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It'd been a few weeks since school started. To say the least... things never got much better. That other wolf and his friends had been bullying and making fun of me every single day. At least I wasn't the only one though. They began picking on the others too, if that's even a good thing, but it still felt like they just enjoyed giving me the most trouble. Even though Dek and Aiden were still way bigger than I am, Koar said they were targeting me because they knew I would react more. It wasn't like I could help that... It wasn't fair! It only started off with name-calling which I guess I was okay with - things like whale, fat ass, useless sack of lard... stuff like that. But then, it only took a few days before they began pushing me around, shoving me into walls and jabbing and grabbing at my belly - not like how my friends and I would always poke and tease each other either. It's like they were trying so hard to hurt me without actually hurting me; it just hurt on the inside more than the outside, so I guess that wasn't too bad. Koar didn't think so though; maybe that was just him. Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me - something like that, right...?

---

"Hey, Kazan," Alph greeted me as I walked into the storage room. I had just gotten my trombone out of my locker and onto the counter. The bell rang to start the last period of the day.

I wasn't in much of a talking mood, so I just mumbled a quiet "Hi" while I put my instrument together. Looking up from my case, I saw the heavyset marbled fox was already set up and standing in the doorway, smiling and waiting for me. He was always one of the first people to practice. Ms. Yeager, a short ferret and our conductor, liked him for that. He was also first chair, so there's that too. I followed him out to the main rehearsal room with my trombone, grabbed a chair, and dragged it next to his before getting a stand along with my sheet music. We sat down and started flipping through the pages for the pieces written on the board - first up was Ancient Voices by Michael Sweeney.

Alph sat quietly while more students bustled in, his ears drooping and tail sagging. "Is it Denya again?" he asked. My mood was probably more obvious than I thought it was.

"Yeah..."

That wolf and the other bullies had been picking on me again, nothing new. The fox frowned and looked down sympathetically, the black fingerprint-like markings above his eyes wrinkling on top of the white fur on his face. I just sat there silently, absentmindedly watching his belly swell in and out over his tight pants as he breathed. Last week he told me he was the one all the bullies made fun of before I showed up. I liked how our weight was something we were both comfortable talking about. He's fat, bigger than Koar I think, but still nowhere close to as big as me or the others.

"Alph, how did you, y'know..." I paused for a second and looked around; most of the others were still setting up, "get by last year... before I showed up? How did you deal with those jerks?"

Ms. Yeager was on the podium, getting the scores ready.

The shiny black and white streaks in Alph's tail twitched nervously out the back of his seat. He fiddled with the slide lock on his horn without looking back up. "To be honest, Kazan," he said with a sigh, "I never really took it much better than you are right now. I sorta... actually... have a bad habit with stress eating, to be honest. It got pretty bad last year because of those guys..." He scratched the jet-black fur behind his head with a slightly embarrassed look on his face. I tilted my head curiously at that. Did I ever stress eat? Would anyone even be able to tell if I did? I mean, it's not like Dek and I don't already eat as much as we can get away with at home. "I've been working on that though - been trying to lose weight since last summer. Actually twenty-something pounds lighter now than I was at the end of last year," he said with a small but proud smile. "If you want, we could help each other out with that - exercise together, watch each other's diets, stuff like that?"

Now, of course, I would never tell the fox anything about the whole gaining weight on purpose thing. It was pretty obvious to me when we first met that Alph wasn't into it, so I never mentioned it. Hearing that he'd been trying to lose weight, and that he suggested I do it too, made me a little disappointed, but I tried to fake an understanding smile. Before I could say anything though, Ms. Yaeger cut me off to begin rehearsal. My mouth just hung open silently for a second before I looked toward the podium for warmups.

An hour and a half later, the last bell of the day rang, and Alph and I were packed up and headed to the hallway to go home. I never liked carrying my instrument around; trombones are surprisingly heavy and the cases are pretty big too. My case actually has a shoulder strap, so I don't have to carry it in my paws, but it's always tight and uncomfortable, squishing and digging into the fat around my chest. There's been... another problem with using it though... Denya and those other jerks once made fun of me about some "seatbelt effect," or something like that, and couldn't stop pointing and laughing at me while I tried to run away from them. I never got the joke, and I don't really think I want to either. It's safe to say I don't use the shoulder strap anymore...

Anyway, I followed Alph back into the hallway and was about to say goodbye, but as soon as the door opened, I almost yelped when I saw another jock, or at least he looked like one. He was leaning against the wall in front of us, staring down at his phone. I couldn't believe it. Were they really just waiting for me outside my classes?

"Steffen? What are you doing here?" Alph walked up to greet the otter, "Aren't you supposed to be at practice?"

