#accidental stuffing

Xingqiu scowled ever so slightly as he fidgeted at his family’s rather large dinner table. His gaze flickers between the numerous dishes on the table before glancing down at the food sitting on his plate, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep that polite smile on his face when he sees the carrots sitting there among the dish.

Tonight was a rather special night, his family had invited a rather prominent business associate over from Fontaine, this business associate was also a friend of Xingqiu’s father as well. It was no secret that this person was an honored guest which is exactly why Xingqiu had been a bit on edge as this day slowly grew closer.

Xingqiu had been especially nervous today, that slight anxiety buzzing in his chest making it hard to focus on anything else even Chongyun’s normally calming presence had done little to help remedy it, although it definitely helped soothe Xingqiu a bit. This anxiety had caused other problems too, however, with Xingqiu finding his appetite barely there or not there at all so he hadn’t eaten anything all day besides one or two small snacks, a faint queasiness nagging at him throughout the entire day.

Xingqiu always had a rather small appetite and wasn’t really a person to overindulge in food even if it were something he adored. So he can’t help but find himself rather hesitant as he stares at the plate of food that’d been placed before him.

Xingqiu absolutely hated carrots in any form or fashion, finding the flavor of them utterly revolting, and often just the thought of that horrible nearly overpowering disgustingly sweet taste was often enough to either make him gag or feel slightly queasy most of the time. And Xingqiu finds himself biting the inside of his cheek in an attempt to keep from gagging as he gives the food a weary look, his eyes roving over the bits of carrot sprinkled in the dish.

But even without the carrots being present the other problem with the food on his plate was that it was a rather large serving for him especially, just looking at it made his stomach ache a bit. Xingqiu glances up catching his brother’s slightly concerned gaze for a moment before flicking over to the business associate.

The man looks at him, seeming slightly surprised by the fact that Xingqiu hadn’t begun eating yet as those around him had. “Is something wrong,” he asked Xingqiu with a slight frown.

Almost reflexively Xingqiu shook his head, that polite smile on his face. “No sir, I assure you everything is fine. I was just trying to decide where to begin, it all looks so incredible after all.”

The man chuckled, a grin spreading over his face. “That’s good to hear, help yourself to 3rds and even fourths if you like there’s quite a lot to go around.”

Xingqiu merely nodded as he grabbed his fork hesitantly brought a bite of the food to his mouth, he took a deep breath in an attempt to prepare himself even slightly before he placed the food in his mouth. It seems fine as he slowly chews, completely silent as he stares at the table. The taste is a tiny bit strong for his already slightly unsettled stomach but it’s not utterly revolting or anything so he takes another hesitant bite.

The moment he places the second bite of food in his mouth he freezes, his body tensing up ever so slightly as he struggles not to spit the piece of food out almost immediately. Carrots, he can taste that disgustingly sweet taste of carrots spread over his tongue, carrying a slightly earthy taste that would be pleasant to most but just tasted like unwashed vegetables to Xingqiu.

He closes his mouth, gritting his teeth, the back of his throat spasming slightly threatening to make him gag.

But he can’t spit it out. Not only was that disgusting and unsightly it was rude to the family friend who had brought it to the dinner.

Xingqiu gives a soft shaky exhale and does everything in his power to chew, and he does that disgusting flavor only spreads though nearly overpowering as it coats his mouth. Swallowing it is a struggle for him and he can’t help the tiny shuddering breath he lets out once he forces it down.

He does briefly notice his brother sending him a slightly concerned look but Xingqiu doesn’t acknowledge it as his eyes instead return to his plate of food.

Xingqiu swallows repeatedly, almost frantically, trying to rid his mouth of that horrible taste of carrots before it makes the slight queasiness already lurking in his stomach all the more worse. However, no matter how much he swallows the taste coats his mouth and he can feel that slight nagging queasiness begin to grow stronger.

Xingqiu grabs his cups of water and quickly takes a few sips doing his best to retain his composure as he sets the cup of water back down. The taste of carrot is still there although much fainter than before, while the water he just drank seems to settle a bit heavily in his stomach, sloshing around ever so slightly before settling a bit like someone gently swirling a wine glass.

That sloshing sensation combined with the heaviness as if he’d just swallowed a small rock has his queasiness growing stronger becoming an almost cold, slimy nausea that seemed to wash over him briefly.

Closing his eyes and swallowing thickly for a moment, Xingqiu takes a deep breath before eventually opening his eyes and taking another bite of food feeling slightly more confident and determined than before. He just needed to finish this one plate then he could excuse himself and go spend time with Chongyun who was no doubt waiting for him in his room. All he had to do was keep eating and simply drink the water to keep that horrible taste out of his mouth and he would be fine.

~~~

Xingqiu gives a very soft sigh, closing his eyes for a moment as he took deep breaths, swallowing thickly when he notices the faint taste of carrots coating his tongue causing his nausea to spike sharply for a moment.

Xingqiu was uncomfortably full, not beyond his limit but just enough to make it slightly painful. While the water he’d been drinking had helped rid his mouth of that god-awful taste, it had left his stomach feeling even more bloated, and each slight movement he made seemed to send the liquid shifting as it sloshed and swirled in his stomach in a nauseating fashion, attempting to settle.

Still, even he is unprepared for when his stomach makes a rather loud growling noise, clearly rather upset at having more food than it was used to inside of it. For a moment Xingqiu freezes his eyes rather wide, blush rushing to his face when both the guest and his older brother look at him.

Xingqiu quickly glances away feeling absolutely mortified and even more heat rushing to his face as his stomach continues to growl. “E-Excuse me,” he said softly, his gaze on the table before him.

“Ah, no need to be embarrassed,” the guest laughed. “It sounds like you’re still hungry though please help yourself, there’s plenty enough to go around.”

Although the guest’s words are said with kindness, Xingqiu feels nothing but a sense of dread at his words and he struggles to keep his eyes from widening in horror as the man picks up his empty plate and begins filling it with food.

Xingqiu quickly glanced at his brother, sending him a pleading look before speaking up himself. “Please, there’s no need. I'm sure my older brother needs it more than I do.” He’s praying to the archons that the guest gets his hints, changes his mind because it took so, so much work just to force down that one plate of food already and Xingqiu isn’t sure how much more he can take.

His prayers, however, are swiftly denied as the host chuckles before placing the now refilled plate in front of him and if possible this portion is even bigger than the last. “Oh no I insist, you’re a growing boy after all.”

Xingqiu merely gives a polite smile back before turning his attention back to the food in front of him. Just seeing the pieces of carrot sprinkled in the dish, not to mention the amount of food on the plate has the nausea turning and sloshing in Xingqiu’s stomach suddenly grow stronger, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from weakly gagging.

He can feel air bubbling at the back of his throat, more than likely a hiccup or a burp threatening to erupt out of him but he does his damndest to force it back. He feels his stomach grow slightly tighter when he does, both the ache and sensation of uncomfortable fullness as well as the nausea growing ever so slightly as the contents of his stomach slosh for a moment.

Xingqiu closes his eyes for a brief moment as he tries to prepare himself for what he has to do. He could do this, all he had to do was force it down then afterwards he could go spend time with Chongyun, preferably just laying down because truthfully he didn’t feel his best at the moment.

Opening his eyes Xingqiu begins eating, few his brother’s eyes on him the entire time.

His brother is the only one who notices how Xingqiu seems to get paler and paler the longer he eats, how Xingqiu would shift slightly discreetly rubbing at his stomach below the table with a trembling hand, not to mention the way his throat would shift as he swallowed almost frantically.

Both of them know that this definitely isn’t going to end well.

~~~

Full. Xingqiu was so uncomfortably full that his stomach felt as if it were a water balloon on the verge of bursting. Each step he took had the numerous cups of water he drank sloshing violently in his stomach in a nauseating fashion, eliciting low gurgles from the overtaxed organ as everything shifted around struggling to find a place to settle.

And Xingqiu muffles a loud hiccup into his hand not bothering to keep the facade up any longer now that the guest was gone and he was alone. The hiccup however brings with it the horrible taste of carrots which makes Xingqiu cringe, swallowing frantically in an effort to force back the nausea violently churning in his gut.

His stomach was taut and noticeably bloated as he placed his hand on it, the organ shifting beneath his fingertips as it struggled to digest everything, low tense gurgling noises coming from his stomach.

All the food he’d eaten beforehand, now set heavily in his gut like a boulder. His lungs felt as though they couldn’t expand all the way as if he had a tight band wrapped around his abdomen.

