#Author: [GLKnight] Another Birthday

[GLKnight]

Another Birthday
by GLKnight

The sudden drop of weight on my back quickly shot me out of my slumber, and the quiet giggling made me realize who put it on me.

"Happy birthday, sleepy head!"

I could only slightly groan in response as I turned over and embarrassingly open my eyes to look at my girlfriend, Jessica. All smiles and warmth, she was straddling me, hands on my shoulders, positioned like a cat with her prey. It was probably the cutest thing I'd ever personally experienced, to be honest. I stretched a bit, hoping it would wake me up a bit more.

"Mmmmwhat time is it?"

She locked my hands in hers, and proceeded to give me my first present of the day. Gotta admit, when a girl loves you, she's even willing to put up with the balefire of morning breath for that good morning kiss. When she gently grips my lip when she wants to pull away, every time we kiss, there's just something about it I really love.

"It's 11 AM, dude," she eagerly proclaimed as she began pulling me out of bed. "We've got the new Chrissie Less flick to see! First showing's in 2 hours! Enough time for you to drag your big bod out of bed, get cleaned up, and ready for some lunch before the show!"

Realizing the time, I shot up out of bed, accidentally throwing her off balance, and to the floor with a child-like thud. I tried to bend down to pick her up, but being that she's quicker than me by default, she had already gotten up by the time I offered my hand.

"Next time, warn me, dork!" she chided, giggling at my enthusiasm.

"Okay, I'll tell you ahead of time when I want to throw you on the floor..."

That's when I noticed her blushing brightly.

"Not that, Gabriel! I mean Galactus was in my face..."

I had absolutely NO IDEA when the fly to my boxers came undone, but apparently it had, and my dick (which Jessica playfully called Galactus, ever since our first time together, when she saw the color of the condom I had slipped on) was poking out. Guess I wasn't the only one roused and excited about something...

"Next time button up before you go to bed, alright? You know I love both of you, but Big G is who I want to spend some time with at the moment, capiche?"

I quickly put him away (with a "down, boy" for comedic measure), and made my way to the shower. Behind me, I could hear Jess going through my drawers, and putting together an ensemble for me. I jumped in and turned on the heat, taking my time and pondering just how the Hell a guy like me could get a girl like her. The two of us were complete opposites, in many ways. I was 6'4, from definite Celtic/Viking stock. She was 5'2, from German, Russian, Turkish and Japanese lineage. I weighed a little over 300 lbs., she weighed less that 100. Part of my weight came from the fact I could exercise and see results quickly, but I'm too laid back to really do that much. She was naturally smaller, part of the "tomboy package", as I called it, stronger than she looked and more forward in a lot of ways. I liked that she kept her black hair short, she liked that my reddish blond hair was kind of shaggier and messier. I was her brain, she was my heart.

Everyone always says there's a harmony between us, and I think they're not wrong at all.

Through my thoughts, I realize she's playing my SNES on my dresser, and the sound of one of the first levels of Zombies Ate My Neighbors reaches over the sound of the shower.

"Hurry up, Grandpa! We got stuff to do," she blurted out.

"I'm only 33! You shouldn't be talking so much, Ms. Going-On-Thirty-Four!"

Her only response was to laugh at my reply and go back to playing. But she was right, I had to hurry up. Thankfully I shaved yesterday (or was it the day before?), so I stuck my paw out towards the nearby sink, and swiping a couple times, finally grabbed the tooth brush, and finished cleaning up while I heard the tell-tale sounds of Dr. Tongue's Castle theme.

As I stepped out of the tub, my thoughts overtook me once again.

Man, just how long WAS I in the shower, anyw-

That thought would go unfinished as my foot gave out from beneath me, and I slipped to the side, my head hitting the side of the sink hard, and landing heavily on my face.

As I was starting to fade, I could hear Jess call my name. I watched as she flipped me over, and a look of fear and panic consume her as she tried to speak to me as the world went black.

[JerusalemTulip]

Interesting start.  I like the way you write.

[NinjaStar]

Fucking hell that's beautiful. Great characterization. I loved the morning breath line, since that's something that's often glossed over in a story. Bonus points for including Zombies Ate My Neighbors, arguably one of the best, most addicting games I ever played as a kid. Definately looking forward to this continuing.

[GLKnight]

The next thing I knew, I could hear the sound of monitors, which meant I was probably in the hospital. And you know how it feels to grab a really worn, partially deflated ball? The texture and the way it would just go lopsided and just feel uncomfortable? Yeah, that was how my head felt. Made trying to wake up NES game difficulty hard. I could barely open my eyes. Must've hurt my face when I... Damn, couldn't think clearly. Gotta ask...

"Jess?"

The feeling of quickly being choked out by love gripped me tightly, and I could feel something wet on my face. Tears. Jess was crying.

"Welcome back, my Hill Giant," she whispered to me. I lifted my arms to hold her, using my left hand to stroke her hair. When I did, I noticed that there was an I.V. inserted into it. Obviously, Jess told them about my issue with rolling veins.

