Delicacy Pt. 2

I'm several parts ahead in this piece so while I continue to work on others, enjoy! 

Delicacy Revisited

Part Two

When they made it outside, it was painfully bright, just like it almost always was when they first emerged from their prison. Tyler and the others were all shoved into a crude, seemingly makeshift, wooden cart, in which he barely avoided landing on his bulging belly.

Once they were all loaded in and the tailgate had been slammed shut behind them, a spindly beast of burden the size of an Earth moose but the color and almost texture of half-set tar, was whipped by the driver and the cart slowly set off. Wheels groaning and the beast's hooves clomping, it moved along the dry, parched earth, taking the group from one prison to their next.

Off in the far distance, the outline of an expansive building loomed over a dusty city. Its architecture was just as crude as everything and everywhere else on the planet, simplistic and uneven, though its scale was unrivaled. Under other terms, Tyler wouldn't have considered it to be a palace, but he knew that had to be it.

The ride was extremely bumpy and almost equally as slow. Somehow, he and the others managed to doze against each other and the rough, splintered wood upon which they'd all been thrown. It was try and get some rest, or worry and wonder more about what was coming next?

When the cart finally came to a jerky halt, Tyler gasped awake to find night had almost fallen. Darkness seemed to come slightly sooner every day as Zuls sun continued to dim. Through his heavy, weary and defeated eyes, he looked over to the others, who'd all huddled together away from him, Sree and Fah supporting the Captain on either side.

Tyler couldn't help but wonder if he'd been right in demanding they be brought along too? What fates awaited them now?

The cart's tailgate was lowered and then several scaly, clawed hands reached in, two pairs grabbing him by his legs, pulling them to the ground. Despite having slept most of the day, Tyler still lacked the energy to resist as he was ushered through the so-called palace's broad and worn, wooden doors, then down various long and wide corridors.

After a winding trek, the four prisoners were unceremoniously shoved into a large room that had an actual floor and a bed, but only one. The simple yet spacious bedroom was dingy and dirty and obviously, hadn't been used in quite some time… The air inside was stale, the sheets on the bed frayed and worn in more places than not.

Once they were all inside, the guards shut the door behind them and then locked it from the outside. The four (plus?) survivors were once again alone.

None of them could yet say their new “cell” was much of an improvement, or know why they'd been brought to it? Tyler leaned his weary body against the closest wall and then draped his arms over his belly as he slowly lowered himself to the floor. Once he was seated, he continued to try and guess what this latest development meant for the group but honestly, he had no idea..?

Having been tossed inside the room by her guard, Sree slowly stood with a wince. Slower still, she went over to a second door Tyler only noticed as she tried and turned its handle before pushing it inward and disappearing behind it. Sree returned a moment later with a small smile on her alien face, her big, formerly bright eyes now faintly glimmering from what she'd just seen.

“A water closet!” She quietly informed everyone else.

Mangled as it was, even Frisk's battered face managed to crack a slight grin. It'd been weeks since they'd had access to running water, let alone an actual toilet. As such, it went without saying that none of them were smelling or looking their best at the moment…

Even though she had no visible ears to speak of, Sree had still heard the guards lock the room's main door behind them and still, she quietly crept back over to it to try her luck anyway. She was about to turn its knob just for kicks when suddenly, the door swung inward, causing her to stumble. Sree just managed to keep her balance as she scurried away, sinking down into an unoccupied corner of the room, looking like she hoped she would somehow disappear.

Now, an entire contingent of snake-esque alien guards entered the bedroom, many the same as who'd brought them there, including their “leader…” They were accompanied by another Zulian, who stood out as he was dressed quite differently than the rest.

His clothes were clean and flowing and rather lavish when compared to the others’. This Zulian was also notably less gaunt than the rest, which made Tyler realize just how much the majority of the dying planet's population was suffering from malnutrition.

Like the others, the so-called leader's actual leader, had a rather flat face, and just slits for nostrils, much like a snake. Every few seconds, the first couple inches of his forked tongue peeked out from between his thin lips… His green skin was shades paler than the other Zuls’, his nails longer and more finely shaped, indicating he didn't perform any manual labor out in the harsh sun.

He moved with an almost human-like grace and spoke better English than his “men.” He was obviously the group's actual leader.

“I am Lord Serse,” he informed his newly arrived prisoners. “The ruler of this planet upon which you landed without clearance or identification.”

