I squeezed my lips as hard as I could. I refused to answer his question. He didn’t deserve to know how much my life (and the lives of everyone in the village) was shaped by him. My answer was bubbling up the back of my throat, but I swallowed it back down.

No.

He didn’t deserve a response. I only had minutes left to live, and I was going to fight back the only way I could.

“Tell me, Simon,” he cooed, his fingers brushing the sensitive curve of my lower belly.

No! My mouth remained clamped shut.

“Tell me,” he said again, smiling at how much effort it took to remain quiet. I was squirming, my soft fat rippling in waves.

Then his cold fingers touched my nipples. They had gotten so sensitive in the last two years of fattening, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. My stretched-out areolas pebbled under his cold skin. My lips parted.

And I answered him. “I made myself fat because of you.”

For the first time, his confident expression wavered. I’d surprised him. “Go on.” To get me to talk, he pressed his palms against my thick breasts and rubbed slow circles. Pleasure shot through my whole body, and I had no more control over myself.

“Our village figured out your pattern. You come in the night and whisk one of us away every month. You always pick the most handsome men among us. Usually with fair hair and light eyes. You have a type, Alexey.”

He laughed coldly. “I guess I do.”

“You took my three older brothers. To protect me, my parents kept me hidden away. And as I grew, I became the most beautiful young man in the town.”

I’d never said those words aloud before. I wasn’t one to brag, especially considering what I looked like now. But his black eyes pulled the truth out of me, and this was the truth. I was as beautiful as any man could be, which made me a target. You could still see signs of my beauty even now. My wavy blond hair. My pale blue eyes. My strong chin. All the features that weren’t buried under hundreds of pounds of soft, dimpled lard that I’d forced onto myself for protection.

That was the only way I’d lived to 22. I changed my body to avoid being a target. And it had worked, until tonight, when Alexey had snatched me away as I walked home from the pub. All I remember was a blur of darkness until I awoke in this dungeon.

The monster thought for a second. “You’re saying that if you hadn’t spent your life in fear of me, then you’d be fit and muscular?”

“Yes. Like my brothers.” I would’ve been the most popular man in town. I’d probably be married to Lucille, the lovely neighbor girl who had her eyes on me before I changed myself. I’d be a father. Instead, I became the largest, most unhealthy person in the village. People flinched when they saw me waddling about.

I was fat and lonely, and it was all for nothing, because I’d still be taken.

Alexey continued stroking and flopping my breasts, which were thicker and rounder than even Lucille’s. I hated how much I enjoyed the touch. No one had ever felt me like this. No one had even seen me naked.

“Why did you take me?” I asked.

His eyes widened. He wasn’t used to his victims asking him questions.

“Because of your handsome face,” he said, pulling his hands away. “You don’t look like other fat men.”

That was true. All of my friends were naturally big (though none as big as me), but their bodies were meant to be that way. They didn’t have to stuff themselves into nausea. They didn’t have stretchmarks like I did. They could move around much more easily. They had large frames to support their large bellies, while I was a tall, slim man with all this weight hanging off me.

His eyes roved around my body, taking me all in. He licked his lips.

“Just kill me fast,” I muttered. “Please.”

“I can’t, Simon,” he said. “You should already be dead.”

The moon shifted in the sky. It was now directly in front of the narrow window, giving his white skin a silvery glow. I had to look away, just to control my unnatural urges. I wanted him so much. More than Lucille. More than any woman I’d ever seen. I knew it was just because of his spell over me, but this attraction still filled me with shame.

“You were right,” he continued. “I have a hunger for strong, athletic, handsome meals. I thought they tasted the best. You’re the first fatty I’ve ever feasted on, and…” He grabbed my belly again, but gentler now. “You’re more delicious, Simon. Your blood is rich and decadent. For the first time in centuries, I feel full.”

“Thank you,” I answered sarcastically.

“And because of your size, you survived the feeding. No one else ever has.” He grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me to my feet.

My head was spinning, but I’d recovered enough to stay standing. My hanging apron still obscured my genitals. Thank the Lord. I remained rock-hard, my body craving his touch while my brain was filled with hatred and anger.

He grabbed my clothes from the ground and placed them in my hands. “You may leave.”

“I can go?”

“Yes. You earned your survival. I give you my word that I will leave you alone.”

“But you’ll still feed on the other villagers?”

He shrugged. “It’s what I do.”

He watched me as I pulled on my brown pants and dirty shirt. I only had three outfits that fit me, and this was one of them. I didn’t dress to impress anyone. What was the point?

