stomachflu

[stomachflu]

vomiting while sick 😍

we’ve got hangover vomits

period cramp vomits

Motion sickness vomiting

but oh how I love when you’re genuinely sick, your enzymes are fighting for their lives, your skin is pale and clammy, you’re dizzy and shaking because of chills, your body is aching, and your in your most vulnerable state. being sick maybe in a trash can next to your bed because you’re too weak to make it to the bathroom.

maybe you’re softly moaning and crying while you vomit

you can barely get breaths in between waves

BONUS POINTS if you have a fever.

BONUS BONUS POINTS if you’ve been vomiting so much that there’s literally nothing left in your system, except for the water that you try to keep down, which you end up puking up too.

huhsgsgdhd (im kind of reflecting because i was super sick these past few days)

(it was hot)

[stomachflu]

ok that’s enough yapping for the next ten years now

[stomachflu]

okay general sickfic vs emeto are two separate things for me, so i’ll throw them both in here

(putting this disclaimer at the top: please don’t send me asks or messages abt the personal medical stuff i share in here!)

favorite emeto:

[points at username]

sorry idk what it is about the stomach flu specifically. maybe it’s that it became my brand after this long, because i didn’t have as strong a preference for it when i started this blog.

most other illnesses that cause vomiting are like a distant second in terms of preferred reasons/causes

when the sick character *knows* that they’re going to puke for a long time before it happens

characters puking multiple times, both in one scene & in scenes separated by time. if that makes sense. like i like when a character is sick enough to be puking all day/maybe even for several days, and i wanna see all of it. especially if it’s a nice long fic

also i talk about why this is below but i like when the character always has enough in their stomach to vomit lol

characters puking in places besides the toilet/not making it in time/making a mess

idk where to put this, because it’s somewhere between the two for emeto fics: i like contagion when it’s done well (like, the timing of the next character getting sick is correct) & when there’s enough room to focus on each character/have a space where each character gets comforted (ie character A gets comforted by B -> B catches A’s illness -> A&B are both sick at the same time, or maybe A is doing better by now -> a mostly-recovered A takes care of B). i think it’s pretty hard to strike this balance, but something that’s usually always good is a character being like “ohh i bet i caught this from [situation]” or something similar

horny fics/characters who Have The Kink

least favorite emeto:

ok continuing off of that last one: contagion when it’s NOT done well (ie characters getting sick too soon OR too late after they were exposed. even if it’s because both characters actually caught the illness from somewhere else at the same time, i’d prefer that each character get enough time to be sick on their own first? if that makes sense?)

similarly, contagion with more than 2 characters. idk, unless the fic is really long it’s going to be difficult to focus on them!

drunk characters (idk! besides me having a strong preference for someone vomiting from illness, i feel like drunk puke is Often more watery/thin than i’d like? though obviously not always)

when someone is emetophobic or has a panic attack (related or unrelated to vomiting) or when a character is otherwise freaking out about vomiting. i’d probably like this more in a h/c way, though it’s not one of my top favorite h/c tropes or anything

similarly, characters who don’t have enough to throw up/only vomit a tiny amount/wind up dry-heaving a bunch. idk! it just seems like it hurts!

speaking of being in a lot of pain, characters who are like… having more cramps than nausea, or having extreme stomach pain. idk i just like things more on the “feeling kinda gross and icky and miserable” side than on the “oh my god i’m being stabbed” side

characters who are like *distressingly* sick (like, high fever, delirious, appendicitis, anything else that’s like, life-threatening). a common one i saw in the other responses was “puking up blood” so i guess i’ll put that here too (actually i don’t really like these in vanilla fic either. idk i just like when characters are miserable, but not dying. and i don’t want them to be Super Out Of It, i want them to experience every second of that misery <3)

pregnant characters. i used to be kinda neutral/just not interested in it, but now i’m going through some medical issues, so it just makes me sad :/

eating disorders, kinda for the same reason :/

solo puke. it’s fine i guess, but here’s an area where my emeto tastes overlap with my h/c tastes: It’s About The Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known! puke in front of someone else & feel embarrassed about it! Or Don’t Feel Embarrassed! whatever man it’s all about the characterization

