“Are you kidding me!?”

I couldn't help shrinking away away from the sound, curling around my swollen gut protectively. The 2 liter bottle of cola I'd been guzzling clattered to the ground, thankfully nearly empty already.

“You said you were cutting back!”

“I was…” I wracked my brain looking for some acceptable explanation why after a week of cutting back on the fluids I'd given in and downed such an absurd amount. Nothing was coming, at this point I knew exactly why, but I didn't want to admit it to myself, let alone her. I tried my best to hold back a belch, just making the bloating even worse.

“Forget about water poisoning, how haven't you ruptured your stomach?” Her eyes were wide.

“...Magic?” I mumbled out. It felt like such a lame duck of an explanation. Like something a five year old would come up with, but that's kinda how monsters work. Desire and imagination can affect us in weird ways.

I guess that's the real issue, isn't it?

Hedonism, gluttony, lust; they can be a big part of what creates and shapes monsters. Fear is another, it's what my ancestors were born from, but who's afraid of a fluffball like me? No, my body was waiting for something else to fill its place.

Oh boy did it ever fill it.

I tried my best to relax, uncurling and leaning back a little. I rested my hands on my engorged stomach, looking down at it with a small, lopsided smile. “You're going to think I'm weird.”

She gave me a bit of a strange look, before closing her eyes with a huff, “babe, you ARE weird.” I looked away, face turning red as I was getting flustered again, but I could feel the little bump as her comparatively small body dropped down next to me. “Did you think I didn't know or something?” A sigh escaped her lips, “Maybe you passed really well as human for a while, but I wouldn't say you weren't a bit strange. That's why you stood out to me.” Her hand rested on top of mine, “I don't know what it's like having fangs or claws or thick fur covering half my body, but I'm not gonna love you less because of it.”

I took a deep breath, and looked into her eyes. It was hard to say, embarrassing. I glanced away as I blurted it out. “I… I really like how it feels. I think I have a kink for it.”

I was afraid to look back at her.

I jumped slightly, feeling the warm hands against my stretched skin. “Geeze, it's freezing.” My belly sloshed and wobbled at her gentle prodding. “And clammy… you feel like a fleshy water-balloon.” I felt a gentle tap, a slap maybe even, and my belly wobbled in lap. I could feel the bubbly liquid frothing up inside, that burp coming back with a vengeance.

BURP

I heard her soft giggling again and groaned. She kissed me on the cheek and guided my still beet red face to look at her, her gentle smile instantly melting me.

“I don't understand this either, but I'm not gonna judge you for it.” Her hand drifted down to the underside of my belly, lifting it and letting it drop down again. “If you don't think you're gonna hurt yourself, and it makes you happy…”

She drew me into another kiss. “I love you hun.”

“Love you babe”

I felt her now cold hand on the inside of my thigh and jumped, “buuuut if you don't wanna outgrow those pants too, maybe think about switching to soda water. Or at least diet.”

“... No promises.”