Gym Buddies (Patreon)

My gym buddy is straight.  Single.  A little overweight, but not as much as he thinks.

It’s been a decade since he texted me — “Hey, you work out, right?  I need to figure out how… could I come with you?”  Of course I said yes.

I’m no expert, but women swoon over my biceps.  If I was still in college, I’d be getting laid all the time.  If I was straight, I’d be slaying the MILF market.

Most of my coworkers don’t know I’m gay.  I’m not one of those gay guys that make it their whole personality.

I’m one of the good ones.

----------

Tanner and I go to the Y near my office.  Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just like everyone else.  Other than the occasional family vacation, we never miss a session.

I was distracted on Wednesday though, because I’d just gotten The Power.

You know how it goes — one day you’re another schmuck going through the motions.  Coffee for breakfast, a commute that eats half your free time, a boss who hates your guts.  Then the fae folk knock on your door and you feel that blast of purple energy.  When you finally wake up, it’s like you won the lottery.

You’ve got The Power.

I promised I’d be good.  Everyone does.  But things get out of hand.

Something like one in ten million people get The Power, so there should be about 800 people worldwide.  We could be an elite fraternity and solve the world’s hardest problems, but that’s not what happens.

You see it on the news.  Most of us get trapped in bad wishes.  Most of us last an hour.

Obviously I’m more cautious than average.  I had The Power for almost six hours, and I hadn’t made a single wish.  This was a ‘be careful what you wish for’ situation.  Maybe I should avoid using it, but I could feel it eating at me… The Power needs to be used.

“Hey…” I asked Tanner, as he grunted on the lat pulldown.  “You know The Power, right?  Like that magic thing where —"

“Yeah dude,” he laughed.  “Everyone knows The Power.”

“Sure…” I chewed my lip.  “If you like… if you had it…”

“Yeah?” he stared me down.  “What’s up?”

“Just… what would you wish for?” I asked.  “I mean, it feels like a no-win thing, right?”

“Nah, I’d do just fine,” he said without thinking.  “You saw the guy on the news last month?  Wished himself a mansion and riches and chicks and stuff, right?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.  I’d spent the day reading Wikipedia articles.  “He screwed up a wish, and now he’s a solid gold statue.  I saw a picture — the government turned his mansion into a public park, and he’s right there in the middle of the fountain.”

“Midas screwed up,” Tanner shrugged.  “If I got it, I’d think things through.”

“But what would you wish for first?”

“I dunno,” he shrugged.  “Probably lose the belly.”

------------

I picked something small and inanimate and inconsequential.  An old t-shirt that I should have given to charity years ago.

I laid the shirt flat on my bed and stared hard.  It used to be one of my favourites, but my ex shrunk it in the wash and now it was too tight to wear.  “It still looks good on you!” he’d insisted.  “So what if it rides up… you’ve got abs!”

We broke up a week later.  He kept trying to turn me into something I’m not.  Pride parades and circuit parties and Drag Race marathons.  It just wasn’t me.

I like the way my t-shirts fit.  I like the way my life fits.

“I wish this t-shirt fit me the way it used to,” I said, trying out The Power for the first time.  The t-shirt stayed there, shrunken and rumpled.  Goddamn it… I’d almost… wait.

It was shifting on the bed.  Moving itself a quarter inch at a time, smoothing out the wrinkles and struggling against its weave.  I watched in rapt fascination — it looked like a cheap special effect, made manifest in my bedroom.

“Huh…” I grinned, holding up the tee.  “I guess it works!”

—————————

After the t-shirt, I figured I had a grip on things.  The Power hadn’t twisted my wish.  It hadn’t made the shirt the size of a circus tent.  It hadn’t shrunk me down to fit the shirt.  And most importantly, it didn’t try to screw with me, making me think I’d wanted tight t-shirts all along.

I couldn’t believe how straightforward it was.

My first thought was to start making wishes for my life.  A better paying job, a fancier car, a bigger house… but I thought better of it.  The Power was magic.  It was better to wade in slowly.

So no wishes to make my life better.  But my gym buddy… I could get rid of his belly.  Find him a girlfriend.  Maybe even get him some self-confidence.

“I wish Tanner would get his perfect life,” I said, activating The Power and watching the room glow with energy.  “That’s my gym buddy Tanner… only him, this wish doesn’t apply to any other Tanner.”

The Power did its thing.  I felt it.

----------

I resisted the urge to drive to Tanner’s place.  Who knew how my wish had manifested itself?  ‘Perfect life' could mean a lot of things — maybe Tanner was suddenly a buff stud with a thousand women lined up for his dick, or maybe he got a new Xbox and three free games.

It could be anything.

