Want Me - 6

[Rowan]

Ch.1
Ch.2
Ch.3
Ch.4
Ch.5

6

?Joel, I?m sure you?re wondering why I called you here so early in the morning.?

No, I wasn?t. There was really only one reason he would. ?You?re going to cut me from the team, aren?t you, Coach?? I fought the urge to clear my throat. Nothing wrong with my voice. Just a little higher now, was all.

Exhaling heavily, Coach Roberts rested his forearms on the desk between us. ?You have a lot of heart, and a feel for the game that had me rooting for you all the way.? He shook his head. ?But you?re just too small, son.?

I closed my eyes a second, nodded. ?I understand.?

He leaned forward. ?If you work hard and pack on a little more muscle, I?d like to see you tryout again next year.?

Forcing a smile, I rose to my feet, swung my bag over my shoulder. ?Will do, Coach.?

He stood as well, towered over me as he extended his hand. ?Take care of yourself, Joel.?

?Thanks.? I shook his hand, tried not to flinch at how it engulfed mine. ?For giving me a chance, and for letting me clear out my stuff without the rest of the team around.?

Surprise flickered over his face as he straightened, but he didn?t argue with me.

I didn?t have much in my locker?I guess the ?me? in this life hadn?t been all that secure with his 3rd string position on the team. Not that I could blame him. When I woke up this morning and caught my first glimpse of myself in the mirror, the Coach?s phone call right afterward didn?t surprise me at all.

Everything I had fit in my backpack, so that was good. The weight strained my shoulders, as well as the vicious ache in my chest, but I could handle it.

Sam walked in to the building just as I was walking out.

?Hey little buddy!? he said, grinning down at me.

Startled, I jumped back, bumped against the wall.

He laughed. ?Easy, Thumper.?

Fuck, he was big. My eye-line just barely skimmed his chin, and everything about him seemed to swell toward or stretch beyond me. I lifted my gaze, tried to calm my pounding heart as I looked up at him. ?Wh-Why are you calling me Thumper??

?C?mon. We?ve been callin? you that all year.?

I took a slow breath to try and control the spinning in my head. ?Tell me again??

Sam shrugged. ?Because you?re fast. Not as fast as Walker, but pretty fast.? He gently cuffed my cheek. ?And you?re skittish. Just like a rabbit.?

?Oh.? I leaned back against the wall, knowing that I?d been right before?I wasn?t going to be strong enough for this life. I could already feel little pieces of me cracking under the weight of it. ?What are you doing here so early in the morning??

?Came to put in a couple hours at the gym.? He shook his head as a touch of awe shaped his features. ?Walker?s already in there. That guy works like he?s possessed.?

I glanced into the building. Walker was in there? He was gone when I woke up this morning. I hadn?t seen him... I hadn?t seen him since we?d had sex. ?Sam, I?m a little out of it today, but I thought you didn?t like Walker.?

?I didn?t, at first. But after what he did the other day, you have to at least respect the guy, right??

My gaze drifted back to him. I wanted to ask, but it was obvious I was supposed to know, and I was already pushing things. ?I guess.?

He jerked his thumb toward the gym. ?Want to come with us? Walker and I can spot each other, and I can spot you.?

They considered me too weak to even be a real help in their workout. Coach was right to cut me from the team. I was just a burden. ?There?s no point. I... I got cut just now.?

Sam stopped short, and his face softened. ?Ah, shit. Tough break, man.? He reached out, ruffled my hair. ?You lasted a good long time, though. We liked havin? you around.?

I didn?t bother to smooth my hair down this time. ?Yeah, well, see ya.? I started to walk away.

?Hey, Joel??

I turned my head.

Sam broke into a grin. ?Get crazy at Feehan?s party with us this Saturday. Guarantee ya that you?ll feel better. I?ll make sure your name?s on the list, okay??

A list. Even in the last life, I could walk into any party I wanted without having to worry about things like that. ?Sure,? I said, ?if I can.?

He winked at me and disappeared into the building.

I headed for the dorms, knowing I wouldn?t be at that party, knowing I?d probably never talk to Sam again.

Five inches... it was a lot. Too much, this time.

*****

Staring in the bathroom mirror, I unbuttoned my shirt, pulled it opened to reveal the angry, red-purple bruise engulfing the right side of my chest. I pressed my fingers against it, hissed at the pain.

