Chapter 1 - A Taste

It was strange to her - that he never seemed to admit it. Admit that he was, in fact, beautiful. The way he laid out on a chair, stretched and serene. He sprawled when he took up space, but not in a way that overtook it. No, his movements were lazier and apathetic. The only courtesy that went through his mind is that he owned this space, so he was allowed to be lethargic on every inch. It was also the way he was sexy… the way his shoulders would shudder in unison to the soft lick of his lower lip. He held things like he was keeping himself from ripping them apart. And the way his eyes darted…like they were taking apart every word and deciding if it was worth keeping in his mind. Once in a while, a low purr like growl almost came from him, as if he was in strict and aggressive opposition to whatever he was reading. It was strange how strong his spindly fingers were. Sure, they were nearly skeletal, but the muscle and bone came through in an alarming manner. It was only beautiful when he was tinkering or playing, when the intent and precision came through in every motion. Then sometimes, those beautiful bright eyes would snap up, darting around for moments before settling on her. It was intriguing to watch the near primal display - to go from on edge to suddenly relaxed. She watched the change ripple through his body. Everything he did was so expressive.

“You’re staring.”

His voice was melodic and soft. The depth of it felt gentle and inviting, a strange cut from the near predatory aesthetic he so effortlessly expressed. She smiled, watching his eyes trace the soft curve of her lips. It was an enjoyable difference between them, she was finding. They were both so expressive, but in such different ways. She supposed that was another tick in the boxes he spoke to her about. Where he was subtle and meaningful, but quiet - she was loud and verbose. He unwound like a cat stretching in the sun whereas she was fireworks. She breathed deeply before answering him - some part of her always felt a little on guard around him. She was finding she liked that.

“Isn’t that what you wanted me to do?” He smirked, his shoulders rolling from quiet bouts of laughter - a genuine smile stretched across his tight face as he sighed, “never deny me your candor.” She was about to answer him when she saw the grimace form at the corners of his eyes followed by the sudden onslaught of quiet panting. His back straightened before he hunched forward. He was massaging his side when his head fell into the crux of his elbow and he hissed in pain. She stepped forward instantly and put one palm firmly against his chest, cradling his upper body in her arm while rubbing and scratching his back. She patted his upper back a few times to sync his breathing and assist his stomach in any way she could. She traced the sides of his spine from the tip of his neck to the bottom of back. Still slumped against her, he moaned and hiccupped, cradling his stomach. Her eyes went wide as she finally began to see it - the slow, but ever present swell of his sudden tummy. He moaned and burped gently, followed by what sounded like a groan. She wasn’t really paying attention - not when this shocking new curve was stretching before her eyes. She only diverted her gaze when she heard whimpering and her brain caught up to decipher it.

“P..pl-ease,” he wheezed out and winced, “plea-se set me… back.” His voice was slow, raspy and only lasted as long as one of his shallow breaths would allow. She complied, wrapping her hand around his other shoulder as the arm that cradled him helped him lay back against the chaise lounge. She then realized she never saw him sit on anything differently. As she settled him onto the armrest with a pillow behind his back, he groaned and tried to pronounce the word ‘there'; but only succeeded in pointing to a pillow and his knees. She nodded and propped him up gently, rubbing his legs to try to help him calm down in any way possible. He still looked terribly distressed.

He attempted to prop himself up onto his elbows, but his face tightened in a way that both of them knew he was stuck. The sudden jostling made him belch. He placed one hand against a now very swollen gut - his hand now smaller than the side. He started to rub her shoulder so gently and their eyes locked. There was so much in there: panic, desperation, pain, haziness and an almost predatory need. There was also something else so foreign to her: pleading. This stoic man who was walled up so tightly was looking at her with hope…just hope. It was a tight, almost begging told by the corners of his frightened eyes to the tightness of his mouth. Something about that look made her decide she wasn’t going to let him down. This strange human being - one she had known only for four months, was collapsing before her very eyes. This one gaze summed everything up for both of them: please don’t let me down. She nodded to him sternly and before she could think she let instinct take over.

She didn’t imagine the belt could feel comfortable and doubted it would give considering how well it was made. The pants were perfectly tailored to his body - it’s partially what made him so beautiful. Gingerly, she loosened it followed by unlooping the button on his pants. The zipper came down before she could loosen it from the tension it had been under. He moaned loudly and she watched as his back arched painfully. She grabbed his hand and gripped it tightly, placing one hand under his back to help support it. He whimpered a few times as his gut stretched some more and deeply rumbled. She scratched his gut under the fabric and quickly undid the buttons. His eyes fluttered from it all.

She pushed into the lower part of his swollen belly as hard as she could. He groaned and tried to push her away in protest, but his hips and legs gave out before he moved much. It only resulted in him jostling his gut and producing some nauseating swaying. His eyes fluttered as his mouth went slack. She kneaded deeply into his taut belly, just below and around his belly button. Mere curiosity took over, however. She moved one hand slowly towards his belly button which had become rather narrow and deep. She inched her index finger over the flesh like it was finding some pit to crawl into. Every movement of her fingers made him seem to moan in relief and collapse a little more.

“D-do it,” he breathlessly whined out between groans, “please… I know you want… to.”

She felt caught. It somehow felt hotter. Without hesitation, she pushed her index finger into his tight belly button, trying to find the bottom of that narrow hole. His gut seemed to fold in on itself, swelling against whatever space was there. It began to rumble and gurgle horribly followed what almost sounded like a clogged drain. He cursed as his hand went for his gut and he pushed against it.

“Deflate me,” he moaned out quickly - as if fighting to have space to speak, “please, now.”

Unsure of what that meant, but trying to piece together what he was asking - she shoved both hands flatly against the top of his belly and pushed. It felt like a tire and she was astounded and worried about him. Then, suddenly and without any warning, there was a loud rumbling noise as his stomach caved in. He gasped and arched his back again, his hips nearly lifting. His eyes opened wide, feverishly, before rolling back. He collapsed back onto the chaise lounge, a sweaty groaning mess. His hair looked tousled and his eyes looked far away, almost dreamy. He sighed and moaned once more. He still seemed wound up.

His eyes fluttered as he fought to open them. They shot open and locked onto hers. He blinked a few times, bringing her back into focus. He guided a strand of hair behind her ear and caressed down her cheek with a look of earnest gratitude. His once almost cordial demeanor from earlier had been replaced by exhaustion and defeat, possibly even shame. For the moment, however, he was relaxed and still here. She was still learning to read him. Her head cocked to the side as he attempted to pull himself up into a more seated position. He gave her a knowing, but smug look. It was good to know his confidence wasn’t entirely rattled. She could put a lot of things back together, including a person, but it was a long road with no guarantee. He seemed solemn, but purposeful as he pushed his hands in front onto the sides of his bare, but still bloated gut. Sighing, his tired eyes met her, “I think you have a lot of questions about what just happened.”