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bigmusclenm · 5 months

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Give or Take - Part 1

[Story Collection] | [●] [Part 2]

Bryce stepped out of his apartment building, and his curly brown hair fell across his forehead, partially hiding his olive eyes. He brushed his hair out of the way and adjusted his jacket as he descended the short front stairs. He knew it wasn’t the best time to go out for a walk, but he needed some space to think about his own life. He longed for a peaceful moment alone. He had always hated the phrase ‘existential crisis’, but he was currently struggling with multiple issues, leaving him questioning his current and future life.

At 26 years old, Bryce Harrington was an average young man who worked 8 hours a day as a Data Entry Clerk at a Research and Survey Firm. His job could easily be done by a computer, but he was grateful the firm had hired him to do it. It wasn’t the most exciting job, but he needed the money. His monotonous job played a role in his current existential crisis. However, his recently failed attempt to gain muscle mass was the major problem, resulting in a tense relationship with his roommate.

As Bryce walked down an empty street, completely alone, he thought about the events of the previous year that had led him into his current existential crisis. He had signed up for the local gym to build muscle. He wasn’t a size queen like most guys at the gym, but he wanted to see his body progressively grow. It was more about observing the progress than achieving a final result, but after a year of extreme efforts, his body was still the same.

The hurtful disappointment resulting from his lack of results felt even worse every time Bryce stared at his roommate, Mason, who had joined the gym about two months after Bryce. Starting as a somewhat chubby 6’4” man, Mason began seeing great results within a few weeks. While Bryce struggled to gain at least a pound, Mason transformed into a sexy, muscular man in just a few months. That visible transformation was precisely what Bryce longed for, but Mason got the reward.

Mason wasn’t the biggest or most imposing guy around, but for Bryce, their size difference seemed unfair. Standing at 5’8” and having reached his max at 130 pounds, Bryce had reasons to feel as though Mason had achieved more than he should have. Mason’s size and newfound confidence made him constantly stay shirtless inside their apartment, unaware that it infuriated Bryce. He had only joined the gym because Bryce had invited him, so he thought his roommate would be proud of his gains. Instead, Mason’s growth left Bryce envious and resentful toward Mason. These thoughts made Bryce feel like the worst friend ever.

Lost in his own thoughts, Bryce found himself standing at the entry of a dark alley, and he started pacing in circles. He wanted to be mad at Mason, but deep inside, he knew his roommate hadn’t given him a reason to be. Mason had been incredibly supportive throughout Bryce’s failed attempts to grow, even encouraging him to keep working out despite it being clearly useless. Bryce genuinely appreciated Mason’s kindness, but it didn’t change how he felt about him.

“Damn it! Stupid Mason and his great genetics. And his fucking annoying kindness. Fuck!” Bryce shouted out, kicking a small rock into the dark alley in frustration. “Universe, I just need a sign. Send something or someone, or…” Bryce talked out loud, but his words were interrupted by a booming voice.

“Bryce Aldaris Harrington,” a loud, deep, supernatural male voice echoed through the alley, sending shivers down Bryce’s spine. Nobody knew his strange middle name except his parents, so hearing it in a dark alley was quite scary.

“Who… who said that? How do you know my name?” Bryce said quietly, trying to sound brave but shaking in fear.

Bryce’s heart was beating fast, but he needed to know who knew his name. Despite his fear, he walked into the creepy, dark alley. Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, and he couldn’t see much. The strong smell of dampness made Bryce frown. Only the sounds of his own footsteps resounded through the alley, but suddenly, a thunder-like sound filled the alley. Shivers crawled up his spine, making him freeze in place and not letting him run away in horror.

The alley started getting colder suddenly, and a strange sensation made Bryce regret leaving the apartment. For an instant, he longed to be back with the annoyingly hot, shirtless Mason. As Bryce started panting in fear, he noticed that each breath he exhaled quickly turned into a misty cloud that disappeared after a few seconds. The place was cold, and that wasn’t normal.

When Bryce finally found the courage to turn around and head for the alley’s exit, he couldn’t take a single step because a tall figure emerged from the darkness about 10 feet away in front of him. The silhouette was imposing—much taller than Bryce’s average height—but at least it looked human. The figure was covered by an old, worn cloak that didn’t let Bryce discern any features, but as it got closer, Bryce could make out some details.

