You are what you eat. (18+)

Reine sat on the squashy sofa of Sydney's apartment waiting for her to return to the living room.

Waiting for her to return so he could drink her blood.

"Need any water or anything, hon?" Sydney's sing-song voice called from the kitchen.

Lost in thought, Reine started. "N-non merci! I'm fine."

Sydney was an American grad student on study abroad, and Reine's initial anxiety leading up to this date had centered around whether his English would be strong enough to carry the conversation. It hadn't even crossed his mind that she would clock him as a vampire barely ten minutes in. Not that there was anything wrong with being a vampire per se. It was just that human's could get a little squirrelly about it. It wasn't exactly a polite first date topic.

Though, apparently a first date with Sydney was the exception. She was working towards an MS in pathology, and, as she had neglected to mention prior to their date, her thesis was on vampirism. Reine's English had in fact proved insufficient to decode the rapid torrent of exuberant jargon that had poured from her upon discovering she was sitting across the table from a "real live vampire."

He had been flattered (if utterly overwhelmed) by her obvious delight, and had offered to answer any question she might have. Peering up at him with an almost manic glint in her searching eyes, she'd had only one: "Would you drink me?"

He'd agreed immediately.

But now, sitting on her sofa and twiddling his thumbs while he waited, Reine felt vaguely queasy. This was such an odd situation to find himself in with a near complete stranger. Like most of his kind, he typically made do with blood donated by the organizations that collected it for that very purpose. He'd only had the opportunity to drink directly from a human on one other occasion. An ex-boyfriend who'd gotten curious. Reine had barely gotten a sip down before his partner fainted. Apparently the man had a hitherto undiscovered fear of blood. Needless to say, it had been a bit traumatic for both of them.

"Alright, cutie, how do we do this?"

Sydney's scent hit him before she fully entered the room. The smell of blood was difficult to describe to a non-vampire. In a literal sense it was still earthy and metallic, however, after turning, it had taken on a sort of intangible allure for Reine. Red, juicy ripeness. Syrupy, warm comfort. Sydney in particular smelled amazing. Drenched in a summery sweetness, like plump, spiced stone fruits dripping with honey. Reine had noticed it from that first greeting outside the restaurant. He'd been living as a vampire for most of his life, and rarely did he experience a craving this strong.

But he was pulled from his reverie when she stepped into view and he saw the two glasses of wine she was holding. Alarmed, Reine jumped to his feet.

“Ah! Have you drunk much of that already?” Gently, he took both glasses from her, setting them aside.

Clearly amused, Sydney let him. "Not much of a drinker, huh?"

"That's not it." Reine gave her an apologetic smile. “It's just that alcohol will affect you much more than you're used to.”

"Oh wow, duh. Because blood. Sorry." She snorted a laugh, pushing up her glasses. "Should be fine though. I only had a few sips."

"It really can be dangerous.”

At the unbelievably sincere look on Reine's face, Sydney couldn't help but laugh again. She crossed to the couch, sitting down and patting the seat beside her. Sweet, and obedient as a golden retriever, Reine took it.

"Wanna get started?" she asked.

"R-right now?"

"Whenever you're ready."

Reine averted his ambery eyes. "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

The man was genuinely too cute. Sydney placed her hand over his in a way she hoped was comforting. "Reine, I asked you to do this. I've dreamed of being bitten ever since I was a teenager."

Reine scratched nervously at the back of his neck. "I can't say myself, but I've heard it's...pleasant."

From what Sydney had managed to read on the subject, that was an understatement. Vampire venom was heady stuff. Much came down to the literal chemistry between the given pairing of human and vampire, but if the match was good the experience could be transcendent.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started." Sydney removed her glasses, then began to undo the buttons of her blouse.

Reine nearly jumped out of his skin. "N-no need for that! Your arm will do just fine."

She paused, trying not to sound too disappointed. "Don't you think that lacks a certain showmanship? I was kind of hoping for the full fang-in-neck experience...If that's good with you."

With her sitting so close, her scent washing over him, all Reine could think about was burying his teeth in her neck. "W-whatever you'd prefer," he managed, though his voice cracked a bit.

Smiling in acknowledgment, Sydney shrugged off her garment. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath, and Reine found his eyes drawn to the pretty swell of her breasts, the brown peak of her nipples. Though, if he was honest, he was even more drawn in by the feint web of blue-green veins woven beneath her soft skin. Pulsing in time with the beat of her heart. He closely studied the smooth curve of neck into shoulder, imagining what it would feel like to sink his teeth into—

"Reine?"

