Laurence's Biggest Trial Part 1 (Patreon)

To cap off the year, Laurence, our first OC to star in Big Stories since the big overhaul, is dealing with his growing hunger- for justice! Enjoy, thank you so much for the support, and Happy New Year!

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Laurence Daniels, Esq., was seated across a potential client, the two of them together nearly filling the room, but in very different ways. Laurence was a dragon, red and gold scales and curved horns, the occasional waft of smoke drifting out of his nostrils, and he was built like a tank- his impressive musculature filled out and overflowed his desk, with arms like cannons, sprawling shoulders, and a chest so vast it was threatening every button on his tailored suit. There was a small pair of glasses perched on his muzzle, tilted down as he listened to the cat across from him, drumming his fingers.

The cat in question, Peter Mason, was a very different kind of big- like resting a bag stuffed with jelly next to a slab of granite. Peter's dossier listed his occupation as "bodybuilder," but he couldn't look more unsuited for such a line of work. Every part of the cat was soft, doughy blubber- his tawny belly alone was taking up considerable space on the dragon's desk, and the tanktop he wore worked more like a bra, constraining his overly voluptuous, pillowy-soft chest. His arms, swaddled in fat, rested at odd angles as he nervously twiddled his fingers.

This was always the problem- Laurence specialized in civil lawsuits of a particular nature; helping those that, for some reason or another, ended up fattened or overly-muscled against their will. He had seen it all- spiked drinks and food, elixirs and potions, forced hypnosis, magic curses, nanites, mutations- and so he had become very discerning in choosing what suits he took up. There was a world of difference between helping a legitimate victim of some size-obsessed voyeur's plot, and an ex-athlete that had developed a few bad eating habits and now wanted to blame a faceless fast food corporation for their bad decisions.

"Now… Mr. Mason, you're claiming that your consumption of Herc-U-Grow brand supplements is directly linked to your weight gain?" Laurence asked diplomatically.

"Yes!" the cat nodded emphatically, causing multiple chins to wobble. "H-here, look-" He reached into a folder, handing over a press photo to Laurence. "I looked like this just a couple months ago!"

Laurence arched his brow, glancing at the photo. Were it not for the same fur pattern and eyes, he wouldn't be able to believe the muscular, toned cat in the photo was the same as the gluttonous feline in front of him. "I see…" he murmured.

"So… do I have a case?"

The dragon leaned back, massaging his temples, his huge arm mashed against his beefy chest. "I don't know. Potentially. Mr. Mason, in this line of work, I try not to pass judgment- but what happens when the defense asks how a small start-up business would hold you down, force food down your maw, and prevent you from working out?"

"I-it's the protein powder! It makes me hungry," Peter groaned, clutching his vast middle. "I can't help myself."

"Then why didn't you stop using it?"

"Because!" Peter hefted himself up- slowly, awkwardly, and with considerable effort, causing ripples across his blubbery body. "It- it worked so well for the first few weeks! I looked like a god- then after the first month I thought it was just my bulking season- i-it works on you, man! And it tastes good, and I feel good drinking it- it's all I can do not to take another…" He huffed, leaning across Laurence's desk, smothering several case files and papers under his flab. "Look- Mr. Daniels- Laurence- we know each other, we went to school together."

The dragon stood up at this point, snapping Peter's case file shut. "Pardon?"

Peter pointed to the law degree hanging behind Laurence. "Felton University! I was a year behind you, I was on the football team- I-I was a quarterback!"

Laurence narrowed his eyes, trying to picture the fat cat squeezed into a football uniform, and then he snapped his fingers in recognition. "You were! Mason, player number forty-two. I saw your game against CNTU, you got the winning goal."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes! Yes, man. I was with the football team when we tried to recruit you- you were huge back then, too."

Laurence nodded slowly as he sank back into his chair. "Alright. Well, Pete, I can't play favorites- no offense, we weren't exactly bosom buddies. Even if we were, I'd need to be certain you had a case."

