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It's Genshin Tumpact time, folks~

Initial readings looked promising. The liquid’s internal temperature had risen by thirteen degrees since introducing the Sakura Bloom petals Sucrose had commissioned from the Traveller. Its color rapidly changed from the previous unwanted grade-17B yellow to an acceptable grade-919H red. The steam rising from the reaction had an… acidic tang with subtle tints of something unidentifiable. For the purposes of recording her research, Sucrose would describe this unidentifiable smell as fresh, sweet, and mellow. This contrast with the sharp acidic overtone was promising. So long as the final product functions as intended, this would finally be a successful model for her newest bio-experiment.

Sucrose straightened up from examining the flask of liquid on her workstation and wiped her forehead with the back of her sleeve. All this steam was making her workspace feel stuffy. Still, she wasn’t done just yet! Just another hour or two of work and she’d have made some real headway into her research! She would keep at it-

“Sucrose, are you in here? I’m coming in!”

“E-Eep!” Sucrose yelped as bright light filled her workspace. Blinded, she squeezed her eyes shut and put her hands in front of her face. “P-Please don’t come in right now! I’m in the middle of-”

“Middle of nothing! Do you know how long it’s been since anyone’s seen you!?”

Sucrose whimpered as she blinked the spots out of her eyes. Barging into her lab was the outspoken Outrider of Mondstadt, Amber. She looked equal parts upset and concerned as she stared around Sucrose’s workspace. “By Barbatos, look at the mess in here! When was the last time you cleaned!?”

Sucrose’s deer-like ears fell even flatter against her head than usual as she avoided eye contact with the fiery woman. “I-It’s not messy… Everything is sorted categorically in accordance with-”

“I mean the trash, Sucrose! Look at this-” Amber gestured at Sucrose’s dish stool. “Just how many plates and bowls do you have here!?”

“Th-They’re in the dish pile… Which I always wash after I finish my research…”

“And how long has it been since you last washed your dishes?”

“... T-Two weeks…”

Amber sighed and shook her head. “You’ve also got a huge pile of clothes, a pile of trash, a pile of… wait, what is that?”

Sucrose glanced in the direction Amber was looking. “O-Oh, that’s not sorted. One of my experiments spilled there and grew into a replica of Paimon. I still need to research why it turned into specifically her-”

“Gah! No more research!” Amber yelled, cutting Sucrose off. She stepped forward and grabbed both of the skittish alchemist’s shoulders, making her shrink down. “You need to get some sun and fresh air! Here, I’m meeting with Eula later today - come hang out with us! You don’t have to talk or anything if you don’t want to. Just come be around people and take a break! It’ll be good for you!”

Sucrose bit her lip. She didn’t really like interacting with people that much. It’s not that she didn’t like people, but social interactions were just so… difficult. She was always scared of making a mistake with her words and hurting someone. Still, though… she did get a little lonely sometimes when working late into the night. Amber had also promised that she didn’t have to talk to people… so…

“O-Ok, I guess…” Sucrose agreed. She adjusted her spectacles and glanced back to her latest test run. “Just let me finish this last test and-”

“No buts!” Amber interrupted again. “Fresh air! People! BREAK!”

“I-I get it!” Sucrose cried out. “B-But the test will be ruined by being left standing for an unmeasurable increment of time if I leave in the middle of it! J-Just let me finish this first! Please!”

The sparky brunette let out a low groan. “Fine. But just this one test! What do you need to do?”

Sucrose perked up a little. Talking about her research was a much better topic than trying to avoid going outside. “Oh, I just need to test how the substance works on a test subject. I have a few mice that I care for just for this purpose- HEY, WAIT!”

While Sucrose had been talking, Amber had walked forward and picked up the flask of pinkish-red liquid Sucrose had just produced. She’d started putting it to her lips after a brief smell but froze when Sucrose suddenly yelled. “You need a test subject, right?”

“W-W-Well, yes, but I didn’t mean-”

“Then won’t a subject that can talk to you and tell you what’s happening work better and faster?”

“A-Again, yes, b-but-”

“And it’s not dangerous?”

That should have been the second question out of Amber’s mouth in Sucrose’s opinion. “N-No. Objectively speaking, the last batch that was definitely dangerous was batch one-thirty-one from the D variant formula, but-”

“Then it’s fine!” Amber raised the flask above her mouth and quickly gulped down the contents. She set the now empty glass container down and smacked her lips together. “That was kinda tasty. Sorta like an orange mixed with grapes and spring.” She glanced at Sucrose. “Ok, so what does this stuff do?”

