The Roommate, Part XXIII

[Xyggurat]

Dear Readers,

No, it's not *quite* over. There's one more chapter before I move along to a few fresher stories.

Sorry for the lack of on-screen male muscle growth in this chapter. The recent debate made me more aware of what some forum readers want--apparently, everything is supposed to be packed with people growing laughably large--but I started this story as a tale about male muscle growth, transfer of dominance and strength, and just a little bit of dark fantasy. I feel the need to finish it off as such. Therefore, this and the final chapter are conclusions to a story, not a theme piece.

I'll beg your forebearance and forgiveness.

-X-

[Xyggurat]

My heart swelled with gratitude and hope.

Christian stood above Phil like an avenging angel, taut musculature pressed against the white undershirt he wore. He had obviously been in a hurry to follow Phil. One of his running shoes was undone; the other, hastily tied. He was also wearing basketball shorts, which given his endowment was probably not the best of ideas. Perhaps I was imagining it, but he looked taller than he had the last time I had seen him. Maybe it was just his pose.

He still held the fire extinguisher that had knocked Phil unconscious aloft, and shafts of setting sunlight from the windows in the hall framed his physique. He was the very image of a classical hero standing over a felled beast, even as he lowered the extinguisher to his side--effortlessly, I might add--and stepped over Phil toward me. There should have been trumpets.

I swallowed. I thought then that if he kissed me, I would lose consciousness. The touch of the man I had inadvertently created was enough of a straw to break this camel's back, especially after all that I had been through today. He was definitely taller than the 5'10 he had been just a night ago. Not so much that most people would have noticed, but it was hard for me not to do so. He was so close, and the little details were different to my eyes. Unless I had shrunk again, but that had never happened spontaneously. No, I decided, Christian was definitely bigger. The way his shirt rode up against his triceps even when they were not flexed, how it looked about to split from the press of his squared chest and mounding traps... I wondered exactly how much residual effect my tampering with him had caused.

Would he continue to grow? Would the others? I knew then that I had to make it through this, and claim victory against Phil. Christian I could trust with the powers of an enhanced body; the others had demonstrated what they would do given dominance over others. I swayed with a sudden sickness at the thought that Phil's symbiote might have reproduced. A great burden lay upon my shoulders, and I was not the man I used to be.

Christian was staring into my eyes. He did not kiss me. Instead, he just smiled. His teeth were white in his lightly-bronzed face. And those dimples...

"I couldn't let him do anything to you," Christian said. The words sounded so simple, but they spoke volumes. "I know it's stupid, and I'm... majorly crushing on you. Okay, wow. Let's not even go there."

I finally found my voice. It was hoarse. "Where would you rather go with it?"

Christian looked away for a moment before forcing his gaze back to meet mine. "You can't be in love with me because you're not sure if your feelings are real. I get that. It's so far past the line of fucked up for me to push someone who has been through what you have. I kind of felt like a date rapist after you left." His smile softened into something more sincere. "If you do ever figure out what you want, and it's me, I'll be there. But right now... I'm in sore need of a best friend and--"

"Yes. Definitely, yes."

I was unprepared for the mass of primed muscle that surrounded me as he took me into his arms. The embrace was a balm to the wounds the last few weeks had left on me, a resolution to so many conflicting feelings I had over Christian. At that moment, I felt like nothing could hurt me. A deep breath from Christian expanded his abdomen, forcing his cobbled abs against me. They were so hard against my slenderness, and speaking of hard, I was sure he could feel me stiffening against the cut mass of his right quad.

"Friends... occasional benefits?" I asked, jokingly.

Christian laughed. "Maybe. You'll have to fight off the other beneficiaries, now that I'm hot."

"I think I'd lose."

"Not if I make the rules."

I stood there for a few moments before realizing that he was joking. Mostly. Finally, I smiled.

Comprehension dawned on me, breaking the relaxed silence. I pushed away from Christian, and he relaxed his arms to let me out of his embrace. Otherwise, I could have been pushing all night and he would have remained as unyielding as stone. He had said yesterday that he could bench 250 pounds with ease. He had to be stronger now. What had I done...

"So," I asked, rather than dwell on future issues, "you're going to have to fill me in. Not that I'm not grateful, but why are you here?"

"I heard Phil running after someone. He's got a good head for--well, he doesn't have a good head for anything much right now after that beating, but he really had a grip on his obscenities. Nothing spectacularly innovative, mind, but he's got some f-bombs that could do a lot of damage."

The look on my face seemed to tell Christian I was not amused.

He continued. "I still don't know everything about what's going on, but I had to help out. I hurried as fast as I could, ran after Phil, and when he started advancing... there wasn't anything heavier than the fire extinguisher here." Christian set the extinguisher down in a corner, glancing over at Phil.

"You could have gotten hurt," I told him.

