[COMM] Corruption Arc - Chapter 4: Luke

This was a commission from a patron! I had a ton of fun working on it. Writing a female character who is unabashedly interested in fattening up guys who probably would've been thin their whole lives if they never crossed her path was perfect to sink my teeth into. There are 9 parts total, switching from Nico's perspective to Luke's, and I'll post them here every two weeks.

This is the chapter where things get really juicy. 👀👀👀

Enjoy!

***

Luke hated how nervous he felt walking up to the party. The other tutor who organized it, Marcus, had said in his invitation text that it would be a casual get-together. Luke wasn’t sure what “casual” would mean in this context. He’d never been to a party like this before and had no idea what to expect. Would there be alcohol? Drugs? He’d already run into people smoking cigarettes and weed outside the dorms when he came home from a late class. No one had approached him or offered him anything, but it made him uncomfortable. Didn’t drugs make people stupid and crazy? He couldn’t fathom why anyone, let alone college kids trying to earn their degrees, would even touch the stuff.

As he approached the door, he tried to calm himself down. He could say no to anything he was offered. No one was going to force anything down his throat. He might not have to worry about any of this anyway. The other volunteers were all pretty relaxed and nerdy as far as Luke could tell. It was unlikely things were going to get too wild.

He took a deep breath and knocked. He could hear laughter on the other side of the door and realized they probably couldn’t hear him, so he walked in.

There was a good-sized living room to the right of the door with three couches where it seemed like everyone had congregated. The atmosphere was relaxed, with everyone lolling on the couches, comfortable like they spent a lot of time there. Well, mostly comfortable. The couches looked like they were a bit of a tight squeeze, and Luke realized just how big all the other tutors were. He wasn’t sure how he’d missed it before. Maybe because usually there were other students coming in for help that were smaller, so he never saw the tutors all bunched up together. He supposed it made sense for them to be fatter; they were all academics who knew their stuff well enough to teach it to other people, not athletes. But it was a little shocking to see three people barely fitting on each couch, fat thighs and side rolls brushing against each other. It was mostly just the guys who were big, too. There were a couple girls who were chubbier, but they looked tiny compared to the men.

The other thing that rattled him was how much food there was in easy reach of everyone. Huge bowls of chips, dips to go with them, a couple containers of store-bought cookies, boxes of pizza; it seemed like everyone was digging in as they talked and laughed. He felt mortified watching them all stuff themselves, like he was seeing them all naked. Once again, he couldn’t quite understand the people around him. If you were that fat, wouldn’t you be avoiding eating like this? But then, he figured this was how you wound up that big in the first place.

Finally, someone noticed he was there and they all welcomed him, calling out his name and telling him how glad they were that he came. “Do you want a beer?” Marcus asked, leaning forward to stand up, thighs spreading wide as his belly drooped between them. “Or something else? We’ve got a bunch of stuff in the kitchen.”

“I’m good on the beer,” he said, smiling and trying to keep his refusal lighthearted. “I don’t really drink.”

“Oh, okay! It’s all good, man. There’s sodas in the fridge, plus some other stuff.”

Luke nodded and went to find the kitchen, glad his abstinence hadn’t been a big deal. He started to relax, planning to get himself a soda (he hoped they had something diet) and just hang out. As soon as he arrived in the kitchen, though, Nico was right there to put him off-kilter again.

He stopped in his tracks in the kitchen entryway, drinking her in without thinking. She was wearing almost indecently short high-waisted jean cutoffs, and he nearly lost his breath at how wide she looked. The shorts cut into the tops of her thighs a little, creating little rolls, and a bigger one where the waist dug into her fat stomach and sides. The shorts hugged the outline of her belly, front button tight against the swell of it. She was in a long-sleeved crop top, and the thick sliver of exposed upper belly almost made him sigh aloud. The long sleeves somehow managed to make her arms look fatter than he’d ever seen them. Decadent. Unholy.

She had a big glass bong in her hand, the mouth of it pressed to her lips. A better part of him wanted to turn on his heel and leave, his moral center filling his belly with hot lead as he realized what she was doing. She flicked a lighter right as he walked in and he could hear liquid bubbling. Watching her chubby hand wrapped around the length of the purple glass, and then watching her inhale, smoke curling into her mouth as she lifted her head slightly to look at him, her eyes shining more red than brown in the dim lighting… he’d have to pray on how he felt about it later. In that moment, he couldn’t form any coherent thoughts. He just wanted. He felt covetous of her, and he’d never felt that way about a person before.