“And that should have been your first question…” Sucrose said aloud. She shook her head and looked concernedly at her… friend? Could she even call Amber a friend? They likely were, considering how they were mutually concerned for one another’s wellbeing, but Sucrose wasn’t exactly the most experienced at the whole ‘friends’ thing. Still, she answered Amber’s question, “It’s supposed to be an appetite suppressant that also encourages muscle growth, stamina, and recovery from wounds.”

“So like… it heals you while also buffing your attack and stamina regeneration? All without needing to eat anything?”

“That is a peculiar way to put it, but…. No. No, it’s not like that at all.”

Amber blinked. Then she shrugged and grinned at Sucrose. “I guess that’d be too much like a game if a drink could magically do that, huh? Oh well! At least it’ll be easy to see if it’s working, right? It’ll just be if I get hungry or not.”

“Well… yes…” Sucrose agreed hesitantly, “...b-but there could also be side-effects…”

“And you’ll be right there to help with those if they pop up!” Amber continued. She put a hand to her mouth and burped softly. She then smiled. “Now come on! You need sunlight and I need a steak-” She winked at Sucrose. “Unless your experiment changes that~.”

Sucrose pursed her lips but still allowed herself to be dragged from her lab by an enthusiastic Amber. She had a bad feeling about this…

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“Eula!” Amber called out as the two approached the fountain in Mosntadt’s town square. The chipper archer bounced forward and jumped up into Eula’s arms, making the much taller woman step back in shock. Eula’s cheeks grew a spot of red each as she said, “A-Amber, why must you do this!? We have professional images to uphold! I swear, I will have my vengeance for this!”

“Of course you will~,” Amber giggled as she let Eula set her back down. Sucrose awkwardly stood several feet away, finally understanding what others meant with the phrase ‘feeling like a third wheel’. It was an open secret that the Outrider and the Spindrift Knight were dating despite the latter’s best attempts to keep it quiet. The proof of this was that even Sucrose knew. What she didn’t know was why Eula would bother trying to hide that fact when she didn’t try to stop Amber from holding her hand, like she was now.

Finally, Eula seemed to notice Amber’s plus-one. She hesitantly cleared her throat, then raised an eyebrow at Sucrose. “And why, might I ask, is Sucrose here?”

“I invited her to hang out with us today!” Amber said gleefully. She pulled away from Eula and stood next to Sucrose, putting a hand on her shoulder. “The Traveller and Albedo were both telling me how they hadn’t heard from her for a while, so I went to check and she’d been holed up in her lab for forever! Just look how pale she is!”

“I… see…” Eula responded coldly. She cast an eye up and down Sucrose, who shivered under the giant woman’s icy stare, before turning her gaze back to Amber. “Again, I shall ask: why is Sucrose here? I was under the impression that we would be alone for our da- HEM. For our… outing.”

“To get some sun and social time, silly.” Amber laughed. She squeezed Sucrose’s shoulder warmly and smiled at Eula. “She really needs it! Besides, it feels like you two haven’t met much before, so I wanted to change that!”

Eula scowled. Even with her limited experience, Sucrose could tell that Eula was not happy with her being there. The timid researcher was just about to break and squeak out some excuse to run away when Eula just closed her eyes and sighed heavily. “Fine. But I want you to know that I won’t forget this, Amber. I’ll have my revenge for this.”

Another laugh from Amber rang out. This one ended in a small belch. The Outrider hastily covered her mouth and said, “Heh, excuse me. Thanks, Eula! You’re the best!”

“I aim to be, yes,” Eula said dismissively, though Sucrose noted that her cheeks became noticeably pink. The light-haired beauty crossed her arms underneath her bust and continued, “Well, should we get a move on then? We’re losing precious daylight.”

“Sure thing!” Amber agreed. She latched onto Eula’s arm but still spared time to look over at Sucrose and smile. “We’re gonna go check on a few places where hilichurl activity has been high lately, then we’re gonna spend some time by the Symbol of Mondstadt’s Hero. We’ll be back before nightfall, so don’t worry about having to camp out or anything!”

“R-Right…” Sucrose responded, already regretting not protesting more vehemently earlier. If she had just managed to fit a few walks into her research schedule, she could have avoided being dragged out like this. She already felt so unbearably awkward just watching Amber clinging to her girlfriend like this, yet she had to follow the two lovers around for how many hours still? Barbatos save her, it was going to be a long day…

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The windy plains of Mondstadt were rife with beautiful flora, most of which Sucrose had already thoroughly researched. She couldn’t exactly appreciate the scientific marvels around her though. She was currently gasping for breath trying to keep up with Amber and Eula. As it would happen, staying cooped up in a lab for an extended period of time had been bad for her already sub-par muscles. She would need to rehabilitate herself carefully over the next week or two. For now, though… she would settle for just being able to make it to the eighth hilichurl camp of the trip so she could catch her breath.

