Chapter 1. How could he be so lucky?

From the moment he laid eyes on her, Anthony 'Ace' Lee knew that falling for Sapphire would be as effortless as breathing. How could she not catch his eye? She was stunning, he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was tiny but noticeably athletic with a trim waist and an ass that made him want to get down on his knees and beg just for the right to gaze upon her glorious body. When she first turned to look his way, he nearly had a stroke. How could he not be dazzled by that brilliant smile, those huge sparkling eyes you could swim in? He never stood a chance. The man was a goner from the beginning, even when he had no idea what this woman was going to do to him.

Fast forward a few years later, Ace was living in a state of equal elation and confusion. Elated because he had somehow landed the most perfect woman in existence, confusion because he didn't understand why she wanted him. He became friends with Sapphire by accident after working on a project together, and they quickly grew close due to mutual interests and how much they enjoyed each other's company. He didn't think of her as anything more than his best friend until two years down the line when she confessed that she was interested in him romantically, but in that moment all his wildest dreams came true.

Fairly early on in their relationship, Ace took a moment to look himself over one morning after getting out of the shower. What did she see in him? Looks? Average. Humor? Average. Smarts? Who was he kidding. Average! He was decently fit, he supposed, taking a moment to flex and admiring what he saw in his reflection. Toned pecs, defined six-pack abs. Muscular arms, broad shoulders that Sapphire loved. And his legs and butt weren't too bad, either. He gave himself a cheeky wink as he slapped that fine ass. He had worked hard on this figure. He didn't know yet how drastically it would soon be changing.

It started innocently enough. Ace and Sapphire were young and in love, fucking like rabbits on the daily and going out on the most romantic dates they could afford. They were both over the moon, imbued with a sense of urgency to spend every moment possible together. It didn't take long for them to make the leap to moving in together. While Sapphire kept up with her rigorous fitness routine of cardio and weight-training, Ace found himself less and less motivated to hit the gym and preferred instead to wait for Sapphire at home and cook her delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to come home to. Ace had always loved food and eating, so it came naturally for him to want to share that with her and he enjoyed cooking for the both of them. Sapphire would also bring him mouth-watering treats regularly, freshly baked buttery croissants one day and a full-size strawberry shortcake the next. Ace felt so spoiled and so special that his partner went to lengths to bring him treats from the most Instagrammable bakeries in town and was always on the lookout for snacks and desserts he would enjoy. He liked also that she always seemed eager to indulge his sweet tooth, and didn't seem to mind that he liked his portion sizes large and tended to graze throughout the day even though he didn't need to be hungry to eat. He felt like his whole life there had been someone nagging him about his eating habits and/or his fitness routine, and now he felt as though he was finally free to eat as he had always wanted.

Between all these sweet treats Sapphire was bringing home, going on food tours with her to all the best restaurants, and trying to impress her in the kitchen at home, Ace found that he was overeating more often than not. At restaurants, Sapphire always ordered so much and got full quickly, so he found himself always eating her left-overs. They went out frequently, and each time he would be eating 3-4 times what he would for just a regular meal. But it was so good, he couldn't complain. Especially since Sapphire always covered the bill. He was getting her money's worth, and he loved the feeling of warmth and satisfaction from having such a full stomach. And how she'd jump him the second they got home, and keep him busy all night. His cooking at home had improved a lot with practice and after working so hard to prepare meals, he just couldn't help but stuff himself to the brim when it was finally time to sit down and eat! It didn't help that Sapphire would load his plate excessively to begin with and then encourage him to eat seconds, then coax him to eat thirds. Then she would bring out some sort of delectable dessert he couldn't say no to, he'd stuff his face, and then she'd drag him to the bedroom and they'd fuck for hours. He still wasn't used to how animalistic she was, how passionate, but he welcomed it. He was too distracted by her to be bothered by how packed and taut his belly was getting after each one of those big dinners, how after just weeks of slacking off at the gym his six-pack was already a distant memory.

Ace wasn't completely oblivious to these changes, however, and he was starting to have suspicions that Sapphire preferred the direction in which he was quickly going. Or growing, to be more accurate. He was aware of all the subtle ways she encouraged him to overeat and indulge, he noticed how she seemed to watch him intently and slightly flushed when he ate, she couldn't hide how much she wanted to get her hands all over him and frequently snaked an arm around his softening waist to stroke or pat his once-flat stomach. And she seemed way too into the sensual belly rubs she would give him every time he ate himself into a dazed food-induced stupor, too stuffed to move and therefore completely helpless and at her mercy. Although he had never considered any of this as a kink that interested him or that he was into, Ace found himself loving every moment of whatever process this was. He liked that he could eat as much as he pleased, and his girl would just go more wild for him and seemed to get more and more horny the more he ate. He liked that he got to spend his time cuddling and fucking Sapphire, going on dates with her, spending time talking with her, exploring new food places with her, rather than spending his time sweating in a gym.

A few months into living together, Ace took some time to appraise his body properly one afternoon while Sapphire was out for a run. He first looked over how his clothes was looking on him with an analytical eye. He didn't need a belt to keep his pants up anymore, that was for sure. But he liked how tightly they hugged his thickening legs and how his ass really seemed to pop now. His t-shirt clung much closer to his body, tighter around his chest and shoulders, revealing the new curve of his stomach. Ace thought it was a good look, that he actually filled out the shirt better now and looked healthy. There was something more masculine in the added bulk on his frame. He took his shirt off, having trouble peeling it off his skin as it was quite tight. Yep, he was definitely on his way to growing a belly. There was no sign of abdominal muscles in sight, just a small doughy tummy that was attached to where his abs used to be. It stuck out a bit, round and endearing. Ace took it in his hands. There wasn't enough yet for him to shake it or really sink his hands into, but he found the extra weight reassuring. Seeing and feeling how Sapphire's love had changed him was proof that he felt secure with her, that he felt safe settling down with her. And the feeling of his clothes tightening and thighs rubbing together more when he walked made him feel closer to her, her presence tangible and visible in the new curves of his body. As Ace looked himself over, he felt satisfaction and...something else. He was starting to get an idea for how to make Sapphire feel comfortable enough to open up about her kink with him, and show him this side of her she was unsuccessfully trying to hide.