Growth Pains by ChuckDraugofMurnoe

It was half past five. Closing time, and never as sweet as it was for Brian. A clerk’s life was busy, but that evening, he turned his computer off with a big smile.

Of course he was very happy! After all, it was his day.

Their day.

As Brian was tidying his desk, his mind went over all the details for his and Marco’s anniversary. First, they would go to that fancy restaurant, and when they were about to have dessert, he’d give Marco his gift. The store already called him to pick the package.

It was easy: go to the store, get the package, go to Regal Chemicals...

"Happier than usual, huh?" a high-pitched voice said behind him.

Brian turned to look at Dee, one of his coworkers. The short woman was also done with her work that day, and from her voice and look, she was very curious about Brian’s happiness. Brian knew she was aware what day was that, but still indulged her:

"Yes, it’s a very special day," he replied. "It’s our fifteenth anniversary."

"Good for you two!" Dee said with a grin. "Guess you’re going somewhere very fancy."

"Yes. Marco has battled for months to get the reservation and…"

Brian couldn’t finish his sentence as his cell phone rang. The clerk smiled again, seeing Marco’s name on the display. Maybe he was calling to see how Brian was doing and when he’d be at Regal Chemicals, so they could get early to the restaurant. That posh restaurant was always full, and who knew if someone would take their place if they were late, despite their reservation… Anyways, the store was close from Brian’s workplace, so he would have plenty of time to pick his husband from Regal Chemicals.

"Oh, sorry, Dee, need to answer. It’s Marco."

"Sure thing, sugar!" She winked. "Happy anniversary to both of you, tell Marco I said it!"

As Dee left for the elevator, Brian answered, still smiling…

"Hi, dear, how is it going?"

"Hello, Brian…"

It wasn’t Marco’s voice. The other person over the phone was Susan, a manager at Regal Chemicals and a close friend of the couple. The fact she was calling from Marco’s phone was weird, but Brian tried to keep his cool.

"Oh… Err… Hello, Susan," Brian finally said, after a few seconds of silence. "How are you?"

"I’m… fine, thanks for asking. And you?"

Brian cleared his throat before replying: "I’m fine too… Thanks."

Susan answering the phone and the situation starting to feel awkward… No, none of them was fine.

"So… Is Marco there? Is he busy?"

"Yes, about that…" Susan’s voice faded a bit before she kept talking, and there was worry in what she said: "Brian, I need you to come here as soon as possible. Marco needs you."

Brian almost dropped the phone after hearing that. He shook his head, trying to figure out what was happening and why would Susan speak in such a serious tone. Specially on this day. Maybe, just maybe…

"Look, if this is a joke, please tell Marco to cut it off, he knows I don’t like these pranks."

"I wish it were a joke, Brian. Please, hurry, you’ll get an explanation once you get here."

"I see…" Brian sighed, knowing he wouldn’t get any answers over the phone. "OK, I’ll… I’ll be there in no time."

Brian hung the phone. He picked his briefcase and while waiting for the elevator, he thought it was best to leave the package at the store. He could call the store and tell them he’d pick it up the next day. Marco would understand. Besides, his husband was more important than that gift.

Despite the time of the day and many people leaving for home, Brian had no problem driving all the way from Costabella’s business area to the Regal Chemicals facility on the outskirts. As he approached the entrance, Brian could feel sweat running down his face, and even the security guard, who knew him as he had visited Marco at the facility many other times, asked Brian if he needed something. From the tone of their voice, even the guard seemed to know what happened with Marco and yet didn’t say anything. Brian shook his head and only asked them to tell Susan he was heading for the parking lot.

Brian drove closer to the main building, a large structure full of offices. Not so far from it, he could see the warehouses and laboratories where Marco worked. The parking lot was almost empty. As he was parking, Brian saw Susan coming out of the main building, waving at him. He got out of his car as fast as he could.

"Where is Marco?" Brian asked, realizing all the stress which was building up since he left the office. "Is he OK?"

"When I left him, he was… Well… They didn’t let me see Marco after they took him to one of the warehouses."

"A warehouse?" Brian saw that Susan was leading him to the closest of them. "Why?"

"You’ll see."

"I don’t understand… You said I’d get an explanation once I arrived."

"Yes, I know. But first, let’s go with Marco. Then, you’ll get the whole story."

Outside the warehouse, they found two men in lab coats discussing something, as well as some security guards. Brian didn’t understand anything. A warehouse and security forces? Susan spoke to them, and after a tense while, they nodded. One of the security guards opened the door while the other took both Brian and Susan in, showing the way.

