I Heard... (Patreon)

Colin blinked at Jim as he rang up his purchases, unsure he’d heard the other man correctly.  The small comic shop was cramped with Wednesday traffic and everyone was talking excitedly over everyone else.  As it was, he had to raise his voice so that Jim could even hear him from behind the counter.  It was Colin’s favorite day, when the new books came out, and like clockwork he was there on his lunch break each week.  He loved the energy that came from being around other eager nerds like himself in the compact, bright little shop.  On Wednesday, everyone was a friend.  Jim and the other workers, along with a handful of regulars like himself, were familiar, friendly faces that punctuated an otherwise lonely week.  Colin wasn’t a shut in or a recluse; the skinny young man had just always been quiet and introverted, preferring to spend his free evenings at home with a book instead of out at a bar.  

Which is why he was sure he’d misheard Jim’s statement.  As much as he might wish otherwise, Colin’s solitary interests left him disappointingly single.  If he’d been able to stomach the anxiety that large groups and bustling crowds brought him, landing a guy would have been relatively simple as, even with the limited effort he put into his appearance, Colin was far from unattractive.  Though he’d always lamented his inability to bulk up, his tight frame was covered in lean definition.  He had naturally broad shoulders and a set of small but noticeable biceps that made his trim waist seem even thinner.  His flat stomach sported abs without him having to try, and though his lower half was shapeless and lanky, he had an impressively long cock and heavy package stuffed between his gangly legs.  

Despite his relatively shapeless frame, Colin could have been striking if he’d tried.  At twenty six, his sharp, angular features were still smooth and wrinkle free, softened by his full, shaggy mop of brown hair.  He kept himself covered in ill-fitting, baggy clothes all the time, feeling small and insecure instead of proud whenever he wore a small shirt that showed off his tight torso.  It just wasn’t something he thought about.  Colin viewed himself as average at best and didn’t try for anything more.  He was content with his comics and the handful of friends he’d gathered over the years.  

The few times he’d tried internet dating hadn’t gone well.  His handsome features were enough to quickly draw guys in, but Colin quickly learned that he didn’t have much in common with the men reaching out to him.  Most of them were interested in bars or sports or watching TV - all things Colin had zero interest in.  Conversely, the guys he met had zero interest in his comics, books, or the games he liked to play.  Not being one for quick hookups, the series of uneventful dates left him feeling worse than when he’d started.  Since he didn’t pay much attention to his appearance he wasn’t flattered that they’d quickly shown an interest in him based on his looks.  If anything, that just made him feel more isolated.  

He envied the characters in his comics.  Not only did Colin lust after the muscular, spandex clad vigilantes, he longed for a world where anything was possible.  He wished that he could just pick up a pen and write himself a new scenario the way it happened for the heroes in his books.  

Colin raised his voice and leaned over the counter while Jim rang him up.  “Sorry...what did you just say?”

Jim blinked, looking dazed.  He reached up to run a hand over his bald scalp in an absent minded fashion.  “What?  Sorry, spaced out there for a second.”  

“You asked me about my…” Colin trailed off at Jim’s confused expression.  He didn’t want to make himself sound crazy.  “Nevermind….not important.”  He smiled awkwardly and took his bag before hurrying out of the store.  

Colin couldn’t stop thinking about what Jim said as he drove back to the office.  “Wish I had a boyfriend who was beefing up…” he sighed, his mind wandering at the thought.  Like the men in the comics he read, Colin liked big, solid guys.  At a skinny 5’10”, he longed to meet a man who towered over him.  He wanted someone who could complement his quiet nature with a boisterous confidence, someone who wasn’t afraid to take charge.  A little arrogance went a long way in his book.  

His reverie was abruptly interrupted by a shrill ringing.  “Fuck!  Goddamn bluetooth…” Colin muttered, catching his breath.  He’d forgotten that his phone was connected to his car, like he always did, and the unexpected ringing nearly made him swerve off the road.  He hit the button on his steering wheel with a shaky finger.  “Hey man,” he said, settling back into his seat.  

His friend Kyle was on the other end.  “Sorry...you driving?  I just wanted to call and confirm that everything was still a go for D&D tonight.”