“There! One’s getting away!”

“Oh no, it isn’t! Baron Bunny, go!”

Sucrose forced herself up a last stretch of hill to see the two Knights of Favonius finishing off the stragglers from a shoddy hilichurl camp. The last of the wicked things disappeared in a blinding burst of pyro as Amber’s pyrotechnic rabbit exploded. Sucrose flinched as the harsh blast hit her sensitive ears. She still wasn’t sure how Amber managed to carry so many of those big bunnies, but she hoped she would run out soon. Actually, she would prefer even more if they were going to take a break soon. Her legs and lungs couldn’t take much more of this abuse…

“Woo, nice!” Amber laughed aloud. She hopped off of the hilichurl tower she’d scaled to snipe her foes and bounded over to Eula, who was sheathing her giant sword. The short brunette grabbed Eula’s hand and giggled. “Amazing as always, Eula! I love watching you fight! You’re so elegant!”

Even from this distance, Sucrose could see the busty woman’s cheeks rising in color again. “I-It’s only a natural result of my efforts. There’s no need to compliment me so much.”

“You deserve the compliments though!” Amber insisted. “You work hard, so I’m gonna make sure yoooUUUuuUOoooOORP-!” Amber stopped talking immediately after the massive belch finished escaping her. She dropped Eulas’s hand and covered her mouth. Now her cheeks were as bright as Eula’s. “O-Oh my, I don’t know where that came from! I’m so sorry!”

Eula shook her head, then seemed to deliberately avoid Amber’s gaze. “No need to apologize. You know full well that I don’t care about such things.”

“S-Still though…!”

Their banter gave Sucrose plenty of time to recover. Now that her breath wasn’t burning in her throat anymore, she noticed something was… off. She scanned Amber again and again, just to make sure she wasn’t seeing things. No, her first impression was right. Amber’s middle was… round. The normally svelte scout had a swollen middle that pushed out the top of her shorts and seemed to be straining her corset.

Judging by how Amber was acting and moving, she hadn’t yet noticed her condition. This was… concerning. Should she tell Amber? Yes, she should, shouldn’t she? But it was so difficult to approach her while she was with Eula. The icy woman was so… scary…

As if on cue, Eula glanced over at Sucrose. The demure woman flinched. Now she was coming over while Amber was going around collecting materials. Oh no, oh jeez! Sucrose was starting to panic. What did she want? Did she catch Sucrose staring at her girlfriend? Was she going to enact some of the vengeance she’d sworn against Sucrose in the past? Oh, by the winds, she was here! Barbatos save her!

“What’s going on with Amber?” Eula demanded simply.

Sucrose blinked. “I… What?”

Eula rolled her eyes. “I’m not dense. Amber is a prodigious archer and a commendable Outrider, yet I managed to outpace her getting to this camp.”

Oh. That. So Eula hadn’t noticed that Amber was-

“In addition, she’s bloated. Very bloated.”

Oh. So she had noticed. “W-Well… I… u-uh… I- uh, she may have… uh… drunk an experimental and untested tonic… heheh…?”

Eula just stared at Sucrose for several seconds. Then her brow twitched. “Please explain this to me in a way that encourages me to not enact vengeance on you in a most heinous fashion. Why would you have her drink an untested tonic?”

“I-I didn’t have her do it!” Sucrose stammered hastily. A bead of sweat ran down her neck. “I-I tried to stop her! I really did! B-But she said it would be better to have a human test subject and did it anyways!”

Eula grimaced and looked over at Amber. The Outrider was picking up a broken hilichurl mask when a loud, rolling belch escaped her lips. Her face reddened again and she scurried off to pick up another mask further away. Eula looked back at Sucrose and just shook her head tiredly. “I see. In that case, I suppose the fault is hers, not yours. In fact, it seems that I should be thanking you for coming along today to watch her.”

Sucrose’s eyes widened. Then she wrung her hands together sheepishly. “O-Oh… well… The fault isn’t entirely hers… She only drank it to help me get out of the lab, after all… Oh! But it isn’t dangerous or anything!” Sucrose said quickly, finally realizing why Eula had been so mad. “I’m not sure what kinds of side effects the tonic has, but no harm should come to Amber!”

A visible weight seemed to lift off of Eula’s shoulders. The tall woman glanced back at Amber again as she said, “That’s a relief. Then I suppose this bloating and gas are some of the side effects?”

“Yes, they likely are. The previous iteration of tonic resulted in a small amount of bloating as well in mouse test subjects, but not to this degree. I’ll need to produce new branches of tonic to see what’s causing this bloating. For now, though, we should tell Amber and get her back to Mondstadt in case the bloating doesn’t go down.”