okay HERE’S my Hot Take: when the character wakes up in the middle of the night to vomit! like it’s fine every once in a while & i have actually read some really good fics featuring this (so maybe it doesn’t deserve to be on my least favorite tropes list?) but sometimes i’m like “aw mannn the fun nausea buildup got skipped”. i guess it has its own merits though

okay now for vanilla sickfic

favorite sickfic:

like i said before, i want a character to be miserable, but not *in danger.* i like when a character has a fever! but not one so high that they’re delirious & out of it. other than that, symptoms can vary, i just want whatever they have to be enough that it makes them *miserable.*

i kind of really DO like puking in vanilla sickfics, in a completely non-horny way! it’s such a good symptom, it can make characters miserable for so long, etc.

okay it’s so hard to enjoy this In The Era Of Covid, but: i enjoy a character trying to push through illness and go to [work/class/that important event]. like, let’s just pretend that contagion isn’t a thing for a minute please!!

a caretaker who’s kind of unfamiliar to the sick character, or someone they wouldn’t have expected to be comforted by? idk this Vibe is hard to describe. like it’s less “comforted by the villain” and more “what if you have a Weird And Awkward History with a person and they have to take care of you for some reason and you both wind up softening towards one another <3” idk i’m baby about this kind of thing. i eat it up with a spoon

when this sort of situation winds up Revealing Things about the sick character to someone else >:)

The Mortifying Ordeal Of Being Known. i want this character miserable and embarrassed about it and i want other people to see this & take care of them. ok thanks bye

least favorite sickfic:

fainting

when a character “just” has a cold. I’m SO SORRY to all my snzfucker mutuals, i respect you guys so much! it just doesn’t do anything for me <3 but i appreciate yall

“hurt no comfort” or solo sickfics, even less than i like solo emeto fics. at least solo emeto fics CAN be hot for me, i just don’t get anything out of this trope for vanilla sickfics. sorry!

characters being completely helpless. like, i like a Bit of this, but it’s more on the “needs help walking” side than “literally needs someone else to spoonfeed them.”

also, i guess this is a Thing on certain sides of tumblr? but sickfics where the “caretaker” is also the person hurting/abusing the sick character (ie “character gets captured & tortured & the person who tortured them takes care of their infected wounds)

Character A takes care of a sick Character B, and then the fic ends with Character A starting to sneeze/cough as Character B is like “haha i told you you’d get sick!” like… c’mon! now i wanna read the rest of the fic about Character A getting sick!

for some reason i don’t really care that much for medical settings (hospitals, doctors, etc) if it’s set in modern day? maybe it’s because i already work in a medical profession and so i INSTANTLY know when these things are unrealistic, and even a little bit ruins it for me. also, i kind of like having just one or two Main Caretakers, so having a bunch of doctors & nurses doing all of that kind of takes away opportunities for that

but i DO really like sending a character to a medical setting in a fantasy or sci-fi story (ie an infirmary, sick bay, etc) as long as there’s not magical/automatic healing. i feel like you can make up more about this kind of setting—like, if the caretaker is one of the sick character’s friends, maybe a medic would let them help out or something, idk.

btw i kind of said this above, but PLEEEASE don’t make me think about covid. (both characters having covid & references to it [like a character having a fever & testing for covid to make sure it isn’t That] are kinda :/ to me) i mean, it’s fine that it exists, and i imagine it’s really cathartic for a lot of people! but [points to the “worked in a medical setting” sign] i just saw a lot of people die in 2020 and i don’t want to think about that when i’m reading a nice comforting fic before bed. i think some people get catharsis out of reading/writing fics about it though, and that’s fine.

okay here’s my CONTROVERSIAL take! the one i know a lot of people like: nightmares! sorry lol, i can see Exactly why people like this trope (it’s a good way for a character to externalize their vulnerabilities & fears to someone who might not know them, etc). idk, i think this is mostly because i have very intense and frequent nightmares—and this actually ISN’T “omg i’m reminded of my own issues :/“ for once! it’s just that when i have a nightmare and someone wakes me up, i actually DON’T want to be comforted or held, i just wanna go back to sleep. (like i’m not grumpy or anything, i just woke up at a weird place in my sleep cycle and now i’m too tired to care about anything else.)

idk i know there’s things i forgot for all of these that i’m going to remember the second i hit post

btw if you like any of the things i don’t like that’s completely fine lol. keep doing your thing!! <3

sorry that this makes me sound like the goldilocks of sickfic lol. idk! i think very few of these are actual hard “i hate this thing and will not read it” tropes, just maybe “if i was in charge, i would probably have done something different, but it’s fine”

Sunday Sickness - 1

What are your favorite (and least favorite) sickfick or emeto tropes?

