Arro knows he needs help with his weight. Repeatedly getting stuck, outgrowing all his clothes; it's time for a change. However, as he struggles to diet, he might not know exactly how to go about it


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Kill, Marry, Fuck
Chapter 15


A burning sensation slowly forced Arro awake the next morning. He tried to roll over, but gravity was making his flab pool around him on the bed. It was too much effort. He tried to ignore it and resume his dream about breakfast, but the pain was getting more intense. It was radiating along the cut across his massive belly from the night before.
With a heavy sigh, he finally sat up. The pain stopped. A bit confused, he looked around him to see Rangavar still asleep on the other side of the bed. The Darkal had rolled over slightly, flinging one of his arms out towards the center of the mattress.
Arro grumbled as he fought his way to his feet. The other species and their stupid healing magic. He knew that Darkals had healing magic, like Gemians. But Gemian magic was soothing. It would have healed him and taken the pain away instantly.
Darkals? Their healing magic burned.
The Faerian rubbed his eyes groggily as he started down the stairs. It wasn’t Rangavar’s fault. He was asleep. It was actually just the universe conspiring to give Arro a hard time. That must be it. He couldn’t catch fucking a break.
He pointedly ignored the window when he walked past the living room. He avoided the shower room, too. He wasn’t doing mirrors today.
Absentmindedly, he scratched the top of his belly with his claws as he began to tear through the cabinets. He hadn’t been able to eat all afternoon yesterday; he was sooo hungry. Too bad all this food had to go. He was going to start his diet.
After pulling most of it out onto the counter, though, he had second thoughts. It would be such a waste to throw it in the trash. What if he just… He realized that he should finish it up first. Yeah. He’d make himself one last feast to kick off his diet. His diet could start later tonight. Or, well, at least by tomorrow. Definitely by then.
Trudging down the stairs a while later, Rangavar pricked one ear at the sight of fat dragon in the middle of stuffing himself.
Arro waved. “I’m getting rid of the food.” The words were muffled through his stuffed cheeks.
The other dragon raised a brow. “I mean… that’s one way to put it.”
Arro swallowed. “No, like… I’m going to go on a diet.”
“Impressive,” said Rangavar. “I bet a lot of people would like to go on a diet like this.”
Arro felt heat rise to his cheeks. “This isn’t it! This is like, a pre-diet meal. To eat up all the food. See?” He held up one of the muffins he was double-fisting into his mouth.
“Ohhh. Gotcha.” The Darkal didn’t quite hide his amusement.
Arro sighed.
“Is this about the window?”
The Faerian paused with another muffin halfway to his mouth. “Huh?”
Rangavar gestured at the very obvious hole in the wall where a pane of glass was supposed to be.
“Oh.” Arro shrugged. “That window. I’d forgotten about that.”
The other dragon snorted. “Just like you forgot Darkals can hear lies.”
The fat Faerian shifted uncomfortably on his tiny stool.
“It’s okay, you know. We don’t have to talk about it.” The Darkal cast a glance over at the food on the counter. “There might be some better ways to cope than others, though.”
Easing himself off the stool with a sigh, Arro moved himself to the couch. Bringing the rest of the muffin box, of course. “I can’t go on like this.” He gestured vaguely at the window. “I mean, I’ve always been fat. But now… that window… really?” He put his head in his paws. “What’s next? Doors?”
Walking into the living room, Rangavar absentmindedly inspected the windowpane. “If you’re still looking for housing, you could find somewhere with big doors,” he said comfortingly.
The Faerian sniffled.
Rangavar turned around swiftly. “Wait, please, don’t cry—” He made a frustrated noise as he sat next to him on the couch. “I didn’t mean—”
He put his paw on Arro’s shoulder. Arro jerked away as pain flashed through the raw cut on his tum.
Rangavar snatched his paw back. “I’m sorry! Sorry.”
“No, it’s not you. It’s not your fault.” The larger dragon gently put his paws on his own round belly. The irritated crease stretched straight around the middle. “It’s just…”
Rangavar was staring at him, not picking up the pieces.
“You know. You’re a Darkal.” He pressed his index fingers together nervously. It sounded really rude out loud. “I mean, it burns, you know?”
