Duran Stark: I, My, Me, Mine (Ch. 1)

[Zap]

Hello! I'm Zap and this is my first story submission. Feel free to criticize (constructively). Please point out any grammar mistakes, because I'm still pretty lame when it comes to that. As for a few notes on how my stories work... They come in chapters, and each chapter may have breaks that looks like ---. That's just another way to skip ahead without talking about the boring stuff. Though this chapter may be boring to those who just want muscle TFs right away. Don't say I didn't warn ya. Also: Is the indenting too much?

I, My, Me, Mine

I let out a heavy sigh as I woke from my peaceful slumber. Sadly, I was waking up to the usual aches and pains. I was 18 but already felt like an old man, so it was nothing new. I was frail from the moment I was born and my feeble body kept finding new ways to remind me. I stood at a lame 5'6", weighing only 100 pounds. My skin was pale, hairless and solid-colored, making me look like a zombie. I guess my face was decent, probably even handsome, if it weren't for the dark circles under my green eyes. My black hair never grew too long, so I styled it to look like a common skater's hair... This way, it can cover my face and make my baggy eyes inconspicuous. At school, I'm known as the Sick Kid, though it isn't really a bad thing. Everyone knew who I was thanks to my looks, and everyone was pretty nice to me. But I still dreaded going to school. Sure, things were easy for me, but it was just so unfair. Most of the guys I knew had amazing bodies (or at least able bodies), and compared to them, I was just a bunch of noodles holding up clothes.

Well, whatever, I'm not going to school today. Instead, I get to go see a new doctor. My dad got tired of seeing me this way(again), and blamed the old doctor... As he always did. My dad just doesn't understand that a doctor isn't a miracle worker, so that's expected. I wish he would just face the facts like I did a long time ago. I'm destined to be depressingly frail, and nothing's going to change that. Then again, my dad was only so hopeful because if he accepted that fact, he'd feel like he had given up. My dad, much like the guys at my school, is robust Which makes sense, considering he was a model who had only recently retired. He probably just wishes I was like him, and thinks that it's his fault somehow that this is the way I am. I know how much it hurts him, so I guess I'll just try to keep my mouth shut and let him hold on to whatever hopes he has for me.

---

"Don't worry kiddo. That last doctor was a total quack, we'll get much better results and junk from this new doctor." my dad said, patting my shoulder while he drove. Yeah. How reassuring.

"I'm not a kid, you know... Though I guess you missed so much of my childhood that you would forget my age." I replied, getting annoyed with the conversation already. It was the same conversation we always had when I switched doctors. My dad isn't too bright, so he has no idea what he's talking about most of the time.

"Yeah, yeah, I know But you'll always be my kid, so that's why I can call you kiddo until the day I die..." he trailed off. I know what he was thinking. Something along the lines of me dying before he did. Aaaaaaand there goes his eyes a-glistening.

It's not like I hate my father, in fact, he's all I have left in this world. I love him to death, and I know he cares about me too. I do feel a little guilty though, and I didn't mean to sound like a jerk. I know what I said had hurt him, because he wasn't around much when I was a kid. He retired from modeling when I was eight. The years before that, he had only spent a week at the most with me before flying off somewhere. I'd never see him in the spring or summer - I guess he was just that good at what he was doing. He was pretty big in the modeling business, which is why the tabloids poked and prodded him about "leaving his terminally ill son behind to take some silly pictures."

That's why he feels so guilty. He missed out on all those years and probably doesn't have many left. I remember when he would see me, he'd get excited and give me a great big hug. When he was done with modeling, he was excited beyond normal capacity. He was most likely thinking about spending time with his son, and got a bit too carried away when he broke the news. I remember him hugging me with extra gusto - so much that it had severely bruised my arms and back. My birthday party was called off, and I was sent to the hospital because my mom thought something was broken. Luckily it wasn't, but with my dad's strength, it was totally possible... Then again, if I were a healthy kid, it wouldn't have hurt at all...

I guess I should try to be a bit nicer to my old man... He doesn't deserve any of this...

"Yeah, yeah I know." I mimicked, trying to sound upbeat while forcing a smile. It hurt to smile, but it was worth it to see my dad return the favor.

