Chapter 1 - 1 - no shame

“Well didn’t your doctor say anything? It seems like a pretty major side effect!”, exclaimed Jade, sounding audibly exasperated.

David hesitated, then replied, “I mean, the nurse asked me about it after taking my weight, and the doctor brought it up but only said ‘some’ weight gain is expected, and that most patients lose it once they adjust to the dose...”

His voice trailed off when he saw Jade’s expression. She looked both incredulous and annoyed. He flushed, and quickly added, “She did say the amount I’ve put on is above average —“,

“Hmph, I’ll say!”,

“Yeah well, she said it’s above average, but she upped my dose again anyway and said that if it doesn’t level out by our next visit, then we’ll try something else”.

Jade looked shocked. “And you’re okay with that?!”, her eyes darted up, then down, lingering on the his strained tee shirt and the not-insignificant section of flab which had escaped its confinement, hanging shamelessly over his waistband.

“Well, I —“ he stammered, flushing again, but Jade cut him off.

“David, by the time your next appointment comes you could gain another twenty pounds! Or more! Who knows what a higher dose is gonna do to you, you’re already emptying the fridge every night!”

She wasn’t exaggerating. For the past several weeks, it wasn’t unusual for Jade to arrive home from a late shift to find her roommate sprawled on the couch, fast asleep, amongst a pile of candy wrappers, empty bags of chips, beer cans, and the occasional three-quarters-empty pint of Ben & Jerry’s, thoroughly melted. More often than not, an empty box of pizza adorned the coffee table. Some nights, the pizza was replaced by the remnants of chinese take-out, or a crumpled Chipotle bag.

As a result of these frequent binges, northwards of twenty pounds had been added to David’s frame, all in the span of six short weeks. At the start, Jade had tried calling him out on his hoggishness, but David would explain that nightly bouts of gluttony were an unavoidable side effect of his medication. Not wanting to make him feel bad, Jade had backed off. She refrained from nagging him about his out-of-control diet under the condition that he cleaned up after himself. Unfortunately, as David’s waistline grew so did his appetite, as did the mess he left behind. On top of turning their shared living space into a pig-sty, David’s new eating habits meant more frequent trips to the grocery store, effectively doubling the couple’s food budget.

It was no wonder Jade was so frustrated.

“Relax,” David said, “I’ve been on this for over a month now, so the side effects from an increase shouldn’t be as extreme. I have a tolerance for it now.”

The look on Jade’s face showed she was unconvinced.

“Look, I’m not gonna let myself gain another twenty-or-whatever pounds. I’ll just try it for a few weeks and if it gets worse I’ll call the doctor and tell her I’m going back to the lower dose, OK? And I’ll add some extra for rent this month to cover the price of food”

Jade narrowed her eyes, then sighed, throwing up her hands meekly and saying, “Ok, sure, Dave,” before turning to head to her bedroom.

Before closing the door behind her, she took another look at her roommate. He was facing away from her, towards the kitchenette. From this angle, the changes happening to David’s body were alarmingly evident. From the chest up, he looked more or less the same as when they had first moved in together. Perhaps his arms were slightly broader, the muscles less defined, and his chest was definitely softening, but the majority of the weight had settled on his lower body.

Thick love handles and a softening, rounded gut led into large, wide-set hips. ‘Too big for a dude,’ Jade thought. ‘And the shape, he’s -really- gotten curvy...’

As David bent to retrieve something from the fridge, Jade was treated to a full view of his widening posterior. It was round, full, and especially fat. ‘Hips, and the ass to match,’ she thought to herself, amused. It was true though — a lot of girls Jade knew would kill to have a butt the size and shape of her overfed roommate’s.

Jade started as David rose, realizing she’d been staring for far too long. As she grasped for the knob, she glimpsed her porcine companion turn from the fridge to the microwave, holding a beer in one hand and a carton of leftover thai food in the other. She felt herself stifle a giggle, and quietly shut the door.