“Slow… down… would you?” Acino gasped, his pace slackening.
“What’s… the matter?” Jubat huffed between breaths, “Getting… tired all… already?”
Acino stopped completely, bent over, his paws on his knees, unmindful of the belly scrunched up against his legs. His only answer was to breathe deeply, trying to catch his breath.
Jubat stopped, too, panting somewhat himself. “Alright… I win, then… Let’s relax for a minute, I guess…”
The two cheetahs waited while they caught their breath, something that used to come easier, it seemed. Their stomachs heaved and jiggle as they breathed, protesting their harsh treatment.
After a few minutes, when both he and Acino were no longer panting quite so harshly, Jubat asked “You weren’t running flat-out, were ya, Acino?”
Acino wiped some sweat from his head and sighed. “No, I wasn’t trying all that hard,” he lied, unwilling to admit it. He began walking slowly down the hallway, resting his paws on his head.
“Taking it easy on me? Didn’t think I could take it?” Jubat smiled, socking his friend playfully in the arm.
“Yeah, you caught me,” Acino said resignedly, shaking his head. “I’d have felt bad about beating you in this contest as well…”
Jubat shoved him playfully, causing Acino to stumble a bit. “Oh, just because I haven’t beaten you at an eating contest yet, doesn’t mean I won’t one of these days.”
Acino scoffed. “Don’t count on it. I’m the master of eating, and don’t you forget it.”
“Sure, whatever you say,” Jubat said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
Acino playfully shoved him back and took off running down the hallway again, laughing.
Jubat recovered quickly, laughing, and ran after him, his stomach bouncing a bit.
They reached the living room, richly furbished with chairs, tables, a loveseat and a couch. Acino sprang onto the couch, making it creak as he attempted to hide himself behind a pillow. Jubat was not fooled in the slightest, however, and jumped right on top of Acino, making the couch creak again.
They wrestled for a bit, as boys will do, each panting and heaving as they rolled around on the couch, then onto the floor. One second it was Jubat pinned underneath Acino’s weight, and the next Jubat was on top. Paws looked for purchase on legs, arms, necks and more for purchase as the two boys rolled around, banging into table legs, chairs, board games, and walls.
Eventually they rolled to a stop back where they’d started, near the feet of the couch. They had finished with Jubat on top of Acino, and they lay that way, trying not to pant into each other’s face. Jubat lay his head down on Acino’s chest, hearing his rapid heartbeat and the air coming and going from his lungs. Acino stared up at the ceiling, relaxed, one paw absentmindedly stroking Jubat’s head between his ears.
Their breathing steadily slowed, their breaths became deeper, and their eyes closed. Reality faded into dreams…
***
Acino awoke several hours later, his round stomach rumbling. He presently became aware of something missing.
“Jubat?” Acino said, sitting up, “Where are you?”
“Right here,” said a voice from behind him.
Acino turned around, lying on the couch behind him was Jubat, a controller clutched in his paws, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he stared intently at something behind Acino. His soft stomach rested slightly on the couch, too, but this went unnoticed by either boy.
Acino turned around again. On the wide-screen television resting atop its stand, four colorfully armored cartoon cats hacked and slashed their way through hordes of armored mice, collecting the gold coins their slain enemies dropped and making their way through snow-covered tundra.
“What’s this, then?” Acino asked, briefly watching the action.
“Catbox Crashers,” Jubat answered shortly, pausing to mash a button repeatedly. “Evil dog wizard interrupts your party and steals your king’s giant crystal cat toy, so you and the other knights gotta fight his armies and go get it back.”
“Hmm, sounds fun,” Acino said, carefully standing up where he wouldn’t block Jubat’s field of vision. “Can I play, too?”
“Sure, jump in,” Jubat said, pausing and tossing the other controller to Acino.
Acino turned on the controller, pressed the Start button, scrolled through his choices and chose his character. In no time at all, he was cutting down the enemy troops alongside Jubat.
“Which one are you?” Jubat asked as he beheaded a soldier.
“The green guy,” Acino answered briefly, blocking an incoming attack.
Jubat nodded, and they were silent for a while, letting their weapons do the talking as they crushed skulls, impaled hearts, and rained lightning and fire on their enemies. As it tends to do, the time got away from them, having fun as they were, and after a long while, Acino could no longer push his hunger aside.
As they finished a level, he put his controller aside, rubbing his stomach. “Jubat, I’m too hungry to go on right now… I’m going to go get some supper, okay?”
“Huh? Sure,” Jubat muttered, barely tearing his eyes from the screen, “be there in a couple minutes…”
“Looking forward to it,” Acino said, smiling. “Can’t wait to beat you again!”
Jubat merely blew a raspberry at Acino and kept playing.
Acino headed into the dining room and pushed the buzzer on the speaker in the wall.
“Yes, sir?” A voice inquired from the speaker. “What can I do for you?”
“We’re ready for dinner, please, Jeeves,” Acino said, holding down another button.
“Yes, sir. Will you be having the usual tonight?” Asked Jeeves.
“Yes, please,” Acino said happily, “with extra burgers, if you could.”
“We shall get right on that, sir,” Jeeves said. “You will be taking your meals in the dining room, I presume?”