He gave me a patronizing glance. It stung a bit, but he softened it with his words. "Until we get you back to normal, I have a feeling that I can take a bit more of a beating, Dane."

"Point conceded," I admitted. "Crap. Come over here and help me with Liam. His symbiote ought to be healing most of the damage, but I don't know how much it can repair on its own. He looks like he needs a doctor."

We rushed over to the remnants of Professor McTague's desk. He was lying, pale and still, amidst the shattered remnants of his computer. The shards of the monitor's screen caught the sunlight streaming in through the door and shone like an aura around the fallen. There was a lot of blood, and he did not appear to be breathing. Maneuvering myself around the fall of glass and splintered wood, I crouched by Liam.

Christian crouched opposite me and placed two fingers on Liam's neck.

"His pulse is... wonky," Christian assured me. "Maybe that's just the symbiote."

Liam took a sharp breath. As if he had heard, he groaned, "I'm all right. Lot worse than I look."

I winced. "I think you have that the wrong way around."

Grunting, Liam forced himself to nod. "Right. I look a lot worse than I feel. Sorry about that. Head wound, and all. A bit dizzy."

The gash seemed to have diminished in size, but I wondered how much blood the symbiote could regenerate in such a short period of time. Liam tried to force himself upright, but just fell back into his desk.

"You're going to hurt yourself if you move too much," Christian said. "Just lie there, and we'll try to get you moved."

"Can't..." Liam moaned. "...any second, Phil's symbiote is going to recover--"

"Fuck." In unison, Christian and I hissed.

Deadpanning, Christian muttered, "Jinx."

I reached across the fallen man and desk to slug my friend--my best friend?--in the arm. Might I add, it felt like I was punching pure concrete sheathed in a layer of velvet. Wincing, I turned back to Liam.

"What am I supposed to do with Phil?" I asked. "He's got a bump on the head, but it looks like he's going to be fine. How am I supposed to get rid of the symbiote?"

"Dane," Liam whispered. "It's going to take awhile for the drug to take effect. It has to permeate your system before you can do anything. The symbiote will adapt, so you won't be able to keep him down for long. I don't think that you have time just yet." Fighting back pain, he breathed, "You're going to have to get out of here before--"

He was interrupted by a groaning sound coming from across the room.

Christian shuddered. "Did anyone else hear that?"

A second groan answered. The three of us turned as one to look back toward the door. Sure enough, Phil was moving. His were not the measured movements of a man trying to regain consciousness. Rather, they were the exploratory twitches and twists of something unfamiliar to a human body. Like rabbits caught in the oncoming headlights of a vehicle, we watched with sick fascination as the symbiote began pulling Phil together.

One wound on his scalp had already closed, and the one from Christian's heroism was already fading away. Still, with blood down his face, and moving like something not of this world, he looked terrifying. Phil may not have been quite conscious yet, but the symbiote was determined to have me.

It pushed Phil's body to its feet in a jerky motion. Muscles swelled against the fabric of Phil's shirt, split by his mass and too many sudden movements. It was torn around his biceps and at the shoulders, tanned skin and striated muscle shining from underneath the rent fabric. Caught in icy fear, I did not have my usual response to the perfection of his form, to the outline of his chest and abdominals struggling against his shirt. To that ominous bulge in his trousers. I was paralyzed.

The symbiote lurched toward me in Phil's body.

I was unprepared for it, but Dane was ready. He launched to his feet and hurled himself at my assailant. I expected him to do something stupid, but at the last moment he diverted his energy into a kick.

Apparently, all it took to wake Phil up was a swift kick to the balls.

He fell to his knees, groaning in complete agony. The sounds that he made, gutteral and basso, were still human. I turned toward Liam. His eyes were slightly unfocused. I had not noticed that he had a concussion. A spill of dark hair across his brow could not seem to decide whether it was curly black or straight red-brown. His symbiote must have been injured, too, if that was possible.

Nonetheless, he had the will to speak. "Run, Dane. You need to buy time until the injection takes effect! LEAVE ME HERE."

With the booming force of his command, I was off at a dash. My conscious mind barely even registered where I was going. It was cursing the fact that I had not had the chance to ask Liam exactly how I was supposed to win out against Phil's symbiote. I tore past Christian, grabbing at his arm along the way. We dodged around Phil's outstretched hands.

Christian followed, trying to match my speed with his longer legs. We must have been a sight, but fortunately no one was around. If they had been, they would have heard a battle of titans thundering inside Liam's office. I heard Liam shout something incomprehensible from within the office just as we reached the stairs.

Was it my imagination, or did I hear steps thundering up above already? We reached the bottom, and I came to a decision. I stopped at the lobby doors, panting.

A howl of rage emanated from within the stairwell, chilling in its intensity and volume. It seemed to resonate at the same frequency as the core of my being, causing me to shudder. And then, somehow, I mastered myself. There was no more time for fear.

