Gym Baby - Preview

The following is a preview of the new 5,000+ word story EXCLUSIVE to Ream and SubscribeStar.

Charlie walked into the gym with his usual swagger. He strode straight up to the desk and handed over his card. He flashed his million dollar smile for the young woman behind the desk and watched her scan the card before handing it back. Charlie was a giant compared to the young woman, he was at least a foot taller and with his well-built physique he dwarfed her. He flexed his muscles as he took the card back.

“What time do you finish?” Charlie asked as he leaned on the desk.

“Six.” The young woman replied without looking away from the computer.

“Maybe you and I should go out for a drink.” Charlie flashed his winning smile, “I’m sure we’d have a great time, baby.”

“I’m busy.” The young woman replied quickly. She still hadn’t taken her eyes off the screen. Charlie thought he saw her rolling her eyes but it was hard to tell as she reached a hand up to brush her hair away.

Charlie shook his head as if in disbelief that someone wouldn’t jump at the chance to go out with him. With a shrug he turned to the side and walked through the turnstile. The changing rooms were just around the corner and then the gym itself was further along the corridor. Charlie was wearing a white shirt that emphasised his muscles and a pair of shorts with his bag slung over his shoulder.

As Charlie walked past the people sitting in the reception area he nodded and waved though didn’t get much acknowledgement in return. He had been a regular at this gym for the last half a year and he felt like he pretty much ran it. Sure he wasn’t the actual manager but that made it better since it meant he didn’t have to do any of the work. He just made sure to tell everyone his opinions on what equipment the gym should add, he was sure his contributions were very useful.

Charlie walked down the corridor and into the changing room. The air was thick with the smell of aftershave and deodorant, the first thing Charlie heard was the sound of a hairdryer. As the hairdryer was switched off the sound of a three men talking quietly became the loudest noise. Their voices were so low Charlie couldn’t make out any of the words as he walked over to his favoured locker.

“Hey.” Charlie raised a hand and waved at the men who were sitting around a bag and leaning in close together. Charlie knew their names but little more.

The man in the middle who was holding a backpack on the floor between his legs was Sam. He was the biggest of the three and roughly the same size as Charlie who liked to think they had a bit of a rivalry. On Sam’s left was Joe who was newer to the gym and the area in general, he didn’t talk much and Charlie wasn’t really sure where he was from. On Sam’s right was Jack who had been accompanying Sam to the gym for years, as far as Charlie knew they were good friends who went way back.

“Oh, Charlie, didn’t hear you come in.” Sam said as he looked up from their conversation. As he spoke he seemed to pull the open top of his backpack together a little.

Charlie put his locker on the bench and started pulling things out of it. His water bottle, a banana for some quick energy, a towel and his swimming trunks. It wasn’t something he did all the time but sometimes Charlie liked to get some pool time in before hitting the weights upstairs.

As Charlie pulled off his shirt he made sure to flex his muscles and look at himself in the mirror. He smiled at what he saw. As he kept looking into the reflective glass though he saw the three men behind him talking again, they seemed to be discussing something very animatedly with occasional furtive glances his way. As Charlie turned back to bag he saw Jack get up and head over to the changing room door.

Charlie wrapped his towel around his waist and tied it in place. He carefully reached underneath the towel to pull his pants and boxer shorts down. He bent over to pick up the clothing and placed it in his bag. He was a confident guy, mostly because of his physique, and wearing just a towel didn’t faze him all that much though he wouldn’t want to be fully nude in the changing room.

“Hey, Charlie, I’ve got this new protein powder. Want to give me your opinion?” Sam said from his seat.

Charlie looked over at Sam who was holding up a bottle. He gave it a little shake and the dark fluid inside sloshed against the sides. Charlie had just been about to pull his swimming gear on but paused. It was unusual to share protein shakes and Charlie was immediately a little suspicious. It seemed quite out of character.

“Where’d you get it?” Charlie asked as he eyed the bottle.

“It’s imported.” Sam replied with a shrug, “I like it and was wondering what you think.”

Charlie knew the gym had a small store that sold all sorts of different supplements and powders. He couldn’t think of any reason to buy and import foreign protein powder, surely that would just be more expensive without getting a better product. Protein is protein after all.

“I just want to know if it’s worth getting more.” Sam continued when it became obvious that Charlie was prevaricating, “I thought if anyone could tell me if it’s good it would be you.”

