Dammit, none of my shirts fit me anymore! thought Venti as the irritation welled up inside his chest. He held up an arm, the shirtsleeve not even remotely able to reach his biceps. And the waist...it exposed his midriff a bit too much.

The pants didn't meet his stern approval either. They hugged his calves like spandex, and the quads bulged out so hugely it revealed too much of his bulge between his legs. The perils of building muscle, eventually the old clothes would have to be discarded. Sure, he might spare the pants the discarded fate for those rare times he wanted to be all kinky in the privacy of his own home, but today was a day of change.

Today he would go clothes shopping!

He found a pair of shorts and a tank top that still fit him without the fear of being arrested for indecent exposure, and he made his way to the shopping center that was a short jog from his apartment. On the way he called Otis. "Hey, Otis, wanna go clothes shopping today?"

"I guess so. Your blind date with Art went better than expected?"

"Yeah, it did. See you in a couple of minutes? I'm going to Wielder's Big and Tall."

"Sure thing."

Venti enjoyed jogging, even though sometimes he felt like a lumbering behemoth, but the exposure of the fresh air, the sunshine on his face, they were simplistic pleasures that made him feel good about life. The date last night with Art didn't hinder things one whit either. Art insisted on a goodnight kiss, going so far as to stand on the couch to do it. Said kiss turned into a trio of blissful smooches that lasted a good five minutes.

Their next date was this weekend. Valentine's Day. He was determined to get a decent outfit for the second date. Perhaps something in blue.

By the time he got to the doors of Wielder's, the realization struck him:

He never told Otis Art was his blind date.

Oh, you sneaky otter, thought Venti. Otis must have helped Art set the whole thing up in some fashion.

Otis was getting a free lunch today.

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