And for my first fic of 2019, I'm posting something that would have been better suited to Christmas XD Oh well :P This is a standalone oneshot, though you *could* take it as a followup to A Ripple in Time if you wanted to.
The problem with shirts was that they were made to fit just right.
Even the slightest change in shape was made very noticeable by the seemingly innocuous buttons that held the delicate fabric together.
Fortunately for Giorgio, he'd been wearing far more casual and comfortable clothing over the holiday period which tended to be a lot more forgiving about size.
The agents had been given some time off to relax during the Christmas season (although Agent Robert Baxter had stubbornly insisted on spending his break working anyway).
Originally, Giorgio hadn't planned to do anything special, but Evan had insisted they should do something more festive to celebrate.
Naturally, Giorgio had protested at first, but even a Grinch like him was no match for Evan's sheer enthusiasm.
Especially since it was their first Christmas as a couple.
Sometimes, Giorgio still couldn't believe how lucky he was. He had never expected Evan to return his feelings, much less choose to enter a relationship with him despite knowing that Giorgio had a myriad of issues and emotional baggage.
He had to admit that celebrating Christmas with Evan was much more enjoyable than spending it alone like he had in the past.
Evan had gotten a small Christmas tree and decorated it, adding some other festive touches to their apartment as well, though Giorgio had convinced him to tone it down somewhat compared to his original plans.
On his part, Giorgio had cooked a rather impressive feast as a Christmas dinner for himself and Evan. If he was being honest, he had chosen to go all–out this time, wanting to impress Evan. From Evan's delighted response, Giorgio was quite certain he'd succeeded.
At present, they were simply relaxing on the sofa, enjoying each other's company and watching old movies on TV.
Giorgio let out a contented sigh as he leaned against Evan, slipping an arm around his back. Grinning, Evan pressed a gentle kiss to Giorgio's forehead, making the older agent blush slightly.
"It's a pity we're back to work tomorrow," Evan commented, pouting slightly. "Still, it was a nice break while it lasted."
Thinking about going back to work filled Giorgio with an uneasy sensation as doubts began to creep into his mind.
Between their Christmas feast, the requisite snacking he'd been doing over the holiday season and spending most of their break just lounging around and relaxing, Giorgio was starting to feel a bit… heavier than usual, to put it mildly.
Of course, Evan didn't seem to be experiencing the same issue; after all, the younger agent had the metabolism of a hummingbird.
Noticing Giorgio's sudden pensive mood, Evan glanced at him curiously. "Something wrong?"
"I'll be right back," Giorgio replied evasively, making a beeline for the bathroom.
Shutting the door behind him, he eyed the weighing scale that sat innocently on the bathroom floor.
With a deep breath, Giorgio steeled himself and stepped onto the scale, peering uncertainly at the screen.
His eyes widened in dismay upon seeing that the number displayed was higher than he'd have liked.
What?! That can't be right…
Wincing, he cautiously slipped a hand beneath his clothes, surreptitiously pinching at his stomach.
He felt solid and heavy, as though the slight swell to his stomach was much larger than it looked.
In fact, he could almost feel the extra weight pressing against the fabric as he shifted uncomfortably. It was a wonder he hadn't gotten too big for even the loose clothing he was wearing.
Oh God…
"Gi?" The sudden knock on the bathroom door made him jump. "Are you alright?"
With a sudden surge of horror, he realised he'd forgotten to lock the door.
"Don't come in!" He shouted, just as Evan tried the doorknob.
It was too late; his boyfriend cautiously pushed open the door, looking at him in concern.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing!" Giorgio snapped, hurriedly stepping off the scale and backing up against the wall. "Don't look at me!"
Evan paused, glancing between Giorgio and the scale with a look of dawning realisation. "You're worried about your weight?"
"It's… That… I don't…" Giorgio's face reddened, and he fleetingly wished that the ground would swallow him up.
As Evan reached for him, Giorgio flinched away, too ashamed to let Evan near him. The younger agent simply closed his hand around Giorgio's wrist, stopping him.
"Hey, look at me," he said firmly.
Giorgio hesitated for a moment, then cautiously glanced at Evan.
There was a hint of amusement in Evan's expression, but it lacked the mocking judgement that Giorgio had been dreading.
"It's alright, Gi. So you put on a bit of weight. It's not the end of the world," Evan told him, grinning slightly. "That's what the gym is for, isn't it?"