"Can't get rid of me that easy, Elf. I'll win my next fight with that sink, don't worry."

She chuckled at my comment, lifting up to wipe away her tears.

"We'll see, dude. We'll see."

I'm sure we smiled at each other for a minute (from what I could actually see through the pain and the swollen bits) before we heard the curtain slide to my right, revealing a petite little lady in blue scrubs.

"You're awake, Mr. Kearney!"

In the way Jess was relaxed and lower timbre, this... nurse? Med student? For all I know, she could've been a Scrubs cosplayer. But her voice was so high pitched and just... piercing. If I wasn't in pain before, I'd really be in the same position afterward.

"I'm awake, Ms. Blue Lady Person!"

She giggled at my comment. God, even her giggle was piercingly high pitched.

"It's "Mrs.", and you can just call me Tiana!"

Jesus Christ, we really got a Disney princess for my care. I shot Jess a look of "shoot me now before squirrels and birds show up". She gave me a giggle, which I'm sure meant she got my message.

"Well, "Tiana"," Jess interrupted. "Could you tell the doc that Gabe's awake?"

Tiana just giggled again (making me wonder if ALL of her patients suffer like this), and waved her hand.

"Sure thing, dear! He'll be down in a few minutes!"

Jess and I just gave her a thumbs up, and waited for her to leave before one of us said anything.

"Well, I'm pretty sure her patients try to heal quickly to get away from her," Jess joked.

"Stop it, Jess! I'm sure she's a great... something. Besides, I've never seen a Disney princess in a hospital before-"

She started slapping my arm and chest, and I tried to cover up the best I could, saying "Not the face! Not the face!" When she stopped, grabbed her hand in mine, and we just stayed in silence.

"...you're supposed to be the strong one," she whispered.

"Jess, it's okay! It was an accident. Nothing I could've-"

Her hand gripped mine tighter. She was actually visibly shaking at that point.

"My first instinct was to pick you up, and get help! I tried and tried before the ambulance came, but every time I did, you just kept falling right out of my arms! And while you were being monitored and scanned, and poked and prodded, all I could think about was just how strong you are, and how you don't flaunt it! And the fact that if anything h-happened to you, I'd never get to f-feel you hold me, or... or..."

I pulled her into my arms again, and held her as she started crying again, stroking her hair and calming her down.

"Babe, you know I'm not going anywhere for a good long while. Don't worry. I'll be there for you, and you know it."

She hugged me tighter.

"I just wish I could be there for you like you are for me..."

We heard the curtain slide again, and separated for the doctor to clearly see us both. He was distinguished, to put it lightly, with silver hair with bits of red highlights.

"Mr. Kearney? I'm Doctor Abernathy. You gave us quite a scare! All your scans were pointing towards possible coma, but you bounced back so quickly. Looks like your guardian angel was really watching out for you, huh?"

I just titled my head at Jess in response.

"Yeah. It's why I tell people to make sure to date'em."

The doc laughed at my comment, as Jess once again slapped my shoulder.

"Okay, so back to the matter at hand," Abernathy continued. "Although the fall seemed very dangerous, you came away with a slight concussion, as well as bruising the Occipital region of your skull. You'll be experiencing things like headaches, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and other similar symptoms while it heals. Just don't hurt your head again in the next month or two, and you should be alright."

I could tell that Jess felt I was in the clear, which meant that I could go home. So after we thanked Dr. Abernathy, I got dressed, and I discovered my balance was LONG gone (which meant that Jess had to try and steady me when I tried to walk), we hopped in a cab and came back to my place. By this point it was well after dark, and all we wanted to do was go to bed. So one elevator ride, and a little wall bouncing, we reached my place, headed in, and made a straight beeline for my bedroom. I'm not sure if I even took my shoes off, but as soon as I saw my bed, I flopped onto it, and proceeded to get comfy. A second later, Jess climbed in as well, snuggling close to me, and I held her tight.

As I kissed the top of her head, I didn't realize that we had two different thoughts running through our heads as we fell asleep.

I was thinking that I was so lucky to have her in my life, and that she was the only thing I needed in the world, letting me slip into peaceful dreams.

She was thinking about how she felt she had failed me, and being there for me like I was for her. She always told me I was her strength when she needed it, and the idea that she was too weak to really help me ate away at her until she finally fell to slumber.

[NinjaStar]

And now the pieces are falling into place. I see where this was going. Jealous of your speed. I wish I could crank it out like that. Love the characters, love the dialog. Thanks for taking the time to establish characterization and motivation instead of just 'the good parts'.

[Jeremy Lightning]

Yes, very nice, I like where this is going, the tiny girlfriend that has to build her strength so that she can be strong for the both of them while her boyfriend is as weak as a kitten, recovering from this devastating injury. And hopefully there is something in her that makes her grow as strong as possible as fast as possible, and he discovers he quite likes the idea of his tiny girlfriend being stronger than him. k+!

