Popularity Growth Part 01

Ed was having a bit of a difficult time adjusting to his life after getting fired. At some point the research facility said that he wasn’t doing his rounds properly and that he was going to be let go. It was a tough adjustment because almost right after that his girlfriend of two years decided she’d had enough of him too. Now he seemed to have an unlimited amount of time during the day but with nothing to fill it with. To try to bide the time he started to use that gym membership again. 

It was a bit awkward walking back in there. Even if Ed wasn’t in the worst of shape he still could see that belly that’d been starting to form over the last few years. The cafeteria seemed to have the best food in the world but he knew that it was full of fat and not very good for him. One of the scientists there always told him that Ed just needed to watch a bit of what he ate and worked out a bit and he could easily get back into shape. 

The series of compliments are what helped keep him going. Ed tried not to think about how the scientist was probably offering the advice to fulfill his own fantasies but focused on how getting into shape would help him over all. Being a pretty big guy was good for security gigs but being a complete fat ass would keep him from even getting that. 

“Damn…” he let out a heavy breath as he set the weights back down. Working out was so much more tiring than he remembered it being. In high school he could easily do an hour or two on top of football practices but now he was waking up sore and finding it hard to get out of bed. The bit of bulk in his frame was making it more difficult than he wanted it to be. Still, the pump felt pretty good. “Positive thoughts…” he reminded himself as he took his rest period a bit more seriously. Those positive thoughts had been hard to keep when he pulled out his old workout clothes and realized they were about a size or two too small on him.

The sleeveless shirt he’d always wore rounded around his belly and lifted up above his belly button showing off the hair leading down to his shorts. The only good thing about the shorts were that they stretched around that same belly. Though when he went shopping he decided to buy new for both. Seeing all those X’s in front of the L was just another reminder why he needed to get into shape.

Ed hefted himself up from the bench and stood in front of the mirror. “One for the road,” he muttered as he threw up a flex and took a picture. Normally he’d always thought guys who took pictures like that were just so self-absorbed. They lacked personality and made up it with a bit of vanity. With no ability to find satisfaction in their real life they turned to compliments from people online. But now Ed was one of those people.

When he’d taken his first picture it’d meant to just be for tracking sake. To be able to see how he’s changed since he started doing it. And if some girl decided to message him. Well? That would just be a bonus. However, within 24 hours of his first photo he was able to get twenty new followers; all men. They seemed to compliment every single part of his body. ‘A compliment’s a compliment,’ he reasoned, though still slightly hopeful one of them would eventually be a girl.

Ed pulled out his phone and snapped a quick picture with him raising his bicep in the air. It was a bit of a bland photo but the guys who followed him always still seemed to love it. Within the time he’d walked to the locker room it’d already had a like. Though from an account he didn’t quite recognize. The 30 or so people who were following him were pretty easy to keep track of and he’d gotten to know most of their account names. But this was a new one. 

GrowthManiac1981: ‘Looking good big guy!’

‘Thanks!’ Ed added a smiling emoji as he replied to the guy. The more insulting comments he’d had about guys who did this kind of vanished when he realized that it did feel kind of good to have people compliment him like that. Within the first week he’d started the account, he’d received more praise than he could remember from the rest of his life. The people who followed him all sent him things like, ‘looking good man!’, ‘keep up the great work!’, and his favorite; ‘Man I wish I looked like you.’ Even in his best shape people didn’t say that to him. 

GrowthManiac1981: ‘Height and weight?’

A smile crossed Ed’s face as he realized that this guy must have been waiting for the notification to appear. ‘5’8” and 220ish pounds,’ he typed back. Sometimes he wondered what people would do with that kind of information but often decided it really wasn’t worth finding out. 

Ed started taking his shirt off in the locker room. His body felt oddly stiff, so he reached for the ceiling trying to stretch the whole thing out at once. The workouts he did were rather tough on his body as he hadn’t properly worked out in a long time. The security gig he’d had was more for show and getting a bit fatter during it didn’t really matter. His body was decently imposing enough. It was the badge and uniform that gave him most of his authority though. He knew that, but he couldn’t help but wonder what it would like to be bigger.

The more he stretched the more tense his body seemed to be. That sore feeling dripped all the way down to his bones. It was something he hadn’t ever felt since he’d hit puberty, but he did his best to ignore it. “Damn,” he shook his head as the feeling finally went away. As he grabbed his shirt he couldn’t help but look over in the mirror. The body looking back at him didn’t quite look the same. 

Slowly he approached it wondering what he was seeing. It couldn’t be possible. His eyes had to be playing tricks on him. But there it was. His large protruding belly had slightly pulled back in underneath his pecs. But more so that his pecs had even pushed out a little further. All up and down his body he could see just a bit more definition of each and every muscle while his body looked just a tad bit thinner. 

“What the hell?” he ran his hand under his slightly stronger jawline. There was an urge to take another picture but he tried to fight it down. But looking through the previous messages he could see that GrowthManiac had responded.

‘5’10” that’s a bit shorter than I’m used to following but the weight on you looks pretty good. I can’t wait to see you grow over the next couple of weeks.’ He added a few winking faces at the end of the message. 

“The hell?” Ed repeated as he looked down at his phone. “I said 5’8”…” but looking at the message he’d sent it said that he was 5’10”. “No fucking way…” Ed cursed as he stepped over to the height chart. Lining his back against the wall he could see that somehow in those few seconds he’d just grown another two inches.