Whump Dump

I’ve been been slowly adding to this since like late 2023 and finally decided to post it, some I’ve given a little summary of, some I think didn’t need one : D

Warnings for both illness and non Illness related reasons to vomit, please take care and skip this list if you are someone who may get worried over finding about new Illnesses or things that may affect health, please look after yourself

Also I am not a doctor, I do not claim to be a medical professional and this list is intended for fictional writing only

Also also these were at least not that known to me, I cannot guarantee these are not as known/ talked about lol

Okay sorry for the long warning, list is under the cut :)

I have severe mental health issues that have caused multiple physical health issues. I was able to go down to 30 hours a week and get some treatment for awhile, but ultimately had to go back to work full time and insurance stopped covering the treatment. I did ok-ish for awhile, but the past month has been horrible. I'm trying to get answers from doctors, but as many of you know, that can be a slow and painful process. I've started to get in trouble at work because of this. My boss is understanding, but now nearly all of my coworkers seem to hate me because of my performance. I feel like my hands are tied. If anyone has any advice, please please lmk. I think if anyone in the world would understand this it would be someone on Tumblr. Please reblog this if you can. I really need advice or maybe to just know that I'm not alone.

no particular theme to them, just what i could think of~ feel free to reblog and use for your own oc blogs! sorry if any questions repeat ;;