The mass of food he’d eaten sitting heavily in his stomach, practically feeling as if it were solidifying into a ball. Every movement he took had his stomach sloshing sickeningly, the water he’d drank during dinner sending that ball of food brushing against the walls of his stomach in a nauseating fashion.

Muffling another nauseated hiccup into his hand, Xingqiu slowly continued making his way to his room where Chongyun was waiting for him.

Chongyun has been waiting in Xingqiu’s room for the other boy to return for quite a while truthfully. This wasn’t anything new to either of them, especially if either of their families had plans that day.

Both of them often spent time together in each other’s rooms, sometimes it was to simply talk and enjoy each other’s presence, sometimes it was for sex but it truly didn’t matter as both of them considered their rooms their own little private hideaway in a sense. Where there were no prying eyes and no need to really hide anything from each other.

Hearing soft familiar footsteps approaching Chongyun looks up from his seat on the edge of the Xingqiu’s bed a small smile spreading across his face, although some part of him can’t help but notice that the footsteps seem a bit heavier than usual. Clumsy almost, which he does find a bit odd considering Xingqiu was anything but clumsy. This small detail has a tiny bit of worry springing to life in the back of his mind however he ignores it for now at least.

As the door to the room opens, however, that small smile shifts becoming a concerned scowl when Xingqiu slowly trudges into the room, his face pale as a sheet, one hand clutching tightly at his stomach like an open wound. Xingqiu looked completely drained of energy as well as extremely nauseous, a soft slurred groan leaving his lips and his grip on his bloated stomach tightening when it made a loud almost harsh gurgling noise that nearly made Chongyun cringe.

Climbing off the bed Chongyun walks over to Xingqiu, his worried scowl on his face the entire time. Now that Chongyun was closer he could see that Xingqiu’s stomach seemed to be incredibly bloated as well, the fabric of Xingqiu’s shirt stretched tightly over his abdomen practically digging into the skin there.

“Xingqiu, what’s wrong? Are you alright,” Chongyun asked as his eyes roved over Xingqiu for a moment.

Both he and Xingqiu flinch when Xingqiu’s stomach makes a harsh growling noise as if snarling at him. What little color Xingqiu has in his face seems to slowly drain away, and he gives a soft slurred groan, swallowing thickly, the sound audible when a wave of nausea rolls over him.

Xingqiu muffles a distinctly queasy-sounding hiccup into his hand, his stomach feeling like someone violently swirling a wine glass. The water in his gut is constantly shifting and sloshing, rolling the mass of food around in his stomach like a ball rolling across a floor as everything he’s forced inside of him struggles to settle among the already cramped space.

“I…feel sick…”Xingqiu mumbles, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment as he clutched tightly at his stomach when pain stabbed out the inside of it. It felt as if someone were grabbing his insides, sharply tugging and squeezing them.

Chongyun bites his lip as he stares at Xingqiu, his gaze full of concern. “Do you think you’re going to be sick,” he asked gently.

Xingqiu pauses looking at him as he blinks slowly for a moment or two, then he gives a soft huff. “I don’t know,” he murmured as he walked past Chongyun and carefully sat down on the bed.

Xingqiu’s eyes are closed as he rubs carefully at his stomach, the overtaxed and abused organ gurgling loudly as it worked relentlessly in an effort to break down everything. Shifting and rumbling beneath his fingertips as it writhed as though it was a living thing with a mind of its own.

His stomach almost felt like a warm water balloon, the water sloshing and churning in him like a whirlpool rolling the mass of food around in his gut. The contents of it practically boiled and bubbled inside of him.

He swallows thickly forcing back the air bubbling at the back of his throat, along with the saliva filling his mouth both of these actions are a mistake because it feels as if his stomach grows even tighter due to the trapped air, while the saliva only seemingly adds to his already full stomach.

Chongyun tries to be careful as he sits on the bed beside Xingqiu, not wanting to upset his clearly volatile stomach even further but even then it’s not careful enough as Xingqiu gives a low groan when he’s jostled slightly.

A hiccup bubbles out of him and if possible Chongyun thinks he sees Xingqiu grow a shade or two paler.  Xingqiu closes his eyes for a moment, swallowing thickly when the jostling makes his stomach slosh sickeningly, a strong wave of nausea rolling over him, eliciting a soft groan from him.

He tries to take deep breaths but it’s hard to do so when he can barely breathe around the mass of food in his gut.

Xingqiu is regretting even attending the dinner in the first place truthfully. His stomach wasn’t particularly used to big portions and it definitely wasn’t used to him gorging himself as he had done at the dinner.

And yet some part of him feels bad because the guest clearly meant well and no doubt had no clue that Xingqiu wasn’t a big eater nor that he absolutely hated carrots.

“Is there anything I can do to help,” Chongyun asked as his eyes glanced down at Xingqiu’s stomach. He can clearly see the fabric of Xingqiu’s shirt digging into his stomach, straining tightly against the bloated area. He has no doubt that Xingqiu is in a lot of pain.

Xingqiu is quiet for a moment before he cracks one eye open and eventually nods. “Can you rub my stomach, please? For some reason when I do it, it doesn’t work.”

Chongyun froze for a brief moment before nodding. “Sure, I’ll help. Come here.” Chongyun knows that he’s just helping Xingqiu and that there was nothing really strange about it, but some part of him, a part he always kept suppressed can’t help but feel slightly flustered.

Xingqiu sighs as he lays his head in Chongyun’s lap, stretching a bit and shifting to get comfortable before eventually giving a soft huff as he laid out on his back one hand still clutching tightly at his stomach. He grimaces slightly when a cramp twists sharply at his stomach, that dull ache and pressure leaving him feeling as though someone was squeezing his stomach.

For a moment or two Chongyun looks down at him, his eyes roving across Xingqiu’s face simply watching him, taking the brief moment to take in those familiar features he loved so much. Those long beautiful almost delicate eyelashes, his soft lips that Chongyun found his eyes frequently drawn to whenever Xingqiu spoke.

Xingqiu frowns slightly, opening his eyes a bit, those honey-colored irises looking up at Chongyun. “What’s wrong,” he asked softly, confused as to why Chongyun wasn’t rubbing his stomach.

Chongyun shakes his head, both to give Xingqiu a response and to clear his mind. “It’s nothing, I was just worried about hurting you.” What Chongyun says isn’t completely a lie but he has a feeling that he’ll be teased if he tells Xingqiu the truth.

At that Xingqiu gives a soft snort, a slight look of amusement crawling across his features only to be replaced by a grimace when his stomach made a loud, tense gurgling that sent pain darting across the entirety of his stomach. The clearly overtaxed organ having a bit of trouble getting everything in it to settle down.

Xingqiu gives a huff, narrowing his eyes a bit at the pain before his free hand reaches up, patting Chongyun’s head as a slight smile spreads across his face. “Trust me Yun, I highly doubt you can do anything to hurt me right now,” he told him, trying to reassure him.

It is only when Chongyun merely gives a nod that Xingqiu lowers his hand and closes his eyes again.

Taking a deep breath to calm his mind and prepare himself, Chongyun reaches out. He does his best to work quickly, methodically almost as he unbuttons Xingqiu’s shirt to at least ease the pain on his stomach a tiny bit, trying his best not to think about how this scene is reminiscent of another one in his memory.

Still, despite the mental preparations Chongyun takes he isn’t prepared for the loud moan that leaves Xingqiu’s mouth as he loosened the last button, Chongyun freezes his eyes wide as he starts to feel heat rushing to his face. This was bad. Very bad. It would seem that Xingqiu could be dangerous even when he wasn’t trying to be.

“Oooh Archons, that feels a bit better,” Xingqiu muttered as he shifted slightly. His stomach is still killing him and the nausea is still relentlessly crashing over him in waves, but the pressure that’d been squeezing at his stomach relentlessly like a rubber band eases up ever so slightly.

Chongyun takes a deep breath, doing his best to imagine the cold mountain cliffs of dragonspine in an effort to keep himself calm and under uncontrol. Then he reaches out again, gently placing his hand on Xingqiu’s stomach and he can’t help but be surprised by what he feels there, his eyes widening in shock.

The taunt heaviness of Xingqiu’s stomach presses back against his hand, the contents sloshing and swirling under his touch like a warm water balloon. The area is very soft and plush, jiggly almost at the moment, but Chongyun can feel the tension and tightness lurking beneath the surface completely packed with a combination of liquid and food.