[GLKnight]

When I awoke, I quickly realized I was alone in bed, and still fully clothed. My body aching rather fiercely, I slowly forced myself to sit up, and attempt to observe if there was anyone else in my apartment at all. Sadly, I soon realized that I was all alone, and worse yet, consecutively needing to get something to eat, get something to drink, AND get to the bathroom before I became a 6 year old again and need to wash my sheets. And I wasn't going to let that happen, because I was all out of detergent. So, with some effort, I slowly crawled out of bed, and taking my time to get my bearings, weakly walk to the bathroom.

Reaching for my glasses on my dresser next to my bed, I noticed they lay on top of a piece of paper. 20 guesses on who it was from, and you'll only need one.

"Hey!

Went out for a bit. Figured I'd let you heal and rest.
Checked in with roommates, let them know what happened.
They're coming over tomorrow with food to hang.
Also: you're out of milk. Getting groceries, too. Be back soon.
This message will (not) self-destruct in 5 seconds. But it will still be on paper.

-Jess

P.S. Don't be surprised if I come back with stuff other than groceries."

"Other than groceries? What the hell could THAT mean?"

I wanted to think about it more, but nature called, and it wasn't taking no for an answer. After I took care of that business, I proceeded to shuffle to the adjoining kitchen and living room, and after finding out that yes, I truly was out of milk, I opted for just a glass of water. Gotta say, for some reason, I had some difficulty just grabbing a damn cup. Kept hitting one too quickly, or my aim was constantly off, but when I did get one, I held on like it was the only thing preventing me from dying. The concussion and bruising were doing one hell of a number on my motor skills.

After slaking my thirst and letting Jess get back before deciding on getting something to eat, I decided to head back to be for some more rest. But as I walked down the hallway, something caught my eye (well, the one I could kind of see out of at the moment): the hallway mirror. I couldn't help myself, so I turned on the lamp on the desk next to it, and looked in.

Holy fuck, was I a mess...

My nose was the first thing that I noticed. No wonder it hurt to breathe through it, swollen and almost blackened. And as the coloring spread out, so too did the swelling, my eyes and forehead puffed out in purples and reds and blues in various splotches. It really did look like someone just beat my ass. Even my chin and mouth were swollen, though not as severely as my nose or eyes. I couldn't help myself as I lightly ran my fingers across my face. It stung, yeah, but not terribly, and my skin felt very hot, making the sensation of my fingers icy in response. It was all so weird and painful and engaging that I couldn't hear the sound of the entrance door opening.

"You should be in bed, dude!"

I turned to see Jess in the same clothes as yesterday, with multiple bags on her arms. Instinct took over, and I lumbered over to her, attempting to help her, but she just pushed my arms away.

"Nuh uh! You should be resting!"

But as is my ways, if I want to help, I'm helping, so as she went to put her bags down, I went to the complex hallway to see if there were more bags. Which there were plenty of groceries, but also some other bags from a store I'd never seen before. So, even though I knew my hands sucked at grabbing things, I knew they could at least help with groceries, so I slipped a bunch of bags down my wrists, and proceeded to shorten the amount of effort she would have to use to bring them in herself by taking them to the kitchen.

"Come on, Gabe! You're not supposed to be doing this! I got this, okay?"

I just shook my head, and slowly put the bags down.

"You know I couldn't let you do this all by yourself," I replied.

Jess just chuckled, and pulled me down for a kiss, which felt weird when she pulled her teeth across my bottom lip, making me hiss a little.

"THAT'S to remind you you're still HURT, mister! Now let me bring in the other bags, they're quite heavy..."

When she said heavy, I immediately began shambling to the hallway again to grab the bags. She told me to let her take care of them, but it felt like I was on auto pilot, and I just grabbed the bags, and in my usual way, made it look easy to carry them. Which was weird, because I could feel the weight, but my body wasn't recognizing it, probably due to shock. And apparently, when I put them on the couch in the living room, I could recognize I grunted from the effort, but it didn't feel like I should've. Jess took hold of my head, and stared into my eyes.

"Whoa, are you okay," she asked. "You're wobbling and breathing a bit hard."

I took her hands in mine, and just nodded, smiling to reassure her I was alright.

"Alright. Since you're up, I'm sure you saw my note, right? People are coming over tomorrow. I also called the shop, and let them know you'll be out a couple days..."

CRAP, I FORGOT ABOUT WORK! Jess really IS  a lifesaver!

"Thank you," I mumbled out, as she proceeded to put stuff away. As she did, I was drawn back to the bags on the couch, and just what made them so freaking heavy in the first place.

"Hey, Jess? What's in the non-groceries?"

Jess eagerly came back in to open them up and pull everything out. And one by one, reveal what all the bags were filled with: exercise supplies like weights and supplements, and even new clothes. The speed at which she was talking, the excited look on her face as she went over everything in detail, the flurry of information, it was just too much.

"OOH! And the little free weights I bought will be perfect for-"

"Um, Jess? I already own a weight set."

Her head popped up, as she shot me a look of surprised confusion.

"Y-you already... had weights here?", she asked.

I just nodded my head.

"Aaaannndddd you never told me before I went shopping today?"

"You never asked before you went shopping today."

