#overstuffing

Leo giggled, only to startle as there was a sudden knock on his window. He let out a scoff as he saw Jon spying into his text messages, "hi?"

"Hi," Leo threw his door open, using the foot support of his car so he was taller than Jonah and could cup his chin, stealing a kiss, "right on time."

"Uhm... For what?" Jon's cheeks turned a shade darker as a couple other doctors entered the parking lot, but unlike as he would have years before, he didn't pull back.

"You forgot," Leo pouted, "we have cake tasting at the venue!"

"Oh- No, I didn't forget, no!" Jonah shook his head quickly, although Leo didn't buy it for a second.

He rolled his eyes, "yeah yeah, get in the car, Banks."

They had picked a venue just outside of Portland, which meant it was an hour and a half away from Welton.

Jonah was in a good mood, one that had Leo smiling from ear to ear as he heard his fiancé blab away about his day and honeymoon options and bridesmaid-

"Uhm, did you talk with your sister?" Leo flipped his turn signal, switching lanes, "about being a bridesmaid?"

"Not yet," he answered, making a face, "I asked Wen to be my maid of honor, you think Angie will be upset...? I love her, I just-" they weren't as close as Wendy and him were and Leo knew, as he figured so did Angelina.

"I don't think she'll be pissed," he reassured Jonah, removing a hand from the steering wheel to squeeze his knee, "I think she'll be too excited she gets to be bridesmaid to even care."

Jon nodded, although he didn't look convinced, "I'm thinking I'll buy her a necklace and flowers, put it together with the wedding invitation... What do you think?"

Leo rolled his eyes, but said, "I think she'll be over the moon," although he didn't think Jonah needed to buy his way into Angie's good graces. It was incredibly clear to him that Angelina all but worshipped her big brother, no matter how distant they were.

"I wish we had one more best man so we could include Bell," Leo mumbled, switching the direction of their conversation just a smidge. Jonah let out a snort at that.

"I talked with her during kickboxing class, she wasn't bothered at all," he said in a humorous tone, "after I asked Wen."

"I know, you told me," Leo chewed on his lip, "but still... I'd care."

"But you," Jon leaned over the handbrake to kiss his cheek, causing Leo to grin, "are a marshmallow of a man..." he shuffled even closer, the seating belt half strangling him be damned, so he could bite Leo's earlobe, "and you look so good today, I could eat you."

Leo's cheeks burned, but he kept his eyes trained on the road, feeling a little silly over the butterflies in his stomach over something so small. Nonetheless, Jonah smelt amazing even after a day of work and his kisses were so soft and his hand was resting on Leo's inner thigh...

"I'll crash the car, get away from me," Leo scoffed, shoving him by the chest, "and I don't wanna make it to the appointment with my pants ruined either."

"Boo fucking hoo," Jonah grinned, all smug as he fell back in his seat, "I can't believe I get to keep you, I lucked out."

God.

Leo let out a long suffering sigh, "why are you doing this to me when we're already late to the freaking appointment!" He whined, causing Jon to shake with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry! You're just so fucking cute when you get flustered, I can't help myself!"

It was so unfair that Jonah was being this lovely and affectionate when Leo didn't have time to enjoy it. He made a mental note to jump on his fiancé as soon as they were back home.

The Mulberry Conservatory was a huge property. It was something out of a dream, with a large main house made of stone, a water fountain surrounded by marble pillars, a conservatory made of glass and French smith work which was the venue they had picked for the party, a small villa with two chateaus...

Leo let out a dreamy sigh as they parked, breathing in the clear air. It didn't even seem like they were just thirty minutes outside of Portland, it felt more like he had entered a wardrobe and landed in Narnia.

"It's beautiful, right?" Jonah's voice was smug, since the place had been his find, but Leo wasn't bothered by it. The venue was so good, absolutely nothing could touch him here. It was like all the anxiety Leo always carried around melted away like cotton candy in the water.