It gurgles loudly as it sloshes and shifts practically rippling beneath Chongyun’s fingers sounding a lot like a pot of water threatening to boil over as it does its best to break everything stuffed inside of it down. Chongyun would be lying if he said it wasn’t at least somewhat morbidly fascinating, especially since he can’t remember a time he’s ever seen Xingqiu eat this much food.

Xingqiu grimaces, his body tensing up and his eyes squeezing shut as he writhes for a moment in Chongyun’s lap and Chongyun can’t help but cringe in sympathy when Xingqiu’s stomach makes a harsh, tense gurgling noise practically screaming at Xingqiu for putting himself in this condition.

Gritting his teeth Xingqiu sighs before opening his eyes ever so slightly for a moment. “I’m fine, you can keep going,” he reassured Chongyun softly giving the other boy a small nod as he spoke before closing his eyes once more.

“Right,” Chongyun murmured more than a little concerned by Xingqiu’s current state and unable to stop himself from feeling a bit guilty over his thoughts from earlier.

Despite Xingqiu’s reassurance, Chongyun is still hesitant as he applies a bit more pressure glancing at Xingqiu’s face for any type of change that would tell him it was too much. However, there is none, as Xingqiu simply lays there breathing deeply and his eyes closed, in fact, if Chongyun didn’t know any bettered he’d swear Xingqiu had drifted off to sleep somehow.

“How did this happen,” Chongyun asked as he began to move his hand carefully along Xingqiu’s stomach. Chongyun’s fingers sink ever so slightly into the currently plush skin, he can feel his stomach shifting beneath his fingertips as it sloshed and swirled, loud, tense gurgling noises coming from it as it does its damnedest to digest everything, its wriggling, and rippling reminding Chongyun all too much of a water balloon.

Xingqiu’s skin was soft and warm as well, Chongyun knew this better than anyone but this is different it's squishy almost not unpleasant to the touch either. And Chongyun can’t help but glance away briefly, his heart pounding slightly in his chest when Xingqiu moans softly, shifting a bit as he tries to lean into Chongyun’s touch clearly chasing relief.

Chongyun naturally ran colder than most people, and sometimes when Xingqiu got a bad migraine Chongyun would place a hand on the back of his neck which always seemed to help a bit, neither of them knew why truthfully, it just did. And it seemed to be helping Xingqiu’s stomach ache a bit as well thankfully.

Xingqiu muffled a soft hiccup into his hand before giving a soft huff and shaking his head. “I ate too much,” he murmured despite the answer being very obvious considering his current state.

At his words the look on Chongyun’s face becomes one of sympathy, he knows better than anyone that Xingqiu isn’t a person who overindulges on food, especially not to this level so Chongyun knows that he must’ve had little to no choice to do so. “I know that must’ve been very hard for you,” Chongyun told him, his tone gentle and soft barely above a whisper as if he’s afraid of disturbing this moment between them.

It honestly feels as if they’re in their own little world at the moment and under different circumstances they both would’ve definitely enjoyed it a lot more. Still, they’d both be lying if they didn’t admit that just being alone in one another’s presence was soothing enough.

Xingqiu cracks his eyes open slightly, giving a soft snort, the faint hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “After the first plate of food, it was already too much. I just…figured he’d take the hint at some point.” While his words are seemingly harsh Chongyun can tell that Xingqiu is more venting his frustrations than actually angry considering there’s no venom in his voice.

Chongyun nodded as he continued to rub Xingqiu’s stomach, his fingers moving slowly as he carefully works his way down the soft expanse of Xingqiu’s stomach, doing his best not to think about how soft the skin there is. His fingers apply the slightest bit of firm pressure in an effort to ease some of the tightness and cramping in Xingqiu’s stomach. It gurgles loudly beneath his fingers sounding as if it were a pot of water on a stove threatening to boil over.

“You really did eat a lot,” Chongyun muttered almost absentmindedly as he worked a slight scowl on his face. Xingqiu nodded slightly, his eyes still closed as he does his best to ignore the waves of nausea relentlessly rolling over him, swirling and churning fiercely in the pit of his stomach. He felt as if his lungs could barely expand all the way, the mass of food sat in the near lake of water in his gut like a sunk rock, creating a horrible tightness and pressure in his gut that only served to fuel the ache there.

“Most of it was carrots too…” Xingqiu mumbled then shuddered slightly, swallowing thickly when the thought had a wave of disgust and cold almost slimy nausea washes over him making his stomach slosh sickeningly. A low slurred groan leaves his lips as he shifts slightly in some vain attempt to get comfortable once more, but it's easier said than done in his current state.

“Maybe some qingxin water would help with the cramping,” Chongyun suggested as he looked at Xingqiu, his hand stilling for a moment on his stomach. With his hand like this Xingqiu can feel just how upset it is, as the overfilled organ ripples and writhes into his touch, tense almost pained gurgling noises coming from it.

Xingqiu groans as he shakes his head however, a nauseated sounding hiccup leaving his mouth at the mere thought of drinking or eating anything at the moment. And he swallows thickly almost frantically when he feels the mass of food brush against the walls of his stomach making his nausea spike sharply, “Even if I wanted to I can’t fit anything else in my stomach right now.”

“Right,” Chongyun said nodding as he scowled slightly.

As his fingers move to the top of Xingqiu’s stomach he finds a rather tense spot right in the center, as he gently presses on it Chongyun freezes, nearly pulling his hand back and his eyes going wide when Xingqiu moans at the sensation.

The way Xingqiu's eyes flutter slightly and he leans into Chongyun’s touch, his back arching ever so slightly. The way Xingqiu’s lips part, the slight pink blush dusting his cheeks all of it, has Chongyun’s heart pounding like a drum in his chest and some part of him can’t help but vaguely wonder if Xingqiu knows what he’s doing.

Xingqiu opened his eyes slightly, a faint scowl on his face. “Hm? Why did you stop,” he asked confusion coating his voice.

“Um...I need a moment please,” Chongyun told him quickly glancing away embarrassed. He needed to calm down for the sake of his sanity, Archon knows what would happen if he actually allowed the heat to overwhelm him.

Xingqiu gives a soft snort, a small smile spreading across his face as he reached out gently grabbing Chongyun’s hand and guiding it back to his stomach. “I promise you, you’re not hurting me. If anything it feels really nice and it’s helping so please keep going,” he reassured him giving Chongyun’s hand a soft squeeze, and waiting until Chongyun slowly nodded before he released his hand and closed his eyes once more.

Xingqiu is telling the truth honestly, Chongyun’s touch is incredibly soothing and feels so, so nice. This was good, Xingqiu would be able to keep everything down, he just had to get his stomach to settle, and then he could just pass out in bed next to Chongyun and when he woke up everything would be digested.

In Xingqiu’s mind throwing everything up wasn’t an option for multiple reasons, not only was it something disgusting and unsightly but he also felt like he’d be spitting in the face of his father’s friend if he did.

The man had clearly worked hard on the food he brought over and had been rather eager to share them with Xingqiu’s family during the dinner, it was another reason Xingqiu had found it so hard to decline when the man offered him extra as well. So he had no other option but to force everything down and keep it down, he just had to, the thought of not being able to keep everything down made a sensation of guilt well up in Xingqiu’s chest.

Chongyun is so focused on trying to calm down that he accidentally applies a bit too much pressure to one of the tighter sensitive spots on Xingqiu’s stomach, causing Xingqiu’s body to slightly as he muffled a loud, almost wet sounding hiccup into his hand.

“S-sorry,” Chongyun told him quickly as his hand on Xingqiu’s stomach froze.

Xingqiu is quiet for a few moments, his eyes closed and his hand still hovering over his mouth as he does his best to take slow deep breaths in to try and calm the dizzying waves of nausea washing over him and swirling like a whirlpool in his stomach. He hiccups again and can faintly taste the horrible disgusting taste of carrots at the back of his throat which does his nausea no favors.

A dull ache shooting across the expanse of his stomach with each breath as its contents sloshed inside of him in a sickening fashion that had Xingqiu’s bloated stomach hitching slightly, the back of his throat spasming slightly as he did his best not to gag. It had to stay down it, just had to.

“Xingqiu,” Chongyun said after a moment, more than a little concerned when he sees some of the color drain away from Xingqiu’s face not to mention the fact that his stomach is gurgling so loudly it sounds almost as if it’s snarling. The organ clearly upset and in pain and Chongyun can see Xingqiu’s stomach hitching ever so slightly, nearly spasming.