I wondered if he could feel the changes.  The t-shirt took a few minutes, and a life is so much more complex.  Whatever the wish did for him, it was probably going to take time.

Still… it couldn’t hurt to check in.

“Hey buddy,” I texted.  “My back’s super sore after those pulldowns.  How you feeling?”

Easy.  Casual.  Not obvious that I zapped him with The Power.

“All good here,” Tanner texted back.  “You doing anything tonight?  I’m gonna watch the Chernobyl documentary again.  Super spooky stuff.”

I’m always busy.  I always say no to this stuff.  When you get right down to it, I’m a lousy friend.

“We can do some edibles and order takeout,” he texted after a minute of no response.  “But I get it if you’re busy.”

Still, I appreciate that he keeps asking.

“Let’s do it,” I texted.  “I’ll eat whatever.  Be there in a half-hour.”

----------

I held my breath while he answered, not sure what I was going to see.  Too bad for me, everything looked normal.

“Hey Brad,” he grinned, ushering me inside.  “I ordered a couple pizzas.  And I kinda broke into the weed stash already… I got gummies, capsules, or… you like the drinks, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, accepting a THC lemonade and cracking it open.  “Thanks man.”

“For sure,” he said.  “Grab a chair, I’ll throw on the show.  You haven’t seen this, right?”

“Nope,” I shook my head.  “I know, you’ve recommended it a thousand times.”

“No worries,” he said.  “You get to watch it for the first time!  Thanks for coming over.”

We got about ten minutes into the documentary before the doorbell rang for pizza.  I have to admit, I wasn’t really watching.   I was more interested in keeping an eye on Tanner.

Anything might be the start of a big change.  Did he always wear gym shorts and a tee at home?  I honestly didn’t know.  And ordering two XL pizzas?  Maybe he needed the calories to build more muscle?  Or maybe he just wanted leftovers…

Eventually the weed kicked in and I zoned out a little.  Sure, I was darting glances over at Tanner, but I was also staring at the TV and shovelling in pizza.  Tanner only had two slices, so I took four to make a dent.

“You want more pizza?” I asked, slurping down the last of my drink.

“Go ahead,” he offered.  “I’m stuffed.”

Okay, that was weird — Tanner usually ate a whole pizza himself.  But it’s not like… The Power weird.  Maybe he was snacking before I got there?

He insisted on giving me the extra box.  I politely declined, he politely insisted, eventually I took it home.  Nothing weird there.

Maybe I didn’t wish hard enough.

----------

Tanner was skinny the next time I saw him.

Not disturbingly so, but if you tried to pinch his stomach, you’d come up with a handful of air.  He strutted into the gym with the confidence you normally find in bodybuilders, and even then…

“Hey bro,” he said, rushing over to where I was stretching.  “You won’t believe this.”

“I mean… I can see it!” I grinned.  “What happened?!”

“I finally got control of my appetite!” he said excitedly.  “Remember the other night?  I told myself just two slices of pizza, and I stuck to it!  I didn’t finish the pizza after you left — not even the next morning!  It’s in the compost… I just had a coffee in the morning, and some fruit for lunch!”

“And you lost how much?” I asked, trying to hide my grin.

“Like sixty pounds!” he grinned.  “I didn’t even know that was possible!”

“It must be,” I shrugged.  “After all, you did it dude!”

“I don’t get it,” he shook his head.  “It’s like… I don’t even really feel hungry.  But I went to my doctor and he said there’s nothing wrong with me.  No tumours or diseases.  My blood sugar isn’t even out of whack!  It’s like my body just decided!”

“Well, congratulations,” I said.  “You earned it.”

He didn’t earn it, and I knew exactly how it was possible.  The Power must have interpreted my wish through the lens of Tanner’s self-image.  He hated the weight he was carrying, and so my wish to make him perfect had left him with a low appetite and instant liposuction.

And look, I don’t give a fuck how you feel about weight.  Some guys love a dude with love handles.  For a lot of guys it’s the bigger the better.  But Tanner wasn’t one of those guys.

It felt good to make him happy.

----------

After our workout I wanted to go for tacos, but Tanner insisted we get something with protein.  I ended up at some random wing night, scarfing down two pounds of salt-and-pepper chicken wings.

“I’ll just take a pound,” Tanner told the server.  “Honey Mustard please.”

“You sure?” I asked.  A guy had to eat big in order to get big.  “It’s great you lost the weight, but if you want to put on some muscle, you’re going to need more calories.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged.  “But that’s your body.  My calories go straight to my gut.”

I sighed.

On one hand, I wanted to tell him exactly what I’d done.  I’d used The Power for good, there hadn’t been any terrible side effects, and I was pretty sure he’d never gain an ounce of fat again.