Sucrose went to go tell Amber, but she was held still by a hand on her shoulder. She quickly looked up at Eula. “Uh… Eula? What are you doing…?”

Eula was silent for a moment. Then, she responded, “Don’t tell her yet.”

“...E-Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Don’t tell her yet.”

Sucrose gulped. “B-But why?”

“You said it wasn’t dangerous, right?”

“W-Well, yes, but-”

“Then there’s no need to rush,” Eula stated firmly. She watched as Amber started running over to them, her stomach looking a mite larger than it had a few minutes ago by Sucrose’s memory. A tiny smirk played on Eula’s lips. “Are we in agreeance?”

“Uh…”

Eula’s grip tightened on Sucrose’s shoulder. “Are we?”

“Y-Yes!” Sucrose squeaked out.

“Good,” Eula said. She patted Sucrose’s shoulder curtly before walking over to meet her lover. Sucrose shivered. She had been one bad answer away from an icy tomb, she was sure of it! Eula was a terrifying woman…

Well... Sucrose wasn’t sure why Eula was so insistent on not informing Amber about her condition when she was sure to discover it herself sooner rather than later, but it shouldn’t be much of a problem. So long as the bloating dies down soon, that is. It would become a problem if Amber continued swelling up as she had been. If that were to happen, then… Actually, Sucrose wasn’t sure what would happen. She’d never studied the human stomach before. She was a little interested in finding out, but Amber’s safety came first, of course. Yeah, yeah… of course…

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Sucrose was dead. No, more accurately, she was dying. She was sure she was. Her vision was spotty, she couldn’t feel her legs, and her head was filled with ringing. Just how… out of shape… was she…?

“Sucrose, over here! You’ve almost made it! Just a bit more!”

Amber’s voice was a beacon in the night for Sucrose. She raised her tired head to see the crimson Outrider cheerfully waving her over. Sucrose had fallen behind more than usual after the last hilichurl camp, but now she was almost there. The Symbool of Mondsadt’s Hero, a magnificent tree Sucrose suspected was as old as Mondstadt itself - and the place where Sucrose would FINALLY get to collapse and rest! Just a few more steps… just a few more…

The deadened researcher flopped onto her front the moment she was underneath the great tree’s shade. The cool grass felt so good on her heated skin… she could die peacefully now…

“Great job, Sucrose! I knew you could keep up with us!” A proud voice made Sucrose reveal her face from where she’d buried it in the cooling grass. Amber had come over and squatted down next to Sucrose and was now patting her sweaty hair. Sucrose would’ve been mortified of that if she wasn’t completely drained of all energy. Also, Amber’s squat brought something far more pressing than a little sweat in line with Sucrose’s eyes.

The pyro archer’s stomach had continued to swell over the last few camps. Now, instead of being thankful that Amber hadn’t noticed the swell of her belly, it made Sucrose concerned about her observational skills. Her short shorts were being pressed to their limit with the button straining for freedom. Her corset was being tested as well, looking as if it might burst off of her with just a single wrong move. For Barbatos’ sake, her belly was even pressing into her bare thighs right now while she was squatting down! Sucrose might not be well-versed in the human psyche, but even she knew there was a fine line between being unobservant and being dense as a stone.

Regardless of Amber’s condition and her painful obliviousness, though… Sucrose’s eyes drifted past Amber’s distended gut to see Eula watching her carefully. The icy beauty raised an eyebrow at her. Sucrose shivered. Yup. Still not telling Amber. Girlfriend knows best, after all. Sucrose looked back to Amber and gave her a shaky smile. “Y-Yeah, I… guess I… did… I’m so tired… though…”

“Of course you are, silly,” Amber laughed, “You’re way out of shape! Don’t worry though - we can just do this again a few more times and you’ll be better than ever!” Amber stood back up and Sucrose could hear her stomach rumble right before a thunderous belch slipped out. The pyro archer clapped both hands over her mouth and turned away from Sucrose, saying, “I-I’m so sorry! I really don’t know what’s gotten into me today! I’m even a little bloated too…”

Really? A little? Sucrose pursed her lips and glanced up at Amber’s belly. Wow, it looked even bigger when looking at it from below like this - especially since her top couldn’t cover everything anymore, so a sliver of pale flesh was exposed right below her corset. Now was the time to tell her, but…

About then, Eula walked over to them and put her arm around Amber’s shoulders. She leaned down and gave the small brunette a peck on the cheek. “Why don’t we rest underneath the tree for a while? Your stomach should settle after a time.”

