Progression Ch. 01

Longer Description: Away from home for work, Rory and his mother find a new way to bond, by getting fit together. When she voices concern about her progress, he accidentally convinces her to send him nudes.

**

Having been a momma's boy since the day he was born, Rory had been extremely reluctant to leave her when he landed his dream job halfway across the continental US, to the point where he nearly turned it down.

It honestly felt like he was abandoning her, just like his father had done when he was barely able to crawl. Despite her constant reassurances that she was proud of him, Rory couldn't help but argue that she was just making excuses to make him feel better. It was painfully hard to accept, but he knew deep down that if he didn't bite the bullet now when he was twenty-one years old, he would never step out from the shadow of her skirts.

Those first few months had been absolutely nightmarish. He used to stay up all night worrying about her, his mind awash with every bad case scenario he could dream of. What if she became lonely? What if she got kidnapped? What if she got into a car crash? What if she met some man and he killed her?

Though his job kept him busy, he called and texted her every day, asked if she needed him to come home and told her that he would drop everything to take care of her. She let him down, gently, reminding him that she had been living on her own since she was seventeen and that he needed to focus on himself.

What made him take a step back and realize that he needed to chill the fuck out was the day when she had outright told him that he wasn't her husband and that if he wanted a woman to take care of then he needed a girlfriend. Appalled with himself, he gave her space and forced himself to start hanging out with his co-workers, and every night he fought the urge to bombard her with details of his day and merely wished her a good night.

Half a year later, Rory had a better relationship with his mother. He continued to worry about her living in that big house by herself, but not to the point where he agonized over it. Once she recognized the strides he had made, she welcomed his phone calls and for a time, their relationship was perfectly normal.

Until...

"You're not fat," Rory blurted one fine Spring afternoon. "Your doctor's a moron, don't listen to him."

His phone crackled as his mother sighed into his ear, infinitely patient. "Dr. Kline has been my physician for decades, Rory, he knows what he's talking about. Besides, I'm getting old and need to be more careful with my health."

"You're not old!" Rory exclaimed, appalled.

His mother was only forty-one years old and didn't look a day over thirty. Sure she wasn't a super model and never had been, but to hear herself talk like that, it rankled him.

"Rory," she said, taking on a tone that held no room for arguments, "it's okay. I plan on being around for a long, long time, but in order to do that, I need to listen to my doctor. It's not like I need liposuction or anything. Just a change in diet and some exercise. Besides, I've always wanted to take up yoga; it looks fun!"

Rory chewed on his bottom lip, his gaze focused outside of the balcony of his apartment and at the darkening sky beyond. He knew she was right, getting and staying active was never a bad idea, especially since she had a pretty stationary job as an office assistant for their town's local library. Besides, it was her life, not his. If she wanted to break a sweat at the gym, then he would support her. In fact...

"Hey, I have an idea," he said slowly, his brain racing to put all the details in order, "what if we got active together?"

"What do you mean, honey?"

"I don't need to lose weight but I'm kinda scrawny."

"You're slim," she firmly argued, "just like your father."

Rory smiled wanly. Now he understood how she felt when he got all up in arms a few minutes ago. "I know, ma, but I think I'd look good with some muscle. Maybe then I can finally get a girlfriend..." he grumbled, hinting at his less than stellar dating record. His mom didn't really say anything to that, so he continued on. "We could hold each other accountable and share progress pics and stuff like that."

She cooed, making him smile. "When you put it that way it that sounds really fun. Yeah, we can try that!"

"Great!" Rory exclaimed, spinning around on his heel. He went to his bedroom, where he had his desktop set up in the corner across from his bed. He booted it up and sat down. "I'm gonna start looking for gyms. When did you want to get started?"

"Let me see..." She paused, and since he knew his mother so well, Rory could easily imagine her flipping through her planner, her brunette hair in her face as she tilted her head. "Before the end of the month? I'll need to get some workout clothes first."

"Good idea." Rory's fingers flew over his keyboard, the loud clacking of the keys immensely satisfying. "I'll get some, too," he muttered, half-distracted by his search results.

