I pulled my shirt off, dropping it on the bench in the locker room before unzipping my jeans. Stepping out of them, I messily folded them and placed them on top of my shirt. Just as I had taken off my underwear, though, I heard a voice from the door say, "bet you never thought you'd be getting paid for this."
I jumped, fumbling for the pile of clothing before holding it against my crotch in an attempt to hold on what modesty I had left. "Shania!"
The tanned and ponytailed young woman stepped into the room, letting the door swing shut behind her. "What? It's not like we haven't seen each other naked before. Or in other compromised positions."
"This is the men's locker room!"
"Like I said, it's not like we haven't seen-"
"Fine, whatever."
"Anyway." She held out a thin grey bundle. "We're going to be wearing something different today."
I took the bundle in one hand and let it unfold, trying to hold it up for a better look while still covering myself with the other. After realizing that Shania wasn't about to help me or leave I grumbled and turned away from her, letting the wad of clothes drop. Shania gave a wolf whistle and I shot her a look over my shoulder, taking it in both hands so I could see what it was.
We normally wear something like diving suits, but with a little more stretch. Okay, a lot more. This one was different from my normal one, though; for one thing it was grey, and for another it had a logo plastered vertically on either side. "Dynafix?"
"Yep." Shania gestured to her red suit, the letters "BRF" plastered across her stomach. "We're being sponsored, so we gotta wear the logos."
"We've sold out."
"Are you complaining?"
"Hell no. If you're good at something, never do it for free."
*****
As we walked across the beach I noticed that it was a bit busier than usual, with a handful of the people wearing suits similar to ours. "This sort of thing happens a lot at this beach, doesn't it?"
Beside me, Shania shrugged. "There's just something about it that draws in the weirdos." She trailed away, heading for a large hot air balloon basket. One of the people standing by it handed her a headset, which she put on. "Maybe it's something in the water. Anyway, we'll talk about it later."
I waved to her and kept walking across the beach towards my destination: A propeller-driven gondola like you'd see on a blimp with a collection of straps attached to the top. Three guesses as to what - or who - was going to be the blimp.
It's weird, being able to become so big but being completely unable to move normally in the process. They say that there's two ways you can feel when you're inflated - powerful or helpless - and you can tell a lot about a person by which one they feel more.
*****
The ground crew climbed down off the top of the gondola once the straps were connected to me, and I adjusted my headset and lay down on my stomach, head forward. "Ready?"
"Ready when you are, Alan."
I paused to calm my nerves, then took a deep breath.
Air rushed down my throat, quickly filling my lungs before spreading to the rest of my body. My stomach instantly bulged, followed by my butt and chest growing wide and round, then my arms and legs growing thick, dangling down and resting against my stomach. I swelled with air, my belly taking up more of my body as my arms became cone-shaped, sticking out to the sides as they slowly became wider and flatter. I grew as wide as I was tall, then twice that, then three times. I looked down, my chin pressing against the swell of my chest, watching as my line of sight moved forward until I could finally see over the edge of the gondola.
By now I was round, or at least as round as I normally get: My body is completely spherical, but there's still curves where my chest would be, and my limbs are flattened half-spheres with my hands and feet sunk into the ends. I'm a little jealous of the folks who can go completely round; they just look more balloon-like to me. I like to think my size makes up for it, though, and at least I don't grow down there unless air is pumped directly into it. Most guys who do need special suits or else things get really uncomfortable.
I paused, looking down to see that a small group of people had collected beneath me as I grew. Far beneath me; my head had to be at least four stories up.
I winked. "Like what you see?" I shouted.
A few of them broke out into laughter while one gave me a thumbs-up.
"Then you're going to love this," I said, then took another breath.
It's a well-known fact with us that the bigger you are, the faster you can grow. I'm not sure how it works - something to do with the two-balloon experiment - but I'm glad it does or else getting to a good size would take way too long.
My body let out a long, low creak as it suddenly swelled faster, and I felt my suit and the straps shift and pull across me. A few of the people below me took a step back, worried by the ominous noise, and I watched as they grew further and further away as my head rose higher. I was growing by yards now, filling myself full of air and becoming a true human blimp.
