chapter 9 - the return of the matt

(Hi guys! Thank you so much for your lovely comments in this story's absence! I never thought it would be this long between chapters, but Life got in the way and I just had no time to write. Hope you enjoy!)

MAY 2014

"Shit, my back hurts," Matt complained.

"How surprising," Adrian said. "You've been working so hard to build up your back muscles."

"Kate needs to stop putting my snacks so fucking far away," Matt grumbled, waddling to his feet to grab the box of donuts Kate had left on the counter.

Matt didn't seem to have changed a bit in the couple of months since Adrian had moved out, except for the extra few dozen pounds around his enormous middle. Adrian wasn't sure why it had taken him so long to find his own place that he could actually bring people back to. It might be a little inconvenient to have roommates, but nobody was going to think it was weird, Adrian had told himself for a long time. He was a post-recession twenty-something and there was nothing weird about staying roommates with somebody you didn't even like who happened to have gained a few hundred pounds. Adrian had told himself that for a long time, but his promotion and new work location were too tempting to pass up. Poor Kate was left stuck with Matt most of the time, but she didn't really seem to mind.

Matt belched loudly as he struggled to shift his weight forward and reach far enough to pick up the box of donuts. His heavy belly hung down over the top of his shorts and jutted a couple of feet in front of him, bowed outwards even further by the numerous plates of food he'd already packed into it, the top of it spilling onto the counter as he struggled to reach around his own rolls to pick up the box.

"Quit standing there, you asshole. Feed me," Matt said, sweating from the exertion of failing to pick up a box of donuts. Adrian hadn't gained any willpower since he moved out, and he picked up a donut and brought it to Matt's mouth.

NOVEMBER 2014

"Why aren't you wearing your seatbelt?" Kate asked Matt slyly from the passenger seat, knowing full well he couldn't get it to snap closed if he tried. Adrian sighed. Poor Lauren was probably already regretting coming to visit.

"I don't need one. I'm not a pussy," Matt scoffed. "You'll be expecting me to stop and ask for directions next."

"There are seatbelt extenders you can buy," Lauren said tentatively from the back seat.

"We're almost there, chill out," Matt snapped between gulps of the enormous Coke he was trying to drink while driving. He pulled into the parking lot of the buffet and made his way to the spot closest the door.

"That's the disabled parking spot," Lauren said nervously. "Guess the handicapped people should have got here faster then," Matt snorted.

Adrian was remembering why it was such a pain in the ass to spend time with Matt. Who knew, he'd probably be technically entitled to a handicapped spot, but he'd rather act like a weasel inconveniencing disabled people than admit that.

"There's cops right over there," Adrian noted helpfully, looking over to the squad car occupied by two cops busy taking notes and enjoying a bag of gourmet donuts from Lina's.

"Shit," Matt snapped, backing the van up and heading to a slightly less illegal spot a little farther away. His belly was close enough to the steering wheel that turning the car around looked like a bit of a challenge, and Matt had to forget about his soda for 30 seconds or so, but he managed it.

"I'm fucking starving," he grumbled as he struggled to wedge himself out of the driver's seat.

Matt's massive body swayed from side to side as he waddled slowly towards the doors of the restaurant. His enormous thighs struggled to move past each other, weighed down even more by the enormous belly hanging down in front of them. The fabric of Matt's shorts stretched to contain the enormous fat globes of his ass, and his legs were so fat it was hard to make out their silhouette, thighs rolling over his kneecaps and rolls of fat obscuring his thick ankles. It was a challenge for Adrian to walk slowly enough to match Matt's pace, but Kate was right there with him.

***

Lauren looked over at Matt, down at her suddenly emptier plate, then back up at Matt in disbelief as reached out across the table for another handful of her French fries.

"Sorry," Adrian mouthed to her. It had probably been months since anybody had tried to stop Matt from eating something. Adrian knew Kate sure hadn't. He'd lost whatever restraint over his appetite he'd ever had in the first place, and he didn't have any pesky manners to slow him down. Kate had done such a good job encouraging Matt into greater heights of gluttony and laziness that now it was backfiring on poor Lauren, and Adrian knew he wasn't free of responsibility here.

"Sorry, Lauren. I must be underfeeding him," Kate said with a faux-sweet smile, coming back from the buffet table and placing another heaping plate of food in front of Matt Lauren looked between her and Matt, mouth hanging open in confusion.

"This is bizarre, Kate," Lauren tried to whisper discreetly. Matt was oblivious, focused entirely on stuffing his face with his latest plate of food. "It's enabling. At best. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but you have to know better. What the fuck?"

Kate shrugged sheepishly, at a loss for words.

"It's not healthy," Lauren continued. "I sent him all those resources for healthy exercise at any size! What are you even doing, Kate?"

"...We get along?" Kate ventured. "We have a lot in common?" Adrian couldn't help but snort.

"Poor Adrian moved out!" Lauren looked at him sympathetically. "He might not have said it in so many words to you, but I'm sure he must have been feeling uncomfortable with the situation."
Fortunately for him, Adrian's awkward shrug and downcast eyes looked like he was agreeing with her.

"...I guess I kind of feel like he deserves a taste of his own medicine?" Kate tried. "And then it kind of... snowballed from there?"

"That's kind of fucked up, Kate," Lauren said. "I sort of feeling like I should go home now."

"Bye, Lauren," Adrian called awkwardly as she picked up her purse to walk towards the front desk and pay. She waved to him sympathetically.

"I can't believe you stole food off our guest's plate!" Kate groaned as soon as Lauren was gone. "I know I only gave you one shake today, but that was because we were going to the buffet! You had two lunches! Come on!"

Unchastened, Matt was stuffing his face with Lauren's remaining fries.

(Feedback much appreciated as always! More to come! ^_^)