As I hoisted up my hanging belly to buckle my pants, Alexey got a clear view of my cock. It used to be massive, before my fat pad swallowed most of it up, but a solid inch was still visible. Once I returned home, I’d pleasure myself. (Unless the jiggling friction on my long walk back did the trick instead. Yeah, that’s probably what was going to happen.)

The monster nodded toward the dungeon door. It creaked open by itself. “Thank you, Simon.”

I waddled toward my freedom, Alexey’s eyes never leaving me. And then I stopped. Fighting against all my instincts, I turned around. “You can take me again.”

“What was that, Simon?” He stepped closer, a triumphant smile on his horribly beautiful face.

“If I can survive this when others can’t, then I offer myself to you,” I said. “Promise to leave the rest of the village alone, and you can feed on me every month.”

“I accept.”

I was signing my life away. I was dooming myself. And who knows how long this would last. Perhaps my survival was merely a one-time thing. Perhaps the next time would kill me. But even if it did, I’d be saving an innocent life. I had to try.

I hurried out of the room before I changed my mind. I was in a long, arched hallway. Then I was trudging up the stone steps. Then I was out in the courtyard.

I felt woozy but I wasn’t in pain. I passed clusters of gnarled trees and dead flowerbeds before reaching the old gate. Before I could cross over, before I was truly free, I felt the monster’s cold hands grab me from behind.

“Let me help you home,” he whispered into my ear, his hot breath on my neck. “You mustn’t push yourself too hard. And please remember to eat heartily before I find you again.”

He lifted me into his arms as if I weighed nothing. Then our surroundings blurred into streaks as he carried me through the dense forest at an impossible speed. We moved so fast that I blacked out.

I awoke in my own bed the next morning. Everything felt like a dream, though I knew it was real. The wounds on my neck continued to throb.

***

Three months later.

Alexey grabbed me in my front yard. That’s where I waited for him.

As always, he whisked me through the night, our surroundings blurring into streaks. I didn’t pass out this time. Alexey seemed to be transporting me slower than before.

That wasn’t surprising. I’d spent months gorging myself all day every day, making sure to thicken my blood and grow my body enough to survive another feeding. While I didn’t look any bigger, I must’ve added to my weight. Alexey had unimaginable strength, but even a monster had limits to how much he could carry.

He brought me through the gates, through the courtyard, and into the grand ballroom of his castle. It was an empty, ominous place, but the broken couch was a huge improvement over his dungeon floor. He set me gently onto the cushions and then stepped back to look at me.

I waited for him to catch his breath. That had never happened before. He asked, “Did you eat well for me?”

“Of course.” I told him all the foods I’d packed into my straining stomach (all that I could remember, anyway). He wanted to prepare for all the tastes in my blood.

“And did you tell anyone about our arrangement?”

“No,” I answered. For three months, I’d kept quiet. The village noticed that the disappearances had stopped, and theories abounded over what had happened to our monster, but I refused to get anyone else involved. This was my choice, my cross to bear.

“Very good,” he said as he stripped off my clothes. Once my hefty stomach flopped out, his eyes widened in surprise. “You’re sure you’ve eaten enough?” He stared directly into my eyes to make sure I spoke the truth.

“I ate more this month than ever before.” That wasn’t a lie. Ever since his first feeding, my capacity had increased. Most nights, I didn’t even go to bed nauseous anymore, just pleasantly full.

He believed me, but he still seemed confused.

He crept on top of my soft body, his fingers exploring my rolls (as he always did), and he bared his fangs.

I flinched, preparing for the pain that was sure to come. My mind tried to focus on the warmth rushing to my crotch. My unnatural attraction to the monster was the only distraction I had from the pain in my neck, and I’d learned in the past two feedings how to trick myself into only feeling that.

He lowered his face toward the crook of my neck, but he didn’t feed. He licked my skin, just once, and then pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, worried that he was going to stretch this out. Had I gotten too complacent? Did he want to play with his food before he ate?

“Your veins are tapped,” he said. “I can’t feed from here.”

Not surprising. The puncture marks on the edge of my second chin were still puckered and blue. I had to wear scarves to hide them.

“No matter,” he said. Then he slid down my body until his head was at the base of my stomach. He rubbed his face against my soft skin, sending shivers through me.

And of course, my dick was at full attention. I couldn’t control that.

His tongue flicked across the sensitive skin under my belly button. “Perhaps here,” he said to himself. “Or perhaps your inner thigh.”

I felt both fear and excitement as he lowered himself to my crotch. I couldn’t see him over the arc of my belly, but I could feel his warm breath.