"Mr. Banks! Mr. Wagner!" Their ceremonialist and the venue's host was called Andrea and she was a bubbly brunette, a couple years older than them.

She shook both their hands vigorously, chuckling at Leo's starry eyed gaze, "you don't get used to it, right?"

"Not at all," Leo agreed, intertwining his fingers with Jon's as they followed Andrea to the main house. They would only be there for the wedding photoshoot and for the nuptial's night, none of the party or ceremony was happening inside the place, but that didn't stop Leo from wanting to explore around.

However, today they were on a mission.

The venue was absurdly expensive — something that had Leo almost crying as it was easily the whole budget of their wedding, only for Jonah to insist he wanted it badly enough he'd use his personal savings — so it was a relief that it offered its own catering, decoration and accommodations.

Andrea guided them inside of a tea room, with large windows leading up to the garden and water fountain, soft piano music coming from the speakers and a little table set up by the fireplace.

"Here you go," she handed them two separate sturdy menus, "we've made a pre selection based on what you answered on the questionary last time we spoke," she explained and Leo frowned, as he wasn't aware of any questionary. Jonah nodded along, so he clearly did, "but you're welcome to order any flavors that aren't the ones we circled, as those are the ones we'll bring for tasting already. Our kitchen is only yours today and we have all evening, please don't rush on your decision. If you can't make a decision today, we can schedule a secondary tasting."

Leo bit down a snort, it was so easy to get used to being this spoiled, he could already feel himself falling for its spell.

"I'll be in the opposite office, anything you need, just call," Andrea patted her lap in a happy manner, which reminded Leo of Wendy. They'd get along.

She turned on her heels and left them in the room, so Leo raised his eyebrows at Jon, "questionary?"

"It was dumb, they just asked us our four favorite flavors," Jonah dismissed him, eyes scanning the menu, just as a waiter walked in their tea room, holding a tray.

"Good evening, I'm Harry, I'll be your waiter for day," he said, lowering the tray with two cake slices, "this is Butterscotch Bourbon," he moved the plates in front of each of them, "sparkly or flat?" Harry held up two different chilled water bottles.

"Sparkly," Jonah smiled, "thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome," Harry was incredibly soft spoken, filing up their glasses and leaving the bottle behind, so they could taste the cake.

Leo was tingling with anticipation, "I feel like we should have champagne," he grinned, taking a big bite. The cake's filling was rich and had a strong taste that made his throat burn in a pleasant manner, which Leo jolted down as the bourbon. He hummed around his fork, eyes slipping closed at the taste, "uhmmmood-"

"So good," Jonah agreed, the picture of politeness, dapping his lips gently with the napkin, while Leo blushed, since he had all but cleared his plate in two bites.

"Delicious..." he eyed Jonah's abandoned half slice, "you didn't like it?"

"I loved it," he took a sip of his water, "I just don't want to overdo it, we still have at least four more slices to go..."

"Coward," Leo chuckled, reaching over the flowery centerpiece so he could switch their plates, "God, did we find the one on the first try?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, baby," Jonah smiled, moving his chair so they were closer together instead of sitting across from each other, knees touching.

Jon was right, much to Leo's dismay and exhilaration all in one. Apparently everything they cooked in this place was the best thing he had ever eaten. The next two flavors were Raspberry Lemonade and Chocolate Chai, the later one causing Leo's mouth to water whilst still eating it.

"Jesus fucking Christ," he mumbled, finishing up his slice and snorting as Jon passed him his plate without him even asking, "this is the best thing I've ever ever eaten, wow."

"Slow down, baby," Jonah grinned, rubbing his back, a leg crossed over his knee, as if he went wedding cake tasting every other weekend. Leo rolled his eyes at his nonchalance.

"I don't know how you're not eating the rest of this, it's so good, Jon," he licked his fork clean, considering ordering a third slice of it. Rationally, he knew the slices were thin and small for a reason, but goddammit he wanted the whole cake.

