The Magic Store: Skin and Bones

Meet Jack Weber, a twenty-eight year old man haunted by his high school bullies. He’s got a great job, a wonderful boyfriend, and a bright future – he’s through with bullies and their bullshit... isn’t he?

I make a point of going to the gym every day. Tell a guy he’s too skinny enough and he’ll spend the rest of his life at the YMCA, desperately trying to bulk up. No matter what I ate or how many compound lifts I do, I just couldn’t put on enough muscle to feel good about myself. Twenty pounds in the last two years, but that still wasn’t enough.

Gyms have mirrors everywhere. It’s so you can check your form, but let’s be real, most of us also want to check out our bodies. See if we’re actually making any progress, or if this is a massive waste of time. I took a few seconds and gave myself a look... yeah, I wasn’t doing too bad these days.

I’d just finished up on a shoulder press and was headed down to the squat racks to get some leg work in. The gym wasn’t too crowded, but squat racks are always a problem. I felt good when I managed to snag the last empty one.

I was just loading it the bar with a couple 45’s when this big muscle bro came out of nowhere. He was one of those guys I find super intimidating – basketball shorts and an oversized tee and a backwards ball cap. When I see that guy across a room I get a little hard. When he comes too close I turn into a flustered mess.

“Hey buddy, move,” he said, barely glancing at me. He pulled the collars off my bar and started sliding another weight on.

“Hey,” I said cautiously. “Sorry, were you on this rack?”

“I am now,” he laughed. “Get lost nerd.”

I hated being pushed around. High school is a decade in the past, but bullies still bother me, y’know? I hate having to assert myself, but it’s better than being a pushover.

“You can use it when I’m done,” I said. I stepped closer to the bar, making sure I claimed that territory.

“Look bro,” the bigger guy said, shoving my shoulder and sending me stumbling. “Here’s the law of the jungle. I’m bigger than you, so I get what I want. You got that loser?”

“Hey, fuck you,” I said.

“You want respect, you gotta be more than skin and bones,” he shrugged, stepping underneath the bar.

One of the gym employees snuck up beside me. She was pretending to change the spray bottle on the wall, but the way she cleared her throat was more than casual.

“Hey guys,” she asked. “You doing okay over here?”

I glanced past her and realized the whole gym was watching me get bullied. I hated that I was letting him get away with it. My ears burned red with embarrassment.

“Yeah,” I said bitterly. “We’re fine.”

I stalked off and headed right for the change room. Screw the rest of my workout, I just wanted to get out of there.

While I was changing I looked in the mirror and winced. That twenty pounds of muscle didn’t seem so impressive now. I was pissed at myself... for giving in... for daring to believe I could be anything...

I grabbed my backpack and left the gym.

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

My watch said there was still another hour before I’d meet Eric for supper. We’ve been dating about a year now and we just moved in together so the romance is still fresh. I didn’t want to go back to our apartment – Eric’s the kind of guy who asks questions and I didn’t want to feel any worse about the moment.

I decided to wander around downtown for a while. I live in a pretty walkable city and it’s pretty, at least when I’m in a good mood. That night every alley and corner seemed like a threat.

I almost jumped out of my skin when I rounded a corner and saw something unexpected. I could have sworn that old storefront was boarded up, but now it was brightly lit. A well-loved window display was getting dusty behind the glass. An antique sign was hanging there, letters etched into wood with handcrafted care.

I tried to remember the last time I’d walked down this particular street. A day or two earlier? How had I missed this store? I could have sworn the building was empty for years.

But the evening was cold and the store looked warm, so I stepped inside The Magic Store.

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

A bell jingled when I stepped inside. The room was a little too warm, so I undid my jacket and started looking around.

“Good morning,” an old man called from the front counter. I glanced back out the dark window... it gets dark here early in the winter, but that’s no excuse for senility. “I see that you’re searching for something,” the man said.

“More like browsing,” I joked. “I’m just killing time, don’t worry about me.”

“But I am,” the old man sighed. “Go. Wander. Browse... whatever you want to call it, I promise you this – you’ll find what you need.”