Chongyun hears Xingqiu take a deep breath and swallow audibly before he exhaled, slowly lowering his hand from his mouth panting softly his eyes still closed and his face pale. He looks completely and utterly nauseated making Chongyun feel a bit weary. Xingqiu gives a soft groan, his face twisting in pain when that deep ache that had been settled in his stomach intensifies sharply alongside the swirling nausea sloshing in his stomach.

Xingqiu opens his eyes slightly and looked at Chongyun. “I’m alright,” he murmured softly as his body gradually relaxed once more although he’s still panting ever so slightly. “Please keep going.”

Chongyun is silent for a moment as he stares at Xingqiu, but eventually, he nods. As Chongyun begins rubbing his stomach again, his touches are more hesitant at first, slow as if he’s still afraid of hurting Xingqiu. But eventually, when Xingqiu seems to become more comfortable under his touch, Chongyun begins to relax more as well allowing his fingers to move carefully along Xingqiu’s stomach as he does his best to massage out any of the cramps and tightness he finds there.

Xingqiu’s eyes are closed as he tries his best to pay attention to Chongyun’s hands on his stomach and how nice the sensation feels on his stomach, instead of the fact that he can faintly taste carrots lingering in the back of his throat threatening to make him gag. He tries to ignore the waves of cold slimy nausea intensely washing over him relentlessly in waves.

His stomach is sloshing violently, its contents brushing against his walls with each breath he took feeling like a pot of boiling water threatening to overflow.

Xingqiu swallows thickly feeling the back of his throat spasming slightly threatening to make him gag. At some point Chongyun’s once soothing touches begin to only exacerbate Xingqiu’s nausea, his stomach sloshing in the directions Chongyun moved his fingers.

Chongyun realizes it before Xingqiu does surprisingly, a scowling on his face as he watches the color gradually drain from Xingqiu’s face over time, the way his throat bobs as his swallowing becomes more frequent and frantic, the way his breathing began to shudder ever so slightly signaling that he was rapidly losing his battle against the nausea assaulting him.

Before Chongyun can say anything however Xingqiu suddenly grabs his wrist with a trembling hand. “W-wait…please…” he told him, his voice wavering. Xingqiu slowly sits up, wrapping his arm around his stomach with a groan as the color rapidly drains from his face and he swallows frantically the noise audible in between his hushed panting.

“Hold on,” Chongyun told him, not even bothering to ask Xingqiu if he felt sick or not considering the answer was obvious. And even if Xingqiu was going to deny it, the harsh sickly gurgling noise his stomach was making sounding like an overactive cauldron was more than enough proof to contradict him.

Xingqiu is quiet for a few moments, merely panting softly as he tries to swallow back all of the saliva suddenly rapidly flooding his mouth, a slurred groan leaving his mouth when the action of Chongyun getting up from the bed jostles his stomach slightly. “I-I…I’m alright…” Xingqiu manages to force out in between his shuddering breaths his voice wavering. He freezes however clamping his lips shut when the mass of food and water seems to flip inside of his stomach.

It sloshes violently as though someone were violently shaking his stomach like a water balloon and Xingqiu screws his eyes shut curling further in on himself, one hand clamped over his mouth and the other rubbing at his stomach in some desperate last-ditch attempt to get it to settle. He couldn’t be sick he just couldn’t, he wasn’t scared of vomiting at all but the fact that he wouldn’t be able to keep the food down, the food that the guest had worked so hard on, definitely stung and had a combination of guilt and shame welling up in his chest.

However, between the way his stomach is violently writhing under his own hand practically rippling as it growls and gurgles the mass of food shifting in his stomach, along with the way it hitches and clenches slightly as if trying to squeeze its contents out, lets Xingqiu know that no matter how much he may hate it, his stomach isn’t going to settle in this state.

“Here,” Chongyun told him as he held out the trashcan for him. As Xingqiu took it with trembling hands whimpering softly, Chongyun sat beside him on the bed once more, resting a gentle hand on his back. “It’s alright. Just do your best to get it up, you should feel better afterwards.”

Xingqiu groaned weakly, sniffling as he raised his head a bit to look at Chongyun. “There’s…no reason for you to stay here for this…its gross. Just…leave me alone for a few moments please…” he managed to tell Chongyun as he panted over the trash can. He feels absolutely mortified at the moment, even more so when he feels drool leaking from his mouth all of it becoming too much to swallow back at this point, and Xingqiu quickly buries his face in the trash can as if to hide it as his face burns with embarrassment and shame.

He sticks his tongue out allowing the drool gathering in his mouth to trickle off of it, considering swallowing it is only adding to the sensation of fullness in his stomach as well as the fact that it feels strangely heavy on his tongue.

He feels Chongyun’s hand move gently along his back, in slow but soothing circles. “I want to stay here with you and help you feel better however I can,” Chongyun told him and Xingqiu can instantly tell from the familiar stubborn tone in Chongyun’s voice that nothing he says will persuade him.

In response to his words, Xingqiu merely groans softly as he sniffles, drool rapidly trickling from his lips into the trash can. “This is bad…” Xingqiu whispered softly, more to himself than Chongyun. “All that food is going to waste…he worked so hard on everything.”

Talking is Xingqiu’s mistake, however, considering that just breathing had him ready to gag seconds before and his body suddenly tenses up, shuddering as he lurches forward gagging emptily over the trashcan drool a torrent of drool pouring from his mouth.

He can’t help but internally cringe at the vile, harsh-sounding noise his face burning with embarrassment. “S-sorry,” he whispered softly as he sniffled blinking back the tears that gathered in his eyes from the force of the gagging. He feels as if he can barely breathe with the dizzying, overwhelming waves of nausea crashing over him, an uncomfortable heat prickling at his skin as his stomach gurgled almost viscously.

Chongyun shakes his head despite Xingqiu doing his best not to meet his gaze at the moment. “It’s fine, besides you can’t help it,” he murmured as he continued to rub his back feeling Xingqiu trembling slightly beneath his touch.

Xingqiu however merely whimpered in response, his breathing shuddering as he closed his eyes the nausea leaving him feeling lightheaded and weak. A soft slurred groan leaves his slightly parted lips along with more drool, he knows what Chongyun is saying is true but some part of him just can’t accept it.

Chongyun can see it as well as Xingqiu sits there slightly slumped over the trash can, the almost dazed look on his face as the last bit of color drains from it, the way his bloated stomach spasms and hitches causing his body to tense up slightly, the soft shuddering breaths along with the drool dripping from his lips, Chongyun can clearly see that Xingqiu is fighting tooth and nail to keep everything inside of him, and Chongyun would be lying if he didn’t admit that it was worrying and a bit disturbing.

Xingqiu’s stomach heaves slightly and while Xingqiu is slightly prepared for that what he is not prepared for is the taste of a splash of slimy, bitter carrot-tinged bile to coat the back of his tongue. That taste is the straw that breaks the camel's back and Xingqiu simply can’t hold it down any longer.

He freezes for the briefest moment, his eyes going incredibly wide as his breathing hitches then he lurches forward with a violent, harsh, absolutely guttural retch that has a surge of murky, mostly watery vomit spraying from his mouth and nose. The souplike mixture splashes heavily into the trash can, sounding like someone pouring a bunch of water into a bucket as Xingqiu is left violently spluttering and coughing wetly as he gasps for air his eyes glassy with tears.

It stings and burns the inside of his nose so, so badly each breath feeling like sandpaper scrapping over his sinuses. His stomach is absolutely killing him feeling as if someone just set off fireworks inside of it, his face burns fiercely with shame and he feels utterly mortified.

However, he gets no chance to breathe as a loud, gurgling burp tears from his lips, the noise becoming garbled and incredibly wet on the tail end as Xingqiu’s stomach immediately heaves again desperate to rid itself of all the food stuffed inside of it. He lurches forward again as a surge of thick, semi watery orangish-brown vomit poured from his lips as if someone had uncorked a wine bottle.

“There you are, you’re doing good. Just get it all up and you’ll feel better soon,” Chongyun murmured trying to reassure Xingqiu in any way he can his hand still rubbing soothing circles on Xingqiu’s back, feeling his back curve and tense with every heave.

While Xingqiu clearly can’t speak at the moment he does manage to give Chongyun a weak, groan garbled by the vomit surging up his throat and Chongyun feels Xingqiu lean into the hand Chongyun has on his back.

Chongyun reaches out with his other hand, gently brushing Xingqiu’s hair away from his face, unable to stop himself from cringing when a loud, sickly sounding glorping noise comes from Xingqiu’s stomach. A violent rumbling retch tore from Xingqiu’s lips along with a torrent of drool, his eyes glassy and glazed over with tears as he leaned over the trash can his throat spasming slightly with weak gags as his body did its best to bring everything up.