On the other hand, I didn’t need anyone pressuring me to use The Power.  I was like a lottery winner — the more people who knew who I was, the worse it would go for me.  Better to keep Tanner in the dark and let him believe his story.

“You wanna finish these?” he asked, shoving a half-full basket of wings at me.

----------

The next day, Tanner showed up on my Instagram feed.  I don’t follow him, but the algorithm decided that I needed to see.

My friend wasn’t just skinny — without his extra fat, I realized he was actually carrying a decent amount of muscle.  He didn’t look like a bodybuilder or anything, but he was definitely in twunk territory.  And given his new choice in gym clothes, it was obvious.

Oh yeah, the new gym clothes.  Tanner used to show up in grey cargo pants and a baggy black t-shirt.  But in his Instagram feed, he was flexing near the barbell rack, his tight frame wrapped in a bright orange tank and grey sweats.

Grey sweats — you could see his cock print!  And when had he even taken that picture?  Fucker was doing Saturdays at the gym without telling me!

And from the looks of it, he was getting a good pump.

“Hey dude,” I texted him, along with a screenshot of the post.  “Rocking a new look, huh?”

“Thanks!” he said, even though I hadn’t complimented him.  “Honestly, if I tell you what’s going on, you’ll think I’m crazy.”

“Try me,” I texted.

My phone rang.  I guess he didn’t want to write this next part down.

“Hey,” he said.  I swear I could hear his smile.  “Okay, so… I woke up this morning and all my clothes are like… different.”

“Different?”

“You know dude… like the post…”

“I’m not following,” I said.  “You bought new clothes?”

“No,” he said, exasperation showing up easily over the phone line.  “I went to bed with my closet full of baggy jeans and tees, but when I woke up this morning… it’s all bright and tight and showy.”

Oh shit.  Maybe there were some unintended side effects to my wish.

“Showy?” I asked, trying not to sound concerned.

“You know…” he sighed.  “Like… no sleeves, basically.  And I have one pair of jeans that like… barely fit my ass.  Everything else is all sweats and shorts and there’s one thing that might be… um…”

“C’mon bro,” I encouraged.  “If you can’t tell me…”

“Yeah, okay,” he sighed.  “It’s like a kilt or something.”

“Wow,” I laughed.  “Not exactly your style, huh?”

“No, that’s the thing,” he chuckled.  “As soon as I saw it, I was like… yeah, this is so totally me.  It just feels right.  I tried on the tights, cause I figured at least it’ll cover me up, and I just… I look so good.  When I put it on, I was like… I gotta go somewhere.  In public.  And the only place I really wanted to hit was the gym!”

“You shoulda called me,” I joked.

“What, like… hey dude, someone stole all my clothes, but the replacements are sick so… let’s get a pump?  Sorry, it just felt too weird.”

“Nothing’s too weird,” I said.  “I’m here for you bro.”

————————

When we met up for the gym on Monday, Tanner’s style had changed again.  His pics from Saturday — which I looked at no more than a hundred times — showed him dressed as a confident gym bro.  By Monday, he’d slid all the way towards a gym slut.

A neon green compression tank.  Charcoal leggings that showed off his semi.  Tanner was finally happy with his body, and he wanted to show it off.

“Where’d you get that?” I joked.  “The gay store?”

“Fuck off,” he punched me on the shoulder.  “It just… showed up.  I swear, I packed sweats this morning, but this shit was in my bag.”

I just stared and shook my head.

“Feels good though,” Tanner added.  “I mean… it’s tight, but it feels good on my muscles, y’know?”

“Looks good on them too,” I muttered.

“Where’d you get that compliment bro?” Tanner saw his opportunity.  “The gay store?”

I shot him a look and moved over to the squat rack.  Fuck it.  We lifted for about an hour before heading back to the change room.

“You freaked out by this?” I asked, watching as he peeled off the compression tank.  He had a six pack under there, and his pecs had just enough meat to show through a shirt.  Especially his shirt.

“I dunno man,” Tanner shrugged.  “I mean, it’s just clothes?  And they feel pretty good.  Maybe I needed a change.  I feel like… the universe is looking out for me.”

He pulled off his tights and revealed a fashionable jockstrap underneath.  His dick was still semi-hard, and the black and green pouch was barely holding it back.

“Oh wow,” I said, staring at the twin straps over his ass.  “You used to be a boxers guy, right?”

“People change,” he said as he stepped out of the jock.  “I guess I’m not embarrassed anymore.”

“Embarrassed?”

“Yeah dude,” Tanner said, taking his sweet time to wrap a towel around his waist.  “Like, before… everyone was always staring and thinking I was a fat ass.  Now they’re staring and thinking how hot I look, get it?”