I gave him one of those friendly nods. The kind you give when there’s nothing worth saying. Honestly, it was kind of creepy the way he kept staring, so I ducked down the nearest aisle and pretended to be shopping.

It was one of the weirder stores I’ve been inside. Instead of boxes stacked neatly on shelves, it seemed like there were just random items strewn at random. Little scraps of handwritten paper described the items. It felt more like my grandmother’s basement than a retail store.

And the items were weird. A fogged over mirror that’s tag promised to show people their true self. A gold chain that said it would give the wearer confidence to dominate any problem. Nothing looked interesting, but just as I was about to turn back I heard a rattle.

There was a beat up looking fork on the shelf, shaking slightly as I approached it. It’s tag was yellowed with age, but I could still read the handwriting. This fork would feed my obsession, whatever that meant.

If I’d been a little more genre savvy, I would have turned around and walked away. Instead I picked up the fork for a closer look.

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

I was at a restaurant. I didn’t know which one, but I’d been there a while. My table had half a dozen empty plates in front of me, and another one piled high with food in front of me. I stared at the food for a moment and realized I was clutching the fork tightly.

Another bite. I needed to take another bite.

I was shovelling food into my mouth as fast as I could swallow. Bite after bite, chewing and swallowing like a machine. Every bite was an explosion of flavour in my mouth – sweet and salty and tangy and spicy... I’ve never been the kind of guy who really loves food, but I just couldn’t stop eating. I felt like a starving man.

I looked up for a second and caught a reflection of myself in the window. I was big. Like... really big. Way bigger than I actually was. I must have just come from the gym – I was squeezed into a set of workout clothes that barely fit me. My old basketball shorts and a tanktop I’d bought last summer. It was way too baggy on me, but super comfortable on the beach.

At least it used to be. It was skin tight on my reflection. My pecs had to be the size of plates and my back was ridiculously wide. My arms were thick with muscle, but they never stopped moving, shovelling more food into my mouth. I looked like the hulk, if the hulk couldn’t stop eating.

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

I dropped the fork back onto the shelf and backed away. What the hell was going on? I wasn’t in a restaurant, shoving food into my beast-like body. I was in a musty old magic store, trying to kill time until my date.

It had been too real. I actually felt like I was there, shovelling food into my face. Was I going crazy? Hallucinating? Whatever was going on, it wasn’t healthy.

I reached out slowly and grabbed the fork again. There was no sudden shift this time, no vision of a parallel reality...

Just the urgent need to take it home.

“Have you found something you like?” an elderly voice echoed down the aisle.

I stood there gripping the fork. This was a magic shop... whatever happened, was that magic? If it was magic... did that mean the fork could... could I become that big? A huge muscle beast? I’d never have to be scared again... that’s the law of the jungle, right?

I took the fork and carried it up to the counter.

“So... uh, weird thing,” I said hesitantly. “I touched this fork, and I saw some kinda.. uh...”

The old man smiled at me wordlessly. He knew he’d made the sale.

“How much?” I asked.

“Money?” he said. “Twenty dollars. The rest is up to you.”

I pulled out a twenty and handed it over. He took it, made some offhand comment about the year, and placed it in his antique till. I grabbed the fork and stuffed it into my backpack, eager to get out before he raised the price.

It was weird. Maybe too weird.

I got a half dozen steps outside the door before I decided to turn back and return the fork. The shop was gone, the building boarded up exactly like I remembered. I’ve never believed in ghosts, but that old man came close.

“Okay,” I whispered to myself. “Don’t freak out.”

Sure, I’d just picked up a magical item from a mysterious store, but that didn’t mean I was cursed, right? The old man hadn’t seemed malevolent. I was probably gonna be fine... yeah... nothing to worry about.

That’s what I spent the next hour repeating to myself. Eventually my watch buzzed and I realized I was late to meet my boyfriend for Chinese food. Eric was gonna be pissed... he hated having to wait.

We met at a restaurant we hadn’t tried before. It was nothing fancy, just that basic westernized Chinese food place that every city in America has. You know the one – photocopied paper menus, little plastic packets of soy sauce, and a menu that’s focussed on chicken balls.

Eric ordered Combo A. I’m more of a Combo B man myself.