“It’s cool, I’m just on my way back to work from the shop.  Yeah, everything’s still on for later...I even cleaned my apartment for you assholes.  It’s just the five of us, right?”  

“Yep...the usual crew.  Oh, hey, I heard your boyfriend’s gonna make the food tonight?  I heard he’s a great cook.”  

“My….what?  What did you just say?”  

“What?”  Kyle sounded confused.  “It’s just going to be the usual group.”  

“No, after that.  You said something about…” 

“Food?  You’re going to have it, right?  That’s how it works...host provides food.”  

Colin bit back on his frustration.  “No, I understand that part, what’d you say about me having a boyfriend?”  

“What?” 

Colin sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand before realizing that was a bad strategy while piloting a vehicle.  He managed to stop just before rear ending the car in front of him at the stop light.  “Nevermind….I’ll see you guys tonight,” he said, not wanting to fall into the same loop again.  

“Whatever you say, weirdo,” Kyle laughed, hanging up.  

“Great...beefy AND he can cook.  How perfect.” Colin started to wonder if his loneliness had finally pushed him over the edge.  He’d never talked about guys with either Jim or Kyle, which made their comments even more jarring.  Not only were they mentioning a boyfriend he didn’t have, they were mentioning a boyfriend with all the traits he’d dreamt of.  

Work only made things worse.  He’d barely returned to his desk before a coworker approached, saying they’d heard about his boyfriend’s recent promotion.  Later, he overheard two other coworkers talking quietly to each other when he passed in the hall.  This time they were saying they’d heard he’d just moved in to his boyfriend’s fancy townhouse.  This was all the more bizarre considering that Colin wasn’t even out at work.  Since he’d been mostly single recently, it just wasn’t something he talked about.  He was sure some people knew, but he’d never so much as mentioned other men or a boyfriend to anyone in the years that he’d worked there.  

He didn’t argue or question what his coworkers said.  He just nodded politely and made non-committal noises, wondering the whole time if he should make a doctor’s appointment to have his head checked out.  There was a sinking pit in his stomach as the sensation grew that something beyond his control was happening. A numb, dissociative haze had fallen over him as the afternoon wore on, and Colin increasingly felt like he was a passenger in his own life.   He went through the motions as usual, unable to shake the sensation that he was watching himself from a distance.  

The text message was the final straw.  When his phone vibrated on his desk, the last thing he expected to see when he looked down was a text from his mom saying she’d heard he was going to bring his boyfriend down for a visit in the next few weeks.  Colin’s hands were shaking so hard he could barely put the phone in his pocket as he grabbed his things and hurried out of the office.  He sat in his car and stared at his face in the rearview mirror, trying to convince himself that he wasn’t in the middle of a psychotic break.  

The accompanying sadness gnawing at him was almost worse than the fear of losing his mind.  He desperately wished that everything people were saying was true.  His deepest desire was being dangled in front of his face and it was like a punch to the gut.  Colin was almost willing to embrace the insanity if it meant he didn’t have to go home to an empty apartment.  

He left his phone off for the drive home.  He was distracted enough as it was, and he didn’t think he could handle another “I heard your boyfriend…” message.  Already his head was pounding and the numb, floating sensation was still present.  It was taking all of his focus just to keep the car on the road.  The pounding in his skull grew stronger the closer he got to home, to the point where he felt like his head was splitting open when he pulled into the driveway.  The world seemed to spin around him as he staggered up to the front door and fumbled with the key, nearly falling into the large, open room on the other side.  

“Hey hon,” a deep voice rang out from around the corner.  

Colin froze.  He had no idea where he was.  He’d been certain that he was heading for home, but instead of his small apartment he stood in the entry of a spacious, well-furnished house.  Despite having never seen it before, everything about it reeked of the familiar.  Without looking, he knew there was an end table to his right where he’d drop his keys, and his arm moved there with the instinctive muscle memory that only came from countless repetitions.  He was kicking his shoes off before he even realized it, opening the coat closet to his left to push them inside.  His heart started racing when he saw the other massive shoes, along with the large jackets and hoodies that hung above them.  