“That's bullshit!” Fah shouted, shaking with rage as his emotions got the better of him. “We are Starforce officers, here in response to the distress beacon you sent out to obviously trick us! You killed almost all of our crew, totally unprovoked, you…”

“And now, we kill you,” Serse cut him off, his voice quiet, smooth and eerily even.

Before Tyler could register what was happening, one of the guards drew his laser gun and aimed it at Fah's forehead. Not even half a second later, with hardly a noise, the other language officer was dead, his body still dropping to the floor as it released a final wheeze. All the horrified pregnant human could do was stare, mouth hanging open at witnessing one of his last remaining comrades being murdered right in front of him.

“As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted…” Serse continued as if nothing out of the ordinary had just taken place, even as two guards stepped forward and dragged Fah out of the room, leaving a trail of his blood behind them as his face dragged against the floor. “Despite what your comrade said, your presence on my planet was not requested, nor is it welcomed. At least it wasn't till I was made aware of a certain… development,” he smirked, tongue darting from his mouth as his large, yellow eyes moved to Tyler and then quickly snaked their way to his belly, drinking in the sight of it.

Tyler's knees began to shake as he rapidly and repeatedly gulped. This was not good.

“You are with child, correct?”

He was too terrified to respond. His natural instinct was to want/try to throw up, yet again, he found himself unable to against the knot that had quickly formed in his throat. The young language officer opened his mouth, but words failed him. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to everyone in the room (most especially, him,) Tyler managed the slightest of nods.

“And you are a human male?”

“Affirmative,” he managed to verbally respond, but just barely, the single word exiting his mouth at little more than a croak.

“Male pregnancy is quite rare for your species, no?” Serse asked.

Tyler nodded again, trying his best not to shake any more than he already was after noticing the Zulian ruler's eyes had yet to leave his bulging, heaving midsection.

“Then congratulations are in order!” Serse smirked. “Not only for you, but for myself and my people as well. We have a great feast approaching… Our biggest celebration in more than a decade!” He grinned and nodded. Tyler remained silent. “And you show up on our doorstep right on time… What fate!”

For a few more moments, Tyler didn’t understand the fate he was now in for as he couldn’t correlate what the Zulians biggest celebration in years had to do with his presence or condition? Serse quick;y realized this and when he did, his grin grew larger still…

“Given the idiotic look on your face, I take it you’re unaware humans are considered to be quite a delicacy in this part of space?”

Indeed, the pregnant man had been unaware of that fact till then. Tyler felt what little color he still had suddenly drained from his face as his knees became even weaker and more unsteady.

“And to suddenly be in possession of two?!” The snake lord positively beamed. “Both males, which all of us quite prefer, and one of them pregnant? Again, what fortune! Yes… We are going to have ourselves the most indulgent meal, even though Starforce claims our planet is dying…” he rolled his slanted, slitted eyes. “Obviously, the gods have not forsaken us! Your timely arrival proves the Zulians are still highly favored!” He concluded with a wispy, hissy and proud cackle.

And with that, the snake lord turned and left, his posse following close behind, the door slamming shut and locking in their wake. As soon as the Zuls were gone, Tyler’s knees finally failed him, but he didn’t cry when they hit the floor hard. He couldn’t. He just knelt there and stared at the trail of Fah’s now dry blood and Frisk’s sprawled form, listening as Sree sniffled on the other side of the room.

Tyler hadn’t noticed when she’d started to cry, too focused on the fact that he and his children were to become a meal. At least the Zulians hadn’t expressed any interest in eating her, just him and the Captain. The two humans…

“When did he say this feast was?” He quietly asked Sree.

She didn’t answer. She just kept quietly sobbing.

*****

At some point, Tyler finally fell asleep. He had no idea how long he was out but eventually, he jerked awake by the sound of the door banging open and more guards entering the room. As quickly as he could, Tyler tried to scramble away but to no avail as a moment later, two of the guards were on him.

“NO!!!” He yelled, fighting with all his might as they took him by under the arms and lifted him up.

Was it time for the feast already?! It couldn't be! They'd only been at the so-called Palace for less than an entire day!

Much to Tyler's (initial) relief, he wasn't dragged from the bedroom to one of the palace's kitchens… Instead, he was dragged to the bed, but that only made him panic all over again! Sree watched in silent horror as her friend was tossed onto the bed and pushed back against the headboard. Each of the guards took a side and took hold of an arm and a leg as four more entered the room, one carrying what appeared to be a large folding table, the others, dishes of food?