"Shania," someone said over my headset, "you're all set."
"Roger that," Shania replied, then I heard the rush of wind as I watched a red sphere rapidly grow in the distance.
Remember what I said earlier when there were two ways you could feel when inflating? For me, when I inflate, I feel powerful. In a matter of minutes I can transform from a normal human being into something absolutely massive and awe-inspiring. My body can stretch and grow to contain an unimaginable amount of air, or water, or helium, making even buildings look tiny by comparison, and every time I grow I stretch a little further and push my limits even farther.
I watched Shania bob on her tethers in the difference, puffed up to the size of a hot air balloon; I was still growing to the proper size in the time it took her to start and finish. In my growing shadow, far beneath me, a woman snapped pictures of me with her smartphone. Behind them on the boardwalk a group of college-age girls cheered on two of their topless friends, their beach ball-sized breasts pressed against the other's as they grew. Behind them in a secluded part of the beach a young woman was busy running an air pump, blowing her boyfriend up into a puffy giant. He was large, but I was far larger.
The gondola straps began to press into me, but I kept pulling in air until they were snug before stopping. The volume of air in me was immense, and I could feel the pressure pushing out in all directions, but I contained it easily. The only things keeping me from being mistaken for a real blimp were my hands, feet and head, and at my scale they were so small as to be barely noticeable.
Over the headset I heard Shania ask, "are you done yet? You look done."
"One hundred feet," I replied. "Give or take."
"Well, I'm set here. You ready?"
"Let's go."
I heard the chatter of the crew over my headset, and the propellers on the gondola whirred to life. The straps pressed into me as I lifted off, carrying the cabin into the air. In the distance Shania rose up, and together we floated through the skies.
"So, you're into getting big?"
I stopped in midstep on the beach, not expecting anyone to sneak up on me and ask questions. Turning, I saw a redhead in a bikini top and jean shorts standing behind me with a sly look. "Sorry?"
She made a sweeping gesture, indicating the green, black and grey bodysuit that covered everything but my hands, feet and head. "Your outfit. Either that or you're a surfer, and I don't see a board."
"Oh, yeah. Why, are..." I paused, looking for the right phrase. Asking people outright if they could blow themselves up wasn't rude, per se, just kind of tactless. "Do you... do it?"
She laughed, pointing to her flat chest. "If I did, do you think I'd go around like this? No, I'm just fascinated by it, that's all." She approached me, gently resting one hand on my shoulder. "You know, I saw you carrying around that blimp cabin. That's quite a size you reached."
"Well, I don't want to brag, but-"
"But let's say you did."
"What?"
"Let's say you wanted to brag and show off." She gave me a coy look. "To me. To a fan."
I had fans?
"How big can you get?"
I licked my lips, looking around at the rest of the beach. The area I was in was nearly empty, with only a few stalls and the boardwalk in the distance. After a moment of thought I made a motion for her to back up and, after one final look to see if the area was clear, I drew in deepest breath I could muster.
My growth was nothing short of explosive. I billowed out in all directions, the sudden influx of air turning my body round and reducing my limbs to domes with hands and feet at the ends. The force of my transformation shoved me off the ground and launched me into the air before I floated lazily back down belly-first.
The woman chuckled to herself, taking a few steps back to give me room. A few seconds later she realized that I was going to need far more than a few steps, and she turned and quickly walked away, gesturing to the boardwalk nearby. As I continued to pack yards on my waistline she climbed the stairs, trailing one hand along the railing until coming to a stop across from my head. There, she leaned on the rail, resting her chin on her hand and watching me grow with a bemused expression, a stark contrast to the awed looks of the few people around her. She wanted to see how big I could get; who was I to deny her?
By now I had to have been at least five stories high and gaining, sucking down breath with enough force to set flags and loose cloth in motion. I was starting to run out of room ahead of me and could already feel a building brush against my side. I focused on the air inside me, trying to grow up as well as out. As my face neared hers my stomach left the ground and I slowly lifted into the air, hovering several yards above her. I slowly rotated to face her, still wide-mouthed and pulling in a torrent of air.