"This is pretty exciting."

Rory smiled as he clicked through the multiple tabs he had opened, starting first with combing through the gyms' membership fees. "Yeah?" he asked, wincing right after when he saw the prices.

At this rate, he may as well just buy some equipment and do stuff at home. His job paid well but he didn't have a roommate to split the expenses with, not to mention he was still paying off his car. He'd have to do some more digging.

"Yeah. I miss you, y'know," she said, her voice going demure, making Rory pause. "Things have been pretty quiet around here lately and... I just miss having you around to brighten my day."

Rory took a shaky breath. It wasn't the first time she had told him that, but there was something in her voice that made it sound like she was really feeling the loss of his presence. A year ago, he would have taken that as a sign that he should quit his job and move back home, but now he just nodded, pushing the sensation down under heel.

"I miss you too, mom. When I get enough experience here, I hope to find a job closer to home."

"That would be nice. Anyway, I've gotta run. Carol's taking me out for lunch," she said, Carol being her older sister. "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay. Have fun. Love you."

"I love you too, sweetie."

Rory pulled up another tab while setting his cell down, determined to make this work, and began the arduous journey to learning about muscle building and proper diet.

**

One Year Later

Rory chuckled as he struck various exaggerated poses in front of his bathroom mirror without an ounce of shame, a total one eighty than when he had taken his first before pics many, many moons ago.

Following that fruitful conversation with his mom over a year ago, the two had fallen into an easy routine: go over their plans and goals for the month, check in once a week with their accomplishments and setbacks, encourage one another and trade progress pics at the end of the month. And since today was the end of the month, he was doing his due diligence and having a little fun with it.

Back then, he'd been embarrassed to see how skinny he really was in a simple tank top and shorts, his short, ratty hair not helping matters in making him look more than a mousy kid. It had really helped solidify for him that he needed to make a change, and he was so glad that he had.

The clingy tank top that he wore now showed off the ridges of his pecs and the trim shape of his waistline, leaving his arms bare to show off his biceps as well as his tan. His improved diet had helped him pick up some much needed weight, his favored exercises fine tuning any extra pounds into sleek muscle that had landed him many a date (nothing long term, unfortunately, but he wasn't exactly looking for the one). He glowed with youthful energy and felt like the epitome of health, the culmination of everything leading him into evolving his wardrobe and letting his hair grow out to accentuate his piercing blue eyes.

Sometimes he couldn't believe that the person smiling back was actually him, no longer skin and bones but appropriately bulked up with still lots of room to grow, room that he was more than eager to fill out. Flexing an arm while smooching his bicep, Rory rapidly tapped his thumb against his phone, taking a series of snaps before straightening up, satisfied.

"That should do it..."

Photo shoot done, Rory began sorting through the dozens of pics he had taken, aware that he'd gone a bit overboard but not actually caring. As he did so, his mom shot him a text, apologizing for running late and that her yoga class had run a little behind. His lips quirked as he told her not to worry and that he was still deciding which picture to send in for their exchange. She sent a thumbs up, adding that she planned on taking one before hopping in the shower, as she was still wearing her gear.

Rory took a breath and let it out slowly, his mind jumping to the many pictures of her he had saved in a private folder on his computer. To distract himself from allowing his mind to wander any further than that, he finished sorting through his new pics and decided on a simple one, of him merely holding his phone up as he stood half-turned, the angle capturing the side profile of his chest, stomach, and ass, the latter needing more work but looking perfectly shaped in his tight jeans. He sent it along with a link to a new cookie recipe he found to satisfy his sweet tooth, something he still had trouble controlling.

It took a few minutes, but his mom replied with her usual high praise that never failed to make Rory blush, along with general excitement for trying out the recipe at her earliest convenience. She then told him that she was sending him two pictures, which Rory took as meaning he should sit down and prepare himself.