“I hope you’re right…” Amber bemoaned while letting Eula lead her away. Sucrose grimaced. She wasn’t sure why Eula was leading Amber on like this. She hoped the normally serious-natured Knight really had Amber’s best intentions at heart…

After a few minutes of reviving herself in the cool shade, Sucrose pushed herself up to her feet and slowly shuffled her way over to where Eula and Amber had gone. They’d taken to sitting up against the trunk of Mondstadt’s Hero in a small crook between the great tree’s sizable roots. Well… more accurately, Eula was sitting against the great tree and nestled between its sizable roots. Amber was sitting against Eula and was nestled between her sizable thighs - ah, uh, her legs. Well, yes, Amber was mostly between her thighs, so that wasn’t the issue - the issue was the descriptor with which Sucrose described- Well, it was an accurate descriptor, but she still shouldn’t have used it in the first place-

A-Anyways, uh, moving past th-that… they looked nice sitting together so peacefully. Amber’s concern over her gassiness was seemingly forgotten as she chattered away eagerly. Eula, meanwhile, was just listening with a small smile on her face. She was resting her head on Amber’s with her arms wrapped around the smaller woman, right above the very prominent bump on Amber’s middle. Sucrose would have thought it was a very touching scene of a mother-to-be and her partner if not for the fact that she knew for a fact there was no child in that bump.

Upon noticing Sucrose wobbling over, Amber happily waved her arm. “We’re gonna be here for a little while, so take some time to relax! Oh, and if you wanna play some Genius Invocation, just let me know! We both brought our decks and we’re always ready to duel!”

Sucrose did enjoy a game of Genius Invocation, but… she wasn’t sure she’d be able to focus on the game with Amber’s burping and bulging belly on full display right across from her. She called back, “I-I’m alright for now, but I’ll let you know if I change my mind.” Then she wandered over to a root some fifteen feet away from the lovey-dovey couple and sat against it with a sigh of relief. She could rest for a while, and after the rest, it was just a straight shot back to Mondstadt with no hills or hilichurls or anything. Just a little longer, Sucrose. Just a little longer…

Still, there was still one more thing besides getting back to Mondstadt to worry about. Sucrose glanced back up at Amber, who’d returned to talking to Eula. It wasn’t overly noticeable, but her belly… it was bigger than it’d been just a few minutes ago back when Sucrose had been nigh-comatose on the grass. That was a distinct increase in growth compared to the rest of the day. Was there something accelerating the growth somehow? Barbatos help her, there were a million tests she wanted to run on Amber’s stomach growth, but that would require informing Amber, which Eula had forbidden.

A yawn creeped up and out of Sucrose. She blinked a few times and realized she was more than just physically tired. Her sleep schedule had been… spotty at best lately. The day was so nice, the shade was so cool, and the grass was so soft. Maybe Sucrose could close her eyes for… just one… minute…

*SNAP!* *PING!* *RIIIIIIIIIIIIIP-* “EEEEEP!”

Sucrose’s eyes flew open and she stumbled up onto her feet. That had been Amber’s voice, hadn’t it? What had that noise been? Were they under attack? Mondstadt’s Hero was supposed to be a safe area though! What was-

Again, Amber cried out, “H-How did THIS happen!?”

Sucrose froze as she saw what the problem was. It wasn’t a monster emergency. It was a wardrobe emergency. Amber’s belly had finally proven to be too much for her poor belt, booty shorts, and corset. They had each broken one by one and now Amber’s belly was on full display with the tattered remains of her corset draped across the top. Sucrose felt the heat in her cheeks rise a few degrees - then a few degrees more as she realized she could see part of Amber’s bra just above the swell of her belly where the tearing had risen high enough.

“Sucrose, if you don’t stop ogling my partner I will have my vengeance.”

Sucrose squeaked and quickly glanced away. “H-How did this happen…?”

Amber groaned and, from the corner of her eye, Sucrose saw her clutch the sides of her swollen belly (which looked several magnitudes larger than it had a few moments ago). “I-I don’t know… I mean, I’d been a little bloated all day, but then my tummy just went ‘BWOOMPH!’” Amber did a little hand motion of her stomach expanding outward, which was admittedly adorable. “And now all of a sudden I’m huge!”

Sucrose pursed her lips. All of a sudden. Right. “Well… unless you’re prone to, uh, a ‘little’ bloating like this, then this is likely a side effect of the formula you took this morning.”

“Really? Aw, then this is my fault!” Amber whined while giving her belly a frustrated shake. The resulting sloshing and gurgling could be heard even from where Sucrose was standing, which meant the following belch was certainly audible. Amber blushed, but continued, “I guess we need to go back now, right? I was really having a good time though…”

From behind Amber, Eula’s arms appeared and wrapped around the Outrider’s body right between the swell of her chest and the swell of her belly. “Not necessarily,” The larger woman said softly. She glanced over at Sucrose and asked, “Do you believe Amber is in any danger, immediate or otherwise?”