"Yes. Sorry. I—Sorry." He took a deep breath, willing his head to clear. Even if they both wanted this, he was the vampire here. He had to be the responsible one.

"I want to watch your fangs come out." Evidently no one else was up to the task.

"Pardon?"

Sydney rose to her knees, shifting to straddle his lap. Before Reine could recover enough to react, she had a firm hand on his chin tilting his head back.

"Your fangs," she repeated. "I'd love to see them extend. Do you mind?”

"Euh, I suppose not?" Reine's face felt hot, but he obediently opened his mouth for her.

Sydney had that manic glint in her eye again, lowering her face until her nose was practically bumping his own. She seemed to have almost forgotten Reine was there at all, tilting his face to the side and tugging his cheek back with her thumb. It certainly wasn't hard to coax his fangs out. The intensity of her study, the closeness of her half-dressed body, her fucking hand in his mouth. Not biting her this instant was testing his self-control to its limits.

"Amazing..." breathed Sydney, oblivious to Reine's struggle. "I always thought they'd descend quicker. Is the speed variable? Do they come out more quickly when the urge to feed is particularly strong? Or does it vary from vampire to—"

Reine grabbed Sydney by the waist, flipped her onto her back, and pinned her beneath him on the sofa. The words died on her tongue. She peered up at him with a look of intense curiosity, as though she couldn't wait to see what he'd do next. Reine felt similarly. His boldness came as just as much of a shock to him. He could hear her heart racing. He was certain his was doing the same.

For a moment, they stayed like that, feeling the movements of each other’s bodies, breathing in each other’s scents. Then, once Reine was certain he was calm enough to practice due restraint, he lowered himself over her, and sunk his fangs into the velvety curve of her neck.

Sydney drew in a shuddering gasp. It was true what she’d heard. The process was painless. She hadn’t even felt his fangs go in, just warm, soft lips to skin, and then a sensation so blissfully euphoric she felt like she was glowing. A perfect moment of floaty pleasure playing over and over again across every nerve in her body. Vampire venom was, in point of fact, heady stuff.

She meant to comment on the experience to Reine. Something academic and official for her “research,” but all that came out was a breathy moan.

Reine savored the sound like he savored her blood. She was delicious. Even better than he could have possibly imagined. Hot and honey-sweet, warming his throat and belly from the inside out. His body eagerly accepted each sweet, rich mouthful, thanking him for finally behaving as nature intended instead of politely sipping from a sterile PVC sack. He had no idea how he would ever go back to bottled blood. Had no idea how he'd go back to any blood that wasn't Sydney's. He felt almost intoxicated.

Time was passing, but Sydney couldn't seem to care how much. She forgot everything other than how good it felt to be held by Reine, used for his nourishment. Her world narrowed to the smell of his lavender shampoo, the warmth of his mouth and his body on top of hers, the soft, wet sucking sounds of his drinking. She was limp, completely at his mercy and thoughtlessly happy to be there. But still, the sluggish cogs of her brain were trying to turn. To process this once in a lifetime opportunity. Somehow, a thought managed to drift to the surface of her consciousness.

"S’it…okay to…” Woah. Speaking was a struggle. “To take this much?”

Slowly, reluctantly, Reine pulled his teeth from her neck, using his tongue to softly lap at her spilled blood. Sydney shivered at the sensation, but her mind immediately felt a bit clearer with the break from his venom.

“There’s no need to worry,” he soothed. “Our fangs have a substance that encourages blood to replenish quickly. It’s not the same as normal blood loss.”

He ran his tongue up her throat, coaxing out a sound halfway between a moan and a laugh, “Y-yeah, hon, I know. I meant for you. How much do you usually take?”

“Half a liter or so…” Closing his lips around one of the punctures in her neck, Reine sucked gently.

“T-that’s what I thought. Pretty sure we passed that a while back.”

“Hmmm, but you’re so delicious. Just a bit more,” he purred.

And Sydney couldn’t find the strength to deny him or herself. She wanted Reine to continue. Next thing she knew, his mouth was back at her neck, and she was once again awash in a sea of pleasure. Only, this time there was something distinctly more…"embodied” about that pleasure. A molten glow, coiling deep in her belly and radiating out. With a sharp spike of interest, she realized what the feeling was.

In her extensive reading on vampirism, Sydney had only found a handful of examples of vampires achieving orgasm through feeding. In such cases the consensus was that the vampires in question shared some sort of mysterious (some said mystical) compatibility with the human’s whose blood they were drinking. However, nowhere in the literature had she encountered an instance of the human climaxing.

