chapter seven (part one)

In the weeks since moving into Katsuo's apartment, Jordan felt more powerless and hopeless than he had in his entire life. He was always tired and hungry. When he told his friends, they all rolled their eyes and said his youthful metabolism was fading and he needed to buckle down- diet and exercise like the rest of them. Even his boyfriend was telling him to stop being lazy, but none of them could understand. The food was so tempting, and it was everywhere, all the time.

Jordan had honestly never realized how accessible fast-food places were until he started craving them. He hated how bloated, heavy and greasy he felt after each meal, but it was heaven on his tongue. No matter where he turned he could buy something to satiate the hunger in him- if only for a few minutes. Right across from his work there was a McDonalds and KFC, not to mention that his coffee shop served delicious donuts that had never tempted him before but now lingered on his thoughts for every shift.

It felt like he was watching a movie- unable to look away as his clothes tightened around him. A doughy, fat stomach started to peek over his jeans. First just when he bent over, but soon it was there all the time- mocking him. He could never stop feeling it wobbling at every movement. His sides sprouted rolls that he could feel rubbing against one another- especially when he sweat, which was much more often now. His chest expanded until he could cup the fat in his palms and squeeze them. Even his ass and thighs weren't spared.

After two months of living with his boyfriend, Katsuo finally forced him onto a scale. He didn't want to- more than anything he didn't want to- but his boyfriend talked him into it. ("You have to know what the damage is to correct it. You want to be skinny again, don't you?").

He'd gained forty-nine pounds. He didn't even make the connection to moving into Katsuo's house, he just stared at the number with wide eyes. 241. He looked in the mirror and his lower lip trembled as he took in the cellulite on his thighs and the way his stomach hid the band of his underwear. Katsuo rubbed his back to comfort him, but at the same time reminded him there was a gym in the apartment. Jordan couldn't even be mad. Katsuo was hot as hell, thin but muscular. He worked out every morning while Jordan slept in, always skipping breakfast while his brother served up plate after plate of sweet treats.

Jordan promised to try harder, to exercise more... Right after finals. Because he needed to ace them to keep from flunking out of college. He didn't admit that to Katsuo, too ashamed of his multiple failures. He'd slept through so many lessons, and even when he didn't he always forgot about homework assignments the second he got home and found out what Shin had baked that day. It didn't help that all of his friends from school were abandoning him for someone more fun and less... chubby. Though 'chubby' wasn't the word they used. Wideload, lardo, porker... He didn't want to see them anymore, but he also didn't want to flunk out.

And that's why he didn't stop home after work on the first day of class since he'd been weighed. He knew if he did he wouldn't go back out. He'd go home, eat, and fall asleep. He needed to attend his lecture. He needed to catch back up. Work had already been hell enough- he was exhausted, and his uniform was too tight, and the space behind the counter was too small to share without his body rubbing against his coworkers. The only positive thing about working there was he had all the free donuts he wanted. Not that that was policy, really, but who was watching?

He rushed to class, only stopping to pick up something to eat- telling himself he'd study in the lecture hall while he ate. He stopped at McDonalds, telling himself he'd only order a few things from the dollar menu, but... His stomach rumbled- which was happening a lot these days. Either it rumbled from hunger, or it rumbled while it digested his food, and then his ass got involved too. He hated that part the most, and he knew McDonalds was probably a bad choice, but he told himself he didn't have any other. He needed to eat, didn't he?

And maybe the two large meals was a bit excessive. Maybe upgrading one of his drinks to a shake wasn't necessary. And maybe quickly ordering two more extra burgers on top of the two Big Macs after he'd already confirmed his order- making the woman on the speakerphone sigh and repeat his meal back again- was ill-advised, but he was so hungry.

The two extra burgers and one of the fries were gone before he even made it to the parking lot of his school. He ate the rest in the car, and shoveled the shake into his mouth happily. He couldn't bring all the food into the lecture hall- they'd laugh at him! Once he decimated the two Big Macs, the other fry, and his soda, he leaned back. Bloated and satisfied as he wiped salt from the crest of his gurgling, groaning gut.

Frrrrrt!

He groaned himself at the sound, cupping his stomach. Most of the time, he could hold them in, but sometimes they snuck out before he even had a chance. Even alone his face reddened, but after he looked around and saw there wasn't anyone else in the parking lot, he relaxed his ass and let nature take its course. He rubbed his stomach, burping into his hand and then reasoning out loud.

"I can't go in in this state... I just gotta give it a minute--" frrrrt "and it'll pass. Then I can go study."

He woke up an hour later to a loud passing of gas, and the sun was down. He swore and grabbed his backpack to check his phone- the lecture had started twenty minutes ago. He pulled himself out of the car, ignoring the cold feeling on the bottom of his stomach for the time being as he rushed inside so he could at least catch the last hour and ten minutes of his class.

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I had to split this one, consider it a special extra long 'sorry it's been two weeks since a chapter' chapter.