"Sid? Sid?" The voice seemed to sludge through mud towards him. It was distant; unimportant. "Don't fall asleep just yet; we're here..."

He sat up so fast, his blood caught up with him a second later, making him dizzy. "Whoa. Wait, what?"

Jules affectionately ruffled the fur between his ears, and repeated "We're here. We're home..."

***

"Arooh, Jules..." The black wolf snuggled the tiger lying in bed next to him, nuzzling his neck. "We made it. Our happy little home..."

The tiger pulled the wolf closer, rubbing his back. "Mm. Having that dream again, Sid?"

"Yeah..." Sid chuckled, wriggling happily. "It's one of my favorite memories. It's night; we cross the border into Luxumentum. I close my eyes. Then, you're shaking me, and when I open them... We're here. Ivy Grove."

"Our home sweet home," Jules smiled. "What time do you think it is?"

"If you're awake, then it's dawn," Sid teased gently. "Or, time for me to get up, and make us breakfast."

"Jules shouldn't let you," Jules threatened mildly, holding him down. "Jules should make you lay here with him."

"But then I'd fall asleep, and you'd go on patrol hungry," Sid reminded him, rubbing his bare, firm chest. "We can't have that. It'd throw off my whole schedule."

"Get out of here," Jules chuckled, pushing the wolf up. "If you didn't sleep until noon, you just wouldn't know what to do with yourself!"

"Exactly!" Sid agreed, laughing.

He stretched, and tied a pink apron form the closet around his waist. He was already in his underthings, so this was good enough. "You going to get up now, or do you want breakfast in bed?"

"Jules is getting up! Jules is not the lazy one, here..."

As Jules rose, the dawn's light streaming through the windows Sid opened up highlighted his fine figure; that of a man proud of his profession. He worked hard for his six-pack abs, chiseled pectorals, and solid thighs, and no small amount of exercise kept his arms bulging with muscle. Even half-naked, he had buns of steel. Then, of course, there was the creamy swath of fur down his front, and deep orange fur, with his species' characteristic black stripes, everywhere else. At six-foot-four, he intimidated people just by standing up.

"It never gets old, hmm?" He laughed, amused. Sid was staring openly at him, a blush on his cheeks, and a dopey smile on his face.

Sid shook his head and giggled as he scurried out of the room, leaving the tiger to get dressed. No, it never did. Or would!

Jules opened the doors to the closet on his side of the room, revealing his suit: the steel shone, and the yellow, radiating sun on his cuirass seemed to glow. "Sol-Ra, Illuminated One, he who shines forever in the darkness, your humble paladin thanks you for this new day. He will carry your light with him wherever he goes, and spread your truth to all the land. Thank you, Shining Master, for the life you have blessed him with."

Beginning with the platelegs, the tiger began to armour up for the day ahead.

Out in the kitchen, the black wolf stoked the stove's fire, and cracked a few eggs into the cast iron pan on top. Their chickens had surrendered their eggs without much of a fight, the cow was only too happy to be milked, and their pig Oink!ed happily at the sight of slops. Right now, Francis was more of a pet, but his day would come. Sid remembered well the time Jules had asked him about it...

"So, you want this pig, but not for breakfast?" (He'd had the cutest look of confusion on his face.)

"Look at him! He's adorable!" (He'd caught himself dancing a little bit as he'd said it. Fun, though.)

"If you think he is cute, what does that say about what you see in Jules?"

Sid laughed now as he had then, and exhaled happily. His tiger was quite a guy!

Jules did not quite sneak into the kitchen - his clanking armour didn't allow for that - but he didn't announce his presence. Instead, he came up behind Sid, and squeezed his butt. It was too uncomfortable to wrap his arms around him when he was in his cuirass.

Sid jumped, and squealed, stuttering "J-J-Jules! Oh, you naughty thing! I should clonk you over the head with this pan." But he laughed, unable to even pretend to stay miffed.

Jules caught his chin as he turned to face him, bent down a little (the wolf stood at six-foot-two, still an impressive height), and kissed him softly. "Excuse. It was just a big, tempting target."

Sid kissed him back quite happily, heart thumping, as always. "Big? Not as big as your ego, you overgrown kitty-cat. Not big at all, in fact!"

Jules sometimes wondered if the black wolf really believed that. Apart from light, occasional teasing, he wasn't about to tell him otherwise. "Of course not. And this 'kitty' has claws, he will remind you."

