This amazing picture was drawn by  mr.pink! :D

Why's the artist credit right at the top? Cause this one gets a story! -->

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Kate leaned back in her chair, licking the last bit of powdered sugar off her fingers as she savored the final bite of yet another donut. The moment of indulgence was pure bliss, the thoughts of the busy day still to come drifting further into the back of her mind. She glanced down, a blob of red jelly was already soaking into the fur of her bust. Looking further down filled her with a feeling of dread.

A thick splatter of donut filling smeared across the front of her tan shorts, a deep red blotch standing out starkly against the lightly colored and stretchy fabric. She groaned. She had a shoot in less than half an hour, not enough time to go home and change. Maybe she could wash the jelly off her pants? Kate dashed to the bathroom, nearly colliding with Chelsea as she entered.

Chelsea’s eyes flicked down, spotting the mess on Kate’s shorts almost immediately. "Rough morning?" she teased, crossing her arms.

Kate groaned, "You could say that. I have a shoot in less than thirty minutes and Lori overfilled the donuts again."

Chelsea grinned. "Lucky for you, I keep an emergency skirt in my desk. Although it might be a little short on you."

Kate hesitated for a moment, looking Chelsea over. The chipmunk was rounder than her but she didn't have much of a choice. "Fine."

Chelsea disappeared for a moment only to reappear, skirt in hand. Kate shimmied her way out of her tan shorts, the fabric stretching one last time before snapping back to its unstressed shape as they hit the floor. She grabbed the skirt from Chelsea and stepped into it, tugging it up over her hips.

Chelsea, meanwhile, scooped up the abandoned shorts, pulling at the material. "Wow, these are really stretchy," she murmured, pulling at the waistband and watching it snap back.

Kate grunted, wiggling the skirt higher. "Yeah, well, they fit." The skirt was already feeling snug around her thighs, but the real struggle came when she tried to fasten the clasp at the waist. She sucked in slightly, pulling at the two sides of the waistband and with some effort closed it. She relaxed slightly, her stomach pressing harder into the band and forming the beginnings of a roll. It fit, although it showed off more thigh than Kate was comfortable with. If anything it was a little tight.

...a little tight. On her.

It could only mean.

Kate felt the tip of her tail start to puff up, the sensation moving towards her back as her ears flattened. The room seemed to spin slightly as Kate's worldview cracked. She knew she was gaining weight, but the chipmunk had always been rounder, fatter. But now? Now she had no one to compare herself to, no one to make her feel smaller. No one to excuse her overeating. She was the biggest.

Kate swallowed hard, her fingers twitching against the tight waistband. Her mind reeled as she thought back—back to the moment she’d finally let go of dieting, deciding she was done fighting her cravings.

That had been over a year ago.

Her stomach felt heavier just thinking about it. All those meals. So many meals.

Chelsea’s breakroom snacks had been a constant presence. She’d stopped pretending she didn’t want them months ago, grabbing donuts, muffins, and pastries without a second thought. Chelsea never said a word about it but why would she? It was what she wanted, wasn’t it?

Even just a few weeks ago she had dragged Dustin into an eating contest against his will. She remembered the feeling of her gut pressing against the table, expanding with every bite. She had really pushed herself. She’d kept eating and eating, shoveling food into her mouth even as Dustin slowed. They’d taken second place, only losing to a literally elephantine sized couple.

Kate stared at herself in the mirror, heart pounding, but as she continued to look at herself a feeling of calm began to cover her. Her heartbeat slowly began to slow back to normal while her fur de-puffed. She grabbed her tail and smoothed it.

Had anything really changed?

She thought back to last night, curled up on the couch with Dustin, his arm draped around her as she mindlessly nibbled on a plate of cookies. He hadn’t pulled away, hadn’t recoiled at how much softer she’d become. He still kissed her, still traced lazy circles against her side.

Maybe it never mattered. She still looked good. Her fingers brushed over her stomach, pressing against the softness that had expanded over the past year. She was rounder, yes, but was that really so bad? She just had more curves now. Her fur still gleamed under the harsh glow of the office lights. And what? She was supposed to return to dieting? To stressing over every meal and outing?

Fuck that.

"Hey," Chelsea said, snapping Kate out of her thoughts. The chipmunk looked concerned, "You okay? You look like you just had a tiny panic attack."

Kate blinked and turned away from the mirror. Was she starting to blush? "I—what? No, I was just... thinking."

Chelsea raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. You went all wide-eyed and puffy for a minute there. Looked like you were about to freak out."

Kate huffed, looking away from Chelsea. "I just—" She hesitated, glancing back at Chelsea who was watching her closely. She let out a half-hearted chuckle. "I guess I didn’t realize just how much I’ve, uh... grown."

Chelsea smirked, "I was wondering when you’d notice."

Kate groaned, rubbing her face. "Ugh, don’t start."

Chelsea laughed, patting her shoulder. "Relax. You had a whole thing a second ago, but you're still here and everything's fine. Need a pep talk?" Chelsea's grin widened slightly. "Maybe a donut?"

Kate rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips. "No. I’m fine. Just... processing."

Chelsea gave her a knowing look before stepping back. "Well, hurry up. You’ve got a shoot to get to, and I don’t think the client wants to wait while you have an existential crisis."

Kate snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I’m going." She took one last glance in the mirror, straightened her posture, and smoothed out the snug skirt.

Maybe Chelsea was right. She could use a donut. One without filling this time.