"No, coach canceled team's practice today and -" Steffen slid his phone into his pocket and looked up, stopping halfway and going bug-eyed the second he saw me. It was easy to guess he was gawking at the size of my belly, like everyone always did. I glanced back at him with a weird mix of fear and irritation while trying to avoid eye contact. Sighing and waiting for the names and insults, it took me a second to figure out he was friends with Alph, who clearly wasn't slim in any sense of the word. That calmed me down, but the longer he stared at my gut the more uncomfortable I got. "I, um..." he stuttered, "y-yeah... practice was canceled." Finally, he tore his eyes away, with visible effort, before taking a sharp breath and turning to Alph. "Who is your friend?"

I looked to the fox and could tell he was just as confused. Ignoring it though, he introduced me to the otter, "This is Kazan. We're in band together. He's in my section."

His ears flicked at "Kazan," his face tilting slightly and briefly making it seem like he recognized my name. I gave him a weak smile and waved a paw uneasily.

"H-hello, my name is Steffen," he said, grinning somewhat at me. It took me a while to notice at first, but I realized he had some sort of funny accent. I wasn't sure what it was. It was definitely different from Aiden's Australian one though. It's not like I had any trouble understanding him or anything; it was just obvious he wasn't from here.

"Hi, uh..." I replied, trying to perk up, but I didn't know what else to say since Alph had already introduced me.

A few more seconds of awkward silence and it wasn't long before Steffen's eyes fell from my face back down to my stomach. I realized the bottom of my gut was showing, hanging inches below my shirt - it happened all the time. Out of anxious habit, I tugged it back down to cover the fur peeking out, feeling the fat squish softly under my paws and the hem of my shirt. I coulda sworn I saw his cheeks flush a little as his round ears spun backwards.

Before I could break the silence, Steffen beat me to it. "S-so... you have... you have nice shirt, Kazan. It looks very warm... and big..." he mumbled.

That freaked me out. I glanced at my shirt: nothing but a plain gray tee - there wasn't even anything on it. Even Alph was beginning to give him weird looks now. There was no way he wasn't also wondering why the otter was acting so strange.

"I mean, it - um - you wear it very good!" Steffen blurted out, stuttering and struggling to make words, "I-I mean - erm... You look very nice...! Y-yes! Very... very nice..." He was definitely having a hard time just keeping his eyes off my gut, let alone say anything that wasn't almost gibberish. I dunno if it was because English wasn't his first language or what, but I could barely follow a word he said anymore. His eyes darted up and down between my eyes and my belly. His thick and heavy tail dropped slightly against his leg. He bit his lip nervously. The longer Alph and I stared back at him, the more painfully awkward the whole situation got. I could almost see the otter start to sweat! He gulped heavily and backed away slowly, still stuttering, "Actually, I... I must leave...! I have - uh - something I must go to. I'll... I will see you later... Kazan!"

And just like that, he left, sprinting down the hall and slamming himself out the door. I looked to Alph, more confused than I'd ever been in my life. It was clear the fox was just as bewildered. Without even saying another word, we left and went our own ways.

Luckily, the bus ride home was nothing out of the ordinary. Dek, Koar, Aiden, and I all sat by each other as always, two benches for the four of us - each bench was supposed to seat three, but - y'know... It's not like anyone else would wanna sit with us anyway. We talked about our day and complained about classes and homework and stuff before we each had to get off at our own stops. I usually tried to keep quiet about all the bullying, so I never really had much to say. Talking about it with the others was never something I liked doing. I was already down, and I didn't wanna bring them down too. Somehow, they never let it get to them, so I just end up staring out the window, thinking to myself about it. By the time Dek and I made it to our stop, Koar and Aiden had already left; we live the furthest from school.

At home, I dropped my backpack by my desk and flopped belly-first onto my bed. All the flab on my front cushioned the fall and squashed and stretched out underneath me; I could feel my shirt straining to stay in one piece. Dek walked in a couple minutes later with a sandwich. It was loaded at least a couple inches thick with ham, turkey, and other lunchmeats - Mom and Dad didn't like how we would always sneak food while they're at work, but it wasn't like they were really trying to stop us anymore. I think they'd finally just given up on the whole weight loss thing. It was about time if you asked me... A dab of mayo was stuck to Dek's muzzle. I watched him cram the sandwich into his mouth while he took his backpack off and plopped his big butt in his chair. It groaned and creaked under his weight and sunk a bit. Spinning around to face me and finally biting off the huge chunk of sandwich that was in his mouth, he slumped his shoulders and frowned, chewing slowly and swallowing. With a sigh and some effort, I rolled myself over and onto my back. The weight of my gut pushed down on me and spread around my sides. The fat on my chest pressed up against the second chin under my muzzle, making it a little harder to talk.

