The Beach Bears
Aaron made his way back his and Sean’s spot on the beach, but Sean wasn’t anywhere to be found. He looked around to locate his boyfriend. He then glanced behind him and saw that the cigar smoking man in the pink shorts had another man with him. This man was balding and had a large beard with grey in it. He was thick and overweight with a large gut the hung over light blue shorts that looked vaguely familiar. Just like the other man, this one was also smoking a large cigar.
“Ummm, excuse me,” he asked them, “Did you see where my boyfriend went?”
They both shook their head.
Sean looked down at his phone, hoping he had received a text. A few seconds later, Sean texted him.
Sean: Sorry. Got side tracked. Be there soon.
Aaron: Where are you?
Sean: Down the beach aways. Is the cigar bear still there?
Aaron: Is that what we are calling him now? Not old fat fuck? Haha But yes, still here and has a friend with him.
Sean: Is the friend good looking?
Aaron looked up from his phone and looked at the bearded man in blue trunks. He too was looking down at his phone.
Aaron: Sure, if I was into old bears. Haha
Sean: What if I am a bear when I’m old? Will you still love me?
Aaron: Haha Maybe.
Sean: Come meet me down the beach. Behind the restrooms. I want to give you something ;-)
Aaron smirked and slid his phone into his pocket. He started walking through the crowd. After a few minutes of walking, the crowd was getting thinner and he saw the derelict bathrooms. There were no people around, which was the perfect spot for a quickie he thought.
He walked behind the bathroom. “Sean?” he asked aloud, “You here?”
“Yeah,” a gruff voice came from around the corner. The cigar smoking man in the blue shorts came into view.
“Umm…can I help you?” Aaron asked.
“Aaron, it is me. I’m Sean,” the man said as he held out his arms, with his cigar still in his hand.
“Is this some kind of joke?” Aaron asked in an annoyed tone, “Where’s Sean?”
“It isn’t a joke,” another gruff voice came from around the corner. The other cigar smoking man in pink shorts walked into view.
“I’m Sean. This is who I am now,” the man pleaded.
“Whatever,” Aaron huffed as he turned around to go find where his actual boyfriend was.
“Your middle name is Chester, which you hate. You have three freckles on your right ass cheek. And I have a mole on my thigh that you insisted I get checked at the doctor,” the man called out.
“How do you know that?” Aaron asked as he turned around to face the two men. The bearded man was lifting up his shorts, revealing the familiar mole.
“Because, I’m Sean,” the man said.
“What? How?” Aaron puzzled.
“It is because of me. It was my doing,” the other man said, “My name is Hank and I turned him into an old fat fuck, just like he called me.”
“Okay…” Aaron mumbled, can’t believing he was actually believing this, “Well, I think he learned his lesson. We are both sorry he called you that. You can change him back.”
“I can’t. It is permanent,” Hank flatly said.
“And even if he could, I wouldn’t want to. I like this version of me. It is freeing. I like how I look,” Sean confessed.
“So what am I supposed to do? Date a man who is like 30 years older than me?” Aaron snapped back, “I can’t believe this is happening. This isn’t real.”
“I can also change you if you’d like,” Hank added.
“No way. No fucking way!” Aaron shouted.
Hank looked at Sean, who looked disappointed. “I’m sorry, Sean. Guess he doesn’t love you,” Hank said.
“Is it true? You don’t love me?” Sean asked with sadness.
“I loved the old Sean. I mean the young Sean. Not the old cigar smoking fat bear that you apparently want to be! An old fat fuck as you’d use to call it!” Aaron yelled, tears in his eyes.
Sean’s eyes filled with tears, then rage, “What did you call me?”
“You heard me,” Aaron mumbled and closed his eyes, “I loved you. But I can’t anymore.” He really did love Sean. He was his strength. His entire life. He couldn’t imagine a life without him. The thought made his both filled with grief and anger.
Right when Aaron opened them, Sean’s hand grabbed his head and he planted a kiss on Aaron’s lips. Sean exhaled and cigar smoke poured into Aaron’s mouth.
Aaron pushed Sean back and immediately started coughing, “What the hell, Sean?”
“I’m sorry, Aaron. But it is the only way we can be together,” Sean apologized.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Aaron snapped back. Suddenly his stomach grumbled and expanded. He felt bloated and was in discomfort. “What have you done?” Aaron asked in terror.
“It will be over and done soon,” Sean tried to assure him.
Aaron turned and ran to desolate part of the beach, but he didn’t get far. He quickly felt out of breath and fell into the sand. He held his gut as it grew even more. The newly added weight made it harder to breathe.
Aaron laid in the sand as both Sean and Hank approached him as fast as they could.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening,” Aaron mumbled in agony. Sean kneeled beside him, trying to comfort him. “Why did you do this to me?” Aaron asked.
“I did this for us,” Sean said as he looked over Aaron’s body. Aaron was feeling warmer under the sun. Thick hair was starting to grow across his body. His mustache was also growing longer and thicker.
“Let’s get him up,” Hank suggested. The bearish men lifted up the cubbish man by the arms.
“Thank you,” Aaron said. The smoke of the cigars was starting to smell different to him. Instead of burning garbage, it smelled rich and sweet. It brought a small sense of comfort.
Aaron got to his feet. His gut grew over his waistband. It suddenly growled and Aaron felt very hungry. Instead of his go-to, which was salad with chicken; he wanted nothing more than a fatty burger with a large portion of fries.