1. What’s a unique skill they have? Is their any reason why they can do it?

2. What are their favourite possessions? Why? (sentimentality, history, price, etc)

3. Do they get jealous easily? If so, what usually causes it?

4. Are they a good gift-giver? What do they tend to give as gifts?

5. What’s their reputation like? Does this reputation contrast what they’re really like?

6. Do they prefer to have a big social circle, or a few close friends?

7. What’s their “type”? What romantically attracts them to another person?

8. What does their dream house look like?

9. If they could change one part of their appearance, what would it be?

10. What’s a simple thing that brings them joy?

11. What is their dream pet?

12. What’s their position in their friend group? (leader, mom friend, chaos goblin, etc)

13. How forgiving are they? What do they consider unforgivable?

14. Who do they go to in a crisis/emergency? Any particular reason why they choose that person?

15. How good are they at conversation? Are they a small talk master, bad at initiating, etc?

16. What food do they absolutely hate?

17. Do they show a lot of affection, or are they pretty reserved?

18. If you had to represent them with a flower, colour, and animal, what would you choose?

19. What’s their unusual quirk?

20. Are they easy to wake up in the morning, or grouchy and sleepy?

21. What’s their ideal date like?

22. What’s their silliest or most unusual fear/phobia?

23. Is their pain tolerance high or low?

24. Are they a fussy eater?

25. What are their dreams like?

26. Are they technologically savvy?

27. Are they forgetful? What do they tend to forget? (plans, phone, keys, etc)

28. Describe their morning routine.

29. Are they a good cook? If they are, what do they like to make?

30. Do they consider themselves a “hero” or “villain”?

31. What holiday do they like the most? (Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day, etc)

32. What are they like at parties? Party animal, or awkwardly sitting in the corner drinking punch and reading?

33. Are they adventurous, or do they prefer to stay in their safe zone?

34. What’s their favourite drink? (Coffee, tea, juice, hot chocolate, soda, etc)

35. Are they good with children?

36. Do they trust easily? What would you have to do to earn their trust?

37. Are they a hopeless romantic, or is that stuff just not for them?

38. Do they get lost easily, or are they good with directions?

39. Are they superstitious?

40. Do they like physical activity, or staying inside?

41. What would they dress up as for Halloween?

42. Do they like fast food, or fancy restaurants?

43. Are they a chaotic bastard, pure angel baby, or tired mom friend?

44. Do they have a good attention span?

45. Are they always late, on time, or early?

46. Do they cry, gasp, laugh, etc, while reading a book, or do they remain relatively stone-faced?

47. Do they keep a diary?

48. How dramatic are they?

49. Do they put a lot of effort into their appearance, or do they just make themselves presentable and go?

50. Why would they be a good partner for a road trip?

51. Why would they be a BAD partner for a road trip?

52. What topic should nobody bring up around them, lest the other person be subject to a massive ramble/rant?

53. Are they clumsy?

54. Are they a law breaker, or stickler for rules?

55. Choose a vine you think perfectly encapsulates their character.

56. Do they like to share?

57. What’s the most chaotic thing they’ve done?

58. Which friend do they immediately become a zero-braincelled idiot around?

59. Do they love or hate surprises?

60. What sappy thing will they cry at? (romance movies, cute cat videos, etc) Would they deny crying about it later on?

61. What’s their favourite and least favourite subject in school?

62. Do they take a lot of photos? If so, what of?

63. Do they wear makeup?

64. Describe what their social media would be like.

65. Do they give people a lot of nicknames?

66. What nicknames do others call them by?

67. What’s an outrageous story about them nobody believes?

68. Are they easy to fluster? What would you have to do to truly fluster them?

69. What’s their dream vacation like?

70. Are they a good liar?

71. What do they want to do in the future?

72. How do they feel about love?

73. Are they more book smarts, or street smarts?

74. What’s their guilty pleasure?

75. Is there anyone they consider their rival?

76. Do they have any notable physical features?

77. What’s their music taste like?

78. What’s something they’re really bad at?

79. Do they have a good sleep schedule?

80. What’s their aesthetic sense like?

81. What’s something they’re really proud of?

82. How would they spend a free day?

83. What are they like as an s/o?

84. What’s one thing they like that they don’t want anyone to know about?

85. Do they have a sweet tooth?

86. How would you describe their fashion sense?

87. Do they like spicy food?

88. Are they lucky? Do they believe in luck?

89. What would they get into a petty argument over?

90. Are they a good artist?

91. Do they prefer hot or cold weather?

92. Can they play an instrument?

93. What type of movies do they like to watch?

94. What does their room look like?

95. How do they feel about bugs? Scared? Fascinated?

96. What’s their sense of humour like? (Dad jokes, morbid humour, basic knock-knock jokes, stand up comedy, etc)

97. What do they keep in their bag?

98. How competitive are they?

99. What would they wear to a formal event? Describe their outfit!

So cuteee 🥹🩷

Especially if it’s not the first time it’s happened, so everyone thinks sickie is a tough guy and their s/o secretly knows one little tummy ache, and it’s all over for toughie.

https://www.tumblr.com/whumpdom/726764069666897920/sicktember-day-1-hopelessly-bad-at?source=share

Sicktember day 1: Hopelessly Bad At Self-Care

Original Work

I always ask about your OCs but never about you, so it's high time I changed this.

What is your absolute favourite sick scenario?

- 💜

struggle to catch their breath

grab onto whatever’s close enough to ground themselves in reality

become nauseous / vomit

shake uncontrollably

sweat buckets

get a headache

things people do to combat having nightmares if they occur commonly

sleep near other people so they can hear the idle sounds of them completing tasks

move to a different sleeping spot than where they had the nightmare

leave tvs / radios / phones on with noise

just not sleep (if you want to go the insomnia route)

sleep during the day in bright rooms

things people with insomnia do

first, obviously, their ability to remember things and their coordination will go out the window

its likely they’ll become irritable or overly emotional

their body will start to ache, shake, and weaken

hallucinate if it’s been long enough

it becomes incredibly easy for them to get sick (and they probably will)

trigger warnings for abuse, domestic violence, ed

how they can react in certain situations

✘ avoid making eye contact, but will look up to meet caretaker’s eyes immediately if caretaker tells them to — for instance, caretaker is concerned about whumpee who keeps their gaze on the floor all the time; so, without thinking, caretaker says, “ look at me”. it doesn’t matter if they say it in a soft, comforting tone, they immediately regret it because whumpee quickly jerks their head up to meet caretaker’s eyes, fully thinking caretaker will hurt them if they don’t obey.

