Sponsored Part 04

Never in Cody’s life had he liked running. But after this one, he couldn’t help but feel a bit satisfied. Even though he was panting and completely out of breath, he was almost disappointed it was over. He quickly hopped in the shower and then made himself breakfast. What was usually just an afterthought, now seemed to be planned. There was fresh fruit on the counter and his refrigerator was loaded up with eggs. 

He naturally went to cracking a couple of them and then cooking them into an omelet with spinach. “Jeez…” this was something new to him as well. Somehow he knew that he needed to eat cleaner and there was all the food to do so. The personality change was affecting more than just his body. 

What surprised him more was he was still earlier than he usually was. The morning rush seemed to have slowed down and he could take his time. He grabbed his lunch and stepped outside. “This too?” he realized he was holding a cooler with ice and chicken breast with carrots and potatoes in it. It all looked rather bland but he knew he wouldn’t be eating out any more. Not if he wanted to look like Jack Hoffman.

“So lame!” he exclaimed. It didn’t matter how much he tried to think about fast food or even splurging on food in the vending machine, a deep pit formed in his stomach telling him he’s not allowed to eat that kind of stuff. It was too full of artificial sugars and flavors. Not to forget about all the salt that would stay in his body as well. 

Cody turned back to his phone. “Maybe if I raise my maximum he’ll turn me back.” The thought lingered in his mind. “No,” he tried to stay resolute. “It’s just for one day. That’s all it’s for. I’ll ask him to turn me back tomorrow.” 

The thought still lingered in the back of his mind as he drove to work. It was more because of how much smaller his truck felt than the food. Both were starting to stack up on how he was feeling. Turning his wheel had become a bit cumbersome, as did looking over his shoulder.

“Tomorrow,” he reminded himself. But work was just as bad. The stagnant and repetitive nature of his body having to sit in one spot for hours was draining. Luckily he had some 20 pound weights underneath his desk that he would reward himself with lifting whenever he’d completed a phone call or task. 

A list of other exercises that he could do in his chair were placed on the wall. But most of them were bodyweight and didn’t give him the same feeling as lifting something a lot bigger. If he wanted to be like Jack he’d have to train harder. He still went through them as it did allow him to get some of his energy out. And it was still a workout. 

However, the pictures of Jack all over his cubicle seemed to press him to do so. It was just a constant reminder of how far away he still was. Seeing his thin waist with perfect abs and even bigger muscles was hard to look dismiss. Even if everyone knew he was on something it was still so impressive to see his body in action. 

Cody’s phone buzzed in his pocket. ‘C’mon… Raise the maximum… I can get you closer looking like Jack~~’

It took a second for Cody to respond. His heart started racing again. The feeling of being able to get closer to his goal was in reach and all he had to do was accept. But was it really his goal? Or the one set by his sponsor. He paused.

‘C’mon big guy. I might think you’re handsome now, but what if you were even closer to looking like Jack. To be able to see those strong sturdy muscles. To have girls flock to you all the time. I might be okay with that belly of yours but do you think anyone else is?’

He hovered over the settings bar. Part of him really wanted to change it. He could feel his mouth drying out as the two choices stayed in his mind. It would be so easy just to give in. To let his sponsor change him just a bit more. That is what he wanted after all. But at the same time he felt like he should say no.

‘Ignoring me? Dude, just think about it. You’re still such a big chonker compared to someone like him. I may have taken your body fat down to 19% but he’s probably less than 10%. Honestly? You think anyone else will like you like that?’

‘Tomorrow.’ he typed, making sure to include the period. 

‘Fine. Tomorrow.🙄 But you better still raise the maximum.’

Cody let out a loud groan as he tossed his phone on the desk. He leaned far back into his chair and tried to crush his head in his hands. The compression made the headache go away slightly but the bright fluorescent lights of the office were still blinding. He tried to think about anything else, but knew his sponsor was right. He was a ‘chonker.’ The annoying cutesy internet nickname just pissed him off even more. “Just call me fat damn it!” 

“Bad date?” Jeff looked over his cubicle wall. 

Cody felt the anger brush away as he was startled by the other guy. “Something like that…” he muttered.

“Don’t let it get to ya. Online dating can be the pits. Just understand a lot of people are looking for perfection when they could have something pretty damn close to it,” Jeff said.

“Right,” Cody nodded. He felt a bit off on how friendly Jeff was being. It must have been the more casual nature of the office. Everyone seemed to be far more relaxed now that Mr. Cook wasn’t all over them about even the slightest distraction. “Uhhh… Thanks.”

“No problem,”Jeff lowered back into his cubicle.

The rest of the day seemed to pass alright. But Jeff was still ready for his workout tonight with Mark. He jumped in his truck and headed for the gym. Mark was already there but he was with someone else. Cody threw them a wave as he went and changed into his gym clothes. They felt so much more freeing than the clothes he had to wear for work. No more sleeves and they actually had some air flow. Even if they were pushed hard against his body. “Guess I gotta buy some new ones…” he wiggled his toes in his shoes. “Probably some new shoes too…”

Cody left the locker room and saw Mark warming up with the other guy. He stood a good six inches shorter than Cody, making his head just barely appear next to his shoulders. “Sup?” he locked hands with Mark in a high five and pulled into a bro hug. “Got a new follower?”

“Uhh… Something like that,” Mark said.

The guy let out a laugh and extended his hand to Cody. “I’m Chris.”