[stomachflu]

under a cut/unrebloggable because i saw a few posts & it prompted me to Have Thoughts, but i don’t want this spreading around because it’s not a RESPONSE to anyone’s post, just like, my own thoughts lol

anyways i’ve seen a lot of people talk about feeling Weird or awkward or uncomfortable either reading non-kink puke stuff Or writing smth vanilla where a character vomits. and FIRST OF ALL this is 100% totally valid, whether you feel this way because it’s Always sexual to you or because it’s just uncomfortable lol. or you don’t have to have a reason at All to feel this way.

anyways. seeing the posts got me thinking about why i *don’t* necessarily feel this way. and Once More To Be Clear i’m not saying anyone should feel the way i do about it, everyone sees things in different ways etc. i just like talking about myself, okay! okay.

but like. to me, it’s kind of like… reading or writing a scenario where someone changes clothes? or wears a bikini? or something like that. like, it’s something that certainly COULD be written in a sexual way, where a character is like Sensually Undressing or something. idk i don’t read enough vanilla horny shit to know what they do in there. who knows

or it could just be, ykno, “and then [character] changed clothes] and left”. and that’s just, like, totally normal. i could write a fic where the former happened & then a fic where the latter happened & nobody would be like “this is clearly sexual”

so, like, as a person who enjoys vanilla sickfic & h/c, there are totally situations in which i’d write a character vomiting & have it be like Totally non-horny on my part. the difference is the way i write it & the level of detail i include!

and on the flip side, there are times when i read something that WAS meant to be sexual, but it was meant for an audience that is… not me.

like. for example! i’m a lesbian! i am the world’s biggest dyke! i find women attractive! but the other day i was reading like a Gritty Detective Novel or smth (fucking sue me okay. i like my trash) and the main character was describing his colleague’s body in a way that was like… this is describing an attractive woman in a way that is supposed to turn the reader on, but the hypothetical reader is a man. and i’m just out here like :/// because it just… does nothing for me. i’m not like “Wow Hot Woman” i’m like “SIR why do you need to imagine the color of her nipples right now. you have a murder to solve.” or whatever

(and Once Again, here’s the vanilla side of the disclaimer i put at the top of this post: people feel all kinds of ways about this sort of thing! some of My Fellow Dykes feel the same way as me, and some are like “no it’s still hot when i read scenes like that” & like that’s totally fine lol. there’s no inherently objective morality to either of these imo)

but like anyways. when i read vanilla sickfic that is more… descriptive about vomiting than just “and then [character] threw up”, i still don’t get, like, turned on about it usually?* similarly to what i was talking about wrt Describing Attractive Women, it’s just a Descriptive Thing that is written for an audience that… doesn’t really include me! (or *does* include me, because i do read vanilla sickfic, but like not Kink!me, anyways.

*i mean, there have been a few times when a fic was so overly detailed & descriptive that i was like “…IS this vanilla?”, and there have been times when i was like “mannn this Would be a good setting for an emeto fic” but both of those things kinda just make me wonder about like What If It Existed In A Different Context, separately lol

(sidenote: when i’m in the mood for vanilla sickfic / h/c, i also can’t read emeto fic to satisfy that craving? even if there IS plenty of caretaking in it, etc. like to me there’s some inherent quality or emphasis that kink/vanilla fics each have to them that make them Different Enough for me to need to be in the mood for each one. maybe this has a lot to do with the tropes i want to read, too. for example, “talking a character down from a panic attack” is something that i’d read in a HEARTBEAT for vanilla h/c, but if i’m getting my rocks off it’s just kinda like… i can’t find that sexual! sorry! no shade to ppl who do though !!)

anyways

why did i write this long post? because i wanted to complain again about my REAL problem with writing characters puking in vanilla sickfic: i write in a detailed enough style that just being like “and then they threw up” feels inadequate, but i feel like including any OTHER details will be so Identifying that everyone will know i have a kink. even if this isn’t true.

but also it’s like, this is a sickfic and the symptom WORKS, okay!! google dot com says my character should be throwing up and By God i have to be accurate*

*i don’t, but. like.