✘ whumpee is used to receiving orders. they don’t understand the concept of saying no and not being punished for it. so anything caretaker asks them to do (keyword; ask, whumpee can absolutely say no), whumpee will comply whether or not they want to (but they will do their best to make sure it looks like they want to).

✘ avoid staying in a crowded room or even an open space. whumpee will most likely seek comfort from some quiet corner where they’re away from anybody and nobody can bother them.

✘ an open space where there’s no one around can also bother whumpee, because it’s not just about being surrounded by a lot of people that’s triggering to whumpee. being alone in an open space can make whumpee feel extremely exposed, like an easy target.

✘ so mostly, whumpee will seek some quiet corner where they are alone and aren’t easily seen.

✘ they don’t like being the center of attention or being talked about. because this can also make them feel vulnerable, uncomfortable and exposed.

✘ physical touch that comes with no heads up, the ones that catch whumpee off guard, can result in a terrible reaction from whumpee, even if it’s an act of affection (a hug, a friendly pat on the shoulder, etc), because whumpee has already associated all kind of physical contact with pain and violence. so if someone touches them, they reflexively expect it to hurt.

✘ being jumpy in general. they may flinch away at any loud noise, any physical touch.

✘ lack of opinions in general. if they have to engage in a conversation where more than two people are talking about something, whumpee will remain quiet. not because they’re shy but because they 1.) think their opinions don’t matter 2.) are afraid they might say something wrong that’ll get them punished 3.) don’t want to risk speaking out of turn.

✘ whumpee expect themself to be punished if they make a mistake, doesn’t matter how small the mistake is — for instance, whumpee accident knocks over a glass of water, causing it to shatter, and immediately starts to panic, because they believe they will get punished for it.

✘ the rules whumper previously set for whumpee may still be effective for whumpee, even if they’re with caretaker now; whumpee still follows whimper’s rules because 1.) it’s an old habit 2.) they just want to stay safe.

✘ they can react poorly to food. whumpee may have no appetite at all, and can develop a wave of anxiety that can lead to nausea if they’re forced to eat. (this doesn’t mean caretaker is supposed to just let them starve though, only that it can be challenging and caretaker has to be very careful about how they approach this, how they handle the situation to help whumpee.)

✘ insomnia. whumpee having trouble sleeping at night, this can cause them to feel tired during daytime.

things they can say in certain situations

✘ “it’s okay.”

✘ “I’m used to it.”

✘ “I can be good. I’ll be good.”

✘ “I don’t deserve this.” (on being shown kindness)

✘ “it’s what I deserve.” (on being hurt)

✘ “why are you kind to me?”

✘ “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” (on making a mistake)

✘ “please, don’t be mad at me.”

✘ “I’ll do better next time.”

✘ “you’re not angry?”

✘ “it’s up to you”

✘ “either is fine with me.” (on being asked to pick something or to give an opinion)

Have this little ficlet while I work on the fic Sicily one!

-------------------

Leo's stomach was gurgling something awful since lunch. He wasn't sure what the hell was wrong, but his belly felt gurgly and bloated, pressing against his social pants all day.

By the time his job was done, he was covered in a thin layer of sweat and his belt was digging in his tummy. He stumbled to his car and let out a groan upon entering and shutting the door. People were still getting out of the building, so he was too embarrassed to undo his pants yet, but god did his gut feel horrible.

With a shaky hand, he started the car and drove out of the building's parking lot. It was a really gray day, a thin drizzle falling since morning. He stopped at a red light and leaned back against the seat, tugging on his belt. In order to open it, he had to tighten it a buckle first and Leo let out a groan when he could just feel liquid churning in his lower intestines. He undid the belt and his pants button and zipper, resting a hand on his belly when it sprung forward.

It was warm to touch and loud, vocally complaining the mess that had been pushed down into his colon. A shiver ran up his spine and Leo struggled to pay attention to the street.

