In With the Old

“Cheers!”

Five glasses clinked together, then six more as everyone hovering around the countertop echoed the initial cheers. Everyone smiling and then going to chat among themselves... except Rhys. He was at least glad they got the champagne out early, because he was really questioning why he even came. Well, he actually did know... he felt obligated to. His friend, a considerably more social fennec boy, had invited him. And he wasn’t really doing anything on New Year’s Eve (though he would have preferred to do nothing) so here he was. A lone hare boy hiding out in the corner and in his glass.

Admittedly, he already had a head-start on alcohol. He knew ahead of time he was going to a party, and the less sober he was, the better. The beanie over his ears helped dampen some of the noise too. He typically wore one anyway, fitting with his checkerboard flannel and piercings through his lips and nose. It just made him stand out more among the more typically dressed and adorned group.

Rhys loitered against a wall behind a sofa, close enough to not come off as completely asocial. It was pointed towards a massive television showing a football game in blindingly high quality. David, his friend, sat on the left side. To the right of him was another friend of David’s, some wolf whose name escaped him. That guy had his girlfriend with him too, sat in the last spot on the right. Besides them, there were also what Rhys believed to be two other couples and then another group of guys. Might be three couples, he couldn’t tell. Pretty much everyone seemed to have at least a little investment in the game, but Rhys struggled to give a shit.

To his own credit, Rhys wasn’t completely awful at maintaining a basic level of social politeness. The influx of champagne helped, especially since a few partygoers struggled to realize he was a boy. No offense taken, he would tell them, mainly because each of them was unlikely to remember the other after today. After about an hour of hovering in and out of idle conversation, ‘watching’ TV, and a couple refills, Rhys decided to take his drink outside.

The back patio was brisk, a raised wooden one with nothing to break the night air. His skinny frame didn’t do much to keep him warm, but it was nice in the moonlight, and Rhys liked the cold anyhow. Resting his arms on the railing, he sipped more champagne as he looked out towards some other lit houses. A small ‘forest’ blocked some light between them all, maintaining some natural darkness. Nice and quiet other than his thoughts and what sounded like owls. That was... until he heard the glass door slide behind him.

He didn’t bother turning around. At least, not until he heard David’s voice saying, “Drinking out here all by yourself?”

Rhys halfway turned around, enough to make eye contact and give him a bemused smile. He took another sip as he approached and said, “Well, I’ve got the moon and some owls to keep me company.”

David just chuckled as he brought over his own glass. “Don’t worry, I get it. It’s a lot of people, especially since you don’t know most of them in there. I appreciate you coming, though.” Rhys simply nodded and continued sipping. David took this as a sign to keep going, saying, “You know, they’re not all bad people! I mean come on, I think you can trust my taste in friends! After all, how long have we been friends for, like a decade?”

Seven years was more accurate. Even less time if you considered the fact they only really still talked during holidays like this. It wasn’t that Rhys particularly disliked David. It was more that they had very different interests, goals, pretty much everything. They had some overlap when they worked together so many years ago, but now the only thing keeping them ‘close’ was the fact Rhys’s actual friends were states away. He also had a suspicion that the fennec had a thing for him ever since they met. An awkward situation considering David was, by his own admission and insistence, straight. Didn’t stop his tail from swishing side-to-side whenever Rhys was around.

Rhys mentioned none of this, instead going for the safe remark of, “Ha, something like that!” And then taking another sip.

David let out another typical chuckle, and then allowed a moment of silence to pass. But only a moment. With all the casual-ness he could muster he said, “Sooooo... what’s your resolution? For the new year, I mean.”

Rhys choked slightly, champagne burning his throat. It was another year. Not something he wanted to think about, really. That’s what the alcohol was also for. So he let out a weary sigh and said, “Ah, I dunno. I haven’t really thought of one?”

Though he wasn’t asked, David started responding. “Well, I’ve been thinking pretty deeply about it actually. You know, my new job’s been going pretty well for me and I make a lot of money, so... I think next year, I want to travel the world. See it all, get a sense of what life’s really about you know? Then when I come back home, find s-someone I can make a family with, and...”

While he continued to ramble on about his life plan for the upcoming year, Rhys took a very long sip and finished his glass. He looked into its emptiness, then towards David. He was still going on and on, rambling, and Rhys wasn’t really listening. Instead he was becoming aware of the fact that he hadn’t actually eaten anything. The only things in his stomach for the past six hours or so have been different alcoholic beverages.