(it’s very funny bc i guess i do this on both sides? i’m like “oh god i can’t write kink fic for a fandom with less than 300 fics on ao3, SURELY someone will connect this to my main!” and then like “oh god i can’t write this character puking, SURELY someone will connect this to my kink blog!!” both of these are unrealistic but they’re cognitive distortions i will Not be addressing. i skipped the “worrying that interacting with vanilla fics is Bad” fear & got this one in response)

anyways. totally cool if other ppl still feel weird about this. i just wanted to unpack why i personally don’t.

[stomachflu]

i was rereading some of my writing earlier since someone reblogged it… quite literally how did i write literally every single k*nk fic i’ve ever published during the most stressful and exhausting period of my life. like all of those fics, every single one, were written during the single most physically exhausting job i ever had & a cross-country move (followed by a second move).

what i actually REMEMBER about this time period is being so exhausted that i would come home from work and collapse into bed. maybe i wrote all of that in some kinda fugue state idk

[stomachflu]

not sure if anyone else posted this one yet but if you’re a disco ely/-/sium fan & into emeto read this fic, it’s so fucking good. both of this author’s works are so fucking good.

[stomachflu]

someone saying "I don't feel good" after belching....

[stomachflu]

Imagine your S/O has a stomach flu. They know you have the kink and they want to indulge you. The two of you go out to eat at a restaurant and they try to have as big of a meal as they can and when you get home S/O gets sick and it's just so much and they're so miserable - just absolutely ill and way too overfull

[stomachflu]

re: my last post, that’s the Good Ending of “someone in a fandom you recognize wrote emeto fic” lol. unfortch i got jumpscared the other day by seeing my main fandom pop up in the tags, only to realize op was writing underage stuff >:( a whole rollercoaster of emotions in about five seconds.

i guess sitting here hoping that someone else with my exact preferences shows up to write My Exact Kind Of Fic is an extremely lucky once in a blue moon event lmaooo. GENERALLY speaking if i want two adults fucking about puke i guess i gotta do it myself haha

in all seriousness it does make me feel happier to see other people blending like really serious fandom writing & kink while getting good responses from Non emeto people lol. perhaps it bodes well for me

[stomachflu]

not sure if anyone else posted this one yet but if you’re a disco ely/-/sium fan & into emeto read this fic, it’s so fucking good. both of this author’s works are so fucking good.

[stomachflu]

the idea of caretaker being turned on by their sickie being….well, sick, is great. but have you considered: sickie being the one incredibly turned on by the state they’re in, while their devoted caretaker is oblivious and solely focused on looking after them. sickie admitting to them how pathetically horny they are and begging their caretaker to touch them. caretaker is surprised at first but quickly gets into it, whispering that they’ll do whatever it is their partner needs to feel better

[stomachflu]

Hello everyone ... ♡ I have been very sick all week but finally feeling better ... I ended up taking myself to the doctor to get some medicine because I was so nauseous constantly ... I will post more audios this week but for now, here is the one where I finally puked ♡

It was the morning after my post recent audio ... I spent most of the night gagging and emptying out from the other end but never puking ... I was so upset, all of that stuffing gone to waste ... I drank lots of water and early that morning I got up to go to the bathroom again and I gagged so hard when I pushed that I thought I was going to throw up into my hands ... I sat down on the floor in my underwear and leaned over the bathtub for a while and rubbed my nauseous belly, burping and burping ... I was so tired and not expecting to puke but finally it came up and it felt so good ♡

[stomachflu]

Indigestion from eating too much or [indigestion from eating something that isn't sitting well?]

Hiccups as a sign someone is feeling nauseous or [burps as a sign someone is feeling nauseous?]

Forcing burps relieves nausea temporarily or [forcing burps makes nausea worse immediately]?

Which is more likely to cause vomiting: One big, deep belch or [a lot of little burps that keep your stomach unsettled]?

Overfull stomach in pain or [overfull stomach feeling nauseous]?