All she could muster was a facepalm as she let it sink in.

"And where are the weights?"

"Chest in my bedroom closet. I occasionally use them, so I like to have them close by. Follow me."

Without missing a beat, I began ambling my way back to my room, with her close by. Turning on the light, I opened my closet, and slowly pulled the wheeled chest with my weights out, and flipped the lid. Inside lay about 28 plates in matching pairs, and two bars to use with them. Jess was surprised at the fact that I had these here already.

"How much do you have IN there?!"

"Let's see," I began. "28 plates. with four 5 lbs., four 10 lbs., four 15 lbs., four 20 lbs., two 25 lbs., two 30 lbs., four 40 lbs., and 4 50 lbs. So, all in all, about 660 lbs. of nothing but free weight plates, mostly for resistance training and lifting."

"Holy crap! This must of cost a LOT to piece together!"

"Not really. Mostly given to me by other people, with the only purchase being the four 20 lbs. plates, which was about $20 used..."

When Jess didn't say anything, I looked at her, and saw that she was just gawking at me.

"What? I used to lift a lot in high school!"

One punch in the arm later, she was in the chest, pulling out weights, and just feeling how they all felt. Then she saw that one of the bars was still racked with weights.

"Jeez, I'd say! This one weighs more than two of me!"

Jess reached into the chest to pull it out, but try as she could, she just couldn't make it budge. She struggle and yanked, and she pulled and strained, but it was no use. The bar resisted her. So, I slipped behind her, and as I bent down to place my right hand over hers, I ran my left arm across her waist as a form of brace.

"When something's placed down low," I whispered. "The initial power has to come from your legs, okay? So get down in a crouch..."

As she readied herself into a crouch, I follower suit behind her.

"Now, I want you to place the bar against the flat of your palm, and roll your fingers around it like you're wrapping your fingers around my thumb."

As she relaxed and replaced her hand on the bar, I covered her fingers to support hers, as I felt her left hand grab my left wrist.

"Now, I want you to lift with your legs, until it reaches hip level, at which point your abs will act as a stabilizer for the total weight. At that point, we're going to slowly sit on the bed, okay?"

Her body was radiating warmth at this point.

"Y-yeah. Think I'm ready."

I could only chuckle at her reply.

"Okay, ready and... slowly lift!"

I could feel her body straining to lift it with me, as we slowly, slowly eased our way up. But sure enough, we stood up, inch by inch, until finally, amazingly, we had lifted the weight together.

"I D-DID IT," she cried out. "I DID IT!"

"Atta girl," I proudly told her. "But we're not through yet! Come on, let's slowly ease down onto the bed, alright?"

She just nodded her head, and using my left arm to guide her, I slowly pulled her into my lap as I slowly sat down.

"Alright, now place your feet flat on the floor and your left hand on your left knee. I'm going to show you one of the basic bicep curls called a concentration curl, okay?"

With a quick shuffling of her feet and rubbing herself into my lap in the process, Jess situated herself for what we were about to do.

"R-ready when you are!"

With her okay in place, I proceeded to slowly lift the weight myself, and placed our right arms on the inside of her thigh for the starting position.

"I'm mostly going to carry this weight, but I'll be lax enough so that you put in effort, too. Whenever you're ready, just lift the weight to your chest, and gently back down. Remember: lift slowly for strength, lift swiftly for size, alright? When you want to shift arms, I'll help guide it to your left, so we can work out that side as well, okay?"

I could hear her breath, ragged and passionate. I could feel her heat, her slight tremors. I could see her wriggling her fingers, looking to get a better grip, her neck going flush. She was really into this, wasn't she?

"Okay, go!"

She grunted slightly as we slowly moved the weight to her shoulder.

"One! You can do it, Jess!"

Her arm eased down until it hit her thigh, at which point I prompted her to lift again by picking it up ahead of her. She grunted again, this time with me and with more effort, until it touched her chest again.

"Ngh! Two! You can do it, girl! Come on! Show me how strong you are!"

Her body heat spiked at that comment, as she proceeded to drop the weight down, and before she could even let me relax her down, she bounced back toward her chest, grunting even louder, forcing me to support the weight even more as she shot it back up for-

"Hgggh THREE! Is that all you got, Jess? Remember last night?"

With that she gave a louder shout as her arm bounced down to her thigh and stopped, gasping.

"C-can't! Arm... too weak!"

I slipped my left arm from around her waist, and grabbing her left hand, guided it to the weight, as I helped her carry it over from one side to the next, and placed her right hand on her knee.

"C-come on, Jess! One more set! You can do it girl! Be my strength this time!"

Her head rolled back, and she begun to nuzzle my neck, nipping and kissing as she did.

"Your strength...," she huskily whispered. And with that, she began lifting again, gasping as it came to her chest.

"One-ngh..," I grunted, as I guided her arm back down to her thigh. I had to admit, I was pretty sure that the both of us were getting really turned on by this.

"I can't- I can't-"

"Yes, you can, Jess," I shouted, as I forced her to lift again. "Come on, girl! Show me what you got!"