“So how’s your day going?” Eric asked, taking the first sip of his beer.

“Uh... it’s weird,” I admitted, totally unsure how to answer. Until I knew what was going on, probably best to leave the magical storefront and the cursed fork out of it, right?

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. There was this guy at my gym and he was being a total dickhead. I was doing squats and he just comes up and starts unloading the bar. Told me to get lost, some bullshit about how cause he’s bigger he gets whatever he wants.”

“Man, I hate those guys,” Eric chuckled. “They think just cause they’ve got muscles they don’t need manners. Or brains! I’m just glad you’re alright... some of those guys are on roids, you never know if they’re gonna fly off the handle or whatever.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “Sometimes I wish I could do something about it, you know? Take that guy down a peg or two.”

“I hear you,” Eric said gently. He leaned closer and put his hand over mine. “But what’s a skinny guy like you gonna do? You’ve got to be safe.”

I bit my tongue. Great, Eric thinks I’m skinny too. Just because he’s a little bigger than me... god, I hated being so thin.

“Yeah...” I said noncommittally. “Gotta stay safe.”

Eric saw our food coming so he went off to the bathroom. He likes to wash his hands thirty or forty times a day. The waitress put our plates in front of me and laid a pair of chopsticks down too. I thanked her, then glanced both ways once she left.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the fork. Fuck it, if everyone thought I was so skinny, maybe it was time to do something about it. Curse or no curse, this thing was magic!

“Dude, seriously?” Eric chuckled when he came back and saw me eating. “I can teach you chopsticks if you want.”

“It’s cool,” I shrugged. I know how to use ‘em, but I was feeling a small surge of energy with every bite I took from the fork. It felt like it was travelling up my arm and exploding through my body. Tiny little fireworks all over. “Don’t make a big deal out of it,” I asked Eric.

He just shrugged and dug into his meal.

I’ve got to admit, the food was amazing. The place might have been cookie-cutter, but their chef was fantastic. That sweet and sour pork... I was definitely gonna have to come back...

“Isn’t this great?” I asked, my mouth full of food.

“Yeah,” Eric shrugged. “I mean, it tastes like Chinese food, right?”

“Really?” I said. “This is way better...”

“Hey,” he laughed. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it!”

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

Eric and I were having sex. We’d gotten home kind of late, but he was horny and I’m kind of a people pleaser.

“Mmmm... all that gym time’s helping,” he moaned. I’d just slipped my cock inside. His legs were over my shoulders – his favourite position. “You’ve put on a little bit of muscle, huh?”

I grinned. I like when people notice the work. It’s kind of ridiculous, but even my tiny little pecs give me a lot of pride.

“Thanks,” I said, thrusting just the way he likes.

It only took a few minutes for him to cum. Afterwards I got him a cloth and he wiped himself down. I went for a shower instead.

Mostly cause I wanted to look in the mirror. Had the magic fork done anything for me yet? Maybe it was my imagination, but I was pretty sure I could see a change. It needed a close look, and yeah, you could barely tell... but it looked like I put on a tiny bit of muscle.

Maybe it was just years of hard work in the gym, but I suspected it was the twenty bucks at the magic store.

I stood there for a long time, thinking about that vision I’d had, that over-muscled beast cramming food into his mouth, building that body one forkful at a time.

I only stepped into the shower for a minute. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to pull out the fork and keep building my body. If Combo B had made a visible difference, I was looking forward to my next meal.

My fridge is always full of leftovers. Lucky for me. I pulled the fork from my bag and started chowing down.

Maybe it was just my excitement, but even two day old leftovers tasted amazing. I remembered the butter chicken as being lacklustre the first time, but my tastebuds loved it now. I couldn’t get enough. Even after I finished the meat, I still tipped the container like a cup and drank the sauce. Would that count? I kept the fork in the sauce, just in case.

Eric didn’t eat all his food, so we’d carried it back in a box. I scraped every last grain of fried rice off the styrofoam before tossing it into the bin.

Leftovers. Snack foods. My lunch for tomorrow. I finished everything in the fridge. By the time i was done, the glowing digits on the stove told me it was 2 AM.

I took one last look in the bathroom mirror. Yeah... after eating for hours, my stomach was still flat...