Feeling like you're about to throw up because you ate too much or [feeling like you're about to throw up because something isn't sitting well?]

[A lot of small gags from being overfull] or one big retch from being overfull?

[Spitting up saliva from a burp] or spitting up stomach acid from a burp?

[Having someplace to spit it out] or having to swallow it down?

Throat bobbing from nausea or [jaw quivering from nausea]?

Hiccups that lead to vomiting or [gagging that leads to vomiting] (because we all know that burping that leads to vomiting trumps both, right?)

[Thick belly gurgles] or tight belly whines?

[Stomach constantly churning when nauseous] or stomach suddenly turning over when nauseous?

"I'm sick to my stomach" or ["my stomach's upset"?]

["I need to throw up"] or "I'm going to throw up?"

[Feeling nausea in the stomach] or feeling nausea in the throat?

Emeto This or That

Feel free to answer or reblog. I'll answer later at some point. And add your own if you want!

Indigestion from eating too much or indigestion from eating something that isn't sitting well?

Hiccups as a sign someone is feeling nauseous or burps as a sign someone is feeling nauseous?

Forcing burps relieves nausea temporarily or forcing burps makes nausea worse immediately?

Which is more likely to cause vomiting: One big, deep belch or a lot of little burps that keep your stomach unsettled?

Overfull stomach in pain or overfull stomach feeling nauseous?

Feeling like you're about to throw up because you ate too much or feeling like you're about to throw up because something isn't sitting well?

A lot of small gags from being overfull or one big retch from being overfull?

Spitting up saliva from a burp or spitting up stomach acid from a burp?

Having someplace to spit it out or having to swallow it down?

Throat bobbing from nausea or jaw quivering from nausea?

Hiccups that lead to vomiting or gagging that leads to vomiting (because we all know that burping that leads to vomiting trumps both, right?)

Thick belly gurgles or tight belly whines?

Stomach constantly churning when nauseous or stomach suddenly turning over when nauseous?

"I'm sick to my stomach" or "my stomach's upset"?

"I need to throw up" or "I'm going to throw up?"

Feeling nausea in the stomach or feeling nausea in the throat?

[stomachflu]

I've been dealing with a stomach flu and the nausea has been awful, but not bad enough to puke more ... so I tried to stuff myself ... I made myself probably 20-25 chicken dumplings for dinner and ate them all, burnt a few but didn't want them to go to waste ... I sat on the couch as decided I was really going to pile it on, so I had 8 cups of peach yogurt (I really don't like peach, it was hard to get that down) a slice of chocolate cake, and a big, thick chocolate chip cookie ... I didn't realize how full I was until I started chugging water ... I had about four full glasses of water, the last one being chugged at the beginning of this audio, but it was too much, I couldn't even finish it ... my belly has never hurt so much and been so tight in my life ... every time I sat up I felt it coming up my throat, bit I couldn't get much more out than spit and what was sitting at the very top ... there were two times where I leaned back to wipe my mouth, and had to quickly lean forward again to puke up a tiny little bit, and that felt so, so good ... I wish I was more successful ... my poor belly was so hard all night long ... I got up so many guttural burps ...

A photo of the tiny bit I puked up below ..

[stomachflu]

I was too sick last night to post the audio when it happened, but here is the second time I puked ... it was only an hour after the first time, I went back to bed to nurse my belly and it didn't feel better, so I went back to the bathroom ... I rubbed my sick tummy and hung my head into the toilet bowl to see if it would come up faster, because when I tried to force it, nothing would come up except for spit ... thankfully it came up soon enough ♡ This time felt even better than the first time, the burps felt so good but my belly was still so so sick

This audio is a bit messed up and overlaps a few times but I hope it's still enjoyable ♡

[stomachflu]

It seems like I've really caught the stomach flu ...

Ive been nursing a belly ache all day long, I had a big, heavy breakfast and thought that maybe my tummy was unhappy with me, but now I know it needs to come up ... I burped up a little in my hand when I was sitting in bed before I moved to the toilet ... I haven't gotten very much up but I know more is coming ... I had to swallow back a little while writing this post so I think it's coming up very soon ... it burned my throat but it feels good

[stomachflu]

Drew's Turn

Drew gets the bug with a side helping of gossip. And plenty of fluff.

