Work Text:
If Poe can really describe Ben's tummy, it's the fact that in comparison to the rest of him, it's small, but incredibly cute. A little ripple of flesh on his muscular frame, just below the navel. Poe doesn't understand why Ben's so self-conscious about it; it's adorable. It's a bit of softness on his solid frame, and he shouldn't honestly worry about it.
Unfortunately, Ben is so perfectionistic about his body after Thomas' death. It's like that little bit of pudge below his navel is one of the easiest targets to have.
(Of course, Poe has a bit of a tummy himself, so he may be biased. Ben, in contrast to his own piece of belly fat, seems to love it)
Right now, Ben and Poe are at the table, eating dinner. Ben's belly is scrunched up a bit and looks half-empty if you ask Poe, and Ben's eating, putting away noodles as Poe watches him. Ben eats quickly, ravenously, putting away noodles, and then later, dessert. He collapses on the sofa later on, moaning, bloated, and Poe can't help but notice that he's pretty adorable when the evidence that he's been well-fed shows on him.
Ben can't stay long, as he has a class to take, but Poe can rub his belly and coax out little stuffed sounds from Ben as he lies there.
***
It feels like the swollenness of his stomach won't die down even after a frankly well-deserved belly rub. Ben walks swaying up the path towards where he trains with Yana, groaning all the while. His stomach is sloshing, gurgling, and the steps don't help in terms of triggering a groan, a hiccup, or a belch as Ben grips his sore tummy just to soothe the aching. His stomach gurgles, and Ben rubs it, trying to get his stomach to just be quiet. But it seems that now that he's overdone it with dinner, his belly won't be quiet. He reaches the training center, and Yana comes out to meet him.
Yana looks down at Ben swaying, then down at his bloated stomach in a way that makes Ben flush in embarrassment. "Are you ill?" Yana says.
"No. I just..." Ben suppresses a burp. "Ate too much." Was the concept of overdoing it on dinner utterly foreign to Yana, he wonders. Has he ever met someone who ate too much?
"I see." Yana looks at Ben critically. "Did the pilot do this to you?"
"For me." This time, Ben can't suppress the painful belch that arises, and he pats his tummy. "After I came back to his house, he was worried about me because I hadn't eaten."
Yana tilts his head, looks at Ben's bloated middle. "Come inside. We can meditate instead."
They walk inside. Yana looks at Ben. "I admit that I've never seen a being so...well-fed in my life. Back on Milara, food was scarce."
"So Milarans never overdid it with dinner?" Ben belches again and covers his mouth. "Excuse me, master."
"It is no trouble." Yana looks at him. "But no, Ben -- Milarans typically didn't have enough food to...overdo it, so to speak. Is the pilot your mate?"
"We're dating, yes." Ben rubs his stomach again. "How did you know?"
"Back in Milaran culture, one way to court one's mate was bringing them food. Of course...we don't put on weight the way humans do, but the evidence that one was reasonably well-fed was proof that the mate they were with would love and care for them." A beat. "I do hope it's the case with Poe Dameron..."
"It is." Despite being more bloated than he's ever been, Ben can't disagree with Master Yana. "He's a wonderful man, Master. The sweetest, kindest man. And he takes care of me."
"I can see that." Yana looks at Ben's belly again. "He feeds you well."
Poe does more than just fill his belly, but Ben nods.
"Come," Yana says. "Let us go."
Ben follows.