“You do look pretty hot,” I had to admit.

“Careful bro,” he laughed.  “You keep saying shit like that, you’re gonna blow your cover.”

He gave me a flirty little wink and walked his ass to the showers.

I stared as he went.  It’s not like Tanner was the hairiest guy ever, but I swear he got his back waxed or something.  Fuck, he looked so goddamn yummy.

Not like I’d hook up with him.  Sure, most gay dudes would try and hook up with their suddenly hot friend, but I’m not that guy.

Besides, I did this to him.

—————

“Bro… wanna get high and watch more Chernobyl?” Tanner texted me.

I hadn’t seen him since we left the gym, and right now twenty-four hours was too long without laying eyes on Tanner.  The way his clothes were changing… by now he was probably dressed in leather and spandex.

“Sounds good,” I texted back.  “Can I bring stuff?”

“Nah,” he texted.  “I already ordered food.  Got plenty, I know you got that appetite.”

I took a few minutes to get ready, then grabbed a bus in Tanner’s direction.  I’ve been pretty preoccupied with him since I figured out the wish wasn’t really done.  What had I wished for anyway?  I wanted him to have his perfect life, right?

So did that mean Tanner always wanted to be the show-off in the gym?  Did he secretly wish he could wear tights around town?  I knew he wanted to lose the weight, but this clothing stuff didn’t really feel like him.

I wondered what I’d find when he opened the door.

“Hey bro,” he grinned, waving me inside.  I let out a sigh of relief.  If he owned a leather bodysuit, he’d left it in the closet.  The latest iteration of Tanner was relaxing in a pair of ass-hugging jeans and a cropped tank.  His bulge was basically pornographic.

“Heeeeeey,” he said, scratching his abs and lifting up the red fabric of his shirt.  My eyes travelled away from his bulge, up his defined torso, and landed on his face.  Oh god… Tanner’s messy brown hair was gone, replaced by a bottle blond fade.

“Whoa,” I said, blinking at him.  “That’s quite the colour.  You dyed it today?”

“Nah,” he laughed easily.  “Woke up with it.  No roots either, so… maybe I’m blond now?  Super cool it doesn’t look natural, right?  Really draws the attention…”

As he spoke, I stared at his lips.  They were big and puffy, like he’d had work done on them.

“What?” he asked, breaking my trance.

“Dude, your lips,” I stammered.  “They’re… uh… different.”

“Oh my god, I know,” he said, giving them a pout.  “But it kinda goes with the hair, right?”

“Dude…” I said slowly.  “You look totally gay.”

“Yeah, well… I’m straight,” Tanner pouted back at me.  “God… you wanna get in my pants so bad, don’tcha?  A straight guy can have blond hair, don’t be such a stereotype!”

“It’s not just the hair!” I protested.  “Dude… the crop top, the dick print, the DSLs… you seriously don’t see it?”

“Uh… DSLs?” he asked, staring at me with a vacant look.

“Dick sucking lips,” I educated him.  “It’s what you’ve got!”

“I don’t get it bro…” Tanner said with confusion.  “You want me to suck your dick?”

“No!” I almost shouted.  “No… dude… it just looks…”

He drew the tip of his tongue across his upper lip, staring me straight in the eye.  Fuck… it was such an obviously flirty move.  But Tanner was straight!  And I wasn’t gonna beg a buddy to suck my dick.

We watched the show, but the whole time Tanner was glancing over at me.

I promised myself a Grindr hookup.

----------

I was scrolling the grid when Tanner showed up.  He used a face pic.

When I tapped on his profile, I saw he’d uploaded a few more pics.  The classic torso shot, a pic he must have taken today at the gym, and of course one of his dripping cock.

“Bi-curious,” his profile read.  “Never been with a dude, but I can’t stop thinking about sucking pole.  Hit me up, I want my lips around your shaft…”

I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.  Tanner was straight.  Tanner had always been straight.  At least… that’s what he’d always said?  And now my wish was dragging him out of the closet, I guess.  I always thought Tanner needed a girl, but he actually wanted a guy?

A notification went off.  Oh shit… he must have been watching his profile.  I don’t have a face pic or anything, and I don’t put my name on there, but… he’d seen me half-naked a thousand times in the locker room.  He must recognize my pics.

“heeeeeeey!!” he texted.  “bi curious bro looking 2 suck ur cock!!”

Or maybe he was texting everyone on the grid.  Five minutes later he went offline.  Probably in an Uber on his way to deepthroat his first dick.