But the quickening of her breaths, the pulsing between her legs, the slow, steady swell of pleasure in her middle made her think she might be on the edge of changing that. She let out a breathy laugh. It seemed the paper-thin veneer of professionalism had been almost literally rubbed off this little "academic experiment.”

She was about to explain all this to Reine when, quite suddenly, he withdrew his fangs. He let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Reine?" Sydney said, alarmed.

She tried to look at his face, but his head was lolling between his shoulders, blocking her view. With a violent shudder, he collapsed on top of her, his chest rising and falling shakily as he struggled for breath.

Oh fuck. Sydney struggled to clear the residual fog from her head, running over all the possible causes of Reine's sudden ailment. Blood poisoning? No, she'd have felt that long before him. Maybe an allergy? No, that should have taken effect already.

He was non-responsive, but his heavy breathing told her he was still conscious. Trying to hold off her panic, she shook him. “Reine?” Fuck, for someone so slim he was ridiculously heavy. “Reine. Are you alright?”

She got her hands on his face, pulling it up to examine him “Honey, talk to me! Are you—“ and stopped abruptly when she got a look at the deep flush that spread from his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

Suddenly the last 30 seconds of Reine's behavior took on an entirely new context in her mind. Sydney cleared her throat. "Did you just cum?"

Reine let out miserable little whimper. His voice was so small. If she hadn't been underneath him, she might not have even heard. "I'm sorry. My god, I'm so sorry."

Sydney blinked, feeling somewhat lost. “Uh…” She was unsure of how to comfort him. "Don't worry about it, it's kind of an honor. Seriously. We actually just witnessed a very rare phenomenon."

Reine didn’t respond, but he did pull himself up to sit beside her on the couch. He glanced down at the noticeably damp spot on his neatly pressed slacks. Face going somehow redder, he dropped his hand to cover the stain. The poor thing looked like he wanted to sink into the upholstery.

The silence stretched on.

"Um, you know." Sydney tried to share some of her excitement with him. "It's possible you have some sort of special compatibility with my blood. Do you have any idea what the odds are of a vampire climaxing from—?"

It didn't take "—"M-may I use your restroom?"

The second the bathroom door closed behind him, Reine slumped over the sink. What the hell was that? His orgasm had taken him completely by surprise. Never in his adult life nor his tenure as a vampire had anything like that happened to him.

Reine undid his trousers to clean himself up, disgusted by the sensation of rapidly cooling cum gluing his shorts to his skin. But the moment the zipper came down he let out an involuntary sigh. The relief from the release of pressure on his middle was unexpected. He gazed down at the soft swell now visible on his normally lean abdomen. There were irritated, pinkish marks from where his pants had cut into his bloated middle. In all the humiliation of cumming in his shorts like an over-excited teenager, he hadn't even noticed how full he was. Christ, he was a mess.

With a groan he rested his hand on his achy belly. He burped. Louder than he’d meant to. Wincing at the sound, he glanced at the door for any indication Sydney could hear him. Finding none, he turned on the water, forcing out a few more shallow burps in an effort to alleviate some of the discomfort in his middle.

Once he'd cleaned himself up as best he could and crammed his poor stomach back into his trousers, Reine returned to the living room. He found Sydney, still topless, but having replaced her glasses. She was flipping through a thick text book. As Reine reclaimed his seat beside her, he saw the title. Vampiric Feeding and Sexuality: A Complex Relationship. He swallowed heavily.

Sydney looked up. Her nose twitched. "Is that my mouthwash?"

"Ah, sorry. I should have asked. I thought it might trouble you if I smelled like—"

"—Me?" she supplied, sounding amused. She set her book aside. "You thought the vampire researcher/fetishist wouldn't want to smell her blood on your breath?"

Dear god. "P-perhaps we should discuss what happened between us."

She flashed him a grin. "Well, first off, you were right not to let me do this at the restaurant."

Reine’s laugh exploded out of him, a sort of cathartic release of tension. “I appreciate you making light of it, but I’d like to offer my apologies. I had no idea it would be so—" he shook his head. "I'm embarrassed."

"Please don't be. That was a fascinating, 1 in a million scientific phenomenon." She placed a hand on his thigh, rubbing soothing circles. "Which is to say, extraordinarily hot."

She was looking at him so intensely that Reine felt he'd burst into flames if he didn't change the subject. “A-are you still feeling alright? You should eat something, or at least drink some water. Where’s your kitchen. I can—"

Her gaze hadn't wavered. "I feel fine, thanks."

