As soon as Noah got inside the door of his house, he heard the sounds of weights clanking. He sighed; he knew it had to be Theo.
Noah and Theo were brothers; Noah was 16 and Theo was 13. But they were very different people. Noah had always been an introvert, a boy who focused on his studies and neglected his body, and therefore remained quite thin. Even his face was pretty average. Theo, on the other hand, was the one who had been blessed with both good looks and an outgoing personality. He was athletic and very popular among his classmates.
Both boys had grown up with one parent who leaned in their favor. Noah had their mom, who gave him books and other things to broaden his mind, though she did try to help him get a social life. Theo was closer to their dad, who was once a college football player at a small college and had given him the weight set he was currently using.
Theo frequently teased Noah, even calling him “little bro”, even though Noah was still significantly taller and had a notably deeper voice. Noah, meanwhile, was quite envious of Theo frequently.
Like now, when he stood in the doorway of the basement gym and watched Theo lift. He wore the rose-colored glasses, but aside from the pink tone (and a slight green at the edges), nothing appeared different. Theo was the same old Theo: handsome as a catalog model (which he was, thanks to their dad), built like a young bodybuilder (also courtesy of Dad) and a star athlete. Theo succeeded in every sport he tried (football, soccer, basketball, wrestling, baseball, etc), but his real love was football. He was being scouted by college recruiters 5 years in advance. He was the leader of his class, elected their middle school class president, and enjoyed immense popularity. Especially among the girls, who could barely keep off of him. It was widely known Theo was no longer a virgin; in fact Dad bought him a box of condoms for his birthday. Noah just shook his head as he walked away. These glasses didn’t work.
Theo, meanwhile, would beg to differ. Although he never saw Noah watching him, he knew something was off. As he lifted 25 lb dumbbells, he felt a soreness come over him. He set the weights down, wondering what was wrong.
Theo looked at his right bicep. It seemed to be twitching- no, pulsating. Growing larger with each beat. He watched in amazement as all of his muscles grew bigger, including his chest.
As soon as he could he ran to the bathroom. He saw his reflection in the mirror, but it was different. He looked much more handsome than before. What was happening to him?