No idea where I?d gotten it. My memory of this life didn?t extend past this morning.

That seemed to be the only injury. The rest of my body was fit, a lot leaner than I was used to seeing. My pecs were more of a swell than a shelf. My fierce cobblestone abs were gone, but the lines and musculature were still there. Not... too bad, I tried to tell myself.

Although, for the life of me, I couldn?t figure out how I?d made the football team at all.

The outer door slammed, making me jump.

?Joel!?

My shoulders hunched forward and I closed my eyes. I recognized that low, powerful voice.

?I?ve got you.?

Walker. Had to be.

?Joel? Are you in here??

Realizing I?d have to face him sooner or later, I sighed and left the bathroom. My feet actually shuffled back a step when I set eyes on him.

They were the same height, but if Sam was big, I didn?t know what word to use for Walker. He must have come straight from the gym?his sweat-slicked muscles were pumped and looked ready to burst free from his skin. His blue tank-top couldn?t even contain his chest, and his heavy pecs spilled out the sides along with his lats. Those slabs of muscle stretched tight the cords of the ribbed material with every breath, and a really deep breath probably could have ripped it open.

His shoulders weren?t treating the stressed shirt any better. Broad and frighteningly thick, they provided more than enough support for the massive arms I?d glimpsed last night. He was wearing sweats, but even those couldn?t hide the power of his quads, the overall strength of his legs.

A familiar pain twisted in my chest as I stared at him. ?H-Here,? I managed to stammer out.

?Sam told me you got cut from the team, and I came right over. How are you feeling??

?Fine,? I said carefully. ?Trying to get used to things.?

Walker ran a hand through his hair, making his biceps swell, causing the vein at their crest to twitch wildly. ?Sorry. Your class schedule is the same, and I thought you?d be sleeping late. I meant to be here when you woke up. To be here for you, even though...? A faint smile touched his lips. ?Even though you said it was the last thing you wanted.?

?You don?t seem all that surprised by the way I look.?

?What? Oh.? He dropped his arm, tucked his thumb into the waistband of his sweats. ?I carried you to your bed when you passed out, got a pretty good look at you then. Plus I have memories of this life, memories of you this way.?

He?d carried me? The thought brought all kinds of bitterness flooding back. ?I?ll bet you just love being so strong now.?

Walker frowned. ?What??

I gripped the collar of my shirt, yanked it down. ?Did you do this to me??

His gaze dipped to my bruise. ?No,? he answered softly. ?Chad Henderson jumped you two days ago.?

?Convenient,? I muttered, letting go of the shirt.

His frown deepened. ?What?s that supposed to mean??

?I?ve got no memory of two days ago.? My fists clenched. ?And if I ask Chad about it, he?ll either beat me to a pulp for insulting him or freshen up the bruise for bringing it up.?

He walked toward me. ?You think I?m lying to you.?

A tremor went through my body at his approach, and I forced it stiff. ?Wouldn?t be the first time.?

His face hardened as he lowered his head. ?I...would never...hurt you. How many times do I have to tell you that??

?You hurt me every goddam day, Walker. Hell, you?re hurting me now.?

His muscles tensed, making him swell even bigger.

All at once, I understood exactly how much had changed between us, saw all the new ways he could bring me pain. Panic swept my head clean, and I tried to bolt from him.

Walker grabbed my shoulders, effortlessly pressed me back to the wall. The same wall he?d used magic to pin me against last night. His big hands slid down my arms, locked around my wrists, and pulled them upward, trapping them above my head. ?I didn?t put that bruise on your body, Joel.?

?Bastard!? I struggled against him, and his arms barely flexed as he kept my wrists in place. In fact, I think they flexed more when he ran his fingers through his hair, and that only pissed me off more. ?You?re getting off on this! Watching me get smaller, lose my life, bit by bit. And all the time, you suck it all inside of you!?

When I tried to kick at him, Walker shoved his big thighs against mine, holding me completely immobile. ?I didn?t choose this, Joel! I don?t know why the transference is happening!? His voice dropped: cool, controlled. ?I?m sorry you got cut from the team. I hadn?t planned that.?

?Sure you?re sorry,? I gritted out. ?The way Sam talked about you today, you must be first-string. And you must be just hating that.?