By the time he made it home, Leo was starting to feel nauseous from pain. His lower belly was cramping rhythmically and throbbing under his hand. He all but bolted from the car as soon as it was parked, feeling claustrophobic and sick.

The elevator ride felt like it took hours and Leo was squirming on his feet by the time he made it to the door. He didn't have much time, his bowels were done with him and whatever rancid food he had eaten. JD jumped up from the couch when he entered and he groaned out loud.

A comes home after an incredibly rough day and is almost on the verge of tears. All they want is a hug and cuddles from their partner B. But B doesn’t pick up on their partners trouble and makes a snide remark or snaps at them mindlessly. They don’t realize anythings wrong until A bursts into tears . . . End in fluff pls!!(I think this would be so cute for Alistar and Nikau!! - sorry if I spelled it wrong) Thank you if you decide to do it!! ❤️❤️

here is the fic I promised before :D, it's quite long almost 3000 words. the ending is mid, i hope i have met both of your expectations with your asks. thank you very much for both of them hehe.

---

Alistair, being Alistair, had made his day ten times worse than it already was. He had already anticipated a bad day, and his manifestation seemed to actually come true, just to spite him. His mood was down the drain, his outfit was shit, his classes were boring and everything about him felt awful. His stomach was terribly upset, he didn’t know if he was hungry or the stupid thing was getting sick, so as a result he was starving and bloated, belly pushing into his pants. Thankfully, his last class was wrapping up, an hour long tutorial that he didn’t contribute anything too; rather he sat in the corner leaning against the wall. He was sure he didn’t pick up anything the tutor was saying, let alone take any notes. 

However, moving along he packed up his stuff with the sluggishness of a sloth, and dragged his feet out of the classroom. The person in front of him dropped the door on his face too, just his fucking luck. He scowled at their stupid haircut and started walking towards the bus stop. Oh, that was another thing, Nikau had needed the car today so he had to walk to University and now he was destined to go on a packed bus with a bunch of business men and crying babies. Joy. 

The walk to the stop, Alistair reflected on how much of an awful day he had. It was downright laughable, he could’ve been on a sitcom with the amount of things that went wrong. His laptop was low on battery, the library was packed full of people, and he had only one hour breaks between all of his classes and lectures. And he was already pissed before his stomach even started to riot. So, on top of everything, his stomach gurgling away at him all day was like an incessant fly that wouldn’t stop flying around his ears. 

As he walked, he found himself unconsciously holding his belly. He didn’t care what he looked like, other people be damned, all he wanted was to feel better. The walk seemed to take forever, the smell of tarmac, the sight of construction, the noise of city life, Alistair felt like his brain was melting. He zeroed in on the bus stop sign, willing himself to move faster. 

It was empty. The lone bench was blissfully quiet as he heavily threw himself down on it. He shucked his bag off, sitting it against him, and threw his head back. His hair was sticking to the nape of his neck, gross, and his legs felt like jelly. Hot electricity coursed through his hands and arms, raising goosebumps and sending warning signals to his brain. He was sick. So sick yet so far from home. The bus was coming in ten minutes, the ten most agonising minutes of Alistair’s life. He wrapped both arms around his middle, holding it in place as it grumbled away incessantly. 

His thoughts began to wander then. To his assignments, his boyfriend, the birds singing their annoying songs, how sick he felt. It was all coming together in Alistair’s mind, and in all honesty he wanted it to stop. His own brain almost made him break down at that bus stop. He ducked his head and sucked in harshly between his teeth, forcing the tears back into his tear ducts. Sickness floored him every time, broke down every emotional defence he had up, like a crack in a dam that grew and grew until a huge wave finally broke through. The pain in his belly, the overstimulating noise, the knowledge that every assignment would have to be pushed back for him to recover, was too much existentialism for the bus stop. 

