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PAGE EIGHT

PANEL ONE: Sitting around the table, like everything’s normal, except Mark looks like he expects someone to say SOMEthing about the wet pants. Paul and his Dad are just business as usual, though.

NARR:
We sat in silence during the meal, Paul and I both in wet pants and no one saying much of anything.

PANEL TWO: Paul washes dishes while Mark dries. Seen from behind, asses are wet, a kind of strange parallel between two different body types.

NARR:
Afterwards, I helped Paul with the dishes while Mr. Stepanov retired to his chair and the TV.

PANEL THREE: The seat of Paul’s sweat pants BULKS out. This should be a truly huge load, because I want the weight of it to be weighing down the sweatpants in the last panel. Paul looks mischievous and merry as he whistles. Mark stares, watching, no longer grossed out or shocked, just… curious.

NARR:
Paul looked over at me as the back of his pants suddenly swelled and sagged. Then he started to whistle a little tune.

PANEL FOUR: The two boys staring side-eyed at each other; Paul looks like he’s waiting, almost daring Mark; Mark is biting his lip like “Oh, why the hell not? I give up.”

NARR:
He stared at me for a long time as I dried the dishes. I knew why, too. He was waiting. And I..I just thought, “Why fight it?”

PANEL FIVE: Mark messes his pants on purpose, gripping the countertop to steady himself as he loads his pants up to his beltline.

NARR:
I pushed until the seat of my pants bulked out. I was willingly, voluntarily messing my own pants!

PANEL SIX: Size comparison from behind. The boys finish doing the dishes; PAUL has a load so heavy it’s hanging down his loose-fitting sweatpants; MARK is standing like a toddler with his legs apart with his obvious bulge in his jeans.

NARR:
We finished doing the dishes in our messy pants, then I said goodnight and went home.