She coughed a little into the crook of her arm and the sound broke the spell. She smiled at him. “You made it.” Luke called himself back from wherever his mind had been, reminding himself that this scene should freak him out, not inspire lust. Now that he could actually think in words again, he felt disgusted with himself. He thought about his fiancée, Ruth, and how hurt she would be to know he was not only lusting after another woman, but someone like Nico who seemed like every dirty thing Ruth had been told not to be, everything he’d been warned away from his whole life.

“I did. Just came in to get a drink. How’s, uh, how’s the party been so far?”

She shrugged. “Just started, so everybody’s still warming up.”

He grabbed a soda from the fridge–all full sugar and packed with corn syrup, to Luke’s dismay–and cracked it open, sipping it just for something to do, something to distract him.

“Do you want a hit?” she asked, gesturing to the bong. “I was about to pack another bowl.”

He laughed, hoping he didn’t sound awkward. “I don’t even know what all that means. I’m okay, though.” He held up the soda, as if drinking a soda meant he couldn’t possibly partake.

“Suit yourself,” she said before taking another hit. It surprised him a little that she didn’t pressure him. He’d been told people like her, people who didn’t believe, would do everything they could to get him to stumble. To get him to be like them. He hadn’t experienced that once so far. Everyone seemed perfectly content to respect every boundary he set. None of the pushiness or evangelizing he was familiar with.

He looked away, trying not to get sucked in again, walking to another part of the kitchen where the counter was packed with even more food. Most of the stuff there was homemade–some brownies, cupcakes, and a platter of homemade rice krispy treats all stacked up. There were little handwritten labels next to each plate with allergens and stuff, which he thought was nice of everyone. He didn’t have any allergies so he didn’t read anything too closely. He took one of the rice krispy treats and bit into it. It was ludicrously buttery. There was kind of an odd tang to it, too, but mostly he tasted marshmallow sweetness and butter. His fingertips felt greasy after he ate it, and he licked his fingers without thinking.

“Do you like them?” Nico asked, walking up beside him. “I made those ones myself. They’re so easy to make, and they taste so much better than the packaged ones. Don’t you think?”

He grabbed another. Lord, but they really were tasty. “You did a great job,” he said after he’d finished his second. He didn’t pick up a third, knowing he’d regret the extra calories later.

The two of them drifted back into the living room, Nico offering the freshly-packed bong to one of the other girls before taking a seat on the floor. She gestured for Luke to sit next to her, a big smile on her face.

Aside from the bong slowly making its way around the circle and Luke having a minor coronary over just how many people took a hit, the party was nice. He’d worried a little about not fitting in, but he realized that a lot of his homeschooling knowledge that he’d never expected to be useful really was. The tutors who specialized in English and helping people write papers were huge fans of older British literature, and Luke had cut his teeth on Dickens, Austen, and Keats. The language and linguistics majors were delighted that he had a working knowledge of biblical Greek and a little Hebrew. At one point, Nico leaned over and nudged him, saying, “I think you’re everyone’s favorite now.”

He felt like he was floating after an hour, relaxed and happy, enjoying himself. Hungry, too. Maybe just because he’d been watching everyone eat for so long. He found himself eating a slice of pizza, and then a second, amazed at how good it was. It was the cheap stuff, but he felt like he was eating manna straight from heaven. The chips and dip were exceptional, too, even though it was all pretty basic store-bought stuff. At one point, someone cleared away the empty pizza boxes and chip bowls and replaced them with food from the kitchen. He inhaled another half a pizza, absently wondering why he wasn’t feeling full. The rice krispies were on the table too now, and he reached for one.

He’d already shoved it into his mouth when someone said, “Wait–Luke, did you eat rice krispies earlier?” He turned and saw Marcus looking at him, smiling but with a little concern in his eyes.

“Yes…?” Luke said, hand hovering over the plate, ready to grab his fourth of the evening. “Why?”

“I’m just a little surprised. That seems a little adventurous for you.”

“Rice krispies are adventurous?” He frowned, baffled.

“When they’re made with cannabutter and you don’t even drink beer, yes.”

“What?” Luke asked, not fully comprehending, even as his stomach started to churn.

“When did you eat them? Like an hour ago?” one of the girls asked. Luke nodded. “Oh my gooood, you guys! It’s baby’s first high!” she crowed.

There was a chorus of “awww”s and “nice”s. “Cannabutter? I-I-I don’t even know what that is,” he stammered. “Oh my god. Oh my god. Am I going to be okay? Am I going to die?” His eyes were wide with panic.