He walked further in and dropped his bag next to another small table, setting it absently in place while the smell of cooking food wafted in from the kitchen.  Colin’s whole body shook as he tentatively turned the corner and saw the giant of a man standing in front of a large island, naked except for a pair of small red briefs and an apron.  The man’s broad, exposed back, lumpy with thick, coiled muscle, was towards him. Colin’s mouth started watering at the sight.  

Even from across the room the stranger radiated strength.  His shoulders were furry bowling balls and the flexing arms that were busy stirring a bowl looked as large around as Colin’s thighs.  The man’s back tapered only slightly at his waist, carrying the ample muscle down in equal measure towards the huge, barely covered globes of his rear.  Colin watched them flex slightly as the man shifted his weight from one hairy, tree trunk leg to the other. 

“Are you just going to stand there and watch,” the man laughed over his shoulder in a smooth, deep rumble.  He flexed his cheeks in full this time, giving Colin a quick show.  “I’m making all this food for you and your friends, I think I at least deserve a kiss.”  

Colin was moving before he realized it, his hand falling to the man’s lower back as he leaned in towards the turned face.  Their lips made contact, but Colin felt like he was still moving.  He was falling forward, tumbling end over end through a seemingly endless void.  A blur of images rushed past him and towards him, sending him crashing through as though they were plates of glass.  With each impact, new memories flooded into his brain until he could no longer separate the new from the old.  

He suddenly remembered moving into Craig’s house.  He knew about Craig’s recent promotion at the firm and their upcoming travel plans to celebrate.  Colin remembered meeting a smaller, though still built, Craig, and how much his partner had bulked up recently.  All of the strange statements he’d been hearing throughout the day now had an accompanying memory, and then some.  

There was a quick snap and Colin was no longer falling.  His tongue was working around Craig’s mouth and his hand had slipped into the back of the larger man’s tiny briefs.  His other hand was resting on one of the plump, firm pecs hanging out of the apron, his fingers brushing through the scrubby hairs. He pulled away and blinked rapidly, the handsome face inches from his own feeling entirely familiar and startlingly new.  The man’s thick, wavy brown hair, matching chocolate eyes, prominent nose, and full, bearded cheeks made his stomach flutter.  Colin’s cock swelled when Craig’s mouth curled into a smug grin.  

“That’s more like it,” Craig said, giving the smaller man’s forehead another quick peck.  “This stuff’s just about ready to go in the oven and then I….” he trailed off and took a step back, looking Colin up and down with a confused expression.  “What in the world are you wearing?  I thought we got rid of all that stuff when we moved?”  Colin looked down at his frumpy outfit, suddenly embarrassed under Craig’s disapproving smirk.  “I buy you all those nice, new clothes that actually fit…” 

“Sorry...I don’t...I guess I wasn’t paying attention this morning.  It’s been kind of a weird day…” Colin stammered.  

Craig’s pretense at disapproval was replaced by a look of genuine concern that had Colin melting.  “You okay?”  

The smaller man nodded quickly.  “Just one of those off days, you know?”  

Craig’s arrogant grin returned as he put the tray in the oven and untied the apron.  “I think I know how to fix that,” he said, his thick fingers starting to unbutton Colin’s shirt.  The lean man stood in place, loving how small he felt next to the nearly naked bear currently stripping him down.  “Geez...you found an old pair of boxers, too?”  Craig sighed and shook his head as he let Colin’s baggy slacks drop, exposing the tented boxer shorts underneath.  He pushed those down next, his meaty paws toying with Colin’s long, rigid hose as they dropped.  “We’re just going to go ahead and put these right in here,” Craig laughed, tossing the boxers into the garbage.  

Colin didn’t protest.  His heart was racing as he stood naked and hard in front of the burly man that he somehow knew and loved but was just meeting for the first time.  He felt small and insecure but also perfectly safe under the beefy hunk’s stern, hungry gaze.  Craig pulled his apron free, exposing the rest of his furry, well muscled gut and the huge bulge in the front of his straining underwear.  

He stepped forward and swallowed Colin’s bony shoulders in his grip, his hands tracing down the smaller man’s thin arms.  “Why would you ever want to hide this,” he asked softly, pulling the other man into his meaty embrace.  Colin squirmed against the hairy wall of muscle as Craig’s beard tickled his neck and the beefy man palmed his perky little bubble.  