Once the table had been set up next to the head of the bed, the dishes (platters, to be precise) were placed atop it, one after the next till it was overflowing. Two of the guards left the room, leaving the four remaining all eyeing the food enviously.

Petrified as he was, the pregnant man couldn't deny that the room suddenly smelled a lot better. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper meal… Sree stared on owlishly from her corner but was otherwise ignored, as was the Captain.

The guard who'd brought in the table uncovered the first platter before the other who was closer to Tyler, carefully picked it up off the table. The large platter was piled high with large, round balls of dough that resembled overstuffed dumplings that were coated in a semi-translucent orange sauce. Holding the obviously heavy platter in his right hand, the Zul used his left to take one of the balls and press it against Tyler's lips.

The pregnant man only hesitated for a second because even though he was utterly terrified, he was also quite literally starving… Tyler opened his mouth wide and eagerly accepted the whole morsel, which was slightly bigger than an Earth golf ball. As he chewed, he found it had the consistency of overcooked rice and that the sauce coating it was shockingly salty, but honestly, he didn't care. By then, food was simply food and he needed it.

Tyler had come to know all too well that food on this planet was in short supply. Each and every ounce was an invaluable resource which till then, very few of which had been allocated to him or his friends. As he swallowed his first “good” mouthful in a long time, the pregnant man grimaced at the sudden ache that came from his throat, which hadn't been stretched or otherwise employed much as of late.

He grimaced again when he remembered why all this precious food was being given to him… Fortunately (or maybe not,) he didn't get to dwell on it too long as soon, another ball was being offered to him, which he accepted in whole as well.

The second ball had a different filling which thankfully, cut some of the sauce's saltiness, but he wasn't able to place the flavor? More than likely, it was some hervb he'd never had before. Tyler didn't care for its sharp taste but still relished in the feeling of his stomach finally being filled again. Whatever it was he was eating, at least it wasn't spoiled, and who knew when he'd get to eat again?

The food kept coming. For quite some time, Tyler willingly took morsel after morsel, soon taking less time to chew and try to savor it as by then, it'd become clear he was going to be fed generously. Once he'd cleared the first platter, the two Zuls responsible for his feeding moved onto the next, this one loaded with more dumpling-esque blobs which had a distinctly meaty flavor.

Tyler's teeth sank in easily and made quick work of the soft flesh, which didn't necessarily taste good, but wasn't exactly terrible either. He continued to greedily consume even when he began to feel full. He felt his face heat from all the strain and discomfort, yet he didn't fight when the Zulian continually keeping his mouth full started forcing food into it, even as his stuffed stomach started to protest in pain.

By the time he was working on clearing the fifth platter, Tyler was no longer eating as vigorously. Now breathless and achy, he finally tried to pull back and away from the aliens, letting them know he'd had his fill. Frisk and Sree had yet to eat anything after all, and Tyler wanted his friends to benefit from their captors sudden “generosity” too.

But his sudden resistance wasn't accepted. When he turned his head away as he continued to chew, the Zul handing over the platters grabbed it by the chin and turned it back. When Tyler didn't open his mouth to accept the next doughy mass, the guard feeding him smashed it against his lips and held it there till he did.

For the first time during this feeding, Tyler nearly choked. As he did, he realized how full his stomach was. Fuller than it had ever been before, even back when he ate whatever and whenever he wanted.

His bloated stomach gurgled loudly with indigestion as Tyler made his first attempt to break free from the guards’ hold. It didn't work, their firm grips unfaltering. He could barely breathe as he squirmed and moaned through his mouthful, wanting to voice his protest, but also not wanting anything to go down the wrong pipe.

After another minute of forced eating and increasing discomfort, the finally finally stopped flowing, but Tyler still had more than enough in his mouth to finish chewing and as it turned out, only a few seconds to do so… He'd hardly swallowed let alone caught his breath when all of a sudden, a large funnel was shoved into his mouth.

The funnel was held tightly in place by the feeding Zulian. So tightly, it made Tyler's lips ache as they stretched around it. The alien who'd been handing over “fresh” platters to the other once Tyler had finished the last, approached, now holding a large bucket.