"You are the brains of this family, so you better." he stated, adding one of his big ol' signature laughs at the end.

After that, the only sound I heard was the humming of the car as it glided across various streets. Before I knew it, my eyelids were growing heavy, then I had drifted off to sleep.

---

"Hey Duran, wake up. We're here!" An excited voice rang out - scaring me awake. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack.

"Normal people try to be less subtle when waking others, dad." I said, rubbing eyes as he pulled me from the car.

"Are you saying I'm not normal? I'm as normal as normal can be!"

"They evidence says you are lying, Mr. Gavin Stark. Do you wish to change your plea?"

"Heh. Yeah, yeah, whatever." My dad responded, pulling his arm around me. I didn't like to be touched - mostly because it hurt - but I don't really mind this time.

As the both of us walked through, I noticed that the office was pretty empty. Meaning the nurse would be looking directly at us. Okay, I admit it, I'm pretty shy. I hate having people look at me when I'm with my dad, because people usually presume I'm his father until they see us up close. It happened one (more like eight) too many times.

"I guess it's good day for everyone if they're not here, right?" I joked as I sighed myself in. My dad was clearly captivated by the nurse, seeing how she was pretty and nurses was one of his fetishes... I think it's sad when someone knows that about his or her father.

"Actually, Dr. Braun usually doesn't work on Mondays and junk." The nurse replied, as if she were annoyed. Well, this was probably her day off... Or was supposed to be her day off. Before I could inquire more or before my dad could come up with a cheesy pick up line, a door flung open and a large man hopped through the opening... I almost jumped behind my dad for cover. What was with people being extra hype on this particular monday? I thought people were supposed to hate mondays.

"Hello, hello! I am Dr Braun! I have been waiting for you, come!" He excitedly yelled, almost breaking my eardrum. He had a slight accent, but his English was too good for him to be a foreigner.

"I can, uh... See that. Nice to meet you, Dr. Braun." I said, acknowledging his forceful, yet strange greeting.

The guy's last name was probably the most fitting thing I have ever heard. It sounded like brawn, and this guy had lots of it. He was probably around 6'7" and he looked pretty muscular, even with the white coat covering up his large frame. His face was clean shaven, and his smile was dazzling. He looked like the stereotypical Dr. McDreamy from every hospital drama... If Dr. McDreamy was also a wrestler.

"Well, if you would just come back in to my office. I have a treatment that would most certainly work. Your father can wait here, for it will only take a few moments."

"Wait whowha?" My dad blathered. He was obviously too busy eyeing up the nurse to pay attention. Well, if things do change for the worst, I know that he'd still be the same. That's always reassuring.

---

Once in the office, I was instructed to sit down. Dr. Braun eyed my chart, pacing the length of the small room. Due to his size, he didn't really take too many steps to reach the wall on either end. It was amusing to watch, to say the least. He tried to make small talk while reading over my chart, while maintaining his professional

"Hm, so do you prefer Duran or Mr. Stark? Maybe a nickname?"

"Oh, uh, just Duran is fine."

"Hah, okay. So Duran, what is your plan after you get healthy?"

I sort of hesitated to answer that question. It was so straightforward, and it also suggested that I would be getting better over night. Yeah. Okay. Then moose will soar through the sky as Sarah Palin rides on a flying pig to hunt them down. But I figured I may as well be honest with Dr. McDreamy.

"Eh, when I was little, I dreamed of being a wrestler or bodybuilder. You know, someone who was strong and didn't have problems like mine... I know it sounds stupid, but I guess it's because I've been weak forever... Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"I think that is not pathetic at all. After I am done with fully treating you, your dream shall come true." He responded, still using his professional tone. Here I thought he would be laughing at me by now.

"Thanks... I guess..." I meekly replied as my cheeks grew red.

"So Duran, after reviewing your case, I have come up with the perfect solution for your medical problem." Dr. Braun stated as he swapped my medical documents for a syringe. He walked over to a cabinet that hid behind books... For some reason... And began searching through vials of strange liquids. He turned around to see my strange look and said "Oh, this is hidden so addicts do not steal them. These are very expensive and dangerous medicines if put in the wrong hands."