She screamed as we lifted the weights again, which faded into a moan as we lowered it again.

"THAT'S TWO, JESSICA! COME ON! ONE MORE!"

With all her strength, Jessica shouted in pain and exertion as we quickly lifted the weights one more time, held it, and then proceeded to let it fall to the carpet as the two of us fall back onto the bed, totally spent. Jess was languid yet twitching, her breath heavy and deep.

"Is- Is this what it's- like for you?", she asked between lungfuls of air.

"N-not really. Most days- I just- relax!"

She rolled over on top of me to look me in the eyes, and lay her head on my chest.

"Almost better than Galctus!"

I couldn't help but hold her and laugh at her comment, which then led to her laughing. As our laughter quickly died down, we just stared into each other's eyes, and without fail, just held and kissed each other on the bed. I wasn't sure how long, but there was one thing that could break the romance in the air, and it gurgled loudly and with dire need, forcing me to break the kiss.

"Uh... I think Barbarian needs food badly."

Jess just bit her lip coyly, and stared down at me, also hungrily.

"Mmmm that's right! You haven't eaten in over a day, huh? Well, I did get a bunch of groceries that need to be put away-"

I held her tight, like I didn't want to let her go, as I rolled onto my side. Jess shimmied back and forth, until the two of us were cuddling on the bed.

"In a minute. Right now, I just want to hold you, right here, right now, okay?"

She placed her hand on mine, and pressed herself into me.

"Okay. Groceries can wait."


(More coming soon)

[NinjaStar]

Stop updating so quickly! You're making me look bad!

All kidding aside, nice work. Gauntlet reference for the win.

[JerusalemTulip]

Gets better and better.  I really like what you are doing here.  Not enough warmth and sentiment in stories nowadays, and this is a breath of fresh air compared to most.  I'll echo NinjaStar's appreciation of the characterization.  We haven't reached the "stuff" yet, but you've done a very good job of making the guy and his girl seem like real enjoyable people, and so I'm still eager to read all I can about them.  Great subtlety present here too. 

[Jeremy Lightning]

Great read, I really enjoy what I'm seeing so far, you have a great set-up in terms of pacing and the desire for her to get bigger, and seemingly he wants her to get bigger and stronger too, he is very encouraging of her lifting, telling her she can do it. I'm thinking that she will try to continue on her own and find that she has a thirst for it, and will soon be using more and more of his weights. I look forward to the moment that she becomes as strong as him, and then stronger. Will he still be encouraging and happy or will his ego be hurt and then his body will become hurt as sometimes happens in these stories... Anyway, I have really enjoyed this story and look forward to more! k+!

[GLKnight]

Stop updating so quickly! You're making me look bad!

NEEEEVVAAAARRRRRR!!!

Gets better and better.  I really like what you are doing here.  Not enough warmth and sentiment in stories nowadays, and this is a breath of fresh air compared to most.  I'll echo NinjaStar's appreciation of the characterization.  We haven't reached the "stuff" yet, but you've done a very good job of making the guy and his girl seem like real enjoyable people, and so I'm still eager to read all I can about them.  Great subtlety present here too. 

I actually wanted to write something more emotional and playing with the actual medium than most stories on here. Attempting something beyond what is normal in the scene is good for the fetish, imo. As for "the stuff", that's coming soon. I wanted to introduce the leads and get them established before anything else. But trust me, change is coming, physically for Jess and metaphorically for Gabe.

Great read, I really enjoy what I'm seeing so far, you have a great set-up in terms of pacing and the desire for her to get bigger, and seemingly he wants her to get bigger and stronger too, he is very encouraging of her lifting, telling her she can do it. I'm thinking that she will try to continue on her own and find that she has a thirst for it, and will soon be using more and more of his weights. I look forward to the moment that she becomes as strong as him, and then stronger. Will he still be encouraging and happy or will his ego be hurt and then his body will become hurt as sometimes happens in these stories... Anyway, I have really enjoyed this story and look forward to more! k+!

One thing I noticed in a lot of stories on here is that it's almost always about the individuals and what they want or can't have that matter most, and the idea of the relationship/companionship/partnership is always the first thing abandoned (even though that's the one thing literally almost all humans want the most). So I set out with that idea strictly in mind: what does a transformation like this actually entail, and how would a (somewhat) real, strong and loving relationship fare?

In terms of Jessica's growth, I will say this story isn't necessarily grounded in reality. Expect a catalyst in the next installment or two.

As for the "Will Gabriel encourage Jessica and be happy for her? Or will he let his wounded pride get in the way, setting him up for destruction?" I've got one thing to say about it: FIND OUT ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF DRAGON BALL Z!

[iome60]

I read your work with admiration and authentic pleasure: it is wonderfully written, it is deep in its characters and it is *meaningful*, and it is a story about good persons that live an adventure in their life together.
all this is WONDERFUL!

just like it happens with the works of NinjaStar, I find myself truly eager to read more: readers that like meaningful tales are starved, here, so please forgive the greediness in my tone of voice when I tell you: keep going, for you're doing great!!