His hands tightened on my wrists. ?You don?t want me lying to you, right? Fine. I like the size you?re giving me. I like being a star on the football team. And I sure as hell like being strong.?

?I knew it.? My head fell back against the wall. ?Those things you said last night... It was never about me. You just wanted my size, my life.?

Walker shook his head. ?You?re wrong, Joel. Every second of every day is about you.? His hands gentled, just slightly, not enough to let me break free. ?The only reason I went out for football in the first place was so I?d get a chance to play with you, to be close to you. But there?s some sort of... ripple effect to the lives we lead. The decisions we make in one can bleed in to the next.? He brought his face close to mine. ?So here I am, one of the strongest players on the team.?

I leaned forward, so that my nose almost touched his. I felt his breath shallow against my lips. ?Boo...fucking...hoo.?

He shot straight, still holding on to my wrists. ?Joel??

?You?re the one who cast the damn spell. And today you?re on the team and I?m not. If you?d just wanted to be with me, then last night you wouldn?t have made me... you wouldn?t have made me??

?I didn?t have a choice!? He finally let go of my wrists, and one of his calloused hands cupped my face. ?Do have any idea what it was like? To watch Chad slam into you yesterday? I?m a Cain. I recognize malevolence when I see it.? His thumb caressed my lip, fully healed now. ?And then I saw your face... and I realized that I?d taken away your ability to defend yourself, that it was going to get much, much worse.?

Walker?s eyes glistened as he stroked my hair with his other hand. ?I would have given everything back to you if I could, Joel. But we can?t go backward. We can only go forward. I?m the only one who can get bigger.? He touched his forehead to mine. ?I?m the only one who can protect you.?

Stunned, I only stood there, staring into his pitch-black eyes.

His arms slipped around me, and he pulled me close to his hard body. The mingled scent of salty sweat and sweet flowers rattled my already skewed nerves.

Walker nuzzled the curve of my neck. ?In this life, you worked so hard to keep up with the rest of us. And you almost always stayed after practice to run more drills. A couple days ago, Chad caught you on the field. If I hadn?t been there, if I hadn?t pulled him off of you...? He clutched me tighter. ?All you have is a bruise, and you don?t even remember how you got it. That?s good. I?d rather you never remember it.?

I didn?t move as I stared at a point behind his shoulder. ?I don?t believe you. You?re big, but Chad?s bigger.?

?You don?t have to believe me this time.? He stroked my back. ?You can ask Sam. He came in at the tail end of it.?

I frowned. ?Sam...?

?And Chad is bigger. But I went nuts when I saw him on top of you. It gave me enough of an edge to hold him off until Sam showed up.?

?... after what he did the other day, you have to at least respect the guy, right??

Was that what Sam had been talking about? Did it matter?

Walker kissed my cheek. ?I?ll protect you, Joel. This life will be better than the last, you?ll see.?

I pulled back, met his gaze, and knew it didn?t matter jack-shit that Sam suddenly respected him. ?This doesn?t change anything. At the end of the day, you?ve stolen everything I was, and now I?ve got nothing.?

His brow furrowed. ?You?ve got me,? he said softly.

My bitterness, my anger... it had drained me. Now, I just felt dead inside. ?I don?t want you.?

He straightened, stared down at me.

I walked past him, picked up my bag. ?I have to go to class. Good thing I seem to be a hard worker in this life, since I?ll probably have to do a lot more than I used to for the same GPA.?

Walker didn?t respond as I left the room. Didn?t even tell me to want him.

Small blessing, I guess.

[Rowan]

Sorry this is late! Went out to see 300, LOVED IT. This chapter was originally meant to be much longer, then turned out to be *too* long, and so I broke it into two pieces. The second piece (ch7) is almost done. I hope.

Let me know what you think.

-- Rowan

[jsmith2300]

Walker ran a hand through his hair, making his biceps swell, causing the vein at their crest to twitch wildly. ?Sorry. Your class schedule is the same, and I thought you?d be sleeping late. I meant to be here when you woke up. To be here for you, even though...? A faint smile touched his lips. ?Even though you said it was the last thing you wanted.?