She laughed and gestured with both hands. "Back up a little!" she shouted. "I want to take a good look at you!"
I drifted up and back towards the ocean, adding yards to my waistline by the second. One hundred feet, one fifty, two hundred... as I grew bigger I grew faster, and as I grew faster I grew bigger. By now the rush of air was rolling through my body, rumbling deep and loudly enough to be heard from the ground. I watched my shadow spread across the beach, eclipsing the boardwalk, the shops, the beachgoers, and in the center of it all, the redhead still watching me.
By now I was far larger than even the largest blimp, breathing in with enough force to cause loose papers to swirl into the air and fly towards me. Not wanting to cause damage to the beach I began to slowly roll backwards in the air, my head rising higher as I turned right-side up. I watched as, in the distance, the town slowly came into view, spread out before me. There were still a few buildings larger than me, but they wouldn't be for long.
As I turned, more of the town came into view, but as I grew and kept turning it slowly began to disappear, covered by the curve of my chest. By the time I had righted myself in the air it had long vanished over the horizon of my body, leaving me with nothing but the clouds, the sky, and my own swollen form.
With nothing to distract me, I grew, sucking in a torrent of air. I grew, feeling my skin stretch and pull to contain it. I grew, listening to the creaks and the rush of wind. I grew, ever larger, ever wider, at an unimaginable speed, with a waistline that could only be measured in thousands of feet.
Suddenly I was alerted to a new noise - a faint ripping sound - and I looked down to see a tear form at the neck of my suit, running down and disappearing from my view. I felt it pull away from my chest, then my navel, then the rest of my body. Stretched too far, it tore apart and fell off, leaving me nude as I floated in the air like a flesh-toned moon. By now, though, I was too large to care about things like modesty.
My body rumbled and groaned loudly as I filled myself with air at an unbelievable rate, stretching my titanic form ever larger, but I could tell I was approaching my limit. As the tension rose I slowed my intake to a stop, pausing for a few seconds before returning to normal, albeit strained breathing. Not a moment too soon, too; I could hear the rubbery creaking of my skin and feel it throbbing as it barely contained the incredible pressure inside of me, constantly shifting and pushing out in all directions as it sought release. Even though I had pushed my limits countless times before, now that the rush was wearing off I was starting to feel a little worried. It's hard not to when your entire body telling you that you've gone too far, gotten too big, taken in too much.
But I had done it. She wanted to see how big I could get, and she got her answer.
Of course, I couldn't exactly see her. My view was equal parts sky and me, stretching off hundreds of feet into the distance before curving out of view. I would have rotated down to face her again, but as slightly overinflated as I was, I couldn't move too well. That was even assuming I didn't scare her off by blowing myself up to such a gargantuan degree. I haven't met anyone who could even get close to how big I can get.
In the distance, I saw Shania float over my horizon in her blue and white suit. It was impossible to tell how big she was in proportion to me, but judging from the scale of her head to her body she only looked about ten feet across. As she drew close she blew out the air in her body and walked the rest of the way to my head. Her feet felt miniscule as she approached, and as she stopped and leaned over me I could see she didn't even sink into my drum-tight skin.
"Geez, listen to you. You sound like you're going to explode."
"I'll be fine," I grunted, only able to speak in short huffs. "I just-" I winced as a wave of pressure rolled through me, and my body let out a long, deep groan of protest. "I just need some... time to stretch out. You know... how it is."
"Oh, I know. But what I -don't- know is what it's like to be floating above the beach blocking out the sun and scaring people in town when they look out their window and see a mile-wide balloon hovering around."
I had a rough idea of how large I was, but hearing a concrete figure from Shania was nothing short of awe-inspiring. All this tension, all this air compressed inside of me... I wiggled my toes, trying to wrap my head around them being a mile away. "Am I really... that big?"
"I've flown a mile before. Trust me, you're that big."
"Huh. Last year I was only... half that." I smiled up at Shania, but she continued to glare at me. It doesn't matter how big you are, when someone is looking down at you, you -feel- small.
