#shifter!verse

Alex's eyes slowly opened. He ran his hand through his hair, though there was something in his subconscious telling him to keep the other hand pressed against his stomach.

Did I sleep in my clothes last night?

As he opened his eyes, he observed how everything in the house seemed... smaller. A brief memory flashed through his mind and he instinctively looked down at his stomach, which was exposed by his slightly unbuttoned shirt.

Oh, right...

The memories from last night come swirling back in his head: the panic, the emptiness in his stomach, the tears... and...

Did I actually...

Alex felt something stir in his gut and almost jumped before remembering that he was only a few inches below the ceiling, not wanting to hit his head again. He poked at his stomach, earning another movement from his prey.

"Ellen?" he asked nervously. "Are you awake?"

Ellen giggled as she rubbed at the stomach walls. "Good morning, Alex," she said with a smile.

"Oh, thank God," he sighed. "You're okay."

"Of course I'm alright," Ellen assured him, tracing random shapes onto the wall. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday. Full."

A low growl filled Alex's ears, but he didn't feel the same vibration he usually felt from under his skin. Not to mention it sounded a little muffled.

"Sorry, that was me," he heard Ellen apologize.

"Hey, that's fine," he said. "I heard last night that you shouldn't be put off by someone's tummy rumbling."

Ellen thanked God that he couldn't see her blush. She felt Alex pat at her shape, bringing her back down to Earth.

"You want me to cough you up so I can make breakfast and you can get a shower?" he suggested.

"Yeah, I guess."

Ellen allowed  herself to go limp to make it easier for him. Everything around her  tightened and the sound of his hacking cough rang through her ears. She  finally started moving upward, the muscles around her flexing, forcing  her back into his mouth. She lay on his tongue, curling into a ball so  she wouldn't make contact with his teeth.

He held her there a  moment. He couldn't help it. His tongue shifted under her little body,  once again, reacquainting himself with her taste. Drool was puddling on  his tongue, and try as he might to convince himself to spit her out gently, he ended up having to all but drop her onto the surface of his  palm.

"S-- sorry," he quickly apologized.

"No, it's okay," Ellen said, feeling herself being lowered to the ground. She set herself down onto her feet  and watched Alex shift back to his normal height.

"I'd hug you, but... you know," Alex gestured to her, bringing to her attention that she was slicked down with his spit.

Ellen laughed. "I really do need that shower. But, what are we gonna do about my clothes?"

"Just leave them outside the bathroom and I'll wash them."

"Wow, Alex P. Keaton doing laundry," Ellen mused.

Alex laughed. "And I'm sure that somehow Mallory left something behind that you can wear today."

Ellen gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she said.

"Ellen!" Alex pretended to whine.

"What...? Oh, right."

Alex wiped the spit away as Ellen walked up the stairs to the bathroom. He followed closely so he could get to his room and change into some fresh clothes. After he changed, he walked out of his room and saw Ellen's winter coat and clothes in a wet pile outside the bathroom door. He gingerly picked them up and went to the laundry room.

Ellen relentlessly scrubbed her entire body to get rid of the saliva. She closed her eyes as she washed her hair, her head continuously replaying everything from last night in her head: the noises of emptiness then contentment erupting from her boyfriend's stomach, his enjoyment of both external and internal massages... and he was completely fine with it once he got used to the idea.

Maybe he'd feel the same if I told him I wanted to try it...

————

The pancakes seemed to be taking their sweet damn time, Alex's stomach weighing in with low, pained growls. It just felt emptier without Ellen now, even emptier than it was the last night. He kinda missed having her there. But he knew he needed to have actual food in his system before they tried it out again.

But, what he considered the most was how... eager she seemed to be. His free hand trailed down to his stomach, trying to remember the sensation of Ellen's small hands against the walls of his belly. He would've lost himself in the memory if he hadn't smelled the pancakes burning.

Ellen walked into the kitchen, dressed in one of Alex's shirts and a pair of Mallory's sweatpants that she had left behind. She caught a whiff of the pancakes, taking in the scent. Her stomach let out a deep, empty groan that alerted Alex to her presence. He turned around and saw her pressing her hand against her flat stomach.

"Impatient?" he asked teasingly.

Ellen laughed shyly, sitting down at the table. "Sorry, it just smells so good."

Alex set two plates and two glasses of orange juice on the table and sat down across from her. "I should warn you that a few might be burnt. I was... thinking about last night."

Ellen had just began digging into her breakfast when he spoke, and froze. "What about last night?"

"I... I might like it to-- to try something like that again," he confessed quickly.

"You really mean it?" Ellen asked, trying to balance her tone. "You'd like to try it again?"

"Well, I think we should probably wait until I've digested my breakfast to... try it again," Alex said. "I don't think you'd enjoy staying in there with a bunch of chewed-up mush and orange juice. Plus, you just took a shower."

Ellen laughed, taking another bite of her pancakes. "Good thinking."

————

After brushing their teeth, the two of them were snuggled up on the couch watching a movie that didn't have to be returned to the video store until Monday, since the store was closed on Sunday.

But they couldn't really focus on the movie. Alex's stomach was making noises as it digested his breakfast. With each little burble, he noticed Ellen stealing glances at his middle, but jerking her head away when he looked at her.

"Here," Alex said, unbuttoning his shirt... just enough to expose his belly. He pulled Ellen close and adjusted her so her ear would be pressed against it. Within a few seconds, it let out a contented yet loud gurgle.

"To tide you over until lunch," he whispered.

In response, Ellen carefully wrapped her arms around his middle. With some hesitation, she gingerly began massaging his tummy.

"You really like this, don't you?" Alex asked, finding it somewhat endearing.

Ellen froze. "Y-- yeah."

"What about... what we did last night?" he asked, apprehensively.

"It was... nice," was all Ellen could say. "It... made me feel closer to you. And safe, protected."

"I... I feel the same way," Alex said. "I mean... since eighth grade, when I found out I was a shifter, I thought that made me a monster. But, with you... you made me see this in a whole new light. And when you were in here..." he put his hand to his stomach, "I felt like I could protect you from anything."

He kissed her head, laughing as her touch against his belly grew less hesistant.

"Maybe, around lunch, you could..." he began to suggest, but his stomach spoke up for him.