Bong! ...Bong! ...Bong!

A clock rang in the background, chiming ten times before finally ceasing, causing Max to pause in front of the stove, his ears perking up. Ten at night already? Time was just flying by! The coyfox dusted off his paws and undid his apron, setting the timer on the oven and making his way to the door that led out to the den. The room itself was dim, the lights low and the area mostly lit by the light of the TV, frequently lit up by flashes from said device. A large silhouette blocked most of Max's view, but he didn't need to see to know that yet another classic RPG, complete with all the modern-day flashiness of today's animations, was being played on the console hooked up at the time. Besides, he was more interested in the person blocking the view.

Deam was resting in a large recliner, one that was custom-made and specially reinforced to handle larger bulks. This was a plus, given that the lupine shapeshifter fit the bill quite nicely, filling the seat with his size. He wasn't exactly fat, no, but he was far from trim or cut; Deam possessed a rather bulky body, laden with a fair amount of muscle, but further shrouded by extra weight that had only grown more over time from Max's encouragement. Thick arms still showed their definition, and his chest maintained some illusions of strength to its appearance, but the broad gut that bulged out beneath it said plenty about the wolf's eating habits. Similar deposits of adipose could be seen across his body with ease, from his thickened thighs to a slightly rounded face, the sharp contours of a lupine jaw hidden behind a second chin and rounded cheeks.

Dressed in a pair of comfortable jeans but shirtless in his casual attire, Deam was more focused on his game than he was on his surroundings, and as a result Max was able to approach unnoticed, albeit unintentionally, and throw his arms around the shapeshifter's broad neck, draping himself across those broad shoulders. Deam jumped slightly, especially at the tickle of the coyfox's scruffy beard against his neck and shoulder, but that look of surprise faded into a broad grin even as he leaned back to nuzzle at his boyfriend's nose. "Well hello there, Max. Is dinner ready yet?”

"Almost, you greedy beast.” Max playfully chided, giving the wolf a kiss on the nose. "But you're gonna need to turn off your game soon if we're gonna catch the ball dropping; you'll be so busy stuffing your face that you'll forget if we wait too long.”

"And you'll be too busy stuffing my face too.” Deam agreed with his own grin, shifting in his seat and letting the footrest slide up so that he could lay back, almost knocking Max over in the process. The effect had the coyfox actually falling forward as he tried to catch his balance, only to land face-first in a wall of black fur, held to Deam's broad chest in a firm hug until he signaled that the embrace was, while romantic, becoming somewhat suffocating. The shapeshifter let go with another laugh. "What? I thought you liked snuggling against me, Max.”

"I still have to feed you, big guy. I like that too, you know.” Deam nodded at Max's statement and waved the coyfox off, returning to his game, likely to find a safe spot to save it and resume later. Max returned to the kitchen, grabbing his apron off of the counter, and donned it just as the timer went off, indicating the completion of the first round of dishes. Several other hot plates sat across the counter, and a metal trolley was nearby for the coyfox to deliver the first course of the meal to his boyfriend. Heaven forbid Deam have to get up; Max had a goal set in mind for tonight, and he wasn't going to let anything get in his way.

Donning his mitts and reaching into the oven, Max pulled out a large pot pie, one that was larger than even a standard pie despite its name. The heavy scent of baked chicken, roasted potatoes, and thick gravy rose even as the door opened, and the coyfox could hear a stir in the next room over as Deam's powerful nose caught the scent. "Don't you move, love! I'll have dinner out in just a moment.” A dissatisfied, but playful whine came from the room, but the shifting and creaking of the chair halted, leaving Max grinning all the more. That chair was already straining under Deam's weight, but that was a given; more than a quarter ton of wolf tended to have that impact on any furniture. But with what Max had in store for the evening, the recliner wouldn't last much longer!

Loading all the plates up onto the trolley, Max quickly pushed the first course out to the den area, where the game had been shut off and the television had been changed to one of the news channels playing the usual New Year's program, some uppity weasel going on about how exciting it was to be in Time's Square, talking about celebrities, etc. It was mostly white noise to tune out during the feeding, but as Max said, he wanted it on the channel so that when the ball began to drop, they wouldn't be fumbling over the remote trying to get it to the right channel and interrupting the feeding frenzy.