“Danger? Well…” Sucrose bit her lip. Such rapid growth was certainly cause for concern no matter the cause, but… Amber didn’t seem to be in any pain, and such expansion couldn’t go on infinitely. She was loathe to miss a chance to return home early but with Eula’s cold gaze and Amber’s hopeful eyes both staring at her… Sucrose sighed. “I would need to perform a quick physical to confirm, but there likely isn’t any danger for the foreseeable future if her body has acclimated to the formula thus far.”

To Sucrose’s surprise, the Spindrift Knight let a small smile onto her lips. “How long would such a physical take?” Eula asked.

“Oh, uh…” Sucrose wasn’t used to Eula being… pleasant. This was weird. “N-Not long. I, uh, would need to look at her though. And touch. Are those… alright?”

“I asked you not to ogle her like a hormonal teenager, not to avoid her entirely,” Eula said, clearly annoyed. Never mind, not pleasant. She was the same old Eula.

Amber giggled and moved her hands away from her stomach and to Eula’s thighs, giving Sucrose a full view of the large, creamy orb resting in her lap. “Ignore her. She’s just grumpy that this is interrupting our date. You can touch and look all you want.”

While Sucrose processed her surprise at Amber’s openness, Eula commented with a hint of irritation, “Amber…”

The woman in question twisted her head to look at Eula with a playful smile on her face. “What? You know how I am, little miss Spindrift~. Besides…”

Amber then leaned back and whispered something Sucrose couldn’t hear into Eula’s ear. Whatever it was Amber said, it seemed to be effective as Eula clicked her tongue and closed her eyes. Then she cleared her throat and said quickly, “Fine. Whatever. I’ll have my vengeance for this later, though.”

“I’m expecting you to, hehe~,” Amber giggled again.

Sucrose had absolutely no idea what was going on anymore but from the sound of it… it was ok for her to start her examination, right? She was suddenly having some doubts about doing it now. She knew Amber was a good person, and she was pretty sure Eula was too… somewhere deep down in that giant body of hers, she probably was, at least. Still… the way they were acting was… strange…

“Well? Come on!” Amber quipped, “I can feel my tummy growing, you know. What if it explodes because you didn’t check it in time?”

That almost certainly wasn’t going to happen, but Sucrose couldn’t deny that the solid-looking belly in front of her looked a mite bigger now than it had when she’d first seen it corset-free. The researcher stepped forward hesitantly and knelt next to said belly. “Here I go then. Please try not to move or clench your abdominal muscles.”

“Sure thing~.”

Sucrose reached out and touched Amber’s stomach. She was surprised to find that the surface of her belly was still malleable. It was solid to the touch and felt weighted, as if there was some kind of liquid inside, but also seemed to be flexible. It could be compared to a partially-filled water balloon, which… seemed absurd. Her stomach was a collection of inches smaller than a slime’s diameter and yet could still fit more? Sucrose bit her lip. She was desperately curious to find out just how much more this belly could fit, but… no, no! That wasn’t something she could even consider.

Sucrose moved Amber’s belly and found that she could feel sloshing inside, which matched her weight theory. She recalled that there had been a sloshing noise earlier as well. Sucrose put her doe-like ear to Amber’s skin and repeated the motion. Yes, there was definitely sloshing. Strange. Nothing in the test formula should have produced liquid, let alone this much liquid. Still, liquid was present, which meant it had. Sucrose shivered. She hadn’t noticed before, but Amber’s belly felt cold on her sensitive ear. It wasn’t excessively cold, but it was cold enough to be unusual. She would need to take some temperature measurements once they got back to-

The green-haired woman squeaked as a pair of warm hands took her own. She tried to pull away from Amber’s belly, but instead found herself getting pulled toward it until she was practically embracing it. Ears flat against her head, Sucrose looked up at Amber. The fiery archer was grinning from ear to ear while a playful light danced in her eyes.

“Um… A-Amber?” Sucrose stuttered. She tried to pull away again, but Amber kept her held against her bulbous stomach. By Barbatos, it really was soft and cool, just like a water bed- agh, stop! “Wh-What are you doing? What are you-”

Amber cut Sucrose off, saying, “I’m not the best at noticing other people’s feelings, but Eula’s great at it. She said you were checking out my tum earlier, so I’m just letting you get a closer look~.”

“C-Closer is definitely- an understatement-!” Sucrose huffed while she squirmed in place. She knew archers had a lot of arm strength to fire their bows well, but Amber’s strength was ridiculous!