“In that case, at least let me fetch you a towel. You’re still…bleeding.”

Vampire bites didn’t bleed heavily however, they did take longer than normal to clot. Now there were two jewel-bright drops blooming on Reine's bite marks and threatening to spill over. He swallowed hard against the saliva pooling in his mouth

“Oops," Sydney said, sounding entirely like she didn't mean it. She brought her thumb to her neck, swiping up some of the blood and licking it clean. Reine almost moaned.

"While I've got your attention, I have a theory I'd like to test." The pink tip of her tongue turned scarlet as she traced it softly over her own skin. She certainly had his attention, but that didn't mean he was listening.

“A theory?" Reine took Sydney by the wrist, bringing her thumb to his mouth. He could still taste the traces of her blood. Her spit. He closed his lips around it, sucking.

"Like I said, Instances of vampires achieving climax during a feeding are exceedingly rare. But, there are no known cases of the 'donors' climaxing during the act." A wicked smile bloomed on her lips. "...But I think I might be up to the challenge."

That got his attention. "You...want me to...?"

"Drink me until I cum. Yes." She said matter-of-factly.

"Putain de merde..." Reine swore. He never swore. Unbidden, his fangs extended from his gums.

Sydney smiled, teasing and satisfied. "So you do want more? You sure you're not full?"

She gave him a gentle pat on his slightly swollen belly. Even that was enough to force Reine to swallow back a burp. "I'm starving," he said around her thumb.

Suddenly the digit slid deeper into Reine’s mouth. He gagged lightly, and pulled back, staring at Sydney in shock.

"Careful, pretty," she soothed, stroking a hand over his hair. "I think you were considering taking a real bite out of me."

"S-sorry—" Reine cut himself off with a low moan as Sydney rose to straddle him once more. He hadn't even realized he was hard again until she sat herself on his trapped cock. He welcomed her weight on top of him. Her body was so plush and lovely. No straight lines, all rounded curves. She was soft. Touchable. Edible.

"If you want my blood." She leaned in close. Her hot breath on his ear sent a shiver through him. "I want to hear you beg for it."

Reine didn't even hesitate, a torrent of desperate sounding French pouring from his lips. Sydney caught about half of it. She laughed softly. "En anglais, s'il vous plaît."

"Please," he said woodenly, as though his second language was now coming to him with difficulty. "Please, let me taste you."

Sydney brought her palm to rest proprietarily on Reine's softly gurgling belly. It was already so deliciously full, stretching to accommodate the blood churning around inside it. Her blood. She pretended to consider whether or not she'd let him fill it with even more of her, letting the silence stretch on. Just as Reine was starting to physically tremble with the effort of restraining himself, she gave him her most wicked grin.

"I'm all yours."

At her permission, Reine pulled Sydney tightly against his chest, plunging his fangs into the opposite side of her neck. He wanted to stake his claim on every inch of her he could. She melted into him as he pulled in his first greedy mouthful, sucking hard enough that she gasped aloud. His senses came alive as the thick liquid glugged heavily down his throat, pushing out the walls of his belly. She was digging her nails into his back, but he didn’t even notice the pain. Every touch was exquisite on his extra sensitized skin.

As he fed, time stretched and dilated in funny ways, making him lose all track of how long he’d been drinking. His insatiable, supernatural hunger made it feel as though he'd only just started. The only indication time was passing at all was the rising volume of dense, syrupy blood stuffing him full. And it was rapidly becoming impossible to ignore.

Sydney inadvertently ground herself into his stomach, compressing the already stretched organ. A loud, bubbling groan churned out of his gut, sending up a pocket of gas that Reine forced himself to contain. He was successful, but the pain from the resultant cramp finally overwhelmed his pleasure, forcing him to pull back from Sydney's shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked, sounding concerned if a bit breathless.

"Y-yes. I'm sorry. Just a moment." He winced, clutching at his bloated stomach, trying to ease the discomfort. He wasn't sure if he was talking to it or Sydney when he added: "P-please."

Frowning, Sydney cupped his flushed face. He leaned into her touch, kissing her palm. "I think you might have had enough, pretty. Humans are a lot bigger than blood bags. Can't just drain the whole thing."

"I know what I can handle. Please, just one more moment."