But as to why the ball drop was so important, well, there were two reasons. The first was that it was usually a celebration for couples, the signal of a new year together. Naturally, romance was a given on such an occasion. But Max's own reasons included a goal that he had set for himself a few days back, when he had noticed Deam's recliner struggling under the shapeshifter's weight; the ball wouldn't be the only thing dropping tonight! Of course, the frame was still fairly reinforced, and it would take some work to finish in time but... that's why they were starting two hours early. Max grinned almost madly to himself, imagining his gluttonous boyfriend crashing down to the ground to celebrate the New Year; that'd be a show far better than the one on the television!

Deam was already set and ready to go when Max arrived with his trolley, his chair properly reclined so that he could use his belly in lieu of a table; it wasn't particularly hard to balance a tray on his broad gut, as Max demonstrated a moment later, dropping a platter playfully onto that thick black gut. Unbothered, the shapeshifter played along and gave a brief "oof” as it was dropped, only to forget the game when the first plate was placed before him... or rather, the first pan. The chicken pot pie that had just come out of the oven was first, the gravy still sizzling lightly. Though the thing was bigger than an average normal pie, the meal was delivered whole, with nothing but a fork and knife to accompany it. And that was all Deam needed, his ears perking up and his tongue lolling out before he started in on his food.

The knife broke the crust, and the fork quickly speared several pieces of chicken, a few cooked carrots, and a handful of potatoes, looking more like a skewer than a utensil at this point. The wolf was happy to chow down, closing his maw over the whole thing and pulling it all off of the fork at once. Even as he chewed and swallowed, he was already going back for a second round, and then a third, the warm meat and vegetables filling his belly. Soon the majority of the insides were gone, leaving the pie shell and a fair amount of gravy still sloshing about. But that was just as easy to handle; now that the pan had cooled a bit, Deam was happy to tilt it back and slurp down the remaining gravy like soup from a bowl, and then took the time to simply eat the remaining pie shell with his fingers. Soon there was little left of the dish, just a few stains at he bottom of the pan, which was pulled aside by Max and replaced with a new plate the moment it was cleared.

Deam took a moment to pat at his belly, which wasn't yet swollen, but was certainly warm and fuller than before, and let out a rumbling belch to make room; after all, he was still on the appetizers! Max's tail bristled and his ears perked up briefly, but he focused on ensuring that his boyfriend continued to eat, giving that rumbling stomach a few rubs of his own. "C'mon big guy, we've only got a little less than two hours until the ball drops, and I want every ounce of food in you before then! Including dessert!” Deam just grinned and nodded, turning to the next plate set atop his belly; he loved when Max got eager with his feeding.

The next dish was pretty practical and commonplace, a set of six triple-stacked hamburgers, layered with cheese and bacon between each patty, each of which was cooked and marinated in a steak sauce that gave them a bolder flavor than normal, all stacked inside a toasted bun. Finally, the whole construction was drenched in ketchup for that extra bit of flavor and caloric value. Deam licked his lips and took the first one, considering the best way to eat it; the burger was just a bit wider than his maw, so he couldn't just take massive bites out of it... or could he?

With a smirk, the shapeshifter put one hand atop and one below the burger, and with a flex of his powerful arms, compressed the mass into something just a bit more manageable to Max's delight. With his food in a more appropriate position for consumption, Deam easily downed it in five bites; normally it'd take less, but that was a larger volume of food to deal with! Within a minute though, half of the six burgers were gone, though they had hardly disappeared; instead of filling the plate, they were now causing the wolf's midsection to bulge out even further than before. His thick belly now looked noticeably swollen, slightly more rounded than before, but it was hardly full; Deam had plenty of stretch left to his gut, assuming his rapid digestion didn't deal with it first!

The other three burgers disappeared in a similarly rapid manner, and once more Deam was forced to lean back, rubbing at his belly with both paws now. Again, he wasn't full, but there was a definite pressure forming. Max was eager to help, the coyfox putting the trolley aside for a moment and climbing onto the armrest to lean against his boyfriend's side, since there was no hope of sharing the seat with his broad-bodied beau. His own paws dextrously slid up and down the side of that swollen black-furred dome, claws gently scritching the tauter flesh, causing Deam to shiver slightly in delight as his gut was massaged.