He glanced towards the door, but didn’t feel like going back inside... Not to mention David was somehow still talking. Something about his career now. Maybe it was the bubbly, but there was an idea coming to Rhys. Something he’d never done before, but... he somehow felt sure this would solve all his problems.

“Actually, I do have a resolution!” Rhys’s interjection came in the middle of David’s thought, and he was clearly caught off-guard by it. He told him to go ahead, and so Rhys continued, “You know, I’ve been thinking... I think I want to trim down on my friends. Focus on who really matters to me, you know?” He looked right into the fennec’s eyes, seeming huge in the dark. Rhys couldn’t help but chuckle and add, “A-And you know, I think I want to gain some weight, too! I mean, I’m just skin and bones. And for the last thing...” He looked right at David again, making sure to move his own hand close to his. “Well, close your eyes.”

David looked like a deer in the headlights back at Rhys. His tail had actually stopped dead in its tracks. Then his mouth opened for a moment as if to say something, but quickly shut again. Instead, he obliged and closed his eyes. Rhys smiled, putting his glass down on the railing. In a quick move, he put a hand on each of David’s shoulders, opened his mouth as wide as he could, and engulfed the fennec’s muzzle.

He opened his eyes instantly, now making eye contact with the back of a throat. He could feel warm breath washing past him, vaguely sweet from the champagne, and a tongue underneath slathering him with saliva. His arms flailed for purchase, flinging his champagne glass to shatter somewhere below the patio. In the meantime, Rhys was finding a surprising amount of enjoyment in the way David tasted, though the best had yet to come. Gripping onto his shoulders, despite David trying to push himself out, Rhys swallowed hard.

For David, the motion came swiftly and suddenly. Rhys’s tongue pushed hard into his chin, then he felt the void in front of him expand, and as if by vacuum, his head was forced into an absurdly tight tunnel. Hot flesh gripped him on all sides like a vice, threatening to crush him despite how soft it felt. He could feel Rhys’s hands progressing down his arms as more of him found itself in the hare’s mouth, then his throat.

Meanwhile, Rhys was really getting far more enjoyment out of this than he expected. At first, this just seemed like a way to kill two birds with one stone, but feeling David being crammed down his throat, pulled tightly towards his stomach... Well, it was maybe the best feeling he’d had all month. He was thankful the fennec was at least only a few inches taller than him, as much as a taller guy would’ve been more filling.

His ass slammed to the ground as David started to spill into his stomach. As he was well past the point of no return, despite kicking legs, Rhys let go of him and started to instead feel the growing bulge in his middle. Gulk. More filled in, causing his shirt to ride up slightly. Rhys took the liberty of unbuttoning himself a bit so that his belly would have room to grow freely. And grow it did, each swallow distending his gut more, forming distinct shapes as David was forced against the tight walls of his stomach.

On the inside, the fennec was experiencing a hot and humid hell like never before. That alone would’ve been bad, but the stench of alcohol and acid combined in a way that made him regret having the ability to smell. Not to mention, despite somehow being elastic enough to fit him, Rhys’s stomach was by no means roomy. He quickly found himself pressed against rippled walls that seemed to constantly grind back against him, gurgling and groaning noisily as they did.

A distant, excited heartbeat was his sole comfort, even though all it did was remind him where he really, truly was. He could still feel the cold on his hindpaws and tail... at least until he felt Rhys’s tongue riding across his feet without remorse, savoring the taste. And then they were engulfed entirely as his ankles were swallowed, quickly slurping up his tail thereafter. Rhys’s hands rubbed all over him from outside, or at least so he thought. It was hard to tell between that and the churning motions of the stomach walls.

Rhys let out a big sigh of relief and satisfaction, his mouth finally free of his meal. A hand gently followed the last of David down his throat, disappearing behind his ribs and joining the rest in his stomach. Which, looking at now, was absolutely enormous. It spilled out between and over his legs, bulges clearly shifting under the surface in the moonlight. It looked... good. He doubted he would’ve ever thought of it sober, but he wished he’d tried it before. He let out a surprised chuckle as a couple of hand-shaped bulges extended out, then disappeared again.

David’s muffled voice was easily heard in the quiet of night. “Rhys, what the fuck?!”