Drew was braced over the kitchen sink when Jeremiah got home from his shift at the hospital.  He came in quietly - obviously expecting an empty house.  Drew recognized the sounds of his boyfriend kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat but he wasn’t in any shape to call out a greeting.  Then Jeremiah walked into the kitchen and immediately made a distressed sound.

“Oh no, love.  You too?”  His hands rested on Drew’s shoulders.  “Have you vomited?”  

The wave of nausea that had sent Drew to the sink faded.  He spit and straightened up before turning around.  “Not yet,” he sighed.  “But it was touch and go on the ride home.”  

Jeremiah opened his arms and Drew rested his head on the man’s chest, soaking in the comfort. He smelled like antiseptic, which was not a bad thing for Drew at the moment, and he took a deep breath. “I left the mobile clinic as soon as I started feeling sick but I don’t want to think about how many patients I might have infected.” His stomach had been gurgling all morning but the queasiness hadn’t started until right before lunch. He’d tried to eat something anyway, just to make sure, and almost gagged over his lap.  His three coworkers had promptly loaded him into a taxi with an emesis basin -which he fortunately hadn’t needed. Now he looked up at Jeremiah.

“You’re coming off a 20 hour shift, aren’t you?  Go to sleep; I can take care of myself.”  Drew tried to be firm, but even he could hear how unconvincing he sounded.  Jeremiah hummed softly and then kissed his head.

“It was surprisingly quiet; I managed two power naps in the resident’s lounge.”  He took Drew’s hand and began leading him out of the kitchen.  An enormous yawn revealed his lie and he shrugged, sheepish.  “I mean yeah, I’m tired, but I’m not about to fall over.”  He peered carefully at Drew’s face.  “We could cuddle on the sofa or bed if you want.  Unless you’re ready to just camp in the bathroom.”  

Drew definitely did not want to sit in the bathroom until he absolutely had to.  “Bed please, but bring a garbage can.  I’ll try not to use it though.”  

Jeremiah shrugged.  “Even if you do.”  He gave Drew a little push in the direction of their bedroom.  “I’ll line it with a couple of bags and meet you.”

In the bedroom, Drew moved sluggishly, peeling off his scrubs and grabbing his baggiest pajama shorts.  He was still sitting on the bed in his underwear, holding the shorts and trying to find the energy to put them on, when Jeremiah came in carrying the small plastic trash can they kept in their mud room.  He set it on the bedside table next to Drew and clucked with sympathy.  “Feeling worse?”  

Drew slowly shook his head.  “Stomach’s about the same.  Feels like my body’s moving through molasses though.”  He bent over to pull on the pajamas, gulping audibly when the position made liquid crawl up his throat.  He dropped them on the ground and straightened up quickly, but not before a harsh burp escaped his lips and he had to lean over to spit into the garbage can. 

“Maybe I’ll just . . . sleep in my underwear,” he decided, watching as Jeremiah undressed and pulled on his own pajama pants and shirt.  “D’you want me to sleep in the guest room?  Maybe you can avoid getting this.”  

His boyfriend scoffed.  “There is no way I’m going to avoid getting this, not with Gabe, Rory, and now you down.  Let’s just hope it holds off until you’re feeling better.”  He touched Drew’s bare shoulder.  “Do you want a top to wear?”  

“Not touching my stomach,” Drew groaned lightly.  It was feeling particularly sensitive right now.  He eyed the distance to the bathroom, wondering if it was even worth it to brush his teeth before he vomited.  Jeremiah misinterpreted the look.

“Need the bathroom?” he guessed, reaching for the garbage can. “Or would you rather use this?”  

Drew gingerly shook his head and crawled under the covers but stayed sitting up against the tufted headboard.  “Come cuddle with me,” he ordered.  “And tell me distracting things until you fall asleep.” 

“I told you, I’m not going to fall asleep,” Jeremiah chided gently.  “At least not until you’ve vomited and I’m sure you’re not dehydrated.”  He climbed into bed.  “Did you manage any fluids before you started feeling nauseated?” 

