker room was empty. He knew the birdcage hadn’t been there before.

He unfolded the card in his thick hands to find the message, “WANTED U TO FEEL AT HOME!” scrawled inside. He immediately crushed the card, then grabbed the birdcage in his hand and strutted out to the gym floor.

“Yo, Theo, I reserved the squat rack for you guys--” Gregor began, but Theo stomped right by him. “Hey, big man, what’s the issue? What’s that thing you’ve got there?”

Theo stopped in the center of the gym, between the cardio equipment and the posing platform, and held up the birdcage. “Which one of you FUCKS thought this would be a funny joke?” he boomed.

Silence fell over the gym. Aside from the thrum of treadmills and stationary bicycles, there wasn’t a sound in the gym.

Anders approached Theo, putting a hand on his shoulder. Theo jerked away.

“I wanna know who thought this was a funny fucking joke?” Theo said, shaking the birdcage overhead.

Gregor approached Theo, hands up in an attempt to appease the angry giant. “Hey, big guy, take it easy. Whoever fucking did that, your membership is CANCELLED. I don’t take kindly to shitty pranks like that here!”

“Naw, Gregor, let ME handle this,” Theo said. “To whatever PUSSY thought this would be funny,” the big man said, setting the birdcage on the floor. Then he raised a massive foot and stomped down, easily squashing the cheaply made cage. He picked up the twisted metal and hurled it at the TVs about the cardio area. It smashed into one, which blinked and then went black.

“And for the record,” Theo boomed as he grabbed Anders by the weight belt and yanked him toward the squat area, “it wasn’t a birdcage I was kept in. It was a FUCKING aquarium.”

“We’ll pay for the TV,” Anders reassured Gregor as Theo dragged him away.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Gregor said. “I’ll let insurance take care of it.”

And as the two massive athletes approached the squat rack, the rest of the stunned gym slowly resumed their workouts.

*

Theo could feel the giant’s footsteps rumbling beneath him even before he was in the room. As soon as he felt the minor tremors, he leapt to his feet. The room beyond his glass prison was dark, but he knew it wouldn’t be so for long.

The whine of the opening door was like some massive, suffering beast. The giant appeared, big as a building, and approached the table on which Theo’s aquarium sat with a bag in his hand. He was whistling. The sound hit Theo’s ears like hot needles.

Theo couldn’t be sure, from that angle, but comparing the giant to the other objects in the room, plus estimating from his build and his clothes, he pictured the guy to probably be anywhere from 5’8” to 5’10”--meaning at his full size, Theo would have towered over him. He couldn’t have been any older than 22, just a young little punk. Theo reminded himself of that as the giant loomed over him, his giant hand sliding the lid of the aquarium open and descending on him.

The massive hand was big enough to wrap entirely around Theo, but that didn’t mean he had to let it. He swung his big fists, gritting his teeth. He had to look threatening, even at his size. The giant just chuckled.

“Aw, big man,” the giant taunted, “your little loin cloth is falling off.”

Theo ignored the little swatch of fabric--modified doll clothes, best he could tell--the giant had given him to allow him some modesty. His whole body couldn't have been taller than six inches tall now; it’s not like he was worried about someone commenting on his little dick.

The giant slammed a fist to the base of the aquarium so hard that Theo actually left the ground for a moment. He tried not to look spooked, running full tilt at the hand. The giant just flicked him, sending him flying.

“I don’t want to fight, big man,” the giant said finally, setting the bag on the table. “I have a gift for you, believe it or not.”

Theo just turned away. He wouldn’t give this big bitch one second of his attention.

“Look! C’mon, big man, look,” the giant boomed. He set something heavy on the table next to the aquarium. Theo continued to stare at the ground--until the aquarium suddenly lurched to one side, then another, knocking Theo off his feet and sending him rolling into the glass wall, hard. He looked up to see the giant’s hands on either side of the aquarium. The bigger man sneered down at him.

“GODDAMMIT!” the giant boomed so loudly, Theo’s ears rung. “I went through a LOT to make this gift for you. If you don’t fucking appreciate it…” He balled up his fist and lowered it on Theo, slowly applying pressure. Theo ignored it as long as he could, until he worried his bones might break. He considered just letting it happen, letting the giant turn him into a smear on the floor of the aquarium and ending it there, but then the pressure ended. Theo pulled himself to his feet, turning to face whatever it was the giant had given him.