"What's the order so far?" Jonah was using his phone to jolt it down. Leo blew a little soft burp in his napkin, taking a sip of his water. He hated sparkling water, should've stopped Jon when he said that.

"Uhm- this one first," he said, gesturing to the empty plates, "then the bourbon one, then raspberry lemonade."

"Really? I thought you had liked the lemonade one better," Jonah looked surprised, "my top three is just like yours so far."

"I don't think my top one is changing," Leo assured, although he had said it for every other flavor so far.

Two more flavors and they were out of the pre-selected ones, not that it stopped Jonah, who shook his head vehemently over the idea of them having found the one. When Harry came back to their table with the sixth and last flavor, he pointed out two more options.

"Lilac infused cake?" Leo wrinkled his nose as he heard Jonah's options, "it'll taste like grass."

"No, it won't," Jonah rolled his eyes at him, "it's different, it's elegant and most importantly, it sounds delicious."

"Sounds like it'll taste like grass," Leo grumbled, but didn't argue any further. His mouth was starting to feel overly sticky, but he wasn't ready to give in just yet.

This time around he didn't eat Jonah's slice, only focusing his way through his, as Jonah read out loud the list of ingredients in the Chocolate Chai cake that was Leo's favorite until now.

It didn't taste like grass, but it wasn't pleasant either. Leo grimaced, rubbing his tongue against his palate, trying to get rid of the slimy feeling, "ugh..." the motion caused his gag reflex to kick in, but he quickly grabbed the napkin, muffling a gag against it.

His eyes watered and Leo reached for his water, while Jonah munched away at the cake, with a thoughtful expression as if he was a wine sommelier.

"I can feel the lilac and the lemon," he swallowed, taking a sip of his water, hazel eyes sparkling at the after taste, "and you can sort of feel it in your nose, right?"

"Right," Leo rubbed his nose, stomach full on rolling now, "how many more did you request?"

"Just one more," Jonah was positively beaming, "Coconut Passionfruit, it's made with coconut milk, so it's a safe option for Vince."

Which sounded ideal and Leo would be willing to sit this one out if he trusted Jon's judgment at all, but after the grass tasting cake, he didn't.

Therefore, he dutifully ate the final piece, trying not to gag at the powerful piña colada taste that exploded in his mouth, "Jon-" he cleared his throat, "does this have pineapple?"

"I don't..." Jonah reached for the menu, eyes wide, "no, I don't think so..." he said in a panicked manner, as Leo's often forgotten allergy came back to him. Leo felt clammy suddenly and his stomach churned even harder at the possibility he had just poisoned himself. Surely the two bites weren't enough to cause a reaction....?

"No, there isn't," Jonah breathed out, sounding visibly relieved. He leaned back on his chair, "coconut milk, eggs, flour, sugar... passionfruit..."

"Yeah, I got it," Leo mumbled, muffling a sick belch against the napkin and lowering his head to his hand, suddenly no longer giving a crap about the cake tasting. He felt ill, he wanted to go home.

"Are you alri-"

"So?" Andrea's bubbly voice caused Leo to straighten up immediately, "how did the tasting go?"

"Amazing," Jonah answered brightly, although Leo knew him enough to know this was fake and he was actually concerned, "everything was delicious, my congrats to the chef."

"Oh thank you, Mr. Banks!" She beamed at that, then handed them two separate sheets, with pens, "I'll ask you to rank them by order of preference, please. We already put a list of the flavors you taste today, if you cannot make a decision today, there are the checkboxes for the flavors for the next tasting. You can repeat any flavor from today too."

Once again she walked away, while Harry took all the dishes away, leaving behind a small espresso for them. Leo's stomach was whining, audibly now, at the smell of food.

He muffled another burp in his hand, tugging on his shirt and trying to focus on the spreadsheet in front of him. Damn this organized people...