Rangavar’s eyes widened. “Vaugh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize—” He eyed the painful red mark.
“It’s okay.” Arro shifted awkwardly. “I actually kind of wish I could just magic it away. Even if it hurt.” He bit his lip. “It’s just kind of… embarrassing. Like, everyone sees I’m fat enough to get stuck in a giant window.”
The Darkal turned his head towards him, resting half his face on one paw. “I COULD make it go away, but like you said…”
Arro pricked his ears. “Wait, really?”
Rangavar waved a paw dismissively. “It’s not a big deal to me, but it would hurt a lot to you. I’m not trying to mislead you or anything.”
Tentatively, Arro hefted the ball of lard on his lap. It sat heavily, obscuring his thighs underneath. The injury hurt when it shifted. The idea of taking the easy way out was appealing.
Feeling a bit unsure, he nodded.
Rangavar gently put his paws over the irritated wound. Arro tried not to wince. He wasn’t successful, but the effort was there. His middle burned as the magic worked on it.
“Is it better if I do this?” Rangavar started to move his paws around the area, massaging Arro’s belly.
“Yeah, actually.” It detracted a bit from the pain.
He sank back on the couch as the smaller dragon continued to rub his belly. Despite the pain, there actually was something soothing about it. It was also nice that the other dragon could reach parts of his belly that his own arms hadn’t been able to reach in years. He shivered.
The massage stopped. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Great, actually.” He noticed Rangavar looking at him strangely. That did sound a bit weird, given the pain. “I mean, like, even as it hurts, it’s feeling better, you know?”
The Darkal didn’t seem convinced that’s what he meant, but resumed kneading the soft scales. The rolls of chub squished and jiggled. The other dragon’s smaller paws were able to need more deeply into the rolls of fat than Arro’s fat fingers could accomplish, the pudge encapsulating Rangavar’s soft touch.
The red marks on his belly still hurt, a lot, but he felt more calm as the Darkal massaged his gut with gentle, even strokes. Arro was actually starting to feel a bit breathless, but wasn’t fully sure it was from the pain. Well, it had to be from the pain, right?
Arro felt a bit self-conscious; Rangavar must think he’s huge. But the Darkal didn’t say anything, and Arro felt grateful as the belly rub relaxed him off to sleep.


When he startled awake later, he felt disoriented at first. A chilly breeze was sweeping through the room. He was leaning back on the couch. There was a box of muffins and some crumbs around him. And the painful, irritated lines across his middle were gone.
He gingerly felt around his belly. The marks were gone. The pain was gone.
“Ah. You’re awake.”
He glanced over to see Rangavar putting away food from the counter. He vaguely remembered taking it all out this morning, but he hadn’t gotten to eat it all.
Arro wriggled his tail into a more comfortable position. He wasn’t ready to get up just yet. “How long have I been asleep?”
The gray dragon shrugged. “All morning. That cut is healed, though.”
“Yeah,” said Arro softly. He continued to inspect himself. “Thanks. I mean it.”
Rangavar shrugged. “I’m on my way to work. Please don’t, uh…”
The pink dragon gave an embarrassed thumbs-up. “No windows. Got it.” He knew the other dragon wasn’t specifically trying to embarrass him. Arro just couldn’t help himself.
As Rangavar left, it occurred to him that if their shifts had been separated today, this probably meant they wouldn’t be scheduled for any more shifts together. They were going to be on their own as they continued to figure out what secrets the research facility held.
He frowned in thought. It also meant Rangavar wouldn’t be able to keep him from figuring out what was on the other side of that fence.


The Darkal worked in silence as he fixed the window in one of the office rooms. He thought it was a bit ironic. At least he didn’t have to do this himself; Jethe was holding the other side.
“Great. Push that side back? It should make a snapping sound as that piece goes into place.”
When they were done, they stood back together and surveyed their work. “You’re not half bad at this,” Jethe rumbled.
Rangavar wiped his forehead. “Thanks.”
“You know,” Jethe continued to look at the window, “there’s a lot of stuff around here that we also don’t have to fix. There’s whole sections of the building that are reserved for people with higher security clearance.”
Rangavar nodded. “Yeah, makes sense.”