“Nice ta meetcha Chris,” Cody shook the other man’s hand. It was so small compared to his large mitts.

“He’s my sponsor,” Mark quickly added.

A mocking smile appeared on Chris’ face. Cody could see something was up. “Is that all I am to you?” Even though they were about the same age, there was an authority of someone far older.

“And boyfriend. I mean fiance. Fiance. Yeah, fiance,” Mark corrected. “Still not used to saying that… Sorry.”

“Fi-fi-fiance???” Cody stammered. “You’re gay?!”

Mark forced himself to keep eye contact. “Uhh… Yeah… Always have been. Uhh… This is kind of awkward but I did always have a bit of a crush on you in high school too…”

Cody took a step back. “You did?” He’d realized what he’d done. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I figured. Well. Since you changed so much. That…”

“That I turned straight?” Mark finished the sentence.

“No! Oh God no. That’s not what I meant. It’s not. I swear,” Cody held up his hands far out in front of him. “It’s just I don’t know. I guess I kind of forgot?” he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“It’s fine,” Mark laughed. “Don’t be so weird about it.” He turned to Chris. “This is kind of why I didn’t want to tell him…”

“But you wanted to invite him to the wedding. Right?” Chris pressured.

“Uhh… Right,” Mark fumbled in his pockets looking for something. He pulled out a folded up invitation. “This is for you. It’s kind of formal. But don’t worry. We’ll make sure there’s plenty of alcohol too. Open bar and whatever.”

Cody looked it over and read the date. It was still a couple of months away. “I’ll be there,” he finally said. “So... How’d you two meet?” 

Mark gave an uncomfortable laugh. “Chris was my economics teacher…” His smile grew wider as his eyes closed and hand rubbed the back of his neck. “We kind of started talking then and then well... I kept seeing him for extra help after classes. 

"Like you needed it," Chris prodded into Mark's side.

Well I wanted it," Mark leaned back in. He straightened up again and turned to Cody. "But then we started dating.”

“You’re a teacher?” Cody looked a bit shocked. Chris didn’t look a day over 30 and even that was pushing it. If he were to really guess it would have been closer to 21. But there was still an intense gaze in his eyes that seemed to make him look a bit older than that.

“Was,” Chris laughed. “After we started the sponsorship stuff, well a 23 year old can’t really be a teacher. Or at least that’s how the school saw it. I wasn’t hired back. And then had to complete the stupid degree again. But Hell. I knew all it anyways so whatever. And then I got to spend more time with Mark…” His hands went up Mark’s shirt and gripped the hard muscle. 

“Stop…” Mark giggled as he slapped at the hand. But Chris kept playing with Mark’s body like it was his toy. Despite his more average size, Mark seemed to bend to his will. “Stop,” he got close to Chris whispering. “Later.”

“Later,” Chris rolled his eyes.

Cody looked on. “Wait. So you’re a sponsor? But you were also sponsored?”

“Yep. I sponsored Mark and then he sponsored me back. Didn’t realize just how damned expensive the age thing would get. After 15 years it started to be over a thousand dollars a blasted year. And then kept going up! Extortion I say. Shouldn’t be any harder for them ta do it. Not like the damned technologys goin nowhere.”

“It’s fine,” Mark soothed. “We still got you there. And weren’t you the one telling me about supply and demand?”

“Hmph,” Chris folded his arms as a heavy breath of air left his nose. He knew he’d lost that debate. “Still… I didn’t like you spending so much of your money on me.”

“Technically, it was your money,” Mark said. His muscular body leaned in closer to Chris’ rubbing his shoulders.

“Hmph,” Chris scoffed again. “Either way, I don’t like it.”

“So how old are you?” Cody finally asked.

“In real time? 68. Now? 24.”

“Si-six-six-sixty eight?” Cody stammered. He was more wondering how much it cost to get him there. Or how someone like Mark would have had that kind of money. But with how much Mark had changed there was a pretty obvious explanation, where most of it came from.

“Yeah sixty eight. Look pretty good don’t I?” Chris bragged and threw up a flex. His lean soccer physique looked pretty good but he’d obviously made Mark spend all his money on age. Especially if it got so expensive. “But then my damned grandson got ahold of my phone. Sorry bout gettin you inta this mess.”

“Sorry?” Mark wondered.

“Yeah. Sorry. You got at least a month signed up with him before you can cancel the contract. And his father spoils the kid like crazy. I thought I raised James right but he spends so much time at work, it’s hard for him to really pay attention to Patrick. Well… I guess I should say dad now…” Cody’s face seemed to be enough to need an explanation. “It’s a bit weird. I know. But how the changes work by making the simplest change possible. It’s so reality doesn’t go too crazy and mess everything up and people will be more prone to believe it. So now my son is my dad. And grandson? Well… He’s my brother. I didn’t think the little fucking twerp would have gone through my phone but somehow he’d gotten the damned password.” He clenched his fists as the memory clearly made him mad. 

“O...kay…” Cody muttered. 

“He’s not doing anything too bad to you is he? You told him not to raise the maximum right?” He turned back to Mark, who nodded. “You haven’t raised it, have you?”

“No,” Cody lied. Suddenly he felt embarrassed about it. “He just made a small psychological change for $50 to make me want to be like Jack Hoffman.”

“Patrick would,” Chris groaned. “Well just don’t let him bully you. Got it?”

“Do I look like someone who could be bullied?” Cody flexed his arm. 

“Hmph,” Chris huffed.