A loud burp leaves Xingqiu’s parted lips, the noise echoing almost, right before an enormous wave of incredibly thick, lumpy faintly watery poured from his lips. The mess splatters heavily into the trash can, the chunky oatmeal-like slurry practically congealing into a clump in the watery vomit already inside the trashcan.

Chongyun can’t help but be concerned at how violent Xingqiu sounds as he’s throwing up, it sounds almost as if he were drowning, every breath wet and desperate, garbled by liquid as even more vomit poured from his lips. From what Chongyun can see a lot of what Xingqiu is bringing up is both water and also coming up mostly whole.

Xingqiu gives one final loud, wet, sick sounding, gurgling burp as his bloated stomach heaves violently sending up another thick, large wave of vomit adding to the growing mess of his undigested dinner in the trashcan as it steadily pours for his mouth for a few moments before gradually tapering off.

Eventually, Xingqiu slumps forward a bit with a loud sigh, his body trembling, completely exhausted and spent. Tears running down his face as he coughs softly and pants, his face pale as a sheet, he barely manages to muffle the soft hiccups still leaving his mouth as his stomach continues to cramp and hitch ever so slightly, still unsettled, a dull ache shooting across it.

Pure shame and humiliation feel etched into his very soul so much so that he doesn’t do anything when Chongyun takes the trash can from him, his gaze on the floor. Chongyun eventually comes back after a few moments and joins him on the bed once more, however after such a shameful display Xingqiu can bring himself to raise his head to look at him, especially not when his face is a mess of tears, drool and vomit of all things.

So he can’t help but struggle slightly when Chongyun cups his cheek and tilts his face up to look at him. “Stop…I’m a mess. Don’t touch me,” Xingqiu protested softly, his voice is completely shot from his vomiting episode carrying an abnormal rough rasp to it.

Chongyun doesn’t release him, however, although much to Xingqiu’s surprise he does pinch his cheek rather swiftly making Xingqiu jump slightly. “H-Hey!”

“Good, you seemed a bit out of it. I’m going to clean your face alright,” Chongyun told him with a slight smile.

Xingqiu merely blinks for a moment and that is when he notices the wet rag Chongyun is holding in his other hand. “Oh,” Xingqiu whispered, then he sighed softly closing his eyes.

A soft sigh of relief leaves Xingqiu’s mouth and he practically melts into Chongyun’s touch when he feels the sensation of the soft cold rag gently rubbing at his face. Both of them are quiet as Chongyun works, Xingqiu because he’s still incredibly embarrassed not to mention exhausted and in pain while Chongyun is quiet because he’s focused on his task.

Although his heart does admittedly flutter slightly in his chest when he gently brushes Xingqiu’s hair back and away from his face so he can continue cleaning his face, Chongyun’s grip on the cloth tightening slightly when Xingqiu nuzzles his hand a bit causing Chongyun to briefly glance away his heart almost racing in his chest.

Eventually, Chongyun finishes his task setting the rag aside with a scowl as he looks back at Xingqiu noticing the slight grimace tugging at his features. “Do you need anything,” he asked him.

Xingqiu is quiet for a moment before eventually nodding, he slowly met Chongyun’s gaze. “Can you…please rub my stomach again? It was helping a lot before,” he asked almost hesitantly.

It’s admittedly kinda strange to Chongyun to see Xingqiu’s usual personality so muted but at the same Chongyun is a but used to it considering this was just how Xingqiu tended to act when he was sick or didn’t feel well. He became quieter, a bit withdrawn.

Chongyun nodded a smile spreading across his face. “Sure, if it’ll help.” He reaches out gently grabbing Xingqiu’s shoulders as he guided him to lay back so that his head was in his lap. “Comfortable,” Chongyun asked when Xingqiu was seemingly settled in.

Xingqiu merely nodded still sniffling softly, admittedly he does feel as if he can breathe a lot easier now that all the food is out of him although his stomach is sore and still aching quite a bit. His sinuses a still stinging a bit as well and that rancid taste is still faint in his mouth. But right he just wants comfort more than anything.

Chongyun smiles slightly as he places a hand on Xingqiu’s bare stomach being a bit surprised by what he finds. “It’s gone down quite a bit,” he murmured almost thoughtfully as he allowed his fingers to glide over Xingqiu’s stomach for a moment. The difference was like night and day truthfully.

He meets Xingqiu’s gaze. “Please let me know if I’m hurting you at all alright.” Chongyun waits until Xingqiu nods slightly before he begins gently rubbing Xingqiu’s stomach, his smile growing when a soft sigh of relief leaves Xingqiu’s lips and he leans slightly into Chongyun’s soothing touch.

Chongyun’s cool hand on his stomach, combined with the soothing massage and the exhaustion settled over him has Xingqiu practically melting under his touch.

It’s so soothing and relaxing that the pain Xingqiu was experiencing moments before seems to slowly disappear into nothing and very soon it becomes a struggle for him to actually keep his eyes open. He feels Chongyun’s hand still on his stomach for a moment as Chongyun’s other hand runs through his hair. “You should get some rest, you deserve it.”

It is late at night when Aether, Albedo, Eula, and Amber wander into Angel’s share shortly following the incident on Dragonspine with the mutated whopper flower mimicking Albedo.

Eula had wanted to treat Albedo to a few drinks and perhaps a meal, to make up for her harsh words earlier when she’d first accused Albedo of trying to lure Joel into a monster nest. Despite Albedo’s refusal she’d insisted saying that her pride as a noblewoman of the Lawrence clan must be upheld, which had somehow turned into a small celebratory party on a job well done.

Bennett had wanted to come as well but had to rush back to the Adventurer’s guild to report in, with Amber promising to save him a plate of food.

There was a lot of food to go around as well as alcohol, at least for the adults of the group which is why Aether currently sat beside Albedo, a scowl on his face as he sipped his non-alcoholic apple cider.

Eula, Amber, and Albedo had each had a good amount of alcohol by now. With Amber practically cuddling up to Eula’s side as she begged the other woman to teach her to cook.

Albedo watched the interaction with a slight smile on his face. Aether couldn’t recall ever seeing Albedo drink alcohol at all honestly in the time they’d been together, it simply seemed like Albedo just didn’t have a taste for it.

Truthfully if Aether hadn’t been around Albedo long enough to know his mannerisms and the way he behaved he would’ve assumed that the alcohol had, had no effect on him at all. But since he did Aether could notice the subtle changes in Albedo’s demeanor, the way his movements seemed to become looser, more relaxed. The lightest of red blush on his cheeks from the alcohol, the way the smile on his face would grow and he’d hide it slightly with his hand allowing the occasional giggle or two to slip out every now and then.

Aether doesn’t realize he’s staring until Albedo looks over at him before reaching beneath the table and taking hold of Aether’s hand lacing their fingers together. “Do you see something interesting,” Albedo asked as he took a sip of his wine.

Aether smiled. “Yeah, you.”

Albedo pauses for a moment, clearing his throat as he glances away from Aether almost shyly, that red blush spreading further across his face slightly which makes Aether’s grin grow.

Amber giggles. “You know we should do this double date type thing more,” she said, her words slurring heavily as she took another drink of her wine.

“Amber darling, I believe you’ve had enough for tonight,” Eula chuckled as she reached out to take Amber’s drink.

“Just a little more! Please! I don’t wanna go home yet,” Amber whined, moving her drink out of Eula’s reach.

Aether looks at Albedo as he takes Aether’s drink from his hands when Eula and Amber aren’t looking, seamlessly replacing it with his own wine without anyone but Aether noticing. Albedo says nothing, merely giving Aether a smile as he takes a drink from the apple cider.

“We never see each other during the day because we’re always busy,” Amber continues to whine to Eula.

“Amber…sweetheart, we see each other at the Knights of Favonius headquarters each day,” Eula pointed out as Amber began pouting.

“It’s not the same, though. Please come home with me tonight, I just want to see you,” Amber pleaded as she wrapped Eula in a hug.

Eula sighed as she patted Amber’s head, for once looking a bit lost on what to do.

And Albedo chuckled, making Eula look over at him. “Perhaps it would be best for all of us to return home soon after this last drink, I myself am fairly exhausted. And I’m sure you all are as well.”

“That’d be a good idea,” Aether said as he sipped the wine Albedo had given him. Admittedly he was exhausted after the whole ordeal these past few days, and a little uneasy.