"But that's it, man. Herc-U-Grow was started by another alumni. That- that can't be coincidence, right? Because other old teammates got hit, too. Remember Vance, our big Lineman? He just got kicked out of the league- he put on two hundred pounds!"

Laurence scoffed softly. "Well that is hardly surprising, Vance could barely fit into his uniform when the coach was riding him to diet."

"Yeah, but we've been given Herc-U-Grow, one right after the other," Peter explained. "And we all end up like this!" he shouted, shaking his gut again. "Call me an over the hill slob if you want, Laurence, but man- it's weird."

Laurence was stroking his chin, nodding slowly. "You said Herc-U-Grow was started by another alumni- who is he?"

Peter sighed. "It's Eugene Fredriksen- remember, Moonface? We called him that because of his scale acne?"

The draconic lawyer arched his brow. "I certainly don't remember calling him that."

"Well- look, it was just a joke. You had to have been there."

"Mhm." Laurence stood from his seat and reached across the desk, offering Peter his hand. "I need to do some preliminary research, but if your claims about Fredriksen's supplements hold any water, then I think you have a case."

Peter breathed a sigh of relief, his sausage fingers latching on to the dragon's hand. "Oh, thanks so much, man!" He grimaced slightly, however, when his stomach growled. "You, uh… you know any good places to eat around here, dude? For lunch."

Laurence walked Peter down to the lobby of his office building, and reluctantly pointed the feline to a local burger place he enjoyed. Across the street, a lanky reptile was nervously drumming his fingers on a windowsill. Eugene bit his lip- he had heard about Laurence, and he had seen his ads. Not only was the dragon a good lawyer, his specialty was cases involving involuntary growth or weight gain- and now this legal meathead was going to have his eyes on him.

"Well that won't do…" Eugene muttered, running a hand over the frills on his head. The lizard paced across his office. "I can't have that lunk mucking around… not when I'm not done. He'll be coming to me soon, if he's taken up their case… he'll want to see my supplements!" the lizard whimpered and began pacing again. He could fool a bunch of stupid ex-jocks, but to someone smart enough to make it as a lawyer? No, his supplement wouldn't stand up to any scrutiny if he saw any of the effects first hand.

"Unless…" Eugene stopped, snatching up his latest batch of the supplement. "Unless I take the initiative, of course."

The lizard's set up was a bit of a slap-dashed operation; several chemical compounds and equipment were chaotically spread across a makeshift lab. He had never really intended this to get so complex, but if it meant finally knocking down the frat bros that had made his college life a living Hell, it was worth it. And all that would really stand in his way was a lawyer- and he was a chemical genius. He could outsmart him. Eugene nodded to himself, writing down notes- he needed to make some modifications to his supplement, and get it in Laurence's system as quickly as possible.

Laurence was cursing himself; watching Peter get so eager about a nice, juicy burger was making him crave something with lots of meat for his own lunch. He was late, as usual; he had a handful of depositions to file, and he knew that he wouldn't be getting home until late at night. It would make sense to get a big meal, but he knew in his line of work to be wary about indulging too much in rich food. Still, so long as he didn't make a habit of it, he should be fine.

He indulged a bit; he made the effort to go to a barbecue joint, and given his size, he felt he could put away a full rack of ribs, with coleslaw and cornbread on the side.

"Oh! Careful, there," Laurence chuckled softly, standing up to help his server with the order. He was a slight, gangly looking lizard, and it seemed that carrying a full rack of ribs was a little too much for him. The hulking dragon took the heavy, meat-laden tray and set it aside, as the lizard set everything else down.

"S-sorry," he muttered, "It's my first day."

Laurence glanced down at his apron, chuckling again. "I can see that… Alice?"

The lizard yelped a bit, looking at his name tag. "I- uh- i-it was my parent's idea."

"It's a fine name," the dragon waved it off. "Like Alice Cooper, the rock star."