"What if you exploded? It would be like a bomb going off."
"I'm not... going to explode." My body let out another loud pneumatic moan, and she gave me a dubious look before sighing.
"Look, I know you're all about pushing your limits, but you need to do it someplace where you're not going to roll over anyone or anything. Besides, that woman you were talking to?"
"Yes?"
"She left a long time ago."
I would have shrugged if I still had shoulders. She -was- cute, but nothing worth obsessing over. "Oh well."
Shania sat down next to my head. "So how long are you going to be like this?"
"Until my body... adjusts to the pressure. Maybe... an hour. You don't need... to stay if... you don't want to."
"Nah, I'll keep you company."
"Thanks."
"Hey, what are friends for?"
On Shania's suggestion I decided to spend some time away from the beach. She recommended a spot just a few miles out of town, a plot of wide open undeveloped land, away from power lines and airplane flight paths. It wasn't visited that often, she said, but when I arrived there was already someone there.
She was a blonde wearing a black unitard with a blue stripe running down either side. You know, before I got into this I didn't even know that was what you called leotards with legs. If nothing else it's been a learning experience.
As I approached she gave me a confused look, clearly not expecting anyone else to show up. It was then I noticed that she was... well, she was short. About a foot shorter than I was, and not really... well, endowed. I don't want to sound rude, but she had the bare minimum when it came to breasts and hips.
That probably sounded really rude, but it's hard not to pay attention to other people's bodies when we're all wearing skin-tight clothing.
I waved. "Hi there. It's a nice day for a flight, isn't it?"
She gave a half-hearted shrug. "I wouldn't know. I don't fly."
"Oh. Oka-"
"Why? Do you think you're special?"
"...no?"
She scoffed but said nothing.
"So, um..." It was about then that I stopped thinking before I spoke. "How old are you?"
Her brow furrowed in annoyance. "Twenty-four."
I wasn't expecting that. "Oh, oka-"
"Why?" She glowered up at me. "You thought I was a kid because I was so short, is that it?"
"No! I mean, I-"
"Do you even know what it's like having everyone look down on you?" By now she was positively fuming.
"Wh-"
"Well maybe I should -show- you!" Before I could respond she took a deep breath, raised her thumb to her mouth and blew. Her cheeks bulged as she filled herself with air, gaining in height until she was eye level with me. She inhaled and blew again, shooting up another two feet, and then a third time, growing until I only came up to her hips. She wasn't just growing taller, she was growing more endowed: Her hips were wide even by normal standards, and her chest had to have been at least a yard across.
As she went to blow into her thumb again I said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, I uh... I wasn't really thinking."
She paused, looking around but making a pointed effort to not look at me. "What was that? I could've sworn I heard some -kid- talking..." She made an exaggerated shrug before raising her thumb to her mouth. "OH WELL."
She gave herself a powerful puff and grew again, and I found myself only reaching the middle of her thigh. Another blow sent her even higher, leaving me at knee height. I was forced to keep walking backwards, both for a better look and to avoid being stepped on.
As she grew skyward she began showing more and more signs of her inflation: Each growth was punctuated by rubbery creaks and the deep hiss of air inside of her. Her breasts, huge even in scale, were round, full, and refused to sag, bobbing slowly as they swelled and with each move she made. Her formerly trim stomach had since gained a prominent bulge that only grew larger as she did, swelling up to meet the underside of her breasts. Her legs had become thick, massive trunks tapering down to her ankles, and everywhere else her body was gradually taking on a rounded, weightless bulk, from her face to her toes.
By the time she had stopped blowing herself up she was so tall that I didn't even reach halfway up to her puffy ankles. She let out a sigh, and I craned my neck up to try and look at her head, only to find my view blocked by the giant curve of her stomach and two breasts the size of hot air balloons.
She leaned forward, impaired slightly by the size of her belly, and looked down at me. Smirking, she put her hands on her hips. "Now who's the small one?"