He gathered himself. Alistair turned to stare at where the bus would appear. He sat back on the bench, needing to feel the solid wood behind him. The gurgling hit a sharp note, his measly breakfast rumbling through the pit of his stomach. The organ twisted on bits of bread, trying to digest something that wouldn’t move past his stomach. He rubbed a hand over the tight spot. 

Focusing on his own body, he didn’t notice the bus finally arriving. It pulled into the stop and Alistair had to force himself up, feeling his back slouch and his knees wobble, he stepped up onto the bus and sat on the closest free seat. He stared out the window, pulling a deep breath into his lungs. He closed his eyes, hoping the bus ride was the smoothest of his life. 

—

Alistair trudged through the front door, groaning loudly to announce his presence. He pretty much threw his bag onto the ground, slamming the front door with his foot. The bus messed up his stomach even more, the churning getting worse and morphing into a nauseating mess inside him. He wrapped his left arm around his bloated belly, hunching over and went searching for Nikau. 

The house was quiet, the only sound were Alistair’s heavy footfalls. God, he hated being sick. He groaned again when his stomach bubbled, the bug getting angrier by the second the longer he ignored it. 

He got tired of searching, “Nikau! Are you here babe?” 

There was a muffled reply that came from the bedroom. Alistair smiled to himself, excited to see his boyfriend after the day he’s had. His legs were heavy as he climbed up the stairs; the landing felt like it kept stretching further away from him like an oasis in a desert. His head pounded as he ascended making him shut his eyes as he finally made it to the second floor. Alistair pretty much threw his hand on the knob, knocking it down as he pushed his way inside the bedroom. 

Nikau was on the bed, headphones in and laptop resting on his lap. He immediately brought a finger up to his lips, silencing Alistair’s planned complaint. Nikau’s face was very serious as he went back to staring at the laptop screen. The redheads mood decreased further, no longer feeling as excited as he was before, realising that he was going to have to wait. 

Nonetheless, he sat down on the bed, flopping backward onto the pillow. His stomach rolled, making him groan deeply with the movement. Nikua shot him a look that withered the seed of hope in his chest. Alistair stole a look at the computer screen and saw the all familiar squares of a Zoom meeting. He frowned, Nikau hadn’t mentioned this at all so it must have been sudden. No wonder he was so pissed off. 

Alistair closed his eyes, throwing his forearm over his eyes. The darkness was incredibly comforting, the tension in his eyebrows and jaw releasing. His other hand was rubbing along the harsh lines on his lower belly where his jeans had been cutting into him. Alistair’s tummy rumbled, nausea increasing as he sat in darkness. He almost hoped Nikau was taking notice without him having to utter a word. 

The room was quiet. Alistair heard the little taps of Nikau’s keyboard flowing into his ears. It was like ASMR, quieting the anxious little voice that wouldn’t shut up. He couldn’t wait till Nikau’s Zoom was over. He conjured up an image of both of them on the couch, Nikau’s hand rubbing soft circles into Alistair’s belly, muting the upset gurgles, with cups of tea and something stupid on the TV to distract him. Getting into bed and falling asleep with Nikau’s strong arms wrapped around his middle, magically getting better by the morning. 

Alistair caught himself smiling at the thought. So dramatic. He huffed at his own voice. He breathed deeply, stomach inflating with breath. After everything, he almost fell asleep. However, Nikau had decided to slam his laptop shut, sighing angrily and pushing himself off the bed with a huff. 

The bed shook and Alistair’s stomach sloshed, a heavy gurgle spreading across his middle. He threw his arm off his eyes, watching Nikau pace around the room and finally coming to a stop at the windowsill, leaning on it like he was in a period drama. Alistair sat up, 

“Nikau?” 

“What?” The word was spat out like a curse. Alistair immediately wondered what the Zoom had been about. 

“Are you alright?” Alistair didn’t notice how shaky his voice sounded, and neither did Nikau apparently. He turned around with a stormy look in his eyes, the setting sun outlined him. Alistair had to squint to look at him. 