Jethe gestured vaguely outside. “You see all those security dragons? They work really hard to keep this facility safe. They patrol inside and outside the building, constantly.”
Rangavar nodded again. “That’s good.”
Jethe turned to look at him with his ever-blank expression. “They’re really important to protecting this place. Sometimes we get dragons poking around where they shouldn’t. And bad things happen to them. You know?”
Rangavar calmly returned the stare. “Yeah.”
Jethe nodded, almost to himself. “That’s some good stuff for us to keep in mind.”
It didn’t take a telepath to realize the word ‘us’ wasn’t Jethe really referring to himself.
He suddenly clapped Rangavar on the back and smiled. “You’re doing great at this. My shift is actually ending now; the rest of today is supposed to be your first solo assignment. Feel ready?”
A bit startled, he answered, “Yeah, I’m ready.” What else was he supposed to say? No?
“Good.” Jethe picked up a box of tools from the floor. “See you in a day, then. Enjoy tomorrow off. It’ll be the big guy’s last training.”
“Okay.” Rangavar flicked his ears. “Thanks.”
He stood staring after the peculiar maintenance dragon for a moment after he had left. Jethe hadn’t actually caught him the other night; he’d gotten out of the room before the pale Faerian had opened the door. But it was clear the dragon had a few guesses as to whom it may have been.
Rangavar stooped to begin picking up his own tools. The barely-veiled warning was supposed to be a deterrent.
The Darkal just decided he’d have to be more careful next time.


It was ‘night’ as he returned home. He still wasn’t quite used to how quickly the sun set on this world. What probably didn’t help was the fact that away from the city, there weren’t many lights or activity to make the day still feel alive.
When he walked inside, there thankfully wasn’t anyone halfway through the window. Actually, he noticed that the pane had been carefully placed back where it belonged. Except for a bit of tape along the side. It wasn’t a surprise; Rangavar had been pretty sure that piece of plastic wasn’t supposed to bend that way. Oops.
Stepping up to the counter, he saw that it was littered with various crumbs and wrappers, most of which he couldn’t identify. All of them were empty. He glanced over at the couch curiously, where Arro was slumped on his back with his feet over the arm of the couch, more stacks of boxes and crumbs scattered around him.
Should I ask? Dare I ask? It seemed like every other word he said made Arro feel bad about his weight. He thought it might be difficult to pretend this mess didn’t exist, though.
“Hey Arro?” He could tell the Faerian wasn’t asleep, just leaning back with his eyes closed, but kept his voice soft anyway.
Arro flicked his ears but didn’t move or open his eyes. Instead of greeting him, he groaned. “I finished all the food.”
Since the fat dragon couldn’t see him from the couch, Rangavar was free to roll his eyes as much as he wanted. “Yeah. I had a feeling.”
The bloated dragon shifted uncomfortably. “It was too much all at once. My stomach hurts. But at least tomorrow I won’t have anything around to snack on.”
The smaller dragon could think of a few reasons that his plan wasn’t fool-proof, but didn’t want to be discouraging. “Great idea,” he lied. He was so glad most Faerians couldn’t hear lies. Sometimes he didn’t appreciate that enough.
Arro finally craned his neck over to look at the Darkal, the bunched rolls under his chin restricting the movement somewhat. “I’m sorry I didn’t leave any for you.”
“Oh, it’s okay, I’m not hungry.” At first, Rangavar wasn’t lying. Then he realized that he really hadn’t eaten all day. He completely forgot.
Pulling out a stool, he took a seat in front of the counter. He had a feeling Arro wasn’t about to share the couch. Based on the look of him right now, he wasn’t even sure Arro could if he wanted. Was there such a thing as being too full to move? If so, the large dragon had come pretty close.
“Maybe you should go to bed,” Rangavar suggested hesitantly. It was still early in the day, but maybe lying down flat and sleeping it off would help? “It might make your stomach feel better.”
Arro just groaned again. “I’m not sure I want to move right now.”
After a moment of thought, Rangavar did get up and move to the couch. There was nowhere to sit, but there was still the stool at the wall from yesterday. The smaller dragon perched there, near Arro’s head. “I don’t really know how to say this.” Rangavar scratched the back of his head awkwardly, rubbing the base of the two smaller horns behind his ears. “I’m a little worried about you.” The words sounded even weirder out loud. A week ago, he could have never ever imaged uttering them to this dragon in particular.