[GLKnight]

I don't quite remember when I fell asleep. Could've been after I finally got something to eat (which was baked chicken and herb rice with some asparagus). Could've been after Jess kicked my ass at some fighting games to unwind. Could've been after we fucked for over an hour (which Jess was amazed I lasted that long, and more amazed I got her off before I did... somehow, don't remember when). I don't know, and I don't care. But I never felt so at peace before. Felt like I was sinking further and further into bliss.

Just sinking...

Sinking...

Sinking...

I opened my eyes and found myself in this incredibly dark void. Everywhere I looked, not a speck of light to be found. I panicked, started screaming for Jess, for someone, anyone. I ran everywhere I could, but couldn't find a damn thing whatsoever. I couldn't help it but I started crying. I felt so alone, so helpless. It felt like I would go mad any second.

But then, off in the distance, I noticed two dots. Two distinct little points off in the distance. And the longer I stared at them, the bigger the dots seemed to get. And the bigger they got, they brighter they shone. I couldn't stop staring as they swiftly ran at me. I knew I had to run, get out of the way, but I couldn't. They grew closer and closer, brighter and brighter. And when I couldn't take the pain of their light anymore, I just turned my head, fully expecting to be struck down by something like a car, or a truck, or even a flying saucer at this point, I don't really know.

But the lights receded, and eventually my sight returned. I didn't know what it was that stopped, but I had to see what was going on.

BE AT EASE, GABRIEL KEARNEY. WE MEAN YOU NO HARM.

The voice was kind and maternal, like every ounce of love the universe had was given its own way to tell us what it wanted to give. I turned to look at who was speaking to me, and was left agog. Two figures, gigantic and imposingly powerful stood before me, indistinct in features save what the surrounding glow they gave off could not hide. One masculine in form, powerful, and DEFINITELY male by what his outline revealed, She, on the other hand, was just as powerful as he was, and clearly female, giving off a sense of mystery and attraction. I have to admit, my eyes lingered a bit longer than they should have.

"Wh-who are you," I asked. "Gods? Aliens? Am I dead? Oh my God, I'm dead aren't I?! I don't want to leave Jess all alo-"

WE ARE THE UNION. WE COME TO YOU, GABRIEL, BECAUSE OF YOUR DAY OF BIRTH. YOU, WHO ARE ALREADY BLESSED BY OUR PRESENCE, HAVE ALLOWED US A WAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU, TO OFFER YOU GLAD TIDINGS AND OPPORTUNITY.

His voice was soft and reassuring, like a father speaking to his son. My mind was spinning. These two were making NO damn sense, whatsoever.

"Did I have a stroke? Oh my God, must have been an aneurysm! The fall made my brain-"

I felt my body rise up of its own accord, and I felt myself being pulled into the female entity, her arms wide open as I drifted right into her bosom, wrapping her arms around me and cooing. If breasts could offer up comfort (hell, they already do, it's why almost everyone loves them) and love (again, they already do), then this is what it would be like magnified on a biblical scale. I couldn't help myself, so I became quiet and relaxed, and let her do her thing.

BE STILL, LITTLE ONE. DO NOT WORRY. WE ONLY WISH TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHAT WE WISH TO OFFER SINCE YOUR ACCIDENT.

In a half daze, I craned my neck to look at her featureless face, with tendrils of energy like hair floating all around her.

"My accident? You mean when I fell?"

YES, LITTLE ONE. WHEN YOU HIT YOUR HEAD ALONGSIDE THE BASIN, YOU DAMAGED A SPECIFIC PART THAT CONTROLS MOTOR RESPONSES. WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW IS THAT THE VERY AREA THAT WAS EFFECTED WAS THE PART THE GREEKS BELIEVED HELPED CONTROL CERTAIN ASPECTS OF THE SOUL'S RELATION TO THE UNIVERSE, MOSTLY ITS REFLEX TO CONTROL WHAT COULD AND COULD NOT INFLUENCE IT.

"Okay, whoa whoa whoa! You mean that the Greeks were right in believing the soul resides in the brain? I'm not sure that's how-"

I felt Her pulling me out of her tits, as I slowly floated out and landed in the palm of Her hands.

YOUR ENTIRE BEING IS YOUR SOUL, NOT JUST YOUR HEAD. WHAT THE PATRIARCH IS SAYING IS THAT THE BRAIN, LIKE EVERY OTHER FUNCTION, CONTROLS WHAT YOUR SOUL RESPONDS TO, CREATING A REACTION MAKING YOUR EMOTIONS AND OTHER PERCEPTIONS.

I realized what they were saying, and looked at them both quizzically.

"Soooo what you're saying is that my brain controls what my soul responds to, and just like any nervous system response, it filters certain perceptions like-"

OUR ABILITY TO TALK TO YOU, ONE OF OUR CHOSEN.

I couldn't take this sitting down. I had to stand up to talk to them about this.

"So, when I got hurt, it was in such a specific way that you could-"

FINALLY CONTACT YOU, ONE OF OUR CHOSEN.