Before long, however, they had freed up enough room for the next part of the course; not one, but three massive t-bone steaks that looked like they belonged on a dinosaur, not a cow. The bone was carefully cut around and placed aside, leaving nothing but juicy, well-tenderized meat for the wolf to enjoy. Max didn't even bother leaving out a bottle of steak sauce, knowing his boyfriend's tendencies; instead he had literally emptied an entire bottle for this dish, leaving each slab of meat completely soaked through, with plenty left over for him to dip his food in. Deam dug in with a gusto, forgoing the knife, and instead just grabbed whole steaks on his fork, bringing them up to take large bites out of them. It took less than two minutes to devour the first one despite the size, and once he got his rhythm going, the other two were gone even more quickly.

By now, Deam's digestion was starting to catch up to the massive quantity of food that he had devoured, and the effects were beginning to show on his frame. Plenty of meat meant that he had lots of protein to maintain and strengthen his muscles, but the sheer caloric value of his meal thus far was enough to start adding to his waistline even faster. His belly, which had filled most of his lap before despite its firm roundness, was now starting to inch past his knees with a decidedly softer look to it, stretching out the red tattoos that stretched across it. His jeans were starting to suffer, the fabric squeezing around Deam's wide thighs, and the wolf's waistband was threatening to disappear beneath the spare tire of flab forming around his middle.

But it was only the beginning; Max still had four or five more dishes to serve, along with dessert, and of course there was their midnight toast as well. Until all that was done, the wolf was going to have to "suffer” through the inevitable tightness of his clothing and the addition of more bulk to his frame. But it was obvious from the thump of his broad tail against the back of the recliner that he didn't mind; rather, Deam was already looking forward to the next dish served out to him, his appetite starting to kick into high gear. And Max was just as eager to add to that growing girth, one paw constantly rubbing at that thick mass of flab while the other was already tugging the next plate off of the trolley, the coyfox's muzzle crossed with a wide grin the entire time.

The next plate was a different dish, one Max hadn't tried to make before. A rosemary-and-lemon glazed slab of mutton that could have made up half a lamb was unveiled, still sizzling hot, the juices dripping off of it and soaking the bottom of the plate. The smell was heavenly, a sign that he had done a moderately good job preparing it, and Deam's attention was instantly drawn to it. The wolf practically dived on it, barely taking the time to make use of his fork before tearing off a large chunk and cramming it into his maw, eager to experience the taste. And, judging by the spaced-out expression that followed, he was greatly enjoying it! That blissful haze lasted for all of two seconds, however, the pleasure matched only by the desire to eat it, and before long the plate was gone, and even licked clean; Max took it back with a chuckle, preparing to set it aside and grab a new one.

As he did so, however, a loud ping followed by a metal rattle rang out, and Max nearly jumped as the plate in his hands rang out; it seemed that it hard narrowly deflected a certain small projectile, a button that had hardly been holding anything back while it was still secured to Deam's jeans. The coyfox couldn't help but giggle when he saw the small object clatter to the ground, especially as Deam's belly surged forward a few more inches, no longer supported by that thin layer of resistance, fully sagging across his lap. The shift was enough to elicit another loud belch from the wolf, silencing Max briefly before he started to laugh again, leaning in and giving the massive mutt another hug.

"Ah... that was a good first course. I hope there's more coming; I could still eat a horse!” Deam grinned, to which Max quickly retorted. "Well you've eaten most of a cow, a chicken, and a lamb at this point; I guess you're just moving up the barnyard! Greedy beast.” The last was said lovingly with a playful pat to that hefty gut, setting it to wobbling from the extra fat being built up atop the once-firm dome of a belly that had protruded before. That just earned another grin from Deam, who playfully licked his lips. "Yup, I'm your ever-hungry behemoth... now where's the next dish? I'm still hungry!”