"What," I said flatly.

He flicked his ears backwards and stuffed the rest of the sandwich in his mouth. Sliding the chair across the floor, he stopped in front of me and waited to finish the sandwich before speaking. He poked a claw at my belly - his finger sunk a good inch or so until he pulled it back out - and asked, "You doin' alright, fatty?"

Dek's voice was kind and sympathetic. I knew he was just kidding. Even though we tease each other all the time, that was still one of the last things I wanted to hear. I couldn't be mad at him though; he was just worried about me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled. Fine never means fine... Things are never fine when people say they're fine. Dek, of all people, had to know that about me.

"Come on, Kaz. I already know what's wrong. No point in trying to hide it from me." He frowned and scooted up closer to me.

"I said I'm fine," I repeated myself, this time more impatiently. It was hard to stop myself from growling at him, and I'm sure he could tell. He looked down at his paws and fumbled with his fingers around his exposed belly button, whining quietly with his tail curled around the armrest on the chair.

"Well... do you want something to eat, at least? Aren't you hungry?"

"No." That was a lie. We usually grabbed something from the kitchen whenever we got home from school. School lunches were never very filling, even though one of the lunch ladies liked me - sometimes she would give me some extra food. I just wasn't in the mood.

"Oh," he paused for a second, his head still down, "okay then..."

I watched as he turned around and shuffled the chair back to his side of the room. Too hungry to start my homework, too tired to get up, and too depressed to eat, I just laid there on my bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about how much I hated everything. Honestly, at that point, I just wanted to disappear. I didn't wanna do anything, and nothing was going my way. On top of all the crap I'd been getting from Denya and those other bullies, nothing was making sense to me in any of my classes at school either. Of course, I probably coulda been paying more attention, but I just - I dunno... I just couldn't with all that other stuff on my mind. Pre-algebra was just plain impossible. History had been putting me to sleep since elementary school. English was all reading and memorizing junk that I couldn't care less about. Science was sorta cool sometimes when we did experiments and stuff, but otherwise, it was just as bad as everything else. Even multimedia was getting dumb - they're teaching us how to type for gods' sake! Band was really the only thing I had going for me that didn't suck. And my friends, I guess...

---

After band the next day, after Alph and I had already split up, I ran into Steffen again in the hallway. I was just about to turn the corner when I heard someone sprinting up behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I saw the otter barreling towards me down the hall. For some reason, I felt an instinct to run, but I already knew how hopeless that would be, even if I tried. When he caught up to me, he instantly grinded himself to a casual walk, like he was trying to pretend he was there the whole time. He wasn't even panting or sweating or anything. Definitely no way I coulda outran him.

"Oh! Uh - hi, Kazan," he tried to greet me calmly. I had finally gotten a chance to get a good look at him now that he was acting at least somewhat normally. He had short orange hair and two dots above his dark blue eyes, like Alph, that were the same color. On top of his muzzle was some more orange fur, kinda like the green stripe on my muzzle except it stopped and made a point between his eyes. Otherwise, he looked like any other otter with brown fur on his back and a lighter tan color on his front. He had that same awkward smile from the day before, but at least he wasn't just staring at my belly the whole time again. Well... at least he was staring at it less. This time, it was fully covered for sure.

"Hi... Steffen, right...?" I tried to play it off cool.

"Yes," he stuck his paws in his pockets, staring at the floor before taking a deep breath. "Um, about yesterday..." Just thinking about that made me nervous. "I want to apologize for," another deep breath, "what happened. I understand it was - ah... strange? I..." It took him a second to find the right word. His accent was still as heavy as it was last time - he kinda sounded like the bad guys from some of those old cartoons and movies and stuff. He twisted his face a bit while he thought, quietly muttering something to himself in another language and stomping at the ground. Confused, I tilted my head to one side, and the otter finally sighed. "Sorry, my English is not very good, but..." He looked down, stopping at my tummy for a moment before staring at the ground. The lighter fur on his cheeks flushed pink a little. "I am sorry."

Thinking back, it was actually kinda funny. All I could do was nod, but I found that I had to stop myself from grinning at both his accent and the fact that I was never expecting to get an apology. I didn't wanna be rude or anything though. Still, I caught him eyeing my gut again; I made double sure my shirt wasn't coming up this time. "You're doing it again, you know," I said sorta jokingly. What was with this guy?

"Ah!" he yelped, quickly covering his muzzle and jerking his head away, "Sorry! Sorry! I do not mean to...!"