I pictured my twunky gym bro, down on his knees in front of some daddy with a thick cock, cum spilling down his chin…

It was impossible how much he’d changed.  Maybe I was lucky I hadn't tried The Power on myself yet.  It didn’t just take care of your wish on the surface level, it went deep and brought forward every hidden desire.  And it made you fucking love it.

And don’t get me wrong, I was happy for Tanner.  The closet sucks, and if he’d been gay all this time, then yeah… great, he got to come out.

But he was doing that thing that newly out gay guys do, buying entirely into the culture.  He was acting like if he wasn’t all slutty and sexy, then he wasn’t really gay, which is obvious bullshit.

I scrolled until I found someone I knew.  Masc for masc, that’s my type.

“Come over,” he replied.

I called the Uber.

----------

I paced around my apartment, trying to figure out a text.

“Hey…” I tried.  “Good episode last night.  You go straight to bed after?”

I deleted that without sending it.  Way too obvious.

“Hey…” I tried again.  “Last night was fun.  You get up to any trouble?”

Oh god, that was like I was begging for details.  That’s not me.  I’m not the town gossip.

But I had to know… did he actually go through with it?  Was… was my ‘straight’ buddy a cocksucker too?  How do you even ask that while respecting someone’s boundaries?

“Hey…” I tried starting the message again.  “Dope time last night, but—“

Thank god he texted me first.

“Bro, we gotta talk ASAP!!!!” he wrote.  A few seconds later another message followed.  “I got on Grindr and sucked like… three cocks last night!!!  911!!!  GOTTA DEBRIEF!!!”

Okay… I guess Tanner’s perfect life didn’t include boundaries.

“I’m at work,” I texted back.

“Your wfh!!!” he texted.  “book a fake meeting and meet me 4 lattes!! i’m downstairs in ur cafe!”

“I can’t,” I insisted.

“i already ordered!!!” he countered.

I texted my manager that I’d take an early lunch, then headed down to the coffee shop.

----------

Tanner was vibrating when I got there.  He’d grabbed a table right in the middle of the cafe, as far from discreet as you could get.  The hot little blond was practically incandescent in his highlighter yellow crop top and his white daisy dukes.

“Brad!” he shouted and waved, even though he was impossible to miss.  “Over here!”

“Dude, chill out,” I hissed as I sat across from him.  “What’s so urgent?”

“Oh my god, like… can’t you read?” he laughed.  “I sucked three whole cocks last night!  You were right, these are totally dick sucking lips!”

I gave him a close look.  The changes were still happening.  Tanner’s eyes were now a deep blue that made me feel like I was going to fall in.  His face had gotten more symmetrical, a mole had been erased, and I swear he had a fresh spray tan.

“Dude… lower your voice,” I hissed.  “The whole room is gonna hear.”

“Oh babe,” he laughed.  “I already told like… everyone!”

“It’s true,” the barista called over.  “But yeah, dude… can you quiet it down?  Not slut shaming or anything, just… some people are trying to hold their own conversations.”

“Oh my god,” Tanner stage whispered at me.  “That’s like… such a hate crime.”

At least he lowered his voice.

“So, uh… how’d it feel?” I asked quietly.  “All the cocksucking, I mean.”

“Babe, it’s so good,” he purred.  “Like, I was nervous, right?  But I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said, about my lips being so perfect for sucking dick, y’know?  I wanted yours, but… I know you’re all repressed and everything, so I went on Google and… do you know about Grindr?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled.  “I’ve been on it once or twice.”

“I was on it like… all night,” Tanner bragged.  “The first guy was this total bear, like… all big and furry like I used to be, but that can be hot, right?  He was so sweet, and like… totally understood it was my first dick, so… his name’s Leo and he coached me through it and I swallowed his whole load!”

“Congrats, I guess?” I said.  “I mean, as long as you’re happy.”

“More than happy,” Tanner gushed.  “It was hot and salty and tasted so yummy and… babe, it was like it hit my throat and my whole brain just shut down.  For like… an hour or something, like… I couldn’t even think.  Leo says he blew my brains out!  And yeah, like… I got better or whatever, but it felt so good!”

“The way you’re talking,” I teased.  “You may not have fully recovered.”

“For sure,” Tanner agreed eagerly.  “Cause after Leo’s, I went over to Josh’s place and he fucked my throat like… really good too!  You know Josh, right?”

“Uh…”

“He’s that totally hot bodybuilder at our gym!” Tanner informed me.  “The one who’s always dropping the deadlift bar, but like… his cock is so yummy.  And his boyfriend watched!  I offered to suck him off too, but he said he needed to save his load for Josh, which… that’s like… so sweet!”

“Oh,” I said.  “Yeah, that guy.  Didn’t know he was gay.”

“Yeah, like… his cock is so yummy…” Tanner said with a dazed look.  “Did I say that already?”

