Fat Happens: Part 2 (Patreon)

Miri's morning alarm signaled the beginning of another day as the sun rose gently over a cool spring morning. Hartsfield wasn't remote or rural in any sense of the word what with it's business centers and shopping plazas dotting the area, but the tan young woman did appreciate the lack of built-up suburban traffic and the cooler temperatures than those she'd become accustomed to growing up. Waking up early and tending to the flower garden with her parents was a fond memory of hers and she tried to maintain at least a few different kinds of blooms wherever she could. Being in a single story apartment gave her only a little space to transplant some irises she'd picked up from a home improvement store, but it was enough.

As usual, she dragged herself out of bed and into the shower before the start of her day. Miri had a habit of taking long showers whenever she wasn't supervised, staring off into space and planning out her day and fantasizing about past events while the burning hot water washed over her smooth skin. She only ever payed much attention to her body towards the end when the hot water began to run out and she felt the shower cooling down. Only as she soaped herself up would she take stock of her body, feeling the firmness of her calves as she bent over to wash her feet and tracing her way upward to lather tight thighs that she'd worked hard to make sure didn't touch. They still didn't despite the small amount of fluff that she'd somehow accumulated over her time away from home, but with only a finger's width of distance between them. Those were more the result of nitpicking than actual insecurity, as Miri's main focus had always been her too-small breasts and a constant battle to keep her waist from pushing further than her ribcage. A task that had proven to be more than difficult as time went on and certainly now as if moving away from home was instantly punished by a rogue, pillowy tuft of flesh that in truth could only be found if you knew what you were looking for and how it'd been a few weeks prior.
The small chest however was just an inevitable disappointment that Miri had just come to accept. Her ancestry and familial inheritance gave her no illusions as to whether or not she would ever have anything to show beyond the slightest swell over her already small pectoral muscles.

Miri turned off the water and rushed into her black, baggy size 2 jogging panta and a basic, matching black jacket, having spent way more time getting ready to go jogging than she had planned for. She threw on a pair of sporty running shoes and grabbed a random protein bar from her cabinet before speeding out the door with a hair tie in her mouth for when she finally had her hair pulled back enough to hold in place. Finally stepping out of the door a good hour late, she sprinkled some water on her flowers and trotted off down the street.

The biggest problem with leaving late, Miri knew well, was that the longer it took to get out the door, the hotter it would be outside. Regretting her decision to linger in the shower, the petite jogger broke into an early sweat as she powered down the street on agile and defined legs. She passed by Tawny and Megan's apartment just as the latter had stepped out to get the mail wearing a white bathrobe that spread wide over the redhead's enormously pear-shaped hips and back. Without stopping, Miri waved and ran on down the way, greeting plump passers by as she made her way to the shopping mall only two miles from her apartment. Mostly still empty by 8 (or today, 9:20) AM, Miri circled the courtyard fountain where fat old women and their well-fed husbands sat and fed the birds while fat employees bustled in and out of the entrance in preparation for work.

Slightly out of breath, Miri was coming up on completion of her 4th and final mile for the morning when she again came upon her fat friends' apartment.

"MEEEEE-REEEEEE!!!" Called a voice from the window, causing Miri to slow down and catch her breath as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked across the street.

"Hi lady," greeted a cheery blonde in tight denim shorts and a bright red shirt that read 'Not For Sale' in capitalized white lettering over her very large breasts.

As Miri approached the doorstep, Tawny welcomed her sweaty friend inside and pushed a glass of iced water with a slice of cucumber into her hands.

"Oh my god, thank you," Miri said before hastily drinking down as much as she could before a painful brain freeze set in.

"So how far did you go?" Tawny asked looking genuinely interested before walking gently over to her kitchen, her hips swaying slightly as she did.

"Four miles," Miri panted.
"Well, almost four miles since I stopped here."

"Oh nice," Megan chimed in as she sat down in a stool placed at the bar-style counter.

"Yeah, we see you every day when you pass by. Figured we'd invite you over for breakfast." Tawny said without looking away from a pan full of eggs and diced vegetables with several sizzling strips of bacon in the pan next to them.

"Hungry? You went out without water, I'm assuming you haven't eaten either. I made extra anyways just in case you came by." Continues the busty blonde as she made several attempts to shake a strand of hair from her face.

"Actually nooo..." Sighed Miri.
"I'm on a diet."