Aether’s eyes had always had a habit of being drawn to Albedo’s birthmark on his throat, even when they had first met. Before it was the occasional small glance, but lately after what had happened on Dragonspine and Albedo’s subsequent prank he often found himself staring at it more.

Feeling Aether’s gaze on him once more Albedo gives Aether’s hand a slight reassuring squeeze. While Aether’s reaction to his prank had admittedly been adorable, perhaps he’d gone a bit too far especially considering the ordeal on Dragonspine beforehand.

He knows that Aether was worried especially after the avalanche, the way he’d hugged Albedo once the others had left, trembling as if he were afraid he’d disappear into thin air. How Aether had all but refused to leave Dragonspine for the day unless Albedo came with him, although eventually with a lot of convincing from Albedo had returned to Mondstadt with the promise that he and Paimon would be back early the next morning.

And yet a quick glance at Aether when he’d arrived the next morning also let Albedo know that Aether more than likely hadn’t gotten much, if any sleep. Scowling slightly, Albedo makes a note to apologize once they return home for the evening.

~~~

It is rather late into the evening when the group finally leaves Angel’s Share, Eula holding Amber close, one arm wrapped around the other woman’s waist to hold her steady and she swayed, nearly stumbling over her feet as slurred, drunken giggles left her mouth.

“Thanks for the food Eula,” Aether told her with a warm smile, a slight buzzing warmth settled in his veins from the wine he’d drank. It feels nice, cozy almost, and reminds Aether just how much more he misses drinking alcohol.

“Thank you for the meal,” Albedo told Eula with a small smile.

Eula returned the smile. “It was the least I could do after my shameful display earlier.”

Bidding Eula and Amber goodnight, Aether and Albedo begin walking in the direction of Albedo’s home in Mondstadt that he shared with Klee and Alice. Although Alice was currently off on a trip with her husband, so Klee and Albedo had the house to themselves.

It was slightly chilly tonight, a gentle yet crisp breeze drifting through the air, and Aether adjusts his scarf slightly yawning as the cold air makes the warmth brought on by the alcohol fade slightly. He holds Albedo’s hand in his own as they walk, a peaceful and comfortable silence settling between the pair.

Although Aether does look over at Albedo when the other suddenly gives a soft hiccup.

“Excuse me,” Albedo said, glancing away almost sheepishly as his stomach makes a low growling noise.

Aether chuckles, a smile spreading across his face. “Are you okay? We can stop for a minute if you want.”

“That won’t be necessary, I believe I may have simply overindulged a bit while eating,” Albedo told Aether as he rested a hand on his stomach.

Albedo was full, almost painfully so the large amount of food he’d eaten sitting rather heavily in his stomach alongside the alcohol. While he wasn’t in pain at the moment it was definitely noticeably uncomfortable, as if a tight band had been placed around his stomach.

Albedo’s stomach was taut and noticeably bloated as he placed his hand on it, the organ shifting beneath his fingertips as it struggled to digest everything, low tense gurgling noises coming from his stomach. Alongside the uncomfortable heaviness and tightness was also a slight tinge of queasiness that Albedo attributed to his overindulgence of alcohol.

Albedo didn’t really like eating out at restaurants truthfully, not because the food often wasn’t to his liking but quite the opposite actually. More often than not the food was so good that Albedo’s eyes often ended up being bigger than his stomach, typically resulting in him eating past his limit to the point of discomfort. If that didn’t happen then the food would go to waste as Albedo had a rather small appetite, which was perfect for when he was busy researching as he could just eat a snack or two and be fine.

But on the flip side, that meant that going to restaurants or gatherings where large portions were served like tonight frequently ended with him in a state similar to the one he was in now. It was also why Albedo had learned to cook as soon as possible so that he could easily control how much food he wanted to eat, although admittedly setting aside time to eat a full meal was often difficult between doing his research and caring for Klee.

Sometimes though Aether would come over and cook a meal for them both, as well as Klee if she was awake or at home.

Sighing softly, Albedo closes his eyes, carefully rubbing at his stomach, hoping to ease his discomfort slightly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drunk before,” Aether said with a smile, which made Albedo crack one eye open to look at him.

“Normally I don’t have a taste for alcohol, it also hinders my researching ability quite a bit so drinking it late at night or in the afternoon as one typically does would not be the best idea,” Albedo explained, scowling as another soft hiccup slipped from his mouth.

Aether practically giggles, as a warm grin, spreads across his face and that carefree noise, combined with that smile has Albedo glancing away slightly, his heart feeling as if it’s fluttering in his chest.

“It’s not a bad thing honestly,” Aether told him, giving Albedo’s hand a slight squeeze. “It’s nice seeing different sides of you. Plus you looked really cute.”

Albedo opens his eyes, smiling slightly. “Well, someone is quite forward tonight.” Muffling another hiccup into his hand he shakes his head slightly, while the wine had been amazing Albedo could tell he’d definitely drank too much of it, a warm almost drowsy feeling blanketing his body that the crisp chill of the night air did little to counteract.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been alone together, so can’t you blame me. I really missed you while I was in Inazuma and with everything going on I couldn’t really find a break to come see you until now,” Aether sighed.

Just the thought of everything he’d been through in Inazuma these past few weeks on top of everything that's happened on Dragonspine, had the exhaustion he was already feeling grow stronger. Settling in his body like a weight and he yawns, stretching slightly.

He couldn’t wait to either climb into bed or just settle down on the couch beside Albedo, relax, possibly cuddle and go to sleep. He was forever thankful that Paimon had decided to go to sleep early, disappearing to wherever she went when she vanished from Aether’s side.

Aether doesn’t bother hiding his sigh of relief when they reach Albedo and Klee’s home. He’d been here quite a few times, the house was cozy and unassuming much like the rest of the homes in Mondstadt that didn’t belong to any of the noble families.

From the very interesting stories that Aether had heard from people about Klee’s mother Alice, the first time he’d come over he had admittedly expected something odder and fantastical, and although Albedo did have a lab inside, besides that it was a regular house.

“There we are,” Albedo murmured with a soft sigh as he unlocked the front door and stepped inside with Aether following behind him.

“Klee isn’t home tonight?” Aether asked as he removed his shoes, placing them by the front door. The house was completely quiet, almost eerily so.

Albedo shakes his head as he removes his coat, hanging it up on the nearby coat rack by the door before he sets about removing his boots as well, his fingers fumbling slightly with the laces, the alcohol making them unnaturally clumsy.

“No, she is with Sucrose at the moment and will be spending the night with her. Although earlier today Captain Kaeya was looking after her,” Albedo said as he finished removing his shoes.

He sighed his hand going to his stomach when it makes a loud gurgling noise, a slight ache beginning to form alongside the twinge of nausea he had already been feeling causing a hiccup to bubble out of him. “Excuse me,” Albedo murmured, glancing away from Aether.

Aether gives him a small smile. “It’s fine,” he chuckled. “While it would be fun to make up for the time where we were separated I’m tired and can tell you are too so why don’t we just rest for a bit,” Aether suggested.

Albedo nodded a smile on his face. “That would be nice.”

The pair make their way to the living room and Albedo all but collapses on the sofa with a loud sigh of relief, his eyes closed and his hand rubbing at his stomach almost absentmindedly as it continues to gurgle loudly doing its best to digest everything.

Truthfully it was a bit embarrassing to Albedo, he was aware that it was nothing more than a simple biological function and that it just meant his body was functioning as intended. And yet, whenever Albedo was around Aether he always found himself getting embarrassed about things like this that he’d normally just ignore as if Aether’s presence put Albedo on edge, making him hyper-aware of everything.

Muffling another soft hiccup into his hand Albedo grimaces ever so slightly when that light ache he’d been feeling in his stomach earlier seems to grow a bit leaving him feeling as if someone were pinching the inside of his stomach every few seconds. The mass of food sat heavily in his stomach feeling as if it were almost hardening into a ball, all while the alcohol Albedo had drank sloshed ever so slightly with each movement he made lightly tossing that ball of food in his gut around.

Admittedly the increase in pain didn’t bother Albedo too much, although it was annoying what was bothering him was the fact that the small twinge of nausea he’d been feeling had grown slightly leaving Albedo feeling more than a little queasy.

“Do you want some water or something,” Aether asked, giving Albedo a sympathetic smile as he looked at him. Now that Albedo was no longer wearing his coat Aether could clearly see just how bloated his stomach was, the once lean skin now swelled out straining slightly against the fabric of Albedo’s shirt.