“Yeah,” I shrugged.  “Who was the third guy?”

“Oh, I didn’t get his name,” Tanner giggled.  “I was walking home from Josh’s place and like… he was smoking a joint behind a bar.  I think he’s straight, but… I begged.”

Tanner took a sip of his latte and left a little bit of foam on his lips.  Without breaking eye contact, he stuck out his tongue and slowly licked it clean.

Bro looked so proud.

----------

I tried to focus on work that afternoon, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Tanner on his knees in some alley.  My dude was definitely more than bi-curious.

But this had to be it, right?  He couldn’t possibly have any more changes coming.

“Hey, you wanna hit the gym early?” Tanner texted around three.  “I gotta get my pump on!”

“Yeah, sure,” I texted back immediately.  It wasn’t like I was working anyway.  I grabbed my gym bag and headed outside.

“Hey babe,” he giggled when he saw me enter the locker room.  He was standing there in just his jockstrap, staring at his phone, like he forgot he was halfway through changing.

I looked around and made sure we were alone.

“Hey slut,” I smirked.  “You ready to get big out there.”

I pulled off my shirt and shoved it in my locker.  Tanner stood there and stared, letting his eyes roam over my furry pecs.  I noticed he was shaved clean now, so… I guess the changes hadn’t stopped completely.  C’mon Tanner, how much gayer do you need to get?

When I tugged off my jeans, he shifted his gaze to my cock.  Yeah, I was half-hard, despite a lifetime of teaching myself to avoid locker room boners.

“Nice cock…” he moaned.  “I could suck you off first?”

“Nice try,” I chuckled, pulling on a baggy pair of basketball shorts.  “I’m not one of your hookups bro.  And hey… let’s try and keep the sex talk out of the gym, okay?”

I pulled on my workout tee and locked my locker.

“You’re no fun,” he pouted, making sure I got a look at those fat lips.

“I’ll meet you in the stretching area,” I sighed.

----------

“Dude, let’s start with squats,” Tanner said excitedly.  I couldn’t help but chuckle — the dude hated squats with a passion, but maybe that was all internalized homophobia.  Now that he could be himself, I bet he wanted a big juicy peach.

“Sure,” I said.  “I can always use more squats.”

“Yeah, but don’t downplay that dumptruck,” Tanner teased.

“Hey…” I warned.

“Sorry brah,” he winked at me and put on a stupidly low voice.  “Forgot… we’re like… pretending like we’re straight bros.”

“It’s not…” I stopped.  It’s not like that, I wanted to say.  I’m not pretending to be straight.  I’m gay — that’s an absolute fact.  I just… I don’t need to broadcast it.

“It’s not?” he sneered at me.  “Bro, you dress like you’re going undercover.  You shush me whenever I mention gay stuff.  You keep looking at my hair like it’s gonna get you too.”

“I just don’t need to tell everyone,” I snapped.

“Yeah, sure,” Tanner snorted.  “For real, if I didn’t know you since college, would I even know?”

“Just lift the weights,” I growled.  “And stop acting like a fag.”

Tanner gave me a big roll of the eyes.  Like he could say anything — the dude practically screamed “LOOK AT ME”, between the hair and the clothes and the constant comments about sucking cock.

It’s like yeah, we all wanna be that guy, but we keep it to ourselves!

We loaded up the bar silently and he moved under it.  Tanner was lifting 135, which isn’t awful, but it’s not even his bodyweight of 150.  He needed to be a real man, y’know?  Lift heavy, get big, show the world that gay guys aren’t weak.

Tanner lifted the bar off the rack and dipped down until his ass just about touched the floor.  He  pushed back up, but instead of his usual little grunt, the bro let out a massive growl.  I moved fast, worried he was going to lose control.

I was pissed at him, but I’m a good spotter.

“DON’T,” he shouted as I tried to help him with the weight.  “I GOT IT!”

His body shook as he forced the bar towards the sky.  I didn’t understand — I’d seen Tanner do this weight a hundred times.  Literally.  The guy sucked at progressive overload.

But this time something was happening.  He got about halfway up and his ass gave one massive twitch and just… blew up.  Maybe ten pounds of muscle popped into existence, leaving him with fuller glutes and a little more on his quads.

He racked the bar and dropped down to his knees.  He was panting.

“Bro… you okay?” I said worried.

“Let’s do it again.”

We stayed at the gym until they kicked us out.  By the time we left, Tanner was a massive bodybuilder.  Two hundred and eighty minimum.  And he was lifting like a beast — his last set of squats topped out at 525.

Of course his clothes didn’t change. Lucky for him, he mostly wore spandex.