Without replying I took a deep breath. I felt my body stretch as I grew rounder, and as my feet left the ground I tipped forward onto my stomach. My swelling continued as I inhaled, pushing me larger, and as my line of sight crept up her legs I kept track of how large I was compared to her. Within moments I had reached her knees in height, and she had merely watched without saying a word.
Suddenly she turned around, and I stopped, wondering what she was doing. I didn't have to wonder long; her shadow loomed overhead, just before she lowered herself down onto me.
Despite her size being nothing but pneumatic enhancement she was as heavy as she looked. I felt myself flatten out from her bulk, the pressure in my body rising suddenly as I was pressed between her and the ground. As she put her full weight on me I could feel her backside sink into me, my skin matching the contours of her butt. I tried to draw breath again but stopped when she began bobbing up and down, bouncing on me and causing me to flatten and stretch uncomfortably.
"Oh my," she said innocently. "What a wonderful seat this little balloon makes."
You know, before I got into this I didn't even know what a Napoleon complex was.
It was a slow day on the boardwalk. There weren't many people about, the season was just ending, and Shania had an appointment in the city. I had nothing to do, but at the same time there was really nothing that needed to be done. So I took the opportunity to relax in my street clothes and enjoy a small meal at a local cafe.
As I was finishing up my side of fries I noticed a figure in the distance out of the corner of my eye. I glanced over and he quickly looked away, trying to act casual. Wiping my hands on the napkin, I stood, also trying to act casual. It seemed a bit egotistical to assume that he was waiting for me, but just in case he was I didn't want to walk away and force him run after me or something.
My hunch paid off as he approached, giving me a nervous wave. At a glance he looked like he was at least two or three years younger than me. He had dark hair, tanned skin and a lean, wiry build, wearing tight swim shorts and a loose light jacket, both of very familiar material. "Um. Hi there."
He was pretty good looking. I'm not ashamed to admit it.
"Hello."
"Um." He hesitated for a second. "This is going to sound strange, but I've seen you on the beach a couple times and I... well, you've kind of been an inspiration to me and, well, you know... if you're not busy then maybe we could... talk?"
He was just so open and innocent about it that it was honestly endearing. "Sure, why not?"
*****
His name was Luis, and in the beginning he was a little quiet and awkward, but after a while he seemed to relax and open up. He wasn't from the area, having moved here when he was younger with his family. He found out about me shortly after he discovered that he could blow himself up and, well, like he said, I was an inspiration to him (I still can't believe I actually have fans). I wasn't really paying attention to the conversation as much as I was him, though. He kept blushing whenever we made eye contact for a few seconds, and after a while I started doing it on purpose just to see his reaction.
We stopped outside one of the large buildings used for storage, and I had an idea. "Hey, Luis," I said. "I was thinking... how about I blow you up?"
He blinked. "Uh... you mean with a hose?"
"I was thinking a little more personally."
After this he turned the most amazing shade of red. Smiling, I took him by the hand and led him inside, closing the door behind us.
A little while later he recovered his senses well enough to stammer out, "w-w-wait, I-I mean you don't have to do this, I mean I said I liked you but-"
We stopped in the middle of the room and I turned to face him. "I don't have to, no. But do you want me to?"
He stood there, red-faced, mouth slightly open before quietly saying, "well, I mean, if you were offering, I wouldn't say no. Definitely not."
I smiled and gave him a gentle kiss. "Just relax."
Kneeling, I pulled down the front hem of his shorts, taking his length in one hand before pulling in a deep breath. The button on my pants popped and the zipper was forced down as I filled with air, causing my clothing to grow tight against my enlarged body. As I felt the stitches strain on my shirt, I put my lips to Luis and blew.
Luis let out a loud moan, clamping his hands over his mouth to muffle the noise as he filled out. His stomach and backside bulged, and his thighs and arms thickened. I inhaled and blew again, causing the swelling to spread around his sides and to his back, giving him a barrel-chested appearance. A third blow, and his body grew round. His limbs were taking on a conical shape, tapering down to his wrists and ankles, forcing him to spread his legs to keep his balance and making covering his mouth difficult.