“Bryce Aldaris Harrington, I’ve been waiting for you.” The deep male voice echoed through the alley again, but this time Bryce knew it came from the tall figure approaching him.

The closer the mysterious man got, the more Bryce was amazed by his imposing size and how he seemed to loom over his small body. Even though Bryce couldn’t see his face yet because of the hood of his cloak, the darkness only accentuated the bright yellow eyes that gleamed with a supernatural light. As Bryce locked eyes with the huge man, he felt like electricity was going through his entire body, simultaneously making him feel pain and power.

“It’s time for you to discover who you are,” the towering, cloaked man declared, grabbing Bryce’s right hand and intensifying the pain and surge of power going through his body. “Bryce, son of Aldar, the first Great Gifter, you were chosen to carry an ancient power.”

“No! Stop! Stop! Let me go!” Bryce managed to say between deep groans, as his entire body felt like it was on fire.

Bryce could see nothing. While he was in pain, yellow sparks were traveling through his body, making it look like he was being electrocuted. His eyes started gleaming brightly, changing from olive green to yellow. As his eyes illuminated even more, he saw visions of unfamiliar places he could barely recognize. Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylon, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient China, and many others—all the names Bryce had encountered in history class—the vision took him there from the perspective of the mysterious cloaked man.

“You were chosen to bring balance among the men of this generation. You will have the ability to change men’s physical forms at your command. You will have the power to manipulate reality and alter their pasts. You’ll become The Great Gifter to the weak, but you will take away from those who see themselves as strong. However, this power comes at a cost for you. Your actions toward others will affect you. If you give, you’ll receive, but if you take, you’ll lose. Be careful, Bryce, son of Aldar; your daily actions will be listed and accumulated, and they will transform you overnight,” the cloaked man said, and even though Bryce was in immense pain, he somehow registered every word the man had spoken. Bryce understood the essence and implications of this power.

As the cloaked man finally released Bryce’s hand, the young man fell to the ground, surrounded by steam. He still felt hot, but at least the pain had stopped. Bryce was panting heavily, and his heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. His limbs were sore, but it wasn’t that bad. Despite how weird his body felt, his mind was overwhelmed by his just-acquired knowledge. He didn’t know how it had happened, but now he knew he could make other men grow or shrink just by thinking about it. However, this had a direct impact on his own body. If he made others grow, his own body would grow, but if he made others shrink, his own body would shrink.

“Man, I need expla…” Bryce said, looking up and realizing he was completely alone. “...nations. What the hell? Hey! ‘Scary Shazam’, where did you go? You can’t leave me just like that. I have questions. Man…?” Bryce insisted, but no one was there to answer.

He instantly got on his feet and started looking around, feeling even more scared now that the man had vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. There was no evidence to prove that it hadn’t been a hallucination. The only indication that the pain and the whole scene had been real was the steam emanating from his heated body. Everything else felt like a weird dream or a brief moment of insanity. Even then, deep inside him, he knew everything about the power the cloaked man had bestowed upon him.

“I’m unsure if I’ve finally lost my mind or if it was all real.” Bryce talked to himself as he quickly walked out of the alley, trying to act cool even though he was still in shock. “I guess the only way to find out is by trying, but who...” Bryce stopped as he thought about Mason. The guy had definitely gained more muscle mass than he deserved, so it would only be fair to take some size from him. “No, no, he’s my friend. I can’t do that to him. Or can I?”

Bryce's heart was split. Part of him knew Mason didn’t deserve to lose the size he had worked so hard for, especially because he wasn’t a bad guy. He knew that the power was meant to punish only those who used their size for bad purposes, which wasn’t Mason’s case. The more Bryce thought about it, the more he opposed the idea of shrinking Mason’s muscles. The only other way to try his newly acquired power was to give Mason some size, which would result in Bryce’s body also growing. That seemed like a better idea.

On his way back to the apartment, Bryce pondered the potential consequences the power could have on his body. He knew that every time he increased a man’s size, his own body would grow by ¼ of that size. Being someone who worked with statistics and numbers every day, he did the math and realized that if he gave Mason 12 pounds of muscle, his own body would only gain 3 pounds. This sounded like a small gain for Bryce, but for Mason, it would be a more significant difference. Bryce groaned in anger as he realized his little experiment would only increase the size difference between them.