“Some,” answered Drew.  He snuggled into the other man’s side.  “I don’t really want to talk about it.”  His stomach was churning more purposefully now, and sending up little sick burps that didn’t make him feel much better.  Jeremiah was making sympathetic noises and not for the first time Drew considered how lucky he was to have a boyfriend who was actually into this sort of thing.  He’d obviously gotten sick by himself plenty of times in the past, but now that he didn’t have to, it was a relief not to have to fight the nausea alone.  “Thank you for taking care of me,” he mumbled. “I’d be lonely.”  Despite the discomfort in his belly, he grabbed Jeremiah’s hand and lay it carefully on the side of his waist.  “Don’t . . . dont move it,” he said, knowing he’d understand that Drew wanted the contact but not a tummy rub.  Indeed, Jeremiah kept his hand very still. 

“I’ll never let you be lonely,” he promised softly. “Sick or otherwise.”  When Drew had to stifle a deeper belch into his fist, Jeremiah kissed him on the temple.  “Need the bathroom yet?”  

Drew leaned over to spit into the garbage can and then shook his head.  “Tell me things,” he said thickly.  “Any tea?”

Jeremiah chuckled.  “You usually know more about what’s going on at work than I do.”  He thought for a second. “Actually, I haven’t told you about what happened with Adam the night Gabe got sick. When you were back in the bathroom helping Logan.”  His voice grew sly.  “I mean, assuming you want to hear about it.”  

Drew swatted him weakly on the arm.  “You’ve been withholding gossip.  Tell me everything.” He was slightly embarrassed about how much he liked hearing about Adam’s relationship drama. Not that the man had relationships, of course. But knowing that Jeremiah was the only one of Adam’s past hook-ups that he still talked to made Drew feel subtly superior for being the person Jeremiah chose to be with.  Again, not that Adam had ever tried to pursue anything more serious with Jeremiah.  But Drew was still proud, and even a bit possessive.   

Jeremiah smiled benignly. He knew exactly what Drew was thinking and didn’t mind indulging him.  “I haven’t had the time to give it the proper attention until now.  As long as you don’t need to get sick, I’ll tell you what I know.”

“Well there’s a reason to try not to puke if I ever heard one,” Drew joked.  He wasn’t feeling even remotely aroused right now and could tell Jeremiah wasn’t either. And truthfully, fighting the urge to vomit was nearly impossible with the stomach flu. Still, he was about as comfortable as he could hope to be for the moment.  “Last thing I heard, Avery was leaving for a date.  I can’t imagine Adam . . . liked that very much.”  A fresh wave of nausea made his skin go all prickly, and he leaned forward and cupped his hands over his nose and mouth to focus on his breathing.

Jeremiah stayed still until Drew finally let out a quiet burp and sat up again.  “Okay,” he said, blowing out a breath.  “I’m okay.”

He appreciated that Jeremiah didn’t question him.  Instead, the man took Drew’s wrist and began pressing the nausea acupressure points while he continued his story.

“Adam did not like hearing that Avery had a date,” he agreed.  “He didn’t say anything about it directly, but he made a couple of pointed comments about Rory.  You know, that he needed support right now, and hadn’t Avery just accused Adam of not understanding the situation?” He paused again when Drew pulled his knees to his chest to ride out a cramp.  “Want me to rub?” he asked.

Drew gulped down.  “Can I . . . sit between your legs?” That was his favorite position for a belly rub, with Jeremiah wrapped around him like a blanket.  His boyfriend promptly opened up and Drew scooted over and settled himself between his thighs.  “Gentle though,” he cautioned.  “Just the weight and not pressure.”  

Jeremiah carefully rested his hand on top of Drew’s belly, hissing with what he found there. “Oh sweetheart, you’re really bloated.”  His fingers probed gently.  “Do you want to try burping some more?”  

“I . . . I don’t know,” Drew stuttered.  He let his head fall backwards onto Jeremiah’s shoulder.  “Just talk.  Please.”  He coughed roughly to clear the thickness in his throat.  “What did Noa say?”

“Noa is making herself sick trying to keep Rory from getting upset.  Personally, I think she agrees with Avery that she doesn’t need to be too worried.  Or at least, she wants to agree with Avery.  But Rory isn’t ready to let her yet.”  

