Work Text:
After working for two hours straight in the afternoon, Howard’s stomach found that it was time for a break. It growled furiously, reminding Howard of his mother who would shout his name whenever she was hungry. It almost seemed as if his stomach was howling his own name at him. Howard – he could almost hear it, turning him slowly mad.
Having no other choice than to satisfy his bodily needs, Howard rummaged around in his backpack. If he was lucky, his wife Bernadette had packed lunch for him. As he peeked inside, he was disappointed. Nothing to be found.
“Oh Bernie, how I miss your food! At least right now as I’m starving,” Howard sighed.
Maybe it was because of the tense atmosphere at home. Having to take care of his mother who’d recently broken her leg, having Raj live at their home, getting ahead at work, and getting along with Bernadette – Howard often didn’t know where his head was. It was difficult dividing his attention, he wanted everyone to have enough of it, but somehow there was always someone who felt neglected. Most often it was Raj, his best friend, who was used to spending every free minute with Howard. Though, he was a great helper around the house, always looking out for others and fixing whatever was broken. He really was quite the houseman!
Howard’s stomach rumbled and reminded him that he was hungry and should find something to eat – fast! The stressed and hungry man looked around in his laboratory in search for something that would satisfy his hunger. Finally, he found a packet of jelly beans in one of his cupboards. It was quite past the MDD, but it should still be edible, right?
Howard shrugged and returned back to work, taking them with him to consume them jelly bean by jelly bean. They did taste a bit stale, but the engineer was happy to munch on something. Also, they did soothe his ravenous hunger, and his stomach calmed down, so that he was able to concentrate on his work again. Soon he found into his own rhythm and pace again, working and eating simultaneously. It didn’t take long and his hand reached into an empty packet.
“Wow, that went fast,” Howard mumbled softly to himself and pressed a hand to his stomach as he felt the heap of sweets churn uncomfortably within him.
He did feel a bit nauseous now. Luckily, it was late afternoon already and time for him to go home anyway.
When he arrived home and laid down on the sofa, Howard’s stomach was downright hurting. The engineer hugged his belly and wished he’d stayed far away from those jelly beans. Blessing in disguise, he had had a sweet tooth all his life. Thus, over the years he had accustomed himself to the occasional twinge in his abdomen. However, it didn’t lessen the pain when he indulged and suffered the consequences. Suddenly a vicious cramp hit his insides and he groaned loudly. Loud enough that the kitchen door opened and Raj, wearing an apron, peeked into the living room.
Howard whimpered softly, as the cramp dissipated and he was left with the dull ache of indigestion. Raj approached him and mustered him, worried. “Howard, what’s wrong?”
“M’stomach hurts,” Howard admitted, gritting his teeth.
Raj frowned and knelt down on the carpeted floor next to him. He tilted his head. “Let me do something.”
“Whatever,” Howard consented.
Raj unbuttoned the engineer’s shirt and tucked it out of his pants. Afterwards he rubbed his hands together and blew on them. Next thing Howard knew he felt warm hands on his stomach. He’d always admired Raj’s hands – they were so smooth and perfectly pampered. He’d always wondered what they would feel like on his skin – not that he would try to grab his best friend’s hands on purpose – he’d never thought they would feel this nice against his skin. Admittedly, at the same time it was beyond weird because Raj was his best friend – and what he was doing felt strangely intimate.
“What are you doin’? Feelin’ for a baby?” Howard joked, feeling insecure all of a sudden. His hands were sweaty and he wiped them on his pants he still was wearing – thank God! – although Raj had lowered them for better access. Raj’s warm hands were resting upon his bare underbelly.
Raj rolled his eyes, smiling gently. “Just lie still and let me conduct this examination.” Whatever Raj did, he did it wholeheartedly. Go big or go home. Howard knew this, their entire group of friends knew it, and most of them even appreciated it.
Howard did as he was told and kept silent. He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply in hopes it would make it easier for him to actually relax. Stress always put additional pressure on his abdominal muscles which didn’t help much at the moment. Howard counted his breaths and soon found his personal pattern. Raj’s smooth hands prodded and pressed here and there, at which Howard tried his best not to yelp in pain – unsuccessfully.
“Your stomach is rock-hard, it must hurt a lot,” Raj concluded, frowning, as he lessened the pressure and let his warm hand remain still upon his friend’s abdomen.
Howard nodded, almost sniffling but deciding to stay cool in front of Raj because he wasn’t sure what Raj would do if he actually cried. Bad enough that he’d confessed his stomachache to him – and Raj was already fussing over him so much that it teetered on the edge of ‘really awkward’.
Raj began to rub Howard’s belly in slow circles, pressing in only a little but not too much – just the right amount of pressure. Howard was surprised of himself that he actually enjoyed his friend’s warm hands roaming about his abdomen. Bernadette would never rub his belly – at least not if he’d inflicted the pain on himself by overeating, which happened far too often for his own good. Luckily, his family had quite a history of stomach ailments and heart disease, so that he could always blame them whenever he was feeling poorly. Part of him felt guilty that he was enjoying this rather intimate belly rub so much, but at the same time he missed that kind touch he hardly got from his wife. While Bernadette did touch him, Howard often sensed that she was after him as a sexual being, that she preferred his sexual powers. Bernadette was a good wife and she did everything in her abilities to make it all work. However, oftentimes she did appear cold and distant, which persuaded Howard of hiding his pain from her. While there were some things Bernadette was missing, Raj seemed to have everything she lacked – he almost felt like home.
Give and take is the recipe for every healthy relationship. Nevertheless, it was different with Howard and Raj. While it lay in Raj’s nature to give, Howard was the born recipient. Now Howard wanted to give something back by praising Raj for doing good work.
Howard held Raj’s gaze. “Yeah, my stomach does hurt a lot, but believe me, Raj, your hands are magic,” he blurted out in a small voice, turning crimson and looking away.
Raj frowned. “You poor thing! What’s got your belly hurting so much, though?”
“I might have had too many sweets,” Howard mumbled self-consciously.
“Oh no, what did you eat?” Raj asked incredulously.
“Jelly Beans,” replied Howard under his breath. “They tasted a bit off.”
“Off or not, you’re too old for jelly beans. They’re for children, you’re not a child anymore,” Raj sighed and resumed his belly massage. “Although you do have a tummy ache just like a small child.”
Howard could hear the grin in his voice but said nothing. He just breathed and existed in this moment where Raj’s smooth hands were all over him. Deep within his soul he felt that they had reached a new stage in their relationship, of whatever nature it was. Friendship or more?
“No more jelly beans for you,” Raj scolded and patted his stomach gently a few times before standing up and returning to the kitchen, leaving Howard to himself.
Luckily, the engineer felt better already, the food having moved along to his intestines. Howard laid his own hands upon his bare abdomen and drifted into a peaceful slumber.