But I was definitely gaining some muscle.

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

My alarm’s set to go off at seven. I woke up groggy. That midnight snack session took it’s toll, but it was totally worth it. Eric leaned over to kiss me and his eyes went wide.

“Holy shit Jack,” he laughed. “I kinda saw this last night, but in the sunlight... sorry I called you skinny at supper last night. The gym’s clearly doing it’s job!”

He ran his hand down over my torso. My pecs were coming in nicely, defined and square, even if they could stand to be thicker. My delts and neck were getting thicker too. Even my abs seemed more visible.

“That guy from yesterday is like... a total asshole,” Eric gushed. “You’re not even skinny anymore. Just... not huge, but... I think you’re gonna get there.”

I thought about biting my tongue again, but he was going to figure it out soon enough.

“I’ve got a secret,” I admitted. “I kinda... this sounds really dumb... I went to this magic store last night, and I bought this magic fork and...”

“Like the utensil?” Eric laughed.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “And everything I eat with it turns right into muscle! I ate all the leftovers last night and... well, look at the results!”

Eric laughed again.

“Real funny,” he chuckled. “You’re looking great. Keep up the hard work... I’m loving this new gymbunny side of you.”

“I’m serious!” I insisted. “Magic fork and everything.”

“You’ve got one hell of an imagination,” Eric groaned. “But the body makes up for it.”

“What kind of asshole imagines a magic fork?” I said, rolling my eyes. I was starting to get a little frustrated. Just my luck, I’d stumbled into the kind of story that nobody would believe.

“Whatever, if that’s your roleplay, we’ll do it sometime,” Eric said agreeably. “Just keep fucking me and I’ll do anything.”

I pretended to get ready while Eric got dressed for work. I even put on my suit and tie, though I had to admit my dress pants needed an upgrade. The way my ass jutted out now, most of my clothes needed some tailoring.

Or maybe I’d just stop wearing clothes. Who knows? Thirty or forty more pounds of muscle and I’d be serious eye candy!

I waited for Eric to leave before I stripped off my dress pants and shirt. A quick text to my boss, telling him I wasn’t feeling so hot, and suddenly I was free for the day. I grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a formerly baggy t-shirt, then headed downstairs to find breakfast.

The great part about living downtown is that there are lots of options. I picked the kind of place where if you finish the whole meal they put your picture on the wall. It wasn’t gonna be much of a challenge, not with my fork.

When my order came I started working through it one forkful at a time. I fell into a steady rhythm – take a bite, feel that energy explode inside my body. Waffles, pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon... it all tasted amazing. I couldn’t stop eating.

When the waitress came by to check she looked shocked.

“Can I have another one?” I asked.

“One more pancake, coming up,” she said, looking impressed as she jotted down my order.

“No, sorry,” I said. “I meant another order of breakfast. The whole thing.”

“Okay,” she said, shaking her head. “But you gotta eat the whole thing or I won’t take the photo.”

By the time my second order was delivered I’d finished the first. She grabbed my empty plate, trying to swap everything out. I had to move fast to hold onto my fork. I didn’t want to lose that... I just couldn’t.

By the time I left I’d gone through three breakfasts and they were talking about how big my photo should be on the wall. I didn’t care... all that mattered was how big I was getting, one bite at a time.

Besides, my stomach was rumbling already. I needed to eat...

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

I got back to our apartment with two bigs bags of groceries. I’d gotten kicked out of three restaurants before I just headed for the grocery store – they all thought I was playing some kind of TikTok prank. No camera, no lighting, but whatever... ok boomer.

The first thing I did was pre-heat the oven. The second thing was to peel off my shirt and sweats, heading straight for the scale. I was at 165 pounds, up almost thirty pounds from yesterday. I didn’t look skinny anymore, not by a long shot.

But I was still so hungry...

I sat down and started tearing into the food I’d brought home. Deli food would suffice while the chicken cooked. I shoved three trays of meat into the oven, hoping that would be enough to sate my hunger.

I was still eating two hours later when Eric walked in. And I hate to say it, but I was almost out of groceries. The table was covered with empty plates and wrappers and I was still stuffing my face, one bite at a time. Getting bigger. Getting better.