Next to him was another aquarium, this one littered with nuts and bolts, a hamster wheel, and a single plastic pink dumbbell that was as long as Theo was tall. Theo stared at the sight, dumbfounded.

“It’s a gym!” the giant declared proudly. “That way you can keep your muscles big. Or make them bigger, who knows! I bet I could get you a topical testosterone. One tube would go a long way at your size, y’know.”

The scene was giving Theo a migraine. His captor had stolen his life, reduced him to this--and yet here he was, giving him “gifts” and expecting gratitude. Theo wouldn’t give it to him. He turned away.

“I figured you’d be defiant,” the giant said impatiently. “So I came up with a backup plan. Every day, you have your choice. Either the gym, or the hot-box. What do you choose?”

Theo remained silent.

“Silence means the hot box, you little shit!”

Theo didn’t even have time ot prepare; suddenly he was hoisted into the air, huge fingers wrapping roughly around his body. He felt his stomach lurch as he looked down at the sickening drop between him and the floor, so far away it was blurry. If he fought now, he could fall--and would that be such a bad thing? But the fingers wrapped around him so tightly, he couldn’t even fully inhale. All of his massive muscles were useless against a 22 year old punk’s skinny hand.

When the fist finally opened, Theo tumbled forward into an even smaller glass prison than the aquarium. He stood up in a jar about no wider than he was tall. It was two whole bodylengths to the lid, which the giant screwed on as Theo gazed around, helplessly. There was a weird tube connected to the jar’s lid covered by a strange screen.

Before Theo could figure things out, he heard a thunderclap. The giant had lit a lighter and was holding it over a little glass bowl, tightly packed with weed. The crackling marijuana sounded like fireworks to Theo. Lungs full of acrid smoke, the giant leaned over and put his mouth on the tube leading into Theo’s jar. The shrunken powerlifter had no time to react as a thick fog poured in. In moment, he couldn’t see the hand in front of his face.

Theo tried to hold his breath as long as he could. A gasp became a cough, which became a choking fit. He struggled to take short breaths to strife the burning in his big chest. After a few minutes, the smoke seemed to have dissipated, and his coughing had slowed. He sank to a squat, then sat in the jar with his legs crossed. His whole body was vibrating. His thoughts were thick and slow.

Just went he could start to see beyond the contents of the jar, he heard the giant exhale and another blast of dense white filled the space again. Theo was nearly delirious in minutes.

He lay motionless on the jar, feeling like he was spinning through space, until the lid finally twisted and lifted away. He stood, expecting to be released, but something the size of a tire came flying at him. He swatted it away, satisfied at the way it crumbled against the side of the jar.

It took him several stupefied minutes to recognize the Oreo. He grabbed a handful of the cookie, then scooped some cream with the other hand. Without hesitation, he shoved both sweet wads in his mouth, chomping hungrily. He hadn’t eaten in two days.

He couldn’t believe how good it tasted! He felt like he was engaging nerves he didn’t know he had., With both hands he grabbed a chunk of cookie the size of his head and chomped at it blissfully, for mere moments forgetting that he was a six-inch tall prisoner. He chuckled when he looked down to see his dick rock-hard, making his loin-cloth into a tent.

He could only measure time by how much cookie was left. When only a chunk the size of his thick arm was left, he was shocked by another blast of smoke. He choked and coughed again, wondering how much more stoned he could get. Then, when the smoke cleared, a pile of massive triangles tumbled in, shattering when the hit the floor of the jar.

Before he could move, he watched as thick orange tendrils drooled in after them. He looked up to see the giant squeezing the nozzle of a can of spray-cheese. Normally, this garbage food revolted him, but the tangy cheese and the vinegary chips filled the air. He couldn’t resist crawling over to them and snapping off small chunks of the chips, dipping them in the cheese.

He was shocked with how bloated his stomach looked after he was done. As a strongman, he was known for having a dense, powerful musclegut, but he looked eight months pregnant now, and felt like he was about to pop. He rubbed his distended belly and moaned.

This was torture, he suddenly realized. The giant was doing this to him on purpose. As if in response to his revelation, he looked up to see the giant’s face filling the entrance to the open jar.