Giorgio swallowed uncertainly, dropping his gaze to the ground.
Rationally, he knew that Evan's words made sense. But he couldn't shake the sense of embarrassment he felt at allowing himself to fall into such a state in the first place. The thought of anyone seeing him while he was in the gym struggling to work off his excess weight made Giorgio's (already oversized) stomach roil with dread.
Sensing his hesitation, Evan spoke up again. "Want me to go with you?"
Giorgio's head snapped up, and he stared at Evan in astonishment. "Wh–What?"
Evan shrugged nonchalantly. "You're feeling self–conscious about going to the gym, right? I'll go with you and keep you company. We can go tomorrow morning before work; there probably won't be anyone around then."
"I… You don't have to do this," Giorgio replied, attempting to brush him off. "I don't want to burden you like this…"
"Gi…" Evan interrupted, looking fondly exasperated. "If I wasn't willing to do it, I wouldn't be offering. I want to help… But if you don't want me there, I'll respect that."
Giorgio hesitated, weighing his options.
On one hand, he was thoroughly embarrassed by this whole situation, and the last thing he wanted was for his boyfriend to see him in such an undignified state.
On the other hand, Giorgio knew that Evan genuinely cared, and he could trust the younger agent not to make fun of him.
Besides, part of him knew that if he went by himself, he would be too self–conscious to actually take the plunge and work out.
"I… In that case, if you're sure, I… I would appreciate it," Giorgio responded, pressing a hand against his stomach with a grimace. "I just… God, I'm as round as a melon…"
At this, Evan let out an amused, disbelieving laugh.
"Relax, Gi. It's nowhere near as noticeable as you think it is. And besides…" With a teasing grin, he shot Giorgio a wink. "You look perfectly fine to me."
Giorgio flushed slightly, spluttering incoherently as embarrassment of a different kind filled him.
Evan simply laughed again, grabbing Giorgio by the arm. With a firm tug, he led the older agent out of the bathroom.
"Come on, let's get to bed. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
The next day
6.37 am
Giorgio and Evan's Apartment, VSSE Residential Wing
It's a sad truth that seemingly sensible ideas are usually deemed utterly illogical the next morning.
Especially when you're being awakened by a blaring alarm at some ungodly hour and it's far too cold to be getting out of your warm, comfortable bed.
Of course, Giorgio was much too groggy to be thinking such philosophical thoughts. Grumbling discontentedly, he blindly groped for his phone, intending to turn off the alarm and go back to sleep.
However, Yesterday Giorgio had apparently been devious enough to anticipate this outcome. Instead of occupying its usual spot on the bedside table, Giorgio's phone sounded like it was elsewhere in the apartment. To turn it off, he would have to actually get up, leave the bedroom and hunt it down… At which point he'd be (technically) awake and out of bed anyway.
Groaning, Giorgio made a futile attempt at ignoring the cacophonous racket, squeezing his eyes shut more tightly and burrowing deeper under the covers.
After a few minutes, he finally gave up, reluctantly shoving his sheets aside and rolling out of bed.
Searching for a blaring phone in a small apartment proved to be surprisingly difficult, though perhaps that was partly because Giorgio was still struggling to wake up as he stumbled blindly around the apartment.
At length, he found it lying on the coffee table in the living area. It took him a few tries, but he finally managed to unlock the phone and shut off the alarm.
As blessed silence filled the apartment once more, he sighed in relief.
It was tempting to just crawl back into bed and let himself slip back into a blissful slumber. However, even as the thought crossed his mind, Giorgio finally registered the sound of running water coming from elsewhere in the apartment.
It was then that he remembered Evan offering to accompany him to the gym so he wouldn't feel so self–conscious about working out by himself.
Giorgio was somewhat surprised that Evan had actually followed through on his declaration. But then again, the younger agent inexplicably liked mornings, unlike Giorgio. Evan probably hadn't had much difficulty getting out of bed to get ready.
Why he needed to shower before going to the gym was a mystery, but Giorgio wasn't remotely awake enough to waste his limited brainpower on pondering Evan's often illogical actions.
Suspecting that Evan would be stubbornly persistent in dragging him out of bed if he tried to go back to sleep, Giorgio reluctantly forced himself to go through the motions of getting dressed.
Pulling open the closet door, Giorgio fumbled around for a bit before managing to grab one of his work shirts. Feeling somewhat embarrassed about his weight gain and not wanting his fellow agents to spot him running around in gym clothes, Giorgio had decided to wear his regular work clothes to the gym and get changed once he was there.
