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At this time of night the bedroom should have been quiet, and Zhongli should have been asleep. But it wasn't quiet, and he certainly wasn't sleeping yet. Laying on his side, Zhongli stared at Azhdaha's back in the dark and winced sympathetically when his belly let out another monstrous gurgle.
It wasn't the sound itself that kept Zhongli awake, but rather concern over the cause of those growls. They were loud, as well as fairly frequent, and Zhongli couldn't help worrying it was a sign that Azhdaha wasn't feeling very good tonight.
I'm sure he would have said something by now if his stomach was bothering him, Zhongli thought, trying to convince himself there was nothing to worry about. The trouble was, he couldn't come up any other explanation for all the noise.
Yet another noisy grumble cut through the momentary silence, and this time Azhdaha grunted softly as he shifted on his side of the bed. Even if Azhdaha wasn't in any pain, something was clearly going on in his belly, and for his own peace of mind Zhongli wanted to know what. But he didn't want to make Azhdaha feel embarrassed by his own body's uncontrollable noises, so Zhongli tried to think of a light, casual way to approach the topic.
Finally he scooted closer to Azhdaha, wrapping an arm around him while saying an almost playful whisper, "My goodness, it sounds like we have a wild animal hiding in our room. Or should I check for monsters under the bed?"
"I'm afraid the only monster here is in my belly." Azhdaha sighed, reaching one hand up to pat Zhongli's arm. "Or rather...my belly is the monster. I'm sorry, is it keeping you up?"
"No," Zhongli said reassuringly, "the noise isn't bothering me. I was just...a little worried." He frowned slightly, brow furrowed with concern. "Are you feeling sick? Does your stomach hurt?"
"Well, I feel a bit full, but it doesn't hurt or feel bad. It's just—" A particularly loud gurgle escaped, causing Azhdaha to groan with exasperation as he put a hand over his stomach. "I think dinner is just...digesting extra loudly tonight."
It was comforting to know Azhdaha didn't have a stomachache, but all of the activity was clearly still keeping him awake. Zhongli wondered if there was any way he could help Azhdaha's stomach settle down so they could sleep. The only thing he could come up with was to rub it, like he did whenever Azhdaha had a sore tummy. It probably wouldn't make the growling quieter, but maybe a gentle belly rub would at least help soothe Azhdaha to sleep.
Zhongli moved his hand to rest over Azhdaha's belly, giving it a loving caress before waiting for a reaction. Azhdaha didn't object, merely humming with content at the touch, so Zhongli went on to rub in slow, gentle circles over his partner's belly. In response, another loud gurgle filled the silence and tickled at Zhongli's palm, making him frown.
"Shh," he whispered, as if he were calming a fussing baby. "Settle down now..."
"Do you really think it will listen?" Azhdaha asked, chuckling with amusement.
"I suppose we'll find out."
For a few minutes Zhongli kept rubbing Azhdaha's belly, quietly hushing it or giving it soft little pats each time it let out a noisy grumble. It did feel a little silly, but from the way Azhdaha was snuggling up against him, Zhongli could tell he was enjoying the affection. And to know that his partner was happy gave Zhongli a pleasantly warm feeling in his chest.
"How is this, my love?" Zhongli asked, smiling when Azhdaha let out a groan of appreciation. "Does this feel good?"
"Feels really nice," Azhdaha replied with a soft sigh. "I think my stomach is finally starting to quiet down now."
Zhongli paused to listen curiously. Sure enough, those noisy growls were becoming quieter and happened less frequently. While he couldn't say he actually expected his belly rubbing to help, he was glad it did.
"Aww, perhaps your tummy just wanted some attention tonight." An amused little grin found its way to Zhongli's lips as he added teasingly, "It's a little like you, isn't it? Getting cranky if I don't pay enough attention to it."
"Yes, yes, you're very funny," Azhdaha said in a sarcastic way.
But he put a hand over Zhongli's, pressing it against his belly and keeping Zhongli close, so he couldn't have been too annoyed by the little joke. Zhongli responded with an apologetic kiss to the back of Azhdaha's neck.
"Are you ready to go to sleep?" Zhongli asked. "Now that your monstrous belly is being quieter, we shouldn't have any more disturbances tonight."
"Hmph. I'm ready to sleep, but as punishment for teasing me..." Azhdaha gently tugged at Zhongli's arm to pull him closer. "You have to cuddle with me while we fall asleep."
"Well, if I must..." Although he tried to speak with mock resignation, Zhongli couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice as he smiled lovingly in the dark. It was always so endearing when Azhdaha "punished" him for teasing too much.
The two of them soon fell into a peaceful slumber, with Zhongli spooning Azhdaha. Meanwhile, Azhdaha held Zhongli's hand all night, refusing to let him roll away during the night. As for Azhdaha's previously noisy belly, it barely made another peep until morning came and it was ready to make demands for breakfast.
Demands which Zhongli would, no doubt, be more than happy to fulfill...