While Aether had eaten quite a bit as well it was nothing like Albedo who had seemed to stuff himself well beyond his limit.

Opening one eye Albedo scowls when his stomach makes a rather loud almost tense sounding gurgling noise and his body jolts with another hiccup. “Yes, some water would be nice. Thank you,” Albedo told Aether before closing his eyes once more.

Albedo hears Aether’s soft chuckle followed by his footsteps as he walks into the kitchen. Albedo continued rubbing at his stomach, as the clearly overtaxed organ worked, gurgling almost relentlessly as it shifted and rumbled beneath Albedo’s fingertips like it was a living creature with a mind of its own.

Sadly though it seems as if Albedo’s actions aren’t soothing his stomach at all although he doesn’t know why. He pauses as his fingers move to the top of his bloated stomach. The area felt especially tense beneath his fingers, carefully applying pressure Albedo presses on the area.

A second later his eyes go incredibly wide as a loud rumbling burp suddenly tears from his lips leaving Albedo simply sitting there with wide eyes blinking for a few moments in surprise. Admittedly the burp does seem to ease some of the tightness and heaviness in his gut although it doesn’t lessen the queasiness he’s feeling nor the slight ache.

“Here you go,” Aether told him as he returned with the glass of water, a smile on his face as he handed it to Albedo.

“Thank you,” Albedo murmured, a scowl on his face and a hand still on his stomach when he took it from Aether.

Aether sits down on the sofa, jostling Albedo slightly and causing another hiccup to bubble out of him. Albedo closes his eyes briefly, swallowing thickly when the jostling makes his stomach slosh in a rather nauseating fashion, eliciting a soft groan from him as he closes his eyes for a moment.

“Is your stomach bothering you?” Aether asked with a frown as he looked at Albedo, his eyes glancing down at the man’s stomach which was gurgling rather loudly, straining against the fabric of his normally form-fitting shirt.

Albedo nodded as he took a small sip of water. While the water is helping to ease the haze brought on by the alcohol, at the same time it adds to the uncomfortable fullness in Albedo’s stomach, the liquid sloshing inside of him as it tries to find a place to settle among the already cramped space.

Albedo gives a soft huff, clutching tightly at his stomach when a sharp cramp twisted at it feeling like someone had tugged sharply at his insides, not only that but the sensation of that mass of food brushing along the walls of Albedo’s stomach as it sloshed slightly was making his slight queasiness begin to border on nausea.

“Yes…it is beginning to hurt a bit,” Albedo admitted, setting the water down on the coffee table. While drinking it may have helped sober him up, putting anything else in his already very full stomach was a recipe for disaster.

“Come here, let me take a look at you,” Aether said with a small smile as he reached out. Aether grabs Albedo’s shoulders and carefully guides him to lay down in his lap on his side, taking extra care not to jostle him further.

Albedo doesn’t protest either, after all, they’re alone, they’re both exhausted and just kind of want to relax. And Albedo gives a soft hum, the tension bleeding out of his body as Aether begins carding his fingers through his hairs. It feels incredibly nice and soothing, however, it doesn’t stop the slight ache that keeps darting across Albedo’s stomach every so often, nor does it do anything to cause the mild nausea he’s feeling to fade.

“Oh yes…did you truly mean what you said when you told everyone that you knew that the mutated whopperflower wasn’t me due to the birthmark on my throat,” Albedo asked, sounding genuinely curious. He often felt Aether’s eyes on him whenever they were together but whenever Albedo met his eyes Aether would simply smile.

Aether gives a soft snort, his fingers stilling in Albedo’s hair for a moment which makes the other glance up at him. “Of course, I could never forget. It’s one of your more eye-catching features,” Aether told him a slight teasing tone to his voice. As he spoke his hand left Albedo’s hair, his fingers tracing along Albedo’s neck before coming to rest on the familiar golden star on the base of his throat, stroking it with his thumb ever so slightly the skin there just as soft as always.

A chuckle leaves Aether’s mouth when he feels a slight shiver run along Albedo’s body and sees his eyes dart away, a slight red blush coloring his cheeks. “I see,” Albedo murmured softly but said nothing more as Aether continued running his fingers gently along Albedo’s throat.

“I am sorry for scaring you earlier, that was not my intention,” Albedo told him as he turned slightly to look at Aether.

“Earlier?” Aether said with a scowl then his eyes widened slightly as he realized what Albedo was referring to. “I was kind of startled but after your birthmark reappeared I just believed you were flirting with me. It was a nice surprise though, I wish you showed me that side more often,” Aether chuckled.

At his words, Albedo smiles slightly. “I’ll be sure to keep that in mind for the future.” Albedo shifts slightly letting out a low hiss, a grimace flashing across his face when his stomach sloshes with the slight motion sending pain streaking across his stomach, and he swallows thickly when his nausea briefly intensifies as well.

“Your stomach,” Aether asked with a scowl, concern on his face.

Albedo merely nodded grimacing again, his eyes squeezed shut as he clutched at his stomach when it made a loud, harsh gurgling noise as if snarling at him. He’d known that taking Eula up on her offer was going to be a bad idea, plus he didn’t feel as if the woman needed to apologize for what was a genuine misunderstanding in the first place and now he was paying for it.

The cozy almost soothing warmth that had been flowing through him due to the alcohol was long gone being replaced with a slight almost slimy chill.

“Here,” Aether said as he reached down towards Albedo’s stomach. He gently nudges Albedo’s hands away from his stomach before lifting his shirt up slightly because it was no doubt putting unneeded pressure on it.

Albedo groans softly as Aether carefully places his hand on his bloated stomach. There’s a strange sense of fascination that seems to well up inside of Aether as his fingers sink ever so slightly into the skin of Albedo’s stomach. He can feel it shifting beneath his fingertips, loud tense gurgling noises coming from it that seem to cause the skin to ripple slightly beneath Aether’s fingers as it does its damndest to digest the mass of food there.

It’s warm as well and Aether can’t help but notice that with every slight movement Albedo makes he can feel its contents shifting around sloshing in a way that reminded Aether of a water balloon.

“Let me know if I’m hurting you okay,” Aether told Albedo who merely nodded, his body tense up slightly when another ache shot across his stomach.

He feels as if his lungs can barely expand all the way, the mass of food sitting heavily in his stomach as if he’d swallowed a rock. Every little movement he made sent a dull ache shooting across his stomach and caused the alcohol to slosh inside of him in a rather nauseating fashion that had Albedo’s bloated abdomen hitching slightly. As far as he was concerned Aether could do little to hurt him at this point.

Still, he gives a small nod, acknowledging that he heard Aether as well as giving him permission to keep going. Aether’s fingers move carefully, applying the slightest of pressure with his fingertips in an effort to ease out some of the tightness and cramps settled there as Albedo’s stomach continues gurgling loudly beneath his fingers, the skin almost rippling.

“You really weren’t kidding about overeating huh,” Aether chuckled softly.

Albedo sighed, opening his eyes slightly, admittedly Aether rubbing his stomach like this was soothing, causing him to relax slightly. “I agreed to Eula’s request, well aware that it would be a mistake,” he murmured, yawning softly.

Aether gives a soft hum as his fingers move up slightly, a scowl crawling across his face when he finds a particularly taut spot on the upper right part of Albedo’s stomach. Giving a soft huff Aether presses on the area lightly using his fingertips to massage out the cramp that seems to be there.

He feels it gurgling and clenching slightly and Aether’s eyes widen slightly when Albedo jolts slightly in his lap with a rather loud hiccup.

“E-excuse me,” Albedo quickly murmured, glancing away, a slight red blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks.

For a moment Aether is silent simply staring at him because there was almost something cute about it, eventually, Aether shakes his head. “It’s fine, besides it’s helping right?”

Albedo simply nodded, not meeting Aether’s eyes, he grimaces, his face twisting in pain as that ache that had been settled in his gut seemed to sharply intensify and the nausea with it. Aether cringed in sympathy when he felt the mass of food practically turn over in Albedo’s stomach, a harsh almost wet glorping noise comes from it, Albedo’s entire body tensing up as he grits his teeth, swallowing thickly, his eyes squeezed shut.

He feels Aether’s hand beginning to draw away from his stomach but he reaches out, grabbing his wrist and guiding it back to the area it was in.

“Albedo?”

Albedo shakes his head slightly before cracking one eye open. “Please, keep going. It feels nice,” he told him before closing his eye again as a wave of nausea rolled over him.

“If you’re sure,” Aether said with a nod before he continued carefully rubbing Albedo’s stomach.