Tawny quirked her eyebrow as she looked up.
"Oh? Since when?"

"Oh, since like before I even moved here." Miri replied, finally able to slow her breathing.

"Hm." Tawny half-snerked.

Miri took notice of the again too-familiar gesture.
"...Why?"

"Well, not to be mean," Tawny started gently, raising her hands halfway up.
"But if you're on a diet then you should either get back on it or find a new one because it's not doing anything for you."

This wasn't news to Miri as she sighed slightly. Her run today was especially difficult compared to her previous months and the slight jiggle of the backs of her thighs had not gone unnoticed.

"Yeah... I was hoping I could just do more exercise and not have to really start restricting myself."

Tawny place her hand on her curvy hip and tilted her head accusingly.

"So to do this, you go on a four mile run without eating or bringing water? Breakfast is done. I'd appreciate it if you got some."

"Actually!" Miri remembered suddenly.
"I was gonna have this for some quick energy before I went out," she said as she pulled out her now-melted chocolate bar.

"Well no wonder you're out of shape if you're sleeping in and eating candy for breakfast. You need actual nutrition if you want to tone up," Megan prodded flatly as she sidled past the other two women to fix herself a large plate of food.

"Stop here tomorrow and I'll run with you if you want," said the red haired girl as she walked out to the couch where some sci-Fi drama was playing.

Miri sat down next to her with a plate of food she didn't really remember making, genuinely happy for the offer. She knew if she was going to regain her previously firm legs, she needed to accept the truth and take up offers to help.

Tawny emerged from the kitchen and plopped down half on top of Miri who was forced to push her elbows in front of her stomach to make room for her voluptuous friend. Wedged between the two, she could feel their bellies pour onto their laps as they sat, the sides of their doughy love handles spilling onto her arms until she lifted them to be able to reach the plate on her lap. Feeling slightly awkward around her friends, but feeling her arms grow more and more tired, she finally gave in and rested them on top of either side of each girl, sinking into them ever so slightly as she did.

"Sorry Mir, we usually have more room," Megan apologized nonchalantly.

"It's ok," Miri said, "It's just kind of a small couch so I think it's a little hard for us all to squeeze in and not touch."

"Well it's usually not," Tawny replied with a mischievous, but goofy grin.
"But it's a lot harder with *your* fat ass taking up the entire middle!" She jabbed playfully.

Miri laughed.
"Oh my god, I'm like slipping between the cushions over here! You guys are taking up WAY more space than I am!"

Megan responded with her usual quick, flat humor.
"Not if you keep eating like that," she said, gesturing to two of the four plates sitting on the cluttered table in front of them.

"I didn't eat breakfast, ok?" Miri chirped mock-defensively, but was immediately met with the other two women saying in unison: "Neither did we."

That's fair. But that's also why you and I are gonna run together tomorrow," Miri conceded.

The three spent the majority of the day in that same fashion, getting up periodically for bathroom breaks or to make lunch as they binge watched some show about android women on spaceships trying to learn emotions.
Miri felt calm and relaxed here with her friends, easing up and wiggling herself into a less cramped spot.
She slouched back onto the couch, still resting with her elbows forward so that her friends didn't have to feel her elbows digging into their sides. As she did, her elbows sank a little into her small, puffy belly, her posture pushing it forward and exaggerating it's shape into a fluffy, feather-light dome of squishy pudge.

After they said their goodbyes, the two girls waved Miri off as she sluggishly wandered home in a good mood. She was excited to run with Megan the next morning, taking note of the bounce of her butt when she dropped her leg to step, and feeling the tiny quiver of the small roll of chub just under her belly button which offset the flatness of a smooth layer of supple skin barely concealing the lightly toned abs underneath.

As she stood in front of the mirror, Miri felt okay with the slight deepness of her naval but couldn't help squishing the billowing puff at the bottom of her waist.

"Not gonna beat myself up." She encouraged.

"I look sexy. This is normal, everyone has this. I'm active and healthy and have good friends. Fat happens, and that's okay. I don't-"

Miri paused before she completed her statement.
She'd almost said "I can't be expected to be skinny forever anyways," but was stopped by the realization that she was making the same excuse her mom did.

".....But I can do it if I want."

Throwing her dried, sweaty clothes onto the floor, she crashed onto the bed and fell asleep.