It was all dark, with only a few dim lights. For a second, Brian was starting to think that his first thought of an elaborate prank wasn’t too farfetched. He knew how much Marco loved tricking him and, even if he wouldn’t admit it, Brian always got a good laugh despite being the target. Maybe this was his husband’s way to surprise Brian for their anniversary…

No. Impossible, not even Marco would go this far, convincing so many people to play along with. It wasn’t his style.

"Where is he?" Brian asked, obviously worried.

Even under those dim lights, Brian saw something. Among the crates and containers, there was a shadow. It was big and moved with heavy steps, avoiding the light. Brian gulped and stepped back, thinking his brain was tricking him. Too much stress in a short time, he thought. He looked back at both Susan and the security guard, their eyes following that shadow as well. It wasn’t just in his mind: it was real.

"Marco! Where are you?"

Not knowing what else to do, Brian looked for the shadow, as it kept avoiding the few lights in there.

"Marco!"

And again, no answer.

"Marco, please! If this is a joke, it isn’t funny anymore!"

"I told you, this isn’t a joke," Susan repeated. "He’s…"

Brian saw that large shadow moving again, and Susan pointed at it. There was something familiar in the way it moved. Too familiar. He looked back at Susan, who nodded.

But it was impossible, right?

Susan nodded again.

Still, he had to ask the elusive shadow…

"Marco? Is… that you?"

And then, the shadow stopped and stood up. The large figure was humanoid, and the frame was even more familiar than its movement. Despite being elusive for a good while, Brian’s insistent words had finally forced the shadow out of the darkness. It walked towards them, until the figure stood under the light and stopped again. And Brian gasped.

It was very large, but Brian could recognize that face anywhere. His eyes, green and bright —though Brian noticed they were a bit red too—, his short brown hair, his beard… They were all there.

Marco was wearing what remained of his shirt and trousers. They looked ridiculous on him, and it wasn’t hard to guess why.

Brian looked up and down. He estimated Marco standing at about ten feet tall, four feet taller than he used to be. Brian was sure Marco wasn’t any kind of size shifter, he was a regular human, just like him, and Marco wasn’t the kind of man who’d keep secrets like that from his husband.

Brian then looked at Susan and the guard, and back to Marco. Brian noticed that Marco looked terribly ashamed and understood why his husband’s eyes looked red: Marco might have been crying for long.

"Hi… Brian," Marco finally said, his voice sounding a bit gruffer than usual. "I’m… glad you’re here."

"Marco…" Brian turned to Susan again. "What’s going on?"

He could see Susan sweating, trying to avoid him.

"You promised…"

Susan sighed.

"OK… Marco gave me his phone and told me to call you as they were taking him to this place," Susan explained at last, "and told me not to tell you anything until you were here. That was after the first… growth spurt."

"Growth spurt?" Brian repeated. "You mean…"

Susan nodded. "It’s a bit complicated, but as promised, you’ll get the whole thing in person."

Brian then looked back at Marco. He was still there, standing, looking at them, so tall, so huge. Despite the change in his stature, it was still him, even though this sudden change of size was very hard to swallow…

"Y-y-yes…" Brian stuttered a bit, staring at Marco. "I’d like… to hear the whole story… please…"

Marco showed his best smile, despite the situation, and said: "It’s best if I tell you all myself…"

As Marco was about to start, Brian saw how his husband hunched and yelled. It was a cry of pain, so deafening and sudden that Brian fell to the ground. As he managed to get up, Brian watched how Marco’s body was convulsing, almost unable to stand up. They could hear the ripping of clothing, as pieces of the shirt and trousers fell to the ground while Marco kept screaming.

And he grew, to Brian’s further disbelief, proving Susan’s words right about another growth spurt.

Marco was about double the size he had been a minute ago.

"Didn’t expect that spurt to happen so soon," Susan muttered.

Brian turned to both Susan and the guard. If they wanted to make sure Marco was OK, he thought, they weren’t doing a good job… though he didn’t want to sound that harsh either.

"W-we need help here!" Brian yelled.

"We’ve done our best, we even used some analgesics to alleviate the pain… None of that seems to work with these growth spurts, each one seems to be more painful..."

"Besides," the guard finally spoke, "we’ve called the High Magitech Institute of Costabella, pretty sure they know of this kind of accidents."

"Accidents?" Brian asked. "This was… an accident?"

The guard nodded. "And they should be here in an hour or two."