Albedo keeps his eyes closed trying to focus on the soothing touch of Aether’s fingers on his stomach, rather than the horrible ache that seemed to almost be punching him in the gut and the horrific cold, almost slimy feeling of the waves of nausea washing over him.

And when Aether’s fingers press lightly on a particularly tense spot on his spot, causing a series of hiccups to bubble out of him each one jostling his stomach sickeningly.

Albedo groans loudly, swallowing quickly when another hiccup has bile burning at the back of his throat. His stomach gurgling loudly as if reprimanding him for his poor decision. Aether’s once soothing touches become agitating, as the slight pressure becomes painful and only makes Albedo’s nausea worse.

Albedo takes a few deep shuddering breaths in, swallowing audibly when a few seem to get caught in his throat as an intense wave of nausea slams into him and saliva rapidly begins filling his mouth to the point that it is almost impossible to swallow back.

Albedo goes almost unnaturally still in Aether’s lap, his entire body tensing up which makes Aether look down at him with a concerned frown.

“Albedo? Am I hurting you?” Aether asked, his hand still on Albedo’s stomach.

Albedo merely groans in response, his eyes squeezed shut as a loud gurgling noise comes from his stomach sounding practically like it was snarling. Aether feels the mass of food in Albedo’s belly shift, bubbling like a boiling pot beneath his fingers sending ripples across his skin.

Before Aether can say anything else Albedo suddenly sits up, an arm wrapped around his stomach and a hand clamped over his mouth as the hiccups leaving his mouth grow increasingly wetter and more nauseated than the last.

“Sick…I’m going to be sick,” Albedo quickly forced out, his words slurring with nausea. Not even a second later after his warning his stomach violently heaves, practically convulsing as it forces its contents up.

“Right! Okay, wait,” Aether told him practically scrambling off the sofa.

Albedo, of course, says nothing although he does give a whine low in his throat, his eyes squeezed shut and far too preoccupied with the fact that his barely digested dinner is currently filling his mouth to really do anything else.

His stomach is in pure agony, the organ hitching and bubbling as if threatening to send up more of its contents. Pressing his lips into a thin line, Albedo takes shaky, almost careful breaths in through his nose, his cheeks bulging out as the bitter taste of bile coats the inside of his mouth like poison.

“Here, come here, use this,” Aether urged him frantically as he returned to Albedo’s side holding the trash for him. He places a hand on Albedo’s back guiding him over it.

Albedo opens his eyes slightly, his body trembling as his hands leave his mouth, gripping the trash can instead as his stomach heaves again, sending up more of its contents and forcing his mouth open.  A loud almost guttural burp tears from his lips, the noise becoming garbled halfway through as a large wave of thick, lumpy, semi-watery purple and brown vomit pours out of him.

It splashes heavily into the wooden trash can, with a loud wet splattering sounding as if someone had poured a bunch of water into it, the chunky smoothie-like slurry practically congealing into a pile.

“Whoa, careful,” Aether said frantically, his hand on Albedo’s waist to hold him steady when a harsh, strangled retch had him lurching forward so violently it seemed as if he’d fall off of the couch. Aether’s other hand reached up to carefully tuck Albedo’s hair behind his ears.

Albedo gets a brief moment to breathe, panting as a near river of drool drips from his lips and into the trash can, his eyes glassy with tears from the exertion.

Aether grimaces when Albedo’s stomach makes a loud glorping noise, and he feels his stomach contract beneath his fingers it heaves again, a violent gurgling retch leaving his lips as he choked up another large, thick, lumpy wave of vomit into the trash can that leaves him coughing wetly and harshly.

Aether gives an almost nervous sounding chuckle as he watches Albedo a slight sense of awe welling up inside of him alongside the morbid fascination at how much Albedo was bringing up.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you overindulged a bit huh,” he said, giving Albedo a small sympathetic smile.

Albedo merely gives a weak miserable-sounding groan in response, as he swallowed thickly the almost rancidly sour scent of vomit filling his nose alongside the sickly sweet scent of spoiled fruit no doubt from the wine he’d brought up. That along with the vile taste coating his mouth and the fact that he is looking at the regurgitated pile of his dinner only has him retching again.

From what Aether can see everything's coming up almost completely undigested as well and he grimaces when he can easily make out the chunks of food now coated in slimy sticky bile because he and Albedo pretty much ate the same thing.

Albedo gives a wet, sick-sounding burp as his bloated stomach heaves again, sending up another thick, large wave of vomit, adding even more of his undigested dinner to the slurry inside the trash can.

“That’s it, just get everything up. Your stomach should stop hurting soon,”  Aether told him softly trying to reassure him as he brushed his hair back away from his face. Considering Aether can feel Albedo’s stomach steadily deflating beneath his hand with each wave he chokes up he’s pretty sure he’s right as well.

Albedo brings up one finally enormous wave of vomit and considering the chunks of meat and what looks like carrots that Aether can see along with the stream of murky brown bile, Aether has no doubt that’s probably the sticky honey roast considering he remembers Albedo eating a rather fair amount of it at the time.

Albedo relaxes in Aether’s grasp, as he pants, spitting into the trash can and coughing as if trying to flush that awful taste from his mouth, all the while hiccups jolt his form every so often.

Grimacing Albedo raises his head, sniffing as he blinks away the tears in his eyes. “That was…unpleasant,” he mumbled as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his voice coming out airy and raspy.

Aether gives a soft snort, a smile crawling across his face at Albedo’s words. “Yeah, I suppose you could say that,” he chuckled, glad that Albedo seemed to have easily bounced back from his episode. “Here,” he said, handing the glass of water on the table to him.

“Thank you,” Albedo murmured as Aether got up from the sofa and walked down the hall in the direction of the bathroom.

Albedo takes careful sips of the water, pausing for a moment and closing his eyes when his stomach hitches slightly still unsettled. While that horrible ache and intense nausea he’d been feeling is almost entirely gone, in its place is an almost hollow emptiness and a slight queasiness.

Neither of which is a surprise to him considering he’s half sure he just threw up what was about his body’s weight in food.

After washing out his mouth and spitting into the trash can a few times, Albedo sets it down with a scowl noting the sickening weight it now held and the fact that it was almost completely full.

Aether returns to the room carrying a wet washcloth. “Here look at me real quick,” he said as he sat down beside Albedo once more.

And Albedo complies, feeling completely and utterly drained, his throat is raw as if rubbed with sandpaper. A soft sigh of content leaves Albedo’s mouth as he closes his eyes and leans into Aether’s touch when the other cups his face with one hand and begins cleaning it with the washcloth.

“Well, at least this way you might not have a hangover tomorrow morning,” Aether chuckled.

Albedo gives a soft hum as he cracks one eye open. “I would prefer the hangover,” he muttered, sounding completely serious which makes Aether laugh softly and eventually Albedo smiles slightly as well.

Once Albedo’s face is clean, Aether goes and dumps the trash can before returning to the couch and sitting down with a soft sigh, which turns into a yawn. Although he pauses looking down when Albedo lays down in his lap once more, guiding one of Aether’s hands to his stomach.

“Does your stomach still hurt,” he asked concerned, as he absentmindedly rubbed Albedo’s stomach. The once plush area now returned to its regular lean and toned form.

Albedo shakes his head before yawning in a way that reminds Aether far too much of a cat. “No, but it does feel nice. So please continue,” he said softly and Aether can hear the exhaustion in his voice. As if Albedo is fighting to stay awake long enough to talk to him.

A warm smile crawls across Aether’s face, at his words but he says nothing as he continues rubbing Albedo’s stomach.

Albedo is the one who falls asleep first, the tension slowly bleeding out of his body until he goes fully limp in Aether’s grip, his breathing even out and a peaceful almost content look settling on his face.

Aether yawns as his hand leaves Albedo’s stomach, tracing along his throat before placing his thumb on the birthmark there. He brushes his thumb over it, gently stroking it as if reassuring himself that it was still there.

Sighing softly, Aether leans back into the sofa slightly. He grabs the blanket that’s spread across the back of the sofa and pulls it down spreading it over Albedo before his finger returns to gently running along the birthmark.

Aether can’t help but think about how this simple golden marking was the only way he knew that the shape-shifting whopper flower wasn’t his Albedo. And admittedly that scares him a bit, he doesn’t know if the whopper flower was just that good of an imitation or if it’s because Aether doesn’t know Albedo enough in his opinion despite all the intimacy they shared but either way he doesn’t like that idea one bit.

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Aether forces those thoughts to the back of his mind for now. He’s tired and simply doesn’t have the energy.