Rhys opened his mouth to respond, but then felt something come up. “BuuuoooRRRRUPPpp!” He laughed for a moment before looking at the patio door. Fortunately, a mix of it being too loud inside and the thick glass blocking sound meant nobody was even looking in his direction. Still, Rhys shifted a bit so that his legs were dangling off between the railing’s supports, belly lightly squished against them and mostly hidden by his back. Then he finally responded with a playful tone, “‘What the fuck’ what?”

This earned a kick, though David didn’t have the space to inflict anything more than amusing discomfort. “You fucking ate me, that’s what! Let me out!”

Rhys glanced up at his empty glass still sitting on the railing, wishing he had more. “I did! I’m pretty impressed with myself, honestly. But you’re not getting out of there the way you came in, David.”

David reached for his pocket, but it was empty. An image of his phone charging in the kitchen entered his mind. But surely someone would notice what happened soon anyway? He couldn’t believe the boy he... liked would do this. Did do this. He pushed outwards again, not in resistance but just in an attempt to get the tight stomach walls off him for even a moment. “R-Rhys... C’mon, it’s me, your friend! I’m pretty im... impressed too, but you can’t just leave me in here.”

Rhys found himself tickled by his tone. He wasn’t usually in such a controlling position, but this felt nice. Especially with how filling he was. “Oh, but David, I can!” He grabbed the sides of his belly and squished them together for emphasis, though it prompted another belch. “‘Scuse me. Besides, don’t you want to help me with my new year’s resolutions? Fuck, you’re probably going to promote me straight to fat... Oh well, worth it.”

Despite how warm he was, the flippant remark sent chills down David’s spine. Especially when his stomach followed it up with a long, vibrating gurgle. He coughed and said, “W-What about my new year’s resolutions?”

The hare pulled out his phone to glance at the time. “10:36...” he muttered aloud. “Uh, sorry dude, I don’t think you’re going to have a new year.” Rhys’s belly suddenly started writhing, lumps protruding all over as its occupant started yelling all sorts of rude remarks. Rhys just slammed his fist down on the top of his gut, hitting what he assumed was David’s head and causing him to stop what he was doing. “Can’t you just do this for me for once? Ugh... I think I need another drink.”

Rhys once again filtered out whatever David was saying. As much as he enjoyed his pathetic state of being, he really wanted to help move his dinner along. And supposedly, champagne helped with digestion... or something like that. Rhys gripped onto the railing supports, struggling to pull himself to his feet. As it turned out, carrying around an extra hundred or so pounds was pretty difficult! Especially when they were still wriggling.

He let out a gassy boouuuRRrrpphh as he made it to standing, barely snagging his glass before it tumbled off into darkness. He did his best to button back up, but most of them couldn’t reach and ultimately, his white-furred belly still sagged out between his legs. Rhys groaned, looking inside and mentally planning a course of action. He was still quick enough he felt he could dash to the counter, get a refill, then head over to hangers to grab his hoodie and hopefully, keep David a little better hidden.

On his end, David was feeling a little dizzy. Not just from being bonked on the head, but also from how stuffy everything was, and now the sloshy movements as Rhys was heading... Back inside? Surely someone would notice then. He just had to wait for the right opportunity. Though he could hardly hear a thing outside of Rhys’s body, not to mention the unpleasantly itchy sensation that seemed to have overtaken his own.

Rhys quietly slid open the door, looking towards the living room. Everyone was still staring at the end of the football game, pretty deep in focus. He took this opportunity to come inside, belly very obviously swinging as he turned around and closed the door again. Then he hurried over to the countertop, once again opening up the bottle of champagne and refilling his glass. For some reason, the sound of which invited another guy over.

“Heeey, getting another drink? Hahaha, we’re gonna have to break out another bottle before the ball drops...” He started pouring himself a glass too, though was having a harder time keeping it steady. Rhys remained surprisingly calm, which he silently thanked the new glass of bubbly washing down his throat for.

In the meantime, David heard nothing from the other person. His prison was even tighter than usual, one side flattened against the countertop with a cabinet handle jutting into where his knee normally was. He tried to push back, but Rhys remained firm against it, and soon he could feel champagne pouring between his ears and down his back. Then he heard Rhys distantly say, “Yep! Helps wash down my dinner, haha.” Anger at his callous remark hit him first, but then the realization that he must be talking to someone else came next. He started hollering, trying to make his struggles obvious.