Arro looked up at him and scowled. “Didn’t I just say, I’m not going to eat like this anymore? I just got rid of all the snacks.”
“Well, that’s for sure, but do you really think this is the way to go about it?” Rangavar gestured at trash on the floor. “How much did you stuff yourself today?”
Arro blushed. “Well, a lot, but only because…” He trailed off awkwardly. He had his paws resting on the huge swell of fat. Or, well, what he could reach of it. After a moment, he said, “Why do you care anyway?”
Rangavar opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped. Why did he care about this? “Just… never mind, then.” He waved a paw and turned away. “I’m going to go get some food for myself.”
As he made his way to the front door, he felt a little pleased that he had the freedom to do that now that he had his wristband. Why did it matter if Arro ate all the food? He could do whatever he wanted.
“Wait.” Arro sounded a bit sheepish. “Could you help me up first?”
The Darkal turned back and raised a brow. “Why?”
Arro started to blush. “I’m, uh, at a weird angle. I can’t sit up.” Lying on his back, his heavy, stuffed belly was lying on top of him. His legs were stretched over one arm of the couch, but couldn’t squeeze any closer because of the way his gut was resting on his thighs. Rangavar had a feeling that was the real problem, but Arro didn’t elaborate, so he decided not to point it out.
He tried to stifle a sigh as he walked back over to the couch. He flicked his eyes over the bloated Faerian. “Why don’t you just roll off instead?”
Arro was still uncomfortably red in the cheeks. “I’m uh…”
Rangavar stood and stared. He decided to make him say it.
“I’m… too heavy…” The Faerian looked down at his body, ashamed. Even though it was pretty obvious that he couldn’t see anything past his waistline. “I’m too full.” He flattened his ears.
Rangavar eyed him unsympathetically. “I wonder why that is?” Fuck. Arro’s eyes started to well up with tears. That sentence had sounded way less harsh in his head. “I mean—”He slapped his forehead. “Look, I’m sorry.” He held out his paw. “I’ll help, okay?”
Arro wiped his eyes with the back of his paw. “Thanks…” He looked away shyly. “I’m sorry about being such a wuss lately, too. I’ve been having sort of a hard time with this lately.”
“It’s okay,” Rangavar said. He hoped Arro knew he meant it. “It’s alright.”
The other dragon took his paw. Rangavar could feel his discomfort. “Let’s get you up. Yeah?”
Shyly, the other dragon nodded. He pushed on the back of the couch with his other paw until Rangavar helped him sit up. “Thanks…”
With a sigh, Rangavar dropped onto the other cushion next to him. The part of it that wasn’t already half-covered in rolls, of course.
“I thought you were on your way to get food..?”
The smaller dragon put his head back. “Maybe later. I’m not in the mood now.”
He looked over to see Arro rubbing his tummy with his paws. It was pretty swollen. “Are you gonna be okay?”
Still blushing beneath Rangavar’s gaze, Arro nodded. “I’m sorry. Heh. You must be disgusted right now.”
The other dragon frowned. “Disgusted? Why?”
“Well…” Arro gestured vaguely at himself. “This.”
“No, of course not.” Why did Arro always think that? He watched the other dragon rubbing his belly. “Here. I’ll help.”
“Huh?”
“It seemed to help this morning.” His paw hovered over Arro’s midsection. “Is that alright?” After a slight hesitation, Arro nodded. Rangavar’s paw sank into the squishy mound. It was huge, spilling over the Faerian’s lap. As he started to knead, he felt Arro tense up. He stopped.
“No, it’s okay. Sorry.” Arro blushed.
“I’m not trying to hurt you.”
“Nah, it actually feels kind of good.” Arro suddenly blushed harder. “I mean, like, ‘better’, you know—”
“Arro, it’s fine, I get it.” He tried to be gentle, rubbing and massaging the rolls of fat. The pile shifted and jiggled with the motion. He felt Arro finally start to relax as he got used to his touch.