“Holy shit,” Eric gasped. “What’s going on?”

“Huh?” I said, jamming another bite of pasta into my mouth.

“Jack... look at you,” Eric said, taking in my bare chest. “What happened? Are you on steroids or something?”

“I told you,” I mumbled through the food. “Magic fork, gettin’ me buff. Pass that stew.”

“No, Jack... whatever’s happening...” Eric protested. “This isn’t healthy. Just... stop eating for a second, okay? Let’s talk about it.”

I put down my fork and stood up, facing him.

“Okay... so whatever’s happening...” Eric said. I walked right past him, headed for my closet. I grabbed out a pair of shorts, the ones Mom bought me last Christmas. The ones that were way too big for me. They fit pretty good now. Then I added a loose tanktop, or at least one that used to be loose.

“Love you babe,” I said, giving Eric a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m gonna hit a buffet.”

I was so hungry. I had to eat.

I grabbed my fork and walked out the door.

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

People at the buffet were staring at me. It made sense, I guess. I was a decent sized guy... 190 the last time I checked, sometime that afternoon. But the way I was packing it in – even I knew it was ridiculous.

But still... when you’re hungry...

Plate after plate of food went into my bottomless pit of a stomach. I was shovelling food into my mouth as fast as it would fit. Every trip back to the buffet was a choice. What could I eat the fastest?

I glanced up and saw my reflection in the window. There I was, with a half dozen empty plates in front of me. Food piled high on the frontmost plate. My fork clutched tightly in my hand. I was so hungry. I just needed one more bite...

It was all so good. I couldn’t resist the way food tasted. I couldn’t resist the feeling of getting bigger. A guy like me, I’ve always been so skinny... soon I wouldn’t be.

I was huge. Really huge. Like a football player or something. Or maybe a rugby guy. The tanktop was uncomfortably tight on me now, cutting into my skin. One good flex and I’d shred it.

I couldn’t stop eating. I didn’t want to stop eating. This was the moment I saw in the store. Not just any hallucination, but a vision of my future. I wondered how big I’d get in the end. Would I be able drive a car? Walk? Fit through doors?

It didn’t matter. I just wanted to be big.

“Jack,” I heard someone say from a distance.

My eyes were fixed on my plate. Gotta get the next bite... Gotta get the next bite...

“Jack!” Eric shouted. He was right in front of me, just across the table.

“Get me more,” I mumbled, precious food spilling from my mouth. “I need more!”

“Why?” Eric begged. “Let’s say this fork thing is real... you’ve been eating for hours! Stop for a second... please?”

“I need to get bigger,” I said. I couldn’t stop chewing. I never wanted to stop.

“Why?”

“That guy at the gym...” I started. “You, the other night... My whole life, it’s just people saying I’m skinny.”

“Jack, listen to me,” Eric said. “That’s not true anymore. Look at yourself! You’re huge!”

“Not big enough,” I mumbled. My plate had maybe thirty or forty more bites on it... I’d need more food soon.

“Look, you used to love how buff I was?” Eric asked. “Right? Now you’re like twice my size! Nobody’s gonna think you’re small anymore! Not me, not the people from high school, not that douchebag from the gym!”

I hesitated, the fork halfway to my mouth. I wanted to eat so bad...

“Put the fork down,” Eric urged me. “You’re big enough. At least for today...”

I stared past him at my reflection. I was fuckin’ huge. For the first time in my life I realized... I was fuckin’ huge!

I opened my mouth to answer and a huge belch erupted.

“Okay,” I finally rumbled. “At least for today.”

I tucked the fork in my pocket.

“Let’s go home,” Eric said slowly.

“Yeah...” I said. I was fuckin’ huge. I felt so good. I was fuckin’ huge! “Yeah, let’s go home... but first, I gotta hit the gym.”

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

I strode into the gym, feeling confident. I had to be the biggest guy there. For a second I almost got distracted. It’d feel so good to work my new muscles... maybe weight myself, see how big I’d gotten...

But I had a mission. Something simple, and then home to Eric. I hunted around until I found him.

That muscle bro from yesterday.