----------

I didn’t hear from Tanner at all the next day, or the day after that.  Texts went unanswered, he didn’t pick up calls, and he skipped the gym.  Dude never skips the gym.

Maybe I’m making this sound too dramatic.  I knew he was okay.  Tanner was still posting content to his socials, replying to comments, and the couple times I drove by his place I could see the lights on.

Saturday morning I tailgated my way into his building.  The elevator needs a key fob, but I hiked up the emergency stairs.  Tanner lives on the 15th floor, just in case you’re wondering what a good friend I am.

I was pounding on his door when he came out of the elevator.

“Oh, hey,” he rumbled.  His added mass had changed his voice into a thunderous bass.

He brushed past me and opened his door.  For a second I thought that was it.

“You coming?” he growled, leaving the door open behind him.

I followed Tanner into his apartment.  I’d been there just a few days ago, but a lot had changed.  His random assortment of artwork had been replaced with black and white nudes of porn stars.  His chaotic mismatch of furniture had been streamlined to white leather with red velvet accents.  His computer desk was gone, replaced by a posing mirror.

He pulled off his stringer tank the moment he walked in, tossing it toward the bedroom.

“You ready to fuckin’ apologize?” he stormed.

“Apologize?” I scoffed.  “Come on Tanner, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“You called me a fag,” he spat.  “And you acted like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s just nobody’s business,” I argued.

“It’s my business,” he countered.  “And if you weren’t so goddamn afraid to be gay, you wouldn’t care who knows what.”

“I am gay,” I said.  “But that doesn’t mean I’ve got to act like a stereotype.”

“Nah,” he smirked.  “But you wanna.”

“I don’t.”

“I see how you look at me,” Tanner said.  He grabbed at my shirt.  I wasn’t expecting it and stumbled forward, so close I could smell the sex on him.  Wherever he’d been, Tanner had spent the night.

“Tanner, bro…” I stuttered.  “Let me go man.”

He let go of my shirt, but then his hand was on the back of my neck.  He used one of those massive arms to bring me closer, driving my face into the space between his pecs.  My beard prickled against his smooth skin.  God… I could almost taste him.

“I know you want me,” he growled in my ear.  “You can go bro… you can go as far as you want… but I think you wanna stay right here…”

I felt the force on my neck ease up.  He left his hand resting there, but I could have backed away easily… if I wanted to.

Instead my tongue flicked out, tasting the sweat on his skin.

But I don’t fuck guys like Tanner.  Maybe back when he’d been my chubby gym bro, straight or straight acting or whatever he was, but the glistening gym rat in front of me?  The bodybuilder who pranced around in short shorts and crop tops?  The guy who was two steps shy of a circuit boy?

I took a second lick, catching the edge of his nipple.

“That’s right buddy,” he rumbled.  “It's you and me.  Let it all out.”

I wrapped my arms around his thick body and brought myself closer.  I let my tongue drag down the valley of his abs.  My hands reached back and squeezed his ass.  My body practically melted into his.

“Ohmygod…” I moaned, kissing the side of his neck.

“Thing is buddy… I am a fag,” Tanner said in his erotic bass.  “Same as you.  But I’m not caught in my head.  Get big, get dumb, get slutty… that’s how you live a life.”

He tore off my shirt and let the remains flutter down.  I couldn’t take my mouth off his.

There was a snap and my belt broke loose.  Tanner had tried to fumble it off, now it was garbage.  I unbuttoned my jeans and yanked them down, hopeful that I could leave with at least one piece of clothing intact.

He ripped away my boxers.  I didn’t care.

“Get on the bed,” he ordered me.  His hands were on my ass, spreading my cheeks apart.  I knew what he wanted, and I’ve never been able to resist.  I’d spent my life wishing I was straight, but now that I had The Power, now that I could bend reality to my will…

I climbed on the bed while he took off his shorts.

“That’s a good boy,” Tanner muttered, finding my hole and rubbing lube into it.  His fingers were thick, thicker than some cocks I’ve taken.  Still, he worked one inside.  Two.  If he’d gone for three, I think I might have cried.

“Give it to me,” I begged below him.

He didn’t say a word.  He put his cock inside me and pushed.

“Aaaawwwwwwowowoooohohhhhh…” I moaned into the pillow.  “Ohfuckyesthankyousir…”

He grunted above me with every thrust, holding up his impossible body to keep it from crushing me.  I had The Power, I could have matched him muscle for muscle, pound for pound, but that would have meant thinking a coherent thought.

Where there’s a cock inside me, all I can think is ‘thank fucking god’.

He flooded my hole with his spunk.

“There we go,” he whispered in my ear, pulling one hand out from under me.  There was a sticky trail following it.  I’d blown my load without even feeling it.  “Lick it up.”