While he struggled to find words, I could see the insides of his ears turning pink too. I wasn't sure who I shoulda felt worse for: him or myself! I waited as patiently as I could, smiling and trying to be friendly. I'd never had anything like this happen to me before. It really was kinda funny being on the other end of things for once - not in a mean way or anything! Something about the whole thing just made me laugh, and I felt terrible about it! I honestly didn't mean to - he really did seem like a nice guy! Doing my best to stop myself, I tried to return the apology, "Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh! It's okay. Really!"

Steffen finally looked up after my outburst, obviously confused. "You... you are not mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad!" I assured him, still giggling a bit, "Why would I be mad? You're not like Denya and his goons, are you? It's not like you've said anything mean to me or anything!"

"Who is Denya...?" he asked briefly before explaining himself anyways, "I was afraid you misunderstand me yesterday."

"Nah... Well, I mean, I don't think I ever did understand you yesterday, but it's okay."

"Oh," Steffen perked up a little and looked relieved, "that is good."

Some seconds passed while both of us ran out of things to say. Steffen went back to staring at the ground, rubbing his arm. He still looked kinda nervous for some reason.

"Hey," I spoke up first, "why don't we, y'know, start over? If you wanna be friends... of course."

"Yes!" he exclaimed excitedly. It surprised me how enthusiastic he was, actually. "I mean, sure! Sure, that will be nice."

My tail flicked and started wagging at that. Steffen was probably only the second new person to talk to me in my first month of middle school - who wasn't a bully, that is. I was happy about that, and it sounded like he even wanted to be friends too! I never really had that many friends to begin with. For the longest time, before he became my brother, it was just Dek. Recently though, it was still only a few other people I really talked to in school: my brother of course, Koar, Aiden, and Alph. Come to think of it, all of my friends are fat, and Steffen was practically the complete opposite! I didn't think anyone would wanna talk to the fat kids if they weren't making fun of us.

"Um," he broke the silence again, "do you want to - what is word - hang out? We can go to my home if you like? Only ten, fifteen minutes walking?" He pointed in the opposite direction I was already going.

This caught me off guard, but maybe it was normal where Steffen's from. Don't people usually get to know each other before hanging out at someone's house? Didn't he have practice for something after school too? Shrugging, I decided to go with it. What's the worst that could happen - beside the fact that we had to walk? My Mom and Dad wouldn't get home until around dinner time anyway. "Oh. Uh. Sure, why not!"

Steffen gave me a wide grin and led the way to his house. Luckily, the weather was finally starting to cool down, but it was still pretty hot out. On top of that, he forgot to mention that the ten to fifteen minute walk was almost _completely_uphill, so it ended up being more like a thirty minute hike... Staring up the long road that led to his house, I knew it was gonna be a long walk. I did my best to keep up with him, but I was panting barely a few minutes in. Meanwhile, he hadn't even broken a sweat! It was obvious he was going slow for me while I trudged along next to him. I knew I was out of shape but come on...! At least he didn't say anything about it when sweat had practically soaked my entire shirt - he just smiled the whole way. The darn thing was sticking to my fur and everything, peeling itself up my sloshing gut little by little with each step I took; I had to pull it back down every couple of minutes just to keep my belly button covered. Again, I kept catching the otter stealing glances at my stomach every now and then.

Since I was too busy panting and struggling to climb the hill he lived on, he did most of the talking, fortunately, while I could only reply between short, winded breaths. I found out he's a grade older than me and that he's actually from Russia. His family moved here early during the summer, like Aiden did. He told me all about how cold it is there, nothing like how it is here. He liked that about where we lived since that meant he could swim more often; I guess that made sense though since he's an otter. He also has a baby brother who was born almost right after they got here. Dek's less than a year older than me, and I never even met him until we were in first grade, so I can't imagine what it's like to be a big brother like that. Unless we're just talking about size, I already know it's like to be_big_! Oh! And did you know there's a city in Russia that's also called Kazan? That Kazan's even bigger than I am! It's pronounced a bit different, but I couldn't believe it! I wonder if my Mom and Dad knew that when they named me... Steffen also plays a lot of sports and stuff, mostly soccer - he said he would join a swim team if our school had one. I did soccer for a little while last year when my Mom and Dad tried to make Dek and me lose weight. He seemed interested when I mentioned that, but Dek and I hated it more than anything else in the world. Steffen said he liked it though. I can't imagine ever playing soccer again... Oh, funny thing about soccer: apparently, in Russia they say football when they're talking about either soccer or football. Steffen said he got them mixed up all the time because of that. Weird, huh?