“Yep! Thanks, Jeeves,” Acino said, thinking already of the delicious foods to be delivered.
“My pleasure, sir,” Jeeves said formally.
The speaker crackled once and went silent. Acino sat down in one of the cushioned, high-backed chairs nearest the kitchen door and began to wait. His soft, round belly, sitting slightly in his lap, rumbled, and Acino rubbed it whilst thinking on his good fortune.
It had been… what? Only two weeks ago? He and Jubat had been living in a small village in Africa. They were orphans, living on the street or wherever someone would let them sleep for the night. The whole village was friendly with one another, as all relied on each other to survive.
He and Jubat had to depend upon the kindness of strangers to get enough food to keep from starving, Acino remembered, but they always did favors in return. And when they weren’t working, chances are they were playing. They would challenge each other to contests of strength, skill, speed… It was a tough existence, at times, but they were happy, always getting through together.
And that one fateful day, their whole lives changed. The mysterious robed figure, accompanied by their entourage of guards and someone who seemed to be their personal assistant, had come to the village. All the villagers stopped what they were doing as the procession had moved through town. Acino remembered he and Jubat standing behind a hut, peeking around the corner, holding on to each other for comfort as they wondered and worried about this strange new development.
The robed figure had stopped suddenly, whispered something into the ear of their assistant… and pointed right at Acino and Jubat.
They had wanted to run, but suddenly, they couldn’t move. Terror rushed through them as the assistant, a strange yellow and white animal with purple markings, came closer. 
She stopped about five feet away from them and said, in strangely accented but pretty good Afrikaans, “Boys, my boss would like to help you. Will you come with me for a short time?”
Acino knew he and Jubat had looked at each other and nodded, scared but curious. His memories, strangely, became fuzzy after that point. He could remember an offer to come back to a place where they would be treated as princes, a land of plenty where they could do as they pleased.
He and Jubat had accepted, and then what? A smile from the robed figure… one last look at the village… long goodbyes to the people who had so far raised them… a magical ride through the sky… and their first taste of their new home. A place known in the strange, native tongue as “McDonald’s”…
And ever since then, he and Jubat had been living here, is this home larger than their old village. They were being schooled on the native language, strange symbols called “letters” and “numbers”, and anything they wanted to know about their new land.
And ever since their first taste of “fast food”, they’d been hooked. What an improvement it was over raw vegetables and fruits! What flavors these wondrous foods contained! And there was so much, more, even, than they could eat! Strange, fizzing, sweet waters, meats tasting of strange spices and sauces, cheeses of yellow and white, grains shaped into long, soft sticks or round breads!
And the sweets! There was no shortage of these, for sure. Tubes filled with chocolate, with crème, with jellies! Soft cakes in all shapes and sizes! Cookies! Candies crunchy and chewy, hard and soft, this flavor and that! There were so many to try, and so much of them! 
Acino smiled fondly, thinking of the foods he and Jubat had eaten. They had not wanted to stop that first day, but when their bellies had ached and groaned from all the food, they had not known what this strange feeling was. They had been told it was called “being full”, when your stomach could hold no more. And they had grown to like this feeling.
Gone were the days of needless hunger! Gone was starvation! Gone were the hard times! When they wanted to eat, they did! What they wanted to eat, they did!
That first week, their bellies were scarcely empty as they tried the fine cuisines this land of plenty had to offer. When they ate, they had eaten themselves full every time, and still there was more. Each day, they were hungrier than the last, it seemed, but there was always enough food and more.
Acino caught himself drooling slightly. Food was his favorite thing about this country so far. He always had to eat as much as he could, and of course, Jubat tried to, too. This soon turned into one of their competitions, each vying to out-eat the other at every meal. And every time so far, Acino had won. And between meals, when he was no longer full? He ate then, too, just to show Jubat how good he was.
Jubat had become just as fond of these wondrous electronic devices as Acino himself had become of food. They often spent their free time together on the couch, Acino eating while Jubat played. When it came to the electronic sorts of competitions, Jubat won every time. Acino considered this fair, though, as he won their eating competitions.
As when they had first come to their amazing new house, they still liked to run up and down the halls, racing and exploring. But lately, it seemed, they were doing less of that. But Acino didn’t mind terribly. He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, nor was it so easy anymore… Jubat was having similar troubles, but neither of them knew quite why.
Acino reflected that it was often much easier and more satisfying to relax these days, eat and watch television instead of running around. And it was much more fun. What had he been doing for years? Running. That was always the same. But television… it had so many new things to show them! Why bother with what he knew? Why not learn new things, amazing things, from television? Jubat often agreed with him on this, but still liked to run around sometimes, especially after drinking lots of the fizzy sugar waters.
And thus, though neither boy knew it, had Acino become the fatter of the two. His belly grew unnoticed, rounder and softer, as he stuffed himself with food, always going just a little past being full. It felt so wonderful to be so full… It pushed the old memories of hunger and starvation from his head, replacing them with warmth and security. And now his belly, though empty, rounded out slightly into his lap, bouncing when he moved, folding when he bent down, always warm, and often hungry.
