Work Text:
The room had been quiet for far too long.
Not the comfortable kind of quiet, either—the kind that sat heavy in the air, pressing in on the walls and stretching every second into something longer than it needed to be. The faint hum of distant code drifted through the void outside, but inside the room nothing moved.
1x1x1x1 sat slouched on the couch, one leg stretched out and the other bouncing restlessly against the floor. Their gaze wandered across the ceiling, the floor, the empty air in front of them, looking for anything interesting enough to focus on.
There wasn’t.
They had already tried pacing earlier. That lasted maybe five minutes before it felt pointless. Then they’d tried reading just to occupy their mind, but even that had gotten boring faster than usual.
Now they were stuck here, doing nothing.
A quiet sigh slipped out of them before they could stop it.
Across the couch, Noli had been watching the whole time, chin resting lazily on his hand. His eyes tracked every little movement—the restless leg, the sigh, the way 1x’s fingers tapped against the armrest like they were trying to shake the boredom out of their own body.
It was honestly kind of funny.
And also a little sad.
He tilted his head, studying them for another moment, grin slowly creeping across his face as an idea started forming.
“…You bored?” he asked casually.
1x1x1x1 leaned back against the shadowed couch, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. “Bored,” they muttered, a faint edge of frustration in their tone.
Noli, perched nearby with one leg tucked under him, grinned. “Boredom? Well, we can’t have that!” His long fingers danced in the air, the faint shimmer of light bending around them. A tablet-like panel materialized in front of him, displaying a grid of exploits and little “experiments” he’d been saving.
1x’s eyes narrowed further. “What are you doing?”
“Just a little… boredom remedy,” Noli said lightly, leaning toward the panel like an artist admiring their paints. His grin sharpened slightly as he scrolled through the options.
1x straightened a little. “Don’t.”
Noli paused mid-scroll, then slowly looked back at him. “Oh, come now,” he said, voice playful. “You said you were bored.”
“That doesn’t mean—”
Noli tapped the screen.
“What.. Noli—?” The protest cut short. At first nothing seemed to happen.
Then 1x’s expression twitched.
A faint pressure stirred low in their stomach — small enough to almost dismiss, like the beginning of a deep breath that never quite finished.
They frowned. “…What did you do?”
Noli didn’t answer right away. Instead he leaned his chin into one hand and watched.
The pressure came again. Subtle.
A quiet, slow swelling feeling beneath their ribs, as if something inside had decided to gently push outward. 1x shifted slightly on the couch, brow furrowing.
“Stop.”
“I haven’t even done anything,” Noli replied sweetly, “myself.”
Another slow pulse of pressure followed. This one lingered longer. 1x placed a hand against their stomach almost automatically, fingers pressing into the fabric of their shirt. The area beneath felt… warmer. Softer. And slightly fuller than it had a moment ago.
Their eyes snapped up. “Noli.”
“Mhm?”
“What. did. you. do?”
Noli finally turned the screen so 1x could see it. One of the sliders had begun creeping upward on its own.
1x’s eye twitched. “You are turning that off.”
“Hmm…” Noli tilted his head thoughtfully. “But then you’d still be bored.”
The slider nudged higher. 1x inhaled sharply as the sensation deepened.
This time it wasn’t ignorable. The pressure expanded slowly outward, filling their midsection like air being gently pumped into a balloon. Their hand pressed harder against their stomach as it shifted under their palm.
“What the—” They leaned forward slightly. The movement made the sensation wobble. Their stomach gave a faint, unfamiliar bounce. 1x froze.
Noli’s grin widened. “Oh that’s excellent.”
“Turn it off.”
“I barely touched it!”
Another quiet increase. Their stomach pushed outward just enough to be noticeable now, rounding slightly beneath the dark fabric of their shirt. Not dramatic — but definitely there.
1x pressed their hand flat against it, scowling. “…This is stupid.” They tried to ignore it. Which lasted approximately five seconds.
The swelling returned again, gradual and steady, expanding the soft pressure outward. Their posture shifted involuntarily as their body tried to adjust.
Noli watched with delighted fascination. “Does it feel strange?”
“Yes.”
“Uncomfortable?”
“…No.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
1x shot him a look. “The problem,” they said flatly, “is that you are inflating me.”
“Well when you say it like that it sounds ridiculous.”
“It is ridiculous.”
The slider moved again.
1x exhaled sharply as their stomach rounded a little more, the fullness spreading slowly across their middle. When they leaned back against the couch again it gave a soft, unfamiliar wobble.
They immediately stiffened.
Noli clapped his hands once in delight. “Oh that’s wonderful!”
“This is not wonderful.”
1x pressed both hands against the swelling now, testing it cautiously like it might explode. The pressure pushed back gently against their palms — soft, buoyant, oddly warm.
They glared at Noli. “…If you don’t stop.”
“You’ll do what?” Noli asked cheerfully.
1x paused. “…I will think of something.”
Noli just hummed and adjusted the slider one more tiny notch. The fullness deepened again, their stomach rounding further before settling into place with a faint, squishy bounce when they shifted.
1x froze.
Noli leaned forward eagerly.
“Well?”
1x stared down at themselves. Then back at Noli. Then down again.
“…You are unbelievably annoying.”
Noli beamed. “But are you still bored?”
1x opened their mouth to argue. Paused. Looked down at the gentle swell again as it shifted when they moved.
“…No.”
“See?” Noli said smugly, tapping the panel once to stabilize the setting. The tablet dissolved into glittering pixels that faded into the air.
The pressure remained — warm, soft, quietly buoyant.
1x leaned back again, arms folding over the rounded curve with a long, reluctant sigh.
“…Next time,” they muttered.
“Yes?”
“Warn me first.”
Noli only grinned wider.
“Next time.”