"O-Oh... So I g-guess it's a-a... Uh um... Shot?" I nervously asked, eyeing the damned arm-stabber. I hated needles. They always hurt and I'd be feeling the pain for days. With a strong guy like this doing it, I wouldn't be surprised if I had a nasty bruise for weeks.

"Indeed it is. From the looks of it, your body does not absorb nutrients correctly. This injection will correct that problem."

"A miracle shot, h-huh? Well, that sounds um... fine and dandy. Why haven't I heard of it b-before?" My skepticism was finally through the roof, though my stuttering made it seem like I was scared instead of curious. I had researched everything possible, and I never heard of this particular treatment... Why didn't my previous doctor mention it?

"It has not been around for long, so not many doctors use it. It is also not heard of much, due to your type of illness being very rare." He replied as he filled the syringe with a sinister looking liquid. "Do not worry, this may hurt for a few hours, but I guarantee that you will see positive results after a good night's sleep."

A guarantee? From a doctor? Over this type of thing? That's usually unheard of. Last I checked, medical practitioners like to use vague words, rather than definite ones. Was he really tha-

"FUCK!" I yelped as the needle went in. I rarely cursed, so I think I was just as surprised as he was.

"Do not worry, it is over now." He said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. Oddly enough, Dr. Braun seemed to make some of the pain go away. "I will just clean you up and put a Band-Aid on it. You will be required to get another shot in order for this to work. And with each one, I am sure your dream will become more and more of a reality."

"Hey doc... When's the next shot...?" I don't know why, but I felt really drowsy all of a sudden. So drowsy that I couldn't even make sense of his weird words. Maybe he was just trying to be nice.

"Hm, I am not sure of that. Come see me next Sunday, and I will see how many you need. I highly doubt you will be needing as much as you think... Oh, looks like the side-effect is kicking in. I shall go fetch your father."

[Maverick0095875]

good start please continue

[Jaypat]

This is a promising beginning. I can?t believe this is your first story. You?re a natural! Looks like Duran has a long way to go. I?m looking forward to taking the trip with him.

[mimimi1234]

For the moment, I like the beginning. Hope you will post the rest of the story soon.

[philat99]

Great start!
"Every guy I knew had amazing bodies, and compared to them, I was just a bunch of noodles holding up clothes." Try "All guys I knew..." or "Most guys..."
Looking forward to where you take this! Lots of possibility!
Mike

[rixxflix]

hurry with the next part

[Otaru_grower]

well I really like it so far. You have a good sense of humor in your prose and I already like all the main characters. good job.

[arpeejay]

Great work! We'll enjoy seeing more of it!

xoxo

Richard

[Zap]

Thanks for the nice words! Not sure when I can get to work on the next part... I have a 10 page research paper due for English 102. So maybe it'd take two days to a week? Er, and that's just one problem. I'm also on the fence about how I should continue, since I'm pretty fickle and go back and forth with these things.

Should I:

A) Make the change gradual, thus allowing the story to flow out a bit more without it getting too out of hand. So basically he steadly grows, as if he were having contentious, yet minuscule, growth spurts. So he'll be 1-2 inches taller and weigh 10~20 pounds more. Nothing too noticeable, but enough to notice if one were to look hard enough - however, it wouldn't be anything too unbelievable. So he doesn't get insanely huge fast.

B) Make the changes come in bursts. The first burst being small changes, followed by bigger ones. (Like the whole 2^2^2 effect) So it's like tomorrow he'll be 2-3 inches taller and weigh 20~40 pounds more. The next one would be twice that. In other words, it's not so subtle and would be slightly more difficult to explain to his peers/etc. It'd also be pretty unbelievable and would cause some hubbub if it were "real life". He won't be insanely huge at first, but after a few bursts, he would definitely be freakishly large (for a young man of his age).

[mimimi1234]

I prefer the A plan, and if you get tired, you go to B after 3 or 4 parts.

[rextorres]

I vote for option A, where he grows a little every day. You don't notice it from day-to-day, but after a week has gone by, you WILL notice that Duran has gotten bigger... and stronger!

Thanks for posting the story in the new forum as well!

[nvb2]

I enjoyed reading your story and look forward to seeing you continue. Thanks for sharing with us.