Nikau shook his head roughly, “Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to talk about it.” 

Alistair sighed, now nervous about telling him his own problems. He didn’t have the chance though, Nikau already moving out of the room. Alistair got up to follow, vertigo crashing into him. He lost his footing a little, stumbling towards the dresser. He moaned as the world tilted sideways. Nikau turned around, 

“What is wrong, Star? I don’t have the energy right now.” His words stung, but he knew Nikau didn’t really mean them. 

“N-nothing.” As soon as the word left his mouth Nikau turned around and disappeared from sight. Alistair leaned against the dresser more, taking deep breaths in and out. His stomach was spinning, echoing his head. The more he stood there, the more anxious he felt about throwing up. It was definitely on the horizon and he felt tears prick at the corner of his eyes. Alistair made his way to the bathroom, vomiting inevitable. 

His hand never left the wall, hunched over himself as the nausea increased the closer he got to the bathroom door. He slapped a hand over his mouth as he gagged, vomit filling his mouth and burning his tongue. He burst into the bathroom and leaned over the toilet, vomit spilling from his lips. He coughed harshly, a heave bringing up another fierce wave as he almost fell forward. His stomach gurgled, a wet burp preceding another gag and a mouthful of vomit. He had a moment of reprieve and he sat himself down, knees slamming into the tile. He wrapped his arms around his stomach, leaning over the toilet now that he had more stability. 

His stomach brought up another wave, and Alistair was surprised at the amount of vomit coming up. Coughing, panting and groaning was all that was heard around the walls of the bathroom. Alistair thought he was being loud, but apparently not loud enough for Nikau to notice. He groaned, his neck losing its strength and his head fell forward. The gurgling noises coming from his insides weren’t letting up, it almost felt like they were getting louder. He forced up a burp, which only made him gag, spitting up a chunky mouthful. Alistair moaned, arms squeezing tighter. 

“Fuck.” He whined, clearing his throat and hating the feeling of his saliva dangling from his lips. His knees ached on the floor. His headache grew, a pulsing right behind his eyes. His mouth filled with saliva again, jaw tingling, and another wave was brought up into the mess in front of him. His gut finally started to calm down a little so he took the time to catch his breath. Everything was aching, he was freezing, and now he was hiccuping. He sighed, running a hand down his sweaty face. His hair was sticking to his forehead now and he felt disgusting. 

He sniffled, spitting out the last remains. His hands shook as he flushed away the mess. He shakily stood, washed his hands quickly and threw some water over his face and swirled some in his mouth. He hoped Nikau had calmed down a little, it was already bad enough he felt like shit he didn’t want to feel even worse by making Nikau upset. 

Alistair left the bathroom with a heavy gait. His journey down the stairs was thankfully uneventful, but by the time he made it down he felt weaker than he did immediately after vomiting. He felt like he was about to pass out. Making his way slowly to the living room, he kept his arm wrapped around his middle and found Nikau scrolling on his phone. 

He cleared his throat, “Nikau?” 

The man hummed, not even looking at Alistair. Alistair sagged a little, a bit defeated that his boyfriend was paying him any attention. He moved on then, to the kitchen where he fixed himself a healthy meal of ibuprofen and water. He gulped down a mouthful, wary of drinking too much. He leant back against it, staring out at the back of Nikau’s head. He still was curious as to what had upset him so much, but he knew he needed to let Nikau deal with it on his own for a bit. 

All this thinking distracted him from his condition, but a cramp hit his belly right as he relaxed a bit too much. He gasped, his hand clutching his tummy, the ibuprofen coming back with a vengeance. He powered through it alone, fever addled brain making him feel worse that Nikau hadn’t even got up from his seat at Alistair’s noise. His pitiful thinking brought on more tears, but these were unable to be stopped. They made tracks down his cheeks, meeting on his jawline and falling to the ground. His belly cramped again, Alistair hunching over himself and using the bench as a support to not fall immediately to the ground. 