“Hmm,” he said.

Then, his long tongue slid across the tip of my dick. My chubby fingers grabbed at the cushions and my belly sloshed around. He didn’t say anything.

I waited. I felt so exposed.

Then I let out a gasp as his mouth wrapped around my cock. I was already wet with precum. His tongue ran up and down my slit, tasting me, experimenting. I felt my entire shaft (what was left of it) disappear inside him.

I squirmed. I couldn’t breathe. Pleasure sparked through me as I lost myself in his hungry, ravenous suction. There was no pain. No fear.

I’d pleasured myself many times before, but it was never like this. “Oh. Oh God.”

I squeezed tightly to the couch as my body rocked out of my control. My buried muscles tightened and released. I couldn’t take it. I was so overcome by sensations that my brain couldn’t tell the difference between pleasure and pain. It was everything at once. It was…

I released. Just a few minutes and I exploded into his mouth. I filled him in a long, continuous jet.

With one final shudder, I was empty. Alexey took in everything, licked me dry, and pulled back.

He looked up at me. I could see his satisfied face just past my belly. His lips were shiny-slick. His hands were still clamped into my soft thighs.

“I’m… full,” he said.

I couldn’t respond. I didn’t have the energy. (Not like I’d know what to say.)

He was lost in thought. Then slowly, he stood up and lowered himself onto the couch. He’d never sat next to me before. He’d never held me in his arms like this.

His black shirt strained against his stomach, fuller than I’d ever seen it. His long fingers traced lines along my stomach. “You’re free to go.”

“You mean… You’re not going to… drink me?”

“I just did.”

***

Three days later.

I was at the pub with Roland and Francis. The whole place had gotten cheerful and boisterous since the monster stopped attacking. I could barely hear Roland over the din.

“What did you say?” I asked through a mouthful of buttery pasta (my third dish of the night).

He leaned closer. “I was asking what happened to you. You look thinner than you have in years.”

That couldn’t be right. I was eating more than ever, and I still bulged out of my clothes. Both Roland and Francis were very large (probably the two fattest villagers after me), and I ate so much more than them.

“You’re insane,” I said, shoveling in more pasta.

They exchanged a look.

“If you say so,” Francis muttered. I guess he agreed with Roland.

Curiously, I pressed my fingers into my stomach. Yes, still soft.

But…

Was it less soft than before? I looked down, seeing how deeply my fingers were sinking into my flab.

They were right. I was morbidly obese, but my gut had shrunk an inch. I couldn’t deny it.

“I need some air,” I said. I stood up and waddled toward the door. As I crossed through the crowd of people, I noticed a few others examining my body. They saw it, too.

I walked into the cool air. There were more people on the streets than usual. Villagers had stopped being scared to go out at night.

Because of me! Because I was protecting them!

I walked around the corner of the building, where I’d have enough privacy to reach under my shirt and feel myself. I spent a few minutes tugging on my overhang, weighing it in my hands, when I heard footsteps from the darkness behind me.

“I need you again.”

I didn’t need to look into the shadows. I knew this was Alexey. His deep, buttery voice always gave me chills.

“But we still have a month.”

“Your other liquids don’t sustain me as much as your lifeblood,” he answered. “May I take you?”

Damn it. I knew this was too good to be true. He needed to drink from me properly again. I considered refusing. The monster and I had made a deal, and now he was changing the terms.

But as I listened to the laughter and conversation on the street, as I heard how happy everyone was without their constant fear, I realized that I had to give in again. “Yes. You can take me.”

In a flash of movement, he scooped me into his arms and carried me back to the castle. He moved even slower than last time, the trees barely blurring around us.

He brought me into his castle and dropped me onto the couch. Without any preamble, he stripped off my clothes.

Let’s get this over with.

I tilted my head to the side, offering up my still-wounded neck.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, tracing a circle around my puncture marks.

“Of course not,” I said. “But we made a deal.”

“Would you be interested in a new deal?” he asked. “I can feed on your blood once a month, or I can feed on your seed every three nights. It’s just as delicious.”

“My seed!” I shouted.

He crouched in front of me again, lifting my belly with both hands and gazing hungry at my stiffening member. “Deal.”

Once again, he feasted on my cum, sucking me dry in a matter of minutes. It was less surprising than the first time, but somehow even better. Monsters like him know how to suck.

My God. My whole body got sore just from how tight my muscles were clenching. I saw stars.

And when he was finished, he stood up, licked his lips, and joined me on the couch. “Every three nights?”

“Or more often,” I said. “I enjoy it.”