"An hour or two?!" Brian’s worry was now mixed with anger. "My husband is suffering and that’s all you’ve got?! We don’t know what will happen next! Or when!"

"Brian, please!" Susan placed her hands on his shoulders. "The least Marco needs now is this. I mean, you…"

Brian closed his fists. He could feel all that anger and sadness, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

A voice came from behind seemed to bring something akin to calm to his mind. The voice of his beloved one fighting the pain spoke clearly.

"Please, Susan… Leave us alone. It’s all… It’s all we need now until those guys arrive. Would you do that for me? For us? Please?"

Brian turned to see Marco trying to stand up with some difficulty. The warehouse’s ceiling was high enough and Marco finally stood, looking down at his husband. Then Brian looked back at Susan and the guard.

"We’ll tell you when they arrive, I promise," she told the couple. "Please… be safe…"

"This isn’t the procedure, madam, we need to…" the guard began to complain, but they looked into her eyes and preferred to shut up, as both left.

Brian nodded when Susan looked back at him before closing the warehouse’s door. Both him and Marco could hear some yelling from outside the building, and Brian smiled: Susan knew how to make herself clear as a manager at Regal Chemicals, even in a situation this dire. And when he looked at Marco, he saw that his husband was also smiling, maybe thinking the same as Brian about their friend.

But that smile didn’t last for long, as Marco knelt, wriggling in pain once more, breathing heavily. It was brief, but enough to scare them both.

His size didn’t change at all this time.

Now that he was kneeling, Marco could look into Brian’s eyes.

"I’m… I’m so glad you’re here, Brian."

"Hush…" Brian was confused and didn’t know what else he could say. He looked into those now large green eyes and sighed. "Tell me… is it over? Are you OK now?"

"Hard to tell…" Marco sighed as well. "But I hope so."

"Then… tell me what happened. How are you so… tall? And what’s with that guard saying this was an accident?"

"Yes, it was an accident. And I owe you an explanation, dear…" Marco sat down, being careful with his larger stature, but always close to his husband. "I… I was checking one of the containers we have at the lab. You know how it goes: maintenance, measuring and all. There was a system malfunction, that container opened on me and…"

"That’s the accident? That’s what made you… this?"

Marco nodded. "All those damned chemicals bathed me. It was some experimental component they found near some inland town, and they wanted us to check it, run some tests. Again, the usual procedure." Marco sighed. "We were still studying its possible effects… and you can see what those effects are." Marco looked away, at the door, and back to Brian. "Sorry, I can’t tell you anything else, I’m pretty sure this is already breaking our non-disclosure agreement…"

"I understand…" Brian got closer to Marco. He noticed that even if he was still and sitting, the now giant man couldn’t hide how everything felt so heavy and painful. At least, Brian had that impression, as Marco’s lips twisted with even the slightest movement.

"I’m sorry… this has… ruined…"

Marco didn’t finish his sentence and let another painful scream. Brian watched as his husband’s body twitched once more, as if his muscles were about to explode, but only expanded, as all his form did. This time it happened, Marco had grown again, and his shirt and trousers were nothing but torn pieces on the ground.

"They better do something about it…" Marco looked at the torn clothes and sighed. "Crap… I thought this would be over, and it’s only getting worse, and it hurts as Hell!"

Brian, from where he was standing, could feel all the pressure and stress, it was growing as much as Marco’s size. He did his best not to cry, the least he wanted was to make Marco feel even worse.

"It’s true they tried everything, like Susan said?" Brian asked.

"Yes… but here we don’t have the means for…" Marco stopped, closed his eyes and opened them. "That’s why they’re calling the Magitech guys. But I don’t think I can last that long if they’re taking their time…" Marco then stopped, and Brian noticed a slight change in his expression. He knew when Marco was starting to feel curious, and that was one of those moments. "How much…?"

Brian could see that, despite Marco being in absolute pain, he stood up again, in all his naked, gigantic stature. He needed an answer, no matter how much it hurt.

How tall was he? Forty, fifty feet? Even more? The first time was hard to guess, now it was even harder. Trying to look at his face was almost impossible for Brian with those dim lights. He could also see how Marco effortlessly touched the ceiling with his fingers.

"I guess… it’s about fifty-two, fifty-three feet," the giant said, trying to stay calm. "At this point, I’ll be like that Colossal guy…"

Brian chuckled, nervously. "The superhero guy? Really? You think of that now?"

"Met him once, he’s cool," Marco added and chuckled as well.