"Yes, and I'm sure they're very scary," Sid reassured him with a pat on the head, as if speaking to a four year-old. "Now sit down, or I will eat your breakfast."

This seemed like a very real threat, so Jules took a hasty seat. All their chairs were built strong, and reinforced, because two-hundred-plus pounds of tiger regularly sat down on them. A couple hundred-some pounds of wolf, did, too.

Sid served up three eggs, a glass of milk, cooled overnight in the well, some honeyed bread, and fried slices of ham. He was preparing something roughly similar for himself - just in larger portions. He liked to have plenty of energy for going to market, gardening, and tending the animals.

Jules normally set off as soon as he finished, but today, he wanted to hang back. He had something important to say to Sid, and he wanted to wait until the time was right to say it. So he ate slowly, taking more time than usual to savor the food. It was quite good; Sid was no slouch at cooking, for sure. He was a better baker, even so.

Once his own food was ready, Sid sat down, and tucked in quickly. He was curious as to why Jules was delaying his departure, but usually ate at such a speed, anyway. He had grown to quite love food, once discovering that outside of the Temple (of Nocturpus, at least), much of it was rather tasty. And if one ate enough, there was the pleasurable effect of feeling your stomach stretch taut and warm. That was usually what he strove for at breakfast, and today, food didn't disappoint.

Having wrung his hands quite enough beneath the table, Jules stood up as the wolf did, glancing him over. With his belly bulging roundly against the confines of the pink apron, he looked not unlike a young, expectant mother. He was not the only one carrying an extra fifty pounds, at the moment. The tiger smiled.

"What news, Jules?" Sid asked him, slightly worried.

Jules strode over, and first wrapped the wolf in a brief hug. Then, letting him go, he placed his hands on his shoulders, and looked him in the eyes, his golden eyes meeting the wolf's inky purple orbs. "Sid- Jules is not quite sure how to say this. But he feels- He wants-"

He stopped, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it out, opening his eyes again. "Jules- I love you."

For a long moment, Sid could only stare, eyes growing wet. He wasn't sure what he was more surprised by - Jules' use of that one-letter pronoun, or how he'd used it. "Oh my goodness, Jules... I... Sid loves you, too!"

Tears of joy fell from his eyes as he squeezed them shut, and squeezed the armored tiger in his arms, fancying he could feel him beneath the steel.

Then, they kissed again, but for real this time, long, and soft, and slow. The taste of honey mixed with something sweeter on their lips, in their mouths, and the pleasure burst like spells of fireball in their souls.

When at last they pulled apart, Jules smiled gently, and placed a hand on Sid's belly, squeezing gently. "Take care of our food baby, honey. Jules will see you tonight."

Sid's knees nearly buckled under the intense pleasure this caused, and he laughed, a hot blush reddening his cheeks. "You naughty boy! Get out of here! I'll see you... love."

Jules grabbed his gauntlets from the table, and blew him a kiss on his way out, winking.

Sid sighed happily, and waved him off.

After he was gone, Sid decided the dishes could wait. Instead, he returned to the bedroom, and fell back onto the bed, hands resting on the swell of his stomach. Food baby... he thought, smiling uneasily. Have I really gotten that big...?

He wanted to explore this further, to maybe take a hard look at himself, but he was feeling rather dozy just now... He was still not used to being up during the day, and all joking aside, did usually sleep again after breakfast until lunchtime. Struggling to stay awake just now didn't seem like an attractive option, so he closed his eyes, and let sleep take him...

***

Sid awoke just as he'd fallen asleep: quickly, and with his hands cradling his stomach. All the swelling had subsided, so now, before he stuffed something else into his maw, would be a good time to find out the truth. He sighed, and rose from the bed.

Mirrors were expensive, and there was relatively little call for them. Common people saw them as silly vanity items, and nobles wanted them because they could afford them. The last owner of their house had been a successful, now-retired merchant, and he'd had a full-length mirror bought and installed in a special little room for it, perhaps as sort of a curiosity. Sid had looked in it once, when they'd bought they house, then promptly shut it up, and forgot about it.

However, he returned to it now. The skylight above let in the bright noontime light, showcasing him all-too-clearly in the reflective surface. He untied the apron in back, pulled the neck strap over his head, and let it drop to the floor.