By the time we finally made it to his house, I thought I was ready to pass out. Wheezing and dripping with sweat, I followed him through the front door where the A/C had been running and sighed in relief. I noticed a small pile of shoes by the door, so I took mine off out of respect, leaving my backpack there as well. The cool tile floor felt great on my feet. Steffen called out something in Russian while I was floored by the indoor swimming pool passing by the entrance. Before I could gawk any further, I heard footsteps upstairs, and his mom came out a door seconds later, saying something back to him. It sounded like they were just exchanging greetings. She paused for a second when she saw me before coming down the stairs, probably surprised by my size. I was used to it by then. It was either that or it was how wet my shirt was. I waved shyly.

"Hello," she greeted me warmly, "I am Ivanna."

I was still catching my breath, but I managed to smile and give her a short "Hi." I've always been kinda jittery around adults, strangers especially. Thinking back, this probably wasn't a very good idea. She seemed nice though.

"Mama, this is Kazan. He is my friend from school," Steffen introduced me.

"Oh, well it is very nice to meet you, Kazan." Her accent was even stronger than Steffen's. "I was not expecting to have guests," she said with a slight chuckle. "There is an emergency at work, so I am sorry I must leave now, but please make yourself feel like home. Steffen, can you two please watch Dimitrii?" she asked while getting her purse. "He is in crib."

Steffen nodded and said something quickly in Russian as his mom came back to kiss him on the cheek. He groaned and wiped the spot she kissed before, I assumed, they said goodbye. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't help giggling as she left through the garage. Steffen laughed along uneasily and began walking into the kitchen. With my tail happily flicking from side to side, I followed him, looking around and admiring his house.

"Steffen," I gaped, my tail starting to wag even faster, "this place is awesome! Does the pool go all the way around your house? I've never seen anything like this!" Completely forgetting how exhausted I was, I ran up to a window and looked out at his backyard where I saw another part of the pool. "Oh my gods! There's even an outside part too! Is the whole thing connected or something? Man, I wish I brought my swimming suit!"

The otter was standing next to me and looking outside too. I turned to him with the biggest grin on my muzzle that I'd had in a long time. I musta looked like a big puppy with the way he was smiling back at me! "Yes, the pool makes circle inside and outside house, like river. Only on first floor though," he said, laughing a bit and blushing again. "I am glad you like! Maybe next time you come we swim?"

"For sure, I'll definitely remember to bring my swimming suit next time!"

My curiosity got me wandering to the water gently flowing into the kitchen from the backyard. It came in through an underground tunnel by the door. I followed the current back to the main entrance, through what I guessed was their living room, and even under the staircase before it went back outside through another tunnel in the wall. This was by far the coolest thing I'd ever seen! I found a shallow spot in one corner of the house where there were a few steps going into the water. Forgetting to even ask, I balanced myself on the railing while I took my socks off and stepped into the water, just deep enough to keep my shorts dry. The water was instant cool relief from the late summer heat. Letting out a long satisfied sigh, I closed my eyes and lowered myself on the edge of the pool to let my legs just dangle in the water, feeling the fur on my calves swish around.

Somehow, while I was distracted exploring his house, Steffen musta disappeared because he came down the stairs a minute later with the baby in his arms. He sat on the floor a little ways behind me and carefully set the squirming pup down too. As soon as Steffen let go though, the pup gave me a curious look and settled down. I turned and swung my legs out of the water to smile at him, giving him a small wave.

"Sorry, I had to check on Dimitrii," Steffen said, watching his baby brother, "He was getting - um..." He struggled to find a word.

"Restless?" I guessed, based on how he was having trouble holding onto him.

"Yes, restless," he nodded, chuckling.

He was, at least. Oddly, Dimitrii seemed to have just suddenly calmed down when he saw me. He just sat there with his legs apart, watching me with his big eyes; they were the same color as Steffen's and almost as dark as my fur. Reaching under the overhang of my belly, I took a second to readjust my pants, pulling down on my shirt out of habit too since my tummy spilled out a little. I spun myself around to face the boy, mimicking how he sat, before leaning forward and sliding a paw in front of him on the floor. A bit slow to react at first, he got on all fours and crawled toward me. Both his tiny webbed paws reached out on top of mine, poking and pulling at the tip of the green stripe that went down my arms. Another grin stretched across my face. "He's cute."

Steffen replied silently with another nod.

I slowly pulled my paw my back, and Dimitrii followed it. When he got close enough though, he paused and looked up at my belly sagging between my thighs. Reaching his paws out to touch it, he grabbed onto my shirt and started poking and pulling at that too. It wasn't long before he found the hem. "Hey!" I exclaimed with a laugh, tugging my shirt back into place, "Knock it off!"

