STUFFED

Savior

Bradyn gets down on his knees in front of her.

"Bradyn." She whines his name and he can't resist.

Bradyn reaches out and holds both sides of her distended gut between his palms. It feels nice for both of them; Courtney has missed his touch and Bradyn has missed touching her. It feels natural.

He lifts up the front of her t-shirt a little bit and kisses her taut skin.

Courtney whimpers.

"I know." He rubs his thumbs up and down her sides, "I know."

He looks up at Courtney from where he's sitting and her head is tilted all the way back. Her legs are pushed all the way apart as her stomach has demanded more room.

Bradyn moves forward and wraps his arms around her, hugging her lower half. He rests his head against her stomach with his ear to her belly.

He feels every breath she takes and hears every squelch and gurgle her intestines make.

Just being in his presence is enough.

Twenty minutes go by and she begins to feel slightly better. Courtney can reach a hand out in front of her torso now and runs a hand through Bradyn's hair.

She shifts herself to sit more upright and the pain sinks deeper into her stomach. She doesn't think she made any noise but she feels kisses underneath her belly button in response.

He rubs his hands up and down her thighs. They're bigger than he remembers. He wants to say something about it but it's probably not the right time. He rests his chin on her thigh.

It's quiet for the next little while and Bradyn is lulled to sleep by the sounds of Courtney's upset stomach. He wakes up when Courtney makes a sound.

"Are you okay?" He says, instantly alert.

"Can we go upstairs?"

"Yeah of course."

She's not feeling better but she can't sit on this hard wooden bench anymore.

In the past Bradyn would've just picked her up and carried them both upstairs to her room, but looking at her now, he doesn't think he'll be able to anymore.

He grabs hold of both of her hands and helps her to her feet.

"Careful." He warns.

They stagger over to the staircase and it takes them seven minutes and three breaks to make it to the top.

Courtney plops onto her bed out of breath. She's sitting slumped, with her back against the headboard. Bradyn slides in beside her. Courtney groans and slides all the way down, basically lying horizontally on her back.

"Will you rub my tummy?" Her eyes are closed tightly and she half mumbles her request.

Bradyn slowly reaches a hand out and makes contact with her squishy mass. Even though Griffin said it was fine he still feels hesitant to touch her. Her stomach gurgles and she reaches a hand up to his. She rests her thick fingers over his wrists and mirrors his motions going up and down on her belly.

After a little while, Bradyn gets more comfortable and starts kneading her stomach like play dough. He lifts up a chunk of her belly just to drop it and watch it shake. She lets him do this about three times before intervening.

"Ow, Bradyn." She says softly.

"Oh, sorry!" Bradyn opens his palm and rubs circles around the area he just grabbed, slowly making the stinging pain melt away.

He slides down the bed so he's laying on his side, facing her. Courtney rolls over onto her side so they come face to face. She forgot how handsome he is. His dark hair makes his facial features seem more prominent. He even seems to have matured within the time she hasn't been able to see him. Something is slightly different about his face but she can't place what it is.