I slid one hand across the dome of his midsection as I continued to fill him with air. The definition on his chest and belly disappeared, becoming one smooth curve from his neck to between his legs. More and more of his limbs were absorbed by his body, forcing his hands away from his face. Taking another large breath, I pushed it into him, drawing it out as much as I could. As his body grew his feet left the ground, tensing up, and up above he moaned through tightened lips, followed by an "oh god."
"You know," I said, "if you make too much noise someone is going to hear us."
He laughed wearily. "You're kidding, right?"
I shrugged before inhaling and exhaling again into him. The low domes of his limbs were finally pulled flat against his body as it grew out in all directions, leaving him a large tan sphere a little over my height with shorts stretched across his lower hemisphere. Each blow made him higher and wider, every fit of growth punctuated by a muffled grunt or a sharp intake of breath. It was clear that he hadn't been inflated like this before, or had anyone be this intimate with him, for that matter. I kept wanting to hear more of his reactions, even as his body loomed over me and his sides began to near the walls of the room.
Soon he was over three times his original height, filling much of the room and nearly touching the ceiling. His skin was beginning to grow taut and it became harder and harder to force air into him, so I pulled away, tugging the hem of his oversized shorts back into place. "So," I said, looking up at him. Even though it was out of view I knew his head was somewhere up there. "How was that?"
"Amazing," Luis breathed. "Do you do that often?"
Before I could reply there was a knock at the door. "Hey, are you in there?"
Shania.
I glanced around the room, and my eyes fell on a tank of air and some hoses. Hurrying over, I fumbled with them, trying to look busy just as the door opened.
"I heard you came in here with someone else," she said. She pointed to Luis. "I'm guessing that twenty-foot human weather balloon over there is him."
"Yeah! Yeah." I held up a hose. "He, uh, wanted to be blown up." Then, to him, "nice meeting you, Luis. You can deflate on your own, right?"
"What?" Luis asked. "Oh, uh... sure, yes."
"Good, good. Let's hang out again some time." I put the hose down before heading over to Shania. "So, let's go."
*****
"So..." Shania's smile was either impish or knowing. Or both. "Looks like you helped him out."
I decided to play dumb for the time being. "I sure did."
"Yep." She nodded, swinging her arms as she walked. "So..."
I waited for her to continue. She didn't. "So...?"
"I guess you had fun."
"...ye-"
"WITH HIS DICK!"
"Shania!"
She laughed. "Hey, it's fine if you're into dudes too," she said with a casual shrug. "I mean I sort of figured. I'm not here to judge."
"Trying to be open-minded?"
"That's one way of putting it. I know I've put my head between a few girls' legs and blown a couple thousand cubic feet of air into them. But if he was any indication you have better luck with guys than I do. Most of the ones who approach me want me to bounce on them or pin them against walls or something."
"There's some real perverts in this world."
"Tell me about it."
"Hey you!"
Usually people who didn't know my name and were calling for me approached me from behind. This one, who was bold enough to go "hey you" to a complete stranger, shouted at me from the front. She was about eighteen and... well, she was a tomboy, complete with short hair and baseball cap. Aside from that, she was wearing sandals and a crop top and shorts in that same familiar, super-stretchy, spandex-like material. They looked brand new.
I blinked. "Yes?"
She stopped in front of me. "Help me out. You're some big expert, right?"
I was about to ask what she meant and why she thought I knew anything about it when I realized that, with the way she was dressed, she probably only meant one thing. That and the emphasis on "big." Or maybe I was reading too far into that.
"Help me inflate." It wasn't a request so much as an order.
"Okay? Should I find you a hose, or-"
"No, I know how to do it, I just need..." Her expression faltered a bit. "...help."
"You want me to teach you?" I wasn't quite sure what she was getting at, honestly.
"No, I -know- how, I just-" She huffed and rolled her eyes before grabbing me by the wrist and leading me off. "Just come on."
*****
Our journey ended beneath a high, shady overhang in the outskirts of town, facing a field away from prying eyes. She lead me to a point a few steps from the wall and let go of my hand, which I took as an unspoken instruction to stand there as she continued on for another few yards before stopping, turning, and looking at me like she was expecting me to say something. When I didn't, she asked in an accusing tone, "so you just inhale and keep inhaling?"