A smelly, viscous substance stopped over the edge, yellow and slimy. The pregnant man's watering eyes widened as he realized what the Zulians were about to do, and he gave a muffled cry. As he did, the bucket was tipped towards the funnel.

The Zul holding it was stronger than he looked as he maneuvered the heavy bucket with ease. Whatever was in it started pouring into the funnel and not longer after, into Tyler's mouth, rapidly filling it. His face twisted as the taste of the substance hit his pinned down tongue.

It was bland but equally unpleasant. It was oily yet had the consistency of pudding with chunky bits in it. The taste, weight and smell all made Tyler's already packed stomach heave and he would've retched had not more and more of it kept pouring down his throat. (Maybe foolishly) unwilling to choke to death, the only choice he felt he had was to start gulping.

“And we're jussst getting ssstarted!” The alien feeding him hissed as he licked his thin lips with his snake tongue.

For the first time during this whole ordeal, he and the other guards were no longe enviously eyeing all the food Tyler was being fed. No, now, they were all intently eyeing his belly as it bulged out more.

*****

Tyler passed out somewhere around halfway through the bucket of slop. The last thing he remembered was the tip of the funnel being shoved further down his throat till it caused him to gag and nearly choke on it.

When he came to, he had no clue as to how much time had passed? He was sprawled out awkwardly on the bed, a new and very heavy weight pushing him down against it. As he looked around, he was happy to not see any Zulians. He could only be so happy though given how incredibly uncomfortable he was and he whined out in pain, his big, bulging belly taut as a drum.

Even though it only heightened how stuffed it was, Tyler desperately rubbed at it, groaning as the pressure within continued to increase. The entire mound shuddered and quaked as somewhere buried inside it, his stomach struggled to digest all the food that'd been forced into it. Unable to do anything else, he grunted in pained protest.

The expectant junior lieutenant hardly registered the sensation when a small, cold and clammy hand touched his right arm. He blinked several times and then glanced up through tears to see Sree standing there next to him, trying to offer some comfort.

“Oh gods, Sree! I… I c-can't!” He choked out.

“Shh…” she gently urged as she threw a frightened look at the door. “It's OK, it's OK…” she quietly assured him.

But things were far from OK… Tyler was tight to bursting, the tension within him somehow continuing to surge. He was all flushed and sweaty as he struggled to bear it all. He felt his belly shudder forward and out some more under the tight grip he had on it as everything suddenly went black again.

When he came to again, he was curled up around his belly on his left side. His insides still lurching, Tyler quietly groaned as he opened his eyes and blinked. He gasped as he recalled what'd transpired, then started to cry again.

As he slowly regained more of his senses, he realized that at least now, the pressure wasn't so bad anymore… While it was no longer at the point it caused him to lose consciousness, it still hurt a lot, and for good reason!

When Tyler looked down and out at himself, he couldn't believe how swollen his belly still was?! Following his first (and hopefully, only) force feeding, he now looked like he was due with one (human) child! Cautiously, he brought his right hand to that upper side of his belly and rubbed big and slow circles against its rounded expanse. Not that there'd been any for some time, but now, there was really no denying the fact he was pregnant. Very pregnant.

“Good. You're awake,” small voice quietly said from nearby.

Tyler turned his head to find Sree sitting on the floor not too far from the bed. The engineer had her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them as if trying to warm herself, even though it was borderline hot in the room.

Much to her pregnant friend's surprise, the Captain was awake as well… Frisk was leaning against the wall for support, per usual now. He looked incredibly weak but was finally conscious and more importantly: still alive.

“How long was I out this time?” Tyler asked Sree.

The engineer gave a small shrug. “About twelve hours, give or take a few?”

“Shit…” he groaned as his gaze went back to his belly, noticing how the hem of his top had ridden up past his now bulging navel. “W-what was that?” He asked. “Were they trying to… to f-fatten me up?” He questioned, even though he already knew the answer.

The Zulians truly saw him as and were treating him like an animal. One being prepared for slaughter… The realization left him once again shaking with sobs.

Quick as she could, Sree stood and came to his side. While he certainly appreciated it, Tyler knew he didn't deserve her kindness or compassion.

“It's gonna be OK, I promise,” she whispered to him as she ran her three-fingered hand through his sweaty, greasy, messy hair. “We're gonna find a way out… All of us.”

Just the thought of escape seemed daunting. Too daunting, especially now… It made Tyler want to cry even more, so he changed the subject as he gently pulled away from Sree and turned to face Frisk.

