Okay okay… I know there are a lot of kotabee requests, but what if Dakota has a fun night out with friends, lots of drinks and junk food, gets home starts to feels the indigestion, bloated and gassy. But the gassy is trapped, Blair in there with tummy rub and tea, helping him release the gas. No emeto, just soft and comfort?
Soft and Comfort as per your request *bows and leaves the room*
With one hand on the steering wheel and the other on his abdomen, Dakota grimaced. The hand over his belly could feel the gurgles that rippled through his body. He tried to elicit burps by pressing in deeper but that only succeeded at making him feel sicker.
He groaned, kicking himself for going overboard with the food and drinks. The four cans of coke that he had turned his belly into a volcano. Even alcohol wouldn’t have upset his stomach this bad—but of course alcohol’s dark side would have crept up on him the next morning.
It was a moot point because he picked his poison and it happened to be pop. It was a nastier poison than he realized as he drove home with bubbles rumbling in his gut.
The food too was weighing him down to the point of being uncomfortable. He wished he hadn’t eaten that last slice of pizza, or that breadstick, or that last brownie. But Dakota was a chronic garbage disposal. All of the “last” pieces somehow always found their way into his mouth. He didn’t like to see food go to waste, so instead it all went into his belly, making him feel like literal garbage.
Now would be a good time to burp, he mused in the quiet car. No one was around; he could belch and not one single person would care. He fidgeted on the seat, wishing that he could get some relief from the pressure building inside of him. Whenever he tried to force up burps, acid threatened to rise in his esophagus. Not only acid but the sludge of junk food he ate during the night. He had no desire to see his car covered in half-digested pizza, so he stopped trying to force the burps.
Dakota sighed when he walked through his front door. The house was dark and quiet, meaning Blair must have already gone to bed. He sighed even deeper when he unbuttoned his pants. He hadn’t realized how tightly the waistband was pressing into his belly. He rubbed the area, feeling the markings that the clothes left on skin.
His girlfriend had sprawled out on the bed, content to take up as much room as she could. Blair was a light sleeper, so the first hint of his presence made her reposition herself. She mumbled something as he lifted her arm off his side of the bed. He set her arm back down, but this time it lay on his chest. Even her leg got wrapped up in his when he made room for himself.
Blair inhaled sharply, a sure sign that she was more awake than before. She smiled softly into her pillow. “Hi baby. How was your night?”
“It was good, but I’m happy to be home.”
“I’m happy too.” She glided her nails over his chest, looking for his face in the dark. He took her hand in his when she touched his chin. He lifted her hand to his mouth to give it a kiss.
“You sure?” he said playfully. “You didn’t seem to mind having the bed to yourself.” Beneath the blankets, he shoved her leg.
“I’m not gonna lie, you take up a lot of room.”
“Says the girl whose foot is wrapped around my leg. And you have all the blankets.”
“Then come over here and take them back.”
Dakota did just that. He wiggled his way closer to Blair, then pulled her into his arms. She was warm and fit against his chest snuggly, but the movement had unsettled his stomach. The burp escaped before he could bury his head into the pillow. He moaned, realizing just how sick he felt. The indigestion was not letting go, no matter how much time passed. “Oh, excuse me.”
He wanted to think of another clever line to add but the wiggling in his belly distracted him. Another belch rumbled up his chest, coating his throat in acid. He swallowed and grimaced. “Ugh maybe I’m the one being rude.”
“You’re fine,” she said simply. Being pressed against Dakota ensured that she heard every noise that came from his belly. After one particularly wet gurgle, she became more alert. The playful sleepiness that she’d been holding on to was replaced with shock and concern. “But you don’t sound entirely fine.”
“Yeah, my stomach isn’t very happy right now. I might have overdone it tonight.”
“Did you take anything for indigestion?”
“No. I thought I could sleep it off,” he replied, thinking about how foolish that sounded.
“And how’s that working out?”
“I don’t know, someone won’t leave me alone long enough to find out,” he said, referring to the body that was practically on top of him. There also appeared to be ice frozen to her feet somehow.