"Yeah… well… You’re as cool as he is, if not more."

"I wish, at least…" Marco looked down at his own naked form. "At least once Colossal saves the day, he can go back to… normal."

Brian didn’t like how "normal" sounded in Marco’s voice now. And then it occurred to him…

"Is there a pattern or something for this growth?" Brian asked.

Marco shook his head. "No… and I wish I knew, then I’d know when it’s going to…"

"Hurt."

"And stop. But yes, it hurts a lot, though you’ve already seen that," Marco said, as he pointed at his own face. "Can’t hide that pain."

No clear pattern, no way to tell when it would stop, and no way to ease the pain. Something told Brian that if Marco kept growing, it’d be even more painful. How long until his body couldn’t take it anymore? The growth and the pain… It scared him of the possible outcome, so Brian tried his best not to think about it.

Brian forced himself to steady his breathing. He was sweating and trembling. He remembered those exercises they learned when…

And he looked back at Marco, who had a curious look on his face.

"Maybe this could work, Marco. Breathe. Slow and steady."

"Breathe…" Marco repeated while squatting to get closer to his husband. "Breathe…" And that word triggered something.

Marco followed his command, closing their eyes, matching their breathing. They kept doing it for long, but how long? Ten, fifteen minutes? All that Brian knew was that when he opened his eyes, Marco looked a bit more relaxed. And now that the place was so quiet, Brian noticed a rhythmic sound, then looked at Marco’s chest and figured that it had to be his heartbeats, so powerful at that size, yet so slow. A heart so big pumping blood all over that body… Brian shook his head and stared at Marco’s face.

"Are you feeling better now?"

Marco nodded. He then sobbed, something Brian didn’t expect, but Marco’s words calmed him: "I’m really glad you’re here, Brian."

"Yes. I know." Brian approached Marco and put a hand on the large calf. It was so huge, larger than Brian himself… Still, he smiled. "Hey, I’ve been thinking… How about a lift?"

He could see Marco’s confused expression for a few seconds until he indulged his husband. With shake hands, Marco helped Brian, slowly and carefully getting on his feet. Brian could imagine that he’d feel so light in comparison, as Marco effortlessly took him closer to the giant’s face, looking at each other’s eyes. A timid smile appeared on Marco’s face, and Brian tried to imitate him.

"That exercise…" Marco sighed. "You still remember that."

"I do."

"You were scared, right?" Marco asked.

"I was…" Brian confessed. "Seeing you this big, how you keep growing, how it’s hurting you…" He stopped, trying not to get nervous and scared again, then he resumed: "I don’t want to lose you. I want to be here with you, we’ll do this together! I’ll be by your side!"

"You will. I know you will always be with me. Since the day we met, I knew."

Brian could see that Marco’s smile looked wider, and not only because of their size difference. Marco then frowned, looked down, at the warehouse’s door, Brian following his movement.

"It’s taking too long…" Marco muttered. "What do you think they’re going to do?"

"Find a cure," Brian didn’t hesitate at all. "You’ll be back at home in no time."

"And what if there’s no cure?" Marco’s eyes were again on the verge of tears, the realization suddenly dropping like a big anvil on his head. "And what if they decide I’m some freak show? A monster?"

"There are no monsters, Marco. None. There are people out there, so different in so many ways, so many shapes and sizes. And we were talking about Colossal. He can get huge, and he’s loved by everyone!"

"I know you’re trying to cheer me up…" Marco carefully sat down, still holding Brian in his hands. "But what if this changes me in more ways than… this?"

Brian knelt and caressed the giant palm with his own fingers, so miniscule in comparison, always keeping eye contact with his husband. "You are the very same man I met in that party, the very same man I felt in love with, the very same man I married… That will never change."

"Tell that to the Magitech guys when they arrive… or to my colleagues! Maybe Susan can do something, but that won’t stop the rest from looking at me as some gigantic Guinea Pig in this freaky… accident. We were experimenting with that shit and just look at the mess! Look at me!"

"You aren’t a mess, and of course you aren’t a Guinea Pig."

"I know you’re trying, Brian, but…"

Marco was struggling, and it was so obvious it hurt Brian too. When he finally thought Marco was calm and doing better, these ideas about there not being a cure or seeing himself as a monster were suddenly showing. Brian had seen this before, he tried to recall more from the person who had helped them many times, and not only with those breathing exercises…

A couple of years after they married, Marco was suffering of stress from work, and it had also brought back some unsolved issues from his past that were taking their toll, plaguing Marco with insecurities. One of his union partners recommended him to a therapist. At first, Marco went alone to his sessions, but Brian had been with him in many others, and the therapist had noticed that Marco’s performance improved when Brian was with him.