I ate my load off his hand like a good boy.

----------

I showered off after.  Tanner didn’t see the need, he said he liked smelling like sex.  When I came out, he was humming a tune and making us eggs.

“I feel like I’ve got to admit something,” I said, standing at the threshold to the kitchen.  “And I’m sorry.”

“About time you apologized,” Tanner chuckled.  “It’s okay to look gay.”

“Oh… yeah… that’s not what I’m apologizing for,” I said.  “Though, yeah… I’m sorry I called you a fag.  I’ve got issues, and I took them out on you.  Not cool.”

“Accepted,” he rumbled.  “What’s the other thing?”

He took the eggs off the stove and shovelled them onto a pair of plates.

“Uh… I have The Power,” I admitted.  “And I used it on you.  Wished for you to have the perfect life… I just meant to help you lose some weight, but…”

“But I got this instead,” he chuckled, grabbing one of his pecs and hefting it.  “Bro, no apology needed.  I kinda figured.”

“You figured?” I asked.  “But… no offence, I thought you got too dumb to Sherlock it out.”

“Yeah, well…” he laughed.  “I figured before.  I struggle for a decade to lose the weight, then one weekend it evaporates?  Dude, that’s textbook ‘The Power’.  Besides… you kept asking what I’d do if I got it.”

“And you’re okay?” I asked.

“Honestly, I wish you’d asked, but I’m willing to forgive.  Just… what’s with everything else?”

“Everything else?” I asked.  “I asked for you to have the perfect life… so… this is your idea of the perfect life, right?”

“Bro,” he belted out a laugh.  I swear they could hear him across the street.  “I used to be straight.  Obsessed with Star Wars.  I used to play D&D, you get me?  You think my perfect life was sucking cock and wearing g-strings?”

“Then how did you…” I stared at the massive bodybuilder across the table.

“Bro… this is your perfect life,” he smirked.  “I got big, I got dumb, I got slutty… that’s what you always wanted, right?  Dance all night, fuck til dawn.”

“No way,” I scoffed.  “I’m not… I didn’t…”

“It didn’t come from me brah,” Tanner laughed.  “Time to admit it.  And relax, it’s my perfect life now, so no big deal.”

“It’s your perfect life,” I sighed.  “And I guess I need some therapy.”

“Yeah,” he shrugged.  “Maybe.  But before you go… it’s… it’s only… almost my perfect life.”

“What are you missing?”

“A boyfriend,” Tanner said with a playful smile.  “Bigger than me.  Dumber.  Sluttier too.  You know anyone who’s available?”

He raised an eyebrow and gave me a knowing look.

My wish still had some juice to it.

I felt my spine crack.

It started in my lats.  They were spasming and twitching, knotting themselves up until suddenly they released.  A broad plate of muscle covered my back.  I knew instinctively that I could knock out a dozen pull-ups, no problems.

My lower back knotted and caught up.  Then it was my shoulders, twitching like my arms were about to open up and take flight.  Luckily my pecs were twitching too, keeping them counterbalanced.

Boom, I had boulder shoulders.  Boom, big round pecs.  Boom, tree trunk legs.

Abs like a washboard.  Traps that made my neck look wide.  Powerful arms that made me look even wider.  I felt my lungs expand, my eyes get sharper, my hair… my hair…

There was a weird tingling in my head…

Brah, it’s like… you know when you take too much weed, and then the next day your head’s all foggy.  Or like when you lifted so hard at the gym that there’s just like… there’s no blood for anything else?  I saw spots in front of my eyes for a sec, but they went away.

Cool… cool… yeah, I was okay dude…

“My head hurts,” I complained.  But I didn’t really care… “Dude, my pecs are fuckin’ huge!”

I rubbed a nipple and let the stuff in my head fade away.  Like… who cares about facts and stuff.  I know how to lift good, and everyone wants to fuck me…

“That’s right dummy,” Tanner gloated.  “We’re just a couple of blond beauties, aren’t we?”

I grinned at him.  Like… I dunno, but if Tanner says it, it’s gotta be true.

“Eat your eggs babe,” he pointed at my plate.  “They’re getting cold.  After breakfast you can taste my cock and we’ll really blow your brains out.”

I forgot about my brain and shovelled eggs into my mouth.  Protein.  Gotta get that fuel.  Gotta get bigger, right?  Muscle sluts gotta muscle… Cocksuckers gotta suck…

The gym’s important.  It’s like the club, or the bedroom, or sucking dudes off in the alley.  It’s just something you do to stay happy.

And sure… I don’t gotta work out.  Like… I got The Power.

But be careful what you wish for.