Flushed from pain and embarrassment alike, Reine let his head loll forward, resting on Sydney's shoulder, trying to subtly rub at his aching belly. Another cramp wrung a whimper out of him. Sydney cooed sympathetically, smoothing her soft hand over his back, alternating between pats and circular motions. It felt nice enough that Reine actually felt himself starting to relax. He buried his head further into her shoulder, nuzzling her neck. He was even starting to feel a bit better, when a liquid gurgle sounded loudly in his stomach. He cringed, opening his mouth to apologize for his noisy digestion. But just as he did, Sydney's hand came down between his shoulder blades. One poorly (perfectly) placed pat was all it took to send a deep, uncontrolled belch rolling up from his stomach and into Sydney's neck.

"gwoOUURrphh..."

Reine froze against her like a statue. What did one do in a situation like this and in what order? He should excuse himself, apologize, beg her forgiveness, move his face away at the fucking least. Sydney might have been a fan of vampires, but taking a hemoglobin-reeking belch to the neck was surely a bridge too far. However, instead of doing any of that, he just sat there, paralyzed with embarrassment.

Sydney spoke first. "Did I just...burp you?"

Yes. Like a baby. Fittingly, Reine kind of wanted to cry. "E-excuse-moi—er, excuse me. I swear that was an accident. I didn't mean to—" belch into your neck "...do that.” He still couldn't seem to move.

“Are you—hmph!—Feeling okay?”

Caught off guard by the strangled sound she'd made, Reine finally looked up. When he did he saw a smile tugging at the corner of Sydney's lips. His face rapidly fell into a full on pout. “Are you laughing at me?”

“What? No!” she cried, “I mean…is there a certain light in which what just happened could be looked at as comedic—?”

“You are laughing at me!”

“I’m sorry! Really. I was trying so hard not to.” She gave Reine a kiss on the cheek. It felt like a soothing, cool-compress on his burning skin. “Don't worry. It's completely fine.”

Reine searched her face for any evidence she was lying. "Really?"

"Really." Sydney was quiet for a beat. "...And when you think about it I'm the one who burped you, so really I should be apologiz—Wait! No, sorry. I'm sorry!" She giggled again as he hid his burning face behind his hands.

"You're torturing me," he moaned. But at this point, he was only half serious, and when Sydney laughed, he found himself smiling too.

"Only a bit," Sydney grinned. "Did you free up some room?" She gave Reine's belly a pat. "Cause I'm ready when you are."

He felt a fresh wave of embarrassment at the question, but he had to admit his stomach did feel a bit better now. “You want to continue? I didn’t ruin the moment?”

She shrugged. "It's a natural consequence of feeding. What kind of scientist would I be if I shamed you for it? Besides—" she gave him a wicked smile, "I like hearing how full of me you are."

Blushing to the tips of his ears, Reine gazed up at Sydney. The light behind her turned the wild crown of her curls into a halo that clashed beautifully with her teasing grin. Before he could tell his body to act, his fangs burst from his gums. He plucked Sydney from his lap, setting her on the sofa before sinking to his knees on the floor in front of her. She gasped at the sudden repositioning, but flashed him a delighted smile when she saw him pushing her skirt aside and settling between her thighs. Her pulse was even louder down here. He could hear the beating of her heart through the large artery in her inner thigh, announcing her excitement. The bright jade channels of her veins decorated her smooth skin like lace. The sweet smell of her was making him dizzy.

"Reine," she teased. "Are you drinking me or 'eating' me?"

"Whichever you'd like." He scooped up her leg, kissing along the inside of her thigh.

She let out a shuddering moan. "Hmm. Tempting offer...but I still have research to conduct."

That was all it took before he was gulping down her sweet blood like it was his first drink of water in days. More and more and more of her expanding his aching stomach, filling him way past his limits.

Sydney groaned. Reine's bite felt even better with his lips on her inner thigh. So close to her now sopping pussy that she almost felt the ghost of his mouth on her clit. Intellectually, she knew what he was doing, what vampires did in general, posed an existential threat, but in this moment it felt like a necessity. She focused on the tingly heat spreading from the bite, feeling the beginnings of a different kind of pleasure building in her middle.

A soft whine from Reine drew her attention. He was so so very pretty between her thighs, but a look of discomfort was knitting his brows together. A moment later, he pulled back from her, averting his gaze as he shyly suppressed a belch. Cradled as he was between her legs, he couldn't move far, and she felt his whole body jerk with the effort of holding it back. A bolt of heat shot from her toes straight to her core.

She fixed him with an expression of faux innocence. “What was that?”

"Sorry, I had to…” he trailed off.

“What? Burp?” she supplied.

Reine’s face flushed, his mouth red and dripping with a mix of Sydney's blood and his own saliva. “I’m sorry," He groaned. "I’m so full.”