Rhys felt the movement and instantly pressed his gut harder into the counter, nearly grinding against it now. David’s actual words didn’t make it to their ears over the ambient noise inside, but he could feel the vibrations. And then he could feel a bubble of air coming up, leading to a barely stifled “URRrpp” as he tried to cover his mouth with his free hand. Fortunately, this only earned a laugh from his drunken conversation partner, who remarked, “Ha, you really are one of the guys!”

He converted the blush from the feeling of grinding his groin against his meal to a friendly, if nervous, laugh. “Yep! Cheers,” Rhys said, offering his glass. The other glass clinked against his, and then its owner walked back to the group at the TV. Rhys let out a sigh of relief, allowing his belly to sag loosely down. The squirming started up almost immediately, but Rhys ignored it in favor of another long sip and then topping off his glass again. Keeping an eye on the group, he whispered down, “I don’t even know if you can hear me, but you better not get me caught. You’re just food now, you hear me? Act like it.”

David didn’t hear that harsh whisper at all, only the cheers and then more champagne drenching him. Not that it was very distinguishable from the rest of the fluids around him, soaking his fur... and maybe deeper. The itch was a burn now, and he felt like he was lucky he couldn’t see how bad he really looked. The feeling made it difficult for him to even want to struggle, despite the fate that was surely going to follow if he couldn’t get out. One that the gurgling stomach around him would constantly remind him of.

With his conversational partner gone, Rhys hurried over towards the door. He could just leave, but... well, he was having fun now. He clutched his distended gut in one hand, jiggling it around for a moment and making David squirm some more. With a grin, he started to put on his hoodie. It was a zip-up, which wasn’t so bad to zip, but even when he did the bottom of his belly was still hanging out obviously. He tried to heft it up and tuck it in, but it was futile. At least his meal wasn’t really visible as such from the bottom.

In the meantime, he decided to head back outside so he could talk to his meal in peace. Not that it had anything worth saying, at this point he was just enjoying the teasing. He sauntered back to the sliding glass door with a leisurely pace, making sure to slosh back and forth with exaggerated movement. Though once he was outside and closed the door behind him, he let out a tremendous “buuuOOOORRRRUUUPPPPPP!” Some birds flew off from the sound, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He patted his stomach and said, “Geez David, you really know how to make someone feel satisfied.”

The remark got a kick from David, but it was clearly weaker than earlier. Rhys just chuckled and sat down where he was earlier, undoing some layers so he could admire his own gut again. Seeing the lumpy form of his former friend, he couldn’t help but rub across it, smushing him around in his hands. “Hmm... Feels like you’re a little softer, already? Maybe it’s my imagination, but I can’t imagine you’re doing so well in there~”

He wasn’t. He probably hadn’t been in there that long, but it felt like hours upon hours to him. Miserably melting, both from the heat and... worse. He was surprised he was even still conscious, but he wasn’t sure he was actually thankful for it. He just laid his head against the stomach walls tiredly and said, with surprising hoarseness, “Rhys, pleeeease... You can... still stop this...”

“I can, maybe anyway, but I won’t. Sorry David! Well... sorry, not sorry. You’re just too yummy!” He listened to his stomach rumble and groan in agreement, feeling it churn around his food. “Ahh... Honestly, I should’ve done this earlier. So many years of awkward occasional parties after we stopped working together, and for what? Just so you would end inside my stomach? What a waste. At least you’re here now.”

“Rhys...”

“Ah, shush. You talk too much, and food doesn’t talk anyway.” He took another sip of his champagne, as if to dissuade him further. “Where was I...? Oh, yeah yeah. David, David, David. Eaten by a ‘bunny’... if your friends in there actually knew where you were, they’d probably just laugh. Heh.” David started shifting around some more, though how consciously he was actually doing it was questionable. Still, Rhys found it slightly rude, so he decided to punish him by rolling over onto his gut.

The move ejected a burrrrp from him and flattened out his belly somewhat, though it was still lumpy on the edges. On the inside, it was much worse than it looked. David winced, mostly from the acid splashing around, but he also felt like something was seriously wrong. Fortunately, he didn’t have the sensation to tell what it was. All his senses were blending together. But still he groaned, “Oh god, Rhys...”

Rhys just shifted back and forth, grinding his gut more into the floor. “Man, David... I’m just imagining now. What if I’d eaten you on Christmas one year? You would’ve made for such a good present and feast... Oooh, or maybe on your birthday! Wouldn’t that have been funny? ‘Happy birthday, guess you’ll never see past 25!’ Well... a new year is still pretty good, I have to say. Can’t complain.”