“So that’s how it’s going to be, big guy,” the giant boomed. “Every day, you’ll get the choice--gym or hot box. And I’ll keep stuffing you full of junk food if you choose hot box. You’re going to blow up like a tick if you keep this up, packing on blubber while those big muscles turn to mush. I’ll be rolling you around with a croquet mallet soon--or you can use the gym I put effort into making. Your choice.”

A giant finger entered the jar and poked Theo in his bloated belly. He groaned, a dollop of neon orange oozing from his mouth.

*

As Theo stepped away from the squat rack, he noticed a small crowd had formed. He was so zoned in on training that he hadn’t even noticed.

“That was fucking awesome,” Anders said, adjusting the man-bun he’d pulled his hair into. “My fucking ass is going to hurt for like two weeks.”

Theo chuckled. “Y’know, if you quit being ‘top only’ you realize you could have way more fun experiencing the same thing?”

“Who said what we just did wasn’t fun!” Anders said. He acknowledged the massive pool of sweat beneath the squat rack. “Damn, should we get a mop?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gregor said as he wheeled a bright yellow bucket toward the mess. “Y’know, seeing you two powerhouses going at it like that really makes me want to up my gear intake and get huge again,” he said. “If my ticker could take it, that is.”

Theo winced as he took his first steps. “Oh, damn,” he said. “Better call Scott, have him get an ice bath ready for me.”

The much smaller athletes in the gym parted as the two brutes walked through. But near the door, one man, with an average build, failed to get out of their way. He was staring right at them. Theo felt a mild anxiety as he searched the man’s face, trying to recognize him. His hand went to the front pouch of his duffel bag, where he’d stashed his taser.

“That was an impressive display,” the man said, extending a hand. Theo just stared at it. “I’m really sorry to bother you gentlemen. Mr. Bagon, I don’t think you remember me.”

Theo scowled back. “No, I don’t, and I’m not in the mood for reintroductions either.” Anders stepped forward, putting one powerful arm out to move the smaller man out of the way.

“I’m David Anderson,” the little guy said. “I’m a reporter. Theo, I was in the middle of a profile of you way back, before you… uh… disappeared…”

“Theo doesn’t do interviews,” Anders said, grabbing David by the shoulders and lifting him right off the ground.

“No, wait,” Theo said, stopping his big friend with one meaty paw. “Put him down. Let him talk.”

Back on the ground, David wobbled on his feet unsteadily. “Whoa, geez,” he said. “I’m sorry… I e-mailed you, several times, Mr. Bagon. I just figured I could catch you here in person, then I saw that AMAZING performance…”

“It was just training,” Theo barked. “We weren’t PERFORMING for anyone.”

“Look,” David said. “If it helps, I’m not interested in the ‘incident’ at all--not one bit. Before you disappeared I was just doing a profile on you as an athlete. You were one of the strongest men in the world, and I have to say, since your… uh, reemergence, you’re undeniably the strongest. I just want to finish my profile on you--as a strongman.”

Anders’ aggressive stance never relaxed, all 290 pounds of him remaining rigid and flexed, but Theo’s posture softened.

“I’ll do your profile, on one condition,” Theo said. “We never--EVER--mention the incident. You talk about my career only. Deal?”

“Of course!” David said, his much smaller hand swallowed by Theo’s powerful mitt. “Here’s my card,” he said. “With your permission, I’d like to film some of your training, get a look at your diet… the works.”

“He’ll get back to you,” Anders said as the two left the gym, David remaining at the door as the two beasts strutted through the parking lot. “You want a ride home?” Anders offered as Theo studied the card in his hand.

“Scott wants me using the car service,” Theo said with a sigh. “That way he always knows where I am while I’m in transit.”

“Call him from my car! Facetime with him the whole way!” Anders said with a laugh.

“Well, lemme run it by him,” Theo said, slipping the card into his pocket and fishing out his phone.

“I love how your two-hundred pound boyfriend orders you around,” Anders chuckled.

“Fiance,” Theo corrected as he held up his phone. There was one notification on his screen: a news bulletin.

“BREAKING NEWS! THEO ‘BIG GUNS’ BAGON’S KIDNAPPER HAS BEEN SENTENCED!”

With one squat thumb, Theo swiped the headline away.