“Me, too.” He patted my belly. More affectionate than before.

That was the moment I stopped fearing him. I still remembered all the horrible things he’d done, all the lives he’d taken, but I didn’t care. We had an agreement that worked for both of us.

“Can you take me back to the pub?” I asked. “My friends are waiting for me.”

“Of course,” he whispered. Then he stood. Well, he tried to stand. He got halfway off the couch before collapsing. He held his overfull stomach, really bulging against his clothes.

“It’s okay,” I told him. “I can walk.”

It didn’t take long for me to traverse the dark woods between his castle and the pub. Twenty minutes, perhaps. But it was long enough for me to figure something out.

Every time Alexey fed, I slimmed down a little. At the same time, he grew slower and more sluggish. And his bloated middle…

There was only one explanation. My juices were giving him my fat, one slurp at a time.

Interesting.

When I returned to my friends, I acted like nothing had happened. I didn’t even make up an excuse for where I’d gone.

Then I ordered two more plates of pasta.

***

A year later.

“Simon!” Father shouted when I walked in.

I wiped the sweat from my brow. “Finished,” I said.

“You mean the corn? Or gathering the eggs?”

“Everything,” I said. “Fields are cleared. Animals are fed. And I had some extra time, so I fixed the roof.”

Father was too shocked to speak. Now that I’d lost all my extra weight, I’d finally started helping around the farm. I’d spent my whole life hiding inside, forcing myself to eat, and it felt great to take on some of my father’s burden.

He hugged me, squeezing my muscular body so damn tight. He wasn’t just thanking me for the choirs. He was congratulating me for acting like a real son for once. The weight gain had been his idea, and he’d long ago resigned himself to the fact that I’d never live a normal village life. I could now. I was strong. I was slim. Despite all the loose skin that I had to keep tucked away under my clothes, I was the handsome, fit man that I was always supposed to be.

Then I saw someone waiting in the corner of the room.

“Lucille came to see you,” Father explained.

She stepped forward, smiling nervously. “Hello, Simon. You look great.”

Father pushed us both toward the door. “You two should catch up. Show her around the farm.”

I didn’t have time to argue. Father closed the door behind us.

Lucille and I walked together, and I showed her our property. Even though she lived next door, she hadn’t been over here in years. I was a little nervous. I could tell she was, too.

I started telling her about the new tool shed I built last week, but she stopped me. “What happened to you, Simon?”

She was asking about my weight. “I exercise more.”

“Is that all? Because I see how much you eat. And…” She looked at her feet. “I know that you walk into the woods every night. Is there… Are you doing something?”

“Like what?” I asked innocently.

What else could I say? That every night, I walk up to the monster’s castle, let him suck me off at least twice, and watch him expand with my fat while I grow stronger and slimmer?

“Witchcraft,” she whispered.

“I don’t mess around with that. I’m just working hard, getting healthy. I spend hours in the—”

She kissed me.

It was a kiss that I’d longed for all my life, that I used to dream about. Her lips were just as soft as I imagined. Her small hands on my waist felt just as nice.

But it felt wrong. She wasn’t Alexey.

She pulled away. “Are you… not interested?”

I should be! I needed to be! I would’ve been.

“I’m sorry, Lucille. I can’t.”

She shoved me. Her eyes were wet with tears. I’m pretty sure I broke her heart, but rather than accept the sadness, she got angry. “Screw you! I hope you get fat again!”

I didn’t stop her as she stormed off.

I could’ve gone back inside and told my father what I’d done, but the sun was setting, and I had a better place to be.

Fifteen minutes later, I was in the castle. Alexey had grown too large to come for me, so I always ran up the mountainside to see him. I loved the exercise. I loved getting my pulse racing before I saw my monster.

He was spread out on his bed. (The downstairs couch had cracked in two several months ago, and his upstairs bedroom had a nicer view of the valley.) He looked up at me, smiling. “Right on time. What did you eat for me today?”

I listed off the three lunches and two dinners, plus the extra butter I drank during my breaks from farmwork.

“Very good,” he said.

His quivering, useless body sloshed around as he tried to sit up. Now that he was forever trapped on his bed, his pale flab spilling over the edges, I had to climb on top of him for our feedings.

I disrobed, pausing to let him take in my powerful, muscular form. Even with the loose, hanging skin warping my pecs and stomach, I knew I was beautiful. That skin was a sweaty annoyance during my farmwork, but I also liked it. The constant friction was a reminder of how far I’d come.

I climbed onto his mattress-like belly, sinking into the cool softness, and sat on his chest, his moobs serving as the perfect cushions.