Like clockwork, his heart started to race as he cradled his phone in his hands, one knee bouncing in anticipation as he sat hunched over, his eyes glued to the screen. When it pinged twice in quick succession, Rory took a moment to mentally psych himself up before unlocking it with his fingerprint. He was infinitely glad that he lived alone, because the moment he laid eyes on his mother wearing a cherry red sports bra and matching yoga pants, his cock began to stiffen.

It was nothing less than mortifying, but after months of trying to will it away, he learned to just give into the fact that seeing his mother get slimmer and toned and her boobs more pronounced made him horny.

The first pic, taken with help from the bathroom mirror, was identical to the one he had sent her, the key differences being that she was sweaty thanks to her workout and had a much bigger chest and ass, the former sticking out like swollen water balloons and the latter deliciously fluffy. Her head was facing forward but her visible eye was staring right at the camera, bright blue and outlined by her natural thick eyelashes, her long dark hair done up in a ponytail high up on her head, the strands sticking to her face and neck in tangled graying strands.

Rory forced himself to focus on her progress, on how much improvement she made on her tummy and not just the fact that his mother was becoming his favorite eye candy. He scrolled down to the next pic, this one of a frontal view, her left hand holding up her phone while her right playfully rested on her hip, which she popped out in a flirty manner.

Rory leaned back against his couch, his legs spread wide as his jeans tented up further. She looked so much more youthful here as she grinned back at him, happy and unstoppable, ready to take on the world. She didn't possess an hourglass figure and her love handles were still plaguing her, but thanks to all those aerobics and dance classes she'd been taking, she was probably the fittest she'd ever been since giving birth to him.

He loved looking at her. Her breasts, the slight pudge of her stomach, her thighs, all cozy places for a man to bury their face in. His eyes dipped between her plump thighs, her pose spreading them a little apart, allowing him to easily see the way the fabric of her yoga pants molded to the shape of her pussy. For some reason she never seemed to wear panties of any kind, not that Rory would ever complain. And at this point, he hadn't the heart to tell her, and after taking a moment to readjust his bulge, zoomed in on that area. He bit his lip, wondering what she smelled like down there after a good workout...

His phone began ringing, snapping him out of his stupor. Sheepishly, Rory backed out and answered her call, his cock simmering down at the prospect of being caught.

"Hey, mom," he greeted casually. "Sorry it was taking me so long to reply, you just look more and more beautiful that I get tongue-tied."

She lightly laughed at his antics. "That's perfectly alright, honey, thank you, you are so sweet. But that's not why I'm calling."

Rory sat back up. "What's up?"

There was a long pause of hesitation before she knocked him speechless. "I've been... having doubts," she confessed quietly, "about my progress."

Rory didn't know what to say. He looked at the pictures she had just sent him with confusion, but no matter how much he searched and searched, he didn't see any problem with how she looked. Then, now, or ever, to be honest.

"What about?"

She sighed, sounding perfectly frustrated for reasons Rory didn't understand. "I dunno, everything. I know that I look better than I did a year ago, but... I think I've plateaued. Nothing I've been doing lately is having any noticeable effect. And I'm afraid that... I'm afraid that it's not going to get any better, that soon I won't be able to trick myself into believing that I look good."

"But you do look good," Rory assured her, but he would be a liar if he said he didn't have the same fears about his own progress. Eventually there would come a point where he couldn't go any further, and while painful, he was ready to accept reality. But his mother hadn't reached that stopping point yet, either, he was sure of it.

"How do I know you're not just saying that because I'm your mother?" she argued.

"Because, you-" Rory stopped himself short, his face pinking. He couldn't just blurt out that seeing her toned body turned him on. What would she think, what would she say? "You just do. You look incredible, mom. I don't know how to..." He pinched the bridge of his nose, thinking fast. Words weren't getting through to her. If he were there with her, he would've taken her out on a 'date' and pointed out all the guys looking at her. But since they were miles apart, all he had were words. "Have you... I don't know, have you gotten compliments from other people?"

"Yes," she replied, sounding less than enthused about it, "mostly from people I know. Other times I get hit on by skeevy men."