Seats, it seemed, had become even more comfortable, though they were luxurious already. This, of course, was due more to a softening of his butt and thighs than the seats themselves. His butt was a little rounder, his thighs a little thicker. And even his chest had gotten a bit squishy, truth be told.
Presently, the food came, interrupting Acino’s thoughts of the past. As the feast was laid out before him, plate after steaming plate set upon the table, he again silently thanked their mysterious benefactor, known only as E, for bringing him and Jubat here.
Acino dug in with speed, mumbling a thank you to Jeeves around a mouthful of hamburger. Jeeves bowed slightly and made his exit, awaiting the buzzer, should he be needed.
Acino savored every flavor of each bite he took. He knew not to take any of this for granted, for it was not so long ago he’d had none of this. Hamburgers, fries, pasta and chicken filled his stomach, and yet more remained. Acino kept eating, as happy as he had ever been knowing each bite brought him closer to that blissful fullness.
When finally he sat back, his stomach able to hold no more, he noticed Jubat had joined him.
“How long have you been sitting here with me, Jubat?” Acino asked, rubbing his stomach.
“For only a few minutes,” Jubat said, shoveling some fries into his mouth. His stomach was already somewhat rounded, it could be seen, but neither boy noticed. “As you have stopped eating, I take it you are full?” Jubat asked, tearing off a mouthful of chicken from a large drumstick.
“I am, and how good it feels,” Acino said, leaning back and sighing happily. His stomach was quite large and round, resembling a furry beach ball and nearly matching one in size.
“I know what you mean,” Jubat said, chewing, “and I cannot wait to feel that comfort again myself.” He patted his stomach briefly and took another bite of chicken.
“Well, I think I have won the eating contest again tonight,” Acino said proudly, “for surely I have eaten most of this feast.”
Jubat looked and the table and sighed. “I must admit, I think you are right, Acino. Again, your stomach proves to be better than mine.”
Acino tried to cheer Jubat up, patting him n the head and saying “Don’t worry, I’m sure you can still beat me in those video games you love so much.”
Jubat laughed, saying “You’re right I can. I can beat your butt at those any day.”
Acino laughed too. “You see? But this is why I always win our eating contests; you do too much talking and not enough actually eating.”
“Oh sure, and who’s fault is that?” Jubat smiled, poking Acino playfully, “I believe it is you who always has questions for me, or wants to hear a story.”
“And is it my fault you fall for that?” Acino said innocently.
Jubat laughed and threw the donut he had been holding at him.
Acino tried to look offended, but ruined it by smiling. “How dare you?” he said scornfully, “I shall have to eat this now, to teach you a lesson.” He took a big bite of the donut, chewing exaggeratedly as Jubat laughed.
“Oh, truly you have shown me the error of my ways,” Jubat said sorrowfully, “I’ll never do that again, I can assure you.”
“Well good. I’m glad to see I can talk some sense into-” Acino was cut short as a donut landed on his nose. He glared sternly at Jubat, who merely shrugged.
“It slipped,” he said, suppressing a smile.
Acino just continued to glare, the donut sitting on his nose, and before long, Jubat began to laugh. Acino took this opportunity to stuff the donut into Jubat’s mouth, saying “Maybe that’ll teach you.”
Jubat stopped laughing and swallowed the donut. “Okay, okay,” he said, throwing his paws up in surrender, “Lesson learned. I won’t do that again…” 
‘Tonight, at least…’ he added silently, smirking to himself.
“Good,” Acino said. “But see what you are doing? Less talking, more eating!” He pushed the box of donuts into Jubat’s paws. 
Jubat complied with a smile and began to eat. Acino leaned back again and idly rubbed his stomach, reveling at the warm, secure feeling of fullness. And when Jubat finished, clearing the table of every last scrap of food, his own stomach bulged roundly into his lap.
The boys buzzed Jeeves to let him know they had finished and slowly shuffled back to the living room, having an impromptu burping contest along the way. Acino won with an earth-shaking belch, though Jubat’s final attempt was none too shabby, either.
Acino and Jubat picked up where Jubat had left off in Catbox Crashers, content to spend the next few hours mowing down enemies like sickles through the savannah. When each of them had nodded off a couple times during the course of the game, they decided to call it quits for the night. Jubat went right to his room, but Acino went to the dining room first for a snack.
Half an hour later, belly stuffed with snack cakes and just as round as before, Acino shuffled out of the kitchen and down the hallway. He opened the door to Jubat’s room, quietly entered, and closed it behind him.
Acino walked over to where Jubat lay dozing in his bed and whispered “Jubat, I have come. Are you awake?”
Jubat stirred, snorted, and woke up. He smiled at Acino and said “I am now. Are you ready?”
Acino smiled back. “I am ready when you are.”
Jubat scooted over in his bed, and Acino lay down next to him. The blankets were arranged to cover them both, and they got comfortable.
As their mouths met, Jubat whispered tenderly “I love you, Acino. You are my world…”
“And I love you, Jubat. You mean everything to me…” Acino whispered back.
They kissed for a long time, embracing one another, happy to be free to be together at last. Sleep took them both, and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, forehead to forehead, belly to belly, leg to leg.