Every time I tried to keep my gut covered, Dimitrii just kept trying to mess it up again. He went at it for a straight minute or so, giggling a bit each time. Eventually, I just gave up and let him have his way. He got my shirt past my belly button, which he tried to stick his fingers into a few times, grabbing and squeezing at the white furry flab on my stomach. My tail kept twitching to one side or the other every time he pressed his jellybean-like paw pads into my fat. It tickled just a little bit and made me grin. I think he liked it too, since he also had a big silly smile on the whole time, sometimes even sputtering random gibberish. I leaned back on my paws and let him crawl up on top of me. He gently squished into the fat around my middle as he bounced up and down on it. He was so small he probably coulda curled up and slept on me! It was actually kinda nice letting someone play with my belly like that. Dek, Koar, Aiden, and I poked fun at each other all the time, but it was never anything like this. It felt good, to be honest!

Without even thinking, I pulled my shirt up higher for Dimitrii, about halfway up my tummy, just to see what would happen. While he did light up at seeing more of my gut to play with, a loud, almost yelp-like squeak pierced my ears. When I looked to see what it was, I found Steffen clamping his mouth shut. His cheeks were blushing bright red, and he had the most embarrassed, panicked expression I'd seen on him yet. It took me a second to realize.

"Oh..." I picked Dimitrii up and placed him back on the floor as carefully as I could before pulling my shirt back down and making sure it covered my stomach all the way. I felt my cheeks beginning to heat up too. Dimitrii made a pouting sound and tried to push my shirt up again. "Sorry."

"No, no...!" Steffen shook his head quickly and scratched the back of his neck with an anxious look on his face. "It is not your fault!"

A few seconds passed awkwardly between the three of us, the only sounds being the water steadily flowing behind me and Dimitrii's babbling. The pup got bored pretty fast and started crawling toward the pool. Steffen scrambled to his feet to pick his brother up before he slipped in, and without saying anything, he took him back upstairs. On his way up, he muttered something to the boy in Russian, like he was scolding him or something.

I wasn't sure what happened, but it made me feel kinda bad. My ears went down, and a quiet whine came out of my throat as I watched them disappear into the same room his mom came out of earlier. I knew I probably shouldn't have pulled my shirt up, but Dimitrii did everything else. What was it about Steffen and my belly though? It's like every time he saw it, he would start freaking out...

When he came back out a minute later, I hefted myself off the ground with a grunt of effort and tried to apologize again, "Look, Steffen... I - uh... I didn't mean to do that... in front of you. I just - with Dimitrii and - I dunno..." I shrugged and slumped my shoulders guiltily.

"No... This is hard to say, but..." He sounded disappointed in himself, almost ashamed even, and jammed his paws down his pockets. I waited though, both worried and confused at the same time. "I -" Another nervous pause. He looked away, his voice starting to shake while his face flushed brighter than ever. "I l-like your..." He made this weird gesture with his arms by holding them out in a big circle around his - ... oh. My tail dropped against my legs, and my ears fell flat. My eyes went wide with disbelief, and my mouth hung open. "b-belly."

That explained a lot.

I let that sink in for a few seconds. My whole body felt like it was burning up. Steffen was still avoiding eye contact, and I finally understood why. The longer I thought on it, the more I realized how perfect this was for him: he liked my belly, and I liked being fat. It still didn't completely make sense to me though. If he liked my belly so much, then why did he like being so skinny? He could just get his own belly, right? It's really not that hard... I mean, I coulda helped him if he wanted.

My stomach finally broke the silence. I was hungry... I coulda sworn I was gonna catch on fire if I blushed any hotter. I'm usually hungry after school anyway, but I musta really worked up an appetite from the walk to Steffen's house.

The instant he heard my stomach growl, Steffen looked up and stared at my gut again, grinning a bit. "Y-you are hungry?" he asked.

I nodded ever so slightly, fiddling with my fingers.

"I can make food if you like?" he offered.

"You can cook?" It caught me off guard since I'd never heard of many other kids that knew how to cook. I always thought it was just Koar, because his uncle's a chef, and Aiden, because he was a more serious gainer.

"Mhm! Only a little bit, but I like to learn. What do you like?"

My tail slowly started wagging. "Cool!" I wasn't sure what he knew how to make though; maybe he only knew how to make Russian food? I don't think I'd ever had Russian food before... Tapping my chin, I figured it'd be best to start with something easy. "How about a grilled cheese?"

He really perked up with that one. "Yes! Of course!"