He thought back on earlier, when he was trying to heal him, and the way that the Faerian had fallen asleep in spite of the pain. Was that because Arro was tired, or was Rangavar just really good at massages? Maybe he could start a new life as one of those guys who give massages. What were they called? A masseuse? Yeah, he should be that.
The feeling of squishing Arro’s massive belly was pleasing, too. He furrowed his brow. That was a weird thought. But it was sort of true, he admitted, as he dug his paws into the pale, fleshy belly scales. They were soft and warm as they enveloped his paws.
After a while, Arro finally interrupted the silence. “If you go get food, can I come?”
Rangavar stared at him blankly.
“I mean, not so I can get food, obviously,” he blushed. “I just… I think a walk might make me feel better.” He clutched his massive gut, all of the rolls taking up the space around him. “And thanks for, um…”
The Darkal stood up and stretched. “It’s no problem. I’m glad I could help.” He frowned again. Why did he want to help him? Do I feel guilty because he’s been helping me?
He tried to hide his bemusement on his way to the door.


“This,” said Rangavar slowly, as if speaking to a child, “is called ‘fruit’.”
Arro rolled his eyes.
“It’s food that isn’t made of grain, or bread, or—”
“Yeahhh, I get it.”
Rangavar smirked, waving his wristband in front of the scanner on his way out the door. There was something satisfying about seeing him finally trying it out, especially after all the trouble he’d gone through. The smaller dragon bit into the apple the moment they were outside.
“You’re only buying one?” Arro eyed him curiously.
Rangavar shrugged. “Why would I buy extra today, when I’ll be back tomorrow? It’ll be nice to go for another walk.”
Arro shook his head. “No, I mean to eat right now. You’ll only eat one? No wonder you’re so small.”
Rangavar stretched his wings a little and scowled. “I’m completely normal-sized for a Darkal.”
“Uh-huh.”
They walked in silence. Rangavar had been right, it was nice to go for a walk. Arro’s gut felt incredibly heavy. It wasn’t being held up by the straps of his hip bag; he’d tried to put it on earlier, but ultimately decided on giving up wearing it for now. He needed to get it adjusted with a longer strap for his waistline.
The city streets here were lit more brightly than in the housing community. Arro had forgotten how alive the night could look on this world, as the city residents illuminated every street and building. His mutation made his eyes better than those of most dragons, but he still enjoyed the soft, pleasant glow.
He suddenly squinted as he caught sight of someone familiar up ahead. He bumped Rangavar’s arm and pointed. “Isn’t that the Faerian that gave us the housing? I mean, uh, gave you the housing.” Vaugh dammit. Sometimes he forgot that he’d have to move out. For some reason, Rangavar hadn’t been pressuring him about it.
The Darkal was rubbing his arm where Arro had touched him. He squinted down the street. “Oh, yeah, that’s her. It’s hard to sense her aura among all these other people.”
Arro snorted. “Do you think she’s as cheery in her off-time as she is when trying to sell stuff at work?”
“I mean, we could go say hello.”
“Why?”
Rangavar shrugged.
“We could also not-do-that,” Arro suggested.
Rangavar pricked his ears. “Shit, she’s coming this way.”
The green Faerian had spotted them and smiled as she walked over. “Wow, I hope you two are settling in!”
“Yeah, it’s great,” said Arro. “I mean, Rangavar settling in, of course.” Shit he’d done it again.
She smiled warmly. Apparently, she really was like this all the time. “It’s okay! I think it’s cute when companions move in together.”
The two dragons stared at her blankly for a moment.
Rangavar put out his paws. “N-no we’re not! Heh. We’re only friends.”
Arro blushed. “Yeah, just friends!” he chimed in. He’d never even had a companion before. He loved Jade. One relationship was more than enough for him, even if he did find someone else he liked. Not that he liked anyone else, of course. Not in that way. And definitely not Rangavar in that way, no matter how cute he was.
Arro frowned, wondering why his brain would turn down such a weird train of thought. He was certain he hadn’t meant to think that.
While lost in thought, the conversation had continued on without him. “Well, not even REALLY friends,” Rangavar was saying. “We’re more, like, acquaintances. We just happen to be rooming together.”
Arro paused. That hurt for some reason.