“Fine, then I guess I won’t give you a tummy rub.” Blair gave an exaggerated huff and turned over on to her other side.
“No, Bee, come back. Rub my belly. It hurts so bad.” He reached out for her. He could have easily dragged her back into the hug but instead he just continued to whine. “Please, Bee. Help me feel better.”
Blair stood her ground…for all of three seconds. Then she turned around to face him again. She could just make out his expression in the dark—a silly pout, but beneath that was real distress. His stomach hadn’t stopped grumbling for the entire conversation.
“I hate you. Lift up your damn shirt.”
“Thank you,” he said, pulling his shirt up to reveal his bloated middle.
She started in the center of his stomach with small circles, gradually increasing the size of the circle so that she reached every area. He was in fact very bloated. Occasionally, her gentle kneading found a harder section. He tensed up when she pushed in. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah sorry, there’s just lots of trapped gas.” He shifted in the bed, trying to find the most comfortable position. “Keep going.”
She pressed on, literally.
The stubborn sections needed more pressure, so that’s what she gave. Still using circular motions, she pushed her three middle fingers deeper into his belly. He groaned at first, but eventually her kneading dislodged something, and he let out a long, deep belch.
Dakota sighed, feeling relief for the first time. “Uh that was good.” After the initial wave of relief, he felt his insides shift. He was still very full from the food he ate, and it continued to be churned up in his gut. “I really shouldn’t have eaten as much as I did.”
“You say that every time you get a stomach-ache. And do you ever learn?”
“No rhetorical questions while I have a tummy ache.”
Blair chuckled at him. “Am I helping at least?”
So, Blair resumed the soft rubbing. She avoided any firmer sections for a while, giving his belly time to settle. It bubbled and gurgled beneath her hand. She felt bad for him. He didn’t seem to be getting less tense, still fidgeting and groaning whenever his belly sloshed uneasily.
He burped a few more times, these ones smaller and less impactful. Then Blair found another pocket of air. She pressed on this one hesitantly to see how Dakota would react. He let out a small grunt and put his hand over hers.
“This okay?” she asked, unsure what he wanted.
“Yes. It hurts right there. Push harder.”
Dakota directed her, pushing down with his hand over hers. Blair switched from using her fingers to using the bottom of her palm to push into the spot. Like before, she went in small circular motions, but let Dakota set the pressure.
When the belch erupted from his mouth, she felt her hand sink into his spot, as if all the air had gotten loose. This burp was deep, but wet. She heard the gurgle in his throat that followed this hearty burp.
Dakota let out a heavy exhale, feeling ten times lighter. Acid had splashed the back of his mouth, but at least the excess air was gone from his stomach. The burp had startled him, making him rise to his elbows in fear that more than air was going to come up. He slowly lowered back down on his back, confident that the food was going to stay in its place.
“Kota?” Blair started, “Are you alright? I can’t tell if that was good or bad?”
“It was good,” he said, breathlessly. “It helped. A lot. But I don’t think I can do that again.”
“Then how about some tea now?”
Tea sounded nice, especially the ginger and lemon tea that they had bought recently.
Dakota drank slowly, letting the steam waft around his face. He was wary about drinking too fast because his stomach was still rather full, but small sips seemed to help. Blair also had tea—mocha. Dakota teased her for drinking something that was so overwhelmingly green. She resisted the urge to nudge him because of the hot beverage in his hands. He held the mug like a child who had been lost in a blizzard just moments before.
The two of them sat at the kitchen table, silently sipping their drinks. When Dakota’s cup was empty, his head began lolling forward, likely to fall off his shoulders. Blair put their cups in the sink, then came around behind her boyfriend. She dragged her hands down his shoulders, down his chest, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“Mhm,” he mumbled with his eyes closed.
“Good. I’m sure you’ll be back to devouring our food in the morning.”
“Can you make us pancakes for breakfast tomorrow?”
“How are you already thinking food!?”
He shrugged and let a grin spread across his face. “It’s my second greatest love in life.”