“Aww, come on, Sucrose,” Amber teased. Despite Sucrose’s resistance, she managed to pull the slim researcher even further up onto her belly. Sucrose gulped when she felt the liquid inside audibly shift and slosh underneath her, which was followed by a loud, drawn-out burp. A rosy tint crept up Amber’s cheeks, but unless Sucrose was mistaken, it wasn’t just from embarrassment this time. “You’re so red in the face that even I can tell you’re having fun right now. Don’t you want to enjoy this?”

Wh-What? Had Amber just read her thoughts? No, that wasn’t right. Sucrose’s heart skipped a beat as she took stock of her own condition. Oh no. Her face. It was burning up! Her pulse was racing and her breathing was heavier. Wh-What was this? Adrenaline? No, she wasn’t experiencing fight or flight. What was this?

It wasn’t until Amber lifted Sucrose’s face up by her chin that the meek woman realized that she wasn’t being held anymore. By then, though, she didn’t have the strength left in her legs to get up even if she still wanted to. The brunette giggled as she crooned, “You’re so cute, you know that? I love how passionate you get about your interests and,  even though you don’t know how to interact with other people well, you still care about and want to help them.”

“What? Where is th-this coming from?”

“You also have a cute butt and your ears look super soft and rubbable~.”

“Wh-What!?”

Amber giggled again. She licked her lips, which made Sucrose gulp for some reason. Then Amber leaned forward, getting close to Sucrose’s face. “You know… even though this is the largest… this isn’t the first time my tummy’s been bloated like this… and it won’t be the last either…”

Sucrose’s mind was reeling. She couldn’t process everything that was happening right now. Amber… stomach… bloated… flirting… hot… cold… heavy… sloshing… loud… GAH! What was HAPPENING!?

“Love… you need to explain properly or she won’t understand.”

Oh crud, Eula! Sucrose’s brain went into shock as she realized that all this was happening when Amber’s girlfriend - THE Spindrift Knight, icy queen of vengeance and prominent member of the noble house of Lawrence - was RIGHT THERE! Sucrose practically flew back from Amber’s body and she prepared to grovel for her life, but… Eula didn’t look… angry? She looked miffed, but not at her. She was miffed at… Amber? What?

Amber blinked. She laughed and leaned back into Eula again. “Sorry, sorry. I guess I should mention that Eula and I aren’t exclusive first, right?”

…What?

“Yeah, sooo…” Amber was all smiles as Eula rolled her eyes and rested her arms on Amber’s belly. “Turns out, while Eula and I like each other a lot, we aren’t very good at liking just each other. We like a lot of other people too!”

“You like a lot of other people,” Eula countered.

“Oh, shush!” Amber tsked, “You’ve liked at least two other people!”

“Two is not a lot.”

“It is when you’re already in a relationship!”

While the two bickered, Sucrose took a moment to gather her thoughts. So this was… uh… so Amber…

“You like me?”

Sucrose’s thoughts escaped her mouth unintentionally. She clapped her hands over her mouth, but the damage was already done. Eula and Amber stopped their bickering and looked at her. Amber smiled and replied, “Yup! And don’t ask why - I already told you, silly~.”

Oh yeah. She had, hadn’t she? Things about her personality, then her ears and… her butt… Sucrose’s face burned even hotter as she lowered her hands. “I- S-So- So I- uh- I don’t know- uuuh-”

“I knew it was too much too soon,” Eula said bluntly. Her hands had wandered from the top of Amber’s belly to the sides where she was idly massaging the acres of tight yet soft skin. “You should have done this properly. Taken her on a proper date, risen her spirits, explained the facts, and proposed your offer.”

“That’s too stiff!” Amber complained. Her face was getting red again as Eula massaged and her own hands seemed to be drifting back to Eula’s thighs, though seemingly not just to rest this time. “There’s gotta be emotion! Passion! Do you think you would’ve gone out with me if I’d asked you out on some cold date and not when I caught you blushing in the hot springs with me? Or how you started blushing more when I drank all that milk afterward?”

“...I continue to tell you that was from the heat.”

“And I continue to tell you that it still worked, so it doesn’t matter!”

“Uuh…”

Amber glanced back at Sucrose and smiled warmly. “Sorry, sorry. Don’t worry, this isn’t a limited-time thing! If you don’t want to accept or if you need time to think, you can take all the time in the world.”

Sucrose swallowed. “A-And what would I be… accepting…?”

Amber’s smile turned playful again. “Me, silly~. Me and aaaaall of this~.” She gestured at her belly, which had clearly swelled up even more during this whole confusing exchange since Sucrose could now no longer see the Outrider’s knees anymore underneath the tight, sloshy orb. The frazzled alchemist followed Amber’s gesture. Was- Was she into this? Amber seemed to be, and so did Eula, but… was she into this? Sucrose wasn’t even sure if she was into men or women - well, maybe she knew about women. Still, was she into… this?