“I know. Your belly just told me." She took him by his slobbery wet chin, forcing his gaze to meet her own. "You don't need to hold it in next time. No one's being polite here tonight, pretty."

But, despite her directive, Reine was soon pulling himself back again, laboriously choking down a burp. A hiccup shook him, but he kept his mouth closed. He looked desperate.

“Poor baby. Your tummy's so full of me, huh?" she crooned. "Why not let it make a little room?"

Though he looked resolute in his decision not to follow her direction, a second hiccup surprised Reine. It burst out of him in an undignified gasp followed by the belch he’d clearly been trying to keep in.

"GuUOorp!"

His shoulders shot up to his ears, and he seemed at a loss for words.

Sydney wasn’t though. She leaned to stroke his head. “There’s my good boy. Just let it out.” 

Reine’s pupils dilated at the praise, at her touch, but he looked unsure, “It’s…embarrassing.”

“I like that,” she purred. 

She grabbed him by the back of the head, gently guiding him back to her thigh. He resisted for a second, before relenting to his desire with a helpless little whimper.

White-hot embarrassment prickled all up and down Reine’s skin, making him feel like he was flushed from head to toe. He was a glutton. An animalistic creature driven out of his senses by his unchecked desires. As he continued to drink, the feeling didn’t go away. The shame still sat hot and heavy in the pit of his belly, however it did transform into something transcendent. He had never been so aroused by anything in his life. To know that his humiliation brought her pleasure was thrilling.

Against all better judgment, against the protests of his straining belly, his pace became even more frantic, more desperate. The next time air bubbled up inside his over-packed stomach he didn't swallow it back. Instead he lifted his face briefly from Sydney, turned, and exhaled a quiet "hoarp..." before getting right back into it. Disgusting. He was disgusting.

Sydney only sighed contentedly. Well, all right then.

He fell into a rhythm. Drink, turn, burp. Drink, turn burp. Almost like a swimmer, he thought, dimly amused. But venting the pressure in his stomach was a complete necessity in order for him to keep pleasing Sydney. From the sound of her breathing, the involuntary thrusting of her hips, he could tell he was succeeding. He himself was positively ready to burst in more ways than one.

“I-I’m close,” Sydney gasped. “Oh god, I’m really close.”

Reine thrilled at that. When the urge to burp next surfaced he didn't even remove his fangs. His face colored as the hot, damp air blew across Sydney's leg. He could smell his own metallic breath. Disgusting. He was absolutely disgusting. But once again, Sydney didn't react

Finally, just as he thought his belly was going to explode, Sydney did instead. Into the loudest most intense looking orgasm Reine had ever witnessed. He watched her, enraptured by the convulsions of her pleasure, sitting back on his heels and kissing her legs. He felt his last swallow-full of blood pooling heavily in his stomach.

“...ohmygod,” she panted, releasing Reine from the vice-like grip of her thighs. “Oooh my god!”

Reine peered up at her, his face flushing deeper, “Was that…alright?

She brought a trembling hand up to caress his face and nodded. Evidently speech was still a little touch and go, because all she managed by way of affirmation was a dreamy hum. Reine let out a relieved laugh, and was preparing to ask a follow up question when he was hit with a sudden wave of nausea. His full belly churned uncomfortably, and he belched painfully into his fist.

“Oh fuck, you didn't cum," she ran a hand through her hair. "Do you want to keep going?"

Reine almost gagged at the thought. "I-I'm fine. I'm...full."

"Well, I don’t know how I can repay you for that one, but as soon as I stop floating I’m sure gonna try,” Sydney laughed.

Then she continued talking. Something about vampires and science. Reine thought he picked out the phrase "Nobel Prize for cumming," but he was only half listening. The other half was entirely focused on controlling his nausea. He burped again, screwing his eyes tightly shut, when it brought something liquid burning up the back of his throat.

Sydney frowned “You good, hon?” 

With what looked like some difficulty, she pulled herself to a sitting position. As soon as she did, all the color drained from her face, and she slumped back against the sofa with her head lolling on the cushions. That was enough to distract Reine from his stomach. 

“Merde.” He rose to his knees, leaning forward and brushing a lock of hair from her sweaty forehead. "Are you alright?"

She chuckled weakly, “I’ve been better. I feel sort of dizzy. Is that normal?”

He’d taken too much. She was still conscious, that was a good sign, but her eyes were slightly unfocused, and she felt clammy to the touch. Reine was furious with himself. All he’d been thinking about were his own limits, and he’d forgotten all about hers.