“How are you, Sir?” He asked the Captain.

“Alive…” the other man replied, his voice terribly hoarse.

Through his left eye, the one not entirely swollen shut, he was staring at his surviving lieutenant's now very rounded midsection, the exposed portion in particular. Tyler responded with a small, dry laugh. More of a forced chortle, really…

“Yeah… There's a lot to catch you up on,” he sighed as he shook his head.

He was about to start doing so when all of a sudden, his actual stomach heaved. Eves flying wide open, Tyler hurriedly took his hand from his belly and slammed it down over his mouth.

Even though she knew the aid she could offer was limited at best, given her food-deprived condition, quick as she could, Sree helped him stand, which needless to say, was no easy feat…

Despite having been asleep for the last twelve or so hours, Tyler still felt exhausted and was therefore extra clumsy as he tried to adjust to the new shift in his center of gravity. Sree guided him to the bathroom, where he sank to his knees in front of the toilet and started to repeatedly retch, but nothing came up.

Try as he might, for whatever reason, Tyler was unable to purge even an ounce of the contents of his bloated stomach, even as it and the rest of his digestive tract protested again at its still over-packed state.

Between literally gut-wrenching heaves, Tyler took in gasps of air as he leaned against the toilet. Every so often, he'd work up a decent amount of spit, but nothing more. For whatever reason, he just couldn't throw up…

*****

Eventually, he slumped back against the wall opposite the toilet and resumed his absent-minded belly rubbing. As he sat there in a daze, looking down and out at himself, Tyler belatedly noticed the increased prominence of his chest… His at best guess, B-cup sized breasts, had surged to being at least C's, and his nipples were now puffy, yet erect, bulging out hard against the tight and dirty cotton now struggling to contain them.

Some fifteen minutes later, Sree returned and helped him back to his feet. Tyler hated that he needed to accept her aid, but he did, his newfound heaviness still so jarring.

As they made their way back into the bedroom, his stride was slow and awkward. Tyler pressed his left hand against his lower back, trying to alleviate just some of the tension there, but to no avail as his right cupped and cradled his belly. He didn't want to be moving or standing, not only because of his fatigue, but because of all the strange sensations now littering his body.

He was so ready to lay back down in the bed, he almost cracked a smile, but then he saw the Captain out of the corner of his eye and started worrying about him all over again…

“Please, Sir… You should take the bed,” he offered with a nod and the best smile he could muster.

Frisk turned and looked at the bed, then promptly looked back down at the floor he'd been staring at and shook his head. The man was obviously broken, mentally, as well as physically…

He didn't speak, either unable to or simply having nothing to say. Whatever the case, Tyler wished there was something he could do for him. Anything…

He turned to Sree to seek her guidance, but before he asked for it, he noticed the big, dark circles under her giant eyes, and how her skin now lacked its usual fluorescent glow. This reminded Tyler yet again that neither of his comrades had eaten, but now, he understood why: Unlike him, there was no reason for the Zulians to fatten them up.

“The bed is yours, Tyler,” Sree smiled and nodded at him. “You need your rest.”

“I won't argue with that, other than to say that you and the…”

“The Captain and I will be fine,” she interrupted. “You need to keep up your strength,” she nodded again as she gently pushed him towards the bed. With his new issues balancing, Tyler had no choice but to allow it. “Till we figure out how to get out of here, we need you to keep the Zulians happy, OK?” She nodded some more.

Not that he had much choice, but Tyler complied. He felt guilty as hell at being the one to get some comfort from the shitty mattress as he and Sree worked together to get him laying down on it, but with his belly so full, heavy and generally awkward, he could hardly bare the thought of having to sleep on the floor…

As he settled in for the night, Tyler once again cupped his swell, which throbbed slightly with each of his shallow breaths. He tried to breathe slower and deeper but couldn't as he once again, not only recalled all that choking and the scary pressure, but the thought of his babies growing and further stretching him.

At some point, he somehow fell asleep, but his night was restless to say the least, his mind riddled with frightful preoccupations… And yet, Tyler still dreamed…

He dreamt of growth, both his own and that of his babies. He dreamt of being force-fed again, and continuing to be fattened up like some farm animal. He dreamt of he and his babies eventually being slaughtered and subsequently consumed, so even though he had the “comfort” of the bed, Tyler wasn't comfortable at all.