As he began to slip on the shirt, it took a few minutes for Giorgio to realise that something was wrong.
The first two buttons slipped into place easily enough.
The third one pinched slightly, causing the shirt to stretch ever so tightly against his chest.
Getting the fourth button into its buttonhole was a bit of a struggle, but it eventually latched, albeit with a noticeable gap between both sides of the fabric.
The last button refused to cooperate entirely.
"No… This can't be happening… Come on…" Wincing, Giorgio sucked in his stomach, desperately trying to wrestle the final button into place.
Just then, the fourth button popped free from its precarious clasp just above his fingers.
Giorgio stared at his stomach in horror, a rising sense of panic rapidly overtaking any lingering traces of sleepiness.
This isn't possible… How could I have put on that much weight in such a short time?!
How was he supposed to carry out his duties when he couldn't even fit into his work clothes? He'd be the laughingstock of the office if he walked in like this, wearing an ill–fitting shirt that was clearly too small for him now. Wearing his casual clothes to work would likewise invite ridicule from his colleagues.
As the sound of the shower died down, Giorgio flinched, poking tentatively at his traitorous stomach.
His searching fingers met loose flesh, eliciting an involuntary whimper.
What was he supposed to tell Evan? That he couldn't go to the gym because he was too fat to fit into his clothes? How was he even supposed to work out at all if he was that out of shape?
With a maelstrom of chaotic thoughts swirling about his mind and blocking out everything else, he failed to hear the bathroom door opening behind him.
"Gi?" A worried voice echoed through the room, sounding as though it was coming from far away.
All of a sudden, Giorgio felt someone wrap their arms around him, pulling him into a gentle embrace. Breath hitching, he looked up and met Evan's concerned gaze.
"What's wrong?"
"I…" Giorgio stammered, too ashamed of his… condition… to explain his predicament.
Pulling away from Giorgio, Evan frowned slightly as he took another look at the older agent. "Gi…"
"Why the heck are you trying to wear my shirt?"
What?
Giorgio blinked, then glanced down at the shirt he'd been grappling with.
With a mixture of relief and mortification, he realised his mistake.
In his half–asleep state, Giorgio had somehow managed to grab one of Evan's (very rarely worn) formal shirts. Naturally, with his boyfriend being somewhat smaller–sized than him, the shirt wouldn't have fit Giorgio properly no matter what.
Face burning with embarrassment, Giorgio hurriedly undid the offending shirt's buttons, clumsily hanging it back in the closet where it belonged and retrieving one of his own shirts instead.
Slipping it on with some trepidation, Giorgio sighed in relief as the shirt buttoned up properly without much difficulty. It still felt a bit tight around the stomach, but in light of his earlier panic, it didn't bother him quite as much as it normally would.
Upon glancing up at Evan, he found the younger agent gazing at him with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, looking like he was trying not to laugh.
"You alright?"
"I… You didn't see that, alright?!" Giorgio shot him a warning glare.
Evan's lips twitched with amusement. "Do you need some coffee to wake you up before we get going?"
"I'm trying to lose weight, not gain more," Giorgio replied flatly.
Evan snorted. "Says the nutter who takes his coffee black and without sugar."
Upon seeing Giorgio's unamused expression, he threw his hands up in surrender.
"Fine, have it your way. Ready to head out? Or are you feeling too fat to move?"
"Bite me," Giorgio snapped, his already less than favourable mood souring further at Evan's flippant response.
Evan cocked his head to one side. Suddenly, an impish grin stole across his face, and he began to approach Giorgio.
"What are you—" Before Giorgio could finish his sentence, Evan pulled him into a hug.
He let out a startled yelp as he felt Evan's teeth gently grazing his neck before the younger agent pulled away.
"Tempting… But maybe later," Evan remarked teasingly. "We've got things to do right now, don't we?"
"You… I…" Giorgio felt his face heat up, hand automatically flying to his neck.
Evan raised an eyebrow at him, smirking slightly. "Well? You coming?"
Quickly picking up the bag with his gym clothes, Giorgio followed Evan out of the apartment, heart beating faster than it should have been before he even started exercising.
Despite his lingering embarrassment, Giorgio realised that somehow, he already felt much lighter than he had earlier.
Many thanks to Rainbow for inspiring the ending :P Evan's biting seems to be becoming a thing in this fandom XD