“Please don’t try to get up just yet,” he said. He scrambled to his feet, swallowing back the rising contents of his stomach. “I-I...took too much from you, and now you’re weak from blood loss. It should replenish soon, but you have to rest.”

“Oh, yep, that tracks. I’m really—” she tried and failed to lift her head, “Not feeling amazing.”

Guiding her head gently back down to the couch, Reine winced. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, I asked you to drink me.”

“Yes, but I’m the vampire here! I should have known better,” cried Reine. “I know how much it’s safe to drink from someone, and I completely lost track. Where’s your kitchen? You need water and something to eat.”

She pointed him to a door by the windows. Once he was out of her sight, Reine bent over, bracing his hands on his knees and willing the turbulent contents of his overburdened stomach to stay put. The kitchen floor was tiled black and white like a chess board, he noted as tried not to add red to the color scheme.

He took several deep breaths, then straightened up, a long, strained belch practically falling out of him as he did so. Sourcing a glass of water was quick work, and, luckily, there was a loaf of bread sitting out on the counter. With his mission accomplished, he allowed himself one more moment to brace his hands on the counter and attempt to get his stomach under control. He wanted to try and force up more air, but he was nearly certain that wouldn't be the only thing that came up.

Back in the main room, Sydney was lying right where he'd left her, looking mercifully lucid. As he placed his burdens on the end table, she even propped herself up to examine him.

“You don’t look so hot” she said

“I think I drank too much.” As if on cue, he hiccuped. A soft burp taking the opportunity to escape as well. "...Pardon."

Sydney’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re green. Maybe you should lie down.”

A sharp cramp shot through him, forcing him to double forward. By this point he was too full for the contents of his stomach to even slosh, but he could certainly feel the heavy organ shift inside him sickeningly.

“I don’t…think that would help,“ he bit out. This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have drunk so much blood from this nice woman that she nearly fainted, only to go and vomit it all up. But who was he kidding? Clearly it didn’t matter to his body whether or not he wasted Sydney’s blood. Fighting to keep his stomach from purging its contents, Reine clapped a hand tightly over his mouth. It did nothing to stop a dense, rolling belch from bubbling out of him.

"bhguUuOoOrpph!"

It dragged on for several seconds, becoming disgustingly wet by the end. Reine braced for what might come next. But after a few moments of agonizing stillness, his nausea abated somewhat. He considered excusing himself, but elected to belch again instead.

Sydney gave him a disapproving look. Not judgmental or disgusted, but like he was an obstinate child refusing medicine.

"Alright. Come here," she said scooching to make room for him to lie beside her. She patted the space in invitation. When Reine hesitated, she sighed and began weakly peeling herself up from cushions. "If you don't lie down, I'm gonna have to get up and—"

"No, no!" Reine rushed forward, putting out his hands to stop her. "I'll...alright." Reluctantly, he laid down next to her, allowing Sydney to spoon him.

Snaking her arm around his waist, she rested her hand on the swell of his belly. He tensed immediately, but she only hummed soothingly at him, and slid up under the fabric of his shirt. His skin was so hot. Palming the round firmness of his belly, she pushed in ever so slightly with the pads of her fingers. He felt like an over-filled water balloon.

"Mmmrrpp..."

Even just that barest bit of pressure forced another burp out of him and into his closed mouth. He tensed against her, and was clearly about to apologize when Sydney chose to cut him off by squeezing more air up.

"Shhhh," she soothed. "Please, just let me help you." And maybe also prevent you from vomiting blood all over my carpet.

Reine wanted to protest, but Sydney's hand was rubbing the ache right out of him. He found he could no more bring himself to stop her than he could bring himself to stop—

"Uuuaauurrp—urp...hng."

Sydney made a soft humming noise in the back of her throat "hmmm. Good boy."

He flushed, as much from the praise as the embarrassment, but he made no moves to stop her. He'd already surrendered to one of his body's demands tonight, why not this one too?

Sydney's hands roved over his tight, painful belly, causing it to groan and bubble audibly everywhere her touch lingered. Reine did his best to stay relaxed, and let the gas work its way up. A steady stream of soft hiccups and burps burbled out of him. Soon the embarrassment faded to a dull, background thrum. There was no point to it. Sydney was clearly unbothered, so why should he be?