He winced. He wasn't a woman so he didn't know what it was like, but he could only imagine how gross it felt.

"Okay... um... do you feel like that all the time?" he tried, "Every time you look in a mirror or whatever?"

She didn't answer for a moment, then when he did, she sounded thoughtful, which was a good sign. "Maybe not all the time, no. I... I feel good when I get dressed... now that I think about it, it's usually right after I take a picture. I look at it and immediately my eyes go straight to my flaws. Take the second picture I just sent you, for example. Look at my arms, don't you think they look a little flabby, like bat wings?"

Rory looked at the picture again, purely objectively, but try as he might, he didn't see what she saw. They just looked like arms to him. "All I really see is the tone in your biceps," he said. "We should totally have a flexing contest when I come home for vacay," he added, jokingly.

Obviously not buying it, she plowed on, sounding a little impatient. "Alright, then how about my waist? I have no womanly curves, you have to admit that."

Again, he looked, and again, he couldn't agree with her. "Mom, you're seeing things."

To his surprise, she halfway exploded at him, taking him back to the time where she finally lost her patience and accused him of trying to baby her for living alone. He hung his head, feeling a little shamed.

"No I'm not, Rory! You don't get it," she miserably said. "You bulked up so nicely and I'm still- I'm still fat and ugly."

"Mom..."

Rory felt a stab at pain at hearing his mother sound so disheartened. He wished he could hug her, stroke her hair and make her see that she was more than what a picture showed. He got up and started pacing to work off the nervous energy, his mind once again going into overdrive to work out a solution. He could fix this.

If she only truly felt insecure after taking pictures, then maybe they should stop, or, better yet... change it up. Rory paused in front of the hallway closet, his eyes riveted down on his phone and the pictures she had sent him. The answer was staring right back at him. He just needed to focus. Think. Think. Think.

Rory jerked his head up, his eyes wide with an idea.

"Have you tried taking nudes?"

The silence from her end went on for so long he seriously began to wonder if they'd been disconnected. But then she laughed, sounding appropriately bewildered.

"Excuse me?"

"Hear me out," he exclaimed, and began pacing again, his lips curving with a smile. "You know the saying, 'the camera adds ten pounds?' Yeah well, I think that's what you're experiencing!"

"Oh... maybe..."

"Your clothes might be bulky looking on camera or something," he lied, knowing he was close to getting her to believe him. "Take them off, and voila!" Rory stopped pacing again, feeling giddy at having come up with such a simple solution. "Try it. Start with just a torso shot to see how it makes you feel."

She hesitated, her tongue clicking in an unconscious habit. "Um, okay... but only if you do it, too."

"Me?" he asked, frowning.

"Yeah. It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one doing it."

He supposed that was true... fine. He'll do it with her if it would make her feel better. This entire thing started because he wanted to have a connection with her again; it was essentially more of the same.

"I'll do it."

"Okay," she said with a relieved sigh. "Give me a few minutes."

They hung up. Rory wiped the proverbial sweat off his brow and went into the kitchen to drink a glass of water. He was both nervous and excited to hear her verdict. And if this didn't work, then he was out of ideas, because at that point, her best case solution would be to talk to a professional about it. As much as he wished he could make all her problems go away, he wasn't naïve as to think he held all the answers.

His phone pinged with a message as he was washing his used glass, which he nearly dropped in his haste to dry his hands. He hurriedly thumbed it open, eager to hear if his idea had any teeth, and promptly lost all knowledge of the English language when he opened their chat thread.

Instead of words either confirming his idea or condemning it, he got a picture instead, a picture of her standing topless in her bathroom, her face bright red with a blush and her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, one hand holding the phone up to the mirror and the other struggling to squash her breasts together in order to hide her nipples behind her fingers.

Rory's penis leapt back to attention without a moment's delay, and when she sent him a message simply asking him what he thought, he barely moved a muscle. She sent another, his name and a question mark. Rory blinked, and even though he had just lubricated his throat, it felt dry when he swallowed.