#as a college student I’ve eaten quite a bit of Struggle Pasta lol

[squorgle]

Comfort Food

I’m thinking about a cozy stuffing with the richest, warmest, most comforting food in existence: a heaping bowl of pasta. A character has had a rough day, so when they finally have the evening to unwind and marathon their favorite show, they make it extra special by whipping up/ordering a family-sized pasta dish that’s absolutely drowning in a thick, creamy sauce. When they finally recline on the sofa and rest the warm bowl on the crest of their hungry belly, they’re already in a glazed over state of bliss. The show they’re watching is interesting enough to keep them glued while shoveling oversized forkfuls of pasta down their gullet, spraying flecks of sauce as they noisily slurp it up.

The first several mouthfuls of pasta settle delightfully in their tummy, washing away the troubles of the day. The sauce is so rich it catches in their throat, occasionally making them lightly cough to clear their palate. Incidentally, during one of said coughs, they notice the hefty weight deep in their belly. They look down in surprise to see a noticeable bump just under their breast, sloping gently toward their bellybutton. Lightly pressing their fingers against the bump jostles the digesting noodles, prompting a soft burp. A bout of action on the tv screen retracts their attention, and well…the still-warm bowl on their lap is wafting pleasantly spiced aromas past the gurgling mound in their belly and up to their nose. Their fork goes back to dutifully twirling, each mouthful delivering a hefty addition to the pasta already sitting in their belly like concrete.

To no one’s surprise, the bowl winds up empty and the belly ends up a heaving bowling ball atop a now moaning character. The show continues in the background, but the character is slumped into their cushions with their head tilted back, mouth hanging open to help get extra oxygen into a body that feels like it’s 99% composed of pasta. At that angle, their heavy, swollen stomach feels like it’s pressing against their lungs, stretching the skin of their abdomen uncomfortably. One hand is cradling their jutting-out underbelly, the other massaging the overstuffed organ while it gurgles away, emitting strained, shifting bubbles that they can feel under their fingers. Through throaty, gargling belches, they can feel the heat from their engorged stomach spreading deep into their body, extending down into their pants, only making them moan louder with each euphorically painful cramp. It feels like they filled their digestive system with wet sand, every labored breath urging up more gurgles and burps as their guts try to find space for the slop invading every nook and cranny.

The evening, starting out warm and comfortable, quickly evolved into a hot, sweaty, belch-filled night that can end in any way you can imagine.