“Fuck, look at me. And I’m still hungry,” he said, looking faint.
“If it makes you feel better, I think you look even more handsome,” Sean chimed in.
“You need to fill that gut of yours,” Hank added, “I’ll get you a hotdog. There was a vendor I saw selling them.”
“Umm…could you get me two?” Aaron asked.
Hank grinned and said, “Sure thing, bub.”
Hank walked down the beach. Sean was looking at his changing boyfriend, while Aaron stared back in silence.
“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t imagine living life without you. I love you so much,” Sean finally spoke.
“I love you too,” Aaron said back, “It’s okay. I’m glad you did it. I’m glad I’m going to be an old fat fuck with you.”
Sean grinned and giggled, “It ain’t so bad. Kind of freeing really.”
“Yeah,” Aaron confirmed. His worries of maintaining a fit body were disappearing. He wouldn’t have to focus so much on superficial things anymore; he could indulge in pleasures all he wanted.
After a few minutes, Hank returned with a couple of loaded hotdogs.
“Here ya go, bubs,” Hank said as he handed them over to Aaron, “This will make ya feel better.”
Aaron quickly took a bite, causing a bunch of the toppings to fall onto his chest and belly. Hank laughed and patted his back.
Aaron never ate junk food, but the hot dogs tasted amazing. He finished each one in just a few bites and already wanted more.
“Looks like you enjoyed those,” Sean said with a grin as he pointed to the mess on his boyfriend’s chest and belly.
“Ha, sure did. Better clean this off,” Aaron confirmed as he picked off some of the toppings and put them in his mouth. His belly expanded even more.
Aaron then slowly walked, still adjusting to his newly added weight and gut, to the ocean to wash off. He got down on his needs and splashed up water. As he watched the ketchup and mustard dissipate in the salty water, he noticed a few strands of blondish hair in ocean. He quickly realized it was falling off the top of his head.
He stood up and ran his fingers through his hair. It was considerably thinner. He looked at his hand and there were clumps of hair.
Aaron slowly walked back to Sean and Hank. “I’m losing my hair,” Aaron said.
“Yeah, you are. But you still look handsome, even more so! Plus, your mustache is thicker and longer. I know I wasn’t a fan of it before, but I am now. It suits you,” Sean comforted his boyfriend.
“Thanks, babe,” he said. Aaron did like having his mustache, but never grew it bushy. He could now feel it on his lips.
“Transformation is almost complete,” Hank added, “Just one more thing to do.”
Hank looked at Sean and nodded. Sean knew he had to finalize his boyfriend’s transformation, from twunk to bear.
Sean stepped toward Aaron and took a hard pull off his cigar. Aaron calmly looked up at his 50 something boyfriend. Aaron had accepted and welcomed his fate. He was going to be an old cigar bear, just like him. Sean then blew a thick cloud of cigar smoke into the last of his boyfriend’s young face.
Aaron felt his skin become heavier and rougher. His mind was working a little slower and his vision was a little blurrier. His legs ached a bit, along with his hands. He noticed he now had slight arthritis.
“I feel…older,” Aaron said in a deeper voice. There was a slight raspiness to it.
“That’s cause you are, old man,” Sean confirmed with a smile.
Aaron looked at his partner’s large cigar. He had never smoked before but he wanted a cigar. It felt like he had smoked cigars for most of his life.
“You want one, don’t you?” Sean asked his older boyfriend.
“I do,” Aaron confirmed and acknowledged his craving.
Hank handed Aaron a cigar and a lighter. Aaron place the cigar firmly in his jaw, flicked the lighter and brought the flame to the foot of the cigar. He pulled and puffed away at it, bringing it to life. Thick clouds of smoke left his mouth. Aaron smoked it hard, as if he had been needing it most of his life.
“That’s a lot better,” Aaron said with as he took the cigar out of his mouth and held it confidently, like he had been smoking for years. Like it belonged there now.
“You look incredibly handsome,” Sean said as he admired his partner.
“Thanks, you do as well,” Aaron said. He finally admitted to himself that Sean looked better as a bear. He couldn’t imagine how or why he ever thought differently.
The two new cigar smoking, 50 something year old bears gave each other a smoky kiss.
“Let’s get back to our spots,” Hank suggested. The three bears slowly made their way across the beach.
When they got to their original spots, many other beach goers gave the three older bears looks of disapproval since their cigar smoke filled the area. Aaron, Sean and Hank didn’t care though. They were just cigar smoking bears doing what they enjoyed.
“Oh, I nearly forgot,” Aaron said as he pulled out his phone, “We still have to take a photo”.
“Of course,” Sean said.
The two cigar smoking beach bears walked near the water with the cigars clenched firmly in their teeth.
Aaron held out his phone as the two of them got close. This was the first time Aaron saw what he now looked like. He liked what he saw. He had aged about 30 years. His mustache was bushy. His hair was a dull blonde, almost white. He had lines of wrinkles around his face. This was who he was and who he was meant to be. Seeing himself next to his partner; both now in their fifties, large and smoking, made him smile. This felt right and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
He was glad Sean changed him. Even though they both lost about 30 years of youth, they both gained so much more. They both looked forward to the rest of their lives together, doing what they loved: eating whatever they wanted and smoking as much as they could in a day.
Aaron snapped the photo. Sean and him quickly looked at it; they both thought they had never looked happier.
