//CONTENT WARNING: mutual weight gain (male and female), mentions of stuffing, public humiliation and brief descriptions of sex.\\
Max's day started like any other. At 7:30am his alarm sounded and pulled him, begrudgingly, out of his deep sleep. At 7:45am, after 15 minutes of TikTok scrolling, he finally dragged himself out of bed. Lazily, he pulled on his robe, pocketed his phone and slipped into his crocs. By 8am he was out the door with a change of clothes in one hand and his breakfast in the other. He then walked the two blocks to his best friend Summer's apartment. Ever since they'd been kids, eating breakfast together had been routine for them. Even when they moved to the city and got jobs, they'd always make time for breakfast.
Max, being the chubbier of the two, had a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage and toast. Whereas Summer's needs were met with a simple combo of granola, yoghurt and honey. They ate in silence, funnily enough neither one of them were morning people despite their constant need to dine together in the early hours of the day. After a cup of coffee, the two were a little chattier and discussed their plans for dinner – another meal they liked to share together. It was decided that Max, who finished work an hour earlier, would go to their local KFC and order through the drive thru. Summer would stop off at the store on the way home to get their favourite wine and a tub of ice cream. Satisfied with their plan, the two left for their jobs.
A lot of people found their bond unusual, no one seemed to think it possible for a man and a woman to be just friends. They tired of telling friends and family that they would never be anything more than best friends. However, though they had meant it at the time, that sentiment had changed some. Over time, Summer had developed feelings for him. She didn't know when, or where it happened, but she was certain that there was something inside of her stirring, she feared one day she'd fumble and mess up their perfectly good friendship.
After a long day typing out statistics into a computer, Max bid his coworkers farewell and drove the short distance to KFC. He ordered a 12-piece chicken tender meal, a spicy chicken sandwich and a shake for himself. For Summer, he knew to order fries with some nuggets and a small shake. It wasn't a whole lot of food, but it was more than she used to eat. Max knew that he was slowly having his affect on her, it had taken him years, but he was hoping that one day she would learn to live and eat as she pleased.
At home, Max set up the coffee table, laid the blanket down over the sofa and lit the candles. They liked their dinners to be atmospheric and cosy so that they could relax and watch movies. It had always been like this, only when they were younger it was forts that they were building and cartoons that they were watching. Max was impatient and was already nibbling at a piece of chicken when Summer came in armed with wine and ice-cream. She giggled at the sight of him and scolded him for his impatience, but she didn't mind one bit. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and was grateful for the low lighting as it would conceal her blush that would surely give her away.
While watching some old horror movie that Max had insisted they watch, giving that Halloween was coming up, she kept glancing at him when she was sure he wasn't looking. She observed the way he chewed as though he hadn't eaten in days, the way he wiped his hands onto his sweatpants and the way his chubby stomach stuck out from under his shirt. He hadn't always been this big, it was in college that he piled on some pounds and, if she thought about it, that was when the feelings for him started to arise. It was then that she realised, when they were watching the movie, that if it weren't for his plump frame, she probably wouldn't have liked him as much. Of course, she loved him, she always had. They meshed well together. They had all the same hobbies and interests, he made her laugh, he treated her well. All these things combined made for a good boyfriend, but growing up he had lacked that sexual appeal, that physical attraction. Turns out, all he needed was a soft belly and a round face. Unable to contain herself, she giggled into her shake.