Then I scooted closer, my massive cock sliding straight where it belonged. He sucked on me happily, greedily, ecstatically. My hands gripped the backboard and I started thrusting a little. He took it all.

I gasped for breath. I felt the ocean-like sway of his massive body under me.

And just before I released, the bedroom door creaked open and someone shouted, “What the hell?”

That stranger, whoever it was, arrived at the exact wrong time. I couldn’t stop. I let out a deep gasp and spilled a thick jet straight into Alexey’s mouth. He gargled it down, licked me dry, and I pulled out. My satisfied shaft slapped his fat cheek and I climbed off him.

I hid my nakedness behind his body (more of a pile than an actual body at this point) and saw my two closest friends standing in shock at the door.

“Roland! Francis! What are you…?”

“What are you doing?” Roland demanded. “Lucille told me you rejected her. She asked us to follow you.”

“You’re fucking the monster?” Francis asked.

“I’m… I’m protecting the village,” I mumbled. “Look away!”

They did as I asked, and I pulled on my pants. I didn’t know where my shirt had ended up, so my muscular torso and floppy folds were on display. No one except Alexey had seen me like this, and I felt… weirdly proud of my body. Proud of everything, actually.

I told them the truth. How I’d been taken. How Alexey and I made a deal. How I came to him (came in him) every night. How he was now too fat to ever hurt anybody again.

When I was finished, Francis stared at me. Roland laughed inappropriately.

Then Francis said the strangest thing: “Thank you.” Like me, he’d lost his brothers to the monster long ago.

Roland walked toward the bed. He stared down at the pile of fat. Slowly, he reached out and poked Alexey’s stomach. “He can’t hurt us anymore?”

“No,” I answered. “He hasn’t left the bed in months.”

“Then you can stop, right?” Francis asked. He poked Alexey, too. “My God. I’ve never seen someone so big.”

I felt a jab of anger. It was a strange feeling, almost like I wanted to protect the monster. Defend him. And Francis had no place to talk. He’d always been large, but he’d gotten even bigger in the last year. Bigger than I’d ever been. My ravenous eating had affected both my friends, but especially Francis, whose stomach was now hanging several inches below his belt.

“I… guess I can stop,” I answered.

Alexey whimpered. Since my friends arrived, I hadn’t paid attention to the monster’s reaction. But now that I looked into his dark eyes, I saw heartbreak. He knew what I was doing to him, but hearing me spell out my side of things so callously had pierced his undead heart.

Roland grabbed the monster’s moob and flopped it. “You do that every night? How can you even get it up for… this?”

I didn’t have an answer. Alexey’s supernatural allure had disappeared hundreds of pounds ago, around the time he started losing his mobility, but I was still drawn to him. And if I was honest with myself, I looked forward to my times with him. Not just because of the pleasure he gave me, or the power I had over him, but… I don’t know.

I shrugged.

Francis scooped my shirt off the floor. “Let’s go. You don’t have to see this monster ever again.”

Alexey whimpered. It was the saddest sound I’d ever heard.

“No. You two can go. I’ll return later.”

They looked at each other.

“Suit yourself, Simon.” Francis said. Roland wanted to say something else, but Francis grabbed his arm and led him out of the room.

When they were gone, I climbed back on top of Alexey. I had something to say to him, but I didn’t know what.

“Please don’t leave me here,” he whispered.

I thought about my life back in the village. I was popular again. I was strong. I worked hard for my family and my peers finally respected me.

But whenever I was home, away from the castle, I felt something missing. There was a part of me that knew I could never lead a normal life. My rejection of Lucille was proof of that. I wanted to be here, with Alexey.

“I won’t,” I said.

With effort, he raised his weak arm and slid his fat fingers against my cheek. “I knew how you were affecting me, and I couldn’t stop.”

“I know.”

“And I never wanted to hurt anybody. I just wanted my hunger to go away. With you, it does.”

I believed that.

Without thinking, I grabbed his face and kissed him. Throughout all our time spent together, I’d never kissed him before. It was so much better than Lucille’s kiss. It was natural. Perfect.

Afterward, I stayed on his fat body, feeling comfortable and safe, and told him that I would be back tomorrow night.

“Or you could stay,” he said. “There’s a whole castle that I’m not using. You could make this your home.”

I kissed him again. “Let me think about it.”

And I did. I thought for a long time, until finally, I drifted to sleep on top of him. When the morning came, I knew exactly what I was going to do. I fed him once more, and then I walked home to gather my belongings.

The End