For a few seconds, he thought about waiting till the morning to find another guinea pig, but he knew he needed to change someone before bed. He was aware that his power would work overnight. He could spend the entire day thinking about growing men, but the changes would happen overnight. The men would grow while they slept, just like Bryce’s body would do. Additionally, only Bryce and the person directly affected by his power would be aware of the change, meaning that for everybody else, the person who had grown or shrunk had always been that way. The more Bryce thought about it, the more he understood the cloaked man’s words.

By the time he arrived at the apartment, Bryce already had a plan. He had finally decided to use the power to grow Mason and gain some size himself. Even though he hated to think about an even bigger Mason, the fact that his roommate would be aware of the change and very likely scared of it was a fun touch to Bryce’s plan. As Bryce entered the apartment, he couldn’t hide the devilish grin on his face.

"Hey, Bry, I was getting worried. I thought something bad had happened to you,” Mason said, sitting on the couch, shirtless as always. His nicely shaped arms, bulging pecs, and abs were on full display for Bryce to observe.

“Why would something bad happen to me? Is it because I’m short and thin?” Bryce replied angrily as he passed by the couch.

“No, no… I didn’t say that, and I didn’t mean anything like that. I was just worried. You know I care about you… I mean, you’re my friend,” Mason said, standing up from the couch to face Bryce.

As Mason blocked his way, Bryce observed his annoyingly good-looking roommate’s well-defined body. Mason was tall and had naturally broad shoulders that looked even better with his deltoids bulging nicely. His pecs looked full but not huge yet. His abs were perfectly defined, very different from his previously pudgy midsection. His waist was narrow, but his hips were somewhat wide, making him look hot. Then, as Bryce looked up into Mason’s honey-colored eyes, he couldn’t deny that the young man was handsome. His messy, dirty blonde hair was the perfect touch for his pretty and masculine face.

“Mason, I’m fine. Okay? You don’t have to worry about me. Now, get out of my way and go get a shirt before you catch a cold,” Bryce said as he pushed Mason aside, making the tall man frown.

“I was just worried; is that bad?” Mason said, sounding hurt, which made Bryce stop on his way to his room.

“Dude, I’m perfectly fine. I don’t need a bodyguard, and even if I did, I’d want someone bigger,” Bryce said, turning around to face Mason. The hurt on the tall man’s face was evident. “You know what? Grow 50 pounds of muscles, and then maybe I’ll let you be my bodyguard. Deal?”

As soon as these words came out of Bryce’s mouth, the world stopped for a second, and a supernatural-holographic text box appeared between him and Mason. The box contained Mason’s stats and measurements. Bryce didn’t know about this part, and he was surprised because the power was ancient. He didn’t know this was possible, but he just smiled and read Mason’s information.

“Name: Mason Austin Jameson Age: 25 years, 10 months, and 7 days Height: 6’4” Weight: 190.2 pounds”

There was more detailed information about Mason, but at the moment, the general stats were all Bryce needed to know. As the text box disappeared again, he realized Mason hadn’t noticed anything, and not a second had passed.

“Whatever,” Mason said, sounding angry, as he started walking to his bedroom, looking sad. “If I get 50 pounds heavier, you’ll hate me even more. See you in the morning, buddy. I’m glad you’re fine,” Mason added before walking into his room and slamming the door behind him.

“I’m better than ever before.” Bryce smiled devilishly again and walked into his own room.

As he collapsed on his bed, Bryce realized he had just granted Mason 50 pounds of muscle, which was way more than he had gained over the 10 months he had been working out. It was definitely a big change, but it also meant 12.5 pounds of muscle for Bryce, which was 12.5 more than the pounds he had gained after a year of hard work at the gym. It didn’t sound like much, but it was only to test his power. He needed to know if it actually worked so he could grow many others to see the transformation he had desired so much finally. And about Mason, he could always shrink him later.

Bryce was so excited about growing overnight that he had trouble falling asleep. He felt his heart beating fast with excitement, and his mind couldn’t stop thinking about the endless possibilities. Many ideas came to mind as he realized he could change the dynamics of society. Mason was only the first step in the balance he would bring into the world.

Even at work, there was a man who had been hired just a few months before and, due to his size and good looks, had recently been promoted. This resulted in him bullying some of Bryce's coworkers. He seemed like a perfect candidate for losing some of his size, but Bryce had to consider the consequences because that would mean losing some of his own size too. It was complicated, but he was willing to test The Great Gifter’s powers.

#muscle growth story

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