He was doing deadlifts. Most of the deadlift platforms were empty, but I wasn’t here to workout. I was here to dominate him. Big guys like me, that’s just natural, right?

“Yo, bro,” I barked from behind him. “Go someplace else. I wanna lift here.”

The bro turned around. He wasn’t so scary now. I had at least fifty pounds of muscle on him. The guy wasn’t special at all. Sure, there were lots of guys almost my size, but this guy was definitely the runt of the litter.

“There’s lots of open ones,” he protested weakly.

“Yeah bro,” I smirked. “Law of the jungle, right? You want respect, you gotta be more than skin and bones.”

He opened his mouth to argue with me, but he closed it quickly and backed away. For a half second I felt power, making him do what I wanted.

Then I just felt pity.

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

Getting into the elevator felt weird. It dipped down a little bit when I stepped inside.

I had to squeeze sideways to get through our apartment hallway. Eric and I put up a shelf there... it was gonna have to come down. I was too big for this place now. Maybe we should look for something else...

“Okay, first off... I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,” Eric said. “The magic fork. Mea culpa. You were telling the truth.”

I shrugged my massive shoulders. No worries. I wouldn’t have believed me either.

“Second... this is... incredibly sexy,” Eric admitted. He put one hand on my pec. The fabric of my tanktop was stretched so much it pulled against my chest hairs. “I never wanted to say anything... y’know, didn’t want you to feel bad... but big guys are hot as fuck.”

“Yeah?” I said, a smile slowly spreading over my face. “For real?”

He peeled off my shirt. I was glad for the help. A guy my size isn’t so flexible. My lats get in the way, y’know?

“For real,” he said, planting his mouth on a nipple and sucking it.

It felt so good, the way he massaged my muscle. I was big and he treated me that way. Just a giant piece of meat for his pleasure.

“Come to the bedroom,” he said, leading me by the hand. Even my hands were bigger. Thicker veins. Wider palms.

“You want me to fuck you?” I asked.

His eyes went wide.

“I’ll be gentle,” I said. “Promise.”

I lubed up his hole and tried to toss his legs over my shoulder. They were too thick, he wasn’t getting a good grip, so I flipped him over and held myself over top of his ass. My cock just touched his hole, teasing him before I went in.

I used every bit of my new muscle, lowering myself slowly into his hole, then pushing myself up. Yeah, I’ve got more muscle, but I’ve got more mass to worry about too. It’s exhausting, no matter what size you are.

But Eric was eating it up. Moaning like a bitch under me. My cock felt better than it had in months. I wasn’t just there to make him cum anymore. I was doing this for me.

He made my cock feel so good. His tiny little ass took my dick with ease.

“You’re so fuckin’ sexy,” Eric moaned under me. “Oh my god... this feels so different. The weight... you’re so fuckin’ sexy...”

“Yeah?” I whispered in his ear. “You like this, don’tcha l’il man.”

“You’re such a beast...” Eric mumbled into the pillow. “A big savage beast...”

Cliche? Sure, but I was eating it up. Every single word was making me harder.

I must have fucked him for an hour. When I finally blew my load it was epic.

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

We spent a long time laying in the afterglow. My whole body was tired after the session we’d just had. I felt sore, but the good kind of sore. The kind that lets you relax.

“That was fuckin’ awesome,” I rumbled. Sometime that afternoon my voice had started to pitch down. Get big enough and it’ll happen for you too.

“Yeah,” Eric said, still trying to catch his breath. “That was so... it felt... it was different you know. Kinda hard... you’re just so huge...”

I laughed. “Sorry buddy,” I said. “I’m not gettin’ any smaller.”

“Yeah,” Eric said with a sigh. “I guess not. Whatever – you’re so fucking hot now. I mean, you were before, but now...”

“I get it,” I chuckled. “But uh... just cause I’m not gettin’ smaller... my fork’s still right here.”

I reached into my discarded sweats and held it up. The tarnished metal barely caught the light.

“Y’know,” I offered. “If you wanna borrow it or whatever.”

Eric stared at it for a long minute. He took the fork from my hand and looked it over, like he was trying to learn it’s secrets with his eyes.

“Okay babe,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Let’s get me something to eat.”