I started to follow him as he rushed into the kitchen, but he insisted that I sat on the couch in the living room. I was a little disappointed because I wanted to watch him cook, but I shrugged it off and just decided to get comfy and watch some TV while I waited. There were always some good cartoons on after school. The sounds of pans clanking and quiet sizzling, along with the low gurgling from my stomach, went on in the background though, making it hard to watch the episode of Super Mutt that was playing. It sure sounded like a lot of work for just a grilled cheese... Trying to look over into the kitchen, I couldn't really see much from the couch aside from Steffen busily moving around the stove. I was gonna ask if he needed any help, but it looked like he knew what he was doing. Still, a plain grilled cheese really shouldn't have taken so long.

Almost half an hour later, the sounds behind me had finally stopped. I craned my head around to see if Steffen was done, but he was already making his way to the couch with an entire tray stacked full of sandwiches. That definitely explained what took him so long. I sat up in a panic, staring bug-eyed at the tray. I couldn't believe how many he made - I only asked for one! Although, they did smell amazing... I sniffed them hungrily, drooling a bit in anticipation as Steffen placed the tray down on the coffee table in front of us. They were definitely a little different from any grilled cheeses I'd had before. The cheese smelled spicier than just regular American cheese. I could feel my tail wriggling between the couch cushions.

"I thought you were only making one!" I exclaimed, slurping up the saliva dripping from my lips, "You musta used an entire loaf of bread for this!"

"Oh, I thought maybe you -"

"Not in a bad way! I'm still hungry, you know!" I quickly said while laughing. I didn't want him to feel bad after going through all the trouble. I was sure this was some kind of test or something, but I wasn't complaining! "I was just only expecting you to make one!"

He sat next to me, his arm brushing against my side, with a smile and grabbed two sandwiches, offering one to me. I took it gratefully and took another long whiff. It looked fantastic too: perfectly golden brown on both sides with a creamy white cheese that had little red and green bits oozing out the edges. I licked my lips eagerly and took a huge bite out of it, having to pull the sandwich back a good foot from my mouth for the thick gooey cheese to break off. I noticed the spice of pepper jack between the two heavily buttered slices of toast. It added a nice kick to the flavor while still being smooth and creamy with a slight sourness that tasted amazing combined with everything else. Even if it was still just a grilled cheese sandwich, it was probably the best grilled cheese sandwich in my life!

With one big gulp, I swallowed and groaned happily. "Steffen, this is delicious!" I took another bite, chewing once before cramming the rest of the sandwich in my muzzle. I took another from the tray before finishing the first one. Steffen hadn't even started on his yet, but he sure seemed happy that I liked his food!

We spent the next while eating and talking together on the couch. Between stuffing chunks of grilled cheese into my mouth, I finally got the chance to ask Steffen more about himself. His family moved here for his dad's work. It was hard leaving basically his entire life behind in Russia to come to America. They left right after he finished school for the year, so he never really got a chance to say goodbye to all his friends either. He said it was okay though since he still talks to them online sometimes. I felt bad for him, but he told me to not be; it only meant he had a chance to make new friends. He was happy to move and excited by all the different things to see and do here. All he could really say about his home though was that it was always just cold all the time. It sounded like it was a lot more interesting in America than in Russia, so I couldn't blame him for feeling that way!

Eventually, without even realizing it, I finished off all the sandwiches. I was comfortably stuffed, but I definitely wasn't full. I coulda easily eaten more if there was any left! When I leaned back and sunk deeper into the couch for a breather, I could feel my belly starting to stretch from all the food, causing it to roll over my pants more than usual. And even though it was beginning to get a little tight, there was still a lot of give, still soft in my paws when I rubbed it with a stupid smile on my face. That made Steffen blush again while I giggled at him. It wasn't until he spoke up again that I remembered why he was going through with all this.

"Um," he laughed nervously, "Kazan, can I..." I watched a small lump travel down his throat. He was avoiding eye contact again, staring at the same sandwich in his paws that he'd had since the beginning. "Can I - ah - t-touch... your belly?"

"Oh. Uh..." It took me a while to respond. I wasn't sure what to say, but I was curious... "Y'know, if you like my b-belly so much..." For some reason, it was hard talking to him about this, even though I already talked about it all the time with my other friends. "I could probably... maybe, if you want... help you get your own? It's not that hard, and it's probably no secret anymore, but... I'm sorta a gainer, so -"

"I do not want belly for myself," Steffen cut me off. He didn't look surprised, but an embarrassed grin stretched over his face anyway.