That was a great way to get Charlie’s attention. If there was one thing the large muscled man liked it was people stroking his impressively sized ego. He smiled a little as he put his bag into his locker and closed the door.

“I don’t know if I’m necessarily an expert…” Charlie’s humble act wasn’t fooling anyone.

“He didn’t say you were an expe-” Jack started impatiently.

“An expert.” Sam spoke over the top of the man still lingering by the changing room door and nodded his head, “I couldn’t think of a better term. If you like it I’ll know it’s good stuff.”

“Alright.” Charlie finally agreed with a smile. He tied a tighter knot in the towel and walked over to Sam.

Charlie took the bottle from Sam and the two shared a smile as he shook the container to make sure all the powder was mixed in. He noticed Jack had walked back over now that he had taken the drink. Joe remained silent and stoic, his face impassively hard to read. Charlie flipped open the lid and gave it a quick sniff.

“Smells a bit… different.” Charlie said. It wasn’t a bad smell but it was certainly different to what he was used to, “Is it flavoured?”

“Drink it.” Joe’s voice was thick with an accent that was difficult to place. His face remained emotionless.

Charlie gave Joe a frown. It was maybe the first time he had heard Joe speak, Charlie had started to wonder if he was somehow mute. Sam laughed to break the tension and when Charlie finally looked away he flashed a quick smile before lifting the drinking vessel to his mouth. He was very aware that the three men in front of him were eagerly watching his every move.

Tilting the bottle up Charlie felt the thick fluid entering his mouth. He could immediately taste the difference from his usual protein. It tasted strange, he couldn’t really tell if it was good or bad but it was very obviously different to what he was used to. Conscious that he was drinking someone else’s drink after a couple of mouthfuls Charlie pulled it away.

“You can finish it.” Sam said with a massive grin across his face. He stood up and clapped Charlie on the back, “Go ahead.”

“Are you sure?” Charlie asked. Was it his imagination or was Sam a little taller than a couple of minutes ago?

“Yeah, I’ve got plenty.” Sam said, “I want you to really be able to give me your impression.”

Charlie let out a loud belch that he didn’t even realise was coming. He blushed a little as he wiped his lips. Although it tasted strange Charlie felt compelled to finish. He lifted the bottle to his lips again and tossed it all back until he had finished every drop he could get. When he lowered the bottle he burped again as he handed back the empty vessel.

“How is it?” Sam asked. He was still smiling massively.

“It was… It was…” Charlie suddenly found himself feeling a little lightheaded.

In fact Charlie was feeling a little light in general. It definitely wasn’t his imagination, Sam and Joe were growing taller right in front of him. Charlie stumbled a step backwards against the wall of lockers. Something felt very, very wrong. He raised his arms and thought he could see the definition he had spent years discovering just fading away in seconds.

“W-What’s happening?” The fear in Charlie’s voice surprised himself.

“It really works!” Sam exclaimed. He ignored Charlie’s panicked questions and looked at his friends.

“Holy crap…” Jack muttered. He was looking at Charlie as if he was some kind of monster that had dragged itself up out of the depths.

Charlie felt the skin of his back sliding down the metal lockers but he didn’t feel like he was moving. He saw the three muscle-bound friends watching him, they seemed to be growing taller by the second. But, wait, they weren’t growing at all.

“I’m… shrinking?” Charlie looked around in confusion. The shock seemed to force him into inaction for a second.

As soon as the shock wore off Charlie felt panic quickly overtake him. It started at the back of his head and seemed to wash over him. The terror tingling as it spread down his spine. He was shrinking. But he couldn’t be!

“This is impossible!” Charlie exclaimed desperately. His voice didn’t sound like his own. He didn’t recognize the higher voice that sprang forth past his lips.

Charlie felt the towel wrapped around his waist slip a little. He looked down to see the six-pack he took such pride in fading away. His hands scrambled over his belly, he could feel the muscles that made kept his tummy hard and toned disappearing. His fingers pressed into his skin as if he could grab and hold on to the muscle but instead he just felt fat replacing it. The muscles he loved seemed to disintegrate, fading away until it was like they had never been there to begin with.

“What did you do!?” Charlie demanded desperately. He felt a strange itching sensation on his head and realised his hair was shortening, like it was being sucked back into the top of his head.

“I’m bringing you down to size.” Sam replied with an evil chuckle.

To Read the rest of this story and find out what happens to Charlie you can find the full story here: https://subscribestar.adult/posts/1366359