"Christian!" I shouted. "Head out and around the building! I have a plan."

Christian hesitated a moment, but, faithful and loyal as he was, nodded. He was off in a hurry, barely looking winded for the run. Even in this time of trouble, I had to admire the way his muscles shaped his shirt into a 'V' about his back. I hated being horny sometimes.

I waited a few moments, until he was gone around the building, before following him out of the door.

There was no plan in my mind, not yet, but I needed Christian out of the way. I hated lying to him, but he could too easily get hurt, or used by Phil. Besides, I had already exhausted my supply of deus ex machina for the day.

Something sprang to mind. I set off at a fiendish pace toward the college gym. My mind was racing as I justified the snap decision I had just made. The gym was perfect. The manager was a forgetful man, and rarely locked up even when it was closed over the weekends. Moreover, there were lots of heavy, blunt objects there. No one would be there, which was perfect. I needed to ensure no one else would get caught in this final standoff.

This, the end of things, would be between me and my roommate.

[omelissokomos]

Damn, the penultimate chapter was pretty exciting! Great way to set up the grand finale of a great series.

[skumbum]

Originally Posted by Xyggurat

Dear Readers,

The recent debate made me more aware of what some forum readers want--apparently, everything is supposed to be packed with people growing laughably large--but I started this story as a tale about male muscle growth, transfer of dominance and strength, and just a little bit of dark fantasy. I feel the need to finish it off as such. Therefore, this and the final chapter are conclusions to a story, not a theme piece.

I'll beg your forebearance and forgiveness.

-X-

Hey, your story is among, if not the itself, the best I've read here. The depth of character makes it soo much more engaging. It definately sets you apart from and above (no offense guys) other authors who are just starting out. Don't kowtow to the masses! :) There are still lots of stories for them. Keep up the incredible work!

P.S. For the final consolidated post: "but Dane was ready." should it be Christian? :)

Thanks for the new chapter.

[Xyggurat]

Originally Posted by skumbum

Hey, your story is among, if not the itself, the best I've read here. The depth of character makes it soo much more engaging. It definately sets you apart from and above (no offense guys) other authors who are just starting out. Don't kowtow to the masses! There are still lots of stories for them. Keep up the incredible work!

P.S. For the final consolidated post: "but Dane was ready." should it be Christian?

Thanks for the new chapter.

Thanks kindly for the praise, first off. It really is what keeps me going.

And yes, I don't know why I keep mixing up my characters' names. I'm working on that in the revisions. Consider that one stomped, at least!

-X-

[Kyrosan]

I just wanted to add my weight and say that your stories are AWESOME. Don't let the wet blankets change the way you write your stories.

[theseventhwave]

Originally Posted by skumbum

Hey, your story is among, if not the itself, the best I've read here. The depth of character makes it soo much more engaging. It definately sets you apart from and above (no offense guys) other authors who are just starting out. Don't kowtow to the masses! There are still lots of stories for them. Keep up the incredible work!

I (almost) ToTaLlY agree! I would have said "the minority" instead of "the masses." I would hope/expect that the masses would recognize this series as one of the awesomest (is that a word?) stories here.

Although I am really really sad to see this story coming to an end, I appreciate the fact that you want to move on. I am really looking forward to any future series that you write - and I certainly hope that you will return to this particular universe (the vehicle of the non zero sum muscle "exchange" is really hot).

Ummm.....now, about that last chapter?

heeheehee That's just my way of saying that chapter 23 was excellent and I can't wait for the next part of the story.

[sexiscriptor]

Hehe, I'd rather read what the author wants, anyway. Whatever works, man!

I too must say I can't to read what's coming next; this story has captivated me and I'm sure your further endeavors will continue this traditions.

[unstud]

yes! excellent. thank you xyg! don't let the crybaby's get you down -- your lush descriptions, developed characters (imagine that!) and interesting plot make your story so much more interesting and realistic (um, in a sense) than the mega-inflato-muscle stories that some people seem to want.

[theseventhwave]

Originally Posted by unstud

yes! excellent. thank you xyg! don't let the crybaby's get you down -- your lush descriptions, developed characters (imagine that!) and interesting plot make your story so much more interesting and realistic (um, in a sense) than the mega-inflato-muscle stories that some people seem to want.

Amen to that!

[Xyggurat]

You guys rock.

I don't want to give the impression that I have any negative sentiments toward this board or its members, though. I understand that some people's tastes are different, and no matter what I say--especially to Corwin, whom I debated with on that other post--I don't want anyone to get offended because my views are different than theirs. I'm trained to debate, and sometimes I embrace my views a little too closely in favor of finding the best possible arguments to support them.

That doesn't mean I can't be wrong or don't even notice potential flaws in my argument. Sometimes, I don't acknowledge them, but I know I'm just as imperfect as anyone.