A more substantial belch rumbled up from Reine's belly, and Sydney doubted he even noticed the relieved sigh he let out afterwards. Smiling to herself, she continued her work. As in all things, she tried to be scientific about this. Precise. She memorized the way Reine's face would tighten when she found a painful spot. The exact amount of pressure that would encourage a relieving belch without causing too much pain. The gurgles and groans his stomach would make as a burp bubbled to its surface. How to vary her rhythm to best coax it up. How to prolong it. How to deepen it. It was almost like playing an instrument.

*gwuwrglgrowwgl*

...Though her instrument had yet to make that noise. The angry, liquid groan rumbled through Reine, causing him to squirm beneath the weight of his belly. He inhaled sharply, but overall Sydney noticed his breathing had become shallow. Experimentally, she pushed the tips of her fingers into the soft bit of flesh beneath his belly button.

"Ow..." he moaned, curling in on himself.

Sydney grimaced. "Sorry, hon."

"I-It's—hulk—not your fault."

Sydney was fairly certain she knew what that strain in his voice meant. That tightness in his face. That glisten of sweat on his brow. Stretching back over the arm of the couch she managed to snag her waste bin

"W-what are you doing?" he sounded slightly panicked.

Sydney spoke slowly and calmly, trying not to spook him. "Working on a contingency plan."

"Contingency plan? For what?" he whimpered, covering a tight sounding belch with his palm.

She brought the bin around, placing it on the floor in front of Reine. When he saw it, he let out a defeated little whimper. His voice came out so small "It hurts."

Sydney stroked his hair. "I know. You'll feel better soon."

"...I don't want to get sick." It almost sounded like he was begging.

"Sorry, pretty, but I think you're going to need to let it happen."

Reine wanted to protest, but, as though his body had only been waiting for Sydney's permission, a wave of searing, metallic liquid gushed effortlessly up his throat. It overflowed his mouth, dribbling past the seal of his lips, and he leaned forward allowing it to pour almost gently into the waste bin. Behind him, Sydney was rubbing soothing circles over his back. He hiccuped, the sound turning into a gurgling burp halfway through, and bringing with it a heavy wave of blood and bile.

"Désolé...Je suis...désolé," Reine choked out an apology. Teary eyed, he couldn't even bring himself to look at the mess. Didn't want to confront the ghoulish reality of what he was heaving up.

Sydney only shushed him gently, continuing the comforting circles she was tracing on his back.

⋆⋆⋆

It had already been late, but it was deep into the night by the time Reine finally pulled his head out of the wastebasket for good. He relaxed back into Sydney's arms. The poor thing was absolutely limp with exhaustion. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes. Eventually, Reine broke the silence, his voice coming out hoarse from retching and exhaustion.

"I'm sorry," he repeated for the millionth time that night.

And for the millionth time, Sydney smoothed her hand over his hair and assured him it was fine. Genuinely, it was. Tonight she'd discovered she was wasting her talents in a medical research position. She'd known she wasn't squeamish, but Sydney had spent the last 45 minutes wrapped around a man while he vomited blood—her blood. She evidently had the iron stomach and compassionate disinterest of an ER nurse.

"I'm so ashamed," Reine said softly.

That got Sydney's attention. "What? Why?"

"Why—?" Reine spluttered. "Would you like a list?"

Sydney chuckled, pulling herself to a seated position. She was pleased to find she was no longer dizzy. She grabbed the bread she'd forgotten almost an hour ago, biting off a hunk. "It's late. Wanna stay over?" she asked around a full mouth.

Reine shifted to lounge with his back against the arm rest. It allowed Sydney an unobstructed view of the baffled expression on his face. “You want me to...stay?”

Sydney screwed up her brow. “Of course. But I wouldn’t like getting sick at someone else’s place, so I understand if you want to go home.”

“...You’re not disgusted?”

She took another bite of bread. "Nope."

She seemed so sincere that Reine almost couldn't help but believe her. He was quiet for a long moment. Apparently long enough to make Sydney worry. She frowned. "You can go if you want. I won't take offense if—"

"—I don't want to go," blurted Reine, flushing deep red.

Sydney gazed at him, her eyes smoldering in the dimly lit room. "I don't want you to go either."

"Good..." Reine felt warmth flooding his chest, and he gave Sydney his most sincere—albeit slightly tired—smile. When she didn't say anything else, he felt compelled to continue. “...What would you like to do then? Watch a movie?” He offered lamely. “Or maybe a board game? I saw you have Scrabble.”

"Hmm, both good options," Sydney nodded, pretending to consider.

"Did you have something else in mind?"

"Well, I was wondering. Since you're feeling so much better..." Once again, that mischievous light flashed in Sydney's eyes. "...You wouldn't happen to be hungry again, would you?"