"For the explicit purposes of telling me-"

OF OUR GLAD TIDINGS ON YOUR BELATED BIRTHDAY, AND TELL YOU OF THE OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGES OF THIS COMING YEAR.

Ah, so these (what I guessed were) nigh-Cosmic entities only wanted to wish me a happy birthday and speak to me. Specifically about -

"WAIT! Opportunity and challenges?! WHAT OPPORTUNITY AND CHALLENGES?!"

I could hear Her laughing musical notes of kindness and love, as He just shook His head.

THE ONE WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS ENTIRE TIME. IT IS YOUR YEAR OF EMPOWERMENT AND MAKING.

IF YOU WISH TO UNDERGO THESE CHALLENGES, THEN BOTH YOU AND OUR CHOSEN DAUGHTER SHALL BE GREATLY REWARDED, BUT NOT WITHOUT EFFORT OR COST.

"Rewards? Costs? What are you talking about?"

KNOW, NOW, THAT THIS COMING YEAR WILL TEST YOUR UNION. SUCCEED AND YOU SHALL GARNER MORE THAN YOU THOUGHT YOU DESERVED. FAIL, AND YOU SHALL BE LEFT BARREN AND ALONE.

WE CANNOT TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE, GABRIEL KEARNEY. BUT WE CAN TELL YOU THAT FOR ONE YEAR, THEY SHALL LAST, AND TEST THE BOTH OF YOU, AS BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND AS EQUALS. DO YOU ACCEPT OUR CHALLENGES?

"I- I'm not sure? I mean, I think Jess would need to be brought in for this to-"

HER MATTERS ARE ALREADY DECIDED. IT IS YOURS THAT MATTERS NOW. DO YOU ACCEPT OUR CHALLENGES?

"I mean, I accept them, but just as long as Jess is okay with them as we-"

IT IS DECIDED. THE TERMS ARE AGREED. IT IS DECIDED. THE TERMS ARE AGREED.

She pulled her hands away from beneath me, and I began to fall.

"NO! WAIT!"

FAREWELL, AND ENJOY OUR GIFTS, CHOSEN OF THE MATRIARCH!

"I DIDN'T AGREE TO THIS!"

FAREWELL, AND PREPARE! FOR THE FIRST CHALLENGE BEGINS NOW!

"I DIDN'T AGREE!"

THE UNION HAS SPOKEN!

__________________________________________________________________________

I shot up out of bed in a panic, sweating and breathing hard. I ran my hands through my hair, and climbed out of bed, making my way to the bathroom. I had to get my thoughts straight. I let the water run, and splashed it on my face. I just didn't feel right at all. Was that a dream? Did it really happen? I wasn't sure at all. A lifetime of an obsession with pop culture, and when the concepts stare at you in the face, you'll always be left stupefied, I guess. I had to discern what was real, and what wasn't. And looking at the sink, I saw something that was real: the blood from when I slammed my dome, and bruised my head meats. If it wasn't for Jessica, I'm pretty sure I'd be in worse shape.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of clanging pans and utensils from the kitchen. Guess that's where she went when she woke up.

As I walked in there to figure out what she was doing, I noticed 4 things.

First thing was that in front of her was a large selection of food, from eggs to toast, hamsteak to veggies. She's not a timid eater, usually, by any means, but this was far more than she usually made for either one of us. And the way she was going to town, you'd be half pressed to say she was ravenous.

The second thing was that she was in her workout clothes, and she was still gleaming from what seemed to be sweat, most likely from her working out.

The third thing I noticed was how much pain is caused when your toe comes into contact with any and all forms of exercise items made out of metal.

The fourth thing is what happens when a man who has barely been able to walk tries to hop around on one foot after stubbing his toes on a thoughtlessly misplaced freeweight, and how fast he can fall down because he's been an unlucky idiot the last couple of days.

To be fair, Jess knew how much of a klutz I could be, so she knew I'd be fine as long as there wasn't a sink around me, I guess, as she laughed at my pratfall without dropping her fork.

"Sowwy. Mah bahd," she said between whatever number of bites of food she stuffed in her mouth at the same time.

I just shot her a look as I got up, and proceeded to sit down next to her.

"You're up super early."

"Early? Gabe, it's almost 1 PM. I thought you'd be up sooner."

I winced at what she said. I normally get up at about 8 AM, which meant I slept about 12 hours.

"Uhhhhh... Brain stuff?"

She smirked, and pushed a short stack of waffles my way.

"Yeah, let's go with that one, big man!"

As she resumed eating, and  I reached for the butter, I noticed she seemed more... energized, I think.

"So, you uh... you started working out, huh?"

Her eyes got big, as she choked a mouthful down.

"Yeah! Weirdest thing! When I woke up, I just had so much energy! Like I was THRUMMING or something!"

She poured me some Cran-apple juice as I spread some butter on a waffle.

"So,when you... when you went to bed, did you have any dreams? Like, say, two giant... glowing... giant exaggerated people telling you about a challenge or something?"

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"No! God, that would be so weird! Wonder what my sis would say about that?"