"Usually you need to focus on the part of your body that you want to inflate and sort of..." I gestured, trying to think of how to phrase it. "...direct the air into it."
"Oh." It sounded like she hadn't thought of that. "Well, that's fine. If something goes wrong I can just ask you." The way she said "ask" made me wonder if she didn't mean "blame." She looked lost in thought for a second before nodding to herself, and she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before continuing to take it.
She spread her arms and pushed out her chest; she must have done something right, because the signs of her growth were immediate. Not in her breasts or belly, but in her hands. In an instant they went from normal to puffy to fat to rapidly growing caricatures, the curves of her palm growing more indistinct until they simply bulged out and became completely round. Her fingers began swelling like sausages, then growing broader as they took on a conical shape, jutting out of the spheres of her hands. In mere moments there were two balloons on the ends of her arms nearly as tall as she was. If this was her first time, she was doing an excellent job. Kind of.
The tomboy stopped breathing in and let out a sigh, opening her eyes and looking down. Her expression fell, and her head turned from one hand to the other. "What..." Her fingers wobbled back and forth a few inches. "What even."
"That's actually a really good start," I said, trying to encourage her. "If you have that much mobility in your-"
"No!" she snapped. "Just... let me try again."
She took a moment to focus before inhaling again. Nothing appeared to change at first, but then there were two quiet "pops," and I looked down to see that her swollen feet had broken through the straps on her sandals. They doubled, then tripled in size, the toes full and puffy. Unlike her hands they sort of kept their shape, being vaguely triangular with distinct curves at the heels and balls of her feet. They pressed against each other as they filled with air, pushing her legs apart and lifting her up higher and higher. By the time she stopped she was almost three feet taller, with feet big enough to use cars as sandals and big toes the size of exercise balls. She was also quite limber, considering how wide her stance was.
Her toes wiggled and she let out a huff, rolling her eyes. "Great. Terrific."
"I don't know what the big problem is," I said. "You're doing really well."
"Look, just... one more chance." The index finger of one of her hands slowly waved to and fro. "Give me one more chance."
I wasn't really about to say "no." To be honest I wasn't really sure why I was there anymore. Aside from needing that one little bit of advice she was fine. "Okay."
The tomboy leaned back and took a deep, open-mouthed breath, and all at once she changed: Her lips fattened and pursed into an "o" shape, her cheeks bulged comically, her nose grew bulbous, and all over her head simply became spherical. Despite her change she continued to suck down air through plump lips as a deep, hollow hissing came from her. She swelled at a rapid pace, eyes darting to and fro, and for a moment I worried that she might not be able to handle what was happening. Luckily her lips pinched shut with a low squeak, and she blew out the excess air a second later. Still, her face looked like an overfilled parade balloon, and her head was about ten feet around, taking up over half of her newfound height.
I wasn't thinking it at the time, but looking back on how swollen and misproportioned she was, it was actually kind of funny.
She blinked her wide eyes as I backed up to get in her line of sight. "I didn't get bigger anywhere else," she asked, "did I?" Her voice had a hollow, kind of echo-y sound to it.
"No. Why, what did you want to fill up?"
"My boobs."
"Just that?"
"Yes."
"There's more to life than just blowing up your breasts."
Even with her head being a mass of air-filled curves she was still able to give me a derisive look. "Easy for you to say." She looked around. "How do I deflate?"
"You wanted to inflate without knowing how to deflate?"
The toes on one foot wobbled a bit. I got the impression that she was trying to stomp her foot in annoyance. "Just tell me!"
I sighed. "Okay, don't get angry. It's just like inflating: You focus on the air inside of you, then push it out."
She grunted and opened her lips, letting out a series of little puffs but nothing else. Suddenly a torrent of air rushed from her lips, and her eyes went wide as she left the ground and flew backwards over the field, hands and feet rapidly shrinking.
"Wait!" I shouted, running after her. "You're supposed deflate your head -first!-"