Sid was wearing just his undergarments, so every soft inch of him could be seen quite clearly. His thighs touched at their tops, thicker than he'd dared think. The only "buns of steel" he had now were hung up in his closet - the behind rounding out behind him was more than just a handful, actually straining the seams of his underpants. And now that he thought about it, he could feel them bounce as he moved! Above the waistband- he was first distracted by his arms, which no longer visibly bulged with muscle when he bent them. That had been lost under a layer of flab, too. His chest, he did not remember being so... fluffy. And were those his cheeks? Oh goodness, they were pinchable! Wha- his digits looked pudgy!

Able to avoid it no longer, he made his eyes focus on his middle. Never quite defined, it had lost any semblance of that, now. It was soft, round, poking over, and resting on, his waistband. On his sides, pinched up by his tight-ish accoutrements, love handles rolled over them. When prodded, they gave way, then sprang back. His belly rounded out before him like a burial mound. He did not have abs; he had a paunch. A potbelly. A gut.

But... "I kinda like it..." He admitted to himself, so softly, he barely heard it. He tried again, with more confidence. "I like it. I like it? I- I like it!"
Sid pinched an inch, smiling a little, and then grabbed and shook a handful, smiling wider. It felt good! He was warm, and soft, and- ooh, he felt happy! This wasn't just a gut - it was proof! He was secure; he was comfortable; he was provided and cared for, and had someone to care for. He was happy, and he was loved!

"Ooh, I can't wait until Jules gets home!" he cheered, scooping up his apron (he felt his butt test the confines of his undergarments as he bent over), and rushing into the kitchen, hurriedly tying it on.

First, he decided, he was going to raid the cupboards, and cook himself a nice, big lunch. Then he was going to town to get some stuff their little farm didn't provide. And when Jules got home...!

Sid grabbed the remainder of their meat, bread, cheese and fish, and laid it out on the table. To drink, he was going to draw water from the well outside, before remembering the fresh bucket of milk he'd gotten only that morning. Feeling delightfully chaotic-good, he tore into the food.

After what could perhaps have been called a "footlong sandwich", he was feeling full, but he pressed on. Adding a similar amount of bread, meat and cheese to his stomach again made it press tightly and roundly against his apron. He relished the feeling, took a moment to rub it a little, and then decided to have a go at finishing off the rest of the food. It was about half as much as either of his first two servings; a reasonable amount, he figured, and not enough for dinner.

Sid could feel his apron grow increasingly tighter as he forced more meat, bread and cheese down his throat, but this was perversely pleasing. He quite enjoyed the feel of his taut belly, and its churning heat beneath his hands. With a few further big bites, the food was finished. He patted his bloated belly - perhaps now big enough to be called a "gut" - and burped.

He wasn't ready to rise just yet, much less go to market. But there was the milk, tempting him. He'd taken some sips over the course of his meal, but a bucket was not the best thing to drink from. It was not made for pouring down one's throat. It would just spill all over.

The black wolf told himself all this, then picked up the bucket, and put it to his lips, anyway. Carefully, taking controlled, but steady gulps, he drank of the full, rich milk and cream, soon falling into a sort of hypnotized stupor.

Very quickly, he ran out of room in his stomach to put it all - and so more was made. His stomach swelled, rounder and rounder. His apron strings protested, then - snap! snap! - gave way. The release of pressure was vastly relieving, easing his troubles quite effectively. He could still feel his stomach walls stretching, and it made his toes curl with joy. The limp fabric rode up further and further, like a cresting wave, on the swell of his stomach.

Sid drained the last drop of milk, and nigh slammed the bucket back down on the table. Before he could prevent it, an enormous belch ripped itself from his throat, shaking the glass in the windows with its thunder. When it subsided, he could feel his stomach compressing on every extra bit of food he'd stuffed into it, trying to return to its normal shape - and it was fantastic. His belly was so round, it actually rested in his lap if he bent forward just a little, and he found its hot presence on his thighs to be absolutely aphrodisiacal.

For a while, he sat there like that, head resting on the table, and gut resting on his thighs. Supremely satisfied, he felt achieved; like this, right here, was what he had been working his whole life to earn. There was nothing quite like it.