He took another sip and continued, “That was a long resolution you had. It’s too bad you won’t make it, huh?” He gently shifted forwards, grinding David a little more, but also starting to practically hump his own gut. “Gonna take a trip through my intestines... mmmf...” From inside, the fennec could just feel those hard pushes against his lower half and knew what was going on. In another world, this might’ve been pleasurable, but in this one, he just felt like hell. Pathetic. Slop. Rhys continued, “God, you feel so good... When I’m done with you, the only prospects you’ll have is contributing to my waistline. Or maybe my ass, huh?” He chuckled, getting another plap against his own belly.

This experience went on for a little while longer, until Rhys seemingly wore himself out and flopped back onto his back. His stomach groaned and he idly rubbed over it, pushing David around too. He was hardly moving by now, but was still alive from what he could feel. Rhys sighed, “I almost feel bad digesting you... but just because I’d want to do it again. I wonder when I’ll get another chance...”

David was... conscious. That was the most he could say. He could barely think. If Rhys flopping on his belly was already damaging enough, then the humping left him destroyed. He didn’t have any energy left to move or wriggle, but he wasn’t sure there was even much left to do those actions. Rhys’s ramblings were practically dissolving into the ambience of his stomach’s digesting, words barely audible over the blurbling nearing his shoulders. He did, however, rather clearly hear the distant sound of a firework whistling and then crackling.

Rhys looked up, peeking over his belly and then properly sitting up once he saw them. His stomach let out a low gurgle as its liquidy contents shifted, but for once his attention wasn’t on David. He smiled softly at the distant fireworks, some other house setting off small ones before midnight. Then he looked down, giving his gut a jiggle. “You hear that? You might make it to the new year after all. Just barely.”

He didn’t get to hear if a weak response came as the glass door slid open behind him. Rhys turned over his shoulder to get an eye on whoever was there-- looked like the same wolfguy from earlier. He was staring up at the fireworks, but then looked down and saw Rhys sitting on the ground. “Oh, hey! R... Um, well, you might wanna come inside, the ball’s about to drop. In like ten minutes.” Rhys just nodded, turning back to look up at the fireworks. The guy at the door started to close it, but then he poked his head back out and said, “Oh wait by the way, have you seen David?”

Rhys smiled secretly, looking down at his belly for a moment and giving it a rub. He was still glad to maintain the secrecy, keeping his gut hidden behind his silhouette, but it’s not like the fennec was salvageable. Rhys watched a firework scatter as he said, “Not since earlier, but I’m sure he’s around. I can look for him when I come inside.” This seemed to satisfy the wolf, since the glass door closed behind him.

He finished off his glass of champagne and said, “Well, time to ring in the new year! You still with us?” A hand on his stomach revealed the slightest movement that wasn’t just that of his own body. “Good, good. Alright, up and at ‘em...” Rhys once again reached out to the railing to help himself up, but found it... easier. In fact, he was able to do it just fine on his own. Testing his own belly, Rhys found that it was much squishier than when he first swallowed David... Especially on the underside.

The realization sent a pleasurable chill through his entire body. He fondled his own gut, really mashing the sloshy contents of it, even though what was left of them still disagreed with his handling. “Oh, David, you poor thing... You really are just hare food now, huh? Just a mulchy mess in there... God, I bet half of you is already flowing through the rest of my guts.” His meal couldn't disagree even if it wanted to. As Rhys buttoned and zipped back up his clothes, he found it was now pretty easy to tuck his gut into his hoodie. Another pleasant chill to take indoors.

Inside, the TV was now on a stream or channel featuring the new year ball drop. Everyone was still chatting around it, not paying attention to the fatter hare coming inside. A ping caught his ear as he passed into the kitchen, spotting a phone on the charger. The screen was lit, displaying a few notifications. Seemed like David was missing a few messages worrying about him... Rhys glanced over his shoulder, but didn’t see anyone looking his way so he quickly pocketed the phone.

Taking a detour into an empty room of the house to ‘look’ for David, he pulled the phone back out. Seems like he didn’t have a PIN on his phone. What a dummy, Rhys thought as he opened the messaging app and then the camera to attach a photo. He made sure the phone could see all of his bloated belly, especially what little lumpiness was left. And then sent the resulting photo with a message of “he’s still around ;)”

As he redid his clothes, several alarmed responses came through, alternating between worried and confused. Feeling a belch coming up, Rhys decided to linger a moment to record the following “buuuuOOOOOOrrrraaPPP!” for ‘K’ on the other end. Seeing their concern afterwards was enough to get Rhys feeling excited again, and for a moment he thought about keeping the phone.