"Leo?"

"Uhm-" he handed Jonah his sheet of paper and pen, pressing a fist to his mouth and burping in it, eyes squeezed shut, "just put the- The Chocolate Chai one..." just thinking about it was enough for Leo to gag and he took deep, slow breaths through his nose.

He leaned back on the chair, staring at the painted ceiling, "I don't feel well."

"You don't say," Jonah answered dryly, "too much cake, uh?"

"Not my fault you kept leaving half of yours behind!" Leo bit out, head swimming due to the sheer amount of sugar. He cleared his throat, mouth feeling sticky no matter how much water he drank.

"I had a large lunch!" Jonah cried out, "and I didn't ask you to clear my plate, Leo."

"Would be rude..." he licked his lips, giving up on the argument, "can you just- Just wrap this up?"

He probably sounded pathetic, because Jonah's voice was much softer now as he said, "yeah, of course, baby," and quietly filled in both of their answers.

Leo was antsy standing behind Jon as they got up to hand Andrea her forms and walked back to the car, wanting nothing more than to stop her from small talking and to just get the hell out of there.

It was no longer a tummy ache or a spike of nausea, no longer a question if he was going to throw up, but when, and Leo would rather it wasn't in this dreamy extremely fancy wedding venue.

He bounced his leg nervously as Jonah talked for him, saying goodbye and yes, he'd be in touch for the second- Second appointment!?

Leo widened his eyes at his fiancé, but Jon ignored him, reaching for the car keys in Leo's jacket pocket and waving goodbye to Andrea as he opened the passenger door for Leo.

"A second-" Leo tried to say, but a burp interrupted him and he lowered his head, forehead meeting Jonah's tummy, so he could spit in the grass, "fuck-"

"Deep breaths, baby," Jonah rubbed his back and Leo knew he understood that he didn't want to be sick here, "we're almost out."

Leo nodded, straightening up and sitting down correctly, so Jonah slammed his door shut and rushed to the driver's side. He turned on the A/C, despite the fact the windows were rolled down and that it was late February and already night time...

"Second appointment?!" Leo whined, wrapping an arm around his stomach and reaching blindly in the glovebox. At least he did carry bags around in his car, due to his carsickness. It rarely hit when he was driving, but better safe than sorry, and this was one of these situations.

"We picked different top flavors," Jonah answered quietly, "you don't want to talk about this right now, baby," he planted a hand on Leo's back as the blonde opened the bag in his lap and burped wetly over it, "I'll pull over as soon as we're out of main road."

"Ple-Uorup- please..." Leo spat the sugary, thick saliva pooling in his mouth, "it's so heavy..."

"Well, you did eat fourteen slices-"

Leo's ears went deaf at the mention of all the cake sitting inside him, his whole body revolting against the offending information and he retched, loudly, a big wave of chunky cake vomit falling into the bag.

His tummy was bloated by the sheer amount of food, but also gurgling and churning due to the weird mix of flavors and sugar overwhelm, so the nausea didn't cease as soon as he wasn't stuffed full.

Leo clutched the plastic handles, gag reflex working overtime and causing him to retch several times even without bringing up anything. He was far from empty, but the cakes that had been fluffy and airy when eating, were sitting heavy inside of him and he regretted not drinking the stupid sparkly water-

"Fuck," Leo whined, removing a hand from the bag, so he could press it against his belly, "it's not- Not coming up..." more drool fell in the bag, "Jon..."

Jonah squeezed his nape, "I'm pulling over, baby," he promised, although Leo didn't much care if the car was parked or not, he just wanted the offending items out of his tummy.

The car came to a stop, on the side of the road and Leo threw his door open, breathing in deeply as if the vehicle had been stuffy and claustrophobic, although it hadn't been. Jonah circled it immediately, reaching for the bag, "here, give me-" he burped wetly mid sentence and Leo snapped his head up, in time to see Jon muffle a gag in his hand, "give me the bag..."