“I… I…”

Amber’s eyebrow raised. “I…?”

“I-I’m-gonna-go-think-about-it-thank-you-your-butts-super-cute-too-

bye!”

With that, Sucrose sprang to her feet, immediately tripped on a root because her legs were half asleep, stumbled back up again, and awkwardly scurried around the tree and out of sight of the two lovebirds. Once she was fully on the opposite side of the great tree, Sucrose collapsed again.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and bit her lip hard. Sucrose didn’t understand relationships. She didn’t understand, but she knew that what Eula and Amber had wasn’t… typical. Was it wrong? They were both alright with it, and they weren’t hiding it from Sucrose, so… no. Sucrose was sure it wasn’t wrong. She just…

Sucrose had never been with someone before. She’d never wanted someone before. She’d never thought about someone in that way before. But Amber clearly had and was doing all that with Sucrose. Amber had given Sucrose her full and honest feelings. Therefore, Sucrose should give a similarly heartfelt response. So… the question was… did Sucrose want to be with Amber? Did she want Amber? And did she think about Amber in that way…?

--------------------------------------------------------------

After a couple of hours, while the sun was dipping in the sky and the wind was rustling the leaves of Mondstadt’s Hero, Sucrose stood up and stretched. She was scared and nervous, but she’d had time to sort through her feelings. She could respond honestly to Amber. Now she just needed to… do it.

After another half an hour and with the sun even lower in the sky, Sucrose slowly inched around the tree. She eventually made it far enough that she could see Eula’s large body, and then Amber, who was also large but for very different reasons. Her stomach had shrunk a sizable amount, presenting at about half the size it had been before, but it was still bare thanks to her clothes being ruined. The two had moved and were now lying side-by-side on their backs in the grass beneath the tree, seemingly napping. Sucrose shook the belly fog from her head. Ok, Sucrose! Now was the time! You have to tell her! Do it!

After another half an hour and with a sliver of sun left on the horizon, Sucrose approached the two napping women. “U-Um… A-Amber? Are you awake?”

The scarlet-clad woman’s eyes blinked open. She glanced up at Sucrose and grinned happily. “Sucrose! Did you decide already? That was fast!”

“R-Right… uh…” Sucrose bit her lip. She looked away. “I… I’m sorry, but I don’t think I feel the way about you that you do about me…”

Amber’s face fell for a moment, but just for that - a moment. Then she brightened back up again. “Hey, no problem! Don’t worry, I’m not going to make things weird or anything just because-”

“I think she has more to say, love,” Eula interrupted. She had one eye open and was idly watching Sucrose.

“Oh. Oh!” Amber exclaimed. She sat up and turned to face Sucrose. “Sorry! You can keep going now.”

“Uh…” Being so much taller didn’t feel right. Sucrose squatted down to match Amber’s height, then continued, “But… I do… like you, in a way… and I like…” Sucrose bit back her embarrassment as she glanced down at Amber’s bare and swollen midriff. She quickly glanced away again, feeling the heat rising up her face again. “Uh… so…”

Ugh, this wasn't going right at all! Sucrose shook her head and braced herself. “S-So- I can’t like you like Eula does or how you like Eula, but… i-if you’re willing to be patient… I think I’d like to find out if I can like you the same way you like me…”

Amber blinked. Then she glanced back at Eula. “Uh… does that mean…?”

“She’s saying yes but take it slow, love,” Eula sighed. She rolled onto her side and reached up to ruffle Amber’s hair. “Congratulations.”

Amber blinked again. Then she squealed and jumped towards Sucrose. The slender alchemist put up no fight as she was knocked over, though she did go rigid at the sudden intimacy of Amber embracing her and the pressure of her swollen gut pressing into her. The brunette pushed away and looked Sucrose in the eyes, face glowing with excitement. “I promise to help you figure all your feelings out so you can be the best you possible! Oooh, I’m so happy right now!”

Sucrose chuckled nervously as Amber embraced her again. She felt very happy physically right now, but mentally she was a mess of conflicting emotions. She’d made the right decision, right? … Right?

=====================================================

It's been a hot minute since I've done a Genshin Impact fic, huh? I don't generally gravitate towards doing fanfics in general, so please excuse the gap between my genshin fics, lol.

Still, with this fic as a base, I'm kinda feeling inspired to do a few more based around this. Who knows; there might be a few more Genshin fics in the foreseeable future... 

Or not. Depends on my dumb brain, lmao. Either way, see y'all soon for a monster girl fic some of you got a sneak peek at a few days ago~.