"Maybe that she needs to stop overanalyzing everything for $300 a second of what she calls therapy, and others call nap time?"

As I took a bite, she waved me off while cutting her hamsteak.

"You know that's not true. It's $500 a second! Still, rather odd, if you ask me..."

"So, what DID you dream about," I asked.

"Well, don't laugh," she began. "But I saw you and me, off on a distant island, all alone. There you were, all studly like I like you, and there I was, in this... tiny little number. All of a sudden, there was this man's voice, reassuring but so very powerful, telling me to choose something. And at my feet lay several items: a baby bottle, this really slinky piece of lingerie that wouldn't fit me at all (like, bra cups so big you wouldn't be able to see your feet big), and then I noticed these little bracers, with bull markings, and these really bad ass looking ladies. And as soon as I saw them, you picked them up and proceeded to put them on me."

As she was telling me all this, she seemed... distracted. Like was losing herself to it. It was weird and rather perturbing, to be honest.

"And then what?", I prodded.

"And then," she said, lifting her eyebrows as she closed her eyes. "Then you grabbed my hand, and started leading me to this little house further down the beach. But no matter how much you guided me, it stayed the same distance. But as we walked, I noticed my clothes getting tighter and tighter. I look down, and notice my body is so much bigger than it once was. Just throbbing and pulsing and twitching, seemingly growing thicker and stronger with each step."

She shuddered as my right hand started to tremor slightly. Something about this was frightening, but for some reason, also turning me on like it was her.

"And as I look around, I notice that my view was changing slowly as well. As we walk, I look at you, I notice I'm not looking up at you quite as much, wondering if you're shrinking. But when I finally realize I can look you in the eye, it's not you shrinking! It's me growing taller. And when I look ahead again, I see just how close the house is again, and I notice just how heavy my footsteps are, and how much momentum I generate with my massive limbs, and how I can slowly tell I'm creeping past your height, but you have this look of absolute joy. I feel the tightness of my outfit slowly give way as my body forces it to tear. A walking titan of strength and power, feminine but without the restraints of modern femininity. And the love I felt between the two of us, how you loved me for me. And as we finally reach the door, my body goes through one more growth spurt, tearing free of what others would deem sexy, into a monstrous behemoth of beauty and power, as my giant hand grabs your shirt, and I drag you into the hut for some alone time."

My body was betraying me. Never in my life would I ever consider that fantasy that some would consider a nightmare. But the way she looked, way she felt, and just how much she got into it, I was along for the ride.

"Wow, that was... WOW."

She took a sip of her juice, and settled her nerves.

"Well, you asked."

For the next minute or two, we sat in silence and ate. Finally, I took the initiative.

"So, uh... if you're finished, Jess, you should probably shower, and help me get this place ready for later."

She promptly stood okay, and grabbed her plate, intending to take it to the sink. But I just put my hand on it.

"Nah, it's okay. You hop in the shower. I'll clean up after I eat."

Jess looked at me with that feeling of intense love she usually gave me, and gave me one of her nips again. Thankfully, it didn't sting as much.

A quick "Thanks, dude!", and she skipped into the bathroom. When I heard the door close, I sighed deeply, and just let what Jess told me sink in, processing it along with what the two glowy figures told me while I slept.

If this was what they meant, then I wasn't too sure if this was what I really wanted, or what they wanted for me. Either way, I knew I seemed to be a factor, when I felt I should've been more involved. I felt more of a spectator than a participant, and I didn't like the feeling. Especially when they were doing things to Jess.

[Jeremy Lightning]

If there's going to be significant height growth like that described in Jess' vision then I'm sorry, I'm out. So many growth stories rely on that for some reason that I can't really explain, and it appears that this will be another one of them. I don't mean to sound so negative, but this story had so much potential to be incredibly exciting, the story telling was done in such a different, novel way, and I found it refreshing. But if that's where it's leading, where Jess becomes an Amazonian Giantess, well... I guess I won't throw the baby out with the bath water as the phrase goes, but my enthusiasm would be lessened. I will keep up with the story, of course, because I feel it still has incredible potential to be great, and hope to see Jess become very strong and muscular, but the height growth thing, never been a favorite of mine. But, maybe I'm just reading into things that may not be there, I guess we'll see, I look forward to more, and hope that I'm wrong. K+!

[NinjaStar]

Thanks for the shout out iome60. You're one of my favorite people on this forum.

Yknow most people invent time travel when they smack their heads on the sink in the bathroom, not contact eldritch beings. That was unexpected. I'm interested in what the tests and challenges Mr and Mrs Seraphim have in store.

I don't get into massive giantesses either. I enjoy taller women and shorter men, but anything over 8' doesn't interest me. I can deal if the woman is still realistically human sized, but giantesses ain't my thing. I'm not so hardline that I'm going to stop reading this because I'm convinced this is shaping up to be a top 3 story ever written, period, but the dream seemed metaphorical rather than literal with Jess growing so large to take up the role of protector and to display the strength necessary to carry Gabriel to safety and the reassurance that Gabriel will love her no matter what test and challenges will be put in their way.