Anyway! On to other stuff. I've re-drafted The Roommate and I'm hoping I could rouse up a couple of proofreaders to wander through it and see what I missed. There's not too much changed from the original version, but I tried to catch as many errors as I could, including some name mix-ups.

I'm only going to need two proofreaders, so if anyone's willing, please PM me on this board or write me at [email protected]. I'll tell you if I already found my two.

Thank you so much in advance!

-X-

[Pagemaster_B]

Originally Posted by Xyggurat

I'm only going to need two proofreaders

You'll need more than two. I have found in the past during creative writing workshops that the more people who proofreads your writing, the more likely errors (grammar and otherwise) will be found. Still, I can understand why you would want to keep the number small. The more responses from people's proofreads the longer it takes to work through them. And with such a long piece of writing, I can imagine how daunting that can be.

Still, if you're willing, I'd be more than happy to help out. Just attach it to an email and send it to me at [email protected]. It make take a little while as that my current creative writing class is focusing on novels and it's requiring a lot of writing.

And don't worry about the recent debates. I've enjoyed how you have taken the time to develop the characters. I think it's very appropriate to have parts not so centered on muscle growth. It adds much more depth than many of the stories posted on this board.

I'm looking forward to your next set of stories.

pagemaster_b

[Xyggurat]

I've got my proofreaders. I know it's a little bit odd for an author on here to be asking for them, but I've got this weird phobia of putting out something in 'finished' form when it's really unfinished.

Thanks for indulging me!

-X-

[Karej]

My only complaint is that I can hardly stand to wait for your next chapter after you write. I guess you follow the advice, "Always leave them wanting more." You write well and it shows even more prominently in an erotic fiction where people tend to accept anything for a quick release. You make love with your stories there is foreplay and after I read them afterglow. Thanks for your "hard" work.
Peace,
Karej

[skumbum]

..... and then what happened?

[theseventhwave]

Hello Xyggurat,

Just thought I would post a note to express how "eager" I am for the next chapter in this awesome story. I acknowledge that you've indicated that the next chapter will be the conclusion, and although I am seriously depressed to see this story come to an end, I am anxious for you to continue writing (hopefully you will write many other stories within this "universe").

The psychological tension between your characters is fantastic (i.e. well written), but the best of all is the vehicle for the muscle growth (and the descriptions thereof). The fact that it is the unwilling Dane's cum that causes the super-hot muscle growth of the other characters is SO HOT. The slow growth of Phil from the effects of his symbiote combined with the occasional dose of growth from Dane make the muscle growth in this series my favourite.

I am really looking forward to seeing the next chapter of this story (I'm still hoping that Phil will grow some more before the end - and to be honest, I wouldn't mind if Phil won out in the end - but I realize that I'm probably in the minority opinion here). More importantly, I am about to burst with anticipation over the prospect of you writing another set of stories in this "universe."

Please let us (all of your eager fans) know that more is cumming.

Your fan,
Justin

[unstud]

where? when? please, finish it off! i feel so blue-balled...

[jsmith2300]

X,

As always, I am inclined to agree with your fellow readers: an update would be wonderful. It need not be the final chapter (which will be terribly sad for all the "Roommate" fans out there), but I'd love to know that you are working on the last chapter.

I'm going to be sad to see this story end - but I'm sure it wll be great!

(besides you can never bump this story up too many times!)

--JSmith

[theseventhwave]

Originally Posted by jsmith2300

X,

As always, I am inclined to agree with your fellow readers: an update would be wonderful. It need not be the final chapter (which will be terribly sad for all the "Roommate" fans out there), but I'd love to know that you are working on the last chapter.

I'm going to be sad to see this story end - but I'm sure it wll be great!

(besides you can never bump this story up too many times!)

--JSmith

[COLOR=Red]OMG!! jsmith2300 - you read my mind!

I could NOT have said it better myself.

Although I have to admit - I'm not too swift when it comes to roman numerals - so you had me a bit excited while I was counting the "III's" [/COLOR]

[Pagemaster_B]

I think he's waiting on me to send him the comments I've made about his revisions, which I should have done in the next day or two. Already I'm over fifteen pages of notes and comments, so you can see why it's taking so long. Don't be alarmed by the amount of notes and comments I've made--this is a good story, but it is a long ways from being great. Mostly I've discovered some serious issues with setting that causes a lot of inconsistencies in the actions and movement of the characters, and there are some minor plot issues that needs addressing as well. Some other points need clarifying, but otherwise there are some bombshells being dropped (either that, or I wasn't paying as much attention the first round of reading).

Oh, and one other thing, Xyggurat. You can't end the story in one part. Too much is going on and you have too many loose ends.

[Pagemaster_B]

X,

Just letting you know I dropped my comments on your revisions into your email box. If you didn't get it, let me know.

pagemaster_b