Eventually, Sid rose. He draped the apron over the chair (he could fix it later; sewing was something else he'd picked up during his retirement), and walked to the bedroom, dreaming of a day he'd have to waddle down the hallway, belly bouncing in front of him, hips swaying, rump jiggling... It was enough to give him shivers! He dressed himself in something acceptable to be seen in, and made his way out of the house.

From the stable, he took the clever basket-on-wheels that were all the rage lately (servants and commonfolk called them "shopping trolleys"), and navigated down the gently sloping hill their house stood on towards the village and market. It wasn't terribly far, and the scenery was certainly pleasant. Much of the surrounding fields were heavily flowered, so it was a treat even for the nose.

In town, he first gathered the staple foods they would need: meats, cheese, some fruit, bread, and a few vegetables, though they had their own garden. Then, rather more gleefully, he visited the bakery. There, he bought such a number of sweets that it was wondered if he was having a party. "Oh, kind of," was all he'd say. Then, shopping trolley full, he returned home in as much of a rush as his stomach would allow.

At home, he restocked the cupboards, then set the table with sweets, and finally, set about the chores to help him wait.

***

"Jules is home, petit chocolat! Oh- are we having a party?" The tiger stopped, eyeing the table full of cakes and sweets.

"Oh, kind of," Sid giggled, prancing up to greet him with a little peck on the cheek. "Got get changed into something comfortable. This time, I have something I think you'll want to hear..."

Curiosity piqued, Jules hurried to the bedroom. Kind of a party? Something he'd want to hear? Well, this should be interesting. It always has been, with Sid, he thought, not without fondness.

He removed his cuirass, and hung it on the corresponding pegs in the closet. He followed this with his gauntlets and greaves, leaving him in his soft leather shirt and trousers, which kept his armour from pinching his skin, and pulling out patches of fur, and his boots. He sat down on the edge of their double bed to remove these.

Looking down to do this, he never saw Sid bound in, and push him over just as he finished, laying on top of him, and grinning down at him. "Okay, I can't wait!"

Jules smiled back politely, still confused. "Okay. What is it?"

"You're right. I have put on some weight since we- since I met you," the black wolf began, rubbing the tiger's side, simply because he could. "I wouldn't say I've gotten fat - not yet - but I'm not as fit as I once was. I won't be fitting into my armour anytime soon."

Jules was not entirely comfortable with this, as he couldn't see where it was going. "Er- it is good that you realize this."

"Uh-huh! Because it made me realize, Jules, I want to be fat!" Sid announced excitedly, grin widening. "I want to be big, and soft, and heavy! I want to have wide, swaying hips, and a bubble butt that takes two chairs, and a round, fat, squishy gut! And love handles you can hold onto all night long...! Can you see that, Jules? Is that clear enough for you? I can go on..."

The tiger's orange fur, like autumn leaves, turned red on his cheeks, and he swallowed, hard. He could see it, but he somehow thought imagination would pale to reality, in this case. Hadn't he always been secretly pleased that Sid wasn't quite as fit as him? Just that morning, hadn't he squeezed the wolf's butt, relishing how much there was to squeeze? And he certainly hadn't complained while his partner had gradually grown softer and plusher.

"I can see it is," Sid smiled, satisfied. "Mm, I said it before, and I'll say it again: you naughty boy... I'm guessing you see, too, what the cakes and sweets are for?"

By way of response, Jules rose, taking the wolf with him, out to the kitchen. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much, Sid?" He set him down in a chair.

Sid chuckled. "Believe it or not, I-"

Jules cut him off by stuffing a shortcake into his mouth. He didn't say anything; just smiled, and pulled up his own chair. He sat knee-to-knee with the wolf parallel to the table, letting actions speak louder than words.

But before they began in earnest, Sid had just a few more. "Jules... I love you."

Jules held back the next shortcake he had been planning to feed him, and leaned forward to kiss him, instead. "Sid, Jules loves you, too."

If, perhaps, this had not been seen as a blessed development, they might have thought of it in a different light. They might have seen it as a reminder of the Lipomancer; a warning against the dangers of leaving him unchecked. They might have interpreted it as the slow creep of the Lipomancer's tendrils into their lives; into their relationship. They might have been wary of what power he had over the wolf.

However, they were simply happy. Love, no matter how you looked at it, was a wonderful thing.

Their lips met for just the first sweet treat they would share that night.

Outside, the sun and the moon, too, shared a few moments together in the sky.