Drew was feeling clammy and prickly and all around gross.  After breathing through more nausea he turned his head to wipe his face on Jeremiah’s shirt.  “That . . . that sucks,” he agreed.  He breathed slowly for a few more seconds. There was saliva pooling in his mouth and he carefully swallowed it down, willing his stomach not to revolt.  “And Adam still thinks there isn’t any risk either, right?  Hold on.”  He leaned forward and concentrated on the bubble sitting in his chest.  “Can you p-p-press?” he requested shakily.  “Burpsstuck.” 

“Yep.”  Jeremiah’s hands roamed softly over Drew’s skin, looking for the pocket of air.  “Do you want to put the bin in your lap first?” 

Drew’s jaw was getting heavy with the effort of not gagging.  His throat felt slimy and thick and fortunately Jeremiah seemed to realize it. Without waiting for an answer he plopped the trash can under his chin and caught the liquid that fell off his bottom lip.  Drew clutched the can to his chest.  

“Uhhh,” he groaned, spitting up more saliva.  Jeremiah pressed softly into his side and Drew immediately let out the harsh belch that had been trapped in his throat.  As bad as he’d been feeling already, he suddenly felt terrible.  “Mgonnapuke,” he mumbled.  There was no way he would make it to the bathroom first.  A second later he retched, his spine curling around himself.  His grip on the trashcan loosened. 

“I’ve got it.”  Jeremiah reached around Drew and took the bin in his hands.  “Just do what you need.”  

Drew managed an amused huff.  It was no longer a question of what he needed as much as what his body was insisting on doing.  His stomach jolted with a violent heave and he vomited up the meager lunch he’d forced down hours earlier.

“Oh god,” he muttered, burping wetly and spitting out bits of his salad.  “I hate the stomach flu.”

Jeremiah chuckled.  “I don’t think too many people like it, love.”  He wiggled out from behind Drew and got off the bed.  “Do you want to try making it to the bathroom?  I’ll hold the can.”  

Drew’s face had gone all prickly again.  He held up a finger asking for a minute, and then retched again and again, the second time bringing up more of his stomach contents.  As soon as the heaving eased he nodded and let Jeremiah haul him to his feet.  Halfway to the bathroom he had to stop and throw up again, and then he gagged the rest of the way before collapsing heavily over the bowl.

“Shit, careful babe.” Jeremiah grabbed him around the waist and held him up as Drew’s stomach continued to purge.  He placed a damp washcloth across the back of his neck and used another to wipe his face whenever the retching stopped.  Finally the nausea receded.  Drew lay his cheek on the toilet seat, too weak to move it, smiling vaguely at the splash cool water when Jeremiah flushed the toilet for the last time.

“I’d tell you that’s extremely unsanitary but I know how good it feels.”  Jeremiah chuckled and wiped Drew’s face again.  “And since I love you so much I’ll even let you back in our bed.”

“I know you will,” Drew mumbled.  “You may have to carry me though.”  

“I’ll drag your ass if I have to,” Jeremiah promised. “But first I need to empty out the trashcan and put a new bag in it.  I have a feeling you’ll be needing it again.”

“Ummhmm,” Drew hummed in agreement. He was still so nauseous that it was probably a better idea to just stay here, curled up on the bathroom floor. “Comebacksoon,” he slurred tiredly.  Jeremiah kissed his sweaty brow.  

“So soon,” he promised.  “And here’s something to think about while I’m gone.”  He lowered his mouth close to Drew’s ear.  “So you can’t tell anyone you know this, but Avery didn’t actually have a date the other night.”  He let the words sink in until Drew cracked open an eye and stared at him.  

“Whha? No . . . no date?”  His brain was too fuzzy to fully process the news.  “Thasss . . . wow,” he managed.  His body jolted with a sudden weak heave.  “M gonna puke again.  Soon.”  

Jeremiah bunched a towel under his mouth.  “I don’t trust you not to hit your head on the toilet while I’m gone.  Throw up in that if you need to.”

“Kay,” Drew retched.  He let himself drool onto the towel, not caring how gross he was being.  Jeremiah patted his leg.  

“Yes, like that.  And I’ll be right back.”  

“Love you,” Drew mumbled.  “Tell me about AveryN’Adam again when I’m feeling better.”

“I promise,” agreed Jeremiah.