"I can get rid of it," the blonde groaned, stomach gurgling and churning once more. His jaw felt heavy, spine curling as another empty heave assaulted him.

"No," Jonah sounded adamant, stubbornly wanting to help despite the sympathy nausea clearly kicking his ass since they had just shared a meal, "I'll take it, drink-UArh-" he retched, tilting to the side to spit on the gravel, "drink some water, Leo-"

Leo passed Jonah the bag, nodding as he shakily reached for the cupholder and grabbed his abandoned water bottle. The water was lukewarm and flat, but at least it got rid of the sugary taste in his mouth. Vaguely Leo heard as Jonah disposed of the bag full of vomit, gagging several times.

"I'msorry..." he slurred, taking two large gulps and hanging forward, burping openly, "sorry- I didn't mean to- To ruin-"

"Shhh," Jonah stepped closer, running his fingers through Leo's blonde hair, "you didn't ruin anything, that's alri-"

The water he had just chugged down came back up with a violent splash, carrying a wave of raspberry tasting vomit. Leo rocked forward, blindly reaching for anything to hold and wrapping his hand around Jonah's wrist, gagging several times as his stomach rejected the cake mess inside.

He nearly fell forward as the heaving finally stopped, tears streaming down his cheeks due to the effort and head swimming, shame eating at him... Leo let out a pathetic noise, then opened his eyes and realized he had just puked all over Jonah's shoes.

His fiancé was frozen in place, hands on Leo's shoulders, not moving a muscle.

"Oh shit," Leo groaned, "shit, Jon, your shoes-"

"Uh-hum," Jonah's mouth was pressed in a thin line and he gulped heavily, toeing off his shoes and stepping with just his socks on the gravel.

"Fuck, baby, I'm so sorry-" Leo jumped as Jonah held out a hand, turning around and heaving loudly. He didn't just gag this time, bracing against his knees and bringing up a little wave of vomit, coughing several times before straightening up.

"I'm so so sorry," Leo all but whimpered, moving to get out of the car and help Jon, but his boyfriend brushed him off with a hand wave.

"Sit down," he said, harshly, and Leo bit down his lip, feeling incredibly queasy and ashamed as Jonah circled the car to get back on the driver's side.

"Your shoes..."

"Leave them," Jonah pressed his forehead to the steering wheel, a big, gross burp coming out of him. He was clearly nauseated enough that he no longer cared, gone were the polite manners Leo had witnessed only an hour before.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine," Jonah sighed, gulping down, "are you still feeling sick?"

Leo hesitated. He felt like crap, there was a pounding in his head he wasn't sure was due to the sugar or the fact he had just heaved up everything in his stomach and his belly was still feeling gross and bloated, little growls coming out of it, but he no longer felt like he was about to throw up. Mostly he just felt guilty.

"No... I can drive-" Leo tried to offer, but Jonah turned his head, cheek resting on the steering wheel, so he could glare at him.

"Stop apologizing," he rolled his eyes, "just give me a minute."

"Okay," the blonde bit down his lip, pressing a hand to his stomach and timidly rubbing at it, undoing his pants to give it some space. His tummy let out a gurgle at the motion and Leo winced, but didn't say anything.

He shouldn't have bothered, because Jonah could read him like a book by now and despite still looking pretty damn queasy himself, his boyfriend reached in and planted a hand on his tummy, rubbing it in soft circles, "you're sure? Sounds pretty upset..."

Leo sighed, defeated and guilty, all the more as Jonah was this gentle, "you're not mad?"

"I want new shoes," Jonah opted for saying, wrinkling his nose and moving his hand under Leo's shirt, so his palm could meet his skin and he could rub it better, "they were Italian leather."

Leo stared at him, expectantly, and Jon shook his head, smiling at him, "I'm not mad, you're an idiot though. There was no need to eat fourteen slices-"