The next thing Colin knew, they were in their bedroom.  He had Craig stripped of his briefs and was tugging on the other man’s thick, squat cock as they fell onto the mattress in a groping heap.  Craig’s body was like a security blanket underneath him as he climbed on top and straddled the other man’s wide waist.  His head was still swimming as he gazed down longingly and shimmied into position, slowly working Craig’s rigid pole inside him.  As the other man slid in, it felt like coming home.  

Colin gasped, more from the sensations flooding his brain than his backside.  It felt absolutely wonderful to be writhing and bouncing on Craig’s girthy member while the big man tugged on his own solid cock slapping against his furry stomach, but better than that were the details of the life he saw stretching out before him.  It was everything he’d been wanting.  His lonely, empty days were gone.  It wasn’t perfect, he knew the other man could have his arrogant and domineering moments, but he loved that, too.  He loved how Craig would swoop in and take charge of a situation, especially in the bedroom.  

There was a slight rush of embarrassment when he thought about the form-fitting wardrobe his lover bought for him.  The tight, fitted clothing was a far cry from the baggy garments he wore in his old life, especially the bright, tiny underwear.  Thinking about the way Craig looked at him in it, though, pushed all of that aside.  

“You...still with me…” Craig panted, squeezing Colin’s toned thigh.  

Colin shook his head and groaned, arching his back as a wave of pleasure shot through him.  “FFFuuuuck…” he moaned, leaning forward and clutching Craig’s ample chest.  “Just thinking about..how...good this feels…” 

Craig flashed the arrogant grin that made Colin’s stomach flutter and reached up to grab the smaller man.  “In that case…” In one quick, powerful motion he sat up, wrapping Colin’s legs around his waist while he clutched the other man tight.  

Colin’s loud whimper of pleasure was swallowed by Craig’s lips as they pressed against his own.  The dual sensations of Craig’s tongue in his mouth and cock in his ass while his own oozing pole was wedged between them was overwhelming.  He squirmed in place, held fast by Craig’s iron grip until his aching cock exploded.  He felt the ropey streams splash against their chins but Craig didn’t stop.  He kept his mouth locked on top of Colin’s, probing deeper and deeper into the smaller man’s insides.  Finally, he gave a loud grunt and Colin gasped into his mouth as rush of liquid filled him from within.  They kept kissing until they were both soft, and even then they were reluctant to separate.  

Colin curled up contentedly against Craig’s brawny body as they caught their breath.  “Just enough time to get cleaned up before people get here.  You going to join us this time?”  

Craig laughed and tousled Colin’s hair.  “Nah...you know that nerd stuff’s not for me.  You’re adorable, but the gym’s more my speed tonight.”  

Colin drank in the sight of Craig’s broad, naked body strutting across the room towards the shower, slightly dazed and disbelieving.  There was still a part of him that knew something strange and impossible was happening, but he wasn’t going to question. He was afraid that if he thought about it too much it would vanish. 

By the following Wednesday, that questioning part of him was barely a memory.  His life with Craig seemed entirely normal now.  Waking up in his lover’s beefy embrace felt perfectly regular, and everyone else seemed to think so as well.  His friends, coworkers and family all acted as if he and Craig had been together for years.  The thought that he’d had any other kind of life seemed absurd.  

He still had no idea what happened or how, but after finally being given the dream life he’d always wanted, he didn’t particularly care about the details.  It was as if someone had tweaked his past by writing in a new character, the same way it happened in the comics he loved so much.  

“Hey Jim,” Colin waved as he walked into the comic shop at his usual time, this part of his life remaining unchanged by recent developments.  Craig didn’t share his passions, but he put up with them since he knew how much Colin loved them.  The lanky man behind the counter waved back and went to retrieve a small stack of books.  “How’re things,” Colin asked, weaving through the cramped space up to the register.   

“Good, good,” Jim said with a smile.  He opened his mouth to speak again, when a familiar dazed expression washed over his face.  There was a momentary pause that felt like it lasted for hours and that sent Colin’s heart racing before Jim continued.  “When are you finally going to bring the rest of the family in? I heard your boyfriend came with a kid?”