He clamped a hand over his mouth when a sob broke through, desperately trying to make himself quiet. Nikau didn’t need extra worry. Nikau didn’t want extra worry. Nikau didn’t want to help. 

No matter how much he tried to be silent, Alistair’s cries weren’t unheard. Nikau turned his head, noticing right away the state Alistair was in. He got up in a rush, throwing his phone down and approached his sickly boyfriend. 

His hands landed on Alistair’s upper arms, “Star, hey are you okay?”

Alistair fell forward, his forehead landing on Nikau’s shoulder. His cries got louder then, “No, I feel like absolute rubbish, Nikau. My belly hurts.” He whined, arms winding tighter around his middle. 

“Oh, love, I’m so sorry for not noticing. How long have you felt like this?” His hands moved to Alistair’s warm back, moving up and down his spine. 

“Since lunch. I thought I might have just been hungry but it just got worse,” He paused, unsure if he should say this, “I threw up before.” 

Nikau reeled back, eyes desperately searching Alistair’s face, “For real?” 

Alistair nodded, a few more tears slipping past his eyes. Nikau sighed, pulling Alistair back into a gentle hug. The heat from Alistair’s body made Nikau feel warm, and he connected the dots as to why his boyfriend was so upset. He felt terrible. But, now that he understood he knew exactly what to do. 

He pulled back more slowly this time, watching Alistair’s eyes flutter with another cramp. He hissed in sympathy. 

“Okay, sweetheart let's get you settled. I’ll get you feeling better in no time.” He tried to peel Alistair off the counter as gently as possible, coming around to his side and wrapping his arm around his shoulders. They moved as one towards the living room, Nikau depositing Alistair on the couch and reaching for the nearest blanket to lay over his lap. He leant forward and got Alistair’s attention by cupping his hands on his jaw, 

“Be right back.” 

Alistair watched him leave, sinking down into the couch. His thoughts were still running, but as he sat down he admittedly felt a tad better. His stomach calmed down a little, and his legs were thankful that he was sitting down and resting. Alistair leaned his head back on the couch, hand resting on the crest of his swollen stomach. 

He barely moved when Nikau returned, he heard a bucket be placed on the coffee table, and he felt the couch dip as Nikau sat next to him. The man touched his knee, 

“You feeling okay? You don’t look so good, babe.” 

Alistair shook his head, “I really don’t feel good.” Turning his head he met Nikau’s eyes, a pitiful expression on his face. Nikau made a clicking noise with his teeth, sitting a little closer to put his hand on Alistair’s belly. He leaned forward and kissed his cheek as he started to rub Alistair’s upset stomach. 

Alistair moaned, the cramps coming back with the touch of Nikau’s fingertips. He pushed his stomach out, needing the pressure and comforting weight. Nikau quickly got the memo, pushing a little deeper into his belly. He burped, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. If you need to let them out just do it.” 

The man groaned at the feel of another burp forcing its way up his throat. His hand joined Nikau on his tummy, rubbing the underside as it swelled with pressure. His stomach wasn’t perfectly flat, yet the softness of his belly was completely overtaken by the bloating of this illness, the skin stretched tight as it worked its way through his guts. His throat jumped at a wet burp, chest lurching. Nikau paused, 

“Are you gonna throw up?” 

Alistair shook his head, “Just gassy.” 

Nikau hummed, kissing his cheek again. The room fell silent bar Alistair’s stomach and burping. There was a tension in the air though, Nikau was the first to break it. 

“I’m sorry about not noticing how sick you were before. Also, I ignored you when you were clearly ill. I’m sorry, Star.” 

Alistair didn’t really know what to say. His brain was too muddled to come up with a response, too much pain and exhaustion, so he just shook his head and leaned into Nikau, hoping that was enough to get Nikau to relax. It felt like he did, his hand was still rubbing along the swell of his belly and his other hand was playing with the wavy strands of hair at the crown of Alistair’s head.  ---