The female Faerian raised a brow. “Oh… I’m sorry, when you moved in…” She smiled. “I knew there was only the one bed, but I shouldn’t have assumed.”
Out the corner of his eye, Arro could see Rangavar’s own cheeks turning a darker color. “I mean, I guess we’re roommates, but just until Arro moves.”
Arro felt slightly too warm despite the chilly air. He knew his own cheeks were changing color. “Yeah, just for now.”
She turned slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” As she turned, she flashed a small, coy smile. Arro didn’t have to be telepathic to get the feeling she didn’t quite believe them. It made him blush harder.
They stood in silence as they watched her go. Once she was a safe distance away, Rangavar, standing at his side, said, “Wow, can you believe that? That’s crazy. That she’d think that.”
Arro nodded vigorously. “Yeah, totally crazy!”
The smaller dragon shook his head. “I mean, we do share a bed, but because we have to. There aren’t any other beds.”
Arro pressed his index fingers together. “Yeah, haha. Like, where else would I sleep? The floor?”
They walked in silence as they started back towards home. Er, Rangavar’s home, that is. It took a while for Arro’s face to stop feeling warm.
When they were almost at the house, Rangavar finally interrupted. “Arro?”
“Yeah?”
The Darkal was fidgeting uncomfortably. “What if, you know. What if we were roommates?”
“What?”
Rangavar looked away. “I mean, you’re already staying here. What if you did just live here? We could go halves on rent.”
Arro thought for a second. “Yeah, so I wouldn’t be staying with you for free,” he said slowly.
“Yeah, like that.”
The bigger dragon pressed his index fingers together. “Yeah.”
Rangavar unlocked the door. They went inside. “I could get a copy of the key and everything, too. It wouldn’t be hard.”
Arro was silent a moment. “I’d need a bed.”
“True.”
A pause.
“We can keep sharing for now.”
The Faerian nodded quickly. “Yeah, for now. That makes sense. Until I get my own, of course.”
“Yeah. Of course.”
They fell into silence again as they got in on their opposite sides of the bed. Arro adjusted himself so that he wouldn’t push off the smaller dragon. The Darkal politely didn’t say anything as the mattress rocked back and forth.
“Rangavar?”
The Darkal yawned sleepily. “Yeah?”
“Thanks for letting us be roommates. Letting me stay here, I mean.”
“Sure.”
A pause.
“I can’t believe she’d assume that we’re companions. I hope I’m not infringing on you or anything. I mean, other than staying on your bed.”
“It’s okay.”
“I’ve never even had a companion,” Arro laughed awkwardly.
“I have.”
A heavy pause filled the room.
“You have?”
Rangavar sighed. “Go to sleep, Arro.”
“Sorry.” Going to sleep, Arro rolled over as gently as possible. He felt his stomach bunch up and stretched his legs. He realized one of his wings was folded at a different angle than the other. He ended up having to shift his weight again, pulling it free. It didn’t really make it any better. Maybe if he moved his arm—
Without turning around, Rangavar let out a frustrated sigh.
Arro blushed. “Sorry.” The larger dragon pulled on the blankets until they were up to his chin. He stared at the ceiling. He didn’t feel tired.
“Are you and your companion still together?”
“Bit of a personal question.”
Arro blushed harder. “Sorry.”
Rangavar was silent a long moment. “I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
“Oh. Sorry to hear that.”
“Nothing bad happened. Or, well, ‘Glitara’ happened. But we didn’t end on bad terms or anything. I could probably call him up right now if I wanted.”
The Faerian was intrigued. “Why don’t you?”
He saw the Darkal’s shoulder twitch in a shrug. “He could have changed since then. I’ve probably changed since then. Can we go to bed now?”
Arro pulled the sheets over his face. “Sorry.” His voice was muffled. “I know it’s none of my business.”
“It’s really not,” Rangavar agreed. He was still facing away. “Goodnight, Arro.”
Arro still couldn’t fall asleep right away. He heard Rangavar’s breaths even out as he slipped into dreamland, but the larger dragon couldn’t seem to put a stop to his thoughts. What happened earlier when they’d run into that employee was so crazy. He couldn’t believe how crazy that was. That she’d think that. Absolutely crazy.
Arro stared at the ceiling.
He wondered what it would be like to have a companion.