"H-heh, yeah…" the lizard giggled awkwardly before making himself scarce.

Laurence grinned, then turned his attention to his large meal. He tore the meat off the bone, and he breathed in deeply- it wasn't just good, it was possibly the best meal he ever had at this restaurant. The meat was so tender it practically melted in his mouth, and the dragon groaned softly to himself; he was hungrier than he thought. He tore into the rest of the rack, picking bones clean, one right after another. This barbecue place was good, but Laurence wondered about just how good the ribs were. He glanced back at the kitchen- he trusted this restaurant. Had they brought anyone new in? No- no, Laurence kept careful tabs on his favorite haunts, just in case there was anyone looking to get even from any of his successful suits.

Still. He wanted more.

"Uh- Alice?" the dragon rumbled, still picking at any scraps of meat left. "Can you grab me another half-rack in a doggy bag?"

Eugene had made a habit the past few weeks of watching Laurence; he never really got to enjoy his work like this. The jocks would barge in after he made his first pitch, enjoy the benefits of the supplement while they lasted, and then become oblivious when the supplement started increasing their hunger and driving down their energy and metabolism. He knew what was happening, watching numbers climb up on a screen, but he never had quite so visceral a show as watching Laurence succumb to the modified compound. He had no time for what he called the "honeymoon phase" of his supplement, when the jocks would get increasingly muscular for the first few weeks to lull them into a false sense of security. No, time was of the essence with this dragon. He glanced back at the deposition letter resting on his desk; he had been served the day after he first spied Peter talking to Laurence.

The lizard conceded he may have been a bit reckless, slipping into the barbecue place to spike Laurence's meal so soon. But now, before Laurence could make any official request for his supplement, he was already piling on the weight. And thankfully, he was none the wiser- that deposition letter was weeks old, and no other actions had been taken. Eugene also knew why, as he got to watch his handiwork unfold each and every day. Gradually, Laurence's suits looked tighter and tighter. One particularly lovely spectacle was the day the dragon dropped his dozen-box of donuts. Eugene leaned forward, pressed his face against the glass, as the dragon also leaned forward, and his tailored pants split, revealing just how thick his hips had become, and how round those once firm glutes had gotten. It was quite a spectacle.

Eugene had never really thought about his personal tastes throughout this whole scheme; he wasn't going to date any of the jocks once he ruined their careers, they had been massive bullies to him. But Laurence was different. He was just as powerfully built, just as ruggedly good looking as the jocks, but with none of the awful personalities, dim intelligence, and desire to pick on helpless nerds. He still carried all that weight with a sense of dignity- he wasn't becoming some fat slob, he was becoming well-fed, prosperous. His belly grew firm and round, spilling over his belts, bursting off the buttons of his nice shirts- and Laurence still lifted his head high, even as slowly inflated cheeks wobbled and a second chin weighed that strong jaw down. Maybe if this whole issue could be settled out of court, they could do so over a lunch date…

Laurence huffed, quickly guzzling down a smoothie- just something to tide him over between brunch and lunch. The dragon tried not to think about the immense weight that had been piled on to his frame in such a short amount of time as he hauled himself up the steps of the courthouse. He was on his very last pair of dress pants that still fit, now wrapped around jiggling, trunk-sized thighs like sausage casings, and clung to a pair of massive orbs that was being smothered by his thickened tail. His shirt clung to his plush, inflated chest, the last few buttons impossible to connect over the vast expanse of his scaly belly, the ends flared out as they rested on top of inflated, overly voluptuous love handles. His arms, once corded with impressively strong, stone-like muscle, were now slathered in reams of flab. Somehow, he managed to keep a tie around his thick neck, the fabric partially buried under multiple chins.

"I'm already… huff… late…" he rumbled, checking his watch. "I'll miss… lunch at this point," he grumbled, not spotting the lizard watching him excitedly. Eugene knew he shouldn't be risking this, but he just had to see how much bigger he could make this lard-ridden lawyer.