But this time, logic prevailed through the mental fog of alcohol and arousal. He wiped off the screen with his sleeve and headed back to the charger. The wolf from earlier did catch his eye as he walked back in, and Rhys answered the silent question by mouthing ‘bathroom’ and gesturing back in the direction of it. This seemed sufficient as he gave a thumbs-up and mouthed ‘ok’ in return.

Plugging back in David’s phone, he pulled out his own and ordered a ride back to his own place. It was going to be nice, resting off his meal. What a fun night! Of course, there was still one big event to go. At about a minute left to go, someone realized they should refill their glasses one last time to ring in the new year. Everyone, minus one, hovered around the countertop refilling their glass or allowing someone to refill theirs.

David could hear the noise level rise up, everyone around him. Yet infinitely far away... Earlier he would’ve thrashed, screamed, anything to get their attention. Now, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t make out any words, not even from Rhys. The only things clear to him were th-thump, th-thump and guurrrurrrurgle. But then, he could suddenly hear them. Chanting in unison. “TEN, NINE, EIGHT...”

“SEVEN, SIX, FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” Five glasses clinked together, then five more as everyone hovering around the countertop rang in the new year. Each of them took long sips of their drink, washing the last of the bubbly down their throats. Rhys smiled along with everyone else, everyone congratulating each other on making it to the new year. After a minute of this, he slinked out of the social circle as usual, stepping outside early under the guise of waiting for his ride.

But really, he wanted to check on his old friend. He moved a hand under his belly, rubbing it to feel for him and asked, “Still with us, David?”

No response came. Except that of a low gurrrurrrluorp. A quiet uuuuorp followed. And there was no movement. Not even him weakly turning his head or anything. Rhys’s face flushed and he felt the blood rush to his groin as he realized: He didn’t make it to the new year. He was alive right before the drop and then... nothing. The moment he finally succumbed, Rhys wasn’t even paying attention, busy celebrating the new year with all of his friends. His friends who had no idea what horrific fate was happening right under their noses.

Rhys’s hand shifted down to rubbing over his pants, nearly wanting to head back inside so he could properly enjoy the moment. But his phone kept him in check, reminding him that his ride was almost there. He would just have to wait until he got home. On that ride home, his gut grew noisier than it had all night, now fully dedicated to processing the sludgy mix of meat and bone that used to be something.

When he got out of the car, he’d barely thanked the driver and closed the door before he could feel and hear bones clattering together, rearranged by the draining chyme. An involuntary moan escaped his lips, though he quickly covered his mouth and checked for witnesses before heading inside. In his apartment, he undressed immediately, admiring the half-sized belly that replaced the grossly distended one from earlier. The only lumps left were now some outlines of bone, but even that was softening, crackling apart.

“God, not even leaving me a souvenir to remember you by? For seven years, you sure are forgettable.” On that note, he sat down on the couch, pulling out his phone before discarding his pants. His hand found its place in his underwear as he went into his messages, looking at David’s last.

“Hey friend, you’re invited to come celebrate the new year! 7:00 at 4599 Rosemont Lane!”

So generic. Rhys rubbed idly as he opened David’s contact from there, and hovered for a moment before deleting his information. He put his phone down afterwards, focusing on the satisfaction in his belly, the gurgling and glorping, the knowledge of what it used to be. In that moment, he wished he had taken David’s phone. Wished he could post his fate all over his own socials.

He picked back up his phone, opening the camera and looking at himself. He still could share something... an implication, a vaguepost, nothing specific. God, that gut looked good on him... He allowed his hand to take a break from edging to squeeze at his own tummy. His meal was so sloshy now, and he wondered how much was now going to be permanent pudge. Looking into the camera, he hovered over the button. A sober thought had him thinking that he wasn’t even sure he would remember everything. The weight would stick around. Did he need a photo to remember? ...Did food warrant a photo?

No, it didn’t. Rhys dropped his phone on the floor and then focused on himself, how good everything felt tonight. Sleep came quickly once he did, escorted by the alcohol and fuzzy memories of the night. His stomach gurgled softly as it continued its work, and he slept soundly through the night without a thought about the person that was once inside it.