I tilted my head to one side, confused. What was that supposed to mean? He didn't want a belly for himself? So he likes fat people, but he doesn't wanna be fat himself...? What was the point of that? I mean, Dek, Koar, Aiden, and I are all so fat because we like being fat. It didn't make any sen-

I nearly jumped in shock while a sharp yip shot out my mouth. Steffen grabbed my shirt and pulled it up to my chin, looking me in the eye with a foxy smirk.

"I only want your belly."

He only wanted my belly?!

With my gut completely exposed, his expression softened, and I could feel my face flushing bright red all over again. It felt warm as he gently pushed a paw into the flab. I watched my fat easily squish and bulge around the webbing between his fingers. It didn't take him very long to start squeezing and experimenting in different places around my waist too. He offered me the grilled cheese that was still in his other paw, waiting for me to take it in my teeth. Hesitating for only a second, I ate it straight from his paws but found out he just wanted to use both paws at the same time. Growling deeply as my eyes closed, my tail thumping against the couch, I was in pure bliss while he rubbed and massaged my belly like he was kneading a giant fuzzy ball of dough. It was like I was a little kid all over again, when my parents would rub my belly too, except a million times better since I actually had a belly now. My tongue hung out while all the flab around my tummy jiggled and wobbled around from Steffen's paws. The dull claws on the tips of his fingers dug deeper and deeper into the thick layers of blubber that covered my stomach, gently scratching under the white fur, until my leg started twitching. I didn't want him to stop.

At some point, I fell asleep with how amazing Steffen's paws felt on my tummy. The whole time he was exploring and playing with the thick rolls on my belly, I'd just spaced out and lost track of time. I didn't even hear the garage door open and close until Steffen suddenly jerked my shirt back down and practically leapt from the couch and ran off.

I heard Steffen greet someone down the hallway. "Hi!" he said, followed by some Russian. Someone replied in a lower voice.

I frantically heaved myself off the couch, still sluggish from all the grilled cheeses, and scraped the crumbs off my shirt. My paws were still all buttery and greasy too, so I hurriedly wiped them down on my shorts just as Steffen's dad walked into the living room. He was big, not fat or anything but tall and bulky. He probably coulda picked me up easily if he wanted. He was intimidating, to say the least.

Steffen said something to his dad in more Russian, and the burly otter looked down and smiled at me. He offered me his paw. "Viktor."

I guessed that was his name and shook his paw nervously. He squeezed mine tightly as I timidly introduced myself, "Hi. Uh... I'm Kazan."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I won't bite." That helped calm me down a bit. His voice was deep, but he didn't have nearly as much of an accent as either Steffen or his mom did. "You must be one of Steffen's friends. Are you going to stay for dinner?"

Steffen lit up when his dad said that. He never mentioned anything about dinner, but I had no doubt at that point he woulda wanted to see me eat again. Spotting a clock in the corner of my eye, I suddenly realized how late it was getting and - ... I never told Dek or the others I wasn't going home with them... And I still had to get home before my - it was almost six?! There's no way I coulda made it home before my parents! I mentally face-pawed and started to panic. Quickly shaking my head, I had to say no, "I was - uh - I actually gotta go... Sorry..." I saw Steffen frown and lower his ears disappointedly.

"Are you sure? It's no problem, really," he asked one more time.

I couldn't tell if he was just being polite or not, but I shook my head again and tried to excuse myself by inching toward my backpack. I _really_had to go. "My parents will be super worried if I'm not home before them."

"Oh, well do you need a ride? I can drive you home if you'd like."

I stopped and perked up at the offer. "Really?"

"Of course, don't worry about it. Steffen, why don't you come too?"

Steffen nodded, and I grabbed my things before the three of us hopped into his dad's car. Steffen and I sat together in the back, almost completely silent; all I did was give directions to my house. I was dying to know why... Why did he do all that...? I wanted to know more, but I didn't dare talk to him about what happened with his dad around. It was weird for sure, and that's coming from me! Thinking back, I could hardly believe it. I didn't know if I could tell Dek about it either. How would he react? What would he think? Would he laugh at me? I just... I didn't even know how I felt about it myself.

Soon enough, we'd pulled into my driveway. Stepping outside with my backpack, I thanked Steffen's dad for the ride and waved goodbye. I rounded the corner to my front door, but their car still hadn't left. Just as I was fiddling with my keys though, Steffen came bounding over with a guilty grin on his muzzle. His cheeks were rosy again. Seeing him like that made me feel all giddy inside for some reason...

"Steffen, I... I can still help you get fat... if you want." I tried to imagine him at my size for a moment. I couldn't help but giggle at the thought.

With the same mischievous smirk he had before, he leaned in and pressed a finger into my chest. "How about I help you get fatter?"

The next thing I knew, he'd planted a kiss on each of my cheeks and was running back to the car.