Marco talking about him being treated as a monster or as the result of some weird and accidental experiment, losing his trust towards his own partners… It all sounded way too similar. This situation was very stressful for him, Brian could tell that. Such stress could break a person down in no time, piling itself up. And there was that pain… Brian knew Marco was going through too many things.

"I’ll always be here…" Brian looked into Marco’s eyes. "It isn’t just words to bring you some peace. It’s a fact. You know that together we’re stronger. We found the way in the past… We’ve been there for each other and that’s not going to change. Stay with me, Marco. Please."

Brian knew that mention would make Marco remember those therapy sessions, how much Brian helped him back then, that together they could overcome any obstacles… He was sure that he had already triggered those memories when telling Marco to steady his breathing, he wanted to reinforce that memory, because he wanted Marco to be strong by his side… or by holding him in his gigantic hands, but it was all the same.

"I know what you’re trying…" Marco said again.

Brian watched as Marco’s expression began to change. There was no doubt in what he said this time. Maybe it was truly working and those memories and the certainty that Brian would always be there for him, no matter what, were helping.

"I appreciate that. You’ll never give up on me."

"And if I have to fight anyone to prove that you’re the same man I’ve always loved, some growth hasn’t changed the wonderful person you are, I’ll do it."

Marco chuckled. "That’s so you… Anything for our well-being."

"You know that."

"Yes… and I know… it’s happening again…"

"The growth?"

"And the pain."

Marco gently left Brian on the floor, stood up and stepped back. This time, Brian saw Marco taking long and deep breathes while his body ached and grew. Even if he could tell Marco wasn’t in full control, there was no wry face that would make Brian fear for his husband’s life and safety. And when Marco’s head hit the warehouse’s ceiling, instead of grief or fear, there was a laugh.

"It didn’t hurt that much…" Marco said, with a bit of joy in his voice. "And it’s slowing down… I think it is…"

Brian didn’t know if it was because the growth was actually slowing down or because Marco could calm himself enough to not let the pain and fear dominate him, but he was glad there was something he was doing to ease it.

"So what? Now you’re enjoying this?"

"I don’t know if ‘enjoying’ is the word, but…" Marco looked at his hands. "I could get used to it if there isn’t a cure."

"They’ll find something, Marco."

"Yet…" Marco sighed. "I must be ready for any scenario… Because I know… you’ll be there." He smiled a bit, though there was some sorrow in there as well. "I don’t know why I’ve thought my own partners would treat me…"

"Forget that, now you only need to think positive."

Marco nodded, and then said: "Positive… yeah…" He remained silent for a minute or so, as if thinking of what he would say next. And then, he spoke: "We’ll need a bigger house. If I talk to the right people, maybe we could get one."

"Yes…" Brian smiled. "Anyway, ours was already too small."

"And I better get a rise to match," added Marco, and they laughed.

There were more jokes after that, the couple easing not only the pain of the two other times Marco’s growth hit again, but also because they knew they had each other, they were strong and whatever the outcome, they’d make it through. It was a nice change from the doubts and fear they had been experiencing in a short period of time.

An hour later, a team from the Magitech High Institute finally arrived and stablished an improvised laboratory in the warehouse. They were surprised by how relaxed Marco looked.

Brian stayed for the night. The first tests confirmed that Marco had hit the sixty feet mark, and he wasn’t growing anymore. The spurts were done, and so was the pain. Some of the scientists were still running some tests on Marco’s blood and the strange chemical that caused all this.

"It will take some days to get more solid results," one of the scientists told Brian. "But I’m hoping we can revert most of it."

"Revert most of it?"

"I estimate we can shrink him to… fifteen or twenty feet. And that’s the best-case scenario," the scientist added. "We might run more tests in the future, if you’re OK with that."

"I see…"

"But don’t worry, mister, your husband is one healthy man."

"Thank you."

Brian understood that it was all they could do for now, at least the scientist’s words brought some hope. And at this moment, staying with Marco was the best medicine he could give him.

And there was something else, and Marco reminded him:

"I almost forgot… Happy anniversary, love."

Everyone was now staring at Brian, who blushed at Marco and his show of public affection.

"Happy anniversary to you too. It didn’t go the way we planned…"

"… But we will never forget this, for sure."

Many would come after that one…

… And of course, they got their bigger house.