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It was a damp and dreary winter evening.
Romeo, tired after a long day, stopped at a fast-food restaurant he barely knew. He told himself it would be a “one-time thing,” just a quick meal before heading home.
But as he entered, the warmth, the smell of fries, and the familiar buzz of conversation had an almost soothing effect. He placed his order without thinking too much about it.
While waiting for his tray, he scanned the room—and his heart skipped a beat.
In a corner, sitting alone with a mountain of empty trays in front of him, was Andreas.
The lynx hadn't changed his style: loose T-shirt and baggy jeans.
But his appearance was unrecognizable. His once angular face had rounded out; his arms had thickened, and his T-shirt suddenly seemed too small for him.
Romeo hesitated for a moment, then approached.
“Andreas?”
The lynx looked up, froze for a second, then smiled awkwardly.
“Ah... hey, Romeo.”
“Am I disturbing you?”
“No, no. I'm just finishing... a little meal.”
Romeo looked at the table: two finished burgers, a third half-eaten, and a milkshake waiting to be drunk. He smiled amusedly.
“A little meal, huh?”
Andreas burst out laughing awkwardly.
“Yeah... well, let's just say I've been overdoing it a bit lately.”
They remained silent for a moment. Then Romeo sat down across from him, setting down his tray.“You look good,” he said, more out of politeness than conviction.
“Good is a big word,” replied Andreas, lowering his eyes. “I think I've let myself go. It all started with the gym... then Garry, then the meals, then... I don't know. It's as if I've fallen asleep in my own comfort zone.”
Romeo nodded slowly.
“I understand. I think I'm there too.”
They began to laugh, a quiet, tired, almost liberating laugh.
The silence that followed was not heavy, but complicit. They didn't need to complain or justify themselves: each saw in the other his own reflection, amplified.
Andreas finally confessed, in a whisper:
“I weigh 230 pounds, man. 230.”
“I weigh 236,” Romeo replied without hesitation.
Their eyes met, then they burst out laughing. A real laugh this time, sincere and a little absurd.
“Well,” said Andreas, “at least we've gained weight, right?”
“Yeah. We just didn't specify what kind.”
They stayed a while longer, talking, promising each other, like two children, that they would “take matters into their own hands.”
But when they parted, each knew that saying it wasn't enough.
On the way home, Romeo felt a mixture of tenderness and sadness.
Andreas had held up a mirror to him, and what he had seen had both reassured and saddened him.
Under the streetlights, he walked home in silence, his hands in his pockets.
He didn't feel like eating dinner.
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Romeo, tired after a long day, stopped at a fast-food restaurant he barely knew. He told himself it would be a “one-time thing,” just a quick meal before heading home.
But as he entered, the warmth, the smell of fries, and the familiar buzz of conversation had an almost soothing effect. He placed his order without thinking too much about it.
While waiting for his tray, he scanned the room—and his heart skipped a beat.
In a corner, sitting alone with a mountain of empty trays in front of him, was Andreas.
The lynx hadn't changed his style: loose T-shirt and baggy jeans.
But his appearance was unrecognizable. His once angular face had rounded out; his arms had thickened, and his T-shirt suddenly seemed too small for him.
Romeo hesitated for a moment, then approached.
“Andreas?”
The lynx looked up, froze for a second, then smiled awkwardly.
“Ah... hey, Romeo.”
“Am I disturbing you?”
“No, no. I'm just finishing... a little meal.”
Romeo looked at the table: two finished burgers, a third half-eaten, and a milkshake waiting to be drunk. He smiled amusedly.
“A little meal, huh?”
Andreas burst out laughing awkwardly.
“Yeah... well, let's just say I've been overdoing it a bit lately.”
They remained silent for a moment. Then Romeo sat down across from him, setting down his tray.“You look good,” he said, more out of politeness than conviction.
“Good is a big word,” replied Andreas, lowering his eyes. “I think I've let myself go. It all started with the gym... then Garry, then the meals, then... I don't know. It's as if I've fallen asleep in my own comfort zone.”
Romeo nodded slowly.
“I understand. I think I'm there too.”
They began to laugh, a quiet, tired, almost liberating laugh.
The silence that followed was not heavy, but complicit. They didn't need to complain or justify themselves: each saw in the other his own reflection, amplified.
Andreas finally confessed, in a whisper:
“I weigh 230 pounds, man. 230.”
“I weigh 236,” Romeo replied without hesitation.
Their eyes met, then they burst out laughing. A real laugh this time, sincere and a little absurd.
“Well,” said Andreas, “at least we've gained weight, right?”
“Yeah. We just didn't specify what kind.”
They stayed a while longer, talking, promising each other, like two children, that they would “take matters into their own hands.”
But when they parted, each knew that saying it wasn't enough.
On the way home, Romeo felt a mixture of tenderness and sadness.
Andreas had held up a mirror to him, and what he had seen had both reassured and saddened him.
Under the streetlights, he walked home in silence, his hands in his pockets.
He didn't feel like eating dinner.
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Category Artwork (Traditional) / Fat Furs
Species Lynx
Size 2097 x 1757px
File Size 249.6 kB
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