"Alright, alright...” Max chuckled again before quickly grabbing the next plate, pushing it atop that tray-laden belly. It was a more traditional dish he had made before, chicken schnitzel, though this time it was slightly different. "This one isn't my normal recipe; it's one I got while visiting last month. It's just as good, if not better!”The coyfox teased as Deam hardly gave the breaded chicken a second look. Tearing off a large chunk with his fork, he popped it in his mouth, pausing at the buttery flavor and considering it before giving it a thumbs-up; Max concluded that the recipe was worth re-using in the future, given the wolf's approval, and saved it for later.

Next was the main dish, the biggest yet. Rather than a plate, Deam found a large pot placed atop the tray, which created an authentic "oof!” of surprise from the weight pressing down on his belly. The wolf had to shift slightly to a more comfortable position, still balancing the tray, even as Max resumed his spot atop the armrest, reaching up with a large serving fork and pulling up a large tangle of pasta loaded with thick pieces of bacon, seasoned with garlic, butter, and basil to give it a delicious mix of flavors. Twisting the fork expertly in his paw, Max made a large ball of pasta before stuffing it into Deam's maw, the wolf's jaws barely able to reach around the thick sphere. But it fit, and soon Deam was chewing noisily before gulping it down, eager for the next bite. Max was happy to oblige, another fork already prepared, and soon the two of them settled into a pattern of feeding followed by refilling the fork as Deam chewed, and then repeating the process.

Soon enough half the pot was gone, and then three-quarters. By the time they were starting to scrape near the bottom, however, the pace was starting to slow; Deam was having a hard time keeping up, his belly full and properly taut, a thick, swollen sphere jutting out in front of him and putting the tray at risk of falling over. Max quickly adjusted it even as it started to slide down the far side of the boulder-like belly, shifting it back towards the downwards curve towards Deam's broad chest. Even as the last forkful was cleared away, Deam sat back with a huff, paws patting at his overfull belly. Yet, infuriatingly, the chair was still holding, albeit creaking far louder than before; Max hadn't realized that he had gotten such good quality in furniture!

Deam was certainly looking much larger after his progress in the meal, though, and his musculature was falling far behind his flab at this point. His burly chest, which had maintained something of a firm strength to it, had begun to sag and swell with flab, while his neck was a thick collar of fat that pressed up against what must have been four individual chins at this point. Rounded cheeks disguised any hint that he had a wolf's angular features, making him look more like the hog he was making himself out to be, and they dimpled with each expression he made, his muzzle sinking into the flab slightly. His broad shoulders had grown only slightly more so, and as a result his arms were lifted up by the rolls of adipose lining his sides, unable to sit flat against his body anymore. Any shirt he might have worn would barely make it across a third of his gut, assuming he could get it around his barrel-like girth!

His jeans were doing no better, the zipper ruined and the seat starting to tear, revealing the stretched boxers beneath that did little to conceal the mass of flab that was threatening to overflow the waistband. His thighs had burst the seams, and one was actually bulging out through the opening, the fat pulling the threads apart even further than before. And of course, his belly spilled over his lap and down the sides of his legs, masking most of what little remained of his former clothing; only the strained denim around his calves showed any evidence that the article of clothing still existed. And before long, Max imagined that the ywouldn't last much longer!

As he contemplated his boyfriend's bloated bulk, however, Max's ears caught a snatch of conversation from the television. "With only fifteen more minutes until midnight...” The coyfox perked up, checking the nearby mantle, and indeed it was 11:45. Only fifteen more minutes, and though the chair was starting to bow slightly, it was still holding despite its burden. Stifling a whine of frustration, Max looked at his trolley, which was also empty. That left only his secret weapon, and with fifteen minutes left to go, there was no time like the present to unveil it. So while Deam was still digesting the remainder of the pasta, the coyfox darted back out into the kitchen, reaching into the microwave to pull out the night's desert, where it had been kept warm. He didn't even bother to wheel it out, just bringing the whole thing out and practically dropping it atop the wolf's belly.

Another audible oof emerged, and Deam actually looked winded; it was no wonder, given that Max had dropped an enormous cake atop his stomach, one whose pan was larger than the tray it rested on. A thick chocolate cake with melted chocolate sauce dripping down its sides like some confectionery volcano and layered with chocolate shavings was enough to make the mouth water, and Deam licked his lips. It wasn't restraint that kept him from tearing into the cake as much as awe, but Max was all too aware of the time at this point, with only ten minutes remaining until midnight. Quickly he picked up the discarded fork, breaking off a large piece of the massive sheet cake, and stuffing it into that open mouth, surprising Deam with the ferocity of the thrust.