Nico laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Shhh, no need to panic. It’s just weed.” Just weed. Like he hadn’t heard a hundred times about people who took a single puff of a joint and ended up homeless and dead in a ditch. “That’s why you were so relaxed, and why you got so hungry. You got the munchies. That’s also why you probably don’t feel full.” She poked a long, manicured nail into his stomach. He looked down and realized how bloated he looked, belly sticking out slightly from his muscular frame, t-shirt clinging against the little bulge. Nico’s fingertip lingered there, and his intoxicated mind wished it would never leave, that she’d press a palm to his middle and keep telling him he would be alright.

He tried to remember how much he’d eaten. He couldn’t really feel any of it. And he still wanted more. Was this why they were all so fat? Did they feel like this all the time? His mind started running a thousand miles a minute, hating himself for eating anything, for eating weed krispies, for coming to this party.

Nico took his chin between her thumb and forefinger and looked into his eyes. He was so scared, and scared of her and all of them, but those deep brown eyes stilled him a little. Her voice was gentle as she said, “You poor thing. You’re having a bad trip, huh? That’s okay. Let’s get you home.”

She stood up, though it took her more than a minute to get to her feet. Once she was standing, she reached out a hand to help Luke up. He took it. God, he felt so ridiculous. Like he was going to cry. His heart was beating so fast. Nico smiled at him again, and squeezed his hand as he stood. It was warm and comforting.

“Everyone say bye to Luke. I’m gonna drive him home.”

“Bye, Luke,” a few people called out, along with encouragement to “drink lots of water” and “get some sleep, you’ll feel better tomorrow!”

They headed out the front door, and it wasn’t until they got to Nico’s car and she let go of his hand that he realized he’d been clutching hers the entire time. “You can lie down in the back or sit in the passenger seat. Whatever’s comfortable.”

He opted for the passenger seat. He still felt scared, almost on the verge of tears. He felt like he’d poisoned himself. “Can I–can I hold your hand again?” he asked as she started driving them back to campus.

“Oh, you sweet thing. Of course.” She held out her right hand and he took it, feeling anchored.

“I hope this isn’t weird. I just–”

“No need to explain. We’ve all been right where you are.”

She told him the story of the first time she’d ever gotten drunk at a party in high school as they drove. How she’d gotten horribly sick because she drank too much too fast, and how miserable it had been the next day. His panic started to subside, soothed by the sound of her voice, and her perspective. To her, this wasn’t a big deal at all. There was no panic from her, or concern for his welfare. No threats to shun him because he’d done something wrong.

By the time they arrived in front of his dorm, he almost didn’t want to leave the car. But he felt dizzy and uncomfortable, so he got out, thanking her. “Don’t even mention it. Just go get some rest.”

He drank a glass of water and got right into bed as soon as he made it to his room. He was more thankful than ever that he had a single and no roommates to worry about. He let his thoughts spin out as he tried to fall asleep. His hands drifted down to the little mound of his belly. He realized that, before he’d freaked out, he’d been enjoying himself. Enjoying being… high. It had felt like relaxation, warmth, and a little edge to his appetite. Nothing unpleasant. It was only when he’d been told that’s what he was feeling that he’d started to feel bad.

For the first time in his life, he found himself really questioning what he’d been taught. Clearly, marijuana was not a death sentence. He hadn’t even known he was high. It felt good. Natural. And wasn’t weed natural? Hadn’t he been taught that God made everything? Really, what was so wrong about smoking or eating something from a God-made plant and feeling a little different?

This was the kind of thing he could never speak aloud to anyone he knew. At least, anyone he knew from home. But it felt right in his heart. He could imagine saying this to his parents. His mother would’ve cried and cried over it, and his father would’ve told him his thoughts were of the devil and that he should repent. Luke couldn’t see anything to repent over. God wanted his people to be happy and enjoy themselves, didn’t he?

Luke thought of Nico again. Enjoyment incarnate. He buried his face against his pillow, imagining it was her. He thought of how sweet she’d been all night, how knowledgeable.

How hot it had been to watch her smoke, just the two of them in the kitchen. Her finger poking into his stuffed gut. Had she noticed how much he’d eaten all night? Was that why she’d made a point to explain to him what “munchies” were? He must’ve made such a pig of himself. He groaned into his pillow with embarrassment. And… and something else. He wanted her to touch him like that again, so badly. He wished she’d done more. Cupped his belly in her palm. Squeezed it. (Was he getting hard? Oh god, he was.)

He forced himself to go to sleep after that, praying all the while. All about her.