Ty racked the weights he was lifting with relative ease. Ever since he started a new protein shake regimen, his personal records have been up by 15lbs, and his body measurements were inching to new levels. As Ty lifted himself off the workout bench he was curling on, his stomach sloshed like a tankard in an earthquake. He’d just chugged a bottle of this growth elixir before rising, and his sudden rise had shaken up a gas bubble. Ty relieved himself of the pressure with a good belch but also caught the attention of a red panda and husky exercising nearby. Not noticing the pair, Ty blushed to himself, embarrassed by the outburst, before shuffling off to another section of the gym.

Hund: Is Ty looking a bit… rounder?
Pan: I don’t know. What do you mean?
Hund: Isn’t it obvious?
Pan: He’s balding? Is the roundness in his head?

Hund let out an exasperated sigh as he placed one hand under his sizeable belly and hefted up before dropping it down with a loud slosh.

Pan: Oh… I would have said fatter. If I were to describe you to someone, for example, I would call you fat, not round.
Hund: (growls) Watch it.
Pan: (palms raised) Right right, sorry. Ty indeed is looking quite round.
Hund: I wonder how he got that way. I mean, I tried stuffing him silly, but the weight usually doesn’t stick.
Pan: (whistles)
Hund: What?
Pan: Well…
Hund stared deep into Pan’s eyes like Cerebus judging a soul in the Underworld.
Pan: From a moral standpoint, what I did was ethical.
Hund: Just spit it out.
Pan: So I ran an experiment involving Ty.
Hund: Ok…
Pan: He let me try one of his birthday cake protein shakes after training me once, and it tasted awful. Super chucky with this weird aftertaste to it. A mockery of a cake. So I took some cake batter in my shop and whipped up my own shake for him. Sweet, smooth and the right amount of viscosity. A vastly superior product in my opinion. He’s been hooked ever since.
Hund: So what’s the problem?
Pan: It turns out what makes a protein shake a protein shake is from a powder.
Hund: Ok…
Pan: I didn’t find that out until after I gave Ty that first protein shake.
Hund: (rolling his eyes) You forgot the protein in a protein shake?
Pan: I thought the eggs and milk were enough protein! He already said he really liked it and he kept asking for more, so I just kept up the same recipe for a while. I tried to add the protein powder in later, but it came out chunky and lumpy again.
Hund: I don’t know what you did, but your shake shouldn’t be having lumps if you mixed it right.
Pan: Anyways, I found that if I replaced the milk in my shakes with cream, it dissolved the powder better. So now it IS a protein shake technically.
Hund: How many calories was that?
Pan: A what?
Hund: Do you not know what a calorie is?
Pan: Isn’t that the amount of energy required to heat one gram of water one degree Celsius?
Hund: Why do you even know that def-
Pan: Is that wrong?
Hund: …It’s how much you must eat to either gain or lose weight.
Pan: Oh
Hund: (pulls out phone) tell me the ingredients to that shake.
Pan: Well first you need 2 cups of heavy cream.
Hund: That’s already 1600 calories.
Pan: What does that mean?
Hund: I think Ty’s usual calorie requirement is around 3500. How many shakes does he usually drink?
Pan: I usually make him enough for 2.

Hund punched the numbers into his phone and then let out a short growl.
Pan: Why do you look mad?
Hund: (grumbles to himself) For someone who cares so much about his waistline, he could remember to check what he eats once in a while…
Pan: Ty drinks 2 shakes. That’s 3200 out of 3500. What happens when you go over 3500?
Again, Hund hefted his stomach up, allowing Pan to see the rolls of fat folding in on themselves against his sides.

Pan: Oh…. If Ty’s calorie requirement is 3500, is yours 35000?
Hund: A red panda like yourself would be at least 100,000.
Pan: Let’s stop talking about calories.
Hund: Good.
Pan: why do you know so much about keeping track of calories?
Hund: Before I dated Tanu, I was all into that kind of stuff. Instead of eating less, I exercised more. I was close to getting abs like Ty until Tanu messed with my calorie tracker. Now I don’t pay attention to it as much.
Pan: Huh? Are you mad?
Hund: Not really, I like I got to eat so that was fun. I could try it again, but the amount I’d need to lift to keep up with how much I’d eat would make this into a full-time job.
Pan: I mean, you could probably quit the bar. Maybe you could be a model for dad bods or be a trainer.
Hund: I don't like that.
Pan: Anyways, why do you care about Ty gaining weight?
Hund: Because I’ve been trying to make him gain ever since I’ve met him and nothing I did work. Meanwhile, you managed to get him that gut like nothing. I want to know.

Pan smiled with glee in appreciation to the closest thing he got to a compliment from Hund. He would gladly spill his secrets to the other dog he admired as much as Ty. But before he could say anything more, another canine person joined the discussion.
Ty: BUAARP! Hey guys!
Hund: Ty.
Pan: Hi Ty! How are the shakes going?
Ty: Great, actually! I’ve really been able to lift heavy thanks to them!
Hund: Anything else different? (jabs at Ty’s stomach)
Ty: Oh, you mean this thing? I’m just bloated, that’s all. Though since you are here, Pan, I should let you know that I’m switching to another protein shake for a while. My manager said he thinks now would be a good time to take on that sponsorship.
Pan: Oh…
Pan looked down at Ty’s stomach in dismay. This may be the last time he may see Ty this soft. Meanwhile, Hund just shrugged. Whatever maniacal plans to further fatten his friend would have to wait. After several exchanging several more bits of chatter, the trio walked off to continue their workout together without further fuss.

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Thanks again to  V1sage for this YCH this time involving Ty! As cuddly as Ty looks here, the weight here is not permanent. This would however be the first weight gain picture on this account. Despite what Ty says not all of that roundness is just bloat.