Rowan,

I've got to tell you, I am REALLY enjoying this story. One of your other fans called it "terrifyingly erotic" --- I can't echo that sentiment enough. It's funny to me that the more that Walker becomes like Joel, the less Joel wants Walker. (Even though, I SO want to be Walker right now!)

This story keeps getting hotter and hotter, and now that Walker has eclipsed Joel, I can't wait to see how everything unfolds. I think this will be your first story without a happy ending, though I'm betting you'll manage one thanks to your unbelieveable talent.

You say that you've never written muscle theft before, but I'm impressed --- and you know that I rarely am! THANK YOU so much, Rowan! This story is TOO much fun!! Looking forward to Part 7!

--JSmith

[skumbum]

the more that Walker becomes like Joel, the less Joel wants Walker

though he didn't exactly want him from the start...

Looking forward to chapter 7 too

[arpeejay]

As always -- very nice!

xoxo

Richard

[memorex414]

Who cares if it's done or not I want chapter seven...poor Joel...reminds me of another tale of woe. Joel, poor soul I feel, is "this man [who] has not yet seen his last evening; But, through his madness, [is] so close to it, that there [is] hardly time to turn about." Joel must be saved...Walker must receive his punishment for Providence did ask, "Cain, what hast thou done? Why does the blood of thy brother cry out to me from the ground."


“I’ll protect you, Joel. This life will be better than the last, you’ll see.” Somehow the knowledge that one is slowing losing one's self really doesn't conotate an improvement upon the status quo. Walker's is breaking the promise by not even attempting to revert or modify his spell.

“I...would never...hurt you. How many times do I have to tell you that?” -Until someone other than you believes it. I've always said karma outweighs any of the "dark arts" and screwing with fate and destiny is dangerous.

“I would have given everything back to you if I could, Joel. But we can’t go backward. We can only go forward. I’m the only one who can get bigger...I like the size you’re giving me. I like being a star on the football team. And I sure as hell like being strong.” Now even though I took and spun it to my own ends; it is a real nice juxtaposition don't you think?

[muscl4life]

Now you've really messed it up (just kidding...)

I can't decide if I would rather see Walker being shrunk to half of the size he originally was or if he should actually go for broke and become Joel's bodyguard/lover for good... DAMN YOU and your dual characters!

Well, whatever the end is I'm sure I'll love it.

Take care

[skumbum]

Also, chapters can't be too long, not possible

[theseventhwave]

[COLOR="Red"]I am loving this story - and the slow muscle transfer between Joel and Walker is very hot. If anything, I would love to read a slow, sensually descriptive telling of Walker's growth, perhaps juxtaposed with Joel's loss...[/COLOR]

[DonnieJvilleNC]

Rowan,

I'm speechless. I stumbled upon this story just today. I was riveted and read all six chapters in one sitting. You are an exquisite writer!

Thank you for this story....

[Rowan]

Originally Posted by jsmith2300

I've got to tell you, I am REALLY enjoying this story. One of your other fans called it "terrifyingly erotic" --- I can't echo that sentiment enough. It's funny to me that the more that Walker becomes like Joel, the less Joel wants Walker.

Yeah, both Walker and Joel are both trapped in this spiral that Walker's built. It's taking everyone (including me) to some unexpected places. Fun ride!

Originally Posted by skumbum

Looking forward to chapter 7 too

cool, posting tonight.

Originally Posted by arpeejay

As always -- very nice!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by memorex414

screwing with fate and destiny is dangerous.

Oh, definitely.

Originally Posted by muscl4life

I can't decide if I would rather see Walker being shrunk to half of the size he originally was or if he should actually go for broke and become Joel's bodyguard/lover for good... DAMN YOU and your dual characters!

haha! That's GOOD. For me, anyway. I like Walker. Doesn't mean things will go his way, but at least he's not completely and utterly unlikable.

Originally Posted by skumbum

Also, chapters can't be too long, not possible

so so SO possible. lol.

Originally Posted by theseventhwave

[COLOR=#ff0000]I am loving this story - and the slow muscle transfer between Joel and Walker is very hot. [/COLOR]

Yeah, going a few inches at a time works for me, too.

Originally Posted by DonnieJvilleNC

I'm speechless. I stumbled upon this story just today. I was riveted and read all six chapters in one sitting. You are an exquisite writer!

Sweet! Hope you like the next chapters just as much!