# One Big Family 10: Warmth

By: TheDragonBoy

## Content

Warm and soft and cozy. There just wasn’t anything else quite like it. The rhythmic swaying of the walls from the breathing of his kin; the rolling contractions of the folds like a firm, comforting hug; the rising and falling juices lapping at his skin like a hot bath, thick with the dissolving remains of his family’s dinner; the constant sounds, from the short, splattery gurgles and slurps, to the long, deep rumbles, all helping to carry him off to his dreams, like nature’s perfect lullaby. And, of course, the equally warm presence of a loving brother, or sister, or cousin, surrounding him and protecting him from all sides, sharing in it all.

Sleeping in a belly was one of those unique, special joys, one that Toby always looked forward to every night. There wasn’t always a belly available; since his bigger family members were off-limits once the snoring started, that left only smaller stomachs which he could only fit into if they weren’t already too full. If dinner came late and no one saved room for him, they were all just too stuffed to have him inside. But that just made the nights he did get to spend tucked away all the special-er.

Nights like this one passing now, in which Toby lay curled up in the little bulge of his cousin’s stomach, blissfully dreaming away, even as the morning sun began to rise beyond the cave, and others in his family began to stir. He was always one of the last ones to wake up after a warm, gurgly sleep. Wrapped up tight and cozy behind walls of scale and muscle, he never felt the touch of the morning sun.

Although, they lived in firelit caves, behind much thicker walls of stone and earth, so that was true every morning, including the ones when he woke up early and decided to wake a brother or two so they could play before the adults rose. No, it was something about a belly in particular that lulled him into that longer slumber. It could have been any number of things from sounds to sensations, or even some connection to the dragon in which he slept. After all, a full belly always did make his family sleepy, and a full belly that lasted all night without ever melting away helped keep them snoring for a long time. Still, Toby did tend to sleep quite a bit longer than even the dragon holding him, when they let him.

And that was true of this morning as well. Even as the gentle, unconscious motions of his cousin’s insides were overshadowed by the new, deliberate movements of rising and stretching and walking, Toby still stayed fast asleep, cradled tight in the swaying bulge, swaddled by stomach walls.

Even the heavy thudding of the dragon’s footsteps was such a familiar sound that it hardly registered in his dreams. It was just another feature in the ever-present, comforting wall of noises.

*thud* *thud* *gurgle* *thud* *thud* *groan*

… *slurp* *slurp* *glug* *glug*

*SPLASH*

“Wh- WHA- AH!” Toby yelped. He pulled his arms and legs in tight, an unpleasant, biting sensation suddenly covering his body.

*SPLASH*

His light quickly blazed many times brighter, triggered by his shock, more than enough to reveal every nook, cranny and fold of his enclosure in glinting detail. His freshly opened eyes settled quite quickly on the opening to his cousin’s stomach, down by his feet, and the large throat-fulls of clear liquid being pumped into the chamber with him.

*SPLASH*

Toby pulled his feet in even closer, recoiling.

“Huh!?” came the sleepy voice of the dragon around him, quickly growing concerned. “Toby!? Wha- Are you okay!?”

The little boy took a few deep breaths, letting the surprise pass. “…That was cold!” He complained. He rubbed his arms and wiggled a touch. The frigid, fresh water still surrounded him, but already he could feel his cousin’s heat soaking into it, melting the cold away.

“Sorry!” the dragon apologized. “I just woke up and I was thirsty. I guess I didn’t remember you were in there yet…” Toby felt the walls press in against him a little bit tighter; an affectionate, concerned squeeze.

“It’s okay.” The boy wriggled a tad tighter into the folds, finding that familiar warmth again, letting his limbs slowly relax. “Guess it’s time to wake up, huh?”

“Yeah, unless you wanna spend breakfast in there,” his cousin teased.

“Hm…” the offer was genuinely tempting. “Nah, I wanna come out so I can dump water on you.”

“Oh yeah?” *glug*

“No no!” Toby protested, but even through the stomach walls, his laughter was clear.

*SPLASH*

“Hey!” the boy complained, but he was smiling wide.

And the watering chamber was filled with the burbling of the stream, and the laughter of a dragon and a boy.

*glorp*

And the burbling of a belly.

Originally Published: 1-Nov-2022