"C'mon you big greedy beast! We're almost there, and I want this dessert gone before the ball drops!” Deam looked a bit surprised at Max's sudden vehemence, but he rose to the challenge; not only was the first bite gone in mere seconds, but he had the fork in his own paw a moment later, and began shoveling large chunks into his maw as fast as he could swallow them. Another groan came from the recliner even as a loud cheer came up from the television as the audience was surveyed once more, but to the obese shapeshifter it felt for a moment like the crowd was cheering for him. Spurred forward, Deam plowed through another massive piece of the cake, a third of it already gone, but still plenty remaining. As the five minute mark rolled around, another third was gone, but he was starting to slow again; the previous dish hadn't digested much, and there wasn't a lot of room left. Groaning, he paused to rub at his belly, panting softly; he was full!

Yet still the chair held, and Max's ears pinned back. There was still a third of the cake left, however, and he eagerly moved into position on the armrest to start rubbing and massaging the wolf's belly to relax it, encouraging him to eat more. Deam chuckled and rolled his eyes and, despite the fullness, took another large bite; he knew that Max would push him to his utmost limit, and frankly, he was okay with that. He loved the feeling of being full to the max, ready to blow at the slightest pressure... and this was no different. So he slowly took piece by piece, bringing each to his maw, straining to down it all. Two minutes left, and about a fifth of the cake was left. But he stalled out again, taking several deep breaths to try and settle himself before continuing.

In the background, the television was still blaring. "Alright, here we go! One minute, let's count it down! Sixty! Fifty-nine! Fifty-eight!” Max's ears perked up again before laying flat as he leaned in, his paws rubbing eagerly against that full belly, feeling how taut and stretched it was. "C'mon, big guy, show me how much you can stuff that belly!” He encouraged, just shy of pleading. "Just a bit more, you can do it, don't let a cake beat you!” Deam nodded, taking another bite of the cake, even as the timer counted down to the last thirty seconds, the ball starting to fall on the television and approaching the stand with each passing second.

"Twenty-five! Twenty-four!” A loud and continuous creeeeeeak rang out from the chair, and Max's ears perked up again, the coyfox looking down even as Deam stuffed another bite into his maw, albeit slowly.

"Twenty! Nineteen!” The creaking was growing louder, and Max could feel the chair's arm quivering beneath him, shaking under Deam's expansive bulk. Yet another bite, and only a small corner of the cake remained.

"Ten! Nine!” The quivering and buckling did not cease, and Max could feel the chair starting to sag, bowing inwards... "Eight! Seven!” Deam halved the remaining piece, popping it in his mouth even as his belly started to groan again with its fullness. "Six! Five!” The shaking grew more intense, and Max heard a loud pop as one of the legs cracked, starting to break under pressure. "Three! Two!” Deam raised the last bite to his maw, slowly chewing before swallowing, finishing the dish and his dinner for the night. And then...

"One!” CRASH! Even as the ball dropped, hitting the stand and setting off fireworks, Max found the chair dropping out beneath him, unable to support Deam's weight anymore, and he fell atop that overstuffed gut, his small weight doing little to burden the half-ton wolf he landed atop. The coyfox landed practically nose-to-nose with his boyfriend, looking into his eyes, and despite the strained expression, Max made out a broad grin on Deam's fattened face. The wolf, wider around than he was tall, at least for the moment, shifted to make himself comfortable on the wreck of his former chair, letting Max stretch out atop him while remaining nose-to-nose.

"Well, I have to say...” Deam grinned, still breathing heavily. "I like this tradition... this is much better than watching the ball drop on television.” Max just responded with his own breathless grin, leaning in closer even as he gave the wolf's belly a firm slap, causing him to gasp slightly. "I agree... I get to watch a different ball drop, instead. You're round as one anyway, you big fat beast.” Rather than retort, however, Deam just reached up and grabbed his boyfriend's head, tugging it down and meeting him in a brief and passionate kiss, the first one of the New Year. They knew that, together, they'd see many more to come.